text:
Miss Snark is not going to wag a finger in your face ... Miss Snark has enough vices of her own, thank you.
Do you smoke in the same room you write? How about the same room where you store your printer and manuscript paper?
Moments ago I opened an envelope in my never-ending pile o'slush. The odor was not overwhelming but it was definitely noticeable. And nasty. Old ashtrays. Down at the heels barrooms. Derelicts who need a bath. NYC subways.
The paper was crisp and clean, the prose was ok, but nothing fancy. All I wanted to do was burn it.
Smell is a big trigger for memory. You know this. It's why the scent of the perfume you wore when you first danced with your true love recalls that night in vivid detail. It's why chocolate chip cookies in the oven make you feel safe. It's why you'll never use certain shampoos again.
If you smoke, the scent adheres to the paper. There's a stiff no smoking law in NYC now. Smokers huddle in doorways (despite signs telling them to stand out in the rain) and grab quick puffs as they come up the subway stairs. The smell of cigarettes and tobacco doesn't have good associations for most of us.
Sometimes we're not aware of why we react negatively to something. It's just "a feeling". One of the things that can produce that "feeling" is scent. Avoid shooting yourself in the foot subliminally. Store your paper in a smoke free room. If you smoke, you can't tell if your paper smells. I can.
20 comments:
- harridan said...
Oh man,
I am sooooo toast on this one. My smoking habit is long ingrained, and you sooooooooo don't want to see me if I can't get my nicotine fit.
Though I have done long signings without freaking. There is a lozenge out (can't remember the name at the moment) that allows even a die hard smoker to sit still over long, smokeless periods.
PS, I've met some really great, highly succesful authors out in the rain in NYC while they caught their nicotine buzz.
They can get by with sending in smoke scented pages.
Me, I have my paper stashed in another room (smiles)
- 10/13/2005
- TillyLost said...
I smoke, and have got the snazzy paper for submissions (not the skanky stuff I usually use) sealed twice and in a cupboard. With the envelopes.
I'm now wondering if ink can smell of smoke. Or perhaps the stamps will.
- 10/13/2005
- jan said...
I don't smoke but I am now storing my paper in the same room as the chocolate chip cookies...I need all the positive associations I can get.
- 10/13/2005
- Sherryl said...
I can always tell that a student is a smoker when I take their story or assignment out of the envelope. It's totally off-putting - I agree with you, Miss Snark!
I usually put their pages outside until the smell goes, and hope it doesn't rain.
- 10/13/2005
- Bonnie S. Calhoun said...
In my day job, I'm a self-employed seamstress. I quit smoking eight years ago and it's amazing how fast a wedding gown can pick up the reek of cigarette smoke. Sometimes I have to air them and my shop out before I can work on them. All day working on one and I go home smelling of smoke. It puts me right over the edge! I never realized how bad it smelled until I quit.
- 10/13/2005
- Unknown said...
You could always just make copies at kinko's. As far as I know they haven't developed a copier that can capture scent.
That way you can use the back of the orginal for reprinting Miss Snark's posts...
[does anyone know if there is a secret message in these "word verifications"? Today it's YRYEG. You Rock, You Eclectic Genius.
- 10/13/2005
- Ira Rosofsky said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- 10/13/2005
- Ira Rosofsky said...
(I wish there were a way to edit your comment without deleting and starting over. Is there?)
One of these days I'm going to do a photo study of people, including patients, smoking around hospital entrances. I enjoy the image of folks wheeling out their IVs, sitting in their wheel chairs, or unhooking their oxygen to light up. It's a happy band that's usually joined by staff in hospital whites, pinks and greens. Some are doctors. I've seen smokers put a ciggy right into their tracheotomy holes in their throats. Sober heroin addicts tell me it's much harder to quit tobacco than opiates. I'm amused by AA meetings that are fueled on caffeine and nicotine. They're all still addicted to something. Most nursing homes have regular smoking breaks. People who can hardly walk or think are out there in all kinds of weather for their 11 A.M., 3 P.M., and 6 P.M. smoking breaks. Two cigarettes per break inhaled quickly before the supervising staff shuttles you back inside. Psychiatric hospitals used to have heating elements on the wall kind of like automobile cigarette lighters so the mentally ill could light up without possessing matches that they might use to light up the whole building.
I'll date myself here, but I learned my smoking hobby while sitting in the back of college classes cadging smokes. Look at "Good Night and Good Luck" and see the smoke filled room of the Army-McCarthy hearings. I quit many years ago, but I still can miss it, flashing from time to time that it would be great to light up right now. How great it would be to smoke as a pleasant undertone to the tedium of editorial revision. I smoked non-filtered Camels and loved the aroma of tobacco that would linger on my fingers.
I miss smoking like I miss a lover who drove me to tears and drink but was great in bed.
- 10/13/2005
- Lynn Raye Harris said...
I had a critique partner whose husband smoked. All her pages stank, and the books she gave me stank too. When she moved away, she left me boxes of books. I had to leave them in my garage for months. :( Oh, and he wasn't allowed to smoke in their bedroom, which is where she kept the computer, printer, and paper. And her pages still stank, though maybe not as badly....
- 10/13/2005
- Ira Rosofsky said...
"Thank You for Smoking," by Christopher Buckley. Very funny stuff.
It's too bad smoking is really bad, bad, bad for you and me. It's just the thing to offend tender sensibilities--much better than tongue piercings.
- 10/14/2005
- Bonnie S. Calhoun said...
Wow, cigarettes and tongue piercing in the same post.
That reminds me. Yesterday I stopped at the pet store to get food for my Koi. They have a new 18-something girl working there. She walked up behind me and when I turned around there were 6 little pierced rings in EACH of her eyebrows, 7 or 8 pierced rings in the long edge of each ear, a stud in one nostril, a big green ball pierced through her tongue, four braides running down her back, and a honkin' huge braid flowing down over her right eye.
Tactful person that I am, burst out laughing and said, "Geez, you shoulda' ran after he stuck you the first time!"
She told the boss (my friend)she needed a break, and stomped outside for (you guessed it) a cigarette.
I looked at my friend, saying, "Well, people that do that want attention. She got it!"
And then I told the child, smoking would stunt her growth, as I left. (Bonnie's rules on How to Win Friends and Influence People!)
- 10/14/2005
- Bunneh said...
Ugh. Smoke can get anywhere, can't it? My fiance's parents smoke, and it's the primary reason we don't spend much time with them -- we're both wheezing and coughing for days after any extended visit. The scent sticks to everything -- clothes, skin, hair (and sometimes it'll stick to hair even AFTER a thorough washing).
My mother used to smoke, and once, after coming home from uni for a visit, I did my laundry (like you do when you go home for visits). The clothes went straight from the washer to the dryer to my suitcase, and when I unpacked, everything STILL stunk of smoke.
It's been my experience that the only other scent that clings like cigarette smoke is that "fried food" scent, which, while marginally better than cigarette smoke, isn't something I'd want my pages to smell like.
- 10/14/2005
- Bernita said...
This smell thing goes both ways. Have read of writers receiving pages for revision who had allergy fits because of the editor's cat, canine, or some other sensitivity.
Large in everyone's mind is the concept that all this can be avoided electronically.
- 10/14/2005
- Kitty said...
Bonnie, you crack me up! I've gotta link this post cuz the comments are priceless.
- 10/14/2005
- Bonnie S. Calhoun said...
Bunneh is right about the 'fried food' thing. I have a friend who workd at FitoLay (One of their factories grace our local landsacpe) and she always smells like a french fry!
Until now, I never thought of it as an offensive odor. No wonder I'm always hungry around her!
- 10/14/2005
- Nikki said...
God, I love to smoke. I love the smell of a lit cigarette, I love the satisfaction of smoking, I love the dirty looks from non-smokers.
Only 20% of smokers get lung cancer, and since every woman in my family lives into her late 90's while drinking, smoking and eating heavy German food, I'm thinking I'm going to be fine.
I can't stand the self-righteousness of ex-smokers. I'm no quitter, so leave me alone. That's the only bad part about smoking, except for the fools on the street who want me to give them a cigarette out of my pack that cost me $7. Buy your own.
- 10/14/2005
- Ira Rosofsky said...
Talking of smells. Anyone been to Cecar Rapids? When the wind is blowing the right way, the whole town and everyone in it smells like Quaker Oats.
- 10/14/2005
- Bonnie S. Calhoun said...
Seven dollars a pack! Now think about it. Let's analyze the word 'the fool'. Is it the person who would TRY to bum a ciggy(and maybe get slapped to the ground for the effort) for free or the person who paid for the honor of lighting them on fire and watching them go up in smoke? Just kidding!
You all can somke if you want to. When I smoked I didn't like people to try and convince me to stop either. I just thank God that I quit before they got to these outrageous prices!
- 10/14/2005
- Bonnie, Of the Multitude of Snarklings said...
Nikki, it's closer to 25%, and don't overlook the other common "smoking" guns, like bladder cancer. Smokers are two to five time more likely than non-smokers to end up wearing an ostomy bag to hold their pee.
All you smokers quit smoking and protect your manuscripts; the bladder you save may be your own.
(This message paid for by Those Who Would NEVER Give Nikki a Dirty Look, Even Though She's No Quitter.)
- 10/14/2005
I'm glad I'm no editor/agent. The smell of cigarette smoke brings out the old fear of someone I know dying trick, not a good subconscious belief to have when wondering if the writer you're reading could be The Next Big Thing.
By the way, a nyone else love the whole Choose an Identity. I love how this place so obviously lets us know we're anonymous.
- 12/09/2005


text:
Riverbed, the company known best for its Steelhead WAN Optimization product, has beefed up its Application Performance Management (APM) suite. In 2012, Riverbed acquired OPNET for a cool billion to complement the network performance management (NPM) suite it inherited when it purchased Mazu. The product formerly known as OPNET, AppInternals Xpert was rebranded to SteelCentral AppInternals, and this week the company released version 9.0 of the suite.
The SteelCentral product consists of several components. Collector agents are deployed on the end points to gather information. The data generated is then passed to a collector that aggregates the information from the agents. The collector then passes the information to the SteelCentral AppInternals console as the "single pane of glass" for the system. All of the historical information is then stored in a centralized repository known as AppInternals Big Data. This enables customers to then go back and reply information or use the data for historical analysis.
The big value for something like AppInternals is helping customers find where problems are occurring faster. My research has shown that 90% of the time taken to solve problems is simply isolating the problem. Once the problem is found, IT can take whatever action to remediate the issue, but finding that proverbial needle in a haystack is very difficult with legacy management tools. This becomes a significantly bigger problem as businesses start to leverage the IP network for voice and video traffic. All of a sudden network problems that may not have been noticeable stick out like a huge sore thumb. I've talked to a number of Riverbed/OPNET customers over the years and AppInternals reduces the time to find problems by an order of magnitude in some cases.
Since the acquisition, Riverbed has integrated AppInternals with the NPM capabilities, giving an end-to-end vide of the entire ecosystem. The combination of NPM and APM is a powerful combination for IT managers looking to measure and manage the end-user experience. End-user experience management has always been somewhat of a "holy grail" in the management and monitoring space, but the industry is certainly closer to that goal than ever.
Version 9.0 of AppInternals brought with it a number of new features, including the following:
- Mobile management. To me, this was the most notable part of the release. Version 9.0 extends the basic mobile monitoring capabilities introduced in version 8.5. This newest version has native mobile support for iOS, Android, and rich web applications. Now the IT operations team can monitor and analyze the behavior of mobile applications from a central location.
- HDAnalytics. Riverbed has added high-definition transaction capture combined with contextual information for faster root cause analysis. AppInternals now tracks method parameters and captures descriptive data on a per-transaction basis. The application support teams can now traverse an entire transaction to understand business context by looking at the recorded method parameters. The contextual data can help isolate application problems without having to try and re-create them.
- Analytic workflows and correlation. In version 9.0, Riverbed added a number of out-of-the-box, web-based workflows. Instead of having to spend time building workflows, the operations team can focus on problem solving.
Recently, Riverbed has been evangelizing the vision of "location independent computing" (LIC). The concept of LIC is something I agree with -- computing isn't just in the cloud or in a data center, it's everywhere. The key is to use the right compute resources in the right location to complete whatever task at that moment in time. However, leveraging LIC means businesses have to deal with traditional applications as well as cloud and mobile. Riverbed's AppInternals, combined with the company's NPM platform, should give IT departments the necessary visibility and data required to manage this ever-changing application environment.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
About Face Theater delivered big time on its promise of colossal entertainment, excessive elegance and inspired grandeur at the 17th annual WONKA BALL 2013: CIRCUS MAXIMUS, held on Friday, April 26.
And the guests -- awed and inspired by the poignant storytelling and sensory delights unfolding around them -- roared their delight by raising $85,000 for the theater by the evening's end.
Proceeds from the WONKA BALL support About Face Theatre programming including its groundbreaking Youth Theatre, which creates critically acclaimed new work by and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) artists and their allies.
The AFT's premier fundraiser of the year transformed the preternaturally still and silent Architectural Artifacts city showroom into a boisterous three-ring circus that took the big top over the top in the carnivorous 80,000 square foot showroom.
The showroom's regular residents, including gargoyles, griffins and marble maidens, shared their resting grounds for the evening with a roving band of live circus acts, including stilt walkers, fire dancers, acrobats, magicians, jugglers, and even a mermaid suspended from a fanciful ceiling swing.
Ladies and gents mingled, sipped and sampled the night away - donning everything from chic urban attire to colorful burlesque-style corsets to all-out circuswear that gave a nod to ringmasters, and side show acts alike. Other entertainment for the evening included opera tenor Scott Ramsay, a marching band, belly dancers, contortionists and the tunes of DJ Swaguerilla.
The About Face Theater was founded in 1995 in response to the lack of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender voices within the American theater. To date, AFT has developed nearly 60 productions for Chicago audiences.
About Face creates innovative theater to advance the national dialogue on general and sexual identify. It seeks to challenge and entertain audiences The theater serves as a celebrated center for LGBTQ arts. The organization is an inclusive place where diverse artists, youth and the broader community come together for artistic exchange and cultural dialogue.
The evening also served as the first public event introducing Andrew Volkoff as AFT's new Artistic Director. Volkoff, who has served as Associate Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company in Massachusetts and Genesius Theatre Group in New York City, will succeed Bonnie Metzgar this spring.
Nemo Serges was the recipient of the About Face Youth Theatre 2013 MVP Award, given annually to an outstanding youth theatre ensemble member for exceptional service to the company and to the greater LGBTQ community.
Currently the Youth Ensemble is staging the world premier WHAT'S THE T? by Sara Kerastas and the About Face Youth Theater Ensemble, directed by Artistic Associate Eric Hoff, playing May 19-June 2 at the Prince Charitable Trusts Upstairs Loft at the Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago. Inspired by issues of race, gender, age and class in Chicago's "Boystown," WHAT'S THE T? is based on true stories and interviews from LGBTQA youth and adults around Chicago.
All Photos © courtesy of Timmy Samuel


text:
Childbirth Educator Certification (CBE)
Birth Arts International has been offering this dynamic childbirth education training program for students for over 10 years. This training keeps with the BAI philosophy and continue to offer students extensive education and support. You will find our CBE graduates teaching independently, in birth centers and hospitals all over the world.
Become a Childbirth Educator, offering women a holistic and natural choice for childbirth education. The philosophy which founded Birth Arts International is guided by knowing and trusting women. This program will assist you in teaching not only stellar Childbirth Education classes but also to reinforce positive birthing imagery and beliefs for women. Students can take the program online through eLearning, Weekend Workshop or via Distance Learning.
What the Program Covers
Pregnancy- common issues and comfort measures, health and well being and natural progressions.
Labor and Birth- comfort measures, support person techniques
Educator Skills
Parental Communication
Informed Consent
Comfort Techniques
Sexuality and Relationships
Health- Nutrition, Alternative Health
Postpartum Period
Types of birthing environments and so much more...
Audio Lectures
Introduction to Childbirth Education
Class Outlines and Class Options
Teaching Skills and Development
Lectures and Activities
Grief and Death
Birth Affirmations
Health and Well-Being
And more...
Power Point Presentations
Educator Training
Labor and Birth Stages
Stages of Labor and Birth
Support Persons Top 10
Cascade of Interventions
Rebozo Skills
Normal Labor and Delivery
Breastfeeding- Getting Started
Students have to complete the reading list, assignments, complete the workbook assignments, audit a CBE session, teach your own, make class materials and handouts, you will have to teach your own session to be reviewed and complete a business plan.
Usually the program takes about six months for students to complete, the program is at your own pace and students can work when life allows. Students do not pay any additional fees or have to re-certify.
Students can connect with other students via our email list, and Facebook student only groups. You also have access directly to your primary instructor through email, telephone and student messaging
Birth Arts Students who attend the weekend training workshop should know that there are additional assignments to be completed in the period afterwards before certification. There are no additional fees for certification or membership.
- Working Computer, this really useful no matter your enrollment option.
- Working DVD Drive on computer, or ability to stream audio and media. We no longer send CDs but most childbirth videos are now on DVD or streaming.
- Skype Account for student/teacher interactions. This is a free internet telephoney. If you cannot use Skype we can find an alternative, but it is preferred.
- Audacity to record a lecture for teacher- this is a free download
- Microphone headset- Around $25-50.00
Weekend Workshop
Access to eLearning after your in person class
No Shipping costs
Professional Trainers
Connection to community
eLearning Education Program
Instant access to materials
No Shipping Costs
All of your educational materials are online and you can work wherever you have internet
Interactive classroom and student connections online
Mentored Training
Distance Learning
Materials sent to you
Access to eLearning Classroom and other students
Mentored Training
Work with other students
Multiple Enrollment Options
Scholarship Options
Unlike other certification organizations, Birth Arts International has no additional fees. Your enrollment fee is the only fee we will charge you. We do not have certification, membership or examination fees that are due to become certified or to keep your membership current. All enrollments are final.


text:
This Guild S-100 Polara was made in the USA in 1994. The guitar shows only light play wear and is in excellent condition. It has been pro-setup and needs nothing. It comes with the original case.
We accept Credit cards (Visa, MC, Amex, Discover), Paypal, Money orders, personal checks and bank wires.
Guitars are shipped by Fedex ground unless other arrangements are made. Guitars are usually shipped within 24 hours of purchase.
We offer a 48 hour no questions asked return policy. If you don't like it, just send it back and we will issue a refund. We do not refund shipping charges and if you pay with a credit card there is a 5% restocking fee. If you pay with cash, check, paypal, or bank wire there is no restocking fee.


text:
Hicks comes out of gate strong with lumber
CHICAGO -- Aaron Hicks has been known as a slow starter at just about every level throughout his career, and it was certainly the case last year, when he opened his big league career by going just 2-for-48.
But Hicks started out strong on Opening Day against the White Sox on Monday, going 2-for-3 with a double to match his hit total through his first 13 games last year in just one day. He followed that up with a 2-for-4, two-walk effort in Wednesday's 7-6 loss to Chicago. And now he's looking to build on that and avoid the early-season struggles he endured last year.
"I just want to get off to a good start," Hicks said. "It's a pretty good start, but it's a long season. It feels good when you get those two hits. Makes you feel more comfortable when you go into the next game."
Hicks started out batting leadoff last season -- and still has the potential to bat atop the lineup -- but the Twins are trying to take the pressure off him by batting him eighth early in the year. Hicks said he's fine with that decision, with Brian Dozier serving as the club's leadoff hitter in the interim.
"Hitting eighth, I guess, takes a lot off of me," Hicks said. "I can come up and take a pitch and try to drive guys in."
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has sensed a difference in Hicks, who had a solid showing in Spring Training and is showing more confidence than last year.
"Hicksy's attitude and the way he went about it in spring was different," Gardenhire said. "He knows the game can slap you upside the head a little bit and beat you around. So he's a little bit more prepared. He's kind of on a mission, which is a good thing."


text:
FORT BLISS -- Army Capt. Kevin Mott is being hailed as a genuine American hero by none less than his new commanding general and the rest of the U.S. Army.
Mott, 27, overcame serious battlefield injuries that could have cost him his life, eventually redeployed and was one of the heroes in a nine-day operation in eastern Afghanistan in the spring of 2011.
On Tuesday, Mott, now stationed at Fort Bliss, was awarded the Silver Star -- the third-highest honor in the military behind only the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross.
He was cited for "valorous actions against an armed and heavily fortified enemy" while serving as a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky.
Mott "exemplifies what we stand for in the Army in so many ways," said Maj. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard, commander of the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss.
He placed the mission first and never accepted defeat, Pittard said while presenting the award.
"He's a true hero," Pittard said. "Where do you find such men and women of character who put their country first? I'm just glad we have them."
Mott was cited for his efforts in trying to clear out a haven for insurgents in eastern Afghan istan from March 28 to April 6, 2011.
His unit was surrounded by enemy insurgents. He repeatedly put himself in the line of enemy fire so his unit could move and eventually helped to call in a guided bomb strike to end the enemy attack, according to the award narrative.
"It wasn't only me," said Mott, a native of San Rafael, Calif. "I definitely wasn't by myself. I had a great team of soldiers and NCOs (noncommissioned officers) who helped me out. I wasn't the only guy who received an award from this battle."
Less than a year before, he survived being shot in the head while also deployed in Afghanistan. During that June 2010 incident, his unit was ambushed from nine different positions. Mott also suffered four fractured vertebrae, a fractured rib, a fractured ankle and a torn shoulder ligament. He required 50 sutures and staples in his scalp and a sustained a traumatic brain injury.
After five months of intense physical therapy he rejoined his battalion, in Afghanistan.
"I think I heal faster than most people, and it was hard for the doctors to understand that," Mott said. "I wasn't the easiest patient to work with either. I was 100 percent focused on getting better and worked very hard at getting better."
He cited a great medical team at Fort Campbell with helping him recover.
Mott is now the assistant operations officer for the 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss. He will deploy to Afghanistan again later this month with what is colorfully known as the Ready First Brigade.


text:
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ZONARE Medical Systems today announced they have been honored with the Frost & Sullivan 2011 North American Technology Innovation Award in Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging Technology. Recognizing excellence in the development of Zone Sonography Technology (ZST), the Frost & Sullivan Award highlights ZONARE's technology as one of the industry's most significant ultrasound breakthroughs.
"Through a new approach to acoustic image acquisition and processing, Zone Sonography Technology has substantial clinical benefits at a substantial price to value ratio," said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Darshana De. "Frost & Sullivan believes that Zone Sonography Technology will become the next industry standard method of generating ultrasound images. It is overcoming a number of barriers of digital beamformation technology and is also two generations ahead of traditional digital beamformation technology."
ZONARE's z.one ultrasound system delivers high-end image quality powered by its proprietary Zone Sonography™ Technology. The system's innovative, software-based design and architecture allows continuous performance enhancements and upgrades via software and delivers the highest level of system uptime and customer productivity. The z.one Ultrasound platform delivers premium performance and provides mobility and workflow advantages across a wide range of clinical settings.
"We're very proud to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan with the Innovation Award for Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging Technology as it continues to validate ZONARE's focus of delivering meaningful ultrasound solutions that improve workflow and deliver unprecedented image quality," said Glen W. McLaughlin, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, ZONARE Medical Systems. "Since introducing the groundbreaking Zone Sonography Technology we continue to invest heavily in our software-based architecture that enables fast, convenient upgrades which keep our customers at the forefront of diagnostic ultrasound capabilities."
About ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc.
ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc., based in Mountain View, Calif, is solely dedicated to ultrasound excellence through its innovative, software-based, next generation technology, and putting customers and employees first. The patented design and architecture of the z.one Ultrasound platform deliver high-end image quality and clinical versatility at unparalleled value. ZONARE's exclusive ultrasound focus resulted in Frost & Sullivan awarding the 2011 North American Technology Innovation Award in Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging Technology to ZONARE. For more information, visit: www.zonare.com.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 40 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.
ZONARE, z.one, and Zone Sonography is a trademark of ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc.
|SOURCE ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc.
Copyright©2010 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


text:
Ylhomme necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 131 diseños de 19 diseñadores freelance.
Beat the Traffic
We're an independent developer company who produces the popular "Beat the Traffic" app for iPhone, Android and Blackberry phones. Our app makes it easy for commuters to check the latest traffic conditions in their area and discover what route to take to avoid traffic jams.
Check it out the app right here: http://www.beatthetraffic.com/downloads
Our application is used by millions of people everyday on the web and on mobile devices. In fact, our technology powers many TV and Radio stations traffic maps, as well as other mobile traffic apps.
We are looking for a well crafted "Powered by Beat the Traffic" logo that would accommodate the growing number of apps that use our technology
Consumers will see your design each time they launch an app that is powered by Beat the Traffic, so literally millions of times a day.
This project is essentially a rework of our original logo (see attached) to the difference that a "Powered by" needs to be added.
The logo will be used mostly on screen, on each mobile app or web map we power. So, it is a critical that it looks good on a screen, especially on smaller hand devices.
Here's a few more details about our requirements:
- Needs to be based off of the original logo (see files attached)
- Needs to have "Powered by" in writings
- Needs to be extremely readable as it will be almost exclusively used on mobile phones (typical size would be 100px by 40px - see iPhone screenshot attached)
- Needs to be modern, professional and not cartoony
The files we will require are:
- Print file format - .ai (CMYK)
- Web file format - .jpg and high resolution layered .psd (RGB)
Good luck, and happy designing!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text: Panther Kion Wilson was parked outside a Charlotte Best Buy on Monday afternoon when someone broke into his pickup truck and stole four guns. Wilson lost a Glock 23, a 12-gauge shotgun, a FN Five-seven handgun and an unspecified Smith & Wesson. If you have any information that could put these guns back in the hands of a backup linebacker, please contact Charlotte police. [WCNC]


text:
Road Trip To Redemption an Amazing Journey of Healing and Grace
- Brad Mathias Author
- 2013 28 May
Chapter One: Flashback at the Falls
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straightyour paths (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV).
June 2010
Hiking along the sapphire blue shores of one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, I found myself invigorated and out of breath. The combination of high altitude, frigid morning air, and the thirtypound backpack I was carrying caused me to pause on the trail. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw my little band of intrepid flatlander suburbanites following dutifully behind me as we crossed this magnificent mountain landscape. We were exploring a remote road trip to redemption seven-mile trail to Bow Falls that skirts the picturesque Bow Lake in Alberta, Canada, located only a few miles from the idyllic Lake Louise resort region of Banff. We had left our rental cabin before dawn that day, hoping to get on the trail in time to reach our isolated destination by noon.
I had led my family from Nashville, Tennessee, to Canada on a quest to reintroduce them to the Author of all beauty, the Creator of true life, Jesus Christ. I could envision no place in the world that could convey the majesty and creativity of their spiritual heritage better than this remarkable piece of paradise.
An avid hiker and road warrior, I had visited Alberta several times before with my lifelong friend Brian Hardin. As a professional photographer, he had explored this lake with me, and I had kept one of his pictures framed in my living room ever since. Bow Lake was a sacred place for me. I had wept on the day I first stood on its shores. Dramatic mountain walls swept down into a crystal-clear, glacier-fed lake that perfectly reflected the snowcapped peaks from every angle. This valley had been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Every summer, tourist buses swept by its shores following the world-famous Icefields Parkway—an ice-trail road running from Banff to Jasper—carrying hundreds of visitors eager to see the sights, buy the trinkets, and pose for pictures. These driveby gazers were content to leave the majesty of the lake's shores with a few digital memories. In their rush to see more, did they truly understand or appreciate the silent and awesome presence of this pristine wilderness? I doubted it.
When I stand on the shores of this lake, I always feel as if I am standing in the presence of my Creator God. No other place in the world moves me like this place does. It is unique, special, unequaled in its beauty and its serenity. So when I had an opportunity to take a trip with my family, it didn't take me long to decide where we would go. Now here we were, hiking past the well-worn shoreline of the casual tourist trail and heading to the soaring glacier's edge, which in summer forms the magnificent Bow Falls, rising over five hundred feet in the far distance.
The trail was long and winding, with very few easy stretches, and we quickly realized it would tax us much more than any trail we had tried before. My sophisticated teens were excited, engaged, and anxiously snapping pictures as they hiked. Exclaiming like little children who had just discovered another new ride at Disneyland, they shared their joy with anyone who would listen. I smiled at their random outbursts of oohs and aahs, their pointing and yelling at the wildlife and mountain scenery around us:
"Dad, this is AMAZING! It's soooooo cool."
"Are those elk? Are they dangerous?"
"Is that an eagle? How cool is that!"
"Seriously, are there bears up here? Will they eat us?"
They would each exclaim their discoveries or shout their delight, as if they alone had seen the beauty and we risked missing a critical life moment if we didn't immediately stop and stare with them before it suddenly disappeared. It was awesome to see my suburban, media-addicted teenagers running around the wilderness like kids in a candy store. It was a prayer answered—and a major passion of my life shared with my family for the first time.
I sensed something critical happening in them at this remote, wild, and beautiful mountain. God was present for them like he had been for me. They were seeing the majesty of the mystical and mysterious Creator we worshiped together every Sunday. Only this time, they were worshiping spontaneously, without me leading or prompting them.
As I paused by the trail, my mind flashed back to that devastating night my family had experienced not even a year ago. The events that had shaped our decision to be here were painful memories, yet the sting of them was already fading in the magic of this moment. Nevertheless, that shockingly unexpected crisis had formed in my wife and me the resolution to change our lives, to adapt our parenting in ways I never would have dreamed of a few months earlier. That priority shift resulted in our decision to drive our entire family seven thousand miles in two weeks in an effort to reconnect with each other, and in the process, we saw our journey connect us all with God. Here is our story...
September 2009
I could tell something was wrong. Even in the midst of my hectic schedule and the busyness of everyday life, I had noticed changes in my middle child, a shift in her mood and appearance over the past few months. She had withdrawn a bit—removed herself from our simple weekly family life, sat out our evening dinner discussions, and always had too much to do on family movie nights. She was still there, physically present, but she was emotionally "checked out."
Bethany had begun to fade into a shell of her normally dramatic and exuberant teenage self. She was still an athletic, slim, blonde "Barbie doll" of a girl, but her beautiful sky-blue eyes had seemed to lose their color. They were darker now, especially with the extra mascara and eyeliner she had begun to wear. Her skin looked more frail and white than I'd ever remembered. She kept her eyes down, usually with a hoodie over her head and iPod earbuds jammed in her ears. She was trying to keep us all out. It was frustrating, irritating, and disrespectful, and I had made a mental note to confront her about the many rude behaviors I had observed in her recently. My patience for her teenage angst had worn thin. She needed to be corrected. It was time our family quit being punished by her unpredictable moods and her annoyance with everyone and everything around her.
I loved her dearly, but I had to admit it—Bethany could be a real snot sometimes. Her older sister and younger brother were always complaining about her attitudes and selfishness, and on more than one occasion Paige had thrown up her hands in frustration and despair, wondering if Bethany would ever grow up. It didn't take a PhD to figure out that we were giving her way too much latitude. Her schoolwork was starting to suffer, and seemingly overnight she had changed her clothes from a well-groomed "preppy" style to a sloppy, skinny jeans "skater" look. What was going on with her?
Whatever it was, I assumed it was related to her growing hormonal imbalances, combined with girl-boy teen drama and high school social stress. I also assumed her attitude was a jab at her mother and me, an attempt to show us that she was older and independent now, able to handle herself without our help. So I, the supposedly wise father, was already judging her actions as rebellious and in need of correction before I had talked with her at all. I was seriously right—and I was seriously wrong.
In retrospect, the signs were there, if I had taken the time to notice. If I had been paying attention to Bethany, really paying attention, I would have seen the faint scars from a few old, purple cuts—long, swollen, twisted welts—as well as the chronic scars on the insides of her forearms. But I didn't. I might have noticed that the girl who had once been the most voracious eater in the family was suffering from an ongoing loss of appetite. I might have noticed that her choice of music, art, and reading had shifted from bright and uplifting to dark and depressing. She had, in fact, been morphing from an animated and optimistic young woman, full of life, hope, and excitement, into a shadow of her healthier self.
In my naiveté, I was still remembering her as she was before, instead of seeing her as she had become. I had missed the transformation in front of my very eyes. Actually, I'd seen the symptoms, but I hadn't taken them seriously. Instead of investigating the sudden changes in my daughter, I'd dismissed them, chalking it all up to normal teen issues. Day after hectic day had come and gone, and I was blindly doing my best to keep everything and everyone in their proper places. Hypnotized by the repetitive schedules and demands on my time, I was slowly losing my awareness of the very real and dangerous problem growing in my own home. I had fallen asleep at the wheel.
Not only had Bethany changed in appearance and attitude, but the time she spent alone in her room and away from her family or friends had grown from a few hours each week to a few hours each day. When she was around, her blank and absent stare was devoid of any emotion—beyond her growing irritation with the rest of us. Yet I continued to misread her activities, changes in appearance, and nasty attitude. I shudder to think what might have happened that dark week in September 2009 if I hadn't taken a moment to pray with my wife late one night in our bedroom.
Divine Intervention
As I took the time to quiet myself, and as I emptied my mind of the day's worries, I opened my heart in prayer and immediately felt the presence of God intrude into my awareness. It was like a firm, tender, but powerful impression, a deep whisper in my mind: Ask Bethany what she is hiding from you. I thought, Tonight, Lord? Right now? My heart felt an intense surge of emotion as I sensed the urgency. Immediately!
Since committing my life radically to Christ eight years earlier, one thing I had learned is that when God clearly speaks to me, it's wise to respond right away. My wife and I agreed it was important enough to interrupt our sleep that night, and we decided to find out what was really going on with our daughter.
As we walked the short distance from our room to hers, I felt frustration and anger build within me. Obviously Bethany was lying to us about something, and I was determined to find out what. Like many parents, we had battled with the pattern of deceit and halftruths so common in adolescents. I was convinced that Bethany had lied to us once again and was secretly pursuing some defiant violation of our house rules regarding boys or Facebook or texting. She was always pushing the boundaries with us, and this time she must have gone too far. After all, the middle child is often the most difficult—everyone told us so. Bethany had fought her mother and me every step of the way, ever since she was a little toddler. "I DO IT!" she had screamed at us when she first learned to talk and walk. And in the next decade, it seemed she had continued to resist every effort we made as her parents to win her heart and her trust.
Reality Check
At the door to my daughter's bedroom, I paused and listened. I could hear her quiet sobs and restless movements. I was beginning to grow more concerned and less angry at whatever she had done. I began to feel a darkness—deep pain and despair—coming from her room. It was a palpable sense that something or someone was tormenting my daughter.
I had often felt unprepared and unqualified to raise a daughter, let alone two. I seemed unable to understand their unique emotional needs. Yet I knew for sure that I loved Bethany with all my heart, and I was ready to do anything for her. Like any father, I would take a bullet to the brain or a knife through my heart—whatever it took to protect her. But that night, I sensed something deeper and more terrifying trying to harm my child, something I couldn't touch, fight, or repulse.
Whatever this problem was, it threatened to destroy my daughter, and it was time for me to battle for her like I had never done before. I immediately began to pray and to seek the wisdom of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Rarely do we get to pray for something else as pure and as needed as wisdom in raising our children, and I was exceedingly short and to the point. Lord, I need some insight here for Bethany. Please, Lord. I'm scared and confused, and I don't know how to help her. Please, God. And again I sensed the peaceful but firm impression in my mind: Just ask her to reveal what she has hidden.
Bethany by now was restlessly moving in her bed; maybe she could sense that someone was at her door. As her mother and I entered and approached her bedside, she moved suddenly as if to hide something. When we turned on the hall light and its illumination flooded her dark room, we could tell by Bethany's swollen eyes that she had been crying for some time. Embarrassed, she quickly got up and turned her face, trying to wipe away the evidence of her weakness.
My wife and I simply told our daughter that we felt God had revealed to us in prayer that she had been struggling with a profound and painful secret. We assured her that we wanted to help, but to do that we would need her to be completely honest about whatever was going on in her life. As we gently but firmly asked her to reveal what she was hiding from us, it seemed her entire body shuddered with the impact of our words. Instead of denying her actions, she slowly sat down and began to weep into her hands. This was not the reaction she usually had when we confronted her about inappropriate behavior. This was the response of a broken and devastated soul, weary and hopeless and alone.
I remember the sudden and painful tightening in my gut, the nausea in the back of my throat as I listened to my little girl tell me she had been molested—touched inappropriately by a male student in her middle school, the day of her graduation from eighth grade. How that could be? Why didn't she tell us? Dozens of thoughts and questions invaded my mind like a tidal wave. I watched helplessly while my wife erupted into tears and smothered my daughter's little frame with her protective hug.
The nausea inside me quickly grew into numbness. My mind refused to accept what my ears had just heard, and I almost shut down with the emotional shock of her revelation. Not my family! Not my daughter, not in my house! As my fear and shock subsided, my rage surged—rage at whoever had done this, rage at my inability to fix this terrible wound in my Bethany, rage at my own failure to protect her from harm, from violation. I choked as I tried to absorb it all. Why had this happened? What was going on in my own family? And why didn't I have a clue?
Something much worse and much different from a secret boyfriend or an abuse of freedom had occurred. In my haste to confront and correct, I had missed the other possible explanation for my daughter's progressive changes in attitude, appearance, and behavior: despair.
The space between defiance and despair is very small. As a parent, I had yet to learn the difference, and given the history of Bethany's stubborn and persistent personality, I had categorized her in my mind as a "strong-willed child." Long before this terrible night I had judged her incapable of being forthright, truthful, or respectful, and so at the apex of her young life, I had rushed to a premature judgment of my daughter's motives long before the facts were revealed. In that moment I had a parental epiphany: Bethany wasn't acting so strange because of some stereotypical teenage funk; she was acting out of pain. Her world had grown increasingly dark as her heart gave way to despair and shame. She had carefully hidden her pain from us, fearing we would not understand or continue to love her like before.
As a father, that moment broke my heart. I realized in an instant how foolish I had been, how easily I had assumed the worst of my daughter, and how legalistically my own religious nature had intruded upon the most fragile of life moments. If I had continued in the path of correction and confrontation that night with my daughter, I believe I might have lost her forever. Instead, by the amazing grace of God alone, I kept myself from launching into another angry tirade at her deception and intuitively was able to grasp that her actions were being caused by her secret, not in an effort to protect it.
Bethany sobbed and rocked back and forth in her chair as she told her mother and me in a rush of words and gasping cries of her attempt to take her own life a day before. She told us how she had been cutting herself, desperate to stop the pain and shame of being molested four months earlier. She begged us to believe her and forgive her and protect her and help her. Her words were like broken glass as they hit my heart, ripping away at my hardened beliefs and deepest fears.
A long night ensued, filled with explanations, choking cries of despair and shame, and anger at God for letting this happen and at myself for leaving her all alone to figure it out. Anger for the many nights she had cried herself to sleep, only to wake up to the same sense of unrelenting fear and guilt. For victims of molestation and abuse, the irrational feelings of guilt and condemnation are overwhelmingly intense. The fear that somehow they had caused the incident, the anger at being helpless to prevent it, and the deep identity-shattering belief that they deserved it—all this forms an inner core of despair so devastating it often leads them to contemplate taking their own lives, just to end the pain. My daughter, my precious and beautiful child, had been mistreated, abused, and then isolated by her fears and my prejudices to a point where she felt her best option was to take her own life rather than confide in us, the ones whose greatest role was to protect, nurture, and love her into adulthood.
My shame was well-deserved; hers was not. To say that I felt remorse, regret, and guilt at my failure to recognize her condition is a monumental understatement. My heart burned with the pain not only of my daughter but also of my heavenly Father as I realized how little I really knew my own child. How little of a genuine relationship I shared with her. How much I had wrongly assumed about her. The lies I had agreed to believe about her life and her attitudes. I had somehow lost touch with my daughter to such a degree that she couldn't take her greatest crisis to me for help and counsel and comfort. In effect, when she needed me the most, I was no longer there. Paige, too, was heartsick at hearing Bethany describe what had happened. As her mother, Paige had always been there to protect her children and felt grieved to the core that this time, she hadn't. She wanted to reverse time, to go back and protect her daughter from all this suffering.
Such was the shock and surprise at the night's events that I had to step back and consciously calm myself in a moment of prayer and sacred Scripture reading. Accepting my failures, I was determined to learn, grow, and improve in my God-given role as Bethany's earthly father. I began the process of rearranging my schedule, my priorities, and my life to a substantial degree and began asking God to show me what I could do to help repair the wounds in my daughter and in our home. Over time, that prayer for healing, wholeness, and restoration would be answered in a most unusual way.
This excerpt taken from Road Trip to Redemption, (c) Brad Mathias 2013. Used with permission from Tyndale House Publishers.
Publication date: May 28, 2013


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|Pick Pocket
|Usable by
|Casting time
|0.5 sec
|Level required
|Other information
|Requires Stealth
|TCG image
Pick Pocket is a core rogue ability learned at level 15. It is a special ability that allows the rogue to pilfer items or cash from an enemy's pockets.
Modified by
- Talents
- Subtlety abilities
Typically the rogue will be able to pilfer a small item such as a potion, gem, junkbox, various junk items, and/or a small quantity of cash. A given mob may only be pickpocketted once - an error message is displayed on further attempts. In the past multiple attempts were possible, but only the initial (successful) attempt yielded any results.
Junkboxes themselves may contain some healing potions, vendor trash, gems, and poisons (pre-Patch 3.0.2 ingredients for poisons would be found instead, this was removed when the "poisons" skill was removed,) and as of Patch 2.3.0, epics such as [Spinesever].
Rogues must be stealthed and within melee of their target to use this skill. If it is successful, a loot box will appear, allowing them to choose which items to take. If the skill is resisted, the monster immediately detects the rogue and aggros. Failure rates depend on relative levels, but the base failure rate seems to be around 5%.
Many monsters have no pockets and thus cannot be pickpocketed. Typically humanoid types will have pockets and beasts won't, but there are numerous exceptions. If a rogue attempts to pickpocket a monster who doesn't have pockets, the monster does not aggro. Enemy players cannot be pickpocketed. However, as long as rogues are [stealthed], they can pickpocket a mob that is in combat.
The items received from picking pockets are not subject to group looting rules, so you always get all the items and 100% of the money. The money and items picked up with this ability are extras, in addition to the monster's normal loot when it is killed, so a rogue picking pockets is not depriving his companions of loot. Monsters have only a few items in their pockets when they spawn; if one rogue goes through an area, picking all the monsters' pockets but killing none of the monsters, then the next rogue through the area may find that all the monsters' pockets are empty. Monster pocket loot is refilled eventually, even if they are never killed. The loot respawn rate seems similar to that of the monsters themselves.
- As with any other Stealth-based skill, you need to sneak up to a mob to get in range undetected; you should attempt to sneak up behind them in order to do this, but the ability can actually be used in front of the mob if your stealth is still active. Regular use can yield a moderate amount of items and cash. Using [Distract] is very helpful.
- Sapping an enemy before pickpocketing them renders you immune to their aggro as long as you get out of their aggro radius once they resist. However, their nearby allies will notice your stealth break and attack you.
- Certain rogue quests require use of this skill to obtain items. As the loot table and pickpocket tables are separate, pickpocketing is absolutely essential for completing these quests.
- Especially when the pickpocketing is part of a quest, it is usually considered good manners to kill a mob after pickpocketing. This resets the pickpocket loot table when the mob respawns, allowing other rogues the chance to pickpocket as well.
- At level 60, a rogue with a moderate bonus to stealth can pickpocket the first few rooms of Blackrock Spire and Blackrock Depths with ease, and if the situation goes awry they can simply zone out and back in again. This can be repeated up to 5 times an hour due to the instance reset mechanism.
- If auto-loot is enabled, this ability will be instant, and allow you a quicker response time.
Patch changes
- Patch 1.11.0 (20-Jun-2006): This ability will no longer trigger effects on your target.
- Patch 1.3.0 (07-Mar-2005): Very high-end gems will no longer be acquired from junk boxes or pickpocketing.
External links


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PAWNO wrote:This is my prediction of the keepers.. there's a few teams there where players will choose not to keep 1 player or none. I just thought it be cool to do predictions.
Pawno: Darren McFadden, LeSean McCoy, Seabass
Hobbes: Aaron Rodgers, Jamaal Charles, Gostkowski
Jreed: Jimmy Graham, Matt Forte, Chicago
GiantsGurl: Adrien Peterson, Arian Foster, David Akers
Beastmode: RGIII, Ray Rice, SEATTLE
Team Fined: Doug Martin, A.J Green, Miami
Guybrush: Trent Richardson, DeMarco Murray, Denver
AussieBeans: Megatron, C.J Spiller Green Bay
8th Ave: Tom Brady, Michael Turner, Houston
Mr C: Drew Brees, Roddy White, DALLAS
Stepup: Cam Newton, Marshawn Lynch, SF
whynot: Dez Bryant, Gronkowski, New England
pretty good prediciton. I'm definitely keeping Seattle and Ray ... but deciding between Morris and RG3. Leaning Morris' way because RG3 is oft-injured and can literally cost u game just as much as he can win u one. Also would be much easier to find a consistent 15-20 pt guy at QB than finding that at RB.


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Date Published: 22 September 2006
Research could lead to improved recovery of the heart after artificial re-start
Click for more News from or about Bristol.
See also Books about Bristol, England.
Lighting up the heart
Major breakthrough for Bristol Heart Institute and Biochemistry Department:
A major breakthrough in research could lead to improved recovery of the heart when it is re-started after a heart attack or cardiac surgery.
For the first time ever, researchers at the University of Bristol have been able to directly measure energy levels inside living heart cells, in real time, using the chemical that causes fireflies to light up.
Dr Elinor Griffiths said:
" Being able to see exactly what's going on in heart cells will be of great benefit to understanding heart disease."
The research is published today (22nd September, 2006) in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
The 'power stations' within heart cells that make energy are called mitochondria. They convert energy from food into chemical energy called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP.
Under normal conditions, mitochondria are able to make ATP extremely rapidly when the heart is stressed, such as during exercise or in 'fight-or-flight' mode.
However, if the cells are made to beat suddenly from rest, a situation that happens when the heart is re-started after cardiac surgery or a heart attack, the team found there is a lag phase where the supply of ATP drops before mitochondrial production starts again, potentially preventing the heart from beating properly.
The researchers made use of a protein called luciferase, which is normally found in the tails of firefly and is what causes them to light up. Using molecular biological techniques, they transferred modified forms of the luciferase DNA into heart cells ? the cells could then make their own luciferase, and the modifications enabled the luciferase to be produced inside the mitochondria.
Since luciferase lights up in the presence of ATP, the amount of light, and hence the amount of ATP, could be detected using a microscope and a highly sensitive camera.
Dr Griffiths explained:
" The breakthrough presented by this technique could be of benefit in heart diseases where mitochondria cannot make enough ATP. When that happens the heart does not have enough energy to perform its function of pumping blood efficiently which can result in a heart attack."
Exactly how mitochondria tailor the supply of ATP to demand is not fully known. Being able to directly measure ATP levels inside mitochondria of living heart cells in real time will go a long way towards understanding this more fully.
Ref to Paper:
ATP regulation in adult rat cardiomyocytes: time resolved decoding of rapid mitochondrial calcium spiking imaged with targeted photoproteins. Journal of Biological Chemistry. September 2006, p28058-28067
Authors: Christopher J. Bell, Nicholas A. Bright, Guy A. Rutter & Elinor J. Griffiths.
Source: Bristol
University, England (UK)


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NTID 'survivor' preaches empowerment to deaf youth
Submitted photo
In 2003, Christy Smith became the first deaf contestant on the CBS reality show Survivor. She spent more than a month living in the Amazon jungle.
Since then, she has worked as a motivational speaker, taught sign language and developed a television show called Christy's Kids to encourage children to challenge themselves.
Working as a camp counselor in her native Colorado, Smith met David Justice, a Rochester native who was interpreting at the camp. Together they formed Discovering Deaf Worlds, www.discoveringdeafworlds.org, in hopes of empowering and advocating for deaf people around the world.
"We became friends and discovered we both have a passion for traveling and wanted to travel the world," she says. "We wanted to discover what was happening for deaf people around the world. There was not much on the Internet. But we learned 80 percent of deaf people in developing countries have no education at all."
They spent a year visiting eight countries and earlier this year produced a documentary, Discovering Shuktara, about a home for 18 children with multiple disabilities in India. The documentary has been shown in several film festivals around the world.
"They were all abandoned or ran away from abusive homes. Some of them were eating rats to survive," she says with her head down as she regains composure. "Shuktara gives them a second chance at life."
She says the trip showed her that advocacy, education, awareness and employment are greatly needed.
"We want to help fill that need," Smith says. "I found my career. I want to make a difference on a global level."
A 2000 criminology and sociology graduate of Gallaudet University, Smith has made Rochester her home and is now enrolled in NTID's secondary education master's degree program.
"I want to inspire, educate, motivate them to keep learning," she says. "I'm here to be able to learn the skills to work with children who have no education at all. I'm understanding how children acquire language."
Discovering Deaf Worlds has added a third partner, Davin Searls, an English tutor at NTID; a return trip to India is in the works for March.
And next summer, Smith plans to attend a 10-year anniversary Survivor castaway party in Catalina Island in California. She says she's humbled and shocked that people still recognize her, even though some can't recall where they've seen her before.
"The biggest goal that I live by is keep making a difference," Smith says. "I'm blessed with all that I have, and all my experiences. So I want to be able to pass that on to other people to have the same opportunities and experience. I'd like to think even if you take Survivor away, I'm still a role model. I'm just who I am, and it's my personality. I'm driven."


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Top-seeded John Isner got past feisty Jesse Levine 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Tuesday night.
In the second set, Isner fell behind 0-15 in the eighth and 10th games, then reeled off four straight aces in both games to hold onto his serve. But Levine won the final two games of the second set to force a decisive third set.
Levine lost serve in the first game of the third set to set Isner up for the win.
"It was a long one and good one to get through," said the 15th-ranked Isner, who had 28 aces in the match. "I anticipate I'll get better going forward.
"But a wins a win and I haven't had many recently and I'm just trying to get this train going."
Fourth seeded Kei Nishikori, who won last week's Memphis title, retired with a back injury against 150th-ranked Ivo Karlovic of Croatia. Karlovic was leading 5-4 in the first set when Japan's best player abandoned the match.
Seventh-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain, who lost to Nishikori in the Memphis final, pulled out of the tournament today with a left wrist injury.
Nishikori became the third player to retire from first-round matches at Delray this week.
Earlier in the day, second-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany moved into the second round when Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands retired with an injured left ankle after the two split sets. Sijsling won the first 7-5, Haas the second 6-4.
On Monday night, Michael Russell retired in the second set of his match against fellow American and third-seeded Sam Querrey.
A frustrated Sijsling belted three balls into the stands, hitting a spectator with one of the balls. He received a code violation warning, lost his serve which evened the score at one set apiece, and retired from the match.
"What a strange match," Haas said. "At 4-all, first point, I saw him falling to the ground. Sometimes you don't know how to react when someone is injured, but he looked like he was in pain.
"The first couple of points went my way and he started to smash balls out of the stadium and hit a spectator. You never want to win a match like that. It's not a proud win for me."
Haas will next face Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. Istomin defeated Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-5.
Qualifier Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, who won first ATP tour title at Delray in 2010, beat American veteran James Blake 6-1, 6-4.
Ryan Harrison lost to qualifier Daniel Munoz-De La Nava of Spain 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, squandering a 3-1 lead in the final set. Jack Sock, a wildcard into the main draw, beat Mathew Ebden of Australia 6-3, 6-3.


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First Image of the New Black HISS Appears on Ebay
As first reported on JoeDios from my visit to the Hasbro booth at Comic-con, the new HISS is indeed being manufactured in an all-black color scheme, as seen in this Ebay auction from Viperkingdom!
I bet it will look even more amazing with the stickers applied.
Have you seen a GREAT POC HISS repaint? Post it as a reply to this thread. We'll collect all the best repaints of the current brown HISS we've seen.
Honestly I just can't get too excited about this thing. Brown, black, bleh, still a crappy tank.
With that said, I've seen customs made using it that are #1 and da best.
I know I'm probably in the minority, but I actually like the new Hiss. Plan on getting a couple of them.
This is a pretty awesome repaint of the POC hiss.
Though I do have to admit, my opinion is a bit biased.
I love the head lights
I don't like this Hiss design much, but it's nice to see Hasbro listen to the fans for once.
With the black one, I painted the canopy gloss black, the masked off the "windows" then painted the entire thing flat black and hit with some Dullcoat. It' hard to tell in this photo though. Kinda wish I'd done the same thing with the urban version, just to define where the "windows" are. Could still go back and do that if somebody has a set of decals for the windows that they don't want.
If they would get rid of the stupid "pop-up" feature, I'd like this tank a LOT better! Yeah, I think I'm gonna pass on this one!
I really like the design but the original brown looked horrible. I can't imagine why they didn't go with traditional black right from the beginning.
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|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
The International Plant and Genome VI (PAG-VI) Conference will be held in San Diego from January 18-22, 1998. This year I am organizing a workshop on Genomics Computing Techniques & Applications. At this time I wish to request anyone that is interested in presenting at this workshop to send an email message to cherry at genome.stanford.edu Please include a title and tentative abstract for your presentation. I will be putting together the schedule for the workshop's six presentations over the next three weeks. If selected the final abstract is due Monday, November 3rd. Please let me know if you have any questions about the meeting or this workshop. Information about the meeting can also be found at: http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/otherdocs/pg/pg6/pag6.html Mike J. Michael Cherry Internet: cherry at genome.stanford.edu Department of Genetics Stanford University School of Medicine Medical Center, Room A351 Stanford, California 94305-5120 Voice: 650-723-7541 FAX: 650-723-7016


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Gears of War: Judgment gets new, free DLC next week
Gears of War: Judgment's next free-DLC pack, like Execution mode and the Haven and Capitol maps before it, will be sponsored by Maxim.
Maxim headlines
Over 40 Xbox Live apps rolling out from now until Spring, Napster & Karaoke launch today
Xbox Live is to receive 40 new dashboard apps from today until Spring 2013 across various territories. Some are region specific while others are global, including an official GameTrailers app. Check out Major Nelson's update below.
Maxim shows "the girls of Dragon Age"
Maxim's posted a picture feature of models dressed sort of similarly to women in Dragon Age.That's it. When we say "sort of," we mean they have almost the same haircuts and they're wearing lingerie.The game's out… whatever. Have a great day.


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Sunday's match between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos turned into a shit show when unruly Olympiakos fans began throwing things onto the pitch. One fan tossed a flare, and another nailed Panathinaikos coach Giannis Anastasiou right in the face with a cup of soda.
On the spectrum of things to get hit in the face with at a soccer game, a cup of soda is a probably one of the more favorable options. At least it wasn't a bottle! The good news is that Anastasiou escaped the match relatively unscathed, telling reporters after the game that he "felt a little dizzy" but was otherwise fine.
And here's your GIF:
[SF Gate]


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Your automobiles are always at risk to rust,
corrosion, dust, and moisture when exposed to the open air. Protect your
valuable antique or collectible automobile with a Zerust® Deluxe Car Cover.
Zerust is a well-known and approved corrosion
prevention method which is widely used by metal and automotive industries
throughout the world.
Zerust Car Covers are woven with corrosion
inhibiting formula to provide a VCI (Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor) protection on
the surface of your automobile. The Car Cover fulfills all the traditional uses
of a car cover protection from water and sun but also provides a unique
protection against rust and corrosion without intensive upkeep.
Measure your vehicle to determine which size is most appropriate. You'll want a
snug fit, though still leaving enough room to zip your Zerust car cover.


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The federal government will start spending $1 trillion more than it raises in taxes in 2019, and the deficit is expected to remain above that level for the foreseeable future. It's widely agreed that the Republican tax cuts will boost economic growth to some degree, but even the most optimistic projections don't show the tax cuts creating enough new revenue to balance the budget.
That raises an interesting question: Just how fast would the economy have to grow to pay off not just the additional deficit created by the tax cuts, but also bring the federal budget into balance?
The deficit hawks at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget examined the issue, and concluded that the economy would have to grow 4.8 percent a year over the next 10 years in order to balance the budget. And if the temporary individual tax cuts are made permanent, as Republicans have vowed to do, the economy would need to grow at a whopping 5.9 percent annual rate to generate enough revenue to fill in the deficit hole.
Virtually all current growth projections fall well below those levels. CRFB notes that even the smaller of the growth estimates would be "nearly unprecedented for a ten-year period since World War II, and would be nearly two and a half times the average growth that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects for that period."
Of course, not everyone agrees on the necessity or even desirability of balancing the budget. But very few experts, regardless of their politics, have embraced the idea of permanent trillion-dollar deficits, especially as we enter a period of rising interest rates. If CRFB's projections are right, it looks like we'll need more than economic growth to close the deficit gap in the coming years.


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2 Samuel 11:7-9 New International Version (NIV)
7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house.
Cross references:
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
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Post date: July 2 2012
A.G. Schneiderman Announces $146 Million For NYS In Record Fraud Settlement With Pharma Giant Glaxosmithkline
In Largest Health Care Fraud Settlement In U.S. History, GSK Pays $3 Billion Over Kickbacks, Misrepresenting Drug Safety & Defrauding Taxpayers
Schneiderman: Pharmaceutical Corporations Are Not Above The Law
NEW YORK – In the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced today that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has agreed to pay $3 billion to resolve charges that the pharmaceutical giant engaged in various illegal schemes related to the marketing and pricing of drugs it manufactures, including Paxil, Wellbutrin and Advair. GSK will pay a total of $2 billion in damages and civil penalties to compensate for the corporation's illegal conduct as part of a national settlement with New York, 42 states, the District of Columbia and the federal government. In addition, GSK has agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges for misconduct related to drug labeling and FDA reporting, and has agreed to pay an additional $1 billion criminal fine in connection with those charges. New York's Medicaid program will receive over $146 million in recoveries from GlaxoSmithKline.
New York and its state and federal government partners charged that GSK engaged in a pattern of unlawfully marketing certain drugs for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); making false representations regarding the safety and efficacy of certain drugs; offering kickbacks to medical professionals; and underpaying rebates owed to government programs for various drugs paid for by Medicaid and other federally-funded healthcare programs.
"GlaxoSmithKline's misconduct was breathtaking in its scale and scope. As a result of today's landmark settlement, this pharmaceutical giant will now be held accountable for putting corporate profits ahead of the safety of the public," said Attorney General Schneiderman. "There are no excuses for deceptively marketing unapproved drugs to children, offering kickbacks to health care professionals and ripping off the taxpayers by defrauding Medicaid and other programs. With this settlement, the message we are sending is clear: pharmaceutical corporations are not above the law."
This record agreement, which was unsealed today, settles charges that GSK engaged in the following activities:
- Marketing the depression drug Paxil for off-label uses, such as use by children and adolescents;
- Marketing the depression drug Wellbutrin for off-label uses, such as for weight loss and treatment of sexual dysfunction, and at higher-than-approved dosages;
- Marketing the asthma drug Advair for off-label uses, including first-line use for asthma;
- Marketing the seizure medication Lamictal for off-label uses, including bipolar depression, neuropathic pain, and various other psychiatric conditions;
- Marketing the nausea drug Zofran for off-label uses, including pregnancy-related nausea;
- Making false representations regarding the safety and efficacy of Paxil, Wellbutrin, Advair, Lamictal, Zofran, and the diabetes drug Avandia;
- Offering kickbacks, including entertainment, cash, trips to Florida, Texas and Arizona, tickets to basketball and hockey games and meals to healthcare professionals to induce them to promote and prescribe Paxil, Wellbutrin, Advair, Lamictan, Zofran, the migraine drug Imitrex, the irritable bowel syndrome drug Lotronex, the asthma drug Flovent, and the shingles and herpes drug Valtrex; and
- Submitting incorrect pricing data for various drugs, thereby underpaying rebates owed to Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs.
As part of the settlement, GSK has also agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges that it violated the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ("FDCA") in connection with certain activities. The government alleges that GSK introduced Wellbutrin and Paxil into interstate commerce when the drugs were misbranded, meaning containing labels that were not in accordance with their FDA approvals, and that GSK failed to report certain clinical data regarding Avandia to the FDA.
The settlement is based on four qui tam actions brought by private individuals pursuant to state and federal false claims acts and filed in or transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, as well as investigations conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts and the Civil Frauds Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
A National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units (NAMFCU) team participated in the investigation and analysis of the claims and conducted the settlement negotiations with GSK on behalf of the settling states. In addition to New York, members included representatives from Massachusetts, California, Colorado and Ohio.
Jay Speers, Counsel for the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Michael LaCasse, Assistant Chief Auditor for the Civil Enforcement Division, Nicholas Furnari, Computer Programmer Analyst, and Meghan Collins, Associate Special Auditor Investigator, represented New York on the NAMFCU team under the supervision of Deputy Attorney General Monica Hickey-Martin, Director of the New York Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.