text:
The word polycythemia simply means "many cells in the blood." There are two forms of this disease: polycythemia vera and secondary polycythemia.
Polycythemia vera (also called primary polycythemia) is a rare growth disorder of the bone marrow, occurring when the marrow is overactive and produces more blood cells than the body needs.
Secondary polycythemia affects some people as a result of limited oxygen due to smoking or living at high altitudes.
Polycythemia vera usually produces a high concentration of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the circulating blood, but it's important to note that white blood cell and platelet counts may also be increased.
Polycythemia vera stems from problems with the bone marrow. Bone marrow is found in the centre of most bones and normally produces all red blood cells and platelets and most white blood cells. When this process breaks down, production of cells is no longer orderly and conditions such as polycythemia can result. Although the exact cause of polycythemia vera is unknown, researchers have found that a specific gene mutation is associated with almost all people with this condition.
Polycythemia vera is a rare condition usually affecting men in their 60s. It is more common in men than in women. The condition is rarely seen in people under age 40, but can also affect babies.
Although the cause of polycythemia vera is unknown, a number of factors are involved that appear to lead to secondary polycythemia. A high content of red blood cells builds up in response to low oxygen concentration in the air. Because there's less oxygen in the blood, the body attempts to overcome the lack by making more red blood cells. It doesn't stop, however, and keeps producing them until there are too many. The bone marrow can also be overstimulated by testosterone replacement therapy.
Living for long periods at high altitudes where there's less oxygen may lead to polycythemia. It also may occur in people with chronic lung conditions and certain kidney tumours and cysts. Heavy smoking is associated with an increase in carbon monoxide in the blood and may also lead to higher red cell and hemoglobin levels. Low blood oxygen levels (hypoxia) due to congenital heart disease also appear to be a factor in the development of polycythemia.
Most people who live at high altitudes don't appear to suffer secondary polycythemia. In fact, the condition is virtually absent in some mountain regions. When it does occur, it's thought that other environmental factors, such as smoking or mining, may contribute.
Polycythemia in babies usually occurs because the baby receives more than the normal amount of blood from the placenta during birth. It also can result from the mother living at a high altitude, or if the baby had a placenta that was not functioning optimally.
Polycythemia may not cause any symptoms. It's often discovered only if a hemoglobin test or a red blood cell count is done. Some people do experience symptoms that appear gradually. These may include itching following bathing, dizziness, and a flushing of the face and hands. Weakness, headaches, visual disturbances, and a sense of "fullness" in the head and in the left upper abdomen may also be associated with the condition. Some people may have high blood pressure.
An infant who has polycythemia may be feeding poorly and have low blood sugar and difficulty breathing. It's very important to note that the problem isn't a cause for major concern in babies. It often doesn't require treatment, and it often resolves within a few days. However, these symptoms do warrant a visit to the doctor. Only very rarely does polycythemia cause serious problems in babies, such as seizures due to poor circulation to the brain.
Anyone who has polycythemia vera must receive treatment. Without treatment, the symptoms will become much worse and the risk of death from stroke, blood clots, or heart attack will increase. With proper treatment, the average survival of people with polycythemia vera is 7 to 15 years. People will probably feel quite normal and their risk of stroke or heart attack will be much less than if they didn't seek treatment. Although there's no cure, most people live for more than 10 years with the disease. Blood clots are the most common cause of death, followed by complications of myeloid metaplasia (a progressive disease of the bone marrow), hemorrhage, and development of acute leukemia.
To diagnose polycythemia, a doctor will begin by discussing the patient's health history and doing a physical examination. The doctor will check for evidence of low brain or lung blood flow by asking about symptoms such as headache, weakness, tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears), or vision problems. The doctor will also look for physical signs of increased blood volume, such as dilated veins and a ruddy complexion. If the skin is flushed or itchy, particularly after a hot bath, it may indicate a diagnosis of polycythemia.
The doctor may also check for a history of smoking or alcohol abuse or a family history of kidney disease. A careful physical examination might also be done to check for high blood pressure, obesity, lack of oxygen (cyanosis), heart murmurs, or abdominal noises (audible swishing or murmuring sounds heard over an artery or vascular channel, called bruits). Various blood tests will likely be done, including a complete blood cell count and measurement of levels of vitamin B12 and certain other substances. Uric acid levels may also be increased and should be checked. Your doctor may also order tests for gene mutations associated with the condition.
Additional tests will then be done to find out whether it is polycythemia vera or secondary polycythemia. These tests will probably include a history and physical examination, measurements of oxygen saturation, and a complete blood count. For some people, the doctor may suggest a bone marrow test. A blood test to look for a mutation in a protein called Jak-2 may be performed.
Treatment will vary according to the person's age, gender, medical status, symptoms, and blood test results.
To reduce the risk of blood clots, treatment with low-dose acetylsalicylic acid* (ASA) is recommended for most people with polycythemia (unless there is a reason they should not take it).
Phlebotomy (removal of small amounts of blood) used to be the most common type of therapy for polycythemia vera.
When phlebotomy is used, blood will be withdrawn in amounts of 300 mL to 500 mL every few days at first, then every few weeks, and then every few months. The treatment goal will be to keep the blood hemoglobin level within the low-to-normal range. Often, the process of blood withdrawal can be stopped for months at a time if the hemoglobin level stays in the required range. For seniors or for people with heart or brain blood vessel disease, less blood is usually taken (i.e., only 200 mL to 300 mL twice a week). Once a person's hemoglobin levels are normal, he or she will probably have monthly doctor's appointments.
If the blood has high white blood cell and platelet counts in addition to a high content of red blood cells, the physician may prescribe a medication that cuts down blood cell production by the bone marrow (e.g., radioactive phosphorus). This medication has a success rate of 80% to 90%. Remissions may last from 6 months to several years. This medication has few side effects. Its main advantage is that people need fewer follow-up visits when the disease is controlled. In fact, just one treatment a year may be enough to control the disease. A disadvantage of radioactive phosphorus therapy is that it may turn normal white cells into leukemia cells. For this reason, it is rarely used.
Other medications may be used on a daily basis to lower both the white blood cell count and the platelet count. For example, hydroxyurea is commonly used.
Complications such as high uric acid blood levels and itchy skin may be treated with allopurinol or antihistamines, respectively.
In rare cases, the spleen can become extremely enlarged. The physician may recommend its surgical removal (splenectomy). Anyone who has had a splenectomy must get vaccinations to prevent future infections.
If the disorder seems to be causing considerable problems in an infant, up to several ounces of blood can be removed and replaced with intravenous fluid. This procedure usually dilutes the circulating red blood cells until they return to a normal level.
Unfortunately, there's no way to prevent polycythemia vera. However, you may reduce your risk of secondary polycythemia by not smoking and by not spending long periods of time at high altitudes.
*All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®). The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen). A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article lists medications by their common names. For information on a given medication, check our Drug Information database. For more information on brand names, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2019. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/Polycythemia


text:
Zero Punctuation: MindJack
Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NEXT
never even heard of this game
Squeenix should have made a shooter based on The Spirits Within.
No, really! Spirits Within was a shit movie but it might have made a halfway decent video game.
It seems that these reviews are a lot funnier when either over-hyped games are called out or when the target game is actually very bad.
I'm sure this game sucks, but the idea for people to join in and control enemies sounds fun like in Perfect Dark.
I considered Gameflying it, if only out of morbid curiosity to see what they did so wrong. I might still, after the five years it'll take me to get through all the GOOD games.
On an aside: Congrats, Yahtzee! You went the entire vid without a single masturbation joke. Gold star
Wait a sec. How did you do a whole review on Mindjack and not mention the gun-toting cyborg monkeys? I saw them in several videos, and yes you can Mindjack/hack them as well.
And no they are nowhere near cool enough or funny enough to even give the game points, but they looked to be the most memorable thing about the whole bland affair.
So what have we learnt here? Square Enix needs to stay out of the FPS and TPS (Third Person Shooter) genres. They sucks.
Prod them away with fire pokers.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if that really is the twist the game is leading up to? It seems like it'd be an interesting twist if it was done well.
As soon as I saw the trailer I knew it'd suck.
Watch Ghost in the shell much mr game designer?
The fact you said at the end is something I always say to myself a lot, whenever I find a gameplay mechanic or original idea that turns out to be bad -
I guess you and I are starting to think alike, Yahtzee!
It could have been an awesome muliplayer game if they would have taken the NPC AI mechanic of Assassin's Creed brotherhood multiplayer and then let the players mindhack NPCs and jump from NPC to NPC like they showed in the japanese trailer for the game.
Lol had forgotten all about this game... Was kinda hoping for a MvsC3 review... But fat chance...
I logged on hoping to see a review of You Don't Know Jack, and got a lame review about ANOTHER generic third-person shooter, this time one I have never even heard of.
There are other genres! Try the other Jack game this week. The trivia game with the hilarious narrator that's just made for playing with friends! (oh wait, Yahtzee doesn't have any friends, and doesn't like playing games that aren't shooters)
The only thing I could focus on (besides the atrocious design of the game itself) was the fact that I kept having flashbacks to another recent Squeenix title (well, Squeenix commissioned and published): the shitty 3rd person shooter sections of Front Mission Evolved.
Anyone else reminded of the bread submarine by the fudge rocket?
Don't play the game because it's really bloody bad but if you want to be that stupid here is the link to amazon, gamestop or if you want to wait a few weeks and realise just how bad it is I bet you'll be able to get it pre-owned or on "sale" for less than £8.
Also I know yatzee isn't a big fan on handhelds but I'd be interested to hear his opinions on the 3DS when it's released.
I hope you are wrong, because I just started playing Deus Ex two weeks ago, I think it is a good game despite being 10 years old, and it has gotten me all excited about Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a first person shooter being published by Square Enix.
The moment I saw "Mindjack", I knew this was going to be a glorious beat-down. Yahtzee never disappoints.
Well,SquareEnix had nothing to do with the DeusEX 1 and 2(Programmed by ION Storm published by Eidos) and they are only the publishers not developers of DEX 3,although they did the cut scenes.
I always wonder how and why completely pointless games like this get made. I mean, even if it's complete crap, it's probably not cheap to produce. I have to think that somewhere way back when there might have actually been some good concept that initiated this game, before it was destroyed.
Sometimes I feel bad for developers who make these things. I mean, this game was already barely on anyone's radar afaik. I saw a trailer for it randomly one day and that's been about it (the trailer looked terrible). To hear that on top of being a small poorly-advertised under the radar game that it's complete garbage makes me feel sad for it, but also bewildered.
So Mindjack is a game where people can enter your campaign game and troll you....*FLIPS TABLE OVER* I'd rather play nothing but the Bulletstorm demo for the rest of my life than this game.
Admittedly I hadn't even heard of MindJack before the review (and will definately stay away from it based on what I've now heard from Yahtzee and others). But I am curious as to whether Yahtzee guessed right about the plot twist of controlling a mindjacking element.
Loved psi ops if not just for the story...sadly it turned out it was a complete pile of plagarism and we never saw psi ops 2...
Or Geist for the gamecube anyone?
Wow, it's rare to see Yahtzee review a game he unequivocally enjoyed and thought was high-quality!
THANK YOU! Not really a first person shooter kinda guy, and the only reason to try this is to see how bad the game really was, but still it was funny and effective.
Than you need immediate therapy. I mean that in the nicest way possible with out malice.
Any who the new idea sounds like the only thing good going for it. Would you have preferred a clone of cain and lynch 2?
I was hoping this game would be good when I first heard of it, the idea of playing as a disembodied, shady figure controlling civilians to foil bank robberies and such sounded completely awesome.
Of course, all those hopes were curb-stomped by the trailers. And the reviews. Sheesh.
I actually did like the first trailer with the ultra-campy voiceover, but then they had to ruin it with robot monkeys (??) and Blandy McProtagonist the Blandth.
i was going to get this, but instead I got a Playstation 2.
Good thing you didn't buy it or you'd end up Mind Jack-ing off. (sorry for the bad pun)
It seems with the MP idea they said, "You know that game Demon's Souls where other people can help out during the single player game? Fuck that, let's do the opposite! Innovation!"
Even though Square Enix only published this game, it's making me wary of how Human Revolution will turn out. If they have faith in a game as bad as this I'm getting scared.
*slips out of the sewer*
Didn't actually hear of it, but glad that I didn't I guess.
But seriously, people have been giving you crap? It's easy! Anytime you actually say 'don't get it', then it's the negative. If you piss on it but never say 'don't get it' then it's mediocre and can be tried....*shrugs*
At least that's my take on it.
*goes back to the sewer*
It's sad really. I mean, the concept of a shooter with added mind control into the tactical flavour actually sounds really interesting, so it must take a REALLY sucky game to make that no fun. Just imagine all of the cool stuff you could do if a game premise like that was done properly:
If there were several enemies behind cover in close proximity to one another you could possess one, then get them to detonate a grenade martyrdom style and kill all the enemies in one move.
There could be stealth sections, and if a guard spots you you could possess him and make him radio in again saying it was a false alarm.
See, all you would really need is a decent plot, lots of fun angles to approach the mind control aspect from, and AI smart enough to level the playing field so the mind control doesn't make it too easy, and you've got a good game right there.
There is no excuse for a game with this much potential to suck.
What a waste of time and false hope of waiting for him to review a decent game, seriously.
Mindjack is pathetic. It's crap and horrible, AngryJoe has nailed down exactly why. This made me chuckle for a few but what a wasted week. Though bad games are always easy to rip on.
|Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NEXT

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Pulp friction: Uncle Sam threatens to stop the presses
Why some cider lovers feel squeezed
Leon Sheets didn't plan on leaving the apple industry. "I was born into it," says Sheets, who operates a cider press in Augusta County. "My father started our press 75 years ago."
In its heyday, the family press produced over 80,000 gallons of cider a year, Sheets says, but as big apple-processing firms have snapped up much of the best fruit, annual production has slipped to just 10,000 gallons.
In the end, however, it wasn't corporate America that dealt the final blow to his operations. An inspector recently informed Sheets that FDA rules, enacted in the wake of a horrific out-of-state E. coli outbreak, could cost bottlers– even tiny ones like the Sheets family mill– $14,000 for new equipment. The days of wholesaling fresh untreated cider end in January.
"So we decided this would be our last year," says Sheets. "We who play by the rules have been punished."
"It's overkill," says Charlotte Shelton, whose family operates several hand-cranked apple presses in North Garden. "The cider made with good sanitary practices is perfectly safe."
More fun than making wine
It's a glorious fall day on Apple Cider Road in Mt. Sidney. A tiny hamlet just past Fort Defiance, Mt. Sidney is the kind of place where, if you pull into the wrong driveway (as a reporter did), you may be greeted with a smile and cordially informed that the cider mill lies "just right over there– it's in hollerin' distance."
"I like the tart stuff," says Catherine Strickler, who first discovered Sheets Cider Mill 23 years ago when she was being courted by a Mt. Sidney boy. Now married and living in Harrisonburg, she has returned with her children– and her camera– after hearing the mill was closing.
"I'm going to take some pictures," says Strickler. "This is such a shame."
"I like the tart stuff," says Catherine Strickler.
With no orchard of its own, the Sheets family has plied its cider trade by buying apples from independent orchards and by letting small growers bring their own apples. It's also one of the last places that opens its press to folks like Brett Wilson.
A general contractor living in Keswick, Wilson journeys over Afton Mountain to the historic mill each fall. This is his final trip, and Wilson is feeling stung– and not just by that yellow jacket that got him on the hand as he boxed apples earlier in the day.
"Damn bureaucrats," says Wilson.
"It's a sad day," he says, as the fruit for his 2003 vintage tumbles from a hopper onto a conveyor belt. Less than an hour later, he'll be filling a borrowed van with gallon jugs containing one of Virginia's most celebrated products.
"We who follow the rules have been punished," says Leon Sheets.
"I'd much rather make cider than wine," says Wilson, as he unloads four apple varieties (along with two kinds of pears). "It's so interesting."
But, if the rules aren't followed, it can also be dangerous.
Until recently, it was common practice to make cider from already-fallen apples, which industry insiders call "drops." After all, why waste food? What the industry now knows is that drops, if they land on animal feces, can pick up pathogens such as the E. coli bacteria. Sheets says no drops are allowed at the Sheets Cider Mill.
"They do it clean; they do it right," says Strickler. She says her children, now ages 4 and 6, have been drinking cider from the Sheets Cider Mill since they were six months old.
However, some microbiologists and lawyers might not endorse the practice; they could point to a massive outbreak that killed a toddler in Colorado and sickened 66 others.
Rumors are ripe
Talk to Virginia apple pressers, and you hear a lot of rumors about how the infamous E. coli contamination occurred:
"It was an orchard where they let the migrant workers change their babies' diapers in the apple carts."
"I heard they were transporting apples in a manure spreader."
A more likely story is less dramatic: drops and deer feces. But, in fact, the source of the E. coli outbreak was never pinpointed.
"Nobody knows," says Susan Barr, a spokesperson for Odwalla, the beverage line implicated in that incident. What is known is that Odwalla was actually out in front of the industry in one way: its contracts with suppliers demanded no drops.
Odwalla and others in the industry assumed– wrongly, as it turned out– that bacteria-killing treatments weren't necessary.
"It was thought that fruit juices– and particularly apple juice," says Barr, "were acidic enough that they didn't have to be treated."
That was before most people heard about E. coli 0157:H7.
The Odwalla outbreak
Mention E. coli, and many think of the decade-ago incident at some Jack in the Box restaurants. The 1993 outbreak in Washington state injured over 500 people, killed four children, and pretty much put an end to the idea of "rare" or "medium rare" burgers at fast-food restaurants.
After the outbreak, microbiologists pinpointed the cause as a virulent strain of E. coli called 0157:H7. As a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began recommending cooking meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees to kill the pathogen.
Since Upton Sinclair's 1906 muck-raking The Jungle, there has been no shortage of publicity about the dangers of improperly handled meat. But this killer bacteria was about to stun another industry.
Odwalla was sort of the Ben & Jerry's of the juice business. Its name was based on a song about a mythical leader named Odwalla who led the "people of the sun" out of the "gray haze" of industrial society. With a single hand-cranked juicer, the three musicians who founded the company in Santa Cruz, California, began selling juices in 1980. In keeping with their emphasis on natural ingredients and freshness, none of their products were pasteurized. That fresh approach would have deadly consequences.
According to company documents, Odwalla learned of the outbreak around noon on October 30, 1996. Four hours later, it recalled all the company's apple products and began pulling them from 4,600 locations in seven states.
Fast as it acted, the company was too late for Anna Gimmestad. The 16-month-old girl from Greeley, Colorado, was already on life support systems. On November 8, 1996, she died.
The historic mill
The backbone of the Sheets mill is a modified hydraulic press that Leon Sheets' father purchased from a going-out-of-business Staunton tire shop in 1928. Thanks to an electric motor turning a fabric belt, the historic gizmo hums with two long hydraulic arms. Built to remove stiff rubber tires from the automobile wheels of the day, the industrial-strength machine is squeezing a stack of ground apples at the rate of about four inches per minute.
"The press is the secret to our cider– the pressure and the speed," says Sheets. "If it goes too fast, it clouds the cider."
Brett Wilson borrowed the C&O restaurant van to make his run for the cider.
Harold Morris, a state trooper now living in Prince William, came down to assist in the day's pressing– as a volunteer and friend of the family. "I just do it because I like it," says Morris as he folds burlap sheets– they act as a filter of sorts– around ground-up apples. Maplewood racks separate each layer of chopped apples. When the pressing is over, the depleted pulp– called pomace– will be shoveled into the back of a truck and carted to a nearby cattle yard for feed.
Maplewood racks separate the layers of ground apples during a pressing.
While Sheets Cider Mill is worthy of picture books, it seems destined for history books. And it isn't the only family business folding this year. An orchard in White Hall will soon uproot its apple trees and leave several area grocers searching for a new supplier.
No more Maupin's
Foods of All Nations, the gourmet grocery store on Ivy Road, sells about 36 half-gallon jugs of fresh-from-the-press cider each week during fall, says manager Rob Stokes. When the leaves start turning, even a pasteurized brand he carries sees a sales spike.
"People just equate fall with apple cider," says Stokes. "It's one of those seasonal things."
But Foods of all Nations, Integral Yoga Natural Foods, Rebecca's Natural Foods, and other area stores will have to find a new supplier next year. Maupin's Orchard Pure Apple Cider is leaving the shelves.
Dan Maupin's cider has been a fall favorite. This is its last year on local shelves.
Rebecca's buyer Bill Calvani will be sad to lose the product, but he's glad the FDA is "trying to keep us safe." Fresh cider sales typically were just eight gallons per week.
Although he says the regulations hastened the end of his cider-making career, orchard owner Dan Maupin seems almost relieved.
"I'm not getting any younger," says the 78-year-old Maupin. "I'm just not an age to fight it too hard."
Furthermore, says Maupin, his 30- to 35-year-old dwarf apple trees are nearing the end of their life cycle, and his wife has long been urging him to push up his trees and use the land for hay and cattle.
"I've got a good excuse now," says Maupin. "It was a nice business, and I've enjoyed it, but all good things must come to an end."
Russ Simpson says it's safe now
"A lot of people stopped buying after the girl died," says Russ Simpson, the owner of The Apple Shed, along Route 29 in Nelson County. Simpson says big grocery chains abandoned fresh cider "like rats jumping off a ship."
While that created opportunity for roadside purveyors such as Simpson, it also created a lot of nervous customers.
"It's misguided anxiety," says Simpson. "To me it's a lot safer to drink cider than to eat from a buffet. I've been drinking cider since I was six years old– 40-plus years."
"There are certain people who are paranoid," says Simpson. "There are people who have anxiety about eating anything raw. If you're nervous, then don't buy cider."
Simpson says Anna Gimmestad's death quickly ended the practice of using dropped apples and that his cider– he buys it from a small orchard press in the Shenandoah Valley– comes from top grade stock. "They're the same apples as you'd find at Giant or your Piggly-Wiggly," says Simpson.
"The one thing all this did was make safer cider," says Simpson. "You're more likely to die getting out of my parking lot than drinking cider."
(Simpson knows plenty about that; in 1997, he was nearly flattened when an out-of-control tractor-trailer– its driver dead or dying from a heart attack– crashed into the woods beside his stand.)
The art of the apple
Morris Orchard in Amherst County has held off shelling out for an expensive treatment device– but it'll soon have to if it wants to be in business next year.
"What that means is cider's gonna go up about 50 cents a gallon," says owner Scott Barnes. "The consumer ultimately pays for the government regulation."
Yet higher prices and safety aren't the only threats to cider's reputation. "Cider's gotten kind of a bad name," says Barnes, blaming some cider makers for using rotten apples and– egad– the Red Delicious variety.
Apple historians point to an 1868 discovery in an Iowa orchard as the genesis of what would become America's #1 eating apple. Its height and the bumps, or points, at its base may be visually appealing; but for cider lovers, only the first part of the Red Delicious name is accurate.
"They look nice," says White House Apple Juice spokesperson Herb Glass, "but they're big, red, and mealy."
Historically, cider making has been an art. But some lazy 20th century cider makers are ruining the beverage's reputation among potential consumers, says Lynchburg-based fruit tree consultant Tom Burford.
He depicts a typical scenario of a family stopping at a roadside stand: "Too many kids would say, 'This is awful– pass the Pepsi.' But once they taste good cider," Burford says, "they're sold."
A former orchard owner, Burford now helps private estates and institutions, including Monticello and two Kluge farms, Morven and Albemarle Farm, plant orchards. He says the mid-Atlantic's top three cider varieties have historically been the Winesap, the Virginia Hewes Crab, and the Albemarle-Newtown Pippin.
The Pippin probably came to Albemarle in 1755– thanks to a celebrity of the era, Castle Hill owner Thomas Walker. In 1838, another celebrity, Queen Victoria, received a gift of some Albemarle Pippins, which created a "sensation" in England. Now another celebrity has set his sights on the Albemarle Pippin.
Burford is helping rock star Dave Matthews grow "strictly cider" Albemarle Pippins at one of his Scottsville-area farms. "He's very concerned for the environment," says Burford, noting that Dave's young trees hail from a certified organic nursery.
Burford, who is active in the Slow Food movement, a recent trend that emphasizes regional delicacies, wants even people without a rock star's bank account to be able to enjoy quality cider. He says helping artisanal growers afford to stay in business is why he has fought the new government rules. Burford says he's "been in the halls of Congress and in the legislatures yelling and screaming." To no avail.
"The chicken has become nuggets," says Burford, "and the apple has become that huge red thing with points."
Suing the way to safety
"Who in hell is selling unpasteurized juice?" asks Seattle attorney Bill Marler. "It is really, really, really risky behavior– that's the bottom line."
While the parents of little Anna Gimmestad never sued, others sickened and injured in the 1996 Odwalla outbreak did. Marler won a settlement worth $12-15 million, according to media accounts, for five of the most seriously injured victims.
Bound by a confidentiality clause, Marler will neither confirm nor deny the amount, but in a moment of levity, this veteran trial lawyer calls unpasteurized beverages "the Bill Marler full-employment act."
"Pasteurization," says Marler, "has been around since– what's that guy's name– Louis Pasteur?"
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the E. coli strain implicated in the Jack in the Box and Odwalla disasters, strain 0157:H7, produces a toxin that damages the inside of intestines. For adults, that typically means 10 days of bloody diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
However, for children younger than five as well as the elderly, the CDC says, kidney disease may strike. "There's no treatment," according to the CDC, and the effects include high blood pressure, seizures, blindness, paralysis– and death.
"I've been in too many ICU wards," says Marler, who says he's seen victims lose their intestines, their kidneys, and their reproductive systems. He tells the story of one 14-year-old girl who began suffering hideous side-effects from her kidney-saving treatment: a puffy "moon" face, a preponderance of body hair, and a fatty growth on her neck called a "buffalo hump."
"How many dates is that girl going to get?" asks Marler. So she stopped taking her medicine, and, Marler says, consequently lost a kidney.
"If you're 21 to 45, drink all you want," says Marler. "You're probably not going to die. But I think it should be illegal to sell unpasteurized juice to children under two and adults over 70."
Besides winning millions for the victims, Marler has stood over hospital beds dealing with frightened parents and innocent children with symptoms ranging from anal bleeding to brain damage. "Some of these kids have $200,000 medical bills, and they're gonna face multiple kidney transplants," he says.
The CDC reports that E. coli is found widely in animals feces, and therefore on farms and feedlots.
"I grew up on a farm," says Marler. "I belonged to 4-H. I used to take my rabbits and turkeys to the county fair. What happens at county fairs is the same as what happens at feedlots."
What next? Would Marler actually sue a fair?
He already has. In January, on behalf of over 20 children allegedly sickened at a petting zoo, Marler filed suit against Lane County Fair in Oregon.
"I understand the whole Americana thing," says Marler, "but these are exceedingly nasty bugs. We can't just dream it's the fifties. We can wish there were no Osama bin Laden, but there is. So we adjust our behavior."
FDA action
Marler's lawsuit wasn't the end of Odwalla's troubles. In 1998, after pleading guilty to 16 misdemeanors in the case, the company was slapped with a $1.5 million fine, the second largest levied by the Food and Drug Administration in an adulterated food case. (Coincidentally, the largest also involved apples... almost. In 1987, baby food-maker Beech Nut was hit with a $2 million fine for selling fake apple juice.)
Odwalla accepted responsibility for Gimmestad's death and the 66 injuries. It quickly embraced "flash" pasteurization, as well as a three-bath washing process, and reintroduced its apple products.
While small cider makers were coming to accept that eliminating "drops" would prevent contamination, there was clamor for regulation. Orchards and pressers began arguing for internal reform, but there was evidence– ten months after the outbreak– that drops were still an integral part of cider making.
In August, 1997, the FDA sent teams in 32 state to inspect 237 cider-making facilities and found that 37 percent were still using drops. While noting a 10 percent lower drop use than an industry study the previous year, the FDA found some cider samples contained low levels of salmonella and E. coli– although not the deadly 0157:H7 strain that killed Anna Gimmestad.
Long before issuing its final report on its inspections, the FDA asked cider makers to voluntarily add warning labels to their products and began working toward regulations: Fruit beverage providers would have to reduce pathogens 100,000-fold.
At the time, practically the only way that could be done was with pasteurization. The industry shuddered. Not only do pasteurizing units typically cost over $20,000, they have an uncanny ability to remove nutrients and the main thing prized by cider fans: the taste.
"There is no such thing as pasteurized cider," says Carter Mountain Orchard co-owner Ruth Chiles. "If you pasteurize it, it becomes apple juice."
The tiny industry
With the crucial taste issue at stake, one might suspect an outcry from aficionados, but response to the impending rules was anything but deafening. Although cider may seem like a huge Virginia product, it's actually so small that even the Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service doesn't measure production. Nor does the fruit's top lobbying group, U.S. Apple.
"It's a difficult thing to track," says U.S. Apple spokesperson Patricia Henderson. "You're dealing with a lot of independent marketers and farm markets."
Scott Barnes' Morris Orchard in Amherst County retails up to 350 gallons a week at the store and up to 1,800 gallons per week to wholesale customers in a 100-mile stretch from Roanoke to North Garden– up to 25,000 gallons a year.
"I bet there's less than 10 of us in the state," says Barnes, referring to independent cider pressers.
If Barnes' operation is typical, untreated Virginia cider appears to generate less than $1 million in annual sales.
Even Virginia's ranking as America's #6 apple producer may be misleading. "We're a long ways from #1," says Dave Robishaw, a state employee who– from his office in the Forestry Building in UVA's Fontaine Research Park– assists Virginia's apple industry because the private association has no staff of its own.
"They used to have an executive director, but they don't now," says Robishaw.
Any tiny whimpers cider mills could muster didn't derail regulations that seemed destined to strip cider of its distinctive taste. But a pair of unlikely heroes was about to emerge from upstate New York.
Saved by the quartz
Cornell University microbiologist Randy Worobo remembers the day an engineer named Phil Harman came into his office with an idea for purifying cider with ultraviolet rays: "I told him that we'd already tried it, and unless he could create a thin band, it wouldn't work. He said he could."
Microbiologist Randy Worobo poses with an early ultraviolet prototype.
Long prized for purifying clear water, ultraviolet rays were thought no match for the sweet murky haze of cider. But Harman indeed created a thin band– 1/30,000th of an inch– out of quartz and stainless steel. By the time he added specialized fluorescent light tubes, a variable speed motor, various fail-safe devices, and an internal computer to monitor each batch, the price had climbed to $14,000 for the cheapest model of the machine, dubbed the CiderSure.
That's still a "tremendous value," says Warren Miller, owner of an 1811 water-powered cider mill near Buffalo, New York. He also owns a CiderSure.
"It's an absolute godsend to the industry in general and certainly to our business," says Miller. "It's just a hands-down winner when you compare it to thermal pasteurizers."
"I know it sounds kind of funky, putting it through the light," says Nelson County seller Simpson, "but it doesn't change the taste."
Now, Harman– who is a paraplegic– has quit his job, invested his life savings, and spends all of his time making sure the CiderSure machines are working, according to Worobo. In early November, Harman was hard to track down, as he was driving from his home in upstate New York to Washington State to fix a malfunctioning machine.
"He's just extremely dedicated," says Worobo.
The rules of the day
Lucky for taste purists, the invention of the CiderSure came in time to meet the FDA's January 18, 2001 rule: Wholesale fruit beverage providers had to reduce pathogens 100,000-fold.
Juice bars are exempt. So are orchards that press on-site and sell directly to consumers.
That means that firms that press from their own apples can still sell untreated cider from their own roadside stands, over the Internet, and at farmers' markets. They will, however, have to place warning labels on all untreated beverages.
The edict gave very small companies like Sheets Cider Mill until January 20, 2004 to begin treating its cider. And that isn't going to happen.
As for Anna Gimmestad, Odwalla dedicated a new park in downtown Greeley in her memory. Her parents never sued the company. And like Tylenol and Jack in the Box before it, Odwalla survived. A dip in sales followed the outbreak, but Odwalla sales have since climbed significantly, reports spokesperson Barr.
So thorough was the rebound that after acquiring the Fresh Samantha line of drinks, Odwalla might have– like First Union buying Wachovia– taken the smaller company's untarnished brand. It didn't. Fresh Samantha disappeared into Odwalla.
Then, two years ago, in what stands as yet another endorsement of its clean-up, Odwalla was purchased by the Coca-Cola company, and the Odwalla name continues to grace a line of its pasteurized juices, smoothies, and energy drinks.
As for Virginia apple growers, they're stuck with high costs while being buffeted by cheap Chinese imports that have made apples a "commodity," says state industry helper Dave Robishaw.
Robishaw says Virginia fruit farmers must clear the land and let it lie fallow for a year. Then they have to plant, prune, spray, and wait a few more years before a tree bears fruit. When the weather acts up, the most lucrative market– fresh apples– disappears.
"A hail, a drought, or even a windstorm can scar the apples," says Robishaw, "and then they end up going to be processed for a fraction of the value. As the people who produce them get older, and it gets more expensive, they say, 'The heck with it.'"
The thing that gave Cider Mill Road its name.
Leon Sheets, 63, recently lost his long-time Valley apple supplier to a contract with a big juice maker. Now he's losing Dan Maupin, the White Hall orchardist who is uprooting his trees.
As for his historic press, Sheets says that a state senator is trying to relocate it to a museum since his family farm has been sold. "Farming is not a good business to be in," says Sheets. "The only thing a farmer can raise to make money is houses."
Leon Sheets hoses down burlap sheets.


text:
142 Items Tagged
The 5-Ingredient Shot To Take Before Every Flight
The elderberry shot that's perfect for just before a flight, including vitamin C and immune-boosting properties.
Why Every Woman Should Go On A Wellness Trip *At Least* Once In Her Life
Traveling alone can be the answer you're looking for.
Feeling Wonky? These 5 Centering Exercises Can Be Done Anywhere
They're excuse-proof!
This Plane Exercise Improves Mobility & Can Be Done In Your Seat
Little movement necessary!
Jet-Setting Yogis Name The No. 1 Place They've Ever Practiced
Major bucket list inspo.
4 Game-Changing Tips For Anyone With Travel Anxiety
You're going to need this one for your next vacation.
The Most Fantastic Tiny Homes You Can Rent On Airbnb Right Now
There's no better backdrop for your fall vacay.
This Is The Ultimate Travel Playlist
These songs will chill you out (without putting you to sleep), and help you approach everything that comes your way with openness, gratitude,...
How The Ultimate Wellness Couple Is Prepping For revitalize
Hint: It involves adorable dogs, fascia balls, and lots and lots of pods.
Yoga Every Day, Everywhere, For Everyone
Is it the world's most versatile practice?
How I Finally Quit My 9-5 & Started Traveling The World: One Instagrammer Tells All
One Insta-legend tells all.
A Wellness Mecca Grows In Brooklyn
Along with, yes, you guessed it, lots of trees.
Why A Cruise Can Be Your Healthiest Vacation Yet (Yes, Really)
Feel good, have fun.
Haven't Landed On Your Summer Vacay Plans Yet? We've Got 'Em Right Here
Tag along with yogi and Om & the City founder Jules Hunt on her beachy vacay.
Is Hong Kong The World's Newest Wellness Destination?
From the eyes of a New York yogi.
You Only Need One Thing To Transform Your Daily Commute
An audiobook is the perfect way to indulge in some "me time" and distract yourself from the challenges of the day and ease yourself into the evening.
Yes, You Can Indulge On Vacation & Still Feel Amazing. This Fitness Guru Tells You How
Tip No. 5 is especially important.
Here's Exactly What To Pack On Your Summer Getaway
Your plane attire is about to get a serious upgrade.
I Travel The Country Solo In A Van. Here's What I Love (And Hate) About It
This sheds a whole new light on solo travel.
Here Are The Best Vacation Spots Based On Personality Type
Is it just us or has the travel bug officially hit?


text:
Next Thursday I'll be moderating the opening panel at the MWW sponsored Conference Board Customer Experience Leadership Conference (click here). I'll be joined by senior executives from Pitney Bowes, IBM and Dun & Bradstreet. I've posted the full conference description below and will provide the notes from the panel shortly after we wrap up.
Panel: How Big Data will Change the Way Organizations Connect with Customers
A decade ago, many thought the advances of digital would depersonalize the customer experience. We are learning the opposite is true. Big data is now enabling organizations to connect with customers individually through a new mass intimacy model. Leading organizations are creating new ways to reach out in a one-on-one fashion to their customer bases. As this elevates, so too are the expectations from customers for a more individualized experience. You'll learn what top organizations are doing to lead the way in this new world.
- Matthias Preschern, Vice President, Global Business Services Marketing, IBM
- Kathleen Gowin, Account General Manager, Pitney Bowes Financial Solutions
- Pat McParland, Vice President of Corporate and Channel Marketing, Dun & Bradstree
Read more posts on Fortex Group Blog »


text:
Friday, March 27, 2009
One Good Week (Out of Four)
For one week out of the month everything is spot-on. I'm focused; nothing can bother me. My workouts are planned, structured and progressively more difficult each week. No problem, I enjoy it, I thrive on it. I have no cravings of sugar, no up and down hormonal battles waging inside of me, all is good. I can bake and not be tempted.
The next week my thoughts begin to waver. As I'm lifting heavy or running another yet interval at 12 MPH my brain begins to ask "why". Why are you running so hard, so fast..for what? I can tell myself to shut up and keep going. As I'm working out yet one more heavier rep and my brain is asking why I can partition off the question asking piece of my brain and continue with a smile and a chuckle to myself.
Week three and I begin to crumble inside. My weight fluctuates widely. As I sit at my desk I feel like a blow fish; I'm getting more and more bloated by the hour. Heavier heavier heavier. My feet hurt. My shoes are too tight-shoes that fit last week. As I run another interval the doubts are louder and more pronounced. You are 44. It's difficult to breathe. Who cares how fast you can run? Who cares if you finish McNaughton. This is stupid. Here we go again. The doubts. The questions. Each month it happens. Partition it off. The gym. Again? Why. Who needs strength? Who needs a muscular lean body? Why? The doubts and questions. The scale. Good grief. How can one let a scale dictate mood? So quickly I can begin to beat myself up. Don't bake. Don't fall victim to your own thrill of baking. Yes, I know it is PMS. Yes, I know this happens each month. So why give in and listen. Partition in off. Don't listen. Keep going. Stronger, faster, better.
Week four. Unravelling. Falling apart. Legs of steel become legs of lard. No speed. Bumbling through the woods, thank God for Topaz to get me out or I may be laying on the couch. Or baking a cake for only me to eat. Abs now covered with a layer of water that could be imagined to be a layer of fat. I won't speak too loudly; words are mixed up, inaccurate. Manage to speak without thinking. Hot flashes. I wrap myself into my own cocoon. Don't try to get too close. I'm an introvert. I don't want to talk. Let this be over.
One good week a month. It's better than none. I'm looking forward to week one. Imagine what I could do with four good weeks a month.
10 comments:
- SteveQ said...
Remember: your bad weeks are about where everyone else's good weeks are and you'll get past this like you get past all obstacles.
OMG!! This is so me!!! Glad to know I am not the only one!!! Thank you!!!
- Helen said...
Julie that was so well written. Hormones are a bitch. The amazing thing is they seem to surprise us each month - as if for the very first time we are experiencing them... I can never quite get my head around it. It's as if at the end of that bad week it somehow erases itself from the memory. Until next month. But remember you are strong enough to beat them every time :)
Having run ultras for 17 years, and living an extremely active and physical farming lifestyle since I was born i can attest to also haveing "one good week" for many years. I think that any woman who is very physically active, lean and healthy is more aware of feeling the changes that come along during your cycle. We are just wired that way. We are people who really "know" their bodies and are aware of hormonal changes as they occur, (and get really pissed because we have no control over these physical happenings.) Hang in there, my guess is that you are in perimenopause and for the nextfew years it may be a real challenge. It was for me too. I also found out that I was making many ovarian cysts which were hanging around and being bothersome but not dangerous. this added to my hormonal hell. Sorry this is so long, but menopause has been a real relief. I would be glad to correspond with you more if you would like. (I probably could have written most of your post myself about 5 to 10 years ago. Take care and hang in there.
I did not enter the word "winer "before your name in my previous post. I have no idea where that came from.
- Julie B said...
Sometimes thoughts can be printed instead of typing words! Ha! Someone thought I was whining. No biggie. Good thing I have a thick hide. Don't worry about it milliron :)
Julie Kathi Olson here. You could not of put it better. I'm a bit jealous as I say I have 4 good days a month, so it looks like you have a few more then me.
Hormones suck!! Then it makes life suck and I Hate it. Nothing like waking up in the middle of the night soaking wet with a hot flash.
Or better yet(not) the lack of sleep from all this sssssshhhhhhhiiiiittttt is going to drive me crazy. Bottom line is you are not alone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some days are just overwhelming and it is getting to be more and more days each month.
Bless You. PS I'm working out 5 to 6 days a week and that does help, but some days it is hard to get to the health club.
Prayers to you and your family.
- A Prelude To... said...
I loved the honesty of this post. Totally get it! You had a way with words on this one, Julie!!
Just curious - during the one good week can you articulate the purpose? I know that it's like that with quitting smoking, that you have to know the reason when you're not under stress.
But there is a part of me that reads about weeks 2-4 and thinks "go, body, go!" I'm not hormonal and I have no freaking idea why becoming that lean and muscular is a goal to you. It sounds completely pointless. I've done stupid goals like that and my brain rebelled and when I finally stopped trying to fight it, win-win. For some people, that crazy goal is powerful and meaningful - read Sean Burch about climbing Everest - it just wasn't for me. It sounds like it isn't for you.
I had some of the same "half in one world, half in the opposite world" mentality, and so I understand the pull. It isn't sexy to eat a balanced diet or to feed your kids a balanced diet; it's fun to be the role model and yet the fun Mom at the same time. But your kids need to learn good eating habits, and you need to enjoy life. Why would you "punish" yourself with a stricter diet than you think your kids need?
It seems like you need to let go of the body image goals, health goals, whatever they are. It was a tough battle, and you won. Time to find another goal, like helping poor kids learn to read or something. Start a baking/ catering business. Something that speaks to you.
- Julie B said...
The fast and easy is that I enjoy doing things that I once believed were impossible for me to do. Running a marathon, 100 miler, getting sober , losing weight , were all impossible I believed. I love to try things that I never would have true before


text:
Check out this New York Times article on the growth of black membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. The new chapter in Queens is the first one started by an African-American woman.
We've come a long way since 1939, when the DAR refused to let contralto Marian Anderson perform at Constitution Hall. That refusal famously prompted Eleanor Roosevelt to resign her membership and led to a public concert at the Lincoln Memorial. (The DAR invited Anderson to perform a benefit concert at Constitution Hall in 1942.)


text:
Consonant with the university-wide concept for the future entitled 'Excellence in Teaching' - a concept that strives for improved quality of university teaching - the 'Aachen mentoring model' has been developed. This model incorporates the provision of advice and support for individual students in order to enhance student satisfaction, shorten the study duration, and lower the student drop-out rate. Since 2011, the School of Business and Economics has also been offering its own mentoring program for supporting its students in their specific study situation and helping them to successfully plan and manage their studies.
In the School of Business and Economics, the mentoring program includes
- information on topics relevant to programs of study: planning and managing studies, available scholarships, facilities within and outside RWTH Aachen University.
- help and support with problems and difficulties with programs of study or individual semester and exam management.
- advising on scholarship programs, Master's programs, and career planning in order to achieve individual study goals.
For an appointment please click here.
You can also subscribe to our Mailing list to receive up-to-date information on a regular basis about events, deadlines, workshops, etc.Copyright: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung


text:
Latest News
Caylus 2004, Toulouse, France (English Version) (2004-09-02)Pour Fracais, clic ici
The French are known for great food, fine wine and a lifestyle that most would envy. Ever wondered how that would translate into how they played Airsoft? Along with Trois Pylones of France, RedWolf Airsoft was the key sponsor of this first French Airsoft national event in Caylus (about 100km outside of Toulouse). For us, it shattered any suspicions that we might have had about French airsofters being laid back. The style of play was serious, fun, and cheerful all at the same time, with a show of comradeship that I have not seen at other games around the world. With units that stick close together, medics that actually risk their "lives" to save yours, and careful tactics to safeguard the entire team, playing with the French is enjoyable and you don't ever forget for a minute that you're there to have fun and make friends. Everywhere you turned there would be a big smile or friendly wink.
Organized on the weekend of August 28-29, 2004, by AirsoftLabs, officials from France-Airsoft, and several other enthusiastic volunteers, the event was hosted over two days at a military training camp in Caylus. Caylus itself is a historic and sleepy town with buildings dating back to the 13th century - known for their beautiful white-stone construction. The town is not large and comprises a little more than a main street and a beautiful Catholic church that looks several hundred years old. The actual site is situated about 10 minutes drive from Caylus town center within restricted military land. The grounds are extremely large, covering several hundred acres of land with large fields and a series of small villages. Within the villages were multi-storey buildings purpose-built for training French soldiers (see pictures) in the art of close quarters combat. Lots of trees and rocks spotted the landscape to provide ample cover for skirmishing, and beautiful grassy fields offered glimpses of exotic wild-life including white horses (three of them in fact, prancing in formation - it was quite a surprising sight), wild boars, and the odd rabbit. On-site houses provided shelter for gamers who had traveled from afar (from Paris and other parts of France), providing electricity and shelter from the evening cold. Overall, the site was a dream for any airsofter to play on - so here's a hearty "thank you" to the French military for being so generous and lending out the site to us.
Power limit for the game was the standard 350fps for AEGs and 450fps for snipers. Each player was required to chrono their gun at the start of the event, though the limits were "bendable". The legal limit in France is the same as Hong Kong at 2 joules (approx 475 fps using 0.2g BBs) so quite a few people have upgraded rifles that shoot between 350-450fps. Minimum engagement distance was 5 meters and this was pretty much followed by most players. One of the most interesting weapons to make it to the chrono was an MP5K concealed in a briefcase (see picture). Rigged with a simple lever mechanism, the carrier can easily fire off full-auto rounds at unsuspecting victims by pulling up on a lever under the carry-handle. Simple and effective, this briefcase was a lot of fun to shoot!
Another "weapon of mass destruction" that made an appearance was the spud-launcher. Using compressed air fed into a series of pistons by a bicycle pump, the launcher can propel a potato hundreds of yards, or a handful of pop-corn harder and farther than any M203 grenade shell. The internal pressure can reach a stunning 10 BARS to generate massive propulsion. Franz from France-airsoft demonstrated the unit and I could have sworn that he took a couple birds out of the tree at which he fired his pop-corn spread! While impressive and holding huge potential, the unit is still a prototype. But there are plans to package it into a M72 Rocket launcher and shoot foam rockets for Airsoft scenarios, which is something we look forward to seeing.
The Story and The
The officials of France-Airsoft devoted many late nights designing the scenarios to provide a unique experience for the gamers. Unlike most events, this game had four distinct teams - including Commandos, Mercenaries, Civilians, and a private army hired by the Tekko Corporation. The storyline is based on the Civilians discovering a new energy source and a foreign company called Tekko wants to invade the village and steal the new technology. Fearing a massive attack, the Civilians hired the help of Mercenaries to protect their valuable invention. Meanwhile, the Tekko group understands that such an operation would require serious fire-power and has thus requested the help of Commandos from their home country. To distinguish between the teams, Civilians wore jeans and T-shirts (with some sporting shirt and tie) and Mercenaries came in all black gear with a red band over their heads. Commandos are, of course, in woodland camouflage and the Tekko group has outfitted their team in simply all-black SWAT gear. This dress-code made it extremely easy to tell the difference between the groups.
Different scenarios provided missions for each fighting team. Most of the missions revolved around protecting the "fusion unit", kidnapping the opposition's generals for information, reconnaissance, building invasion, stealing missiles, and taking out radar sites. Some of the fighting was done in the woods or knee high pine-grass (where you literally become invisible simply by kneeling down) but most of the action took place around the village buildings, which offered much shelter for very close quarters combat. Given the purpose of the camp, you could still find lots of spent shells on the ground used by the French Army for blank-fire practice. Despite being slightly understaffed, the referees did a good job of covering the buildings and fields to help call hits, although most players were quite honest and called their outs.
One of the major innovations of this game that I have not seen elsewhere is the use of life-tickets, just like in a videogame. At the beginning of the major mission, each player was given a piece of wire with seven blue paper tickets attached to it. We were instructed to attach this to our clothes or vests. This represented how many lives we had, and a ticket had to be removed each time we were healed by a medic or re-spawned. Doing away with bandages, victims would sit down when hit and call for a medic. The medic would come over a rip a single blue ticket off of you and you were back in the game. Once all your tickets had been dispensed with, you were out for the remainder of the battle. This proved to be a very efficient way of keeping track of player's status. With the generous count of seven tickets, players were not inclined to cheat. The whole concept of seven lives also instilled some sense of accountability on the players, much like a video game.
The French Way
I was assigned to play with the Commandos, which sported a host of weapons including M4's, FAMAS, MP5, P90s and M249's. Our team also had two young ladies who held their ground when it came to heavy shoot-outs! As soon as the game started, we moved out as a unit and stayed together as a unit for pretty much the entire mission. The players were serious and acted out the motions of covering each other as we moved through the wide open fields, kneeling down every ten meters with rifle raised to survey the surroundings. While probably senseless since our AEGs would have been out of range of anything anyways, it really gave the mission an authentic feel. And besides, it looked very cool! The team also made smart use of cover fire to gain positions on the enemy group, and communicated frequently by radio to team-mates. A lead commander gave most of the instructions and people seemed fine to follow orders - a setup which is hard to find in many games. One other impressive thing is how many players used out-flanking tactics to surround opposing teams for total elimination.
Another thing I also realized during my time with my unit is how hard real-life joint military operations between countries must be. Given my extremely rusty French, it made precise communication rather difficult and I often found myself running directly into the enemy when my commander was actually telling me to flank them. In fact, I later realized that many French players spoke good English and were able to give me some updates on what was going on. There was a lot of radio traffic going back and forth between the separate divisions, and with constantly changing conditions - keeping informed of the situation meant everything.
As with events everywhere across the world, French players loved to share their battle stories immediately after - sometimes acting out the event with somersaults and role-playing. Something else that I saw acted out a lot was military roadblocks - something less common in the Americas and the UK. It was really great to see the players totally engrossed in the game and having a lot of healthy fun. What impressed me the most was that there were no arguments and no fights - everyone played their best but at the end of the day, they all made sure to have fun and not let emotions ruin the event for them.
Of course, it would not have been a French event without French bread, croissants, and a healthy supply of wine and beer. The players were extremely hospitable and offered me enough strong wine to send my head spinning! To thank the players hospitality, RedWolf Airsoft raffled off a batch of caps and T-shirts, and gave away a custom M733 (worth USD 475) to a lucky winner.
Once again, I want to extend special thanks for Monsieur Didier Morandi and
the people from France-Airsoft for arranging such a spectacular event. I hope
to come back again soon to play with you all side-by-side at Caylus 2005!


text:
The Presidential Debate preempted some of the network programming last night, but it was mostly good news for the shows that did air. Here are a few highlights from Wednesday's numbers:
- The CW's Supernatural kicked off its eighth season with a 0.8 rating in the 18-49 demo and 1.8 million viewers, even with the season seven premiere and up from last season's finale rating of 0.7.
- ABC's The Middle was down double digits from last week, scoring a 2.2 rating in the demo and 7.93 million viewers. That's a 24% drop from last week's 2.9 rating.
- NBC's new comedies Animal Practice and Guys with Kids were both up with a 1.5 rating and 1.8, respectively.
Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Wednesday, October 3rd, including numbers for the debate.
- Pending final adjusted numbers, the Justin Kirk-fronted vet comedy Animal Practice was up 7% from last week's 1.4 rating with a 1.5 in the demo and 5.22 million viewers.
- NBC's other new Wednesday comedy Guys with Kids was also up, scoring a 1.8 rating and 5.50 million viewers. That's a 13% uptick from last week's 1.6 rating.
- ABC's The Middle netted a 2.2 rating and 7.93 million viewers, taking a steep 24% drop from last week's 2.9 rating.
- The second episode of the new alien comedy The Neighbors was also down sharply, scoring a 2.0 rating and 6.61 million viewers versus the 3.2 rating for its series premiere. That's down 38%, but it should be noted that it premiered last week directly after ratings juggernaut Modern Family.
The CW
- Fan-favorite series Supernatural scored a 0.8 demo rating and 1.80 million viewers for its eight season premiere, even with the season seven premiere and up 14% from last season's finale rating of 0.7.
Presidential Debate
- The live debate was covered by all four major networks. NBC's broadcast scored the highest demo rating with 3.4 and 9.91 million viewers, but CBS landed the most eyeballs with 10.18 million viewers total and a 3.0 demo rating.
- Complete coverage from all four networks totaled 35.1 million viewers, up 19% from 2008's first Obama/McCain debate.


text:
"I am an old man. I don't have time for these kinds of HR interventions now", said the senior consultant.
We had requested this gentleman to come to our office for an exploratory meeting – to identify possible HR initiatives to improve organizational effectiveness. He came for the meeting 'unarmed' - he did not bring any of the typical consultant weapons like brochures and presentations. He did not even have a laptop with him!
He listened to us for a long time while we were giving him a detailed account of the organization context & the challenges we were facing. Then he asked a few questions and we had a discussion on the same. Then he went to the whiteboard and in a simple diagram he captured his understanding of our situation and the levels at which interventions can be done and the basic details of those interventions. After that he asked us what we wanted to do and we gave our opinion. That was when he made the above statement.
The way he said it shook me. He was not just saying that he was busy. He meant that he no longer had the time to do these kinds of work (interventions at 'not- so- deep' levels) regardless of how much value the organization saw in them, how good he was in that kind of work, or even how much he will be paid. At that stage in his life, he wanted to work only on those projects that he found to be personally meaningful. Of course, this does not mean that other types of interventions do not add value. It was just that he did not want to get involved!
I recall this encounter quite often. Apart from making me think about the kind of work I really want to do, it also prompts me to think about the 'basic motivations' for HR professionals.
It does not make sense to do 'HR for HR function' (taking up initiatives to make the HR function look good) or to do 'HR for HR professionals' ("I want to do some HR interventions and I will somehow convince the business for it"). HR exists to support the business and hence HR has to be aligned to business. But the issue of business alignment of HR is a complex one (See 'Paradox of Business Orientation of HR'). After all, most of us want HR to mean something more than 'making people do more work without paying them too much and without risking disruptions to the business operations'!!!
One way to think about 'what motivates HR professionals' is to take the approach that HR professionals are human beings first and hence what motivates them can be understood in terms of theories of human motivation – as they play out in the context of the roles in HR/careers of HR professionals.
For example, if we assume some sort of need fulfillment (say based on a hierarchy of needs like Maslow's hierarchy of needs/'Existence-Relatedness-Growth' needs in Alderfer's ERG framework) is the basic driver for motivation, we can easily explain the behavior of the senior consultant featured at the beginning of this post by saying that as his lower order needs had been fulfilled and hence what motivated his behavior in that situation was the urge to find opportunities for fulfilling his higher order needs (growth/self-actualization needs). While this looks like a very neat explanation, it might be a rather simplistic one (see 'The power of carrot and stick'). Similarly we can look at the motivations of HR professionals in terms of other frameworks like personality profiles/types (e.g. OPQ, MBTI etc.), Talents/Strengths, Career Anchors etc.
Another set of motivations can result from the alignment to (or belief in) a particular 'philosophy of HR' (See 'Towards a philosophy of HR'). Of course, individual vision, mission and values of the HR professional can also be sources of very strong motivations. Since these can be very individual specific, we can get a wide range of dimensions here (see 'Daydreams of an OD Mechanic' for a personal example). Finding meaning in their work (see 'Do we need a new defining myth for HR?') is important for all professionals - including HR professionals! Actually, I would go one step beyond and suggest that considering the role of HR managers as 'architects of meaning' (See 'Architects of meaning : From CHRO to CMO'), this becomes even more relevant for HR professionals from a professional integrity (in the sense of achieving integration/alignment between one's thoughts/feelings, speech and action) point of view. Also, talking about food (including 'food for the soul' that can be called 'meaning') often makes one more aware of one's own hunger - unless this 'talking about food/meaning' is more of a 'displacement activity'!!!Again, as I have said earlier, 'hanging around in HR for too long' without a compelling reason, can be a risky business - especially for personal happiness!
HR professionals who have taken their behavior science education seriously (see 'HR professionals and Multiple Personality Disorder') might suffer from some of the 'motivational complications' that social scientists suffer. For example, many social scientists suffer some sort of 'physics envy' and this along with other things might create a compulsion for them to work on those initiatives that are research based. However, as I have said earlier (See 'Research and a three-year old' & 'Truths stretched too far' for the details), this might not be possible in HR the way it is feasible in physics. We can still derive a lot of value from these research findings (and behavior science principles/theories), if we look at them mainly as a source of ideas (and not as absolute objective truth)!
Going back to our discussion on business alignment of HR, it has to be noted that there exist significant differences across organizations when it comes to the 'picture of success' (See 'On what good looks like'). Hence it makes sense for an individual (HR professional) to work for organizations where there will be a good degree of agreement between the definitions of the organization and that of the individual (on what is required/what good looks like).
This leads to an interesting situation. If the choice of the HR interventions can't be made in an algorithmic manner (or based on conclusive evidence), then the choice will be governed by 'some sort of judgment' made by the HR professional. Often, the choice becomes a matter of aesthetics (and that is where beauty and elegance comes in). The beauty we are talking about is a special kind of beauty – that manifests in terms of fit (with the context) and coherence (internal consistency among the various dimensions of the intervention), parsimony of unproven assumptions (Occam's razor), parsimony of effort (understanding and using 'leverage points' - where the application of a small input can lead to a high output) and of course 'Simplicity on the other side of Complexity' (See 'U-curve and simplicity at the other side of complexity').
While the biological evolution has given us the natural ability to make high quality judgments about aspects in the natural environment, some sort of a professional evolution of the HR professional (based on years of struggle with the paradoxes in the HR domain)is required to make the type of high quality judgments that we are talking about here (See 'Wisdom-level consulting'). Yes, often 'less is more' and sometimes, the best HR intervention might be to do nothing for the time being (remember - 'first do no harm')! One of the useful 'side effects' of the 'struggle with the paradoxes in the HR domain' mentioned above is that the HR professional develops a better appreciation of 'what won't work' in a given situation and this can be a great help in dealing with the common temptation for HR managers 'to try too many things' !!!
So, my fellow HR professionals – What are the factors that motivate you?!! What role does elegance/beauty play in your HR related decision-making?!!!
Note: It can be argued that the title of the post itself is a case of physics envy as it is similar to the title of a book by S Chandrasekhar (the famous physicist). While I do admit that Physics was my first love, I am quite sure that I had grown out of it when I realized years ago that, at advanced levels, the exploration of physical reality becomes a highly mathematical exercise. Hence I would like to think of it more as a case of 'inspired by Physics' and not that of 'Physics envy'!!!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Truth and Beauty: Motivations and Elegance in HR
Posted by Prasad Kurian at 11:12 PM
Labels: Architects of meaning, areté, career identity, career philosophy, HR, HR career, HR philosophy, HR professionals, meaning at work, Motivation, Philosophy of HR, Philosophy of HRM, story
4 comments:
- Unknown said...
this is an eyeopener, in todays context when we preach "more is less" its refreshing to know the logic behind "less is more".... wonderful
- January 19, 2013 at 8:01 PM
- Prasad Kurian said...
Thank you Santhosh!
- January 20, 2013 at 1:42 PM
- Jemma Taylor said...
Beautiful post Prasad, That's the most important role or behavior of HR. Motivation is must
- January 21, 2013 at 5:11 PM
- Prasad Kurian said...
Thanks Jemma.
- January 21, 2013 at 10:48 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
The American Heritage Dictionary does not disagree:
storey. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.Chiefly British Variant of story
BTW, Merriam-Webster just has it down as a variant, rather than a BrE spelling:
Definition of story - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Why is it a proper word? Because that is the British spelling:
Cambridge Dictionaries Online - Cambridge University Press
AskOxford: storey
You seem to be implying that American English is the only variant that is acceptable. We don't agree; users use their own spellings and their own variants. We have British, Canadian, American, Pakistani, Indian and other contributors. I, for instance, am a British English speaker, so I use BrE forms and spellings. English is an international language and the usage on this site reflects this.
Our view is laid out here: https://www.usingenglish.com/profile...es/000353.html
and here https://www.usingenglish.com/about.shtml
Our view of another bugbear for some American speakers is here: https://www.usingenglish.com/profile...es/000358.html
Much of the site is written in British English, simply because most of the contributions have come from BrE speakers.


text:
Landslide death toll continues rising
ARLINGTON, Wash. (AP) — Crews using cadaver dogs, small bulldozers and their hands have been working through the muck and rain
in a search for more people trapped in Saturday's mudslide in Washington state.
Two more bodies were recovered late Tuesday, bringing the official death toll to 16. As many as eight more bodies have been located but not yet recovered.
Scores of people remain listed as missing, but officials hope the restoration of power in a nearby logging town of Darrington will allow some residents to call in and have their names removed from the list.
Searchers have warned that they are likely to find more bodies in the debris field, which covers a neighborhood of 49 structures.
A volunteer rescue worker was injured yesterday. Everett Police say a small piece of debris thrown up by a helicopter downdraft struck the man in the head, rendering him unconscious momentarily. However, his injuries appeared to be minor.
Meanwhile, reports that warned years ago of the potential for a catastrophic landslide in Oso have been surfacing. Snohomish County officials and authorities in Oso say they were vigilant about warning of the dangers of a landslide.


text:
Is it spring cleaning time for Renee Zellweger? The Hollywood gossip mill was set into overdrive in mid-March when US Magazine reported that the actress called it quits with her boyfriend of two years, Bradley Cooper. Now, the Bridget Jones star has disposed of her two Upper East Side apartments, according to The New York Times.
The actress has reportedly sold her two Upper East Side pads to Deep Impact actress Leelee Sobieski for $8.95 million. Zellweger owned two units on the second floor in the undisclosed Manhattan building, both of which she listed back in November 2010. One apartment is said to have three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, thirteen-foot ceilings and multiple wood-burning fireplaces. The other is apparently much smaller with one bedroom and one bath.
U.S. & World
Zellweger has experienced a recent flurry of life changes, which begs the question--what (or rather, where) will be next for the actress?
Copyright LXTVN - LXTV


text:
The October issue of Research deals with formidable personalities and controversial issues. In the cover story "How John Bogle Really Sees ETFs," the Vanguard founder and index-fund pioneer talks about the exchange-traded fund field and its evolution. Readers may be surprised by his forceful yet nuanced views.
In feature article "Bill Gross vs. the Equity Cult," Prof. Michael Finke analyzes the bond maven's argument that equity returns going forward are unlikely to measure up to the gains of the late 20th century. Another article, "The Compensation Squeeze," looks at pressures on advisor paychecks and the narrowing gap between compensation of wirehouse brokers and independent advisors.
Also in the October Research: "Beyond the Ivory Tower," a profile of data-driven MIT economist James Poterba, winner of the 2012 Achievement in Applied Retirement Research Award; "The Second Call," a continuation of Bill Good's Sales Seminar column series on cold calling; and more.
Click through the following slides to preview Research's October issue.
How John Bogle Really Sees ETFs
John C. Bogle, Vanguard founder and pioneer of index funds, talks with Research about exchange-traded funds, and what he has to say is blunt. For instance: "Actively managed ETFs are basically casino-type things, leveraging three to one. I call that a lunatic strategy."
At the same time, Bogle's views have evolved over time and may surprise readers. Contributor Editor Jane Wollman Rusoff draws on interviews with Bogle and financial advisors to examine the controversial ETF state of the art.
Bill Gross vs. the Equity Cult
Michael Finke, Texas Tech professor and contributing editor of Research, assesses the recent contretemps where bond maven Bill Gross described past equity returns as a "historical freak, a mutation likely never to be seen again" and described stock proponents as a "cult."
Finke looks at historical data and weighs in on the question of whether Gross has a compelling case.
Contributing Editor Ellen Uzelac reports on advisor compensation trends and finds little reason to break out the champagne.
New York City-based consultancy Johnson Associates is forecasting a 5-10% bump in compensation for advisors across channels, a downgrade from estimates early in the year. Meanwhile, firms are cutting costs in what consultant Danny Sarch calls "a more subtle way, or insidious way, of taking money out of pocket."
Economist Jim Poterba's curriculum vitae spans 19 pages and includes Congressional testimony, fellowships, lectures, books and more. Now, the 54-year-old MIT professor can add another line to his credits: the 2012 Achievement in Applied Retirement Research Award, sponsored by Research magazine and AdvisorOne.com, as well as RIIA.
The award will be presented in October at the Retirement Income Industry Association's fall conference. "Jim's the academic economist equivalent of a gold medal Olympic athlete," says Moshe Milevsky, the winner in 2008.
Sales Seminar columnist Bill Good offers the second in a series of columns on cold calling. This column's focus: the second call to a prospect.
Good writes: "We have one primary objective of the second call: determine if this person is in fact qualified and interested enough to set an appointment."
His techniques could put cold calling in a new perspective.
See the contents of the October issue of Research.


text:
Serious Eats NearMe Preview: SXSW Edition
Hey Serious Eaters, check it out! We're launching a preview of Serious Eats NearMe with our SXSW X SERIOUS EATS Guide, giving SXSW attendees the lowdown on the best places to eat, drink and make merry in Austin.
This is just the first phase; NearMe will make it easy for anyone to discover the best food nearby in all the cities we cover by connecting our years of great community-driven recommendations and reviews to a new set of location-based discovery features, all powered by Foursquare's platform. (You can also follow us on Foursquare to get our latest tips and lists!) Soon, we'll be launching NearMe on Serious Eats New York and Serious Eats Chicago, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out our SXSW guide and let us know what you think!
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text: Concept and objective One week before the academic year officially starts, more than 1500 students meet for the first time on campus of the University of St.Gallen. With the bilingual StartWeek – German and English – new students are given the opportunity to engage creatively with an interdisciplinarily, challenging and complex case study topic outside the core curriculum of the University of St.Gallen. At the same time, they get introduced to their new environment through an administrative and social induction. Case Study and induction sessions The StartWeek offers new students the opportunity to work on a case study in groups. The purpose of this exercise is to be introduced to group work that is required in the Assessment Year and also to the academic processes of the university. Furthermore, through this process, complex tasks are solved, rewarding experiences are shared and activities carried out as a team that will encourage teamwork, raise the team spirit, nurture a sense of responsibility, as well as challenge and encourage independent thinking. These are the qualities that distinguish students and graduates of the University of St.Gallen during their studies and later in their professional careers and personal lives. As a result, the experience 'StartWeek' establishes and nurtures strong ties between the students. There are 42 German-speaking and 18 English-speaking groups with approximately 25 students each that are led and accompanied by two tutors – senior students – throughout the week. In addition, apart from the case study, students become familiar with organisational matters regarding their courses and studies at the HSG, get to know the campus, buy their first-semester readers and are familiarised with their new role. In order to achieve this, induction sessions are on offer that cover the administrative side, such as IT infrastructure and the library, as well as the academic side that includes an overview of the course structure and requirements in the Assessment Year. The overall goals of the StartWeek The primary goal of the StartWeek is to prepare over 1500 first-year students for their new roles at the university in regard to the content and organisation of their studies, which includes the following: Administrative integration to the university (attending induction sessions). Social integration into the academic environment (socialising and opportunities to network). An introduction to academic writing and group work (academic integration through the handling of a case study). Within the scope of the introduction to academic processes at the HSG, the new students work on an interdisciplinary, challenging and complex case study. The chosen topic raises awareness among the students. While working on the case study, they are introduced to methods and tools from the economics subject area and will undertake a differentiated analysis that promotes reflection and discussion and responsible decision-making.


text:
Israel: Something is moving
Source:Gush Shalom
Ongoing escalation, and wartime-style media reports are losing their laming grip on the Israeli public.
One and half years after the start of the latest Palestinian uprising a growing number of Israelis start expressing their anger and disgust at of the way of the Sharon government ... and the number is growing.
Submitted on Пт, 02/22/2002 - 01:00


text:
March 14, 2013 - Lucca, Italy
Tagetik Provides Organizations of All Sizes with Finance Cost and Efficiency Benchmarks
Benchmark research reveals the potential for millions in cost savings, cycle times, and resources through Financial Performance Management process improvement
Tagetik, a global provider of enterprise software solutions for Performance Management, Disclosure Management, Financial Governance and Business Intelligence, today announced that it has purchased the rights to distribute key finance organization benchmarks compiled by research and benchmarking firm, APQC - American Productivity & Quality Center.
Benchmarks are tailored according to four different annual revenue ranges – greater than $20B; $10-20B; $2–10B; and $500M-2B companies. The benchmarks span across costs, process cycle times, and resource metrics specific to the Office of Finance, such as financial and management reporting, annual planning, consolidated financial statements production, and quarterly/annual earnings disclosure.
Because the benchmarks show the difference between top performers and bottom performers, which can equate to millions in finance costs, Tagetik has developed a free Excel Calculator to help businesses determine the financial impact of their position compared to top performers.
"The finance benchmarks from APQC have been compiled into a free benchmark Infographic and tailored Excel Calculator to help finance organizations determine their best opportunities to improve performance and reduce costs," explains Manuel Vellutini – Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer at Tagetik. "This is an innovative yet simple way to communicate tangible benefits that any organization can gain from improving their finance processes, regardless of industry or revenue range. These tools clearly reflect Tagetik's mission to support companies worldwide in driving efficiency, transparency, and cost savings in the management of their financial performance processes as well as greater ROI by providing a unified solution for optimizing financial processes and performance."
Download the free benchmark Infographic and tailored Excel Calculator!
Request a Demo
Our personalized demo allows you to speak directly with a senior solution specialist and discover the key functionalities of CCH Tagetik.
Would you love to know more about CCH Tagetik?
For more information, please complete the form and a member of our team will reach out to you shortly!


text:
Please note that details are given in good faith, but might change. It is advisable to check with the venue before travelling. Please see Here for regular events not in the calendar. If you would like any events added, please contact the Webmaster using the "contact us" option under "The Society" tab.
Due to Coronavirus, most venues have now declared themselves closed for the foreseeable future. On the assumption that no events can go ahead at the moment, all concerts till the end of May have been removed from our calendar.
Latest information regarding COS concerts, can be found on our Coronavirus Update Page
- This event has passed.
12th May 2019 @ 2:30 pm£10.00
Richard Hills, further details…
View Program Here


text:
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962, major cold war confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. In response to the Bay of Pigs Invasion and other American actions against Cuba as well as to President Kennedy's build-up in Italy and Turkey of U.S. strategic nuclear forces with first-strike capability aimed at the Soviet Union, the USSR increased its support of Fidel Castro's Cuban regime. In the summer of 1962, Nikita Khrushchev secretly decided to install nuclear-armed ballistic missiles in Cuba. When U.S. reconnaissance flights revealed the clandestine construction of missile launching sites, President Kennedy publicly denounced (Oct. 22, 1962) the Soviet actions. He imposed a naval blockade on Cuba and declared that any missile launched from Cuba would warrant a full-scale retaliatory attack by the United States against the Soviet Union. On Oct. 24, Russian ships carrying missiles to Cuba turned back, and when Khrushchev agreed (Oct. 28) to withdraw the missiles and dismantle the missile sites, the crisis ended as suddenly as it had begun. The United States ended its blockade on Nov. 20, and by the end of the year the missiles and bombers were removed from Cuba. The United States, in return, pledged not to invade Cuba, and subsequently, in fulfillment of a secret agreement with Khrushchev, removed the ballistic missiles placed in Turkey.
See E. R. May and P. D. Zeilkow, The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis (1997); R. F. Kennedy, Thirteen Days (1969, repr. 1971); A. Chayes, The Cuban Missile Crisis (1974); R. Garthoff, Reflections on the Cuban Missile Crisis (1989); A. Fursenko and T. Naftali, One Hell of a Gamble (1997); M. Frankel, High Noon in the Cold War (2004); M. Dobbs, One Minute to Midnight (2008); S. M. Stern, The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory (2012).


text: 'Dimensions:Size of water slot: 36" x 17" x 6" Size of basin: 17" x 15" and 17" x 15" Installation and opening size: 31" x 16" Description: Modern Designed Under mount Kitchen or Drop in Stainless Steel Sink.* Double Bowl Kitchen Stainless Steel Sink* Made with highest quality DDQ304 stainless steel from Japan.* Made of the finest 1.0mm(18 guage) stainless steel* Resist rust and corrosion* Environmental friendly and healthy to use* Easy to clean and maintain* Features a sound-muffling resin undercoating * This stainless steel kitchen sink will fit any kitchen decor. Includes:One set of water collector and fixing clamp, Professional plumber recommended. Warranty:One year warranty against the manufacture defects.Availability: Usually ships same business day.'


text:
Select a design, then select the device that you would like to style.
Skins are premium quality decals that feature stunning, high-resolution graphics printed on premium grade adhesive-backed cast vinyl.
Skins provide low profile protection with no bulk and protects your BlackBerry Curve 8520, 8530 from scratches. The unique weaved adhesive allows for fast, easy and accurate application, and goo-free removal.
Make your BlackBerry Curve 8520, 8530 uniquely yours.
iStyles5/Everything is OK with my order, delivery and product.N. AMBROISE, France, 4 May 2012
I ordered a matte finish but received a gloss finish skin. Other than that the service was great. Update 4 Jan 2014: iStyles goes above and beyond to please customers. I had received a gloss skin by mistake and I mentioned it in my original review. It wasn't a big deal. But iStyles sent me a new matte skin free of charge. I will use them again.Roderick Lundy, United States


text:
Nice and fresh fabrications, treatments and sun-softened beachy palette which evoked a pinch of country sensibility
I hustled into the Herve Leger Spring 2010 show amidst throngs of bandage dressed women of all ages.
What I noticed first and foremost was that although most of these Leger devotees had overdone it one way or another – moms and their mini-me daughters in matching nightclub ready scuba uber-minis forcing comparisons, loads of make-up, black patent leather, fussy blond coifs and naked flesh at 3pm – the show itself was surprisingly earthy.
This is not to say that Max Azria abandoned Leger's signature body-con hubba-hubba I expected to see. He just took his cash-cow formula and reconsidered the possibilities. He exposed it to the sun and worked from there. Passage thru the red-ropes wasn't the designer's m.o. this time.
>> See more images from the Herve Leger spring collection
What was nice and fresh were the fabrications, treatments and sun-softened beachy palette which evoked a pinch of country sensibility mixed with some lackadaisical surfer girl. The clothes were still sexy and bare and bum skimming and every exit pants-free, but they were nuanced, not one note: Sexy arts n' crafts. There was crochet bits of strass, piecey denim patchwork, knotted suede and tumbled silk.
The best looks were the least expected.
Here a soft sand colored dress with a crocheted bodice and flared skirt made of ribbons and for later, the slightest black slip dress under a web of knotted black suede strips.
>> See our complete runway coverage and fashion show photos
The girls wore variations of sun-washed and faded leather cowboy booties, scrubbed and slightly tanned skin and bed-hair, nothing else. Over-all, the clothes also had a slight of hand and a wash-n-go feel that I appreciated. — Andrea Perini


text:
Houston Dash at Sky Blue FC
Sunday, June 8, 5:00 p.m. CT
Yurcak Field, Piscataway, NJ
HoustonDashSoccer.com - 5:00 p.m.
REFEREE: Michael Zapata. Assistant Referees: Russ Wolf, Emilie Buse; Fourth Official: Neil Barbulescu
The Houston Dash (2-7-1; 7 points) visit Sky Blue FC (2-5-4; 10 points) in the final game of their three game road trip. The Dash are coming off of a 2-1 comeback win over Western New York on May 31. The Dash look to continue their scoring ways, having scored seven goals in their last four games. Sky Blue FC welcomes the Dash in the final game of their three-game home stand. SBFC is coming off a 3-1 loss to league-leaders Seattle Reign FC. This will be the first of three match-ups between the Dash and SBFC this season.
INJURY REPORT (as of Friday, May 30)
HOUSTON DASH -- OUT: Brittany Bock (left knee surgery), Lindsay Elston (right ankle sprain), Lauren Sesselmann (left knee surgery); DOUBTFUL: Kika Toulouse (right quad strain); QUESTIONABLE: Becky Edwards (left foot stress reaction)
SKY BLUE FC --- OUT: Hayley Hagsma (left ACL tear), Taylor Lytle (left tibia fracture and lateral meniscus tear); QUESTIONABLE: Monica Ocampo (left knee bruise); PROBABLE: Christie Rampone (left toe seismioditis)
The Dash have made comebacks their specialty so far this year, and they came up with another one on May 31 as they defeated the Western New York Flash 2-1 for their second win. The Flash took the lead just before the halftime break as McCall Zerboni volleyed home a cross from Adriana Martin, but the Dash responded with two second half goals. Kealia Ohai bagged her first of the year in the 51st minute, turning her defender in the box off a throw-in to get off a left-footed shot tucked just inside the far post. Nina Burger continued her good form by flicking on Stephanie Och's corner kick past the Flash keeper at the near post in the 73rd minute for the game-winning goal.
Sky Blue FC finished fourth in the 2013 NWSL regular season with a record of (10-6-6; 36 points), giving them the final playoff spot. SBFC was defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the regular season champions Western New York Flash. This season, SBFC are led offensively by their first round pick in the 2013 Supplemental Draft Katy Freels. The former Auburn midfielder is the leading goal scorer for Sky Blue with four goals. Defensively SBFC is led by USWNT defenders Kelley O'Hara and Christie Rampone. In addition to their defensive responsibilities, the pair have combined for three goals and four assists through 11 games. This season SBFC finds itself in seventh place in the NWSL standings with a record of 2-5-4 (10 points).
USWNT defenders Whitney Engen and Meghan Klingenberg arrived in Houston earlier this week after competing in the UEFA Women's Champions League final with Swedish club Tyresö FF on May 22. The pair are expected to make their Dash debuts away to Sky Blue FC in New Jersey on Sunday but will then miss the next two NWSL games thanks to international duty, as the U.S. has a couple of games against France in mid-June in Florida and Connecticut. Engen was allocated to the Dash in January, while Klingenberg was selected in the NWSL Expansion Draft.
Dash forward Nina Burger will join the Austria national team following Sunday's game for World Cup qualifying matches against Finland (June 14) and Kazakhstan (June 19). Burger, the all-time leading goalscorer for Austria (32 goals), is expected to miss the Dash's home matches against the Western New York Flash (June 11) and FC Kansas City (June 14) before returning to Houston.