Email is proven to be one of the most effective communication channels you can leverage, and one of your tasks as a marketer is to keep your list of email subscribers constantly growing.
However, people are guarding their email addresses tighter than ever these days, which means you need to be offering them something amazing in order to convince them to hand it over.
Employing contests to build your email list might be one way to achieve that goal.
In this post, we'll discuss why contests are an effective way to build your list and show you actionable tips & tools you can use to run a successful contest that builds your email list.
But you're not the lottery, and you probably can't afford to give away $656 million in prize money. So can contests still help you build your email list?
Research from Unbounce would suggest so. They recently did a study on the effect including a contest had on 100 of their customers' landing pages. They analyzed the results from more than 3 million visitors and found that landing pages with a contest gathered 700% more email subscribers than those without a contest option.
So we know that contests work, but how do you know what prize to offer? And how do you promote it to capture as many email addresses as possible?
There are three key aspects of a successful contest: the premise, the prize, and the promotion. By getting each of these areas right, you'll be able to create a contest that resonates with your audience, encourages thousands of entries and builds your email list.
The premise is the foundation of your contest. It helps you define what you are asking your users to submit as an entry to the contest.
A text contest where people enter their best joke, poem or short story.
If you are asking people to submit content to enter your contest (video, photo, story, etc.), then ease of content creation is a critical factor in the success of your contest.
A good example of this is a Cutest Baby Moment campaign, which taps into the huge amount of photos and videos proud parents already have of their kids and makes it easy for them to enter your contest.
People put a lot of thought into the content they choose to share over their social networks. A New York Times study on sharing motivations found that 94% of people carefully consider how the content they share will be useful to others, while 68% of people consider what that piece of content will say about them when they share it.
So when deciding on your premise, ask yourself whether the content you are asking people to submit is the kind of content that you'd be happy to share on your social media channels with your own friends and family.
If you're not happy to share the content on your own social networks, then chances are entrants and visitors won't be either, and you're missing out on a huge organic promotional channel that will drive new entrants and build your email list without costing you a cent.
While big cash prizes are great, they often draw the attention of people outside your target market who you probably don't want on your email list anyway. They'll likely never open your email and will cost you more to have in your list than they are worth.
Instead, you could be much better served by choosing a targeted prize that is both less expensive and more appealing to the kind of people you want to attract.
For example, Glee Gum conducted an online contest to help raise awareness for their new flavour and build their email list. The prize: Each participant got a free sample of the new flavor. Whilst it might not sound appealing to you, their main promotion method was people who already followed them on social media and liked their product, so the chance to get an inside preview of the new flavour was a scoop. The result? Glee Gum received 5,000 new email addresses within the first hour.
So rather than trying to go too big, think more about the kind of things you can offer that would really appeal to your target market and to your target market only. Doing so could save you some money and attract more of the kind of people you want on your list.
More often than not, a unique prize will gain more attention than a big, cash prize. This is true not just for your target audience but for media coverage as well.
For instance, Queensland Tourism's "Best Job in the World" campaign offered the winner a job as the 'Caretaker' of the Great Barrier Reef, which essentially involved touring the reef and its associated islands and blogging about it for a year. This unique, money-can't-buy prize not only attracted over 34,000 entries but also secured an estimated $150 million worth of media coverage, being covered by CNN, Time and BBC to name just a few.
So when deciding on your prize, consider the things you could offer beyond just cash and iPads. Training sessions with athletes, celebrity meetings and backstage passes are all great examples of money-can't-buy prizes that really appeal to people.
Random Draw Prize – Conduct random draw prizes whereby you give a prize to random entrants throughout the contest, and promote it heavily. This helps break down the 'I'll never win' barrier that exists around contests and encourages more participants.
Bonus Prizes – Aside from having a major prize for the winner, offer a number of bonus prizes for others who enter. This gives people incentive to share the contest with their friends & family in the hope that they can win some of the bonus prizes as well.
Shared Prizes – Consider offering a prize that can be shared amongst friends, like multiple backstage passes or holidays for several people. This helps increase word of mouth as entrants tell their friends to enter so they can have multiple chances of winning the prize.
Now that you've established the premise and prize, it's time to promote your contest to get as many entries (and email address submissions) as possible.
Notifying your current email subscribers: Your email subscribers are some of the most engaged and easy to reach potential entrants around. So send out an email campaign notifying your current subscribers of the contest. Although you might already have their email address, if you've established a great premise and prize then chances are they'll share their entry over social networks and help get the submissions flowing.
Placing it on your website: Your website is a great, inexpensive way to promote your contest to people who are clearly in your target market and interested in your company, so try placing it in a popup or scrolling header bar to grab visitor's attention and drive entries.
Promoting through social media outlets: If your business has a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (or any other social media accounts), be sure to share it on those platforms to encourage entrants and convert those fans and followers into email subscribers.
Collaborating with influencers: Reach out to relevant voices and influencers in your industry to see if they would be interested in either partnering with you for the contest or are interested in simply helping promote a valuable prize.
Getting placed on directory sites: Based on the contest type, there are a number of directory sites that can help you get some exposure. For instance, if you require your users to submit a video upon entry then you can add your contest to www.onlinevideocontests.com to garner some attention and entries from their community.
Contacting traditional media outlets: Write a press release and reach out to relevant newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and other more traditional mass media outlets to help spread the word.
Putting it on your packaging materials: If your business delivers any physical products, your packaging is another opportunity to encourage participation in the contest. Add a sticker, a note, or an attention-grabbing insert that makes your buyers aware of the contest.
If you want to run a simple sweepstakes competition where people only need to submit their email address to enter, then KingSumo Giveaways is a great tool to use.
KingSumo is a WordPress plugin so it integrates natively into your WordPress site. Once you've installed it, you simply enter the details of your contest into the admin interface (start and end date, prize, rules, etc) and launch the contest on your website.
When people arrive at your website, they'll see the contest window and be able to submit their email to enter. KingSumo also contains a great virality feature that presents entrants with their own unique link to share with their friends and family, and gives them an extra entry in the contest for anybody else they manage to sign up.
Once the contest finishes, KingSumo chooses a winner at random (important for complying with competition laws) and then you can download all the email addresses you collected as a CSV and upload them into your email marketing software.
In terms of cost, a personal license is $198 and allows you to use it on one site forever. A developer option is available for unlimited sites as well. They also offer a 60-day guilt free trial so if you're not happy, you can get a full refund!
If you want to run a contest where people submit a photo to enter, then check out Strutta's contest builder.
Using Strutta's DIY contest builder you can quickly create and launch your own photo contest as part of your website, as a separate campaign microsite, or even as an application on your Facebook page.
Once setup, people can create an account and upload a photo to enter and there are a number of community features like social sharing & comments to get more people engaged in your contest.
You can manage everything from Strutta's administration interface and once the contest has finished you can easily download all entrants and their email addresses and upload it as a CSV file to your chosen email marketing software.
If you're interesting in running a video contest where people submit videos to enter, then check out the Launchpad6 video contest platform.
With Launchpad6, you can setup your video contest as part of your website, as a separate campaign microsite, or even as an application on your Facebook page.
Once launched, people can create an account and upload a video to enter before sharing that video with friends & family in order to gain votes and win the contest.
You can manage everything from the administration interface, including moderating videos, managing comments and more. When the contest is over, you can easily download all entrants and their email addresses and upload it as a CSV file to your chosen email marketing software.
In terms of cost, packages begin at $250 per month.
If you are interested in running other types of contests & promotions, such as coupon giveaways or instant win competitions then Woobox may be your best bet.
Woobox allows you to create a variety of contest types with forms that gather valuable lead information (including email addresses). At the end of your campaign, you simply download your data and import the email addresses you've collected into your chosen email marketing software.
Pricing begins at $15/month and goes up from there depending on usage.
By following the best practices around premise, prize and promotion outlined above, you can create a highly appealing contest that builds your email list without needing to offer up big cash prizes that'll cost your business more than it's worth.
Your turn: Have you ever tried a contest as a way to grow your list of email subscribers? If not, what questions do you have about getting a contest up and running?


text:
Q: Mysql joining two tables where part of string in table1 are in table2 I am currently developing an employee database website. Previously my client use ms. excel as database storage which has no structure. But they already have thousands of data. I have already imported data into temporary tables. The problem is, I had to adjust the excel data with database structure.
This is my tables structure :
ms_absen :

id      name
------------------------
11      vnice ardian
22      setiawan ecco
33      andytaman1
44      rusdytaman2

ms_employee :

id_emp    name
---------------------------
01        ardiansyah
02        setiawan thea
03        arif andy syah
04        jonathan
05        f rusdy

expected result :

id_emp    name               id
--------------------------------------
01        ardiansyah         11
02        setiawan thea      22
03        arif andy syah     33
05        rusdy              44

This is what I have tried so far,
select e.id_emp,e.name,a.id
from ms_employee as e
inner join ms_absen a
on a.name like concat('%',left(e.name,3),'%')

This return only ardiansyah, setiawan thea and rusdy instead of all employees except jonathan. Please note that I use inner join rather than left join, because I want to eliminated employes that not in ms_absen table.

A: You can't map one thing to another ( or join in your state ) without having a mapping ).
If I were you I would try to map one of the tables to other table with good data and then apply something like you've specified
select e.id_emp,e.name,a.id
from ms_employee as e
inner join ms_absen a
on a.name like concat('%',left(e.name,3),'%')

Question is - how to transform your data into good one?
You see, you have a spaces in this name column. And if you had no spaces, then it would be easier. So you map one table to some transition table with columns id, name_part1, name_part2, ..., name_partN, where N is the maximum number of words in name ( finding this N can be done manually ). Then you can apply logic alike this one (this is the comment to MySQL documentation on string built-in functions):
// Posted by [name withheld] on March 22 2006 8:02pm

// This will split an IP address ("a.b.c.d") into 4 respective octets:

SELECT
`ip` ,
SUBSTRING_INDEX( `ip` , '.', 1 ) AS a,
SUBSTRING_INDEX(SUBSTRING_INDEX( `ip` , '.', 2 ),'.',-1) AS b,
SUBSTRING_INDEX(SUBSTRING_INDEX( `ip` , '.', -2 ),'.',1) AS c,
SUBSTRING_INDEX( `ip` , '.', -1 ) AS d
FROM log_table

Thus you will have a table where every column nameX where X is inside range 1...N.
This is the best I can suggest you for now without using RDBMS )

A: Given we have data presented in the question we can write something like this:

*

*This will result in a table with 3 columns. Let's assume the resulting table will be called A.
SELECT
id,
SUBSTRING_INDEX( 'name' , ' ', 1 ) AS a,
SUBSTRING_INDEX(SUBSTRING_INDEX( 'name' , ' ', 2 ),' ',-1) AS b
FROM ms_absen

*This is pseudo (i haven't tested it) code that shows the idea.
select e.id_emp, e.name, a.id
from ms_employee as e, A as a
where e.name like concat('%',left(a.part1,3),'%')
or    e.name like concat('%',left(a.part2,3),'%')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This is my first Testing blog on Word press….
This entry was posted on रविवार, दिसम्बर 5th, 2004 at 3:54 am	and is filed under विविध. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


text:
Die Lecanorales sind eine Ordnung der Schlauchpilze (Ascomycota) und enthalten sehr viele flechtenbildende Arten.

Merkmale
Der Thallus ist sehr vielgestaltig. Die Apothecien sind rund bis schüsselförmig. Die Arten, die in einer Flechtensymbiose leben, bilden Apothecien, in denen die besonders gebauten Asci zwischen Paraphysen mit kopfig verdickten Enden stehen. Die Asci sind keulenförmig, dickwandig, teilweise mehrschichtig. Sie besitzen außerdem einen Scheitelwulst um die porenförmige Öffnung.

Die Pflanzensymbionten (Photobionten) der flechtenbildenden Arten sind Grünalgen (z. B. Trebouxia, Coccomyxa) und Cyanobakterien (Nostoc).

Systematik

Zu den Lecanorales zählen folgende Familien mit ausgewählten Gattungen und Arten:

 Anziaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Anzia
 Arthrorhaphidaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Arthrorhaphis
 Biatorellaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Biatorella
 Caliciaceae mit 9 Gattungen, die Familie wird nach Miadlikowska et al. (2006) zu den Teloschistales gestellt.
 Calycidiaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Calycidium
 Catillariaceae mit 7 Gattungen, z. B.
 Toninia
 Toninia sedifolia
 Cetradoniaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Cetradonia
 Cladoniaceae mit 15 Gattungen, z. B.
 Cladonia
 Crocyniaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Crocynia
 Dactylosporaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Dactylospora
 Gypsoplacaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Gypsoplaca
 Haematommataceae mit einziger Gattung
 Haematomma
 Icmadophilaceae mit 6 Gattungen, z. B.
 Dibaeis
 Rosa Köpfchenflechte (Dibaeis baeomyces)
 Lecanoraceae mit 32 Gattungen, z. B.
 Lecanora
 Lecanora carpinea
 Lecanora conizaeoides
 Lecanora muralis
 Lecideaceae mit 9 Gattungen
 Loxosporaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Loxospora
 Megalariaceae mit zwei Gattungen
 Miltideaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Miltidea
 Mycoblastaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Mycoblastus
 Ophioparmaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Ophioparma
 Pachyascaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Pachyascus
 Parmeliaceae mit 89 Gattungen, z. B.
 Alectoria
 Alectoria ochroleuca
 Cetraria
 Evernia
 Eichenmoos (Evernia prunastri)
 Flavoparmelia
 Caperatflechte (Flavoparmelia caperata)
 Hypogymnia
 Blasenflechte (Hypogymnia physodes)
 Letharia
 Wolfsflechte (Letharia vulpina)
 Melanohalea
 Melanohalea exasperatula
 Menegazzia
 Menegazzia terebrata
 Parmelia
 Parmelia sulcata
 Parmelina
 Parmelina pastillifera
 Parmelina tiliacea
 Platismatia
 Platismatia glauca
 Pseudevernia
 Baummoos (Pseudevernia furfuracea)
 Bartflechten (Usnea)
 Gewöhnlicher Baumbart (Usnea filipendula)
 Grubige Bartflechte (Usnea hirta)
 Physciaceae mit 34 Gattungen, die Familie wird nach Miadlikowska et al. (2006) zu den Teloschistales gestellt.
 Physcia
 Physcia adscendens
 Physcia tenella
 Pyxine
 Pilocarpaceae mit 23 Gattungen
 Psilolechia
 Psilolechia lucida
 Porpidiaceae mit 16 Gattungen
 Psoraceae mit 7 Gattungen
 Psora
 Psora decipiens
 Ramalinaceae (syn. Bacidiaceae) mit 36 Gattungen, z. B.
 Ramalina
 Ramalina farinacea
 Ramalina fraxinea
 Rhizocarpaceae mit 4 Gattungen, z. B.
 Rhizocarpon
 Landkartenflechte (Rhizocarpon geographicum)
 Scoliciosporaceae mit einziger Gattung
 Scoliciosporum
 Scoliciosporum chlorococcum
 Sphaerophoraceae mit 5 Gattungen
 Sphaerophorus globosus
 Stereocaulaceae mit 4 Gattungen, z. B.
 Lepraria
 Lepraria incana
 Squamarina
 Squamarina gypsacea
 Stereocaulon

Quellen

Literatur

Einzelnachweise

Weblinks

Lecanoromyceten
Flechte
Lecanoromycetes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The title TTÜ Research Article of the Year 2017 in the field of natural, exact and health sciences was awarded to the research article published on the initiative of the research scientists of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology Mari Sepp and Tõnis Timmusk.
The most significant finding of the article was that neuronal activity in the brain affects the activity of the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) in neurons. This is a big step forward in identifying the role of TCF4 in the development of mental disorders.
This is caused by a so-called de novo genetic mutation – one that is non-hereditary. This disorder is characterised by severe mental retardation, autistic behaviour, facial distortion, epilepsy, constipation and respiratory disorders. TCF4 gene has attracted wider interest mainly due to the fact that variations of the same gene have been linked to schizophrenia.
"Schizophrenia is not related to just one gene, but to sequence changes of several genes (polymorphisms) creating predisposition to the disease. Our neurobiology research group investigates, what exacty happens with the TCF4 gene and the encoded protein in these diseases and how can the gene deficiency be compensated," Professor Timmusk says.
The findings in the article "The intellectual disability and schizophrenia associated transcription factor TCF4 is regulated by neuronal activity and protein kinase" published in the in high impact Journal of Neuroscience indicate that the calcium influx in cells caused by neuronal interactions brings about modification of certain amino acid residue of TCF4 proteins and increase in protein activity.
"Thus, one of the strategies for the development of drugs against diseases with TCF4 regulation disorders could be affecting modification of the TCF4 protein to change the activity of this protein in the desired direction," Tõnis Timmusk says.


text:
/**
 * @author Arnold Koh <arnold@kohded.com>
 * Developed: 4/8/2017
 * File: object-literal.js
 */

const myModule = {
  myProperty: 'someValue',
  // Object literals can contain properties and methods.
  // e.g we can define a further object for module configuration:
  myConfig: {
    useCaching: true,
    language: 'en',
  },
  // A very basic method.
  saySomething() {
    console.log('Where in the world is Arnold Koh today?');
  },
  // Output a value based on the current configuration.
  reportMyConfig() {
    console.log(`Caching is: ${(this.myConfig.useCaching ? 'enabled' : 'disabled')}`);
  },
  // Override the current configuration.
  updateMyConfig(newConfig) {
    if (typeof newConfig === 'object') {
      this.myConfig = newConfig;
      console.log(this.myConfig.language);
    }
  },
};

// Outputs: Where in the world is Arnold Koh today?
myModule.saySomething();

// Outputs: Caching is: enabled
myModule.reportMyConfig();

// Outputs: fr
myModule.updateMyConfig({
  language: 'fr',
  useCaching: false,
});

// Outputs: Caching is: disabled
myModule.reportMyConfig();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
NCPA/Chen: La Traviata
February 18, 2011 TFSBeijing, Benito Leonori, Chen Zuohuang, 陈佐湟, Giancarlo Colis, Giuseppe Verdi, Henning Brockhaus, Juan Pons, Leonardo Caimi, Music, NCPA, NCPA Orchestra, Zhang Liping, 国家大剧院, 张立萍
Conductor: Zuohuang Chen
Production: Henning Brockhaus
Location: The National Centre for the Performing Arts (The Egg), Beijing.
The NCPA's opera season began with a revival of director Henning Brockhaus's La Traviata, premiered last year during the second annual NCPA's Opera Festival.
Brockhaus's stage, designed by Benito Leonori, featured a semi-reflective scrim that, at an angle towards the audience, reflected various carpeted patterns and action on stage. The scrim, when lit from behind, also revealed a secondary space in which some of the contemporaneous actions, including the bull-fighting in Act II, would occur. The carpeted patterns allowed colorings of the scenes, including that of a Parisian salon in Act I, of the facade of a country house, of a floral garden and of Flora's mansion in Act II. The reflection of a dark stage in Act III seemed to foretell the imminent and sad departure of Violetta. Costume designer Giancarlo Colis gave hints to the setting, which seemed closer to the librettist's intended Belle Epoque setting than the pre-revolutionary years of monarchic decay as preferred by the royal authorities during the piece's premiere. The morbid, almost clinical simplicity of Violetta's white night gown contrasted powerfully with the primly cut suits of the Germonts in Act III, while the gypsy's dresses imparted seduction without suggesting material voyeurism.
Following the success of the Salzburg Traviata in 2005, the casting for this Verdi opera remains problematic. The performance of Anna Netrebko in that Willy Decker production set such a high standard that any subsequent casting of Violetta seemed inadequate by comparison. It was therefore remarkable that Zhang Liping, previously the go-to soprano for Cio-Cio San in Covent Garden, not only held her own, but delivered a passionate performance with plenty of musical and dramatic intensity. Her Violetta was fragile but poignant, and the frailty she portrayed, especially in that TB-infested final act, begged for sympathy from the audience, as if we were all pères Germont. She navigated Verdi's difficult lines with ease, especially the myriad of lower registers in Act III that would challenge the most skillful sopranos. Leonardo Caimi's Alfredo had a boyish visage and a charming quality, though for much of the evening it wasn't clear where that charm was directed to. There seemed to be a severe lack of chemistry between Zhang and Caimi, and when they finally physically embraced, Caimi looked like he was locked in an embrace with his mother. His voice, slightly more leggiero than desired for the lyrical role, was disastrous when out of control – he visibly strained while delivering the long, high notes in his Quando interchange with Violetta – but caringly delicious when warmed up and projecting, especially in his Act III duet. Juan Pons provided the dramatic tour de force of the evening, delivering a highly subdued but emotionally convincing père Germont. Pons's voice was no longer as flexible and far-reaching as it used to be, perhaps due to age (he would be 65 this year), but he showed why opera was not merely about singing as he delivered a dramatically mesmerizing and heart-felt reminder to Alfredo, in Di Provenza, about their duty in Provence, and took care to tear himself emotionally apart by how the ridiculousness of the Germonts' social redemption contrasted pitifully with the eternal presence of human's frail sensibility.
Chen was in perfect charge of the score: rendering Verdi's luscious lines with excitement and faithfulness but without drowning out the singers. The chorus, especially in the Act II gambling scene, was in fine form, just as a pair of gypsy girls frolicked with Alfredo's winnings on the gambler's table and other guests cuddled in an asphyxiating night of physical abandon. The only slight blemish was a slightly off-key clarinet solo in Violetta's letter scene in Act II, but that hardly an evening broke.
Act I, Henning Brockhaus's La Traviata. The NCPA, Beijing.
Pop, jazz and rap
Yamapi Asia Tour 2011
February 1, 2011 TFSABCZ, Aizawa Kousaku, Code Blue, Hong Kong, Johnny & Associates, NEWS, Takuya Kimura, Tomohisa Yamashita, Yamapi, 山下智久
Location: Star Hall @ The HITEC, Hong Kong.
Tomohisa Yamashita (山下智久), better known as Yamapi ("Yama P"), is an actor, solo artist and a member of the Japanese boyband NEWS. He is best known as Dr. Aizawa Kousaku in Code Blue, Fuji TV's ratings champ modeled loosely after Michael Crichton's ER. Yamapi's no non-sense character has won him plenty of fans, especially teenage girls who would probably trust this fictional doctor more than their real-life ones. But Yamapi the TV heartthrob may soon give way to Yamapi the solo superstar. Last Saturday's gig at Star Hall kicked off Yamapi's first-ever solo tour throughout Asia, and if it becomes the big hit that it has been hyped to be, and with a dearth of superstars who could sell out wherever they show, Yamapi would stand a good chance of becoming the next superstar in the mold of Takuya Kimura, the reigning dual-mode (i.e. TV and singing) big wig. Like most of the concert productions for artists of Johnny & Associates (Kimura-san is also under Johnny's far-reaching media empire), this one featured plenty of pyrotechnics, Star Wars sabre-like lasers, and a long aerial platform that revealed itself from a catwalk protruding from the center proscenium. This platform would bring Yamapi aerially over and closer towards his fans during the show. Yamapi's musical style is varied, with high-energy electric rock interspersed with mellower, more contemplative ballades. His first solo album, "Supergood, Superbad", was released on January 26 and sported a hip-hop sound with a heavy dance beat. His live-show delivery style includes a mixture of choreographed dance moves and the occasional eye contact that would instantly melt the young girls' heart. The audience, mostly young, fashionable and still in high school, would beat in mid air their glow sticks in unison, with the music as the rhythmic backdrop and Yamapi as the chief conductor. They would scream at such moment when the chief conductor would make eye contact or draw closer to them by traversing along the catwalk. The 8-strong band (keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and a string quartet), two brass players (saxophone and trumpet) and three backing vocalists ran the musical end of the show. ABCZ, an accompanying act with 5 boys, provided some moments of acrobatic sensation and comic relief, but otherwise wasn't impressive enough to stand out on their own.
Tomohisa Yamashita, Asia Tour 2011. Image by: http://www.johnnys-net.jp

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you or your child is in middle or high school, has an interest in volunteering and wants to practice their leadership skills, this program may be right for you!
Applications for summer 2019 will open on February 12th and close on April 12th. To learn more, check out our Youth Leadership Program page.
DO THESE PROGRAMS HAVE FEES?
We do offer fee assistance for families with a demonstrated financial need. We also offer payment plans to any family who requests one.
Program fees and requests for fee assistance will be processed after teens are notified of their acceptance into the program, which will be on April 26th.
Yes, we offer fee assistance to families with a demonstrated financial need. Families approved for fee assistance will have the full cost of their program fee covered.
Interested families can learn more on our fee assistance page and apply using our Fee Assistance Form.
Teens applying for fee assistance must have been accepted into the program, commit to all program dates and have reliable access to transportation. Requests for fee assistance will be processed after families are notified of acceptance into the program on April 26th.
There is no need to apply for fee assistance prior to being accepted into the program. Early or prior requests for fee assistance will not be taken into account when considering teens for acceptance into the Youth Leadership Program.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TEEN CO-LEAD PROGRAM AND THE TEEN LEAD PROGRAM?
The Teen Co-Lead Program is for students attending middle school (6th - 8th grade) in the upcoming school year. These students will practice their leadership skills by co-leading Generation SERVE activities alongside experienced Activity Leads.
The Teen Lead Program is for students attending high school (9th - 12th grade) in the upcoming school year. These students will practice their leadership skills by leading Generation SERVE activities on their own.
WHAT ACTIVITIES WILL PARTICIPANTS TAKE PART IN THIS SUMMER?
Participants will receive hands-on, interactive training in leadership, service and teamwork alongside their peers.
Teen Lead Program participants will practice leading and co-leading Generation SERVE activities throughout the summer. They will work as a group to design and implement their own community service project.
Teen Co-Lead Program participants will practice co-leading activities throughout the summer. Participants will also complete an independent project addressing the community need of their choice.
DO GUARDIANS ATTEND WITH THEIR TEENS?
Guardians of Teen Lead Program participants are required to attend one Guardian Training and all instances when their teen is leading an activity on their own. They must also assist their teen with transportation to and from all activities and training sessions, in addition to helping teens pick up and drop off supplies at the Generation SERVE office when leading an activity on their own.
Guardians of Teen Co-Lead Program participants are required to assist their teen with transportation to and from all activities and training sessions. We also ask that guardians assist teens with their independent project as needed.
All other training and activities will be supervised by Generation SERVE staff and/or Activity Leads, unless otherwise stated. Guardians will be provided with an agreement outlining their responsibilities throughout the course of the program.
Orientation, trainings and workshops will all take place at Generation SERVE's office at 8711 Burnet Road, Suite B-33.
Youth Leadership Program participants will all co-lead volunteer activities, and Teen Lead participants will lead activities. Most activities take place on-site at various nonprofit partners' facilities, but some take place at Generation SERVE's office.
Teen Co-Leads will also work on an independent project. The location(s) where this will be completed depends on each teen's individual project. Teen Leads will design their own group service project. The location(s) where this will be completed depends on the group's chosen project.
I'M A FAMILY SPONSOR. IS MY ACCEPTANCE GUARANTEED?
Our Family Sponsors receive a discount on Service Learning and Youth Leadership program fees, but they are not guaranteed acceptance into our programs. Teens' availability, completed Youth Leadership Form, two completed references and group interview performance are all taken into account when accepting applicants.
DO I HAVE TO BE A LONG-TIME VOLUNTEER WITH GENERATION SERVE TO PARTICIPATE?
No, this program is open to both teens who have volunteered with us for a long time and completely new families to Generation SERVE. If you are new to Generation SERVE, please register your family here.
Once your application is submitted, our Youth Leadership team will reach out to your references for more information and send your parent/guardian our Guardian Agreement form. Applications will open each spring and can be found on the Youth Leadership Program page. For the 2019 program, registration opens on February 12th and closes on April 12th at 5pm.
Only complete applications will be considered for the next step of group interviews. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
*Please note, reference forms are sent out after we receive your online application - teens should allow enough time after submitting their application for their guardian and references to complete their respective forms by 5pm on April 12th.
WHAT DOES THE GROUP INTERVIEW ENTAIL?
After reviewing all applications, our team will select applicants to invite to a group interview. This interview is designed to be fun, collaborative and give everyone a chance to shine! It will consist of large and small group activities, as well as a short question and answer period.
We look for motivated and inclusive candidates who are ready to have fun while learning!
WHO WOULD MAKE A GOOD PERSONAL REFERENCE?
For your personal reference, someone who knows you outside of the typical school day would be ideal. This may be a coach, youth group leader, neighbor or family friend. Your reference will need to speak to your leadership potential, how responsible you are and your ability to follow through with commitments. Your reference cannot be someone related to you.
IS THERE A FORM THAT I CAN SHOW MY REFERENCES WHEN ASKING FOR REFERRALS?
Once we receive your application, we will send out academic and personal referral forms directly to your references via email. Questions include how many years you've known each other, their relationship to you, multiple choice questions about your skill set and an open-ended question where they can include any further comments.
Parents or guardians of teens accepted into the Youth Leadership Program are welcome to apply for fee assistance using our Fee Assistance Form. Families must demonstrate financial need to be eligible for assistance.
There is no need to apply for fee assistance prior to being accepted into the program. Teens applying for fee assistance must have been accepted into the program, commit to all program dates and have reliable access to transportation. Requests for fee assistance will be processed after families are notified of acceptance into the program on April 26th.
Early or prior requests for fee assistance will not be taken into account when considering teens for acceptance into the Youth Leadership Program. To learn more about fee assistance, visit our fee assistance page.
I'M GOING ON VACATION THIS SUMMER. CAN I STILL PARTICIPATE?
Ideally, program participants are able to attend all program dates. However, missed program dates will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Availability will be considered when reviewing your Youth Leadership Program application. Attendance cannot be split between the June and July cohorts.
Contact us at teenprograms@generationserve.org with any questions or concerns about specific dates.
WHAT IF I DID THE PROGRAM LAST YEAR?
Graduates of our past Youth Leadership Programs are invited to get involved in this year's summer program mentoring the new cohorts and signing up for shifts through the Youth Leadership Calendar. Youth Leadership graduates can check their email for opportunities. They are also welcome to continue co-leading activities.
If you participated in our Teen Co-Lead Program and will be in high school this year, you are welcome to apply to our Teen Lead Program through the regular application process.
CAN I PARTICIPATE IN BOTH PROGRAMS?
If you participated in the Teen Co-Lead Program as a middle school student and are now in high school, you are welcome to apply to the Teen Lead Program through the regular application process.
You can only participate in each program once, but they are designed with built-in opportunities to keep you engaged with Generation SERVE programs after the conclusion of the program. Graduates of our past Youth Leadership Programs are invited to mentor new participants, co-lead activities, volunteer at service events and consider joining our Teen Advisory Board. Contact us at teenprograms@generationserve.org for more information.
Can my teen still apply if we missed the information session?
Yes! The info sessions are completely optional. Teens are welcome to apply even if unable to make either session.


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Tucker Carlson wants Burr to face prosecution for stock dumping
Posted by Stephen D. Foster Jr. | Mar 20, 2020 | Coronavirus, Economy, GOP, Media | 0 |
In a surprising turn of events, even Fox News host Tucker Carlson is blasting Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and calling for him to resign and be prosecuted after he got caught dumping stock based on insider information he gained during a coronavirus briefing.
While he and other Republicans went on television and social media to assure the American people that all is well and the economy is strong, Burr used information gleaned during a private briefing on just how bad the coronavirus would be to rush out and sell up to $1.6 million worth of stocks before the stock market tanked.
It has since been revealed that at least two more Republican senators also sold off stock after the briefing.
Predictably, the American people are not amused, and Tucker Carlson is one of them.
During his show on Thursday night, Carlson ripped Burr for betraying the country during a crisis and demanded he resign and face prosecution.
"You may have seen the news reports this afternoon that the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee sold more than a million dollars in stock in February, after learning how devastating the Chinese coronavirus could be," Carlson said. "He had inside information about what could happen to our country, which is now happening. But he didn't warn the public. He didn't give a primetime address. Didn't go on television to sound the alarm. He didn't even disavow an op-ed he had written just ten days before claiming that America was, quote, 'better prepared than ever for coronavirus.'"
"He didn't do any of those things," Carlson continued. "Instead, what did he do? He dumped his shares in hotel stocks so he wouldn't lose money. And then he stayed silent. Now, maybe there's an honest explanation for what he did. If there is, he should share it with the rest of us immediately. Otherwise, he must resign from the Senate and face prosecution for insider trading."
"There is no greater moral crime than betraying your country in a time of crisis," Carlson concluded. "And that appears to be what happened."
Here's the video via Twitter:
Tucker Carlson calls for Senator Burr to resign and await prosecution for insider trading if he cannot provide a reasonable explanation for his actions. He goes on to say it appears that Senator Burr betrayed his country in a time of crisis pic.twitter.com/q7yJa5wjuA
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) March 20, 2020
For a Republican, when you've lost Tucker Carlson, you know you're in deep sh*t.
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text:
Medical information reviewed by: IONUT CURELEA, Physical therapist
Discover the hyperbaric medicine center opened in our clinic. Centrokinetic has the top-performing hyperbaric chamber in Bucharest, with multiple medical and anti-aging uses. The Baroks chamber has 5 seats, and operates at a constant pressure of 2.5 atmospheres, being fully automated and having protocols for each condition, and can be used individually for each patient.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy - benefits
Patients who use the clinic's hyperbaric therapy services benefit from:
The only medically accredited hyperbaric therapy chamber in Bucharest, which operates at 2.5 atmospheres (those for aesthetic use go to 1 atmosphere and have no medical benefits).
A safe medical procedure, without irradiation, without pain, without other side effects.
The specialized medical team consists of recovery doctors, orthopedists, rheumatologists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons, meaning a multidisciplinary team specialized in all diseases that can be treated with hyperbaric therapy.
Premium conditions at a fair price. Our clinic is recognized for the conditions offered and for the care of each patient. But we do not need to pay exorbitant prices to have access to quality medical services. At Centrokinetic you can find an affordable and fair price. But note that we do not have a contract with the National Health Insurance House (we do not offer state reimbursed services)
Centrokinetic is keeping contact with prestigious clinics and universities in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Greece to constantly update treatments to provide patients with the best medical solutions.
What is proctitis?
Proctitis is the inflammation of the rectal mucosa causing pain, discharge, and other unusual symptoms. Pain can occur during bowel movements, it can be acute or chronic. Symptoms may vary, but the most common is tenesmus (the feeling of needing to go to the toilet), a sensation that persists even after using the toilet.
Radiation-induced proctitis is a potential complication of pelvic radiation therapy. Standard treatments and treatment results are unpredictable. This study evaluates hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatment for cases of proctitis by radiation refractory to standard or laser medical therapy.
Between 2000 and 2004, 10 patients with radiation proctitis were treated with HBOT (three men and seven women; mean age 65 years). The average follow-up period was 25 months. Symptoms were marked retrospectively before and after HBOT, based on the LENT-SOMA scale.
Before treatment, three patients had grade 3 toxicity (i.e, required blood transfusions) and seven had grade 2 toxicity with dominant symptoms of rectal pain and/or diarrhea. HBOT was well tolerated and 9 out of 10 patients completed a complete HBOT treatment program. Rectal bleeding stopped completely in four of the nine symptomatic patients and improved in three other cases. Completely remitted rectal pain was reported in three of five symptomatic patients. The pain completely resolved in one in five patients and improved in another three. Of the 10 patients treated, only two did not respond to HBOT.
Between August 2000 and early 2004, 10 patients with CRP who did not respond to oral or conventional treatments were tested. Clinical data were extracted from medical records and by calling patients for up-to-date information. None of the patients had conditions associated with diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, high blood pressure, or peripheral vascular disease. All patients received treatment with radical radiation. Two patients underwent surgery before radiation (abdominoperineal resection for rectal cancer and total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for uterine cancer). Four cervical cancer patients received concomitant weekly infusions of cisplatin and EBRT therapy, followed by intracavitary brachytherapy. The patient with rectal cancer received EBRT, 5-FU, and folinic acid simultaneously.
All patients were treated with various medications before participating in the study. Failed treatments include:
Loperamide, Lomotil (diphenoxylate and atropine), psyllium fiber, steroid enemas, mesalazine / 5-ASA suppositories;
a variety of analgesics and YAG laser treatments. These were used for an average duration of 12 months (range 3-60 months);
two patients further failed in their laser coagulation attempt. All patients had endoscopic evaluations and histological confirmation of proctitis before HBOT. Routine pre-screening of HBOT included a chest x-ray, spirometry, eye exam, and audio;
Patients breathed 100% oxygen in the hyperbaric chamber at pressures between 2 and 2.5 (average: 2.4) absolute atmospheres for 90 minutes, 5 days a week for 40 treatments. The average time between the onset of proctitis and the onset of HBOT was 20 months. There have been symptoms before and after HBOT graded retroactively based on a LENT-SOMA scale for rectal injury.
Four of the ten patients developed proctitis within 6 months of completing radiation therapy; four other patients developed symptoms between 7 and 24 months after treatment and the other two patients developed symptoms 2 years after treatment. Nine of the ten patients had rectal bleeding and one had severe diarrhea. A secondary symptom associated with symptoms was diarrhea (four patients), rectal discomfort or pain (five patients), or bladder symptoms (three patients).
Three patients required multiple blood transfusions. The use of the LENT-SOMA scale resulted in seven patients with grade 2 proctitis and three patients with grade 3 proctitis.
HBOT was well tolerated by all patients. Nine patients completed the planned hyperbaric oxygen treatment. One patient had received reduced treatment. Five patients developed HBOT-related side effects: minor otic barotrauma occurred in four patients and there was fibrosis-induced pulmonary exacerbation in one patient. After completion of HBOT, these affected patients were treated with specific supportive methods.
Patients were monitored regularly after the completion of HBOT. The mean follow-up period after completion of HBOT was 25 months. The outcome of treatment was evaluated clinically and is described in the study. Of the nine patients who completed an entire HBOT treatment, four had eliminated rectal bleeding, and three had reduced symptoms.
Bleeding worsened in a patient who required continuous iron supplementation and regular blood transfusions. Of the five patients with rectal pain, three had a complete response, and one had a partial response. Of the five patients with diarrhea, one was cured while three achieved a partial resolution of symptoms.
HBOT has been recommended as a safe and effective treatment for CRP. The immediate response to hyperoxygenation of HBOT tissue is the stimulation of angiogenesis and the reduction tissue edema. These changes lead to normalized tissue metabolism and tissue regeneration.
Medical therapy for radiation-induced proctitis is not always effective. Unsuccessful and uncontrolled bleeding often leads to iron deficiencies, possible transfusion-dependent anemia, and a profound negative impact on the quality of life. Moreover, surgical treatment is not the first choice due to potential postoperative complications, and due to the uncertainty of a successful outcome. HBOT can also be associated with side effects related to high environmental pressures and hyperoxia.
These manifestations include middle ear and sinus barotrauma, pulmonary and CNS toxicity, chest tightness, angina, claustrophobia, visual problems such as myopia, usually reversible, and euphoria. In the present study, Minor otic barotrauma occurred in only four patients, and in one patient there was a respiratory compromise with all side effects and complete post-treatment resolution. The results of HBOT treatment therefore confirm that these methods are certainly more effective in radiation-induced proctitis than conservative treatments.
Pacientii au fost urmariti in mod regulat dupa terminarea HBOT. Perioada medie de urmarire de la finalizarea HBOT a fost de 25 de luni. Rezultatul tratamentului a fost evaluat clinic si este descris in studiu. Din cei noua pacienti care au terminat un intreg tratament HBOT, patru au eliminat complet sangerarea rectala si trei au avut simptome reduse.
Sangerarea s-a agravat la un pacient care a necesitat suplimentarea continua cu fier si transfuzii periodice de sange. Dintre cei cinci pacienti cu durere rectala, trei au avut un raspuns complet si unul a avut un raspuns partial. Din cei cinci pacienti cu diaree, unul a fost vindecat complet in timp ce trei au obtinut o rezolutie partiala a simptomelor
Significant improvement in rectal bleeding, diarrhea, and rectal pain is possible using HBOT. HBOT should be offered to patients who fail to recover with conventional treatments for radiation-induced proctitis.
Pelvic radiotherapy can cause proctitis. This is a distinct pathological process limited to the lower 25 cm of the large intestine caused by damage to the rectal mucosa. Proctitis may develop during or shortly after radiation therapy. It comes in the form of diarrhea and tenesmus and is usually painful. Chronic radiation-induced proctitis (CRP) occurs 3 months after radiation therapy and is characterized by painless elimination of blood through the rectum (clots), rectal mucosal secretion, frequent bowel movements, and rectal pain eventually. Intestinal obstruction, fistulas, intestinal perforation, and severe rectal bleeding requiring blood transfusions may occur less frequently.
The acute action of radiation causes the death of critically active intestinal cryptic cells, while chronic damage causes progressive endarteritis leading to hypovascular, hypocellular, and hypoxic tissue. CRP is associated with prominent structural changes including mucosal atrophy, intestinal wall fibrosis, and vascular sclerosis. CRP can develop either as a result of an unhealed acute rectal lesion or after a latent period of at least 90 days. Denham and colleagues reported that patients who had acute proctitis were more likely to develop RTOG / EORTC later than patients who did not have the condition.
About 85% of cases are present in the first two years after RT. Although the true incidence is not known, estimates from retrospective data suggest that between 2 and 20% of patients receiving radical pelvic irradiation may be at risk of developing CRP. This risk will be influenced by both treatment (dose per fraction, total and technical dose) and patient-specific factors (diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, hypertension, or peripheral vascular disease). Local hemostatic treatments include topical formalin, yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser surgery includes the use of a dysfunctional colostomy for severe cases. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has previously been described as the most non-invasive treatment option for radiation-induced proctitis.
PCR treatments are not universally successful. Current modalities include pharmacological agents such as oral and rectal steroids, amino-salicylates, sucralfate, short-chain fatty acid enemas, oral metronidazole, vitamins E and C.
The European Committee for Hyperbaric Medicine and EORTC have recommended using HBOT in the management of radiation-induced proctitis and enteritis. This study describes the researchers' experience using HBOT for patients with CRP who do not respond to topical or conventional treatment.
IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY HEARD ABOUT US
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in intestinal pneumatosis
Cystoid or cystic intestinal pneumatosis (intestinal emphysema) is a symptom that can occur in many gastrointestinal diseases. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be a successful treatment of cystoid intestinal pneumatosis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in cell damage caused by radiation in gynecological cancers
Gynecological cancers treated with a combination of external beam radiation and brachytherapy, especially cervical and vaginal cancers, can result in the apex of the vagina receiving a high dose of radiation. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has positive effects on the radiated tissues, especially the head, neck, anus, and rectum.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in post-radiotherapy CNS injury
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves the use of so-called levels of oxygen under pressure to increase the level of oxygen in the blood. The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves oxygen treatment for soft tissue radionecrosis. Read this article and find out more.
Hyperbaric oxygenation vs normobaric oxygenation in CO poisoning
Prolonged CO exposure is responsible for more than half of fatal poisonings and is also one of the leading causes of poisoning in Western countries. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of therapy with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) versus normobaric oxygen (NBO) in the setting of carbon monoxide poisoning (COP).
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in diabetic foot
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be effective for Wagner's grade 3 and 4 diabetic foot ulcers and need to study the real problems with patients seeking treatment and demonstrates the need to study the real problems with patients seeking treatment. The results show that it is important to follow the treatment in order for the HBOT to be efficient.
The role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in sports medicine
Hyperbaric oxygen is used in sports medicine to reduce hypoxia and edema and is also effective in treating stroke injuries and acute traumatic peripheral ischemia. When used clinically, hyperbaric oxygen should be considered as an adjuvant therapy used as early as possible after the diagnosis of the lesions.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in muscle injuries
Muscle stretches are the most common muscle injuries suffered during performance sports. Rapid recovery from muscle injury is crucial for elite athletes who regularly are exposed to training and increased competition. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a safe and effective method, being a non-invasive treatment
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in sports injuries
Hyperbaric therapies are methods used to treat disease or injury using pressures higher than the local atmospheric pressure inside a hyperbaric chamber. The long-term effects are neovascularization (angiogenesis in hypoxic soft tissues), osteoneogenesis, and stimulation of collagen production by fibroblasts. This is beneficial for wound healing and recovery after irradiation.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in proctitis generated by radiation
Proctitis is the inflammation of the rectal mucosa causing pain, discharge, and other unusual symptoms. Pain can occur during bowel movements, it can be acute or chronic. Symptoms may vary, but the most common is tenesmus (the feeling of needing to go to the toilet), a sensation that persists even after using the toilet. This treatment should be offered to patients who fail to recover with conventional treatments for radiation-induced proctitis.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in refractory osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone or marrow caused by bacteria or mycobacteria. Hyperbaric oxygen treatments can be considered an American Heart Association (AHA) Class II recommendation for the treatment of chronic, refractory osteomyelitis
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in tinnitus
Hyperbaric oxygenation allows a controlled increase in oxygen pressure in the blood. This technique can be used in cases of tinnitus and sudden deafness, when certain changes in the inner ear and brain generate a lack of oxygen and, therefore, a limited intake of energy.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been found to ameliorate the damaging effects of reperfusion by early modulation of inflammation, maintenance of metabolic function in downstream tissues, and reintroduction of oxidation scavengers.
Hyperbaric therapy in the treatment of second degree burns
HBOT has a beneficial effect on burn wound healing by reducing edema and ensuring there is adequate oxygen in microcirculation. It may speed up epithelialization and suppress unnecessary inflammation that could negatively affect normal wound healing. With further research, HBOT may become an adjuvant therapy to surgery.
Hyperbaric therapy is a form of medical treatment that involves exposing the body to pure oxygen at a higher pressure than normal. There are about 45 diseases approved worldwide to be treated with hyperbaric oxygen.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the management of patients with malignant otitis externa
Malignant otitis externa is a rapidly spreading bacterial infection that is aggressive and may be fatal if left untreated. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment in which the entire body is placed in an airtight chamber at increased atmospheric pressure and has been proven to be effective for several different medical conditions.
If left untreated, MI will lead to the progressive loss of viable cardiomyocytes, impaired heart function, and congestive heart failure. Oxygen cycling therapy serves as a very attractive option for the treatment of myocardial infarction, because it offers some of the greatest benefits while reducing treatment time and inconvenience to the subject.
Hyperbaric oxygen in ischemic ulcers
The present study has demonstrated that adjunct HBOT enhances the reduction of ulcer area and depth at 4 weeks in T2DM patients with ischaemic DFUs. HBOT is known to ensure hyperoxygenation of ischaemic tissue and restoration from hypoxia. Discover the hyperbaric medicine center open in our clinic. Centrokinetic has the top-performing hyperbaric chamber in Bucharest.
Hyperbaric therapy in femoral condylar osteonecrosis
Osteonecrosis of the knee (ONK) is a form of aseptic necrosis resulting from ischemia to subchondral bone tissue. Typically, treatment is invasive. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) may provide a noninvasive alternative by improving oxygenation and reperfusion of ischemic areas. This study evaluates the efficacy of HBOT in a series of ONK patients.
Hyperbaric therapy in femoral head necrosis
Femoral head necrosis (FHN), also called avascular necrosis, or femoral head osteonecrosis is a common multifactorial condition that affects patients of any age and can lead to substantial clinical morbidity. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) is one of the proposed treatments. Indeed, tissue oxygen promotes angiogenesis that reduces edema. Read about the effectiveness of this treatment.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in central retinal artery occlusion
Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a devastating and common eye condition. It presents a sudden, unilateral, and painless loss of vision. Even when treated promptly, an acute obstruction of the central retinal artery usually leads to severe and permanent loss of vision.
Hyperbaric therapy in irradiated maxillofacial dental implant
There are numerous studies reported for the effectiveness of HBO in the treatment of osteoradionecrosis of various bone tissues. In addition to its usefulness in treating osteoradionecrosis, this therapy can prevent it. It also combats the negative effect of irradiation, stimulates osseointegration, and improves the survival rate of the implant.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in hear loss
The auditory function in the inner ear is maintained by the cochlea, which is known to have a high oxygen demand. Hyperbaric oxygen can increase the tension of oxygen in the perilymph and restore hearing in a significant number of patients with sudden hearing loss. Patients can be treated in a single-seater hyperbaric chamber or in a multiplace chamber.
Hyperbaric therapy in traumatic ischemia
Limb trauma, which leads to direct tissue damage, plus local hypoxic disorders caused by the resulting edema, causes acute peripheral ischemia. Surgical treatment and hyperbaric oxygen are not concurrent treatment modalities but are best used to complement each other in order to provide the best outcome for the patient.
Hyperbaric therapy in venous embolism
Small gas embolisms, as in this case, present serious risks, especially the complication of cerebral air embolism. To prevent neurological complications, it is necessary to urgently remove the air bubble. HBOT reduces the volume of the bubble, helps eliminate nitrogen, and improves the oxygenation of potentially hypoxic tissue. See the results of hyperbaric therapy in venous embolism.
Hyperbaric therapy in osteoradionecrosis
Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is a common consequence of radiation provided to cancer patients. Currently, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has a major role in improving wound healing in patients with ORN.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in soft tissue radionecrosis
Discover the hyperbaric medicine center open in our clinic. Centrokinetic has the top-performing hyperbaric chamber in Bucharest, with multiple medical and anti-aging uses. The Baroks chamber has 5 seats, and operates at a constant pressure of 2.5 atmospheres, being fully automated and having protocols for each condition, and can be used individually for each patient.
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Edward Jones - Financial Advisor: David M Amann is located at the address 702 Marshall Street in Redwood City, California 94063. They can be contacted via phone at (650) 365-3618 for pricing, hours and directions.
For maps and directions to Edward Jones - Financial Advisor: David M Amann view the map to the right. For reviews of Edward Jones - Financial Advisor: David M Amann see below.


Malaysians are no strangers to our local shamans known as 'Bomoh'. So it's safe to assume that people know what they're getting into when they hire one.
However, in one bizarre case, a man actually tried to seek for a refund after the exorcism failed.
The Consumer Claims Tribunal was set up to allow Malaysian consumers to file minor claims in a speedy and inexpensive manner. However it's jurisdiction is unclear to some, hence it has seen some really weird cases.
Johor tribunal head Samuel Mut John Brody stated that one of the weirdest claim he had ever seen is when a man came to him and complained about the a bomoh who apparently did not live up to the promise of chasing away spirits haunting his ailing father, reports AsiaOne.
The 40-year-old claimant sought the tribunal's help as he wanted a refund from the bomoh, who he claim had failed in his exorcism.
It all started when the bomoh said that the 70-something father was tormented by nine different spirits. He then charged RM90 for each of his exorcism service to free the man's father of the spirits. The family then forked out RM810 as payment for the bomoh to get rid of the nine haunting spirits.
To no one's surprises, the bomoh failed to cure the ailing man even after 9 sessions.
It was revealed by Samuel Mut John Brody that the claimant father's condition worsened and unfortunately passed away a few months after. The family went to the tribunal seeking a refund for the non-delivery of service.
However, the tribunal had to strike out the case as it was out of its jurisdiction. Samuel explained that exorcism is considered an alternative service and that the bomoh did not register his business with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
Samuel recalled that the above case isn't the only weird case he had encountered. The tribunal service had also encountered several people who filed complains for odd cases. For instance, he said there had been cases of people looking for their spouses. And another claimant sought for the smallest amount of compensation in tribunal recorded history- 10 sen – for a car service-related case last year. And also in May this year, a woman, in her 40s, filed for a refund from a private investigator whom she had hired for RM1,500 to search for her missing husband. She claimed the investigator not only did not locate her husband, he also disappeared with the money.
Samuel said the tribunal had to filter the cases it received to avoid cases that were out of its jurisdiction. He also urged consumers to check the authenticity of the goods and services before anything else.


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Communities can force government action to stop out-of-control wildfires
Every year, more of America's forests burn. For months now, Americans throughout entire time zones have been inundated with ash and smoke from our woodlands, neighbors' homes and ecosystems that will take years to recover.
Yet despite this predictable yearly carnage, the solutions our government can and should immediately take are lost among generalizations and talking points. Public officials on both sides of the aisle have lobbed excuses at each other over the "true" cause of these wildfires: "It's bad forest management!" "No, it's climate change!"
They are both right and they are both wrong.
Starting in the early 1900s, decades of flawed forest management led to the dangerous over-accumulation of forest fuel (dense forest brush and small trees). Then, in the past few decades, longer and more severe droughts made dangerously fire-prone forests literal tinder boxes where fires burned hotter, moved faster, grew bigger and posed ever-greater risks to forests, homes and lives. Our forests are burning uncontrollably today because of decades of questionable management and changing environmental conditions.
But it doesn't matter whether it is 30 percent of one cause and 70 percent of the other, or a 50/50 mix of both. Because whatever has led to these conditions, our federal officials are 100 percent responsible for taking every reasonable step available to dramatically reduce fuel loads in our forests and making the land safe for residents, homeowners and wildlife.
This is because federally owned forests dominate our fire-prone landscapes, and Congress bears the largest share of the responsibility to make them safer. But federal legislators have handcuffed forest management staff with red tape and competing (often conflicting) priorities, all the while failing to fund the top priority, which should always be community safety. This has to stop, and Congress has the responsibility to make it so by reforming federal forest management policies to prioritize fuel reduction and make forests healthier.
Prioritizing fuel reduction means exempting fuel removal from the thicket of bureaucracy that impedes it. Things such as lengthy environmental reviews, multiple layers of planning documents, vetoes on fuel reduction by other agencies, ever-looming citizen lawsuits, and inadequate funding for proper forest management all have made the forests more dangerous and less healthy. Cutting and reforming these debilitating policies, and even removing forest fuel reduction from Endangered Species Act regulation (there are few greater risks to endangered wildlife than catastrophic fires), can have real, immediate impact on forest fire danger.
Unfortunately, these obvious measures depend on Congress taking its responsibilities seriously and accomplishing rapid, bipartisan action. But communities at greatest risk of fire can't wait while Congress dithers, so they should take matters into their own hands in the federal courts.
Local governments have the power to sue the federal government under public nuisance laws to force the feds to properly maintain overgrown forests threatening cities and towns. Just as a city can take action against delinquent property owners over a rundown property that poses a fire risk to a neighborhood, cities can take action against the federal government for federal forests that threaten to burn entire cities to the ground.
Forcing the federal government to do its job through the courts has an important advantage of bypassing never-ending bureaucracy, conflicting agency priorities, and inadequate funding. When a federal judge orders an agency to do something, the staff has to put down the planning manuals and flow charts and do what the judge tells them to do. And Congress must fund it.
Every county, city and town vulnerable to catastrophic fires burning through federal lands should be preparing nuisance suits against the appropriate federal agencies. Like too many things in American history, if our legislators and agencies won't do what is right because it is right, they may have to do it because federal judges ordered them to.
Tony Francois is a senior attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, which litigates nationwide to achieve court victories enforcing the Constitution's guarantee of individual liberty. Follow him on Twitter @TonyFrancoisEsq.
Categories: governmentTags: Action, Communities, Force, government, outofcontrol, stop, wildfires
Europcar chooses the law that suits it best to refuse a refund | Money
Lipocine Announces Presentations at the 21st Annual Fall Meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America


trade back a few slots and pick up whichever one is left.
I have always thought these guys running in shorts and tank top wearing running shoes on a speed track is a joke. Why not put them in full pads on a field and see how fast they run. There have always been guys that play faster and slower with the pads on when compared to what they run on a track.


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Home / College / JMU was in giving mood
JMU was in giving mood
DURHAM – Four plays into Saturday's game against No. 3 James Madison, University of New Hampshire junior linebacker Quinlen Dean got loose and sacked quarterback Ben DiNucci, forcing a fumble that freshman defensive tackle Niko Kvietkus recovered.
Three plays later, senior quarterback Trevor Knight found classmate Kieran Presley for a 29-yard scoring pass.
Three more plays after that junior safety Rick Ellison intercepted a DiNucci passed and raced 44 yards for another UNH touchdown.
The game was less than five minutes old and it was 14-0 Wildcats. The turnovers just kept coming.
"What did we have, five? Six," said defensive coordinator John Lyons. "Wow. That's a lot. Any time you get six turnovers, man, you're in pretty good shape."
You certainly are.
UNH turned its six turnovers – junior safety Evan Horn matched Ellison with his own pick-six from 75 yards out in the second period – into a shocker of a 35-24 win over James Madison Saturday in Wildcat Stadium.
UNH improved to 3-6 overall and is 2-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Saturday's game was a stunner particularly in terms of how the seasons have gone for the two CAA teams that went into the season considered as contenders to make the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs — and as teams that had the potential to make deep runs once the tournament began.
James Madison won the NCAA championship two years ago and lost in the title game to North Dakota State last season. The Dukes came into Saturday's game with a record of 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the CAA.
The Wildcats have had a frustrating season and, out of the playoff picture themselves, talked last week about the opportunity to mess up the seasons of other teams a bit and about not wanting to go quietly into the offseason.
There was nothing quiet about Saturday's triumph.
The defense, which has been playing better and better in recent weeks, cranked up the pressure from the get-go. The Wildcats stopped the run from the start, got ahead early and put James Madison into passing mode.
Then the Wildcats amped up the defense even more. They had five sacks for the game and three quarterback hurries.
After Ellison's pick, JMU coach Mike Houston took out starter DiNucci and went with Cole Johnson at quarterback.
The change did nothing to slow the turnover show.
Johnson piled up passing yardage later in the game. But he was picked off three times and also lost the ball when the Plymouth, N.H., pals – senior linebacker Jared Kuehl and senior defensive end Kyle Reisert – teamed up in the fourth quarter. Kuehl hit Johnson hard from behind and Reisert recovered the fumble that resulted.
In total, the UNH defense picked off four passes and recovered two fumbles.
It was the first time UNH collected six turnovers in a game since a 43-10 win over Central Connecticut State on Sept. 15, 2012.
It was the first time the Wildcats had that many against a CAA opponent since they had seven in a 17-10 win over Richmond on Oct. 9, 2010.
The turnovers inspired the offense.
"When the defense is playing that well, when they're putting up points, it kind of drives you, motivates you as an offense to get going," said Knight, who threw two touchdown passes and broke a career-best 75-yard TD run. "We had a lot of different guys make plays today on the offensive side of the ball. Sean Coyne's little run after the catch was incredible. We asked a lot of guys to show up today and make some plays and they did."
Coyne's little catch and run went for a 23-yard drive to cap a drive to open the second half that coach Sean McDonnell said was key in keeping his team in control of the game.
The score put the Wildcats up 28-3.
Like the offense, the defense got contributions from everyone.
Consider this: Eight players had either an interception, forced a fumble or recovered a fumble. Four different players had sacks.
"I just thought it was a really good effort by a lot of different guys," Lyons said. "They all had different roles. Some were playing on first downs, other ones on third down, a lot of different shifting parts. It was good. The kids have hung in there and they've kept working and I think we're really playing with a lot more confidence right now."
They'll aim to keep doing that for two more games.
NEXT UP: ALBANY
Albany fell to 2-7 overall and 0-6 in the CAA with a 21-16 loss at home to No. 13 Delaware on Saturday.
The Great Danes rallied and led until Delaware scored on a 14-yard run with 18 seconds left in the game.
Freshman Jeff Undercuffler, 6-fooot-5 and 219 pounds, started his first game at quarterback on Saturday.
He completed 15 of his 28 passes for 171 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Albany is 10th in the CAA in scoring at 21.9 points a game.
UNH is 11th at 16.8.
Albany is 11th in scoring defense at 32.2 points a game.
UNH is seventh at 24.1 points.
Albany senior Ethan Stark has hit 11 of his 12 field goals.
"Obviously getting out seven nothing, 14-0 with a touchdown and a defensive score was huge. But I thought the first drive of the second half was even better. It's just what we needed to have so we could maintain the leverage we had on them. It was into the wind. I thought it was really big for us to go down and score and make some plays down there. I thought we executed very well on that drive."
— UNH coach Sean McDonnell
"We had a good bead on them gameplan-wise and knew what we were doing the whole time, just filling our gaps. We got a lead which was nice. We knew they had to throw the ball to beat us. It was one thing we emphasized all week, and every week, is getting a good start."
— Sophomore safety Evan Horn
"It was definitely a great challenge. But personally, I look at them as another team. We don't care what your rank is. You've got to step on the field and play with us. Coach Mac talked about that, I think, at Tuesday practice. You've got to come out here and you've got beat us on our field. You've got to play."
— Junior linebacker Quinlen Dean
UNH BY THE NUMBERS
Juniors Pop Lacey and Prince Smith, Jr. joined Ellison and Horn with interceptions.
It was the second pick-six of his career for both Ellison and Horn.
Lacey led the Wildcats with 11 tackles.
Junior linebacker Michael Balsamo had eight tackles.
Junior cornerback Isiah Perkins had three pass breakups.
Horn also had a sack.
Dean had two sacks and eight tackles.
The defense allowed 64 rushing yards, its third straight game with 83 or less allowed.
It was the second game in a row and second game this season UNH did not turn the ball over.
Senior Neil O'Connor had two catches for 19 yards and went over the 3,000-yard mark for receiving yards in his career.
He's No. 5 at UNH with 3,001 yards.
Knight completed 14 of his 21 passes for 181 yards and two scores.
He moved up to No. 5 on the career completions list with 576.
He passed Bob Jean (567 from 1985-88) and Mike Granieri (564 from 2000-04) on Saturday.
It was the first time UNH scored two defensive touchdowns in a game since Oct. 22, 2016 in 21-7 win over Towson.
Prince Smith, Jr. returned an interception for a score and Ryan Sosnak a fumble for a TD that day.
It was the first time UNH had two pick-sixes in a game since Sept. 24, 2011 in a 43-41 win at Richmond.
Randi Vines and Matt Evans had those scores.
The game was presented by Dr. Pepper and two UNH students earned a total of $10,000 in a halftime contest put on by Dr. Pepper.
Sophomore Jason Hughes made all five of his conversion kicks and is 16-for-16 for the season.
O'Connor leads the league with 6.56 catches per game.
Junior Drew Sanborn is third in the league with an average of 41.2 yards per kick.
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As of this writing Mercury is in retrograde. In 2007, Mercury retrogrades from February 13th through March 7th, from June 15th to July 9th, and from October 12th (or 11th depending upon where you live) through November 15th (or 14th, again depending upon where you live).
In current times, more and more people who are not astrologers are hearing about and referring to Mercury retrograde. They are even aware of when it is happening. It's becoming as popular an astrological statement as the Full Moon. But what does it mean, anyway? What does it feel like and more importantly, how does it affect one's life?
From our vantage point on planet Earth, Earth's motion and Earth's placement in our galaxy, there are times when Mercury appears to be traveling in a backwards motion. This occurs three times per year for just over 3 weeks each time. It is apparent retrograde motion, as Mercury is obviously not traveling backwards. It just feels like it is.
Mercury is the planet of everyday communications. It relates to the area of our lives where we run errands, see the neighbors, use the telephone, have conversations, write notes and make appointments. When it is in retrograde, it can feel like an unsettled energy surrounds these everyday tasks. There's an underlying sense that, despite how clearly one conversing with others, the meaning can be misconstrued. Plans are liable to change during the retrograde period or soon after Mercury goes direct. One may find that appointments are repeatedly re-arranged. Arrangements are not permanent, which is why this period comes with a warning to not sign contracts.
It's not all bad, though. Mercury retrograde is excellent at bringing the truth to the light. Problems needing to be unraveled come back to be resolved during the retrograde phase. Situations that weren't quite finished will return to be determined. An old friend may get in contact temporarily after several years of silence. It's a great time to get away, rest, relax and recuperate (notice all the "re's" for "retrograde"). Mercury retrograde is also a wonderful occasion to clean out the closets and back up the computer.
Contrary to popular belief, Mercury in its retrograde period is NOT a time when everyone in the world will experience the crash of their computer or telephone or get stuck in transportation. Sure, it could happen that your e-mail server stops functioning or your fax machine breaks, but that can happen anytime. It will affect a person more directly when Mercury's placement in the zodiac attaches itself to that person's own horoscope. Some people get through the period without a hitch. That's because Mercury, the trickster, is pestering someone else's horoscope. It's also not the time to just sit back and say, "Oh, Mercury's retrograde, that's why everything is going wrong. I'll just wait until it goes direct and everything will be right again." Au contraire, this is precisely the time when one needs to do some introspective thinking about the areas in which Mercury is highlighting.
– You fly to London, but your luggage flies to Honolulu.
– You visit friends and their cute little white fluff of a dog rummages through your bag. She pulls out your cell phone and chews it up, antenna and all.
– You sign a contract to buy an apartment and the person selling it to you wriggles out of the deal at the last minute.
– You own a linen supply business. You sign a contract with a hip new restaurant in the trendy meat-packing district of New York City during Mercury retrograde, despite the warnings of an astrologer friend. Mercury stations direct, the restaurant has a few weeks of success and then goes up in flames with your chef's coats, napkins and tablecloths inside. The story winds up in the local tabloid complete with photos of the manager sitting outside with face in hands.


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Señorio de montanera dresses its acorn-fed 100% iberico shoulder ham in natural silk
Señorio de Montanera, leader in pure Iberian ham with D.O.P. Dehesa de Extremadura, celebrates its anniversary with a very special gift for its customers: a silk scarf decorated with an original watercolour by one of the company's founding partners, the artist Ana Clara Espárrago.
Perfect for a special gift, this high-quality, delicately patterned scarf pairs excellently with Señorio de Montanera's superb acorn-fed 100% Iberico Shoulder Ham with D.O.P. Dehesa de Extremadura. In vaporous natural silk bamboo chiffon, its delicate motifs capture the light, colour and life of the pasturelands of Extremadura, the artist's birthplace and the setting of her fondest childhood memories.
A special gift to celebrate its 25th anniversary
Señorio de Montanera has embodied art, purity and tradition since the company was founded in 1995, although the families of its livestock partners have been protecting and caring for the Dehesa de Extremadura for more than 250 years. More than 60,000 hectares of land serve as the natural setting for the free-range rearing of its acorn-fed 100% Iberian pigs, a privileged natural environment where they enjoy more than 3 hectares of pasture per animal and the origin of one of the greatest culinary treasures in the world.
Despite having celebrated its 25th anniversary as a company last year, Señorio de Montanera,leading brand of pure Iberico Ham with Designation of Origin Dehesa de Extremadura, chose to put off the celebration until a time when they could share the joys of their proud history with others. With this in mind, it is now launching its most special gift to bring life and colour to the Christmas that we deserve to celebrate together: a 100% natural silk bamboo chiffon scarf, in a top quality, semi-transparent, vaporous and very light fabric; a unique accessory to accompany the acorn-fed 100% Iberico Shoulder Ham from the D.O.P. Dehesa de Extremadura. Measuring 90 x 90 cm, the silk scarf is decorated with an original watercolour painted by the artist Ana Clara Espárrago (Badajoz, 1960), one of the partners at Señorio de Montanera; a design that also decorates the gift box that the Shoulder comes in.
Blue and green from a childhood in the pastures
Trained at the studio of the renowned Chilean painter Guillermo Muñoz Vera, Ana Clara specialises in oil painting, the technique which she has worked on most throughout her nearly 30-year career. However, she has recently turned to earthenware and porcelain ceramics —giving shape to 'ladies' inspired by Sicilian testas and Hellenic heads, floral crowns, marine-themed centres, etc.— and watercolour. All her pictorial and sculptural work conveys a natural and positive tone, fleeing from the uncomfortable and the artificial.
This joie de vivre is embodied in the design that recreates the Señorio de Montanera scarf. It has a delicate and enveloping motif that stops an image of the Extremadura pasture in time: acorns and holm oak leaves in warm green tones against a background of blue sky. Its author wanted to return to her childhood, to the "acorn wars" they played as children, to burying holm oak leaves, etc., and to pay tribute to her grandparents' connection with the countryside. In fact, this watercolour was a personal gift that she gave to her brother, Francisco Espárrago (Chairman of Señorio de Montanera), who wanted to use it to commemorate the company's 25th anniversary.
A gourmet gift that will make the difference
This gift edition also aims to be a gesture for the women who, throughout the history of Señorio de Montanera (and in the context of a sector traditionally as masculine as the livestock sector), have contributed to making Señorio de Montanera one of the benchmarks for Iberian cured meats at a global level, among them: their mother, a founding partner and one of the first women to be part of the Board of Directors, and Ana Clara herself, who designed the company's logo 25 years ago (which is still the same to this day) and is involved in matters relating to the company's image.
The Señorio de Montanera Iberico Shoulder Ham, with D.O.P. Dehesa de Extremadura, weighs between 4.5 and 5.5 kg and is made from 100% Iberian pigs: reared in their own dehesas and fed exclusively with acorns and natural pastures during the montanera fattening period. When cut, the deep purplish-red loin is tinged with a pleasant infiltrated fat, which sculpts each slice like marble. On the palate, it reveals a varied range of nuances in its aroma and flavour, ranging from warm to mild, yet marked and persistent. Its lard melts on contact in the palate, leaving a velvety sensation in the mouth full of tasty and sweet nuances, with an aftertaste of acorn, oak forest, art and tradition.
This gourmet gift can be purchased from the Señorio de Montanera online shop while supplies last, starting from 222 euros depending on the weight of the D.O.P. Dehesa de Extremadura piece.
Señorío de Montanera y Guille García-Hoz presentan su colaboración en forma de Broche
¿Cómo elegir el mejor jamón ibérico de bellota para acertar esta Navidad?


A diagram charting the vast network of musicians connected to the siblings Steve, Colin and Julian Hogan would capture just about the entire Bay Area music scene.
Steeped in jazz, the East Bay-raised Hogan Brothers have played with leading figures in R&B, funk, hip-hop and Latin music. They open a Sunday night residency at Oakland's cozy Room 389 on Sunday, and they're inviting some of their musician friends to join the fun. With Julian on drums, Steve on bass and Colin on electric piano and accordion, the Hogan Brothers are releasing their first album together this spring.
On the first night of the residency, the trio will be joined by R&B vocalist Luq Frank, a friend of Steve Hogan's since their high school days at St. Mary's in Berkeley, and trombonist/bassist Adam Theis, who has championed the brothers' family band from his perch as godfather of the Jazz Mafia.
From Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey to the Kinks' Ray and Dave Davies, brother acts in music are notoriously volatile. Maybe it's their chill East Bay upbringing or the differing dynamics of three rather than two brothers sharing a stage, but the Hogans don't seem to have any trouble playing nicely with each other.
"It's surprisingly easy," says Colin, 30, who's been playing accordion Monday nights at Room 389 with violinist Celia Harris and guitarist Jon Monahan in the Gypsy tango-inflected Trio Zincalo for nearly five years.
So how did the three brothers all end up as professional musicians? They credit their parents, who were founding members of the renowned East Bay gamelan ensemble Gamelan Sekar Jaya. Their mother is a longtime music teacher at El Cerrito's Prospect Sierra School, and their father manages a youth symphony in the South Bay. Growing up, the family traveled widely to Bali, Cuba, Brazil and Ghana, and everywhere they went, they studied with resident masters and connected with locals via music.
Each of the brothers found his own path, and took advantage of the numerous opportunities available in the East Bay for creatively ambitious young musicians. Steve Hogan started gigging in high school and credits Keith Terry and drummer Josh Jones as invaluable mentors (with whom he still performs).
He's particularly grateful for the tutelage of veteran African-American artists like the late trumpeter Robert Porter, who hosted a jam session at the Bird Cage, a long-gone working class black bar in Oakland's Temescal. Porter had been running Bay Area jam sessions since 1957, and a high percentage of the region's greatest players credit him as a guiding force. Steve and Colin played in the Bird Cage house band for more than a year.


FELL Marine continues on its road to success, with the announcement that Anytec Boats, of Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, will be installing the MOB+ in all their 2017 boat models. Anytec produces the premier aluminum boat line in Europe. For more than thirty years Anytec has strived to build the world's best aluminum boats. The same guiding principles have accompanied them throughout: an absolutely uncompromising attitude with regard to materials and construction. This motivates them to further develop what is already the best product on the market.
The MOB+ (which stands for man overboard), is a wireless cut-off switchthat is packed with features to enhance safety, making the old cord-based system obsolete.
With over 35 Anytec dealerships throughout Europe, FELL Marine continues to grow its brand and message to boaters that you can make safety on the water convenient.
"Anytec builds their boats from the ground up in aluminum, every weld done by hand and human inspected. With its advanced surface treatment technology Anytec M400, it is one of the most durable and safe boats there are. Anytec and the MOB+ Wireless Kill Switch are industry leaders in their fields, which makes the two a perfect match. Now all Anytec owners can be assured that their boat will wait for them if they fall over board." – CTO of FELL Marine, Fredrik Eriksen.


The West Coast's premier African band plays a bubbling brew of Afrobeat, highlife, jazz, and juju. With driving guitars, riffing horns, and persuasive percussion, Babá Ken's original songs spread an uplifting message of peace, joy, and harmony.
An all-star group of West African master musicians offering a unique and delightful celebration of intoxicating dance hits from the highlife era of the 50s-70s.
Bringing to life the joyful folk songs of early village memories with harmonious voices, lilting guitars, and traditional percussion.
With their exciting rhythms and dances, the African Drummers summon the spirits of joy and magic to every social occasion.
All the supergroup's hit songs.
"We Are All From AFrica"
Heavy grooves, rhythmic vocals, hot strings, and hefty brass.
All-star band recreates the hits that moved a generation.
Harmonious voices, lilting strings, and joyful rhythms. Rare, authentic music.
Enchants the body and soul with acoustic voices and traditional hand percussion.


VIDEO: Is this the worst road in Lincolnshire?
Is this one of the worst roads in Lincolnshire? Boston Standard reporter Daniel Jaines took a drive out to a section of Fodderdyke Bank, between Stickney and New Leake, strapped a camera to the car and took a very bumpy drive – to conditions of course.
Campaigners in the area are trying to get the council to focus on Fodderdyke Bank, an accident blackspot which has recently seen four major accidents since last September and caused a number of minor breaks and damages to cars recently.
Particularly bad stretches of road between Friskney and Stickney.
Watch the video above which goes from a starting point on Horbling Lane to New Leake Village Hall.
Keep an eye on the Boston Standard website in the future for a video going the other way.
What are your worst roads? Contact us.


So here we have another small coffee shop that we quite, quite enjoy. Apparently J-Walk was financed by the owners' slot machine winnings -- who doesn't like a good rags to coffee shop gambling story? -- and it might very well be the best little coffee spot north of the river.
Any place that serves DOMA coffee is worth at least checking out, and the espresso shots pulled at J-Walk aren't half-bad. We haven't had anything to complain about during our visits at any rate, and the Americanos have been quite tasty.
The baked goods, meanwhile, hold an even better standard. They have a great scone here, one with an excellent texture -- dense, but not too dense. The flavors, ever changing, are creative, and we particularly like the apple-spice scone.
Finally, the space is well thought out. The garage door opening reveals a small counter area for ordering, while you can walk through to a separate room for seating. This split works well for studying or whatever, and you don't have to be bothered by people ordering.
The only real issue with J-Walk is that it might not be the #1 choice in the morning if you're in a hurry. With only one lady manning the store -- the proprietor, who is both professional and friendly -- you might have to wait a while before being served.
Still, that's more an inconvenience, and we quite enjoy the joyous mix of DOMA, pastries, and seating space. We highly recommend J-Walk.


Now West has a rule for women in his life. For two months a year, he can have a lover...one single lover and then he goes back to a life of celibacy the other 10 months of the year. West is VERY controlled and structured about every aspect of his life. It's all part of how he's stayed sober. He has a schedule he sticks to...every single day. Nothing is allowed to intrude on that one fact of his life.
Jessie Kay is pretty much the opposite of West in every way. She's the messy, party girl who has spent her life sleeping with just about anyone trying to find a connection. In fact, she's slept with both of West's best friends, which is a serious sticking point for him. But Jessie Kay may be bright and happy and sunshiny on the outside, but she's hiding her own hurts. She truly doesn't think she's worthy of love. Something that is just enforced over and over by West's rejection of her. Because, yes, West wants her desperately. He just won't allow himself to indulge. It's his penance. His price to pay whether anyone else understands his reasoning or not.
I loved how opposite these two characters are. Jessie Kay can make anyone feel better and smile, even West...and that's not something that most people can do. He's so serious, and she's well aware of his hangups with his schedule and such so she makes it her goal in life to show him that life doesn't have to be so rigid. And she's not doing it to mess with him. Jessie Kay has one of the biggest hearts around. She truly wants him to be happy and knows that won't happen with the way he's living his life right now.
Note: (And I also pointed this out on the other two books in the series which I also listened to on audio) Overall, I really enjoy this narrator, but she doesn't have many differences between her men's voices. It's okay though because of Gena Showalter's writing...she's always good about identifying who is speaking when the guys are all together.