This is a shooting bag/purse I finished last night. I'm donating it to the United Bowhunters of Missouri Festival live auction held this coming Saturday, February 9th. The body of the bag is elk hide and the trim is deer hide. The dark brown bling is elephant ear and the scaly stuff is ostrich leg skin. I carved the D rings and hooks from moose antler and the buttons from deer antler. Everything was sewn by hand using artificial sinew. The bag has a large main compartment and a patch pocket on the inside. It has a gusset pocket on the front and a patch pocket on the back.The strap is adjustable. Hopefully, it will make the club a little money.
Wow Darren, you did a great job on that! Where do you get your exotic skins?
Very beautify, ornate and artistic!
Rodd, you can buy most of them from various places on the web including Ebay. However, I have the good fortune of working in Springfield, MO which is the home of Springfield Leather Company. They are one of the largest leather suppliers in the country and when I walk into the store the folks there holler my name like they did for Norm on the old sitcom, "Cheers". It would probably be easier for everyone involved if I just had half my paycheck automatically sent to them each month. They always have some exotics laying around for me to fondle.


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Home » TV & Movies » The Shady Side Of Richard Dreyfuss – Nicki Swift
The Shady Side Of Richard Dreyfuss – Nicki Swift
Richard Dreyfuss has been part of some of the industry's most iconic films, such as Jaws to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. On the screen, the actor has showcased his talents across seven decades, putting together one of the most impressive and lasting careers we've ever seen. Off the screen, however, Dreyfuss hasn't been as successful. He's been in trouble with the law, been labeled difficult, and added complications to sets and productions. Whether it's all his fault or not is sometimes unclear, but the rumors and perceptions are tough to break in Hollywood once they take hold.
As a result, we've decided to scour the details of the less than savory tales that have marked Dreyfuss' career. The actor has not been shy about voicing his opinion about the controversies in his life, so fans rarely have to guess or wonder where he stands. Many readers will be well aware of his accolades, but the following is a glimpse at the shady side of Richard Dreyfuss.
Richard Dreyfuss, 'Mr. New Hollywood Establishment'
Before Richard Dreyfuss sure made a splash before he made a name for himself as an actor. At 16, he was booted from an audition at a major studio for yelling at a director and casting director for making him wait. "As I walked to my mother's car, I felt glorious," he said in The Telegraph. "I knew as a 100% certainty that I would make it as a movie star." That confidence rubbed some people the wrong way.
By 1978, Dreyfuss was a hit, having found enormous success in American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and The Goodbye Girl. He was also very aware of the reputation he had built. According to Rolling Stone, people at the time were calling him "Mr. New Hollywood Establishment" and "arrogant." As his friend Carl Borcuk told Rolling Stone, "It comes from Richard telling people he would be a success," but Dreyfuss claimed he didn't understand it.
"I don't know why that's taken as arrogance," Dreyfuss explained to the magazine. "I probably am more insecure and more publicly self-denigrating than any other person I've ever f**king known. But because I've also said the opposite, that's all they hear." But this is the same man who admitted in The Guardian that he "would badmouth every actor in Hollywood," the same man who confirmed to The Telegraph that he believes "his is the finest body of work of any living actor in Hollywood – better than Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman."
What about Bill Murray?
In the 1991 film, What About Bob? Richard Dreyfuss is driven crazy by an irritating patient (Bill Murray). On set, Dreyfuss was driven crazy by an irritating actor (also Bill Murray). In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Dreyfuss called Murray a "drunken bully" before sharing a not-so-shining memory. "He put his face next to me, nose-to-nose," Dreyfuss recalled to the outlet. "And he screamed at the top of his lungs, 'Everyone hates you! You are tolerated!' There was no time to react, because he leaned back and he took a modern glass-blown ashtray. He threw it at my face from [only a couple feet away]. And it weighed about three quarters of a pound. And he missed me. He tried to hit me. I got up and left."
For his part, Murray admits to being difficult. "It's entertaining," he said to Entertainment Weekly. "[Dreyfuss and I] didn't get along on the movie particularly, but it worked for the movie. I mean, I drove him nuts, and he encouraged me to drive him nuts." But Dreyfuss never did let it go. Eighteen years after that film, Dreyfuss told The A.V. Club, "I don't like him, but he makes me laugh even now."
At the 2017 Fan Expo in Toronto, Dreyfuss called Murray a "despicable pig," a jab he repeated to The Telegraph. Chatting with IGN, director Frank Oz remembers "friction and a lot of tension," but he insisted "It wasn't out of mean-spiritedness, it was just that everybody felt strongly about how to make the movie better."
Allegations about Richard Dreyfuss surfaced
In 2017, the Kevin Spacey scandal dominated the airwaves. After Harry Dreyfuss came forward with allegations against Spacey in a BuzzFeed piece, his father, Richard Dreyfuss, tweeted support for his son. However, Richard's response didn't sit right with someone from his past. "Wait a minute, this guy harassed me for months," writer Jessica Teich said of the Jaws actor in an interview with Vulture. "He was in a position of so much power over me, and I didn't feel I could tell anyone about it. It just seemed so hypocritical."
Beginning in the '80s while working on the show, Funny, You Don't Look 200, Teich alleged she was subjected to "continual, overt, lewd comments and invitations from Dreyfuss." At one point, she walked into his trailer and he allegedly exposed himself. "He created a very hostile work environment, where I felt sexualized, objectified, and unsafe," she said. "In every possible way his position in life couldn't have been less comparable to mine," she said. "That's how vast the power differential was. He was famous, he was rich, he had an Oscar."
In a statement to Vulture, Dreyfuss declared his innocence. "I emphatically deny ever 'exposing' myself to Jessica Teich, whom I have considered a friend for 30 years," he wrote. "I did flirt with her, and I remember trying to kiss Jessica as part of what I thought was a consensual seduction ritual that went on and on for many years. I am horrified and bewildered to discover that it wasn't consensual."
Richard Dreyfuss says he was 'a bad guy'
As Richard Dreyfuss attempted to clear his name of wrongdoing with Jessica Teich, he admitted that he had done some wrong in the past. Not the wrong that he was accused of, mind you, but other types of wrongs. "I was swept up in a world of celebrity and drugs," he said in a statement issued to Vulture. "I flirted with all women, be they actresses, producers, or 80-year-old grandmothers. I even flirted with those who were out of bounds, like the wives of some of my best friends, which especially revolts me. I disrespected myself, and I disrespected them, and ignored my own ethics, which I regret more deeply than I can express."
"I grew not to like myself very much," he said of his past in an interview with The Telegraph. "I became a schmuck. I was doing drugs. I was drinking a bottle of cognac a day. I was sleeping with other men's wives. I got to the point where I wanted someone to stop the world so I could get off." Despite saying that he was "a bad guy for a number of years," however, Dreyfuss feels that what he did was not only consensual, but innate or ingrained in him. "My motto was, if you don't flirt, you die," he said to The Guardian. "I think that men and women are meant to and are supposed to."
Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss fished for drama
For many years, stories of tension and drama from the set of Jaws have moved through Hollywood circles and tabloids. One of the more persistent rumors is that actors Richard Dreyfuss and the late Robert Shaw hated and battled each other throughout the making of the film — but Dreyfuss dismisses this one entirely. "It's clearly not true, and where that started I don't know, but trust me, Robert Shaw wouldn't countenance that idea of a feud, forget it," he said to the Daily Record. "I lost my sense of humour for one afternoon, that's not a feud."
Dreyfuss claims that during that "one afternoon" he threw Shaw's drink in the ocean and Shaw retaliated with a firehose. "I lost my sense of humour and that lasted about an hour," Dreyfuss said.
But not everyone remembers it that way. Actor Roy Schneider, for example, said in Jaws: The Inside Story that the actor who played Quint was determined to knock a young and pompous Dreyfuss down a few pegs. "[Shaw] really thought Dreyfuss needed a slapping down, young punk with no stage experience," Schneider recalled. Director Steven Spielberg said the aforementioned drink glass incident "got ugly" and called it "the great Dreyfuss/Shaw feud," which is quite a title for a beef that only lasted for "one afternoon."
The night Richard Dreyfuss 'lost control'
At the height of his popularity in 1982, Richard Dreyfuss was headed down a dark road when he crashed, quite literally. Driving while intoxicated through Beverly Hills, the actor "lost control of his car and it rolled over several times." The New York Times reported that when police looked in his vehicle, they found that he was riding around with "a vial of white powder suspected of being cocaine."
"I spent a week or 10 days in complete denial, trying to forget what had happened and what I was about to face," he said to The Hollywood Reporter. "I did that by going to a lot of orgies in Hollywood and Malibu. And one night, I went to one of these things and one of the coke wh**es managed to let me see, against her will, how much she hated herself. And I walked out the back door, never did it again."
Dreyfuss gives another explanation for sobering up in the book, Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery by Christopher Kennedy Lawford (via The Independent). According to the outlet, Dreyfuss wrote about having "a vision of a little girl in a pink dress and horn-rimmed glasses." That vision was a warning, he said. "I knew that little girl was either the little girl that I didn't kill that night I completely lost control of my car, or she was the girl, the daughter I hadn't had yet," Dreyfuss wrote. "I knew that as a certain fact."
Things weren't so jazzy for Richard Dreyfuss
Coming off of his Oscar win for The Goodbye Girl, Richard Dreyfuss was cast in the film version of Bob Fosse's All That Jazz. According to The A.V. Club, the film was "risky," so the studios needed a household name to front it. Dreyfuss accepted the role, but just days before they were to start filming in 1978, he made headlines by backing out.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Dreyfuss cited "artistic differences" as the reason for his departure, but The Guardian states that it came down to "his inability to cope with the physical demands of the role." In 1978, Cameron Crowe of Rolling Stone (yes, that Cameron Crowe) wrote that Dreyfuss was saddled with a $350,000 bill after he walked away at the last minute. Dreyfuss allegedly told his friend, Roy Schneider, the actor who took over the part, of his issues with the film. "I don't think I want to do this movie, he said, according to Schneider (via Sam Wasson's book Fosse). "I don't like Fosse and he doesn't like me. I just don't feel mentally prepared to do this thing."
In All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse, Martin Gottfried revealed that Dreyfuss didn't live easy with the decision. "For a few years I told myself that I was well out of it, and then I finally faced up to it," he said. "I'd given up a chance to work with Bob Fosse, and it was stupid of me. I told him so myself."
Richard Dreyfuss bowed out before he took a bow
In the mid '00s, The Producers was headed for a West End production and Richard Dreyfuss had been cast in the role of Max Bialystock. And as Dreyfuss recalled to The Guardian, it didn't exactly go off without a hitch. "You know I can't sing or dance, don't you?" he remembered telling Mel Brooks at the time. "But Mel kept encouraging me. And I said I'd do London." It was there that he realized he was in over his head. Still, he went through the training and rehearsals and got through to the preview season, but that wasn't enough to assuage his nerves. The Producers opens November 9," he said on an episode of The Frank Skinner Show (via The Guardian). "Come from Christmas on. Do not come before that, OK?" A day later, the show announced Dreyfuss had been released because he was unable "to fulfil the rigours of the role."
"They decided my body couldn't do it much earlier than I did," Dreyfuss told The Guardian of the decision. "I wondered too if my body couldn't do it. Really, my body divorced itself from me in July." Following his exit, choreographer Susan Stroman told Variety that Dreyfuss "had been complaining about aches and pains; his body wasn't up to the task."
Dreyfuss suggested to The Guardian that the demands of the role were simply impossible to meet. "Stroman would tell actors, mid-air, 'Stop. And while you're up there, pretend you're a peacock, and flush a toilet while you are at it," he said.
Richard Dreyfuss' family's on-again, off-again legal battle
In the mid '80s, Richard Dreyfuss' father, Norman Dreyfuss, approached the actor for a loan of $870,000 to help him out of a "family crisis," according to court documents (via Courthouse News Service). However, the documents go on to state that the loan actually was used to purchase a Los Angeles office building. Richard claimed that his father and uncle not only neglected to pay him after more than 20 years, but didn't see any of the business' returns — even though he owned "at least 29 percent of the company."
The actor first pursued this lawsuit in 2008, and as The Guardian reported, he alleged his relatives "diverted millions of dollars from a $6m judgment they won against the state of California over a lease arrangement in the building." Again, he reportedly received nothing. He reissued the lawsuit in 2012 when, according to Courthouse News Service, it seemed like they "might be selling the building." In response, Richard's father and uncle contended that Richard's share of the company was only approximately 10%. Richard's father died in 2013, and it's unclear if they resolved this issue before his death.
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01/13/2021 TV & Movies Comments Off on The Shady Side Of Richard Dreyfuss – Nicki Swift

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John Sturrock QC
"A spellbinding mediator and great thinker...by far the best in the market"
Who's Who Legal: Mediation 2018
John Sturrock QC has been described as a "thought leader" in the area of mediation, citing his "keen intellect", "preparation to get at core issues" and "massive wealth of experience in difficult negotiation situations". He is "universally regarded as Scotland's finest mediator" with a practice that extends throughout the UK, mainland Europe, Middle East and Africa.
An internationally recognised Mediator, John has mediated hundreds of disputes in a wide range of commercial, professional and other settings. Many of these matters have raised complex issues, some have involved multiple parties, most have resolved in a day. The value of claims has ranged from tens of thousands of pounds to hundreds of millions. He is recognised for his innovative approach to helping parties to resolve difficult matters.
Since leaving active practice at the Scottish Bar in 2002, he has pursued a full-time career as a mediator, facilitator, conflict specialist and coach. He has mediated in government, commerce, industry, the professions, sport, the public sector, senior management and other sensitive and complex matters and has facilitated many high-level dialogues.
John's style is engaging and innovative with an emphasis on being rigorous on the issues when necessary, while recognising the need for respect and dignity amongst all concerned. His approach is to value parties' autonomy in making choices and to ensure that these choices are fully-informed and fully tested. He is facilitative and thorough, working energetically alongside parties with a lightness of touch and focussed perseverance. Adept at working with people at every level, he is respected for his ability to get to the heart of matters, while using the process creatively.
With a legal background, he is able to help parties assess legal and factual risks where appropriate. His many years in business, including engagement with major plcs and other corporate interests in strategy work, enable him to encourage a commercial approach to problem-solving, ensuring that decision-makers can take responsibility for making realistic choices about the outcome.
Noted as "one of the best teachers of mediation", he also specialises in conflict management training and coaching for senior government officials, civil servants, executives and sports leaders. For many years, he has worked with senior civil servants and various parliamentary bodies throughout the UK (including the Westminster and Scottish Parliaments and the Northern Ireland, Welsh and London Assemblies) on effective scrutiny of policy. He was a special adviser on dialogue to the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. He works regularly with senior officials at the Scottish Government on policy and political issues at the highest levels. He has trained Cabinet Office officials in London.
He facilitated the 2020 Climate Change Delivery Group in Scotland from 2009-2013. He has worked with UK Sport, the English Institute of Sport, Sportscotland, and many sports' governing bodies and athletes for a number of years, particularly in the lead up to the London Olympics.
John recently acted as mediator in complex private/public sector infrastructure/construction and engineering projects with claim values in the £hundreds of millions.
He is a founder of Collaborative Scotland, an initiative to bring respectful dialogue to Scottish politics and public affairs, and is the author of its Commitment to Respectful Dialogue. He is a frequent writer and commentator on collaboration in the political world.
READ MORE M
Mediation M
John has been involved in hundreds of mediations, frequently high value, multi-party, covering a broad range of issues in the commercial and public sectors, finance and banking, corporate management, government and sport. These have included a multiplicity of interests, including commercial contracts, financial instruments, shareholder and boardroom, insurance, construction and engineering, infrastructure, intellectual property, real estate, high performance sport, senior level employment, investor matters, taxation, IT, professional indemnity, agriculture, landlord and tenant, oil and gas, procurement and transport.
He has also facilitated many high-level dialogues in sensitive and complex policy matters (including intra-governmental).
Click here for examples of John's mediation and other work.
Qualifications and awards M
Practising member of the Scottish Bar from 1986 to 2002. Appointed Queen's Counsel in 1999. Practice at the Bar included commercial contracts, intellectual property, construction contracts, property, valuation for rating, personal injury work, professional negligence and general civil work;
An internationally-recognised mediation and advocacy coach, has also been described as "one of the best teachers of mediation". Extensive involvement in training and coaching mediators and others in the UK and abroad from 1998 onwards;
Trained in Negotiation at Harvard University under Professor Roger Fisher in 1996;
Director of Training and Education, Faculty of Advocates, 1994 to 2002: responsible for design, development and delivery of award-winning advocacy and related training courses for the Scottish Bar;
Member of Judicial Studies Committee in Scotland, 1997 to 2003: responsible for design and leadership of judicial training courses including the first skills training courses for Scottish judges;
Member of the Standards Commission of the International Mediation Institute; 2008
Specialist of the Year, Inaugural Scottish Legal Awards February 2003; Mediator of the Year, The Law Awards of Scotland 2009;
Distinguished Fellow, International Academy of Mediators from 2009 (at whose conferences he is a regular speaker and of whose Spring Conference in Edinburgh 2018 he chaired);
Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws, Edinburgh Napier University, 2010;
Visiting Professor in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, from 2016;
Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators;
Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts;
Regular speaker at the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Conference and is involved in many other international initiatives, most recently as the co-host of the keynote seminar at the launch of the Singapore International Mediation Centre in 2014, as a key note speaker at a major conference on dispute resolution in New Zealand in 2015, leading workshops for justice officials in Turkey in 2015, addressing students and professionals at the University of Florence in 2016 and leading training work in Africa on conflict resolution and reconciliation in 2016 and 2017.
Directory Quotes M
Who's Who Legal UK Bar Mediation Analysis 2018 lists John as one of the seven Global Elite Thought Leaders, describing him as a "spellbinding mediator and great thinker" and "by far the best in the market". His peers comment, "His encouraging and calm way of working brings people along the road of mediation without them feeling under pressure." In the 2017 Analysis, John appeared as one of the four "Most Highly Regarded Individuals" in the Leading Silks category, describing him as a "thought leader" in the area of mediation, citing his "keen intellect", "preparation to get at core issues" and "massive wealth of experience in difficult negotiation situations". One respondent was quoted saying, "John is the best mediator I have met and has brought about a settlement in two cases which I thought resolution was impossible." Who's Who Legal of the world's leading commercial mediators says "John Sturrock QC is "the name everyone knows in Scotland", and an effective and well-respected mediator."
Listed in Band 1 in the Best of UK in Chambers UK Guide to the Legal Profession, John is "singled out for praise by his clients for his relaxed… approach at outset" and yet for his ability to "still push hard to get a deal at the end of the day". He has been described as "'a highly intelligent and skilful mediator' who retains a market-leading reputation. His diverse practice includes mediating professional negligence, employment and commercial contract disputes in a broad range of sectors, both in the UK and overseas. One observer says: 'He absolutely knew what we were after and was brilliant in getting both parties at the table to open up. He got the best resolution possible for both parties and gave fantastic support and advice.'" The directory has also described him as "a leading figure in the UK mediation market", praised for being "flexible in his approach and for always remaining sensitive to the differing interests of the parties involved", a "fantastic listener" who has "a wealth of experience handling complex commercial contract, IP and environmental disputes, as well as mediations arising in the construction and property sectors." and "a wonderful communicator with much experience of complex commercial issues". "He is often engaged in complex, multiparty disputes and his experience covers contracts, IP, property, construction, employment and professional negligence. Sources describe him as "a genuine innovator, who always has the topical issues on his radar." Although most prolific in Scotland, he has mediated across the UK."
Legal 500 describes John as "the leading Scottish mediator; he has tremendous presence and personality but his technical skills as a mediator are also excellent". He "can hold the room and have the parties keep their eyes on the prize; he not only knows the law but is good with parties, and brings authority and ability to the role of mediator'. Sturrock's broad practice extends to the rest of the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe, and the Middle East and Africa, and covers commercial contracts, construction, IP, property, and professional negligence. He also mediates banking, sport, planning, environment, agriculture, and public sector issues." He is "engaging and extremely pleasant to work with", noting he "prepares thoroughly for mediations; he grasps the issues and is sympathetic to each party's position, but is not afraid to take a tough line when required". They have also noted: "The 'highly impressive' John Sturrock QC 'has the gravitas to win the confidence of both sides from the outset'. Clients note his ability to employ 'insight, judgement, and emotional intelligence' and 'to know instinctively both when to push the parties hard, and when to back off and let discussions between the parties bridge gaps'."
Publications M
Extensive - see www.core-solutions.com/resources
Practical mediation: A Guide for Mediators and Others, by Jonathan Dingle with John Sephton, published by Law Brief Publishing in 2017
Essays on Mediation: Dealing with Disputes in the 21st Century, published by Wolters Kluwer in 2016
Publisher of Thinking Differently: Making a Difference using Mediation - Core's 10th anniversary book, edited by David Lee.
John is also a frequent contributor of articles to newspapers and journals.
NHS Highland Review
Continuing accolades for Brick Court mediators
2015 Mediator Rankings: four Brick Court Mediators in Global Top 10
"Mediation? The most expensive sandwiches I've ever eaten."
Commercial Law Conference


The great thing about our dresses is that it's wrinkle-resistant! However some wrinkles may become apparent if packed in a suitcase for too long. Have no fear, we have an easy fix! We recommend using a steamer to get rid of any wrinkles. Another option would be to hang your convertible dress on a pant hanger in the bathroom during a shower. The steam will help the wrinkles disappear from the dress and make it party-ready for another fun night out!


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High-Rise Living in Dream Home at Juhl
Thanks to her military career, Virgin Island native Tanya Bartlett has lived in cities across the country. But with retirement on the horizon, she knew it was time to choose a home base. When a friend bought a home at Juhl in downtown Las Vegas last year, Bartlett followed suit and, happily, found her dream home.
"As an island girl, I never thought I'd be living in the desert, let alone a high-rise condominium, given that I have always lived in single-family homes," Bartlett said. "But after visiting Juhl and seeing a one-bedroom home with mountain views, I knew it was 'the one.' Juhl's location is within walking distance to some of the city's best restaurants and bars, and Nellis Air Force Base is only a short drive away."
Through the help of Veterans Affairs financing offered by Juhl, for which she easily qualified given her military affiliation, Bartlett closed on her home in June and has enjoyed everything about her new home and lifestyle. She shared her appreciation for the community's resort-style pool and Greens and Proteins restaurant on Juhl's ground-floor retail Promenade.
"The homebuying process was easier and less intimidating than I anticipated, thanks to Juhl's financing partner, The Federal Savings Bank, which walked me through every step of the way," she said. "And I've already met some of my neighbors, who have been so friendly and welcoming.
I don't normally make decisions this quickly, but as soon as I walked into the community, it felt like home. Now that I've been here a few months, I know I made the right decision and can't wait to further explore the dynamic cultural scene right outside my door."
View full article.


Awesome 54 +/- acre tract of land just South on Hwy 39 outside of Mexia TX. This property is set up for penning and working cattle, team ropings, calf ropings and barrel races. Cross fenced for cattle and horse rotation, multiple barns and outbuildings, hay barn, covered working cattle pens to name a few. Live in the MH while you build your dream home or use it for your workers. 2 horse barns, 1 is a 54x48 ft custom built metal barn with concrete alley, multiple stalls made of pipe and wood that turn out to the open pasture. It features a feed room, a separate living quarters, a separate tack rm, a concreted wash area and it includes a 16x40 concrete floor front porch. The 2nd horse barn is a 30x40 custom built barn also and offers a concrete walking aisle for feed access to each pipe and wood stall with runs that opens to the land as well on the South side. The lighted pipe arena is 150'x250'with a return alley for steers and calves. It has team roping & calf roping chutes, a concession stand and announcer stand, a large rock parking lot that will park up to 300 team roping teams. In addition there is a storage container and a work shop, an additional hay barn, and 11 covered working pens that are (100x100 & 50x50). There is water to all cross fenced pastures and a tank.


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University spinout signs deal to commercialize microchips that release therapeutics inside the body
(Nanowerk News) An implantable, microchip-based device may soon replace the injections and pills now needed to treat chronic diseases: Earlier this month, MIT spinout Microchips Biotech partnered with a pharmaceutical giant to commercialize its wirelessly controlled, implantable, microchip-based devices that store and release drugs inside the body over many years.
Invented by Microchips Biotech co-founders Michael Cima, the David H. Koch Professor of Engineering, and Robert Langer, the David H. Koch Institute Professor, the microchips consist of hundreds of pinhead-sized reservoirs, each capped with a metal membrane, that store tiny doses of therapeutics or chemicals. An electric current delivered by the device removes the membrane, releasing a single dose. The device can be programmed wirelessly to release individual doses for up to 16 years to treat, for example, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and osteoporosis.
Michael Cima (left) and Robert Langer
Now Microchips Biotech will begin co-developing microchips with Teva Pharmaceutical, the world's largest producer of generic drugs, to treat specific diseases, with licensing potential for other products. Teva paid $35 million up front, with additional milestone payments as the device goes through clinical trials before it hits the shelves.
"Obviously, this is a huge validation of the technology," Cima says. "A major pharmaceutical company sees how this technology can further their efforts to help patients."
Apart from providing convenience, Microchips Biotech says these microchips could also improve medication-prescription adherence — a surprisingly costly issue in the United States. A 2012 report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine estimated that Americans who don't stick to prescriptions rack up $100 billion to $289 billion annually in unnecessary health care costs from additional hospital visits and other issues. Failure to follow prescriptions, the study also found, causes around 125,000 deaths annually and up to 10 percent of all hospitalizations.
While its first partnership is for treating chronic diseases, Microchips Biotech will continue work on its flagship product, a birth-control microchip, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, that releases contraceptives and can be turned on and off wirelessly.
Cima, who now serves on the Microchips Biotech board of directors with Langer, sees this hormone-releasing microchip as one of the first implantable "artificial organs" — because it acts as a gland. "A lot of the therapies are trying to chemically trick the endocrine systems," Cima says. "We are doing that with this artificial organ we created."
A version of Microchip Biotech's implantable, wirelessly controlled microchip. When an electrical current is delivered to one of the chip's tiny reservoirs, a single dose of therapeutics is released into the body.
Wild ideas
Inspiration for the microchips came in the late 1990s, when Langer watched a documentary on mass-producing microchips. "I thought to myself, 'Wouldn't this be a great way to make a drug-delivery system?'" Langer says.
He brought this idea to Cima, a chip-making expert who was taken aback by its novelty. "But being out-of-this-world is not something that needs to stop anybody at MIT," Cima adds. "In fact, that should be the criterion."
So in 1999, Langer, Cima, and then-graduate student John Santini PhD '99 co-founded MicroCHIPS, and invented a prototype for their microchip that was described in a paper published that year in Nature. (This entrepreneurial collaboration was the first of many for Cima and Langer over the next decade.)
This dime-sized prototype contained only 34 reservoirs, each controlled by an individual wire connected to an external power source. At the time, they considered a broad range of practical, and somewhat fantastical, applications beyond drug delivery, including disease diagnostics and jewelry that could emit scents. "We were trying to find the killer application. We thought, 'I have a hammer, what's the right nail to hit?'" Cima says.
For years, the technology underwent rigorous research and development at Microchips Biotech. But in 2011, Langer and Cima, and researchers from MicroCHIPS, conducted the microchips' first human trials to treat osteoporosis — this time with wireless capabilities. In that study, published in a 2012 issue of Science Translational Medicine, microchips were implanted into seven elderly women, delivering teriparatide to strengthen bones. Results indicated that the chips delivered doses comparable to injections — and did so more consistently — with no adverse side effects.
After that, the Gates Foundation took interest. "It wasn't just a pie-in-the-sky idea anymore — we're really treating patients," Cima says. "That really captures people's imaginations."
That study, combined with ongoing efforts in contraceptive-delivery microchips, led Cima to believe the microchips could someday, essentially, be considered the first artificial glands that could regulate potent hormones inside the body.
This may sound like a wild idea — but Cima doesn't think so. Consider the thousands of people living today with pacemakers, he says. "Pacemakers are delivering an electrical signal, fixing the pace of a heart, or detecting if the heart is not beating correctly, and trying to stimulate it," Cima says. The chip "sends an endocrine or chemical signal, instead of an electrical signal."
MEMS innovations
Microchips Biotech made several innovations in the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturing process to ensure the microchips could be commercialized.
A major innovation was enabling final assembly of the microchips at room temperature with hermetic seals. Any intense heat during final assembly, with hermetic sealing, could destroy the drugs already loaded into the reservoirs — which meant common methods of welding and soldering were off-limits.
To do so, Microchips Biotech modified a cold-welding "tongue and groove" process. This meant depositing a soft, gold alloy in patterns on the top of the chip to create tongues, and grooves on the base. By pressing the top and base pieces together, the tongues fit into the grooves, and plastically deforms to weld the metal together.
"Each one of these reservoirs, until you open it, [must be] completely sealed from any contaminant in the environment," Cima says. "There was no precedent for that."
The company has also found ways to integrate electronics into the microchips to shrink down the device. Moving forward, Langer adds, the company could refine the microchips to be even smaller, yet carry the same volume of drugs. "This means making the drugs take up more volume [than] the electrical and other components," he says. "That's the next major challenge."
Source: By Rob Matheson, MIT
New two-dimensional materials: from their behavior and quantum properties to their industrial applications
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Possibilities of the biosimilar principle of learning are shown for a memristor-based neural network
Carbon nanotube films enable method to recycle waste heat
Researchers reveal new nanomechanical properties of diamonds mined from meteorite crater
Strange warping geometry helps to push scientific boundaries
Red wine may hold the key to wearable electronics
Imaging molecules in different charge states
Sheaths drive powerful new artificial muscles
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Nanotechnology delivers hepatitis B vaccine
Compact atomic gyroscope displays new twists
New superomniphobic glass soars high on butterfly wings using machine learning
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Designer proteins form wires and lattices on mineral surface
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Whistleblowers and tax enforcement: Using inside information to close the "tax gap"
Edward A. Morse, Whistleblowers and Tax Enforcement: Using Inside Information to Close the "Tax Gap", 24 Akron Tax J. 1 (2009).
This article examines the current legal structure allowing rewards for informants who provide information to assist the IRS in the enforcement of the tax laws. IRS data suggest that informants are a cost-effective means to enhance tax enforcement. The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 introduced a separate whistleblower award program that provides more significant monetary rewards (up to 30 percent of the amount collected) and somewhat greater certainty in the payment of such rewards, including a process for judicial review of claim determinations in the Tax Court. Although informant rewards enhance tax enforcement, they also raise significant issues concerning the protection of taxpayer privacy and IRS secrecy, particularly in the context of litigation to review reward determinations. Moreover, prospects for large financial rewards without comprehensive attention to eligibility constraints may effectively induce prospective whistleblowers to breach other legal or ethical responsibilities, particularly if their identity as a whistleblower is kept secret. The article places the whistleblower award program in the broader context of tax enforcement and discusses ethical and privacy issues lurking in the whistleblower program. It argues that these issues deserve additional legislative attention.


Remodeling any part of a home requires a significant investment. As a result, most homeowners want to ensure they really need to invest in this. The good news is, when it comes to investing in a bathroom remodel or kitchen remodeling, there are some signs that indicate its time. Keep in mind, the contractor hired matters – so be sure to keep this in mind, too.
One of the first indications that it is time to invest in kitchen remodeling springfield va or springfield bathroom remodeling is that the space appears old and outdated. For example, have the wood cabinets begun to rot or fall apart? Is the paint peeling or flaking off of the surface? Are there cracks and breaks in the countertops or floor? Do the walls seem drab and unwelcoming? All of these factors indicate that it is definitely time to invest in bathroom and/or kitchen remodeling.
If the pipes and plumbing fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom continue to break or have other issues, then this is a clear indication that a remodel is needed. Don't take these signs for granted. As time passes, the issues are only going to get worse and cost even more to repair. A remodel will ensure that all the plumbing pipes and fixtures are working properly and that there are no other issues hidden in the walls of these rooms.
There is nothing more frustrating than trying to make a delicious meal in a small, cramped or disorganized space. If the kitchen isn't properly set up to accommodate ease of use, many people won't even use the space. A remodel can help redesign the setup, ensuring that homeowners can enjoy making meals for their family without the frustration of the past setup.
The same is true for a bathroom. If there isn't enough storage, or if the space is cramped, it often feels uncomfortable. Who wants to try and relax in the bathtub in an uncomfortable bathroom? A remodel can help with this issue, too.
As anyone can see, there are several indications of a problem with a bathroom or kitchen. If a homeowner notices any of these issues, they should think about investing in a remodel. In the long run, it will be well worth the investment made. Just be sure to find the right contractor for the job.


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All of the Compass Rose Theater faculty are teaching artists with a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in theater from an accredited institution. Some have Masters Degrees in theater as well. All of our faculty have teaching experience with a range of student populations and a depth of knowledge of how to challenge and stimulate the creative process within students individually and as an acting ensemble.
Stephanie Ichniowski
Stephanie Ichniowski is a recent graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, and received her BFA in Drama with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. She is a local actor who loves musicals, Shakespeare, and discovering new works. During her senior year of college, she was a part of Stella Adler Studio of Acting's Outreach Tour production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, where she and her fellow cast mates brought the show to several communities that may not get exposed to Shakespeare, or theatre in general. Through this experience, she found a passion for teaching and helping others discover a love for theatre. She is excited to work as a teaching artist with Compass Rose Theater, and bring theatre to students so that they may not only grow as artists, but as people as well.
Andy Clemence
Andy Clemence has been a professional stage, film, and voice actor for 35 years, appearing in lead roles at The Kennedy Center, Ford's Theatre, American Century Theatre, and Folger Shakespeare Theatre. Andy does extensive voice acting for Graphic Audio Productions and performed for 15 years with the political comedy troupe The Capitol Steps, portraying President GW Bush all across the U.S. and Off-Broadway. In Hollywood, Andy starred in a number of films for Syfy-Universal including Black Forest with Academy Award™ winner Ben Cross, Super Cyclone with Ming-Na (Marvel's Agents of SHIELD), and Rise Of The Zombies with LaVar Burton and Danny Trejo. He also appeared as the Secretary of Labor on House Of Cards opposite Academy Award™ winner Kevin Spacey. Andy is a teaching artist and private acting coach to both youth and adult actors, many of whom have signed with top agents from NY and LA as a result. He has taught Masterclasses in "Acting and Auditioning for Film & Television," "Self-Taping Auditions for Actors," and "The Business of Acting" at The Actor's Center, The Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, Adventure Theatre MTC, The Drama Learning Center, and Carroll County Community College. He provides Video Audition taping services, on-camera coaching, audition preparation, scene study, and career & industry consultations. Andy holds a BFA degree in Acting from The Catholic University Of America. He is represented by Jordan, Gill, and Dornbaum Talent Agency in NYC, and is a life-long member of the Screen Actor's Guild and Actor's Equity Association.
Marshall Bailey
Marshall Bailey is a BA Theatre Arts graduate of Salisbury University. He couldn't be more excited to be apart of the Compass Rose teaching team. Marshall discovered the theater and acting in high school and has never looked back. He continued to act in several productions throughout his college career, playing characters such as Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Harcourt in The Country Wife, and Soranzo in Tis' Pity She's a Whore. In 2018, he found himself in the amazing acting company at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Marshall first began teaching during his education internship at the Salisbury Zoological Park where he found great joy in connecting with families and children about the fascinating animals of the world. Marshall is delighted at every chance to help Compass Rose Theater reach out to our community and make new connections and partnerships.
Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Kyler Downs has worked for more than 20 years in LA and NY. She has looped movies, recorded voice-overs and video games, (including multiple characters for the entire World Of Warcraft series) and appeared in TV and on film. Some of her TV credits include CSI Miami, Robbery Homicide Division, Will And Grace, Another World and One Life To Live. On film she's worked with wonderful actors like Robert Hayes, James McCaffrey and Alexandra Wentworth. Commercials you have seen her in include Fed-Ex, Nyquil, Toyota, Applebees, Taco Bell, AT&T and Verizon. A professional jazz singer and published songwriter, Rebecca also collaborated on music for films like The Wedding Crashers, Monster-In-Law, The Cooler and Down With Love. Since her recent move to Annapolis she has kept busy working with The Colonial Players in several local productions, including 33 Variations (WATCH award nominee), Nine and Masha Sonja Vanya and Spike.
Mallory Shear
Mallory Shear has over a decade of teaching experience at theatres and schools such as Signature Theatre, Adventure Theatre, The Folger Theatre, Holy Child and The Landon School. She is a classically trained actor who completed an apprenticeship with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and went on to specialize in stage combat, stunt work and intimacy choreography. She is certified in numerous weapons through the Society of American Fight Directors and a certified Intermediate Actor Combatant with Fight Directors Canada. She has choreographed for Molotov Theatre, Pinky Swear Productions, Venus Theatre, Flying V, and Studio Theatre Conservatory, among many others. She stunt coordinated the award winning short: The Croquet Calamity and is a resident fighter with the Maryland Renaissance Faire. She completed stunt training abroad and is also a proud Associate Member of SDC.
Matthew Crawford
Matthew graduated Suma Cum Laude with his Bachelors in Theatre from SUNY Plattsburgh. He has performed in New York and Colorado, but has been performing in the DMV area since 2011. Select credits include joining the acting company at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, Bernard in Boeing Boeing, James in James and the Giant Peach, & Thenardier in Les Miserables. He is excited to share his knowledge and experience with the next generation of actors as a teaching artist.
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