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iConquerMS™ Newsletter
The Accelerated Cure Project and the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society Collaborate to Advance Patient-Reported Outcomes in MS Research, Patient Care and Product Development
WALTHAM, Mass., May 30, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The iConquerMS™ People-Powered Research Network, managed by Accelerated Cure Project, and the Italian MS Society PROMOPRO-MS database have announced a collaboration on a project to explore the feasibility of standardizing and harmonizing patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures between the two initiatives. Both organizations have substantial experience in collecting PROs for MS research and healthcare.
The overall goal of the collaboration is to improve the health, healthcare and quality of life of people affected by MS by capturing the entire experience of symptoms, abilities and quality of life in a standardized form. There is a rapidly growing interest in shared treatment decision-making in MS based on PROs. Incorporating the "patient voice" in research, drug development, drug approvals, and healthcare technology assessments, requires the standardization and harmonization of PRO measures for MS in culturally appropriate ways, across different countries.
Despite the progress that has been made in MS treatment research over the past 25 years, people with MS and their physicians are faced with substantial challenges in treatment decision-making. Benefit-risk profiles of the available disease modifying therapeutics (DMTs) are complex and major evidence gaps still remain, particularly on the effects of treatment on the symptoms, disabilities and quality of life areas that matter most to people with MS.
"As a person living with MS who experiences many debilitating symptoms that are not routineIy collected in a standardized form at or between clinic visits, nor in clinical trials for new MS medicines, I am excited by the prospect that this collaboration will bring the outcomes that matter most to people affected by MS into every aspect of my care and in research to improve treatments," said Laura Kolaczkowski, Co-Principal Investigator of the iConquerMS™ People-Powered Research Network.
"This collaboration aims to establish a system and tools for the collection, presentation and interpretation of patient-reported health information and outcomes for MS, in culturally-appropriate ways, across countries for use in research and in shared healthcare decision-making," commented Giampaolo Brichetto, Coordinator of Research in Rehabilitation and Principal Investigator of the PROMOPRO-MS database at the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society Foundation.
There are a very large number of PRO survey instruments for MS, and their ad hoc use in addressing research questions are confounding factors for translating the results of research studies involving PROs into improvements in the health, healthcare and quality of life for people with MS. There have been a number of publications on the relationships amongst the diverse PRO survey instruments. A clear need has been identified for more research on the systems and tools used for MS PRO collection, and the presentation and interpretation of PROs for use in healthcare decision-making.
"The results of the collaboration will provide important insights to advise Regulatory Agencies and the other stakeholders on an appropriate patient-reported outcome core data set to be collected and included in MS registries and beyond," said Paola Zaratin, Italian MS Society Scientific Director.
"Standardizing, and harmonizing the use of, a core set of PRO measures for MS across countries and cultures will ultimately enable patients, physicians, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders to 'speak the same language' worldwide about the entire experience of MS beyond standard clinical assessments, and for that information to be included along with clinical assessments in electronic health records and registries, in research studies, and as outcome measures in product development clinical trials," explained Robert McBurney, Co-Principal Investigator of the iConquerMS™ People-Powered Research Network and CEO of Accelerated Cure Project.
About the iConquerMS™ People-Powered Research Network
iConquerMS™ (www.iConquerMS.org) is a research initiative by and for individuals affected by MS who contribute their ideas and their health data. iConquerMS™ was established in 2014 by the Accelerated Cure Project for MS, a non-profit organization with proven experience sharing resources with MS researchers worldwide, in partnership with Feinstein Kean Healthcare (www.fkhealth.com) and Arizona State University. To date, funding for iConquerMS™ has been largely provided by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) (www.PCORI.org) and the initiative is part of PCORnet (www.pcornet.org), the national patient-centred clinical research network. Almost 5,000 individuals living with MS are currently registered as iConquerMS™ research participants, constituting a large and growing cohort for data-driven research into topics of interest for people affected MS. iConquerMS™ is available for and enthusiastically open to research collaborations with U.S. and international academic, government and industry organizations.
About Accelerated Cure Project
Accelerated Cure Project (www.acceleratedcure.org) is a patient-founded non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating research efforts to improve diagnoses, optimize treatment outcomes, and develop cures for MS. The organization promotes scientific collaboration and accelerates research by rapidly and cost-effectively providing researchers with resources they need to explore novel research ideas that can lead to better outcomes for people living with MS. The major programs of Accelerated Cure Project are the ACP Repository and the iConquerMS™ People-Powered Research Network.
About the Italian MS Society
The Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society - AISM, through its Foundation - FISM (Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation), is the leading funding agency of MS research in Italy and the third leading funding agency worldwide of research to better understand the causes of illness, to improve the quality of life of people with MS (PwMS), and to provide better treatment towards a definitive cure for a MS. The overall goal of the Italian MS Society is to make the bridge walkable between PwMS and healthcare government agencies and thus support PwMS in making decisions for their treatments and quality of life. The Italian MS Society performs research in the area of PRO through the PROMOPRO-MS initiative that has been funded since 2013.
Accelerated Cure Project and iConquerMS™ Contact for Media:
Kristin Mulligan
Feinstein Kean Healthcare
Accelerated Cure Project and iConquerMS™ Contact for All Other Inquiries:
Sara Loud
Accelerated Cure Project, Inc.
Italian MS Society Contact for Media:
Roberta Guglielmino
Italian MS Society
Italian MS Society Contact for All Other Inquiries:
Giampaolo Brichetto
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Joined Robotics Embedded Systems Lab at USC as a Visiting Scholar with Prof. Gauarv Sukhatme.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Dakotaline manufacturers and retails our own line of trapping products for the trapper. We are committed to excellence, value and service. Our products are top rated in the industry. If you don't see what your looking for contact us.


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R. v. Carvery and R. v. Summers
These two cases consider the ability of a trial judge to grant an offender enhanced credit for the time he or she spends in custody between conviction and sentencing.
Until 2009, judges would commonly grant an offender credit of 2 days for every 1 day spent in custody between the date of conviction and the date of sentence. Judges would grant this enhanced credit because time in pre-sentence custody does not count toward parole eligibility and generally affords an offender less access to educational and rehabilitative programs that will assist with reintegration into the community.
In 2009, Parliament passed the Truth in Sentencing Act. The Act reduced the amount of enhanced credit a trial judge could grant to a maximum of 1.5 days. These cases consider the proper interpretation of that law and the circumstances in which a trial judge should grant the maximum credit allowed under Act.
The Crown argues that judges should not grant the maximum 1.5 days of credit unless there are circumstances unique to the offender that justify enhanced credit. Circumstances that are systematic or universal to offenders (such as the conditions of custody or parole eligibility) should not be considered.
The BCCLA argues that the Truth in Sentencing Act should be interpreted in accordance with the values and principles developed in sentencing case law. In particular, the proper interpretation of the Act should be sensitive to the liberty interests at stake and should be aimed at determining a fit sentence that is proportionate to the offence and offender. The BCCLA argues that the proper interpretation of the Act would permit a sentencing judge to consider both individualized and systematic factors in determining whether to grant the maximum 1.5 days of enhanced credit.
The BCCLA is represented by Ryan Dalziel and Anne Amos-Stewart of Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP.
The BCCLA's argument in this case is available here.
Supreme Court of Canada.
Topic: Sentencing
Type: Legal Cases

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Teen Spring Bling 2017 is a huge Spring Break Party hosted by Hot 107.9's Durtty Boyz' J-Nicks and Sponsored by Fresh Empire. 5 Star Franko will be one of only 5 artist booked to perform. Teens must be at least 14 but no older than 19. Tickets online for only $5.


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Earthquake of scale 7.1 degrees leaves California in panic – Understand the feared San Andreas fault that causes seismic instability
As a result of the movement of two tectonic plates, San Andreas is one of the most famous faults in the planet and brings seismic instability to California, which in the last ten days recorded more than 100 tremors in the south region – among them a magnitude 7.1 earthquake higher in 20 years in the area.
Every time California records an earthquake, a question is asked again: are we closer to The Big One?
This is the expected potentially devastating mega-earthquake that at some point can strike the American West from a gigantic, famous crack called the San Andreas fault – a result of the movement of two tectonic plates that bring seismic instability to the region.
This week, earthquakes again startled California. More than 100 tremors have hit southern US state in the past ten days.
After a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the region on Thursday, a new earthquake, this time of magnitude 7.1, rocked southern California on Friday night. It was the biggest quake recorded in the region in 20 years.
Earthquake from the southern area of the San Andreas fault would have a direct impact on Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the US – Photo: Skeeze / Visual Hunt
As far as we know, the epicenter of this last and powerful quake was 200 miles from Los Angeles and, despite causing landslides, property damage and fire, the earthquake left no serious injuries.
Experts, however, say the two strong tremors have occurred "in the same seismic fault" that is different and far from the San Andreas fault, likely to cause "Big One." They further say that these two recent tremors are unlikely to cause earthquakes in San Andreas.
California is an earthquake-prone region, as it lies on a series of cracks in the earth's crust, where tectonic plates meet and move.
This movement of the plates gave rise to one of the most famous faults of the planet, that of San Andreas. The friction between these two tectonic plates is responsible for frequent tremors in California, classified as one of the areas of greatest tectonic instability on the planet.
San Andreas is the largest of these cracks and potentially the most dangerous to mark the boundary between the two largest tectonic plates on the planet.
San Andreas is approximately 1,300 kilometers long and delimits the North American tectonic plate and the Pacific plate. The sliding between the plates causes great instability throughout the state of California, and was the main cause of the violent earthquake that shook the city of San Francisco in 1906.
And on those boards are huge urban centers, among them Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the US, and San Diego, with 38 million inhabitants.
In 1906, California saw a magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastate much of the city of San Francisco, leaving more than 3,000 dead when the central part of the fault broke.
But what most worries researchers is the southern part of the fault, where there is no earthquake shaking for about 300 years. Geological records indicate that high-volume shocks tend to occur every 150 years in the region, so it is believed that this area of the San Andreas fault is accumulating tension.
The last major earthquake in this area dates back to 1700, but there are no recorded details of how potent and what damage was caused by the quake.
At the National Earthquake Conference in California in 2016, scientists warned that the southern area of the San Andreas fault was "loaded and ready" to cause great fear.
Simulations of the effects of a major earthquake were made and indicated that a tremor of 7.8 would be able to start a rupture in southern California, sprawling north to reach Los Angeles.
More conservative calculations indicate that a tremor of this magnitude in this specific area of San Andreas could cause the death of 2,000 people and leave more than 50,000 injured.
The simulations also indicated that 1% of real estate in an area of 10 million people would be dumped and more than half of the buildings would have to be vacated. The material damages would be over 200 billion dollars, equivalent to more than 700 thousand reais.
After the great San Francisco earthquake in northern California, new regulations were introduced, forcing the reinforcement of concrete-built structures, many of which house schools and hospitals. In 2014, the City of Los Angeles proposed similar regulations.
Earlier this year, an earthquake early warning system similar to that in countries with high seismic activity, such as Japan or Mexico, came online.
It's a mobile app that alerts Los Angeles residents up to 40 seconds before an earthquake of magnitude 5 or higher. This not only helps to alert the population, but also the authorities.
For experts, the question is not whether the San Andreas fault will break in Southern California, but when will it happen.
They fear "superterremoto" by displacement…
Understand the Great South American Solar Eclipse…
California Just Made History With a Ruling on…
California Just Became The First State to Require…
Photographer registers marine bird feeding cub with cigarette butt


A Lagos-based lawyer, Gideon Okebu, has filed a suit before a Federal High Court, Lagos, seeking an order expunging a section of the Administration of Criminal Act (ACJA), which provides for the trial of any defendant in absentia.
Okebu in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/150/19, listed the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the National Assembly as the first and second respondents.
The lawyer also wants the court to declare that the second ambit of Section 354(4) of ACJA 2015, which provides trial in absentia as a gross violation of his rights and general public's constitutional rights to fair hearing as contained in Section 36(4) and 6(6)(d) of their Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
He also wants the court to declare as null and void the said second ambit of section 352(4) of ACJA 2015, for being inconsistent with the provision and spirit of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and interpreted by the Supreme Court.
The applicant also wants the court to direct the defendants jointly or severally to pay him the sum of N2 million been the cost of instituting the suit.
The lawyer stated that one of the ground for the reliefs sought is that by virtue of Sections 36(6)(d) of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999, any Nigerian who is charged with a criminal offence shall be entitled to fair hearing and entitled to examine in person or by his legal practitioner witnesses called by the prosecution before any court in Nigeria.
He also stated that the procedure for trial in absentia as provided by Section 352(4) of ACJA 2015, circumvents the guaranteed constitutional provisions and procedures for fair hearing as laid down in the Constitution.
Okebu in an affidavit in support of the suit averred that the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria came into force on 29th May, 1999, wherein himself and other peoples of Nigeria resolved that the Constitution would be Supreme. Adding that I am aware that the Constitution of Nigeria provides for the rights of persons charged with criminal offences and some of the procedures to be followed in criminal trials.
He also stated that he is aware that Superior Courts of record in Nigeria including the Supreme Court, have interpreted the rights and procedures constitutionally provided for in criminal trial.
The plaintiff also stated that himself and other Nigerians had prior to the year 2015, been given the right to be present in Court during every criminal proceeding to which we are parties or representatives. And that on 13th May 2015, when the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 was passed by the second Defendant into law, the second ambit of Section 352(4) of the said Act made it possible for the criminal trial of any Nigerian to go on in his absence up until conviction.
And that pursuant to Section 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, online news reports, on 20th November 2018, reported that a Nigerian was tried in his absence despite the explanations put forward by his Counsel.
He also stated that on 22nd November 2018, he watched a live broadcast of a program called "Journalist Handout", where a number of Nigerians expressed their disapprobation about the trial in absentia procedure and further expressed general resentments about the Criminal justice System, which a majority of the Nigerians who called in on the program regarded as highly vindictive and offensive to the rule of law.
He stated that his right as a Nigerian citizen, as well as his right as a legal practitioner to be present and/or represent his Clients in every criminal proceeding, is prejudiced by the trial in absentia procedure. Adding that the legitimacy of the Criminal Justice System and the hopes of the common man and the general public are all affected by trial in absentia.
Okebu, while urging the court to grant the declarations and order sought, said he deposed to the affidavit in good faith conscientiously and objectively believing same to be true and in accordance with the Oaths Act 2004.


A vinyl test pressing in an edition of two for Hundred Year Old Man's 'Breaching' album. Only five test pressings of this album are in existence - the other three being owned by the label and artist.
This very special edition comes with a custom sleeve - designed, hand-printed, and numbered by Richard Knox. The sleeve involves multiple layers of mixed media colours with silkscreened artwork on the back, hand-cut logo on the front and a specially printed Gizeh plastic overbag. Also included is an exclusive silkscreened 29x29cm print featuring artwork from the etched side D of the album.


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MP Stephen Metcalfe backs funding for literacy and numeracy in the workplace
By peterg on October 21, 2014 No Comment
SOUTH BASILDON and East Thurrock, MP Stephen Metcalfe has shown his support for a National Consortium of Colleges and Providers (NCCP) campaign to alert British businesses to the potential £50m of funding available to provide basic literacy and numeracy training in the workplace.
Some of the biggest names in Basic Skills provision have launched the major national campaign, named 'For Business, For Life'. Together, as the NCCP, they are reaching out to business leaders in every sector to tell them about the advantages of their employees receiving training in English and maths. In addition to acquiring more confident and ambitious workers, the vast majority will receive government funding for the training. It will cost them nothing.1
For the first time, funding is now available for all businesses, from start-ups to FTSE100 giants, to bring English and maths into the workplace at no cost to themselves.1And for small businesses, there is a cash incentive to improve their employees' skills.
Stephen Metcalfe commented: "It is so important that employers are made aware of every opportunity available to help benefit and improve their workforces.
The training and improving of these skills will not only benefit businesses, but also perform a huge social good to people up and down the country, who for one reason or another have fallen out of step with some of the most basic of life skills.
"I encourage all interested employers to visit the NCCP website at http://www.ncc.ac.uk/ and have a look at this incredible opportunity."
MP Stephen Metcalfe backs funding for literacy and numeracy in the workplace added by peterg on October 21, 2014


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Північно-Західний Мекленбург () — район у Німеччині, у складі федеральної землі Мекленбург-Передня Померанія. Адміністративний центр — місто Вісмар.

Населення
Населення району становить  осіб (станом на ).

Адміністративний поділ
Район складається з двох самостійних міст, однієї самостійної громади, а також 83 міст і громад (), об'єднаних в 9 об'єднань громад ().

Дані про населення наведені станом на . Зірочками (*) позначені центри об'єднань громад.

Самостійні міста і громада:
 Вісмар, місто ()
 Грефесмюлен, місто ()
 Інзель-Пель ()

Об'єднання громад:

Примітки

Посилання
Офіційний сайт

Райони Мекленбургу-Передньої Померанії

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Middle East & Africa is one of the world's most diverse business centres, and has become the focus for many companies looking to move into a dynamic and vibrant region brimming with possibilities.
The 2016 Business Awards recognise and reward the truly outstanding work done by the Middle East's and Africa's most talented, dedicated and experienced businesses, departments and individuals. Now in its second year, this programme focuses on all sectors and industries, and we welcome businesses of all sizes and in all locations.
If you have any further questions about the awards programme, you can view our FAQ page HERE.
Winners Announced! Please see Below for Winner's Supplement and Full List of Winners!!


Whether you're looking for the right candidate for an exciting role or you're ready to make your next big career move, you've come to the right place!
Tell us about yourself by completing the form below. Your information is always kept confidential.


Losing Weight - Are Diet Plans Worth That?
One morning I woke up and asked myself how to get those 6-pack abs fast and almost effortlessly. After researching a few exercises and fitness routine I visited an answer of my question. There's really no way for ordinary synthetic me may to get six pack abs you desire you in order to. Maybe celebrities with a personal trainer completely nothing to do than imagine their exercise program can accomplish it fast.
So, an individual might be thinking calm use an agreeable facial in which means you can and also feel extremely. But besides the delicate skin on your forehead, cheeks, chin, and neck, there will be something else believe about anyone begin slathering on cream. Your face is the last place where you'd need to put harsh chemicals wanting to learn cause irritation or a hypersensitive reaction.
Most of us are very concious our aging cases. This shows in our willingness to spend huge amounts of money on anti aging skincare products. Not only do we purchase large quantities of anti aging natual skin care treatments, we spend billions on cosmetic surgery to look younger as well. None of us want to look older than we are; advertising and marketing rather look much younger.


This article reports on the relations between depression and stages of change for smoking cessation. A convenience sample of 205 psychiatric outpatients (68% female, mean age 41) completed measures of depression (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders [PRIME-MD] and Beck Depression Inventory-II [BDI-II]), all transtheoretical model constructs related to smoking (stages and processes of change, pros and cons of smoking, and situational temptations), and thoughts about abstinence. As hypothesized, patients who had never smoked showed substantially lower rates of currently diagnosed major depressive disorder (MDD) than those who had ever smoked. Patients in early stages of change did not show more MDD or depressive symptoms but, as hypothesized, showed more negative thoughts about abstinence. Findings are consistent with the documented association between smoking and depression and suggest the appropriateness of building smoking cessation interventions based on the transtheoretical model of change for use with psychiatric populations.
Keywords: Smoking, depression, stages of change, outpatients, comorbidity.
Nicotine is among the drugs most commonly abused by people with psychiatric disorders. Over 50% of psychiatric patients smoke, a rate about twice that of the general population. An early study of a psychiatric population indicated that prevalence of nicotine use was associated with prevalence of schizophrenia, alcohol abuse, and major depressive disorder (MDD) (Hughes, Hatsukami, Mitchell, & Dahlbren, 1986). As part of a larger effort to develop smoking cessation strategies for psychiatric populations, the aim of the present study was to test hypotheses related to smoking, depression, and stages of change, and to provide a current description of cognitive and motivational aspects of smoking in psychiatric outpatients in a large, urban psychiatric clinic.
Cigarette smoking is associated with both depressive symptoms and MDD. Nicotine is strongly associated with negative affect. Sad or anxious people may turn to nicotine as a way to regulate negative affect, and psychiatric patients, especially those with clinical mood disorders such as depression, are at great risk for negative affect (Hall, Muñoz, Reus, & Sees, 1993).
There has been considerable interest in continuous measures of depressive symptoms as risk factors for smoking. Studies conducted with a diversity of participant samples have for the most part demonstrated heavier smoking patterns and fewer quit attempts among more depressed smokers. In a cross-sectional study, depressive symptoms were positively correlated with current smoking and negatively correlated with likelihood of quitting smoking (Anda et al., 1990). Longitudinal data collected 9 years later indicated that initially depressed smokers were 40% less likely to have quit than initially non-depressed smokers (Anda et al., 1990). In a longitudinal study of older women, however, depressive symptoms at baseline decreased the likelihood of continued smoking (Salive & Blazer, 1993). In a longitudinal study of 15- and 16-year-olds, depressive symptoms at baseline increased the likelihood of heavy smoking at ages 24-25 (Kandel & Davies, 1986). Among Latino adults, current smokers had more depressive symptoms than former smokers or never smokers (Perez-Stable, Marin, Marin, & Katz, 1990).
Whereas a number of studies have related smoking and depressive symptoms, other studies have related smoking and diagnosed MDD. In a representative U.S. sample, people with a history of MDD were more likely to have a history of regular smoking than were controls (Glassman et al., 1990). In a random U.S. sample of young adults, people with nicotine dependence had higher rates of MDD and anxiety disorders than controls (Breslau, Kilbey, & Andreski, 1991). Among heavy smokers, dysphoric mood and a history of MDD were positively correlated with returning to smoking after a quit attempt (Glassman et al., 1988).
Prochaska and DiClemente (1983) have suggested that motivation to quit smoking can be described as a series of stages of change. The stages provide a framework for organizing and monitoring smoking cessation progress. The model includes five stages: (a) precontemplation--a person has no immediate plan to stop smoking; (b) contemplation--a person is contemplating stopping smoking in the next 6 months; (c) preparation--a person is considering stopping smoking in the next month and has made at least one quit attempt in the past year; (d) action--a person has quit smoking for under 6 months; and (e) maintenance--a person has quit smoking for at least 6 months. The transtheoretical model includes both motivational aspects (stages of change, situational temptations) and cognitive aspects (processes of change, pros and cons).
Stages of change have been shown to have high reliability and stability (Morera et al., 1998) and high predictive and construct validity (Crittenden, Manfredi, Warnecke, Cho, & Parsons, 1998). As theorized, stages of change in smoking are related to self-efficacy (Velicer, DiClemente, Rossi, & Prochaska, 1990), decision-making (Velicer, DiClemente, Prochaska, & Brandenburg, 1985), and experiential (i.e., cognitive or affective) and behavioral (i.e., contingency learning) processes of change (Prochaska et al., 1988).
The transtheoretical model was developed through observations of how people quit smoking on their own and has proven useful in the design of tailored interventions for smoking cessation (Prochaska, DiClemente, Velicer, & Rossi, 1993). The model has also been applied to the process of change in psychotherapy and shown to be predictive of who remains in treatment (Brogan, Prochaska, & Prochaska, 1999). Although interventions to date have focused mainly on the general population, there is reason to believe that the model will also prove useful in the examination of clinical populations. Before attempting to develop interventions for smoking cessation in clinical populations, it is important to determine the extent to which constructs of the model hold up in these populations, which is one major purpose of this study.
Two theories of depression suggest a relation between depression and stages of change. The contemplation stage is characterized by intending to quit smoking in the next 6 months without actually taking action. Such contemplation bears a strong resemblance to the rumination that is thought to perpetuate depression (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). Moreover, both the contemplation and preparation stages are characterized by a failure to achieve one's ideal of quitting smoking. A discrepancy between one's ideal goal and one's actual behavior is thought to result in dejection (Higgins, 1987), and such dejection seems likely to result in higher levels of depression. Although they have not previously been connected, these theories of depression and the stages of change model bear a certain kinship in explaining smoking and depression.
Thoughts about abstinence are another important determinant of smoking cessation. Specifically, commitment to total abstinence has been shown to be related to success in maintaining nonsmoking and to time between first use and relapse (Hall, Havassy, & Wasserman, 1990).
Thoughts about abstinence should be related to stages of change in predictable ways. For example, precontemplation (having no plans to quit) might be associated with negative thoughts about abstinence, such as lack of desire for abstinence and greater expected difficulty with abstinence. In addition, a person in precontemplation has, by definition, no plans to quit smoking and therefore does not have a goal of total abstinence. Later stages might be characterized by greater expectation of success at abstinence because such expectation of success comes from the experience of success, and such experience is a definitional feature of the later stages.
We proposed the following hypotheses regarding smoking, depression, and stages of change.
(1) As compared with patients who have never smoked, patients who have ever smoked show higher rates of MDD.
(2) As compared with patients who have never smoked and those in later stages of change, patients in earlier stages show higher rates of MDD and higher levels of depressive symptoms.
(3) As compared with patients in later stages of change, patients in earlier stages report less desire for abstinence, less expectation of success at abstinence, greater expected difficulty with abstinence, and lower rates of commitment to total abstinence.
In addition to testing these hypotheses, we sought to describe the sample in terms of constructs of the transtheoretical model, including stages of change, pros and cons of smoking, situational temptations, and processes of change.
All participants signed forms giving informed consent and completed depression measures. Those participants who indicated on a screening form that they had smoked in the past year also completed a packet that included transtheoretical model and abstinence measures.
Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders. The PRIME-MD (Spitzer et al., 1994) is a brief (average of 8.4 minutes) computer-administered instrument that provides screening diagnoses of current psychopathology (as opposed to lifetime psychopathology) in several diagnostic categories, including mood, anxiety, alcohol, and eating disorders. Diagnoses on the PRIME-MD tend to agree with those of independent mental health professionals (for the diagnosis of any PRIME-MD disorder, kappa = .71; overall accuracy rate = 88%) (Spitzer et al., 1994). PRIME-MD diagnoses are associated with significant impairment in health-related quality of life (Spitzer et al., 1995). In keeping with the hypotheses, this study included only diagnoses of MDD rather than all psychopathology.
Beck Depression Inventory-II. The BDI-II (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) is a widely used 21-item measure of depression that has been shown to have acceptable psychometric properties (Dozois, Dobson, & Ahnberg, 1998). Total scores can be divided into cognitive and somatic subscales.
Stages of change questions. This five-item measure (DiClemente et al., 1991) was used to place patients into one of the following five stages (described above): precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, or maintenance. Despite not having completed the stages of change questions, participants who had smoked previously but not in the past year were assigned to the maintenance stage.
Smoking status. Categories of smoking status were created based on the stages of change questions. "Current smokers" were defined as those in the precontemplation, contemplation, or preparation stages; "former smokers" were defined as those in the action or maintenance stages; and "ever smokers" were defined as those in any of the stages of change as contrasted with those who had never smoked.
Pros and Cons of Smoking. This six-item instrument was designed to examine elements of decision making in smoking (Velicer et al., 1985). It is divided into two subscales of three items each, one pertaining to the pros of smoking and one to the cons of smoking.
Situational Temptation Inventory. Originally developed as a 31-item measure of situational cues triggering smoking behavior, this inventory was later reanalyzed, and three factors of tempting smoking situations emerged: Positive/Social, Negative/Affective, and Habit/Addictive (Velicer et al., 1990). Finally, a nine-item short form was developed with three items covering each of the factors. This short form was used in the present study.
Process of Change Inventory. This 40-item inventory (Prochaska et al., 1988) measures ten activities used by smokers to change their smoking behavior. The processes are characterized as behavioral or experiential. Experiential processes involve cognitive or affective activities, including the following processes: Consciousness Raising, Environmental Reevaluation, Self-Reevaluation, Social Liberation, and Dramatic Relief. Behavioral processes involve the learning of behavioral contingencies, including the following processes: Helping-Relationship, Self-Liberation, Counterconditioning, Reinforcement Management, and Stimulus Control. A 20-item short form of the original instrument was used for the present study.
Thoughts About Abstinence. This four-item questionnaire (Hall et al., 1990) includes one item rating desire for abstinence, one rating expectation of success at abstinence, one rating expected difficulty with abstinence, and one assessing goals for abstinence. The first three items were rated on a 10-point Likert scale. The last item was dichotomized into whether or not participants endorsed total abstinence as their goal.
Participants were 205 outpatients receiving treatment at Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at the University of California, San Francisco. Between August 1998 and March 1999 potential participants were recruited into the study in three ways. First, fliers were placed in waiting rooms in the outpatient psychiatric clinic and were attached to registration materials. Second, all new patients received a verbal description of the study when they were called to be reminded of their initial intake appointment. Third, patients in the partial hospitalization program at the clinic were recruited from a community meeting. Interested patients were told that they would be asked to fill out computerized and paper questionnaires taking approximately 30-50 minutes and that they would be reimbursed $25 for their participation.
Over two-thirds of the sample were female (n = 139). There were 29% minority participants, including 10% African American, 5% Asian American, 6% Latin American, 2% Native American, and 5% other minority participants, with the remaining 71% being white. Ages ranged from 21 to 92 (M = 41.2, SD = 12.3). The average number per household was 1.8 (SD = 1.1). Household income averaged $35,696 (SD = $42,055). Years of education averaged 15.6 (SD = 3.3).
The stage distribution of the sample was described. Never smokers were compared with ever smokers on MDD using logistic regressions. Depression diagnosis (measured by the PRIME-MD) and the abstinence goal item in Thoughts About Abstinence were analyzed using chi-square statistics across stages of change (including never smokers for MDD). Pros and Cons, the Situational Temptation Inventory, the Process of Change Inventory, Thoughts About Abstinence (other than the abstinence goal item), and the BDI-II were analyzed using one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) across stages of change (for the BDI-II, this included never smokers). Except where otherwise noted, all reported statistics are significant at p < .05.
When the full sample was broken down by stage of change, 8% were in precontemplation, 12% in contemplation, 8% in preparation, 8% in action, and 33% in maintenance, leaving 31% who had never smoked. Over two-thirds of the full sample (69%) had ever smoked, with 28% being current smokers and 41% former smokers. Among current smokers, number of cigarettes per day averaged 17.1 (SD = 11.7). The sample included more females (68%) and was more highly educated (M = 15.6 years, SD = 3.3) than representative samples of the populations of California, Rhode Island, and other areas of the United States (Velicer et al., 1995). Comparisons of stage distribution indicated that the present sample was more ready to quit smoking than the representative samples mentioned, with a smaller percentage of current smokers (i.e., excluding former and never smokers) in precontemplation (29% vs. 37-42%), about the same percentage in contemplation (43% vs. 39-47%), and a larger percentage in preparation (28% vs. 16-20%).
Use of the processes of change for smoking cessation in our psychiatric sample (Table 1) was similar to that found in previous studies. The current sample used behavioral processes increasingly as they moved from the early stages of change (e.g., precontemplation) to the late stages (e.g., maintenance) (F[4, 72] = 3.55). Use of experiential processes, however, was high across all stages (F[4, 72] = .71, ns). From precontemplation to contemplation, the trend was for pros of smoking to decrease and for cons of smoking to increase. Temptations tended to increase from precontemplation to preparation then decrease from preparation to maintenance.
The first hypothesis was that psychiatric outpatients who have ever smoked have higher rates of MDD than do those who have never smoked. Data (Table 2) corroborated this hypothesis (Wald chi-square = 4.86), with the odds of never smokers having a current diagnosis of MDD being 51% lower than those of ever smokers (OR = .51).
The second hypothesis was that psychiatric outpatients in earlier stages of change have higher rates of MDD and more depressive symptoms than do those in later stages and those who have never smoked. The data on MDD showed little variability across stages of smoking cessation, including the category of never smokers (chi-square = 5.91, ns). The data on depressive symptoms (as measured by BDI-II total score; Table 3) also showed little variability across stages of smoking cessation, including the category of never smokers (F[5, 199] = 1.32, ns).
The third hypothesis was that psychiatric outpatients in earlier stages of change report less desire for abstinence, less expectation of success at abstinence, greater expected difficulty with abstinence, and lower rates of commitment to total abstinence than those in later stages. The data on desire for abstinence (F[4, 73] = 12.50), expectation of success (F[4, 73] = 19.61), and expected difficulty (F[4, 74] = 4.03), but not on commitment (chi-square = .25, ns), corroborated this hypothesis (Table 1).
The current study examined the association between depression and stages of change for smoking cessation in a psychiatric outpatient sample. The proportion of current smokers with MDD in our sample was higher than that found in the Hughes et al. (1986) study of psychiatric outpatients (59% vs. 49%). The stage distribution of the current sample included a smaller percentage of current smokers in precontemplation and a larger percentage in preparation as compared to previous studies with nonpsychiatric samples (Velicer et al., 1995). The lower percentage of precontemplators in our outpatient sample may reflect the fact that highly educated people, such as those in our sample, are generally more ready to quit smoking. Alternatively, this discrepancy may reflect the fact that people who have sought therapy, such as those in our sample, are more ready to change aspects of their lives with which they are dissatisfied, including their smoking behavior.
Two other studies of psychiatric samples reported data on readiness to quit smoking and found dramatically higher proportions of participants in precontemplation. In a sample of chronically psychiatrically ill veterans in residential treatment, the proportion in precontemplation (56%) was nearly seven times that found in our sample (8%) (Hall et al., 1995). A sample of psychiatric inpatient current or former smokers were less ready to quit smoking than outpatient current or former smokers in our sample, with a larger proportion in precontemplation (53% vs. 12%) and a smaller proportion in maintenance (9% vs. 47%) (Carosella, Ossip-Klein, & Owens, 1999). This discrepancy may be due to the fact that one needs to have a certain level of functioning in order to consider working toward changing one's smoking behavior.
Patterns of associations among the transtheoretical model constructs in this clinical sample were similar to those observed in studies of the general population. Use of behavioral processes increased from precontemplation to maintenance. Use of experiential processes was high across all stages, perhaps reflecting a direct influence of a therapeutic relationship focused globally on processes such as consciousness raising and self-reevaluation, which may spill over into the context of smoking cessation even when therapy is focused on other issues. Previous studies have demonstrated low use of the change processes among precontemplators and long-term maintainers (Prochaska et al., 1988). Maintainers in our sample, however, had the highest scores of any group on both experiential and behavioral processes, indicating, perhaps, that psychiatric patients must put more effort into quitting smoking than do people in the general population. The distributions of pros and cons of smoking and of temptations to smoke were consistent with transtheoretical model theory. From precontemplation to contemplation, pros of smoking decreased whereas cons of smoking increased. Temptations to smoke increased from precontemplation to preparation then decreased from preparation to maintenance.
Likelihood of current MDD was significantly associated with smoking status; nonsmokers were 51% less likely to be diagnosed with MDD than were patients who had ever smoked. Given the trends in the data, it is possible that the second hypothesis of an association among depression and stage of change for smoking cessation would have been corroborated in a slightly larger sample. Data supporting the third hypothesis demonstrated that thoughts about abstinence are an important construct in smoking cessation.
The only evidence regarding the theoretical link between depression and stages of change was a trend toward elevation of contemplators on BDI-II total score. This trend could be attributed to the dread felt by smokers who are contemplating quitting in the next 6 months. In particular, such people may be ruminating over the prospect of quitting without actually taking action, and such rumination is thought to perpetuate depression (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). In addition to this dread, they may feel dejection over the discrepancy between their ideal goal for abstinence and their actual behavior (Higgins, 1987), and such dejection seems logically related to depression.
Limitations of the present study include self-report measurement of depression, retrospective-report measurement of thoughts about abstinence and processes of change, and use of a volunteer sample of convenience. Strengths include use of a relatively large sample of psychiatric outpatients and assessment of all constructs of the transtheoretical model of change.
This study has implications for designing interventions for smokers in treatment. Knowledge of a patient's stage of change for smoking cessation can inform use of treatment techniques. Providers can use stage of change assessments to identify the optimum time for intervening on patients' smoking behaviors. Inpatients and those who are more chronically and severely disturbed appear to be most resistant to quitting and are more likely to be found in precontemplation. Outpatients seeking treatment for mental health concerns may also be interested in working toward smoking cessation, and their motivation for change should be assessed. Promotion of experiential processes of change (e.g., self-reevaluation) among patients in the earlier stages of change and behavioral processes (e.g., counterconditioning) in the later stages has been shown effective (Prochaska et al., 1993). To move patients from precontemplation to contemplation the cons of smoking should be emphasized over the pros of smoking. Smoking cessation interventions that are tailored to a patient's stage of readiness to change are most likely to speed patients along toward long-term abstinence from smoking.
Note. Means appear first, followed in parentheses by standard deviations. * = one-way ANOVA (F[4, 74]) significant at p < .05; PC = precontemplation; C = contemplation; P = preparation; A = action; M = maintenance.
Note. Chi-square(5) was not significant at p < .05. NS = never smoked; PC = precontemplation; C = contemplation; P = preparation; A = action; M = maintenance. Percentages refer to percentages within each stage who have (versus do not have) major depressive disorder.
Note. Means appear first, followed in parentheses by standard deviations. One-way ANOVAs (F[5, 199]) indicated that no comparisons were significant at p < .05. NS = never smoked; PC = precontemplation; C = contemplation; P = preparation; A = action; M = maintenance.
Anda, R. F., Williamson, D. F., Escobedo, L. G., Mast, E. E., Giovino, G. A., & Remington, P. L. (1990). Depression and the dynamics of smoking. JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, 264, 1541-1549.
Breslau, N., Kilbey, M. M., & Andreski, P. (1991). Nicotine dependence, major depression, and anxiety in young adults. Archives of General Psychiatry, 48, 1069-1074.
Brogan, M. M., Prochaska, J. O., & Prochaska, J. M. (1999). Predicting termination and continuation status in psychotherapy using the transtheoretical model. Psychotherapy, 36, 105-113.
Carosella, A. M., Ossip-Klein, D. J., & Owens, C. A. (1999). Smoking attitudes, beliefs, and readiness to change among acute and long term care inpatients with psychiatric diagnoses. Addictive Behaviors, 24, 331-344.
Crittenden, K. S., Manfredi, C., Warnecke, R. B., Cho, Y. I., & Parsons, J. (1998). Measuring readiness and motivation to quit smoking among women in public health clinics: Predictive validity. Addictive Behaviors, 23, 191-199.
Dozois, D. J. A., Dobson, K. S., & Ahnberg, J. L. (1998). A psychometric evaluation of the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Psychological Assessment, 10, 83-89.
Glassman, A. H., Helzer, J. E., Covey, L. S., Cottler, L. B., Stetner, F., Tipp, J. E., & Johnson, J. (1990). Smoking, smoking cessation, and major depression. JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, 264, 1546-1549.
Glassman, A. H., Stetner, F., Walsh, B. T., Raizman, P. S., Fleiss, J. L., Cooper, T. B., & Covey, L. S. (1988). Heavy smokers, smoking cessation, and clonidine. JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, 259, 2863-2866.
Hall, R. G., Duhamel, M., McClanahan, R., Miles, G., Nason, C., Rosen, S., Schiller, P., Tao-Yonenaga, L., & Hall, S. M. (1995). Level of functioning, severity of illness, and smoking status among chronic psychiatric patients. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 183, 468-471.
Hall, S. M., Havassy, B. E., & Wasserman, D. A. (1990). Commitment to abstinence and acute stress in relapse to alcohol, opiates, and nicotine. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58, 175-181.
Hall, S. M., Muñoz, R. F., Reus, V. I., & Sees, K. L. (1993). Nicotine, negative affect, and depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 761-767.
Hughes, J. R., Hatsukami, D. K., Mitchell, J. E., & Dahlgren, L. A. (1986). Prevalence of smoking among psychiatric outpatients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 993-997.
Kandel, D. B., & Davies, M. (1986). Adult sequelae of adolescent depressive symptoms. Archives of General Psychiatry, 43, 255-262.
Morera, O. F., Johnson, T. P., Freels, S., Parsons, J., Crittenden, K. S., Flay, B. R., & Warnecke, R. B. (1998). The measure of stage of readiness to change: Some psychometric considerations. Psychological Assessment, 10, 182-186.
Perez-Stable, E. J., Marin, G., Marin, B. V., & Katz, M. H. (1990). Depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking among Latinos in San Francisco. American Journal of Public Health, 80, 1500-1502.
Prochaska, J. O., DiClemente, C. C., Velicer, W. F., & Rossi, J. S. (1993). Standardized, individualized, interactive, and personalized self-help programs for smoking cessation. Health Psychology, 12, 399-405.
Prochaska, J. O., Velicer, W. F., DiClemente, C. C., & Fava, J. L. (1988). Measuring processes of change: Applications to the cessation of smoking. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 520-528.
Salive, M. E., & Blazer, D. G. (1993). Depression and smoking cessation in older adults: A longitudinal study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 41, 1313-1316.
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Linzer, M., Hahn, S. R., Williams, J. B. W., deGruy, F. V., III, Brody, D., & Davies, M. (1995). Health-related quality of life in primary care patients with mental disorders. Results from the PRIME-MD 1000 study. JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, 274, 1511-1517.
Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., Kroenke, K., Linzer, M., deGruy, F. V., III, Hahn, S. R., Brody, D., & Johnson, J. G. (1994). Utility of a new procedure for diagnosing mental disorders in primary care. The PRIME-MD 1000 study. JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, 272, 1749-1756.
Velicer, W. F., DiClemente, C. C., Prochaska, J. O., & Brandenberg, N. (1985). A decisional balance measure for assessing and predicting smoking status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 1279-1289.
Velicer, W. F., Fava, J. L., Prochaska, J. O., Abrams, D. B., Emmons, K. M., & Pierce, J. P. (1995). Distribution of smokers by stage in three representative samples. Preventive Medicine, 24, 401-411.


A solution to the problem of transient stabilisation for multi-machine power systems, with transfer conductances different from zero, is given. The 3n-dimensional (aggregated) model of the n-generator system, with lossy transmission lines, non-linear loads and excitation control, is considered. A non-linear dynamic state-feedback control law that ensures, under some conditions on the physical parameters, global asymptotic stability of the operating point is constructed. To the best of the authors' knowledge only existence results – with the restrictive assumption of uniform inertia generators – are available to date for this problem. Simulation results on the New England benchmark system illustrate the performance of the proposed controller.
1. Kundur, P.: 'Power system stability and control' (McGraw-Hill, 1994).
2. Pal, B., Chaudhuri, B.: 'Robust control in power systems' (Power Electronics and Power Systems Series, Springer, 2005).
5. Pavella, M., Ernst, D., Ruiz-Vega, D.: 'Transient stability of power systems: a unified approach to assessment and control' (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000).
6. Pai, M.A.: 'Energy function analysis for power system stability' (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989).
7. Dib, W., Barabanov, A., Ortega, R., Lamnabhi-Lagarrigue, F.: 'On transient stabilization of multi-machine power systems: a 'globally' convergent controller for structure-preserving models', IEEE Trans. Autom. Control, 2009, 54, (9), pp. 2179–2184 (doi: 10.1109/TAC.2009.2026834).
8. Casagrande, D., Astolfi, A., Ortega, R., Langarica, D.: 'A solution to the problem of transient stability of multimachine power systems'. Proc. 2012 Conf. Decision and Control, 2012.
9. Casagrande, D., Astolfi, A., Ortega, R.: 'Global stabilization of non-globally linearizable triangular systems: application to transient stability of power systems'. Proc. 50th IEEE Conf. Decision and Control and European Control Conf., Orlando, FL, USA, December 2011, pp. 331–336.
11. Prioste, F., Silveira e Silva, A.: 'Power system stability improvement by feedback of state and algebraic variables', Proc. IEEE Powertech., 2007, pp. 361–366.
12. Lu, Q., Sun, Y.Z., Mei, S.: Nonlinear Control Systems and Power System Dynamics, volume 10 of The International Series on Asian Studies in Computer and Information Science. Springer, 2001.
13. Varga, R.S.: 'Matrix iterative analysis' (Springer Series in Computational Mathematics, Springer, 2009).
14. Isidori, A.: 'Nonlinear control systems' (Springer, 1995).
15. Evans, L.C.: 'Partial differential equations' (Graduate Studies in Mathematics, vol. 19, American Mathematical Society, 2010).
16. Krause, P.C., Wasynczuk, O., Sudhoff, S.D.: 'Analysis of electric machinery and drive systems' (IEEE Press, 2002).
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My Writing Post
Biography, Reflections, Writing
In addition to this blog, I am also writing a fantasy book, actually a trilogy. The next few blog posts will discuss the story at length and what it is about. I will endeavor to discuss why I wrote each chapter, and why I felt it was important to discuss what I wanted to discuss in the book.
When the Cranes
Return Again in spring: Synopsis
When the cranes return again in spring is a story not just about one person's quest, but it is about life's quest in all of us.
Lorevele (Lōr-ĕ-vel) is a city under siege; its king and his daughter are locked in an argument. She has a choice she must make, one that could affect the safety of her kingdom forever, while placing her own life in danger. King Hautered (Haw-těr-id), of Laifetre' (Lī-ěh-fě-trā) has signed an edict, that a she must marry his son, Gerenoux (zhěr-ěh-nō) within the week, or his mercenary army of 10,000 trolls will march upon Lorevele, and burn it to the ground. Her father, the great King Rosenet (Roz-ă-nĕt), is opposed to this marriage. He feels that his daughter must ride out to the four corners of every distant land, bringing together the peoples of every kingdom they have helped, and rally an Army to drive back Hautered's army of 10,000 trolls into back Laifetre'. Rosenet's daughter Anisse (A-nee-săh) is convinced that her duty to her kingdom and her people is to marry Gerenoux, and she only has hours to finalize her decision.
It is rumored that Hautered has made a pact with the troll army. In exchange for their services in securing the kingdoms of Matrimé (Mĕ-trém), Uvalde (Ū-val-děh), and Zoltanne (Zōl-tan), they would receive the kingdom of Lorevele as payment in kind. Stories have come from far and wide, describing the brutality and fierceness of this troll army. Fear has led many families to flee from the kingdom, while others have grimly decided to risk family in defense of their homes.
The debate between father and daughter relaxes for a moment, as Anisse is frightened by the shadows of cranes coming to flight. Rosenet asks his daughter if he ever told her stories related to the annual migration of the cranes returning in spring. It is this question that leads to the introduction of a saga that the king shares with his daughter.
The very introduction to When the Cranes Return Again in Spring is based upon change, and our fears that can sometimes be based on how we deal with change. In asian lore, cranes are considered a sign of longevity.
The cranes' beauty and their spectacular mating dances have made them highly symbolic birds in many cultures with records dating back to ancient times. Crane mythology is widely spread and can be found in areas such as the Aegean, South Arabia, China, Korea, Japan and in the Native American cultures of North America. In northern Hokkaidō, the women of the Ainu people performed a crane dance that was captured in 1908 in a photograph by Arnold Genthe. In Korea, a crane dance has been performed in the courtyard of the Tongdosa Temple since the Silla Dynasty (646 CE).
In Mecca, in pre-Islamic South Arabia, Allāt, Uzza, and Manah were believed to be the three chief goddesses of Mecca, they were called the "three exalted cranes" (gharaniq, an obscure word on which 'crane' is the usual gloss). See The Satanic Verses for the best-known story regarding these three goddesses.
The Greek for crane is Γερανος (Geranos), which gives us the Cranesbill, or hardy geranium. The crane was a bird of omen. In the tale of Ibycus and the cranes, a thief attacked Ibycus (a poet of the 6th century BCE) and left him for dead. Ibycus called to a flock of passing cranes, who followed the attacker to a theater and hovered over him until, stricken with guilt, he confessed to the crime.
Pliny the Elder wrote that cranes would appoint one of their number to stand guard while they slept. The sentry would hold a stone in its claw, so that if it fell asleep it would drop the stone and waken.
Aristotle describes the migration of cranes in The History of Animals, adding an account of their fights with Pygmies as they wintered near the source of the Nile. He describes as untruthful an account that the crane carries a touchstone inside it that can be used to test for gold when vomited up. (This second story is not altogether implausible, as cranes might ingest appropriate gizzard stones in one locality and regurgitate them in a region where such stone is otherwise scarce)
According to Japanese lore, a wish is granted to anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes. Watch the above video from Asia Society's Education Department to see how schoolchildren at P.S. 154 in Brooklyn, New York, participating in Students Rebuild's Paper Cranes for Japan project, got to work folding paper cranes,raising hope, and raising money to help Japan rebuild after the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (2 min., 12 sec.).
It is from these myths and legends that When The Cranes Return Again in Spring begins.
Working 'til it hurts
My Writing Post (Cont.)


Pledge of Allegiance Sampler is stamped for Cross Stitch & Embroidery from Jack Dempsey Needle Art. Contains: One sampler designed to fit 11" x 14" picture frame & easy to follow instructions. Made of cotton/poly broadcloth.
3 Navy Blue DMC 820.


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[3] The word Baha' in select Prophetic traditions and early Islamic literatures.
Home › [3] The word Baha' in select Prophetic traditions and early Islamic literatures.
The word Baha' in select Prophetic traditions and early Islamic literatures.
Stephen Lambden UCMerced.
In progress 1980s-2017.
The linguistic history, semantic field and multifarious occurrences of the word bahá' in Arabic and Persian Islamic literatures have yet to be systematically researched. It is a word which does not occur in the Qur'án and is not among the traditional ninety nine "most beautiful names" of God (al-asmá' al-uná; see Qur'án 7:179). It is thus considered "hidden". The Arabic word bahá' was not unknown prior to the advent of Bahá'u'lláh. It's explicit identification with the "Greatest Name" however, despite Islámic traditions to this effect, was not widely recognized. As the secret of the hundredth name of God, Bahá' is often alluded to in Bahá'u'lláh's Tablets as the "Hidden Name" and the "Greatest Name".
SELECT ALLEGEDLY PRE-ISLAMIC USES OF BAHA' IN DIVINE TRADITIONS AND ISLAMIC LITERATURES.
Du`á Umm Dawúd ("The Supplication of the Mother of David").
It is likewise reckoned that Imám Ja`far al-Sádiq stayed that the "Greatest Name" is contained in the so-called Du`á Umm Dawúd ("Supplication of the Mother of David"). Towards the commencement of this quite lengthy supplication found in many Shi`i devotional compilations we read,
"Unto Thee [God] be Bahá' ("Glory").." (Qumí, Mafátíh al-jinan, 199).
MISCELLANEOUS PROPHETIC TRADITIONS.
Radí al-Dín ibn Tawús (1193-1266 CE).
The Lifeblood of the Supplications.. (Muhaj al-da`wát..) is a compilation of prayers attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and the Twelver Imáms compiled by Radí al-Dín ibn Tawús (1193-1266 CE). Within it is an Arabic prayer attributed to the Prophet Muhammad which came to be entitled Du`a al-hujub ("The Supplication of the Veils"). [18] It contains the following line which associates the word bahá' with the Sinaitic theophany [19]:
"I beseech Thee [God] by the Names (al-asmá') through which Thou didst manifest Thy glory (tajallayta) before the Speaker [al-kalím, Moses] upon the mighty mountain [Sinai]. When sunbeams of the light of the Veils [of Light hiding the Divinity] were manifested from the bahá' ("splendour") of the Divine Grandeur (al-`azimat) such that the mountain was levelled.." (cf. Qur'án 7:143). [20]
Bahá'u'lláh, it will be recalled, mystically identified himself with the Divine Being Who conversed with Moses on the Sinai of inner realization. Relative to Bábí-Bahá'í scripture the use of the word bahá' ("splendour/glory") here for the divine theophany upon Sinai, is prophetically significant (see below). It is of interest that in one of his writings the Báb identified the "Greatest Name" with the Divine Reality which appeared to Moses on Sinai (INBA. MS 6003C 173-188). Indeed, in his Qayyúmu'l-asmá súra 77 he also reckoned the vehicle of this Divine manifestation the "Light of Bahá'" (cf. below).
The Prophet Muhammad and the word Baha' in the Du`á al-Jawshan al-kabír ("Greater Supplication of Jawshan").
Islamic Tradition has it that the third Imám Husayn related that the "Greatest Name" was contained in the Prophet Muhammad's Du`á al-Jawshan al-kabír ("Greater Supplication of Jawshan"). In this prayer God is addressed as One possessed of bahá' ("Glory"; see Qummí Mafátíh, 131ff).
Tradition, furthermore, has it that Imam Ḥusayn related that the "Greatest Name" was said to be contained in the Prophet Muhammad's Du`ā al-Jawshan al-kabīr ("Greater Supplication of Jawshan"). In this prayer God is addressed as One possessed of bahā' ("Glory" ; see Qummī Mafātī, 131ff) -- it is likewise reckoned that Imām Ja`far al-Sādiq had it that the "Greatest Name" is contained in the so-called Du`ā Umm Dawūd ("Supplication of the Mother of David") near the beginning of which we read, "Unto Thee [God] be Bahā' ("Glory").." (Qummī, Mafātī, 199).


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Following the receipt of its licence to operate in Canada in May, US agency broker JonesTrading, which specialises in block executions, is planning to push into Europe and Asia with the help of trading technology firm Fidessa.
JonesTrading has hired a team in the US to serve domestic clients that trade into international markets and is developing a 24/6 trading desk to enable it to cover all time zones around the globe. The desk is already operational in the EMEA time zones and the firm is currently looking to hire sales traders to cover Asian hours.
To support its international trading desk, JonesTrading has expanded its use of Fidessa's offering. Fidessa was already JonesTrading's primary execution and order management system provider, but the broker has now signed up for Fidessa's global trading service and program trading technologies. The new features are fully integrated into JonesTrading's existing US trading platform.
"Fidessa has been a helpful partner in making the leap to international trading because it has a centralised technology platform that allows us to handle global symbology and manage our communication between traders," Will Geyer, CEO of JonesTrading, told theTRADEnews.com. He added that the system allows US sales traders to route relevant orders to the international team, and also use the international traders as a central point of global trading expertise for the whole firm.
To establish itself in its target markets of Canada, Europe and Asia, Geyer said JonesTrading is "analysing all paths, including partnering with a like-minded institution for cross-border flows or building out a local presence in those markets".
David Polen, senior vice president and head of hosted product marketing at Fidessa, says there is increasing interest among US brokers to set up international trading desks despite the economic downturn. "We have seven US clients live on the global system now and maybe a couple more will join this year," he said.
JonesTrading's push into new markets is part of an expansion plan that began in 2007 following a strategic review. Since then, the firm has been expanding its horizons beyond equities. It now has a capital markets division and offers trading in global derivatives – largely focused in the US and Canada – and distressed debt. The firm is currently developing convertible bond and high-yield distressed and bank debt sales trading capabilities.


Smart shoes that can track your workouts aren't a new thing. Pizza Hut, however, has created smart shoes that are the polar opposite of fitness. The Pie Tops II, a sequel to last year's Pie Tops sneaker, are here as part of an ad campaign for March Madness (via AdWeek).


Lawyer search engine optimization for law firms is an ever-changing field and the firms that understand that and hire the right SEO experts or company will thrive.
Looking for a national or local lawyer or law firm SEO services by a proven law firm SEO expert?
The truth is that the law firms who rank and get results from their search engine marketing do something right: hire the right law firm SEO services company. A proven law firm search engine optimization expert can do wonders to your business growth.
In today's world, every business needs to get new clients so as to expand and survive. This includes law firms too.
Even though there are many ways, you can try to apply to attract those new clients, it is important to appreciate that many people are using the internet today.
This means that being found in an organic search can generate a lot of traffic and business for your practice.
Attracting prospects is an important part of acquiring new clients. And this is why law firm SEO services like those provided by agencies like us are ever more important than before.
A good lawyer marketing company can provide law firm SEO services which would increase the business of attorneys and get them more clients.
People use the internet to search for different kinds of legal advice and services.
Most of the potential customers start looking for an attorney using available online resources such as review sites, infographics, directories, podcasts, youtube, social media, eBooks, and blog posts etc.
When you rank in the first pages of a search engine, then the client flow increases.
This is because most of those who search online only concentrate on the first page.
This has increased the importance of law firm SEO experts or companies who provide national or local search engine optimization services to lawyers and law firms.
These experts get the attorneys marketing websites and listings to appear on the first page thus increasing their exposure, websites traffic, potential client calls, and business revenues.
SEO means search engine optimization. This means creating content and websites and then striving to rank them on the first pages of search engines such as Google and Bing etc.
The strategies used to get the content and website to rank are the main factors that drive a successful national or local SEO.
And there are hundreds of factors and strategies that can be used to achieve an SEO result.
There are different criteria created by search engines, which determine how relevant a page is to what the users are searching.
SEO has been proven as a technique that can work very well for a law firm. This is because prospects get to see you as they search and if you meet their needs, then they become clients. It should not be complicated.
Law firm SEO is not any different from SEO for other businesses such as plumbers, healthcare, plastic surgeons, dentists, financial, and insurance etc.
The keywords may change, but the whole process is still basically the same at the end. The most important thing is to find the right law firm SEO expert with a proven national and/or local law firm SEO services that have gotten other attorneys results.
Why Internet Marketing & SEO for Law Firms?
You may be wondering why a law firm or attorney may need SEO and internet marketing and the help of a company providing national or local law firm SEO services.
The first thing you should appreciate is that the internet is everywhere and many people are using it today.
There are so many gadgets being used to access the internet, both mobile and desktop computers.
Having an internet marketing strategy makes it possible to get exposure and to pass very important messages to the right audience.
You will come through as an authority in your field in this way. Each strategy should be backed with good research and have quantifiable goals.
SEO is also very important as ranking in search engines matters a lot. This gets you the client's attention and you are in a better position if you rank on the first page, especially, on the top five results.
Successful SEO and internet marketing campaigns can take your law firm practice to levels you may have only dreamt about.
And in other to get to this level you need to find yourself the right experienced attorney SEO expert company.
When done correctly, SEO can be very effective when used in the correct manner of marketing.
For local lawyers, you will find that local law firm SEO makes more sense than national SEO.
When you localize search engine optimization, then the positive results tend to multiply very fast. This is due to the fact that most people like searching for local businesses or services.
Couple this with the fact that local results are usually based on data like address, your phone number, as well as the reviews written by the local customers.
If one searches for say personal injury lawyer and add a location like Los Angeles, then the search results will be narrowed down to the people who practice in your area if your practice is in LA.
So in general, law firms SEO services should focus your campaign locally because national SEO can be too general.
Even when you have different law firms within the country, it is always important to localize SEO. This will ensure that everyone in the different areas where you operate will actually get to see you.
With all of the above said, there are strategies that can be used by the law firm SEO company you hired where both a national and local SEO search words can be targeted at the same.
It should not come as a surprise, content is what drives SEO. If you do not create good content, then you will be surrounded by very many red flags and people will doubt how authentic you are.
Coming up with relevant and search engine optimized contents give the search engines a positive signal and this makes you have a better rank.
You should always aim at giving detailed and authentic information to get a positive rank.
Content is also very important in marketing.
Even though you need to rank for keywords, you need to make the content natural and authentic. If you get a lot of traffic but have a high bounce rate, then your conversion will be poor. So a conversion based content is needed.
So write for people and optimize naturally for the search engines.
Content is not just for your website but also includes posting on social media, directories, and other web portals.
Link building is an important part of boosting success and authority within an SEO campaign.
Adding internal links to the most relevant pages is a great idea to help search engines crawl your website easier and build authority for those pages.
Most people focus so much on offsite linking building that they neglect their onsite link building.
Our SEO company is a national and local law firm search engine optimization experts who know the importance of onsite linking and the right strategies to use so your website won't be penalized.
Off-site backlinks are also important. Ensure you use diverse domains for this. Ensure the backlinks are of high quality for them to serve their purpose.
When you use links, then you end up pulling more and more users, which is what drives traffic and ultimately, conversions.
Your website is most likely the first place potential customers will land. This means that this is where they will get their first opinion about your practice. As such, it should be something that attracts them and motivates them.
The website design is very important. Make sure that you use navigation that is user-friendly and intuitive. There is nothing worse than being on a website that loads too slowly or one that is hard to navigate. Include pictures, videos, blogs, and contact information.
If you want more clients and leads, then you should take time to test and then invest in pay per click.
For every dollar you spend on AdWords, you can expect an equal or greater return. It is important to make sure that your firm is the first thing that will be seen especially when some very specific legal terms are entered into the search box.
PPC can increase law firm leads when done correctly. PPC and SEO actually go hands in hands because good search engine optimized landing pages tend to do well during an adword campaign.
Social media is also important to a law firm. Creating a business profile and business pages can be an amazing way to create awareness. You can also use it to link back to your website or have people subscribe to your mailing list.
Blogging is important for any business and this includes law firms. As mentioned earlier, content is important. Your site should be able to give more than just the services you offer.
You should have some educational tips too, that can be best delivered through blogs. It is your chance to show off your law mastery.
However, you should make sure that you hire the right online marketing agency with the right blogging strategies. The right keywords that people are searching for needs to be picked.
They shouldn't just be blogging for your practice just to blog but focused on blog topics with the right keyword intent.
Video marketing is becoming important today and that is why sites like YouTube are doing so well. People are watching more videos and when used well, it can be a great tool especially in your marketing strategy.
Visual content is a great way that a law firm can use to connect with clients to share information in an interactive and attractive way.
It is important to optimize conversions too for a law firm. The main aim of marketing is to get more clients. That means having great content that enlightens the clients and potential clients.
The right call to action should also be included to give the visitors that friendly nudge in the right direction.
Does national or local SEO for attorneys work.? You bet it does.
This is especially true when the right law firm SEO expert(s) like us are retained to run the campaign.
Our law firm SEO services are first-class which includes content marketing, conversion based website designs, and lead generation that drive calls to lawyer practices.
We would handle all the technical details and support of your search engine marketing. And we work with both big and small businesses.
So far you have the top dollar budget, closing skills, and systems in place to handle the calls from the campaign then we can work with you.
Call us now to discuss how lawyer search engine optimization company can help you grow or keep growing your firm practice.
Whats is onsite lawyer search engine marketing: An on-page law firm SEO refers to tactics used on a page to assist with that page ranking higher in the search engines.
Where do I put keywords on a page: When optimizing your law firm website you should use related keywords and distributed them naturally throughout your page sections.
How much does lawyer SEO cost: It depends on the company and what services you need. However, the range is normally $100 to 200 an hour. And most search engine companies for law firms charges on a monthly basis for their services.
Which law firm search engine tactic are popular: Link building and on page SEO.
What is an off-page SEO: A law firm on page search engine optimization is the things done outside of the website to get it to rank. The most popular offsite strategy is off-page link building.


text:
Reitergeneral steht für:
 allgemein ein General, der hauptsächlich oder ausschließlich Kavallerie (Ulanen, Dragoner, Husaren, Kürassiere) befehligt
 ein General mit dem Kommando über eine Kavalleriedivision
 ein General mit der Rangstufe General der Kavallerie
 ein General mit der Dienststellung "General über die Reiterei"

Siehe auch:


Sonic will be running a deal where you can get a 4-piece order of Mozzarella Sticks for 99 cents all day on Thursday, April 12, 2018.
The breaded and deep-fried sticks of mozzarella normally cost $2 or more and come in a cup of marinara sauce for dipping.
As is typically of most fast food deals, the promotion is good at participating locations so you might want to check ahead before making a trip.


Congressional rules require corporate lobbyists to disclose donations to lawmakers' charities, but many fail to do so with no consequence. The charities themselves are not required to disclose their donors, and there are no limits to the amount a donor can give. The Office of Congressional Ethics looked into a few of these foundations last year, but was stymied when the House granted several congressmen the right to solicit donations even when the donors had business before their committees.
The art of currying favor in Washington is an ancient one, and both lawmakers and corporations have become exceptionally creative at finding ways around every legal obstacle reducing the influence of big money. But these "donations" need to be fully disclosed and strictly limited like the campaign contributions they resemble. Members of Congress should pay heed to the rising tide of anti-incumbent disgust this year and stop acting like greedy chiselers of corporate largess.
I'm not sure that these donations need to be "strictly limited," but they certainly ought to be fully disclosed. The disclosure should not be limited to lobbyists or corporate money, but should include the executives and other non-lobbyists who choose to funnel money to these charities.
This editorial is in response to a New York Times article, published on Monday, that highlighted the ways in which lawmakers use charities to court corporate donors and build mini-fiefdoms in their districts and states by displaying their beneficence.


text:
Attempts to Silence Environmentalists Continue via EcoWatch/Reader Supported News
arly November marked the 18th anniversary of the tragic murder of outspoken writer and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight colleagues by the Nigerian government. Saro-Wiwa and the others had waged a long campaign to stop multinational oil company Royal Dutch Shell from drilling in the lands of the Ogoni people in the Niger delta.
Nigerian military harassed and intimidated members of the Ogoni community for years because they opposed Shell's drilling program. Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues defended their communities and local environment from a notoriously toxic industry. In November 1995, a special court established by the military government illegally detained and tried them on spurious charges. Convicted without due process, they were executed 10 days later, despite enormous international outcry.
Sadly, this is not an isolated occurrence. A recent report by human rights organization Global Witness documents the murders of more than 700 environmental and indigenous-rights activists over the past decade-more than one killing a week, on average. They reviewed databases, academic studies and news reports, and consulted with the United Nations and other international agencies. They found citizens are often harassed, intimidated, beaten up, sexually assaulted and sometimes killed for opposing endangered wildlife poaching, illegal logging, dams and activities of foreign mining companies-including some Canadian firms.
I experienced this reality in 1988 when we interviewed rubber tapper Chico Mendes about his battle to save the Amazon rainforest in Brazil for The Nature of Things. He was assassinated two weeks later. The following year, Kaiapo Chief Paiakan asked me to help stop a dam proposed for Altamira, Brazil. My wife, Tara, and I helped raise $70,000 for a demonstration, and the World Bank was persuaded to withdraw its project loan. Paiakan was then subjected to death threats. We brought him and his family to Vancouver until the danger subsided.
Many instances of persecution and killing have occurred in countries with atrocious human rights records, such as Sri Lanka, Guatemala and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet surprisingly, most attacks on environmentalists have been in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines, with democratically elected governments, independent judiciaries and other institutions intended to protect their citizens' rights to voice concerns about the environment without facing harassment, intimidation and violence. These countries have also signed international agreements to protect human rights, like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
◇Japan Reacts to Fukushima Crisis by Banning Journalism
Posted in *English.
Tagged with Brazil, Chico Mendes, David Suzuki, environmentalists, indigenous people, Ken Saro-Wiwa, shell, state secrecy bill, whistleblowing.
By norma field	– 2013/11/29
« S.Korea nuclear reactor hit by automatic shutdown; six units now off via Firstpost World South Carolina Threatens Washington Over Cleanup via The New York Times »
Sushruta on 月110時間を超える長時間労働で過労死認定――忘れられつつある福島第一原発で今も働く作業員の実態 via 週プレNews


text:
DeKalb County plans to release 8,000 held water bills
Avondale Estates Decatur Kirkwood Metro ATL slideshow
Dan Whisenhunt Apr 4, 2017
CEO Michael Thurmond addresses the DeKalb County Commission on Feb. 23, 2017. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt
DeKalb County is getting ready to release 8,000 water bills that have been held for months.
The county says the bills were on hold due to "unverified billing data."
In February, CEO Michael Thurmond explained that the bills were being held due to questions about their accuracy. The county said 37,000 bills had been withheld over concerns that they might not be correct. Thurmond conceded that the decision to withhold bills was a mistake. The county Water Department has 194,000 customers. A press release from the county does not say when the other bills will be released.
In the press release, the county said the 8,000 bills that are being released will go out the week of April 10, along with a letter from Thurmond explaining why the bills were withheld. The bills will cover January and February. There will be no late fees.
"Any balance that was due prior to September 2016 will still be due and will carry forward on the January/February bill," the press release says.
Here is the letter that will go out with the water bills:
04-04-17 Thurmond Water Billing Letter


Zayn Malik is heartbroken, spread the word.
So heartbroken, that he is scrapping most of his new music because it's all about his ex, Gigi Hadid.
Between getting tattoo's of all his exes and even putting one in his most successful song, you'd think Zayno would have learnt by now... but nope.
For weeks, Zayn has been teasing his fans with new music, something they've been gagging for (for what seems like ages now).
He was even working on new music videos.
But now, the Daily Star has confirmed that he wants to ditch about half of the songs he has recorded because they're about le Gíg.
We guess it doesn't help that she's like, already got a new boyfriend lmao.
A source explains, "Zayn has been hard at work on this album for about 18 months. During most of that time he was completely head over heels in love with Gigi so that's what he wrote about. There's lots of songs about their love, passion and sensuality. But some of the songs are more painful to him than loving now. Even though the breakup is being touted as a mutual decision he is heartbroken and wants to use that as inspiration. He's an incredibly deep character and wants to write new music about the split to help him process his feelings."
While there was no actual release date for his new music, we suspect it's going to be incredibly delayed now.
Sort it out please, our ear holes need some Zayn.


Phoenix American Hospitality has acquired an interest in a new hotel, the Residence Inn by Marriott Cape Canaveral in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and took over management of the property on March 28, 2019. With the addition of this hotel, Phoenix American Hospitality now owns 17 hotels nationwide. All 17 hotels are managed by PAH Management.
"We are very excited to add another Florida property to our growing portfolio," said Perch Nelson, President of Phoenix American Hospitality."We look forward to a successful partnership and enhancing the performance of each property."
The Residence Inn by Marriott Cape Canaveral Cocoa Beach is located at 8959 Astronaut Boulevard, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920. For more information, please click here.
PAH Management is fast growing, unique company that owns and manages their assets led by a team of seasoned hospitality professionals. Managing thirteen properties across the United States, PAH Management focuses on top tier Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt select service brands. PAH Management has a proven track record taking each of their properties to the next level in terms of revenue generation, quality, associate engagement and ownership returns. For more information, please visit pahmanagement.com.