text:
Link Between Hearing Loss And Premature Death
A recent study links hearing loss with an increased risk for mortality before the age of 75 due to cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that mortality among those with hearing loss is elevated, particularly among men and women younger than age 75 and those who are divorced or separated. However, mortality risk was diminished in adults with a well-hearing partner.
This is the first study to investigate the combined effects of hearing loss with partnership, parental status, and increased mortality risk. The findings are published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.
"Old age greatly increases the risk for hearing loss," says Vegard Skirbekk, Ph.D., Columbia Aging Center faculty member and professor of Population and Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. "Therefore, as the population ages, we are seeing increasing numbers of people with hearing loss. At the same time, there are greater numbers of adults living without a partner - putting people with hearing loss at an increased risk for death."
Deaths related to cancer and injuries or as a result of injuries were not affected by hearing loss, although accident-related mortality was higher among the hearing impaired who lacked partners or children.
"This may be due to a greater fatality from traffic-related incidents, for instance, as family members otherwise may have helped to prevent many of these deaths through warnings or preventive action," said Bo Engdahl of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and first author.
Hearing loss is the fourth leading cause of disability. Strongly age dependent, it increases from approximately one percent among those aged 40 to 44 up to 50 percent in women and 62 percent in men aged 80 to 84.
Several Explanations
The researchers analyzed data from 50,462 adults enrolled in the Nord-Trøndelag Hearing Loss Study from 1996 to 1998. They used the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry to identify deaths until 2016.
Data on marital status and number of children was obtained from the National Population Registry. The researchers also categorized smoking frequency, alcohol use, and physical activity.
There are several explanations for the association between hearing loss and mortality, according to Engdahl and Skirbekk,
Families may be more likely to stay supportive and present even during spells of poor health compared to friends or those with weaker ties, which may reduce some of the mortality risk associated with functional impairments. Having a partner could allow someone with hearing loss to be socially active to a greater extent, as the spouse may provide support, take initiative, and help them overcome thresholds for socializing with others.
A spouse could also encourage the use of technical support, such as hearing aids, and assist in consulting health services when necessary.
Being in a relationship may also serve as a buffer against detrimental economic consequences of hearing loss.
"It is well known that rapid population-level aging is likely to result in a greater prevalence of hearing impairment, and that a loss of hearing can raise mortality risks. However there has not yet been much focus on how these effects relate to ongoing changes in family dynamics. Our findings verify that excess mortality among the hearing impaired can be particularly high among individuals with certain family constellations, such as men who are divorced or women who do not have children," Skirbekk said.
"When governments develop plans to lower the incidence of hearing impairment, they may want to consider the family dimension when designing intervention and social and health support systems."
Untreated Hearing Loss And Higher Health Care Costs
Older adults with untreated hearing loss incur substantially higher total health care costs compared to those who don't have hearing loss - an average of 46 percent, totaling $22,434 per person over a decade, says a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This is one of the largest studies to look at this issue, following many individuals for a full 10 years.
The differences between the two groups were evident as early as two years after diagnosis. Compared to the patients without hearing loss, patients with the condition generated nearly 26 percent more in total health care costs within two years, a gap that widened to 46 percent by 10 years, amounting to $22,434 per individual - $20,403 incurred by the health plan, $2,030 by the individual in out-of-pocket costs.
The study did not include patients with hearing loss who had evidence of hearing aid use. The findings - published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery - add to a growing body of research from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere showing the detriments of untreated hearing loss, which include a higher risk of dementia and cognitive decline, falls, depression and lower quality of life.
In a companion paper published in the same issue, a study led by Bloomberg School researchers suggests a link between untreated hearing loss and significantly greater morbidity, affirming early studies.
Hearing loss affects 38 million Americans, a number that's expected to double by 2060, with current aging population trends. An estimated one in three people in the United States between ages 65 and 74 currently has hearing loss, and two-thirds of adults age 70 and older have a clinically significant hearing loss.
It's unclear how hearing loss has translated into longitudinal trends of health care utilization and costs, particularly for those whose hearing loss remains untreated, says study lead Nicholas S. Reed, AuD, a member of the core faculty of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at the Bloomberg School and an instructor of audiology in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
To investigate these questions, Reed and his colleagues mined information from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse, a large de-identified health care dataset including administrative claims from 1999 to 2016 for people enrolled in large private U.S. health plans and Medicare Advantage plans. The researchers used diagnosis codes to identify more than 77,000 patients with likely age-related untreated hearing loss, excluding those whose claims data indicated they used a hearing aid or whose hearing loss was secondary to a medical condition or toxic agent such as chemotherapy.
The research team then matched each of these patients with other patients in the claims database on more than 25 factors including demographic characteristics, baseline health conditions and measures of health care utilization, such as inpatient hospitalizations and readmissions within 30 days, emergency department visits, days with at least one outpatient visit and health care costs. The researchers analyzed health care cost and utilization outcomes and trends at two, five and 10-year follow-up points.
At the 10-year mark, patients with untreated hearing loss experienced about 50 percent more hospital stays, had about a 44 percent higher risk for hospital readmission within 30 days, were 17 percent more likely to have an emergency department visit and had about 52 more outpatient visits compared to those without hearing loss.
When the researchers calculated how much of the extra $22,434 in total health care costs were likely due solely to hearing loss-related services, the total was only about $600 over 10 years. The study results do not indicate exactly why untreated hearing loss drives up health care utilization.
Reed and his colleagues have a few ideas. One of them is hearing loss relationships with other serious health issues.
In the companion paper, using the same OptumLabs dataset, Jennifer A. Deal, Ph.D., assistant scientist in the Bloomberg School's Department of Epidemiology, and her colleagues show that untreated hearing loss is independently associated with significantly greater morbidity.
For example, compared to those without hearing loss, those with untreated hearing loss had 3.2 more dementia diagnoses, 3.6 more falls and 6.9 more depression diagnoses per 100 people over 10 years. Over 10 years, those with untreated hearing loss had an estimated 50 percent greater risk of dementia, 40 percent greater risk of depression, and almost 30 percent higher risk for falls compared to those without hearing loss.
"We don't yet know if treating hearing loss could help prevent these problems," Deal says. "But it's important for us to figure out, because over two-thirds of adults age 70 years and older have clinically significant hearing loss that may impact everyday quality of life. We need to better understand these relationships to determine if treatment for hearing loss could potentially reduce risk and help maintain health in older adults."
Deal also noted that the depression finding is important. "There aren't a lot of studies using objectively measured hearing loss showing this association, even though it seems pretty intuitive," she says.
Another possibility for the link between hearing loss and greater health care cost and utilization is that hearing loss might hamper patient-provider communication, says Reed, one of the paper's co-authors. Patients who cannot hear their doctors may have trouble communicating their symptoms, participating in conversations to develop a recommended plan for their health or following discharge instructions - key elements in participating in their own care.
To help improve communication for patients with hearing loss at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Reed and others developed a multi-element pilot program to provide extra training to doctors, improve signage or provide hearing amplification devices. The researchers are currently collecting outcomes data associated with these interventions to determine whether they result in better care.
Across the United States, adults with hearing loss will be able to access hearing amplification devices more easily in 2020, when a federal law authorizing certain types of over-the-counter hearing aids will go into effect. "Knowing that untreated hearing loss dramatically drives up health care utilization and costs will hopefully be a call to action among health systems and insurers to find ways to better serve these patients," says Reed.
Clinical Communication Breakdown
It was not uncommon for older adults to report mishearing a physician or nurse in a primary care or hospital setting, according to another study published by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. The prevalence of medical errors is higher among older patients.
Failures in clinical communication are considered to be the leading cause of medical errors. A previous study reported that improved communication between the medical teams and families could have prevented 36 percent of medical errors. Colm M. P. O'Tuathaigh, B.A., Ph.D., of University College Cork, Cork, Ireland and colleagues conducted an analysis of interview data collected in 100 adults 60 years and older to examine communication breakdown in hospital and primary care settings among adults reporting hearing loss.
Of these adults, 57 reported some degree of hearing loss and 26 used a hearing aid device. Of the 100 adults, 43 reported having misheard a physician, nurse or both in a primary care or hospital setting.
When asked to elaborate on the context of mishearing in a clinical setting, the scenarios included general mishearing, consultation content, physician-patient or nurse-patient communication breakdown, hospital setting and use of language.
"This qualitative analysis confirms that age-related hearing loss has a negative effect on clinical communication across both hospital and primary care clinical settings," the authors write. "We recommend that content-related and setting-related factors identified as barriers to communication in adults with hearing impairment be incorporated within a patient-centered approach to clinical communication with this patient population."
Key Deafness Mechanism Identified
The basic outlines of human hearing have been known for years. Sensory cells in the inner ear turn sound waves into the electrical signals that the brain understands as sound. But the molecular details have remained elusive. Research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM), identified a crucial protein in this translation process.
The findings were published in Nature Communications. The study is the first to illuminate in detail how a particular protein, which is known as CIB2, allows hearing to work.
"We are very excited by these results," said the senior author of the study, Zubair Ahmed, professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UM SOM. "This tells us something new about the fundamental biology of how hearing works on a molecular level."
CIB2, which is short for calcium and integrin-binding protein 2, is essential for the structure of stereocilia, the structures at the top of the sensory hair cells in the inner ear. Stereocilia are extremely small - less than a half a micrometer in diameter - which is about the wavelength of a visible light.
Each ear contains 18,000 hair cells that do not divide or regenerate. Dr. Ahmed and his colleague Saima Riazuddin, professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UM SOM, along with their collaborators, discovered five years ago that CIB2 was involved in hearing.
Since then, they have studied this protein in flies, mice, zebrafish and humans. The study was the first to explain the mechanism behind CIB2 in hearing.
A Big Step
In this study, they genetically engineered mice without CIB2, as well as mice in which a human CIB2 gene mutation had been inserted. The researchers found that the human mutation affects the ability of the CIB2 protein to interact with two other proteins, TMC1 and TMC2, which are crucial in the process of converting sound to electrical signals.
This process is known as mechanotransduction. People with this mutation cannot turn soundwaves into signals that the brain can interpret, and so are deaf.
When the researchers inserted the human CIB2 mutation into the mouse, they found that the mice were deaf. "This is a big step in determining the identity of key components of the molecular machinery that converts sound waves into electrical signals in the inner ear," said the study's co-senior author, Gregory Frolenkov, of the Department of Physiology at the University of Kentucky.
Dr. Ahmed and his colleagues are now looking for other molecules beyond CIB2 that play a key role in the process. In addition, they are exploring potential therapies for CIB2-related hearing problems. In mice, they are using the gene editing tool CRISPR to modify dysfunctional CIB2 genes.
They suspect that if this modification occurs in the first few weeks after birth, these mice, which are born deaf, will be able to hear. The scientists are also experimenting with gene therapy, using a harmless virus to deliver a normal copy of the normal CIB2 gene to baby mice that have the mutated version.
Dr. Ahmed says the early results of these experiments are intriguing. Nearly 40 million Americans suffer from some level of hearing loss. This includes around 74,000 children with profound, early-onset deafness. At least 50 percent of these deafness cases are due to genetic causes.
It is not clear how common CIB2 mutations are in the U.S. population or how large a role these mutations play in deafness in humans worldwide. In his research on a group of families in Pakistan that have a higher risk of deafness,
Dr. Ahmed has found that about eight to nine percent seem to have mutations in CIB2. Overall, he says, the gene could play a role in tens of thousands of cases of deafness, and perhaps many more than that. He is also studying CIB2 among the general population. It may be that some versions of the gene also play a role in deafness caused by environmental conditions, creating a predisposition to hearing loss.
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text:
package ecs

import (
	"log"
	"testing"
)

type TestSystem struct {
	LinearSystem
}

func (ts *TestSystem) New(*World) {}
func (*TestSystem) Type() string  { return "TestSystem" }

func (ts *TestSystem) UpdateEntity(e *Entity, dt float32) {}

func TestAddEntity(t *testing.T) {
	world := World{}
	world.New()
	entityOne := NewEntity(nil)
	world.AddEntity(entityOne)
	entityTwo := NewEntity(nil)
	world.AddEntity(entityTwo)
	if len(world.Entities()) != 2 {
		log.Printf("Entities not added.  %d != 2: %+v\n", len(world.Entities()), world.Entities())
		t.Fail()
	}
}

func TestAddSystem(t *testing.T) {
	world := World{}
	world.New()

	before := len(world.Systems())

	system := &TestSystem{}
	world.AddSystem(system)

	if len(world.Systems()) != before+1 {
		t.Fail()
	}
}

func TestAddComponent(t *testing.T) {
	world := World{}
	world.New()
	world.AddSystem(&TestSystem{})
	entity := NewEntity([]string{"TestSystem"})
	world.AddEntity(entity)
	component := &MyComponent1{5}
	entity.AddComponent(component)
	if len(entity.components) != 1 {
		t.Fail()
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Somehow I let this week get away from me and barely even touched the computer. It was filled with lots of fun with my girls though, and that's the important part!!
Monday - Well Checks! Both girls are growing great and are right where they should be!! I'm so proud of Zoey's weight gain, because if you remember back when she was a newborn we were really concerned with her weight. Not so much anymore chunky girl! And a trip to the park! Fun!!
Tuesday - I was pretty much on the floor all day with a horrible migraine :( Zoey had a reaction to her shots and ran a fever all day. Needless to say, we stayed in bed and watched lots of Veggie Tales!
Wednesday - Bible study in the morning, home for naps and then to church that evening. Oh....but don't forget about getting LOCKED OUT OF THE HOUSE for two hours in between. That was fun.
Thursday - House cleaning day. Because of our crazy week I hadn't touched the house and we host our lifegroup every Thursday. I had to call my mom to come help with the girls so I could clean. The house got clean...and I even squeezed in a haircut!
Friday - Easter fun! We went to an Easter event with my parents to hunt eggs and meet the bunny! Well....Zoey met the bunny, Jessi stayed as far away as possible.
Saturday - More egg hunting fun with our friends....and a lazy rest of the day!I better get a nap in because before we know it....I'll have TWO kids to chase!
Wow. This week was nuts! Can't wait to have daddy home all day tomorrow!!!!
Want to link up your phone pics from the week?? Join us! I'm linking up with my friend Amy @ A Good Life!


Home Students Corner Where do ACD Alumni go to University?
ACD Alumni are choosing to study at a wide range of universities – many outside of London.
Increasingly, more ACD Alumni are choosing to study abroad.


Dr. Eric Barchus who writes the Vet Blog for Dogster.com has been warning dog owners of the importance of keeping dogs cool in the summer heat. We all know that dogs overheat pretty quickly, but how quickly? Is it reasonable to leave your dog in the car for an hour if it's in the shade and the window is open? Do some breeds overheat more easily than others? Would dipping their paws into cold water help to ... See More cool them down quickly? These questions and more are addressed in this issue of "Good Dog" podcast.


Robben Island regularly appears on 'must see' places to visit. Nelson Mandela and various other political prisoners were incarcerated for decades of their lives in the prison on this small island off the coast of Cape Town. Despite the hardships endured, Nelson Mandela emerged as a truly wise man with vision and compassion.


text:
Mayock on Deep Draft, Broncos Options
INDIANAPOLIS --The 2014 NFL Scouting Combine is underway.
Draft prospects -- along with NFL head coaches and general managers -- began meeting the media Thursday morning, marking the beginning of an important week for the college players.
And as far as NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock is concerned, this year's prospects make for one of the deepest drafts of the past decade.
"From my perspective, this is the deepest and best draft class I've seen in probably 10 years," Mayock said on a conference call. "That's been reinforced by most of the general managers and scouts I've talked to throughout the league. I had one GM tell me the other day that having a top-20 pick this year is very similar to having a top‑10 pick last year. So I think there's more depth. I think there are certain positions that are stacked this year and you can get a quality player through three or four rounds."
One of those positions, Mayock said, is wide receiver. He called it "the best wide-receiver draft I've seen in years."
The reason why he feels this year's overall crop is so stacked? The playmakers at the top of the draft.
"It's not just a couple guys," he said. "You know, there's three offensive tackles that could go in the top‑10. There's three quarterbacks that could go in the top‑10, and then you've got guys like (Khalil) Mack, who is a difference-maker, (Anthony) Barr from UCLA, (Sammy) Watkins from Clemson is a tremendous wide receiver. So we're 10, 11, 12, players deep right there and we have not seen talked about the safety from Louisville (Calvin Pryor) or the tight end from North Carolina (Eric Ebron). And I could go on and on.
"There's more quality at the top end of this draft than I've seen in a long time and from a position standpoint; you know, we talked about wide receiver. I think offensive tackle is particularly deep. You can go three rounds, four rounds deep this year and get a starting offensive tackle. So from those couple of positions and the quality up top, and I think there's some pretty good corners, by the way, three to four rounds deep. So I'm really excited about this draft."
As for the Broncos in particular, Mayock looked to the defensive side of the ball for who he thought could come to Denver with the 31st overall pick in the draft.
"I think if you're talking at the back end at safety, a guy like Lamarcus Joyner from Florida State could be there and he's an explosive, quick-twitch athlete that can play safety or nickel. He played mostly corner at Florida State and he's got some special teams ability, also. And then that whole middle linebacker thing is interesting to me and I think most people would say it's a little high, a little rich for Chris Borland, but I don't believe that. I think Borland could step in and immediately kind of stabilize that whole situation.
"I think Scott Crichton is an interesting guy from Oregon State, defensive end. He reminds me a little bit of a poor man's Chris Long, great motor, tough against the run, will get hustle sacks. I like him a lot and 31 is about right for him.
"The corner situation, I mentioned earlier how much I like Kyle Fuller from Virginia Tech, he's a longer corner. I think he can flat out play and I'm anxious to see what he runs. And guys like Keith McGill, you could get him in the second or third round, he's 6‑3 and I just watched film, his UCLA tape, the other day and he has some skills, being a Seattle‑type corner, he needs to be more consistent. I think you're right, when you get to 31, it's like, OK, we hope it's a defensive player and who is the best guy left standing at that point?"
Mayock mentioned his thoughts on Fuller, who he said is a "kid I really like."
"I have got him as my third ranked corner. I think he's a first‑round talent. He's long, he tackles, he has ball skills. I think the key for him is what he runs that 40 in. If he comes in as a sub‑4.5, I think he's a first-round lock."
"I am a Kyle Fuller guy. I think he makes a ton of sense but we need to see what he runs. I have him ranked higher than most of the corners out there."
We'll have plenty more from the combine throughout the week and weekend on DenverBroncos.com -- including more from Mayock.
Mile High Morning: A look back at when the Broncos went back-to-back in Super Bowl XXXIII on the 24th anniversary
"They were saying they were going to make John Elway beat them," Rod Smith said. "Hey, you got what you asked for!"
Mile High Morning: A look at the Pro Bowl Games' week ahead for Pat Surtain II
This year, the league's annual all-star event enters a new format with no full-contact game.
Broncos slated to pick 29th in 2023 NFL Draft
The order was set following the completion of the two conference championship games.
Sacco Sez: A tribute to the Super Bowl architect
Broncos Team Historian Jim Saccomano reflects on the life and legacy of Jerry Anderson, an architect whose work essentially built the Super Bowl into the event we know it as today.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We can only imagine what could possibly be going on in the heads of whoever orders these weird promo products. With April Fool's Day ahead of us, we thought it would be fun to share just a few of the strangest items we've found from online promotional product catalogs.
And if you missed it, check out our previous list of unique customizable items in case you're ever in need of personalized toaster or USB light bulb.
How is this NOT everything your brand or business has ever dreamed of? A blanket with sleeves, as popularized by infomercials, but now with your logo.
Your fans will love how hip they look in this elegant, slimming microfiber piece of modern innovation.
Why bring an umbrella when you can be the umbrella?
Sleek, waterproof, and oh-so-stylish, this incredible hat gives your loved ones the ability to walk freely without the restraining feeling of carrying an actual umbrella.
We just can't believe you haven't tried it sooner!
Do you need a branded solution to cold feet? Well, have we got the deal for you!
These USB-charging, feet-warming insoles are a creative way to get your business name out there.
Your customers will be thanking you with each warm, fuzzy step – we think.
It's a candle. It looks like an apple. Could it possibly be a real apple? That's for you to know and your guests to find out.
And yes, you can indeed put your logo on this if you wish.
Your customers can now grow as your business does with a customizable chia pet!
We're not sure why you want to represent your business with an afro-shaped Shrek or Spongebob, but this is America, and you certainly have the right to do it.


text:
Edge of extinction series, bk. 1. Harper Collins, 2016. ISBN 9780008152895
(Age: Upper primary, Lower secondary) This absorbing story, set in a future world, is the first in a series and it establishes a momentum that is sure to carry readers along to the final book.
It is easy to empathise with the three main characters, living in a world fraught with danger since scientists brought dinosaurs back from extinction.
Sky Mundy is the first person narrator, explaining her motivation for leaving the underground colony where she has lived since the disappearance of her father, branded a traitor. Her best friend, Shawn, follows her into exile and they take refuge with a young boy, Todd, and his family and friends in a treetop sanctuary.
But Sky and her friend, Shawn, are followed by ruthless members of the Underground Compound, and now with Todd accompanying them, they must elude them as well as the ferocious dinosaurs. Fortunately, a dinosaur hunter saves their lives and Sky discovers that he, Ivan, is her grandparent. The three young people are relieved when he agrees to join their search for Sky's father.
The next episode is coming soon. I'm sure young readers will look forward to it.
Thelma Harvey
Crow Country by Kate Constable
Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
BZRK by Michael Grant
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
The Grimstones by Asphyxia
The Flappers: Vixen by Jillian Larkin
Excellent excuses (and other good stuff) by Liz Pichon
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Relic Master: The dark city by Catherine Fisher
King's Ransom by Jude Watson
Little colour fairies by Mara Van Fleet


text:
Inspected Trends
Designers Q and A
accessories, fall 2011, jewelry, mbfw, nyfw
A Kick Start to NY Fashion Week: DANNIJO F/W 2011
To get the Fashion Week-juices flowing I went to the DANNIJO Presentation tonight eventhough NY Fashion Week officially starts on Thursday. There are so many brands and designers that the traditionally 8 day week is not enough for everyone to showcase their collection. Anyhoos, Danielle and Jodie Snyder (sisters) the jewelry designers behind DANNIJO for Fall 2011 presented, Aboriginal. When I got the invite and read that the collection was titled Aboriginal I assumed it might had to deal with Australia. But arriving at the venue and looking at the jewelry I didn't quite get anything Australia-inspired then I realized this is fashion and a title doesn't necessarily mean anything. I just need to take the collection for what it is, a strong dosage of statement jewelry infused in a western theme setting. Besides clothing that's going to be shown this week, jewelry and accessories collections that are presented in a stylized environment is encouraging. It gives the collection more of a story then laying necklaces down on a table. Great way to start the madness New York Fashion Week!
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Aranyani, The Luxury Indian Handbag Brand Is Sustaining Their Communities
GQ x LACOSTE SPORT Pop Up Shop in New York City
A fond farewell to Teen Vogue
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Huemor Designs is a Web design and development company that offers many more services than their competitors, including a wide selection of Web and mobile platform development, content management systems and e-commerce solutions. They focus on responsive software design, bringing their clients' businesses into the new digital era. The new direction of the Internet is to build responsive software that adapts to users' habits, and Huemor Designs specializes in designing user-friendly, dynamic CMS websites with some of the Web's best shopping cart services. They also offer mobile and browser-based game design, interactive digital art, database integration and cross-platform application development. All of these services would be ineffective without the understanding of client needs and the needs of their clients' customers. With responsive app development, Huemor gives clients the tools they need to impress their current customers and pique the interest of new customers, and with organic marketing strategies, they ensure that new and old customers remain satisfied.


The word Bonsai "Bon-sai" (often misspelled as bonzai or banzai) is a Japanese term which, literally translated, means "planted in a container". This art of Bonsai is derived from an ancient Chinese horticultural practice, part of which was then redeveloped under the influence of Japanese Zen Buddhism.
The broom style Bonsai is suited for deciduous trees with extensive, fine branching. The trunk is straight and upright and does not continue to the top of the tree; it branches out in all directions at about 1/3 the height of the tree. The branches and leaves form a ball-shaped crown which is also a stunning sight during winter months.
The formal upright style is a very common form of Bonsai. This style often occurs in nature, especially when the tree is exposed to lots of light and does not face the problem of competing trees. For this style, tapering of the upright-growing trunk must be clearly visible. The trunk must therefore be thicker at the bottom and must grow increasingly thinner with the height. At about 1/4 of the total length of the trunk, branching should begin. The top of the tree should be formed by a single branch; the trunk should not span the entire height of the tree.
As a result of the wind blowing in one dominant direction or when a tree grows in the shadow and must bend toward the sun, the tree will lean in one direction. With Bonsai, the leaning style should grow at an angle of about 60 – 80 degrees relative to the ground. The roots are well developed on one side to keep the tree standing. On the side toward which the tree is leaning, the roots are clearly not as well developed. The first branch grows opposite the direction of the tree, in order to create a sense of visual balance. The trunk can be slightly bent or completely straight, but still be thicker at the bottom than at the top.
A tree living in nature on a steep cliff can bend downward as a result of several factors, like snow or falling rocks. These factors cause the tree to grow downwards. With Bonsai it can be difficult to maintain a downward-growing tree because the direction of growth opposes the tree's natural tendency to grow upright. Cascade Bonsai are planted in tall pots. The tree should grow upright for a small stretch but then bend downward. The crown of the tree usually grows above the rim of the pot, but the subsequent branches alternate left and right on the outermost curves of an S-shaped trunk. These branchings should grow out horizontally in order to maintain balance of the tree.
The semi-cascade style, just like the cascade style, is found in nature on cliffs and on the banks of rivers and lakes. The trunk grows upright for a small distance and then bends downwards/sidewards. Unlike the cascade style, the semi-cascade trunk will never grow below the bottom of the pot. The crown is usually above the rim of the pot while subsequent branching occurs below the rim.
In nature this style of tree is found in areas densely populated by many other trees and competition is so fierce that the tree can only survive by growing taller then all others around it. The trunk grows crookedly upward and is completely without branching because the sun only hits the top of the tree. To make sure that it looks even tougher, some branches are "Jinned" (without bark). When the bark has been removed from one side of the trunk, the trunk is referred to as a "Shari". The idea is to demonstrate that the tree has to struggle to survive. These trees are often placed in small, round pots.
The windswept style Bonsai also is a good example of trees that must struggle to survive. The branches as well as the trunk grow to one side as if the wind has been blowing the tree constantly in one direction. The branches grow out on all sides of the trunk but will all eventually be bent to one side.
The double trunk style is common in nature, but is not actually that common in the art of Bonsai. Usually both trunks will grow out of one root system, but it is also possible that the smaller trunk grows out of the larger trunk just above the ground. The two trunks will vary in both thickness and length, the thicker and more developed trunk grows nearly upright, while the smaller trunk will grow out a bit slanted. Both trunks will contribute to a single crown of leaves/canopy.
In theory the multi trunk style is the same as the double trunk style, but with 3 or more trunks. All trunks grow out of a single root system, and it truly is one single tree. All the trunks form one crown of leaves, in which the thickest and most developed trunk forms the top.
The forest style looks a lot like the multi-trunk style, but the difference is that it is comprised of several trees rather than one tree with several trunks. The most developed trees are planted in the middle of a large and shallow pot. On the sides a few smaller trees are planted to contribute to one single crown. The trees are planted not in a straight line but in a staggered pattern, because this way the forest will appear more realistic and natural.
On rocky terrain, trees are forced to search for nutrient rich soil with their roots, which can often be found in cracks and holes. The roots are unprotected before they reach the ground so they must protect themselves from the sun: a special bark grows around them. With Bonsai the roots grow over a rock into the pot, so caring for this tree isn't really different from caring for any other style. You will find Juniper Bonsai are suitable for this style, sometimes even tropicals like the Ficus Bonsai as well.
In this style the roots of the tree are growing in the cracks and holes of the rock. This means that there is not much room for the roots to develop and absorb nutrients. Trees growing in rocks will never look really healthy, thus it should be visible that the tree has to struggle to survive. It is important to fertilize and water often, because there is not much space available to store water and nutrients. The rock in which the Bonsai grows is often placed in a shallow pot, which is sometimes filled with water or fine gravel.
Sometimes a cracked tree can survive by pointing its branches upward. The old root system can provide the branches with enough nutrients to survive. After a while new roots will start growing, eventually taking over the function of the old root system. The old branches which now point into the air develop into trunks with multiple branchings as a result of the increased influx of nutrients. These new trunks contribute to one single canopy.
As time passes, some trees develop bald or barkless places on their trunks as a result of harsh weather conditions. The bald part usually begins at the place where the roots emerge from the ground, and grows increasingly thinner as it continues up the trunk. Intense sunlight will bleach these parts, forming a very characteristic part of the tree. With Bonsai the bark is removed with a sharp knife and the barkless spot is treated with calcium sulfate in order to speed up the bleaching process.


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The Wayne Fusaro Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund was started in loving memory of my husband Wayne Fusaro after his short battle with pancreatic cancer. Wayne survived only 28 days after his diagnosis in June of 2000 and the hardest part was not losing Wayne but watching the agony my husband went through that last month.
When I lost Wayne on July 18, 2000 I remember feeling anger at losing my husband so abruptly, the pain of him no longer being with family and me, coupled with the utter confusion of never hearing of such a devastating disease. While I sifted through my own emotions I could not shake the feeling of helplessness pancreatic cancer left me with.
That's when I decided to look into pancreatic cancer and see exactly what was responsible for taking my husband away from my children and me. After some quick research I realized that pancreatic cancer was not only one of the worst forms of cancer but that it had been ignored for way too long. Understanding the grim future and consequences of ignoring this disease I decided to start a foundation in memory of Wayne to ensure that (1) his legacy was never forgotten and (2) that attention be brought to this disease with the hope of finding a cure. Over the last nine years our foundation has raised over $200,000 that is donated annually to our partners at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dr. David Whitcomb and his staff.
After meeting Dr. Whitcomb three years ago and learning of his expertise in pancreatic disease it seemed only fitting that our monies should assist a local hospital in its cutting edge research of pancreatic cancer. Dr. Whitcomb has made steady progress since our initial meeting and we have the utmost confidence in his work, determination and ability to find a cure for this disease. We know it's an uphill battle but with the right people, enough funding, and a lot of hard work we may be able to fight this disease better in the future. So please join us in our fight and help us beat pancreatic cancer TOGETHER!


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Serenely nestled amongst native bush on Atawhai hill, these 5 bedroomed Holiday Homes are fully self-contained homes away from home! These homes are used during the year as accommodation for Massey University students, transforming during the summer holidays into your perfect getaway destination. Completely equipped with full kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities the houses offer the perfect opportunity for an inexpensive break over the summer. With rates starting from $121 per night for the whole family. Located close to the Lido swimming pool, walking tracks, golf course, Victoria Esplanade and playground, Te Manawa museum and Plaza shopping centre, there is something for everyone in the mighty Manawatu.


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Mariner tops Cape in low-scoring game
The Mariner boys basketball team faced a Cape Coral team that had just beaten the top seed in the District 5A-12 tour...
Mariner tops Cape in low-scoring game The Mariner boys basketball team faced a Cape Coral team that had just beaten the top seed in the District 5A-12 tour... Check out this story on news-press.com: http://newspr.es/1ni0Hxu
Special to The News-Press; Published 12:00 a.m. ET Feb. 8, 2014 | Updated 12:15 a.m. ET Feb. 8, 2014
The Mariner boys basketball team faced a Cape Coral team that had just beaten the top seed in the District 5A-12 tournament and was primed for another upset. But the Tritons had enough strength in the end to earn what was for a while a closely-fought district championship game.
Led by Rodney Hunter and Kaleb Darrett, Mariner beat the Seahawks 36-27 in the 5A-12 final Friday night at Golden Gate High, topping a Cape Coral team that kept it close in the first half.
Joe Mesaros and Marcus Blackwell led Cape Coral, which upset top-seeded Golden Gate on Wednesday to advance to the finals, with nine points each.
Mariner will host a region quarterfinal game next Thursday against either Lemon Bay or Sebring, while Cape Coral will go on the road to Lemon Bay or Sebring for its playoff opener.
"In a game like this, you have to execute everything and shoot the ball well," said Mariner coach James Harris. "Whenever Cape and Mariner play, you can throw the records out. It's always a battle. The coaches and players all know each other well."
The key to the game was the third, when the Triton shut out the Seahawks for the quarter.
"In that third quarter, we played great defense, but it was no different than our usual game plan," Harris said. "We put pressure on Cape Coral and tried to make it very difficult to get any shots off. And we did that well all night long."
Cape Coral coach Tom Kenna couldn't help but acknowledge the Tritons' fiery defense.
"Coach Harris always has great defense," Kenna said. "And we couldn't make plays and couldn't make any runs. They just got up into us a lot."
Leading 24-17 heading into the fourth, Mariner eventually opened a 16-point lead after 3-pointers by Rodney Hunter and Malcom Ferinand. With 5:08 left, the Tritons led 32-16 and had it put away.
"Mariner is always a great team," Kenna said. "We tried to keep it closer but couldn't. But we're one of 32 teams left (in 5A) still playing, so we're happy about that."
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Los Angeles was little more than a frontier town in the 1870s, when a group of public-spirited citizens with a reverence for learning first sought to establish a university in the region. Although the "city" still lacked paved streets, electric lights, telephones and a reliable fire alarm system, the effort to create an institution of higher education, led by members of the Southern California Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, found an enthusiastic reception among the more far-sighted residents, who were eager to advance their community.
Among the founders of USC, the prime mover was Judge Robert Maclay Widney, a leading Los Angeles businessman who had come to the area to practice law and develop real estate. It was Widney who, after 11 years, succeeded in forming the future university's Board of Trustees and took up the challenge of securing a donation of property for the fledgling enterprise.
In 1879, three civic leaders — Ozro W. Childs, a Protestant horticulturist; former California governor John G. Downey, an Irish-Catholic businessman; and Isaias W. Hellman, a German-Jewish banker and philanthropist — deeded to the Board of Trustees 308 lots located in an area designated as "West Los Angeles," near the intersection of today's Vermont Avenue and Exposition Boulevard. A portion of the land was to be reserved for the actual campus, while sales of the remaining lots would create an endowment to provide the seeds of financial support for the institution. More than an act of generosity, the gift of land was an expression of assuredness about the future.
In a similar vote of confidence, not to mention a display of audacity, the Board of Trustees named the nascent institution, rather grandiosely, the University of Southern California.
On September 4, 1880 — 99 years to the day after the founding of El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles — nearly a tenth of the city's population braved the late summer heat and dust to witness the laying of the cornerstone for the university's first building. Just days after the construction was completed, on October 6, 1880, USC opened its doors to welcome 53 students.
Marion McKinley Bovard became USC's first president, under an initial agreement that put him in charge of the internal organization of the university as well as its educational program for a period of five years. Bovard presided over seven boom years prior to 1887 and then over an extended period of fiscal uncertainty and near collapse, until his untimely death in December 1891.
The man who took on the task of leading the university through the impending financial crisis was Joseph P. Widney, brother of Robert Maclay Widney and the first dean of USC's medical school (founded in 1885). Widney served as president for three years, accepting no salary and paying most of his own expenses. In 1895, he stepped down from his post to resume his medical practice.
During the presidency of George W. White, USC continued to progress both financially and educationally. Although White returned to the Methodist ministry in 1899, the momentum built during his administration sustained the university throughout a four-year interregnum during which the Board of Trustees sought a suitable replacement.
George Finley Bovard, younger brother of USC's first president, took the helm of the young university in 1903. Dedicated to keeping up with the demands of Southern California's rapidly expanding population — which grew from 11,000 in 1880 to 319,000 in 1910 — USC began to evolve from a small, struggling institution into one of the principal seats of learning on the Pacific Coast.
While elsewhere in the country, the Carnegies, Cornells, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Stanfords had been heavily endowing universities during the late 19th century, USC forged ahead largely on the energies of its faculty, deans, presidents and trustees. Likewise, as challenging as the years of World War I proved to be, they demonstrated — as did the financial panic of the 1890s — that USC was vulnerable to economic cycles but nevertheless resilient in difficult times.
During the era of the founders, the forerunners to today's schools or departments of architecture, business, dentistry, education, engineering, fine arts, journalism, law, marine biology, music, pharmacy, philosophy, religion and sociology were added to the university.
USC marked another high point when Los Angeles Times sportswriter Owen R. Bird dubbed the university's spirited athletic teams the "Trojans" in 1912.
Rufus Bernhard von KleinSmid — or "Dr. Von" as he was affectionately known — became USC's fifth president in 1921. By the end of his first decade in office, USC had attained full national accreditation, established a graduate school to unify graduate work across the university and become a large non-denominational institution. Additionally, the university implemented a number of pioneering academic initiatives.
Von KleinSmid created an extension division at USC in 1922, offering classes in locations ranging from Glendale to San Diego. In 1924, he founded the first school of international relations in the United States; in 1929, the nation's second school of public administration was established at USC. Also in 1929, USC initiated the country's first college-level program in cinematography. The first Ph.D. degree conferred in Southern California was awarded at USC in 1923.
Whereas the first priority of von KleinSmid's administration was to expand professional training programs, the Great Depression arrived at decade's end, and, once again, USC was forced to retrench. Non-essential courses were eliminated, and USC debuted the "University of the Air," an educational outreach program broadcast on radio. Thanks to donors, von KleinSmid was able to proceed with an ambitious plan of capital expansion that added several major buildings to the campus, including Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library.
During World War II, military units took over several university buildings and the curriculum was reconfigured to include a wartime emphasis on aerospace science, geography, international relations, languages, photography and the like.
After the war, USC faced yet another challenge as the G.I. Bill brought former servicemen to campus for study. Enrollment soared from 8,500 in 1945 to more than 24,000 in 1947. Von KleinSmid, now 70 years old, announced that he would step down and become chancellor of the university for life.
Taking the helm of the university in September 1947, President Fred D. Fagg Jr. joined an institution whose facilities were stretched to the limit to accommodate what became known as the "G.I. Bulge." He immediately turned his attention to easing space shortages, and in April 1948, USC dedicated some 29 buildings donated by the Federal Works Agency and relocated from Santa Ana Air Base. Fagg also initiated the construction of six new buildings, including a cafeteria and residence halls as well as classroom and research facilities.
As support for higher education increased during the post-war years, USC entered a new, modern era that brought increased significance both nationally and internationally. Fagg hastened the process by instituting modern cost-accounting practices, establishing a development office and increasing library holdings by two-thirds. He also began a program of land acquisition, expanding the boundaries of the University Park Campus and purchasing land near the county hospital to create the Health Sciences Campus.
In 1958, Norman H. Topping succeeded Fagg as president of USC, embarking on one of the most dynamic periods in the university's history. Topping established a comprehensive planning commission that produced, in May 1961, the "Master Plan for Enterprise and Excellence in Education." This courageous and forward-looking academic blueprint set a goal of raising $106,675,000 in new funds. Although Topping predicted that it might take 20 years to accomplish this goal, it was reached and surpassed in little more than five. All told, the campaign doubled USC's endowment and added 30 new buildings to the university's two campuses.
The crowning achievement of the Topping years was USC's election to the Association of American Universities, an organization today made up of 63 leading public and private universities. The AAU bases membership on general excellence, with an emphasis on graduate and research programs.
When Topping stepped down in 1970, the mantle of leadership passed to John R. Hubbard, who charted his priority as bringing USC to even higher levels of academic distinction. Toward this end, Hubbard launched the "Toward Century II" campaign, an overwhelmingly successful fund-raising effort that brought in more than $309 million.
Although American higher education in the 1970s was characterized by lowered enrollments and a drop-off in funding, USC rose to new heights during this time. Ten major buildings were begun or completed; USC's total number of endowed chairs and professorships rose to 67; applications for admission soared from 4,100 in 1970 to more than 11,000 in 1979; and the mean grade point average for admitted freshmen rose to 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.
The Hubbard administration also brought a renewed dedication to USC's urban community. As an outward sign of this commitment, the university's Joint Educational Project was founded in 1972.
James H. Zumberge was inaugurated as USC's ninth president on May 10, 1981, during a ceremony that was the capstone of a year of celebrations marking the centennial of the university.
Building on an academic planning process that began early in his tenure, Zumberge focused on strengthening undergraduate education; expanding key doctoral, research, professional and health sciences programs; and forging stronger community connections. The Zumberge years also saw USC's highly successful participation in the 1984 Olympics.
In addition, Zumberge launched "The Campaign for USC," which at the time was the biggest fund-raising program in the university's history. When it concluded in June 1990, the campaign had raised $641.6 million, contributing over $188 million to USC's endowment and boosting annual support of university programs to unprecedented levels.
USC made major strides in funding for research during the Zumberge years as well. Sponsored research grew from $71.5 million in 1981 to $174.5 million in 1990 — a 144 percent increase. Major research efforts, such as the USC-based National Center for Integrated Photonic Technology and the Southern California Earthquake Center, contributed significantly to USC's emergence as one of the nation's premier research universities.
Among the more than a dozen major new buildings completed during Zumberge's tenure were the Hedco Neurosciences Building, General William Lyon University Center, the Cinematic Arts Complex, Pertusati University Bookstore and Kaprielian Hall, as well as major additions to the architecture and fine arts library and the law school building. Plans for a new teaching library also got under way.
USC's Health Sciences Campus, too, underwent dramatic transformations during the Zumberge decade, nearly doubling in size with the acquisition of land and existing buildings from Los Angeles County. As Zumberge stepped down, the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, which opened in 1983, was in the final stages of fund-raising for a major building addition. Additionally, construction was nearing completion on Richard K. Eamer Medical Plaza, a cooperative project of the university and National Medical Enterprises that included the 284-bed USC University Hospital and USC Healthcare Consultation Center I.
Steven B. Sample took office as USC's 10th president in March 1991.
Despite a first year fraught with earthquakes, riots and fiscal difficulties, he personally drafted USC's Role and Mission Statement and set in motion a strategic planning process that identified four initiatives — undergraduate education, interdisciplinary research and education, programs building upon the resources of Southern California and Los Angeles, and internationalization — for guiding USC to new heights throughout the 1990s.
Under Sample's leadership, the university developed a distinctive core curriculum as well as a broad array of academic and professional minors that made "breadth with depth" the hallmark of undergraduate education at USC. Thanks to these and other enhancements, USC became regarded nationally as a pacesetter in undergraduate education and enrolled some of the most academically talented freshman classes in the country.
Sample sharpened the university's focus on improving schools and promoting safe streets in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding its two campuses. Among the flagship programs developed to meet these goals were the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, which channels faculty and staff giving into support of USC-community partnerships, and the Family of Schools, an alliance between the university and local schools that provides educational, cultural and development opportunities for neighborhood schoolchildren. This approach to community service became a national mark of distinction when the editors of Time magazine and the Princeton Review named USC "College of the Year 2000" in recognition of its ambitious social-outreach programs.
Sample also steered USC to new fund-raising heights. Under the banner of "Building on Excellence," the university mounted a $2.85 billion fund-raising drive that concluded in 2002 as the most successful campaign in the history of American higher education. At the time, USC was the only university to have received four nine-figure gifts — $120 million from the Annenberg Foundation to create the USC Annenberg Center for Communication; $113 million (later increased to $163 million) from Alfred Mann to establish the Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering; $110 million from the W. M. Keck Foundation for the Keck School of Medicine of USC; and a second gift from the Annenberg Foundation of $100 million. In 2006, USC received a fifth nine-figure gift: $175 million from the Lucasfilm Foundation to endow the USC School of Cinematic Arts and construct a new building for the school.
Among the major facilities opened during the Sample administration were the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Library, Jane Hoffman Popovich and J. Kristoffer Popovich Hall, the International Residential College at Parkside, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Ronald Tutor Hall, Ray R. Irani Hall, USC Healthcare Consultation Center II, the Galen Center, the Arts and Humanities Residential College at Parkside, and the USC School of Cinematic Arts complex. Additionally, fulfilling a long-held Trojan dream, ground was broken for the Ronald Tutor Campus Center in May 2008.
Sample oversaw a dramatic gain in USC's academic prowess as well. In 1994, George Olah, director of the USC Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. The number of National Academy members on the USC faculty more than doubled during the Sample years, and sponsored research by USC investigators rose from $183.3 million to $464 million. USC also became world-renowned in the fields of communication, multimedia technologies and the life sciences as well as in cross-disciplinary teaching and research.
Sample stepped down from the presidency of USC effective August 2, 2010, taking a yearlong sabbatical before resuming his teaching and research work as a tenured member of the faculty of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
C. L. Max Nikias became the University of Southern California's 11th president on August 3, 2010. He is the holder of the Robert C. Packard President's Chair and the Malcolm R. Currie Chair in Technology and the Humanities.
As president, Nikias remains committed to strengthening USC's position as a major engine of economic, cultural and social development in the United States; as a preeminent global American university and a dynamic crossroads within an emerging Pacific era; as a top center for academic medicine; and as a world leader in innovations that are fueled by the creative encounter of a vast range of disciplines.
Toward this end, Nikias has launched the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the history of USC. The Campaign for the University of Southern California aims to raise $6 billion to advance the university's academic priorities and expand its positive impact on the community and the world. During Nikias' first year as president, USC received more than $1 billion in gifts — a record for any institution of higher education.
Before assuming the presidency, Nikias had served as USC's chief academic officer since June 2005. In that role, he was credited with recruiting new academic leadership, strengthening the academic medical enterprise, attracting a series of major donations to the university, creating innovative cross-disciplinary programs and enhancing USC's globalization efforts as well as increasing support for students at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels.
Nikias was instrumental in bringing the Shoah Foundation, originally established by filmmaker and USC trustee Steven Spielberg, to USC. The USC Shoah Foundation Institute's repository of 52,000 testimonies of Holocaust survivors represents the world's largest visual archives digital library. Nikias also established the Edward R. Roybal Institute for Applied Gerontology, the Stevens Institute for Innovation, the U.S.-China Institute, and the Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics. He launched Visions and Voices, USC's campus-wide arts and humanities initiative, as well as a grant program to advance scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. In addition, he teaches freshmen about ancient Athenian democracy and drama.
With the goal of advancing medical and biological sciences and patient care at USC, Nikias spearheaded the integration of faculty practice plans at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, oversaw the transfer of Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital from Tenet Healthcare Corporation to the university, and recruited a new leadership team for the university's medical enterprise. He currently chairs the USC Hospitals Governing Board.
In 2011, the university received a transformative $150 million naming gift from the W. M. Keck Foundation, a gift that unified USC's medical enterprise under the name Keck Medicine of USC. This further aligned the missions of the Keck School of Medicine and Keck Medical Center (Keck Hospital of USC, USC Norris Cancer Hospital and the university's faculty practices).
Nikias joined the university faculty in 1991. As dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering from 2001 to 2005, he solidified the school's top-tier position, oversaw the expansion of its biomedical engineering enterprise and developed its distance-learning program into one of the largest in the country. He also established key partnerships with corporations, among them Pratt and Whitney, Airbus, Boeing, Chevron and Northrop Grumman, and led a fund-raising campaign that brought in more than $250 million, including the historic $52 million school-naming gift from Andrew and Erna Viterbi.
Over his two-decade career as an active scholar, Nikias has been internationally recognized for his pioneering research on digital signal processing, digital media systems and biomedicine. He was founding director of two national research centers at USC: the NSF-funded Integrated Media Systems Center and the Department of Defense (DoD)-funded Center for Research on Applied Signal Processing. He has served as a senior consultant to a wide range of corporations and as a high-level consultant to the U.S. government, holding a security clearance for 15 years. The DoD has adopted a number of his innovations and patents in sonar, radar and communication systems. The author of more than 275 journal articles and conference papers, three textbooks and eight patents, Nikias has mentored more than 30 Ph.D. and postdoctoral students. Three of his publications have received best papers awards. Before coming to USC, he held faculty appointments at the University of Connecticut and Northeastern University.
Nikias is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the California Council on Science and Technology. Among other honors, he has received the IEEE Simon Ramo Medal, the University at Buffalo's Clifford C. Furnas Memorial Award, the American Hellenic Council's Aristeio Award and the USC Black Alumni Association's Thomas Kilgore Service Award. He also received a commendation for cutting-edge research from the governor of California.
Nikias graduated with honors from Famagusta Gymnasium, a school that emphasized sciences, history and Greco-Roman classics. He received a diploma from the National Technical University of Athens (also known as National Metsovion Polytechnic, the oldest and most prestigious institution of higher education in Greece) and later earned his M.S. and Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Cyprus.


One of the benefits of having a presence on the world wide web is being accessible to a readership beyond the city limits of scenic Sonoma. Lately, their e-mailed queries have surpassed the usual "Is Daedalus your real name?" and "Are you single?" to those pertaining to life in the wine country. With 'Noma Pride, … Continue reading "Nomaville: Misconceptions about Wine Country Living"


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Eduard Grégr (also Gröger), along with his brother Julius, was one of the leaders of the Young Czech Party.

He was born on 4 March 1827 and died on 1 April 1907. He was a Czech physician, politician and journalist. Eduard began his career as a medical doctor and writer of popular science articles during the 1850s. After graduating from medical school in 1854, he also served as a research assistant to Purkyne who wrote about anthropology and biology. Eduard viewed science and medicine as the best tool to work towards a more just and rational ordering of society. In January 1861, Eduard joined Julius on the editorial board of the Narodni listy and took a more active managerial role during the times that Julius was imprisoned in 1862. During the 1880s and 1890s he continued to be one of the leading pamphleteers of the Young Czech party. He stopped practicing medicine and conducting scientific experiments in 1862 so that he could focus on a full-time political career. He became the Young Czech party's principal party speechmaker. Unlike his brother Julius, Eduard's temperament was characterized as very calm, warm and generous.

References

1827 births
1907 deaths
People from Steyr
Old Czech Party politicians
Young Czech Party politicians
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1871–1873)
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1873–1879)
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1879–1885)
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1885–1891)
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1891–1897)
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1897–1900)
Members of the Austrian House of Deputies (1901–1907)
Czech journalists
19th-century Czech physicians

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


UPS Installation at SBI road, Y junction and Tech Mahindra road.
Supply & fixing shed at SWM Facility for Reject Waste Collection.
Footover bridge – Column Casting work in Progress.
Construction of footpath by using the square pavers including construction of concrete drain from BHEL Junction to Wipro Junction on both sides, along West Avenue 6, West Phase, Electronics City 560100.
Construction of footpath by using the square pavers including construction of concrete drain from Cafe Corner Jn to Paramount Jn, Electronics West Phase, Electronics City 560100.
Supply & Fixing Chain-link Fencing at East Phase.
Construction of Footpath along West Avenue 5.
Construction of RCC Culvert, Electronics City West & East Phase.


I have stumbled upon your blog searching for help with learning how to place the stress in Italian verb present tense (for now) conjugations. What a wealth of information you have here. I really like to know something about the author when I read articles about this, so I can try to relate or try to discern how much I can trust the information.
Will you please share information about the author(s) of your Italy-related articles? I'm not being nosy, just curious and interested. I'm a SERIOUS Italian student and Italophile.
I commend you for your desire to understand who is behind what you read. As you can see, I have no ads (I'm not trying to make money) and I have made no claims of being an expert (I'm an ordinary person). As well, I have been writing for a while (over 10 years) and tend to write about certain subjects over and over (hiking, plants, food, Italy). I think from these points you will have to make your own decision about trust.


text:
Hungary's Viktor Orban: Populist message, machine methods.
Author: Zsuzsanna, B. Magyar
Position:: EUROPE
On September 12, by accepting a report on Hungary with a two-thirds vote, the European Parliament initiated a process, outlined in Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty, that could potentially lead to Hungary's losing its voting rights in the European Council. The report, by rapporteur Judith Sargentini, voiced concerns over 12 issues ranging from corruption to the limitation of academic freedoms, curtailing media freedoms and civil rights. (1) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban denies the accusations and argues that some western European democracies are using the report to punish Hungary because of its anti-immigration sentiment.
Although the allegations listed in the Sargentini report are very serious, Hungarians do not seem to mind them. For instance, while the government categorically denies corruption charges, there are many highly visible signs that circles around Orban thrive under his governance. A football stadium with 3,800 seats was built in Orban's birth village, which has a total population of 1,700. A toy train runs between the two parts of the village, transporting tourists to the stadium. Orban's neighbour, Lorinc Meszaros, went from being a humble gas plumber to the second wealthiest man in Hungary in 12 years. While some say Meszaros is a straw man for the Prime Minister, Orban claims that his neighbour is simply a very good businessman. Recently, Orban's son-in-law, Istvan Tiborcz, also became involved in business. He started off installing street bulbs in municipalities led by mayors from Orban's party, and by now he is rapidly extending his business to hospitality. (2)
These are all issues around which the opposition parties would organize in a well-functioning democracy. But both Orban and his party, the Alliance of Young Democrats (Fidesz), remain incredibly successful without meaningful opposition in sight. Of the nine elections that have been held since 1990, Orban has won four times: in 1998, and in every election since 2010. In 2010, 2014 and 2018 Fidesz, in alliance with the Christian Democrats, won more than two thirds of the legislative seats and got a constitutional majority. Orban's popularity seems to be stable: in the election of April 8, 2018, his party received 47.4 per cent of the popular vote and for the third time managed to grab two thirds of the legislative seats. Orban remains the third most popular politician in Hungary after two of his party mates.
Nobody denies that Viktor Orban is a skilful politician. He got lucky as he was the opposition leader in 2008 when the economic crisis hit, but he was prepared to take over and took the opportunity that his sweeping victory in the 2010 election offered. After the victory Orban transformed many of Hungary's institutions to his advantage. He rewrote the constitution (which became the Fundamental Law of Hungary) in 2012, and changed the electoral rules starting with the 2014 election.
The number of parliamentarians fell from 386 to 199, which gave Fidesz a good opportunity to gerrymander new, favourable districts for the party. The two-round mixed-member majoritarian electoral system was changed to a one-round system, which...
physical force is a justifiable method of punishing children
Viktor Petrenko


text:
Carol Felsenthal
Sam Adam Jr. and Sr. Are Out, Says a Top Defense Lawyer
The father-and-son defense team that represented Rod Blagojevich in the ex-gov's corruption case is likely to bow out before the retrial, according to a prominent veteran defense lawyer in town who knows the Adams well. My source, whom I interviewed after closing arguments in the case in late July…
Published Aug. 19, 2010, at 12:05 p.m.
The father-and-son defense team that represented Rod Blagojevich in the ex-gov's corruption case is likely to bow out before the retrial, according to a prominent veteran defense lawyer in town who knows the Adams well.
My source, whom I interviewed after closing arguments in the case in late July, again asked not to be identified when we talked last night. I was one of many journalists trying to land an interview with him after Monday's verdict. Here, the highlights of our conversation
On Sam Adam Jr. and Sr.:
They're looking for 18 ways to withdraw. They got all this great publicity, and the public perception is that they had a victory. The likelihood is they'll lose the second trial, so what's the benefit to them? Sam Jr. got all the publicity. He's going to get a shitload of business. Why spend six more months involved in this case? [Also,] because it was a six-week trial, they ended up making money; had it been a four-month trial, they would have lost money.
Blago could get five years on the one count on which he was convicted. Had he been found guilty on all 24, he would have gotten six-and-a-half years. Thoughts?
Everybody has been getting six-and-a-half years in that [courthouse]. George Ryan got six-and-a-half; Conrad Black got six-and-a-half. I would guess that were [Blago] convicted of everything, he'd get six-and-a-half.
Is there a possibility that the government will not retry the case?
There is no possibility.
What's the likely timing of the retrial, and would Judge Zagel try that case?
Three months in the unlikely possibility that Adam father and son stay on. If they go and a couple of the current lawyers stay on, six months. If they get all new lawyers, eight months to a year. [Zagel] will handle the second trial.
What about Robert Blagojevich?
He will be retried. Had he won a couple of counts, he might not have been. His lawyer [Michael Ettinger] will stick with him if Robert wants him. Rob and Rod will be tried together.
Who are the winners and losers in the case?
The government is a loser. Rod Blagojevich is a loser too. If he goes to jail for five years, he's a loser.
Any thoughts on the single holdout on the jury?
Everyone told me that a woman was the single holdout; some say she's black, some say she's white. Generally, if you're going to get a holdout on a jury, it's going to be a black woman. [The holdout is reported to be an African American woman, a retired senior staffer at the Illinois Department of Public Health who worked on teen pregnancy issues.
What did you think about the post-verdict press conference performance of Adam Jr. and Sr.?
I think they're crazy. It was like a bunch of madmen talking. Later on, when [Adam Jr.] was on [WTTW's] Chicago Tonight, I thought he was very eloquent, but when he's near his father, his father runs him. When he's near his father, he acts like him.
Carol Felsenthal is a lifelong Chicagoan and self-proclaimed political junkie. She writes occasionally for Politico Magazine and The Hill. Her books include biographies of Bill Clinton, Katharine Graham, and Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Among her many stories for Chicago are memorable profiles of Michelle Obama and Bruce Rauner. Follow her on Twitter at @csfelsenthal.
Other Carol Felsenthal stories
Beto O'Rourke's Chicago Connection: His Wife, Amy
On the Life and Death of My Brother, Dickie
Could a Political Newcomer Unseat Illinois's Most Conservative Democrat?
Daniel Biss on His "Fight for the Soul" of the Democratic Party
What $300,000 Buys in Marina City Right Now
This Batavia House Predates the Civil War
At This New Bookstore, Poets and Painters Share the Walls
The 50 Best Dishes in Chicago
Immigrant Children Arrive in Chicago Traumatized, in Some Cases With Chicken Pox and Tuberculosis


Justin Bieber kicked off 2013 with a brand new tattoo, this time inking a tribute to his late grandfather on his left shoulder blade. Diverging from his religious-themed tats for now, the Biebs took a more sentimental approach when choosing his shoulder tattoo – one that reminds him of his beloved grandpa. On January 6, Justin Bieber posted a pic on Instagram of the Canadian Stratford Cullitons hockey team logo of a Native American man's face. The singer got the image permanently inked on his left shoulder in memory of his grandfather, who recently passed away. The Native American tattoo is the first tattoo Bieber got on his back.
Justin Bieber is apparently a big fan of the Canadian hockey team, which was originally called the Stratford Braves, and then the Stratford Warriors, before they settled for a moniker in honor of the Culliton Brothers, who sponsored the team in the 1970s. The back / shoulder tattoo is inked in black and white and features the side profile of a pretty fierce-looking Native American chief wearing a traditional headdress. In one photo caption, the Biebs wrote, "My grandfather always took me to the stratford culliton every friday night this is for u Grampa…My man @chenterios hooked it up." The logo of the Stratford Cullitons is believed to be inspired by the fact that Ontario is home to a large amount of Native American nations.
Justin Bieber's tat on his shoulder was inked by Chente Rios of Under the Gun Tattoo in Los Angeles, which is also where Selena Gomez got her music note tat on her wrist, in February 2012. The singer's Native American tattoo comes just one week after he posted a pic of a new addition to his praying hands tattoo – a collection of black and white roses on his leg – which he posted on December 30, 2012 while vacationing in Mexico. Justin Bieber posed for several shirtless photos to show off every angle of his hockey-themed tattoo, which is his tenth tattoo so far, so take your pick!


You've no doubt heard of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Moving with vision, speed, and determination in the opposing direction are the Four Partners of Economic Development.
The executive directors of the partners (the Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Authority, the NDDC, and the Northfield Enterprise Center) kicked off their regular meetings for 2009 by getting together earlier this week. From left to right are Jody Gunderson, EDA, Ross Currier, NDDC, Blake Abdella, NEC, and Kathy Feldbrugge, Chamber.
Topics on Tuesday included following up on the recent series of summits on In-fill and Redevelopment, moving forward on the review and enhancement of Northfield's Economic Development "Toolbox", consideration of a Market "Re-Analysis" and "Re-Targeting", a customization of the University of Minnesota Extension Service's Retail Trade Analysis, and collaborating on a "Shop Local" campaign. Roles and responsibilities were discussed and action steps for the next two weeks were set into motion.
There is a sense of urgency driving our work. We are all optimistic that the times are right for meaningful positive changes in Northfield.


LandInvestors.com › Forums › *New Member Introductions* › New To All Of This, Here's My Introduction!
I'm Quinn, a sophomore in college. I've always been extremely interested in real estate, but never considered the possibility of selling land! I'm from Scranton, PA. I don't mind traveling, actually I just drove back from a small trip to Michigan. I'm a musician, photographer, stock investor, and adrenaline junkie. I'm not entirely sure where to start with this, so any direction would be appreciated!
Hi Quinn. Honestly, I would recommend starting with podcasts. Not only should you listen to the Land Academy Show and Casual Fridays REI to learn about land flipping, but be sure to listen to BiggerPockets Real Estate Investing, BiggerPockets Money, and ChooseFI for general investing and life-hacking advice. I would also suggest reading 'The Simple Path to Wealth' by JL Collins and 'Set for Life' by Scott Trench.
Welcome Quinn! I am new to the membership, but I feel like listening to the Land Academy podcasts for the past year or so really got me spun up and thinking about things with the right mindset.


This pedal offers amazing capability in a passive effect circuit: four unique voices in a single passive pedal. Useful for altering the voice of basses, guitars, and virtually any electric instrument. A 9v battery is required to make the LED's operate but the pedal's voice settings will work regardless of the battery's state of charge.
The pedal shown in the images includes a separate on/off switch for the LED's but this can also be incorporated into the input jack as found in most active pedals.


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