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Brent P. Newhall's Blog
21st Century Renaissance Man
South Africa, Day Five: Safari
This is the sixth in a series of blog posts about my recent trip to South Africa. I'm posting them a week after they happen. For all 825 photos from my trip, see my Flickr photo set.
This was my full day of safaris. The itinerary:
5:00am Wake-up call
5:30am Gather in the dining area for snacks (hot coffee, iced coffee, hot tea, iced tea, water, milk, cake, scones, etc.)
5:45am Head out on morning safari
7:30am Stop for snacks (water, smoothies, wine, muffins, scones, etc.)
9:00am Return from safari
1:30pm Lunch. I had the sweet potato orange soup and grilled kudu (a game animal) with fries. Everything comes with freshly-baked bread, sweet butter, iced tea, water, etc.
4:00pm High tea, including cakes, cookies, breads, etc.
4:30pm Head out on afternoon safari
6:00pm Stop for snacks as the sun sets
7:00pm Return from safari for a dinner by firelight
As you can see, they fed us extremely well. All the food was excellent, too.
Fortunately, a storm had blown in the night before, cooling down the air and clouding the skies, so it never got above 80 degrees. Perfect weather for sitting in an open-top jeep and taking photos.
Now I face a problem: how to describe the excitement of seeing a giraffe or cape buffalo up close. There's little stunning about these animals; the excitement comes from knowing that I'll probably never see one again. The photos don't do the experience justice.
So I spent the day eating and watching animals in their natural habitat. Nothing beyond that, and I'll never forget it.
Dinner topped even the prior meals: rack of lamb, beef, chicken kebabs, potatoes, mixed vegetables, creamy soups, apple crumble, lime tart. We ate and chatted, and listened to the rangers' "war stories."
We were then escorted back to our rooms–a detail I should explain. Since the resort is in the middle of a national park, and there's only an electric fence to keep out large animals, smaller animals can easily get in (particularly baboons and small ruminants). They even had a leopard take up quasi-permanent residence for a while. So you can't roam the resort at night; you have to find a security guard who'll escort you from the main rooms to your own.
I felt comforted by this. We were in the middle of nature, not some human-cleansed zoo. We were forced to respect it.
The next day isn't really worth blogging about; I got up, was taken to the airport, and flew home. Other than the chatty van driver and the prop plane from Kruger-Mpumalanga Airport to Johannesburg, there was nothing remarkable.
An ad described its product as meant for people who measure their wealth not in dollars, but in experiences. I'm fully content with this experience and the memories I've made. I feel more rounded-out as a person.
Africa changed me for the better.
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Home > Journals > Affiliated Journals > BISE > Vol. 63 (2021) > Iss. 6
Business & Information Systems Engineering
Extracting Best-Practice Using Mixed-Methods
Erik Poppe, Queensland University of Technology
Anastasiia Pika, Queensland University of Technology
Moe T. Wynn, Queensland University of Technology
Rebekah Eden, Queensland University of Technology
Robert Andrews, Queensland University of Technology
Robert Andrews, Queensland University of TechnologyFollow
Problem Definition: Queensland's Compulsory Third-Party (CTP) Insurance Scheme provides a mechanism for persons injured as a result of a motor vehicle accident to receive compensation. Managing CTP claims involves multiple stakeholders with potentially conflicting interests. It is therefore pertinent to investigate whether 'best practice' for claims processing can be identified and measured so all claimants receive fair and equitable treatment. The project set out to test the applicability of a mixed-method approach to identify 'best-practice' using qualitative, process mining, and data mining techniques in an insurance claims processing domain. Relevance: Existing approaches typically identify 'best practice' from literature or surveys of practitioners. The study provides insights into an alternative, mixed-method approach to deriving best practice from historical data and domain knowledge. Methodology: The study is a reflective analysis of insights gained from a practical application of a mixed-method approach to determine 'best practice'. Results: The mixed-method approach has a number of benefits over traditional approaches in uncovering best practice process behavior from historical data in the real-world context (i.e., can identify process behavior differences between high and low performing cases). The study also highlights a number of challenges with regards to the quality and detail of data that needs to be available to perform the analysis. Managerial Implications: The 'lessons learned' from this study will directly benefit others seeking to implement a data-driven approach to understand a 'best-practice' process in their own organization.
Poppe, Erik; Pika, Anastasiia; Wynn, Moe T.; Eden, Rebekah; Andrews, Robert; and Andrews, Robert (2021) "Extracting Best-Practice Using Mixed-Methods," Business & Information Systems Engineering: Vol. 63: Iss. 6, 637-651.
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/bise/vol63/iss6/3
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Giants Look to Stay Unbeaten on "Orange Friday"
The Giants look to stay undefeated on Orange Friday.
Don't tell the San Francisco Giants that Friday the 13th is unlucky. They have won every single "Orange Friday" game this season on Friday nights when they've busted out the bright orange jerseys.
And guess what they'll be wearing tonight when they play the San Diego Padres at 7p.m. on KNTV NBC 11.
These Giants are 9-0 this season in Friday night home games in which they've worn the screamin' orange jerseys, with wins over the Braves, Cardinals, Rockies, Astros, Diamondbacks, A's, Red Sox, Mets, and Dodgers. You can verify this for yourself if you have that much time on your hands.
And we here at NBC Bay Area don't mind pointing out that the Giants are 7-0 in Orange Friday games broadcast live on KNTV. And did we mention that tonight's Orange Friday game is being broadcast live on KNTV?
Tonight's starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez is not exactly struggling with his confidence. "We're going to play San Diego, and we're going to beat them three times," Sanchez told the Mercury News, referring to this weekend's three-game series against the NL West leaders.
And this year, it's tough to argue with a guy in a screamin' orange jersey.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who probably gets the blame for jinxing the team if they lose tonight.


Welcome back to the Dental Performance Podcast. I'm your host, John Cotton from DentalPerformance.com and thank you for joining me today for Episode 6 of the Dental Performance Podcast.
Our topic for today is notorious for giving dentists across the country nightmares.
No… we're not talking about taxes or insurance.
Today, our interview is about dental real estate.
Whether you're looking to buy your first practice or acquire your 3rd, knowing the ins and outs of how dental real estate works is essential for getting the best deal.
Unfortunately, that's not often a topic taught at dental school, which means many dentists struggle to get the most bang for their buck.
Today I sit down with dental real estate expert Mike Jorgenson, and he shares his many insights from helping hundreds of dentists negotiate their lease.
It's definitely an episode you won't want to miss.
Mike Jorgenson's best tips and tricks for getting the best real estate deal.
Why you need to stop haggling on the "small things" and aim for the big wins instead.
The most important things do when looking for a lease for your dental practice.
A common real estate mistake most dentists make when acquiring a practice.
The dental real estate "tax" and how to avoid it.
Now, here's interview with Mike Jorgenson.
A huge thank you to Mike Jorgenson for sharing his knowledge on dental real estate and how to avoid paying more than you have to. As you heard, ignorance with real estate can literally cost you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your lease or leases.
I hope you found Mike Jorgenson's real estate tips both informative and helpful and that you've walked away from the interview ready to take action.


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The Challenge of Authentic Leadership
Oct 5, 2011 | Leadership
by Gael O'Brien
Of all the styles and types of leadership, something called authentic leadership seems the easiest to achieve – after all, who wouldn't want to be, and come across as, the genuine article?
More than twenty years ago leadership guru Warren Bennis wrote that the essence of leadership is "becoming yourself." As he also wrote that leaders are made, not born, the work-in-progress theory applies here.
Bennis, Kevin Cashman and Bill George are among the leadership experts who've been talking and writing about the characteristics and significance of leading authentically; at its core, it involves possessing high emotional intelligence.
Behaviors include self awareness (the power Cashman calls of being real rather than having to be right), listening to hear and connect, living out of one's values and integrity, and valuing others, bringing people together and inspiring them to create value around shared purpose. George talks about authentic leadership as being essential for the 21st century leader.
Blake Mycoskie, founder and "Chief Shoe Giver" of TOMS, is one of many leaders who seem to fit that description. He is focused on building a culture where employees are valued, helped to perform to their fullest ability, and are engaged in shared purpose to create value for others.
The inevitable question: is authentic leadership sustainable and does it make a difference? After all, the memory of the leadership of self involvement, from Wall Street and other sectors fueling the economic meltdown, is still so vivid. Is it possible that a 21st century leadership can emerge that involves self awareness, emotional intelligence, and authenticity?
Betsy Myers believes it is. In her new book "Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You" she tells the story of a 2006 conference held at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government where the common sentiment among the dozens of pre-eminent CEOs, thought leaders and academics participating (including Bennis, George, John Kotter, Howard Shultz, Jack Welch, Les Wexner, Noel Tichy, and Admiral Thad Allen) was that a new leadership of heart and mind was emerging. The paradigm emphasized authenticity, collaboration and caring, she said.
Myers indicated that the conference confirmed three core beliefs that her experience shared: 1) leadership is a function of self knowledge and honest self reflection; 2) the strength of leaders comes from their willingness to ask questions; and 3) leaders draw their power less from what they know and more from how they make people around them feel.
"Leadership is about how you make people feel – about you, about the project or work you're doing together, and especially about themselves," she writes. Currently founding director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University, Myers was executive director of Harvard's Center for Public Leadership and also served as senior adviser to Barack Obama's presidential campaign and to President Bill Clinton.
The gems in her book are her stories (personal, political and drawn from business) that illustrate her seven core ideas: authenticity, connection, respect, clarity, collaboration, learning, and courage. They form the roadmap in the leadership journey she describes, which essentially becomes a journey in developing one's emotional intelligence.
The word "authentic" can be problematic if we let it. It invites the best that is possible as well as becoming trite if overused and undernourished. When it falls prey to posturing it becomes a fad: consider the self proclamations by celebrities, politicians, and online dater wannabes professing "I've always tried to just be authentic and real," (Anderson Cooper) or "I'm authentic" (Michele Bachman) with all kinds of variations in between.
What saves "authenticity" from death by posers is that it isn't about what leaders say about themselves; it is what the stories told about them demonstrate, about their actions, conversations, connecting, how they handle mistakes, their openness to feedback and disagreement in creating solutions, and their capacity to inspire followers.
Authenticity is essentially tied to a leader's capacity for self awareness in that moment. It is an organic process. It has to be fed continually by a leader's willingness to learn about himself/herself and the world.
It is a leadership driven by one's belief that sustainable business success is built by wanting to deserve and bring about trust, knowing the impact that trust has on the relationships and value created.
Given the challenges that have launched the 21st century, leaders face pressures and demands that will be met so much more effectively if people feel heard, if connections are made at both the level of head and heart, if shared purpose can be created, if trust can be established: all sustainable elements of authentic leadership.
Gael O'Brien is a Business Ethics Magazine columnist. Gael is a thought leader on building leadership, trust, and reputation and writes The Week in Ethics.
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This undercover parking space is located in Abbotsford and available to lease on a monthly basis. Located just a 3 minute walk to 109 Tram on Victoria St or Collingwood train station on Gipps Street. Bond required.


Still Concerned about the killings across the country, particularly in Plateau, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, have with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
They demanded for the review of the country's security architecture to end incessant killings by suspected herdsmen.
The Christian leaders also urged President Buhari to ensure the release of the abducted student of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Leah Sharibu, who was abducted by Boko Haram militants for refusing to denounce her Christian faith.
According to presentation at the closed doors meeting with the President, the leader of CAN in the 19 Northern States, Rev. Yakubu Pam, said the review of security architecture in the country has become imperative to give the security apparatus a new lease of life and responsiveness to earn the required trust, confidence and support of the general populace.
He also lamented that the continuous abduction of underage Christian girls who were forcefully converted to Islam and given out for marriage without the consent of their parents, breeds religious disharmony.
The group therefore urged President Buhari to intensify and speed up actions for the release of girls in captivity, especially Sharibu.
the security architecture of the country should be re-visited to give it a new lease of life and responsiveness to earn the required trust, confidence, and support of the general populace.
Federal government should encourage herders to acquire land for cattle ranching across the country as a means of private business investment.
government should reconcile its priority by providing the necessary safety for the farmers to go on with their farming activities noting that while the federal government under the current administration is celebrating an agricultural revolution, most farmers, especially in the north, can no longer go to their farms due to the sustained attacks by herdsmen.


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I'd like to request a showing of 136 Oakland Avenue, Tuckahoe, NY, 10707 (MLS® #4903548). Thank you!


Subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy (SPAM): A potential complication of subarachnoid shunt for syringomyelia?
J Spinal Cord Med 2018 Aug 29:1-5. Epub 2018 Aug 29.
a Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico , University of Milan , Milan , Italy.
Rhythmic Neck Muscle Spasms and Upper Limb Muscle Myoclonic Jerks as an Unusual Initial Presentation of Posttraumatic Cervicothoracic Syringomyelia: A Case Report.
PM R 2018 Oct 14;10(10):1119-1121. Epub 2018 Mar 14.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Taiwan; No. 5, Fuxing St, Guishan Dist, Taoyuan City 333, Taiwan.
Cell Therapy as a New Approach to the Treatment of Posttraumatic Syringomyelia.
World Neurosurg 2017 Nov 10;107:1047.e5-1047.e8. Epub 2017 Aug 10.
Neurosurgery Service and Neurological Cell Therapy Unit, Department of Surgery, Hospital Puerta de Hierro-Majadahonda, and Autonomous University, Madrid, Spain.
Background: Cell transplantation with autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) seems to be a therapeutic promise for patients with established spinal cord injury, achieving improvement in their quality of life, but there is no experience with the application of this type of cell therapy in patients suffering posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Objective: To study the possible utility of cell therapy with autologous MSCs in posttraumatic syringomyelia.
AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2017 Sep 20;38(9):1839-1844. Epub 2017 Jul 20.
From Neuroscience Research Australia (J.Y., B.B.L., L.B.), Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
Neurology 2016 09 19;87(12):1299-301. Epub 2016 Aug 19.
From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (T.K., J.R., C.R.J., M.H., A.C.), University Hospital Balgrist, Zurich; Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen (T.K., R.H.), Switzerland; and ICORD (C.R.J.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
J Neurosurg Spine 2016 Jun 26;24(6):941-8. Epub 2016 Feb 26.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and.
Syringosubarachnoid shunting using a myringotomy tube.
Surg Neurol Int 2016 7;7(Suppl 1):S8-S11. Epub 2016 Jan 7.
Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
J Neurosurg Spine 2016 May 29;24(5):797-805. Epub 2016 Jan 29.
The characteristics of posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Spinal Cord 2016 Jun 1;54(6):463-6. Epub 2015 Dec 1.
Clinical Trial Unit, Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Nottwil, Switzerland.
Objectives: To investigate the characteristics of posttraumatic symptomatic syringomyelia after spinal cord injury (SCI).
Intracranial hypotension after syringopleural shunting in posttraumatic syringomyelia: Case report and review of the literature.
Department of Neurosurgery, The Alfred Hospital, Victoria, Australia ; Department of Surgery, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
The roads to mitochondrial dysfunction in a rat model of posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Biomed Res Int 2015 13;2015:831490. Epub 2015 Jan 13.
Prince of Wales Clinical School, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
C-5 palsy after cerebrospinal fluid diversion in posttraumatic syringomyelia: case report.
J Neurosurg Spine 2015 Apr 6;22(4):394-8. Epub 2015 Feb 6.
Department of Neurological Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Koc University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2014 Sep 17;124:44-50. Epub 2014 Jun 17.
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Dr, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Objective: To identify risk factors that predispose to post-traumatic syringomyelia (PTS) and describe the outcome of surgical management.
Arachnolysis or cerebrospinal fluid diversion for adult-onset syringomyelia? A Systematic review of the literature.
World Neurosurg 2015 May 27;83(5):829-35. Epub 2014 Jun 27.
Objective: To identify surgical practice patterns in the literature for nonpediatric syringomyelia by systematic review and to determine the following: 1) What is the best clinical practice of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion to maximize clinical improvement or to achieve the lowest recurrence rate? 2) Does arachnolysis, rather than CSF diversion, lead to prolonged times to clinical recurrence?
Methods: A database search comprising PubMed, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was conducted to find pertinent articles on postinfectious, posttraumatic, or idiopathic syringomyelia.
Syringomyelia coexisting with guillain-barre syndrome.
Ann Rehabil Med 2013 Oct 29;37(5):745-9. Epub 2013 Oct 29.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Subarachnoid-subarachnoid bypass: a new surgical technique for posttraumatic syringomyelia.
J Neurosurg Spine 2013 Apr 22;18(4):382-7. Epub 2013 Feb 22.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Japan Labour Health and Welfare Organization, Spinal Injuries Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
J Neurosurg Spine 2012 Sep 13;17(3):199-211. Epub 2012 Jul 13.
Object: This paper presents results of a prospective study for patients undergoing surgery for posttraumatic syringomyelia between 1991 and 2010.
Air gun impactor--a novel model of graded white matter spinal cord injury in rodents.
J Reconstr Microsurg 2012 Oct 18;28(8):561-8. Epub 2012 Jun 18.
Department of Physiology, Center of Excellence for Research and Teaching of Matrix Biology and Nanotechnology, Network of CoE BioMedTech Silesia; School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, ul. Medyków 4, Katowice, Poland.
Giant intradiploic pseudomeningocele of occipital bone.
J Neurosurg Spine 2011 May 25;14(5):570-2; discussion 572. Epub 2011 Feb 25.
Reaction of endogenous progenitor cells in a rat model of posttraumatic syringomyelia.
J Neurosurg Spine 2011 May 25;14(5):573-82. Epub 2011 Feb 25.
Object: Endogenous stem cells theoretically could replace lost tissue and repair deficits caused by syringes. In this study the authors quantitatively examined 1) whether neural progenitor cells exist in an adult rat model of posttraumatic syringomyelia (PTS); 2) and if so, how long an active population of progenitor cells can persist; 3) whether the cell population's location is associated with the syrinx; 4) the degree of differentiation of the progenitor cells; and 5) the phenotypic fate of the progenitor cells.
A lumped-parameter model of the cerebrospinal system for investigating arterial-driven flow in posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Med Eng Phys 2011 Sep 15;33(7):874-82. Epub 2010 Sep 15.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Impact of cordectomy as a treatment option for posttraumatic and non-posttraumatic syringomyelia with tethered cord syndrome and myelopathy.
Department of Neurosurgery, Heinrich-Heine University, Moorenstrasse 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Object: Spinal cordectomy has recently become more important in the treatment of end-stage posttraumatic or postoperative syringomyelia and arachnopathy as a last resort to manage ascending neurological dysfunction, spasticity, and pain in paraplegic patients. The aim in this study was to confirm a clinical benefit in strict indications for cordectomy.
Surgical treatment of posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Department of Neurosurgery, Bicetre University Hospital, Bicetre, France.
Objective: The present study evaluates the effectiveness of 2 surgical procedures, shunting and untethering, for posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Decompressive surgery in a patient with posttraumatic syringomyelia.
J Korean Neurosurg Soc 2010 Mar 31;47(3):228-31. Epub 2010 Mar 31.
Department of Neurosurgery, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Role of the blood-spinal cord barrier in posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, and Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, University of New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia.
Posttraumatic spinal cord tethering and syringomyelia: surgical treatment and long-term outcome.
Department of Neurosurgery, Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado 80113, USA.
Chronic neuropathic pain in spinal cord injured patients: what is the effectiveness of surgical treatments excluding central neurostimulations?
Ann Phys Rehabil Med 2009 Mar 23;52(2):194-202. Epub 2009 Feb 23.
Service de neurotraumatologie, hôtel-Dieu, CHU de Nantes, 44093 Nantes cedex, France.
Objectives: Analyzing the literature and elaborating recommendations on the following topics: relevance of dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesions, surgical treatment for posttraumatic syringomyelia, other therapeutic approaches (peripheral nerve root pain, nerve trunk pain and Sign Posterior Cord [SCI] pain).
Material And Methods: The methodology used, proposed by the French Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (SOFMER), includes a systematic review of the literature, the gathering of information regarding current clinical practices and a validation by a multidisciplinary panel of experts.
Thecal shunt placement for treatment of obstructive primary syringomyelia.
Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, California, USA.
[Posttraumatic syringomyelia developing soon after spinal cord injury. A case report].
Department of Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery, Yukioka Hospital, Japan.
Syringomyelia from complicated posttraumatic hydrocephalus.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1201 Broad Rock Blvd., Richmond, VA 23249, USA.
Flexor myoclonus of the arm due to posttraumatic cervico-thoracic syringomyelia.
J Neurol 2008 Aug 4;255(8):1275-7. Epub 2008 Jul 4.
Mechanistic insights into posttraumatic syringomyelia based on a novel in vivo animal model. Laboratory investigation.
Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Toronto Western Research Institute, Krembil Neuroscience Center, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Object: Although posttraumatic syringomyelia (PTS) develops in up to 30% of patients after spinal cord injury (SCI), the pathophysiology of this debilitating complication is incompletely understood. To provide greater insight into the mechanisms of this degenerative sequela of SCI, the authors developed and characterized a novel model of PTS.
Minimally invasive insertion of syringosubarachnoid shunt for posttraumatic syringomyelia: technical case report.
Department of Neurosurgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
Surgery for posttraumatic syringomyelia: a retrospective study of seven patients.
Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.
Objective: To analyze retrospectively the clinical symptoms, signs, radiological findings and results of treatment of posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Guillain-Barre syndrome: A possibility in a spinal cord injured patient.
Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injury Centre, Pinderfields General Hospital, Wakefield, UK.
Neurosurg Rev 2006 Oct 31;29(4):251-63; discussion 264. Epub 2006 May 31.
Department of Neuroradiology and MR Research Center, Karolinska University Hospital, S-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden.
Treatment of posttraumatic syringomyelia with extradural decompressive surgery.
Neurosurg Focus 2000 Mar 15;8(3):E8. Epub 2000 Mar 15.
Division of Neurosurgery, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Cordectomy for the treatment of posttraumatic syringomyelia. Report of four cases and review of the literature.
Division of Neurosurgery, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Dyspnea: an unusual presentation of posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics, Brown University Medical School, East Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Primary spinal syringomyelia. Invited submission from the joint section meeting on disorders of the spine and peripheral nerves, March 2005.
Division of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-6901, USA.
Progressive syringomyelia controlled by treatment of associated hydrocephalus in an infant with birth injury. Case report.
Section of Neurosurgery, St Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19134-1095, USA.
Myelopathy: a report of two cases.
Department of Radiology, Logan College of Chiropractic, Chesterfield, Mo 63006-1065, USA.
Objective: To present diagnostic imaging findings of two cases of cervical myelopathy, with different etiologies, presenting to a chiropractic office.
Posttraumatic syringomyelia--a serious complication in tetra- and paraplegic patients.
Department of Neurosurgery, BG-Unfallklinik Murnau, Murnau, Germany.
Worsening myelopathy masked by peripheral nerve disorders.
Spinal Cord Injury Service, DVA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington 98108, USA.
Background/objective: Peripheral nerve disorders--whether due to peripheral nerve entrapment or to polyneuropathy--can alter the signs of myelopathy, masking both the sensory loss and distal hyperreflexia. Diagnosis of worsening myelopathy may be missed when there is a coexisting peripheral nerve disorder.
Altered subarachnoid space compliance and fluid flow in an animal model of posttraumatic syringomyelia.
Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Barker Street, Randwick, New South Wales 2031 Australia.
Study Design: A histologic study of cerebrospinal fluid tracers in Sprague-Dawley rats undergoing lumboperitoneal shunt insertion in the excitotoxic animal model of posttraumatic syringomyelia (PTS).
Objectives: To determine the effects of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion from the subarachnoid space on perivascular flow (PVS) and syrinx formation in posttraumatic syringomyelia.


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From the Grinch to Mariah, top holiday specials
Favorites old and new will ring in the Christmas season with music, movies and animated fare.
From the Grinch to Mariah, top holiday specials Favorites old and new will ring in the Christmas season with music, movies and animated fare. Check out this story on Freep.com: http://on.freep.com/1jovuNP
AP Published 5:38 p.m. ET Nov. 27, 2015 | Updated 6:50 p.m. ET Nov. 27, 2015
Peter Billingsley hopes for a Red Ryder BB gun in 1983's "A Christmas Story," which airs at 8 p.m. Dec. 24 on TBS and will have several showings Dec. 24-25 on TCM.(Photo: Turner Broadcasting System Inc.)
It's that most wonderful time of the TV year when we are visited again by the welcome ghosts of classic holiday programs past. Hello again, Frosty the Snowman and even mean old Mr. Grinch!
But there are newcomers as well, with Mariah Carey, Bill Murray and an "Empire" variety special among them. Isn't it greedy to ask Santa for anything more?
Among the seasonal highlights:
"Frosty the Snowman": The adventures of the snowman (voiced by Jackie Vernon) with the magical top hat and jolly soul, which first aired in 1969, as narrated by Jimmy Durante. 8 p.m. Saturday, CBS.
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer": The 1964 special in which Rudolph and buddies Hermey the Elf, Yukon Cornelius and the Misfit Toys rescue Christmas, with narrator Burl Ives' dulcet tones an added bonus. 8 p.m. Tuesday, CBS.
Burl Ives narrates 1964's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," which airs at 8 p.m. Dec. 1 on CBS. Let the reindeer games begin! (Photo: Classic Media)
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas": The Dr. Seuss tale of a hostile hermit who threatens Whoville's joy is narrated by Boris Karloff, who also voices the dastardly Grinch in the 1966 program. 9 p.m. Wednesday, NBC.
"The Little Drummer Boy": Young Aaron, who can't afford to buy a present for baby Jesus, discovers that nothing is better than the gift of music. Noon Dec. 6, ABC Family.
Boris Karloff narrates Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and provides the voice of the dastardly Grinch. It airs at 9 p.m. Dec. 2 on NBC. (Photo: Warner Bros.)
"A Christmas Detour": Candace Cameron Bure and Paul Greene star as two New York City-bound travelers rerouted to a Buffalo airport hotel and into unexpected territory. 8 p.m. Saturday, Hallmark Channel.
"It's a Wonderful Life": Filmmaker Frank Capra's holiday fable starring James Stewart and Donna Reed has been reminding audiences about what's important in life since 1946. 8 p.m. Dec. 5, NBC.
"Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors": Alyvia Alyn Lind plays the country music legend as a child in a story inspired by Parton's family life in 1950s Tennessee. Jennifer Nettles, Gerald McRaney and Ricky Schroder costar. 9 p.m. Dec. 10, NBC.
"A Christmas Story": A boy and a longed-for BB gun make for holiday cheer in writer Jean Shepherd's wry 1983 tale that stars Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin. 8 p.m. Dec. 24, TBS. There are also a number of screenings on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on TCM.
"Miracle on 34th Street": Santa Claus goes to court and a little girl stands by his story in the 1947 movie starring Edmund Gwen, Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood as the young believer in St. Nick. 7 p.m. Dec. 10, AMC.
"White Christmas": Bing Crosby croons the title song and Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen add to the festivities at a struggling Vermont inn in need of help. 11:30 p.m. Dec. 10, AMC.
Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen, Rosemary Clooney and Danny Kaye star in the 1954 classic "White Christmas." Catch it at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 10 on AMC. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
"A Christmas Melody": Mariah Carey stars in and directed this story with music about a single mom (Lacey Chabert) who is forced to close her New York boutique and return to her Ohio hometown, where she faces a former high school rival (Carey). 8 p.m. Dec. 19, Hallmark Channel.
Fina Strazza stars in "A Christmas Melody," directed by Mariah Carey. See it at 8 p.m. Dec. 19 on the Hallmark Channel. (Photo: Brian Douglas, Crown Media)
"It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown": A celebration of the 50th anniversary of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" with performances by Kristen Chenoweth, Sarah McLachlan and Boyz II Men, followed at 9 p.m. by the digitally remastered 1965 animated special. 8 p.m. Monday, ABC.
"CMA Country Christmas": Kelsea Ballerini, Jewel, Charles Kelley, Martina McBride, David Nail, Pentatonix, LeAnn Rimes and Darius Rucker join the musical celebration, with Jennifer Nettles as the host and the Grand Ole Opry House as the setting. 9 p.m. Thursday, ABC.
"A Very Murray Christmas": Bill Murray tips his hat to the holiday and classic variety shows with help from buddies including Michael Cera, George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock and, as director, Sofia Coppola. Begins streaming Friday, Netflix.
"Taraji and Terrence's White Hot Holidays": "Empire" stars Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard host a music and variety special including performances of holiday songs by Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Jamie Foxx and others. 9 p.m. Dec. 9, Fox.
"Lidia Celebrates America: Home for the Holidays": Chef and author Lidia Bastianich explores the varied backgrounds and holiday traditions of guests including Christopher Walken, Rita Moreno, Ann Curry and Padma Lakshmi. 9 p.m. Dec. 11, PBS.
Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/1jovuNP


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Ahold Delhaize Furthers Commitment Sustainability, Aims to Cut Food Waste in Half
Ahold Delhaize USA's local brands have implemented a new sustainable chemistry commitment that will restrict certain chemicals from products and packaging.
Ahold Delhaize will extend its commitment to cut food waste in its brands' operations. The reduction is in line with the global goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030. The new target further builds on the company's commitment to reduce food waste by 20% by 2020.
To support this, the company has joined the World Resources Institute's 10x20x30 initiative, which brings together 10 global food retailers that will reach engage with 20 of their priority suppliers to have their rates of food loss and waste by 2030.
"Reducing food waste in our stores and distribution chain is the right thing for our business, for the climate, and for improving food security. We join this exciting initiative to support momentum across our industry and create new innovations for reducing waste in partnership with suppliers," said Frans Muller, President and CEO of Ahold Delhaize.
The announcement comes just after Ahold Delhaize revealed that its local brands have implemented a new sustainable chemistry commitment that will restrict certain chemicals from products and packaging. In addition, it will the commitment allows the brands to work with suppliers to ensure that products meet high standards for ingredients beyond what's currently required by law.
"The great local brands of Ahold Delhaize USA are known for their close local and personal connections with customers and communities," says Brittni Furrow, VP of Sustainable Retailing and Healthy Living for Ahold Delhaize USA. "Consumers indicate they want more transparent products for their families, made with ingredients they can feel good about. We're pleased to launch this new commitment, which will bring more sustainable options, free from unwanted ingredients, to neighborhood grocery stores."
The sustainable chemistry policy that each of Ahold Delhaize USA's companies have adopted outlines sustainable chemistry practices across three key areas:
Restricting Chemicals of Concern. Ahold Delhaize USA's companies will restrict the intentional use of chemicals of concern and place chemicals of concern, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), Bisphenol A (BPAs), Phthalates and more on a restricted substance list for a full range of private brand products. The restricted list will cover both private brand products and food packaging for these products and work will focus on ensuring more sustainable substitutes for chemicals of concern are used.
Verifying Chemicals of High Priority are Removed. Ahold Delhaize USA's companies will expand supplier testing requirements beginning in 2020 to confirm that priority products meet its high standards, beyond what is required by U.S. law, for potential chemicals of concern. Ahold Delhaize USA and its local brands are committed to using credible certification programs that further address priority materials for coffee, tea and cocoa products with Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade or organic programs.
Collaborating with Suppliers to Address Root Causes of Contaminants. Ahold Delhaize USA and its local brands will partner with suppliers, agricultural producers and external organizations to research and act to minimize the occurrence of potential contaminants of concern in finished products and to advance greener chemistry options. Additionally, the companies are expanding product ingredient information provided to consumers, beyond what is required by law, to support the selection of trusted brands and products.
"Each of the Ahold Delhaize USA companies is committed to sustainable chemistry from farms and fields to production and packaging to store shelves," says Furrow. "Sustainable chemistry is a complex and evolving topic, but one that Ahold Delhaize USA and its companies are committed to addressing in collaboration with others in the best interest of consumers."
Starting in 2020, Ahold Delhaize will participate in The Chemical Footprint Project and will report annually on progress toward its commitment.
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Todd Akin Defies Mitt Romney and Stays in Missouri Senate Race
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan called on Todd Akin to quit Missouri Senate race.
By GREGORY J. KRIEG, JONATHAN KARL and EMILY FRIEDMAN
Todd Akin Refuses to Drop Out of Race
Paul Ryan had called on the Missouri Senate candidate to quit campaign.
Aug. 21, 2012— -- A defiant Rep. Todd Akin today rejected calls from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan to drop out of the Missouri Senate race over his controversial comments about rape and pregnancy.
Akin let a 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) deadline pass without withdrawing his name from the ballot.
"As of 5 p.m. there's been no withdrawal filed," the secretary of state's office told ABC News. "[Akin] would have to have a court order now to get off the ballot."
Akin can still drop out of the race. Under Missouri law, he has until Sept. 25 to obtain a court order for his withdrawal, but it would require Akin to pay for a reprinting of ballots.
"Let me make it absolutely clear," Akin said on Mike Huckabee's radio show. "We're going to continue with this race for the U.S. Senate."
Akin wasn't swayed by appeals from Romney and Ryan as well as five current and former Missouri senators.
"Today, his fellow Missourians urged him to step aside," Romney said in a statement. "I think he should accept their counsel and exit the Senate race."
On Monday, Ryan had a five minute phone call with Akin urging him to consider stepping down.
"He didn't ask him to get out," the source said. "He said, basically, 'You need to reflect on this and think about what is best for you, your family and things you believe in.'"
When that didn't work Ryan today endorsed Romney's suggestion that Akin quit the race.
Instead, Akin posted an online video seeking "forgiveness" for saying that women rarely get pregnant from what he called "legitimate rape."
"By taking this stand, this is going to strengthen our country," he told Huckabee, calling in to the show for the second straight day. "It will strengthen the Republican Party."
"We can't run from our shadows," he said later during an interview with Missouri-based conservative talker Dana Loesch.
High-ranking GOP officials fear Akin's inflammatory words have sunk his chances of winning the Missouri race and may also scuttle Republicans' hopes of taking control of the Senate.
Earlier today, Akin gained an unlikely ally in the form of Democratic rival Sen. Claire McCaskill.
McCaskill, who is trailing Akin in the polls, said that Republican leaders should not be trying to overturn the results of the Republican primary that made Akin their candidate.
"Elections are sacred," McCaskill told St. Louis Fox affiliate KTVS. "There was an election, so I think the voters of Missouri should be respected, not have some big-wig, fancy people from Washington come in here and threaten him that he's got to drop out."
The National Republican Senate Committee questioned McCaskill's motives.
"It should not be lost on anyone that some of the only voices not calling for Congressman Akin to do the right thing and step aside are Claire McCaskill and the leaders of the pro-abortion movement," they said in a statement. "Senator McCaskill knows that the only way she wins re-election is if Todd Akin is her opponent in November."
Among the big-name Republicans asking Akin to quit are his would-be colleagues, including Missouri's junior senator Roy Blunt, who issued a joint statement together with former Missouri U.S. senators John Ashcroft, Kit Bond, John Danforth, and Jim Talent.
"The issues at stake are too big, and this election is simply too important. The right decision is to step aside," they wrote.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Maine's Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Richard Burr of North Carolina have all joined the chorus.
McConnell called Akin's initial remarks a "deeply offensive error at a time when his candidacy carries great consequence for the future of our country... To continue serving his country in the honorable way he has served throughout his career, it is time for Congressman Akin to step aside."
Todd Akin Won't Quit Missouri Senate Race After Rape Remark
On Monday, Sens. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Texas's John Cornyn, head of the National Republican Senate Committee, urged Akin to step aside. Additional pressure came from Karl Rove's powerful Crossroads GPS Super PAC which said it will pull all of its money out of Missouri if Akin stays in and the Tea Party Express which released a statement calling for Akin to "step down."
Akin tried to salvage his candidacy today by releasing a video asking voters for "forgiveness."
"Rape is an evil act" and "the mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the heart I hold," Akin tells voters in the video.
"Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin's statement, and a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape," the campaign said yesterday, before dialing up the rhetoric.
Earlier today, the Republican National Convention approved a plank in their platform advocating for the passage of the "Human Life Amendment," which would ban abortion in all circumstances, even in cases of rape or incest.
It employs the same language that was used in the party platform in 2004 and 2008.


What's going on here then? Am I heralding the arrival of some new super hero? Not quite…..
I recall that, some years ago, there was a man on a course I was running who was a renowned world authority on a certain species of greenfly. In his introduction to the group, he explained how his research into this little creature had formed the bulk of his working life up until that point.
I daresay, such research will have been useful, even necessary for any number of reasons that would be beyond the reach of my own greenfly-sized brain.
That very same brain has chosen not to forget that chap, and marvel at how a whole career could be devoted to being focused on one, specific, specialist endeavour. On the one hand, it is to be admired. The accolade of being a world leading expert is not earned lightly in whatever the field, yet on the other hand, I wonder what may be lost through this?
I wonder whether it is preferable to become an expert or to be a "Jack of all trades" – an undeservedly demeaning description. I prefer the term polymath. Throughout history, polymaths have earned their rightful place alongside the experts, from Hildegard of Bingham to Leonardo Da Vinci, right up to the likes of Stephen Fry and Jonathan Miller in the presnt day.
Personally, I find the variety of being a polymath far more appealing than to be an expert at anything.
When I first went self employed almost 25 years ago, I used to joke that I had a pad of invoices and I'd be up for writing any number of different activities on them if need be. The bulk of my work since then has been in training. However, I've also sold redundancy counselling services, promoted shares in a Czech golf course, coached people from all manner of professions, run workshops on our relationship with money, written this weekly blog for almost five years and, more recently taken up stand up comedy.
I can't claim to be master at any of those endeavours, but know they have contributed to a relatively rich and interesting few decades. Let's see what the coming decades bring – who knows, I may even develop an interest in greenfly…….
I am enjoying your blogs immensely, by the way. Thanks!
This entry was posted on May 31, 2015 at 9:11 pm and filed under Well-being. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed.


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BLUE EYES AT THE BRAZILIAN FILM FESTIVAL
David Rasche and Cristina Lago
I enjoyed Blue Eyes (Olhos Azuis) at the Brazilian Film Festival.
It features a terrific performance by David Rasche, a seasoned American actor, brilliantly portraying a very complex and multi-faceted character, and a lovely performance by a charming Brazilian newcomer, Cristine Lado. The film is mostly in English, which Lado manages with appropriately accented conviction.
The script has an interesting structure: a melodramatic confrontation in the custom's holding area at JFK, intercut with a fairy-tale road trip in Brazil some time later.
Blue Eyes feels like it was written in retribution for some particularly unpleasant experience getting through customs into NY. The behaviour of the customs officers is unbelievably shocking and unprofessional. Unfortunately, the script is literally "unbelievable," so the over-the-top melodrama must be taken with a liberal dose of "suspension of disbelief."
Similarly, the young prostitute played by Lado, who guides the (now) ex-customs officer played by Rasche through Brasil has a "heart of gold," the soul and morals of an angel the detective skills of an efficient genius, and the face and figure to make "Pretty Woman" look dumpy. Nasty, sick, drunk, dirty old men don't usually get this lucky.
The film is slightly compromised by the blurb for it in the program and on IMDB which gives away too much and is confusing besides. On the other hand, the credits for the Brazilian actors on IMDB would benefit from more pictures and better bios.
Despite the lack of realism, melodrama can be fun, and fairy tales with beautiful women are even better. The outstanding acting also makes this a winner.
After the film, I stopped in at the Brazilian Film Festival lounge. Nice music, not too loud; full house but not crowded; and the actors were there, being friendly to all who wanted to talk. It was a great scene.
Labels: Blue Eyes, Brazilian Film Festival, Cristine Lado, David Rasche, Olhos Azuis
WINTER'S BONE AT MOMA
THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA) consistently, over the years, has been the repository and dependable exhibition venue for interesting films of all types -- from artistic studio films to curious, independant, experimental art films, and everything in between.
On Wed, June 9, they have a special event: they'll be presenting the premiere of the Sundance winning film, Winter's Bone, together with an appearance by the director, Debra Granik.
Jennifer Lawrence in WINTER'S BONE. 2010. USA
Directed by Debra Granik
Courtesy Roadside Attractions
Winter's Bone takes place in the mountains of Missouri amidst metamphetamine dealing. It was filmed on location and uses local residents together with professional actors. Jennifer Lawrence, a young beauty, plays a powerful role as a young woman searching for her missing father.
(NOTE: The film is the cover story in the Spring 2010 issue of Filmmaker Magazine, which includes interviews with Debra Granik and Jennifer Lawrence.)
MOMA is one of the most interesting venues for special films in New York. (Some others are listed at the end of this post.)
It is -- however -- not that easy to navigate the MOMA web site for information about films, so we've given below some direct links to help in navigating the MOMA site.
One way to keep informed is to subscribe to the MOMA film e-mail newsletter:
http://moma.org/e-news
(Note: Consistent with the nature of the home institution as a museum -- rather than a theater or film society -- film presentations are called "exhibitions.")
MOMA has three comfortable theaters available for screenings. (But never on Tuesday, when the museum is closed.)
A calendar (you have to enter the date for future details) can be found at:
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/filters/3
A description of films in June, July & August can be found in the links below. However, some mistakes seem to creep into these PDF files, so it is best to double check items of interest with a "second source" such as a call to the museum, or a check on the calendar above.
http://press.moma.org/images/press/film_calendar/MayJune10FilmMC.pdf
http://press.moma.org/images/press/film_calendar/JulyAug10FilmMC.pdf
MoMA also supports film festivals, including
NEW DIRECTORS / NEW FILMS and
DOCUMENTARY FORTNIGHT
They have an important circulating film and video library:
http://www.moma.org/learn/resources/circulatingfilm
Here is a description of current exhibitions:
http://www.moma.org/explore/films
Here is a list of some upcoming exhibitions:
June 9 - MoMA Premiere: Debra Granik's Winter's Bone
June 9 - The Art and Technique of the American Commercial: The AICP Show at MoMA
June 13 - MoMA Presents: Neil Diamond's Reel Injun
June 14–20 - Lisandro Alonso
June 25–28 - Sally Potter
July 7–21 - Ida Lupino: Mother Directs
July 14–September 8 - Premiere Brazil 2010
August 26–September 20 - Lillian Gish
November 26–December 13 - French Comedy, Gaumont Style
Note: Here's a brief list of places to find independant, foreign, historical, artistic, and other kinds of interesting films in New York City, including MOMA and some additional, important venues...
MOMA -
FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER -
http://www.filmlinc.org/
BAM -
http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=6&g=82
ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES -
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/
MILLENNIUM FILM WORKSHOP -
http://www.millenniumfilm.org/
IFC CENTER -
http://www.ifccenter.com/
FILM FORUM -
http://www.filmforum.org/
QUAD CINEMA -
http://www.quadcinema.com/
CINEMA VILLAGE -
http://www.cinemavillage.com/chc/cv/
ANGELIKA FILM CENTER -
http://angelikafilmcenter.com/
MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY IMAX -
http://www.amnh.org/visitors/imax_shows.php
ASTORIA FILM CENTER - MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE -
http://www.movingimage.us/site/site.php
PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA -
http://www.paleycenter.org/
SYMPHONY SPACE LEONARD NIMOY THALIA -
http://www.symphonyspace.org/genre/film
LANDMARK SUNSHINE CINEMA -
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/NewYork/NewYork_frameset.htm
TRIBECA CINEMAS -
http://www.tribecacinemas.com/
BMCC TRIBECA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER -
http://www.tribecapac.org/
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FILM COLLECTION -
http://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa/reserve-film-and-video-collection
The following institutions often have screenings of films from the region they represent:
FRENCH INSTITUTE ALLIANCE FRANCAISE -
http://www.fiaf.org/
JAPAN SOCIETY -
http://www.japansociety.org/japancuts
ASIA SOCIETY -
http://www.asiasociety.org/arts-culture/film
INSTITUTO CERVANTES -
http://nuevayork.cervantes.es/en/default.shtm
BRECHT FORUM -
http://brechtforum.org/
GOETHE INSTITUT -
http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/ney/deindex.htm
CZECH CENTER -
http://www.czechcentres.cz/newyork/novinky.asp
Labels: Debra Granik, Jennifer Lawrence, MoMA, Museum of Modern Art, Winter's Bone
The Apple conference, at which Steve Jobs is expected to reveal the next version of the iPhone, is scheduled to start in a few minutes... at 1:00 New York time.
Engadget is blogging live every few minutes from the event:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/07/steve-jobs-live-from-wwdc-2010/
(Click on "LIVEBLOG" there for other events.)
Labels: Apple, iPhone, Steve Jobs
OPEN ROADS: NEW ITALIAN CINEMA
OPEN ROADS:
New Italian Cinema
The highly anticipated series returns for its 10th Anniversary
Showcasing the latest in Italian Cinema!
Acclaimed Directors Carlo Verdone, Paolo Virzì, and more in person!
With this series, The Film Society of Lincoln Center continues its important programming of major Italian films. (A very interesting cover story on Italian cinema in the May 2010 issue of Sight & Sound includes an interview with Tilda Swinton from I Am Love, an article, Maetros and Mobsters that features Vincere, and Gomorrah, and other movies, all films that have played recently at Lincoln Center.)
Among the fine actors in the Opening Night Film. The Man Who Will Come, is Alba Rohrwacher. (Note: I'll not review this film here, because the less you know about this powerful film going in, the more interesting it will be: It has its own deliberate -- and deliberately somewhat murky -- story-telling style.) Alba was one of last year's "Shooting Stars" honored at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival, and then in the US at the Hamptons International Film Festival, where I met her. She is a charming, not-imposing, friendly young woman. On screen, she is profoundly normal, until she reacts with formidable, but completely natural, ferocity. Her credits are impressive, having appeared in I Am Love with Tilda Swinton, Due Partite (The Ladies Get Their Say) which was shown at the Hamptons, and The Man Who Will Come, here in Open Roads. She will soon be seen with Isabella Rosselini in Saverio Costanzo's The Solitude of Prime Numbers.
Alba Rohrwacher in 2009
At the Hamptons International Film Festival
Photo by Eric Roffman
Here's the Film Society description of the series:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center will showcase the best in contemporary Italian film with the tenth edition of its annual fan-favorite, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema series, screening at the Walter Reade Theater from June 3rd through June 10th, 2010.
One of the tentpoles of The Film Society's calendar, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema has shepherded in the Summer film going season since 2001 as well as brought new Italian cinema to the forefront of international film - and this year's sterling selection is no exception.
The 2010 edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema offers an especially strong slate-another powerful indication of the growing vitality of recent Italian cinema in a year that has seen the release of Vincere, Mid-August Lunch, and soon I Am Love (New Directors/New Films 2010). This new generation of filmmakers continues to open up and explore areas of Italian life and culture, telling fresh stories in surprising ways.
Oscar-winning director, Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso) returns with Baaria. Set in his hometown of Bagheria, Tornatore's saga spans decades in the lives of a multitude of characters, yet remains one of his most personal films to date.
Another alum of the series, Giorgio Diritti, offers the moving wartime drama The Man Who Will Come, his follow-up to The Wind Blows Round (Open Roads 2006).
The series also features the work of first time directors Susanna Nicchiarelli (Cosmonauta) and Valerio Mieli (Ten Winters), as well as celebrated actor John Turturro's Rehearsal for a Sicilian Tragedy (co-directed with Roman Paska).
Many of the films in this year's selection come to New York audiences after having won awards and accolades at festivals around the world, including Francesca Comencini's The White Space (Best Actress, Venice), Alessandro Angelini's Raise Your Head (Best Actor, Rome), and Pietro Marcello's The Mouth of the Wolf (Best Film, Turin/Caligari Film Prize, Berlin).
Directors in attendance this year include Diritti, Nicchiarelli, Mieli, Comencini, Angelini, as well as Alessandro Aronadio (One Life Maybe Two), Carlo Verdone (Me, Them and Lara) Paolo Virzì (The First Beautiful Thing) with more confirming.
On Wednesday, June 9, The World According to...Bruno Bozzetto! offers a special program of works by the acclaimed animation artist, including his critically beloved Allegro non troppo and a collection of shorts.
Five Film Pass: $50 General Public/ $35 Students & Seniors/ $30 Members
Tickets: $12 General Public/ $8 Seniors & Students/ $7 Members
Weekday Matinee Prices: $10 General Public/ $7 Students & Seniors/ $6 Members [only valid for screenings Mon-Fri before 6pm]
Online: visit
http://www.blogger.com/www.Filmlinc.com
In Person: Walter Reade Theater box office; Hours: Mon-Fri opens at 12:30pm, Sat/Sun opens 1/2 hr before first public screening; closes 15 minutes after last public screening, at 6pm when there are no public screenings.
For more information visit
or call 212 875 5601.
All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. All showings are subject to change. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the management.
All films are screened at:
Walter Reade Theater at The Film Society of Lincoln Center
165 West 65th Street, upper level
(between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.)
Subways: 1 train to 66th Street Lincoln Center
Buses: M5 M7 M104
More options available at nearby Columbus Circle
BAARIA
Giuseppe Tornatore, 2009, Italy; 150m
After La Sconosciuta (The Unknown Woman), the Oscar-winning director of Cinema Paradiso returns to Open Roads with his most personal film, set in his hometown Bagheria, just outside of Palermo. This Sicilian saga spans several decades with a multitude of characters, and involves politics, sex, poverty, dreams, and, of course, cinema. With newcomers Francesco Scianna and Margareth Madè, who recently played the role of Sophia Loren in a TV movie.
Mon Jun 7: 8:00
Basilicata Coast to Coast
Rocco Papaleo, Italy, 2009; 105m
Four musicians (Paolo Briguglia, Alessandro Gassman, Max Gazze and Rocco Papaleo) set out on foot to the Theatre-Song Festival of Scanzano Jonico, traversing the Basilicata Region from the Tyrrhenian to the Ionian Sea. Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Vincere) shines as the reluctant journalist assigned to chronicle their back-to-basics journey. Actor Rocco Papaleo's directorial debut is a gently comic slice-of-life glimpse into the southern Italian region from which he hails. Papaleo also wrote most of the music, a delightful mix of jazz, swing and funny spoken word. Fri Jun 4: 4:30
Tue Jun 8: 6:15
Cosmonauta
Susanna Nicchiarelli, 2010, Italy; 85m
Refusing her first Communion, nine-year-old Luciana declares she's a Communist and atheist-an announcement cheered only by her older brother and fellow Communist Arturo. The two like nothing more than following the progress of Soviet cosmonauts, but as Luciana grows older, she starts to change-while Arturo decidedly doesn't. A lovely, impressive first film about learning to leave the past behind.
Sat Jun 5: 2:15
THE DOUBLE HOUR
The Double Hour (La doppia ora)
Giuseppe Capotondi, 2009, Italy; 95m
Filippo Timi (star of Vincere) and Ksenia Rappoport both won acting awards for their work in this remarkable, ever-changing thriller. She's a maid, he's an ex-cop; they meet via a speed-dating service, and for a while their relationship has real promise. But then a murder happens, and nothing is ever again what it seemed to be.
Fri Jun 4: 6:45
Wed Jun 8: 8:20
The First Beautiful Thing (La prima cosa bella)
Paolo Virzì, 2010, Italy; 122m
Nine-year-old Bruno cringes when his mother is crowned beauty queen in a seedy Livorno bath house. Years later Bruno (Valerio Mastandrea) has as little contact with his family as possible-until he gets a message that his mother wants to see him one last time. Director Paolo Virzì (Caterina in the City) finds just the right tone, perching his story between family tragedy and wry, almost absurdist comedy.
Sun Jun 6: 5:45
Gabriele Salvatores, 2010, Italy; 90m
A blocked screenwriter, Ezio (Fabio De Luigi), is trying to finish a story about two off-kilter families thrown together when their teenage children announce they're getting married. So Ezio writes himself into the story-a development his characters welcome, as they've got some ideas of their own. Echoes of Pirandello, Wes Anderson, and Woody Allen run through this delightful, provocative comedy, a welcome return to the genre for Salvatores (Mediterraneo, Marrakech Express).
KISS ME AGAIN
Kiss Me Again (Baciami ancora)
Gabriele Muccino, 2010, Italy; 139m
Almost ten years after One Last Kiss (2001), the thirty-somethings from that movie are now in their forties, married but no more mature-and growing restless. Director Gabriele Muccino carefully brings together an amazing number of stories and characters, charting their love lives, family relations, friendships and betrayals, creating no less than a beautifully detailed mosaic of a generation. Featuring many of Italy's finest actors: Stefano Accorsi, Pierfrancesco Favino, Vittoria Puccini, Claudio Santamaria, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi.
THE MAN WHO WILL COME
The Man Who Will Come (L'Uomo che verrà)
Giorgio Diritti, 2009, Italy; 115m
Italy, 1944. For eight-year-old Martina, after her newborn brother passes away, death can never be far from her family and the farming community in which they live. But it arrives in an unexpected form: German troops, occupying Italy after Mussolini's demise. Based on actual historical events, the second film by Giorgio Diritti (The Wind Blows Round, Open Roads 2006) reveals a chapter of wartime history until now rarely discussed or depicted on screen. One of the most powerful films of the year.
Thu Jun 3: 7:00
Me, Them and Lara (Io, loro e Lara)
Carlo Verdone, 2010, Italy; 115m
In his hilarious and extremely successful new comedy, Carlo Verdone plays a missionary priest in Africa who faces a spiritual crisis and decides to return to Italy. However, there he discovers that all those to whom he had dedicated his work and affection, including his family, live in a disastrous situation. And he meets a mysterious woman (Laura Chiatti) who will change his life forever.
The Mouth of the Wolf (La bocca del lupo)
Pietro Marcello, 2009, Italy; 76m
After a lengthy prison stretch, Enzo returns to Genoa, and waiting for him there is Mary, the woman he left behind who has had her own struggles. Winner of the Best Film Prize at the Turin Film Festival and the Caligari Film Prize at Berlin, this work of haunting beauty is both a celebration of romantic love that transcends time and place, and a perceptive portrait of the harbor district of Genoa, formerly one of Europe's biggest but now fast disappearing.
ONE LIFE MAYBE TWO
One Life, Maybe Two (Due vite per caso)
Alessandro Aronadio, 2010, Italy; 88m
Beaten up after crashing into a police car, Matteo is advised against pressing charges. As his rage against the police grows, he falls in with some shady characters. But what if Matteo had never crashed his car...? Taking a page from Kieslowski's Blind Chance, Aronadio imagines different fates for characters whose lives crossed one rainy night on a lonely road.
Sat Jun 5: 12:00
Raise Your Head (Alza la testa)
Alessandro Angelini, 2009, Italy; 87m
"Raise your head!" shouts Lorenzo's father and trainer, Mero (Sergio Castellitto) when his son is in the ring. A single father, Mero has built his life around his son's boxing success-but the unexpected return of his son's mother, and Lorenzo's growing romantic interests, threaten the world he's created. Castellitto won Best Actor at the 2009 Rome Film Festival for his work in the film.
REHEARSAL FOR A SICILIAN TRAGEDY
Photo Credit: Esperia Film
Roman Paska & John Turturro, 2009, Italy; 75m
Actor/director John Turturro returns with his daughter to his ancestors' Sicily, taking the audience on a personal tour of traditions, his family's origins, and of course the local cuisine. But the real object of his journey is Mimmo Cuticchio, one of the island's last classical puppeteers, who teaches Turturro some of the techniques of his art. A delightful and revealing portrait of a Sicily little-known to outsiders.
TEN WINTERS
Ten Winters (Dieci inverni)
Valerio Mieli, 2009, Italy; 99m
Camilla and Silvestro (Michele Riondino, an actor who is one of the 2010 "Shootong Stars") meet cute on a ferry; she's starting university studies, he's not sure of his direction in life. Over the next ten years, they will be enemies, lovers, friends, and acquaintances, sometimes living together, other times separated by great distances. First-time director Valerio Mieli creates a warm, touching, and very contemporary love story that serves as well as an emotional portrait of a new generation.
Thu Jun 10: 4:00
The White Space (Lo spazio bianco)
Francesca Comencini, 2009, Italy; 98m
Margherita Buy, winner of the Best Actress prize at Venice, gives a towering performance as a middle-aged teacher who unexpectedly gets pregnant after a brief affair. When the child arrives prematurely, she moves into a hospital's special-care unit, introducing her to a world of women in similar situations. This brilliant adaptation of Valeria Parrella's much-praised novel offers a sensitive portrait of a complex woman attempting to take back control of her own life-no matter what the price.
Sun June 6: 1:15
The World According to... Bruno Bozzetto!
Bruno Bozzetto; TOTAL 103m
Allegro non troppo, Bozzetto's hilarious but affectionate send-up of Fantasia, is a critically praised animation masterpiece. Bozzetto's erotic, satiric, and delirious vision of the world earned him a special David Di Donatello award. This special program honoring one of the world's most acclaimed animation artists includes three of Bozzetto's best-loved shorts. A must-see for animation fans!
Allegro non troppo
1976 Italy 85m
Mr. Tao
1988 Italy 3m
Europe & Italy
7:00 The Man Who Will Come
4:30 Basilicata Coast to Coast
6:45 The Double Hour
9:10 Happy Family
12:00 One Life, Maybe Two
2:15 Cosmonauta
4:20 Ten Winters
6:45 Raise Your Head
9:10 Me, Them and Lara
1:15 The White Space
3:30 Rehearsal for a Sicilian Tragedy
5:45 The First Beautiful Thing
8:30 Kiss Me Again
6:20 The Mouth of the Wolf
8:00 Baaria
2:15 One Life, Maybe Two
8:30 The World According to...Bruno Bozzetto!
The Film Society of Lincoln Center 165 West 65th Street near Amsterdam Avenue New York NY 10023
Labels: Alba Rohrwacher, Filippo Timi, Giorgio Diritti, Giuseppe Tornatore, Italian Cinema, John Turturro, Margherita Buy, Open Roads, Paolo Virzì, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, The Man Who Will Come


text:
Organized Nerd Singing
Midway through Pitch Perfect, there's a scene that's symbolic of my feelings about the movie.
A group of older (i.e., 20- or 30-something) singers is performing in the hallway at an a cappella competition, and they're mocked by the college kids because they've graduated and are still performing.
A cappella is a college thing, the students are saying, and anyone who's into it after that is just lame. (They probably shouldn't see the movie Sing Now or Forever Hold Your Peace.)
There you go: Apparently, you can be too old for a cappella. It's a fact I learned for myself during my junior of college (I was a fan, not a performer). Since then, with the exception of Straight No Chaser's two Christmas albums, I've still been able to appreciate it, but I just haven't been as into a cappella music as I used to be.
So alright, Pitch Perfect is not a movie for my demographic. But it's one that captures the moment in your life when a cappella is the be-all-end-all of the collegiate experience — the glories and the annoyances.
The movie tells the story of Beca, who reluctantly joins fictional Barden University's prim-and-proper Bellas, even though she'd rather create mashups and pursue a career as a DJ. The Bellas always default to their safe song choices (Ace of Base's "The Sign," the Bangles' "Eternal Flame"), but taunting from their campus rivals (the all-male Treblemakers) and Beca's persuasion lead the girls to loosen up and sing a different tune.
Skylar Astin plays Jesse, who calls a cappella "organized nerd singing" but joins the Treblemakers anyway, and falls for Beca along the way. Beca and Jesse see right through the ridiculousness of the a cappella culture and how these performers think they're all that. They (or rather, Kendrick and Astin) help ground the film in some kind of authentic emotion and reality.
Not surprisingly, the movie has more than its share of cringe-worthy moments. But it also has its charms. Among them is the performance of Rebel Wilson (Bachelorette, Bridesmaids), who plays a saucy character named Fat Amy. She'd be self-deprecating if she didn't have the confidence to believe every word she's saying. Either way, she's pretty funny — as are John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks, who play commentators at the various a cappella competitions.
Kendrick and Astin have legit musical chops — she sang a movie-stealing version of "The Ladies Who Lunch" in Camp, and he was one of the original cast members of Spring Awakening. It's nice to see those talents on display here in songs like Blackstreet's "No Diggity," Cee-Lo Green's "Bright Lights Bigger City," Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," and a mashup of Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" and Nelly's "Just a Dream." (And just FYI, my high school classmate Tom Kitt had a hand in the musical arrangements.)
In the name of comedy, Pitch Perfect turns the whole a cappella scene into a joke where the characters are a little too into it; one of them is prone to adding "aca" to the beginning of words — as in "aca-awesome" and "aca-scuse me." But it gets to be a bit much. Given that the movie was directed by Jason Moore, who was Tony-nominated for Avenue Q, and it's based (loosely) on Mickey Rapkin's book of the same name, it's a shame that Pitch Perfect is not a sharper, funnier film.
On the other hand, it's not a heavy-handed message movie like a big-screen version of Glee would have been. So there's that.
For at least some folks, Pitch Perfect will speak to the rush of performing and adulation that gave so many kids their 15 minutes of fame back in the day. (Boston magazine wrote about it in an article about the Boston University Dear Abbeys a few years ago.) But the film's appeal may be lost on everyone else for whom the appeal of a cappella music is long over.
I'm giving Pitch Perfect a B–.
You're not still into a cappella music, are you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Categories college, movies, music
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One Response to "Organized Nerd Singing"
Summer's Here, and So Are the Movies | Martin's Musings - June 1, 2015
[…] Pitch Perfect 2. Intermittently funny, obligatory sequel. Music was better in the first one. Even Anna Kendrick doesn't seem to want to be in this one. […]
What say you? Leave a comment here. Cancel reply


than their birth certificate would indicate.
What makes the difference between these two classifications of people?
Many people are overlooking the power of the mind when it comes to the aging process.
with loved ones often carry the mindset that they are still young.
long after others have given up.
at old age upon your fiftieth birthday.
You tend to turn down opportunities for physical and social activity, increase the times you are sedentary and stop challenging your cognitive mind.
well into the age where many others feel just too old to participate in these activities.
These are people who have refused to give into the meaning of the calendar and who continue to participate in youthful activities, bearing in mind that taking care of their body takes precedence over everything else. They are mentally alert, curious about life, and haven't given up trying new things.
Compare these people with those who chronically complain about aches and pains, step back from fun and challenging activities, and prefer being sedentary to being more active.
These might be people who decide that they are too old to give up bad habits that contribute to the aging process, such as smoking and drinking alcohol, and have given up the meticulous care of their bodies that it takes to look and feel young.
The difference truly is in your mindset. If you decide that your body is a temple and continue to care for it, challenge it, and respect it, you will have no difficulty seeing yourself as young and vibrant.
Your risk of stressful life diseases will be less and you will feel less stressed in life when you carry yourself better and think of yourself as younger than your chronological age.
reflect that mindset in the way you present yourself to others.
and you can carry the mindset of youth throughout your middle-aged years and older aged years.
Even if your ancestors did not live long and healthy lives, know that medical advances that focus on prevention and management of chronic diseases are on your side so that you can continue to feel and be young—well into your older years.
Never forget that age is just a number, and it does not dictate, "how one should feel" or "how one should act" at 50, 60 or even 90.


text:
Jul. 22, 2013 - DJ Boyer
2013 Fierce-40 Previews: #25
2013 Fierce 40 Previews
#25 Northwestern Wildcats
2012 Recap:
To say 2012 was a smashing success does not do justice for the Northwestern Wildacts. The team went 10-3 with a pair of road losses at Penn State and Michigan, while their only home loss came by 1 point to Nebraska. Notice I didn't talk about a loss in their bowl game because Northwestern won the Gator Bowl with a 34-20 victory over Mississippi State. You were reading that sentence right. It had three important elements that seem very foreign…Northwestern…bowl game…and victory. Northwestern won their first bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl, ending the second longest curse in Chicago (behind those lovable Cubbies).
Pat Fitzgerald is now 50-39 in his seven years at Northwestern. It was rough start at Northwestern for the former star linebacker but he has turned the corner and the future is remarkably bright. Fitzgerald and his close connection with athletes can be seen by the way Northwestern is now recruiting, with their 4th consecutive season that their recruiting class ranking has risen.
Quarterbacks/Running Backs:
Often when you see a school using a two-quarterback system nowadays it has more to do with the school ultimately not knowing who to put as the #1 option. This is not the case with Northwestern. Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian are two quarterbacks with contracting styles, but Colter sees the field more (about 65%) with over 800 yards rushing and passing a season ago. Siemian has a big arm, and while he doesn't have the polished mechanics, he gives the Northwestern team another dimension. There may not be a team in FBS right now using the two quarterback system better than Northwestern.
The best part is the quarterback play is secondary to the emergence on All America running back Venric Mark. Mark had nearly 1,400 yards last year, and at 5'8", he is hard to see coming out of the backfield running with such a low center of gravity. Mark is a legitimate Heisman candidate, the first since the days of running back Darnell Autry (I might be showing my age with that reference). I currently have Mark with a 4th round grade for 2014 but that could rise, as before 2012 he wasn't on the radar for any scout or draftnik. Mark also has some help in the backfield with h-back/fullback Dan Vitale who will be used more as a blocker or someone who will chip and sneak out of the backfield to make a reception. He is a dangerous player, just enough so that you have to account for his whereabouts at all times.
Best Draft Prospect: Venric Mark RB 4th Round 2014.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
Northwestern changed their offensive style and are very run oriented. It's no surprise that there are virtually no wide receiver prospects for the NFL on this current roster. While Northwestern may be short on NFL talent at this position they don't lack experience. Last year Christian Jones led this team with 35 receptions while Rashad Lawrence was second at 34 and both are back in the mix for 2013. I already talked about Vitale who himself had 28 catches and a pair of touchdowns. I feel Vitale could lead this team with about 40 receptions when all is said and done. More emphasis has been put on the wide receivers to improve their blocking as the runners reach the next level downfield. Cameron Dickerson and Kyle Prater are valuable backups who also have experience and will be factors for the Wildcats.
Best Draft Prospect: N/A.
Offensive Line:
This is the only area on offense where Northwestern will have some concern as three of the five starting lineman from the 10-win 2012 team are no longer on the roster. Northwestern does have a legitimate NFL center prospect in Brandon Vitabile who I feel will be one of the top 5 centers available in 2015. The players next to Vitabile are where the concern lies as sophomores Matt Frazier and Geoff Mogus are both newcomers to the lineup. I have watched Northwestern and some of the training sessions and drills they run and at Northwestern it is all about being mobile and finding players in space. Northwestern has adapted this philosophy because some of the young recruits like Adam DiPietro, Ian Park, and Eric Olsen all excel in these aspects of their games. The change in offensive philosophy seems to be something that is not fleeting or passing for this offense as the players they are signing will fit very well into this scheme in the years to follow.
Best Draft Prospect: Brandon Vitabile C 5th Round 2015.
Northwestern is known as a hard-nosed blue collar type unit and last season was no different with 28 sacks and 29 takeaways. Tyler Scott was the player who seemed to exceed all expectations after posting team highs in tackles for loss (12.5) and sacks (9). Scott will lead a team that shows aggression and the consistency to get into the backfield when they need to. Deonte Gibson showed a lot of promise in limited time as a freshman and he may have unseated fellow sophomore Dean Lowry as the starter opposite of Scott. Northwestern rushers seem to lack big time power and upper body strength but speed is at a premium and always on display. The defensive tackles are not the strongest at the point of attack and Northwestern is a little thin at the position. Sean McEvilly is back after starting last season but I see him losing too many battles along the line to be a difference maker for Northwestern. C.J. Robbins is a sophomore defensive tackle and it looks like Northwestern will groom him this year to take over and be the leader in the middle for a couple of seasons.
Best Draft Prospect: Tyler Scott DE 7th Round 2014.
Linebackers:
The linebackers are solid but unspectacular and with the background of Fitzgerald you know he takes pride in the play of his field generals. Damien Proby was the leading tackler for this team last season with 112 stops and he is not a flashy player but he keeps his assignments and is seldom fooled. Chi Chi Ariguzo is back as a starter on the outside and last year he showed his value with 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries. He is one of those players who just seems to make things happen when he is around the football. The other outside linebacker spot does not have a clear-cut favorite to start at this time and we could be seeing a platoon between Collin Ellis and Drew Smith. I expect Timmy Vernon, a senior linebacker, to be a backup at a number of positions, but he will also be counted on to be one of the special teams aces for the Wildcats.
Best Draft Prospect: Damien Proby UFA 2014.
The secondary is easily the strength of the defense and it shows how the focus on speed is shaping the team. Northwestern is deep, dangerous, and they have several formations that disguise where blitzing members from the secondary are coming from. Nick VanHoose had one of the most impressive freshman seasons for any Big Ten freshman with 33 tackles and 3 interceptions. Daniel Jones will be the other starter at cornerback while newcomer Dwight White is someone the program is very excited about and Big Ten teams will come to know very quickly. Ibraheim Campbell is another player, who like VanHoose, is currently rated as a third round prospect. Northwestern will team Campell with the hard hitting sophomore Traveon Henry, who may be a future NFL prospect himself, although we have to give him a year as a starter before we project him. This secondary may be the deepest and fastest in the Big Ten. The secondary will be even more effective if Northwestern gets to the quarterback at the rate they did a season ago.
Best Draft Prospect: Ibraheim Campbell S 3rd Round 2015 and Nick VanHoose CB 3rd Round 2016.
Special Teams:
Jeff Budzien was 19-20 in field goals in 2012 and was on the all conference team. Budzien could be drafted if he shows he has the leg strength and does a better job with getting his kickoffs deeper and scoring more touchbacks. Venric Henry was an All-American last season averaging over 18 yards per return and bringing one back for a touchdown.
Best Draft Prospect: Jeff Budzien K 7th Round/UFA 2014.
Northwestern gets Michigan State and Michigan late in season back-to-back but both games are at home. Big road tests come against Wisconsin and Nebraska. Nebraska plays Ohio State early in the schedule and they get them at home. Ohio State did not face Northwestern a season ago and they have a defense that has problems with mobile quarterbacks. If there are any national games that scream upset early in the season it is Northwestern against Ohio State, a game that would vault them right to the top of the conference standings. Northwestern with double digit wins in consecutive seasons isn't that crazy when you take a close look at the team and the schedule if the line holds up and Mark stays healthy.
Draft Outlook:
Northwestern doesn't have any prospects in the first two rounds of the draft but with the recruiting classes getting better and Northwestern getting faster secondary players we will see more players drafted from this school in the future.
< Previous: #26 TCU Next: #24 UCLA >
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Cuba has long been regarded as the ideal locale for growing cigar tobacco and as home to the finest cigar makers in the world. It was from Cuba that most of Canada's cigar manufacturers imported the leaf to make their product—and sometimes, the men to roll the cigars as well.
Manufacturers did their best to show their cigars' Cuban connection—"Cubanicity"—on their box labels, sometimes to the point of implying that the contents WERE Cuban. How? With a brand name that looked Spanish, prominent use on their packaging of the words Havana or Cuba, or images of Hispanic ladies and tropical island motifs: palm trees, haciendas, dark-skinned dock workers in straw hats.
Topper Cigar Co., Toronto, Ont.
Jose Granda Limited, Montreal, Que.
In spite of his Cuban-sounding name, Jose Granda actually came to Montreal from the north of Spain.
H. Simon & Sons, Montreal, Que.
Some companies even touted the "Cubanicity" of rejects and the seconds made with leftover cuttings of Cuban leaf.
Punch Cigar Co., Ltd., Toronto, Ont.
Eastern Townships Cigar Co., Sherbrooke, Que.
General Cigar Company, Montreal, Que.
Likely J.M. Fortier, Ltd., Farnham, Que.
The Canada Cigar & Tobacco Co. Ltd., Montreal, Que.
L.O. Grothé , Ltd., Montreal, Que.
Hilda Cigar Co., Hamilton, Ont.


Join us as Landscape Designer, Lauri Johnson shares concepts for creating ecologically sustainable plantings for both sunny and shady conditions in this gardening program. Ultimately, using these principles, you will learn how to plant gardens that require lower maintenance, while supporting pollinators and other fauna. Using examples from over 20 years of creating and visiting gardens, Lauri will show you photos of beautiful, naturalistic landscapes as inspiration.
Lauri Johnson is the owner of Lauri Johnson Landscape Design, based in Reading. She has been designing, installing, and maintaining gardens professionally for over 20 years in the Northshore and Metro West regions around Boston. Registration is required. Preference given to Reading residents. Registration opens on April 18th.
This program is co-sponsored by the Reading Public Library and the Reading Garden Club.


Debilitating back pain of some form will affect 80% of us in our lifetime. It's also the biggest cause of incapacity for people under 50.
Back pain can vary quite a bit but generally includes aching or stiffness anywhere along the spine. Depending on the cause it may include a radiating pain that you feel in the buttock, thigh, calf or toes.
Best practice in treating back pain includes staying relatively active (e.g. walking) and manual therapy (such as osteopathy) is recommended  . Your osteopathy program will focus initially on pain management and relief, using massage, gentle mobilisation or manipulation to treat the issues of the back and/or neck.
enhancing strength and flexibility to improve, for example, your running or lifting technique.
These are often critical factors in preventing the recurrence of back pain and helping you transition back into your previous work, exercises and activities safely.
Studies have shown the Pilates method can be used by patients with low back pain to improve pain, function and factors related to quality of life. Reduced pain also coincided with lower use of pain reliever medications in people with low back pain who performed Pilates  .
The Function Fit programme at Melbourne Osteohealth incorporates Clinical Pilates and Functional training and begins with a comprehensive assessment of your strength, flexibility and movement patterns. This allows us to tailor a program that works from your current capabilities and builds toward what you'd like to achieve. Each session is then personalised by our highly qualified practitioners to target your needs and goals.
If you have back pain and are interested in improved activity levels, reduced pain and a better quality of life call us on 83703044 and find out how our personalised Pilates program can help you.