A double tapered esophageal dilator bougie is designed to be disposable after a single use, is radiopaque, and is tapered at both ends to different respective dilator circumferences. Each end of the dilator bougie tapers to two different French sizes available on each end, with one end of the dilator being smaller than the other end. The dilator bougies are produced in graduated sizes and can be packaged as a kit of five. Each bougie in the kit of five is made of a similar PVC material, but the durometer of the PVC decreases as the bougie size increases. This allows each bougie in the kit to have a similar flexibility despite differences in circumference. A central guide wire channel extends the length of each dilator bougie for optional use with a positional guide wire.
The present invention relates to a double tapered esophageal dilator, and, more particularly, to an esophageal dilator which tapers at either end to different respective sizes. The inventive dilator is radiopaque and disposable after a single use and each end is also graduated to two different constant circumferences or "French" sizes.
Esophageal strictures in humans can result from a number of causes, both disease and injury related. For example, scar tissue from corrosive injury can cause esophageal stricture, as can cancer, esophagitis, hernia, and cardiospasm, among other causes. These esophageal strictures prevent the normal functioning of the esophagus and can impede a person's ability to swallow and/or block digestive tract access. Treatment for esophageal strictures often involves mechanical dilation by some type of dilator, typically inserted through a patient's mouth.
Mechanical dilators have traditionally fallen into one of three general types. A first type is a tapered "bougie" with a hollow central channel which accommodates a positional guide wire, one end of which has been previously placed in the patent and fed through the esophageal opening. The opposite end of the guide wire is inserted into the central channel of the bougie and the bougie is fed into the patient via the guide wire until the bougie encounters the esophageal stricture. Since the bougie tapers outward, additional pressure on the bougie acts to dilate the stricture. Depending upon the degree of closure, several treatments with increasingly larger bougies may be necessary.
A second type is a balloon dilator which is similarly positional guide wire guided into the patient until the balloon portion of the dilator is positioned in the esophageal opening. The balloon is then slowly inflated, thus putting outward pressure on the esophageal stricture.
Finally, a third category is a Mercury filled bougie, traditionally made of a tapered rubber sheath which is filled with Mercury. The combined flexibility and rigidity achieved by the sheath and the Mercury, as well as the weight of the Mercury allows the bougie to be dropped into position through the patient's mouth and down to the esophageal stricture. Mercury filled bougies have lost favor recently because of the threat of Mercury poisoning from Mercury leaching through cracks in the bougie rubber sheath. Furthermore, Mercury filled bougies can be accidently misdirected into a patient such that they can impact and damage unintended portions of the gastrointestinal tract. In one recently developed dilator, Tungsten particles suspended in a silicone material have been substituted for the Mercury in a bougie, as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,471 to Richard G. Jones, et al.
A typical first step of an attending physician with a patient with an esophageal stricture is to insert an endoscope into the esophagal opening in order to estimate the diameter of the stricture. A properly sized dilator is then selected to enlarge the stricture diameter by one or two "French" sizes. A French size is based upon the circumference of the stricture (or dilator) in millimeters.
It is common for all three types of mechanical dilators to include at least some portion which is radiopaque such that they can be used in conjunction with fluoroscopy equipment to accurately locate and diagnose the stricture as well as allowing the attending physician to reliably direct the dilator to the proper place. This prevents the misdirection of the dilator and allows the attending physician to accurately gauge the stricture position.
Prior art mechanical dilators were very expensive due to required exacting manufacturing tolerances, the need to make the bougie at least partially radiopaque and the use of expensive fillers such as Mercury or Tungsten. Due to their high costs, these dilators are typically reused, often for years. This presents serious sterilizing problems, particularly for bougies with hollow central guide wire channels, which are almost impossible to get completely sterile after use. Furthermore, prior art bougies are tapered outward from a tip to a single French size, typically anywhere from 28 to 60 French in circumference. Thus, when multiple dilation insertions with increasingly larger bougies are required, the attendant expense and sterilization problems for each bougie are considerably multiplied. Additionally, each insertion of a different bougie increases throat trauma, and, with guide wire directed dilators, increases the chances of kinking the guide wire within the patient.
An additional problem with prior art dilators is the increasing stiffness of the dilator bougies as size, i.e. working circumference, increases. This makes passage of the bougies through the patient's throat area increasingly more difficult as the size increases since the stiffer bougies do not bend as easily.
It is clear, then, that a need exists for an improved esophageal dilator which avoids the problems attendant in the prior art. Such an improved dilator should preferably be inexpensive enough to be disposable after a single use to avoid sterilization problems, should also minimize the number of insertions required for a dilation treatment, and dilator bougies should be consistent in flexibility over the range of sizes.
The present invention is a double tapered esophageal dilator which is designed to be disposable after a single use. The inventive esophageal dilator is preferably made of a flexible poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) formulation with Barium sulfate added to render the dilator radiopaque. The dilator is somewhat longer than typical prior art dilators and is tapered at both ends. Each end of the dilator tapers out from a tip to two different French sizes, with one end of the dilator being smaller than the other end. For example, a first end of the dilator may taper out from the tip to a first constant circumference of 28 French, which 28 French circumference extends for about 3 cm along the dilator length. The dilator then tapers outward from the 28 French circumference to a second constant circumference of 30 French which extends along the dilator back to the approximate center thereof. A second, opposite end of the dilator tapers out from the tip to a third constant circumference of 32 French, which 32 French circumference also extends for about 3 cm along the dilator length. The dilator then tapers outward from the 32 French circumference to a fourth constant circumference of 34 French which extends along the dilator back to the approximate center thereof where the dilator circumference transitions between 30 and 34 French. The dilators are produced in graduated sizes from 28-34 French; 36-42 French; 40-46 French; 46-52 French; and 54-60 French and can be packaged as a kit of five. Within the series of dilators, the durometer of the PVC material decreases as the size of the bougies increase, thus resulting in consistency in flexibility throughout the range of bougie sizes. A central guide wire channel extends the length of the dilator for optional use with a positional guide wire.
The objects and advantages of the invention include: providing a double tapered esophageal dilator; providing such an esophageal dilator which is disposable after a single use; providing such an esophageal dilator which is tapered at both ends; providing such an esophageal dilator in which a first end tapers outward from a tip to a first and then a second French circumference; providing such an esophageal dilator in which the second end tapers outward from a tip to a third and then a fourth French circumference; providing such an esophageal dilator which is radiopaque; providing such an esophageal dilator with a central guide wire channel for optional guide wire use; providing such an esophageal dilator which can be bundled in kits of five different bougies of incrementally increasing sizes; and providing such an esophageal dilator which is economical to manufacture and which is particularly well suited for its intended purpose.
FIG. 1 is a top elevational view of a double tapered esophageal dilator bougie in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary view of the esophageal dilator of FIG. 1 illustrating the portion of the esophageal dilator which is circled and labeled "2" in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary view of the esophageal dilator of FIG. 1 illustrating the portion of the esophageal dilator which is circled and labeled "3" in FIG. 1, and with portions broken away to illustrate a central guide wire channel.
FIG. 4 shows a kit containing 5 different esophageal dilator bougies of incrementally increasing sizes, with middle portions of each bougie broken away for ease of illustration.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary end portion of the esophageal dilator bougie of FIG. 1, with the width to length ratio exaggerated to illustrate the two different constant French circumferences and the transitions therebetween.
Referring to the drawings, and particularly FIG. 1, a double tapered esophageal dilator bougie is illustrated and generally indicated at 1. The esophageal dilator bougie 1, which is preferably made of USP Class VI polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is formulated to include a quantity of Barium Sulfate (BaSO4) which renders the bougie 1 radiopaque throughout its length. The use of these materials yields a bougie 1 which has the desired degree of both rigidity and flexibility required of an ED. At the same time, the bougie 1 is economical enough to manufacture such that it can be used as a one time use--disposable unit.
The esophageal dilator bougie 1 is tapered at a first end 2, as shown in FIGS. 2 and, in exaggerated fashion, in FIG. 5, and at a second end 3, as shown in FIG. 3. The esophageal dilator bougie 1 is somewhat longer than typical prior art dilators, e.g. approximately 210 cm in overall length. The esophageal dilator bougie 1 has two different French sizes available on each of the ends 2 and 3, with the end 2 being smaller in circumference than the end 3. For example, FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5 illustrate the smallest available size of bougie 1, with the end 2 tapering outward from a "Maloney" style tip 4 during a length 5 of approximately 4 centimeters to a point 10 where a constant circumference 11 with a dimension of 28 French begins. The tips, such as the tip 4, of each bougie preferably taper downward to a size of approximately 14 French. The circumference 11 of 28 French is constant for a length 5 of approximately 3 cm and the bougie 1 then tapers outward during a length 12 for approximately 2 centimeters to a point 13 where a second constant circumference 14 with a dimension of 30 French begins. The circumference 14 of 30 French is constant from the point 13 backward toward a center portion 15 of the bougie 1.
The end 3, conversely, tapers outward from another Maloney style tip 21 during a length 22 of approximately 4 centimeters to a point 23 where a constant circumference 24 with a dimension of 32 French begins. The circumference 24 of 32 French is constant for a length of approximately 3 cm to a point 25 where the bougie 1 then tapers outward during a length 26 for approximately 2 centimeters to a point 27 where a constant circumference 28 with a dimension of 34 French begins. The circumference 28 of 34 French is constant from the point 13 backward toward a center portion 15 of the bougie 1. In the center portion 15, the bougie 1 transitions between the second and fourth circumferences such that a mid-point 32 of the bougie 1 has a circumference approximately between the two, or about 32 French. FIG. 5 greatly exaggerates the taper between constant circumferences to illustrate the transitions between tapered areas and constant circumferences 12 and 13 of the bougie 1.
FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a central guide wire channel 33 which extends the length of the bougie 1. The guide wire channel 33 allows the bougie 1 to be used with an optional positional guide wire (not shown) which has already been fed through a patient's esophagus to accurately guide the bougie into position against any esophageal stricture.
Extending inward from each end 2 and 3 of the bougie 1 are respective series of distance markings 34 beginning at 20 cm and continuing to 45 cm. The measurements to generate these markings 34 are taken either from the point 13 or the point 27, i.e. the beginning point of the innermost constant circumference 14 or 28. The markings 34 give an indication to an attending physician of the depth from a patient's mouth to the innermost constant circumference 14 or 28 being used to dilate that patient's esophageal stricture.
FIG. 4 illustrates five different bougie sizes 1a from 28-34 French, 1b from 36-42 French;, 1c from 40-46 French; 1d from 46-52 French; and 1e from 54-60 French. The five bougies 1a-1e can be packaged as a kit 35 which allows a physician to treat virtually any patient with an esophageal stricture. Although not shown in FIG. 4, each of the bougie sizes 1a-1e also includes a central guide wire channel similar to the channel 33 of FIGS. 2 and 3 which allows the bougies 1a-1e to be used with an optional positional guide wire (not shown). The durometer of the PVC material varies inversely with the size of the bougies. Thus, the bougie 1a has a denser durometer than the bougie 1b, and so on. This results in consistent flexibility of the bougies as the bougie size increases. Thus, unlike prior art esophageal dilators, as bougie size increases, bougie flexibility remains constant, allowing an attending physician to insert each size of bougie with the same ease as the next smaller and the next larger size.
While certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown. For example, the Maloney style tapered tips can be replaced with other conventional tip designs such as "Savary", "Hurst", or "Eder-Puestow". The overall length of the bougie 1 can be adjusted upward or downward from the nominal 210 cm, and the lengths of the constant circumferences 11, 14, 24, 28, etc. and the tapered transition areas 5, 12, 22, and 26 can all be lengthened or shortened as needed for a particular application. A bougie could also incorporate multiple constant circumferences on a single tapered end rather than on each end of a double taper. The French sizes of the kit 35 are exemplary only, and can be adjusted as well, as can the number of bougies in the kit 35. Although PVC material has proven to be an excellent choice, other materials may be suitable and the claims not specifically limited are intended to cover bougies constructed of alternative materials. The markings 34 can be placed more or less frequently than the nominal 5 cm separation illustrated. It is thus to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement described and shown.
iv. said second constant circumference extending in a fourth portion of said bougie a second predetermined distance along said bougie.
2. An esophageal dilator as in claim 1, wherein said radiopaque compound is Barium Sulfate.
3. An esophageal dilator as in claim 1, and further comprising a central guide wire channel extending the length of said bougie.
4. An esophageal dilator as in claim 1, and further comprising a plurality of distance markings extending along said bougie to indicate a graduated distance from a beginning point of said second constant circumference.
5. A series of esophageal dilator bougies, each as recited in claim 1, wherein said series of bougies increase in circumference from one bougie to the next and wherein the durometer of the bougie material decreases as bougie size increases.
iv. said fourth constant circumference extending in an eighth portion of said bougie a fourth predetermined distance along said bougie.
7. An esophageal dilator as in claim 6, wherein said bougie is made of PVC with a radiopaque compound added thereto.
8. An esophageal dilator as in claim 7, wherein said radiopaque compound is Barium Sulfate.
9. An esophageal dilator as in claim 6, and further comprising a central guide wire channel extending the length of said bougie.
10. An esophageal dilator as in claim 6, and further comprising a plurality of distance markings extending along said bougie to indicate a graduated distance from a beginning point of said second constant circumference.
11. A series of esophageal dilator bougies, each as recited in claim 6, wherein said series of bougies increase in circumference from one bougie to the next and wherein the durometer of the bougie material decreases as bougie size increases.
14. A kit as in claim 13, wherein said bougie is made of PVC with a radiopaque compound added thereto.
15. A kit as in claim 13, wherein the PVC comprising said plurality of bougies decreases in durometer as they increase in circumference from one bougie to the next.
16. A kit as in claim 14, wherein said radiopaque compound is Barium Sulfate.
17. A kit as in claim 13, and further comprising a central guide wire channel extending the length of said bougie.
18. A kit as in claim 13, and further comprising a plurality of distance markings extending along said bougie to indicate a graduated distance from a beginning point of said second constant circumference.
19. A kit as in claim 12, wherein the material comprising said plurality of bougies decrease in durometer as they increase in circumference from one bougie to the next.
US672377A (en) * 1900-03-27 1901-04-16 William D Kearns Dilator.
US719487A (en) * 1901-09-16 1903-02-03 William E Minor Dilator.


Pontee, Nigel I. / Parsons, Andrew P. (2012): Adaptation as part of sustainable shoreline management in England and Wales. In: Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Maritime Engineering, v. 165, n. 3 (September 2012), S. 113-129.
Cheung, F. K. T. / Kurul, E. / Oti, A. H. (2015): A case study of hybrid strategies to create value for a contracting business in the education sector in England and Wales. In: Construction Management and Economics, v. 34, n. 4-5 (20 Oktober 2015), S. 335-352.
Richardson, J. (1849): The Coal-Field and the Coal of South Wales. In: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, v. 8, n. 1849 ( 1849), S. 82-109.
Brown, T. F. / Adams, G. F. (1881): Deep Winning of Coal in South Wales. In: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, v. 64, n. 1881-2 ( 1881), S. 23-64.
Irving, C. R. (1948): The Effects of Winds and Tides on the Sea Coast Defences of North Wales. In: The Institution of Civil Engineers Engineering Division Papers, v. 6, n. 5 (Januar 1948), S. 21-42.


In late 2018, the national partnership Raliance released the Sport + Prevention Center, an online resource on how sport can be part of the solution to prevent sexual and domestic violence. That resource was based on a literature review, interviews with 49 experts, and informed by the insights from previous think tanks convened by Raliance consisting of representatives of sport organizations and of sexual and domestic violence experts.
Last week over 20 people gathered for a Think Tank of researchers who explored key research questions that aim to expand the body of evidence for sexual and domestic violence prevention in and through sport, with the goal of developing recommendations to advance these efforts. The meeting was convened by Raliance and the Center for Gender Equity and Health at the University of California San Diego. This Think Tank will lead to a white paper to be released in Spring 2018.
Participants at the Researcher Think Tank on Sport and sexual violence prevention.


Mecpoc: Since you discussed corruption in China, would you mind making one last comment on frauds and corruption in Wall Street?
RW: It is very much worse. The worst corruption in the world is on Wall Street. People talk about the corruption in Latin America or Africa or China, but it is nothing compared to what is going on. The biggest scandal in human history without any question at all; the whole thing is fraud, everything they do is fraud.
Yes there is corruption in China, and the further you get away from Beijing the worse it is, but the corruption, at least what I hear when I talk to Chinese, comes from the fact that the government owns the land and local governments sell the land to get the revenue. That is a major source of finance for local governments, from the sale of land to developers.
Whenever developers play a big role, there is always corruption. That is true in the United States too–the whole savings and loans crisis was caused by developers and the link between developers and politicians. Because then you favor a particular developer, so they have massive corruption whenever developers and politicians get together.
But what is the purpose of it? It is to get the land developed, largely homes, and then to provide financing to the local government (from the sale of the land), and so they are favoring individual developers who become massively rich, but comparing that to Goldman Sachs, the consequences of the corruption is completely different. Think about it: the fraud perpetrated by Wall Street is kicking millions of Americans out of their homes, destroying financial wealth, jobs, families, and neighborhoods. The relatively minor corruption in China is generating economic development, building homes and putting people into them.


text:
US Has New Plan to Hold Afghan Youth
By Jason Leopold
Faced with impending defeat in a U.S. District Court habeas corpus case, the Obama administration devised a new strategy for continuing the detention of Mohammed Jawad, an Afghani who may have been as young as 12 in 2002 when he allegedly wounded two U.S. soldiers with a grenade.
Justice Department lawyers announced Friday that they would transform Jawad's indefinite detention as an enemy combatant at Guantánamo Bay into a criminal case, thus negating the habeas corpus hearing in Washington, D.C., where Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle had accused the government of "dragging [the case] out for no good reason."
Jonathan Hafetz, an attorney with the ACLU's National Security Project and one of Jawad's lawyers, blasted the Obama administration for its "pathetic attempt to prolong an outrageous case and to manipulate the court system."
"The government's case failed in the Guantánamo military commission hearings and failed in the habeas corpus proceedings before a federal court, and now – knowing that its case would most likely be dismissed – the government is trying to take a third bite at a rotten apple," Hafetz said. "This travesty of justice has gone on long enough, and Jawad should be sent home."
Judge Huvelle appeared ready to do just that, indicating that she was prepared to order Jawad's return to Afghanistan, given the paucity of evidence against him, especially after the U.S. government didn't contest that his confession had been coerced.
Regarding witnesses against Jawad, Huvelle said last week "the Americans did not see anything and there may or may not be an Afghani who saw something. You can't prevail here without a witness who saw it. I mean, let's be frank. You can tell your superiors that. You can't. There is no evidence otherwise. … Seven years and this case is riddled with holes."
During a military commission proceeding last year, it was revealed that Jawad confessed to throwing a grenade at an unmarked jeep, wounding the two U.S. soldiers and an Afghani translator, but only after Afghan authorities threatened to kill his family. The confession was written in Farsi, a language Jawad could not speak, read or write.
The lead prosecutor at Jawad's military commission hearing, Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld, resigned because he said the evidence against Jawad was obtained through torture and there were no eyewitnesses to support claims that Jawad threw the grenade.
Vandeveld recently signed a 15-page declaration calling for Jawad to be released from custody.
"It is my opinion, based on my extensive knowledge of the case, that there is no credible evidence or legal basis to justify Mr. Jawad's detention in U.S. custody or his prosecution by military commission," Vandeveld wrote.
"There is, however, reliable evidence that he was badly treated by U.S. Authorities both in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo, and he has suffered, and continues to suffer, great psychological harm. Holding Mr. Jawad's [sic] for over six years, with no resolution of his case and with no terminus in sight, is something beyond a travesty."
Court documents filed by the American Civil Liberties Union earlier this month state that Jawad was subjected to severe beatings before his interrogation sessions.
Building a Criminal Case
Justice Department attorneys said in a four-page motion Friday that at the direction of Attorney General Eric Holder, they will now try to build a criminal case against Jawad. Although the government won't detain Jawad as an enemy combatant any longer, it has other evidence to support his continued imprisonment in connection with a criminal case, the filing said.
"In light of the multiple eyewitness accounts that were not previously available for inclusion in the record – including videotaped interviews – as well as third-party statements previously set forth in the government's factual return, the Attorney General has directed that the criminal investigation of petitioner in connection with the allegation that petitioner threw a grenade at U.S. military personnel continue, and that it do so on an expedited basis," the filing said.
The Obama administration was facing a Friday deadline on the habeas corpus case set by Judge Huvelle, who had rejected a government request for an extension until Aug. 3.
"I'm not putting it off," Judge Huvelle said last week. "[Jawad] has been there seven years — seven years. He might have been taken there at the age of maybe 12, 13, 14, 15 years old. I don't know what he is doing there. Without his statements, I don't understand your case. I really don't. …
"You'd better go consult real quick with the powers that be, because this is a case that's been screaming at everybody for years. This case is an outrage to me. … I'm not going to sit up here and wait for you to come up with new evidence at this late hour. … This case is in shambles."
In setting the July 24 deadline, the judge also warned the government against coming up with a maneuver to take the case away from her.
"I'm not going to have people running around trying to figure out a way to get this case out of the Court's jurisdiction for some other reason," Huvelle said.
However, in its Friday motion, the Justice Department appeared to do just that, announcing its plan to transfer the Jawad case to criminal jurisdiction. Jawad is being moved to another section of Guantanamo, the government said. He could become the second person sent to the United States from Guantanamo to face trial in federal court for terrorism-related activities.
Notorious Case
Given the uncertainty about Jawad's age at the time of his arrest and the ambiguity about his alleged actions, his indefinite detention as an enemy combatant has become a notorious example of the abuses associated with President George W. Bush's detention policies.
"U.S. personnel at Bagram [Air base in Afghanistan, where Jawad was detained after his arrest] subjected Mr. Jawad to beatings, forced him into painful 'stress positions,' deprived him of sleep, forcibly hooded him, placed him in physical and linguistic isolation, pushed him down stairs, chained him to a wall for prolonged periods, and subjected him to threats, including threats to kill him, [his family], and other intimidation," the ACLU said in a July 1 legal brief.
"While in an isolation cell, Mr. Jawad remained hooded and restrained with handcuffs. Guards made him stand up and, if Mr. Jawad sat down, he was beaten. Guards also kicked Mr. Jawad and made him fall over, as he was wearing leg shackles and was unable to take large steps. Sometimes guards fastened Mr. Jawad's handcuffs to the door of his isolation cell so that he was unable to sit down."
U.S. authorities later transported Jawad to Guantanamo, where he was subjected to the notorious "frequent flyer" sleep deprivation program and other harsh interrogation methods, his lawyers said. Eventually, Jawad tried to commit suicide in his cell by slamming his head repeatedly against the wall.
Recently, the Afghan government sent a letter to the U.S. government demanding Jawad's return. But the Justice Department said in Friday's court document that President Barack Obama is the final authority on such matters and noted that Congress has demanded a 15-day notification before any Guantanamo detainee may be transferred or released.
U.S. Air Force Major David Frakt, another attorney representing Jawad, said, "It is astonishing that even after conceding that the bulk of the evidence against Mr. Jawad was obtained through torture, the government is even considering proceeding with its bankrupt case. It is long past time to return Jawad home to his native Afghanistan in the face of the absence of any evidence against him."
A telephone conference involving the ACLU, Judge Huvelle and Justice Department attorneys is set for next Friday. A court hearing in the matter is scheduled for Aug. 5.
Jason Leopold has launched his own Web site, The Public Record, at www.pubrecord.org.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home Tags Ryan Povlick
Tag: Ryan Povlick
🔒 Entrepreneurship Award winner: Ryan Povlick
Jump Start: Scratch Ice Cream grows production, eyes new locations
Tucked away in a small kitchen on Milwaukee's East Side is a three-man ice cream operation churning out hundreds of hand-packed pints a day.
The trio – Ryan Povlick, Justin Povlick and Dustin Garley – run Milwaukee-based Scratch Ice Cream, a producer of small-batch ice cream made from scratch. Scratch is known for its variety of flavors, including Door County Cherry, Mint Chip Brownie and Cold Brew & Toffee.
The startup kicked off 2020 in a new 1,100-square-foot kitchen on Farewell Avenue, which allowed it to increase its backstock and ramp up its production of ice cream. Scratch has a wholesale focus and can be found in a variety of grocery stores across southeastern Wisconsin. It also sells ice cream at Zocalo Food Park and Crossroads Collective in Milwaukee.
Scratch was recently featured on WISN-TV Channel 12's "Project Pitch It," where the startup earned $5,000 and one year of business coaching and strategy deployment. Now the company has plans to open a new location at Flour and Feed food hall in Bay View and a second food truck in a location yet to be determined.
But the story behind two of Scratch's ice cream producers wasn't always sweet. Both Ryan Povlick and Garley struggled with heroin addiction. Shortly after Povlick became sober, he started working for his aunt and uncle's business, Yo Mama! Frozen Yogurt in Wauwatosa. During his off time, Povlick stayed in the kitchen, studying different ice cream recipes, reading books and guides to create the rich-flavored and textured ice cream that Scratch would go on to produce.
"It took quite a while to find the recipe, but once I did, my aunt and uncle tried it, they loved it and gave me the capital to get started," Povlick said.
Povlick always knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur, but his aunt and uncle believing in him made all the difference, he said.
"I think I was just born for it," Povlick said. "I mean also, I was a junkie, a felon, I never graduated college and so I didn't have many options. So, when I had the opportunity to start something, I just took advantage of it."
Years later, Povlick and Garley, who met each other at a sober living home, agree that Scratch has become more than just an ice cream shop.
"We use it as a platform to show people, and maybe to people who are still struggling, that 'Hey, we can get better,'" Povlick said.
Location: Milwaukee Founders: Ryan Povlick, founder; Dustin Garley, partner; Justin Povlick, partner Founded: 2016 Product: Small batch ice cream made from scratch Website: scratchicecream.com Employees: 10 Goal: Expand into new markets and launch two new locations


23, Paschimi Marg, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi.
Invitation Letter from Host on company letterhead.
Most of the Visas get delayed and hence, ISD calls need to be made several times at Zimbabwe Customer Care Number. In case the number of ISD calls is high, we will charge towards the same as well.
Medical Requirements Yellow Fever Certificate MANDATORY while travelling.
Fees Visa fee (USD 30) to be paid at arrival at Zimbabwe Airport.


text:
Shane Dille was hired as the Sahuarita Town Manager on January 28, 2022. He serves as the chief administrative officer for the Town of Sahuarita.
The town manager provides executive leadership and supervision to division and department directors. He also leads the executive team comprised of appointed town officials and division and department directors. The town manager and staff also represent the organization on local and regional advisory bodies.
Dille served for six years, as the deputy city manager for Flagstaff. He also served from May 2010 to February 2016 as the city manager for Nogales.
Dille has over 21 years of city management experience in Arizona, 13 of which serving various communities in the capacity of city manager, with the balance of years serving communities as either assistant or deputy city manager.
Dille is an active member of the International City Management's Association (ICMA) since 1998 and has maintained his ICMA Credentialed Manager status since 2009. He is also a member of the Arizona/City County Management Association (ACMA). Dille is passionate about public service and believes that no other level of governance impacts the people we serve more directly than at the local level. Dille is also a strong advocate for transparent, high-performing local governance.
Dille is a Certified Senior Executive in State and Local Government through the Harvard Kennedy School. He holds a Bachelor of Business Management & Management Information Systems degree and a Master of Public Administration degree, both from Brigham Young University. Dille is certified in Public Policy and Management through the University of Arizona.
Dille is married to his wife, Camille, and has six children.
375 W. Sahuarita Center Way
Sahuarita, AZ 85629
Phone; 520-822-8816
manager@sahuaritaaz.gov
Monthly Report to Council
Town Manager Report - January
Town Manager Report - December
Town Manager Report - November 2022
Town Manager Report - October
Town Manager Report - September 2022
Town Manager's Report - August 2022
Town Manager's Report - July 2022
Town Manager Report - June 2022
Town Manager's Report - May 2022
Town Manager's Report - April 2022
Town Manager's Report - March 2022


text:
Areas of applicability
Buy VR
Eight proven medical technologies in one device
Cutting external stressors with an ergonomic VR headset
Filling of the prefrontal cortex with positive visual stimulus
Concentrate on a rhytmically moving object
Elements of empathic and conscious meditation
Rhythmic audio-visual impulses with the frequency of physiological breathing and heartbeat
60 BPM music synchronized to the rhythm of other irritants
Modulated frequency ensemble spanning 25-150 Hz
Dynamic binaural effect on the entire sound spectrum with the frequency of the delta of the brain waves
Interruption of stress-activity in the thalamus. As a result, the sympathetic nervous system calms down, the parasympathetic is activated.
The visual and auditory cortex are filled with a target (key) stimulus.
The visual information, processed on the circle in the visual cortex of the occipital lobe of the brain, organizes the regulation processes in the prefrontal cortex, improving the control of impulses and concentration.
Concentrate on a rhythmically moving object
Positive filling, created in the prefrontal area, activates the girdle gyrus, causing a sense of calm, relaxation and readiness for changes.
Reduced of activity in the anterior part of the cingulate gyrus and in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, that reduces anxiety, increases the resource of attention, preparing for effective cognitive activity
Rhytmic audio-visual impulses with the frequency of physiological breathing and heartbeat
Audio-visual signals of a certain rhythm are transformed in the parietal and occipital regions into direct pulses that specifically activate the core of the brain stem through the cortico-thalamic pathway (Brain Steam). This causes deep free breathing and normalizes the heartbeat.
Continuously activates Themporal lobe, and, through cortico-thalamic pathways and cortico-nuclear pathways activates Thalamus, Cingulate Gyrus, Pons, Medulla, Basal Ganglia, optimizing the work of Prefrontal Cortex and complex neuro-endocrine processes of the whole body.
It is processed in the temporal lobes, which also regulate mood stability, and are also associated with the Hippocampus and are related to memory processing and the transfer of information from short-term memory to long-term memory.
Dynamic binaural effect on the entire sound spectrum
Implements in the anterior parts of the cortex the activity corresponding to delta waves associated with restorative processes, such as those occurring during deep sleep.
MedicineSportCorporate Wellness
Restoration of the autonomic regulation
As a part of complex therapy of adaptation and stress-related dysfunctions
As a part of complex rehabilitative measures, including a post-operational period
Increases the effectiveness of training
Reduces the recovery period and the chances of overtraining syndrome
Helps to achieve super-compensation phase
Enhances mental wellbeing
Reduces stress and stress-related illnesses
Increases work efficiency
Using instrumental ANS measurement based on heart rate variability analysis
Yevhen Vasylenko
18-year managerial experience as CEO, project manager and marketing director mainly in multinational companies.
MBA, MIB, MM degrees.
Dr. Sam Aganov
CCO and co-founder
Ph.D., M.B.A.
co-founder and CEO of Doctor Sam Medical Network.
Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the California Institute for Human Science.
Dmitriy Rosenfeld
CMO and co-founder
Founder and CEO at
ROZENFELDOFFICE marketing agency.
Founder and CEO Rosenfeld & GrandMasters.
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Extensive experience of operations and PM, sales and client service.
Master's degree in Management from London Business School.
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CEO and Co-Founder of Planexta Inc.
12 years managerial experience in life sciences for Pfizer, Merck, Genzyme and Novartis.
Aleksandr Melnikov
Investor and co-founder
Managing Director and founder Stairwaysoft Group.
More than 20 years of experience in senior positions in major international companies.
MBA Krakow Poland
Vlad Volzhyn
11 top management sales & marketing experience at multinational markets such as Exigen Group, LGE; co-founder Hisense Ukraine
Re-Charge Your Self
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text:
Home News Fear of Defeat, Top APC Chiefs, Dump Buhari for Atiku Through Back Door.
Fear of Defeat, Top APC Chiefs, Dump Buhari for Atiku Through Back Door.
By adminFeb 13, 2019, 14:23 pm0
The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), are claiming that some Chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), are reaching out to the Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, thein anticipation that the former Vice President would win the 2019 Presidential election, slated for Saturday.
According to sources from PDP camp, the APC Chiefs have been holding secret meetings with the PDP Presidential Candidate, with a view of working out "exit deals".
"Atiku has the momentum now, and the wise thing to do politically, is to consider options, after all, in politics there is no permanent friend or permanent enemy", one of the sources revealed.
Among those reaching out to the Atiku camp, according to the sources who preferred to be anonymous, are two Senior Ministers in the APC-led Federal Government, and a senior member of the party.
These three APC henchmen, believe that the best option left for them, is to start early to work out a contingency plan, which if concretised, may see them work secretly to deliver Atiku, come Saturday, February 16.
There are also talks of a famous Lagos Politician, considering the option of working with the PDP Presidential Candidate, according to the sources.
There have been rumours that Atiku has gotten the backing of Western countries, in his quest to be Nigeria's new Leader.
In the last few weeks, the PDP Presidential Candidate has continued to surge far ahead, over incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, in both internal and foreign polls.
This may have caused panic in the camp of the ruling party, and many attempting to jump ship through the back door, before the elections.
On Monday, February 11, a New York-based Financial Analysts, Citigroup, predicted that Nigeria's stock market may rally, if President Muhammadu Buhari loses this weekend's election.
The reported posted on Bloomberg, noted that the nation's stock market will recover, ending a run that has seen it fall more than any other in the world in dollar terms, since Buhari came to Office, in May 2015.
Similarly, the Financial Times of London, recently indicated that President Muhammadu Buhari is battling perception of frailty, as Nigeria prepares for the 2019 general elections.
The London-based international newspaper, in an article published on its website, on Saturday, February 9, said that there are concerns, if Buhari is physically or mentally up, to running Nigeria for another four years.
The Financial Times article was published days after another British media outfit, the BBC, described Atiku as Nigeria's political operator, with the Midas touch.
Meanwhile, a prediction by Williams and Associates, revealed that Atiku will win the election.
The prediction is the result of a field work conducted by the US-based pollster, which was posted on its website, on Monday, February 4.
The pollster had in a similar field work, in 2015, accurately predicted the defeat of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, in the last Presidential election.
Previous PostPresident Buhari, Atiku. Others Sign 2019 National Peace Accord. Next PostKogi East Elders Aligns With PDP, Says A Vote for APC, is A Vote for Gov. Bello


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Can Ponç és una masia situada al municipi de Riner, a la comarca catalana del Solsonès.

Referències

Pons

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Frozen poster for the Broadway musical version by Olly Moss
Frozen poster for the Broadway musical
The Disney Theatrical Group is one of the four major business segments of The Walt Disney Company. It deals with live shows, stage plays and musical production of its most successful materials, namely animations.
One of its most popular movies is Frozen. I'm sure the moment you read the title, it triggered the obsessive "Let it go" theme song. It's like an instant sugar rush you cannot control. Thus, it was only natural, if not necessary, to give the public the Broadway adaptation of the movie.
Andrew Flatt, Disney Theatrical's senior vice president for strategy, marketing and revenue was assigned to choose the poster for the production. I imagine the job was quite challenging because the stage version should set itself apart from the original but still stick to the main story line that the public loves.
Finally, he chose the work from advertising agency Serino Coyne, created by Olly Moss. Beyond the fantastic recreation of a brush-stroked snowflake, on a spectacular indigo and icy blue background, the negative space effect is the surprise everyone loves to discover. That element of surprise could be exactly what convinced Flatt to go for it and what the public will enjoy the most.
The New York Times also featured seven of the rejected works. They are just as amazing, although they missed a few aspects. Some didn't clearly recreate the sentiment of the characters while other were too obvious. But all in all, they are professionally executed with care for the story and admiration for the characters.
The beloved story will make its Broadway bow at the St. James Theatre next year. The show based on the hit animated movie is now in rehearsal for its out-of-town run at the Buell Theatre at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The engagement is scheduled to run from August 17 through October 1.
animation poster
broadway musical
broadway production poster
disney musical
frozen poster
musical poster
olly moss
poster illustration
poster illustrator
On our watchlist: 24X36: A Movie About Movie Posters
Celebrating #BookLoversDay through fine book illustration
Free vector download Elsa, from hit animation movie Frozen


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Q: Matlab + CUDA slow in solving matrix-vector equation A*x=B I am calculating an equation A*x=B, where A is a matrix and B is a vector, x is answer (unknown) vector.
Hardware specs:
Intel i7 3630QM (4 cores),
nVidia GeForce GT 640M (384 CUDA cores)
Here's an example:
>> A=rand(5000);

>> B=rand(5000,1);

>> Agpu=gpuArray(A);

>> Bgpu=gpuArray(B);

>> tic;A\B;toc;

Elapsed time is 1.382281 seconds.

>> tic;Agpu\Bgpu;toc;

Elapsed time is 4.775395 seconds.

Somehow GPU is much slower... Why? It is also slower in FFT, INV, LU calculations, which should be related with matrix division.
However, GPU is much faster in matrix multiplication (the same data):
>> tic;A*B;toc;

Elapsed time is 0.014700 seconds.

>> tic;Agpu*Bgpu;toc;

Elapsed time is 0.000505 seconds.

The main question is why GPU A\B (mldivide) is so slow comparing to CPU?
UPDATED
Here are some more results when A, B (on CPU), AA, BB (on GPU) are rand(5000):
>> tic;fft(A);toc;
Elapsed time is *0.117189 *seconds.
>> tic;fft(AA);toc;
Elapsed time is 1.062969 seconds.
>> tic;fft(AA);toc;
Elapsed time is 0.542242 seconds.
>> tic;fft(AA);toc;
Elapsed time is *0.229773* seconds.
>> tic;fft(AA);toc;

Bold times are stable times. However GPU is almost twice slower. By the way, why GPU is even more slower on first two attempts? Is it compiled twice firstly?
In addition:
>> tic;sin(A);toc;
Elapsed time is *0.121008* seconds.
>> tic;sin(AA);toc;
Elapsed time is 0.020448 seconds.
>> tic;sin(AA);toc;
Elapsed time is 0.157209 seconds.
>> tic;sin(AA);toc;
Elapsed time is *0.000419 *seconds

After two calculations GPU is incredibly faster in sin calculations.
So, still, why GPU is so slow in matrix division, fft and similar calculations, though it is so fast in matrix multiplication and trigonometry? The question actually should not be like that... GPU should be faster in all these calculations because Matlab has released overlapped functions (mldivide, fft) for GPU.
Could somebody help me solve these issues, please? :)

A: Please read how Matlab calculates the solutions. It will help you understand why GPU is slower.
I'll try say it in few words.
A*x=b becomes L*(U*x=y)=b, L*U=A

*

*So Matlab makes A to L*U (This process cannot be done fully parallel
as far as I know instead some steps can be done parallel, due to
their nature)

*Then Matlab solves L*y=B and finds y. (This process cannot be done
parallel as each step requires data from previous)

*Then Matlab solves U*x=y and finds x. (This process cannot be done
parallel as each step requires data from previous)

So it GPU clock is slower than the CPU, and since processes cannot be done parallel, CPU is faster. And no, unless you come up with a better method (good luck!) then GPU will be always slower except in some very specific cases.

A: Part 1 of the explanation is in the answer from user2230360, but your question is twofold, so I'll add a bit about the multiplication.
As noted already, the LU factorization is not very easily parallelized even if some steps can be. Matrix multiplication, however, is very much parallelizable. If you're working with these things you should be able to do matrix multiplication by hand, and then you will know that calculating the elements of the matrix C in A*B=C can be done in any order you want - hence the possibility for parallel computation. That is probably why you're seeing so lightning fast multiplication, but slow solving of linear systems. One can't be parallelized "as much as the other".

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Realme 2 Pro Launching on 27 Sep 2018: You have to know some interesting thing about the killer of all samrtphons brand which is Realme in india .
In August 2018, the Oppo sub-mark Realme originally prodded with a few particulars and highlights of the successor to its first cell phone Realme 1, and after that propelled the Realme multi month-end. The telephone accompanied critical changes over the Realme 1 and numerous Realme 1 purchasers were discovered keen on redesigning.
Presently, inside a brief span, the Realme mark is outfitting to dispatch an 'Expert' variant of the Realme 2 cell phone. On the off chance that you discover the news intriguing, here's all that you have to think about the Realme brand and its cell phones.
The Oppo Realme 1, or the Realme 1 was the principal cell phone propelled under the Realme sub-mark. The telephone was discharged available to be purchased on Amazon.in and remains Amazon-restrictive, is as yet accessible. It came in May this year, only several months prior to the dispatch of its successor. The handset is a slick spending plan cell phone that looks more premium than it is, and offers an alluring glass-back mirror-complete look that makes it resemble a mid-range or premium handset. It is likewise lightweight and thin, at 155 grams and 7.8 mm.
The Realme 1 accompanies a 6-inch IPS LCD show with Full HD screen goals and full bezels, made in the 18:9 style with no indent. It gets AI bolster for its cameras, and despite the fact that the back camera has a solitary 13MP sensor, it gets magnificent highlights, for example, picture mode, HDR, display, AI scene acknowledgment, AR stickers, et cetera. The front camera is 8MP and offers Face Unlock include on account of AI.
The telephone is controlled by a Mediatek Helio P60 chipset timed at 2.0 GHz, with 4GB or 6GB of RAM. It accompanied a 3GB RAM additionally however this base model was ended unobtrusively after the dispatch of the Realme 2.
The Realme brand's introduction to the world can be followed to the Oppo Real division of Oppo, which was found in China as far back as 2010. In 2018, in any case, the brand turned into a different organization, with Oppo as yet being its parent firm. Sky Li, previous Vice President of Oppo, turned into the organizer CEO of Realme. The brand set its maxim clarifying that it will center around growing elite cell phones in upscale plans.
Propelling its first cell phone called Realme 1 at a beginning cost of Rs 8,990 in India, the brand stood out as truly newsworthy by offering in excess of 400,000 units of the handset in only multi month of the dispatch, with the telephone offering only on Amazon.
Realme isn't the main cell phone creator that Oppo has brought forth — the real top rated and leader killing cell phone producer OnePlus is additionally a sub-brand of the Chinese gadgets goliath. In any case, while Oppo offers both disconnected and on the web, both OnePlus and Realme are online-just venders starting at now, with deals coming as a major aspect of restrictive tie-up manages Amazon and Flipkart.
The new Realme 2 cell phone offered for the most part four redesigns over the Realme 1 — a 2MP profundity sensor for the back 13MP camera, a unique finger impression sensor mounted on the back, a bigger 4230mAh battery when contrasted with the 3410mAh unit on the Realme 1, and a taller 6.2-inch indented show. It sold in excess of 200,000 units on Flipkart inside five minutes of its dispatch, because of a viable internet based life promoting effort and an exceedingly fruitful Realme 1 dispatch.
In any case, above all, what more likely than not worked in the support of Realme 2 was that it offered every one of these updates, including a Snapdragon 450 processor, at a similar value focuses as the Realme 1. The Realme 2 propelled at Rs 8,990 as a Flipkart selective for 3GB RAM and at Rs 10,990 for a 4GB RAM variation, which is a similar value that the Realme 1 was accessible at. The Realme 1, while offering a superior screen goals and pixel thickness, progressed toward becoming eclipsed by its successor to no one's shock.
Administrators at Realme have now sent out media invites for a dispatch occasion on the 26th and 27th of September, with the Realme 2 Pro set to be uncovered. While the organization has kept the telephone well under wraps, we know from its past Realme 2 crusade how it can gradually lift off the spreads, prodding one piece at any given moment via web-based networking media.
The cost of the Realme 2 Pro has additionally been kept well covered up, yet reports recommend a base cost of Rs 12,000, with the top of the line variation costing a most extreme of Rs 17,000. The telephone is supposed to be fueled by a quicker Snapdragon 6xx arrangement chipset, and offer quick charging help for the same 4230mAh battery we saw on the Realme 2.
Likewise in reports in the proposal that the Realme 2 Pro will accompany a 6GB RAM, at any rate as one of the alternatives, since we saw a 6GB RAM on the Realme 1 and not on the Realme 2.
The RealMe 2 Pro styles a shocking IPS LCD show of 6.2-inch with a screen goals of 720 x 1,520 pixels with a pixel thickness of 271ppi which can render tolerable survey involvement. The gadget wears a radiant double back camera of 13MP + 5MP focal points that will inspire clients with the nature of the caught picture. The front camera additionally clicks promising pictures with a 8MP focal point, the client will simply adore it.
The RealMe 2 Pro keeps running by a great Li-particle battery of 4,350mAh limit that guarantees a long power reinforcement for the clients. It underpins 4G VoLTE administrations. Other network highlights offered by the gadget are WiFi 802.11, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth v4.2, A-GPS, and so forth.
The inside capacity offered on the gadget is 64GB which is abundant in itself. It additionally offers an outside capacity which is expandable up to 256GB. The RealMe 2 Pro capacities on a 64 bit 2GHz quad-center (Cortex A53) processor situated upon a Qualcomm Snapdragon 645 MSM8953 chipset which is promising as far as execution. An Adreno 506 GPU handles the illustrations and a 6GB RAM keep it slack free while substantial gaming and performing various tasks.
The RealMe 2 Pro is a mid-run cell phone that has a considerable measure of amazing highlights. The gadget holds one of the most grounded arrangements which makes it the ideal contraption for gaming, performing various tasks and interactive media purposes.camera are ideal for clickings pics under any condition. The battery reinforcement is exceptionally encouraging and can turn into an ideal partner for going with a solitary charge. The gadget likewise offers a huge storage room for the client to heap it up with everything they can and never need to stress over losing space. In any case, the showcase is a little dull given the low goals and pixel thickness at this range. Something else, the gadget is impeccable drawing in piece in the market that does any activity that comes its direction.


text:
Bestselling Mystery Author
AMC's Dark Winds
The Way of the Bear
The Sacred Bridge
The Tale Teller
Cave of Bones
Song of the Lion
Rock with Wings
Spider Woman's Daughter
Tony Hillerman's Landscape
Mrs. Darkwater's Dog Bidziil
Readers Speak
Author Anne Hillerman's debut novel, Spider Woman's Daughter, received the Western Writers Spur Award as best first novel. That book and the six novels that followed were all New York Times best sellers. Her eighth mystery, The Way of the Bear, will launch April 25, 2022. Her books continue the Navajo detective stories her father Tony Hillerman made popular. When she's not working, Anne likes to read, cook, ski and travel. She lives in Santa Fe and Tucson with frequent trips to the Navajo Nation.
About Anne Hillerman
When I was a youngster, I remember grownups asking if I wanted to be a writer like my father, Tony Hillerman. I lied and said no, but secretly I did. My Dad was my hero. He went to work in the morning and came home with something wonderful---stories. At first, they were stories of the news he had covered as a journalist; then stories of the students he taught at the University of New Mexico and, finally, stories of the joys and challenges of his ultimate career as a mystery fiction writer.
Stories have been like oxygen to me from the time I was old enough to climb onto a welcoming lap and snuggle up with the storyteller. My parents shared their deep passion for reading: something vitally important to a potential writer. They also shared their sense of adventure. My five brothers and sisters and I would pile into the family station wagon for trips exploring the Southwest.
From hearing and reading stories, the next step was writing my own. I started with true stories for student publications, then wrote and edited for newspapers, radio newsrooms, and magazines. That segued into opinion columns, feature stories and reviews, and then to travel guides and other non-fiction books.
After Tony Hillerman died in 2008, I got the happy idea to write a novel that would keep the stories he created alive by putting his characters to work solving new crimes. One of his minor characters, Navajo police officer Bernadette Manuelito became my central protagonist.
Here I am, many novels later, amazed and delighted at what these characters still have to say. And eager to see what happens next.
Among Anne's career highlights are:
New York Times best-selling mystery writer
Author of seven non-fiction books
Initiated and organized the Tony Hillerman Writers Conference and Wordharvest Writers Workshops
Helped create the Tony Hillerman Prize for best first mystery novel in collaboration with St. Martin's Press
Award-winning art, education, legislative reporter and restaurant critic
First woman editorial page editor for two major New Mexico newspapers
Anne's Awards Include
Winner, Southwest Book Design Award, New Mexico Book Association
New Mexico Department of Agriculture Rounders Award "to honor those who live, promote and articulate the Western way of life"
New Mexico Book of the Year, New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards
Best mystery fiction and best cover design, New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards
The Frank Waters Award for literary excellence
Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award for Best Non-fiction (Tony Hillerman's Landscape)
Spur Award, Best First Mystery, Western Writers of America
Best Novelist, Reader's Choice Finalist Albuquerque Journal, Santa Fe Reporter, and Albuquerque The Magazine
Finalist, Zia Award for best novel
Finalist, Oklahoma Book Awards
Amazon Best Mystery
New Mexico Press Association, first place, editorials
Communicator of Achievement, New Mexico Press Women
Copyright © 2022 Anne Hillerman - All Rights Reserved.


text:
Buffering the race horse (Bronze Sculpture)
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Editions /1
To commemorate the deeds of the $7 million earning, seven-time Group 1 winner Buffering, Brisbane Racing Club commissioned Gillie and Marc to create a life-size statue of the legendary race horse. The statue stands at the front of the new infield entrance to Eagle Farm.
Heathcote said he believed Buffering's never-say-die attitude was the reason the public took him to heart. "Australians love an underdog and he had all the qualities of a great fighter. He would get knocked down but he would get back up again," he said. "And he did it in an era of sprinting greats."
BRC Chairman Neville Bell said in the 152 years of Eagle Farm this was the first time a full-size statue had been unveiled. "From day one of this club it was always the plan to have a significant statue at Eagle Farm and we couldn't think of a better opportunity than with Buffering," he said. "He was a great ambassador for racing in Queensland and for the Brisbane Racing Club."
Equine Art
Public Wildlife Sculptures
Sport Figures


text:
King Washington Form 1120-S (Schedule K-1) 2022-2023
King Washington Form 1120-S (Schedule K-1)
King Washington Form 1120-S (Schedule K-1): What You Should Know
A. 4. 828, 1098(A). 10. 1120-A. 3. 826. 908. 6. 810. 7. 828. 1031. 3. 829, 1089-A. 5. 826. 1120I. 6. 827. 1326. 8. 1101-A. 9. 781. 38, 4. 829, 5. 845, 10. 908. 10 Schedule K -1 2023 Schedules, forms and instructions for the 2023 calendar year. This schedule and the schedules attached are dated SC 2120S — SC.GOV 1. Schedule K, Form 1040, for the 2023 calendar year. 2. Schedule K -1. South Carolina net taxable income (subtract line 5 and line 7 from line 4). 3. SC 10, South Carolina net self-employment tax (line 1). 4. SC 826. 1120I. 5. SC 828. 1031. 6. SC 826. 1301. 7. SC 829. 1111. SC 2116S — SC.GOV 1. Schedule K, Form 1040, for the 2023 calendar year. 2. Schedule K -1. South Carolina net taxable income (subtract line 5 and line 7 from line 4). 3. SC 828. 1031. 4. SC 826. 1301 for tax year 2016. 5. SC 826. 1150 for tax year 2016. 6. SC 829. 1102. 7. Schedule K -1. South Carolina net taxable income (subtract line 5 and line 7 from line 4). 8. SC 826. 2041. 9. SC 829. 1103. 10. SC 2116. 1005. 11. SC 2117S. 506. SC 21018S — SC.GOV 1. Schedule K, Form 1040, for the 2023 and 2023 calendar years. 2. Schedule K -1. South Carolina net taxable income (subtract line 5 and line 7 from line 4). 3. SC 828. 1301 (for tax year 2015). 4. SC 829. 1103. 5. SC 2116. 1005. 6. SC 21018. 506. 7. SC 21019. 506 (other items also required). 8. SC 2108T. 507.
Online methods assist you to arrange your doc management and supercharge the productiveness within your workflow. Go along with the short guideline to be able to complete King Washington Form 1120-S (Schedule K-1), keep away from glitches and furnish it inside a timely method:
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Wayne Michigan Form 1120-S (Schedule K-1)
Kings New York online Form 1120-S (Schedule K-1)


text:
مجموعه: کتاب های ساده / کتاب: مغازه کنجکاوی قدیمی / فصل 7
A New Beginning for Kit
While Nell and her grandfather were travelling through the countryside, back in London Daniel Quilp was busy making friends with Richard Swiveller. But he did not really like Richard and only wanted to play a trick on him. This is what happened.
Quilp had soon discovered that Nell and the old man had left The Old Curiosity Shop. But he was not very surprised that they had gone. His only worry was that the old man might have taken some hidden money with him. Quilp did not wait. He emptied the house and shop and sold everything in it as soon as he could.
On the same day that Nell and her grandfather left London, Quilp received a visit from Richard. Richard went to the shop as part of Fred's plan to make friends with Nell and become rich. So he was shocked and upset to find that Nell, her grandfather and all the money had gone. The plan to become rich was in serious trouble before it began!
It was clear that neither Daniel Quilp nor Richard Swiveller knew where Nell and her grandfather had gone. But Quilp wanted to find out why Richard had come to The Old Curiosity Shop and so he began asking him questions. After many clever questions, Quilp learnt all about Fred's plan for Richard to marry Nell, and for Fred and Richard to make themselves rich with her large inheritance.
Quilp, however, knew more than Richard. He knew that the grandfather was really poor, not rich. But he thought it would be fun to watch Fred's plan go terribly wrong. He would laugh at them when Fred and Richard found out that Nell was a beggar!
'What a clever plan!' cried Quilp unkindly. 'Oh, you lucky man! Yes, you will be Nelly's husband, with more gold and silver than you can imagine. Let's go and talk to Fred and I'll help you both find her.'
The only person who was truly sad about the disappearance was Kit. He had no idea where Nell and her grandfather were and he could not stop worrying about it. He hoped that in a few days' time they would return and accept his offer of a place to stay.
Realizing that he would never again work for Nell's grandfather at The Old Curiosity Shop, Kit started to look for another job. He walked the streets asking for work, but no one offered him any. After several days of this he was about to give up when a small carriage pulled by a stubbom-looking pony went past him. The driver of the carriage was a fat little old gentleman and next to him sat a fat little old lady. In the seat behind them sat a young man, who Kit thought must be their son. The old gentleman could not control the pony very well, but with difficulty he stopped the carriage in front of a house not far from Kit and the three of them climbed down from the carriage.
'Excuse me, sir,' said Kit. 'Would you like me to look after your horse?'
'If you are happy to wait for a while, yes, you can have the job,' replied the old gentleman, smiling. The family then went into the house.
Sometime later they came out again and walked towards the carriage. The old gentleman put his hand in his pocket to find a sixpence for Kit. But the only coin he had was a shilling, which he thought was too much money. However, because he had no other coins, he gave the shilling to Kit.
'There,' he said with a laugh. 'I'm coming here again next Monday at the same time. Make sure that you're here, my boy, to earn the rest of this money!'
'Thank you, sir,' said Kit. 'I'll be here.'
Kit meant what he said, but the three people in the carriage laughed loudly, and even the pony shook its head. Clearly none of them expected Kit to be honest and return the following Monday.
The days passed and every day Kit hoped that Nell and her grandfather would knock on his front door. They never did. Monday came again and Kit returned to the same place in the street where he had held the pony the week before. It was not long before the carriage came round the comer, sped down the street and stopped suddenly and violently as the old gentleman tried to control the pony.
It was then that Kit, with a friendly smile on his face, appeared by the pony's head.
'Look!' cried the old gentleman happily. 'The boy is here!'
'I said I would be here, sir,' said Kit, his hand on the pony's neck. 'I hope you've had a pleasant ride, sir.'
The old gentleman and his son helped the old lady out of the carriage and they went into the house. After some time they returned and the old gentleman came to speak to Kit. He said his name was Mr Garland and he asked Kit a few questions about where he lived and his family. After writing Kit's address in a small notebook, Mr Garland climbed up into the carriage with his wife and son and drove away.
It took Kit about half an hour to walk home and when he arrived he was surprised to see the pony and carriage again, standing right outside his house! Inside, Mr and Mrs Garland were there, talking to his mother in the kitchen.
'My dear,' said Kit's mother, looking at Mr Garland, who was smiling. 'This kind gentleman has offered you a job!'
After a few minutes of conversation it was decided: Kit would live in Mr and Mrs Garland's house and would be employed by them. The old couple told him that his salary would be six pounds a year.
'Well, mother,' said Kit excitedly after the Garlands had left. 'Six pounds a year! We won't need to worry about money again!'
Just two days later Kit, wearing smart new clothes, arrived to start work at Mr and Mrs Garland's beautiful cottage. He knocked on the door, and after what seemed like a very long time a young servant-girl opened it. She looked shy and was very pretty.
'I suppose you're Kit, sir,' said the girl, looking down at her feet. 'My name is Barbara.'
Then she looked up at Kit, and they both smiled shyly at each other.


text:
FactoryBot.define do
  factory :udl_module_section do
    sequence(:title) { |n| "New Section Title #{n}" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "new-section-title-#{n}" }
    content { "This is the content for this section" }
    parent { "introduction" }
  end

  factory :introduction_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "An intro section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "an-intro-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a section in the introduction page." }
    parent { "introduction" }
  end

  factory :udl_alignment_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "A UDL Principles section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "a-udl-principles-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a section in the UDL Principles page." }
    parent { "udl_alignment" }
  end

  factory :instructional_practice_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "An instructional practice section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "an-instructional-practice-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a section in the introduction page." }
    parent { "instructional_practice" }
  end

  factory :learn_more_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "A learn more section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "a-learn-more-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a section in the learn more page." }
    parent { "learn_more" }
  end

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    title { "A references and resources section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "a-references-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a section in the references page." }
    parent { "references_resources" }
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  factory :shared_introduction_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "A shared introduction section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "a-shared-introduction-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a shared section in the introduction page." }
    parent { "introduction" }
    shared { true }
    default_shared_position { 1 }
  end

  factory :shared_udl_alignment_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "A shared Udl Alignment section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "a-shared-udl-alignment-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a shared section in the UDL Alignment page." }
    parent { "udl_alignment" }
    shared { true }
    default_shared_position { 1 }
  end

  factory :shared_instructional_practice_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "A shared instructional practice section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "a-shared-instructional-practice-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a shared section in the instructional practice page." }
    parent { "instructional_practice" }
    shared { true }
    default_shared_position { 1 }
  end

  factory :shared_literature_base_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "A shared literature base section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "a-shared-literature-base-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a shared section in the literature base page." }
    parent { "literature_base" }
    shared { true }
    default_shared_position { 1 }
  end

  factory :shared_learn_more_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "A shared learn more section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "a-shared-learn-more-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a shared section in the learn more page." }
    parent { "learn_more" }
    shared { true }
    default_shared_position { 1 }
  end

  factory :shared_references_resources_section, class: UdlModuleSection do
    title { "A shared references and resources section" }
    sequence(:slug) { |n| "a-shared-references-and-resources-section-#{n}" }
    content { "This is a shared section in the references and resources page." }
    parent { "references_resources" }
    shared { true }
    default_shared_position { 1 }
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Top 6 SEO Resources for Bloggers
Posted By Guest Blogger 12th of October 2012 Search Engine Optimization 0 Comments
This guest post is by Matt Beswick.
For anyone involved in SEO, staying on top of the game is a difficult task thanks to the unpredictable nature of the business.
As a blogger, however, it's almost impossible—all you want to be doing is writing great content and generating traffic, right? Just when you think you've got it all figured out, things change in the blink of an eye, so keeping tabs on the latest SEO witchcraft inevitably demands a lot of research off the clock.
The following websites are the best references on the web for anyone who wants to keep up with what's happening, and make sure that their site isn't doing anything that risks putting them out of favour with the big G!
Since 2004, SEOmoz has been one of the most highly respected sites online when it comes to providing top-notch SEO analysis, advice and knowledge.
Their accumulated SEO wisdom is practical and credible, thanks to their renowned staff of expert authors. With plenty of general articles and loads of quick, helpful tidbits, SEOmoz istheultimate SEO destination for many in the industry.
Maintaining one's relevance in an industry that changes as quickly as SEO is a challenge. That's where Search Engine Roundtable comes in.
Like the Slashdot of SEO forums, it reports on the best writing in the field and compiles it into a running commentary on the state of the industry. Featuring some of the most insightful analysis of the Search Engine Marketing world available, Search Engine Roundtable is a must-read.
Search Engine Land
Covering literally every aspect of SEO and online marketing under the sun, Search Engine Land is a favourite among SEOs in every niche.
Boasting regular full-length articles by some of the most recognised names in the business, it's practically a necessity for those who wish to stay ahead of the curve on SEO matters.
Whether you're after how-to tutorials, buyers' guides, or white papers from the web's biggest tech companies, Search Engine Land has it all.
State of Search
A relative newcomer to the scene, State of Search is nevertheless one of the most reliable sources for SEO news and views that you can find.
In addition to their in-depth coverage and superb articles, they also boast a newsletter, weekly podcasts on Webmaster Radio, and a whole lot more.
Bolstered by a loyal and growing fan base of SEO professionals, amateurs and freelancers, State of Search is one site that shouldn't be ignored.
Taking the traditional SEO journal format and spicing it up with some extra goodness, Search Engine Journal delivers the goods on a consistent basis.
The forums are a veritable Algonquin Round Table of SEO discourse and are a terrific resource in and of themselves. On top of stellar articles and opinion pieces, this site also claims some of the best SEO link-building tools out there.
Google Webmaster Central
Google dominates so much of our online lives that it's no wonder we spend so much time and effort optimising pages for their algorithms. When in doubt, going straight to the source for the best information on optimising for those algorithms is a pretty smart move.
Google Webmaster Central is the official SEO blog for the world's biggest search engine company. To get the sanctioned party line from Google's top brass and read helpful, informative posts by the likes of Matt Cutts, head here first.
The moral of the story is that the laws of entropy apply to SEO just as they do to the rest of the universe: without a constant input of effort, it's easy to fall out of the loop and lose your handle on what's hot in the ever-exciting world of SEO.
Fortunately, it's quite easy to stay on top of current developments by checking these sites regularly—they're quite simply the best of the best when it comes to doing your industry homework. If you can recommend others, though, let us know about them in the comments.
Matt Beswick is a digital consultant based in the UK, specialising in SEO, and also runs Pet365. Find him on Twitter @mattbeswick.
The Site Speed and SEO Connection 03 May 2017
On-page SEO Tips: Three Things You Can Do Right Now 26 Apr 2017
The Complete Guide to HTTP Codes and Redirects 11 Apr 2017
Jeff Korhan says: 10/12/2012 at 7:34 am
I don't disagree with any of these – with SEOmoz getting a big thumbs up for their WhiteBoard Friday videos.
However, for bloggers especially, you have to add Copyblogger to the list for their valuable insights on optimizing content for SEO.
In fact, if you want to be true to your title of Copyblogger should arguably rank #1.
John Banks says: 10/12/2012 at 3:57 pm
Have to agree with you Jeff, Copyblogger and SEOmoz are the tops for me. Although I should say – I am still guilty of not doing enough no matter how much content I read….
Great post Matt.
Jeff Korhan says: 10/13/2012 at 12:49 am
So true Matt – seems when it comes to SEO the job is never done!
WebDSE says: 10/15/2012 at 2:44 am
I agree with both of you. It's just laziness and carelessness that don't let us do anything. I was also like that earlier but now I am following their techniques now.
I needs a bit of research, creativity and hard work and it is worth doing so.
Matt Beswick says: 10/18/2012 at 6:16 am
You're probably right about Copyblogger but, for some reason, it just hasn't made it onto my list of sites to check each day (more my fault than theirs, I'm sure!).
jobtips says: 10/18/2012 at 9:19 pm
just start as a virgin,need more help about this area!
Ben Troy says: 10/12/2012 at 9:15 am
According to me SEOmoz tools are must have for all search engine optimizers. Seomoz tools detailed information and extensive reports to help seo Professionals.
Matt Brennan says: 10/12/2012 at 10:47 am
Good start. I agree with the other commenter that CopyBlogger should be up there. I know this blog regarded SEO, but for general blogging tips, etc. Chris Brogan, Mitch Joel and Julien Smith all have very helpful blogs.
Richard Ng says: 10/12/2012 at 11:28 am
Nice resources, never heard of State Of Search, will sure to check it out. Cheers!
Arbaz Khan says: 10/12/2012 at 4:13 pm
A thumbs up to the post.
All the SEO resources mentioned are superb. I don't normally visit SEOMoz, even after knowing that it is the best out there. Still I prefer Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Roundtable.
Never thought of going out of these two and have a look at others.
Great post however :)
Shelby Roth says: 10/12/2012 at 4:34 pm
Great stuff Matt. I assent with your top SEO resources Tips, very true and encouraging. I used to have such kind of problem and thanks a lot you have actually saved me a lot. I look forward into putting things into proper way; your advice is divine and I adore that. Thank you!
Carmen Strong says: 10/12/2012 at 4:57 pm
I completely agree with you on this; @ Matt. These are among the best SEO sites and I am definitely going to recommend them to my fellow colleagues.
Tabetha Robert says: 10/12/2012 at 5:08 pm
I am also going to reiterate on the same sites. I have to concur with you on the fact that these are the best SEO sites and I have used most of them from time to time… especially Google. I highly recommend them to everyone; thanks.
Adam Veitch says: 10/12/2012 at 7:46 pm
Nice list, as a blogger myself I've found loads of great advice on Copyblogger and Distilled. However, my biggest source of inspiration and tips has got to be Hubspot.
They have mountains of ebooks categorised as beginner, intermediate and advanced. I strongly suggest checking them out. If it's worth learning about, Hubspot will have an ebook on it!
Hubspot's definitely worth a look… I'm not a frequent reader (although I know I should be) but they've definitely got some amazing resources.
Thanks for your comment,
Shivani Arora says: 10/12/2012 at 9:40 pm
Dear Matt,
I am using seomoz tools it's good tool for seo Professionals.
Mark says: 10/12/2012 at 9:44 pm
And my best is "Search Engine Land"
Here are few reasons why you should read Search Engine Land on daily basis
1) All authors are well experience at least 10 years
2) Google confirms most of things on search engine land
3) All latest search engine news on SELnd
Mi Muba says: 10/12/2012 at 10:41 pm
No doubt SEO has become so challenging in this dog-eats-dog competitive environment in the world of blogging where no body can retain top position for a longer period of time. In this situation quantified tips on SEO will be quite helpful for struggling bloggers like me
Wade says: 10/13/2012 at 2:29 am
As a blogger it's important to have an SEO strategy. I use most of these tools with great success!
Daniel says: 10/13/2012 at 1:52 pm
Great list, Matt…
You picked some very solid sites, that people of all levels of experience can learn greatly from…
Rand's SEOMoz has put out some great posts(from Rand and also guest authors) ….many of which I have bookmarked, and used as reference(often to balance{ litmus test} against other "same topic related" articles)….
Barry over at SEroundtable also puts out some great posts and insights…
Can't fault the list, really…
Also, there are just so many other places where you can pick up some useful insights….
Though, since we are dealing with more "SEO" orientated sites, that list is as good a place to start as any…
lisaflorence says: 10/13/2012 at 3:08 pm
I like Search engine watch and search engine journal provides more information about SEO informations and needs.
Deepak says: 10/13/2012 at 7:23 pm
Hello Matt
Nice Stuff…..!
Khairul says: 10/14/2012 at 4:29 am
As a newbie Blogger ( not even 6 month old ), I often felt overwhelmed by the amount of work needed to create & maintain a good blog. Thanks for this excellent post…
Ehsan Ullah says: 10/14/2012 at 6:41 am
SEOMoz and Search Engine Land are the two biggest SEO resources for bloggers. I have been learning and basics of SEO from the daily updates of Search Engine Land from quite some time and I've got to learn a lot of new things that is helping me to see my posts on the first page of Google with particular keyword.
erez says: 10/15/2012 at 1:14 am
It's amazing how that SEO MOZ amazing website and informative. It is important that within the dynamic network there are such things
Alex Saji says: 10/15/2012 at 2:53 am
Hi Matt, Great job. Thanks for this post.
Ryan says: 10/16/2012 at 3:23 am
SEOmoz is still one of the best tools that anyone doing any SEO work should be using. With all of the features that are available in their pro package, it is well worth the fees.
Lauren Conrad says: 10/19/2012 at 7:10 pm
Hi Matt..
nice sound for I'm totally agree with this article for SEO Resources for Bloggers. Actually there lot of Resources for Blogging in Online Marketing But I like to connect with Search Engine Land. Danny Sullivan & Matt McGee always share valuable current news & articles.
karan singh chauhan says: 10/21/2012 at 8:06 am
I just love seomoz and google webmaster tools. Anyways awesome post man.
Sabrina Clough says: 10/31/2012 at 5:03 pm
Great post, thanks for all the valuable information that you have provided.


text:
Q: Convert UITextField to float Hello I am trying to set the user input from a UITextField set to Decimal Pad to have a float equal to that amount.
//
//  ViewController.h
//  tiptest
//
//  Created by NUGZ on 1/23/14.
//  Copyright (c) 2014 NUGZ. All rights reserved.
//

#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>

float tipAmount1;
float tipAmount2;
float tipAmount3;
float tipAmount4;

@interface ViewController : UIViewController {

IBOutlet UITextField *tip1;
IBOutlet UITextField *tip2;
IBOutlet UITextField *tip3;
IBOutlet UITextField *tip4;

IBOutlet UILabel *total;

}

-(IBAction)tally:(id)sender;

@end

In the implementation file I have tried doing the following:
- (void)viewDidLoad
{

    tipAmount1 = [tip1 floatValue];

    [super viewDidLoad];
    // Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib.
}

But it is telling me "No visible @interface for 'UITextField' declares the selector 'floatValue'.  Any ideas?  I am trying to eventually make it so I can have multiple UITextFields that take the input into floats and then add all the floats for a total.

A: tipAmount1 = [[tip1 text] floatValue];
An UITextField isn't just a NSString. It has a text where you can put the string.

A: - (void)viewDidLoad {
    tipAmount1 = [tip1.text floatValue];

    [super viewDidLoad];
    // Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib.
}


Matzoh Crunch is something I normally make only during passover, but had a craving urge last week to make it for a party. It is super easy, totally fool-proof and always a hit! You can make it days in advance and store it in the freezer right up until serving.
I've been making JennyP's Matzoh Crunch Recipe for years using apparently a very average (second-rate to many, I just learned) Nestle. (Alas, how lame and ignorant I've been...) Last week, under the tutelage of dear Angie, chocolate connoisseur-snob, I made Matzoh Crunch with gourmet Scharffen Berger bars. WOW! I instantly tasted the difference. Never going back to mere Nestle ever again. Ever! Scharffen Berger rocks.
(1) First, set your oven to Bake at 350 degrees.
(2) Grease a 1" deep baking sheet with a stick of butter. Line it evenly with one layer of matzoh cracker. Break off and fill in all the gaps.
(3) In a saucepan, cook the butter and sugar over medium to high heat stirring constantly as the sugar dissolves into the butter. Let it boil for 2-3 more minutes, still stirring.
(5) Put the tray into oven for 7-10 minutes. Do not let the sugar-butter burn.
(6) During this time, if you haven't chopped up the chocolate yet, do so.
(7) Take the baking sheet out of the oven. Immediately, while hot, sprinkle the chocolate evenly over the entire surface. Let sit for 3-5 min at room temp. Chocolate will soften.
(8) Before the chocolate completely cools/hardens, spread the chocolate with a spatula.
(9) Immediately take the tray to the fridge or freezer for hardening. Use a knife to break off the Matzoh Crunch into small pieces. Serve immediately or store in the freezer until serving.
Which matzoh? I like Streit's Lightly Salted Matzos. They are crunchier and slightly thinner than Manischewitz's matzoh.
First, set your oven to Bake at 350 degrees. Use a stick of butter to grease a 1" deep baking sheet. Line the baking sheet evenly with one layer of matzoh cracker. Break off pieces of matzoh and fill in all the gaps. (Oops, forgot to take pic of crackers lined on baking sheet.) In a saucepan, add 1 cup of butter. And 1 cup of brown sugar. I'm using light brown sugar. Stir the mixture with the heat on medium to high, until everything melts and begins to boil. Let it boil and bring down the heat, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Pour the mixture over the entire surface of the matzoh covered baking sheet. Don't worry much about complete total coverage because the mixture will creep evenly to cover all of the matzoh when it heats up when you put it in the oven. Put the baking sheet into the oven for 7-10 minutes (at 350). During this time, if you haven't done so, chop up your gourmet chocolate. This fine slab of Scharffen Berger does not come in chocolate chip morsels. Start chopping/slicing it as if it were a bunch of scallions. Each slab is 9 oz, so I used one bar plus a third.
Beautiful! After 7-10 min, take the baking sheet out of the oven. It should look like this.
Beautiful bubbly toffee. Gorgeous and golden. Immediately, while the everything is still super hot, sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly over the entire surface of the toffee-covered matzoh. And let it sit there, at room temperature, for 3-5 minutes. Yes, leave it right there on the counter. The chocolate will soften for spreading.
Melty heavenly goodness. When the chocolate is soft, take a spatula and spread it evenly, covering the entire surface.
Yum! YUM!! Take the sheet to a fridge or freezer. Since it was 20 degrees outside, I put mine out on the deck. When everything hardens, after about 10 minutes, break it up into small pieces. Use a knife to pop the matzoh off the baking sheet and break off pieces with your hands.
Pile it up. Irregular and irresistible. Omg, the Scharffen Berger chocolate is so rich and decadent. Matzoh crunch, toffee, dark chocolate - SO GOOD. Everyone will love it. It will be all the rage! What are my boys reading while snacking on the best Matzoh Crunch ever? As of late, the Pokemon guides and Pokedex passages are now recited like scripture.
Thanks! You can get Scharffen Berger at any Whole Foods or specialty grocer, like Liberty Heights Fresh.
Jenny, thinking of you this holiday.Miss you and I love your holiday card...looking at it right now. We say the Mi Sheberach prayer for you each shabbat. All our love to you, Paul and your family.


Steve & Susan Reddin of Yoder celebrated their 50th anniversary on November 2nd. The couple married in 1968 at the Church of God in Zanesville. Mr. Reddin is retired from Bailey Trucking and Mrs. Reddin is retired from Prentice Products. They are the parents of daughter, Lisa (John Jr.) Olry & grandparents to 2 granddaughters, Lauren & Morgan.


Raise desperately needed funds for the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund (FARF). As an orphan disease, FARF serves as the single source of funding for issuing critical research grants in support of learning more about the genetic pathway of FA and refining treatment protocols.
Increase awareness of Fanconi Anemia and the devastating impact on the lives of afflicted children and their families.
Provide financial assistance to local families in need due to medical circumstances such as cancer or other debilitating diseases.
Thanks to the tremendous outpouring of support from our friends, family, and local community as well as all the hard work from our volunteers, the tournament has been a resounding success over the last eight years. As a result, Coley's Cause has been able to donate $337,500 to the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund!
Driven by our everlasting memory and love for Nicole, we are determined to continue our annual fundraising efforts in order to facilitate the future research efforts of the many dedicated physicians and scientists working on behalf of these unfortunate children.
Your charitable donation to Coley's Cause is tax deductible. Our tax ID# is 55-6173693.
While the total number of FA patients is not documented worldwide, scientists estimate that the carrier frequency (carriers are people carrying a defect in one copy of a particular FA gene, whose other copy of that same FA gene is normal) for FA in the U.S. is 1 in 181. The incidence rate, or the likelihood of a child being born with FA, is about 1 in 131,000 in the U.S., with approximately 31 babies born with FA each year.
Scientists have now discovered 22 FA genes [FANCA, B, C, D1 (also known as BRCA2), D2, E, F, G, I, J, L, M, N, O, P, Q, RAD51, BRCA1, T, U, V and W]. Mutations in these genes account for more than 95% of reported Fanconi anemia cases. Mutations in FANCA, FANCC and FANCG are the most common and account for approximately 85% of FA patients worldwide. FANCD1, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF and FANCL account for 10%, while the remaining FA genes represent less than 5%. Some individuals with FA do not appear to have mutations in these 22 genes, so we anticipate that additional FA genes will be discovered in the future.
FA occurs equally in males and females, except for FANCB patients who are exclusively male. It is found in all ethnic groups. Though originally considered primarily a blood disease, it can affect all systems of the body. The majority of individuals affected by FA develop bone marrow failure, necessitating a stem cell transplant. Many patients develop Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) or Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). Patients who live into adulthood are extremely likely to develop head and neck, gynecologic, and/or gastrointestinal cancer which occur at a much earlier age (20s, 30s, and 40s) than the general population. Patients who have had a successful stem cell transplant and, thus, are cured of the blood problems associated with FA still must have regular examinations to watch for signs of cancer. Research has added years to the lives of people with FA. Decades ago, children rarely survived to adulthood. Now, there are adults with FA that live into their 30s and beyond.
Fanconi anemia individuals are usually smaller than average and some have developmental defects, including thumb and arm anomalies. FA usually reveals itself before children are 12 years old, but in rare cases no symptoms are present until adulthood. First signs of FA may be extreme fatigue, frequent infections, nosebleeds or easy bruising. Blood tests may reveal a low white, red cell or platelet count or other abnormalities, defined medically as anemia. Sometimes MDS or AML is the first sign of FA. On occasion, FA isn't diagnosed until cancer (usually the type called squamous cell carcinoma) has been identified.
The definitive test for FA at the present time is a chromosome breakage test. Chromosomes are structures in the body that are made up of DNA. For the test, some of the patient's blood cells are treated, in a test tube, with a chemical that fuses different strands of DNA together (called crosslinkers). Normal cells are able to correct most of this type of DNA damage by unfusing the DNA strands and are not severely affected. However, FA cells are unable to break apart the strands of DNA and their chromosomes snap or break. There are two chemicals commonly used for this test: DEB (diepoxybutane) and MMC (mitomycin C). These tests can be performed prenatally on cells from chorionic villi or from the amniotic fluid.
Many cases of FA are not diagnosed at all or are not diagnosed in a timely manner. FA should be suspected and tested for in anyone born with thumb/arm abnormalities and anyone developing aplastic anemia at any age, even if no other defects are present. Any patient who develops cancers of the head and neck, gynecologic system or gastrointestinal system (squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma) at an early age and without a history of tobacco or alcohol use, should be tested for FA. Many FA patients show no other abnormalities and therefore all siblings of FA patients (even those apparently unaffected) should be tested. It is absolutely essential to test for FA before contemplating stem cell transplantation for aplastic anemia or treatment for cancer, as standard chemotherapy and radiation protocols may prove toxic to FA patients.
Since FA is an extremely rare disease with a unique set of complications, it is recommended that whenever possible, patients consult with a comprehensive care center specific to FA (visit www.fanconi.org or email info@fanconi.org to see a current list of FA specialists and care centers). The experts at these centers may serve as consultants on a regular basis. Day-to-day care may be handled by your local hematologist and other local specialists. FARF can help you idenify these specialists.
At the present time, stem cell transplantation is the only long-term cure for the blood defects in FA. Stem cells can be taken from a donor's marrow or peripheral blood, or can be obtained through cord blood harvested at the time of a baby's birth. To prepare for transplant, the patient's own bone marrow is destroyed, making space for the new, healthy stem cells to engraft. Donor stem cells can be matched or partially mismatched to the patient's tissue type. The closer the match, the less likely that the new stem cells will recognize the patient's cells as foreign and attack them, a complication know as graft-versus-host disease.
For more information about Fanconi Anemia and the courageous children struggling with this disease, please visit www.fanconi.org.


Military units for fantasy settings.
Aerial Infantry: The "Targeteers Whirlwinds" - Elves magically altered to give them wings, armed with halberds and muskets. This unit is mainly used for special operations.
Ground Cavalry: The "Bullet Cleavers" - Golems, riding golem-horses, armed with battleaxes and muskets. This unit is mainly used for patrolling.
Aquatic Cavalry: The "Unstoppable Thieves" - Goblins ensorcelled to breathe water, riding golem-horses made to work under water, armed with axes. This unit is mainly used for covert operations.
Ground Cavalry: The "Sniping Troops" - Tritons using spells to breathe air, riding horses, armed with warhammers and crossbow pistols. This unit is mainly used for assassinations.
Aquatic Infantry: The "Breeze Beaks" - Bird-Men using belts of water-breathing, armed with battleaxes. This unit is mainly used for siege warfare.
Aerial Infantry: The "Brutal Storms" - Trolls ensorcelled to allow them to fly and protect them from sunlight, armed with axes and crossbows. This unit is mainly used for assassinations.
Underground Infantry: The "Burrowing Dragons" - Dragon-Men, armed with halberds and spears. This unit is mainly used for patrolling.
Aerial Infantry: The "Forge Crushers" - Dwarves using spells to fly, armed with cutlasses and muskets. This unit is mainly used for siege warfare.
Ground Infantry: The "Rock Quarriers" - Dwarves, armed with maces and crossbow pistols. This unit is mainly used for reconaissance.
Ground Infantry: The "Musket Battlers" - Golems, armed with halberds and muskets. This unit is mainly used for special operations.