Saturday, December 28, 2013

End of Life Traditions: Funeral and Burial Services

The Library will CLOSE Early, Tuesday, December 31, at 5:00 pm, New Year's Eve. and CLOSED January 1st,  New Year's Day. We will reopen on the 2nd at 9 a.m.

There will be no Children's Programming until January 4th.

Genealogy tip for today: End of Year/End of Life Traditions

Since it is the end of the year, we have been looking at end-of-life traditions. Father Time has come and how do we handle it? Here are some more customs.

A service is held and led by some kind of officiate. The service may be held in a church or synagogue, Funeral Home or home of the deceased. The service typically includes songs, Scripture, prayer, and words of comfort from the clergy or person in charge. Sometimes poetry is read, or a eulogy. This may largely depend on the location of the service and tradition of the place of worship, if that is where the service is held.

What is the difference between Funeral Service and a Memorial Service? There is little difference except for one detail - the presence or absence of the deceased person. If the casket or urn is present, it is a funeral service, if the body is not there in any form, it is a memorial service.

There are always exceptions to every tradition. I have a relative that lost her husband. She had a visitation for him, but no funeral, per se’. Instead she had a memorial dinner where friends and family got together and remember and shared the memories of their loved one. A meal is often served but, usually it is after everything else, including the burial service, or after the last event locally.

In some countries, if cremation is the choice, then the cremation is the event in and of itself. Known as a funeral pyre, it is attended by the eldest son, in some cases, or by the immediate family. Some are done on land; others may be set afire and pushed out to sea.

Burial is the third stage of the death rituals. We have touched on that some already. When not required within 24 hours, the burial ritual is another service of its own. A short scripture, short words and a prayer of committal to the ground “from whence we came” are given. It may take place locally or in some cases burial may take place in another location. When it is local, then a funeral procession from service to cemetery takes place, with the Funeral Hearse carrying the casket leading the cortege.

Speaking of the sea, there are times when burial is at sea. This may be dictated by circumstances or by choice - as in the case of Neil Armstrong, who requested it.

In pioneer days in the US, folks were buried quickly because as people moved or traveled west, there was usually no one available to do the embalming. The one who has passed away was buried quickly.  Also, as we already mentioned, the Jews will bury within 24 hours as well.

When the burial has to take place some distance away, the casket is usually sent to a local funeral home that is in charge of arrangements. They would be responsible for getting the casket to the cemetery, and a short committal service is held at that time. Often this is attended only by family, but is more determined by circumstances.

Little has changed in the 200 plus years of our country. Procedures have improved; conveyances have changed, e.g. from carrying the body on a plank, to a horse draw wagon, to a funeral car. But basically, in this country the customs have roughly remained the same. The biggest difference comes usually when a death takes place in other countries.

Now You Know!


Global Warming
What is global warming? Global warming is when the Earth's temperature increases more or has increased more or a period of years.

What are the causes of global warming?
Greenhouse gases are one of the causes of global warming, because some of the heat that the sun sends to Earth gets trapped in the Earth's atmosphere.

Why is global warming a problem?
Global warming is a problem because it causes climate change. Climate change causes the melting of polar ice sheets and sea levels to rise. The effect of sea levels rising would be changes in the map of the world, there would be less land and more water.

What can people do to help? One thing that we can do to help is reduce, reuse, and recycle. Also help prevent carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. Help make laws to solve the problem of global warming. People can start making less polluting cars and use renewable energy.

If more people rode bicycles could that help with global warming? If more people rode bicycles more often it would help us and because fewer cars cause less air pollution.


Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Development of Film and Digital Technology

Nowadays, the jaws of most people drop when they witness spectacular explosions and horrifying camera illusions that have come to dominate today’s American films. I consider this not only a tragedy, but a terrible nostalgia for the classics.

Since I’m a big film buff myself, I enjoyed the way Leo Manovich parallels the development of new media with the development of old media, especially film, in his book titled “The Language of New Media.” Technologies that are outdated today, such as the kinetoscope, were just as fascinating to those in 1890 in the same way computers bewilder us today. He also wishes to explain the logic driving the development of new media similar to the way historians attempt to trace the development of film. Computers have redefined old cultures, such as film and music, and created new cultures, such as video gamers and digital animators. One can argue that computers have completely taken over our culture and can represent all forms of old media, such as digital animation taking over classic film production or IPODs taking over CDs.

Manovich claims that film is a realistic representation of reality in which the effects and camera angles of film create the language used to express this reality. This is all true, but I’d like to argue that digital film and new media does not always represent reality in the way classic film does nor do they represent reality in the way Manovich claims it does.

I agree that film is a systematic account of narrative strategy and agree that the language behind film is rich in history. Since the early days of the Kodak Camera introduced by George Eastman in the 1880s, inventors wanted to take their own series of still images and trick the mind into seeing motion based on the theory of persistence of vision. Inventors from this point forward worked towards advancing the tricks and theatrical techniques one would associate with a cinematographer today. Examples of advancements in cinema technology include Thomas Edison’s introduction of the Kinetoscope and splicing in films, George Melies’ stumble upon editing, Edwin Porter’s use of close-up shots, D.W. Griffith’s syntax of motion pictures, and Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliant uses of montage, mise en scene, and chiaroscuro effects.

I also appreciate specific films in American history, such as Casbablanca, Vertigo, Citizen Kane, and Star Wars, that originally utilized the effects which tremendously contributed to the kinds of illusions people see in today‘s movies. These films are the best examples which demonstrate how the elements of special effects, music, editing, cinematography, and other technical aspects overlap and add meaning to each of these films, bring life to the characters, and assist the directors in portraying the messages they are trying to convey. However, today’s films fall short of delivering the experience retro films do. In favoring theatrical glamour, digital effects, and high expectations for large earnings, Hollywood movies recently have been subjected to denying the public of new experiences. Instead of classic films being produced, what the public sees today is predictable, repetitive content of what film studios think the public wants to see. Meaningful plots and story lines have been sacrificed for eye candy and overused special effects. The explosions in disaster scenes in modern films, for example, do not necessarily contribute to the film in any significant way, but simply allows the viewer to see more of the same things. In addition, a digitized sword fight may represent a real-life sword fight in theory, but it can never come close to the intensity and excitement of a real-life, actual sword fight portrayed by real actors. Therefore, while the adventation of computer technology may be progressing us forward in terms of value, production quality, and technical language in films, we have suffered a great loss in film that no advancement in digital cinematography could ever replace.

I speculate Manovich would argue my point by saying that "synthetic computer-generated imagery is not an inferior representation of our reality, but a realistic representation of a different reality." Indeed he is right, IF that is what movie and game developers claim they are aiming to do. I’ve played many video games and seen digitized movies where the worlds I am placed in or view on the screen are strictly fantasy. After all, isn’t one of the many great aspects of movies and video games is that we can do things or go to places we can not do or go to in real life? As long as video game companies and digitized artists claim that Aeos is a fantasy world, I have no problem entering into that reality for a time being and playing pretend. However, the graphics behind video games and digitized movies are beginning to look so real one must not confuse the differences between reality and fantasy. One of the goals of most video game graphic designers is to acheive the most realistic graphics possible. The problem occurs when creators of digitized fantasy worlds claim with their realistic graphics that these fantasy worlds are representations of our reality and our world. This is where, again, Manovich’s point about how these worlds are a realistic representation of an alternative reality comes in handy.

  1. Frankly, this is where I would like to add that "too much is enough". The overemphasis on loud graphics, surreal scene sequences, and exaggerations in the conflict scenes have been "forced upon us" as a reality, YES, maybe a reality for the creator of this art form but not a reality for the consumer (the consumer chooses to make it his/her reality if applicable). It may be possbile that technology itself has hit a dead end where the creative capabilities have been either exhausted or the only resource is to "tap into" fantasy. Sure we have come a long way from the early days of still photography, and with computer technology the way it is, we have almost perfected the art form and allowed people to engage in a profound experience unlike any other. However, I see that computer technology always borrows from the "film" experience, which may prove to be the ultimate technology that exists. Adding computer effects is only a branch of the earlier types of creating "fake realities", as referred to in the prologue of Manovich's book, such as in the case of editing or montage and virtual camera controls. These have been incorporated into the computer and are basically staples used daily. I agree wholeheartedly that the use of thsi enw media in movies only steals from the experiene we would otherwise attain from a classic film. Perhaps finding other ways to implement computer power would be a start in the right direction, so as to distinguish it from other forms of media.

  2. I feel that most advertisements are like this--present a false reality to promote/sell their product.

  3. Reality is one thing, realism another, and realism is the aesthetic criterion that much art has been measured by, traditionally. I think you can see the connection, here, to Bolter's concept of transparent immediacy, aka the mirror. And the point is not whether the representation is reality or not, of course it isn't, the map is not the territory, as Alfred Korzybski put it. The point is whether it is perceived as real, as reality or as realistic, but audiences.


07 Apr

03 Apr

Robert N. Bellah, “Civil Religion in America” (1967)

“Civil Religion in America” examines Presidential addresses from Lincoln and Kennedy. Bellah argues that American civil religion is distinct from American religions and that it exhibits the defining characteristics and features of religion.

The phrase “civil religion” comes from Rousseau’s The Social Contract. There Rousseau argued that civil religion recognized: 1) the existence of God; 2) the life to come; 3) the reward of virtue and the punishment of vice; and 4) and the exclusion of religious intolerance. Civil religion for Rousseau was meant to unify the state, give authority to the state, and act as a binding force for members of society who practiced individual religions. America’s Founding Fathers did not rely on Rousseau’s phrase, but the ideas circulated among them. At the center of American civil religion is “a collection of beliefs, symbols, and rituals with respect to sacred things and institutionalized in a collectivity” (8). While Bellah does not examine the emergence of American civil religion in the early Republic, he does look to the Founding Fathers and Presidential addresses to tease out its characteristics. 1) God is central. He is uitarian (yes, little “u”). He is austere and focuses on order, laws, and rights of human. He is not defined in terms of love and salvation. This God is not a deist. The founding documents recognized God as active in American history. 2) America is central because America is the new Israel, which can be rewarded or punished. 3) American Civil Religion centers on sacred, historical events like the American Revolution and the Civil War. 4) It has sacred scriptures like the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. 5) It has sacred heroes and martyrs like Washington and Lincoln. 6) It focuses on the sacred theme of sacrifice. 7) It has sacred places like the Capital, battlefields, and cemeteries. 8) It has rituals practiced on sacred days, like Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, and the Fourth of July. Bellah does not talks so much about the afterlife in American civil religion. But, one could argues that it is there.

Civil religion, Bellah argues, “at its best is a genuine apprehension of universal and transcendent religious reality as seen in or, one could almost say, as revealed through the experiences of the American people” (12). American civil religion is not anti-clerical or militantly secular. It borrows from the traditions of American religions and most Americans see no difference between them. Sometimes Americans disagree with American civil religion. Sometimes American civil religion upholds equality in the face of oppression. “The civil religion has exercised long-term pressure for the humane solution of our greatest domestic problem, the treatment of the Negro American” (15).

Civil religion changes and in the 1960s was involved in theoretical and theological redefinitions of which it was not aware. Americans challenged the centrality of God in America. Bellah argued that this would impact American civil religion: “If the whole God symbolism requires reformulation, there will be obvious consequences for the civil religion, consequences perhaps of liberal alienation and of fundamentalist ossification that have not so far been prominent in this realm” (15). Civil religion has helped America think and act through its most serious situations, including independence and slavery. The next issue to consider is what American civil religion will mean for the United States in the world. If America seeks after unlimited power and empire then, Americans must think about how American civil religion with affect the world. Americans would have to incorporate new international symbolism in civil religion. Bellah thinks this can be done: “Fortunately, since the American civil religion is not the worship of the American nation but an understanding of the American experience in the light of ultimate and universal reality, the reorganization entailed by such a new situation need not disrupt the American civil religion’s continuity” (18). Bellah is confident that civil religion can transform as America becomes a world power. However, he is less sure how atheism will impact American civil religion’s reliance on God.

Bellah argues that civil religion is not the notion that Christianity is the national faith. Civil religion is also not Herberg’s “American Way of Life,” which suggests that civic religion in American is faith in faith. Herberg suggested that the increase in religiosity and church practice in 1950s America did not really reflect an increase in Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish religiosity or practice. Rather, it reflected Americans’ recognition that religion in general, or faith in faith, was important to American life. Going to a Protestant church was merely a ritual in the American Way of Life. It did not necessarily reflect one’s going to church to practice Protestantism in any particular ritual or creedal form. For Herberg, the American Way of Life was the secularization of American religions. One went to church or synagogues because that was what Americans did as part of the American Way of Life.

Bellah, on the other hand, argues that “there actually exists alongside of and rather clearly differentiated from the churches an elaborate and well-institutionalized civil religion in America.” Civil religion and American religions flourish alongside one another. Americans are not able to see civil religion, Bella argued, because they do not recognize Durkheim’s notion of “religious dimension.” Durkheim argued that every group had a religious dimension which defined its overall identity. Bellah suggests that this dimension can be easily examined in southern or eastern Asia. American civil religion has not been recognized because of the way the West defines “religion.” Religion “denotes a single type of collectivity of which an individual can be a member of one and only one at a time” (19, n. 19). Durkheim argued that religion united clans of clan-based societies in its creation of a collective consciousness. Bellah argued that American civil religion united individual Americans in similar ways.

02 Apr

Tracy Fessenden, “The Other Woman’s Sphere” (2001)

31 Mar

Will Herberg, Protestant, Catholic, Jew (1955)

Will Herberg was an historian of American religion and a sociologist in the mid-twentieth century. Herberg published Protestant, Catholic, Jew in 1955. This book examined the increase in American religiosity and church membership after WWII. Herberg argued that the majority of Americans defined themselves either Protestants, Catholics, or Jews. But, these American did not focus too much on creeds and theologies. Instead, they promoted religion as Americans’ faith in faith. Herberg called this the “American Way of Life.” Herberg’s work foregrounded the relationship between religion and nationalism, what scholars today refer to as American Civil Religion.

In the 1950s, Americans appeared more religious than ever before. According to recent polls, the majority of Americans identified themselves as either Protestants, Catholics, or Jews. Church membership numbers had increased dramatically. Money spent on church construction also increased. Polls also suggested that Americans recognized religious leaders as the ones doing the most good for the country. Religion and the church gained respectability in American social life and politics. American used religion to talk about the “Godless” Communists. Americans also expected public officials to “testify to [their] high esteem for religion. Herberg argues that Americans recognized “religion as a ‘value’ or institution” in American life. Moreover, religion gained a new intellectual prestige in cultural life. Philosophers and theologians were successful in selling their “religious books” as many of them made the best-sellers lists. Religious ideas and topics were also popular in journals of literature, politics, and art. What did this new esteem of religion mean?

Herberg argued that despite people’s profession of religion, they were not actually more religious in any denominational or creedal sense. Rather, Americans’ increased religiosity was evidence of a common religion. Herberg defined America’s common religion as “the American Way of Life.” Robin M. Williams Jr.’s defined “common religion” as common ideas, rituals, and symbols that supplied an overarching sense of unity. According to Herberg, “The American Way of Life is, at bottom, a spiritual structure, a structure of ideas and ideals, of aspirations and values, of beliefs and standards; it synthesizes all that commends itself to the American as the right, the good, and the true in actual life.” The American Way of Life was “an organic structure of ideas, values, and beliefs that constitute a faith common to Americans and genuinely operative in their lives, a faith that markedly influences, and is in influenced by, the ‘official’ religions of American society.” The American Way of Life provided an undergirding unity among Americans with a particular value system as its center. This center upheld certain characteristics as foundational to American life: democracy, the Constitution, free enterprise, equalitarianism, economic competition, high mobility, idealism, individualism, “deeds, not creed,” progress, self-reliance, character, optimism, moralism, and activism. This American Way of Life “is, of course, anchored in the American’s vision of America.” Americans looked to the Puritans who defined America as “the new Israel” and “the Promised Land.” The American Way of Life was also a middle-class way of life. American perceive themselves as a middle-class people. Most importantly the American Way of Life had been shaped by American Protestantism.

Hererg argued that historical religions in America had been “Americanized” and imbibed these qualities.  The American Way of Life had secularized Judaism and Christianity so that they had become “integrated as parts with a larger whole defined by the American Way of Life.”  The American Way of Life promoted the belief of faith in faith. Americans held a common religion based on the elevation of religion as a value. Americans believed in the goodness of religion in general. Herberg attributes the seeming increase in piety, religiosity, and church membership to Americans’ participation in the American Way of Life. Practicing individual religion was a ritual in the American Way of Life.

For Herberg, the American Way of Life was detrimental to Judaism and Christianity. Herberg argues that the American Way of Life looked like the “civic religion of the American people.” According to Herberg, “civic religion has always meant the sanctification of the society and culture of which it is the reflection, and that is one of the reasons why Jewish-Christian faith has always regarded such religion as incurably idolatrous. Civil religion is a religion which validates culture and society, without in any sense bringing them under judgment.” Herberg calls for Americans to recognize the wrong in the American Way of Life, of common religion. He urges Americans to separate common religion from “real” religion. The American Way of Life opposes major tenets of the Jewish-Christian faith. The American Way of Life is too man-centered. There is no sense of the transcendent God and there is no sense of the “nothingness of man.” The American Way of Life promotes a religion that mobilizes God to serve man, instead of mobilizing man to server God. The American Way of Life does not call man to seek humility or his consciousness. Rather, “it is something that assures him about the essential rightness of everything American, his nation, his culture, and himself; something that validates his goals and his ideals instead of calling them into question…[it] offers him salvation in easy terms instead of demanding repentance and a ’broken heart.” For Herberg, the American Way of Life was “a strong and pervasive idolatrous element” in America. American civic religion had co-opted the Jewish-Christian faith in America. American civic religion was at odds with American religions. American civic religion was immoral and bad for the American people.

28 Mar

Robert A. Orsi, Between Heaven and Earth (2005)

In Between Heaven and Earth, Robert A. Orsi argues that religious worlds are made by men, women, and children in relationships with each other and special beings. Religious idioms are intersubjective in that they are real, personal experiences shared among any number of networks of people. Intersubjectivity is understood as: 1) the nature of particular social, cultural and religious identities and realities (bonds of love/hate); and 2) the balance of familiarity/difference in the relationship between the researcher and his/her subject(s).

Orsi suggests that religion is not a “web of meanings but of relationships” and cannot be labeled with dichotomies. Scholars must move beyond the secularization thesis and the “from-to” paradigm of modernity. Belief is the wrong question to ask and the “realness” of religious idioms should be understood as real in experience, practice, and relationships. Orsi explains these ideas in the stories about Sal. These illustrate the relationships between handicapped people, other Catholics, and the saints who embody suffering. While handicapped people were made models of suffering and purity like certain Saints, this fantasy marginalized the lives and actual suffering of the “cripples.” This fantasy obscured their unequal relationships.

In chapter two Orsi examines the presence of Mary among the devout in pre- and post-Vatican II. Orsi explains the presence of Mary after Vatican II as: 1) psychological in that people placed Mary as a mediator in their lived relationships and experiences; 2) social in that Mary is a cultural figure who makes and is made by culture; 3) a symbol of American and other cultural/ethnic identities; and 4) emotional in that Mary’s emotions reflected those of the devout. The presence of Mary is not something that is either true or false, but her presence and people’s engagement with her reflect “the daily circumstances of their lives.” Her presence alters lived experiences and relationships through art, prayer, and history.

Chapter three considers how adults made the presence of God material in children’s bodies and imaginations. Like the holiness associated with “cripples,” the holiness imbued in children made them vulnerable, objects of desire, and idealized childhood. These experiences shaped relationships among children and adults to create American Catholicism.

Chapter four relates the hagiographical accounts of Saint Gemma Galgani and stories about Orsi’s grandmother. In these stories, heaven and earth not only reflect one another, but are made in relation to one another (diptych). “Meaning making” is a linear process and does not take into account that the lives of people can be made by meaning in stories. Orsi suggests that the “meaning making subject” be replaced with “a more tragic figure whose engagements in the world…proceed through media that may embody meaning against him or her.”

In chapter five Orsi examines the relationship between the researcher and subject. The study of religion is the study of relationships that use, make, or re-make religious idioms in particular cultural, historical and political contexts. To study or interpret a culture means to be engaged with the people in the culture and their conversations; to understand religion as dialectics. Orsi understands that while he cannot pray to Saint Jude like Clara, he can experience the feelings of loss and hope that she does. In this case, scholars should rethink the boundaries of “us/them” in research and realize that while there are differences there are also similarities among the researcher and his/her subject. Difference does not mean otherness. This intersubjectivity will help scholars understand religious ways of living and the researcher’s relationship to them.

In chapter six, Orsi traces the history of religion in the West and in the American academy. Scholars must understand how this history impacts their research. The evangelical and postcolonial critiques present compelling challenges, but ultimately re-establish boundaries in their work (like Covington with the snake-handlers). Orsi proposes a third position where the goal of research is to get beyond “otherizing” by disciplining one’s mind and heart to stay in the “in-between place.” This position is transformative in that the scholar must go beyond understanding religion as ethical, and not affirm or deny the studied religion. Scholars should proceed in their research with risk, suspension, and engagement. Haberman’s fieldwork maintains this third position. Religious witnessing is not for the university classroom since the expectation is for discussion, analysis and open exchange. Religious worlds and their morals must be studied through the lived experiences and stories between people and their gods.


The Swedish National Association of the Deaf

SDR was founded in 1922 and is a politically and religiously independent association devoted to safeguarding the social, financial, linguistic and cultural interests of deaf people. Sign language is of central importance to all our activities, for our sense of community, our self-esteem and cultural identity. The need for sign language in all stages of life is a guiding star for all our activities.

Being a signing deaf person does not mean having a disability in the ordinary sense. We see ourselves as a linguistic minority. In a signing environment there is no handicap. A handicap arises, however, in contact with hearing people. The problems are not limited to hearing persons who cannot sign, but include a lack of interpreters, TV programs and films without captions, and information for the general public in Swedish which is hard to understand.

Language is a fundamental right for every individual. Through our language we achieve communication with other persons, can exchange thoughts and develop our consciousness. Communication in sign language is not only a necessity for deaf people but also a bridge between deaf and hearing and a prerequisite for the active social participation of the deaf in society. Contact with people who cannot sign is conducted mainly with the help of sign language interpreters. The main obstacle for us is the lack of understanding and ignorance concerning our special culture, problems and needs. Add to this the weakened national economy, the consequences of which require us to struggle incredibly hard to even come close to experiencing the amount of culture and participation on the social, linguistic, technical and civic levels that are natural for hearing people.

Publicerad av  Webbredaktör
Publicerad: 2013-02-19
Uppdaterad: 2013-02-19


Two-Depth Transcranial Doppler for measurements of ICP through the Opthalmic Artery

Innovative method using Two-Depth Transcranial Doppler (TDTD) of monitoring intracranial pressure (ICP) relies on the same fundamental principle used to measure blood pressure with a sphygmomanometer. A sphygmomanometer works using a balance principle - an air-filled pressure cuff wrapped around the arm compresses the brachial artery to a point where blood can no longer flow. The examiner slowly releases the air from the cuff and uses a stethoscope to listen for the return of blood flow. At the balance point, where pressure in the cuff equals systolic artery pressure, a ‘whooshing’ noise can be heard as blood flows through the artery again.

The TDTD method uses Doppler ultrasound to translate principle of blood pressure measurement with a sphygmomanometer to the measurement of ICP.  Ophthalmic artery (OA) - a unique vessel with intracranial and extracranial segments is used as a natural pair of scales for absolute ICP measurement. Blood flow in the intracranial segment is affected by intracranial pressure, while flow in the extracranial segment is influenced by the externally applied pressure to the orbital tissues.

As with a sphygmomanometer, a pressure cuff is used - in this case to compress the tissues surrounding the eye and change the characteristics of blood flowing from inside the skull cavity into the eye socket. In place of the stethoscope, a Doppler ultrasound beam measures the blood flow in intracranial and extracranial segments of the Ophthalmic Artery. The aICP meter based on this method gradually increases the pressure over the eye so that the blood flow parameters in two sections of artery are equal. At this point, the applied external pressure equals the intracranial pressure.

This measurement method eliminates the main limiting problem- the individual patient calibration problem by direct comparison of aICP and externaly applied pressure – same fundamental principle used to measure blood pressure with a sphygmomanometer.

The mean value of OA blood flow, it’s systolic and diastolic values, pulsatility indexes are almost the same in both OA segments in the point of balance aICP=aPe. As a result of that all individual influential factors (ABP, cerebrovascular autoregulation impairment, individual pathophysiological state of patient, individual diameter and anatomy of OA, hydrodynamic resistance of eye ball vessels, etc.) do not influence the balance aICP=aPe and, as a consequence, such natural “scales” do not need calibration.

This method is further developed by Company Vittamed (Kaunas, Lithuania) together with consortium partners in EU FP7 project Brainsafe


Information about this project here.

Prototype: Titu Cusi

In our collaboration, Sarah and I decided to render Cummins’s theory of “witness objects” and their importance in Inca histories as speakers with different vantage points. The qiru, or ceremonial drinking cup, is a protagonist as well as the mummy-ancestors that may very well have accompanied Titu Cusi and his amanuensis, Martin de Pando, as he narrated his version of the encounter of Cajamarca to two Augustinian friars in Vilcabamba, the territory held by the neo-Inca state, in 1569.

Forests “Montes” in 16th-century Peruvian Spanish means forest, wild or fallow land and not elevated land as it can be sometimes understood in modern usage. Although Sebastián de Covarrubias Orozco glosses this term in 1611 as montaña ˆ’highland’ (812), the Diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana notes that although “montes” had taken on the meaning of “highlands” in Peninsular Spanish by the late 16th century, the Old Castilian usage of “forests” was retained and transmitted in Peru (Sandoval de la Maza 4:131). Vilcabamba is a region of cloud forest, or in a literal translation of the Spanish ceja de selva it lies on the brow of the Amazon, a mountainous region at 2,000 meters above sea level.

Capac  Inca accounts emphasize each protagonist’s genealogy on the male and female lines. According to Catherine Julien, capac status “flowed through both males and females descended from the pair of dynastic progenitors, ” Manco Capac and Mama Occllo, also his sister (296). Huayna Capac was the first Inca ruler born to the union of a brother and a sister from the preceding dynastic generation […] he could thus claim the honorific capac because he embodied a concentration of capac, as the progeny of two individuals who were closes in descent terms to the original brother-sister pairing (30).

Viracocha(s) Who are they? If the Spanish are false viracochas then who are the real ones? The reception of invaders as “god”-like or “uncanny” beings has received the attention of numerous scholars in the Andean region as well as Mexico and Hawaii. See the annotated bibliography for a longer discussion of the state of the question.

N.B. on Titu Cusi’s appearance: Several accounts describe Titu Cusi with smallpox scars. Inca Huayna Capac, Titu Cusi’s grandfather, died of smallpox in 1527, leading to the wars of succession between Atahualpa and Huascar.

Illapa is the Lightning Bolt in Quechua but also with “musket fire” and “artillery”. See González Holguín for these colonial glosses of the Illapa (367). Illapa is another aspect of Saint James the Greater.

Chicha is a word of Tahina origin, which the Spanish first heard in the Caribbean and they later applied it to the fermented corn beer, aqha in Southern Quechua, that they encountered in Peru. It is a sacred libation to propitiate to the Pachamama, the Apus and one’s ancestors. See the annotated bibliography for the larger discussion on the colonial experience with chicha drinking.

In “Failing to Marvel,” Patricia Seed has interpreted this exchange as one of reciprocated offenses:”Atahualpa’s gesture of throwing the book on the ground mirrors the gesture that preceded it–the Spaniard’s pouring the chicha on the ground–and thus establishes a symmetry between Inca and Hispanic behaviors, each one causing an object sacred to the other to end up on the ground” (21). For Frank Salomon, these parallel gestures of offense offered a comparison between Inca and Spanish forms of aggression (see “Chronicles of the Impossible”).

Qillqa was glossed by Diego González Holguín as “papel carta, o escriptura” ‘letter paper or writing’ (301). In his Vocabulario de la lengua general de los Ingas (1561), Domingo de Santo Tomás had translated quillqa as “letra, o carta mensagera; libro, o papel generalmente” ‘letter or messenger letter; a book or generally, paper’; the verb quillqay is rendered as “pintar, o escrevir generalmente; labrar alguna cosa con colores generalmente” ‘to paint, or write in generally; work with colors in general’ (357).

yungas are the inhabitants of the “lowlands.”

Sapay Inga according to González Holguín means “rey de esta tierra” ‘the king of this land’ (78).  Since sapay means “the one and only” Sapay Inga is an honorific that could be glossed as “the Chosen Inca” or “the One and Only Inca,” in contrast to the leader from the other members of his kin.


The arrow of time in RIS

January 18, 2017

I gave an informal talk today on the arrow of time in repeated interaction systems and I thought I’d write about it here.

Repeated interaction systems (RIS)

For a recent review of RIS, see arxiv/1305.2472. We also introduce them in my and my coauthor’s work Landauer’s Principle in Repeated Interaction Systems. However, I’ll include what we need here below.

For our purposes, a repeated interaction system consists of a finite dimensional system interacting with a sequence (or “chain”) of finite dimensional systems called “probes”.

Associated to is an Hilbert space , self-adjoint operator called the Hamiltonian, and an inital state with , .

Similarly, each probe has a Hilbert space , self-adjoint Hamiltonian , and initial state (with , ). We will assume the probes’ Hilbert spaces are isomorphic, , and that the initial state is a thermal state also called a Gibbs state at inverse temperate . That is,

The system interacts with each probe, one at a time, for some duration . This can be described inductively as follows. If the system is in the state after iteracting with the th probe, then couples with to form the joint (uncorrelated) state

The interaction of the system and th probe is described by some interaction Hamiltonian so that after time , the joint state of and is given by

The state on alone then, after interacting with the th probe, is given by

This is the initial state of for the interaction with the next probe.

Note that we may define the reduced dynamics on for step . This is the map

In this language, , and thus

Introduction to arrow of time

Now that we understand the setup of an RIS, we can consider what it means to test the arrow of time in this context. We will imagine two black boxes and .

For such a box, we input an RIS; that is, we give it all the temperatures, Hamiltonians, initial states, etc., of an RIS with some large number of probes; let’s call the number of probes . Afterwards, we may push a button and recieve a printout.

To produce its printout, does the following when we press the button:

  1. Make a fresh RIS identical to the one we gave it
  2. Measure the initial state of the system (labelling this outcome by ) and the energy of each probe (labelling the energy level of the th probe by )
  3. Time evolve the system and probes by having them interact as described above
  4. Measure the final state of the system (yielding outcome ) and the energies of the probes again (where is the energy level of the th probe), and
  5. Print out the measurement outcomes .

To produce its printout, does the following:

  1. Make a fresh RIS by putting in the state

    and for , putting in the state .

  2. Measure (labelling the outcome by ) and the energy of each probe (outcomes ).
  3. Time evolve by , i.e. with replaced by .
  4. Measure the state of (calling the outcome ) and the energy of each probe (labelling the outcomes by ).
  5. Printout .

Now, we are a given a box , and we input an RIS. Our task now is to determine if we were given , or if we were given .

This is the task of determine whether we can experimentally detect whether or not time has evolved in the forward direction, corresponding to , or in the backwards direction, corresponding to , for this particular RIS.

A more careful description of the forward and backward processes

To proceed, we’ll need to calculate the probability of getting a particular set of measurement outcomes for each process. Let us analyse the forward process.

The system starts in the state , and the chain of probes in the initial state .

We write the spectral decomposition of , where are the eigenvalues of , and is the projection onto the eigenspace associated to , and the spectral decomposition of the th probes Hamiltonian.

We measure in the eigenbasis of and each probe in their Hamiltonian’s eigenbasis, obtaining outcomes and with probability

where . By performing these measurements, we have projected e.g. the th probe into it’s th energy level. We have also projected the system into the state . If is a non-degenerate eigenvalue, this means that is now in a pure state.

Next, interacts with each probe, one at a time, starting at until , via the time evolution

Now, we measure in the eigenbasis of and all of the probes in their energy eigenbasis; that is, we measure in the eigenbasis of . We will write the spectral decomposition . The probability of obtaining outcome from measuring and outcomes from measuring the probes is

Note we only need to write the measurement operators for the second measurement once, by cyclicity of the trace.

We call this quantity ; this is the probability that when we press the button on we obtain the outcomes . It is in fact a discrete probability distribution.

Similarly, the probability of getting the measurement outcomes when we press the button on is given by

which we will call .

Hypothesis testing on the arrow of time

Let us assume we press the button of our box times. We collect a printout each time. Based on the observed frequencies of each set of measurement outcomes, we want to know: are these outcomes likely being drawn from the distribution , or from ?

This is a classic question in hypothesis testing, and has been well-studied; e.g. Cover & Thomas Ch. 11 is a clear reference.

We can consider our uses of as drawing one sample from independent and identically distributed random variables .

We wish to choose a set of sequences of outcomes such that if , we output , and we output otherwise.

There are two errors we can make: we can say that our box is when really it is , or vice-versa. Let us define the error probabilities

which depend on the set we choose.

We will minimize a particular type of error which leads to a particular nice formula for how the error rate decays as we increase .

Let us define

That is, the smallest probability of “guessing time evolved forwards when it really evolved backwards”, subject to the constraint that the error that we “guess that time evolved backwards when it really evolved forwards” is kept small.

That is, we are sure as we can be that if we say “forwards”, it was indeed forwards, while keeping the other error tolerably small.

For , the Chernoff-Stein lemma tells us that

is the relative entropy between the two probability distributions. That is,

the error asymptotically decays exponentially with a rate given by the relative entropy .

Connection to Landauer’s Principle

Let me refer to my post on Landauer’s principle. At each step of the RIS, we are in the setup of Landauer’s principle described there: a system interacts unitarily with a thermal reservoir, in this case . Thus, at each step of the RIS run without measurement, we have an entropy production . It turns out that

This is very nice! In fact, was the object of study in the recent work of myself and my coauthors in Landauer’s Principle in Repeated Interaction Systems (which I’m happy say has now been published).

I won’t prove the equality here; however, if all goes well, it’ll been on the arxiv soon™ [Edit: it’s up, arxiv:1705.08281].

The arrow of time in RIS - January 18, 2017 - Eric Hanson


Total Number of words made out of Pul = 2

Pul is an acceptable word in Scrabble with 5 points. Pul is an accepted word in Word with Friends having 8 points. Pul is a 3 letter short Word starting with P and ending with L. Below are Total 2 words made out of this word.

2 letter Words made out of pul

1). up

Also see:- Words starting with Pul | Words ending with Pul | Words Containing Pul

Words made from adding one letter at the End of pul

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Words made after changing First letter with any other letter in pul

Words made after changing Last letter with any other letter in pul

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Scrabble finderAnagram FinderCrossword Solver

Note There are 0 vowel letters and 3 consonant letters in the word pul. P is 16th, U is 21th, L is 12th, Letter of Alphabet series.


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Multiple-access interference-resistant acquisition for band-limited CDMA systems with random sequences

The problem of estimating the propagation delay of a new user in a coded band-limited DS/CDMA system in the presence of multiple access interference (MAI) is considered. MAI-resistant acquisition schemes are developed for a general CDMA system without the constraint that the spreading sequences of the users repeat every symbol period. It is assumed that the… (More)
DOI: 10.1109/49.857920

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Outcomes of Neural and Rule-based Classifiers as Criterions in Bi-objective Evolutionary Optimization of Feature Space in Pattern Recognition

Neural networks are widely used as classifiers in many pattern recognition problems because of good generalization abilities, what is a crucial issue in any practical application. However, vast majority of neural network architectures demands a huge computational effort for the training process, what in turn limits such solutions from application in one… (More)

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Overt versus covert conduct disorder symptoms and the prospective prediction of antisocial personality disorder.

Studies have shown strong continuity between conduct disorder (CD) in adolescence and antisocial personality disorder (APD) in adulthood. Researchers have been trying to explain why some adolescents with CD persist into adult APD and others do not. A few studies reported that overt and covert CD symptoms have a differential predictive power for APD, with… (More)
DOI: 10.1521/pedi_2012_26_074

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Stripping away the soil

Bartelme, Ryan P.; Oyserman, Ben O.; Blom, Jesse E.; Sepulveda-Villet, Osvaldo J.; Newton, Ryan J.

As the processes facilitated by plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) become better characterized, it is evident that PGPMs may be critical for successful sustainable agricultural practices. Microbes enrich plant growth through various mechanisms, such as enhancing resistance to disease and drought, producing beneficial molecules, and supplying nutrients and trace metals to the plant rhizosphere. Previous studies of PGPMs have focused primarily on soil-based crops. In contrast, aquaponics is a water-based agricultural system, in which production relies upon internal nutrient recycling to co-cultivate plants with fish. This arrangement has management benefits compared to soil-based agriculture, as system components may be designed to directly harness microbial processes that make nutrients bioavailable to plants in downstream components. However, aquaponic systems also present unique management challenges. Microbes may compete with plants for certain micronutrients, such as iron, which makes exogenous supplementation necessary, adding production cost and process complexity, and limiting profitability and system sustainability. Research on PGPMs in aquaponic systems currently lags behind traditional agricultural systems, however, it is clear that certain parallels in nutrient use and plant-microbe interactions are retained from soil-based agricultural systems.


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Low Level of Oxygen in Earth’s Middle Ages Delayed Evolution for Two Billion Years

Wednesday, February 8, 2017 18:25

In their paper, published in Nature Communications, ‘Atmospheric oxygen regulation at low Proterozoic levels by incomplete oxidative weathering of sedimentary organic carbon’, the University of Exeter scientists explain how organic material – the dead bodies of simple lifeforms – accumulated in the earth’s sedimentary rocks. After the Great Oxidation, and once plate tectonics pushed these sediments to the surface, they reacted with oxygen in the atmosphere for the first time.

Credit; Wikipedia

The more oxygen in the atmosphere, the faster it reacted with this organic material, creating a regulatory mechanism whereby the oxygen was consumed by the sediments at the same rate at which it is produced.

This mechanism broke down with the rise of land plants and a resultant doubling of global photosynthesis. The increasing concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere eventually overwhelmed the control on oxygen and meant it could finally rise to the levels we are used to today.

This helped animals colonise the land, leading eventually to the evolution of mankind.

The model suggests atmospheric oxygen was likely at around 10% of present day levels during the two billion years following the Great Oxidation Event, and no lower than 1% of the oxygen levels we know today.

Professor Lenton said: “This time in Earth’s history was a bit of a catch-22 situation. It wasn’t possible to evolve complex life forms because there was not enough oxygen in the atmosphere, and there wasn’t enough oxygen because complex plants hadn’t evolved – only when land plants came about did we see a more significant rise in atmospheric oxygen.

“The history of life on Earth is closely intertwined with the physical and chemical mechanisms of our planet. It is clear that life has had a profound role in creating the world we are used to, and the planet has similarly affected the trajectory of life. I think it’s important people acknowledge the miracle of their own existence and recognise what an amazing planet this is.”

Life on earth is believed to have begun with the first bacteria evolving 3.8 billion years ago. Around 2.7 billion years ago the first oxygen-producing photosynthesis evolved in the oceans. But it was not until 600 million years ago that the first multi-celled animals such as sponges and jellyfish emerged in the ocean. By 470 million years ago the first plants grew on land with the first land animals such as millipedes appearing around 428 million years ago. Mammals did not rise to ecological prominence until after the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago. Humans first appeared on earth 200,000 years ago.

Contacts and sources:
Marie Woolf
University of Exeter

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Persuasive essay thesis integrity definition essay!

Persuasive essay thesis

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Persuasive essay thesis

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Pushes and pulls

While working on a module for the Your Countdown to Retirement coaching program my team created a list of events that boomers witnessed/were a part of growing up. As I reviewed their entries I was struck by the number of events I had forgotten.

Sure there were the “biggies” – those historic moments where you can recall in vivid detail where you were and what you were doing during those events. But there were so many more that had faded in my memory (for a list go to our website yourcountdowntoretirement.com)

Just as boomers have those forgotten events they also forget or minimize the things they have accomplished personally and professionally, the challenges they have overcome, and the dreams they abandoned. Now is the time to remember and to rekindle those waning embers of interest that shaped us as we grew up and to use them to shape the rest of our lives.

There are pulls and pushes unique to this phase of life. I am pulled to reconnect with friends from my youth, to engage in meaningful conversations, to spend time with family. I am pulled spend time outdoors and appreciate the immense amount of beauty around me as the sun rises on Penobscot Bay. I am pulled to simplify my life.

I am also pushed to take care of important matters like fulfilling my life purpose, strengthening my faith, and wasting less time on the meaningless and trivial. My body implores me to move more so I ache less whether I want to or not.

Every day I make choices that work for me or against me. Awareness is the key to change. While I may feel powerless about a situation I can always control my thoughts and attitude. I can see the glass as half full or half empty and remember in either situation there is clearly room for more liquid.

Many of the greatest thinkers and philosophers of our time talk about gratitude and appreciation being the keys to happiness in life. When you don’t appreciate what you’ve got, why would someone or something give you more?

Too often we think that change has to be sweeping and dramatic. Yet lasting change comes from small actions repeated on a daily basis. One way to change today is to take time to see what is pulling you and what is pushing you. That awareness may change what you do with the rest of your life.

Kathryn Avery

About Kathryn Avery


Sunday, September 21, 2014

Profile of a woman dying of breast cancer

·         I am every woman. There are parts of me that are you.
·         I love my family more than anything and they love me. Or so they say.
·         I am neither young nor old. I am unlikely to ever see retirement age and will never use my retirement savings.
·         I am neither rich nor poor, but closer to rich than poor due to a lifetime of working and saving.
·         I am 5 ft. 6 in. and have never weighed more than 115 lbs. except when I was pregnant. After each pregnancy I was back at 115 lbs. by my 6-week checkup.
·         I had four normal pregnancies and gave natural birth to four healthy children. I breastfed each baby for 18 months.
·         I have never smoked and drank very little alcohol (about a glass a month) and none in the last two decades.
·         I never went on the birth control pill because there was a study published in the 1980s that it was associated with breast cancer. See above for four children.
·         I have been a vegetarian almost all my life and a vegan for the last decade.
·         I have run and walked 50 – 60 miles a week almost every week since I was in high school, even up to the day my babies were born and a few days later.
·         Most of my shoes are running shoes.
·         I floss my teeth twice a day.
·         I am a terrible dancer and cannot sing in tune.
·         I have no sense of direction and will get lost anywhere. Getting lost is my special skill.
·         I cannot draw and am in awe of all who can.
·         I’m allergic to anti-cholinergics and dairy.
·         I have been prepared to die for my beliefs.
·         I care very much for the mentally ill. I give a dollar to all homeless people who ask. I keep a stack of dollar bills for this purpose.
·         My students call me the department mom.
·         I am a card carrying member of the ACLU. Although I don’t support all their causes, I feel that someone should.
·         I can hold very hot things and I stop watches that I try to wear.
·         I have hundreds of thousands of photographs of my family and trips.
·         I have had four different first languages. I learn and forget languages very easily.
·         I have traveled a lot.
·         I have two master’s degrees and a PhD. I am a scientist.
·         I have had three completely different careers.
·         I love JK Rowling, Jane Austen and Alexander McCall Smith.
·         I read about one book a week.
·         I covered up my radiation tattoos with tattoos of a four-leaf clover (my four children), a stylized deathly hallows, an owl and a dragon.
·         I cry easily when you tell me a sad story. I faint when I see someone in pain.
·         I hate scary movies.
·         I am very loyal and find betrayal unforgivable. I can hold a grudge for a long time.
·         I laugh often and loudly to the embarrassment of my children.
·         I am dying even though I did everything I knew to prevent this disease and then its recurrence.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

My wish list for the NIH

Over the past four decades I have seen a lot of really unhelpful research on breast cancer. And let’s face it, we really have not got very far. Recently, I have been asking why grant reviewers have not demanded more useful research, only to find that I am late to the party.

There was an interesting article at in which patients set the agenda for breast cancer research instead of the individual researcher with an idea. Yes.

Here is MY wish list for the battle. And it is a battle. However, when I die of this disease, please do not say that I lost my battle. Every time a woman or man dies of breast cancer, we all lose a battle. It is only my list but we are in this together and hiding behind pink ribbons does not stop the wives, mothers, sisters and daughters, husbands, fathers, brothers and sons from being mowed down.

1.       Funding. The NIH could open a fund for breast cancer research and everyone who wants to donate could donate directly. The NIH already hires staff to oversee grant funding so they will have no incentive to raise funds for the sole purpose of maintaining their organization. Let’s boycott pinkwash. They had a chance but used our money to tie pretty pink ribbons in the name of awareness while women and men died.

2.       Prevention. Prevention would be ideal. We know that longevity runs in families. What is it about some people that makes them less susceptible to cancer? What if we study the healthy to find out why their cells never turn cancerous? How can we use that information to prevent our errant cells from turning on us? In fact, many of us are our own labs. If breast cancer only develops in one breast, what caused the mutation in DNA in that breast and not the other?

3.       Treatment. Why is the current treatment not working very well? In fact, how well is it working? We have not made a lot of progress in terms of survival and it would be good to know why.

4.       Metastases. Why do some cancers progress and others don’t? Let’s eliminate talk of that five-year survival window. Many of us easily make it. It is meaningless and artificial. Let’s study every patient from diagnosis to death and record recurrence if and when it happens. Let’s examine what is working for long-term survivors so that every patient can be a long-term survivor.

5.       Correlations. A correlation is an association between two events such as eating red meat and breast cancer (unproven) and is reported using Relative Risk (RR). Correlation does not mean causation. Some studies showed an association, but when you combine all the data from all the studies, the effect often disappears. One of the most robust associations is between smoking and lung cancer. If you smoke, you are more likely to get lung cancer than if you do not. However, not all who get lung cancer smoke and not all smokers get lung cancer. In fact, the lifetime chance of getting lung cancer if you smoke is only between 15 and 25% (depends on your source) of all smokers. Correlation has a number of flaws so let’s see no more correlations. It is especially important to disregard correlations that are drawn from a patient’s memory. A study from 1993 described how patients’ memories of what they ate was altered after the diagnosis of breast cancer. In an earlier survey they had described their diets. After the breast cancer diagnosis, their memory of what they had eaten included more fat than the original survey. In other words, the diagnosis changed their memories. There is a good explanation by Charles Wheelan at If you are still not convinced that correlations are not helpful, you can find some really funny ones at

6.       Central database. The power of 21st Century computing is not being exploited. The entire genome (all the genes of a cell) of all breast cancer patients, their diet and exercise habits as well as their treatment, side effects and recurrence could be kept in a central store and computers can sift out the common elements. I am now in a clinical trial and the trial sponsors  demand a lot of my blood. The results are for their clinical trial alone. Now, imagine if that amount of data could be pooled for every patient.  Data could be input by health care workers and patients. We could sort out common side effects that some doctors refuse to acknowledge even exist.

7.       Grants would be prioritized so that applied research now gets top priority. Basic research has led the field and has resulted in a theoretical understanding of breast cancer, but now we have reached a point where the research must be applied to saving lives. We cannot afford to keep waiting for the theory to lead to changes in far future treatments. We need treatments now, and we need it from researchers as well as biotech companies.

8.       Stop funding unhelpful research. If the research does not save lives, or it requires leaps in logic, or is so theoretical that it cannot be implemented, it is not helpful. Every study needs to answer the question: Why is this important? Let’s move on from the research flavor of the month.

9.       Every research trial could be registered with the NIH before it even starts, and not only the ones funded by the NIH. That way, if there are a thousand studies on say, the use of soy, but only five showed significant effects then we can examine the effects of random chance.   According to Charles Wheelen, some journals already require this.

10.   One more selfish thing. The clinical trial that I am on has a side effect of diarrhea. Chemo left me unable to tolerate anti-cholinergics. All that is left for me is the absurdly disgusting tincture of opium. Why am I controlling side effects with a drug that is thousands of years old? I’m not much of a whiner. I get up in the morning, run, do chores, be a wife and mother and go to work no matter how sick I feel, but tincture of opium brings out the 2-year-old in me.

·         2-year-old me: I don’t want to take it. It tastes terrible.

·         Logical me: You have to take it to stop the diarrhea.

·         2-year-old me: But the taste does not go away for a long time.

·         Logical me: But the diarrhea will not stop if you don’t take it.

·         2-year-old me: What’s the point? I’ll just have to take it again in 4 hours

·         Logical me: Your diarrhea will be more-or-less controlled for 4 hours

·         2-year-old me: But it won’t go away

·         Logical me: It will get worse if you don’t take the drug

·         2-year-old me: No, maybe it will stop now

·         Logical me: You know it won’t.

And you won’t believe how long this can go on.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

A tale of two breast cancers

MLN0128 Clinical Trial update

Cycle 6, week 1

I’m still doing well. Blood tests are all in normal range. I have the same old side effects and still trying to live life fully. In August, I went to two cons and took a trip to Las Vegas. This month, I’m going to a conference in Tampa. I still work.
A tale of two breast cancers

Or what progress?
Tweet that claimed: There has been a dramatic improvement in breast cancer treatment over the past 50 years. Really? Not from where I am.

Let’s examine the last 40 years with an anecdote.
In 1966, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. We lived in rural Africa.

I was diagnosed in 2005. I lived in the USA.
Mom: Felt a lump, admitted to hospital, biopsied under general anesthesia and radical mastectomy performed without her even coming out of the anesthesia. She was asked whether she wanted to get the biopsy results first or have an immediate mastectomy if the biopsy was positive. Having the entire procedure done together was her choice.

Me: I felt a lump, went to see the NP, and sent for mammogram the next day. The mammogram was clear so I was sent home. I went back five times over the next 10 months complaining that I was ill, but kept being told that the mammogram was clear so I had a fibroadenoma. Eventually, 10 months later, the lump had grown so large, there was puckering and another mammogram and breast MRI was performed. This was followed by a biopsy. The surgeon called 3 nerve-wracking days later to tell me that it was positive for breast cancer.

Mom: After surgery, she stayed in hospital for 2 weeks getting advice and care from Reach to Recovery, doctors, nurses and psychologists.
Me: I had an excruciating lymph node biopsy and breast conserving surgery two weeks later. The two-week time schedule was for the surgeon’s schedule, not my own. I spent one night in hospital, sharing a ward with a patient with dementia who had her foot amputated.
Mom: She was given as much sick leave as she needed. Her insurance paid everything.

 Me: I needed aggressive treatment and lost my job. At the time, my husband and I were commuting so we sold our house to pay medical bills, packed up our children, and moved to a large urban area where my husband worked and the insurance would provide better coverage.
Mom: After surgery, she had aggressive radiation that burned one side of her chest. The dark scar was there until she died.
Me: I had 18 weeks of chemotherapy with all the consequences of aggressive chemo. For 12 weeks, I barely moved from the bathroom floor. It goes without saying that I lost my hair and suffered the usual. Chemo was followed by 6 weeks of radiation therapy that burned one side of my chest. There was no lasting scar but the radiation area has been covered in a rash ever since.
Mom: There was no follow up care after the radiation treatment.
Me: Radiation was followed by two years of tamoxifen, one year of   aromasin and four years of femara. I saw the oncologist every three months then every six months. I had endless blood work.
Mom: She was left with poor strength in one arm and could not lift a gallon of milk with that side. She also had severe lymphedema, for which there was very little that anyone could do. She used to raise her arm above her head whenever she got the chance. She often told people that the lymphedema was the only reminder that she had ever had breast cancer.
Me: I was left with poor strength in one arm and could not lift a gallon of milk with that side. Due to the surgery, I could no longer raise my arm above my head without it pulling. I experienced joint pain and a skipped heart beat (from the hormone treatment), and permanent neuropathy and fatigue (from the chemo). My nails continued to lift off the nail bed. I developed a permanent severe anticholinergic allergy and lactose intolerance from the chemo. Reconstruction was not an option as elective surgery was considered too risky.
Mom: Continued to exercise after treatment. She loved to go on long walks.

Me: Continued to exercise after treatment. I love to run and walk.
Mom: She did not go into menopause.
Me: Chemopause started with the second chemo and was complete two years after treatment ended.
Mom: She wore a bra with a prosthesis.
Me: I was unable to wear a bra after treatment. The surgery and radiation had left me with two different sized and shaped breasts. A bra cut into me so I started wearing camisoles.
Mom: No later effects on her teeth and bones.

Me: Don’t even get me started. Osteoporosis and osteopenia were immediate consequences. One broken rib and five dental crowns and an implant have followed treatment.
Mom: She went back to her regular full-time job three months later and worked until she died in 1975.
Me: I have taken a job where I can be flexible with my hours.

Mom: About eight years after her initial diagnosis, she started coughing and the cough would not get better. She had a chest x-ray and they told her she had a “chronic” cough. No one ever said anything about metastases but we all suspected that. She never talked about it.
Me: About eight years after my initial diagnosis, my tumor markers rose and I had a scan. The oncologist called me two days later to tell me that I had metastasis to the bone.
Mom: She died less than a year after the cough started, in hospital. She spent only one night in the hospital because she needed oxygen to help her breathe.
Me: I have been stage IV for 17 months. I am on my second treatment protocol, a clinical trial. I am told every small victory or progression. Each day I cope with diarrhea, mouth ulcers, nausea and vomiting. I will work until I have to go on disability. I take tincture of opium to control the diarrhea. Ironically, this ancient drug is my only option.
How much progress have we really made in 40 years?

According to the National Cancer Institute:
1975: 31.4 per 100,000 women died of breast cancer.
Now: 21.5 per 100,000 women will die of breast cancer this year.
1975: The 5-year survival rate was 75.2%
Now: The 5-year survival rate is 89.2%
1975: The proportion of those who died to those who were diagnosed with breast cancer in one year was about 30%.
Now: The proportion of those who die to those who are diagnosed with breast cancer is about 17%.
However, it still may be premature for the self-congratulation on progress. Although women are living longer after a breast cancer diagnosis, the 30% number for those who will die of the disease has not budged. It is just taking longer. Women are being diagnosed earlier which might account for the longer span. It is not because they are surviving breast cancer, simply that they know about it sooner and so perhaps taking longer to die.
1975: Diagnosed at advanced stage (III or IV) 30% (Louwman et al., 2008 - Netherlands)
Now: Diagnosed at advanced stage (III or IV) 13% (Louwman et al., 2008 - Netherlands)
If you look at the graphs of age at diagnosis and year, you see that more women are being diagnosed with breast cancer now than in 1975 for every age group except the 85+ age group. In other words, a woman diagnosed at age 85 or older is simply unlikely to survive five years and there were more women in that age group in 1975 than there are now.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m overwhelming grateful to the biotech companies for their tireless work in delivering new drugs. They are giving me more time to die. However, the time is being measured in weeks and months, not years.
I think we have made progress in tracking the disease but not treating it. It is not the time to be complacent. True progress is unlikely to be in time for those of us with stage IV.


Making your health a priority
April 4, 2018

However, the next year, work and family life became very stressful. Over the following years, I've gained all of it back, plus a little more, through emotional eating and other life changes. I self-sabotage my efforts. I don't just fall off the "diet" band wagon; I fall off and set it on FIRE!

Maybe you're like me and have made decisions in the past to crash diet, and you've messed up your metabolism. You weigh yourself every week and when the weight isn't coming off fast enough you feel a sense of failure and give up.

Today, I'm asking you to join me in taking baby-steps to a healthier you and making your health a priority. It may take longer, but the tortoise beat the hare, remember?

Therefore, I'm allowing myself two weeks to make each change.

This way I can make a small change the first week and then brainstorm ways to avoid unhealthy triggers the second week. I will start by changing my breakfast foods, then I will move onto snacks, dinner, lunch, and finally, beverages. I also wanted to create a vision statement. This way, when I start to become discouraged, I can be reminded of the bigger picture and focus on my weekly goals. My vision statement is:

Since I'm starting with breakfast, I've identified a couple of go-to recipes. I've learned that I like to hit the snooze button too many times, which causes me to be in a hurry for breakfast. When I'm in a hurry, I tend to grab something quick to take out the door with me. I found that I really want something hot for breakfast, and I need to make sure it contains protein. If I don't get enough protein with breakfast, I crave carbohydrates all day!

Here are some of my favorites:

Cinnamon-French Toast. I'll again use sprouted bread, and I'll replace the whole eggs with egg whites. A little light syrup and some fresh berries will make this feel like such a treat!

Overnight Oatmeal in the refrigerator the night before ready to go the next morning.

Breakfast Burrito- low carb tortilla with either one scrambled egg or two egg whites, a lean meat (like chopped, low-fat ham), and a little sprinkle of shredded cheese. If I'm doing well on time I will add in some veggies like spinach, onions, peppers, or broccoli while I cook my egg.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Send them my way via email

Regular Size MOV Parent


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Sunday, June 5, 2011

Solitaire Print-and-Play Contest

I am getting close to finishing my newest game design project, called Derelicts of Sin: Heresy.  Heresy is the first in a series of games that seeks to combine the feel of old-school text adventure games with modern board game design sensibilities.  It is a solo RPG-esque game with a sci fi/horror theme, designed for the Solitaire Print and Play Contest.

The player uses a series of randomized room tiles to slowly create the derelict ship throughout the course of the game.  Gradually, the player will also gather items and solve puzzles in order to restore power to the ship, at which point he or she has multiple options for winning game.  Time is of the essence, though; once the player runs out of oxygen, it's game over!

Version 1.0 of the game book can be found here.  Version 1.0 of the tiles are here, and the data cards are here. The player sheet is here.

For background purposes, you should know that I'm a bit of an oddball.  My synapses are always firing, and occasionally, out of the blue, a word or phrase will pop into my head and I'll think, "That would make a cool title for a movie/game/novel/whatever."  One Thursday, 5 May, a phrase popped into my head while I was at work: "Derelict of Sin."

"That sounds cool!" I thought.  "How can I use that?"

I started brainstorming, and very quickly came up with a rough storyline in my head.  I decided I liked the idea of a sci fi puzzle adventure, like the old text adventures we all know and love.  (Or is that an older generation thing?)  I even considered making it a text adventure, but thanks to some suggestions and encouragement from various BGG members, I decided to attempt it as a board game.

Derelict of Sin has since evolved into a concept for a series of games called Derelicts of Sin.  The first game, Heresy, involves the protagonist, Kyle Mason, exploring one of the Derelicts of Sin in an attempt to survive.  His ship was destroyed by sabotage, and by sheer luck, he was able to reach the Wreckage, a Cursed zone declared off-limits by the Theocratic Council.  As Kyle explores the [i]Heresy[/i], he learns more about what happened to the ship, and must face the truth about the Council--that it is not the holy governing body it pretends to be.

I had several design goals while creating this game.  Feel free to let me know how well I accomplished these goals:

1. Create a tabletop game that evokes the feel of a text-based adventure.

2. Create interesting decisions for the player--i.e., moments where the player must decide, "Should I do A or B?  Which would be a better use of my resources?  Which will help me win the game/achieve the ending that I want?"

3. Weave the storyline into the story in such a way that it doesn't crowd out or distract from the gameplay.  In other words, make the game playable without the storyline, and add in the story so that those who are interested can enjoy it, while those who simple want to play or replay the game can do so without getting bogged down.

4. Allow for multiple "good" and multiple "bad" endings.

5. Push the player to a particular "preferred" ending.  This was a minor goal, but since I have a few sequels in mind, at least some of which will likely involve more of Kyle Mason, I wanted to guide the player to an ending that made sense, yet would continue the Derelicts of Heresy storyline.

Check out Joe's wicked awesome graphical update to the game here.

Also check out the "stealth" version, Pocket Derelicts: Heresy, based on the popular Pocket Dungeon print and play game by Jonathan Gilmour.  The PocketMod player sheet for Pocket Derelicts: Heresy can be found here.  The rules can be found here.


A beginner’s guide to data mining

As the technology landscape becomes increasingly contingent on data analytics, the term “data mining” has become a popular buzzword in many corporate circles. Generally, this term refers to “any form of large-scale data or information processing,” including, but not limited to, extraction, analysis, warehousing, and collection.

Here is a quick guide to this relevant and storied process.

How did data mining begin?

Early data mining techniques can be traced back to the 1960s, though such extraction processes have occurred as far back as the 1700s (Bayes’ theorem). Statisticians initially coined terms like “data fishing” and “data dredging” to dismiss mining as a bad practice lacking an a-priori hypothesis. Later terms to describe the process included “data archaeology” and “information harvesting.” It was not until the early 1990s that “data mining” became the general catch-all term for such practices.

In the 1943, Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts became the first people to create a conceptual model of a neural network, illustrating their findings in a paper titled “A logical calculus of the ideas immanent in nervous activity.” The paper essentially boiled down to three major findings: neurons in a network are able to “receive inputs, process inputs, and generate output.”

McCulloch and Walter’s findings were later implemented in sophisticated database management systems during the 1970s. It then became possible to “store and query terabytes and petabytes of data,” moving users away from a transaction-based data mindset and towards a more analytical one.

Large-scale academic research surrounding data mining awoke in the mid 1990s, and data science later became recognized as an independent discipline in the early 2000s. Publications like Michael Lewis’s “Moneyball” catapulted the concept into more of the general public, showing how data analytics could be applied to new and interesting mediums — in this case, professional baseball. From here, data mining became much more of a household name in tech, growing in prevalence within a variety of industry facets, including business, engineering, and medicine.

How is data mining used today?

In most cases, today’s data mining is implemented to discover key patterns in large data sets at “the intersection of machine learning, statistics, and database systems.” Perhaps the most active current data mining technique is deep learning, or a broad branch of machine learning based on “learning data representations” without the need for full supervision. This process is just one significant example of mining potential in a modern context.

Overall, data mining stands as a major component of big data’s growth into a widespread, commonplace tech term.


Is chartering the ship the only available way of booking or can individual guests book a cruise as well?

Individual booking is possible just in termins whan we have "Cabin - charter " offers.
However, in most cases groups of friends, families, business partners etc. organize and book a whole boat for them selves.

Is it safe for a baby on board?

That depends on a child and whether they feel comfortable on the ship. So far we have got most wonderful experiences with babies and small children on board. As a safety measure on the ship, the woodwork from the ships hull is raised above the level of the deck and together with the protective fence around the ship provides safety for the children on board.
The main deck often becomes children's "pirate" playground!

Is it possible to charge cell phone, or laptop, or some other type of batteries on the ship , wi-fi?

The boat has 220 V power supply 24 / 7.  Power outlets are installed in every cabin, WC facilities and also in dinning saloon. We provide you whit free wi-fi internet conection.

Are there towels in the cabins?

Each passenger is provided with two towels for personal use , one big and one small towels. We change them once in the midlle of the week.  You have to bring your own towels for bathing .

Is sleeping on the deck allowed?

Yes, and it is the most wonderful experience. For those who prefer sleeping in the open we suggest bringing a sleeping bag, since it is not allowed to take sheets, covers or pillows from the cabins to the deck.

Is it possible to spend a night in the open in bays where the boat is anchored?

This way you can experience the unique touch of nature by the seaside. Of course, the weather conditions must be suitable for this venture and the captain must approve, as the port must be well protected.

Is it possible to change the cruise route?

The routes presented here are only our suggestion of cruise. They can be altered in accordance to your wishes. You just have to consult with the captain regarding the changes and make your own route!
In periods when we have "Cabin charter", we keep the schedule.

Is it too hot to sleep in cabins?

All the cabins are air - conditioned and very pleasant for sleep.

What exactly do half board and full board include?

Half board includes breakfast and lunch and if you book a full board you get breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For breakfast we serve tea, milk, coffee, pastry, and various dairy products with different additions every day, such as eggs, ham, hot dogs, cheese etc. Lunch starts with a soup, that the main course, salad and dessert  , for dinner we have main course with salad and dessert.

What kind of food is usually prepared?

Dalmatian specialties, fresh vegetables, meat, grilled fish or any other custom made meals according to your wishes.

Do you prepare vegetarian food?

We are sure you will enjoy the vegetarian specialties our cook has to offer. You just have to inform the crew and the chef when you come aboard, so that they can accommodate your wishes

How much does the drink at the bar cost?

Tap Beer 0.5 l 18 kn ... Wine 90 kn - 220 Kn ... Fruit juice 12 kn - 15 kn ... Liqueurs  12 kn ...Coktails 35 - 50 kn

What does drink - include option include ?

Drink - include option includes no limits of domestic alcohol drinks , wine , beer , soft drinks , coffe , tea , water...

How much time a day do passengers have for swimming?

In periods when we offer "Cabin charter" , we hold on pre - agreed routeand you have 4 - 5 hours of swimming daily.
In case you book a whole boat , it depends on your preferences and then you agree upon with the captain. If you wish to spend more time swimming and enjoying the sea we suggest that you choose a shorter route.
For example: we can start off with breakfast before sailing out, than an hour or two of sailing to near by bay where you can enjoy the sea, after that the lunch is served, than again we sail out to the next bay, where you can take a swim in the afternoon after which we can head to the choosen port for the night.


Help - Search - Members - Calendar
Full Version: I Need Gtk2-perl For Pdaxrom How Can Find It?
I need Gtk2-Perl for Pdaxrom how can find it? pluase help me~~~ TK
I've just started using this module under Ubuntu and think it's great!
If you compile it, or find it, please post it here as I would like it as well.


Speech Therapy

The initial appointment is an evaluation with a consultation. Evaluation includes formal speech and language testing and a hearing screening.Written reports can be sent to physicians, schools and other agencies with parental permission.

Individual therapy is provided. Group sessions are offered when deemed beneficial. Therapy goals are discussed with parents or client at the onset of treatment.

Home Program

Children and Adults attending therapy will receive specific exercises and practices to follow through at home. The home program is an essential role in achieving success in therapy goals.

Articulation Therapy

" I always see my son's tongue between his teeth as he speaks".

To improve speech production and increase speech intelligibility including a lisp, phonological disorders, sound errors and developmental apraxia.

Oro-motor Therapy

" Thomas is so frusterated his friends can't understand him".

To improve feeding and drinking skills.Ton introdice excersises for tongue, lips, and jaw for better articulatioon placement. To decrease drooling. To develop better oral function for speech production. To improve oro-motor planning for the apraxic child.

Language Therapy

Mia, 5 years old, " It's hard me to explain my ideas".

To develop and enhance receptive language, which is understanding and to develop expressive language which is speaking.

Stuttering Therapy

 Joshua, 35 years old,"It's Easier Done Than Said"

To improve fluent speech for children and adults who stutter. Certification from the Natural Center for Stuttering. Provider and Referral source for The Stuttering Foundation.

Myofunctional Therapy

"Maddie's' teeth shifted after her braces came off".

To improve dental alignment with correction of swallow pattern. Certification from Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Dentistry.

Auditory Processing Therapy

" I have to tell Matthew directions over and over".

Computer-based programs to improve auditory skills, attention and focusing skills.

Feeding Therapy

" Maria is such a fussy eater".

Providing sensory techniques to tolerate textures, improve chewing skills and encourage swallowing.

Small Talk

 Small Talk is a private, non-profit organization that has served central New Jersey since 1992. Its mission is to provide therapeutic services for young (birth-6) children with communication disabilities. A speech and language delay often includes, children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficity Hyper-Activity Disorder (ADHD) and Hearing Loss. A speech and language delay does not always have a physical etiology but could be a developmental delay. Early intervention can improve skills for a successful beginning in an academic setting.

The Program

Small talk is a 12 month program that provides continuous service for children with speech and language disabilities. Groups are small, with therapist-child ratio of 1 to 4. Small talk provides therapeutic intervention for children who are grouped according to their age and level of function. Vocabulary building, auditory skills, language improvement, speech skills, socialization, and cognitive development are all addressed in groups for ages 2- 6. A developmentally appropriate curriculum with structured activities are the means to achieve each child's individual goals. Services are under the direct supervision of licensed and certified speech language pathologists.

Small talk receives funds from private tuitions, and  individual donations. Full and partial scholarships are available.

Summer Program

Starts June 27th

2-3 year old

3-4 year old

Pre-K- getting ready for kindergarten

Auditory Processing: 4-6 year old, 7-9 year old

Computer program

Reading Enrichment

*Call or email for more information*