Moss Moments: Week 23- Pregnant with Placenta Accreta/Percreta ...

{background info- Hello! My name is Jenifer and this is the story of my high-risk pregnancy. ?I am currently pregnant with my eighth child (A BOY!!) and was diagnosed with Placenta Previa and Placenta Percreta. ?I also have Beta Thalassemia which contributes to severe anemia. ?While this has been a difficult pregnancy and we anticipate a difficult delivery, IT IS WORTH IT! ?

We NEVER regret our decision to get pregnant with this baby and are so grateful for this experience!!

?Accreta affects about 1 in 2500 pregnancies. ?(It is pretty rare!) ?If you have had previous uterine surgeries, your risk of Accreta increases to 1 in 500. ?I have had two previous c-section and one D&C, following a miscarriage. ?Although I was at risk, prior to being diagnosed with this condition, I never knew Placenta Accreta existed. ?

Would I have decided not to have another baby if I knew I had a greater risk of Accreta?? ?NO. ?To me, the gift of bringing a baby into the world outweighs the risk of something being wrong. ?For years I knew I had another little boy waiting to come to my family. ?This pregnancy is a gift, I believe LIFE is worth the risk. ?

I would however, have opted NOT to have a D&C for my miscarriage if I knew it would threaten my ability to have save pregnancies in the future. ?I would also NEVER choose a c-section for convenience-- my c-sections were both emergency. ?I am also glad that I found a doctor willing to deliver my last baby VBA2C. ?Vaginal deliveries are better and safer. ?(Abortions also greatly increase your risk of Accreta.) ?Surgery in your uterus DOES affect your ability to have healthy babies in the future. ?Mothers need to be made aware of this BEFORE we choose optional surgeries.

What is Accreta? ?Accreta is where your placenta attaches to your uterine wall instead of to the lining of your uterus. ?There are three different levels-- Accreta, Increta, and Percreta. ?Accreta is where your placenta is attached to the first layer of uterine wall, deeper than the lining-- often Accreta's can still deliver and save the uterus. ?Increta is where the placenta has grown into the muscle wall of the uterus-- this usually requires a c-section/hysterectomy. ?The rarest form of Accreta is Percreta where the placenta actually grows through the wall of the uterus and attaches to other organs in the?abdomen? ?Percreta?is very dangerous and will require a c-section and repair of other internal organs that are affected. ?Percreta?affects only 6% of all who have Accreta. ?Most commonly, Percreta involves the uterus which is in front of the uterus (anterior placenta). ?Sometimes Percreta?involves?the bowels with a posterior placenta. ?Rarely it involves the uterus, bladder, cervix and bowels... ?this is my condition.

Often, Placenta Previa and Accreta or?Percreta?go together. ?Placenta Previa means your placenta is at the bottom of your uterus over your cervix. ?(Most healthy placentas attach high up in the uterus.) ?When the placenta is low, it is more likely to be positioned over old c-section scars (which are usually in the bottom front of your uterus.) ?It is easier for the placenta to attach and seep through old scar tissue than it is for placenta to attach to healthy uterine wall-- this makes sense to me. ?It is important to note, however, that you can have?Percreta?or even Accreta on your first pregnancy, or without any previous uterine surgeries. ?This condition is just one of those things that could happen in life.

Accreta is most dangerous when undetected prior to birth. ?After the baby is delivered, the doctor will try to deliver the placenta. ?When the placenta is attached to the uterine lining, it will come out easily. ?When the placenta is attached to the wall of the uterus, it will be difficult to remove after birth. ?Undetected?Accreta?will usually result in a placenta that tears during delivery- some comes out and some remains inside the uterus?hemorrhaging.? While they are cleaning up the recently delivered baby, the mother will start to feel sick, often begin throwing up and then will begin to?hemorrhage? ?Wise doctors will recognize the?hemorrhage?and rush the mother into an emergency hysterectomy where the uterus will be removed to stop the bleeding. ?If the mother has an undetected Percreta, as they remove the uterus, the bladder will tear and they will need to reconstruct the bladder also. ?Diagnosing this condition prior to birth is so important.

Accreta can be diagnosed by careful ultrasound?technicians?pretty early in pregnancy.?
Here are some warning signs that helped them diagnose me--
1- I bled early in my pregnancy (the first 12 weeks). ?I believe that I miscarried a twin and in the process shed much of my natural uterine lining making it easier for the remaining placenta to attach directly to the uterine wall. ?Accreta is not supposed to cause bleeding early in your pregnancy-- but, i do know others who have had a similar experience.
2- Early ultrasound showed a low-lying placenta. ?Placenta?Previa?paired with previous c-sections should immediately raise a red flag that Accreta might be present.
3- My placenta had Lacunae or black lakes in it. ?In the ultrasound, my placenta looked like Swiss cheese. ?It has gotten more swiss cheesey as it has grown, but the black lakes were certainly present early on and were good early warning signs.
4- ?I just knew something was wrong. ?Although my OB continually assured me that things were "fine" ?I just didn't feel like this was a normal pregnancy. ?I pushed to see a specialist and the minute the fetal medicine doctor saw my ultrasound he diagnosed me. ?Trust that gut feeling you have and seek the proper diagnosis.
5- Scoping my bladder showed placenta vessels invading.

My placenta is on the anterior wall of my uterus adhered to the myometrium, directly over my previous c-section scars, and has spread (like a cancer) to other organs in my abdomen, mainly my bladder, my cervix, and my colon. ?Doctors also note that my Percreta covers almost my whole placenta, not a small portion. ?They are hoping to begin steroid shots at 32 weeks and deliver with a large team of specialists (and a lot of waiting blood) no later than 34 weeks (that will be around June 1st). ?If I begin bleeding prior to 32 weeks, they will life flight me to OHSU. ?Spotting or bleeding will probably mean I'll be hospitalized prior to 32 weeks.

My delivery will be a scheduled surgery in the main OR. ?They expect over 20 doctors and it could take up to 8 or 9 hours. ?The last two?Percreta?patients at OHSU required 40 units of blood transfused and had a very intense surgery. ?A healthy adult only has about 10-12 units of blood in their body. ?Yeah, that is a lot of blood loss!

I am currently being treated by a team of specialists at OHSU. ?The head doctor I work with is in Perinatology and Fetal Medicine, my surgeon is in Gynecology/Oncology, I have a Hematologist that specializes in Obstetrics and a Urologist. ?Additionally they are coordinating with the blood bank to ensure there is enough blood ready for my extensive surgery and I've met with Anesthesiologists. ?In time, I will meet the NICU team. ?Yes, I have MANY doctor appointments. ?We feel SO blessed to have this baby and to be in the hands of skilled doctors. ?

I have been on complete pelvic rest and modified bed rest since 12 weeks of pregnancy. ?My husband and other kind family members are taking care of my home and family while I spend most of my days sitting or laying. ?This time of resting has been difficult, but it has also been a great gift. ?I am thankful for every week that this baby is growing bigger and healthy inside of my womb. ?I can't wait to meet this little guy-- our grand finale!!

This is a record of my pregnancy for my family and for those of you who may be experiencing something similar. ?Yes, I share a lot, perhaps too much. ?Thank you for being a part of this journey with me. ?I am one who learns much from the experiences of others and I'm happy to share my experience with you, in the hopes that somehow it may help.}

Week 23-- ?

Doctor Appointments.

Hematology-
They continue to do a lot of blood work to see if I'm having a hemalytic reaction to my blood transfusions.
I feel good and my blood looks good, so no transfusions.
She explained a lot of blood stuff that went over my head. ?Basically, I needed the assurance that they would be prepared with blood when the time comes for my surgery.
This doctor wants me to call her directly if I am concerned or begin to feel bad. ?I had been trying to leave messages with her nurses or nurse practitioners when I felt I was having a reaction and she said in the future contact her directly. ?Thank goodness!
Blood is looking good this month!
She ordered more lab work and sent me over to do labs following our appointment.

Perinatology-
Prior to my appointment I had another intense ultrasound which lasted over an hour- both external and vaginally.
The baby looks good, but my placenta is not good.
The whole bottom of my uterus looks like Swiss cheese placenta... there is no?discernible?defining line where the uterus usually is.

I can not accurately describe what it is like to see my ultrasound. ?It is almost UNBELIEVABLE.

Your uterus is like a balloon, on the right (or front of your body) is your bladder. ?The tie at the bottom is your cervix that opens during delivery to let out the baby and placenta, and to the left (or back) is your bowels and intestines. ?Other organs are squished all around your continually expanding balloon uterus.
On an ultrasound you can usually see the border of your uterus. ?It looks like a white line, in the shape of a big circle. ?The placenta is usually inside the border of the uterus. ?The bladder also looks like a smaller circular spot next to your uterus, and your cervix looks like a thick, fat carrot at the bottom.

On my ultrasound the whole bottom of my uterus looks like a blanket of swiss cheese placenta. ?You can't really see ANY uterus border... it's just placenta with a lot of small lakes of blood. ?Amidst this placenta there is a bigger lake-like thing, that is my bladder. ?There is a darker, hard to make out carrot shape, that is my cervix, and there is a mess of placenta and bowel. ?It's bad looking.

My room was full of doctors and residents and a sonographer and an even better sonographer and I'm asking questions like, "Is that my cervix?" ?"Is that my bladder?" ?And they are all looking at the screen with this look of "Wow. ?That's bad." ?I say, "So, they'll probably have to remove my cervix too." ?And they say, "Yes, definitely." ?It is UNREAL.

The sonographer was really trying to see the back of my uterus to determine how my placenta was involved with my bowels and intestine. ?She was using a stick ultrasound up INSIDE me. ?As she was trying to see deeper back into me she kept asking me to scoot down further. ?I finally laughed and told her I could scoot further down, but she would need to do an episiotomy if she was actually going to see any further inside me. ?(Sorry if that was too graphic.) ?Just another fun day on the ultrasound table.

The prognosis-- my placenta is attaching to my bladder (like we had seen previously), but it is also merging with my cervix and appears to be growing through the back of my uterus also, where my colon and intestine are located. ?AHH!!! ?That was new to me and not so good to hear.

My doctor thinks I look great and am doing well. ?She said she will not rest easy until my uterus is out of my body.

The "worst case" scenario?is that I will need to do some reconstructive surgery of my bladder and my bowels after delivery. ?(As if I can even say worst case, because I suppose it could ALWAYS be worse.) ?That surgery will involve a bag for urine and a?separate?bag for stool coming out of my abdomen for 4 months before they can reattach my bowels and bladder. ?(I still need to read up on this stuff-- I know a few people who have had this, is it called a colostomy?) ?Blah!! ?That didn't sound too fun to me. ?Hopefully it won't come to that.

This doctor said, "Don't worry, Dr. M (the oncology surgeon) is masterful with bowel reconstruction. ?She's a great surgeon." ?I am comforted by this, but would rather NOT need a masterful bowel reconstruction. ?I told my Perinatolgist that Dr. M seemed to think my surgery wasn't too horrible. ?With a laugh (meaning, yes, it is horrible), she explained to me that was NOT because it wasn't a tough surgery, it was only because I am skinny and in good shape. ?She said that I should heal well and am easier to operate on than someone heavier. ?I am glad I have SOMETHING positive going for me (I bet even that could change after 2 more months of low activity and high hunger... ha!)

Test Results.
CBC- Hemoglobin 8.3, Hematocrit 27
Echocardiogram-- very normal!
Ultrasound- shows?Percreta?in the anterior and posterior part of my uterus... blah.

Physically at 23 weeks.
I still really feel good. ?I'm grateful that my mom is here caring for my home and family so that I can rest.
I try to get out often and visit with friends.
I do not lay down all the time (it makes me feel horrible!)
I sit and walk a bit, take car trips, go to church, watch movies and plays, and do things with my family.
I am not lifting heavy things, running or climbing stairs, driving, or walking for long periods of time.
(I am SO grateful I am NOT bleeding!!)
I do nap or rest frequently. ?I am rarely alone at home or in the car (in case I begin to hemorrhage.)
I am in a lot of lower abdomen pain of I do too much, so i feel good about my limited activity level.

Mentally at 23 weeks.
We have had friends come visit and book groups at my house. ?My kids often invite friends over and I try to continue watching my kids play basketball or sing in their middle school play. ?Todd and I sneak out to dinner and a movie when we can. ?The more social I remain the happier my soul seems to be. ?I am so grateful for all that I can still do so I don't spend much time focused on what I'm not doing.

I wrote a big LONG post about how I deal with each item on my "not so good" list. ?(I'll publish that tomorrow in case you want to read for a few hours...)
Basically, my mentality is-- ?Life is good, even when it's hard.
Things could always be worse.
Most hard things come hand in hand with great blessings-- treasures of learning and growth that you would never have without experience.
And perspective-- ?People are going through hard things every day.
If they can do it, I can too.
A little "CRAP" in my life is nothing I can't handle.

Sometimes I get down and whine and tantrum... and those are good days too. ?They make me appreciate the times when I feel faithful.

Today, I feel faithful.
Life is good, with or without proper plumbing.
Please, take a second the next time you are sitting on the toilet and just BE GRATEFUL for all you CAN do ?(or doo doo).
ha!

Source: http://toddnjenifermoss.blogspot.com/2013/03/week-23-pregnant-with-placenta.html

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GAME prices OUYA at ?99, opens up pre-orders

American gamers already know where they'll be able to pick up an OUYA. Our friends across the Atlantic, however, only knew that they'd be able order it online direct from the company. Well, brick-and-mortar stalwart GAME appears to be in line to stock the console in the UK (or at least it thinks it is) and has opened up pre-orders for the Android-based machine. What's more, it's been slapped with a £99 price tag -- a predictable, but unfortunately higher price than Americans will be paying. The release date is still listed as TBD, though retail availability is scheduled for sometime in June. If you'd like to help keep GAME afloat you can reserve your OUYA at the source.

Filed under: Gaming

Comments

Via: The Next Web

Source: GAME

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/28/game-prices-ouya-at-99-opens-up-pre-orders/

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U.S. law to restrict government purchases of Chinese IT equipment

By Alina Selyukh and Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress quietly tucked in a new cyber-espionage review process for U.S. government technology purchases into the funding law signed this week by President Barack Obama, reflecting growing American concerns over Chinese cyber attacks.

The law prevents NASA, and the Justice and Commerce Departments from buying information technology systems unless federal law enforcement officials give their approval.

A provision in the 240-page spending law requires the agencies to make a formal assessment of "cyber-espionage or sabotage" risk in consultation with law enforcement authorities when considering buying information technology systems.

The assessment must include "any risk associated with such system being produced, manufactured or assembled by one or more entities that are owned, directed or subsidized" by China.

The United States imports about $129 billion worth of "advanced technology products" from China, according to a May 2012 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

During a news conference on Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei urged the United States to abandon the law to help develop relations and trust on both sides.

"This bill uses Internet security as an excuse to take discriminatory steps against Chinese companies. It is not beneficial to mutual trust between China and the United States nor to the development of trade and economic relations," Hong said.

The amendment to the so-called "continuing resolution" to fund the government through September 30 originated in the Commerce, Justice and Science subcommittee of the House of Representatives, chaired by Virginia Republican Rep. Frank Wolf.

It had gotten little attention until a blog post this week by Stewart Baker, a partner in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP and a former assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Writing in the "Volokh Conspiracy", one of the country's most prominent legal blogs, Baker wrote on Monday that the measure "could turn out to be a harsh blow" for Chinese computer-maker Lenovo and also "bring some surprises for American companies selling commercial IT gear to the government."

Lenovo Group Ltd, which bought IBM Corp's PC unit in 2005 and is now on track to become the world's largest PC maker, said it was aware of the bill and reviewing the specific language.

"Depending on how the language is interpreted, it could in fact apply very broadly to many companies across the IT industry from all around the world," Lenovo said in an emailed statement.

"We are very confident and comfortable that we will continue to be very successful in growing our business in the U.S. even as we and all of our competitors navigate new regulations."

U.S. concern about Chinese cyber-attacks has mounted in recent months, with top officials, including President Barack Obama, vocally condemning the practice.

Obama raised the issue in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month, and told ABC News in an interview that some cyber-security threats are "absolutely" sponsored by governments.

"We've made it very clear to China and some other of the state actors that, you know, we expect them to follow international norms and abide by international rules," he said.

Xi said the United States and China should avoid making "groundless accusations" against each other about cyber-security and work together on the problem.

The exchange came after U.S. computer security company Mandiant said a secret Chinese military unit based in Shanghai was the most likely driving force behind a series of hacking attacks on the United States.

Last year, the House Intelligence Committee released a report urging U.S. telecommunication companies not to do business with Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp because it said potential Chinese state influence on the companies posed a threat to U.S. security.

Both companies took issue with the report, which Huawei spokesman William Plummer called "baseless."

Plummer said in an email their reading of the bill is that it "does not apply to Huawei based on the description of covered entities."

ZTE officials declined to comment on the latest U.S. law, while Huawei officials were not available for comment.

Baker, a technology security lawyer, said he believed the language would live on in future appropriations bills and possibly get tougher over time.

"Once a provision ends up in the appropriations bill...it tends to stay there unless there's a good reason to take it out," Baker said. "We could easily see (the appropriation committees) tighten up some of the language in the future."

China could challenge the measure as a violation of World Trade Organization rules, but may have a tough time making that case because it is not a member of the WTO agreement setting international rules for government procurement.

The WTO agreement also contains a national security exemption that could be another U.S. line of defense against a possible Chinese challenge, Baker said.

It is possible other countries could raise objections because of the potential for the provision to prevent purchases of Lenovo computers manufactured in Germany or Huawei handsets designed in Britain, he said. But they may decide to tolerate it because of their own concerns about Chinese hacking, Baker said.

"The goal is not to hurt American and European companies that have operations in China," said a congressional aide who worked on the House bill where the wording originated. "It was really targeting entities that are directed by Beijing," said the aide, who asked not to be identified.

The federal government's purchases, which are funded by taxpayers' money, are often urged to give preference to vendors that offer the cheapest services.

The congressional aide said China may heavily subsidize some companies to present the U.S. market with a much lower price.

"It's a helpful reminder to look at the supply chain" of U.S. firms, the aide said. "The cheap option may be artificially lowered because potentially there are ulterior motives."

(Additional reporting by Lee Chyen Yee in HONG KONG and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Fred Barbash, Bernard Orr and Matt Driskill)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-law-restrict-government-purchases-chinese-equipment-083520519.html

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More than White House tours: Sequester hurts nationwide

Forget the cancellation of White House tours.

We asked Yahoo News readers to tell us how the deep automatic federal spending cuts known as the sequester are affecting their lives right now. And readers responded.

"We are cutting our spending and living more frugally because it looks like an $800 per month pay cut will be heading our way," wrote James Ferguson of Aberdeen, Md., whose wife works for the Department of Defense and faces furlough.

The sequester went into effect March 1 after Congress and President Barack Obama failed to reach a major deficit reduction deal. Some $85 billion in cuts were triggered, to be spread evenly across domestic and defense spending.

Obama has warned that the sequester could imperil the nation's slow economic recovery. Some conservative lawmakers have welcomed the cuts, saying it's a needed downpayment on the type of cuts necessary to reducing the federal deficit.

A few respondents who emailed us or submit entries via the Yahoo Contributor Network said the impact of the cuts are far overblown. But the majority of those who reached out to Yahoo News were worried about furloughs for themselves or their spouses.

Readers also shared other concerns. Cassandra Friederichs told us that she and her husband, both veterans, are preparing for tuition assistance cuts; several readers looking for work explained how they are bracing for cuts in unemployment assistance; federal sales executive Carol Smouse said her office phones have stopped ringing as clients avoid their business; and one active duty National Guardsmen expressed outrage over facing a furlough because he also works as a civilian. Several respondents voiced concern about families with a disabled relative who may find their assistance cut.

Here are excerpts from some of the many submissions we received. Please note that some respondents requested their names be redacted due to concerns about their employment or military status:

Husband prepares to find part-time work for furlough day

Since 2006, my husband, Mac, has worked for the Department of Defense ...

Wendy Lunko and her husband, MacWith the sequester, however, he has already been told that everyone in his division will participate in furloughs. Of course, since everything in the government is related to politics, the furloughs will be one day each week, through the rest of the fiscal year, rather than allowing employees to opt for a 22-consecutive-day furlough, which would allow them to receive short-term unemployment. ...

I am very thankful I work full-time, as it means that while we still need to tweak our budget a bit, we will still have additional income. Mac is also exploring options for a part-time job, but until he is told exactly what day will be his furlough day, he cannot do too much. While I admire his work ethic and his willingness to take on a second job, I know that it will mean I'll get to spend less time with him. ...

I generally think we need less government spending, yet the sequester makes no real sense to me. I think the cuts are rather politically motivated, and are overly dramatic to attract attention, like ending the White House tours.

?Wendy Lunko, Pennsylvania

Diabetic woman faces April reduction in unemployment benefits

Last week, I received a notification from the unemployment office that due to the sequestration cuts, "the federal government has directed us to reduce your EUC payments by 10.7% beginning that first week in April. We (state) have no control over these cuts in benefits and no ability to waive or reduce the level of cuts."

The 10.7% reduction may not seem like a lot to you, but [it] is to me. After my employer of 12 years closed their doors, I have been actively looking every day for the last 8 months for a job to no avail. After rent & utilities, I can barely manage to put food on my table. Not a good diet when you are a diabetic. I have cut down on my expenses. I've already sold my car, cut off my home phone, switched to basic cable TV/Internet, switched to a prepaid cellphone plan. I can no longer afford to pay for (COBRA) health insurance. Without health insurance, I can no longer afford to buy the diabetic testing supplies or medications recommended for controling this pre-existing condition ...

?Connie Miller, New York

Sequester is not a big deal

Way overblown. Their budget is less but they still have same or more money to spend versus last year just the budget was reduced for this year. Any qualified business manager could handle this. ... They need to reduce spending. Politics.

?Bob

Camp Lejeune, N.C., local worries about community

I believe the sequester will affect my personal income. I work at Johnston Community College in Smithfield, N.C. We had a budget meeting soon after the sequestration took effect, and I asked our comptroller if the college would be affected by those budget cuts.

Stephen Link at Johnston Community CollegeThe answer: "Not likely in this budget year." Of course, "certainly not" would have been more preferable.

Since we are in close proximity to Camp Lejeune (in Jacksonville) and even closer to Seymour Johnson [Air Force base] (in Goldsboro), we will be seeing effects of spending cutbacks through areas other than a paycheck.

Am I really worried for myself? No. Am I worried about the overall effect that this can have on our local economy? Certainly. My belief is that these troubles will touch all employees of local, state, and federal governments. The net result will extend the recession, cause higher crime, and possibly launch us back into an economic depression like this generation has never seen ...

?Stephen Link, North Carolina

Border patrol agent faces furlough and end of overtime

I am a Border Patrol Agent and very soon my fellow Agents and I will be facing massive cuts. Beginning April 7th, we will no longer be able to work overtime as well as facing one furlough day each pay period (every two weeks). The overtime is a necessity in order for Agents to maintain border security during shift changes as well as other things that may happen during a shift which may include tracking groups and filling out paperwork. We also work in very extreme conditions. During the summer, temperatures can reach up to 125 degrees while we work shifts up to ten hours. We also track groups through the mountains and desert never knowing what can be waiting for us. When April 7th comes, we will be losing approximately 40% of our annual income. Agents who came from all over the country to work in the southwest will now be unable to pay for their homes, student loans, etc. It seems like this is a joke to our government while they try to play the blame game. There are a lot of hard working agents out there who have sacrificed a lot in order to help secure our borders...

?Border patrol agent, El Centro, Calif.

No White House tour and a cut to unemployment benefits

Congress' decision to let $85 billion in across-the-board, indiscriminate spending cuts directly impact my family's well-being in Chicago.

My daughter, an eighth-grader, was supposed to take the class trip to Washington, D.C., this summer. Because of the sequester, she and her classmates won't see the White House. The financial cuts prompted the White House to cancel tours.

My husband, who has been unemployed or non-scheduled from his job at the Illinois Department of Employment Security for the past six months, will be hit with a 10-percent cut to his benefits. That's almost $200 less from his already very slim unemployment check. If he does not get his IDES job back soon, our family would be cut off from the medical and dental insurance benefits and we'll be forced to sign up for a more expensive plan under COBRA.

President Barack Obama's decisions-- instead of improving the lives of middle-class families-- hurt their well-being at their core. I am not sure that a Republican president would have done a better job getting our nation to balance its finances; unfortunately, at present, we do not have an alternative.

?Irene Lankin-Duffy, Chicago, Ill.

Department of Defense employee faces furlough after 30 years of service

I will be furloughed one day a week for 22 weeks. I have been a federal employee for over 30 years. It saddens me that Washington could not resolve and compromise to avoid sequester cuts. I don?t wear a suit to work or work in D.C. Many of my civilian counterparts provide many hours of work away from home to support National Defense.

Several of my co-workers responded when asked to go to Japan and help after the tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster. How are our dedication and many years of loyal service repaid? ...

[Update: This reader shared a DOD email update with Yahoo News informing employees that furlough notices have been delayed for ?approximately 2 weeks? to allow the department to analyze the impact of ?continuing resolution legislation on the Department?s resources.?]

?Federal Employee, Hampton Roads, Va.

Active duty National Guardsman faces furlough in civilian-military gray area

This is my twelfth scheduled workday in a row, so this weekend is a little more eagerly awaited than most. What had not been eagerly awaited was my furlough letter, advising me that in 30 days, I will be subject to 22 mandatory days off for the remainder of this fiscal year?effectively a 20% cut in pay. ... I haven?t told you who my employer is yet, have I? It?s the U.S. Air Force . ...

Long story short, I have military skill training qualifications and uniform, but a DoD civilian paycheck. Then, one weekend a month and two weeks a year, I show up at the same base, in my same uniform, in my same work area and get paid by the Air Force according to my military rank for my reserve duties. ...

I?m not exceptionally concerned whose fault the sequester is. I?m concerned that because I live in the gray area of military and civilian status, that I can still be sent to war, but I can?t get a full week?s paycheck because of the sequester.

?Technical Sergeant, U.S. Air Force, Nevada National Guard motor vehicle operator, Reno, Nev.

Sequester doesn't go far enough

It's become a comically regular occurrence for members of both the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government to make dire predictions of catastrophic shutdowns every time significant cuts to the federal budget are mentioned.

The most recent of these cuts (and one of the few to actually get through the legislative process) is the by now well-known sequestration measure. ...

For those who say these cuts are unsustainable, I respond by pointing out that neither is having a debt-to-GDP ratio of more than 100 percent. For those who say it's a step in the right direction, I say it's not even that. The deficit in 2023 will still be greater than it is now, even if the sequester cuts manage to stay in place. Sure, these cuts are better than none, but they're really just a fraction of a drop in the bucket.

?Ryan Hurley, Cincinnati, OH

Mylinda Elliott

Louisiana woman worries about the disabled and her paycheck

I live in Lake Charles, La., where I work for a nonprofit that helps families that have a member with a disability. Although I have not been directly affected by the sequestration yet, we are all holding our breath. Many of the programs that help our families are supported by funds we are being told will be cut.

If we lose funding, it will be funding for wages?more specifically my wages. ...

In the past year, I have worked with several families with a member with a disability to get Social Security. The cuts to the Social Security Administration may not cut their check, but will curtail the hours an office will be open, and close some offices. This will make it harder on families. It will take longer for me to be able to assist them. I will be able to reach fewer families.

?Mylinda Elliott, Lake Charles, La.

Maryland man?s wife faces furloughs totaling $800/month

We are cutting our spending and living more frugally because it looks like an $800 per month pay cut will be heading our way. The government is forcing my wife to take one day off per week, totaling four days per month, which comes to approximately $800 a month of lost income for our family. I am a full-time real estate agent; that is 100 percent commissioned salary. My wife's income was our steady, reliable income until the sequester. I am currently searching for part-time employment on top of my full-time position to supplement the income cut. ...

I also have often thought of the local businesses and restaurants that thrive off of the 30,000-plus APG employees who eat lunch every day in these establishments, and who shop and buy groceries and gas all around the proving ground. All of these businesses will be affected as well. Across the board, within the DoD, everybody will be taking off at least one day a week. This will ripple across the local economy.

What can be done to help or fix this situation? How about we start these budget cuts from the top down?

?James Ferguson, Aberdeen, Md.

Federal sales executive says phones have stopped ringing

Working in sales, your job is on the line every time you fail to meet quota, 3 months in a row of failing to achieve it means you will be put "on notice" and will be required to bring in enough sales to meet quotas, or be terminated. Now that the sequester is going into effect, our Federal customers do not want to meet with us. The dozens of emails we would get every day have stopped coming, our phones are not ringing, and we are not selling. ...

Because of my job uncertainty, I kept my current car and had the transmission replaced, rather than buy a new car. I would have rather bought a new car, mine is now 10 years old, but I was too afraid to take on a car payment when I could end up out of work at any time. My coworkers are all making similar decisions. We are nervous and unwilling to take on financial obligations when our future is so uncertain.

I know we all wonder what we will do.

?Carol Smouse

Military couple prepares for tuition assistance cuts

I am relying on the Tuition Assistance that used to be offered to the military to finish school a little earlier than planned so that I can find a job and help my daughter grow up in a middle-class home. My fiance and I are both denied the right to have that Tuition Assistance that we were both PROMISED upon signing our contracts to serve our countries. ...

I am not angry that they are making cuts because that is what needs to be done, but I am angry at where they are deciding to make those cuts. Why does Obama get paid what he does? Why do the Congressmen, that keep delaying things and making these budgets go past [their deadlines], get paid [as much as] they do? If my fiance were to do the things that congress does, he would be FIRED!

?Cassandra Friederichs

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/stories-sequester-yahoo-news-readers-respond-151156262--politics.html

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Lego Bionicles drafted into Arduino-driven band with synthesizers and more (video)

Italian sound designer and producer Guiseppe Acito wanted to kick off his newly established blog with some fanfare. Naturally, that meant constructing a band from Lego Bionicle toys driven by an Arduino Uno and controlled by an iPad MIDI sequencer app called Nord Beat. Dubbed the Toa Mata Band, the musical group makes its tunes by beating on assorted drum pads, percussion instruments, synthesizers and even a Nintendo DS. Acito has published the ensemble's very first music video, and it seems like there are more to come as it carries an "episode one" label. Hit the jump for the footage -- which really starts cookin' around the 1:15 mark -- or hit the third source link for glamour shots of Toa Mata members and the whole setup.

Filed under: Misc, Alt

Comments

Via: Make

Source: Opificio Sonico (1, translated), (2, YouTube), (3, Flickr)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/12/lego-bionicles-arduino-band-music-video/

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Cardinals pray for inspiration

By Barry Moody and Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Black smoke rose from above the Sistine Chapel for a second day on Wednesday after a secret conclave of cardinals held two more inconclusive votes for a new pope to lead the troubled Church.

The 115 cardinal electors entered the conclave in the Sistine's Renaissance splendor on Tuesday and held their first inconclusive ballot that evening.

Black smoke emerged again on Wednesday after the cardinals held two morning ballots. Before returning to the conclave they had prayed for inspiration from God to choose a leader who can lead the Church out of scandal and internal strife.

Two more sessions will be held on Wednesday afternoon under a schedule that sees four votes each day. When the new pontiff is elected, white smoke will billow from the makeshift chimney above the chapel and the bells of St Peter's Basilica will ring.

The black smoke on Wednesday caused disappointment among excited crowds braving incessant rain in St. Peter's Square, but few had expected a decision so soon after the conclave began.

"You can't expect a microwave pope. It's a process. These men are trying carefully to work out who should be the next to lead them. I am kind of happy it wasn't white smoke because I just showed up," 34-year-old American artist and missionary Adrian Britton told Reuters in the sprawling square.

"I am a bit disappointed because we wanted to see the white smoke, and we're only here for one more day," said 25-year-old Austrian student Daniela Weber as she stood among the hundreds of spectators sheltering under umbrellas.

The cardinals face a tough task in finding a leader capable of facing scandals over priestly child abuse and a leak of secret papal documents that uncovered corruption and rivalry inside the Church government or Curia.

The wave of problems are thought to have contributed to Pope Benedict's decision in February to become the first pontiff in 600 years to resign.

With several leading candidates, or "papabili", the cardinals are expected to need several ballots to reach a decision on who will lead the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, with many experts predicting white smoke on Thursday.

NEW POPE ON THURSDAY?

"A new pope by tomorrow," was the headline in Wednesday's La Stampa newspaper after days of feverish speculation about the most likely new pontiff in Italian media.

Only one man since the start of the 20th century, Pius XII in 1939, was elected within three ballots, with seven ballots on average required over the last nine conclaves. Benedict was clear frontrunner in 2005 and elected after only four ballots.

Pilgrims and tourists began arriving in St. Peter's Square early in the morning, hoping to get a glimpse of history by spotting white smoke.

"It's a wonderful time, a historical moment," said Monsignor Ronny Jenkins, General Secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"It's very unique. It's an incredible moment, but we want the rain to go away," he added with a laugh.

The cardinals were shut inside for the secret election under Michelangelo's luminous frescoes in the chapel late on Tuesday after a day of religious pomp and prayer to prepare for the task.

Cardinal Angelo Scola
Country: Italy
Age: 71
Titles: Cardinal-Priest of Santi XII Apostoli; Archbishop of Milan

Scola is one of the front-runners to be selected, after many considered him a candidate ... more?

Cardinal Angelo Scola
Country: Italy
Age: 71
Titles: Cardinal-Priest of Santi XII Apostoli; Archbishop of Milan

Scola is one of the front-runners to be selected, after many considered him a candidate following John Paul II's death in 2005. More academic than pastoral, Scola has published over 100 articles in journals of philosophy and theology and is the founder of Oasis, an organization that seeks to bolster the relationship between the Western and Muslim worlds. less?

The initial inconclusive vote about two hours later was seen as a way of filtering the choice down to frontrunners for discussions among the supporters of the various papabili or possible popes in the following days.

No hint is expected to emerge before the pope is chosen. The Vatican has taken precautions, including electronic jamming devices, to prevent any leaks from inside the conclave.

The new pope will take up a burden that Benedict declared in February was beyond his physical capabilities.

Apart from an extensive global child abuse scandal and the "Vatileaks" case the Church has been shaken by rivalry from other churches, the advance of secularism, especially in its European heartland, and problems in the running of the Vatican bank.

The former head of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahony, is attending the conclave despite calls for him to stay away because of a sex abuse case that led to his censure by his successor Archbishop Jose Gomez in January. He was stripped of all public and administrative duties as punishment.

On Tuesday, lawyers for the victims in four sex abuse cases said the diocese, Mahony and an ex-priest had agreed to pay nearly $10 million to settle. Mahony was accused of helping a confessed pedophile priest escape prosecution.

CARDINAL FRONTRUNNERS

Frontrunners at the conclave include Italy's Angelo Scola - who would return the papacy to traditional Italian hands after 35 years of the German Benedict XVI and Polish John Paul II - and Brazilian Odilo Scherer - who would be the first non-European pope since Syrian-born Gregory III, nearly 1,300 years ago.

In preparatory meetings before the conclave, the cardinals seemed divided between those who believe the new pontiff must be a strong manager to get the dysfunctional bureaucracy under control and others who are looking more for a proven pastoral figure to revitalize their faith across the globe.

Milan Archbishop Scola, who has managed two big Italian dioceses without being part of the Vatican's central administration, could be well-placed to understand the Curia's Byzantine politics and introduce swift reform.

Scherer is said to be the Curia's favored candidate and would satisfy those who want a non-European, reflecting the future of a Church shifting towards the developing world.

A host of other candidates from numerous nations have also been mentioned as potential popes - including U.S. cardinals Timothy Dolan and Sean O'Malley, Canada's Marc Ouellet and Argentina's Leonardo Sandri.

All the prelates meeting in the Sistine Chapel were appointed by either Benedict XVI or John Paul II, and the next pontiff will almost certainly pursue their fierce defense of traditional moral teachings.

When not voting in the Sistine chapel, the cardinals are staying in a Vatican guesthouse, where more elaborate precautions have been taken to avoid leaks.

(Additional reporting by Naomi O'Leary, Catherine Hornby, Crispian Balmer and Tom Heneghan; Editing by Keith Weir)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cardinals-begin-voting-earnest-pope-face-church-crisis-000110012.html

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Grand Valley State University Settles Guinea Pig Lawsuit For $40,000

Grand Valley State University won't admit to violating a federal housing policy by initially denying a student's request to live with a guinea pig, but the Michigan school is handing over $40,000 anyway.

Kendra Velzen, a 28-year-old GVSU student, sued the institution last year because it would not let her keep Blanca, her "emotional support animal," in her residence hall and take the guinea pig with her to common areas. Velzen has chronic depression and uses a pacemaker, according to CBS Detroit.

University policy allows students to keep only service dogs and nonpredatory fish on campus. But under the Fair Housing Act, the school should have made an exception for Velzen, her attorney, Stephen Dane, argued.

GVSU has now reached a settlement with Velzen for $40,000, the Grand Rapids Press reports. The university stated that it does not believe it "acted wrongly," but noted the settlement will save the cost of further litigation.

"Should Kendra Velzen ever reapply for on-campus housing and make an accommodation request to live with a guinea pig or animal of similar size and nature, Grand Valley will grant said request," the school said.

GVSU will also work with the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, which had joined Velzen in her lawsuit, to develop a policy for its on-campus residences that accommodates support animals, CBS Detroit reports.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/11/grand-valley-state-guinea-pig_n_2854661.html

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Is Interpublic's Stock Price Signaling That It's a ... - Business Insider

REUTERS/Sebastien Nogier

IPG's Michael Roth

Interpublic Group ? the parent company of ad agencies Deutsch, DraftFCB and McCann ? reported an organic revenue decrease of 0.4 percent in Q4 2012, and yet its stock went up.

IPG has been on the rise since November, in fact, when it bottomed out at just below $9.50. Currently, it's a little above $13.

Why would such a poor performance merit an increase in price? (After all, revenue increased at Omnicom, its rival, in the same period.

Interpublic CEO Michael Roth said he expected growth to return to the group in 2013. So that might be one factor. And the stocks of Omnicom and WPP Group have also risen over the same time-period ? so maybe IPG is getting some benefit from category-wide investors.

But then there's the expectation/speculation in some quarters that Interpublic might be a merger target.

I had dinner recently with a source who controls several billion dollars in ad media-buying, and this executive talked as if everyone already knew that IPG was likely to get bought.

There's also the subject of Roth himself.

He was brought in to run IPG in the mid-2000s after an accounting scandal. He has since cleaned up the joint, but Interpublic hasn't really regained momentum over the years. McCann and DraftFCB both, pointedly, are in urgent need of big wins to replace lost business (Microsoft and S.C. Johnson both left IPG in 2012).

Roth is 66. He needs an exit strategy ? a way to leave IPG on a high note.

He will receive $34 million if IPG undergoes a change of control, according to IPG's SEC filings. He is highly incentivized to sell the company, in other words. Roth would get paid millions more for selling than for doing anything else, such as continuing to run the company or retiring without a buyout.

Accepting an offer from a suitor would boost the price of the stock and return at least some of a lost decade of value for IPG shareholders. That's a good story to end on, too.

Or he could wait for McCann or DraftFCB to turn around.

Interpublic always declines to comment on such rumors.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/is-interpublics-stock-price-signalling-that-its-a-takeover-target-again-2013-3

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Successful Investing

This past Saturday, the Hicks family gathered at my sister's house to celebrate my mother's 65th birthday. We'll celebrate my father's 66th birthday in about a month.

My parents have been retired for about three years now...

They're healthy and in decent shape. Their only dilemma is where to watch little league games on the weekends, since they have 11 grandchildren (five from me).

So I made sure as they got closer to retirement, they wouldn't stress about money. This was a little tricky, because my parents were retiring at a time when the economy and stock market were seizing up like a car engine with no oil.

But I made one thing vitally clear to them: During this period, return of capital is more important than return on capital.

Preserve the cash ? that's what fortunes are made of. (It also helps you sleep well at night.)

I told them eventually, the market will come back. We have to be ready when it does.

I've been preaching this for years...

You may remember back in November of 2011, I gave you my 5 Rules for Successful Investing.

With the Dow now making new record highs, let's revisit those rules...

Note: My rules don't address specific sectors, because sectors that are in favor one decade won't be the next; this is a template for investing in any market sector in any market environment.

1. Protect the cash: That?s how fortunes are made.
   Depending on the market environment, there are times when I make five trades in a day.

   But there are also times when there?s no investment to make. I?ve gone days, weeks, even months without deploying investment capital... but when I?m ready, I have a nice big bankroll to use. So be patient.

2. You need to take 100% control.
   As my above experience proves, you need to have 100% control of your financial destiny. If your broker or money manager dismisses your concerns, questions, or objections, fire him immediately.

3. Liquidity.
   Make sure the investments you are in are liquid. If you get stuck in an investment that goes ?no bid,? you could be in an investment (housing, for example) for months, even years, with no way out.

4. Trust your instincts.
   If something doesn?t feel right, chances are it?s not. This is why investment newsletters like Wealth Daily exist: The editors at Wealth Daily do not get paid by pitching funds or stocks (like money managers). We get paid by the success of our investment ideas. If you make money from our ideas, you stay with us?? if you lose money, you leave us. Pure and simple.

   And finally...

5. If you?re going to speculate, go where the boom is.
   This one really is simple. As you know, we?ve been following the boom in the Bakken oil shale and the boom in the Marcellus for years. In fact, we were one of the first investment newsletters to bring this to your attention.

   Companies heavily involved in the Bakken are making money hand over fist ? and so are the shareholders of those respective companies.

Stay on top of the hottest investment ideas before they hit Wall Street. Sign up for the Wealth Daily newsletter below. You'll also get our free report, Wealth Daily's 2013 Gold Outlook.

My parents have followed my rules to a "T."

Right now, they're heavily invested in the market. And every single investment they're in kicks off dividends and/or partnership distributions from REITs or MLPs. Every month, they collect a dividend/distribution check for a few thousand dollars.

Their house was paid off years ago, and they have no debt. So the dividends they collect every month more than cover their expenses?? with some money leftover to treat themselves to breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

One important fact about this: They don't need to touch their original principle capital.

The principle they have acts like an engine, doing all the hard work for my folks to live comfortably. They should be able to do this until the end.

Unfortunately, many Americans are dipping into their retirement funds to make car payments and mortgages and to buy food.

This is setting up a future crisis the U.S. government feels it needs to address...

More on that in next week's Wealth Daily.

Forever wealth,

Brian Hicks

Brian is a founding member and President of Angel Publishing and investment director for the income and dividend newsletter The Wealth Advisory. He writes about general investment strategies for Wealth Daily, Energy & Capital and the H & L Market Report. Known as the "original bull on America," Brian is also the author of the 2008 book, Profit from the Peak: The End of Oil and the Greatest Investment Event of the Century. In addition to writing about the economy, investments and politics, Brian is also a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox and countless radio shows. For more on Brian, take a look at his editor's page.

Media / Interview Requests? Click Here.

Source: http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/successful-investing/4057

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Prairie dogs disperse when all close kin have disappeared

Mar. 7, 2013 ? Prairie dogs pull up stakes and look for a new place to live when all their close kin have disappeared from their home territory--a striking pattern of dispersal that has not been observed for any other species. This is according to a new study published in Science by behavioral ecologist John Hoogland, Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Appalachian Laboratory. He has been studying the ecology and social behavior of prairie dogs in national parks in Arizona, South Dakota, and Utah for the last 40 years.

For most animals, individuals leave a territory, or disperse, to avoid competition with nearby relatives, such as mother or sibling. For three species of prairie dogs, however, individuals are more likely to disperse in the absence of nearby close kin. Females are 12.5 times more likely to disperse when close kin are absent for one species, and 5.5 times more likely for another species.

Prairie dogs are large, burrowing rodents of the squirrel family. They live in colonies in grassland ecosystems of western North America, and forage aboveground on grasses and other plants from dawn until dusk. Within colonies, prairie dogs live in territorial, contiguous family groups called clans, which typically contain one mature male, two to five mature females, and one or two adolescent males. Hoogland has been trying to figure out which individuals disperse from the territory of birth, and why.

"The key to our research is that we live with the prairie dogs for five months of every year," says Hoogland. "Students and I climb into our observation towers at the study-colony at dawn each morning before the prairie dogs wake up, and we stay there until the last individual has submerged into its burrow for the night."

The prairie dogs all have numbered eartags (which are inserted at weaning and remain their entire lifetime), and the flank of each individual is uniquely marked with fur-dye so that it can be identified from a distance. The researchers therefore can document which prairie dogs get captured by predators, which ones mate and produce offspring, and which ones disperse to new territories.

"Prairie dogs are excellent models for a study of dispersal because they are easy to live-trap, mark, and observe," says Hoogland, "And they usually move only short distances to nearby territories."

Why are prairie dogs so different regarding dispersal? According to Hoogland, prairie dogs resemble other animals and compete with nearby kin for resources such as burrows and mates. But prairie dogs also cooperate with kin in the excavation of burrows that can be as deep as 15 feet; in defense of the home territory against prairie dogs from other territories; by giving alarm calls when a large predator such as a coyote attacks; and by helping to chase small predators such as long-tailed weasels. Another important cooperative behavior is communal nursing (the suckling of non-offspring), which can be life-saving for the unweaned offspring of close kin when the mother of those offspring dies for any reason.

Hoogland hypothesizes that the benefits of cooperation with close kin exceed the costs of competition with those same close kin. When all close kin disappear, individuals disperse because they have nobody with whom to cooperate. When the option is available, prairie dogs frequently disperse into a territory that contains close kin who dispersed there earlier -- so that benefits from cooperation are once again available.

This study is featured in the March 8 issue of Science.

Scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg actively study the effects of land-use change on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and how human activity may influence their health and sustainability on local, regional and global scales. The scientific results help to unravel the consequences of environmental change, manage natural resources, restore ecosystems, and foster ecological literacy.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. J. L. Hoogland. Prairie Dogs Disperse When All Close Kin Have Disappeared. Science, 2013; 339 (6124): 1205 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231689

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/OmKTb_FYLe8/130307145444.htm

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NBA: Memphis 91, Portland 85

Published: March. 6, 2013 at 11:52 PM

MEMPHIS, March 6 (UPI) -- Mike Conley and Tony Allen each made two free throws in the final 16 seconds Wednesday to wrap up a 91-85 triumph for Memphis over Portland.

It was the 10th win in 11 games for Memphis, which became the sixth NBA team this season to reach 40 victories.

The Grizzlies overcame a 12-point halftime deficit and took the lead for good on a jumper by Tayshaun Prince with 4 minutes remaining.

Portland found itself just two points behind after a layup from Damian Lillard with 17 seconds left, but Conley and Allen came through at the foul line to clinch the victory.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Conley had 20 points and Jarryd Bayless added 13.

Lillard scored 20 to pace the Trail Blazers. Portland had won its previous two games, but shot just 31 percent from the field in this one.

Source: http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2013/03/06/NBA-Memphis-91-Portland-85/UPI-97761362631920/

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Insecure Writers Support Group ? March | Joanne Phillips - a writer's ...

March 6, 2013 ? 2:21 pm

It?s the first Wednesday of the month which means it?s ? Insecure Writers Support Group day! Thanks as always?to Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting and organising this fantastic event. You can check out the rest of the participants here, and pop along to visit?some more insecure writers and offer your support.

Well, I?m going for a fairly upbeat tone to my IWSG post this month. I?m reflecting back on a few of my recent insecurities and seeing whether I?ve improved ? or not.

• September: Procrastination and daughter?s first day at school
• October: Doing an MA in creative writing
• November: Going to the Festival of Romance as an Indie author
• February: Public Speaking

Well, back in September I was worried about all this new freedom once my daughter started school. Ha! What a joke! There is no freedom ? there is just more and more stuff to do, and less and less time for writing. I?m not sure how this has happened, but it?s up to me to sort it out. I know I need to be more disciplined and impose proper working hours on myself. (But where?s the fun in that?)

In October I was worried about the MA I?d just started. I felt out of my depth and unsure if I could operate on the level required. I?m not worried about that anymore. I?d say I was slap bang in the middle of ability and talent in the group ? not the best by a long chalk, but I?ve got as much right to be there as anyone else.

In November?I was anxious about going along to the Festival of Romance and being asked the dreaded question: ?Who are you published by?? It did happen, and I held my head up high and said, ?I?m Indie.? And no one sneered or threw things at me. (Although there was a horrible incident with a mean-spirited author ? check out?December?s IWSG?post.)

My little space of loveliness

And last month I confessed to all and sundry about my stammering past and very real fear of speaking in public. I had some wonderful messages of support, and I?ve made it my mission to challenge myself to at least one safe-ish speaking event this year.

I feel quite exhausted after all that! Right now I don?t have time to be insecure about anything writing-related ? I?m too busy running to catch up with all the things I?m supposed to be doing/supposed to have done already. But I hope you are having a good week and in the words of the very lovely Frasier: ?I?m listening ??

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Source: http://joannegphillips.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/insecure-writers-support-group-march/

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U.S. doctor's "gutsy" move led to baby's cure from HIV

JACKSON, Mississippi/CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) - The doctor who cured an HIV infected baby for the first time is happier talking to children than to adults and is finding all the attention since the news came out a little overwhelming.

Dr. Hannah Gay and colleagues Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga of the University of Massachusetts and Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reported on the child's case at a medical meeting in Atlanta on Sunday.

"The breakthrough has been exciting and I'm very hopeful that that's going to lead to future research that will give us some answers," said Gay, a Mississippi pediatrician and soft-spoken mother of four adult children.

But the attention is difficult for a woman "much more comfortable talking to children than adults," said her husband, Paul Gay. "She didn't anticipate this kind of explosion of attention."

Dr. Gay, a 59-year-old native of Jackson, Mississippi, likes to spend time designing needle points, singing in her church choir and reading theology or medical literature when she's not working 12-hour days treating patients, in a state with the nation's highest poverty rate.

"She is the most unlikely person in the world to be getting this kind of international attention, really," said Jay Richardson, her former pastor at the Highland Colony Baptist Church. "You don't ever hear her talking about herself or trying to promote herself in any way. She's a quiet, humble person. Extremely intelligent. Very committed to her faith. Very involved in her church. Very committed to teaching children the bible."

Except for six years working in Ethiopia as a missionary, Dr. Gay has spent the bulk of her academic and professional career at the University of Mississippi, where she received her undergraduate and medical degrees and met her husband of 37 years. She has worked the better part of her career at the university's medical center serving the state's youngest victims of HIV.

During that time, Dr. Gay has published several articles about ways to keep mothers from passing HIV infection to their babies and participated in the federally sponsored Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group, which studied the use of the aggressive treatment of children who are at high risk of infection.

Her daughter Ruth Gay Thomas says as an AIDS specialist her mother has had to fight the battles of her patients, overcoming access to healthcare and the stigma that comes along with being infected with HIV in the United States.

"She practices compassion and huge, unimaginable amounts of patience with her patients and their families," Thomas said. "She really has to embody a whole lot more than just the smart doctor that knows the right medications to give."

To treat her own rheumatoid arthritis, Dr. Gay takes medicine that affects her immune system. "She has that in common with her patients, but it's been a problem because with her compromised immune system, she can't have as much of a hands-on touching of her patients that was always so satisfying for her," her husband said.

When a rural hospital in Mississippi delivered a premature baby girl in July 2010 from a mother who had just tested positive for HIV during labor, it was only natural that they would turn to Dr. Gay. The child's mother had not received any prenatal care, nor had she gotten any treatment for her HIV infection, putting the baby at high risk of becoming infected.

Dr. Gay chose to start the baby on the full treatment regimen of three potent drugs when she was just 30 hours old, even before the child's infection was confirmed.

It was a bold move. Most babies exposed to HIV in the womb or during labor would have been given a six-week course of one or two drugs intended to reduce the risk of acquiring infection until tests could confirm she was infected.

"The doctor made a judgment call that the risks for this baby were so high that they were going to assume the baby was infected," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the National Institutes of Health or NIH.

Some critics have questioned Dr. Gay's decision, which may have exposed the child to the risk of toxic medications without confirmation of her infection.

"This was a gutsy call that turned out to be correct," said Fauci, adding that if it had turned out that the baby was not infected, they could have withdrawn the drugs. "They made the right guess."

Dr. Gay continued to treat the child until January 2012, when she was 18 months old and her mother stopped bringing the child in for appointments. Gay's team tracked her down in the fall of 2012, but the mother had not given her child any HIV medication since January.

Before restarting treatment, Gay did several tests, fully expecting that the virus had come roaring back. But none of the tests detected the virus. That's when she brought in colleagues Luzuriaga of the University of Massachusetts and Persaud of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who did a series of ultrasensitive tests. They were only able to find trace amounts of genetic material from the virus, but nothing capable of rekindling the infection.

The child, now 30 months old, remains off medication and continues to fare well. "We can't find any virus to treat at this point," Dr. Gay said.

She said it is not clear what the child's story will mean in the wider scheme of HIV research, but she hopes it may lead to a cure for other babies infected at birth.

"I guess the message that I want to get across to the public very strongly is, we don't know yet if we can create the same outcome in other babies." she said. "It's far too early to draw too many conclusions. There's not a cure in sight this week."

Dr. Gay said she is glad that this is happening in Mississippi and hopes it boosts the state's reputation.

"But it's a whole lot bigger than this one child, the University Medical Center or the state," she said. "It may take a long time, but I hope it will point us in the right direction to come up with a cure we can consistently apply to other babies worldwide."

Colleagues at the medical center are planning a celebration for Dr. Gay to "let her know how proud we are," said Amy Smith, a nurse practitioner who works with the doctor. "She's the type that wouldn't want a big fuss made about her, but we're going to do it anyway."

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen and Emily Le Coz; Editing by Jilian Mincer and Claudia Parsons)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-doctors-gutsy-move-led-babys-cure-hiv-003120207.html

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Video: Both sides look ahead to budget talks

>> the politics of this impasse let's bring in david gregory moderator of "meet the press." david, you sat down with speaker boehner for an interview. do you get a sense there is a face saving solution for either side in this?

>> reporter: well, i think for the republicans they have rallied around the idea this may be a clumsy way of cutting spending but is still a spending cut and that is preferable to raising taxes . i talked about the dynamic with speaker boehner between him and the president harkening back to the meeting they had friday. here is part of that exchange. what goes on in these meetings? you talk about a nice conversation. you keep talking about your relationship being pretty good with the president. it's hard for any of us to believe that, given how personal it seems, given how pointed the language seems to be, and that you're just at such a basic philosophical, ideological, practical disagreement. i mean, you've got -- congress left town.

>> we had a very pleasant meeting, but it was also a very frank meeting. i made it clear to the president that he got a trillion dollars worth of tax hikes in obama care. he got another $650 billion worth of tax hikes on january 1st . you can't tax our way out of this problem.

>> this is the issue. right now as speaker of the house , boehner has already faced the revolt among tea party conservatives, other conservatives in his caucus. he can't do any more in his estimation and, you know, you think about the leader in the senate, mitch mcconnell , he's up for re-election in kentucky next year, so he has little room to maneuver. it seems like this is going to go a little farther down the line, lester, into the big budget talks. that's where you could see some trading around taxes and entitlement cuts then.

>> that leads to my next question because as kristen pointed out the sky didn't fall today. this is going to roll out over a series of weeks. is there another deadline that may be a bit more subtle but that both sides have their eye on to get this done?

>> i really think it's the budget talks. what we learned yesterday, the president and speaker boehner say they don't want to shut the government down in several weeks over the rest of the funding for this year.

>> all right. david gregory , thanks very much. a reminder you can see david's entire interview with house speaker boehner tomorrow on "meet the press" here on nbc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/51020873/

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Email Marketing: still going strong in the 21st Century. | Mike Berry ...

I recently chaired the panel on ?Mobile email? at TFM&A (Technology for Marketing and Advertising) in London. The assembled experts concurred that:

a) email marketing is alive and well

and:

b) everything digital is going mobile, especially email (Litmus estimates that around 42% of all email is now opened on a mobile device and this can only increase).

But why does email remain so resilient amidst the waves of change which continue to sweep through digital marketing and in the face of newer, ?cooler? technologies? To answer this, let?s go back to 1999 (younger readers, you may need to ask your parents). At this time, various voices condemned email marketing to death. This view gathered support over the next few years: the new social networking platforms like MySpace were hailed as the next big thing. Email, people said, had had its day ? at least as a marketing channel.

In this new century, these voices proclaimed, we were all going to be communicating by instant messaging and social networks, and even by SMS / text message. So, these people were suggesting, marketers would soon lose interest in the humble email, which would be relegated to the recycling bin of marketing history. And if that wasn?t enough, the fledging Facebook was waiting to take the world by storm.

Now, let?s fast forward (btw why does that expression always remind me of whirring VHS video and audio cassette tapes?) to 2013 where, perhaps surprisingly, we find email marketing in robust good health. But why?

Pre email

In order to understand the continuing success of email, it might help to go back even further than 1999. Some years before the end of the last century, I was employed by various large direct marketing agencies. It was a good time to be in ?DM?, as it became known. Laser printing developed. Advances in data processing technology and personalised printing, addressing techniques and falling costs combined to make one-to-one marketing more powerful and cost-effective than ever before. Compared with broadcast, broad scale, ?untargeted? communications, direct mail offered some impressive advantages. Specifically, it could reasonably claim to be:

? Personal

? Targeted

? Data-driven (i.e. relevant)

? Measurable

And as a result:

? Cost-accountable

This was highly attractive to marketers and, crucially, to their Finance Directors. Direct Mail became respectable and even cool. Major national and global brands started to do DM. Budgets were duly diverted from ?above the line? into this new ?accountable advertising?. Money was made, and bright people lured to work ?below the line?. Direct mail was hailed as a precision ?rifle? to target audiences surgically and efficiently, in comparison with the ?blunderbuss? approach offered by TV, press and posters.

But of course direct mail wasn?t perfect. It needed a lot of managing of issues around lists, data, printing, enclosing and mailing. The cost of print, personalisation, ?lettershop? and postage needed to be factored into any ROI calculation. Also, it just annoyed a lot of people; increasingly bulk mailers were viewed as destroyers of rainforests as well as snake-oil salesmen. The damaging term ?junk mail? was coined and it stuck. Response rates fell.

Email arrives

But then email came along. As Bill Gates strove to install a (Windows) PC on every desk and into every home, and those clunky towers gradually got connected to the internet via equally clunky 56k modems, a new DM channel was born. Email marketing offered all of DM?s advantages, at a fraction of the cost: one-to-one targeting with near instant response!

At last, here was an answer to the DM industry?s prayers (that is unless the praying person happened to own a printing or enclosing business). Response rates to early pioneering cold email campaigns were astronomical by today?s standards. Email list brokers sprang up. This was truly ?direct mail on steroids?? But of course nothing is perfect and junk email attracted its own pejorative label ? SPAM. (No-one appears to know why but Monty Python got the blame?). ISPs invented the spam filter, which became increasingly aggressive; bad guys sent bad emails and email recipients got wise. And cautious. Open and click-through rates fell.

Email finds its place

Today, email isn?t so good for targeting consumers cold, especially when sent by an unknown company and with a sender name the recipient doesn?t recognise. On the other hand, it?s fantastic for communication with B2B contacts who already know your organisation. Most B2B decision-makers check their email at least six to eight times per day. Many B2C marketers and charity / not-for-profit fundraisers also swear by it and can prove that it works. Plus, it works well in conjunction with direct mail.

The Future?

For me, email is and will remain a key online channel. Email marketing preceded MySpace and has effectively outlasted it. Facebook will one day fall from the dominant position it enjoys today. And for those of you who like to stay in control, you might like to consider that your email campaigns are your ?owned media?, whereas your Facebook page is on someone else?s website?

Personally, I wouldn?t bet against email marketing being around in the 22nd Century.

A version of this article first featured in Infobox, the DMA Email Marketing Council?s free e-newsletter.

Source: http://mikeberryassociates.com/email-marketing-still-going-strong-in-the-21st-century/

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