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Researchers provide standardized nomenclature for the architecture of insect brains

February 20, 2014 by Daniel Stolte, University of Arizona
When studied with advanced microscopic and imaging techniques, the brain of a fruit fly reveals astounding complexity, showing its composition by many discrete building blocks called "neuropils," each comprising one or more complex neuronal circuits. Credit: Kei Ito et al.

(Medical Xpress)—When you're talking about something as complex as the brain, the task isn't any easier if the vocabulary being used is just as complex. An international collaboration of neuroscientists has not only tripled the number of identified brain structures, but created a simple lexicon to talk about them, which will be enormously helpful for future research on brain function and disease.

Nick Strausfeld and Linda Restifo, both professors in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Arizona, worked with colleagues in Japan who led the project, and colleagues in Germany and in the UK to produce a comprehensive atlas of neuroanatomical centers and computational centers of the insect . In the process, the team identified many previously unknown structures. By providing the research community with a unified system of terminology, they set the stage for a systematic effort to elucidate brain structures and functions that carry over to functions of the human brain.

An article about the work appears in the scientific journal Neuron, regarded by many as one of the flagship publications of neuroscience; the online version includes an 80-page data supplement. The data will be publicly available within 6 months and include hundreds of images and 3-D video animations – amounting to an invaluable resource that will enable neuroscientists to work more efficiently, compare their results and obtain more meaningful interpretations.

"This effort provides a three-dimensional road map for describing structures for all insect brains, and enables comparisons with other arthropods," said Strausfeld, director of the UA Center for Insect Science. "It has huge value in describing network relationships between computational centers in the brain."

The project is timely as the U.S. and Europe have embarked on ambitious initiatives – President Barack Obama's BRAIN initiative and the European Union's Human Brain Project – to produce a dynamic picture of the brain that shows how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in time and space.

In their efforts to develop strategies to explore the inner workings of the , likely the most complex structure in the solar system, scientists have relied on studying the brains of model organisms such as because their structures are simpler and easier to study in experiments.

Arthropods – insects, spiders, crustaceans and their kin – have advanced biomedical research ranging from the anatomical and molecular underpinnings of behavior to the biochemical causes of addiction. Because of their shared evolutionary history deep in time, vertebrates including humans likely share many of neuroanatomical features and functional centers in the brain with invertebrates. Studying neurological processes in arthropods can significantly help us to understand how all brains work.

The processes leading to Parkinson's disease, for example, are extremely difficult to investigate in humans, but research with fruit flies has yielded valuable information that could help neurologists develop therapeutic strategies.

As a result of this joint effort to catalog and map the insect brain, this group of scientists has discovered that the pinhead-sized brain of a fruit fly has more than 50 anatomically distinct centers approaching a complexity until now only recognized in animals such as fish or mice.

Multiple labeling with antibodies specific against various neural proteins reveals different regions, cells, fibers and connections of the brain of the fruit fly, Drosophila. Shown here is the left hemisphere seen from the front. Credit: Kei Ito et al.

"There are fascinating parallels," Strausfeld said. "By recognizing discrete centers in the insect brain, we will better understand how elaborations of the brains of insects and vertebrates might relate to each other despite more than 600 million years of divergent evolution."

For example, the olfactory bulbs in vertebrates are very similar to the olfactory lobes in crustaceans. The same goes for the visual system: Color, shape, motion and texture are similarly processed in vertebrates and insects, although very different aspects of the visual world are perceived by a fly compared with those perceived by a monkey or a human, Strausfeld explained.

The study was led by Kei Ito, an associate professor in the Department of Computational Biology at the University of Tokyo. His group used a technique called confocal fluorescence microscopy to create virtual "slices" revealing the fruit fly brain architecture down to single cells.

Five years and 1,200 emails later, the project now provides neuroscientists with the same terms to describe specific parts of brains of insects and crustaceans. "We are setting a new standard that really enables communication," the UA authors agreed.

"We now have a very detailed understanding of the distribution of neurons in discrete centers and the connections amongst them," Strausfeld explained.

"The complexity of insect behavior is increasingly recognized by the genetics community to allow us to model various human diseases," said Restifo, who also is professor of neurology in the UA College of Medicine and member of the UA BIO5 Institute. "These tiny, but now well-defined, regions we see in the insect brain probably have particular neurons with particular connections driving certain behaviors that are becoming ever more important in studying behavior like aggression or addiction."

Restifo explained that combining the expanded behavioral repertoire of humans with that observed in insects makes a strong case for using model organisms such as the fruit fly, Drosophila, in the quest for new drugs.

"In some ways, insects are going to be even more useful than rodent models," she said. "In some cases, efforts to get to the cause of a disease by disrupting gene function in mice fail to provide answers because even though the genetic mutation matches that of the human disease, the physiological effects don't."

Blueprint of a fly brain: The researchers identified the building blocks of the insect brain and standardized their nomenclature to provide neuroscientists with a common foundation for research and communication. The colored units are neuropils - portions of the brain that serve particular functions, such as collecting and processing input from sensory organs, making decisions about behaviors and storing memory. Credit: Kei Ito

To be meaningful, any study of complex nervous systems requires concepts and terminology uniformly agreed upon by the .

Neuroscientists have long known that anatomically distinctive regions are clues to how the brain is organized, but different terms have been in use for the same structure in different – or even within the same – species.

"In reality, a rose by any other name is more like a Tower of Babel," Restifo said. "There has been enormous confusion."

Strausfeld, who published the first atlas on the in 1976 – and, together with Ito and colleagues in Germany, the first National Science Foundation Online Atlas of the Drosophila Brain – established much of the initial nomenclature. The UA Center for Insect Science also was instrumental in supporting the efforts that led to the study's publication. Strausfeld said an important driver of the present project was the need to establish the appropriateness of specific terms and names for neural structures across arthropod brains.

"Nothing quite like this has been done before," he said. "Scientists studying the brains and behavior of birds had come to an agreed-upon nomenclature, but we were trying to find common ground across many species that may be more distinct from each other in terms of evolutionary divergence. Thus, adding to the enormity of the task was the goal of agreeing on terminology that would 'fit' for all insects and be applicable to crustaceans."

"Developing a standardized nomenclature is important because it facilitates cross-fertilization of work done using different insect species," said Gerald Rubin, vice president and executive director of the Janelia Farm Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "Pulling this together required a lot of work, scientific insight and historical knowledge; it was a real service to the field."

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Melanoma Know More strives to reduce the impact of melanoma through awareness, education, support of medical research, and assistance to persons affected by melanoma.

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A Guide On Understand How Credit Repair Works

A Guide On Understand How Credit Repair Works

What do you mean by credit? The term effectively means that you are putting someone else’s money for paying for your purchases, availing services, catering to loan repayments, or more. In return, it also means that as a debtor, you are promising to pay the loan amount along with the pre-determined interest component, within a defined time frame. This promise can be made to an individual, company, bank, credit card agency, peer-to-peer loan provider, or just about any other source that has helped you gain the credit amount as needed by you.

As and when a person starts looking around for a loan, credit card, mortgage or any other credit providing agency – however big or small the amount may be – the lending agency starts checking on the financial credit-worthiness that the person has to his or her name. On the basis of the assessment of all financial risks involved in the given deal, the agency decides upon the final terms and conditions that should be put in place for granting credit. A positive assessment would necessitate a sound and credit worthy financial background, with a credit history backup that has little or no bad remarks. But what happens if the credit report is negative? In such a scenario, the lending agencies may decline loan exemption and the person in question has to set off an entire series of credit repair processes to get back into the green with loan providing sources like banks, financial organizations, individual lenders, and others.

‘Credit repair’ is a series of processes wherein consumers having unfavorable credit histories strive to re-establish and secure their credit-worthiness once again. In many cases, these processes involve the procurement of a credit report from rating agencies; post that, appropriate steps have to be taken for addressing all apparent and pertinent issues such as omissions, errors, misreporting, misinformation or misinterpretation. Once done, the consumer can formally dispute the errors or issues that unjustly distort his or her credit-worthiness and financial healthiness.

Agencies such as credit zipper are well-versed in the various regulations and laws that are designed for ensuring legal and fair carry-outs of the credit repair tasks. They are adept handling and resolving the given processes formally and starting the overall credit repair process in the required legal manner. So, if you are grappling with negative credit issues, then get in touch with the right service providers, today.

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Woman of the Month by Kathryn Aschliman

In response to your invitation to “Send an email to our office to let us know how you are part of this royal tribe of Mennonite Women USA,” I am moved to write about an attempt at College Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana to maintain contact with women who no longer are able to attend our monthly Mennonite Women Work Day.  To assure them that they are not forgotten, we  select a WOMAN OF THE MONTH to whom we extend our love and for whom we offer prayers throughout the month.

Agnes Schertz, a member of College Mennonite Church Mennonite Women, was chosen as woman of the month earlier this year.

Anyone may nominate a Woman of the Month by informing the MW president.  Then each week a contact with the honoree is arranged.  The first is a special ceremony in the home, pinning a Woman of that Month proclamation on her, thanking her for her faithful service in the past and asking God’s continued blessings in the future.  On other designated weeks contacts may be by telephone, email, a card in the mail, or by sharing  a banana split at Olympia Candy Kitchen or another favorite eatery—maybe in the home of the visitor.  Usually in the final week each honoree receives a “Pocket Prayer Quilt.”  It’s 3 inches square with a cross tucked inside the quilt. The recipient can slip it in her pocket or purse.  Throughout the day when her fingers touch the cross, she can be mindful of God’s love and grace.  She may keep it as a tangible symbol of God’s peace, or, if she prefers, she can say a prayer for someone else and pass this tiny gift along.

The pocket prayer quilts that are given to each woman of the month.

This practice of remembering women who faithfully participated in Mennonite Women activities in the recent past is especially applicable during our reflection on the past 100 years of the Mennonite Women organization.

Thank you for enabling our various witnesses,

Kathryn Aschliman

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January 23, 2011

Wandering Son Ep2: Barkada Days

Posted in Uncategorized tagged , , , at 1:09 am by meotwister5

Yes I understand that the title isn’t a an English word.  Fellow Filipinos will know what it is because, well, nearly everyone has one.  For those who don’t speak the language, a barkada is essentially your close group of friends that you always hang out with, that you always do things together with and, even in the toughest of times, the ones who will have your back.

And even when you fight or argue, you will always feel the need to at least make up because, in the end, you’re friends.

Slap her dammit!

Fights and arguments break out in a class all the time.  With largely different personalities making up the class, it’s not a surprise that moody and depressive Saorin will have issues with her more loud and intrusive classmates.  In any case this is already exacerbated by the fact that Saorin is already at odds with a lot of her classmates and former friends, to the point where she makes more enemies inadvertently with her moody personality. The episode now reveals that the friction between her and Yoshino revolves around their feelings for Nitorin and how Saorin does have that habit of playing the victim.  The conflict between them hasn’t just split them apart, but splitting all of them apart, with each member forced to choose sides.

This is clearly something Sasa simply cannot agree to.

I think it’s important to note that, even by the end, Yoshino and Saorin haven’t actually completely made up yet.  They aren’t outright hostile to each other anymore, but you can still see the somewhat awkward ceasefire between them.  It’s still rather hard to see them back as friends now, but you can be at least sure that they are civil, and it’s not exactly because they WANT to be friends again.  For the mean time, it comes from more to the fact that both have realized that their hostile relationship is simply tearing their friends apart.  Sasa, who tends to be the strongest thread that binds everyone together, is the resilient and tough one in the group, so when she snaps and has enough of it you know something is wrong.

It took a while but both Saorin and Yoshino now know that they can’t be like this anymore because the problem has gone beyond just the two of them.  Their feelings for each other is also affecting the friendships between their mutual friends, and in their concern for Sasa, both have realized that others are suffering now because of them.  For everyone’s sake, even if they can’t outright patch things up, they need to be civil.  To keep everyone together, they at least need to be able to stand with each other without sparks flying.

Still awkward.

One could think that they’re just pretending to be friends again, but I think everyone else knows that this isn’t the case, that in reality their just at first making an effort not to wring each others necks.  What I really like about this section is how it really tries to portray the complexities of pubertal friendships, at an age where tempers and emotions easily flair.  It’s much too easy to have a near deus ex machina where two people suddenly make up and become friends again, but it takes something else to present the attempt to reconnect the threads that used to exist, a new thread that could again be easily broken.  At an age of hormones and all that, reality has shown me that there is no easy way to mend friendships, no easy way to get back with people, because there are times where friendships lost are perhaps the ones most difficult to make again.

Sure enough both of them probably still can’t stand each other.  In the end though, they aren’t doing it for themselves, but for their friends.  Maybe at some point they will mend their friendship, but it won’t happen with a snap of a finger or a magic wish.  It’s going to take some time and effort from both of the, as real friendships are.  As in the real life the story tries to represent, friendships don’t pop out of thin air; they are things one must work for.

On this day, a friendship ended.

Outside of Shuuichi and Yoshino, Chiba Saori is perhaps one of the more complex supporting characters I’ve seen in a while, with a degree that sometimes even eclipses a leading role.  Truth be told she has been a moody and snap-ish character since she first came on screen, and we only get to see bits and pieces of her personality and why she gets so angry and confrontational much of the time.  What I find clear for me is that she doesn’t handle strong emotions well, to the point that she can get explosive or suddenly very depressive at the drop of a hat, and sometimes in succession.  When she gets angry she shows it, then suddenly she withdraws and secludes herself from others.  In a way she does understand how turbulent and uncontrolled she can be and is partly ashamed for it, such that she prefers to separate herself from people when she becomes this way.  We can at least tell that much of it comes from her own feelings of jealousy mixed in with regret.  Jealousy that Nitorin likes someone other than her, and regret that she lets her emotions take control and lash out at people.  A perpetual tug-of-war that makes for a very dynamic, if depressive, character.

This state of course puts a lot of pressure on Sasa who has put it upon herself to be the group’s conflict arbiter.  You’ve got to give props to Sasa for her courage and resilience, as her devotion to her friends and friendship is practically THE only thing keeping them together when the rifts come.  She is, for all intents and purposes, the last line of defense, and when she starts to break that’s when everyone realizes that they’ve all gone too far.  As the happiest member of the group, when she gets angry then you know you have a problem.  She may be small in body and her head may hurt when she thinks, but she’s got he biggest heart.

This is how things should be.

In the end of the episode, as the group gets back together eating ice cream, we know that things aren’t as cool as the way they were in the past, but we also know that they’re trying for each others sake.  As I said before, that’s what friends do.  You try your best for everyone’s sake.  Even if you can’t fix things now, you still try to at least make the first step, because you realize that friendship, true friendship, is something that’s too precious to just let go of.

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Beautiful Paperfinger

I am so excited to share with you a gorgeous custom invitation done by the talented Bryn of Paperfinger. Bryn is a fellow Skidmore alum (although a year wiser than yours truly), and has created such a beautiful business. Happy to share this invitation with you from Bryn’s blog, Papertastebuds.

2 thoughts on “Beautiful Paperfinger

  1. I never understood why some people think being a wedding designer would be obnoxious. It looks like it’d be a blast! I love when people focus on the little details. The invitations are beautiful! LOVE the trees!!

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King of the Hill

My friend Adrianne Hurtig, who originally posted this on her Facebook page, calls it “one of those odd memories that haunt an old mind.” While I disagree with the “old” bit, I thank her for allowing me to republish it here:

When my brothers and I were growing up in a small town in Washington, we lived on a ranch. The Ponderosa Ranch, my father called it. His piece of America. Immigrant-minds take an over-abundance amount of pride of land ownership. You were a man if you owned land, animals and had sons. In that order. So, in order to fit in and claim my piece of my father’s stern heart, I behaved like a son.

My father rodeo-ed. Brahma bulls, the bad boys of the arena, is what he fell off of. Said he ate a lot of dirt, but that was modest talk that cowboys say to each other to remain humbled. He actually claimed many purses or else putting your body through it for nothing was just insane. That’s also what cowboys said to each other to test their theory of sanity, when they all knew they did it for the rush of it. Maybe some rodeo-groupie with steak-house- hostess-hair on a Saturday night.

All of us kids rodeo-ed. Whether or not we wanted to. Mostly we didn’t. My dad didn’t make it a whole lot of fun. It was work. Hard work, that you never got right, and had to do it all over from scratch each time. “Climb up on that damn horse and quit your god damn crying!” I’d heard more than enough to last a lifetime. My dad only brought home green broke horses. He figured he had enough kids to break them for him. Thankfully, I did cry harder than my brother’s and didn’t have to break but one in my childhood. My brother, David, younger than me by fourteen months, didn’t fair as well. He broke quite a few of my dad’s horses on our front lawn. Closer to the fridge for my dad. He liked his whiskey cold, and there was no electricity down by the round pen.

Down by the stables is where we spent most of our time. Thoroughbred horses and Appaloosas. We raced the Thoroughbreds and rodeo-ed the appys. “They’ve got a better disposition for you dumb kids,” he’d told us. Since we lived on a racing ranch budget, meaning basically steak one year and food stamps the next, he did everything to keep his overhead low. Enter the kids again.

My bad luck was that I was tall, and thin. I could jockey. My youthful body still bent like a contortionists dream, and I could lay flat over the horses ears and keep my ass down. He kept the mane shaved so there was no cheating and trying to hang on for dear life to a thick, rich, mane. Some horses didn’t realize they were Thoroughbreds and bred to run. My thighs had “natural gripping ability” since I was a girl, he’d say. I learned later what he meant by that. So, I’d pony the Thoroughbreds around and around the track. My leg’s getting damn near torn off at the knee, easing them into the make-shift starting stalls. Having a thousand pounds of scared to shit animal under my scared to shit thirteen year old body was not my way of spending the summer. Or, the weekend.

On the weekend, we mucked out the stalls. It wasn’t something we looked forward to, but there was no grumbling. We thanked our lucky stars that our mom put here foot down and said we didn’t have to muck before school. But, on Saturdays there we were, mucking out the old dung onto a very large, very tall, pile of dung. The Dung Pile, of which I was King!

My brothers and I would grab on to each other and literally toss each other off as we’d scramble to be the first to top the dung pile. Sometimes we’d dig in with our toes and fingers to cling to as we fought for control of our climb. Arms flailing, legs kicking the living crap out of each other. I could scrap with the best of them back then.

In the winter, the dung pile would freeze. If we wanted any peace or fun in our lives, we knew to stay outside. Didn’t matter how cold it was, we’d be out there playing. Like racing ranch kids; before we knew all we know about germs and self esteem. There we’d be, the boys and I, fighting it out to the top.

It was during one of our winter games that we discovered, if we kicked a hole out of the dung pile, warm steam escaped. I grimace now to admit that I buried myself in many a dung hole for warmth. Stuck my frozen pink fingers inside to thaw them before frost bite got them. Warmed my cheeks for a moment, as I caught my breath to scale my way to the top. Once there, surviving the brothers, the near mis-steps that would have broken my slender body to pieces had I ever hit the frozen ground from that height, I’d scream, at the top of my lungs, for all to hear and bear witness, that I was in fact King of the Dung Pile.

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One Response to King of the Hill

  1. This heart-wrenching, compellingly-written story painted a vivid picture I could relate to my own less stressful childhood.

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Belated Presidents’ Day: Calvin Coolidge

Last year on July 4, a friend posted that she was at President Calvin Coolidge’s grave site at the wreath laying ceremony for his birthday.   I asked here where it was and she said “Plymouth Notch, Vermont.”  I looked it up and found that Plymouth is a tiny town in the center of the state; not quite in the middle, but close.

In November, my husband and I were near by and went to visit.  Although the museum and visitor center was closed, the grounds were open for walking and the Plymouth Cheese factory was in full operation.  The views are lovely in all directions.

The Calvin Coolidge Homestead website begins the story this way

At 2:47am on August 3, 1923, Vice President Calvin Coolidge became the 30th president of the United States when he took the oath of office in the sitting room of this modest frame and clapboard farmhouse.  President Harding had died only a few hours earlier.  Coolidge’s father, a notary public, administered the oath by the light of a kerosene lamp; he refused to install such modern conveniences as electricity.  Located in the tiny community of Plymouth Notch in the beautiful hill country of Vermont, the house where he took the oath of office was also Calvin Coolidge’s boyhood home.

Although he grew up in Plymouth, Coolidge left Vermont to study at Amherst College in Massachusetts and later settled in Northampton where he practiced law and got his start in politics.  Coolidge was a Republican and notorious in Massachusetts for breaking up the Boston Police strike of 1919 when he was Governor.  After he became President, he established the summer White House above the family store in Plymouth.

Cilley Store In 1924, President Coolidge established his Summer White House office above the store.

Coolidge served out Harding’s term and one term of his own before retiring to Northampton where he died suddenly in in 1933 at age 60.  He is buried in the cemetery at Plymouth.

Photographs:  Town of Plymouth; Vermont Division for Historic Preservation; and Seth Mussleman on Find-A Grave.

Agatha Goes on a Little Trip

When I was shopping for Christmas books, I picked up what looked like an interesting book on the sale table.  I just finished reading The Grand Tour by Agatha Christie.  In February 1922 Christie, her husband, Archie, and others left on what we would call a trade mission.  They went to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada with a vacation stop in Hawaii.  They got back to England on December 1st.  Christie wrote letters home as a kind of diary.  Her grandson, Mathew Prichard, put them together with photographs (largely taken by Christie) interspersed with excerpts from her autobiography.

The Grand Tour provides the reader with a glimpse of the British empire in the days when change was just starting in the colonies.  People are judged by how “British” they are; natives are treated as exotic.  There are tensions between the members of the mission.  There are injuries and illnesses.  I found her descriptions of the landscapes the most interesting.  For example her description of Wellington harbor:

Great mountains all around coming down to the water’s edge – the far off ones with snow on them.  Blue sky and deep blue water and Wellington itself nestling on the side of the mountain.

But the best part was learning about Agatha Christie as a young woman.  I don’t know about you, but I think of her as either Miss Marple or the older woman in many of her pictures, a little stout and stern.

But on the trip she thinks nothing of going off on an 11 mile hike, she golfs, and, most surprising, she learns to surf.  My image of her will never be the same.

If you have ever read any Christie mysteries and you like travel stories, you would enjoy reading The Grand Tour.

Photograph from

Going around the world without leaving home

I belong to a mystery book group, Malice on Main.  It is sponsored by a wonderful bookstore, Mystery on Main, in Brattleboro, VT.  Each year we pick a theme and the bookstore owner, David, picks the books.  2016 was international mysteries.  We read eleven books (we don’t meet in January) and I enjoyed all but one which I didn’t finish.  Looking back, I think each member had at least one they didn’t care for; sometimes they finished it any way but sometimes not.  Here is the list annotated with my comments.

China:  Death of a Red Heroine (Xiaolong Qui)  A fascinating glimpse of life and police work in present day China.  I really enjoyed this one.

Japan:  The Devotion of Suspect X (Keigo Higashima)  We had quite a discussion about the writer’s treatment of the women in the book and whether the sexism was cultural or just him or just the detective.  I read the a second book by him, Malice, and the woman was more realistically drawn and much more interesting leading me to conclude that the women in Devotion were written the way they were as part of the story.  One day I will have to read it again and see if this is correct.

Venice:  Death at La Fenice (Donna Leon)  This is Leon’s first and, having read everything she’s written, still one of my favorites.  We see her detective Guido Brunnetti as she is just starting to develop him as a character.  Plus it is an interesting death that he investigates.

Cuba:  Havana Red (Leonardo Paura)  More interesting for the picture of Cuba than the mystery.

India:  Case of the Missing Servant (Tarquin Hall)  A lot of fun.

Ghana:  Wife of the Gods (Kwei Quartey)  Detective Darko Dawson is sent to investigate a murder with supernatural implications and solves both the murder and his mother’s mysterious disappearance over twenty years ago.

Austria:  The Truth and Other Lies (Sascha Arango)  What happens when a death causes a life built on pretense to crumble.

Turkey:  Istanbul Passage (Joseph Kannon)  This is more of a spy thriller than a mystery.  Set in 1946 or 1947, the story is wrapped around the Jewish exodus from Europe to Palestine.  I really liked this book.

Ireland:  Elegy for April (Benjamin Black)  The search for April who disappears.  Full of interesting characters including the eccentric Quirke who undertakes to find her.

France:  How’s the Pain (Pascal Garnier)  The one book I couldn’t finish.  I found the two main characters totally unappealing.  One of my fellow book group members thought it was very existential, like a Camus novel.

Argentina:  A Crack in the Wall (Claudia Pineiro)  Totally absorbing with an ending I would never have predicted.  Because it centers around architecture, one can Google the buildings she talks about.

Except for The Truth and Other Lies which could be set almost anywhere, each of these books provides a glimpse of place and culture.  One of the reasons I’m attracted to mystery stories is that a good author includes lots of descriptions.  I often think that much of what I know about England, I learned from reading mysteries.  These eleven books took me to new places and taught me new things.  But I also learned that being a police detective – or an amateur crime solver – is pretty much the same no matter where you are.

I have loved maps ever since the 3rd or 4th grade when I scored really high on a map reading skills section of (the Iowa tests?) a test that ranked us nationally as well as individually.  We could have GPS in our new car, but we don’t.  I am generally the navigator on our road trips.  I used old fashioned foldy maps or a road atlas or both.  Once I was in a car with GPS and it wanted us to take a turn into the Charles River.  This was maybe 12 years ago, but I’ve never forgotten.

So when I saw this article in the New York Times Sunday Review, I knew I had found a kindred spirit in Steven Kurutz.

CALL me a fossil, but when I take a road trip I like to get around by using printed maps. I’ve been licensed to drive for 20 years, and every car I’ve owned has contained a Rand McNally Road Atlas, with the maps of the Northeastern states dog-eared and loosened from their staples. Navigating by map carries over to foreign roads, too. In May my wife and I went to France, where we drove around Provence and dipped a wheel into Italy.

Before we left, I amassed the blanket topographical coverage I imagine the Allied generals had when they stormed the Continent. Collecting the maps was an interminable process. Bookstores have scaled back their selection in recent years. Or stopped selling maps altogether. Apparently, a good number of people think printed maps are pointless nowadays.

I guess you can still go to AAA and get triptiks and maps,  but map stores are closing.  I used to go to the Globe Bookstore for maps and guidebooks.  Now Brookline Booksmith has a small Globe Bookstore travel section.  And you can order maps from places like Barnes and Noble.  But it is harder to just wander into a store and open up a map and wonder what it would be like driving on a particular road.

As part of packing for our move, we have kept a lot of maps of places we have been.  I opened some of them and could remember when we drove to a certain place. As Kurutz says

Consider this, though: Using printed maps requires travelers to work together. You become a team. Driver and navigator. Your ability to get along and solve problems is tested in valuable, revealing ways. GPS removes that entire interpersonal dynamic. It encourages a passive form of journeying: sit back and drift, because the vaguely Australian-sounding computer lady will tell you to turn left in a quarter mile.

Driving by map, on the other hand, engages you actively with your surroundings. It makes you observe road signs, be in the moment. And that closer engagement, I’ve found, imprints the landscape more vividly and permanently on your mind. When I return home, I can unfold my maps and take myself back to a town or a stretch of highway.

Often I’ll buy a map months before the trip, and by studying it try to pull the opposite trick — to transport myself into the place I intend to visit. It builds anticipation. Eric Riback, a map publisher in upstate New York who writes a blog called Mapville, described this to me poetically as the “seeking, dreaming part of travel that you can do with a map.”

That is the joy of a map:  you can dream before and you can remember after.  You can’t really do that with a GPS.

Illustration:  Andrew Ho for the New York Times


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Defer Elementary
     Welcome to our third grade resource website.
     Here you will find online resources, practice sites and parental supports.
    Under each curricular area, there are links provided in red lettering.
    If you click on the link, you  can download printable materials
    which will help you out at home.
    This will help make a successful and productive year of learning and growth
    for your 3rd grade student.
    If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly.
     Mrs. Denison  Michelle.denison@gpschools.org


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•          Welcome
      Maire Elementary School

    Mrs. Sonja Franch

    Dear Maire Community Parents and Students,

    Welcome to Maire Elementary School.  Located in the Village of Grosse Pointe, and established in 1936, our school has a long-standing tradition of excellence in education. Maire School is renown in the Grosse Pointe School District for its outstanding educational staff and dynamic parent organization (PTO.)  This collaborative partnership ensures an optimal learning environment for all of the school’s 313 students. This past year, Maire was ranked at the 99th percentile for achievement in the State of Michigan.

     Maire School has a well-defined and rigorous curriculum that challenges students to think critically.  Teachers utilize technology and other differentiated instruction to engage students in personalized learning.  Science and Social Studies are taught using both academic text and hands-on projects, to create deeper understanding of concepts.  Each grade level participates in field trips to enhance the teaching and learning of students.

     In addition to academics, our elementary school supports a clean and healthy environment through our “Evergreen status” from the State of Michigan.  Our students engage in a Positive Behavior System to maintain a respectful, friendly and supportive social and emotional climate.  Enrichment learning opportunities are numerous, and include Choir, Instrumental Music, Student Council, Safety and Service positions, Scouting and Knitting, along with lunch clubs for ceramics, gardening and science.

     Maire School’s Diversity Committee focuses on projects and education for our stakeholders to enhance our school’s learning culture, as well as supporting parents throughout the district. We are welcoming and inclusive for ALL Maire students and families.

     I invite you to contact me if you have questions about Maire Elementary School.  We are proud of our achievements and welcome opportunities to promote our school!

    Sonja Franchett, Principal
    Maire Elementary


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Greek Amphora

Why Study Classics?

The study of Classics has traditionally been promoted as the source of many of the foundational texts of Western civilization, providing the bases for philosophy, law, rhetoric, literature, architecture, drama, and other fields. The study of classics, with its focus on critical thinking and effective communication, provides an excellent foundation for nearly any career in public life, communication, education, journalism, the arts, etc. Another reason to study Classics: Greek and Latin texts are central to contemporary re-examinations of social issues concerning race, gender, and class – areas in which several of Miami's Classics Department faculty specialize. So whether you want to understand the past, prepare yourself for a career, be part of exciting new discussions about the way we live now, or all of the above, Classics is an excellent choice.

Why Study Greek?

  • Understand English technical vocabularies from philosophy to geology.
  • Nearly all terms in biology, medicine, and other hard sciences are derived from Greek.
  • Greek is the language of the New Testament.
  • Students of ancient Greek tend to have some of the highest scores on pre-graduate and professional exams, such as the GRE, MCAT, and LSAT.
  • Understand medical terminology.

Why Study Latin?

  • Latin is the language of Western Christianity.
  • Understand legal and scientific terminology (stare decisis, nolo contendere, homo sapiens.
  • Read some of the greatest literature ever written – including Vergil, Cicero, and Ovid – in the original.
  • Ace the GRE’s, build your vocabulary, impress your friends.
  • Be able to read US money (e pluribus unum) and the Hogwarts motto (drago dormiens non titillandus)

Why Major in Classical Humanities or Classical Languages?

The Classics Department offers a number of unique experiences for undergraduates. Our smaller classes offer an intimate learning environment and the chance to form close working relationships with professors. A lively group of majors and minors provides a social and intellectual community through the Classics Club. Classics students have an excellent record obtaining support for independent student research, and some are currently engaged in preparing their own books for on-line and Print-on-Demand publication. Every spring Classics students gain valuable organizational experience through running the Undergraduate Classics Conference, the first of its kind, which attracts students from other universities across the country.

A Classics major is one of the most highly regarded liberal arts degrees, emphasizing careful reading, writing, and critical thinking skills that you will use throughout your life, whatever career path you choose.


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Dianne Feinstein Assault Weapons Ban is "Racist"

Wayne LaPierre isn't the only high-ranking NRA official ruffling feathers these days.

On a Thursday interview on NRA News, former National Rifle Association president Marion Hammer compared Senator Dianne Feinstein's proposed assault weapons ban to racism. Hammer claimed that like legislation targeted against weaponry, legislation targeted against people of color, is "because of the way they look."

During the broadcast, host Ginny Simone and Hammer argued that Feinstein's ban was unworkable. Simone (incorrectly) alleged that even supporters of the ban had admitted it was a ruse, stating they "admit this is about banning the ugliest guns, it's about cosmetics and it has nothing to do about how a firearm works."

Hammer concurred: "Well, you know, banning people and things because of the way they look went out a long time ago … but here they are again. The color of a gun. The way it looks. It's just bad politics."

Feinstein announced she would seek to re-implement a stricter Federal Assault Weapons Ban following the July 2012 Aurora, Colorado shootings which killed 12 and wounded 58. The proposed legislation bans over 120 specifically named weapons, magazines with a capacity exceeding ten rounds, and those with assault characteristics (the same ones deemed "cosmetic" by the NRA), albeit with provisions for "grandfathering in" currently owned weapons. She doubled down on her position following the Newtown, Connecticut shootings that resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six teachers.

Hammer's opposition to Feinstein's legislation is the norm among NRA members. After the shootings, current NRA President Wayne LaPierre gave an angry speech that PR Week called "fateful," describing it as "missing a critical opportunity to credibly position themselves and their agenda."

Others have been even more blunt in their anger towards Feinstein's proposals. Former Marine Joshua Bolton wrote a letter to Feinstein, in which he harshly opposed firearms legislation and reminder her that "I am not your servant."


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Obama Inauguration Speech: 4 Things He Can Do to Win Us Over

The second inaugural address can either be the start of a second honeymoon period or just a reminder of who the president is. With all the talk of President Obama seeking to strike an uplifting note, he is likely to try and sell the citizens on his vision of America. However, to do so convincingly, he must win the hearts, minds, and stomachs of our country, convincing the people that he not only knows how to fight and win elections, but that he understands the everyday plight of the American working class. If he is able to communicate on a personal and grounded level, he will make us dream again and believe that his actions are in our best interest. Here are a few points to listen for.

1. Jobs and Unemployment

The president should highlight consistent decreases in the national rate of unemployment and recognize that first-time applicants for unemployment benefits are the lowest since the financial crash. At the same time, he needs to acknowledge that it does not mean that all those who are off unemployment are actively participating in growing the economy.

Obama should renew his pledge to providing incentives to the unemployed, to have access to education at community colleges where all Americans can be retrained to meet the changing needs of our economy. Likewise, he should take the opportunity to highlight his efforts to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States and recognize the growth in the sector. Continued growth in this sector is needed, so that we can get our growing infrastructure improvement projects off the ground, with all projects benefiting solely our economy.

2. Taxes and Budgets

The president should highlight that Congress has done what it needed to do to keep the country afloat and away from the various self-imposed “cliffs,” and recognize that compromises have been made. He should strike a conciliatory tone and boldly state that he is committed to balancing the budget, reforming entitlements, Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare.

Obama has a unique opportunity to emphasize that his claims of economic benefits of his healthcare reforms will be tested in this second term, by the reduction of the burden of healthcare on our GDP and allow for more capital to be invested into other programs. He should note that reforms to the tax code are necessary and that he will make it a priority because of the need to generate revenue by building up the tax base both in the individual sectors and corporate ones.

He should protect the defense budget, for any further reductions could compromise our operational and maintenance abilities. All Federal agencies should be subjected to a Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission type of review for recommended programmatic closures, changes, or upgrades, to reduce operating costs and increase government efficiency.

3. Domestic Policy

President Obama should commit to policies that reduce poverty and build up the middle class. Innovative programs should be announced, alongside the traditional commitment to access to education. Reductions in welfare spending and announcement of supplemental programs that encourage the chronically unemployed to seek re-education and eventual employment should be encouraged.

The president should show a commitment to immigration reform, having recognized the great contributions that immigrants have made and continue to make to the welfare and global standing of the United States. In the same spirit, he must rule out the possibility of amnesty.

4. Foreign Policy

The president must emphasize what America stands for and state our mission on the global stage. He must renew our commitment to peace in the Middle East, stability and growth in Europe, working to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, and seeking to support the development of free societies across the globe.

In all these things, he must find the one uniting narrative for the American people and inspire us to be the change that we so desire. All Americans seek peace, justice, and opportunities, so that we can continue the legacy and our stated commitment to a more perfect union. The president has showed time and time again that he can put together a message and messaging strategy in a campaign, now he must do the same as an actual president.


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Source: Scott Olson / Getty

Nearly a year after Ferguson, Mo. teenager Michael Brown Jr. was fatally shot by former police officer Darren Wilson, the Justice Department is confirming that police response to the traumatized community antagonized crowds, incited fear, and violated free speech.

While Brown’s death sparked protests nationwide, demonstrations in Ferguson were often the ones that ended with police releasing tear gas on peaceful crowds, unlawful arrests, and in some cases, the show of police dogs that no doubt stirred up painful memories of Civil Rights era America. But a new Justice Department document obtained by the St. Louis Dispatch is condemning those tactics and suggesting that some of those actions, like using police dogs, be banned.

“Vague and arbitrary” orders to keep protesters moving “violated citizens’ right to assembly and free speech, as determined by a U.S. federal court injunction,” according to a summary of a longer report scheduled for delivery this week to police brass in Ferguson, St. Louis County, St. Louis and Missouri Highway Patrol.

The summary also suggests that had officers released information about Brown’s death sooner, the community would trust the department to do a thorough investigation. The unrest, the report states, was likely sparked by “long-standing community animosity toward Ferguson police,” the Dispatch writes.

“Had law enforcement released information on the officer-involved shooting in a timely manner and continued the information flow as it became available, community distrust and media skepticism would most likely have been lessened,” according to the document.

It also says that use of dogs for crowd control incited fear and anger, and the practice ought to be prohibited. And it complains that tear gas was sometimes used without warning and on people in areas from which there was no safe retreat.

Moreover, it finds inconsistencies in the way police used force and made arrests. “The four core agencies dedicated officer training on operational and tactical skills without appropriate balance of de-escalation and problem-solving training,” it reads.

The full report — the third of four released by the DOJ after Ferguson’s season of unrest — will also include 45 findings with recommendations, the Dispatch notes. The first report stated that Wilson was justified in shooting Brown, while the other damning report highlighted the racist practices of the Ferguson police department.

According to the Dispatch, the fourth report is expected in July. In a statement to the newspaper, Ferguson officials said they are “reviewing these latest findings and will act accordingly.”

SOURCE: St. Louis Dispatch | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

Watch Roland Martin and the NewsOne Now panel discuss the findings of the DOJ report in the video clip below.

Be sure to watch “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, weekdays at 9 a.m. EST on TV One.

5 Black Churches Hit By Fires In Week After Mother Emanuel Attack

Ferguson Police Official Fired, 2 Suspended After Racist Emails Go Public

Michael Brown’s Parents Speak After DOJ Says Darren Wilson Did Not Violate Their Son’s Civil Rights

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The WBC Finals and My Reaction

By Danny Mehigan

As the Japanese celebrated their second straight WBC championship with a extra-inning win over Korea, approximately 13 Americans were captivated by the thrilling finish. It was a great ending to a great tournament, but I wasn’t the only one who barely watched. And that’s too bad, because this thing could be awesome.

No, it’s not the World Cup. No, it’s not the Olympics. But it’s still in its infancy – I doubt the second World Cup was the great sporting event it is today. I think the WBC could benefit from a qualifying tournament to get more countries involved, and a better time slot. The argument has been beaten to death already, but I still don’t have a very good idea of when it should be hosted. A late fall tournament wouldn’t be good because it’s getting pretty cold, it’s early football season (and soccer season everywhere else) so people are likely a little tired of baseball. Taking an extended break in the summer near the All-Star break could work, but not enough players are involved in the tournament for that to be worthwhile.

The problem is, as always these days, money. Soccer players and fans embrace the World Cup because they want to represent their country. The pride is definitely something to play for, and that’s probably because they aren’t all filthy rich (although that doesn’t apply to everyone). Now I can see why someone like Alex Rodriguez wouldn’t want to risk his $25 million per year self to play for one of the nine countries he wants to represent. So maybe to get the best players, and thus the best tournament, the WBC needs to dish out some cash. Hopefully, as the tournament continues to grow and fans become more invested, players will want to step up and rep their countries. As I step off the hastily-erected soapbox, here’s a look at the only two players from the Reds and Brewers to make the final round.

Ramón Hernández, C: The Reds catcher went 1-for-4 and ended the Venezuelan dream with a groundout to third to complete a 10-2 loss to Korea in the semifinals. He stroked his way to a .368 average for the tournament.

Ryan Braun, OF: The Brewers leftfielder went 1-for-4 with a double in a 9-4 semifinal loss to Japan. His strained oblique/ribs/whatever held him back a little bit, but a recent MRI showed no damage and he should be no worse for the wear come regular season time. Braunie finished the WBC with a stellar .381 average.

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Despite ag downturn, shoots of optimism sprout in southwest Minnesota

District Spotlight

Ronald A. Wirtz | Director, Regional Outreach | @RonWirtz

Published October 12, 2017

“Spotlight” is an occasional feature about Ninth District communities in which the Minneapolis Fed has held private meetings with businesses to gauge regional economic conditions. To maintain confidentiality, individuals and their businesses are not named.

A six-county area of southwest Minnesota has all the makings for a classic tale of economic hardship. The area—Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone, Redwood and Yellow Medicine counties—is dominated by a farm sector struggling with another year of low commodity prices. The region also has gradually lost population as larger cities have lured away young workers and families.

But in farm country, every year is a new growing season bringing new shoots of optimism, literally and figuratively. Despite agriculture’s downturn in recent years, the region’s unemployment rate is down and job demand is up. There are also signs that wages are rising. And a new business enterprise might, ironically, make the region an inland hub for seafood.

This area of Minnesota is much like nearby Iowa and South Dakota—flat and arable, largely devoid of the lakes that liberally sprinkle other parts of Minnesota. It’s suited to growing crops in large volume, and corn and soybeans dominate the landscape.

The recent struggles of ag producers are evident in conversations with local bankers. For many area farmers, said one banker, “it’s another year reliant on a big yield” at harvest time to eke out a profit from low-priced crops. Another said some farmers were “fortunate” to incur hail damage early in the growing season; they might fare better than farmers spared hail because they received crop insurance payments and spent less on fertilizer and pesticides. Implement dealers in the area have been selling virtually no new equipment, depending on repairs and other services to stay in business.

A business contact in Marshall, the region’s largest city (pop. 13,600), said the decline in farm income and related farm spending was “not a good thing for additional spending at local businesses.” Farmers often buy big-ticket items like tractors and grain storage bins at the end of the year to reduce their taxable income, but he expected such purchases to be “minimal” this year.

Loading Chart 1...

Other standard measures of the region’s economy don’t necessarily instill much confidence. Across the six counties, for example, total employment is still below prerecession levels (Chart 1). But there are sprouts of good news in the region, including on the jobs front. Unemployment has steadily fallen in all six counties, and rates in July in each were either near or below the 3.4 percent rate for the state as a whole. Equally notable, the region has witnessed a marked increase in job vacancies since the recession.

Since the economic recovery began, job vacancies in the southwest region have roughly tripled to about 2,000 openings, according to the state Department of Employment and Economic Development. (Note: DEED defines the southwest region as a larger, nine-county area.) The share of full-time vacancies also has climbed steadily higher, and there are signs of real wage increases. Median wages for all job vacancies in the region have risen to almost $13 an hour; adjusted for inflation, that’s an increase of over 30 percent since 2010 (Chart 2).

Loading Chart 2...

A regional business source said that larger employers that are expanding—Avera Health, food processing giant Archer Daniels Midland, Ralco, a Marshall-based animal feed and nutrition company—are driving the area’s job growth.

But without more workers, it’s hard to see how all those vacancies will be filled, given the region’s low unemployment rate. A shrinking labor force may lead many employers to either downsize their expectations or pursue strategies such as automation to expand their operations.

The region’s population peaked more than 60 years ago, according to Census figures, and has slowly declined with each decade (Chart 3). Fewer people means fewer workers—a possible explanation for the area’s stagnant employment numbers.

Loading Chart 3...

Labor force trends tend to be more volatile than population trends, especially in comparatively small counties, because workers often commute to where the jobs are from other counties. But the long-term trend is negative, tracking with population loss. Workforce participation varies across the region’s six counties; Marshall’s population has been growing of late.

Employers are feeling the labor pinch. A local construction company was seeing strong growth this year after a slow 2016, but having difficulty finding enough equipment drivers, according to the owner. In a Minneapolis Fed survey of a random sample of regional ag bankers, almost two-thirds said their banks were hiring, and about a quarter of those were hiring to increase head count. At virtually every recruiting bank, some hiring was to replace workers retiring or leaving to pursue other opportunities. About 90 percent of respondents said they were having difficulty finding qualified labor.

Despite a tight labor supply, the region has seen some significant economic developments, including a forward-thinking project that stands to boost the incomes of local farmers. Earlier this year, Tru Shrimp Systems announced that it was building its first commercial shrimp harbor—yes, for saltwater shrimp—in Luverne, a community tucked in the very corner of the state. The company, based nearby in tiny Balaton (pop. 600), is an affiliate of Ralco that has developed techniques to raise shrimp using corn and soybeans for feed, which explains its rural location.

The project got another boost when Schwan’s, a $3 billion home-delivery food company based in Marshall, took a minority stake in the company. Schwan’s will lease some of its processing capacity to the venture and assist in processing and packaging the final product. Construction on a hatchery and training facility, and renovations to processing facilities, are reportedly under way or soon to be. Construction of the shrimp harbor—expected to cost more than $50 million—is slated for next year.

Once operational, the shrimp venture will put a new twist on the “local foods” movement and create new economic opportunity in a region with a rich agricultural history. Success could lead to Tru Shrimp expansion; the firm is reportedly mapping out additional harbor locations in rural areas with access to feed inputs.

Initially skeptical local residents see real economic promise in the form of jobs and value-added agriculture. A local business contact said the project offers “huge potential and will be long term as it builds. This is a real deal.”


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Eugenio Mirti was born in Torino in 1972 and developed his musical talents studying jazz guitar with Luigi Tessarollo and  rock guitar with Jose Perfetto.

Earning his certificate in music theory at the Conservatorio G. Verdi in Torino, Italy, Eugenio perfected his skills following many seminars including those hosted by B. Buethe, J. Batten, S. Morse, S. Gibellini, M. Petracca and B. Kessel; he also attended courses offered by Boston’s Berklee College of Music at the Umbria Jazz satellite school in Perugia, Italy in 1994.

In 1995 he started the rock band Matka which recorded two albums, “Lavorare Stanca” in 1998 and “Zen Number 3” in 2000. This group performed in over 100 concerts all over Italy and has received flattering reviews by many music magazines (“Music which seems to stand up to the firm conviction of a project. . . . it’s wonderful to be able to listen, once in a while, to a group which doesn’t try to reproduce other people’s sounds” “Anyway, Eugenio Mirti is a fantastic composer” “…they don’t care about all of the committed rock styles and they head straight for their own road” “The Torinese group interprets a dynamic and immediate language“.

In 2001 Matka split and the Eugenio Mirti Trio was formed, and the record “Piccolo Uragano” came out in October 2005.

In 2005 eugenio met Chiara Onida and together they planned a new band, Ropa 11, whose first album “Infrangibile”, came out on may 2006. The band toured US (Nevada) on december 2006 and recorded a second cd “Mark III”, in february 2008, and a third “Amazing Stories” in april 2010. In 2013 together with  Marco Giaccaria and  Sergio Ponti Eugenio developed the  Collettivo Apostrophe trio, in order to explore ethnic and  avant-garde sounds, and the trio published in november 2013 “Sempre più lontano”, their first CD.   In august 2015 Eugenio spent a month in Taiwan to play a mini tour and to write a reportage about taiwanese Jazz music, interviewing all the major musicians, critics, radio hosts and managers of live musical venues.

In 2017 with the Anna Luglio duo Eugenio was featured on the compilaton CD “Homemade”, pulblished by Rome based MILK label, with the song Moody’s Mood For Love;  in 2018 will come out Eugenio’s first guitar solo CD and a record dedicated to the work of Prince, with six videoclip, “Minneapolis Standard vol. 1”.

Eugenio is one of the most well known music teachers in the Torino area; he teaches at Notabene Music School (Torino and Ivrea), at Rivoli’s Il Sottomarino Giallo and at Scuola Civica “Carl Orff” (Piossasco).

In november 2009 Eugenio started writing for the very famed “Jazzit” magazine, mainly writing cd reviews and musicians in-depth examinations and interviews . and iterviews (among the others he has interviewed John Scofield,  Bill Frisell, Christian Scott, Kenny Barron, Kenny Garrett, Roberto Cecchetto, Cassandra Wilson, Jane Monheit, Michel Camilo, Stefano Bollani, Riccardo Chailly, Chico Freeman, Jeff Ballard, Antonio Faraò, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Avishai Cohen, Chris Potter, Enrico Rava, Luca Aquino, James Brandon Lewis, Mirko Signorile, Rosario Bonaccorso, Michael Leaugue, GoGo Penguin, Luca Vicini, Pat Mastellotto, Ivan Conti, Chassol…).

Since June 2012 Eugenio has been a member of Tocrash, a webzine dedicated to music analysis and  reviews, and since october 2014 is an editor of “Muz Rock Magazine“; since May 2016 Eugenio contributes to “In Jazz”, a monthly jazz magazine for which he writes about musical instruments. Since June 2017 Eugenio contributes to Jazzespresso, an international Jazz hub and website, and collaborates with the taiwanese jazz magazine Wijazz.

In 2015 Eugenio took part in the literary contest “Pubblica con noi 2015 and four of his short stories were published by Fara Editore in the anthologyEmozioni in marcia“. In 2018 Jazzespresso published “The Taiwan Travel“, a photobook about the Taiwan experience in 2015.

Eugenio Mirti
Via Rovigo 7, 10152 – TORINO


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Slept Till 10:30 This Morning

I never sleep that long. I’m always up by 7 in the morning. I dreaded getting up,due to the struggle & pain of standing up. My belly is HUGE,HEAVY,& sags terribly. I’d say my belly is 100 pounds of my weight. Its a nightmare lugging the thing around all day & evening,until I go to bed. Its a tremendous load on my lower back,hips,& knees. It intensifies my COPD. Any fat I eat goes into my belly. I don’t eat a lot,but my belly is growing rapidly & sagging like crazy.

About Brenda Cooper

I've been a student & user of the Laws Of Attraction for over 30 years. I remain poor,a hermit,& abused, I am in my 50s & my husband is in his 60s. I have 2 young adult sons. Blogging is my therapy. My grandest dream is to move to Green Cove Springs Florida,
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Gay Mobile: home of the original Mardi Gras

Mobile (properly pronounced moe-beeel) is a bustling port town in the center of the Gulf Coast rich in history and southern culture. Mobile is the proud home to the original U.S. Mardi Gras, which began in 1703. Mobile's Mardi Gras is an elegant and spectacular affair that occurs every February. The parades and parties are filled with tradition, and rival anything New Orleans has to offer.

Most of Mobile's nightlife is centered around Dauphin Street and Bienville Square in the downtown historic district. Though Mobile has a small gay community, it is home to several well established bars. The Mobile gay bar scene tends to be friendly and supportive rather than competitive, and all the bars host a variety of fundraisers for local causes. The scene is pretty low-key, with lesbian women sometimes more visibly than gay men. Mobile is a city with a split population, half white and half African-American, and the bars are fairly well integrated.

Restaurants to check out

Upcoming Events in Mobile


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Friday, September 8

Free SMS: "call me back"

The third world has led the way for quite a while, when it comes to creative uses of the most simple phone technologies.

Pay as you Go started there. Sending credits via SMS started there. Using private mobiles as pay phones is common there. But here is yet another great idea, this time from an operator in the Maldives

If you have run out of credit, how about being able to send a free SMS message to your friends, telling them to call you back!

This is one of a few, similar ideas being used by the Dhiragoo network in the Maldives

You know it makes sense

hanagee said...

when peekamo hits the third world not only is it gonna be free to text butpeople are gonan get money to text as a incentive.

hanagee said...

found a write up on peekamo that explains the site and the whole mobile social cimmunity.

Chathura said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chathura said...

I would try this:
FREE SMS Worldwide

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Monday, March 18

The power and potential: a panel session discussing m-learning

There was a lot of buzz about mobile learning at this year's Mobile World Congress. More than at any previous event. Significants I was able to be at included:

1: GSMA Seminar on the future of mEducation:
A packed out event including sessions by Graham Brown-Martin (slides here); Our own Peggy Johnson, EVP at Qualcomm (slides here); George Held, VP at Etisalat (slides here) followed by a debate with Florence Gaudry-Perkins (Alcatel-Lucent), Vanessa Lucio (Telefonica Learning Services) and others

2: Launch of a report from the Broadband Commission on technology and education

3: Live panel discussion between Qualcomm, mEducation Alliance and Etisalat looking at the future of this (no longer emerging) idea of m-learning. Click below to see it:

(clicking will take you to their site:

Our conversation was streamed out, live, to all the huge screens around Barcelona, which was a bit surreal! The contributors are:
Kept in order by Mark Smith

I'm very pleased to see m-learning hitting the mainstream, despite the often muddled assumption that it is one single thing (rather than the diaspora of opportunities it really is!)

Bryan Baker said...

I recently came across your MobLearn blog and really enjoyed all the posts especially the latest about mLearning. As a student in college, I have participated in E-Learning classes and have begun to really see the present and future importance of mobile learning. I would enjoy writing a post for your blog about "The 5 Best Mobile Devices for a E-Learning" or a similar topic you believe your audience would be interested in.

I work with so I understand the importance of writing high quality and interesting articles. If you're interested, please let me know and I'll start drafting a unique article for your site.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Bryan Baker

Steve Turnbull said...

Hi Geoff,

Inspiring work!

I've Tweeted you. Very keen to talk about a mobile learning toolkit I've developed - very visual, very accessible, very collaborative, very different..

I'm an indie developer - developed Stephen Fry's favourite memory game MEMNEON - and former lecturer in Media, and Education. Passionate about m-learning.

Based down the road from you in Bury St Ed too :)

My email:

Looking forward to hearing.

Kind regards,

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Compassion and Support
eMOLST Enhancements in 2016

By Katie Orem, MPH, eMOLST Administrator

In 2016 we deployed many key updates to the eMOLST application available at Several were improvements based on user experience and requests. We are thrilled to continually improve eMOLST based on our users' feedback. Some of the most-requested improvements that were made in 2016 include:

1. Patient Context EMR Integration. In 2016 we deployed the ability for eMOLST to accept key patient demographics from external data sources, such as EMRs. Our users love it. This integration allows for single click search from an EMR so that the provider doesn’t have to remember an eMOLST username or password and they also automatically search for the patient that’s currently open in the EMR. This deeper integration, which we call “Single Sign On + Patient Context,” also reduces keying errors and makes it easier & faster to both create and retrieve patients. Health systems can read about SSO + Patient Context in our integration guide.

2. Data Analysis Capabilities. eMOLST users have always wanted an analytics tool integrated with the system. The first major step towards eMOLST analytics was accomplished in 2016 with a dramatic enhancement in the data layer processing speed. This was a necessary step to ensure the raw data can be quickly and efficiently organized. In 2017 we will prioritize implementation of a sophisticated analytics tool to allow for useful visualizations of the raw data.

3. Better administrative tools. In 2016 we made many administrative improvements. A few highlights include: creating a tool to bulk import patients with paper MOLST forms; improvements to the user creation tool which allows us to more efficiently enroll, update and disenroll users; development of a tool to help organizations quickly identify patients in need of review along with the providers who are responsible for those patients; and significantly improved logging.

4. API. Trusted health systems, HIEs and RHIOs have asked for the ability to make a web services call to eMOLST to ask key questions, such as “does this patient have a form?” and “can I see a copy of it?” as well as more detailed requests. In 2016 we launched an API that will allow trusted organizations to efficiently answer these questions and more. This is a brand new tool and we look forward to assisting health systems in adopting this technology in 2017.

If you're a current user with questions or a suggestion, or are interested in getting started with eMOLST, please email and

For more information, please visit Thank you for your continued use and support of eMOLST!

Featured Resource: Get Paid for MOLST Discussions

Key barriers for physician engagement in thoughtful MOLST discussions include, lack of time, lack of reimbursement for time and the need for advance care planning training to improve knowledge, attitudes and communication skills. In January 2016, the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) approved two new CPT Codes 99497 and 99498 to allow physicians and “other qualified health care professionals,” to be reimbursed for having an advance care planning conversation with their Medicare patients. Learn more on how to properly use the ACP CPT codes.

MOLST FAQ: Can Telemedicine Be Used to Provide and Bill for Advance Care Planning Services?

Yes. It is included in the 2017 CMS Physician Fee Schedule, effective 1/1/2017. In 2016, the service must be face-to-face with the patient, family member(s) or surrogate(s), except in accordance with NYS regulations, for new or renewing commercial policies, on or after 1/1/2016, Health Plans must cover services provided by telemedicine that would be covered if delivered Face-to-face.

eMOLST Champion: John T. Mather Memorial Hospital

Pictured Left to Right: Richard Poveromo, LMSW, Director of Social Work, John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, Patricia A. Bomba, MD, MACP, Lisa Volpe & Jacob Joseph, BSN. photo credit: Carolyn Kazdan

John T. Mather Memorial Hospital was the first not-for-profit community hospital in the Town of Brookhaven and they are now on a trajectory to become the first hospital on Long Island to implement eMOLST. Mather is located on a 35 acre campus in Port Jefferson where 2568 employees and more than 600 affiliated and employed physicians see more than 41,000 emergency room cases and 12,000 inpatients annually.

A team of 6 Mather hospital leaders attended the IPRO CMS Special Innovation Project on Transforming End of Life Care Kick-Off in January and then began their journey to eMOLST implementation using a team approach. Social Work Director, Richard Poveromo, LMSW has played a key role in implementation, inviting Dr. Bomba to Mather Hospital in April to meet with and provide education for the hospital’s Palliative Care Team. Mather Hospital clinicians and authorized users are initially accessing the eMOLST registry via a hyperlink from their EMR while they partner with the eMOLST team and EMR Allscripts Sunrise Clinical Manager to incorporate Single Sign On.

As part of their community approach to implementing eMOSLT, Mr. Poveromo worked closely with IPRO Quality Improvement Specialist Carolyn Kazdan, MHA, NHA to develop and host a one day conference in October on Improving End of Life Care for over 50 healthcare, agency and legal professionals in the region who serve patients and clients with special needs. Dr. Bomba was the keynote speaker and panel facilitator for the dynamic day of learning and case study discussion.

IPRO’s CMS Special Innovation Project on Transforming End of Life Care on Long Island: A Year in Review

By Carolyn Kazdan, MHSA, NHA

2016 was an exciting first year for the Transforming End of Life Care Special Innovation Project which has been working to educate Medicare beneficiaries and caregivers in Nassau and Suffolk counties on the importance of Advance Care Planning, educating healthcare providers on MOLST and eMOLST and providing technical and educational support to healthcare providers implementing eMOLST. Through a series of 55 community and professional association based educational programs, DSRIP SNF partner meetings, webinars, and facility visits, project partners Patricia A. Bomba, MD, MACP and eMOLST Administrator Katie Orem, MPH have partnered with the IPRO team to train over 1,000 healthcare professionals with 10 healthcare providers now using and/or in the process of implementing eMOLST and multiple additional providers actively engaged in reviewing eMOLST Participation Agreements with a goal of implementation in 2017.

On the Medicare consumer side, Dr. Bomba, Patient Advocate Beth van Bladel, CPA, CSSGB and The Gitenstein Institute for Health Law and Policy at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University and the North Shore-LIJ Health System CHAT (Conversations: Health and Treatment) program have conducted a combined total of 27 Beneficiary/Caregiver outreach educational sessions, educating over 500 seniors and caregivers throughout Nassau and Suffolk County. These sessions in English and some utilizing materials in Spanish with a Spanish translator have been held at a variety of forums including multiple low income senior housing sites, Assisted Living Communities, a Retirement Community, LGBT Seniors meetings, the YMCA/JCC Senior Center and the Long Island Alzheimer’s Association Annual Caregiver Conference. At every forum we have found that many more seniors have completed health care proxy forms than have actually had a robust discussion about their wishes with their health care agent and/or their physician and so the project will continue to focus on how to remove barriers and complete the 5 Easy Steps to Advance Care Planning as found on

Social Media postings on Facebook and Twitter have also been utilized to reach the broader community, along with radio interviews conducted with Dr. Bomba on NPR’s Suffolk County radio Station and the Nassau County based Project for Independence Radio Show “Project Independence And You”.

Plans for year 2 of the project are underway and ideas are always welcome and can be submitted to IPRO Quality Improvement Specialist at

Order Resources | MOLST - Professionals | MOLST - Patients and Families | Advance Care Planning | Resource Directory


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TSP’s cost advantage

Q. Although we are not there yet, it seems the expense ratio gap between the Thrift Savings Plan and Vanguard is continuing to narrow. Vanguard recently lowered its expense ratios considerably on many of its funds. Admiral Share-class expense ratios on some funds are within a whisker of being the same as TSP. Do you think that a firm like Vanguard can now offer advantages to individuals who want to roll over their TSP balances to them? At the very least, it should serve as a wake-up call to BlackRock and TSP management that they need to not let the expense ratio edge any higher.

Prior to the Vanguard news, I had hoped to leave my money within the TSP. Now, since I wish to utilize a bucket approach, I still might be able to have my cake and eat it, too — low expenses and manage it through an IRA approach with Vanguard. I am four or five years away from retirement, so I have time to see how this shakes out.

A. I agree that the TSP’s cost advantage isn’t what it once was. In, fact, if cost was it’s only advantage, I would be in favor of leaving the TSP for better options elsewhere. What the TSP still offers, that can’t be found in any IRA that I have seen, is the G Fund — a federally guaranteed, interest-bearing security that delivers a return that is significantly greater than the market rate for similar risk. The G Fund can be used to safely support a higher lifetime standard of living than would be possible without it.

About Author

Mike Miles is a Certified Financial Planner licensee and principal adviser for Variplan LLC, an independent fiduciary in Vienna, Virginia. Email your financial questions to fedexperts@federaltimes.com and view his blog at money.federaltimes.com.

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