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Report: Falcons' White given paternity suit
A Georgia banker has lodged court documents claiming that Falcons star wide receiver Roddy White is the father of her 4-month-old baby boy and should pay her a considerable amount of child support, TMZ reported.
"[White] is a professional athlete capable of providing generous support for the minor child commensurate with his earnings," Georgia woman Stacey Hott said in her paternity suit.
Hott also requested that White take out a life insurance policy for himself, for the "benefit of the minor child," the entertainment website reported Thursday.
White's agent, Jonathan Feinsod, declined to comment about the lawsuit to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.
White, who has been named to the last three Pro Bowls, signed a six-year, $48 million deal with the Falcons in August 2009.


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Career advisor support sessions for students considering next stepsCareer advisors from the Department of Education, Sport and Culture have organised additional opportunities for school leavers to discuss next steps during the summer holidays.
Career Advisors from the Department of Education, Sport and Culture have organised additional opportunities for school leavers to discuss next steps during the summer holidays.
Advisors will run drop in meetings over the next six weeks at Ramsey, Peel and Castletown Youth Centres, as well as University College Isle of Man and Café Laare.
With Year 11 and 13 results days next month, these drop in sessions are designed to help students who may still be considering their next steps after education, to learn more about the options available to them.
This summer's careers provision complements the support already provided by schools to Year 13 on the 15 August and Year 11 on the 22 August when picking up their A Level and GCSE results.
The drop in sessions form part of the Signposts project run by the department which aims to help students make decisions around options for their future learning or employment and are in addition to programmes that are run in schools throughout the year.
For more information visit: https://signposts.sch.im/

domain: news


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Update, September 30:
In case you needed concrete proof that Lady Gaga is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show next February, the chanteuse herself just shouted the news from the rooftops (or, you know, tweeted it, whatever). “It’s not an illusion. The rumors are true. This year the SUPER BOWL goes GAGA!” she wrote.
Get ready for a mind-bending performance come Super Bowl LI (that’s 51, for those of you who failed Roman Numerals 101—or should we say Roman Numerals CI?). We’re thinking meat-dress-level proportions. Can’t. Wait.
It won’t be Adele, nor Kanye West, but Lady Gaga who shall headline the next Super Bowl halftime show, a source confirms to Us Weekly. And we couldn’t be happier. Though Gaga has performed at the major football event before—she sang the national anthem earlier this year clad in a glittering red Gucci pantsuit—she’s never been the star of the show, and we all know that’s where she really shines, sparkly pantsuit or not.
Her anthem performance was “one of the highest honors of my career,” she told the NFL Network before the show. “I get a chance to sing for all the athletes—who have been working so hard their whole lives for this moment—the coaches, as well as the fans in the stands who are waiting for this moment. And I think it marks what being an American is all about, working hard and that being the ultimate payoff for the champion, is hard work.” She added that this was a lifelong dream: “I’ve always wanted to sing the National Anthem at a major sporting event, since I was a little girl.”
She’ll bring the weird and wonderful to halftime at NRG Stadium in Houston on February 5 next year, which will be the real reason to watch the 51st annual Super Bowl. But you won’t have to wait till next year for some fresh Gaga: Her new album, Joanne, debuts October 21—and the music video for her first single, “Perfect Illusion,” drops tomorrow during the “Scream Queens” premiere on FOX at 9pm EST. We can hear the roar of the little monsters from here.

domain: celebrity


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Brewster, Massachusetts 02631Brewster Wing Island brochure & map
See all hotspots at Brewster Wing Island
Wing Island is located at the northwest corner of Brewster. It is accessed via a trail leading behind the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History at 869 Main Street (MA-6A). Note that there is no public parking at the museum; please park a bit further west at Drummer Boy Park. The trail across the marsh floods at high tide, so check the tide chart at the kiosk behind the museum.
This is truly a microcosm of the Cape’s landscape. The tidal flats and creeks are home to a variety of fish, crabs, shellfish, worms, horseshoe crabs, and snails as well as many seaside plants, grasses, and trees. The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History also gives guided nature walks and programs on Wing Island.
The town-owned property extends from Paines Creek on the east to Quivett Creek on the west, and up to the uplands to the south. Please respect marked trails and do not disturb wildlife or plants while visiting. If you bring a dog, please keep it leashed and away from any marked bird nesting areas.
This property consists of 122.1 acres, including 11.9 acres of Cape Cod Bay beach, 32.5 acres of uplands, and 77.7 acres of tidal saltwater marshland. Wing’s Island is now under the direct management authority of the Town of Brewster Board of Selectmen. The Town of Brewster acquired the Wing’s Island property through a series of purchases from private owners. The total area of the acquired properties is 122.1 acres.
John Wing Trail (1.3 miles) passes through the coastal pitch pine woodlands, across a salt marsh, to Wing’s Island and finally descends through a salt marsh swale to the barrier beach and tidal pools of Cape Cod Bay.
The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike at Brewster Wing Island.
Wheelchair accessible trail
Content from Brewster Wing Island brochure
Last updated August 12, 2023

domain: travel


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Watch out Heston: Here comes molecular mixology
23:55 GMT, 7 November 2012
Applying scientific techniques to food preparation has been huge news since chef Heston Blumenthal started churning out bacon-and-egg ice cream with test tubes.
Bartenders are following suit with science-inspired drinks, in a style of bartending known as molecular mixology.
Amit Sood, head of training at Shaker BarSchool, says: ‘These cocktails use cutting-edge kitchen science to change a drink’s texture, aroma and taste.
Cocktail revolution: when science and alcohol come together, the result is molecular mixology
‘We use tools such as smoking guns, induction hobs, battery-powered milk whisks and cream siphons, along with gelling agents from seaweed.’
So, the next time you order a White Russian, you could face a cereal coated with coffee liquor and served with vodka milk.
Or how about an ice sphere with a fruity cocktail you smash to let the drink flow out, a pisco sour marshmallow with lime dust or a cosmopolitan topped with cranberry bubbles
Mixologist Tony Conigliaro serves a gelled Bloody Mary that looks like an oyster and is drunk in one gulp from a shell, at London’s Bar With No Name.
The Alchemist in Manchester does a passion fruit martini with meringue foam while London’s Purl has tiny mango and passionfruit balls in champagne.
Or do it yourself: The specialist online shop molecularmixology.co.uk sells a 44 beginners’ kit.

domain: food


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Stef is a radio and television host and serial entrepreneur. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Stef has lived and worked throughout the United States and has had successful careers in the radio, television, and fashion industries.
Stef has been an on-air personality and radio host in Los Angeles and Wisconsin; a tour manager for an action sports show sponsored by “Got Milk”; and a producer and on-camera host for AfterBuzz TV. In 2007, Stef founded Wet Cement Clothing, which grew into a multi-million dollar fashion line sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale’s, among other high-end retailers.
Since 2013, Stef has been the Executive Producer and Host of The Moose Hat, a webshow that travels around the world to discuss hot-button topics like politics, religion, and current events with diverse local populaces.
A recent convert to cryptocurrency and blockchain, Stef produced and directed the first season of The Crypto Cafe TV show. She is excited to join the conversation as an on-camera host for it’s sophomore season.
Stef received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she played Women’s Lacrosse.


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Massive Disneyland Attraction Database
The Many Adventures of Jessie the D'oh attraction, which recently celebrated its global anniversary
The Many Adventures of Jessie the D'oh
July 16, 1994
Avg. queue length:
Join D'oh and other talking creatures in a bizarre honey-bee monstrosity for a trip through the 100 Model Wood. You'll help D'oh enjoy torrential rain, meet leffalumps and zoozles, and end up at Ludwig Von Drake's birthday!
- If you are ready to go home, you may want to head over to DCA and get some alcohol instead.
- Attraction may be too frightening for very young tweens.
- No talking or drinks allowed.
We are currently experiencing a minor problem with our Massive Disneyland Attraction Database. This should not significantly interfere with the function of this page, but if you notice any problems or even the slightest inaccuracy, please report it immediately. Thank you for your prayers.

domain: entertainment


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WAYNE – Officials with the Wayne Public Library will be offering holiday fun this December.
As the Wayne Public Library finalizes their December schedule, they are planning to post a Facebook event for each activity they plan on hosting.
These include virtual programs such as baking holiday goodies, enjoying story time with Santa, program talk, books recommended by library staff, a mini story walk in front of the library, story time with Kim as well as mailing letters to Santa through the mailbox outside the library in partnership with Wayne Area Economic Development.
A virtual photo contest is being planned where four different photo prompts will be available with winners in three separate age ranges being 10 and under; 10-19 as well as 19 and over. A photo contest Facebook event will be posted on the Wayne Public Library Facebook page with more details.
To go packets will also be available at the Wayne Public Library for crafts, origami, coloring as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) activities.
Enjoy a treat with your checkout on December 24 as cocoa and snacks will be available. A scavenger hunt is also be planned to find the WPL koala bear hidden all over Wayne. For those who find the koalas they’ll receive a prize. A scavenger hunt event page will also be posted on social media with more information.
Also, ‘Fall into Winter’ with a youth reading challenge. Books must be checked out from the Wayne Public Library (being ebooks or audiobooks from an Overdrive/Libby App account) as the challenge began Wednesday, November 25. Drawings for the prizes will be January 5, 2021.
For each book completed that fits on of the descriptions, youth will get one entry for the prize of their choice. If reading INT or YA books, you may use each 75 pages for an entry but may not carry pages over. Keep track of your progress by using the Beanstack app or the library can add your progress on Beanstack for you. Visit cityofwayne.beanstack.org to get signed up today.
The Wayne Public Library is open Monday’s and Wednesday’s from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday’s, Thursday’s and Friday’s from 1 – 5:30 p.m.; Saturday’s from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and closed on Sunday’s for the time being.
Contact the library ahead of time to use one of their computers by appointment at 402-375-3135 or find them on social media. On Facebook at Wayne Public Library 1902; on Twitter and Instagram at Wayne NE Library or at Wayne NE Library Youth also on Instagram.

domain: library


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Once in a while I get these philosophical thoughts, often powered by things missing in my life or triggered by certain events. I guess I could share them with whoever seems to be listening at the time, save it for future generations or just keep in record for future reflection.
I often read books or play a video game and compare the adventure I have just ‘experienced’ with what I normally see in the real world. My conclusion is, life is boring. I walk around my house, the local town and read the news, sometimes wishing for a Zombie Virus Outbreak, just so SOMETHING would happen. Something that would change my current life and take away the grey of everyday routine. Whenever I read a book and fall in love with the female character in it, I try to imagine myself with her, but with no avail, as she is not real. And I am left in the shadows again, all on my own.
In the past I would write these stories, where I put myself in the shoes of a hero, in a plot where I was faced against huge odds and with little help. In those stories, I would defeat my opponent with some sort of special power or hidden ability that would only appear on the very last minute. But that no longer satisfies me, because it’s not real and will never happen. All I can do is eat my two pieces of toast every morning and grind my teeth in frustration while drinking a cup of bitter-sweet coffee.
I don’t need fame, I don’t need to be a super-hero and I don’t need huge riches. I don’t really care, as long as I can play a part in something important and perhaps save a couple of people on the way.
They say life is a grand adventure, I say its as much of an adventure as a telephone book.

domain: literature


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Photo – Ben Priddey scored the Reds’ opening try
It was certainly an excellent weekend for the mining division sides as both the Cherry and Whites and the Reds got wins on the road.
Let’s start with Camborne and their first ever win at Avonmouth Old Boys 29-23 in Tribute South West 1 West.
Despite trailing 10-0, Town hit back with a try from flanker Jamie Goldsworthy with Ben Stean adding the extras.
Trailing 13-7 at the break, Camborne got a great start to the second half as No.8 Dave Roberts claimed a pushover try.
Sam Matavesi, again in rampant form, and no doubt inspired by his trip to Twickenham the previous evening, set up a try for young winger Harvey Jones.
The bonus-point try arrived via lock Ben Kemp’s powerful charge with Stean again adding the extras.
Roberts bagged his second try, Camborne’s fifth, and despite a late rally by the home side Camborne held on for a good win.
In National League 2 South a third win for the Reds on the trot 23-22 at newly promoted Bury St. Edmunds sees Redruth second in the league, just behind Taunton.
Redruth suffered a late scare when the home side missed with a long-range penalty attempt at the death.
Despite missing a few key players, and being forced to replace three players during the opening 25 minutes, the young reds stepped up to the mark big time.
Murray Westren opened the scoring with a penalty before Bury hit them with two tries to lead 12-3.
Ashley Hosking kicked a penalty with Bury replying in kind just after half-time.
Ben Priddey then scored the Reds first try with Brett Rule adding a second try shortly after. Both scores were converted by Hosking for 20-15 lead.
Hosking then added a second penalty for an eight point lead.
Redruth defended stoutly, but Bury grabbed a converted try to set up a tense finale with the Reds holding on at the final whistle.
In contrast the Cornish All Blacks suffered a third loss, going down at Polson to leaders Taunton 38-12.
There was a host of familiar faces in the Taunton line up with Struminski, Webb, Kingdom, Chapman and Hales all having worn the black shirt.
Jon Dawe and Eddie McGinley scored tries for the All Blacks with Chris Swash kicking a conversion.
In Tribute Western Counties West, Truro won the Cornish derby against Wadebridge Camels 27-21 at St. Clements Hill.
Luke Tidball, ‘Eggy’ Williams and Tom Evans were among the try-scorers, Alan Armstrong kicking the rest of the points.
For the Camels, Matt Ballard, Mark Grubb and Jack Scott scored tries all converted by James Grubb.
St. Austell got back to winning ways defeating Cullompton 21-14 at Tregorrick.
Tries were scored for the Saints by Konnor Ewudzi (2) and Andy Inch, all converted by Andy Ashwin.
Disappointment for Penryn as Torquay Athletic picked up their first win of the season 41-22 at home.
Borough’s tries were scored by Strick, Jordan Rose and Adam Hughes with Strick kicking a penalty and two conversions.
Devonport Services remain top following their 27-21 win at Moorlands against Saltash. Will Morton and Jason Carroll scored tries for the Ashes with Max Venables kicking three penalties and a conversion for a losing bonus point.
Up in London 2 SW, London Cornish lost their opening league fixture at KCS Old Boys 27-21.
In the Tribute Cornwall and Devon League, Falmouth made it three wins from three with a tight 25-24 win against previously unbeaten Plymouth Argaum.
It was the boot of Justyn Irons that did the damage with six penalties and the conversion of Raphael Baragwanath’s try.
Bude won the Cornish derby at Hayle 26-15 to remain unbeaten. Pick of Bude’s tries was their second, a forty metre break by Kyle Speare. Other scores came via Black, Tout and Wilson with Dan Pearce converting three.
For Hayle, Tony Matthews and Ashley White scored tries.
St. Ives made it three wins with a 39-24 triumph at Honiton. Tom Chandler (2), Jess Tompsett, Ben Jenkins and Lewis Thomas scored tries for the Hakes, with Grant Thirlby’s boot kicking two penalties and four conversions.
Newquay Hornets lost at Tavistock 16-11. Ed Pearce scored a try and Ian Morgan slotted a couple of penalties.
Pirates Amateurs ran riot at Exeter Saracens winning 67-17! Tries were scored by Steve Evans (2), James Barrett (3), Matt Stevens (2), Rob Cutler and Jack Lonsdale (2). Lonsdale also added a penalty and seven conversions.
Bodmin are finding their second season at this level tough losing for the third time, 39-15 at Paignton.

domain: sports


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Whether you are planning a visit, growing your business or looking for your new hometown, we invite you to experience our story and our quality of life. Downtown Wytheville, we’re open for business.
Rose Cottage works closely with groups and individuals to connect with their creative spirit. We strive to promote art and creativity in the Wytheville and Wythe County communities by offering fine art and music lessons, camps and paint nights, as well as hosting a variety of visiting artisans for workshops. Check our Facebook page and website often for weekly classes, new event listings, summer camps and more!
Wytheville, VA 24382
Wytheville and Wythe County are all about fun and experiencing incredible attractions that you will only find here in our small but bountiful part of Southwest Virginia.
Due to its stellar location at I-81 and I-77, as well as some divine cuisine, Wytheville has long been known by travelers as THE place to stop and have some great food.

domain: hobby


Lower Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
To witness the “yellow” of these Yellowstone waterfalls, plan your excursion for the late afternoon when the sun bathes the canyon in color. Travelers have three options, hiking-wise: the brink of the Lower Falls (North Rim), Uncle Tom’s Trail (South Rim), and Artist Point (South Rim, wheelchair accessible). For a guided experience, try the Wildlife Expeditions of Teton Science Schools, which hosts a Wildlife and Waterfalls Tour of the park. Fun Fact: Painter Thomas Moran’s “The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” depicts the Lower Falls and was the first colored depiction of the area, and it was a factor in persuading Congress to designate Yellowstone as the country’s first National Park.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!Back to top


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On Tuesday, President Barack Obama described the destruction and loss of lives as “heartbreaking for the nation” and warned of further damage yet to come. “This storm is not yet over,” he added.
Sandy has been described as a hybrid “superstorm” created by an Arctic jet stream wrapping itself around a tropical storm.
The storm has killed at least 117 people since Wednesday, most of them in Haiti as it was charging through the Caribbean.
Deaths were reported in the US states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Maryland.
“This was a devastating storm, maybe the worst that we have ever experienced,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference.
The storm plunged more than 8.2 million people into darkness, more than three million of them in New York and New Jersey. It also forced the shutdown of public transit, schools, airlines, and financial markets in the East Coast’s largest cities.
In New Jersey, officials warned that residents should be prepared to live without electricity for more than a week.


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If you haven't considered working with Indiy, perhaps now's the time...
With the acceleration of technology, it's no surprise that independent musicians who are looking to further their music careers are on the rise!
We believe artists should have complete ownership of their content.
Becoming an independent music artist is a process where you make and distribute your own music independently without the help of traditional record labels or music publishers.
Working with Indiy can help you on your way to becoming a successful independent artist.
With the many online resources available nowadays to learn and perfect the recording and mixing process...
More and more people are able to enter the music business and create a music career as independent artists.
Working with Indiy is just one of these ways!
The music industry is vast!
And with the top 1% of artists earning 77% of recorded music income...
It can be intimidating if you're looking to enter and take on a music career alone.
Wondering if you could really be a top player in the music industry can make you ask yourself questions like...
These are questions that many have asked when first starting their music career, but the answer is not always the same.
You see, making music as a career is unique to every individual just as everyone has a different fingerprint.
While it's great to find inspiration from artists who have made it or are up and coming...
Developing a blueprint for success in the music business should be approached from an angle that's cohesive with your backstory.
There are a few principles that we believe anyone can apply to be able to make a living from their love of making music...
Yep, that's right!
Among the five ways to make your music career a real possibility...
The first is to get the guidance and feedback you need from a professional voice coach or music teacher.
Not only will this provide you with pointers on how to improve, but you also gain insight from someone with musical experience who can help you find or improve your sound based on your niche.
Taking music lessons whether in a group or one-on-one is an excellent way to network and meet other musicians getting their names out there.
We have music tutors working with Indiy, click here to check it out..
Alongside taking lessons, where you will be growing as a music artist...
To gain the most benefit and make your name known in the music world, you need to start networking more.
With music being more about "who you know," and less about "what you know," it's crucial to have your name out there.
Most music careers are made from the "who you know" rule.
Aside from collaborating on an EP and performing live shows with other musicians to network and gain more exposure, a less traditional option might be applying to work or intern for a music company.
Taking this step will give you the ability to learn more about the business side of the industry and connect with those who can help excel your music career.
Due to the music industry's massive growth over the years with new technologies and platforms constantly emerging, more opportunities are available than ever before.
Your chances of success are the highest they've ever been for you to create a successful music career.
Especially in the earlier stages; it's vital to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.
Did you know the average musician only earns 6% from sound recordings!?
Knowing this hard fact can make you realise that there's no way around the actuality that you have to work extremely hard and pay your dues.
If that means performing for elders at a care home facility, inmates at a prison, or even your local bar, accept the opportunity, and do your best to really put your music career first.
Gain that invaluable experience doing what you love whilst also getting your name and music shared by more people.
Eventually, you'll be able to pick and choose which gigs you want to accept but starting out, be humble, don't block yourself from the possibility of receiving more blessings by turning down offers.
In the early ’90s when The Fugees first started out and were trying to make it big in the music industry, they basically had to sit with and go through “7,000 A&R’s”Wyclef Jean - How to Make it in the Music Industry
.The cat is out of the bag, it's no secret that automation is replacing traditional jobs.
It's pretty scary to think that automation could eliminate 73 million jobs by 2030, but you know what robots and drones are going to have a hard time replacing?
Successful music artists with an established music career making great music.
Creativity is what separates us from computers - it's creativity that will allow careers in the music industry to really thrive.
On the other hand, technology is offering us new benefits as well.
Programs that can automatically scan your music for possible copyright infringements can reduce the costs of hiring someone to do that for you and this makes your music career a lot easier when it comes to piracy concerns.
Automatically syndicating your music on platforms that have audiences waiting to listen and hear something new, takes away months' worth of meetings, calls, writing, or sending emails into radio stations just to get your sound heard on their station.
Not only is the music industry here to stay, it is here to thrive which is why there's never been a better time to join the online music business and being your music career journey.
Last but certainly not least, what kills more music careers than ever is the inability to be versatile.
Independent DIY artists make up only 2.7% of the music market.
You have a sound that's unique, you have a name for yourself or your band and that's great but what you will also need to do is to keep in mind it's also about your audience.
Adjust to your fans and their tastes - cater to those who are more likely to listen to your music.
It might mean changing a few aspects here and there.
You can stay true to who you are whilst also recognizing that music is a business and in order to make money you have to provide what people want; it's about branding and being flexible.
Think of it like this...
A restaurant with only one item on the menu won't be as successful as one that takes custom orders and has a variety of different options right?
If a country bar intends to pay you to play country music over the weekend, even if your style is R&B don't turn down an opportunity to gain experience and be versatile.
Throughout your career, every experience is going to add to your resume of success and provide you with an even more unique story.
Just to remind you we're gonna say it again..not every path will be the same.
Some people might find overnight success, while it may take others decades.
One thing, however, is always clear...
Everyone who successfully creates a career in music does so through a sustained level of consistency and dedication.
Furthermore, those who truly manage to remain successful are the ones who have maintained their love for making music.
So no matter which path you choose, stay persistent and keep doing it for the right reasons.
And we'll be here to provide you with the right tools to help and support you all the way.
Here at Indiy, we are an online marketplace for musicians, the place to buy and sell your music services.
You can find and securely hire the right professionals to help progress your music career journey. Start working with Indiy.
Get your music heard and build your audience with us, head to our home page to take a look at some of the amazing services being offered by the team to help you progress on your music career journey.
Indiy exists to help people create great music!
Did you know 40 thousand songs are uploaded to Spotify every day!
We want to hear about what you do, what makes you special and share it with the world!
Submit to be interviewed for Indiy Spotlight, its 100% FREE Just click here for your music interview
Search all articles
Andrea graduated from Roehampton University and The BRIT School, whose globally recognized alumni include Adele, Katy B, Ella Eyre, FKA Twigs, Jessie J, Leona Lewis, Katie Melua, Kate Nash and the Rizzle Kicks. She takes her love of the arts and entertainment industry to provide useful information to upcoming musicians, helping them navigate the industry and avoid making costly mistakes. She actively mentors our current contributors. Andrea has qualifications in Content Marketing and also manages our collaborative playlists for independent artists


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DEAR ANNIE: My husband and I are trying to figure out how to emotionally support our adult daughter, who is 40-years-old. She is going through a very emotional period in her life.
She has been married for about a year, has “major issues” with her spouse and is not certain she can “stay in the relationship.” But from our conversations with her and what we’ve observed, the issues she describes seem to be all “her.” For example, she expects her spouse to give his undivided attention to her all day on his day off from work. She is not even willing to allow chores such as mowing the lawn or doing the laundry to interfere. She doesn’t want him to be reading, talking on the phone or checking emails — just paying full attention to her. Her sister is extremely concerned about her as well.
Her behavior is wacky, and she is highly offended that we are not “supporting” her when she obsessively describes arguments with her spouse. We are all concerned about mental health issues but are at a loss.
We’ve encouraged her to seek therapy, which she has started, but she is already looking for a different therapist. Her sister is going to ask her own therapist for advice on how to be more supportive. We’ll do the same.
But we can’t bring ourselves to agree with her that the spousal behaviors are abusive, because they simply are not. This opinion is based on what we’ve observed firsthand; not by what she says about what happens. We can say, “we are so sorry you are unhappy,” but this is not the affirmation she is seeking from us. This family dynamic is new to us and is stressing us all out. Any advice? — Stressed Out Family
DEAR STRESSED OUT FAMILY: It does sound like your daughter could be suffering from a mental illness, or maybe just extreme insecurity or narcissism. Regardless of the diagnosis, which hopefully her new therapist will be able to make, you are also suffering. The best thing to do is to consult a professional yourself about how best to support your daughter during this difficult time of her life — and yours.
DEAR ANNIE: You recently published a letter from a person whose father had died, and whose sister refused to tell her 6-year-old child about the loss. There is a resource that would be useful to the sister: ChildrensRoom.org. — Sympathetic in Boston
DEAR SYMPATHETIC IN BOSTON: Thank you for your suggestion. I hope this brings her more comfort.
DEAR ANNIE: I was in a similar situation as “Grieving Grandmother” but just the opposite. My grandmother and parents did not like my choice of spouse, so we were uninvited to family gatherings. At first, I was hurt, and then I thought, “who cares?” So for the last 30 years, my holiday gatherings on Thanksgiving and Christmas have been filled with my “new” family. Seniors whose children don’t have time for them. Young people whose parents cut them off because they are LGBTQ or different. Widows and widowers, and other various “forgotten ” people. They are not forgotten in my house. For the last 30 years, my life and home have been filled with joy, laughter and happiness. My advice to that grandmother is to write those so-called daughters-in-law off and surround herself with others that will love her and want to spend holidays with a woman who loves and wants to host them. She won’t regret it. — Grandfather to Those Without
DEAR GRANDFATHER TO THOSE WITHOUT: Surrounding yourself with supportive and loving people is always important, and will make you feel more supported and nourished.
Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

domain: psychology


The Sandston area, just outside of Richmond, Virginia, is at the crossroads of major north/south data transmission lines, and transoceanic data transmission lines. As a result, a number of large data centers are in the area or being planned & constructed.
As part of the construction of a new, multi-billion dollar data center, a utility contractor bored two, 48″ steel casings under a roadway & adjacent wet utilities for a road crossing. Each of the casings had up to 20 different PVC conduits held in place using casing spacers. The contractor needed a grout that could be placed at minimal pressure while ensuring complete fill without damaging the conduits.
CJGeo mobilized a cellular grouting crew to the site and grouted both pipes in a single day. The peak grouting pressure was 5psi, and confirmation of fill was achieved when uniform cellular concrete was vented from the 12 o’clock position on the opposite end of each bore. 38PCF cellular concrete was used to achieve the design strength of 200psi at 28 days.


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School bus flips in Krabi, injuring 13
PHUKET: A school bus carrying students home from a field trip flipped in Krabi yesterday, injuring 12 students and the driver, but causing no deaths.
The busload of 49 students, all 13-year-old children, and their teachers had visited the popular Emerald Pool in Krabi and were heading home in a convoy of eight buses when the accident occurred.
The group were returning to their homes in Cha-uat District in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, renowned in national news this past week as the epicenter of violent rubber protest riots (story here).
Driver Veera Loyvanich, 62, lost control on a sharp curve and was left pinned behind the wheel after the accident, said Lt Col Pratuang Wongdech of the Khlong Thom Police.
“It took Prachasantisuk Rescue workers two hours to cut him free,” Col Pratuang said.
“Mr Veera was first sent to Khlong Thom Hospital then transferred to Krabi Hospital, in Krabi Town, for better medical treatment,” he said.
The injured children received first aid at Khlong Thom Hospital and have all been released, Col Pratuang said.
— Kritsada Mueanhawong
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Health care workers causing large nosocomial outbreaks: a systematic review
BMC Infectious Diseases volume 13, Article number: 98 (2013)
Staff in the hospital itself may be the source of a nosocomial outbreak (NO). But the role of undetected carriers as an outbreak source is yet unknown.
A systematic review was conducted to evaluate outbreaks caused by health care workers (HCW). The Worldwide Outbreak Database and PubMed served as primary sources of data. Articles in English, German or French were included. Other reviews were excluded. There were no restrictions with respect to the date of publication.
Data on setting, pathogens, route of transmission, and characteristics of the HCW was retrieved. Data from large outbreaks were compared to smaller outbreaks.
152 outbreaks were included, mainly from surgery, neonatology, and gynecology departments. Most frequent corresponding infections were surgical site infections, infection by hepatitis B virus, and septicemia. Hepatitis B virus (27 NO), S. aureus (49 NO) and S. pyogenes (19 NO) were the predominant pathogens involved. 59 outbreaks (41.5%) derived from physicians and 56 outbreaks (39.4%) derived from nurses. Transmission mainly occurred via direct contact. Surgical and pediatric departments were significantly associated with smaller outbreaks, and gynecology with larger outbreaks. Awareness of carrier status significantly decreased the risk of causing large outbreaks.
As NO caused by HCW represent a rare event, screening of personnel should not be performed regularly. However, if certain species of microorganisms are involved, the possibility of a carrier should be taken into account.
Healthcare associated infections (HCAI) are infections that are acquired as a result of healthcare interventions. Most HCAI occur sporadically only. However, epidemics of HCAI may also take place and are than called a nosocomial outbreak (NO). NO always represent extremely frightening incidents, but may still affect any medical department at any time in principle. Once a NO has been recognized as such, an outbreak investigation is usually initiated in order to discover its source. Doing so, the outbreak’s source may get traced to a particular single health care worker (HCW) in some of the cases. If now a HCW, in fact, happens to be the most likely or proven cause of pathogen spread to patients and nosocomial infections, all of a sudden several uncertainties and questions arise, for example: Was the HCW aware of his/her carrier status? Were occupational physicians of the hospital wrong at evaluating the risk of transmission from a colonized or infected HCW? Are there obvious breaches in infection control measures? Are there specific risk factors that may have contributed to an extraordinary high transmission rate?
There are several reports of NO that started from a HCW. However, every report by itself is very much influenced by the local situation. Thus, one can hardly generalize the experiences from a single NO description. Only a systematic evaluation of a large number of outbreak reports will provide a less biased assessment of data.
This article presents findings of a systematic analysis of all kinds of published NO that were caused by HCW. By this, we will provide HCW characteristics and factors that may dramatically facilitate pathogen spread.
We conducted a systematic review of the medical literature. Search of the literature was performed on June 23rd 2010. In order to find appropriate descriptions of NO we first of all made a data request for outbreaks whose source was “personnel” in the Outbreak Database (http://www.outbreak-database.com). This is an internet-based, worldwide database for NO continuously updated by the Institute for Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité – University Medicine Berlin (Germany) currently containing over 2,900 outbreaks . In a second step we supplemented our data by a PubMed search on September 3rd 2010, consisting of the following search terms [(“nosocomial”) AND (“outbreak” OR “epidemic”) AND (“personnel” OR “staff” OR “health care worker”)]. Finally, we looked through the references of the articles which had been included by then to complete the search.
Exclusion and inclusion criteria
Besides staff in the hospital being the outbreak’s source, inclusion criteria were as follows: articles written in English, German or French language. Reviews were excluded to avoid bias. There were no restrictions with respect to the date of publication.
(a) We extracted data on the setting (time, country, medical department), patients (type of infections, causative agent, number of fatal cases), (b) characteristics about the staff that caused the outbreak (kind of profession, infection among themselves vs. colonization only, route of transmission, awareness of their own positive carriage status of pathogen, compliance to hand hygiene, length of work experience), and (c) the infection control measures implemented to terminate the outbreak (screening of patients and/or staff, disinfection and sterilization procedures, isolation of patients, application of antimicrobial substances, education of personnel, use of protective clothing, improvement in hand hygiene, closure of ward, sampling of medical devices and/or the environment, changes in patient-staff ratio, use of vaccinations, no implementing of any infection control measures at all). Data was primarily extracted by one author (L.D.) and than independently cross-checked by another author (R.P.V.). A third author (P.G.) got involved in the case of disagreement between the other two authors.
NO were defined as large outbreaks (LO), when the number of affected patients was equal or greater than the median number of patients in all NO.
In the descriptive statistic, rates were calculated for LO stratified by the following risk factors: Type of department, age groups (neonates, infants, children, adolescents, adults, seniors), type of ward (intensive care, peripheral ward, outpatients clinic, operating theatre), outbreak happening before or after 1989 (to identify the trend of the past years and as this was the time when vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) was already recommended in several countries, e. g. the USA [2, 3]), causative agent, specific characteristics of the source, and infection control measures. For univariate analysis (contingency tables), the Fisher exact test was used, with a significance level of 0.05. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with stepwise variable selection to detect LO with the parameters mentioned above. We set p ≤ 0.05 for entering a parameter into the model. We used the commercial statistical package Statistical Analysis System (SAS, Version 9.2, the SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA) for the analysis. Significance level was set at 0.05.
At the time point of retrieval the Outbreak Database comprised 222 articles in which HCW were filed as the outbreak’s source. 116 descriptions thereof met the inclusion criteria. Outbreaks in facilities other than hospitals (e.g., nursing homes) got excluded, as did NO with a HCW being suspected only (but not proven) the true source. Altogether 5% of all outbreaks published in the Outbreak Database were included. The PubMed search (609 hits) finally came up with 5 more NO reports. 31 additional reports were found via the search of reference lists. Thus, this systematic review is based on overall 152 NO descriptions caused by HCWs (Figure 1). The complete list of articles can be retrieved as an Additional file 1. It consists of 140 articles (9 authors described 2 NO and another author described 4 different NO within one single article).
The 152 NO took place in 26 countries, mainly in the US (67 NO), the UK (29 NO), and France (8 NO). The time frame of occurrence was 1958 through 2006. NO lasted between 1 and 287 weeks (mean: 28.4; median: 10.5). 9 NO showed a polyphasic progress with more than one peak in the epidemic curve.
Overall, 1,449 patients (thereof at least 51 fatal cases) were affected ranging from 1 to 75 patients per NO (mean: 9.5; median: 7.0). Thus, a number of patients ≥ 7 divided 76 large outbreaks (LO) from 76 other smaller NO.
Medical departments and type of ward
As shown in Table 1, departments of surgery (76 NO), neonatology (41 NO), gynecology (20 NO), pediatrics (9 NO), and internal medicine (2 NO) were most often affected by NO derived from HCW. LO were less often noticed in surgical departments (42.1%) compared to other types of medical departments (59.1%). The same applies to pediatric departments where the proportion of LO was 11.1% only vs. 53.2% in other medical fields. In 2 NO no specific medical department was mentioned.
Transmission of most NO occurred in operating theatres (63 NO) and on peripheral wards (59 NO). The risk of LO via operating theatres was slightly decreased (41.3% vs. 57.5%; p = 0.068) but failed to reach statistical significance.
Besides several cases of colonization, there were also at least 960 documented cases of nosocomial infections among the 1,449 patients. The most frequent nosocomial infections were surgical site infections (SSI; 256), HBV infections (212), septicemia (67), gastroenteritis (42), hepatitis C virus infections (HCV) (21), urinary tract infections (20), and meningitis (13).
Transmission of bacteria occurred in 108 of the 152 NO. Viral spread (34 NO) and fungi (10 NO) were less often the causative agents. Table 1 shows a detailed distribution of the most frequently detected microorganisms in NO caused by HCW which were S. aureus (49 NO), HBV (27 NO), and Group A streptococci (19 NO). Regardless of the number of patients (LO vs. other NO), spread of the pathogen via direct contact was the main route of transmission, followed by droplets and airborne transmission. Although the source was known (HCW), the specific way of transmission still remained unknown in 8.6% of all NO.
Characteristics of index personnel
Despite their rather low proportion among hospital staff, physicians were the group of professionals who caused most outbreaks (59 NO [41.5%], thereof 30 NO caused by surgeons) compared to 56 NO (39.4%) caused by nurses (Figure 2). Other professions frequently involved were technical staff (9 NO), kitchen staff (5 NO), and midwives (5 NO).
A total of 73 of the spreading HCWs were colonized only and 70 others were themselves infected by the pathogen (as described in the outbreak reports) before spread to their patients took place (Table 1). If the index HCW was colonized only (but not infected) large outbreaks were more common (58.9%) compared to outbreaks where the index person also showed signs and symptoms of infection (43.0%). Especially HCW suffering from blood-borne infections were less likely to become a super spreader (33.3% vs. 54.4%; Table 1).
Data on work experience was available for few outbreak events only. However, a subgroup analysis of HCW, stratified by the time of employment, revealed that work experience of a HCW was neither a predicting nor a protecting factor for being a super spreader later on. In 18 NO (50.0%) the HCW had worked for less than 5 years compared to 15 NO (41.7%) in which the index HCW had work experience for at least 10 years.
Precise information about the spreading HCW with respect to hand hygiene (HH) was also scarce. Only 37 authors provided information on the previous HH compliance of the spreading HCW, thereof HH compliance was considered “adequate” in 21 of 37 NO (56.8%) but “insufficient” in 16 NO (43.2%).
Of the 152 spreading HCW only 14 declared that they had previously been aware of their positive pathogen carrier status; 10 of these 14 HCW were affected by some kind of viral hepatitis. However, the HCW’s awareness of harboring the pathogen significantly lowered the risk of subsequently causing large outbreaks (21.4% vs. 52.5%; p = 0.045).
Infection control measures
In order to provide a complete overview on outbreaks caused by HCW, corresponding measures were also recorded in this systematic review. Screening for pathogen carriage were the measures carried out most frequently as seen in Figure 3. Furthermore, there were several infection control measures that were more often performed in larger outbreaks such as changes in disinfection and/or sterilization processes (52 vs. 19 NO), enforcement of hand hygiene compliance (42 vs. 28 NO), environmental sampling (45 vs. 19 NO), and closure of an entire ward/unit (17 vs. 5 NO).
Multiple logistic regression analysis
In order to identify independent factors that increase the risk of a LO, a multiple logistic regression analysis was performed as described above. The remaining characteristics after stepwise variable selection are shown in Table 2.
HCW in gynecological departments caused significantly more often large outbreaks with an odds ratio (OR) = 6.89, in contrast to surgical departments (OR = 0.42) and pediatrics (OR = 0.05) where large outbreaks were much less common. In addition, awareness of the HCW which is carrier of an infectious agent significantly reduced the risk (by 89%) of causing a LO. In the last 20 years there was some tendency towards smaller outbreaks.
NO in surgery
Most of all included NO caused by staff happened in surgical departments (76 of 150 NO), but the univariate and the multiple regression analysis specified these outbreaks to be significantly smaller than the other NO. Surgeons may extraordinary strong focus on nosocomial infections, because those represent the most frequent complication in their medical field. Thus, spreaders may be detected earlier which then will lead to smaller NO. The operating theatre was the location of transmission in 80% (61 of 76 NO) of all NO in surgery. An explanation may be that there is a very short distance between head and hands of the surgeon and the patient, who is rather vulnerable during invasive procedures. 142 of 411 infections transmitted during operations (130 HBV, 10 HCV and 2 HIV) were blood borne. Surgeons often suffer from small undetected excoriations or injuries caused by sharp bone fragments, needles and other instruments. Transmission may occur through minimal lesions in gloves . Harpaz et al.  described an NO where a surgeon infected 19 patients with HBV, but the exact route of transmission remained unclear. He had performed an adequate operating technique and no obvious breaches in hygiene could be discovered. Other common agents were gram positive bacteria like Streptococcus Group A (121 infections) or S. aureus (101 infections). These agents caused mostly SSI (87.8%; 195 of 222 infections).
NO in gynecology
NO in gynecology are not only very common (20 NO; thereof 11 NO in obstetrics), they are also significantly larger (OR = 6.89) than NO in other medical departments (Table 2). In 7 NO a gynecologist transmitted HBV to a patient during an operation. And in the remaining 2 NO kitchen workers contaminated food with enteritic Salmonella and infected patients in the whole hospital. In obstetrics the most common agent was S. aureus (5 of 11 NO), which was being transmitted to neonates and parturient. There were also other agents transmitted via contact (Streptococcus group A in 4 NO and S. marcescens in 1 NO). During a delivery the women giving birth have close and prolonged contact with e.g. midwifes (4 NO), which facilitates to transmit agents via contact. Dave et al.  reported 2 NO where midwifes transmitted S. aureus to 12 and 10 parturients and caused staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS). The latest NO in obstetrics was an NO in France described by Occelli et al.  where an auxiliary nurse was nasal colonized with S. aureus and caused bullous impetigo in 7 neonates and colonization in 3 further neonates. Perhaps the tendency to early discharging of patients after birth may contribute to the problem of large NO in gynecology, because infections may occur only after discharge and therefore NO maybe detected later.
The only significant detail we know about the spreading HCW is that those HCW who were aware of their positive carrier status caused smaller outbreaks than the median (Tables 1 and 2). There were 14 HCW that caused NO, although they knew of their infectivity, 12 physicians, 1 nurse and 1 acupuncturist. Thereof 10 employees who had a viral hepatitis (9 HBV, 1 HCV).
Being a carrier and knowing so may improve compliance to general infection control measures and by this lower the risk of pathogen spread. This result also suggests the presumption that HCW pay more attention to a possible NO, if they know of their risk to infect their patients. They detect NO earlier and therefore can terminate it earlier with less affected patients.
There is also the possibility that HCW denied awareness of their carrier status, because they could fear of job-related and judicial consequences, but a viral hepatitis is an infection that is probably more difficult to deny. In addition, viral hepatitis represents an infection, which is not easily transmitted and so NO may have been smaller. There is a tendency of blood borne infections to smaller NO, which is with a p = 0.57 nearly significant (Table 1).
HCW that were only colonized and not infected caused rather large NO (58.9%) than others (43.0%) (p = 0.54) (Table 1). Only 1.4% of the colonized HCW were aware of their carrier status, compared to 17.1% of infected HCW. HCW with more than 5 years of work experience caused LO just as often as HCW with 5 or less years of work experience did (Table 1). Experience of HCW does not necessarily provide significant more safety in patient care. In fact, there is a tendency of becoming less thorough in the compliance to recommendations .
Figure 2 shows that physicians caused most NO in absolute numbers (59 of 144 NO). Compared to the rather small proportion of physicians at all hospital staff, one may wonder why this group of HCW has likely been involved in NO. One explanation may be, that physicians have often and intensive contact, for example during invasive procedures, where the patient is rather vulnerable. Nearly all NO caused by physicians (72.9%; 43 of 59 NO) were transmitted in the operating theatre. NO caused by physicians may also get publicized more frequently than NO due to other HCW. Finally we cannot exclude the possibility of inadequate HH by physicians .
The most important limitation distorting these results is the publication bias. Presumably NO will have been detected more often than they get published. Supposedly those NO, that have been published have more often been of certain interest or came up with significant results.
Furthermore we could only include those outbreaks where the route of transmission could clearly be found out. Therefore easily transmittable agents like Norovirus and others are surely underrepresented. Many hospitals may have restrained from publishing their NO because of fear of bad reputation.
Another limitation is incomplete information in articles. For example we cannot provide data on the extent of cooperation between ward staff and infection control personnel, microbiologists, occupational health physicians or public health colleagues, but its quality often has a significant impact on both the prevention and the management of NO. There is also a lack of data on most socio-economic factors and/or underlying diseases of the patients that may predispose for a nosocomial infection. Especially information concerning the spreading HCW (e.g., on his HBV vaccination status) was scarce and complicated this analysis. The limit of 7 patients (= median) for LO is rather high, but reflects that chances of publication outrange chances of outbreak detection.
Practical consequences. Screening of personnel should not be performed regularly, as less than 10% of NO are caused by HCW. However, if certain species of microorganisms (e.g. S. aureus, HBV, S. pyogenes) are involved, the possibility of a carrier should be taken into account.
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The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/13/98/prepub
The authors would like to thank the Deutsche Forschergemeinschaft (DFG) for sponsorship of the Open Access Publication process.
The authors herewith declare that there are no competing interests.
LD was responsible for collecting and interpreting of the data on the nosocomial outbreaks. PG has made substantial contributions to conception and design and revised the manuscript critically. FS performed statistical analyses. RPV cross-checked data extraction, participated in the conception an design of the study and primarily drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Danzmann, L., Gastmeier, P., Schwab, F. et al. Health care workers causing large nosocomial outbreaks: a systematic review. BMC Infect Dis 13, 98 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-13-98
- Nosocomial outbreak
- Health care workers
- Health care associated infection