England's Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood and Americans Brooks Koepka and Brian Harman will take a one-stroke lead into the third round of the US Open at Erin Hills, writes Brian Keogh.
Casey set the target at seven-under-par when he recovered from a triple bogey eight at his fifth hole by making five successive birdies to add a 71 to his opening 66.
Harman, Fleetwood and Koepka all shot 70’s in the afternoon to join Casey at the top, one ahead of Jamie Lovemark (69), JB Holmes (69) and overnight leader Rickie Fowler, who followed his opening 65 with a 73.
American amateur Cameron Champ, qualifier Xander Schauffele and Brandt Snedeker, Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who shot a best of the day 65, are two off the pace in a share of eighth on five under.
But for the first time since the inception of the Official World Golf Ranking in 1986, the world’s top three players missed the cut — which fell at one-over par — for the first time in a major.
World No 1 Dustin Johnson looked set to make it when he got back to level par for the championship with six holes to go.
But the defending champion bogeyed the 13th, 14th and 17th to add a 73 to his 75 and miss out by three shots alongside Paul Dunne (73) on four-over-par.
Rory McIlroy missed by four shots despite improving on his first round 78 with a 71, finishing tied for 102nd with Graeme McDowell (73) on five-over par as Jason Day finished well down on 10 over after a 75.
Shane Lowry made it on the mark after a 74 but is now eight shots off the lead and tied for 55th.
Dunne was disappointed to miss the cut on the professional debut in a major after a 73 that featured four birdies and five bogeys.
“The start kind of killed me,” Dunne said of bogeys at his first two holes.
"I hit great shots on 10 and 11. One of them came up short; the other airmailed the green. I don't really know how they went short and long and so I started with two bogeys.
"I hit every shot straight down the fairway, straight down the flag and from there I was kind of chasing it.
"I played okay but every step forward I took a step back. I couldn't get anything going. I had a few just go in the fescue and had to chip out. I didn't play great, but I played better than one over. But that's the way it is."
Asked what he learned from his first US Open, the Greystones man could think of little positive and will now regroup and hope to qualify for The Open by winning one of the spots on offer at Royal Birkdale for the top three non-exempt players finishing in the top ten at the French, Irish and Scottish Opens.
"It is hard to tell now just walking off the course. Another golf tournament and a missed cut," Dunne said. "Probably not a huge amount to be honest.
"I may look back on my preparation and see how that went. I just didn't play well. I didn't really have any parts of my game where I needed them all week. Maybe just play better when I get here.
"I think your touch is more important because greens are quicker. So a chip that would normally stop three feet away is going to roll out to six feet and the same with lag putting.
"I would say your touch would have to be sharper and there is more of a penalty for driving the ball (badly) but that's the way it should be.
"My short game wasn't as sharp as it normally is, for whatever reason I am not sure. My ball striking was very hit and miss so I probably deserved to miss the cut."
McDowell is also chasing one of those spots in The Open and will now take 10 days off to prepare for a long run in Europe.
"I played much better today for sure," McDowell said. "I don't know what happened yesterday.
"A, I wasn't ready for the speed of the greens and B, I don't think I was ready for the type of scoring that we saw.
"Going into this week the golf course was a little bit of an unknown quantity, and I certainly wasn't expecting a plus one cut here.
"I think scoring has been incredibly strong and that speaks to wide fairways, receptive greens.
"But I still think this golf course was tricky. If you weren't 100 percent on your A game, it found you out quite quickly.
"I got off to a slow start yesterday and just mentally never recovered. Today I just made nothing on the greens. Disappointing but it just wasn't there the last two days. We'll regroup and get ready for a nice run in Europe."
While he has falled to 89th in the world, McDowell's missed cut at Erin Hills was just his second failure in 14 starts this year.
"It's tough to miss the cut by four and stand here and tell you I am close, but listen, I saw a lot of good things this week," he said.
"Generally, I like the way my game is moving and trending. This was not a good set up for me, and I just don't think I was prepared to play the kind of golf that was needed to be on the leaderboard this week.
"It's disappointing but there is a long summer of golf ahead, and the great thing about this game is that there's always another chance next week."
Confident he can qualify for The Open, he revealed that he will not enter Local Final Qualifying if he fails to win his place at Royal Birkdale via the French, Irish or Scottish Opens.
"This run of France, Ireland and Scotland is a big pivotal part of my year for me," he said. "I need to get myself in the Open Championship and B, I need some world ranking points for the rest of the year.
"It is a good stretch coming up for me, and I will get back and spend nine days with the family and then jump on a plane next Sunday and potential be gone for five or six weeks. I am looking forward to the summer.
"I will not go to the local qualifier where your chances of getting through are not quite like winning the lottery numbers but it's three or four spots from 100 guys, and that's not the kind of odds I am looking for.
"I'd rather get back to Florida and have five or six days with the family before playing the RBC Canadian Open the week after.
"I believe I can make The Open, very much so. I think I am playing well. I am going to a course in France which I love. And then the Irish Open, I grew up in the area and have played Portstewart many times.
"The Scottish has been good to me in the past as well. So no panic. We will regroup the next ten days and get ready for the French Open."


text:
Vern Graner Presents
The KIM-1 Enthusiasts Page
|Home  | About Us  | Photo Gallery  | Documentation  | Programs  | User Areas  | Links|
Some information about the people who make this site go!
The Site Owner and recent KIM-1 enthusiast, Vern is commited to doing fun stuff with KIM-1 computers and finding others interested in vintage computers, electronics, robotics and gadgets!

domain: hobby


Commercial Water Filter Provider in Dubai
Himalayan Waters is a top commercial water filter provider in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the first water purifier company that introduced copper filter technology in UAE. This technology is good for a healthier life and moreover contains qualities that boost the body’s immunity. They deal in both residential as well as commercial water filter in Dubai.
The residential water filter systems can be easily installed under a sink or small space and are small-sized. Furthermore, commercial water filter systems are a little different depending on whether their use lies in the kitchen or on some kind of special equipment.
Commercial water filter systems form a very important part of the industrial process, with their various uses in the industry. These filters subsequently help in improving the efficiency of Industrial operations. Industries use commercial water filters for multiple uses comprising institutional, municipal, as well as industrial uses.
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The commercial water filtration system removes deposits and sediments like unwanted substances, chemicals, metals, minerals, particles, as well as other impurities from water. Commercial water filter systems function with the help of microscopic filters that go beside the water. Since commercial water treatment technologies are of great importance to industries, they have been thoroughly advanced technologically by professionals.
All industries require purified as well as decontaminated water which is why a great amount of time and resources go into evolving the best water filter techniques. Moreover, the development in the engineering and design of water filters is a constant procedure. There exists long-term usability for such systems, particularly in commercial uses.
As most water sources are contaminated and have impurities as well as various additional unsafe constituents that can significantly disturb human health, it is imperative to use the accurate filtration technique that offers an appropriate solution to these issues.
The chemicals, metals, and other dissolved impurities that continue to creep around in the water and that continue changing as conditions change require a permanent remedy. Commercial water filter systems are therefore the kind of solution that will assist to outline the future of the industry by enhancing the efficiency and flow of the industrial processes.
Commercial Water Filter Supplier in Dubai
Himalayan Waters is the leading commercial water filter supplier in Dubai. Their commercial water filters include:
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We are the best commercial water filter provider in Dubai. All the above-mentioned products are available in multiple variants and you can choose and further purchase the one that fulfills the requirements of your business.


text:
Evening all! This is the website of screenwriter, dialogue "flirting" consultant, playwright, poet, script reader, singer, lecturer, producer, composer and massive show off, Sandy Nicholson.
I’m the head writer and producer at Box Room Films, I’ve been working as a television writer and dialogue consultant for five years, including working as head writer on Cabu Cabu, a remake of the HBO show In Treatment, and I was nominated for the 2013 Peter Ustinov Prize by the International Emmy Awards Foundation.
I also run the London based script feedback group Kites and Violence for any writers looking to get honest, thorough feedback on their work. It's a great place to get your work read by actors, get feedback and meet other writers and directors.
If you're interested in any of the services I offer, any of my projects, Box Room Films or Kites and Violence, all that info is around this site, or you can get in touch via email or on twitter if you want to say hi.

domain: artistic


text:
La Victoria is a small place that looks like it was once a drive-in burger joint. However when you get inside it’s light and airy with a number of stools at a counter and a half dozen large bare wood tables. Many windows let in lots of natural light, which matters as they are only open for breakfast and lunch. Service is friendly and helpful. For example, when I was there for lunch the waitress suggested we order the half size rather than the whole one because it’d be too much, and she was right. Food is not your standard Tex-Mex and chips are not automatically on the table, but they are on the menu if you want some. The spiciness of the sauce varies but they also have an un-spicy variety that is available upon request. There is a quality to their food that I find appealing, it’s simple but honest and the owner is often in the kitchen cooking when she’s not out on a catering job.
For breakfast the Migas (chilaquiles) with tortilla strips, eggs, pico de gallo, topped with salsa, cheese and beef strips is my favorite. It really ramps it up to add a good splash of their hot sauce too. The beef strips give it a savoriness and good chew to the dish. All the ingredients are tossed together for a good combination of flavors and textures.
They also serve large cups of hot, fairly strong coffee.
At lunch, as stated earlier, there are no chips served but Torta Cubana which comes in half and full size, has chips to accompany the half order. The sandwich is on grilled Telera bread with grilled chicken, roasted turkey, baked ham, lettuce, pico de gallo, jalapeños, beans, cheese, avocado and a light mayo. The half order is plenty as the sandwich is packed with ingredients. It is a tasty mixture of things on fresh, lightly toasted bun. It was quite good.
Even better was the Zincro, which is a quesadilla stuffed with cheese, choice of meat and topped with lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and avocado. It also comes in a full and half size portion. Again half size is plenty. I preferred the way the melted cheese in the tortilla blended with all the other ingredients. The sour cream and avocado almost make a sauce for the quesadilla part.
The waitress came out while eating and said they’d just finished making tamales and did we want to add one. Of course we did. It was stuffed with tender shredded meat but the masa outer part was the star here. I didn’t care so much for the filling as I did the tender corn coating.
One dessert is on the menu, a chocolate chunk cookie, offered with or without Texas pecans. The pecans rise to the top of the good sized cookie and get nicely browned which really brings out their taste. The chocolate is in chunks rather than the bag chip variety. They are all individually wrapped which keeps them fresh with a nice crisp edge and slightly chewy center.
One thought on “La Victoria, Dallas, 11/2017 and 1/30/18”
I love Tamales!!!! those look divine….and did you say pecans! I’m with Frankie…..I’d have my nose right in it! lol

domain: food


Last updated on 24 May 2006 at 13:42:19 UTC
|This section covers a relatively new sector of the Australian television industry - community
television broadcasting. While community radio stations in Australia have
been in operation for many years, it wasn't until 1991 that the Federal Government allocated
UHF channel 31 for community television broadcasts in metropolitan areas.
Community broadcasting groups and consortia
were formed, representing a variety of interests such as ethnic groups and academic institutions, and
in 1994, temporary community broadcasting licences were granted to
Community Television Sydney
Melbourne Community Television Consortium.
Other groups soon followed, such as
Bendigo 41 (no longer operating).In 2004, after the production and screening of many hours of locally-produced programming by and for
the community, the Australian Broadcasting Authority granted permanent broadcasting licences to
various community broadcasters (some incumbent, some new).Community television has also made inroads into pay television since its introduction in 1995.
Cable providers such as Optus have screened Localvision (no longer operating) and other
providers such as TransACT in Canberra and Neighbourhood Cable also provide community access
services and Aurora Community Television now screens on Foxtel. Free-to-air satellite
services such as Bushvision and Australian Multicultural Television
are due to commence broadcasting in the near future (while Satellite Community Television has


text:
Membership has its privileges! Sign up or sign in to gain full access to both All About Jazz and Jazz Near You. Learn more.
Label: Generate Records
1.Getaway Car 2.Dancing With A Wombat 3.Hoosick Falls 4.Gray Patterson 5.Tug Boat 6.Shrill Clinker 7.Bug Out 8.Caterpillar Dream 9.Melzo Is Buzzing 10.There Where There Is No Other 11.In The Zoo
John Dierker: reeds
Mike Holober and the Gotham Jazz Orchestra


-- Better lock up those tray tables.
The aircraft took off from Washington and performed a medley of advanced maneuvers.
Boeing’s website described the Dreamliner as a jet that “applies breakthrough technologies to an all-new airplane design. The advanced features of the 787 increase efficiency, simplify airplane ownership and operation, and significantly improve the air travel experience.”
According to Boeing, the 787-9 that carries 280 passengers has had its fuselage stretched by 20 feet compared to the 787-8.
The new Dreamliner can carry more passengers and freight further, using 20 per cent less fuel than the aircraft they aim to replace.
Boeing notes the ascent for passengers is not nearly as extreme as displayed in this test flight video.


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Free U.S. shipping on orders over $80! x
This quilt block can be turned into a quilt using the Wood Lily Classic & Vintage Downloadable PDF Quilt Pattern.
This PDF quilt pattern uses prints from Late October by Sweetwater for Moda Fabrics.
Unfinished block size: 24.5" x 24.5"
If you need any help downloading or printing your PDF, follow the steps in our Guide to PDF Patterns.
|Fabric Collection||Late October|
|Product Group||Classic & Vintage, Free Fat Quarter Shop Exclusive Downloadable PDF Quilt Patterns|


text:
We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers: Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.
First day: -Arrival transfer to the Hotel -Baku Old City Tour -Baku Boulevard Boat Trip -Highland Park -Heydar Aliyev Centre -Drop off to the Hotel
Second day: -Pick up from Hotel -Qobustan National Museum -Qobustan Rock art petroglyph Museum -Mud Vulcano trip -Lunch -Ateshgah Fire Temple -Ateshgah Fire Mountain -Drop off to the Hotel
Third day: -Pick up from Hotel -Transfer to Shamakhi city -Diri Baba Mausoleum -Juma Mosque Shamakhi -Seven Gumbaz -Yeddi Gumbaz mausoleum -Lahij Village -Transfer back to Baku -Drop off to the Hotel -Transfer to the Airport
The car type depends on the number of participants. This is a
private tour. If you and your friends or family are up to 3 pax - we will use SUV car. If your group consist of 4-7 PAX we will use Mercedes Vito, and if your group are more than 7 and till 15 PAX we will use Mercedes Sprinter.
All days will start at the morning, about 9-10 am. Only first day depends on your arrival time.
Please be aware that for Mud Vulcano trip we will change our car to the Russian Lada`s. Because of bad roads to Mud Vulcano we need to use service of local drivers for 5 kms only. Believe us that this part of the tour will be like a "Safari Tour".
I forgotten to tell you that , I have arrived in baku already . Please come to pick me up at my hotel on tomorrow straight instead of airport . My last question is , when will you finished on the first day ?

domain: travel


text:
REGGAE Meets Samba is the title of a Brazilian documentary about singer Marcia Griffiths, currently being filmed in the city Sao Paulo.
“It surrounds my musical journey. The producer thought I would make a good subject,” Griffiths said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer, before leaving for the South American country.
Reggae Meets Samba is produced by Bossanova Films, a company located in the city of Salvador de Bahia.
Griffiths, whose career began in the 1960s, said although the feature is about her, it was not the sole reason for participating.
“It is a positive move, anything that can establish and take the music to another level, I’m willing,” she said.
Griffiths had a number of hit songs during the 1960s for producer Clement Dodd including Feel Like Jumping and Really Together (with Bob Andy).
In the 1970s, she was a member of the I Three, Bob Marley’s harmony group. Griffiths continued her solo career with outstanding songs like Dreamland and Stepping Outa Babylon.
A decade later, she had a massive hit with Electric Boogie and maintained her chart presence during the 1990s with Penthouse Records.
She also disclosed plans to officially celebrate 50 years in the music business next year with a list of activities including adopting an education centre in the St Andrew community of Cassava Piece.
For the original report go to http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Marcia-Griffiths-s-musical-journey-for-docu-film_15623859


text:
ExperienceCrafts edited: Crochet, Knitting, Tunisian Crochet
Languages edited: Dutch, English
Summary: I want to help designers create the best version of their crochet or knitting pattern possible! From my experience as a designer, I find it important that a pattern includes all the important information, is easy to understand and above all is fun to make!
Fee Structure: Upon request.
Additional Information: I also offer services for schematic/chart creation and translation from Dutch to English or vice versa.
Assists with: Charts, Illustrations, Pattern, Pattern Writing, Schematics, Style Guides, Translation, Written Instr. from Charts
Yarn Database lists Tech Editors to provide a service to tech editors and designers. Listings do not constitute a recommendation by Yarn Database. Potential clients are responsible for determining whether an editor will meet their needs.


text:
Listings in Sun Lakes and Cornville
Robson Resort communities offer active adult resort lifestyle.
9532 East Riggs Road
Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248
Not only are we proud members of Local First AZ, we are proud farmers located in central Arizona. Our organic (not certified but still are) farm is in Cornville, Arizona. We specialize in growing vegetables, farm fresh eggs, and everything goat!
880 South Harvest Creek Lane
Cornville, Arizona 86325


text:
Engineer to be sentenced in Ariz. nuke plant casePosted: Updated:
PHOENIX (AP) -- An Iranian engineer convicted of transporting software from the nation's largest nuclear power plant to his home country is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
Mohammad Reza Alavi faces between 37 and 46 months in prison as part of a plea deal, although his lawyer is asking that the sentence be six months long.
Alavi, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Iran, worked for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix for 17 years.
His lawyer, David Laufman, says in court documents that Alavi brought training software to Iran because he helped design it and was proud of his work.
He says Alavi is a good family man and a hard worker who only returned to Iran because his wife was unhappy in the U.S.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

domain: news


text:
Vastly, R7AL sent me an email asking me about when I might activate NA-219, the Cay Sal Bank group. It’s been on my list since I was able to do any activations in the Bahamas but, it’s very difficult to activate as I have written before.
This year, however, might present a better opportunity than there has been for a while. Alternatively, the timing may not work out. El Niño has been playing havoc with the weather here in the Bahamas as well as all over North America (and beyond) this winter. We have seen some extremes of weather such as the derecho of two weeks ago when we had sudden winds (at night – of course) of up to 107kt! When you live on a small boat, things like this cause, in no particular order, stress, damage and expense. I was lucky, I had chosen a very sheltered spot to anchor in and only saw 48kt! Many others were not so lucky but only one boat was lost although there were some injuries and a small dog was blown off the deck of a local boat and seen again.
Anyway, back to NA-219. There is a window of opportunity, in the last two weeks of February to activate this group and I’m going to do my best to do so. I will pass a message to my qsl manager, Charles, M0OXO when I leave. He will give notice through all the usual channels. If we are able to get there and it’s safe to leave the boat at anchor, then I’ll be on the air as much as possible for as long as possible – battery life, sleep and weather permitting. How long we stay will depend on the weather and local conditions.
QSL. This is IMPORTANT. Since I’m travelling on my own boat, I have to meet special requirements to validate the activation. I will send the evidence to Roger, G3KMA and, he will let me know if my activation is approved. No qsl cards will be issued before this approval is received.
Logs. Cay Sal is uninhabited. There is no internet access. I will upload the logs to LOTW and Clublog as soon as I get internet access. This is likely to be when I reach either the Bimini Group our the USA.
Plan B. If the weather will not permit landing and activation, I will attempt to reach the Bimini Group (NA-048) and activate it. I’ll look to do some 40m for the guys in W4 who have asked for this.
Plan C. If it really doesn’t look like an activation will be possible, I’ll head for NA-054 and hang four there for a couple of days and activate that group again instead.
So there it is. That’s the plan. I really hope it works out. If it doesn’t, please bear with me, this is my XYL and myself on a 42 ft sailing boat rather than a multi–op, big-budget production, team effort on the Braveheart! Whatever the outcome, there will be some ‘less worked’ iotas to log!
73 and GL!
Do you ever have a bad day? I did recently. For a few years I’d had my eye on an abandoned beach bar in the Harbour at Georgetown in C6A. On January the 2nd, I decided to go and activate it.
I got there and anchored the dinghy, unloaded my stuff and took it all up to the bar area which is a nice, wooden platform about 3m above the sea. It’s marked on the map as Latitude Resort on Rolle Cay. It has great takeoff for Europe and the USA so it was a really good place to go.
Within 20minutes my 20m monobander vertical was set up and working well despite finding yet another cheap pl-259 had gone bad. Unfortunately 20m wasn’t in great shape but after a couple of nice runs and switching to RTTY when the voice traffic died, I ended up with 160 qsos in the log over a couple of hours.
A couple of ‘admin’ problems then arose. As I was winding down the operation (my battery was getting flat), some friends came along and started chatting. That culminated in them inviting me for lunch so I started packing up the station and loading it back on the dinghy. That meant that I didn’t take the usual screenshot of the ‘ham square’ app on my iPad, that I use to validate the position of the station and I also forgot to take any pictures of the station. I usually write up any new activations as a blog so that Roger, G3KMA can validate the activation. This is necessary for those people travelling to the rarer spots by boat or ensure the operation takes place from the land rather than the boat.
Then the other problem. Somehow, I’d got it in my head that I was on ‘Crab Cay NA-001’ but to my horror I realised I had been on Rolle Cay.
So that’s the story of Crab Cay or Rolle Cay – not to worry, the QSL cards will come out with the correct name on them and I’ll be going back to do it again properly in a few weeks. In the mean time, happy new year and 73.

domain: geography


text:
Administration of epidural labor analgesia is not associated with a decreased risk of postpartum depression in an urban Canadian population of mothers: a secondary analysis of prospective cohort data
Authors Nahirney M, Metcalfe A, Chaput KH
Received 11 May 2017
Accepted for publication 25 August 2017
Published 31 October 2017 Volume 2017:10 Pages 99—104
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 2
Editor who approved publication: Dr Stefan Wirz
Marissa Nahirney,1 Amy Metcalfe,2 Katie H Chaput3
1O’Brien Centre, 2Obstetrics and Gynecology, 3Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common complication of pregnancy, affecting approximately 13% of mothers internationally. Previous research has examined whether epidural analgesia used for pain control during labor and birth is associated with a lower risk of PPD, but reports conflicting results and may have suffered from methodological shortcomings. Our study aimed to prospectively assess whether epidural analgesia is associated with a lower risk of PPD (at either 6 weeks or 6 months postpartum) after attempting to adequately adjust for selection bias and confounding variables.
Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of urban Canadian mothers who were recruited at birth in Calgary, Canada, in 2010, for a primary study on predictors of PPD. Mothers with full-term, singleton infants who did not require neonatal intensive care unit admission of >24 hours were included, and filled out questionnaires at birth, 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum including demographics, birth data, maternal and infant physical health, lifestyle, breastfeeding and maternal mental health. Descriptive statistics were calculated for participant characteristics and to identify potential confounder variables. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess whether epidural analgesia is associated with PPD after controlling for available confounding variables.
Results: Our study included 206 mothers who had vaginal deliveries and were free of depression at delivery. We found an incidence of PPD of 13.3% (n=27) and no statistically significant association between epidural use and PPD, regardless of adjustment for potential confounding variables (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69–1.22; adjusted OR (for body mass index 1.04, 95% CI 0.40–2.77).
Conclusion: We did not observe a significant association between epidural use and PPD. While the CIs are wide, we do not believe that this masks a clinically relevant association, and as such, the risks and benefits of epidural analgesia communicated to women during labor and delivery should not be modified.
Keywords: epidural analgesia, labor analgesia, postpartum depression, maternal mental health
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common and debilitating illness affecting 15% of women in the first 6–12 months postpartum that can impact daily functioning.1–3 Women who have experienced marital difficulties, stressful life events and antenatal depression, along with those from lower socioeconomic brackets, those with higher than normal body mass index (BMI) and/or a history of abuse are at greater risk for PPD.1 Impacts of PPD extend beyond the mother to long-term cognitive, social and motor development of the child.3 Women suffering from PPD are at greater risk of early breastfeeding cessation and strained mother–child relationships leading to the development of problematic child behavior.3–6 The etiology of PPD is complex, and previous research has implicated the pain and stress of labor and delivery as a potential contributing factor.7 Eisenach et al9 reported a heightened risk of PPD if a woman’s acute pain was more severe. In addition, postpartum pain may be a contributing factor to PPD; roughly 11% of women report the onset of severe acute pain after delivery, which is associated with depressive symptomology.9,10
Epidural analgesia is widely employed as a safe and effective method of pain management during parturition, but it is not without risks.8,11 Epidural analgesia use has been associated with longer labor, infection, the need for instrumental delivery, higher risk of labor complications, acute hypotension, headaches, dural puncture complications and, very rarely, paralysis.12–14 However, it remains one of the most broadly used pain control methods for childbirth and is highly effective.10 It has been suggested that adequate pain control during labor and birth might decrease the risk of PPD, via lessening the traumatic experience of birth.7 Three recent studies examined the association between epidural analgesia and PPD, with inconsistent results.15–17 A Danish study of 185 women found that epidural analgesia was associated with lower odds of PPD immediately after delivery (odds ratio [OR] 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.09–0.71); however, the protective association was not sustained beyond 4 weeks postpartum (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.18–3.00).17 A larger case–control study in a sample of 479 women from Singapore showed similar short-term results, indicating lower odds of PPD at 4–8 weeks postpartum among those who received epidural labor analgesia, controlling for history of depression and other PPD risk factors (OR 0.47, P=0.0078).15 The retrospective nature of the study prevents the assessment of whether epidural is protective against PPD, or if women with depression are simply more likely to request epidural analgesia. In a longer, prospective study of 214 women delivering babies at a Beijing hospital, Ding et al reported significantly lower odds of PPD among women who received epidural labor analgesia (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.12–0.82).16 However, the study may have been subject to selection bias, due to systematic exclusion of obese patients and differential loss to follow-up that favored retention of the nondepressed mothers in the epidural group.18 Furthermore, the study may have lacked appropriate control for measured confounding variables, which likely biased the reported result.18
Our study aimed to assess whether epidural analgesia is associated with a lower risk of PPD at 6 months postpartum, among a group of mothers with no depression at delivery, after control for selection bias and appropriate adjustment for confounding. Determining whether epidural analgesia is associated with reduced odds of PPD is essential to the appropriate communication about the risks and benefits of epidural use to women prior to and during labor.
Subjects and methods
This study was a secondary analysis of data from the Happy Baby Cohort – a prospective community-based cohort of women delivering healthy, full-term infants in one of the three active maternity hospitals (Foothills Medical Centre, Peter Lougheed Centre, and Rockyview General Hospital) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2010; detailed methods of which are published elsewhere.19 Calgary is a large urban center with a 2010 population of approximately 1.1 million. The study was approved by the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Calgary. Women were approached about the study on admission to the postpartum units, and 979 mothers indicated interest in hearing about the study from researchers. A sample of 446 mothers provided written informed consent, and they were enrolled in the original cohort study, in which participants completed paper and/or electronic questionnaires at birth, 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum.19 Of the 446 mothers in the cohort, 113 were excluded from the current study due to cesarean deliveries as epidurals are not standard forms for pain control in this population, 41 were excluded because they scored at least 13 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at delivery, indicating a strong possibility of preexisting depression prior to epidural administration. A score of 13 or greater on the EPDS at delivery is a validated measure of depression in antenatal populations and was used to ensure a depression-free sample at the study onset.16 A further 86 participants withdrew from the study or were lost to follow up over the 6-month follow-up period. A final convenience sample of 206 participants was included in the current analysis.
Variables and definitions
The study exposure was the use of epidural analgesia in labor and delivery and was measured dichotomously (yes/no). Our primary outcome was PPD, defined as a score of 10 or greater on the EPDS at either 6 weeks or 6 months.20 Although not a diagnostic tool, the EPDS has been validated and deemed reliable as a screen for PPD in Alberta and other Canadian provinces.21,22 It differentiates between non-pathological postpartum “blues” symptoms and those of PPD, more effectively than other depression measures.22 Other maternal characteristics were measured as potential confounding variables, including age, parity, socioeconomic status (marital status, education, annual household income, language spoken at home, home ownership), other pain control modalities, satisfaction with birth experience and pre-pregnancy BMI, measured at 6 weeks postpartum. The 6-week postpartum measure of BMI was used because it was the most complete measure of BMI available for the sample, and it likely reflects a combination of pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain and general health status in the postpartum period. As there are currently no standardized categories for BMI among postpartum and breastfeeding women, BMI was summarized categorically, but included in analyses as a continuous variable whenever possible.
Descriptive statistics were expressed as means for continuous variables and proportions for categorical and dichotomous variables. All missing data were handled through case-wise deletion. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted using a backward elimination method, wherein the initial model includes the maximum number of potential confounding variables and the model is reduced sequentially until only significant variables remain.17,23 Variables were included in the model as possible confounding variables if they were associated with a difference of 2% or greater in the proportion of both epidural use and PPD. All statistical analyses were conducted using STATA-IC version 13.1 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA), at an alpha level of 5%. Given our sample size of 206 women, we had adequate power (>80%) to detect a 30% difference in our primary outcome.
Characteristics of the cohort were representative of an Albertan and Canadian maternal population in previous publications18 (Figure 1). The majority of participants were young mothers, having delivered between the ages of 18 and 35 years (79.3%). A large proportion of the sample was married, financially stable, owned their homes and had lived in Canada for at least 5 years, consistent with the maternal population in Alberta (Table 1). The mean BMI reported at 6 weeks postpartum was 26.1 kg/m2 (SD 49 kg/m2). Maternal body weight was missing for 18% of the participants. Approximately half of those who reported their body weight had BMIs of 25 kg/m2 or higher (42.6%), as expected for the early postpartum period.
Figure 1 Comparison of participant characteristics to population values.
Table 1 Participant characteristics
Note: *N=206 unless otherwise indicated.
Abbreviation: SD, standard deviation.
The overall incidence of epidural use was 57.5% (n=118). Proportions of epidural use differing by at least 2% from the overall proportion were observed among mothers with lower annual household income, those who did not own their homes, spoke a language other than English at home, had higher BMI and were primiparous, whereas Epidural analgesia use did not vary by more than 2% across maternal education and maternal age (Table 2).
Table 2 Associations of epidural analgesia and PPD with potential confounding variables
Abbreviations: EPDS, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; PPD, postpartum depression.
The incidence of EPDS scores of 10 or greater was 12.9% at 6 weeks and, 13.3% (n=27) of women screened positive for PPD at either 6 weeks or 6 months postpartum, with slightly higher proportions of PPD among older mothers (16.7%, 95% CI 8.0–31.3%) and those with higher BMI (18.6%, 95% CI 11.3–29.3%). Maternal age, parity, income and BMI were determined to be potential confounding variables as they demonstrated some association with both epidural use and PPD and were not intermediate variables. BMI was included in the regression modeling analysis as a continuous variable, as there are no standardized categories for classification of maternal BMI in the postpartum. Multivariable logistic regression (Table 3) revealed that parity and annual household income were not independently associated with PPD in the model, and as such, they were not retained in the final model. BMI was the only potential confounder retained in the adjusted model. Controlling for BMI, epidural use was not significantly associated with PPD (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.39–2.77). BMI, however, remained a significant predictor of PPD, changing the odds of PPD by a factor of 1.13 for every point of BMI increase (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.25, P=0.01).
Table 3 Multivariable logistic regression models
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; PPD, postpartum depression.
Our study supports the proposed hypothesis that there is no significant association between epidural analgesia and PPD provided that selection biases are minimized by appropriate inclusions and measured confounding is adequately controlled.
The current study aimed to reassess the conflicting results obtained in two previous studies, in a Canadian population, using a prospective cohort of mothers who were free of depression at delivery, and with a definition of depression that spanned the most crucial 6 postpartum months. Hiltunen et al measured PPD using the EPDS at 3 days and 6 weeks postpartum, while Sng et al15 measured depressive symptoms at 4–8 weeks.17 Their findings of a protective association of epidural analgesia prior to, but not beyond 8 weeks postpartum, are consistent with our results. Our study screened for PPD three times throughout the course of the study; this is important to capture the true incidence of this condition, as many women develop PPD after the first 6 weeks postpartum and experience “baby blues” rather than true PPD in the first 3 weeks after delivery. We measured PPD incidence in our sample at 13.3%, similar to the Hiltunen et al’s study (13.0%), and consistent with other international findings.1,17 We are confident that our screening methods classified PPD accurately. Compared with previous studies, our sample had similar use of epidural labor analgesia (57.5%), between the roughly 50% incidence of epidural analgesia use in two previous studies and lower than one previous study (67.8%).15–17 Our findings support those of Hiltunen et al and confirm that there is no observed association between epidural labor analgesia use and PPD risk.
Strengths and limitations
The primary limitation of this study is that it was a secondary analysis requiring a convenience sample. Our sample size has limited the precision of our findings. The original cohort study from which ours was derived was designed to detect PPD as the primary outcome, and as such, the measurements used are valid for this analysis. Our sample was also restricted to mothers of infants who did not require neonatal intensive care unit admission. Mothers of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit are known to have a higher risk of PPD, and our findings cannot be extended to this population. Our sample size of 206 was similar to those of other studies designed to answer the same primary question, which were 214 and 185 participants, respectively, and our incidence of PPD was similar to the smaller previous study.16,17 Our study had adequate power (83.8%) to detect a 30% difference in the outcome, similar to that reported in the study by Ding et al.16 Due to our sample size (and the subsequently wide CIs observed in our models), we cannot rule out the possibility that our models may be overfit. The small number of women experiencing PPD in this study also impeded our ability to adequately control for all potential confounding variables. While we do not believe that there is an association between epidural analgesia and PPD, we acknowledge that further, larger prospective studies on this topic are still needed to deduce the true association between these variables. A second limitation of the current study is the moderate level of missing BMI data. However, unlike the previous study in which all women with higher BMI were excluded from the study, all the mothers in our study, whether they reported BMI or not, were included in the analysis and contributed information to the final result. Our findings are thus not susceptible to the same selection biases that might have affected the study by Ding et al. Due to missing BMI data, complete control for confounding by BMI cannot be guaranteed. However, given that less than 20% of the BMI data were missing, we estimate that the likelihood of our result being affected by the missing data is small. An additional limitation of this and other studies of its kind is the lack of diagnostic information on PPD. A formal diagnosis of PPD was not feasible for a large cohort, and thus we are only able to present the associations between PPD screening results and the exposure. Future studies with diagnostic interviews would provide a more accurate measure of the association examined.
The strengths of our study include that it was prospective and that the sample of mothers were free of depression at delivery, allowing us to ensure that our exposure of epidural analgesia preceded the outcome of PPD. The use of the EPDS for the measurement of PPD is also valid and reliable in Canadian maternal populations, of which our cohort has been deemed representative.19 In addition, we were able to retain 80.7% of the sample in the study until 6 months postpartum.
Our study results counter the results of Ding et al, but echo the results of Hiltunen et al, that there is not an observed association between epidural analgesia and PPD.16,17 Further adequately powered studies should be conducted to further investigate this association with adjustment for additional confounding variables. At this point in time, there is insufficient evidence to change the information about the risks and benefits of epidural analgesia that are communicated to mothers prior to and during labor, who are considering epidural use. Epidural analgesia remains a safe and effective method of pain control during labor and birth. The significant association between BMI at 6 weeks postpartum and PPD should be investigated further as a primary objective in future research.
Funding for this study was awarded by the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute, University of Alberta.
Marissa Nahirney contributed substantially to the project design, assisted with the analysis and was the primary author of the manuscript. Amy Metcalfe co-supervised the student project, contributed substantially to the design of the project and provided academic feedback on all manuscript drafts. Katie H Chaput supervised the development and write-up of the article, conducted the analysis and provided academic feedback to all manuscript drafts. Amy Metcalfe and Katie H Chaput attest to the integrity of the original data and the analysis reported in this manuscript. All authors contributed toward data analysis, drafting and critically revising the paper, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
O’Hara M, Swain A. Rates and risk of post partum depression – a meta-analysis. Intern Rev psychiatr. 1996;8:37–54.
O’Hara WM. Postpartum depression: what we know. J Clin Psychol. 2009;65(12):1258–1269.
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Davalos D, Yodn C, Tregellas H. Untreated prenatal maternal depression and the potential risks to offspring: a review. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2012;15(1):1–14.
Wisner KL. Double duty. Anesth Analg. 2014;119(2):219–221.
Lain S, Ford J, Hadfield R, Blyth F, Giles W, Roberts C. Trends in the use of Epidural analgesia in Australia. Obstet Anesth. 2009;29(3):148.
Eisenach J, Pan P, Smiley R, Lavand’homme P, Landau R, Houle T. Severity of acute pain after childbirth, but not type of delivery, predicts persistent pain and postpartum depression. Pain. 2008;140(1):87–94.
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Hughes D, Simmons S, Brown J, Cyna A. Combined spinal-epidural versus epidural analgesia in labour. Birth. 2004;31(1):71.
Zhang J, Yancey MK, Klebanoff MA, Schwarz J, Schweitzer D. Does epidural analgesia prolong labor and increase risk of cesarean delivery? A natural experiment. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2001;185(1):128–134.
Norris M, Grieco W, Borkowski M, Leighton B. Complications of labor analgesia. Anesth Analg. 1994;79(3):529–537.
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Ding T, Wang D, Qu Y, Chen Q, Zhu S. Epidural labor analgesia is associated with a decreased risk of postpartum depression: a prospective cohort study. Anesth Analg. 2014;119(2):383–392.
Hiltunen P, Raudaskoski T, Ebeling H, Moilanen I. Does pain relief during delivery decrease the risk of postnatal depression? Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2004;83(3):257–261.
Chaput K, Vinturache A. Methodologic concerns regarding a study concluding that epidural labor analgesia is associated with a decreased risk of postpartum depression. Anesth Analg. 2015;121(6):1682–1683.
Chaput KH, Nettel-Aguirre A, Mosto RC, Adair CE, Tough SC. Breastfeeding difficulties and supports and risk of postpartum depression in a cohort of women who have given birth in Calgary: a prospective cohort study. CMAJ Open. 2016;4(1):E103–E109.
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This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.Download Article [PDF]

domain: literature


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(China.org.cn by Maverick Chen, December 25, 2008)


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Why bitch when you could simply not read conference expansion topics?
a vitally important recap of all the dumb tweets sent during the Harbaugh coaching search
Why bitch when you could simply not read conference expansion topics?
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If we added ND, there may not be too many who are stellar football schools, but possibilities:
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Boston College would be an interesting addition to have a rival Catholic school to ND.
UNC or Duke would be an interesting addition, but no way would we be able to grab one without the other.
Maryland might be another possibility.
Rutgers or Baylor are the only others that I could really imagine, strictly from an academic perspective.
Wow, what a controversial idea, I can't believe you would say that ;)
To your point, I don't think any ACC team is available. The conference just voted to raise the buyout, and now with the additions of SU/Pitt/UConn?/Rutgers?, the schools in that conference seem content to stay in a spot where they are comfortable and guaranteed to have a safe place in the Brave New World of conferences.
BC would be interesting as they are already an outlier in the ACC, would be a rival if we add Notre Dame, and would add tons of value to the Big Ten Hockey Conference. I'm not sure if the cultural and academic fit is that strong though, and they don't really add much of a football history.
reaching out to Syracuse and PITT, and likely means someones are leaving the ACC.
It means they created additional stability by adding overall revenue and probably assured that FSU doesn't leave, which was the only school considering leaving anyway.
Penn State and Nebraska have been significant additions to the conference. It doesn't appear that there are 4 schools out there that would add enough in academics, athletics, and tv markets that also are a decent geographic/cultural fit.
I think ND, Missouri, and Pittsburgh would all be decent additions. I would add Missouri if ND is forced to join a conference and settle at 14. Texas, Oklahoma, and Pitt all seem to be off the table now and some combination of Kansas, Rutgers, Iowa State, Maryland, etc does not seem worth moving up to 16.
Lakes: Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame
Plains: Northwestern, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska
Your plains division would be horrible.
Historically yes, these are uneven, but ND is nowhere near an elite program right now, Penn State and Ohio State are both at turning points for the future as the next coaching hire at each school will be VERY important to correcting recent problems. Michigan's recent struggles are obvious although we all like to believe we are back on the upswing. Michigan State has gotten more consistent under Dantonio but remains a second tier program without much respect nationally. Indiana and Purdue are doormats until they are able to prove otherwise.
In the other division, Wisconsin seems primed to become one of the B1G's elite programs year-in-year-out. Nebraska is returning to national relevance under Pelini, and we'll know a lot more about the Huskers after their first year in the B1G. Iowa is pretty stable as a 7-10 win team under Ferentz. Missouri has won 10 games three of past four years and has been a NFL QB factory and solid program under Pinkel. Northwestern is interesting and has proven to be a tough out under Fitzgerald. Illinois is an up-and-down program capable of the occasional title team. Minnesota is a doormat until they prove otherwise.
On brand names alone these divisions seemed very unbalanced, but in actuality I would disagree. Take your Leaders and Legends, I'll take my Lakes and Plains.
2 of those plains division teams will probably end up playing each other for the Big Ten championship in it's inaugural year.
the B1G would have legit interest in, the options are pretty small. I think the fact that PITT appears headed to the ACC is also indicative of ACC knowledge that something is awry in ACC country -- meaning a current member or two may be headed to the B1G.
Of the schools B1G might consider (in probable order): 1 and 1A Texas/ND, 3. Virginia. 4. Maryland. 5. Georgia Tech 6. Boston College 7. Mizzou. All save Georgia Tech and Texas are geographically sound choices (particularly if Maryland and Virginia became members at same time). All of these schools would fit academically, unlike some other basement dwelling academic schools like Oklahoma, OKState, Kentucky and so on.
If expansion is going to happen for B1G right now, it's probably b/c ND is on board. I do think that the B1G is probably (albeit quietly) leading the recent rumors by talks with ND, Texas and some ACC schools, which is causing ripple effects in ACC adding PITT and 'Cuse.
I look for B1G to add a combination of ND up to three others in the next 6-8 months. Clearly UT is desireable, and it would probably like to join, if "doable" with ESPN's tv package. ESPN probably calls the decision there. If UT joins, would B1G invite Mizzou to head closer to UT geographically and add the KC/St Louis market or would it head east to the DC/NY markets? Frankly, I don't see Rutgers, UConn etc. as viable candidates over the other schools listed.
My vote: ND, TX, Virginia, and Vandy. More likely: ND, TX, Maryland, BC.
the ACC just added a $20 million buyout clause.
Good point, but 20M is not that big a deal considering the difference in revenue. Also, I wonder whether that's in effect yet, or has been proposed as a method to stop any of the new teams from bolting . . .
It's in effect immediately as far as I know. It won't stop people from thinking the ACC can be raided, but I'm willing to bet nobody's going anywhere.
I know. They say they are not going anywhere. But look the situation they are getting into here. The Big East, where they play all other sports is in trouble. With Pitt and Syracuse gone they are down to 6 teams for football. The SEC is going to add another team to balance adding A&M. West Virginia is very a strong possibility there. It sounds like uconn is desperate to get in the ACC (one wonders if Rutgers goes with uconn to get the ACC to 16, unless we take them.) The Big East is dead as a football conference and damaged severely from a basketball perspective. They will no longer have a BSC auto bid unless they can somehow add 4 or more teams.
Also, it looks like the Big 12 is dead with Baylor, K-State, Kansas, Iowa State and Missouri left hanging. Their BSC auto bid also looks gone. I am almost assuming that we will add Missouri at this point and therefore need another team to get to 14.
So it looks like we will have the SEC, ACC, Pac 12 and maybe the Big 10 with more than 12 teams. All these conferences are going to go to 9 game conference schedules. Do the teams in these conferences really want to play Notre Dame every year along with their 9 game conference schedule? I don’t think we know the answer to this but I assume Notre Dame must be worried about it.
If we look at Notre Dame’s schedule they have the following teams soon to be part of mega-conferences:
That is 9 of 12. Several of these teams are going to see their TV money go up. Additionally their main goal has to be to get to their conference championship game. Why play Notre Dame? It does not really help you. If even half these teams come to this conclusion it does not take much for Notre Dame to have difficulty filling out a decent schedule that does not include conference USA and the mountain west.
It also seems like any of these super conferences are more interesting to NBC in the long run than continuing the Notre Dame Deal. You also have to wonder why the super conferences, which will control that BCS, have any interest in a tie in for Notre Dame.
On top of all this the current home for all of Notre Dames other sports is unstable at best. With all this going on can Notre Dame really just put their head in the sand and stay independent?
Let's see it actually happen before we all jump off the cliff. Texas is a major prima-donna, and going to the Pac-16 means they will have to deal with "big" programs like USC and Oregon as well, who won't feel the need to cow-tow to UT's demands like most of the Big 12 teams.
This just in...
Not wanting to join TCU in the Big East, Air Force will apply to the B1G.
USAFA's academics are solid, it will be another hockey team for the new B1G conference (and LAX too once Illinois and Moo U. get off their asses and go D1).
Travel isn't a problem as the athletic department htiches rides on "training missions".
With a shit ton of alum in the area and tons of midwest expats now calling the Front Range home, this would paint a big swath of maize and blue (and other school's colors which I really don't care about anyway) up and down the middle of the country for the B1G Network.
I'm still waiting for BSU and BYU to join the Pac-whatever. They are an obvious geographical fit. ND to the B1G should be done soon. I'm still trying to figure out who the other teams will be. Kansas, KSU, ISU, and Mizzou are a pretty nice smorgasboard from which to choose.
It's great asking elite teams and all that, but a conference has to have a balance of elite teams and tomato cans for an optimal chance at winning the National Championship. At least, if playoffs are done with conference champions, someone will make it out of even the toughest conference.
That BYU was rejected along with Baylor last year because the Pac 12, mainly Stanford, Cal, and Washington, does not want to have a religiously affiliated university or something.
it has nothing to do with being elite or being in the right region. Boise and BYU play in the middle of nowhere.
One thing I don't understand about these 16-team conferences is how this affects football schedules. If you have two eight team divisions, a team will probably play nine conference games. That gives you seven games in a round robin format with two games to play teams in the other division. If one of those games is a protected rivaly, you end up playing the other schools from that division once every seven years at best. That just makes no sense to me.
I'd tell teams that they get to protect up to four rivalry games (if there exists four rivals that agree) and that they have the freedom to schedule the other six games as they wish, provided they play each conference team at least once every three years. This would give the maxed out rival teams fifteen games to play twelve teams in that time frame.
We would get to play OSU, ND, MSU, and Minnesota every year.
MSU would get to play us, ND, Indiana, and Penn State every year.
OSU would play us, Illinois, and Penn State.
Notre Dame would play us, Michigan State, and Purdue every year. Perhaps a fourth rival would emerge.
The Pac-16 proposal is:
4 pods of 4 teams with 9 conference games
Texas plays every team in pod A and then 2 teams from each of pod B, C and D.
No word on how a champion would be determined, though the "2 BCS/playoff spots" theory would suggest that the champions pods A and B, for example, would play off for one spot while the champions of C and D play off for the other.
For the proposed Pac-16, the breakdown would be simple.
I would love to see boston college,syracuse, mizzou, and ND.BC would add a powerhouse hockey program, decent northern smashmouth style football that would better fit the big ten than ACC and the Boston/New England market .Syracuse adds powerhouse basketball and lacrosse (which is rapidly growing and may be significant in the future), meh football but the NY tv market somewhat (i live in ny).Mizzou adds football and st louis.ND adds football, great basketball, powerhouse hockey, and powerhouse lacrosse.Also creates rival with BC and an often overlooked fact, the NY TV MARKET.ND has a huge population in NY called the "subway alumni" and them and syracuse would certainly capture the NY market and even though NY is a "pro Sports" town, syracuse and ND jerseys are seen everywhere on gameday (no rutgers jerseys thats just BS if people say that).Lastly, adding all these schools would be geographically continous with NY bordering Pa and Mass bordering NY.
If Texas and three other schools go to the Pac-Something, I'll tell you what makes way too much sense as a next step: the remaining Big 12 schools merge with the Mountain West and pick up TCU to make a 16-team conference. The math works perfectly since as of now the MWC is scheduled to be a 10-team conference next year minus TCU. Add the five Big 12 leftovers to the MWC and have them retain TCU since the Big East no longer makes any sense as a football destination, and you have a conference that can hang on to BCS affiliation. The MWC schools ought to be delighted about a merger like that since obtaining BCS affiliation has been their singular purpose for a while now.
ACC buyout (which they voted for) is now $20 million and their true rival is now with them in-conference. Yeah, BC is going nowhere.
The linked blog gives some explanation for why the PAC 10 is going after Big 12 teams:
anybody? Atlanta and GA have many disgrunted SEC and ACC fans. Good school in a big market I would like to see get killed in BIG 10 play in perpetua and loosen vice grip of SEC on the south with respect to recruiting and brand. See also Florida State.

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J Boog with special guest Cas Haley
Tickets on sale to the public 2/2 at 12 pm.
Born and raised on the west coast and influenced heavily by his Polynesian upbringing, J Boog is undoubtedly one of the top reggae singers in recent years. Mentored by Island Reggae icon Fiji, he fine tuned his sound and style creating a unique blend that transcends across continents.
Early on in his career, a chance encounter led J Boog to connect with Yami Bolo and Gramps Morgan, which then took him to Jamaica where the reggae singer found himself working in the historical studios of Bob Marley, Don Corleon, Bobby Digitals, Shaggy, and Sugar Minott. This experience no doubt played another key role in the flair of Boog’s music.
His debut album, Hear Me Roar, dropped in 2007 and a few years later he released Backyard Boogie, which included megahits like Lets Do It Again produced by Don Corleon and Sunshine Girl produced by Gramps Morgan and featuring Peetah Morgan. Amidst the 2020 global pandemic, Lets Do It Again exploded on Tik Tok via a viral dance by stranger things Noah Schnapp even garnering the attention of high-profile celebrities like Charli D’Amelio and Jason Derulo. The popular track currently boasts over 75m views on youtube and continues to chart on the Itunes reggae chart even today. A year after its release though, Backyard Boogie earned J Boog the Best Entertainer at the International Reggae and World Music Awards in Chicago. Wash House Ting was released in 2016 and featured tracks with veteran reggae band Morgan Heritage as well as dancehall legend Buju Banton. The album topped billboard reggae album charts and was later nominated for Best Reggae album at the 2018 grammy awards. His ep Rose Petals was nominated for best reggae album of the year at the 2017 Grammy Awards and also topped US Billboard and iTunes reggae charts. J Boog’s repertoire boasts tracks with Soja, Iration, Tarrus Riley, The Green, Fiji, Chaka Demus, Richie Spice and more.
He has toured all over the world, including Europe, Africa, Dubai, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and of course across the US. He’s performed at festivals like Cali Roots, One Love Nz, Good Love, Reggae Rise Up, One Love Cali, Arizona Roots, Dry Diggings, and the Mayjah Rayjah to name a few.
In 2021, J Boog released three singles [Siva Mai ft. Siaosi, Ain’t No Love Like, and Free of Dem]. He even hosted a dance competition for Siva Mai that gained entries from dance crews all over the world. He was also nominated for male artist of the year at The Island 98.5 Island Music Awards in Honolulu.