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Marshall Swartz’s lab is a Santa’s workshop of engineering gadgetry. Computer keyboards and circuit boards spill from cardboard boxes. Cables, wires, and an assortment of tools hang from wall hooks. Ocean instruments needing repair are stacked in cases near the door. Swartz's Labrador retriever, Little Bear, naps in the only available floor space—under a table. To an outsider it might look like a mess. But in each wire, cable, and connector switch, Swartz sees potential for turning ordinary equipment into extraordinary deep-sea research instruments. For geologists who want to photograph seafloor volcanoes and valleys, Swartz has made cameras capable of holding up against pressure miles under the sea. He’s made lights to illuminate their way in the depths. He has resuscitated chemical-sniffing instruments flooded with salt water and saved balky, multimillion dollar fiber-optic cables from the junk heap. Most recently, he transformed a decades-old technology—steel-coated cable—into a high-speed data link into the deep, giving thrilled scientists a faster, easier, and cheaper way to get information about the ocean. He relied mostly on off-the-shelf computer hardware and software to develop an Ethernet connection on the cable, an idea once considered a pipe dream. “I try not to live with the status quo,” Swartz said. “I like to find out what things could be, and not just accept how they are.” Swartz, 56, first came to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in 1976 as an engineering major fresh out of Duke University. After a break to earn an MBA and to work for two large manufacturing companies, he returned to WHOI in 1992. Since then he has become one of the Institution’s more popular go-to guys for repairing broken gear and building new tools. “He’s a frighteningly capable engineer,” said George Tupper, a retired engineer in the physical oceanography department at WHOI. “He’s a walking encyclopedia willing to work 18 hour days on behalf of science.” “I like what I do, and I like that what I do is useful to other people,” Swartz explained. He’s known for his fastidious attention to detail (“He makes sure that the fifth number to the right of the decimal point is accurate,” Tupper said) and for acts of kindness commensurate with his size (he’s 6 feet 3 inches tall and wears size 13 sneakers). Dogs, especially, are his passion. Rhian Waller, an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii, recalled the walk she took with Swartz last year in Chile before a research cruise to Antarctica. “Here’s this jolly American, probably twice the height of most Chileans, strolling with pockets of dog treats,” Waller said. “Every street dog from miles around followed him to the dock. I’m sure those pups all missed him when we finally pulled away from Punta Arenas.” Swartz still owns the pink brick house where he grew up in rural Pennsylvania. His father, an attorney, wasn’t mechanically minded, but he appreciated the curiosity of his only child. He plied his son with Tinkertoys, Erector Sets, and Legos and read to him from the family’s home library (Tom Swift, a young inventor, was among Swartz’s favorite literary characters). Swartz’s dad also encouraged him to explore. “Where I grew up you could go a half mile through the woods and there was a junkyard with cars from 1920,” Swartz said. “The guy there would let me take them apart and put them together.” As an adolescent, Swartz spent summers repairing outboard motors at a marina in northern Michigan, where his family vacationed. “I’d hang around taking the jobs the other guys didn’t want, and I usually didn’t get paid,” he said. “My father would say, ‘We came up here so you could work for free?’ But it was what I wanted to do.” One key to his engineering success, he said, is that “nobody said no. Nobody said, ‘you’re just a kid.’ They said, ‘try whatever you want.’ It’s why I’m not hesitant to modify things to my own liking.” In high school, a wealthy neighbor paid Swartz $2.50 an hour (“a ton for a teenager in the 1960s,” Swartz said) to work as his mechanic. Swartz’s job was to duplicate tapes that the neighbor, who made his fortune selling cemetery plots along the East Coast, used to train his sales staff. Swartz also helped maintain the neighbor’s fleet of 12 Mercedes-Benz cars, including a 1958 convertible as blue as a robin’s egg. “He let me drive that car all through high school,” Swartz said. “I realized quickly that I could learn from this self-made man.” Swartz’s other interest was rock music. His freshman year of high school, he saw his first concert: the Grateful Dead and the Velvet Underground at a theater in Pittsburgh. “I still have the concert poster,” he said. Outside his engineering courses at Duke University, he joined a student group responsible for setting up and taking down concert sets for musicians who appeared on campus. “Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, the Dead—we helped set them up and then we’d watch the shows,” Swartz said. “The work was so similar to what we do on research cruises. It’s just a massive push to get ready then, bam—it’s show time.” The summer after graduating from Duke, he traveled to Cape Cod for vacation. While waiting in Woods Hole for the ferry to Nantucket, he stood outside a lecture hall reading posters that described ocean science and engineering research. “This stuff is so cool,” he recalled saying. “The woman next to me said, ‘Are you interested in any of this?’ I told her I would love to work someplace like this.” The woman, Penny Foster, who still works at WHOI, connected Swartz with the engineering department. He was hired to help repair and develop CTD systems, a conglomeration of instruments that descends into the deep from the side of a ship to measure seawater’s temperature and conductivity (salinity) at various depths. Six weeks later, he boarded a Russian navy ship with 340 Russians and three other Americans for a three-week research expedition in the North Atlantic. During the next two years, he sailed on seven more research cruises. Then, following a plan he had mapped before joining WHOI, he left for graduate school at the University of Michigan. After earning a business degree, Swartz spent the next 11 years in management positions at General Electric and Allied-Signal Aerospace. “I married, had two sons, traveled extensively, and held increasingly responsible management positions, including supervising a business department with more than 70 people and $110 million annual sales,” Swartz said. “But the work was less and less enjoyable.” By 1992 he had divorced, and was ready for a new professional challenge. He agreed to come back to WHOI to work on the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, a seven-year global project to collect a comprehensive data set from the oceans. The job took him on 12 research cruises worldwide. On some he went as long as 52 days without seeing land. At home on Cape Cod, his sons John and Mike spent weekends with Swartz. They often joined their dad in his laboratory, where they built spudzookas, a high-powered version of a potato gun. Their best efforts sent potatoes flying 200 yards. When son John was assigned a science project in grade school aimed at making a household chore easier, Swartz guided him to the dog’s habitually empty water bowl. Together they crafted an alarm that beeped when the bowl’s water dipped too low. “Growing up, there were all these dads in suits and ties, and then there was my dad, who would show up in a T-shirt with all this insane technology,” said Mike Swartz, now 25 and a Web designer near Boston. “I’ve always loved that he’s offbeat and does his own thing.” When the World Ocean Circulation Experiment concluded in 1997, Swartz realized he could no longer count on large, federally funded programs for his salary. He built relationships with scientists and engineers throughout WHOI to develop new instrumentation, improve existing equipment, and take these new tools on cruises for testing and implementation. Today he sails on research vessels three to six months a year to test, maintain, and help with ocean instruments and technology. “I always look forward to sailing with Marshall,” said Steve Liberatore, who collaborated with him on the high-speed Data-Link project. “Being at sea is really stressful. You need people who can hold together. There’s nobody better than Marshall at that. Nobody.” Liberatore recalled Swartz’s reaction several years ago to problems with a deep-sea camera system that Swartz had developed and was testing for the first time. “The instrument was on deck, all wired and cabled, and ready to survive being towed behind a ship. Finally, the instrument goes over the side using a winch. We then start to drag it 200 meters from behind ship. Before we got too far, we triggered the device to make sure would work. We tried, it fired, and the system locked up. So, we brought it back aboard and tried it again on deck. It worked perfectly. “Then Marshall is faced with the question of, how do you troubleshoot that?” Liberatore said. “Why wasn’t it working in the ocean, if it worked perfectly on the deck of the ship?” Meanwhile, pacing nearby was the expedition’s chief scientist, who had spent several years and tens of thousands of dollars having the camera system designed and built, then getting funding to use it at sea. “I’ve been going to sea 35 years, and I’ve been on over 100 cruises,” Liberatore said. “I’ve seen people lose it from the stress and pressure of trying to get instruments to work. And I’ve seen situations where if anybody has a right to lose it, it’s Marshall. But he just smiles and keeps working.” Since then Swartz has been asked to build four more of these towed deep-sea camera systems for use by WHOI scientists and others outside the institution. Working at WHOI, Swartz says, is a state of mind, a way of life. “I didn’t realize when I joined how unusual it was, until I got the experience outside,” he said. “Basically I’m given a fishing license to invent things. This job is doing just what I was doing when I was a kid, except getting paid for it.” He said he usually doesn’t mind the hours and the time away from home, especially given the new support of an old friend. In early March he married Susie Chapell, his sweetheart from his freshman year at Duke University. Four days after their wedding, he left for a research cruise in the Galápagos Islands. “Susie," he said, "met me there when I got off the ship.” dogs, engineer, Physical Oceanography Dept., profile, SDSL Data-Link

Digital Sabbaticals Don’t Make SenseSeptember 3rd, 2015 · 27 comments The Digital Sabbatical The idea of a “digital sabbatical” is relatively recent: the earliest traces I can find date to 2008 (e.g., this dated gem from CNN). Its popularity, however, has skyrocketed since then. The mechanics of a digital sabbatical are simple: you set aside a period of time — typically on the scale of days — where you refrain from using some subset of your standard digital network tools. Many reasons are given for these sabbaticals. Some seem contrived, like boosting creativity or losing weight, but most people understand the real appeal of this behavior: their digital lives consume and ultimately exhaust them, and they crave a break. As Pico Iyer put it: “It’s only by having some distance from the world that you can see it whole.” To me, however, this idea never quite made sense. An Odd Standard To understand my confusion, try applying the logic of a digital sabbatical to any other behavior that’s addictive and exhausting and drives people to want to escape. For example… - Imagine advising someone who is overweight due to massive overeating of unhealthy food that they need to take a week every year where they eat healthily. - Imagine telling someone with a terrible cigarette addiction that the solution to their problem is that they need to give up smoking on Sundays. - Imagine telling someone who feels weak and lethargic that once every few years they need to retreat to a hermitage to spend a month exercising. My point is that. As George Packer quipped in an under-appreciated New Yorker essay: “[Twitter] scares me, not because I’m morally superior to it, but because I don’t think I could handle it. I’m afraid I’d end up letting my son go hungry.” What is it about digital addictions that make us think the occasional break will suffice? (Photo by Hartwig HKD) ##### Longtime readers know I’ve been a big fan of Geoff Colvin since his paradigm-shifting 2008 book, Talent is Overrated. I recently finished reading a review copy of his latest title, Humans are Underrated. I was riveted. If you’re interested in remaining valuable in an increasingly automated and high-tech economy, take a look at this book. 27 thoughts on “Digital Sabbaticals Don’t Make Sense” Thanks for the great post Cal. I particularly liked: “My point is that for most any other behavior that lures you in with positive attributes, but then takes over your life and drives you to exhaustion, our standard response is that you need to radically and permanently reduce or eliminate that behavior.” While not all addictions are created equal, addictions are addictions and need to be dealt with accordingly. Spot on. Digital sabbaticals are as crazy as boycotting gasoline by not buying it on one specific day. Digital addictions are like food addictions: We all have to eat, and we (knowledge workers) all have to interact with the digital world in order to get our work done. Continuing that analogy, a digital sabbatical is like fasting. Even someone on a healthy food diet can get some benefit from not eating for a day (or so I’ve heard). Similarly, even someone who isn’t compulsively using digital distractions to avoid the hard work of focusing on a task can get some benefit from occasionally doing their work with a paper and pencil. I think that is the main point of the Fast Company article, to take one example. But I agree that someone who is trying to write a book or a computer program while being interrupted every five seconds by an incoming Twitter update is unlikely to get much benefit from going offline every other Friday. Actually, fasting one day a week is recommended as a weight loss strategy. It reduces the overall intake and maybe it begins to break your addiction – if you can go without one day a week, maybe you can eat less the other days. I think the same would apply for digital overload. I appreciated this! There is another way of looking at digital sabbaticals, though. Not as refraining from a harmful addiction but as a regular rhythm of rest, like the idea of a sabbatical from work or the Sabbath day in Jewish tradition. Work can become an addiction, but the activity itself isn’t inherently harmful. Regularly taking a day off per week is just a healthy rhythm that increases well-being and productivity long-term. We can think of digital sabbaticals the same way: a regular rhythm of rest from the noise and activity for overall well-being. Just wanted to pass along a different perspective! Cheers! The sabbaticals work for me. However, one reason is I am recovering some injuries so I have a more general “away from the desk and the computers” at least one day a week. Most recently, I was traveling for two weeks in remote areas by horseback and cut back on more extraneous noise and useless input. Marie Kando’s book on Japanese decluttering has an underlying theme of listening to yourself to pick what is right for you and getting rid of the rest. I’ve been applying it to reading email, what I listen to and read, and even browsing things like facebook. And actually here to. I am leaving soon and won’t be reachable for a couple of weeks but if you do what me to expand on this, you can contact me later in September. I think it does make sense. Deleting your Facebook account? Sounds terrifying. I will lose all my friends. Don’t log into Facebook for a week? Sounds manageable. I’ll try that. After a week without Facebook, you can reevaluate, if deleting your account is still so terrifying. If you don’t want to do it, it is fine. Try again in a year. Maybe the Facebook-mania is lower then. Essentially, this is trying to use the Slippery Slope Fallacy to trick yourself into healthier habits. (Just theory. I don’t do digital sabbaticals myself.) Thank you. I just deleted a few links from my bookmark. I was in an early stage of addiction to those, and it was critical time. This article was helpful for me to decide to delete them. I must disagree. If you take a food analogy, taking a “eating sabbatical” is called “intermittent fasting” and it has had quite positive results for many people. In general, it’s hard to either quit a bad habit cold turkey, or to consistently reduce it. An intermittent break often seems easier to effect: today, I’m not logging in, tomorrow I may do as I wish. What I found is that after doing such breaks, I will often take *less* joy from my splurges (food, internet consumption) and I will tend to reduce my consumption. If you believe in the power of habit to reinforce positive behaviors, consider these breaks or sabbatical as a way to (temporarily) break bad habits, in order to weaken them in the long run. It’s just a matter of reversing the strategy. There is also something to be said for accumulating these small wins. By deliberately boxing the effort that will be required, you make the task much easier, increasing the likelihood to stick with it. Accumulating these wins develops your confidence, and in turn, your motivation. I actually agree with you, Cal. However, there is a situation or process where I think a digital sabbatical might make sense: when you, instead of radically changing your digital habits, are going for a slow-paced, gradual and incremental change. Basically, it’s what people like Leo Babauta from Zen Habits preaches. What do you think about this? I know of one person that compares these tech breaks to camping. We don’t go camping because we dislike our comfy beds and creature comforts – rather it is nice to “rough it.” This guy says the main reason he takes the tech break is not because he thinks his tech usage is bad but to gain a bigger appreciation of just how wonderful his tech is. Like how camping increases your appreciation for your climate-controlled house and soft bed. But….I personally feel very grateful for this tech already -> maybe too much. As someone who is often trying to encourage people away from extreme diets or short term fasts and cleanses, this totally makes sense. And I have noticed that the times I’ve tried to have a “digital fast” one day a week, I tend to cram extra in on the day before. Kinda like a binge/purge cycle. I do think it’s more effective (for me) to have a healthier daily relationship with my use of digital items. Though I’m sure it’s quite different for everyone! I agree that a digital sabbatical is probably not a constructive end goal. I do believe that a digital sabbatical can be a useful intermediate strategy toward a better end goal, especially if that end goal seems too large for us to get to in one step. If we turn off our phone, then turn it back on and continue where we left off with no extra thought…yes, that’s rather pointless. If we uninstall all our phone apps and then only install the ones we actually truly need, or otherwise implement a plan to use the short-term experience to improve our long-term experience, it would seem to be worthwhile. But then, maybe now we’re not talking about a sabbatical, so your point stands? I like the analogy. Some people have pointed out that an intermittent break is better than nothing and I agree with that. On the other hand, I agree with Cal that taking a short break from tech doesn’t solve the problem in the long run. To use the food analogy, establishing a healthier relationship with food is a more permanent solution than fasting, although both have some benefit. Similarly with tech – we should reshape our relationship to our technology so it is not a source of stress that we need breaks from. Do you think every sabbatical is pointless? If not, what sabbaticals are acceptable, and how are they distinct from digital sabbaticals? Off topic: “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” -Einstein I’d like to know your view on this quote of Einstein. I think this is true. One example: At school, during my sixth standard, they taught me HTML. It fascinated me, especially the “marquee” command. I still remember HTML. I didn’t force myself to learn it at school. I just thought it was awesome and a sort of curiosity made me learn it easily. Similarly, I remember several other things that I learned at school but I don’t remember all that I’ve been taught or those that I forced myself to understand. I think one of the undying issues with digital addiction is simply the speed at which changes wash across us when it comes to everything technology related. Humans take a while to adapt to change. We pick up a shinny new thing and like it but then wonder how we make it peacefully coexist with all the other shiny things we’ve collected. The process of assimilation is slow and I think it gets even slower when one new thing suggests we need to toss aside a previously cherished part of our lives. 20 years from now, provided some sort of settling occurs, we’ll have figured all this out. I just hope I don’t get run over in the interim by someone texting and driving while having a Starbucks. Oh, I don’t know. Taking time off from something that consumes a major portion of your life can be good. If you can live without X (here a digital lifestyle) for an extended period of time, then it’s a good indication that you’re not addicted to it, that it’s simply a tool. On the other hand, if you go through the classic symptoms of withdrawal, then it’s a sign that you are addicted and do need to act aggressively. From that perspective, a sabbatical can serve as a useful test. And if you have no option but to maintain that digital lifestyle—the situation most of us are in—those breaks can serve as a way to learn self-control without disruption you life like going digital ‘cold turkey’ would. Great article Cal, One thing that I think gets over-looked here is when ‘addictions’ get lumped together. One thing I’ve noticed when it comes to technology ‘addiction’, is that a lot of people are probably not as addicted as they think, although many probably are, especially younger kids who have been raised on iPad diets. Cuz you kno, dopamine or something… Having said that, one key difference (I thought you were going to mention it at first actually), was that when people decide to take a ‘sabbatical’ from technology, it’s remarkably easy to do. Even more interestingly, when they do, they probably thoroughly enjoy the break. Imagine a life-long chain smoker, or compulsive eater commiting to a sabbatical from cigarettes or food? Or an alcoholic committing to a week off the drink? It wouldn’t happen, hence the addiction. I’m pretty sure that taking a sabbatical from anything renders it not an addiction, by definition. Yet when people use technology, the instant gratification effects can be difficult to tear away from. I think it still counts as an addiction technically, but a very different kind of addiction than say, smoking or alcoholism, or drugs. Even though it might even involve similar neurochemicals in some cases. What I find most baffling is a lot of people would attest to taking a break from technology and feeling thoroughly refreshed. That should be telling people something. Are we really addicted to technology, or is it something that runs deeper? I’ve heard a similar objection to the Catholic practice of giving things up for Lent: if the thing is bad for you, then you should give it up in general, rather than just for 40 days; and if it isn’t bad, then you shouldn’t give it up even for 40 days. That objection is naive: things don’t fall neatly into the categories “bad” and “not bad.” Most things have both good and bad effects. The trick is to keep one’s indulgence in them within proper bounds. An occasional fast might not be the best way to accomplish this goal: your point that it would be better to come up with a system for keeping a behavior within proper bounds all the time is well taken. But it’s not always easy to find an appropriate system, and we have so many potential addictions in our lives (soda, sweets, TV, social media, etc.) that it’s easy for one to slip through the cracks. As a result, I think it makes sense to step back occasionally and ask, “what behaviors have too much of a hold on me right now?” For each of those behaviors, if you can come up with a system for keeping it permanently within proper bounds, that’s great. If you can’t, or if you’re not sure that you can stick to whatever system you come up with because you tend to engage in the behavior compulsively, then a short-term fast might do you good. I really enjoy reading your posts, just like Dave Small, I particular like “My point is that for most any other behavior that lures you in with positive attributes, but then takes over your life and drives you to exhaustion, our standard response is that you need to radically and permanently reduce or eliminate that behavior” as well. But I have a quick and simple question: Isn’t it better than nothing? won’t a short step away provoke more thoughts/ideas? I love reading blogs thanks for sharing information about digital sabbaticals . Good luck! I disagree too with this idea. A sabbatical, or a better word fast, for a short period of time, can be useful. Just as is suggested with intermittent fasting of food. Reducing the amount of information coming in , can allow for more information going out. You get to be creative more. In order to create you often need to look within. You can’t do that if the noise of the world constantly intrudes. Maya Angelou is well know for for renting a hotel room in order to write. This was not in the digital age, but the idea of shutting the world out so you can hear what’s going on inside is not old fashioned or nonsense. Indeed it may be a key to getting more work done. Each article you read, video you watch means your are not taking action on something else. To go on a sabbatical may to a bit extreme, but taking time out, disconnecting, and switching off the devices is necessary for introspection, and creativity.

Yoga Philosophy with David Garrigues and Peg Mulqueen || YS 3.17: Why Words Matter 0:00 1:01:06 Join Więcej odcinków z kanału "Ashtanga Dispatch Podcast" Yoga Podcast Ep. 58 || Dr. Shyam Ranganathan: Yoga Philosophy + the Conundrum of Interpretation 1:22:16In today's episode, Dr. Shyam Ranganathan explains the process of translating spiritual texts; how belief systems, both conscious and unconscious, can influence our interpretations; and why logic is better than experience in deciphering ethics. Dr. Ranganathan is a trained scholar and researcher of philosophy and is author, editor and translator of numerous peer reviewed, scholarly works. To learn more, visit or follow on Instagram @ yogaphilosophy_com Also, be sure to check out our newest online offering begins this October -- Living the Path: Using the Tools of Yoga for Navigating Change. We hope you can join us. Visit for details. The Ashtanga Dispatch Podcast is hosted by Peg Mulqueen and Meghan Powell. Music is by Marc Pilley. Yoga Philosophy with David Garrigues and Peg Mulqueen || YS 3.17: Why Words Matter 1:01:06Join Yoga Podcast Ep. 57: Deepika Mehta || The Power of Hope 56:47In today's episode, listen to Deepika Mehta speak to the power of hope and how it plays such an essential role in times of despair. Especially as India suffers through a second wave of COVID. And why teachers from all over the world - including Deepika and us - are uniting this weekend (May 7th + 8th)to offer hope and help with a 24-hour online yoga marathon. Tickets are by donation and you can get yours here: We talk about this, but also about what it's been like for her to have a baby in the midst of COVID and the joy of seeing the world anew, through the fresh eyes of her daughter. Plus how motherhood has changed her practice AND her perspective on practice. Thanks for listening and hope to see you at this weekend's online yoga marathon. Also, did you know that Ashtanga Dispatch has a new podcast? It's called On the Path where each month, we will bring you a new trail to explore and someone inspiring to walk along with. You can subscribe to On the Path here: The Ashtanga Yoga Dispatch podcast is hosted, produced, and edited by Peg Mulqueen. along with Meghan Powell. Music is by Marc Pilley. Music is by Marc Pilley On the Path -- with Ashtanga Dispatch 32:24Welcome to On the Path – a new ‘talk as we walk’ podcast from Ashtanga Dispatch where we will take you outside on a new trail or with a new walking partner each month. If you enjoy, go over to apple podcasts and subscribe: Like to listen on Spotify? You can find us here: Today, you'll be walking with me, Peg Mulqueen, up the dirt road that leads from my house in Montana up to the top of the mountain we live on. And along the way, I'll tell you stories about my dad, who grew up as one of 7 kids in Hell's Kitchen NY. My dad has lived a colorful life for sure. With more than his fair share of hardship. Thanks to a crippling car accident, he cannot bend his legs nor touch his toes. And yet, I've learned more from him about yoga in action than anywhere else in my life. We hope you enjoy today's walk. And if you've never heard sandhill cranes, you're in for a treat! They are out in full force, announcing the coming of spring. I've even included a playlist for our walk, which you can find here: Thanks for walking! Yoga Podcast Ep. 56: Dan Nevins || Living Life to Its Fullest 1:43:15In 2004, after an explosion in Iraq, Dan Nevins would ultimate lose both his legs. And in today's pod, Dan will not only tell you this story - but also about his life, before and after. Including how he was introduced to yoga which, as he will tell you, saved him during a particularly dark time. (Though to say he was a reluctant participant is an understatement!) Besides being a veteran and yoga teacher, Dan is a master storyteller. He had Meghan and me in tears - both laughing and crying. Sometimes, both - at the same time. His story is emotional and inspirational. It's a story of resilience ... of relationship ... and of purpose. Learn more about Dan by visiting his website at dannevins.com The Ashtanga Dispatch podcast is hosted, produced, and edited by me, Peg Mulqueen, along with Meghan Powell. Music is by Marc Pilley. Yoga Podcast Ep. 55: Santina Giardina-Chard || Feeling Our Way Through 52:35Visit for more interviews, articles, and our latest online classes and courses. Beginning this Saturday is Elements of a Home Practice - a 4-week immersion with Peg Mulqueen + Meghan Powell. And now, on to today's episode with Santina Giardina-Chard ... Santina is an Ashtanga yoga teacher, living on Australia's Gold Coast. Wildly impassioned and blazing with enthusiasm and emotion - Santina is one of those people who knows what it means to step into the fire and let burn what needs to burn. And she will lead you through as well - if you let her. Because sometimes we need to feel the burn before we will loosen our grip and open ourselves up to something new. Often it’s the destruction that clears the space and sets us free. ****This episode contains language not suitable for young or sensitive ears **** Visit and sign up for our email list to receive our full moon musings where each month, we explore various elements of nature and practice. The Ashtanga Dispatch podcast is hosted, produced, and edited by me, Peg Mulqueen. Along with Meghan Powell. Music is by Marc Pilley - As always, thanks for listening - and enjoy today's spirited talk with Santina Giardina Chard Yoga Podcast Ep. 54 || Dena Kingsberg 43:09Today we welcome a very special guest - a woman we hold dear as teacher, mentor, and most especially friend - Dena Kingsberg. Dena has been a devoted student of Ashtanga Yoga for over three decades. Her time spent as a practitioner is evident through her integrative and holistic teaching style. But her devotion and grace are never more apparent than when she closes her eyes, starts to softly hum, and begins to chant. From her homestead in the magical semi-tropics of Goonengerry, Australia - Dena joined us over Zoom. Which is a big change for Dena, who has in the past, purposely separated herself from the digital world, preferring more intimate, in-person encounters. Which of course, for many of us, hasn't been possible for most of 2020. And so Dena has begun exploring ways she might support those feeling isolated and alone. One way is this podcast. And another, an 8-week online chanting workshop that launches this month. You can find details on this as well as learn more about Dena, by visiting her website: The Ashtanga Dispatch Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Peg Mulqueen and Meghan Powell. Music is by Mark Pilley As always, thank you for listening and supporting. During these difficult times, we are here to support you. Please visit to learn more. Yoga Podcast Ep. 53 || Mary Taylor + Richard Freeman 59:38In today's episode, we sit down with Mary Taylor and Richard Freeman to talk about their new book, When Love Comes to Light: Bringing Wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita into Modern Life. Never before has a book felt more timely or applicable. Because who among us doesn't feel like Arjuna right now - standing in the middle of a battlefield, unsure of our own purpose and uncertain of what actions to take? Mary and Richard write as WE are Arjuna and Krishna is actually talking to us. Mary and Richard are one of the most loving, insightful, and down-to-earth teachers we know. And whether it's in teaching, writing, or simply having a conversation, they truly do bring the yoga to life. Be the first to receive new podcasts by joining our email. Visit The Ashtanga Dispatch Yoga Podcast is hosted, edited, and produced by Peg Mulqueen and Meghan Powell. Music by Marc Pilley, whose newest album can be downloaded at Thanks for listening! Yoga Podcast Ep. 52 || The Yoga Mythbusters 40:07Today's chat is with Mark Robberds, Oliver Crossley, and Scott White who together, formed the Yoga Myth Busters. Their hope is to educate and clarify some of those pesky myths that continue to circulate and persist. Like - are your hips always need to be squared? Is it true that anyone can do anything with just practice? And my favorite: No pain, no gain - true or false? Listen and find out! Mark is a certified Ashtanga yoga teacher and movement specialist. And Oliver and Scott are both physiotherapists and yoga practitioners who use yoga in their therapeutic work. Visit our new online Yoga Shala with live and pre-recorded classes by visiting. The Ashtanga Dispatch Yoga podcast is hosted, edited, and produced by Peg Mulqueen and Meghan Powell. Music by Marc Pilley. Is Our Definition of a Yoga Practice Changing? 9:39This week's offering through the podcast is part of an online talk for Merchant City Yoga in Glasgow on how our definition of a yoga practice could be changing as a result of this ongoing pandemic. Also please note - we've added another session of our popular online course, Equanimity through the Storm. It begins May 8th and you can find more information here: We hope you’ve been enjoying these shorter broadcasts we’ve been offering this past month - bits of hope and inspiration from various sources as a way to offer support and perhaps some comfort through these trying times. And to remind you - you’re not alone. You have us. The Ashtanga Dispatch Podcast is edited, produced, + hosted by Peg Mulqueen + Meghan Powell. Music by Mark Pilley. Visit ashtangadispatch.com for.

Content uploaded by Daniel Pett Author content All content in this area was uploaded by Daniel Pett on Aug 02, 2018 Content may be subject to copyright. Technical Appendix: ReACH Declaration Collaborative version: 13 June 2018 Note on the authors: This first version of the ReACH technical guidelines was developed as a collective project by the ReACH technical committee convened by the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the ReACH initiative and hosted by the Abu Dhabi Department for Culture and Tourism in April 2018. The following individuals contributed: Anais Aguerre, Chance Coughenour, Eugene Ch’ng, Salma ElDardiry, Michael A. Keller, Paul Keller, Otto Lowe, Vladimir Opredelenov, Richard Palmer, Daniel Pett, Merete Sanderhoff, Stefan Simon, Stuart K. Snydman, Daniel Suarez and Rana Zureikat. Technical Appendix: ReACH Declaration 1 The scope of this document 3 1. Creation of the derived work 4 1.1 Data capture 4 1.1.1 Methodology 4 1.2 Data processing 5 1.3 Production of high quality model(s) 5 2 The Digital Divide 6 3. Digital archiving and preservation 6 4. Sharing of the derived record and associated data 7 4.1 Publication of derivations 7 4.2 Access to derived and captured data 8 4.3 Licensing 9 4.4 Metadata and paradata 10 4.4.1 Metadata 10 4.4.2 Paradata 11 Reference materials 12 Standards and previous working groups 12 Online Guidance 13 Digital Preservation Platforms and Services 15 Technical definition of terms 16 Checklist for storage of assets 19 Meta and Para data 20 Metadata 20 Paradata 20 Example of image standards for documenting objects from the Pushkin Museum 22 Object dimensionality 22 Flat objects 22 The scope of this document This technical appendix is a response to the publication of the ReACH Declaration in December 2017. It was developed between April and June 2018. It is intended that this document will be revised regularly and will remain technology agnostic and vendor neutral. The ambition is twofold; firstly to clarify certain technical terms mentioned in the Declaration and secondly to provide suggested guidance for the practical work of data capture (2D, 3D and all forms of suitable recording of digital cultural heritage that emerge in the lifetime of this guidance), storage and sharing to encourage a more harmonious practice and therefore greater chance of collaborations and exchanges in the future. The intent is that any guidance that is generated should be produced collaboratively with the wider community that is currently engaged in any form of digital documentation using imaging techniques and with reference to previous efforts such as the London Charter, Principles of Seville, the European Commission’s 3D-ICONS research, CARARE and ongoing work with CS3DP. This dynamic document is divided into a technical guidance and various appendices and registers. 1. Creation of the derived work Several steps and interventions are acknowledged in the creation of a derived work (“Record”) and those engaged in such endeavours are encouraged to follow article 14 - 16 of the Declaration. When creating reproductions/derived word (“Record”), due diligence must be applied to determining whether any copyright, moral or religious right can be asserted over an object by a living artist, relative, indigenous nation and whether there any cultural/ religious sensitivities or contractual agreements that may prevent the reproduction being created with the chosen method. If this is the case, and it is possible to communicate with the affected rights holders or communities, one should only proceed with such reproductions with the express permission of the such rights holders or affected communities. 1.1 Data capture The Declaration is technological agnostic, vendor neutral, and therefore the Steward of Works (hereafter referred to as the Steward) should commission the appropriate method for data capture based upon circumstances 1 , software and hardware availability, expertise and budget. These methods include (but are not exclusive to) well documented processes (or the Steward should endeavour to document their processes) such as conventional photography, reflectance transformation imaging, photogrammetry, computed tomography, structured light and laser scanning 2 . 1.1.1 Methodology Stewards are encouraged to employ one of these standardised methodologies (with reference to Article 2) that meets the constraints of the capturing institution (Article 14). Many factors will influence the decision making when choosing the appropriate method for example: ● The technique chosen is appropriate, non-invasive and maintains the integrity of preservation of the subject’s condition; ● Derived data can be hosted and preserved; ● Technology can easily be accessed, documented and a plan for knowledge transfer should be in place; 1 Circumstances for data capture of cultural heritage objects can vary greatly with the environment in which the procedure can take place. For example, the location may be remote, without power and have cultural sensitivity attached. 2 The list of data capture methods will expand and contract as new technologies come and go. 1.2 Data processing Data should be processed using reproducible, attributable and ethical methods (for example if crowdsourcing or other public labour is used, full attribution should be made). The onus should be on Stewards to use software packages that are easily obtained and are encouraged not to be digitally divisive (see section 2.) All steps should be documented 3 in open and accessible formats, for a reproducible methodology to be enabled and for knowledge transfer to occur (see section 3.4.2 below). Data processing will involve steps, informed interventions and decisions made by both machines and humans and vary depending on data capture methodology and hardware. These steps might include: ● Point cloud assembly - processing the image to derive measured coordinate based points that can be used to assemble the shape of the object ● Mesh cleaning - this can refer to smoothing, deletion, hole filling or various techniques used to repair missing data or removing extraneous data. ● Image manipulation - colour balancing and enhancing, image masking, resampling and other methods to produce the best quality finish. ● Image stitching - for example, documentation of large 2d works of art often required manual or computerised joining together of images. All data processing can introduce margins for error, so it is vital that paradata documents methods employed, equipment and software used, who was involved and what decisions were made to create the derivation. All data captured, the RAW files in the least, should be stored securely and not discarded unless they do not carry relevant information. 1.3 Production of high quality model(s) The Steward of Works should endeavour to create high quality models to be generated from the captured data set; this is of course dependent on the quality of the raw dataset and if limitations are apparent, these should be documented within para/meta data. Models and representations (of all types) should be made at the highest resolution that processing equipment and source data will allow, and subsequent derived surrogates should be processed and published. Models should be in interoperable formats (see definitions) that can be converted as technology progresses. It is not proposed to prescribe standards for what meets high quality due to the accelerate pace of change that is applied to 3D technological development. Moreover, publication online is governed by many factors, so derived lower resolution surrogates are required. 3 This document covers a multitude of data capture methods. The community is encouraged to openly discuss and formulate documentation standards. However, there are existing quality standards which have been developed and could serve as useful guidelines: the FADGI quality standards and the Metamorphoze standards. 2 The Digital Divide Usually, the Digital Divide is defined as: “the gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the Internet, and those who do not.” In this case, many collaborating institutions, signatories and subscribers to the Declaration may have little to no access to high end equipment and expertise and they should therefore be furnished with accessible and affordable (and current) methods, and with access to knowledge sharing opportunities and hardware sharing pools. Signatories to the Declaration could contribute to a register of equipment held and details of how they could be loaned (either with staff or without) for the mutual benefit of all. It should be noted that software and hardware will have a defined life cycle and equipment obsolescence is a high risk factor. Signatories to the Declaration should be fully aware of the Digital Divide when commissioning reproductions. Methods and techniques for data capture should be documented and shared by Stewards and associates to ensure reproducibility of process. 3. Digital archiving and preservation The Steward should preserve the derived data in an accessible form that will allow for reproducible methodologies to be created and implemented as referenced in articles 6 - 9 of the Declaration. Digital Preservation of these data is acknowledged as a troublesome issue for Stewards, but it must be adequately addressed and scoped when engaging in these methods. Different methods of capture generate varying volumes of data 4 and subsequently Stewards should be aware of the burden capture may place on their institution. Therefore Stewards are strongly encouraged to investigate storage/archival and preservation facilities, long term costs, frequency of access needed and length or retention of these data before data capture begins. Stewards should define their preservation goals, intentions and abilities, and consider the wide range of preservation solutions available. It is essential that due regard is given to development of policy and practise that has little disruptive influence on existing workflows. Extensive experience, methodologies, and 4 An example of higher end (affordable equipment) for file sizes would produce data such as RAW 20 - 80+ Megabytes per file, JPG at a specific resolution is at 5 - 20+ Megabytes per file. Therefore 100 RAW files at 20 Megabytes will produce 2 Gigabytes of data. A structured light scanner could produce files in the Terabytes. communities of practice in the community of research libraries offer insights into approaches dealing with these challenges. Data should be stored in facilities that allow for long term preservation of digital assets 5 ; storing on external hard drive or USB drive is not likely to ensure long term sustainability of data. Stewards should look to digital archives in the University Sector or invest in their own or shared digital preservation solution (public or private, as appropriate). In general, Stewards should follow the ‘Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe’ (LOCKSS) principles 6 . If these principles are followed, data and derived records are more likely to survive long term. 4. Sharing of the derived record and associated data 4.1 Publication of derivations Articles 10 to 13 of the ReACH Declaration champion the sharing of Record(s). The Steward should be bound to make the Record(s) publicly available as soon as is reasonably practicable using an appropriate method of publication or dissemination. Legal requirements, rights of use, and sensitivity to art and cultural heritage of sentimental, nationalistic, and religious value should be observed and clearly communicated alongside of the published works. The Steward should make best endeavours to ensure that the Record(s) are published in an interoperable 7 fashion, using appropriate non-proprietary/open and community standards that will allow for manipulation and conversion as technology progresses. Care should be taken when publishing works in corporate-owned platforms, terms of use should be read so that rights are properly managed. Uses of the final reproduction could include (but is not limited to) open source and hosted online or in galleries/museums/interpretation centres for mobile and desktop 2D/3D viewers, prints and tactile materials (including haptics), immersive environments (sound, light, visual), Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, games engines, interactive 2D/3D systems, and 3D manufacturing. 8 All of these dissemination methods have the potential for reaching new audiences globally, transmitted via the Internet 9 often at very low cost, therefore satisfying Article 11 of the Declaration. Cultural exploitation should be avoided as a first priority. However, there will be some groups or individuals (i.e., marginalised groups, ethnic minority, etc.) who may make use of the 5 Backups will include tape drives, multiple computers, cloud providers, institutional servers. 6 LOCKSS - 7 In addition, these resources should be hosted and accessible via interoperable systems, based on common APIs and open web standards for easy sharing, comparison, annotation and re-use. 8 This list is not exhaustive, new uses for derived works are being created quickly. 9 It should be noted that sometimes, a surrogate for the highest quality work may be used online to enable usage due to size of files. digital resources which Stewards, or they themselves have captured for creating a livelihood for themselves or for innovation, and thus empowering the local economy. Stewards should not prevent groups with direct ties to the original objects from exploiting their own cultural resources (including derived representations) for their own (economic) benefit. 4.2 Access to derived and captured data The Steward should make all data generated (where possible and not governed by contractual or cultural reasons) during the recording process and subsequently derived data (Article 6) available for (re)use. As technology improves, data may be reprocessed (as and when required or through serendipitous reuse) and there is potential for higher quality works to be produced. Data should be stored in an appropriate digital archive (institutional or shared), with a commitment to long term digital preservation, and when practicable a Digital Object Identifier (DOI/PURL) or other means should be assigned to the data compendia which allows for citation (to complement the appropriate meta/para data). Examples of captured and derived data that access and storage needs creating for include (but are not exclusive): 1. Photographs - RAW (native formats), JPEG, TIFF, etc 2. Point clouds - OC3, etc 3. Models - OBJ, PLY, STL, etc 4. Image masks - PNG, JPEG, etc 5. Camera orientations - XML, etc 6. Metadata files - MD, XML, DOC, etc It is suggested that Stewards follow the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) principles as laid out below (see): Commented [1]: @ Daniel - I am not sure it is so clear. Commented [2]: I'll have a go. This was Eugene's wording, which I think we agreed in AD. Commented [3]: Thanks Anais, Daniel. The idea is that whilst we are attempting to protect the exploitation of particular objects captured from a culture from being used by external groups without benefiting them, we wouldn't want our technical policy to prevent them from fully exploiting their own cultural resources, and for their own economic benefits. Commented [4]: so maybe make a declarative statement at the end. Say something like "Stewards should not prevent groups with direct ties to the original objects from exploiting their own cultural ressources (including derived works) for their own (economic) benefit. Commented [5]: That works for me, incorporated. Commented [6]: +1 4.3 Licensing In order to comply with Article 10 of the ReACH Declaration, which aims to ensure the availability of records to the public "for personal use and enjoyment and for non-commercial research, educational, scientific and scholarly uses", Stewards should use open licenses whenever possible. Machine readable open licenses and rights statements increase the discoverability of published data and empower the public to use published materials while respecting copyright. As such they are an important element of any strategy aimed at sharing access to cultural resources. When licensing published data (including metadata, captured data and derived data), it is important that licenses are applied in accordance with any underlying copyrights. It is both possible that Stewards may want to share data without having the rights to do so or that Stewards may want to impose conditions on the sharing of data where they do not have the right to do so. While it is beyond the scope of this technical appendix to provide case by case advice there are a number of general guidelines for adhering with the sharing objectives of the ReACH Declaration: ● When publishing metadata and paradata, Stewards should waive any rights that they may have in such data (most factual data will not be covered by copyright to begin with) so that such data can be used by anyone without any restrictions. This will increase discoverability. Within the cultural heritage community the Creative Commons Zero Public Domain license has become the de-facto standard legal tool for publishing metadata. We therefore encourage the use of CCO for metadata and paradata. ● When sharing captured data, derived data or any other digital representation of Works of Art and Cultural Heritage, the underlying rights status of the works determines the conditions for sharing. - When the underlying Works are free from rights (for example because copyright has expired or has never existed) then the Steward should make these records available with minimal conditions as possible. - if no new rights have been been created in the process of reproducing the work (in many countries faithful reproductions of a Work are not protected by copyright or similar rights), then the Steward should label any captured data, derived data or any other digital representation as free from rights for example by applying the Creative Commons Public Domain mark. - if new rights have been created in the process of reproducing the Work (as it is the case in a number of countries and more generally when the reproduction has an original character), then the Steward should either waive these rights (by applying the above mentioned CC0 waiver) or license any captured data, derived data or other digital representations of the Work under an open licenses (such as one of the six Creative Commons licenses) - When the underlying Work is not free from rights or is of a culturally sensitive nature, reproductions (Records) should not be shared without consent from the rights holders or affected communities. If they approve the sharing of any captured data, derived data or other digital representations, then the conditions for sharing should be approved by the rights holders/affected communities. In line with Article 10 of the ReACH Declaration, sharing under an open license (such as one of the six Creative Commons licenses) is preferable. Should this not be acceptable, rightsstatements.org offers a number of machine readable rights statements that can be used to convey more restrictive reuse conditions. Regardless of the conditions under which Records are shared, Stewards should ensure that these conditions are expressed in the associated metadata via standardised, machine readable rights statements and/or licenses. In accordance with Article 13 if the ReACH Declaration, Stewards should provide attribution to the original author/creators of the Works and, where practicable, provide credit to those involved in the process of documenting and producing Records of Works and should encourage any subsequent users to do the same. Where captured data, derived data or other digital representations of the Work are protected by copyright, attribution of the rights holders can be legally required, in all other cases it should be encouraged. 4.4 Metadata and paradata 4.4.1 Metadata The Steward should record, within their institution’s digital asset management systems (if they exist), the appropriate metadata relating to the Work and the Record. Standards for this are and have been in development now for a reasonable length of time (see for example CIDOC and CIPA) and at some point an agreed metadata standard will exist (as per Article 16). Metadata should be comprehensive and provide a rich means via which Records can Commented [7]: @ Daniel - please can we include a link here? Commented [8]: I think this is the correct one [email protected] raised this, so probably best he confirms. be discovered, retrieved, manipulated and reused by humans and machines (in this context we refer to Linked Data principles and protocols). 4.4.2 Paradata The Steward should also record paradata relating to methods employed to generate the derived work (Record), detailing how, why and what the reproduction was made and required for. The recording of paradata are often overlooked in the heritage sector, but it is of paramount importance to ensure future usage and interpretation. Paradata should make reference to: ● Agency - the choices made in relation to production of the representation ● Authority - the institution or person creating the representation provides validity to the reproduction ● Transparency - the reasoning as to why the representation was made, the purposes behind the processes ● Authenticity - how closely the representation is to the Work. Has work been done to the representation to enhance or obscure detail. Reference materials This section highlights some relevant material that the ReACH Technical Committee took into consideration to develop the first edition of the ReACH Technical Guidelines conceived as the technical appendix to the ReACH Declaration. Standards and previous working groups ● 3D Icons Guidelines (2014) [Accessed 27th March 2018] ● A. D'Andrea and K. Fernie, "CARARE 2.0: A metadata schema for 3D cultural objects," 2013 Digital Heritage International Congress (Digital Heritage), Marseille, 2013, pp. 137-143. doi: 10.1109/DigitalHeritage.2013.6744745 [Accessed 13th June 2018] ● CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model ○ ○ ● CIPA standards ○ ● Community Standards for 3d preservation [Accessed 27th March 2018] ● FADGI quality standards - %20Digital%20Guidelines%20Initiative-2016%20Final_rev1.pdf ● Linked Art Data model ○ ● The London Charter Version 2.1 February 2009 [Accessed 27th March 2018] ● Metamorphoze quality standards: - orfoze_Preservation_Imaging_Guidelines_1.0.pdf ● OAIS Reference Model (ISO 14721): The fundamental standard for digital preservation ○ ○ ● ObjectID ○ ● The British Library’s guidelines on Digital Preservation - - /index.html ● The Seville Principles 2011 Final Draft- principles/seville-principles [Accessed 13th June 2018] ● UNESCO 2003 Charter on the Preservation of the Digital Heritage1 rvation_digital_heritage_en.pdf ● UNESCO/PERSIST Guidelines for the selection of digital heritage for long term preservation -- guidelines_en.pdf Online Guidance These guidance pages are not exhaustive and can be added to at any time as and when resources are suggested. ● Crawford, A. How to set up a successful photogrammetry project [Accessed 27th March 2018] ● Factum Foundation (n.d) 3D Scanning for Cultural Heritage Conservation [Accessed 13th June 2018] ● Historic England (2017) Photogrammetric Applications for Cultural Heritage- applications-for-cultural-heritage/ ● Historic England (2017) 3D Laser Scanning for Heritage ● Historic Environment Scotland (2018) Applied Digital Documentation in the Historic Environment Short Guide 13- research/publications/publication/?publicationId=9b35b799-4221-46fa-80d6- a8a8009d802d ● Kaleta, R, Bevan, A. & Keinan-Schoonbaert, A., Bonnachi. C. (2014) Photographic Strategy for 3D Models of Artefacts- TechnicalNotes/raw/master/pdf/1-PhotoCapture_Artefacts.pdf ● Lievendag, N., The Beginners guide to 3D scanning and photogrammetry on a budget ● Pier 9: Guide to Artec Scanners (2014)- Scanners-Cosmonaut-Glove/ ● Weinberg, M. (2016) New Whitepaper on 3D Scanning and (the Lack of) scanning-and-the-lack-of-copyright.html Digital Preservation Platforms and Services A wide array of preservation platforms exist, but many do not provide services that can cope with all forms of imaging formats. The Steward should choose the most suitable platform or service for the records and data that they produce. Platforms and organisations of note include: ● The Archaeological Data Service ● The Digital Archaeological Record (TDaR) ● OpenContext ● Stanford suite of services- repository ● Morphosource ● Internet Archive Stewards and signatories should also take note that personal archiving can also be effective: ● Personal archiving Technical definition of terms Agency is the capacity of an individual or organisation to act within an environment. Asset in this case can mean the Work that will be documented, or the digital files that are created during the documentation process. In the ReACH Declaration, the digital file is defined as “Record”: digital recording or reproduction of a Work and the data generated in the process of faithfully capturing images and data of the Work so as to create a high quality digital or physical reproduction of the Work. Captured data means the image(s) or other information taken during the documentation process. Computed tomography means radiography in which a three-dimensional image of a body structure is constructed by computer from a series of plane cross-sectional images made along an axis — called also computed axial tomography, computerized axial tomography, computerised tomography. Cultural Institutions refers to (but is not exclusive to) museums, galleries, archaeological sites and monuments, interpretative centres, universities, libraries and community places of interests. Note that in the ReACH Declaration, Steward has a broader sense. It means, any governmental or private entity that owns or possesses Works held for the benefit of the public. The term Steward is intended to be broadly construed and includes, but is not limited to, museums, sites, monuments, libraries, repositories, archives, places of worship, whether governmental, sovereign, or private. Creative Commons licenses are a range of public copyright licenses that have been created to enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted Work or Record. This type of license gives people the right to share, use, and build upon a work under the clauses stipulated. Decimation means the process of removing polygons, from a 3D geometric representation. The outcome of this is to reduce the size of the representation for processing. Derived data means the byproduct of working with the imagery captured during the documentation process. Images could be processed to remove background(s) or features, which derives new information. Derived Work means the product of the imaging process that is used to document or recreate the original subject/work. In the ReACH Declaration, it is referred to a “Record” defined as a digital recording or reproduction of a Work and the data generated in the process of faithfully capturing images and data of the Work so as to create a high quality digital or physical reproduction of the Work. Digital Divide refers to the disparity of access to technology, the Internet and equipment between those who do, and those who do not. Digital Object Identifier (DOI) means a unique alphanumeric identification string which has been assigned by a registration agency. This string identifies the content and provides a permanent and persistent URI for its location on the Internet. Digital Preservation means the series strategies and actions taken to promote the availability and usability of digital information over time. This concept is intended to prevent loss, and ensure the durability of digital cultural heritage over time. High quality means a level of quality sufficient to constitute a representation of a Work as faithful as possible. Derived representations or Record should be produced at the highest level that the Steward’s hardware and software will allow at the time of production with scope for reuse of raw data if processing techniques change. Interoperable means the ability for different systems (software) to exchange and make use of information. LIDAR is the controlled deployment of laser beams via a rangefinder, from which accurate measurements are captured and interpreted. Linked Open Data means a set of technical design principles for sharing machine-readable interlinked data on the Web. Machine readable means data in a form that a computer can process. Metadata refers to data that has been generated to describe and give enhanced information about other data. Non-invasive in this context, assumes that any method for recording the object or monument (‘Work’) should not in anyway damage it. The appropriate method will be used to facilitate the recording with adequate documentation of risk to the subject. Non-proprietary means the use of agreed standards that are in the public domain or are widely licensed so that a wide array of applications and software options exist. Open access means that the Works (as defined in the Declaration’s definitions point B) are available to all, with little if any restriction for reuse. Open Source means software which allows all citizens the chance to view, modify, enhance the underlying source code. Photogrammetry is the application of photography to obtain accurate measurements of physical objects or the environment (Photo - picture, grammetry - measurement) and is used as a means to create a 3D representation. Photomask means to mark-up an image for the extraneous data, signifying to the processing software that this area should be ignored when creating a 3D derived work. Point cloud means a group points held within a coordinate system. In this case we are referring to a 3D grid using XYZ planes. RDF means Resource Description Framework. Reflectance Transformation Imaging or Polynomial Texture Mapping is a technique of imaging and interactively displaying objects under varying lighting conditions to reveal surface phenomena. Reproducible research in this case refers to subscribing by default to the practice of making accessible alongside the high quality 3D model the raw data, the source code (if created) and well documented tools and methods used to created the work. Scanning means the process from which 3D data is derived following capture via a sensor. Structured light scanning refers to the projection of light (either as a narrow band or as a pattern) onto a 3 dimensional object from which accurate measurements can be obtained. URI means "Uniform Resource Identifier." A URI identifies the name and location of a file or resource in a uniform format. Work as defined in the ReACH Declaration, means a work of art or other cultural item. The term Work is intended to be broadly construed and includes, but is not limited to, works of art in all media and eras, e.g., paintings, works on paper, sculpture, murals, antiquities, monuments, architecture and architectural elements and archeological sites. Checklist for storage of assets Raw data should include: 1. Photographs (RAW, JPEG, TIFF) 2. Point clouds 3. Image masks 4. Meshes 5. Textures 6. Meta and para data files Final representations and surrogates should include: 1. Interoperable formats - PLY, OBJ, STL, etc 2. Textures - JPG, PNG, TIFF 3. Metadata and paradata files Data and derived records should be stored: 1. According to the Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe principles. 2. Locally and if possible on an institutional network drive 3. Remotely on secure, backed up storage (tape, cloud, hard drive etc) Meta and Para data Metadata The following metadata fields are suggestions for bare minimum. Schema for recording 3D data as Linked Open Data and relational databases are being discussed at various conferences worldwide and through different funding streams. Examples include the CARARE extension for 3D metadata. Ideally metadata would be created via online editing forms and from automatic extraction. An attempt should made to unify these and produce a standardised shema including RDF and incorporation into CIDOC-CRM. ● Title ● Description ● Period(s) ● Date range ● Original creator/artist/architect(s) ● Geographical location of original ● Material of original work ● Data capture dates(s) ● Date capture by whom ● Resolution ● Model size ● Scale applied Paradata The following suggests basic paradata relating to the creation of the reproduction (‘Record’) and are open to suggest and revision. Ideally, paradata would be created via online editing forms, stored within a relational or graph database. ● Imaging method employed ● Imaging equipment used ● Reasoning for method chosen ● Processing software used ● Processing software version ● Processing settings used ● Image masking applied (photogrammetry) ● Mesh processing which could have involved deliberate smoothing, patching or reconstruction. ● Number of chunks ● Quantity of photos ● Raw data capture size ● Data processor(s) ● Date(s) of processing ● Nature of mesh cleaning applied ● Texture processing and post production ● Computer specification used ● Rights statement ● Storage location(s) for raw and derived data ● Level of skill associated with creator ● Use case for the reproduction ● Costs for capture and processing Example of image standards for documenting objects from the Pushkin Museum A. Object dimensionality Standards will vary depending on the object dimensions. Flat objects Paintings, graphics, documents, photographs, flat numismatics, etc. 1. The size of the object is less than A7 (7.4 × 10.5 cm): not less than 1200 dpi, not less than 3500 × 4900 pixels for A7. 2. The size of the object from A7 (7.4 × 10.5 cm) to A6 (10.5 × 14.8 cm): not less than 600 dpi, not less than 1700 × 2400 pixels for A7 and 2400 × 3500 pixels for A6. 3. The size of the object from A5 (14.8 × 21 cm) to A4 (21 × 29.7 cm): not less than 400 dpi, not less than 2300 × 3300 pixels for A5 and 3300 × 4600 pixels for A4. 4. The size of the object from A3 (29.7 × 42 cm) to A2 (42 × 59.4 cm): not less than 300 dpi, not less than 3500 × 4900 pixels for A3 and 4900 × 7000 pixels for A2. 5. The size of the object to A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm): not less than 200 dpi, not less than 4600 × 6600 pixels for A1. 6. The size of the object is more than A0 (84.1 × 118.9 cm): not less than 5700 × 8600 pixels. Three-dimensional objects Sculpture, DPI, archeology, volume numismatics, etc. 1. Regardless of the size, at least 5400 x 3600 pixels. B. Assessment of primary (basic, mandatory) processing a. Primary (basic, mandatory) processing of digital images of museum items includes: 1. Rotate the frame 90/180 degrees, align the horizon line / axis of the frame to correctly display the subject; 2. Cropping; 3. White Balance Correction 4. Converting to TIF / TIFF format (Adobe RGB 1998) 8 or 16 bit without compression / with LZW compression. 5. Correction of the exposure and sharpness of the image is made if necessary. b. Digital images that have special purpose and converted to other formats (PSD, PNG, etc.), color spaces (CMYK, Lab, Grayscale, etc.) that have layers, additional channels or other differences, should have a file with a general view to this object in TIF / TIFF format (Adobe RGB 1998) 8 or 16 bit without compression / with LZW compression, reduced in one layer into 3 RGB channels. c. Museum items should be displayed correctly relative to their upper and lower boundaries, be located front (or in the angle that is required) without inclines and deformations distorting its original boundaries and surface. d. The museum item should be placed in the center of the frame with the minimum amount of space around in all cases, except for artistic photography for special projects (printing products, multimedia content, etc.), where an artistic background and creative framing is required. e. The digital image must pass the white balance correction manually or automatically in order to match the color gamut of the image to the color gamut of the original object. The absence of white balance correction is allowed when streaming large volumes (from 70 subjects per day), but with the presence of a color target in the frame or a separate foreshortening. f. Exposure compensation (exposure compensation) is allowed to compensate for explicit exposure metering errors when shooting when the subject in the frame is significantly darker / lighter than the original. g. Correction of sharpness (most often, sharpening) of a digital image during processing is allowed, if it does not lead to the appearance of an obvious digital noise. h. Do not allow the presence of glare on the object, interfering with the perception of its volume, texture of the surface and other useful visual information. An additional assessment of images-results of panoramic (multi-frame) shooting a. If the digital image was compiled from several fragments manually or programmatically (that is, a panoramic / multi-frame shooting of the object was performed), it is necessary to check the correctness of the connection of frames to the subject: i. Presence of physical shifts in the frame boundaries, inconsistencies in lines, textures, the presence of duplicate elements (doublet) or the absence of parts of the image in the junctions; ii. Presence of the staff, differing sharpness, white balance, exposure on one digital image. b. If an incorrect connection of frames is detected, it is necessary to refer to the original survey files (RAW) for evaluating the possibility of re-processing (in the case of errors at the stage of connecting frames) or the need to re-shoot museum items. Additional color grading a. If necessary, as well as in cases of special high-precision artistic photography for special projects (printing products, multimedia content, etc.), additional control over the correctness of color reproduction using color targets, special color profiles for cameras or other means (hardware and software) color accuracy. b. Such checks should be carried out on special professional calibrated monitors having high color accuracy. When digitally printing samples to control the color reproduction of files, the printers must also be calibrated.

WHERE TO EAT Bonvicino An harmonious blend of tradition and innovation, our menu offers the possibility to taste some local dishes with a modern twist and new combinations. Many traditional products are handmade with imagination and inventiveness. We make aMing wood-fired oven Pizza. Loc. Bonvicino – Km. 39,600 – SS. 127 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 67 40 65 Mail: [email protected] Website: Fb: Ristorante Pizzeria Bonvicino Il Melograno Fish and meat menu, fresh fish and traditional Gallura Cuisine. The menu is built according to the season using local products and international certified products. A large wine cellar with over 150 wines to choose from. We prepare pizzas as well. V. Vittorio Emanuele – Nuchis Tel: +30 079 67 40 43 Mobile: +39 346 07 92 593 Website: Fb: Il Melograno La Fonte La Fonte Pizza e Griglia with a lovely summer terrace, is located at the beginning of Fonte Nuova. Wood-fired oven pizza, the possibility to enjoy a gluten-free pizza, delicious barbecues, and a la carte menu. Reasonable prices for everyone. Largo De Gasperi – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 63 32 74 Fb: La Fonte Li Tre Funtani The restaurant offers a typical Sardinian cuisine, including grilled meat and grilled fresh fish from our sea. You can also enjoy pizza. The restaurant is available for parties, birthdays, graduations, bachelor parties. Professional and qualified staff. Località la Milizzana – Tempio Pausania Movile: +39 340 21 51 702 – +39 333 61 26 462 Fb: Li Tre Funtani Peperosso Pizzeria restaurant and bar, a beautiful place located in the middle of Fonte Nuova. Open for lunch and dinner, with a large veranda. Pizzas cooked in the wood oven, typical Gallura’s dishes and regional fresh ingredients, meat and fish menu, available for ceremonies. Viale Fonte Nuova – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 63 91 378 Website: Trattoria la Gallurese Trattoria specializes in traditional Gallura’s dishes. Local dishes home cooked, such as the Zuppa gallurese, handmade gnocchi and ravioli, large portions and affordable prices. Authentic and genuine cuisine made with fresh ingredients. Via Novara 2, Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 63 93 012 Sapore di Pizza Pizzeria take away within a few seats, classical and giant pizzas. We prepare the fainè, a kind of pie made with chickpea flour. On request, craft handmade bread with semolina pasta and chunky bread. Via Villamarina, 3 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 67 12 54 La Caffetteria della Piazza All day opening, a relaxed atmosphere where you can have breakfast with local pastries, pleasant place for a coffee break, an aperitif with Sardinian wines, after dinner with cocktails or ideal for a tasty lunch. We organize themed events, art exhibition and tasting menu. Piazza Gallura,18 – Tempio Pausania Mobile: +39 349 61 15 239 Fb: Caffetteria della Piazza Sporting pub Located in the center, the Sporting Pub, marked by an Irish style, offers hearty breakfasts and lunch set menu, combined dishes to choose from. It also great just to enjoy a coffee, an aperitif or a digestif, during a moment of relaxation or a business break. Piazza Don Minzoni, 12 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 63 04 54 La mia cucina Located in the heart of the historical center, we offer takeaway food with a predilection for strong tasting dishes and fresh fish. Appetizers, main, second course dishes and pizzas. Also, we prepare handmade sweets and other delicacies. Piazza Don Minzoni, 3 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 63 07 69 C'era Una Volta Golden Gate An ideal place to spend a pleasant evening, for parties, gatherings and events. A wonderful location and excellent level of cuisine. The Golden Gate Restaurant gives you the right balance of richness of detail and understated elegance. Also ideal for meetings and business meetings. S.S. 127 Sassari-Tempio – Bortigiadas Tel: +30 079 62 71 74 Mobile: +39 349 84 91 765 Website: Fb: Ristorante Golden Gate Il Trenino Pizzeria located in the heart of Tempio, mainly prepare classic pizzas, gluten-free and lactose-free, using only quality products. The cuisine is both typical and national. We organize catering, even at home. Piazza Gallura, 11 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 63 09 85 Mobile: +39 348 95 02 577 Master pizza Cozy and comfortable place. We offer mouth-watering pasta dishes, Sardinian meat and fish, accompanied by side dishes. 48 types of pizza prepared with passion and love. Circ. ne San Sebastiano, 16 – Tempio Pausania Mobile: +39 380 75 54 745 Fb: Master Bar RistoPizza Punto ristoro Nuraghe Majore In the countryside, near the homonym nuraghe. The restaurant offers traditional gallura’s flavors, meat, cheese and fine wines, all served on the rustic and original cork trays. Main dishes, grilled dishes and set menu. Friendly place and qualified staff. Loc. Nuraghe Majore, Tempio-Palau km 2 – Tempio Pausania Mobile: +39 320 30 60 634 Fb: Punto di ristoro “Nuraghe Majori” ristorante Fagotto Pizzeria take-away, offers classic and giant pizzas and a wide choice of focaccia with various flavors (peppers, onions, potatoes), focaccia with tomato and ham and saltimbocca. Piazza Italia, 11 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 63 35 24 Fb: Il Fagotto Pizzeria Panetteria Bosco Pizzeria take away with sitting area. Round pizza, pan baked pizza, special bread made with Integral Bio Spelt, Rye Loaf Wholegrain Organic, Organic Bread Old cereal, bread Ricotta and more. Home delivery orders and boozing via Facebook. Via Vittorio Veneto, 4 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 63 24 94 Mobile: +39 328 86 63 039 Fb: pizzeria panetteria Bosco Living club cafè Open every day, cafeteria and modern, youthful pub. Various choices including pizzas, bruschettas, sandwiches and gluten-free meals, daily menu at lunch. Every Saturday night we organize DJ night party and sometimes aperitif with buffet dinner. Corso Matteotti, 11 – Tempio Pausania Mobile: +39 392 69 37 240 Website: Fb: Living Club TP Il Ghiottone Here you can find every kind of delicacies, such as appetizers, main and second course dishes, fresh bread, fresh homemade pasta and sweets. We produce, also, fresh pasta and desserts for gluten intolerant. Circonvallazione San Giuseppe,16 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 41 24 184 Fb: Il Ghiottone Prontocotto Nearby Piazza Faber, our kitchen offers a wide choice of take-away seafood, meat and traditional Gallura dishes, prepared with such passion as you do them at home. Also we prepare roast chicken, pizzas and desserts. Upon request, catering service available. Via Mannu, 4 – Tempio Pausania Mobile: +39 342 57 64 359 Fb: Prontocotto Il Giardino Traditional Gallura Cuisine, fresh homemade pasta. Different types of menus, such as set menu, fresh fish menu, meat menu and Gallura’s salami. Tasting menu with local products and pizza. Via Cavour, 10 – Tempio Pausania Mobile: +39 327 20 57 756 Fb: Il Giardino L’Agnata di De Andrè The restaurant offers Sardinian cuisine, voted to the simplicity and genuineness and made from raw ingredients chosen with care, from small sardinian manifactures. From breakfast to a light lunch on the veranda or a romantic dinner in front of a bottle of wine, everything is full of taste. Località San Bachisio – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 67 13 84 – +39 079 63 41 25 Mail: [email protected] Website: Fb: L’Agnata di De Andrè One Pub Bar, Pub, Pizzeria and Restaurant located a few steps from the historic center. Great pizza cooked in the wood oven. Tare away service. The downstairs room has big TV where you can watch the matches peacefully enjoying the meal. Circonvallazione San Sebastiano, 34 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 67 02 24 – +39 079 63 08 74 Trattoria Bisson Located in the heart of the historic center, where you can eat excellent homemade food. The atmosphere is welcoming, kind and friendly staff; you can enjoy fresh fish, tasty seafood appetizers and vegetarian, simple and hearty main dishes, and lightly pan-fried dishes. Excellent value for money. Via San Luca,18 – Tempio Pausania Mobile: .+39 392 28 79 521 Fb: Trattoria Bisson Il Pizzicotto Pizzeria take away with wide choice of regular and giant pizzas. Different menus, children menu and weekly offers. Combined dishes, different varieties of sandwiches, delicacies and pudding, seafood (octopus and mixed seafood), snacks and ice cream. Large sitting area to enjoy the mail on site. Viale Don Sturzo, 22 – Tempio Pausania Mobile: +39 347 50 46 372 – +39 327 58 23 60 Fb: Il Pizzicotto pizzeria paninoteca focacceria-Tempio Pausania Friends Cafè Open every day, we prepare excellent breakfast and cafeteria such as chocolate, coffee, soft drinks, even intolerant. Lunch with set menu, spaghetti 250 grams and salads. Every Thursday we organize aperitif with live music. Viale Valentino, 17 – Tempio Pausania Mobile: +39 380 38 34 403 Fb: Friends Cafe La gastronomica di Russino Nearby Corso Matteotti, the Gastronomica offers a variety of delicacies and take-away foods including appetizers, main and second course dishes. We organize buffet for occasional parties, baptisms and communions. Also, we prepare pizzas and roast chickens. Via Amsicora,18 -Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 079 63 18 86 Fb: La Gastronomica Street Food – Comida do Mundo We are proud to offer our customers one of the most important innovations in the culinary field: low temperature cooking or slow cooking. You can taste several types of sandwich with different combinations of tastes and flavors. First-class products, warm and friendly staff. Also suitable for those with gluten intolerance! Via Mazzini, 17 – Tempio Pausania Tel: +39 347 68 43 564 Fb: Street Food

By Alexander Hislop * TERTULLIAN, De Proescript. Hoeret. The language of Tertullian implies that those who were initiated by baptism in the Mysteries were marked on the forehead in the same way, as his Christian countrymen in Africa, who had begun by this time to be marked in baptism with the sign of the cross. Figure 43 To identify Tammuz with the sun it was joined sometimes to the circle of the sun, as in the forth symbol of figure 43; sometimes it was inserted in the circle, as in the fifth symbol of figure 43. Whether the Maltese cross, which the Romish bishops append to their names as a symbol of their episcopal dignity, is the letter T, may be doubtful; but, as on the official garments of the priests of Rome; it was borne. In reference to the adorning of some of these tribes, Wilkinson thus writes: "The girdle was sometimes highly ornamented; men as well as women wore earrings; and they frequently had a small cross suspended to a necklace, or to the collar of their dress. The adoption of this last was not peculiar to them; it was also appended to, or figured upon, the robes of the Rot-n-no; and traces of it may be seen in the fancy ornaments of the Rebo, showing that it was already in use as early as the fifteenth century before the Christian era." (see figure 44 below). Figure 44 There is hardly a Pagan tribe where the cross has not been found. The cross was worshipped by the Pagan Celts long before the incarnation and death of Christ. (see figure 45 below). Figure 45 This symbol of the Babylonian god is reverenced at this day in all the wide wastes of Tartary, Baud'has." ( see figure 46). Compare this with the language of Rome applied to the cross, and it will be seen how exact is the coincidence. In the Office of the Cross, it is called the "Tree of life," and the worshippers are taught thus to address it: "Hail, O Cross, triumphal wood, true salvation of the world, among trees there is none like thee in leaf, flower, and bud...O Cross, our only hope, increase righteousness to the godly and pardon the offences of the guilty." * * The above was actually versified by the Romanisers in the Church of England, and published along with much besides from the same source, some years ago, in a volume entitled Devotions on the Passion. The London Record, of April, 1842, gave the following as a specimen of the "Devotions" provided by these "wolves in sheep's clothing" for members of the Church of England:-- "O faithful cross, thou peerless tree, No forest yields the like of thee, Leaf, flower, and bud; Sweet is the wood, and sweet the weight, And sweet the nails that penetrate Thee, thou sweet wood." "O faithful cross, thou peerless tree, No forest yields the like of thee, Leaf, flower, and bud; Sweet is the wood, and sweet the weight, And sweet the nails that penetrate Thee, thou sweet wood." Figure 46 Can any one, reading the gospel narrative of the crucifixion, possibly believe that that narrative of itself could ever germinate into such extravagance of "leaf, flower, and bud," as thus appears in this Roman Office? But when it is considered that the Buddhist, like the Babylonian cross, was the recognised emblem of Tammuz, who was known as the mistletoe branch, or "All-heal," then it is easy to see how the sacred Initial should be represented as covered with leaves, and how Rome, in adopting it, should call it the "Medicine which preserves the healthful, heals the sick, and does what mere human power alone could never do."ised, appears to have taken the lead in bringing in this Pagan symbol. The first form of that which is called the Christian Cross, found on Christian monuments there, is the unequivocal Pagan Tau, or Egyptian "Sign of life." Let the reader peruse the following." The drift of this statement is evidently this, that in Egypt the earliest form of that which has since been called the cross, was no other than the "Crux Ansata," or "Sign of life," borne by Osiris and all the Egyptian gods; that the ansa or "handle" was afterwards dispensed with, and that it became the simple Tau, or ordinary cross, as it appears at this day, and that the design of its first employment on the sepulchres, therefore, could have no reference to the crucifixion of the Nazarene, but was simply the result of the attachment to old and long-cherished Pagan symbols, which is always strong in those who, with the adoption of the Christian name and profession, are still, to a large extent, Pagan in heart and feeling. This, and this only, is the origin of the worship of the "cross." This, no doubt, will appear all very strange and very incredible to those who have read Church history, as most have done to a large extent, even amongst Protestants, through Romish spectacles; and especially to those who call to mind the famous story told of the miraculous appearance of the cross to Constantine on the day before the decisive victory at the Milvian bridge, that decided the fortunes of avowed Paganism and nominal Christianity. That story, as commonly told, if true, would certainly give a Divine sanction to the reverence for the cross. But that story, when sifted to the bottom, according to the common version of it, will be found to be based on a delusion--a delusion, however, into which so good a man as Milner has allowed himself to fall. Milner's account is as follows: "Constantine, marching from France into Italy against Maxentius, in an expedition which was likely either to exalt or to ruin him, was oppressed with anxiety. Some god he thought needful to protect him; the God of the Christians he was most inclined to respect, but he wanted some satisfactory proof of His real existence and power, and he neither understood the means of acquiring this, nor could he be content with the atheistic indifference in which so many generals and heroes since his time have acquiesced. He prayed, he implored with such vehemence and importunity, and God left him not unanswered. While he was marching with his forces in the afternoon, the trophy of the cross appeared very luminous in the heavens, brighter than the sun, with this inscription, 'Conquer by this.' He and his soldiers were astonished at the sight; but he continued pondering on the event till night. And Christ appeared to him when asleep with the same sign of the cross, and directed him to make use of the symbol as his military ensign." Such is the statement of Milner. Now, in regard to the "trophy of the cross," a few words will suffice to show that it is utterly unfounded. I do not think it necessary to dispute the fact of some miraculous sign having been given. There may, or there may not, have been on this occasion a "dignus vindice nodus," a crisis worthy of a Divine interposition. Whether, however, there was anything out of the ordinary course, I do not inquire. But this I say, on the supposition that Constantine in this matter acted in good faith, and that there actually was a miraculous appearance in the heavens, that it as not the sign of the cross that was seen, but quite a different thing, the name of Christ. That this was the case, we have at once the testimony of Lactantius, who was the tutor of Constantine's son Crispus--the earliest author who gives any account of the matter, and the indisputable evidence of the standards of Constantine themselves, as handed down to us on medals struck at the time.. When the Labarum, or far-famed standard of Constantine itself, properly so called, was made, we have the evidence of Ambrose, the well-known Bishop of Milan, that that standard was formed on the very principle contained in the statement of Lactantius--viz., simply to display the Redeemer's name. He calls it "Labarum, hoc est Christi sacratum nomine signum."--"The Labarum, that is, the ensign consecrated by the NAME of Christ." * * Epistle of Ambrose to the Emperor Theodosius about the proposal to restore the Pagan altar of Victory in the Roman Senate. The subject of the Labarum has been much confused through ignorance of the meaning of the word. Bryant assumes (and I was myself formerly led away by the assumption) that it was applied to the standard bearing the crescent and the cross, but he produces no evidence for the assumption; and I am now satisfied that none can be produced. The name Labarum, which is generally believed to have come from the East, treated as an Oriental word, gives forth its meaning at once. It evidently comes from Lab, "to vibrate," or "move to and fro," and ar "to be active." Interpreted thus, Labarum signifies simply a banner or flag, "waving to and fro" in the wind, and this entirely agrees with the language of Ambrose "an ensign consecrated by the name of Christ," which implies a banner. There is not the slightest allusion to any cross--to anything but the simple name of Christ. While we have these testimonies of Lactantius and Ambrose, when we come to examine the standard of Constantine, we find the accounts of both authors fully borne out; we find that that standard, bearing on it these very words, "Hoc signo victor eris," "In this sign thou shalt be a conqueror," said to have been addressed from heaven to the emperor, has nothing at all in the shape of a cross, but "the letter X." In the Roman Catacombs, on a Christian monument to "Sinphonia and her sons," there is a distinct allusion to the story of the vision; but that allusion also shows that the X, and not the cross, was regarded as the "heavenly sign." The words at the head of the inscription are these: "In Hoc Vinces [In this thou shalt overcome] X." Nothing whatever but the X is here given as the "Victorious Sign." There are some examples, no doubt, of Constantine's standard, in which there is a cross-bar, from which the flag is suspended, that contains that "letter X"; and Eusebius, who wrote when superstition and apostacy were working, tries hard to make it appear that that cross-bar was the essential element in the ensign of Constantine. But this is obviously a mistake; that cross-bar was nothing new, nothing peculiar to Constantine's standard. Tertullian shows that that cross-bar was found long before on the vexillum, the Roman Pagan standard, that carried a flag; and it was used simply for the purpose of displaying that flag. If, therefore, that cross-bar was the "celestial sign," it needed no voice from heaven to direct Constantine to make it; nor would the making or displaying of it have excited any particular attention on the part of those who saw it. We find no evidence at all that the famous legend, "In this overcome," has any reference to this cross-bar; but we find evidence the most decisive that that legend does refer to the X. Now, that that X was not intended as the sign of the cross, but as the initial of Christ's name, is manifest from this, that the Greek P, equivalent to our R, is inserted in the middle of it, making by their union CHR. The standard of Constantine, then, was just the name of Christ. Whether the device came from earth or from heaven--whether it was suggested by human wisdom or Divine, supposing that Constantine was sincere in his Christian profession, nothing more was implied in it than a literal embodiment of the sentiment of the Psalmist, "In the name of the Lord will we display our banners." To display that name on the standards of Imperial Rome was a thing absolutely new; and the sight of that name, there can be little doubt, nerved the Christian soldiers in Constantine's army with more than usual fire to fight and conquer at the Milvian bridge. In the above remarks I have gone on the supposition that Constantine acted in good faith as a Christian. His good faith, however, has been questioned; and. Whichever view be taken, however, of Constantine's sincerity, the supposed Divine warrant for reverencing the sign of the cross entirely falls to the ground. In regard to the X, there is no doubt that, by the Christians who knew nothing of secret plots or devices, it was generally taken, as Lactantius declares, as equivalent to the name of "Christ." In this view, therefore, it had no very great attractions for the Pagans, who, even in worshipping Horus, had always been accustomed to make use of the mystic tau or cross, as the "sign of life," or the magical charm that secured all that was good, and warded off everything that was evil. When, therefore, multitudes of the Pagans, on the conversion of Constantine, flocked into the Church, like the semi-Pagans of Egypt, they brought along with them their predilection for the old symbol. The consequence was, that. Thus, by the "sign of the cross," Christ has been crucified anew by those who profess to be His disciples. Now, if these things be matter of historic fact, who can wonder that, in the Romish Church, "the sign of the cross" has always and everywhere been seen to be such an instrument of rank superstition and delusion? There is more, much more, in the rites and ceremonies of Rome that might be brought to elucidate our subject. But the above may suffice. * * If the above remarks be well founded, surely it cannot be right that this sign of the cross, or emblem of Tammuz, should be used in Christian baptism. At the period of the Revolution, a Royal Commission, appointed to inquire into the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England, numbering among its members eight or ten bishops, strongly recommended that the use of the cross, as tending to superstition, should be laid aside. If such a recommendation was given then, and that by such authority as members of the Church of England must respect, how much ought that recommendation to be enforced by the new light which Providence has cast on the subject! Holypig.com Swartzentrover.com

What can I do if he is like this? Abhigya went down to living room and Dadi saw Pragya looking very worried. Dadi “Pragya did Abhi tell you something? Why do u look so worried?” Pragya “Nothing Dadi! Just tired and nothing else” Abhi, in his mind Yes u should get tired of the pain that u are causing to me! Pragya said that she have to leave and Abhi told Dadi that he will drop her. Abhigya in car….. Pragya went to sit in the front seat but Abhi stopped her from sitting there and asked her to sit at the back seat of the car. Pragya, Am I that bad Abhi? That I don’t even deserve to sit beside u? Abhi “Pragya! Faster sit down and don’t think too much!” Pragya, so he knows that I am thinking too! But why can’t he think that I am thinking about him? Pragya sat down and Abhi drove the car to her house. Abhi “Once we reach your house, I will talk to your Ma! So be prepared and think of how to convince her too!” Pragya, what does he expect me to think of? I seriously don’t know how to tell this to Ma! They reached Pragya’s house. He saw her even more nervous and worried. Abhi went inside first and Pragya was very hesitant even to enter her house now. Abhi looked behind and signed her to come in. She also walked slowly and called out to her Ma. Sarla ma came there and was surprised to see Abhi. Sarla ma “Pragya where were u all this while? And who is this?” Pragya “Ma! I went out regarding work and this is Abhi! The popular guitarist now….” Sarla “Oh! Please have a seat and I will bring some drink for u to have” Abhi “No thanks Aunty! I am here to talk about something important!” Sarla “Ok! What’s that?” Abhi “Aunty….It’s just that Pragya will be staying in my house for a while….” Sarla “What??” Pragya “Ma! It’s nothing like u are thinking….It’s for my writing and I am writing a novel based on his life so I need to observe him as in his life….and it’s just for a while Ma….” Sarla “But for that u need to stay at his house? Have you gone mad or what? What will others think about u? And u are also an unmarried girl…” Abhi “Aunty it’s just for a month! And after that she will be back and I assure u that will be no complications! Wait u can even talk to my Dadi regarding this!” He called his Dadi and passed the phone to Sarla ma. After speaking to Dadi, Sarla ma was somehow convinced. Sarla ma “Abhi I need some time to reconsider about this. Give me a day to think about this” Abhi “Take your time Aunty but it’s only for Pragya’s work and if u allow for this it will really help her a lot!” He left from there and Pragya saw him leaving and went to talk to him before he entered the car. Pragya “I really don’t know what you are trying to do! But let me ask you something. Do you really think I deserve this?” Abhi in a stern voice, “You deserve more than this Pragya!” With that he left from there and Pragya was again in tears. Abhi, I know you are in tears now Pragya but once u stay with me then I will show you how much of pain that I had went through all this while…. Pragya, what can I do if he is like this? I can’t leave him that lightly as he is my light of life…… Bulbul “What is all this di? U are going to stay at his house?” Pragya “Yes but I have no choice!” Bulbul “What u mean that you don’t have a choice? You definitely have a choice as it’s your life!” Pragya “My life is lifeless without him! And why can’t u understand that?” Bulbul “You are doing all this as Ma don’t know about the two of u right? Let me go and tell all that to her now!” Pragya “Bulbul! This is the limit! This is my life and I get to decide what I want to do! I don’t want you to involve in this! If you involve then it means that you don’t consider me as your di!” Bulbul “Why are you giving so much of pain to yourself by doing all this? I really don’t get it di!” Pragya “Bulbul I want to know him more and this is the only way….and also make him understand that my love for him is still present!” Bulbul “Do what you want di…and I just hope nothing goes wrong” Pragya hugged Bulbul and said “ When you are always there for me to support, then nothing will go wrong” Abhi called Pragya “Pragya! Did you manage to convince your Ma?” Pragya “Yes I did and Thank you for convincing her too!” Abhi “Ok that’s fine! And bye!” He ended the call by saying that and Pragya expected it that he will be like this. Pragya, I know you are like this but I also know that now you will be talking to me. Abhi, Thank you? Like seriously? Is this all a favour that I am doing for her? Pragya, you are seriously unpredictable! What I am doing all is to find out whether you have really realized your mistake! This is not a vacation time for you by staying here! He talked like that to Pragya’s wall size photo in his room and Pragya looking at his photo; very soon I can talk to you face to face…and almost every day….which I want to happen all this while! I am so excited for that! Precap Pragya “What is this?” Abhi “Why u can’t see clearly is it? Have you given pain to your chasma too? I really pity for your chasma!” Pls do tell if it’s not nice at any point of time or u all find it like similar to any of the other ffs pls inform me as it will really help me to improve or even discontinue it as I don’t want u all to waste your precious time….and even if it’s a negative comment I am ready to accept as my self-analyzing mode will be activated to analyze why is it not good! Thank u so much! So sweet of u all for the lovely support for what I wrote at yesterday….what we are doesn’t matters..SS?FF? Still I am not sure what is it but what I can say is what matters to Abhigya is the connection…Connection towards one of my prev ff…what is the connection is the suspense…and I have written 3 ffs so far which I myself found it unbelievable….so a crazy thought came in my mind…while typing this…I am asking u all to which ff do u all want the connection to be? My 3 ffs so far: Story of opposite attracts each other –S Abhigya-Destiny and its games –A Will you be without me? –W For all your convenience just indicate the first letter like S for the story of opposite attracts each other if u all want to see the connection from this ff. It’s ok even if u all never indicate… I am uploading this earlier today but don’t know when will this be uploaded! And that’s it….bye guys! Oh I read your comment candyqueen…why not? you are also my friend! durga Nice episode yaar thn bt tz 3 I love all three bt story of opposite tat one I love it sooooo I want s… Maya|Author Thank u for ur suggestion Durga!?… surbhi wait let me tell u one thing that this is spectacular ab u know I am fan of akki so today one akki song for u specially eri Nazron Ne Jise Chuna Woh Ladki HainDeewaniMaine Pal Pal Jise Suna Woh Mujhse Hain AnjaaniMain Jitna Dekhu Utna Chahu Jaan Meri Woh Le JaayeShe Is A Rock Star Kuchh Bhi KahoBadi Mast Yaar Kuchh Bhi KahoMujhe Aaye Pyar Kuchh Bhi KahoShe Is A Rock StarDil Leke Uddi Jaadu Ki Pudi Karke Aankhen Do ChaarShe Is A Rock Star Kuchh Bhi KahoBadi Mast Yaar Kuchh Bhi KahoMujhe Aaye Pyar Kuchh Bhi Kaho She Is A Rock Star… yea u r a rockstar haan dil b leke udi likh k ff poore 4 love u…. kyu somu manti hai ki nahi 😉 Maya|Author Haha I like the movie Rockstar but that doesn’t mean I am rockstar! Haha again a song dedication…and some more its akki song…what can i say…just loved it Surbhi??????????????? annu I love this story very much plz update soon Maya|Author Thanks for loving it annu?..U have to wait for that tmrw! Mukund Raj nice. update next part soon Maya|Author Thank u Mukund Raj! ? pls wait until tmrw Myna Nice…. Don’t mind ha I want SAW Maya|Author Thank u Myna!? but let me see how I can involve SAW? Abhigya Brilliant…this episode is so perfect….I loved it… Maya|Author Glad that u loved it Abhigya!? |Registered Member Filled up of Sugafection! Can’t get enough of it! I m so desperate for next one! You know right now there should be round of applause for you so here you go ????????? this was so much spectacular and the best thing in whole epi was that i could feel each and everything so much easily! and yeah surbhi m maanti hun, suga is a rockstar! ? Maya|Author Easy pc thats the way of life so I will try to make u all feel Abhigya’s emotions as easy as possible??? Arshifan|Registered Member Maya whatever you write i should appreciate ur work…actually i didnt read ur s ff bt i read ur A ff and became a big fan of u..later ur w ff i just loved it bt didnt get tym to comment regularly…really i love the way u write ff…keep rocking..what ur going to write i will support u… Maya|Author Thank u so much Anjali! I am also a great fan of all your ffs but I am reading it very late and ending up not commenting it regularly? so sorry for that! U too just keep rocking with us with all ur ffs!? Reshma Pradeep Its PERFECT!!! I Loved it…… Maya|Author Glad that u loved it Reshma!? Riyashri|Registered Member Now again she started …… What ever I tell ….how much ever times I repeat….She wouldn’t change herself !!!! This author named Maya…..She now really became My Buddhu Sis !!! Seriously I don’t know what All my di’s think of themselves after writing their story………Always making me upset with their ending lines !! Giving Amazing and Rocking updates and end with a so called sorry note ……telling that sorry if i had wasted your precious time……..Bla Bla Bla…………….. It’s My kind request to All My Dear Sis and Frnds who update your writings …. Not to add such lines….Instead u can add nice quotes or thought for the day making us learn something and that would surely make me happier !!! Hope all My Lovely Sis would take this request into consideration……Especially to My Dear Buddhu Sweetie !!! It’s just My Request so sorry if I had hurt anyone !! Today’s update was toooooooo goood !!! Being your Crazy Fan cum sis I wanted the connection with SAW !!! So it’s up to u …I would still love reading all your wonderful thoughts !!! And sorry if I had hurt u too…… Maya|Author Oh so sorry! Ok from now onwards i will have some quotes for u at the end of my ff ? haha i will do that ok? And u no need to be sorry dr! Its my crazy mind that tells like that…hehe i will control that…and some more u know na..my brain faced technical problem yesterday so its taking time to recover from it? but now due to ur advice it has completely recovered!?? Maya|Author Haha u want the connection to be SAW? Hmm ok I will see how SAW can be used! But not now…that’s for sure!? Riyashri|Registered Member Again ah !!! This should be your last sorry ok!! No sorries here after to your cutie …..I am very happy now ….So u r gonna rock your updates from now on and end it with inspiring Quotes…… And Hope I can reveal u from all the technical problems that your brain is facing …through My comments everyday !!! So Keep Rocking !!! Take care Sweetie !! Riyashri|Registered Member I wou;d wait for u ….U take your own time !!! But don’t forget about it……I know u won’t but still as nowadays your brain is facing tech.problems..na…..So I would remember u abt it…..Don’t Take too much stress Sweetie !!! Once again Take Care !!!! Love u !!!!! Monesha Sorry for late comment I went to school so only I am late today episode was awesome I loved it waiting for next episode Maya|Author No need to be sorry for this! Its ok dont ever say sorry for commenting late…btw i am also glad that u love the epi!? Sharaya|Registered Member ??why you giving this much hard question? I’m so confused what to choose even in my maths test I’m not this much confused because I like all the ff so so so much okay now the answer is I was S A W connection now coming to the episode its s so so awesome I’m so bored of telling awesome I think I have to search a new word daily so adjust with these words this episode is just amazing excellent!! And yeah you didn’t waste our time but you wasted your time by writing that sorry note so don’t ever waste time in that! And you didn’t waste any of our time. Maya|Author Okok! I wont say like that anymore!?? and ya suggestion is noted…after seeing all ur suggestions I am a bit confused now…i think i shall just think abt the other ff later?? Also glad with ur amazing and excellent comment!??? Saranya Akka rockng as usual???and i want to be like A..but its ur wish☺ Maya|Author Ok Saranya! Thank u so much for ur suggestion!?????I Always appreciate ur comment??? Maahi|Registered Member dizzz was a way tooooo awesome loved evry line a lotttttttttttttttttt nd dr the light of life just strike my heart I lvd it a lottttt nd yaar I am really excited to knw wat prags hv done so tht abhi is tht much anger with her nd yaar his dialogues rrrr a way to awesome nd both of thm talking to each other photo was really lovely nd funny precap nd yaar I agree with riyuuuu yyy u always say srry buddhu tht too saying tht is boring haha joke of the decade nd yaar cmng to connection I lvd each of ur magic frm the bottom of my heart soo I too want SAW but uuu knw A is soooo spcl to me bcoz nly frm tht I got a precious gem in my life, a CB, a IB, a SOC, a QOE, a EB nd many more nd my life around uu turned tooo crazzzyyy yaar keep rocking dr lv uuu a lotttt but I am waiting to knw the reason desperately nd I vil b waiting dr Maya|Author Hehe ok I wont say like that anymore and the reason behind u will know that for sure but not now….ya i know u love A a lot…???? As usual love u for ur lovely comment??? Prathi Maya I want W, I enjoyed it to the core.. And painful epi? Maya|Author Ok Prathi thanks a lot for ur suggestion and the next epi will be a lighter one? Nirmal Superb episode yaar… How can I select one when I love all your ffs.. Maya|Author Okok Nirmal then I just take it as SAW then…btw glad that u find it as a Superb epi?? Pavi Awesome epi da sweetu n haan i love all ur three ffs s a w so whtever u do i will like it no no love it so do it as ur wish my dr Maya|Author Seri da…let me see what i can do haha…magizhchi for finding it as awesome epi da??

And kills 2124 in 2008. Oops. In 2007, PETA saves 17 and kills 1815 In 2006, PETA saves 12 and kills 2981 In 2005, PETA saves 146 and kills 1946 And on it goes. It does seem unbelievable that an organization that purports to care for animals, spends so much time killing them. It's like something Orwell might dream up. Or maybe just someone with a hate on for PETA and yet here is the animal accounting filed by PETA to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for 2008 (the numbers under the column heading "Reclaimed by Owner" are for spay/neuter services and aren't added into the adopted/euthanized figures). Click on image for larger size: PETA's submissions to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for earlier years can be found here: For 2007 For 2006 For 2005 etc. PETA's usual response to this massacre is basically akin to the reasoning they gave for suggesting that all the Vick dogs be euthanized. From PETA's blog:. There is so much wrong with the whole of that particularly twisted blog entry, it's mind boggling, but let's just stick with the paragraph above. It's essentially saying that because of real world constraints, decisions need to be made as to which dogs deserve to be saved and which ones deserve to die. On the surface, that sounds like a pretty valid point. Unfortunately, in practice, that's bullshit. No one carries around a list of traits to check off for animals that can be saved versus traits for animals that can't be saved. Acts of compassion aren't based purely on cost/benefit analyses. If that were the case, we'd all be too busy haggling over the list of the most worthy causes to ever actually do anything worthwhile. I have to wonder what the cut-off is to make the grade at PETA to not be killed. Euthman: Okey dokey, we've got 10 dogs here. Let's see which one of you lucky ones gets to be put up for adoption and which get snuffed. Euthwoman: This one's all chewed up. Looks like it's been in a lot of dogfights. Euthman: Well, then that one's no good. Obviously money can be better spent on dogs that are healthier. Sorry buddy but it looks like no tomorrow for you. No hard feelings? Euthwoman: This one looks kind of sick. Its nose is dry. Euthman: Yeah, I left the hand cleaner behind so if that one's sick keep it away from me. Nix. Euthwoman: This pup's looking at me funny. Euthman: That's a sure sign of aggression. Can't be wasting money on aggressive animals when there are so many friendlier ones out there. Euthwoman: This one keeps licking my hand. Euthman: That's some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder for sure. Probably suffers from separation anxiety too. Nix. Euthwoman: These five are running around playing with each other. Euthman: Yes, it's sad isn't it? Euthwoman: Why's that sad? Euthman: They've been so mistreated all their lives they're scared to death of people. We can't possibly allow their mental anguish to continue. PTS all of them. Euthwoman: Okay and this last one. Mmm, uhh, I don't see anything wrong with it. Oh wait. It's dead already. Euthman: Perfect. There was an interesting, though short-lived, dialogue which recently went on at The New York Times between sports writer, Toni Monkovic, and Ingrid Newkirk, president and co-founder of PETA, in which Monkovic decided that if he had a choice between surrendering his dog to Michael Vick or PETA, he'd pick Vick because it would have a better chance of coming out alive. Newkirk took exception to that editorial and wrote one back: It’s easy to point the finger at those of us ― the works. Yes, but is PETA against the needless killing of animals for the sake of needless killing? Nathan Winograd, the world's foremost promoter of no-kill shelters has something to say about that in his blog post The Butcher of Norfolk: PETA has argued that all of the animals it kills are “unadoptable.” .... Here is that interview starting at the 10:00 mark: Of course, I'd like to know how much effort PETA puts into finding suitable homes for the animals they grab. Daphna Nachminovitch, the supervisor of PETA's Community Animal Project, CAP, gives some good insight into PETA's philosophy put into practice. In early 2007, she was on the witness stand in a trial involving two PETA employees caught dumping dead animals they had just killed in their van into a grocery store dumpster. From Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald's article "DA probes into PETA procedures" (the paper did some in-depth coverage of that trial): Nachminovitch added that the CAP protocol for field visits included euthanizing the animals at the site. Hmm. Euthanized at the site. Doesn't sound like they spend much time at all looking for potential homes. Oh, but wait. Maybe all those animals they euth'd were all sick and on the verge of death anyway. At least one of the dogs found dead in an Ahoskie dumpster on June 15 has been diagnosed as healthy. That is according to an autopsy performed by the North Carolina Medical Board. They forwarded their findings to Ahoskie Police Chief Troy Fitzhugh who had solicited the Medical Board's assistance to help determine the cause of death of 31 animals in the care of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Oops. Okay, so maybe that was a slip up. On Wednesday of last week, the longtime Hertford County veterinarian handed over a mother cat and two kittens to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) representatives Andrew Benjamin Cook of Virginia Beach, Va. and Adria Joy Hinkle of Norfolk, Va. The felines, all strays brought to Proctor's business - Ahoskie Animal Hospital - were in good health, according to the local vet. He said there was no one on his list that had expressed an interest in adopting cats, so he contacted PETA. "They (Cook and Hinkle) came to the office last Wednesday and picked-up the cat and two kittens," Dr. Proctor recalled. "So, imagine my surprise when I learned they allegedly dumped dead animals in a trash bin later that some day." As Britney would say, Oops, I did it again. And again. And again. And again. Here is, I think, the best quote from that series of articles on that particular trial: Who else [but PETA] could have a department known as Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue and then claim they are forced to end the miserable lives of these poor, unwanted animals. If that is their definition of rescue, I sincerely hope that if I’m drowning, they’re not the first on the scene. I may be on the receiving end of a cinderblock rather than a life preserver. And please don’t respond with the tired excuse that all the pets at our local pounds are unhealthy and have to be put to sleep. That’s your wet dream, not ours. If it were the case, then how has an under funded group of volunteers, aka PAWS of Hertford County, adopted out nearly 300 animals since July of last year. If PETA’s “rescue” program had their way, those 300 pets would all be dead by now. That, of course, is PETA's excuse for killing put into practice. There will always be "better" animals to save so why not just kill the one you've got. It may sound like a dilemma - which animals deserve saving - but it's not really. The answer's pretty simple if saving animals is the real goal for PETA. Here's one answer to PETA's dilemma: You save the one that is in front of you. A doctor walking to work sees a traffic accident where a pedestrian is hit by a car and may not survive. The doctor stops and aids the victim. According to PETA, though, the doctor should ignore the victim and just keep going because she's got lots of patients already waiting for her at the clinic with much easier problems to solve like colds and sprained fingers. Here's another answer: You save the one that you can readily save. A young man eating a sandwich is sees an older man, hungry, sitting on the sidewalk. The younger man gives the older man half his sandwich. According to the PETA philosophy, the younger man is in the wrong and instead should have searched out the hungriest person in the world and sent the sandwich to that person. And here's another: You save the one you want to save. There are often no clear cut reasons for putting more effort into one being over another. Maybe it all comes down to the level of emotional attachment. Maybe it's because someone likes short haired dogs over long haired ones. Whatever. The important thing is that an animal is saved. Of course the problem with this answer arises if you don't actually want to save anything. Which brings us back to the PETA statistic of 2124 killed versus 7 which were allowed to live. Those 7 must have been fuckin saints. There's been much written about this already so if you want to read more, you can start with Gina Spadafori's blog entry at Pet Connection Blog and then follow her links. 6 comments: Nice post Fred. The irony in your selection from their blog is amazing. They say the resources needed to save the Vick dogs is a "less important" way to save dogs' lives - -implying that the money is wasted trying to rehabilitate the dogs when the money could be spent in more important ways. The irony of course, is that more of the Vick dogs have been placed in homes than PETA was able to place on a $32 million operating budget last year....and was done on significantly less that $32 million. Not that saving lives is really their main goal...or even a minor one. Sometimes the reason you decide to pull out all the stops and save the one in front of you is as simple as the feeling you get when you look in their eyes... I think it's sad that some people (notably Madame Newkirk) have never felt that connection with an animal. Brent, I suspect that regardless of what quote anyone pulls from a PETA statement concerning companion animals, there will be much irony to be had. Barb, she is a tough one to figure out, alright - all animal luvvy luv on the outside and Cruella Deville on the inside. suspect these 7 pets were not "saved" by PETA but prolly beat feet out the back door when the person holding the blue needle was busy eating his tofurkey sandwich. In PETA's mind, 'more important things' = hiring scantily clad babes to stand with signs in front of fast food joints. =P PETA is a death cult, not a true animal rights group. Their standards of 'a good home' are so outrageously unattainable, that of course they 'can't find any' for the 95% of their animals. If you think being a pet is the same as slavery, why subject a creature to such a 'miserable' fate when death is so much sweeter?

Zaregistrujte se, aby jste mohli dostávat AC/DC newsletter! Q&A with Simon Wright of Dio Disciples on ‘The Very Beast of Dio Vol. 2,’ AC/DC Taken from Examiner.com by Simon Wright - read the full article HERE A drummer since age 13, Simon Wright grew up on legends like Cozy Powell, John Bonham and Tommy Aldridge. He had barely entered his twenties when he joined AC/DC for the rest of the ’80s, then shifted over to Dio, the massive metal band formed by the late Ronnie James Dio, who previously lent his soaring voice and pen to bands like Black Sabbath and Rainbow (and popularized the “metal horns” gesture along the way). Wright is currently a member of Dio Disciples, a celebration of the music and legacy of the eponymous frontman, who passed away from stomach cancer in 2010. Featuring distinguished Dio alumni (Craig Goldy and Scott Warren) along with Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth), Oni Logan (Lynch Mob) and Bjorn Englen (Yngwie Malmsteen), the band kicks off their US tour Oct. 20 at the House of Blues Anaheim in support of the new Dio release The Very Beast of Dio Vol. 2, which picks up where the original gold-selling release leaves off and includes Dio’s final studio recordings. In this exclusive interview, I spoke with the Manchester native about his introduction to Dio while touring in Italy, a surprising AC/DC reunion that happened a few years back, and his eloquent account of the man known as Ronnie James Dio. What kind of involvement did you have with the release of The Very Beast of Dio Vol. 2? The main body of involvement was done by Wendy [Dio] and her office manager Dean Schachtel. It’s a retrospective of the years between 1996 through the 2000s, [representing] the albums Angry Machines, Magica, Killing the Dragon and Master of the Moon. I saw the list and I thought, that’s a pretty strong list. There’s some really great songs on there that stand the test of time, you know? What were some of your highlights of being a member of Dio? Oh, there were so many - I was in his band 13 years. Working with him in the studio was great, just being around and seeing how it works and seeing how things developed and evolved, that was really cool. He had a great sense of which direction he was going to go in. And I guess live, we did a show in Germany= - I do refer to this quite a lot, but it was such a brilliant outing. I forget the year, you must forgive me, but it was in Wacken, in Germany, a festival we headlined, and at the end they presented Ronnie with a longevity award contribution to heavy metal, and it was just incredible - 40,000 people are chanting “Dio.” He was very proud, and we all were very proud of him. Hell of a night, fantastic show. What was your personal introduction to Ronnie James Dio? I first met him in 1985 when I was in AC/DC. There was a festival called Monsters of Rock, and up until then it had only been in England. And this particular one they decided to put it on in Italy and Greece, I think. Ronnie and Dio were on the Italian show [which was held in 1987—ed.], and I got to hang out with him afterwards and we sat down and I was talking and chatting with him, and I just found him to be a real gentleman, a really smart guy. A great sense of humour, too. And I met him a couple of times after that at parties, social gatherings and stuff, and the opportunity came around at the end of ’89. I got to move on from AC/DC and actually join his band, and I was very proud of that fact. It was a great time. I read you joined AC/DC at age 20, is that right? I was actually towards the end of being 19. But yeah, I was pretty young (laughs). What was that experience like, and what was it they liked about you when they really could have picked anyone in the world at that point to be their drummer? I don’t know what they liked about me; they never said (laughs). I heard a lot of drummers auditioned for that. They didn’t say who they were in the advertisement in the paper. I don’t know; something clicked. Maybe it was my height, you know? (Laughs) I’m not the tallest guy in the world, and neither are they. I really, really, don’t know. I just went in and played to three tracks, and they weren’t there—the drum tech was doing all the auditions because I think there were so many of them, and I ended up getting the job and just took it from there. They’re such down to earth people; it was great. I’ll never forget the ride they took me on. How was your drum style implemented in AC/DC? Before I got the job, I didn’t really change much from the way that I’d been playing. I’d mainly been playing in cover bands, only doing a couple of originals like most bands start out. But I knew their songs, and it’s just so apparent that you can’t go in there and try to change them and do drum fills everywhere, because that’s not the style of the way the band was, so I was very aware of that, even though I didn’t know who the band was when I was auditioning. I just did what I did—I went in there and they saw something and I got the job, you know? It’s a mystery, but I’m glad it happened, obviously. In 1998 you played on Thunderbolt, an AC/DC tribute album. What kind of style did you bring to the session for that one? If I remember right, I think I did “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” and “Night Prowler.” [It was] no different than what I’d already do…I think it would be blasphemy to play all over those songs, because I think Phil Rudd [Wright’s predecessor in AC/DC] did such a good job, you know? He’s as solid as solid can be. I just looked at it from that point of playing: you know, just be solid and just keep it pretty straightforward, really. I don’t suppose you’d like to talk a little bit about the Flick of the Switch tour? I personally love that album, though you didn’t play on the record. It was my first tour; that was my first tour that I did with them. I just remember the first show—it was in Vancouver, a place called Saddledome. It was so low-key, apart from the part there was like 22,000 people there. That’s just the way they worked things; they kind of made it really comfortable before I played and all. And I was under a little bit of pressure there for a show—I’d never heard that kind of noise come out of people before; it was like a jet engine. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but it was more comfortable than I thought it would be, because they just treated it like was a rehearsal, but with 20,000 people there. They’d give me a pat on the back and off we’d go, you know? Is it true that AC/DC always plays “The Jack” at every show? Pretty much every show that I did with them, if I remember right, yeah. It’s such a great song and you get the crowd involved with it, too. Back in the days they’d all pull out their lighters. It was a sight, and it was amazing. Great song. Is there any official reason why the ’74 Jailbreak EP was released? I’m not really sure. I wasn’t really a part of any decisions with regards to record releases. That was the record company and the original guys who were in the band. Your first album with the band was 1985’s Fly on the Wall. With all due respect to singer Brian Johnson, his voice never sounded the same again since then. Can you comment on this? I guess his voice did change a little bit. I think it’s still strong, but strong in a different kind of raspier way. I did notice that myself, but I don’t know what it is. It must be, just, this is what happens when you grow up and your voice matures, you know? That’s the only thing I can say, and I’m trying to be polite about this. But I still think his voice is strong, even today (laughs). He’s a good lad. All that screaming and shouting that he did over the years has got to be murder on the vocal cords. Justin, two and a half hours every single night, I mean, wow. You can’t knock the guy (laughs). I thought he sounded great on the last record they put out, Black Ice. From what I read, he was doing a lot of vocal training with the producer, Brendan O’Brien, and he sounded great live. Yeah. I saw him on that last tour, too. He sounded really strong. I met him at his book signing in New York; he’s a great guy. I hope he does it for 100 more years. Me, too. You’re right; he is a good guy. One of the good ones. I’ll close the book here on Acca Dacca. Do you still keep in touch with any of the members at this point? Not directly, no. They’ve got their thing to do and I kind of do mine. I did see them; I got coerced into going to see them on their Black Ice tour. Their first leg when they came through Los Angeles, they played at the Forum, and I went down and I was speaking with Mal[colm] and Angus [Young] and Cliff [Williams] and met Phil Rudd again; I’d only met him once before briefly, but that was cool. Chris Slade [Wright’s successor in AC/DC] was actually there, as well, so that was cool. Would you be open to performing with them again for a special occasion if asked? I don’t know about that. If they asked me, I probably would give it a go, yeah. That would be great; I’d give that a shot. I mean, If Phil couldn’t do it for some reason or if they asked me, I’d give it a shot. What made you decide to leave AC/DC to join Dio? I’d been in DC eight years, and I just needed to further my drumming a little bit. I’m not taking anything from AC/DC—they’re a brilliant and awesome rock and roll band, but drumming-wise it was a little bit straightforward, four on the floor, and I needed to kind of spread my drumming wings a little bit, just branch out a little bit. And luckily, I ended up being in Ronnie’s band, and he just was kind of like, go for it, try this, try that. He gave me a lot more free rein to experiment a little bit, which was what I really felt I needed, you know? I’d become a little complacent in [AC/DC], and there was absolutely no room for that. As a member of Dio, you had two separate tenures in the band, both times replacing Vinny Appice. What was it like having that unique experience? It was fantastic. The first time was a little more hectic because when I first joined Dio, the whole band was new. He had a brand new band—Rowan Robertson on guitar, Teddy Cook on bass and Jens Johansson on keyboards, and I think there was a little bit of pressure and a little bit of small worry. We sounded great, we were doing okay, but it was like a brand new band for him. The songs were still his songs, still his stuff for the new album and all, but that was the difference. When I rejoined again in ’98 after just leaving UFO—I was in UFO for three years before that, that kind of fell apart—rejoining Ronnie was like putting some old shoes on again that were really comfortable, that’s what that was like. And I went in and I knew the songs—a couple of new things I had to learn; they had created some new endings to songs and new beginnings and stuff like that, but it was just great to get back. I stayed in his band for 13 years after that. I was real happy being in Dio. What made it such an enjoyable experience for you? There was always kind of work to do. There was always thought behind what we were doing. There was always creativeness going on. Even when we were playing a set, at the end of the set at the end of the show, Ronnie would come in with ideas for different endings and stuff that we’d have to do the next night, so it was constantly changing and stuff, and there were new little pieces. It was very challenging, but at the same time it was very enjoyable, because you were kind of involved in the music constantly, you know, which I thought was really cool, I really enjoyed that part of it, you know? As well as all the camaraderie and stuff like that. All the people that have been involved with Dio were all cool people, so it was a great time. A lot has been said about the theatricality of Dio’s stage performances and videos. Did you have any favorite moments among these? Not one; I couldn’t pin down one. Ronnie was just a really great showman. We had a huge set when I first joined the band for Lock Up the Wolves. We had the bones and the 14-foot drum riser with a keyboard riser, too. That looked pretty awesome. But I think it’s just something about the way Ronnie would handle an audience that was really important—the effects were there, but he had a great way of communicating with the audience and bringing people into the show and making them feel like they’re part of it; he had a great way of doing that. That really always inspired me. He was a constant showman, you know? He was just great at it. A lot of Dio’s lyrics were all about “we.” How did they help connect with the audience? That was his specialty; that was his forefront. I’m sure other people will attest to this. If you ever met him, he brought you in. He had a way about him, and he was such a good listener, and he had this incredible memory. And I think all of these attributes that he had just brought out these amazing lyrics he would write, because he had feelings for other people. He thought about other people and their situations and stuff, and I think this was all a big combination that he would come up with songs like “The Last in Line” or “Invisible,” all these brilliant songs he’s done. He just has a way of bringing people in and making people feel a part of his songs, because his songs were so relatable—they could be about you or a group of people thinking about somebody else. It was just a great way of penmanship he had; just amazing. That’s not bad for a drummer, is it? (Laughs) It’s been more than two years since he left us. If you could take us back to 2010, when was the last time you spoke with Ronnie? (Pause) I was at the hospital. I don’t want to talk about that. That’s fine. Thanks. What do you remember the most about him, summing it all up? He was just an amazing man. I mean, he was a gentleman; he was a scholar and a poet. Everybody who’s met him is just so in awe of him. He was such a humble man as well—he really understood people’s feelings, and on top of that he was just a brilliant songwriter and an amazing voice. I can’t say enough about him, it’s just brilliant. I really miss him. What can fans expect from the U.S. Dio Disciples tour? We’re going to be playing songs off this Dio release, The Very Beast of Dio Vol. 2, so we’re looking forward to playing some of those songs, and we’re going to be playing the classic stuff as well—that’s going to be your “Heaven and Hell,” “We Rock,” “Rainbow in the Dark.” There’ll be some Sab stuff in there, too, and also some Rainbow songs. We try to fit as many of Ronnie’s songs in there as we can. There are no drum solos and there are no long guitar solos, because we feel that this whole project is about Ronnie, so we just stick to his songs. So it should be a good thing, you know? It’s a celebration to keep the songs alive. By the way, are you still currently doing things with Rhino Bucket? I do things on and off. If they get stuck for a drummer, I’ll go in there. We’re really good friends, we’re good mates, so we’re always in touch with one another, especially me and George [Dolivo], the singer, because he’s a crazy Manchester United fan like me…if something comes down and they need my help, or I’ve got something going on and need their help, then it works. Any other messages to your fans and the other Dio disciples out there around the world? Come check out Dio Disciples. So far the audiences seem to like what we’re doing, and it’s just total respect for Ronnie and it’s a total celebration of his music. We’re not trying to fool anybody here, so come and check it out.

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In repeated discussions of LDS positions on war there is an inevitable quotation from J. Reuben Clark.[2] But non violent proponents and radical libertarians do not know the life and times of this man, which in turn undermine his positions and any use they may have in advancing an anti war agenda. Isolated quotes from J. Reuben Clark fail to account for his inconsistent views, his pro Nazi positions, and his demotions and minority voice within church leadership. Before I cover those three points I must point out several things. It may shock an average church member to read a critique of a former apostle. This is a valid concern based on an abundance of love and respect for those leaders. Yet I should remind readers that binding church doctrine is not found in isolated statements of church leaders.[3] (And as I point out below, even contemporaries leaders disagreed with and prevented the publication of his statements.) Church doctrine is found in the standard works, and in the consistent pronunciations of the First Presidency and the Quorum the Twelve. A single statement represents a well thought out opinion and is not considered binding on church members. Furthermore, it is disingenuous to introduce a prophet’s words to bolster a political argument, but then expect an uncritical acceptance of those words. In essence radical libertarians and anti war critics introduce a piece of evidence in a court room, and then deny a proper cross examination of it. If they are so sensitive to possible mistreatment of a prophet’s image or legacy, perhaps they shouldn’t introduce his words to bolster their political arguments and castigate brothers who disagree with them.[4] So with as much respect that I have for the prophets’ words, they are used to support arguments with which I disagree, and used in opposition to the context in which they originated. So a faithful member of the church can and should examine the historical context and logical implications of teachings often presented in isolation to support an agenda. Tossed About With Every Wind of Politics His shifting positions hardly represent a stable moral view of war, but rather a position that changes with the politics of the time. He started his young adult life with his family barely convincing him not to enlist in the Spanish American War.[5] This is particularly insightful as it is considered one of the most Imperialistic of America’s Wars and resulted in a brutal counter insurgency campaign in the Philippines. He then worked for State Department and wrote what sounded like the Taft Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.[6] The Monroe Doctrine was a policy that told Europeans to keep their hands off North or South America. While the Taft Corollary added that America could and would be hands on in that region. This doctrine expanded America’s involvement in unofficial wars, gunboat diplomacy, and even quasi annexation of Caribbean and Central American countries until the start of WWII. At the start of WWI he enlisted in the Army Reserves and even argued that German nationals should be imprisoned.[7] A person might argue that he was impassioned by later abuses and ennobled by the course of his life so he would eventually become a pacifist. But he said during this period that: “The older I get, the more I see, the more experience I obtain, the more I become convinced that the peace propaganda and the present peace propagandists are both equally impractical and illusory, as also inimical to the interests of the this nation. If we get into war…we shall have to put some of them in jail, and personally I should like to begin with [prominent progressive and anti imperialist, William Jennings] Bryan.”[8] Clark actually agreed with George Orwell, who later commented during WWII that, “In so far as it hampers the British war effort, British pacifism is on the side of the Nazis and German pacifism, if it exists, is on the side of Britain and the USSR. Since pacifists have more freedom of action in countries where traces of democracy survive, pacifism can act more effectively against democracy than for it. Objectively the pacifist is pro-Nazi.” A year later he.’”[9] Clark’s words and actions after his anti war shift exemplify this quote. In sharp contrast to his earlier statements about interning Germans, Clark had effusive praise for Hitler and the society he was creating. This is in spite of the numerous reports he had concerning Nazi death camps.[10] He even “suppressed” the anti-Nazi writings of a former mission president to Czechoslovakia which contained pictures of prisoners in a German concentration camp. He repeatedly advocated for a negotiated peace with Germany that would have left them in control of much of Europe.[11] He did so after yet more reports from death camps such as Auschwitz. The FBI had secret files which detailed how Nazi agents received the private encouragement of J. Reuben Clark.[12] After a fireside given by Clark one member publicly wrote that is was “the most reactionary, critical, and near seditious ever delivered in a country during a time of war.”[13] After the war was over he condemned the Nuremburg trials while also accusing the Allies of seeking to destroy the German people. Historian D. Michael Quinn recorded that in over 600 boxes of personal papers there is not one criticism of Nazi conduct during the war. “Clarks only accusation of war crimes was against his own nation’s leaders and armed forces.”[14] Overruled These comments didn’t escape the notice of fellow church leaders and the rank and file members. The title of this piece reflected one opinion of Clark’s pro Nazi views and the above section also included the “near seditious” nature of Clark’s words. After the attack at Pearl Harbor President Grant disregarded Clark’s description of the war as “jungle law of beasts” and published a more cautious message.[15] The First Presidency message in April 1942 did not contain any of Clark’s positions on conscientious objectors, though a later letter seemed to be influenced by Clark. In 1945 the First Presidency against softened a message he wrote.[16] On the ascension of President David O. McKay he was demoted to second counselor in the First Presidency. McKay also forcefully ordered him to speak in support of military service during the Korean War.[17] Many of his most strident remarks were made in unofficial capacities or remained in his private papers as he seemed out of step with many of his church colleagues, like Harold B. Lee and McKay, but also his professional colleagues, where he was the only former or current U.S. ambassador to reject creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; his opinions also elicited severe opposition from rank and file church members. While morality is not a popularity contest, establishing church doctrine does require the consistent proclamation of all 15 people in the Presidency and Quorum of the 12. Because of the deference for past and present leaders it is also extremely rare to be overturned in such conspicuous ways and reinforces the idea that Clark was not speaking for the Lord but stating his opinion. Conclusion It is tempting and easy to say you are anti war. With the horrors of death and a humanistic concern for the individual welfare, not to mention the often naked use of power we see around the world, it is understandable. But many anti war advocates don’t consider the logical outcomes of their actions. Thus somebody who was antiwar during WWII, inevitably became pro-Nazi. J. Reuben Clark was not consistent in his positions. He supported imperialistic endeavors through his youth and even defended them and attacked pacifists as he advanced in his career. He abruptly shifted without explanation and consistently defended Nazis and attacked any form of warfare. He was so strident that he often didn’t garner the support of other church leaders and was overruled on more than one occasion. Using out of context quotes from J. Reuben Clark might satisfy the pacifist looking for support in his position. But it ignores the context of his time. The shifting positions, pro-Nazi attitudes, and minority within church leadership undermine the value of isolated quotes. Using his quotes suggests a failure to articulate clear moral positions, and the reason why you might shift them throughout a person’s life. They argue that the logical outcome of anti war positions will result in opposing just war against genocidal dictators. And they suggest that you hold a minority position within the Church and not accurately stating binding doctrine. Discuss - Have you seen anybody use prophetic quotes out of context? Describe. What issue was it, what happened, and how did it make you feel? - What is the proper way to incorporate a prophet’s council into an argument? Is it even possible to do so without angering your opponent? - Why might it be difficult to say you are antiwar? - Did the quote from George Orwell about being for or against us sound like something George Bush said? Does that make you reassess your view of Bush? [1]D. Michael Quinn, “Pacifist Counselor in the First Presidency: J Reuben Clark Jr., 1933-1963” in War and Peace in Our Times: Mormon Perspectives, Patrick Mason, J. David Pulsipher, Richard Bushman eds. (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2012) 141-160, 149. Unless otherwise noted, all of the page numbers for this post originate from Quinn’s essay. I was rather surprised he presented the evidence found in this post without comment but instead focused on Clark’s protection and assistance to pacifists. While the latter is good I think the former deserves more attention and consideration than it got in his piece. [2] See this for example: [4] See more on prophet bashing here: [9] Jonah Goldberg, The Tyranny of Cliches: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas (New York: Penguin Group, 2012) 183. This was very interesting. I agree that we must not take things out of context, but what if Ruben J. Clark was genuinely pacifist at one point in his life? If he gives a good quote or argument for that position, why shouldn’t one use it, just because it contradicts other positions he might have held in the past? An apostle is an apostle, and for church members, their words carry a certain weight. Maybe sometimes they were inspired, maybe sometimes they weren’t. But if we happen to think that they were inspired, at a particular time, why should knowing that they were also uninspired at other times deter us from quoting something we feel is inspired? Like this comment? 1 If he was pro Nazi, even in the face of Holocaust evidences, this puts all of his pacifist statements under question. Like this comment? 0 A ridiculous assertion that JRC was “pro-Nazi” any more than either JFK or even “Papa Joe”, or even Sir Winston Churchill who asserted that if the UK had to be conquered that it would do well to be conquered by Hitler. All had some positive things to say about Nazi Germany, mostly in the context of being a bulwark against the “Bolshevik menace”. Many, not merely the aforementioned gentlemen, not only saw Communism as being led primarily by Jews, but that “International Jewry”, through both the Communists and the international banking cartels, sinisterially manipulated global politics and were behind the recent “Great War”. Certainly JRC would have been exposed to this view even in UT in his youth and certainly got a dose of it while studying law at Columbia. But I see no evidence that he was in league with, say, the KKK or the German-American Bund. I would say if anything JRC was ideologically aligned with Charles Lindbergh. This would be fairly much “America First”, meaning that the war that the UK and France had enjoined in a grossly miscalculated effort to deter Hitler from running roughshod over Poland (his most grotesque strategic blunder for he did for Molotov and Stalin in 1939 what they couldn’t do in 1920, get the Poles out of the way) simply wasn’t America’s fight. JRC didn’t want to enhance the coffers of war profiteers and sacrifice American boys for the dubious result of siding with one party or another in yet another intra-European squabble. It’s fundamentally wrong to label the ideology or attitudes of a man dead some fifty years in the context of current times instead of his, especially with a slant even by current standards. Also, it’s not for you or I to presume to judge a General Authority based on his politics or whether he has what some might feel are egalitarian attitudes. There are many things deliberately taken out of context by those whose intent is to defame and smear, like Quinn. GAs, like any of us, have their foibles and need the Savior no less, and each to a man will be quick to declare thus. Again, remember the context of the times. I’ve often lampooned Mark E Petersen where in a 1954 speech on race relations he declared that he’d “let” a black man drive a Cadillac if he could buy one. As “quaint” as the late Evan Mecham saying he wasn’t racist due to hiring blacks for some positions b/c they were the best for the cotton-picking job! Gee, I can just imagine that should the Lord be desperate and call me to a high position what grist for the mill that I’d provide! J Golden Kimball were he around today he’d be promptly given “Emeritus” status (which has been used to effectively cashier GAs) and called to be President of the Ulan Bataar Mongolia Temple. Like this comment? 2 Communism was led by Jews????? WTH? What an absolutely ridiculous assertion. We all know how persecuted the Jews were in the Soviet Union. Who pray tell made that ridiculous assertion? By the way Douglas, when you add a blank line between your paragraphs, it makes for much easier reading. Like this comment? 0 Addressing your wider point about quotes out of context, although this one wouldn’t be a prohetic quote, I was seriously bugged by this one in the old YW manual 1 lesson 16: )” Because a) it’s a really old quote, and even in the best circumstances can hardly be used to represent the position of women in the church at the time the manuals were in use: the book it came from was published in 1939, and it’s my understanding the position of women in the church changed quite a lot after 1939. b) Given that it was her husband who appears to be responsible at least in part for the somewhat heirarchical and organisational structure of the priesthood and church administrative organisation (if I’m getting that right), I’d love to know precisely when and in what circumstances she made that statement, what the motives might have been etc. Basically the whole context in which she was speaking. Another is the ‘obedience is the first law of heaven’ that crops up all over the place in manuals, often as a bludgeon. The topic of my first post here. That said, when I do find myself under attack from some of these bludgeons in conversation/debate with those rather more rigid than myself in outlook, I certainly haven’t been above flinging quotes back at them as a defensive measure. It does have the effect of lessening the attack when reasoned discussion appears to be going nowhere. Like this comment? 2 #4 – I was simply pointing out what JRC and his contemporaries believed regarding Judaism and Communism, not mine own analysis…hence why I couched such terms as “Jewish Bolshevism” in quotes. For all your worthy advice on style, MH, methinks you could pick that one up. These were attitudes prevalent, mostly rising out of a simplistic analysis of the preponderance of ethnic Jews in the Soviet leadership. Never mind that few, if any at all, were actually observant of the Jewish faith (atheism being a fundamental tenant of Communist dogma) and that starting in 1921 the first CPSU Congress denounced Zionism as a threat to world peace and inimical to the Soviet people. Hence any Jew actually expressing a desire to emigrate to Palestine (Israel after 1948) was immediately branded a traitor. It didn’t also help that a so-called cabal of Jewish physicians was falsely implicated in the so-called “Doctor’s Plot”. Stalin even seemingly plagiarized “The Poisonous Mushroom”, labeling Jews as “Rootless Cosmopolitans”… It just shows that Hitler’s brand of anti-Semitism wasn’t even original, though Der Fuhrer’s application thereof was far more heinous than anything that JRC or any of his associates could have dreamed up on their worst day. #5 – I guess it depends upon your point of view. I myself don’t know of any particular feminist-type changes for LDS women, or even American women in general, circa 1939, I can only speculate as to what Sister WIdtsoe was referring to. I prefer this (surmised in Robot Chicken: Star Wars, Episode 2.5) explanation of the role that one’s personal POV plays in discernment of the truth: Like this comment? 0 Thanks Hedgehog. Your point about bludgeons is exactly how I would respond to Nate, and really the reason for my post in the first place. Its nice that people find inspiring words from prophets. If people want to have a personal philosophy that helps them and find wisdom in the words of leaders that is great. Deseret Book is filled with such homiletic works. But the implications of many anti war advocates that use people like Clark is that I’m wrong, unrighteous, wicked, and generally a horrible war monger because I don’t accept the non doctrinal quotes and out of context quotes from the people they present. I’m also with MH here about the thoughts from Douglas. I wasn’t completely clear on what your point was. My point was we should be very cautious in simply cutting and pasting juicy quotes from prophets who say stuff that agree with our political and anti war leanings. So making points like many people in the 30s were also pro Nazi doesn’t make me change that point. Plus, I included evidence which showed that Clark was pro Nazi even after the curtain was peeled back and the U.S. was fighting them. (The paragraph with fns 11-13 was all during the war.) Saying that they were not only pro Nazi but also conspiratorial and anti Semitic, makes me say: indeed, why is he then an authority for anybody on matters of war and in peace in 2013? Unless you agree with those conspiracies and I know a few radical libertarians who probably do. So the additional context you provided was good, but it doesn’t change my point, which is the more context provided about a general authority makes them less useful as a club with which to beat your opponents. I was hoping people would understand my point a little bit more. People on the bloggernacle should be very accustomed to having people throw out juicy quotes in Sunday school about r rated movies, the priesthood, or gender issues, and then have to explain why they are “going against the prophet” but still faithful. Getting beat over the head with non doctrinal quotes and having their testimony questioned because they have a more nuanced view of a prophets words are common topics here. Like this comment? 0 “Have you seen anybody use prophetic quotes out of context? Describe. What issue was it, what happened, and how did it make you feel?” D. Michael Quinn, in almost everything I’ve read from him. When I first discovered his books, I devoured them, and I started chasing down original sources for quotes I found unbelievably juicy. Sure enough I found out why they were not to be believed; he had mischaracterized the quote for his own polemic ends. Some serious misrepresentation which would be found in lazy undergrad work, not becoming a serious scholar. How did it make me feel? Sad. Icky. Also, sorry for Bro. Quinn. I don’t really mean to poison the well on his stuff, but once-bitten, twice shy. Like this comment? 1 I suppose many a man and woman has changed views over a lifetime. If not, perhaps they were either perfect to begin with or learned nothing. At one time I thought the wars prosecuted by my country were just. I no longer think so. In so many cases we were led into them by deceit and subterfuge, particularly the ones in my lifetime (i.e. Vietnam, etc). And also the ones in my grandfather’s and father’s times (i.e. WWI and WWII). Perhaps we should have paid more attention to the warnings of the Book of Mormon against war except when being attacked and on the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants about our need to declare peace. Like this comment? 0

Hi everyone! Heidi Belleau and Rachel Haimowitz here, sharing the inside scoop on the latest episode of our serial fiction thriller The Flesh Cartel, “Auction,” now available from Riptide Publishing. Pants Off Reviews has become our unofficial host for The Flesh Cartel, so we’re thrilled to share some exclusive details here about the next season of The Flesh Cartel, Fragmentation, starting January 2013! We’ve brought a special prize with us to celebrate the release of Auction—one lucky commenter will win a swag pack stuffed with The Flesh Cartel gear! To enter, simply comment on this post in the comments section below before midnight on Sunday, 11/11. Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you if you are the chosen winner. Please note--this interview contains (vague) spoilers. We’re going to answer some of the questions that have been on readers’ minds since the moment they started reading The Flesh Cartel. If you prefer not to know what lies ahead for Mat and Dougie, don’t read any further! The Flesh Cartel contains a lot of violence. Tell us—will things get more torturous for Mat and Dougie, or will they get a little bit of downtime? No, no downtime at all. Not even a little bit. However, the way they’re tortured definitely changes; as Nikolai would tell you quite vehemently if you asked, he’s, and we quote, “not a rapist.” (Seriously though, he totally is. There’s some major cognitive dissonance going on in that man’s head, the reasons for which we’ll get to . . . eventually.) In upcoming episodes, brute force gets traded for subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) psychological and emotional manipulation. And each brother experiences that manipulation very differently. Do we see any more of Nikolai, the man we briefly glimpse at the beginning of episode 1? Yes. Nikolai will be back. Rather quite a lot in Season 2, in fact. Will there be any new sympathetic characters? In a way, Nikolai himself is quite a sympathetic character. Or at least he will be if we’ve done our jobs right. He adheres quite strictly to a very clear set of rules and morals that all make perfect sense in his head, and at times comes across as kind and strong and even loving--which at times he genuinely is. Make no mistake--Nikolai is one of several villains of the piece, but it’s not a black and white situation, and there are reasons for his worldview that, when revealed, may make you sympathize for him against your will. You also meet a couple of other characters who are (or have been) in the same predicament as Mat and Dougie. First there’s a glimpse of a young woman going through exactly what they’re going through, and then later, an older man who may or may not be an eerie specter of what’s to come . . . Are the both of you (Heidi and Rachel) nervous about the release of this next installment? More-so than episode one? Less so? Rachel: I think I’m a lot calmer about this one. In a way, the “worst” of it--at least in terms of the overt brutality--is over in episode 1. If you’ve made it that far, you should be just fine with the rest of the series, although what starts to happen in Season 2 is so much more insidious and terrifying (to me at least) than what happens in Season 1. Heidi: I think every release comes with a certain amount of jitters, more so when you’re releasing something as boundary-pushing and polarizing as this. Especially after Amazon giving us the boot, the journey hasn’t been all roses and daisies. However, the amount of support we received in the wake of the whole Amazon fiasco, even among people who really AREN’T our audience for this book--people for whom the content is objectionable or just too extreme--is really heartening. So I’m trying to think about that in amongst the paralyzing thoughts of AHH PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK I’M A SERIAL KILLER. [Rachel: She isn’t. *shifty-eyes*] So do the boys get a happy ending eventually? It’ll take them four to five seasons to get there, but they will get a, um, not-unhappy ending? No, that’s probably not fair; though they will both be irrevocably changed by their experiences, the series will absolutely end on a positive note for both of them. Will it be a traditional Romance HEA? Well, this isn’t a romance, so draw your own conclusions from that! Hopefully it will be satisfying no matter what. But will they get their revenge? All I’m saying is, Mat’s training is all about teaching him behaviors without breaking his spirit: in fact, it’s all calculated to make him feel hate more intensely. And he’s locked up with a whole bunch of boxing equipment to keep physically fit. And they’ve been hurting his little brother, often right in front of him. Who knows what a man like that may wind up doing when he gets the chance . . . Blurb:@gmail.com, or visit her blog:. Contest - Leave a Comment with email - Must be 18yrs or older - Winner has 48hrs to reply to my email or another winner gets chosen - Giveaway runs until November 11th 11:59pm EST I stayed up late last night to FINALLY read it. (I had to finish Power Play: Awakening first, you see) and Episode 2 was just as gut-churning, heart-rending and horrifyingly fascinating as Episode 1. There was even a brief instant where I totally hated Dougie and screamed (under my breath because it WAS 1:30 in the morning) at my ereader. Total kudos to Heidi and Rachel. There are few authors who could pull this story off, I think and they're doing a stellar job! And it's going to be a LONG WAIT until January. LONG. Aw, so glad to hear you're enjoying it so much! I'd say I'm sorry you have to wait so long for Episode 3, but I think it's pretty clear that Heidi and I enjoy torturing people ;-p And you do it so WELL! Thank you for that, ma'am. ;) Oookay, now that I'm here I see that this is some kind of spoiler fest! No fair! (Yes, I'm determined to experience everything going in "blind". Though I have peeked in the Warnings section... several times. XD ) Still. I want that T-shirt! ^^ japoki at inbox.lv We'll probably drop little spoilers at all our Pants Off posts. But you can always just close your eyes and comment for the swag :) LOL. Testing my willpower, eh? You're on! :D Great Interview. I am enjoying this series. gisu29(at)yahoo(dot)com Glad to hear it, thanks so much! Oooh, I am so gonna get this. It sounds so good. [email protected] Hope you enjoy! :) I want to read this unique story. It has been the talk of the (M/M) town. Congrats to you both, banned books are always worthy of merit, and celebrated! brendurbanist at gmail dot com Heh, thank you. TBH I'd much rather Amazon would carry it, but it's amazing to see all the support from the community--even and especially from people who would never read this story in a million years--in the face of the banning. What a wonderful group of people we've met because of this! I own the first two episodes now and can't wait to settle down and read them. scj_ger [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk I hope you enjoy! :) Hi all! Thank you so much for stopping by, and thanks as always to our lovely host for having us. Heidi's on vacation, so she may not be able to stop in much, but I'm here if anyone has any questions for us :) Congrats on the release! You all mentioned some problems with Amazon. Will these books be available anywhere else? IE, ARe? I am definitely going to have to have these books! June manning_J2004 at yahoo dot com Thanks kindly! The books should be available just about everywhere BUT Amazon, who refused to carry the second one also. (The iBookstore probably won't carry them either; they're pretty picky about graphic sex in general.) Both episodes are live at ARe, B&N, Rainbow Ebooks, and Kobo, and either are or will be live at a bunch of places Lightning Source and Overdrive distribute to (Diesel, Sony, etc). And of course the publisher's website (RiptidePublishing.com), which is the best place for all parties to get them because you can buy them a lot cheaper there by the season (for instance, season 2 is $8.99 at Riptide, but $12 if you buy the episodes individually at third-party sites), and the authors/publisher don't have to turn over as much as 65% of the purchase price to the retailer. oh god... this is going to be so freaking intense... I can hardly wait!!! lol... Enjoyed the post! ;) Judi arella3173_loveless@yahoo(dot)com That was actually the primary reason for deciding to serialize these books: it's SO intense that it really is much more easily digested in smaller bits. I hope you enjoy them! Looking forward to this series...Thank you for the opportunity to win some swag! chellebee66(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you for joining us here today, and good luck with the drawing! If you don't win this time, we'll be here at Pants Off with a little Q&A and new prizes before every episode we release :) I downloaded episode 2 last night but was too tired to read it - soon :) And pre-ordered season 2. I'm sure my fingernails won't like it but episode 1 was so very well written - very dark horror/thriller. pointycat(at)hotmail.co.uk Aw, so glad you enjoyed, and thank you for pre-ordering! Another to add to my growing list of "must reads" Lord help me, hope I can get enough time to read all these new books I have discovered. *Grin* I pre-order so I get to read 'em early *bigger grin* and the stories are so intense and dark and shivery that I scare myself. Amazing kudos to both Rachel and Heidi for 'daring' to write this - I LOVE 'em :) Hugs & thanks Carole-Ann cabibliofile(at)aol(dot)com Great interview..I have not read this one yet and can't wait. Yvette [email protected] Just recently discovered your books. Amazon should be ashamed of themselves. Absolutely NO excuse for their decision. I love The Flesh Cartel series. As an adult, I am quite capable of choosing my reading materials and of avoiding material I do not like. Thank you so much for writing these intense, raw, and brutally graphic stories. I read them because they are so well written and satisfy my desire to read dark and explicit themes with fully developed and complex characters. I only wish I knew about you and your books earlier. I look forward to episode 3 and future books. Thank you again. Denise A

There are things in life you never really appreciate until they are gone. Eyebrows, for instance. -Unknown alchemistDepending who you ask, alchemy can be the attempt to create the Philosophers’ Stone, the quest to turn base metals into gold, the search for immortality, or, on less ambitious and more realistic days, the quest to not burn your eyebrows off and not kill any of your students with experimental potions. Alchemist Matúš Kotry invented another type of alchemy where he takes two things, both of them a good idea, and combines them to create a new thing. The two things he tried his alchemy with: boardgames and mobile apps. While both things on their own are nice, putting them together was a risky proposition because, lets face it, boardgamers tend to be purists when it comes to their hobby. For a long time, electronic components were to be found in kids’ games, and the few exceptions were not generally well received. On the other hand, successfully combining apps with boardgames is a sort of Philosophers’ Stone for game publishers and designers, it would open a host of new possibilities for game mechanics. Kotry’s Alchemists is the vanguard for a new wave of games combines with mobile apps. It’s closely followed by Fantasy Flight’s XCOM, IELLO’s World of Yo-Ho, and probably many more, but Alchemists was there first. Alchemists combines a worker placement game with a deduction element. The worker placement is all traditional boardgame, no electronic support required. The mobile application – available for Android, iOS, Windows and as a plain old website – covers the deduction part. When a game starts, the alchemists are completely in the dark about what the mushrooms, flowers and toads they use as ingredients actually do. They have to experiment, mixing two ingredients into a potion and seeing what it does – commonly by feeding it to an unsuspecting student. Those experiments are done with your phone’s camera. The app recognizes your two ingredient cards and tells you what potion they make. The image recognition works very well, by the way, as long as the three white markers on both cards are visible the ingredients are reliably recognized within a second. Deduction games obviously existed before mobile apps, traditionally often implemented with hidden cards, but it would be hard to have the same level of subtlety that Alchemists has. The deduction part is not as simple as combining two ingredients to create a potion. Each ingredient corresponds to three aspects, each of which can be positive or negative. Combining two ingredients with a positive red aspect will create a Health Potion. That means that, when your experiment yielded a Health Potion, you can be sure that both ingredients were red positive, but it tells you nothing about their other aspects. It’s actually slightly more complicated than that, but you get the idea. Depending on what action you take, you might get less information that that, too. It would probably be possible to come up with a system of cards that does the same thing, but it wouldn’t be fun to use. The mobile app makes it easy and fun – although you still have to think yourself to come to the right conclusion. Final point about the app, you can play the same game on multiple phones simply by sharing a four letter code. No messing around with networks and game servers, just type four letters and everyone can use their own phone. However, all that new technology is good for nothing if the game around it isn’t fun. What do you actually do in Alchemists? As stated above, it’s a worker placement game, so you place workers to take actions. You place your workers in an order set up at the start of each of the six rounds where you decide how early your alchemist gets up. Getting up late offers some bonuses – Ingredient cards and Favor cards that improve some of your actions or even give you additional actions. Getting up early, on the other hand, lets you place your workers last and take your actions first. Other players can not put workers in your spots, so there is no downside to placing last, but the upside of knowing what everyone else is doing, and you still take your actions first, so no one can get in your way if you just get up early enough. Most actions can be taken twice per round by each player, but some of them may take more than one worker for the second time. It sounds a bit convoluted, but you don’t have to think about it much while playing, it just works. The actions themselves, at least the ones available right from the start, are simple enough as well. When you forage for ingredients, you take one of the five open ingredient cards, or a hidden one from the stack. To transmute an ingredient into gold, you discard that ingredient and take a gold coin. Yes, you can create gold in Alchemists, but it’s considered a waste of time and ingredients, a good alchemist can always make more money selling potions. Transmutation is an act of desperation. With the gold thus created – or gold earned in a better way – you can go buy Artifacts. Those rare, expensive items are worth victory points and mostly have other effects, too. Buying a Magic Mortar, for instance, lets you keep half the ingredients from every potion you mix. For the whole game, there’s a total of only nine Artifacts available, so if you want to collect them you should get up early. The final two actions are the more interesting ones because they are where you get to experiment. Why are there two actions for that? Because with one of them, you test the resulting potion on an initially willing student, with the other action you drink the potion yourself. Both actions mostly work the same: you put two ingredients in your kettle and use your phone to find out what you created. The other players always see your result, but not the ingredients used, although they might be able to guess if they remember what ingredients you had. The difference between the two actions is what happens when you mix a negative potion, meaning one that combines two ingredients sharing a negative aspect. If you tested your potion on a student, you severely curb his enthusiasm and he can only be convinced to participate in more experiments through bribery: all other experiments this round, by you and by other players, will cost one gold coin for each bad potion the student already tried. A nice trick for early risers to piss of everyone else is to mix a known bad potion here before anyone else has a chance, making sure they all have to pay. Hey, no one likes morning people anyway, so what have you got to lose? If you drink the potion yourself, you will suffer from the effects and lose a worker cube for the next round, be forced to get up last or lose a point of reputation (Potion of Insanity, may lead to naked dancing in the town square). Whichever way you got your result, you mark it on your alchemical workbench, a matrix in your player screen. At the intersection of the ingredients, you place a marker showing the potion created. The workbench is a nice idea, the matrix standing in your player screen instead of lying flat saves valuable table space, but this part of the game doesn’t work as well as it could. The markers don’t fit into their holes easily and leave you with two options: either you force it in, which has the risk of making another one pop out, or you just place it loosely and it may fall out when someone bumps the table. Ultimately I would have been happier just marking my potions on a piece of paper – that you still need anyway, to mark the correspondence from aspects to ingredients. Those are the actions for the first round, but starting with round two things get more complicated. There are three more actions then, and all of them are more elaborate than the round one action. The first is to sell potions. Every round, there will be an adventurer in town looking for a number of specific potions, and you can be just the alchemist to supply him. Don’t worry to much if you don’t know the exact recipe he or she is looking for, if the price is right adventurers will settle for less. The exact price will depend on the guarantee you give. At the top of the list, you can guarantee to make the exact potion wanted. That’s worth four gold coins, but make any mistake and you get nothing. One step down, you can guarantee a potion with the right sign, color unknown, for three coins. An adventurer looking for a Healing Potion won’t be ecstatic about getting Wisdom but he’ll be able to use it somehow. With even less confidence, you can guarantee to make a potion with the right sign or at least the neutral potion, also known as water. It might not be useful, but if you were looking for a good potion we can guarantee it won’t kill you. And finally, you can simply promise that the bottle won’t be empty and still earn one coin. You mix these potions with the mobile app as well, but the only output will be the level of quality you achieved. So you can experiment with your customers, but your data will be less useful than in an actual, controlled experiment. As if all that wasn’t difficult enough, selling potions doesn’t follow the regular player order. The customer never wants enough potions for everyone to make a sale, and you can offer a discount to move up in player order. Adventurers love bargain shopping. The discount is further modified by your current reputation – victory points – because adventurers also love to have confidence in the stuff they buy. And then there are still the Theories, because one thing alchemists like better than money is the respect of their peers. To gain that, they publish their theories about the aspects of ingredients. Publishing a theory is simple enough, you pick an ingredient that no one has published about yet, a set of aspects that no one has published about yet, put them together and put your name on it. Thing is, just because you write about it doesn’t make it true, and you have to make a bet just how much you trust your own publication. If you’re really sure, then you put a seal for five or three points on a publication, and if someone proves you’re a fraud later, you lose points for it. Or you can publish before you are certain, and hedge against one aspect. The other two still have to be correct, but if the aspect you hedge against turns out wrong, you can just shrug and say you never said you were sure. Until someone disproved your theory, or the game ends, what you bet is hidden from the other players, which is fun because they can endorse your theory and put their own seal on it next to yours, while not knowing if you’re sure. If, on the other hand, they think you’re full of it, they can debunk your theory. Using the app again, they select the theory to debunk, and which aspect they think is wrong, and the app tells them if the theory was right or not. If it was right all along, then the failed debunker loses a point and that’s it. But if the theory was wrong, then the seals on it are revealed, everyone involved loses points, the debunker gains points and may have the option to immediately publish his own theory. At least, that’s how it goes when playing the Apprentice variant of Alchemists. But the game does have two levels of difficulty, and the rules for debunking are the main difference. When playing on Master level, you can not only debunk a theory, but you can demonstrate a conflict between two theories. Doing so doesn’t debunk either of the theories, it just shows they can’t both be true. That’s bad for the original publishers because they can not go to conferences any more with those publications, and that might cost them a couple of points. Master Debunking is the most complex part of Alchemists, and most players will probably be happier playing with the Apprentice rules. The game goes on for six rounds and ends with the Grand Alchemical Exhibition where each player gets to demonstrate the recipes they discovered for some final points of reputation – if they remembered to save ingredients, it’s a common mistake to arrive at the exhibition with empty bags. To get to this point will probably have taken you two hours – more if this is your first game – and you will probably have enjoyed it. But you’ll also feel mentally drained and ready for some Cards Against Humanity, because Alchemists is a hard game. It’s not even the deduction part, that requires some thinking but you quickly get the hang of it. It’s the deduction part, plus the strategy of worker placement with constantly scarce resources, plus the rather complex rules for some of the action. While I really enjoy the first two parts of it, I wonder if the game as a whole wouldn’t be even better if the rules had been a bit simpler. It’s a very good game, but maybe it could have been designed for more simplicity. It would still have a combination of deduction and worker placement that works well, and it would still combine a boardgame with a mobile app in a way that works remarkably well, but it might take less than an hour to explain to new players. But if complexity is what you’re looking for, then Alchemists is perfect for you. And it definitely drives home the point that games and apps can be combined in a way that is fun and useable, not doing something that could easily be done with traditional components, not just there to be all hip and modern, but a useful and unobtrusive part of the game. Integrated as the two things are here, I’m looking forward to more games with companion apps.

This. Alaskan Tapes – In Distance We’re Losing In Distance We Are Losing is clearly a chronicle of a difficult passage, but one that ultimately ends on a redemptive note thanks to the transcendent reach of the penultimate track – the gorgeous “Because Finally It’s Everything” – and the tentatively hopeful final coda. It is a rewarding journey to be sure, but allow time for long, wistful stares into the distance that will inevitably ensue. Available on digital, CD, and clear vinyl LP Ghost and Tape – Vár [Home Normal] Carefully constructed, intricately layered, and organically arranged with purity of intent, Vár is an album of rustic and delicate beauty that not only rewards, but virtually demands, repeated listening. Available on digital and CD Lee Yi – An Instant For Momentary Desolation [Rottenman Editions] I was blown away last year by the discovery of Lee Yi’s dark, soulful drones which balance aching melodies and fine spun textures with a heavy emotional undertow spun by looped and bowed guitar. Here he follows up Redemption Comes with Dawn with another masterful, expansive work that holds its own with the heavyweights of the genre. Available on digital and CD (some editions may be sold out) North Atlantic Drift – Departures [Polar Seas Recordings] Departures fully embraces the shift North Atlantic Drift began to take with last year from the melodic post-rock orientation of their early work toward a preference for pure ambient soundscapes. The duo’s strong sense of melody still remains so what we end up with is the best of both worlds – the glacial majesty of their early sound fused with a new and complex drone substrata that resonates deeply. Available on digital, cassette, and CD (some editions may be sold out) Sonmi451 – Panta Rei [Eilean Rec.] “This album is dedicated to the rivers and streams, crossing the exquisite mountain-landscape of the Alps and Dolomites in the beautiful region of Southern Tirol.” (Bernard Zwijzen aka Sonmi451). Delicate, subtle, warm, and shimmering, this is a low-fi, minimal feast for the ears with a curative vibe. Available on digital and CD (some editions may be sold out) Anthéne – Orchid [Sound in Silence] Whether making music as anthéne or as part of North Atlantic Drift, Brad Deschamps has a penchant for shimmering tones and glacial beauty.Orchid adds seven spellbinding new pieces to the anthéne catalog, each a study in ambient guitar alchemy, beautiful sound shapes, and discreet use of textural elements which all coalesce to sustain a deeply introspective and nostalgic mood. Available on digital and CD Hotel Neon – Context [Fluid Audio / Facture] It was the band’s choice on this record not to thrust any particular narrative on the listener but rather, as the album title suggests, to provide a context to which they could connect to their own. Spend an hour or so with these warm, heavily textured crepuscular drones and you are likely to agree it is mission accomplished. A wholly immersive and extraordinarily atmospheric experience. Available on digital, cassette, and CD (some editions are sold out) Lowercase Noises – The Swiss Illness The Swiss Illness is “nostalgia”, which was coined by doctors studying Swiss mercenaries far away from home, and the physical ailments brought on by their feelings. On his most refined and beautiful work to date, Andy Othling explores this theme as with lush waves of pedal-driven guitar, ethereal melodies, and swelling strings that soar in arcs of longing and sadness. Available on digital and vinyl LP (some editions may be sold out) Pausal – Avifaunal [Dronarivm] Viewed as a whole, “Murmuration”, which is offered in three separate but contiguous movements on the record, is a magnificent, sprawling piece of orchestral proportions and with a scintillating undercurrent, a motif which is echoed in more concise & restrained form on the lovely closing track “Soar”. Ensconced in between are a pair of beguiling soundscapes – the foggy swirls of “Spiral” and the shimmering metallic abstractions of “Scatter”. A cerebral, exhilarating journey that scales dizzying heights. Available on digital and CD (some editions may be sold out) Sven Laux – Paper Streets [Dronarivm] A paper street is a road or street that appears on maps but does not exist in reality. Here veteran German musician, DJ, & producer Sven Laux takes us on an organic neoclassical journey into imagined wide-screen landscapes awash in swells of violin, cello & piano. Bursting with cinematic flourish, but with a restrained minimalist core serving as the ballast that keeps it grounded. Available on digital and CD Arash Akbari – The Rest is Silence [Unknown Tone] A musician, new media artist and designer, living and working in Tehran, Arash Akbari last beguiled us with the haunting Vanishing Point released in 2015 on Flaming Pines. He returns in grand form with another complex, heavily layered offering that explores deep emotional strata. Among the highlights here is the soul-wrenching, arresting beauty of ‘For The Stillness Of Watching The World Through Your Eyes’. Available on digital and CD James Murray – Killing Ghosts [Home Normal] Killing Ghosts is no a collection of mere abstract soundscapes or pastoral musings. There is an even greater alchemy at work here, a visceral sense of isolation and soul-deep reflection somehow conveyed purely through sound and a complete erasure of the lines between exteriority and interiority as the artist struggles to “make some sense not just of [a] peculiar time, but of each and every day spent without those we leave behind”. Immersive, captivating, and deeply personal. Available on digital and CD (some editions may be sold out) Ludmila – 1 Day 1 Track [Whitelabrecs] These dreamy guitar loop sketches created over an inspired 7-day period. may have been born of improvisation, but the soft focus guitar lines, shimmering arcs and warm amp crackles meld into a mellifluous flow as Jori Borla aka Ludmila weaves a hazy, kaleidoscopic daydream that offers a beautiful respite from the clamor of daily life. Available on digital and vinyl-effect CDr r beny – cascade symmetry A soothing immersion in a world of sumptuous textures; a warm and inviting quiescence of time as lush, shrouded, and remotely melancholic as Austin Cairn’s imagery of the Oregon coast on the cover suggests. It is a rare to find to such a near-perfect balance of careful sound design, fine textural filigree, and satisfying gravitas. Available on digital and CD (some editions may be sold out) Tapes and Topographies – Signal to Noise [Simula Records] Awash in gauzy layers of melancholic drone and ornamented with wistful melodies, fine spun textures, and delicate field recordings, the third full-length record for this ambient project of Texas-based musician Todd Gautreau is a beautiful immersion of sound and suspension of time that evokes warm nostalgia, tender emotion, and deep reflection Available on digital and CD Benoît Pioulard – Slow spark, soft spoke [Dauw] Field recordings captured in Iceland and France stirred into fluid watercolor dreamscapes woven from guitar, bass, voice, and tape. Spellbinding, otherworldly beauty that offers soothing respite to the ears. Available on digital and cassette (some editions may be sold out) Josh Mason & Nathan McLaughlin – On the Brink [Eilean Rec.] A metaphorical journey from a unique perspective that examines the state of mind as one faces the possibility of failure, Mason and McLaughlin weave together a restrained, but compelling narrative in one sprawling 54-minute track using guitar, strings, and other sonic ephemera which they subject to tender ministrations via computer, tape machines, and reel-to-reel. The subdued and delicate aural constructions are mesmerizing and rich enough in detail to offer something new each time the journey is taken. Available on digital and CD (some editions may be sold out) Marcus Fischer – Loss [12k] If you’ve read the well-earned rave reviews of Loss but not heard it, you might be surprised at how much of a restrained and understated a listening experience it is. Manifesting concepts of loss through sound can be a tricky affair, but Fischer does it masterfully here as he manipulates fragile, diaphanous tones through reel-to-reel tape using its inherent decay and his own sense of tone and space to create a nuanced and compelling personal reflection on “coping with the permanence of absence” with an emotional impact that will sneak up on you. Requires and rewards thoughtful, focused listening. Available on digital and vinyl LP Rafael Anton Irisarri – The Shameless Years [Umor Rex] How did this monumental album not yet get a review on these pages? I still have to wonder, though it perhaps it has to do with facing down some intense emotions and stark realities. Without a word, Irisarri tackles the anxious existential zeitgeist of the times and his own mortality. This latter aspect resonated deeply with me as the liner notes express Irisarri has outlived his father who died in his 30’s, an experience not unlike my own. A huge added bonus here is the collaboration of fellow emotive drone-master Siavash Amini on the closing tracks with devastating effect. An absolute stunner. Available on digital and red vinyl LP Toàn – Histós Lusis [Eilean Rec.] A new project from French musician Anthony Elfort which based around music composed entirely by samples found on old records, live instruments and field recordings, Histós Lusis offers highly organic compositions set against an exotic and ornately textured backdrop. In the dedication of the album, Elfort cites the Latin phrase ‘post tenebras spero lucem‘ meaning ‘after darkness I hope for light’, an apt metaphor for the expansive journey this album offers. Available on digital and CD (some editions may be sold out) Bird Traps – The Rainbow Body Plaintive melodies drawn in long, slow arcs of the bow across the strings of Skinner’s instruments ebb and breathe in an ethereal, ephemeral space somewhere between the ambient and the cinematic. Each of the five pieces is deeply meditative in nature, haunted by a world-weary mournful air that seems to yearn for peace and resolution. While the title track and the near 20 minute “Colour Peace” are the most extensive of the lot, it is the gorgeous closing combination of “Ribbon Cane” and “Heavy Paddock” that are most likely to breach your emotional defenses. Available on digital only Leandro Fresco and Rafael Anton Irisarri – La Equidistancia [A Strangely Isolated Place] A meeting of creative minds over long geographical distances (Fresco in Argentina and Irisarri in New York), this album also intersects some key musical and symbolic mid-points as it consummately strikes a balance between careful sound design & raw emotion, melodic sensibility & textural aesthetics, and melancholic reflection & purifying catharsis. In the sublime center of all of these things we find these six beautifully constructed, soul-searching instrumentals that are capable of forging a powerful human connection. Available on digital and clear vinyl LP (some editions may be sold out) Norihito Suda – Light Snowfall [Fluid Audio / Facture] One Bandcamp fan described this album as being “akin to listening to the earth breathe”. Light Snowfall offers nearly 90 minutes of weightless, serene ambient deeply in tune with nature; peaceful oscillations that come to rest on the ears like a cool, comforting blanket. The elaborate Fluid Audio physical release is long since sold out, but you can still enjoy these soothing immersions in digital form. Available on digital and double CD (some editions may be sold out) Secret Pyramid – Two Shadows Collide [Ba Da Bing Records] Drawing inspiration from the vast Pacific Northwest where he is based, Amir Abbey aka Secret Pyramid builds plaintive minor key melodies into monumental edifices of sound that somehow never lose their intimacy or emotional compass. This music is full of compelling paradoxes – crepuscular and illuminated; tentative and transcendent; lush and barren, majestic and devastating. Paradoxes yes, but it is these very conflicts that are at the heart of the album’s themes. Available on digital and vinyl LP Warmth – Home [Archives] One thing you’ll notice about Warmth is how many fellow musicians are fans of his work. Home is a very generous offering of his deep, fluid, contemplative soundscapes with optimal saturation of both tone & texture. Add in an extensive set of remixes by the likes of Hotel Neon, Purl, Leandro Fresco, and Robert Farrugia and the artwork from Alexander Kopatz and you have a premium ambient release that exemplifies the aesthetic of the excellent Archives label. Available on digital, double CD, and double vinyl LP

Introduction: Laptop Control Box This project was inspired by Apples recent addition of the touch bar to the new Macbook pro. It runs on Arduino Nano and interfaces with Processing via USB connection, creating a unique + intuitive way to interact with my Laptop. It has a 5 button interface which allows me to launch apps, open folders and pull up my favorite websites with a quick button press. This version currently gives me to access 24 different functions which are divided into 6 categories of 4. These colors allow me to associate which category the software is in without looking at the screen. As precedent for this project I took these words from Apples Chief Design Officer about the touch bar: "We're introducing a new way to interact with your notebook, a multi touch bar provides a more intuitive, more immediate connection to your content. Commands that were once hidden are now visible, easily accessible and also customizable." - Jonathan Ive. In short: The Laptop Control Box allows you to assign specific applications and functions to each button which can then be launched without the need to navigate through your Laptop, improving accessibility to content. As someone who creates a lot of digital content on a Laptop I find myself constantly bouncing between various software's, files, and windows frequently during projects. Traditionally, navigating through this content requires the mouse / trackpad which can be time consuming when trying to work efficiently. Fortunately, with inspiration from Apple I was able to create a device that innovates upon the traditional MacBook workflow. This Instructable outlines the full creative process from manufacturing and coding to final product. It has been designed to interface with a MacBook Pro but can easily be adapted for Windows. All laser cutting files and code are attached and open source. Step 1: Parts List The Design requires only a few parts: - Arduino Nano - 4x 12mm button switches - 1x 6mm button switch - Pine wood block (or equally strong wood) - 3mm Acrylic plastic sheet - Perf board - Keyes RGB led module - Jumper wires - Heat-shrink tubing - 5x 10k ohm resistors - Soldering iron + solder - Super glue - Mounting foam You will need access to a laser cutter and a drill press. Step 2: Prototyping the Circuit For this step I recommend using a breadboard to prototype the circuit. The fritzing diagram attached to this step shows the final circuit I settled on. The circuit is pretty simple; It uses 5 switch buttons (4x 12mm buttons, 1x 6mm button) and an RGB led Module. All 5 of the buttons are wired the same way, 1 10k ohm resistor on the bottom right pin which is grounded, 1 positive power wire to the bottom left pin attached to the nanos VIN pin and 1 transmission wire on the top right which goes to DIN pins 1-6 on the Arduino nano. When you have created the full circuit as shown in the fritzing sketch you should be able to upload the TEST Arduino code attached to this step to test if the circuit is working. To test this code, upload it to the Arduino and open the serial monitor. Set the serial monitor to 9600 baud and press some of the buttons to see if they respond. If it is working properly each button should write a number between 1-5 to the serial monitor when pressed. Each time you press the button that writes 5 to the monitor the RGB led should change color, iterating through an array of possible colors. After you've tested the circuit with the attached code you can move onto the next step where I will show you how to connect this circuit to processing and gain control over your laptop. Step 3: Connecting to the Laptop Firstly you will need to head over to Processing.org and install Processing 3. Processing is a development environment build for designers which is perfect for creating java applications and visualizing your ideas. The coding style is very similar to Arduino with a few small fundamental differences. The .pde file attached to this step (within the .zip file) is the code I have written that allows Arduino to interface with your laptop. It has a built in function called launch(); which lets you launch any application or folder that is stored on your Laptop. The code uses this function along with link(); which is similar but handles launching websites instead. These commands are executed when 1-4 top buttons are pressed, each one is assigned to a specific application, web address or folder. There is a massive community behind Processing who have contributed hundreds of libraries to expand its potential uses. The program I have written makes use of a Serial library which lets processing communicate with Arduino through a USB connection. In this instance the Arduino sends a number from 1-5 over to Processing depending on which one of the five buttons has been pressed. I have mapped all 5 of these signals into the processing code to make an interactive user interface as shown in the video attached to this step. The interface allows the user to toggle through 6 sets of functions each with 4 options. The video shows me navigating through and launching applications + opening files and bookmarks. Step 4: Building the Box The base is constructed of Pine wood, by cutting a 85mm x 85mm x 27mm (width,length,depth) section I was left with a solid block of wood that was both durable and elegant looking. Through subtractive manufacturing I was able to fit all of the electronics within this wooden volume. This basically means I cut away at the wood to make space for all of the internal parts. Ideally this could have been done with a CNC router but I decided to go old school and excavated the wooden volume using drill-bits and reams. The button interface is constructed using 3mm acrylic plastic in frosted white which has been laser cut to shape. The frosted white finish is perfect for diffusing the RGB light that will glow underneath the buttons. The laser cut buttons are mounted to the button switches. To achieve this I increased the surface area of the button switches by gluing small plastic rings around them to increase their diameter and then gluing the plastic buttons ontop. The four button switches are then soldered to perf board and sit directly under the top plastic layer so the plastic buttons are flush with the top surface. The fifth button is a smaller button switch and is embedded in the side of the wooden housing in an 8mm hole. The Arduino Nano is embedded at the very bottom of the device with its USB input exposed through the edge of the wood by a hole large enough to fit the USB cable. Step 5: Soldering the Final Circuit The first thing you want to do is secure the Arduino Nano to the base of the wood, ideally at the lowest possible point so it wont get in the way of the wiring. To secure the Nano tightly I glued some foam to the base to hold the Arduino around its edges. The important thing here is to keep the Arduino pressed hard against the inside edge of the wood with its USB input available from the outside through a hole in the side. You will then need to cut two smaller sections of perfboard to sit behind the Arduino. The reason for this is to seperate all of the ground wires from the positive wires while connecting them to their pairs. You will now need to solder the positive and negative leads from the 4 main button switches to their corresponding perf board sections as shown in the fritzing diagram attached to this step. repeat this for the 5th side button, making sure not to solder any negitive wires to the positive perf board and vise versa! Now you can begin connecting the buttons transmission wires to the Arduino Nano. The order is as follows (when viewed from the top): Top left button: Transmission wire to D2 Top right button: Transmission wire to D3 bottom left button: Transmission wire to D4 bottom right button: Transmission wire to D5 The fifth button is a little different and should be done carefully to make sure it can eventually fit through the side hole when soldered. Its transmission wire should be soldered to pin D7 on the Arduino. The RGB led should be fitted in against the inside surface of the plastic so it will illuminate the 4 button interface from inside. It's ground pin should be soldered to the - perfboard as shown in the fritzing diagram. This led should have 3 transmission pins: Red: transmission wire to D13 Green: transmission wire to D12 Blue: transmission wire to D11 Once all of this has been done press the completed circuit into the wooden housing as compact as possible. Make sure no wires are touching that shouldn't as this could cause the whole circuit to fail. You should now be ready to glue your buttons on as pictured in the last two images attached to this step. Step 6: *extra* Crafting a Carry Pocket You will need: - 300x300mm Felt fabric x3 - Stitching needle and thread - Laser cutter or scissors After using the completed Laptop Control Box I decided I wanted to take it with me in my Laptop bag to use on the go. To protect it from scratches and damage while moving around I designed a quick laser cut carry pocket out of felt. The design is very simple, I just cut the two shapes shown in the third image from woolen felt along with an acrylic black felt lining and stitched them at the edges using what they call a blanket stitch. I then stitched a button onto the main body of the pocket with a piece of string on the flap that wraps around it to keep it closed. Runner Up in the Microcontroller Contest 2017 31 Discussions Does this codes works on Win7 32bit? Yes the code should work on windows 7, however you will need to adapt the application addresses within the processing code to the right locations for the .exe files that will launch your apps. These will be specific to your own computer. Would this be something that could be created for a Windows computer? If so, how? Yeah this could easily be adapted for windows, it would just involve changing the application addresses within the software for the apps you want to launch with the buttons. Awesome project! Thanks! Carl, I am having trouble getting your code to work. I built the circuit, installed Processing and cannot get the Arduino and my Mac to communicate. I definitely have the correct serial port selected in Processing as it's the same one that I used in the Arduino IDE. Now I admit I am new to Arduino, but the <test_code.ino> file I downloaded and the <Laptop_buddy_rgb.ino> look identical to me. Shouldn't they be different? Please let me know. Thanks! Hey sorry about that! I realise now I accidentally saved the test code over the final code before uploading it. I have just fixed, tested and uploaded the new working .ino file to step 5 as <Laptop_buddy_rgb2.ino> The only difference between the test code and this one is the 'Serial.println' function has been changed to 'Serial.write'. Println is used to print the data to the serial monitor whereas write is used to transfer the data to processing through the port. Hope this fixes your project and let me know if you have any more questions. Best of luck! Thanks for your prompt response, Carl! I was thinking that the change would be exactly as you stated. I've got it loaded up and everything is working just fine. I've got a couple of cool ideas for a different style of enclosure. I won't spoil the surprise, but I'll be sure to post some pictures when I have it finished. Thanks again and thanks for the great Instructable! Bill S. (Quantz) No problem, thanks for noticing there was a mistake. Awesome I'll be keen to see what you come up with, if I were to do it again I'd add a 6th button on the side that brings up the user interface. Hey thanks man! you're light matrix is cool, got my vote too I like it, may be i will not use it as often. I will prefer cmd+ spacebar and search the name. but loved the concept and super effort. Right there with you. Thanks dude It is a great project for learning more about serial communication from Arduino to PC. I have done something similar but using a touchpad. Thanks, I have been wanting to build something like this ever since I learnt about serial communication. Thank you for the great idea and plans. I recently changed jobs that require the use of a Mac Air.. what I miss most is the ability to use "Display Fusion" on Windows to move a screen/window to my second monitor with a single click. Anyway that this can be coded -window selected -button pushed -window moves back and forth between monitors Thanks again! Glad to hear you like the project, That would be a really cool function to have in this design! If I ever upgrade to have a second monitor I might just try that out. YOU should be designing for Apple. They need you. The iphone 7's a joke, the touchbar's laugable too, I'm even talking bout the watch... WHY is Apple not releasing producta like this anymore?! Haha thank you I wish I was. I'd love to get in there and push the limits of what they're making. Maybe some day ;)

10 Business TV Shows Every Entrepreneur Should Watch Although I’m an activist and whistleblower, I’m also an entrepreneur who works tirelessly to build a sustainable business to put food on my plate. In my downtime, I often watch shows that focus on different aspects of entrepreneurs, operations, and other educational parts of business. If you’re looking to start a business or become an entrepreneur, these shows help shed light on many aspects of what that life is really like. 10. Undercover Boss (2009-Present) Like most American reality TV, Undercover Boss started in the U.K. before being adapted for U.S. audiences in 2010. The franchise is now global, with localized versions being aired in 14 markets, including Australia, Japan, Israel, and multiple European countries. Undercover Boss features c-suite executives from various corporations disguising themselves to see how their business really operates from the ground level. Although we’re clearly watching events unfold in these companies through rose-colored glasses, it is interesting to watch a CEO performing the blue-collared work of their entry-level employees. Executives from a wide range of businesses, including Hooters, 7-Eleven, NASCAR, DirecTV, Chiquita, Boston Market, Utah Jazz, the city of Pittsburgh, and Gerber, have all participated in Undercover Boss with varying degrees of success. The show provides a glimpse of the daily operations of major brands and how executives react when confronted with employees on both ends of the spectrum. Employees are routinely fired, promoted, and given motivational speeches by the end of the show, though it’s important to keep in mind you’re only seeing what the brand wants you to see. Still, there are few better places on TV to watch major businesses in action than Undercover Boss. Available on: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, CBS, TPB, KAT 9. How It’s Made (2001-Present) Discovery and Science (channels owned by Discovery Communications) are known for producing compelling reality TV, but it’s the quiet documentary series How It’s Made that’s done the best job of educating viewers on the manufacturing process since it premiered in 2001. Instead of a host, the show employs a narrator, rarely showing humans on camera. This allows How It’s Made to focus on the machinery and processes in a way that’s easily translatable to other languages and cultures. Although the show can often be dry, there is some humor mixed into the narration. It very much plays like the type of video shown in a classroom, and that’s not a bad thing. If you’re curious about the manufacturing process of anything from food to appliances, electronics, clothing, art, sporting equipment, musical instruments, toys, automobiles, or any other common object, there’s no better place to start learning than How It’s Made. Available on: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Discovery, YouTube, TPB, KAT 8. Kitchen Nightmares (2004-2014) For a solid decade, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay traveled around the United States and United Kingdom to help revive failing restaurants in Kitchen Nightmares, one of the shows that helped make the man famous. Criticisms of the American version focusing more on drama than cuisine are absolutely correct, through both versions do allow viewers to learn what it takes to run a restaurant as a business. Ramsay is a compelling personality, and although he’s mostly recognized for being domineering and bluntly honest to the point of insulting, there’s no denying the man is a savvy businessman. Being successful in the restaurant industry requires much more than just a flair in the kitchen; otherwise the millions of culinary school graduates produced each year would own their own restaurants instead of prepping food at Applebee’s. If you’re truly interested in running your own restaurant, both versions of Kitchen Nightmares are must-see TV, especially the infamous episode featuring the now-defunct Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale, AZ. Available on: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, YouTube, TPB, KAT 7. The Apprentice (2004-Present) These days, the Internet is mostly interested in stopping Donald Trump from becoming President of the United States, but the man is a businessman before a politician. Billed as “The Ultimate Job Interview,” The Apprentice is a reality game show by Survivor creator Mark Burnett and follows a similar premise. Instead of competing for a simple cash prize, the original prize (before Celebrity Apprentice) was a $250,000 contract to run one of Trump’s businesses for a year. Contestants divide into teams and compete in a series of sales and marketing projects. Before and after each project, Trump and his advisers (sometimes his kids) discuss the teams and dole out business advice. Although the series is much campier than other business shows, there is still some educational value in it for aspiring entrepreneurs. As a franchise, there are over 24 international versions of The Apprentice around the world, making it a global phenomenon. Everyone on the show has some kind of business background, even the celebrities, as show business is one of the hardest businesses to break into. It’s also worth noting Trump’s show outperformed competing billionaire Mark Cuban’s The Benefactor in the ratings by a large margin, easily ending the latter after only a handful of episodes. It’s fitting that most of the contests involve sales and marketing, because winners of the show don’t actually handle operations for Trump, instead acting as promotional spokespeople. The Apprentice is a great show to learn more about branding, as that’s an area Trump clearly excels in. Love or hate him, you know exactly who he is and what he stands for. He’s more vocal about his beliefs than just about anyone in the one percent and we can only hope more people in that position open up the way Trump does. Available on: Amazon Prime, NBC, TPB, KAT 6. Shark Tank (2009-Present) Probably the highest-rated and most popular show on this list, ABC’s Shark Tank is another Mark Burnett creation (based on Japan’s Dragon’s Den, which will be discussed below) in which entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to wealthy shark investors. Although the shark rotation often changes, the mainstays of the show are Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Kevin O’Leary. Kevin Harrington, Jeff Foxworthy, Steve Tisch, John Paul DeJoria, Nick Woodman, Ashton Kutcher, Troy Carter, and Chris Sacca have also appeared as sharks. The show has been so instrumental in jump-starting American businesses that President Obama even gave it a shout-out (even naming Daymond John as one of the White House’s entrepreneurial ambassadors) during one of his speeches on global entrepreneurialship. Shark Tank is the perfect place to see how investors react to small businesses of every shape and size. The sharks routinely ask financial questions, and, although only small fragments of hour-long interviews are aired, viewers get to see the successes and failures of each business. Both entrepreneurs and investors have something to learn from Shark Tank, as the same issues have come up repeatedly throughout the show’s run. Although it can still be as glossed-over as other shows, the competition between sharks, combined with the desperation of many featured entrepreneurs, makes Shark Tank essential viewing for any aspiring entrepreneur or investor. Available on: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, ABC, TPB, KAT 5. Beyond the Tank (2015-Present) Shark Tank is so compelling is spawned its own spin-off in 2015, called Beyond the Tank. Where the original series mostly focused on boardroom pitch meetings, Beyond the Tank shows more of the story behind many of the popular brands and businesses featured on the show. The show focuses on businesses that both succeeded and failed to solicit an investment from the sharks, and expands on the mini-segments featured before each pitch. Although the sharks often dispense advice in the tank, it’s difficult to tell whether or not businesses will adhere to it. I’ve seen a variety of businesses featured on Shark Tank at trade shows through my travels, and in talking to some of these entrepreneurs, many hardly ever meet with the actual sharks off-camera. Typically interactions happen via email, and it’s most often with a member of the shark’s business team. Beyond the Tank gives the sharks a reason to put boots on the ground and either sort out problems or celebrate successes. We also get to meet some of their teams. For those who love Shark Tank, Beyond the Tank is a great way to see what happens after the deal is done and the real work begins. We learn that some businesses have issues with their technology, which is especially an issue on the night the show airs, as orders typically spike that night. Other businesses were able to pay back the shark investment at a rapid pace and multiply profits for everyone involved. Beyond the Tank does a great job of showing the compromises entrepreneurs have to make (and the lessons learned) when giving away a percentage of their business. In addition, you get to see more of the operations behind your favorite Shark Tank brands. Available on: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, ABC, TPB, KAT 4. Bar Rescue (2011-Present) Although on the surface, Spike TV’s Bar Rescue seems like nothing more than a rip-off of Kitchen Nightmares, star Jon Taffer does separate himself from the competition. He’s at the very least walked away and given up more than Ramsey, lending it an air of realism. The show features struggling bars and pubs that call in a business consultant to help turn things around. Taffer regularly rebrands businesses, completely redoing the interior, drinks, and menu, by calling in teams of experts. In watching Bar Rescue, you’ll learn a surprising amount of detail about bar operations, right down to the POS systems. In working with CardFellow, a card-processing marketplace, I’ve learned quite a bit about how much a POS can change your business. Not all of Taffer’s “rescues” are successful, and, the featured businesses often have trouble after the fact. One of the more infamous cases was Nashville bar owner Chris Ferrell, who, the night before his episode was to air, was arrested for the murder of country singer Wayne Mills. Despite the setbacks, Bar Rescue serves as an entertaining lesson for anyone interested in either starting a business or becoming a consultant. Available on: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Spike, TPB, KAT 3. Dragon’s Den (2001-Present) While many of the shows here have international versions, I’m featuring Dragon’s Den because, like Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, I fell in love with the U.K. version on BBC America long before the American version premiered, so I’m familiar with the differences. Whereas Shark Tank adds a lot of production values to entertain American audiences, the U.K. version of Dragon’s Den is dry and focuses much more on business. I find the U.K. version to be much more educational, and the dragons aren’t afraid to use real business terms. Watching it makes you realize how dumbed down Shark Tank actually is. In addition, I’ve checked out the Canadian and Australian (now called Shark Tank) versions through torrent sites. Both are quite watchable, and most Americans will recognize the Canadian dragons, especially O’Leary and Herjavec. You would be naive to think only Americans can come up with good business ideas or inventions (which is a complaint many foreigners have about the American mindset). Watching the international versions broadens your mind to what types of products and services are important in foreign markets. Entrepreneurs interested in doing business outside the United States can benefit from seeing how pitch meetings in Dragon’s Den, Lion’s Den, Tiger’s Den (or whatever the local version is called) compares to Shark Tank. Available on: Amazon Prime, TPB, KAT 2. Silicon Valley (2014-Present) HBO’s comedy series by Mike Judge is about as accurate a portrayal of tech entrepreneurship in northern California as Scrubs is of working in a hospital. That being said, Silicon Valley is a very entertaining comedy that pokes fun at the crazy deals and business environment in its namesake area. By using comedy as a buffer, the show actually does a decent job explaining some complicated ideas in the tech sector. When Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) leaves Hooli, a Google-like company, to turn his Pied Piper compression algorithm into a business, the ensuing story is one entreprenuers should pay attention to. Hendricks lives in an incubator, which is basically a group of people living in one house and doing business in their garage. As the company gains steam, they encounter every possible issue, from problems finding employees to expand to IP lawsuits, logo problems, and stiff competition. Not every business show has to be realistic. Let’s face it – even the reality TV shows aren’t exactly real. Instead, Silicon Valley is an entertaining look at the culture of tech startups that can be hilarious at times and tells a compelling story based in a particular setting. Entrepreneurs and employees of any startup or tech-based business with a sense of humor will love Silicon Valley. Even that guy we all know who loves correcting every small detail will find some enjoyment smugly correcting inconsistencies to their friends. Available on: Amazon Prime, TPB, KAT 1. The Profit (2013-Present) Although it may seem like I’m obsessed with the Shark Tank franchise, the true focus of my love is CNBC’s The Profit. Marcus Lemonis doesn’t get paid as an on-air personality the way everyone else above does. Instead, he focuses on the promotional benefits of name-dropping and cross-promoting his brands throughout the show, and occasional affiliate marketing through companies like LegalZoom. In The Profit, Lemonis visits businesses that are seeking an investment much like Shark Tank. However, instead of sitting in the board room, Lemonis gets his hands dirty, learning about the businesses by performing tasks and reviewing documents. The Profit is one of the best in-depth shows for seeing exactly what it takes to run a successful business. Lemonis is extremely business-savvy and is able to communicate with people on every level, whether business owners, entry-level employees, customers, or the viewing audience. When watching the show, Lemonis often uses graphics to explain why it is he asks the questions and makes the decisions he does. One of his most consistent mantras is to focus on the people, the product, and the process, and he never strays from his process. The Profit manages to humanize a CEO in an era when public trust in that particular category of people is painfully low. Lemonis is a no-nonsense kind of guy, having no fear getting in people’s face, as he proved with meathead bully Anthony Leggio at ASL Signs. But he also has a great sense of humor, which comes out any time the show has awkward moments, such as his inability to come up with a graphic for the relationship overshare at West End Coffee. The Profit has gotten so popular that Lemonis now has a spin-off series coming called The Partner, in which he auditions a partner to help him run the businesses he invested in during the show’s run. Having invested over $12 million of his own money to save struggling businesses to varying degrees of success, Lemonis appears to be on a personal quest to compete against the sharks and dragons to save the world one investment at a time. Entrepreneurs seeking motivation to succeed in an era when financial wealth is seen as a bad thing will love The Profit. Any time I’m struggling to push through my work or having trouble remembering the end game, it’s my go-to. Marcus Lemonis the person never veers from his process, and the result is one of the most compelling products I’ve seen on TV in a long. Available on: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, CNBC, TPB, KAT Bonus: Nathan for You (2013-Present) And then we have the business show spoof Nathan for You. Comedian Nathan Fielder portrays the exact opposite of Marcus Lemonis to varying degrees of success in his Comedy Central show. Although the character Nathan plays on screen isn’t a real person, everyone else involved in this show is. It’s a brilliant send-up of the business reality show genre. What most interesting about Nathan for You isn’t that Fielder comes up with oddball ideas like poop flavored frozen yogurt or a soundproof box to stick kids in so parents can have sex. It’s not even that he convinces real businesspeople to try out his ideas – it’s that some of them actually work. Fielder has made numerous headlines in the media for business ideas like Dumb Starbucks, a coffee house that uses fair-use laws to sell dumb coffee drinks and dumb music to dumb patrons, a hero pig that went viral on YouTube, and The Movement, a ghostwritten self-help book meant to convince people to pay to work for a moving company. Fielder’s ideas are actually quite brilliant (though most are obviously unethical), and it’d difficult to know sometimes what it is you’re actually watching, but the business and marketing lessons are solid. Available on: Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Comedy Central, TPB, KAT Brian Penny is a former Business Analyst and Operations Manager at Bank of America turned whistleblower, troll, and freelance writer. His work appears in High Times, Huffington Post, Fast Company, The Street, Small Business Daily, DumbLittleMan, and Hardcore Droid. 2 thoughts on “10 Business TV Shows Every Entrepreneur Should Watch” I am from a South African African country called Namibia in case you are wondering thanks a lot. I am a 21 year old guy who sleeps on the same bed as his mom because of the circumstances but I will be graduating in two months time and my goal is to eventually get a job, then later invest my savings into my business. I wanna retire by 30 and concentrate on business. anyways, out of shows you mentioned, the most interesting is the Dragons Den UK

random stuff about me - mostly truth or lies - both or neither - about me though - it's always about me - Friday, 22 May 2015 Back alley... Those cobbles are 120 years old and will have seen coal being delivered by horse and cart, baker's boys on bicycles, washing hung out to dry, maids stealing kisses from their farmhand boyfriends in the moonlight. There's history in them and they deserve respect. Some years ago this alley was completely overgrown, a jungle that you could hardly walk through. A group of neighbours, including myself hired skips, bought weedkiller, and got out their brooms and shovels and completely cleared it over a couple of weekends. It was immaculate and we all enjoyed a very good barbecue in the alley the evening that we finished. It was good to be able to use the space, nice that we all got together to enjoy it. Over the years it has stayed pretty clear of the jungle. But some people tip their garden rubbish into it and then seem to wait for ever to move it. I want to change all that. I want to make it a place for people to enjoy. I've decided to start with my own bit of alley and get some pots planted up. I'll plant easy stuff at first, nasturtiums and bedding just for some colour. I may put in a pot of runner beans and a tomato plant or two. I could even hang a couple of baskets on the walls. But whatever I do I'm hoping that my neighbours take notice and get with the vibe. This little lane could be a truly beautiful place. Of course it is open to the public as a thoroughfare, so there's a risk of vandalism and thoughtlessness. I'm hoping that people will respect it for what it is though. I believe that most people will delight in it. We'll see how it goes. Watch this space. Backyard May... I'm really pleased with the way it is looking. I've been focusing on making it interesting, a little bit magic, and I think, at long last after almost 30 years, I'm just about there. There's really no reason not to make the most of any outside space. It doesn't have to be big - all you have to do is make it personal to yourself. Sitting out in the afternoon with a beer in the sunshine, listening to the fountain in the pond and the wind chimes, watching the blackbird family shoveling meal worms into their beaks to take to their young - well, it's my idea of heaven. A little piece of heaven in my backyard. Bee... This little bee buzzed around my allium plants in the front garden yesterday as I sat on the bench in the sunshine. All I had with me was my phone, so I lifted it out of my pocket and snapped and snapped until he was gone. When I looked at my pics there he was in full flight, his tiny wings moving at hundreds of beats per second. It gave me quite a a buzz. Thursday, 21 May 2015 Lazy Luna... Tuesday, 19 May 2015 Jupiter's eye... >>IMAGE. Monday, 18 May 2015 Lucky man... I have a life that gives me far too much free time. Consequently I fill it up and fritter it away. I always feel like I need to do something and then when I have something to do I often don't want to do it.. Friday, 15 May 2015 Here’s looking at me kid… _3<<_4<<_7<< Thursday, 14 May 2015 Pennies from heaven... Sometimes I wonder if there really is a supreme something looking after me. I know that there isn’t, but sometimes… Here’s why. Today I went to the supermarket to buy a bottle of cheap wine to make a beef stew. I knew that it cost three pounds sixty-five pence as I've bought it before. I had plenty of money on me, mainly notes but some change in my pocket, and I was pretty sure that I had enough change to cover it. I am one of those creatures who hate breaking into a note unless I really have to. It’s one of those dreads like having to get petrol or putting a pound in a supermarket trolley. It has nothing to do with cost; it’s all to do with my mind. Even so I hate it. Before I went into the supermarket I decided (in a very OCD kind of way) to count my change 'just in case'. Taking the coins out of my pocket I saw immediately that I had three pound coins and quite a bit of shrapnel; mainly five pence pieces and coppers. I counted it. I had three pounds and sixty one pence, just four pence short. But noooooo, four pence meant breaking into a note! I couldn’t believe it. I was going to have to break into a twenty for the sake of four pence. I began to sweat and get dizzy (not really, but it adds drama to a fundamentally everyday story). What could I do to avoid it? For a second I considered begging (not for drama, I really did). Quickly giving up on that idea I instead checked every single one of my sixteen pockets twice. I must have looked like I was doing a jig, but to no avail. I was going to have to break into a twenty and receive all that horrible chinking change and all for a measly four pence. I was still a couple of hundred yards from the supermarket when (I don’t know why) I decided to keep my eyes to the ground just in case I found a coin or two. I knew it was very unlikely - my luck doesn’t run like that - but I hadn’t gone ten yards when I spotted something on the pavement... A shiny silver five pence piece. You can’t imagine the irrational joy I felt. The day was saved; the gods had smiled on me. My face broke from frown into a splendid, almost lunatic, smile as I made my way into the supermarket to make my purchase secure in the knowledge that I would leave with my notes intact and, as a bonus, I even had a lucky penny in my pocket. I relished feeding my coins into the self-service till. I slotted them one at a time, waiting for each of them to register before putting in the next one. It took a bit of time, but it left me with a warm glow and a tremendous sense as satisfaction and when, three or four minutes later, I saw the amount owing display turn to zero I smiled. Maybe this proves that there is a god (or goddess) after all. Tuesday, 12 May 2015 Click and... Yes,. Dali Desert 2... Monday, 11 May 2015 Dali at eleventy-one... Since I was a boy Dali has held a fascination for me. It isn’t simply his mastery of painting, it’s his mind, the way he thinks, and how he starts off at one point and ends up at a completely different destination altogether, a destination that is altogether strange. I find it hard to talk about Dali in the past tense. He’s all around me in everything I think and do. Of course I don’t possess his talent or his great showmanship. I’m not a master in every aspect of art from theater design through to poetry, photography, performance, and all the other areas he was simply a master of. No, I’m really just a small bug of a Dali crawling across an infinite desert watched by an eye with a curled and tweaked moustachioed slash; as you can see from the image I have created for this most auspicious of days. No, I'm no Dali, but in everything I do I ask: ‘How would Dali see this? What would his reaction be?’ And this consideration makes me feel special - like he was. Saturday, 9 May 2015 Aquiligia 2015... My first Aquilegia of the year and she is a beauty. Over the years I have grown hundreds of these and each one is different. It's the cross pollination, they find it so easy, jumping from variety to variety and creating new ones as they go. Each year I wait to see just what colour that plant, the one that I've waited two seasons for, is going to be. I am never disappointed. If I could only have one packet of seeds, on that fabled desert island that is so often talked about, it would be a packet of Aquiligia McKana. From that single packet all things would possible, every colour, size, and shape imaginable. If I could only have one packet of seeds, on that fabled desert island that is so often talked about, it would be a packet of Aquiligia McKana. From that single packet all things would possible, every colour, size, and shape imaginable. Mind you if I ever do get shipwrecked I might do better planting something to eat like potatoes, not very pretty though are they. Thursday, 7 May 2015 Election day... The problem with political jokes is that some of them get elected! Here’s a few to get you laughing on Election Day regardless of how you vote… Unlike a lot of people, I’m hoping that Cameron will get an overall majority. I reckon a Tory government is the only way we’ll get the real Spitting Image back on the telly. What’s the difference between Ed Miliband and Ryan Giggs? One’s a fading left winger who’s upset his brother. The other is a footballer. Nick Clegg walks into a bookshop and asks for a book on coalitions. The storekeeper says, ‘It's over there on the left... sorry, I mean the right... No! I tell a lie. We sold out.’ Nick Griffin has accused Nigel Farage of having racist immigration policies. If you ask me that's the pot calling the kettle... Actually, never mind. So Alex Salmond resigned and Nicola Sturgeon became leader of the SNP. Which joker told them that leaders have to be named after fish? Natalie Bennett is praying that Green Party voters don’t confuse the recycling bin with the ballot box in today’s election. Leanne Wood said last week that Plaid Cymru supports the NHS because it has no vowels.." So how am I voting? Apparently I exactly match the profile of the type of person who spoils their ballot paper. Yes, I tick all the right boxes. Well, it might be a dark day dependent on who gets in this time around. I've thought long and hard about it and have come to the conclusion that none of the parties are ideal. In fact none of the parties are even halfway towards ideal. The problem is I don't trust any of them. Still I must vote so I have made my mind up. Wednesday, 6 May 2015 Lazy Luna... Tuesday, 5 May 2015 Dawn chorus day... It was International Dawn Chorus day yesterday, the day when people are encouraged to go out in the wild and listen to the birds wake up. I was in Wales and luckily for me all I had to do was open the windows of my bedroom in the roof and listen. Occasionally I'd get up and look towards the trees at the back where a lot of birds had congregated. I recognised a thrush and a robin, a blackbird or two, but to be honest I'm no expert on birdsong so as for which was singing what I really didn't have a clue. I must have listened for an hour before falling back to sleep, lulled by the elaborate whistles and cheeps of nature and when I woke up again the sun was warming, the performance over, and I was freezing. I hadn't closed the windows.

LiveJasmin Versus ImLive - Which Is Better and Why? Picking is hard when it comes to two live cam sites that are so well-known, even in pop-culture, as unbeatable premium webcam sites, with equally unparalleled performers. But one site has to be better than the other, and in this case, LiveJasmin takes the top spot. Though ImLive has more unique features, more options for those who like to see skin in the open rooms, and is cheaper — LiveJasmin is the clear winner when it comes down to a complete site experience, a killer mobile cam2cam platform, 24/7 live support, performers that can transfix while fully clothed, and a luxurious feeling that we all enjoy, and only LiveJasmin can provide. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – The Comparisons What is Best About LiveJasmin? The best thing about LiveJasmin is the feeling you get when you browse it, even before the fabulous performers start to work their charms on you. The professionally taken profile pics are gorgeous, the ladies are clearly skilled at what they do, and you simply know you're in good hands. This site is best for those that have some change to spare, and also look for great HD quality and ladies you can really converse with, and then get them naked in private. The site offers over 1,000 models (1500 during peak hours), and they are sorted into categories which are extremely accurate. The dedicated Fetish section is great, and instantly shows you dungeon-like rooms with accessories, whips, chains, and sex toys. There are also great trans models, couples and lesbians, so those that love variety will feel right at home. Most models have bios that include pictures and videos, which you can purchase for credits. Read our full review of LiveJasmin to learn more. LiveJasmin Pros - The best pro models in live cams - Accurate categories and filtering - HD quality cams and HD filter - Multiple chat types What is Best About ImLive? The best thing about ImLive is a community feel that goes along with a site, and its fans, that have been together since the early 2000's. Not one to rest on its laurels, ImLive has stayed on top of the latest technology, also offering one of the best mobile cam to cam platforms in the biz. The site is extremely member-centric, providing a beautiful member's page that not only shows you what's on offer, but gives you all the info you need to find you favorite girls, and favorite features. ImLive has around 600 models (800 during peak hours), categorized on the left side filter. It's a real mix, which many users will love, of veteran ladies and those just starting out as live cam models, and there are also plenty of contests to gain visibility on the site. Some models offer a short bio and some pics/vids, but these are mostly Top Hosts, which you can find on the top left. If there's a particular model you really like, you can join their Discount Club and pay every month to get their media for free. Read our full review of ImLive for more analysis. ImLive Pros - Cheap premium chats with c2c - Great mobile platform with cam2cam - Fun member's page - Unique site features LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – Free Content & Options Freemium cam sites are those that give you plenty of sex and nudity in their open rooms, and even free full-length videos and show recordings at no extra cost. But our two contenders are both premium, and claim to have no nude models in the open cam rooms. LiveJasmin models adhere to this rule, while some ImLive performers do not. As far as content, such as pictures, videos and the like, some sites give away free content and some don't. ImLive provides registered members with free content but it depends on the models. Some will offer free content in their bio, and some only for sale. Also, under the Videos category up top, you can watch free previews for shows and even full contest videos. However, you must be a Bronze member for this privilege. All you need to do to become one is purchase any amount of credits on the site. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – Premium Content As LiveJasmin is one of the best premium cam sites in live cams, it offers quite a wide variety of premium content on the site. In addition to the models selling their own pictures and videos, the site also has a Stories section on the left, that is similar to Instagram, with daily updates from your favorite girls. These updates are sometimes free, but mostly when it comes to NSFW content they upload, you need to pay to check them out. ImLive offers much less from it's models, but does have a vast Videos library offering videos, some for free and some that you need to pay for. You can also purchase a model's Discount Club membership and get premium content. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – Pricing Comparisons There's no wonder why ImLive is on our list for cheapest cam sites, as it boasts some of the lowest rates not just for a premium site, but in general. Also, ImLive gifts you up to 100 free credits, worth a staggering $114.95 when you make your first purchase. LiveJasmin is more expensive, and there's some "math" do be done to calculate if purchasing is worth the expense, as the packages differ. LiveJasmin does give you 9.99 free credits, worth $10 when you validate your credit card, and prior to your purchase of credits, you can Spin the Wheel for a chance to win double your credits on your purchase. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – Private Chat Show Rates ImLive wins easily with it's super low prices that include webcam to webcam action. But it's up to you what you prefer: Pay much less and get so-so HD quality, or pay much more but get a pro model and great HD? This question depends on the user, for sure. If you would like to know more, we have covered all the ways to save money on LiveJasmin. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – Show Types This category goes to LiveJasmin, as it offers more types of shows, which also helps with the higher prices you need to pay for c2c private webcam chats. Show Types on LiveJasmin — Free chats open to all, Private chats with the option of webcam to webcam live chats, with additional payment (On mobile too). Other show types include: VIP Shows - You purchase a ticket to book your place in the show, until the model has reached her goal after multiple users have paid the ticket price. If the goal isn't reached, the show doesn't start and you get refunded your credits. Video Call - Models that are technically offline, they're not performing, but are available for special calls, for the right price, just for you. Mobile Live - A fun category which is also cheaper, in which the models stream for their mobiles, and you get a more intimate view of their worlds, like their homes, friends, pets, and what they do in their real lives. Show Types on ImLive — Free chats open to all, Private chats with the option of webcam to webcam at no cost (On mobile too). There's also one other option: Candy Shows - Multiple user shows that are much cheaper and require you to tip so the model reaches the goal before the show starts. If the goal isn't reached, the show doesn't start and you get refunded your credits. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – Chat Room Features LiveJasmin easily wins this one too. The room offers an HD option to select, volume and opening up the screen to enlarge it. But, depending on the model, it also offers unique gifts relevant to her speciality, as well as an interactive toy option you can control. On the left side you can see all the other options, such as the model's bio, purchasing credits, favoriting her, gifts, a special menu for sex acts and their cost, pictures, and cam2cam controls. ImLive models only have volume and screen size that you can adjust. Those that have interactive toys will have an option on the right of the screen for you to give credits to operate the toy. You can also buy them gifts (ImLive's version of tipping). - We should note, however, that ImLive does have two of the best site-exclusive features around. Groupcams, that will open up another chat next to yours and will allow you to invite another model/s to the chat. And Fulfill your Fantasy, best for niche fetish cam fans, that lets you submit your greatest desire to the models forums, who then bid of the pleasure of making your fantasy come to life. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – Webcam Streaming Quality This battle is a walk in the part for LiveJasmin, that blows ImLive out of the water in the HD category. Firstly, on the left sided filter, LiveJasmin gives you the option to sort and view only rooms with HD quality, 720p. You can also use the advanced filter and add it along with other categories you like. In general, most models on the site stream in HD, it's part of their requirements to become features on the site. ImLive has one major issue, which unfortunately is a really important one, especially on such a premium site — Its webcam streaming quality. Most models still stream either in SD or HQ and it's a huge downer to find a stunning goddess and not being able to properly view them in crisp and clear webcam broadcasts. Also, there's no HD filter, so you have no idea if the room you're entering will have HD quality or not. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – The Webcam Models Though it's a mattar of preference, pros or amateur live cam models, LiveJasmin still wins, as it offers over 1,000 performers in countless categories, and even sub-categories for specific users, such as Hot Flirt and Soul Mate for those looking for more of a GF experience, Fetish models for those looking for kinks, Boys, Transgirl models, Couples and Lesbian couples as well. Unless you choose the amateur option, these ladies are the real deal, glam babes that work full-time as webcam performers. ImLive has a mix of both pro and amateur performers, but there's no real way to separate them when you use the filter on the left. New Models could also be pros, so that's not a helpful category in that regard. There is a Friends & Romance category, but unfortunately is offers few ladies to choose from. There are Men and Trans categories, as well as a Couples category, which offers both straight and lesbian duos. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – User Features ImLive is king when it comes to how it treats it's members and what it gives them. The ImLive membership costs nothing, and is actually a rewards program, which raises you up in accordance with how much you spend on the site. For example, you become a Bronze member just from making your first purchase and already receive: Access to all hosts galleries, free videos and free intros to all premium videos, free pornstar shows, and multiple discounts. LiveJasmin doesn't have a premium membership, but does have a loyalty program of sorts called Club Elite. You earn points by purchasing credits and using it on the site, and your status rises from Crush to the top tier of Casanova. Unfortunately, these are just titles. You don't get perks and benefits. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – Search Tools LiveJasmin takes this category, as it offers two kinds of filters. The basic one on the left with all the categories, including Trending Tags for those who want to go with the wisdom of the crowd and branch out from their usual inclinations. In addition, on the top right by the search bar you'll find an advanced search, which gives you the option of the same categories, but you can make multiple choices, as many as you like. Few sites in all of live cams offer this. ImLive, for some reason, in addition to not having an HD filter, also "hides" its fetish filter too. On the left you have all the site's categories, and if you select Fetish, all the models come up. Then, and only then, a brand new drop down menu will appear on the top right of the page with hard core topics for the most extreme fetish user. The reason for keeping this filter in this location is perplexing, as so many users love fetish categories. LiveJasmin vs. ImLive – Help & Support Though it's a tough choice, as both sites offer 24/7 live support, we gotta give this one to ImLive. Not only does it offer multiple ways to reach customer care, it also provides an FAQ page, and the member's page itself is almost overwhelming with information and notes about everything the site has to offer. When speaking of support and also that feeling as a valued member, ImLive takes it. To see the most often asked questions about ImLive, please read our ImLive FAQ page. LiveJasmin is also impressive in this category, offering 24/7 support as well as other multiple options to contact the site. Yet, it does not put as much effort for the user to feel a part of the site, and there's also no member's page. To learn even more about LiveJasmin, please see our LiveJasmin FAQ page. Our Final Verdict ImLive is a site offering a user experience that makes you feel at home, it's cozy and comfortable, with a fun user interface and member's page, some great ladies that perform well, and it's even a candidate as a live cam alternative for LiveJasmin, if you're on a tight budget. But there's no comparison to the mega-premium site of LiveJasmin. The multiple filter option, the level of customer support, an impressive selection of kinky webcam fetishes to, a free live cam trial prior to purchasing credits, a mobile platform with cam2cam that shines, and the very talented webcam models that grace the site. Back to full list of sex cam blog posts What do you think about LiveJasmin vs. ImLive?

Five Killed in Crash of Air Ambulance in Texas July 4, ALPINE, TX - Nurses 49 year old Sharon Falkener of Fort Davis and 42 year old Tracy Chambers of Alpine were killed along with 59 year old Ted Caffarel, pilot of an airplane serving as an ambulance when it crashed shortly after taking off from a West Texas airport early Sunday, killing all five people on board, officials said. The air ambulance was transporting a man and his wife en route to Midland when it crashed in a field, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Mr. Caffarel was apparently trying to make an emergency landing in the muddy field when the plane hit a rut, overturned and burned, the public safety agency said. Business Owner Killed at His Car Shop July 4, HAWK POINT, MO - 49 year old Jeff Smith,owner of Smitty's Garage was attacked at his business Saturday night. Major Case Squad Detectives are not saying how Smith died, but do believe the attack happened around 11:30 p.m. So far no arrests. Investigators are interviewing witnesses. Man Dies From Injuries Sustained in Construction Accident July 4, WAVERLY, IA - 51 year old Larry L. Reisner of Oelwein has died after being injured in a job-related accident last week in Waverly. Reisner was injured Thursday at the site of the new middle school for the Waverly-Shell Rock School District. A brace that was supporting a cast concrete wall struck him in the head, according to earlier reports. Reisner passed away Saturday morning at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, according to information from Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home in Oelwein. Firefighter Dies in Massive Fire at Egg Farm July 4, WHARTON, TX - 30 year old Captain Thomas Araguz III, an 11 year veteran with the Wharton Volunteer Fire Department died Saturday after being trapped by falling debris and in a warehouse at the Maxim Egg Farm on FM 442 in Wharton County. Three firefighters became trapped by falling debris and in a warehouse at the egg farm. Two of the firefighters were rescued and transported to the hospital with minor burns and smoke inhalation. Araguz leaves behind family members and two small children. Harrison Co. Councilman Killed in Farm Accident July 3, LOUISVILLE, KY - William Nichols has died after being hurt in a farm accident that left him with burns over 80 percent of his body. Lanesville fire chief Anthony Combs says Nichols was driving a forklift on his farm Thursday evening when he ran over a gas can in the driveway. The forklift caught on fire, leaving Nichols with second- and third-degree burns. He was flown to University Hospital in Louisville, but died Friday morning. Diver Dies Performing Maintenance on Oil Rig July 3, CHICAGO, IL - an unidentified employee of Veolia Environmental Services of North America, performing maintenance on a client's rig in the Gulf of Mexico, unrelated to the massive oil spill, has died after an underwater accident. The company says the diver was working at a depth of about 250 feet from the company's Normand Clipper vessel when "what might have been an underwater explosion" happened about 11:30 a.m. CDT Friday. Man Dies After Train Yard Accident July 2, MERIDIAN, MS - Meosha Keepsake Amerson of Dallas, TX, an employee with Norfolk-Southern Railroad, died early Friday morning in a Meridian hospital from injuries he suffered when a train rolled over him near the area of 45th Avenue and Third Street. Cobler said the accident occurred at about 10:50 p.m. A spokesman with the Railroad Division of the Mississippi Department of Transportation said late Friday afternoon that Amerson was a conductor working with a switching crew when the incident occurred. Landscaper Dies After Being Hit by Car July 2, WESTERLY, RI - 39 year old Nelson Tavares of Pawcatuck, CT was struck at about 1:45pm Thursday while landscaping a lawn on Watch Hill Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Chief Edward Mello said the driver who struck Tavares, who is 64 years old, apparently suffered a medical condition and was taken to Westerly Hospital for treatment. MO Woman Killed in Tractor Accident July 2, POWELL, MO - 42 year old Elizabeth Merriman of Rocky Comfort died after the tractor she was driving went off the side of the road and hit a tree. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Man Fatally Shot at Troy Gas Station July 2, TROY, MI - a 33 year old man from Sylvan Lake was shot at his Troy gas station following a dispute with another man, Troy police said. Another employee told police the suspect entered a back room at the station, where the victim was meeting with another person. About 2 minutes later, she said, she heard multiple gunshots. She said the suspect then walked out and told her to call 911. Police said the death was due to a dispute, not a robbery. Another Massey Energy Miner Dies July 1, POCAHONTAS, WV - an unidentified electrician working at the Pocahontas Mine in Greenbriar County was killed when he was run over by a shuttle car shortly after 8:30AM Thursday morning. He is the 40th coal miner to die on the job in the United States this year. Pipeline Worker in FL Killed July 1, ATMORE, FL - 39 year old Stephen Mark Johnson of Tuscaloosa was killed Thursday afternoon in a pipeline accident. According to Escambia County Sheriff Chief Deputy Mike Lambert, the man was killed when a pipe kicked around and pinned him between that pipe and another section. The closest equipment that could free him was about a quarter of a mile away. Johnson was pronounced deceased at the scene. Worker Electrocuted in Georgia July 1, MARTINEZ, GA - 45 year old William Brett Ward of Hoschton, an electrician for Utility Lines Construction Services died today after he was struck in the face by a live wire in front of a Martinez residence. Ward was hit in the forehead by a live wire at about 10:30 a.m. while working on a ground transformer at a home Columbia County Coroner Vernon Collins said. “(He) was pulling a wire into it and apparently his head came in contact with the current, and it electrocuted him,” Collins said. was wearing protective gloves and rubber sleeves when the wire hit him, Collins said. Man Killed in Road Construction Accident July 1, MARSHALL, TX - an unnamed construction worker was killed Wednesday morning after a driver of a truck inadvertently backed into him. Citing information from a witness at the scene, Marshall Fire Department Battalion Chief David Dean said the victim got caught under the rear of the vehicle after it had attempted to lay down a new line of asphalt. Dean said he could not release the name of the victim, who is from Marshall, because he was unsure if his family had been notified. Migrant Worker Died in Accident July 1, SHERMAN TWP, ME - 28 year old Gerardo Perez-Rameriz of Oaxaca, Mexico died Tuesday in a potato field near Shimmel Road and U.S. 12. Police said Perez-Rameriz was walking in the field removing non-potato plants. He came into contact with a section of irrigation equipment that was on and had been actively running for just over an hour. Police believe Perez-Rameriz may have been electrocuted. Worker Killed at ND Wind Turbine Blade Factory July 1, GRAND FORKS, ND - 42 year old Joseph Schaff of East Grand Forks, MN died after being pinned between two cranes. Authorities say Schaff was injured Thursday morning at LM Wind Power and taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police say it appears Schaff had been on a lift repairing a piece of equipment when he suffered a "crushing injury" to his upper body. Man Dies in Paper Mill Accident June 30, LEWISTON, ID - 35 year old John A. Bergen III died at a Lewiston paper mill, and authorities are investigating whether he fell victim to an industrial accident, a health issue or a combination of the two. He died Wednesday night while working on a paperboard machine at Clearwater Paper Corp. KLEW-TV reports Bergen apparently fell while on the job, struck his head and landed on a conveyor belt that dropped him into a 1,500-gallon pulp vat. “We want to do a thorough investigation so there’s no speculation,” said Matt Van Vleet, a spokesman for Clearwater Paper, adding there was no fire or explosion. Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks' Ranger Killed in Line of Duty June 30, PRATT, KS - 32 year old Luke D. Nihart of rural St. George was killed early on Saturday, June 26, in an ATV accident while working at the park. In a related article it describes that Nihart was entering the parking area of a Department of Wildlife and Parks office when his ATV flipped over at approximately 3:20 am. He was transported to Mercy Regional Health Center where he succumbed to his injuries two hours later. TX DOT Inspector Struck and Killed Along Roadway June 30, HARRISON CO., TX - 60 year old Tony Overhulz, an inspector for the TX Dept. of Transportation was killed Wednesday when he was hit by a truck at a work site in Harrison County. Overhultz was working on the eastbound lane of Interstate 20 Wednesday morning when a truck hauling paving materials backed over him, highway department officials said. Siding Worker Killed in Fall June 30, CHATTANOOGA, TN - 71 year old Joseph Cleveland Wilson died when he fell about 30 feet Wednesday morning while working on New Monumental Baptist Church. Worker Killed in Train Accident June 30, AMAZONIA, MO - 52 year old Timothy Conkle was killed on the job when a train hit a dump truck that his him Tuesday afternoon. Conkle was controlling traffic on a railroad that led to the Uehlin Quarry said Sgt. Mark Richardson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. At one point, Mr. Conkle gave the go-ahead to a 1998 Kenworth dump truck when his vision was obstructed by an eastbound train. As the truck was crossing the tracks, a westbound train struck it head-on, causing it to slide and run over Mr. Conkle. The truck came to rest on train tracks, while the train came to a controlled stop about a quarter of a mile away. Man Killed in Farm Implement Accident June 30, MARTIN, SD - 20 year old Conner Sell has been identified as the 20-year-old man killed in a farm implement accident on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Chief Everett Little Whiteman of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety confirmed that Sell was the victim of the farm accident late Monday night. The man had become entangled in a hay baler. Details of the accident were not available, Little Whiteman said. Man Dies On Tractor, Hit by Train June 30, CHIPPEWA CO., WI - 40 year old Craig M. Brown of Colfax was killed Tuesday afternoon when a tractor he was driving was struck by a freight train in the town of Howard. Brown was traveling north on 13th Street, just south of County N, in the far western edge of Chippewa County, near the Dunn County line. As he was crossing the railroad tracks, his tractor was hit from the right by a train that was traveling east. Two Construction Workers Hit and Killed in OK June 30, YUKON, OK - 48 year old Salvador Hernandez and his 20 year old nephew Jose Hernandez, both of Wichita, KS were killed Wednesday evening when a sport utility vehicle went out of control and struck them along Interstate 40 at Cimarron Road just west of Yukon. An OHP spokesman said a 61 yr old woman of Hinton was driving a small SUV west on I-40 about 6:45 p.m. when the vehicle left the road, traveled 50 yards and into a ditch before striking the workers. The nephew's father also was working in the construction zone and saw the accident. Scotts Mill Man Dies After Accident With Tractor June 30, SCOTTS MILL, OR - 67 year old Dennis "Butch" Christensen died Tuesday after he was pinned under his tractor in what appeared to be an accident, officials said. Deputy Todd Bay was told by family members that Christensen had taken a Caterpillar D9 tractor to a remote part of their property to remove a log that was blocking access to a property road. Bay determined that Christensen was apparently trying to pull the log with the tractor when it reared up in a “wheelie” and fell onto him. One Dead After Two Boats Collide Near Winter Harbor June 30, WINTER HARBOR, ME - 71 year old Frank Jordan died when he was thrown into the water when his vessel, the Linda Diane, collided with the Master Simon near Pond Island, off the western side of Schoodic Point, according. According to officials, the collision appears to have happened accidentally as the captains and crewmen were absorbed in tasks on deck and failed to notice that the two boats were approaching each other. Tehlequah Man Killed in Tractor Accident June 30, TEHLEQUAH, OK - 73 year old Billy Vincent died today after an accident involving a tractor near the Woodall community north of Zeb in Cherokee County, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported. Vincent was mowing a pasture on private property about 9:45 a.m. when he attempted to push a large tree limb with the tractor's front-end loader, troopers said. The limb recoiled and hit him in the head and neck. Deadly Construction Accident in Las Vegas June 29, LAS VEGAS, NV - 34 year old Tobin Talbott of North Las Vegas died Tuesday morning following an accident on the south side of the valley. The accident happened around 6:40 a.m. at Blue Diamond and I-15. The interchanges are being reconstructed in that area. Details of the accident haven’t been released, but the coroner’s office said Talbott died of multiple blunt force injuries from heavy machinery. Contractor Killed in Work Site Accident June 29, JEFFERSON, ME - 48 year old Peter Peaslee is dead after a large pine tree fell onto the cab of his excavator. Lt. Michael Murphy of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department said today that Peaslee was killed last Thursday while he was clearing land owned by Michael Cassella. Murphy said Peaslee is a self-employed contractor who was working alone when a pine tree he was attempting to knock down fell back onto the excavator cab. He died at the scene. Worker Killed in Granger Tree Accident June 29, GRANGER, IN - 34 year old Shannon Magezi was killed while doing tree work in a Granger neighborhood Monday afternoon, police said. Magezi, an employee of Trees Are Us, was struck in the head by a large tree branch around 4:30 p.m., said St. Joseph County police spokesman Sgt. William Redman in a news release. She had been walking underneath the tree while other workers were cutting off a limb. The limb separated and fell on top of her, Redman said. The company was doing work on trees that were damaged during recent thunderstorms. Electrocution Kills Comcast Worker in PA June 29, MARPLE, PA - an unidentified worker was killed after being electrocuted on Sproul Road near Mary Lane and Cedar Grove Road Tuesday afternoon, officials confirmed. Details about the employee, such as age, name and length of service, were not released although officials said the incident occurred around 3 p.m. UPDATE: Police have identified 38 year old John Adams of Broomall as the Comcast worker killed. Man Killed in Farm Tractor Accident June 29, LINDSEY, OH - 59 year old Dale Patrick Wagner spent the last minutes of his life in the arms of his brother. They were working in one of Wagner's fields off County Road 106 on Saturday when Wagner's tractor ran over him. His wounds were fatal. Wagner, who owned three farms, had just fueled the tractor and was having trouble with the starter, Hirt said. He used a wire to jump start it. "Dale failed to realize the tractor was in forward gear," he said. "As Dale started the tractor, it lunged forward." He was standing next to the tractor and tried to jump out of the way, Hirt said. His foot, however, was caught by the rear tire, and he was pulled under the machine. Worker Falls To His Death At Grain Elevator June 29, WESKAN, KS - 21 year old Brett Spressor died after a grain elevator accident Tuesday afternoon in the town of Weskan. Wallace County Sheriff Larry Townsend says Spressor stepped into a hole on the top of the grain elevator. He fell about 50 feet to his death. He was an employee of the United Plains Ag Co-op, where the accident happened. Spressor leaves behind a 3-week-old child and a wife of one year. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the families," said Townsend. Two Florida Officers Die After Traffic Stop Shooting June 29, TAMPA,FL - 31 year old Jeffrey Kocab and 31 year old Dave Curtis were shot during an early-morning traffic stop Tuesday. Curtis had pulled over a vehicle and found its male passenger had an outstanding warrant for "minor violations," Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor told reporters Tuesday. Kocab responded to back Curtis up, and "as they put their hands on the suspect, the suspect spun around, pulled a firearm and shot both police officers," she said. Kocab's wife is due to give birth next week, while Curtis leaves behind his wife and four sons, ages 9, 6, 5 and 8 months. Construction Worker Crushed Under Soil Compactor June 29, ROCHESTER, MN - 35 year old Philip Soukup died Monday afternoon, after he was pinned under a soil compacter that tipped over at a work site on East Circle Drive Northeast in Rochester, near Mayo Clinic's northeast clinic. Workers said the victim had been operating a soil compactor construction vehicle when one of the wheels went down a partial embankment and rolled, throwing Soukup underneath the vehicle. Before first responders arrived, workers used a tractor equipped with a backhoe to lift the soil compactor off the man, Police Lt. Casey Moilanen said. Semi Driver Killed When Truck Falls Off Bridge Overpass June 29, GRAND RAPIDS, MI - 40 year old Samuel Mustafa Kofi of St. Paul, MN was killed Monday when his truck fell off the overpass ramp from southbound U.S. 131 to westbound I-196. Michigan State Police say the truck was making the turn onto westbound I-196 when it went over the side, falling onto a grassy space along Turner Ave. NW, across from the Union Square condominiums. Police say the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. They believe he was ejected from the cab of the truck as it went over the side of the overpass, then was hit by the cab when it fell to the ground. Worker Killed at IL Printing Plant June 29, CAROL STREAM, IL - Jorge Espinoza of Addison was killed early Saturday morning after being crushed by a load of paper at Berlin Industries in Carol Stream. Upon arrival, Don Lay said fire personnel found Espinosa’s upper body was partially trapped under a large load of paper and could not be freed because of the compactness of the paper and the weight of the load. The portion of Espinosa that was not trapped was examined by paramedics and determined to be non-responsive, with no vital signs. Taxi Driver Stabbed to Death June 28, SHREVEPORT, LA - 51 year old Timothy Guyton was stabbed to death today during an attack by another man in Shreveport. Shreveport police said they got a call about 2:45 a.m. that a man was beating another person in an Action Taxi on Phoenix Street. Patrol officers arrived to find the taxi and the victim on nearby Holcomb Street, which is off North Hearne Avenue. Guyton had been stabbed repeatedly, police said. Police are looking for the suspect. Woman Found Dead in Realty Office June 28, PHOENIX, AZ - 50 year old Blanca Acevedo was found dead inside a burned out real estate office Sunday. Phoenix Police are treating the discovery as a homicide. Several people driving in the area at about 5 p.m. Sunday noticed smoke coming from a single-story house, which had been converted into the office of Nu-Way Realty. Firefighters vented the roof and attacked the flames, and later discovered a woman in the midst of the heavy smoke. They pulled her out of the building, but paramedics said she could not be revived. A medical examiner will determine how the woman died. Worker Dies Following Fall From Roof June 28, ABILENE, TX - 47 year old Ricky Kite, a long time employee with Smith Roofing, died Sunday in an Abilene hospital after he fell off the roof Thursday of the old Montgomery Ward building. Kite was doing roofing work on the building on Center Avenue when he fell, Marion Smith of Smith Roofing said. IDOT Worker Collapses on Bishop Ford Freeway June 28, CHICAGO, IL - 68 year old Clifton Jones of Blue Island was found inside a vehicle near South Holland on the Bishop Ford Freeway after possibly suffering a heart attack and he died shortly afterward Monday morning. About 9 a.m. troopers responded to the northbound I-94 and found an IDOT worker who had pulled over after he possibly suffered a heart attack, according to Illinois State Police District Chicago Master Sgt. Joe Donley. Port Truck Driver Death is Oakland Homicide June 28, OAKLAND, CA - 58 year old Jie Tao Liu of San Jose, CA was found unconscious Thursday on a busy street at the Port of Oakland. An autopsy Monday determined that Liu died of blunt force trauma to the head, but investigators still are trying to learn more about how Liu sustained his injuries, Sgt. Alex Perez said. . Cab Driver Shot and Killed in NJ June 27, ELIZABETH, NJ - 58 year old Mohammad Younus was shot to death in his vehicle and another person inside was wounded on Saturday night, the Union County Prosecutor's office said today. Younus was shot at 9:08 p.m., at the corner of 3rd and Pine streets, in a residential neighborhood, the prosecutor's office said. He died at the scene. Younus would have turned 59 day. The Union County Homicide Task Force is investigating the shooting. CHP Officer Killed in Paso Robles June 27, PASO ROBLES, CA - 47 year old Brett Oswald was killed Sunday evening in Paso Robles, Calif., less than 24 hours after a CHP officer was killed while on duty in Barstow, officials said. Officer Oswald was hit by a car after responding to a report at 5:47 p.m. of an abandoned vehicle blocking River Road near Spanish Camp Road. He was waiting for a tow truck to remove the vehicle when a Toyota Corolla sped around a curve at a high rate of speed and collided with his cruiser, said CHP Officer Mike Muell. Oswald was thrown into the air and landed on the Corolla. He was taken to Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, where he was pronounced dead at 8:30 p.m. Carnival Worker Dies After Being Crushed by Ferris Wheel June 27, WEST VALLEY CITY, UT - 41 year old Carl Nutsch of Pocotello, ID was working a carnival when he was pinned between a cross beam and the drive wheels of the Ferris wheel about 12:30 a.m. Monday. He was working a weekend carnival in West Valley City, UT. Idaho Man Dies in Logging Accident June 25, LEWISTON, ID - 62 year old Leonard C. Barton of Stites has died from injuries suffered in a logging accident. Nez Perce County officials say Barton suffered numerous injuries Wednesday afternoon in an accident near Waha Road south of Lewiston. He was taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, where he later died. Nez Perce County officials did not say how Barton was fatally injured. Arkansas Man Dies in Louisiana Truck Accident June 25, BOSSIER, LA - 41 year old Gregory McWilliams of Magnolia, AR died after losing control of the dump truck he was driving in Bossier Parish. State police tells The Times that McWilliams was driving a truck loaded with gravel north on La. Highway 157 Thursday when the truck ran off the right side of the road. McWilliams apparently overcorrected, causing the truck to start sliding. Troopers say the gravel shifted and the truck rolled onto the passenger side, hit a bridge guard rail and slid off the side of the road before stopping in a ditch. Man Killed in Jefferson County Industrial Accident June 14, JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL - 43 year old Mark Allen Jackson of West Blocton was supervising the loading of 5,000-pound pipes onto a flat bed trailer when one of them rolled off the bed and onto him, said Jefferson County sheriff's Chief Deputy Randy Christian.

You must be signed in to read the rest of this article. Registration on CDEWorld is free. Sign up today! Forgot your password? Click Here! The use of a sharp scaler is crucial for adequate calculus removal during periodontal instrumentation. Dull scalers can result in fatigue, less control, need for excessive lateral pressure, and failure to remove deposits entirely. After repeated use, a scaler's cutting edges begin to dull. This requires sharpening of the instrument in order to regain its optimal cutting edge. Sharpening entails the removal of small increments of metal from the cutting edge. The final goal of sharpening is to restore the instrument's cutting edge to its original shape while removing as little metal as possible.1 No research has been reported in the literature to date, comparing the amount of metal removal during instrument sharpening with various sharpening stones. Sharpening stone selection is crucial to obtaining an optimally sharp cutting edge while retaining the instrument's original shape. There are two categories of stones: natural abrasive stones and synthetic stones. Natural abrasive stones are derived from natural sources such as the Arkansas stone and India stone. Synthetic stones are artificially constructed stones, which include ceramic, carborundum, ruby, and diamond stones. Sharpening stones range in abrasive levels from extra fine to coarse grit. The coarser the stone, the quicker the metal is removed from the instrument. When using a coarse stone, it is important to follow up with a fine grit stone in order to produce a smooth, uniform surface along the cutting edge.2 In 2015, a new diamond-plated synthetic sharpening stone came onto the market in medium, fine, and extra-fine grit. Research needs to be conducted to determine if this new sharpening stone is superior or equivalent to other synthetic stone options. Most previous research studies evaluating the sharpening of dental instruments have utilized Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).3-10 While irregularities and the presence of a dull, beveled cutting edge can be examined under SEM magnification, this method is not as clinically relevant when assessing instrument sharpness especially in clinical settings. The use of a hard, acrylic test stick is considered the optimal method for evaluating cutting edge sharpness in a traditional clinical setting. When determining sharpness with a test stick, a sharp instrument will cut into the acrylic whereas a dull instrument will slide across the surface.1 Diamond-plated stones are new to the market and research is currently lacking on this synthetic stone. More specifically, there is a lack of research on how the diamond-plated stone compares to a ceramic stone in its ability to provide a sharp cutting edge while removing the least amount of metal from a scaler. The purpose of this study was to compare the sharpening efficiency and the amount of metal (carbon steel) removal from scalers using two types of synthetic sharpening stones: ceramic and diamond-plated. Methods Fifteen, double-ended carbon steel scalers (H6/H7; G. Hartzell and Son, Concord, CA) with threaded tips were used for this study. Activation strokes were performed in increments of 50, on five scalers on extracted molars to determine the number of strokes required to achieve appropriate dullness. Dullness was determined by an experienced dental hygienist (principal investigator, HH). A minimum of 300 activation strokes were performed on each of the 60 cutting edges until dullness was achieved. An experienced dental hygienist (HH) used an acrylic test stick to assess the level of dullness for each cutting edge. The thirty scaler ends were labeled, submitted into an electronic randomizer, and divided into three groups of ten: control, fine ceramic stone, and fine diamond-plated stone. The control group did not receive any sharpening treatment but was weighed at the same intervals as the experimental groups in order to evaluate variation in the measurement technique. Each cutting edge in the two treatment groups was sharpened with the assigned stone using a sharpening guide (PDT-Gleason Guide™; Paradise Dental Technology, Missoula, MT) to standardize the stone angulation. For the initial sharpening of the scaler, a dental hygiene student researcher (LS) used five strokes for each cutting edge. A blinded, experienced dental hygienist (HH) tested each cutting edge for sharpness with an acrylic test stick. Additional strokes were assigned and performed until sharpness was attained as determined by the same experienced dental hygienist (HH). Sharpening efficiency for each end of the instrument was calculated by adding together the number of strokes to sharpen each of the two cutting edges. In order to assess metal removal comparing the three groups, a second dental hygiene student researcher (ES) detached each end and determined initial weight with an analytical laboratory digital balance scale (Mettler Toledo AG285; Columbus, OH), sensitivity of 0.1 mg. A pilot study was performed using two scalers to determine how many sharpening strokes were required to remove at least one mg (threshold to represent ten times the sensitivity of the balance) of carbon steel. Researcher (LS) performed sharpening in increments of 50 strokes and continued until 1 mg of metal was lost using the ceramic stone, resulting in 650 strokes per instrument end. The same researcher (LS) attempted 650 strokes using the diamond-plated stone; prior to reaching this threshold, a significant amount of metal was lost. Thus, the researchers chose 400 strokes as the threshold for evaluating both ceramic and diamond-plated stones. Researcher (LS) sharpened each end with its assigned stone using 400 strokes. A final weight was determined for each end by researcher (ES). Statistical Analysis A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether the control, ceramic sharpening stone, and diamond-plated sharpening stone differed with respect to the number of strokes needed to sharpen the scalers and the amount of metal removed as a result of instrument sharpening. A Tukey-Kramer Post-hoc Test was performed to evaluate all pairwise comparisons among the three groups. Statistical significance was set at p< 0.05. Results There was no statistically significant difference between the diamond-plated and ceramic stones with respect to the number of strokes needed to sharpen the scalers (Table I); however, there was a statistically significant difference between the diamond-plated and ceramic stones versus the control group (p < 0.001). After 400 sharpening strokes, the diamond-plated stone removed significantly more metal from the scalers than the ceramic stone (p <0.001; Table II; Figure 1). There was no statistically significant difference in weight change of the scalers between the ceramic stone and control groups. Discussion It was hypothesized that the diamond-plated stone would produce a sharp cutting edge using fewer sharpening strokes when compared to the ceramic stone; however, this study showed both stones produced a sharp cutting edge using a similar number of strokes. This study also evaluated the amount of metal lost following 400 strokes per instrument end for each stone. It was hypothesized that the diamond-plated stone would remove more of the instrument material. The control group did not receive any strokes, but was weighed before and after to evaluate variation in the measurement technique. The minimal weight change in the control group demonstrated that the weighing technique was reliable. When comparing the three groups, it was found that there was no statistically significant difference in weight change between the ceramic stone and the control, suggesting that the ceramic stone does not remove a significant amount of material during sharpening. However, the diamond-plated stone removed nearly 7 mg more metal than the ceramic stone. This finding confirms the hypothesis that when using a diamond-plated stone, more material is lost after multiple sharpening sessions compared to the ceramic stone. Previous studies have evaluated sharpening with synthetic versus natural stones3-4,6-7,9-10 as well as various grits.6,9 In the literature, a fine grit stone produced a sharper cutting edge with fewer wire edges, which provided support for selecting a fine grit stone for each group in this study.9 Also, as supported by the literature, a sharpening guide, which standardized the angle for sharpening, was used in this study.5 While irregularities and the presence of a dull, beveled cutting edge can be examined under SEM magnification, the use of a hard, acrylic test stick is the optimal method for evaluating cutting edge sharpness in a traditional clinical setting. The majority of the historical sharpening research has been conducted with SEM technology, yet the acrylic test stick has been shown to have comparable results according to a 1989 study by Hoffman, et al. Testing for sharpness is not a quantifiable measure and this study approached evaluation from the approach of applications to clinical practice and relevance. While this is a limitation due to operator variability and subjectivity in measuring sharpness, operator variance would exist with SEM as a means of measurement as well. Future research should utilize both methods for further comparison. Another limitation of the study was the inability to ensure all instruments were equally dulled at the start of the study. Strokes were taken in increments of 50 and performed without the use of a calibrated machine to maintain consistency in angulation, adaptation, and pressure. However, the same experienced clinician (HH) determined the initial dullness for each cutting edge used. Intra-rater reliability was also established by practicing the study protocol prior to actual data collection. It is in the clinician's best interest to select a stone that provides both time efficiency and preservation of material. The ceramic stone is shown to offer both of these advantages, suggesting that the ceramic stone may be a better choice compared to the diamond-plated stone. Scaling instruments have reduced longevity when more metal is removed. Using the calculated means, it is estimated that a clinician would be able to utilize a scaler sharpened with a ceramic stone approximately ten times longer than one sharpened with a diamond-plated stone. Conclusions This study established a protocol for determining metal loss during sharpening. Previous studies have not utilized weight loss as a means of determining removal of material. This protocol can now be used in future studies to examine different types of scalers and curettes of various materials as well as different types of sharpening stones. Based on the results of this study, the ceramic stone is preferable to the diamond-plated stone because significantly less metal is removed and sharpening efficiency is comparable. This study suggests that the use of a ceramic stone, as compared to the diamond-plated stone, would result in greater scaler longevity because significantly less metal is removed in the sharpening process. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Bobby Simetich, for his laboratory assistance, as well as the UNMC College of Dentistry F. Gene and Rosemary Dixon Endowed Chair in Dentistry (Dr. Jeffrey B. Payne, recipient) and the UNMC Summer Student Research Fellowship Grant #FY16-25 for funding this research. About the Authors Heather M. Hessheimer, RDH, MS, is an assistant professor; Jeffrey B. Payne, DDS, M Dent Sc, is a professor and the F. Gene and Rosemary Dixon Endowed Chair in Dentistry, Department of Surgical Specialties; Laura E. Shaw, RDH, BS and Erica M. Spanyers, RDH, BS are graduates of the Department of Dental Hygiene; all at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Dentistry, Lincoln, NE. Mark W. Beatty, DDS, MSE, MSD, MS, is affiliated with the Veterans' Administration, Nebraska-Western Iowa Healthcare System and and is a professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Dentistry, Department of Adult Restorative Dentistry. Corresponding author: Heather Hessheimer, RDH, MS; [email protected] References 1. Wilkins EM. Instrument care and sharpening. In: Wilkins, EM, Wyche CJ, Boyd LD, ed. Clinical practice of the dental hygienist. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA. Wolters Kluwer. 2017. p. 685-697. 2. Pattison AM, Pattison GL. Instrument sharpening. In: Periodontal instrumentation. 2nd ed. East Norwalk, CT. Appleton & Lange. 1992. p. 288-300. 3. Andrade RA, Sampaio JEC, Shibli JA. Scanning electron microscope assessment of several resharpening techniques on the cutting edges of gracey curettes. J Contemp Dent Pract. 2007 Nov;8(7):1-13. 4. De Nucci DJ, Mader CL. Scanning electron microscopic evaluation of several resharpening techniques. J Periodontol. 1982 Oct;54(10):618-623. 5. Di Fiore A, Mazzoleni S, Fantin F, et al. Evaluation of three different manual techniques of sharpening curettes through a scanning electron microscope: a randomized controlled experimental study. Int J Dent Hyg. 2015 May;13(2):145-150. 6. Huang CC, Tseng CC. Effect of different sharpening stones on periodontal curettes evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. J Formos Med Assoc. 1991 Aug;90(8):782-787. 7. Moses O, Tal H, Artzi Z, et al. Scanning electron microscope evaluation of two methods of resharpening periodontal curets: a comparative study. J Periodontol. 2003 July;74(7):1032-1037. 8. Porto AN, Borges AH, Semenoff-Segundo A, et al. Effect of repeated sterilization cycles on the physical properties of scaling instruments: a scanning electron microscopy study. J Int Oral Health. 2015 May;7(5):1-4. 9. Rossi R, Smukler H. A scanning electron microscope study comparing the effectiveness of different types of sharpening stones and curets. J Periodontol. 1995 Nov;66(11):956-961. 10. Silva MV, Gomes DAS, Leite FRM, et al. Sharpening of periodontal instruments with different sharpening stones and its influence upon root debridement-scanning electron microscopy assessment. J Int Acad Periodontol. 2006 Jan;8(1):17-22. 11. Hoffman LA, Gross KB, Cobb CM, et al. Assessment of curette sharpness. J Dent Hyg. 1989 Oct;63(8):382-387.

a global pandemic, harking back to the enduring notion that fashion is a frivolous subject matter. However, fashion is a key reflection of the world we live in. It echoes history and events that defines generations. The clothes we choose to wear and the outfits we pull together indicate economic, social, industrial, cultural and political change, as well as our own personal histories. What we choose to buy, what trends we follow, how we express our identity through dress, including our beliefs, opinions, morals and values, and which clothes we select to imbue with value and meaning, all work together to tell the story of who we are and where we were, within a single moment in history. Clothing reveals us what is happening at a specific moment, what has happened, and what could potentially happen in the future. Agnès Rocamora and Anneke Smelik in their text Thinking Through Fashion: A Guide For Key Theorists, rightly suggest that fashion is a: ‘socio-cultural force bound up with the dynamics of modernity and post-modernity […] through practices of production, consumption, distribution and representation,’ an interdisciplinary field ‘covering many areas of research […] from history […], philosophy, sociology, anthropology through to cultural studies, women’s studies and media studies.’[1] The choice of our materials may be dependent on technological and industrial factors, our income, our preference for high-quality or disposable fashion, our occupation, our practical needs, and our desires. Our consumer behaviour, the clothes we choose to buy, denotes what we think or believe we need or want, what we may prioritise as we move through seasons and environments, where we live or travel, work or rest. Of course, the factors of gender, age, ethnicity and class, all inevitably weave themselves into our clothes. My point is – we all engage with fashion and dress to some degree, with intent or on a subliminal level. Appearances can mean everything to some and at the same time simultaneously irrelevant to others. Either way, for the large majority of us, we live in a dressed or adorned body. Fashion and dress will transform due to Covid-19 through indirect or direct means. To investigate how, and in which ways, I asked followers on the whatgrandmawore Instagram and Twitter channels for their opinions, using the 1947 ‘Bar’ suit designed by Christian Dior after World War Two as a prompt for discussion. Followers responded with a broad range of opinions. I have collated some of the more universal ideas and have chosen to document them in this post. Perhaps we can reflect on the relevance of this post in months and years to come! - A Change in Pace A largely shared opinion by followers, is that the fashion industry may at last slow down processes of production and distribution, a topic regarded by many as a beneficial impact (if any) of Covid-19. We have already seen the impact lockdown legislation has had on our environment. It appears that in some locations of the world, nature has been observed to bounce back, with air pollution levels lowering and animals returning to habitats previously dominated by human activity. We know the fashion industry is amongst one of the most polluting in the world, and the environmental and human cost is enormous. The impact of Covid-19 has already had an unprecedented impact on garment makers in Asia, with global brands halting millions of pounds worth of orders, leaving those in countries such as Bangladesh with no prospect of income for many months to come. This consequence of the pandemic presents the fashion industry at its worse. Those in the garment industry will continue to work in poor conditions with minimal pay, without unions or insurance for some form of income, since the prospect of no work will lead to poverty. Will the industry shift from producing garments overseas, instead choosing to produce items in domestic factories? Will we see a decrease in how far our clothes have to travel in order to reach our wardrobes? If so – this will undoubtedly change the cost of clothes and changes in labour forces. Some followers have suggested that many big brands will collapse after this pandemic. Not all can endure such change. Already, some fashion retailers have stopped operations, leading to redundancies. Others, determined to survive this economic blow, have turned their attention online as shops on the high-street shut their doors, enticing consumers with heavily discounted clothing and free delivery costs. Many consumers have chosen not to take advantage of these offers, citing pressures on postal services and the risk of infection as major concerns. Others, currently furloughed by their companies, unable to work, or now unemployed, simply cannot consider purchasing new clothes when wages are now uncertain or have disappeared in their entirety. A lack of disposable income to spend on the way we look, has become increasingly apparent, an unsettling reminder of past economic recessions. For others, there has been a refusal to purchase new clothing due to moral and ethical inclinations. There has been a big backlash against clothing brands deemed as selling ‘non-essential’ items (particularly in the UK), with consumers expressing concern over the welfare of staff and delivery drivers. Some followers have cited a growth in the second-hand and vintage clothing trades, which has flourished in recent years. There appears to be a sentiment towards a ‘Make Do and Mend’ attitude, a topic covered by Owen Hatherley in his text The Ministry of Nostalgia: Consuming Austerity. A rise in dressmaking tutorials and videos may appear online, as people look to make use of their time during lockdown by learning new skills such as knitting and crochet. A large majority believe that fashion will slow down, with change deriving from both the top (luxury designers and couture houses, who hold several shows a year), and the bottom (consumers who demand disposable and cheap fashion). However, some followers believe that fashion may rear its ugly head fourfold after the pandemic, in the desire to boost the economy, reconciling a decrease in sales and predicted profit. From a consumer perspective, there may be an overwhelming desire to ‘return to normal,’ with visits to the high street as an activity of leisure, echoing the 19th century development of department stores, which allowed consumers to spend all day enjoying their time within a world of commodities. However, the act of travelling to busy high streets for some may be unthinkable, since the risk of infection and transmission may continue to linger for some time. - Fashion as a Physical Barrier (Masks and Gloves) The facemask has become the ubiquitous symbol of the fight against Covid-19, with healthcare professionals and the public alike donning the mask for protection against an invisible enemy. As PPE grows in demand across the globe, the public have responded by creating their own masks at home, using patterns shared online by and videos filmed by DIY makers. Some have chosen to ingeniously produce masks decorated to their own tastes. Although most do not adhere to the medical standards required by healthcare professionals, those making masks for their own use have chosen to express their own identities through their use of material, decoration and adornment. Echoing back to the ‘Make Do and Mend’ sentiment, some are choosing to create masks from their favourite materials, with preferred patterns and colours, recycling garments and home furnishings to produce masks which reflect their own tastes in design. Some have produced masks that resemble works of art, highly impractical to wear but an aesthetic statement, nevertheless. Some are covered in sequins, gems, and consist of different fits around the face. All you have to do is search for #facemask on Instagram and a whole array of homemade designs will appear. It is fascinating to see how people are channelling their artistic talents and tastes into facemask designs. Personalisation of the facemask is a reflection of identity, whilst protecting the wearer from potential pathogens. I expect to see many facemasks entering museum collections as representative of times we currently live in. Fig. 1: Alexander McQueen wearing a facemask for V Magazine. c2004. Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Alexander McQueen edited by Claire Wilcox. Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2015). Facemasks produce a symbiotic relationship between reveal and conceal. In order to build relationships with their patients, some healthcare professionals have chosen to attach personal photographs of themselves onto their hospital gowns and hazmat suits, to reassure their patients by revealing the face concealed behind the mask and copious layers of PPE. Gloves can be used to create a physical barrier. Touch is a part of human nature, how we learn and interpret the environments around us. Yet we are now being advised by governments not to touch; the most innocent touch of our face can potentially expose us to harm. Gloves can be used to prevent us from coming into contact with harmful viruses, providing us with peace of mind when we venture out of our homes. Fig. 2: 1969-232-55d,e. Elsa Schiaparelli gloves c1936-37. Philadelphia Museum of Art Collection. Gloves and masks may infiltrate future fashion collections, as well scarves, particularly as the industry moves from Summer to Autumn/Winter collections. There may be an increase in the accessory industry, with a more mainstream acceptance and culture of wearing facemasks in the West, which has already been assimilated by a large quantity of consumers in Asia. - Changes in Material Some followers have cited new advancements within the textile industry, with brands looking to use more antibacterial or eco-friendly fabrics to produce garments. Equally, there may be an increase in fabrics that are deemed ‘healthier’ for our skin and bodies, echoing back to sentiments surrounding dress reform as advocated by Dr. Jaeger in the 19th century and his sanitary and breathable clothing. Fig. 3: Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System, c1883. Catalogue, including actual cloth samples pasted in on page 17, advertising Jaeger’s new, healthier clothing, including an explanation of how “health is prejudiced by the material and form of the ordinary clothing of the present day”. It includes underwear, coats, bedding, sleeping garments, jackets, scarves, dresses, corsets, shawls, hats, shoes, socks, stockings, gloves, rugs and “abdominal belts” (girdles). Wellcome Collection, London. (You can download and read Dr. Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System from 1883 from the Wellcome Collection here, if you are interested.) Materials which are easy to clean, maintain, and have a long lifecycle may see an increase in usage. Furthermore, textiles and materials advocated by the medical professions may also experience a surge in demand. Minimalism and utility may permeate fabric collections, with marketing campaigns enticing consumers by using phrases such as ‘clean lines,’ and ‘clean cut.’ If, as implied by some, fashion is impacted by a decline in interest, then perhaps clothing will streamline, practicality becoming a major marketing tool, with designers avoiding any use of unnecessary decoration or adornment. I did consider whether spikes or studs may become popular, a form of amour, the implication of ‘stay away from me’ which again links to dress and fashion as a physical barrier. Punks have long used studs and spikes as a form of intimidation. Could skirts also swell, creating a sense of personal space, and shoulders/collars continue to grow, protecting or hiding the face? - Change in Societal Codes Around Dressing As self-isolation and social distancing sees us spending more time than ever in our home environments, there has been, of course, a shift in our dress codes. Moving from smart workwear to leisurewear and athleisure, dressing up has been pushed to the side, for now. That is not to say that people aren’t dressing to and for occasions; some prefer to adhere to the dress codes they are used to following in their places of work. Office or workwear has the psychological effect of making us feel ‘dressed to work,’ albeit from home. It maintains our typical routine of dressing, improves our focus and concentration, and may help us feel more at ease in the face of profound change. Others have also used this time in in lockdown to explore their fashion choices; researching, experimenting, purging their wardrobes, and maintaining or in some cases exaggerating their signature looks and styles. Fashion is meant to be seen, and for some, visiting the supermarket or walking the dog during lockdown is a way to present valued and precious clothing or outfits to the world (or more likely, your neighbours). Vloggers and social influencers are also using their time to fill our social media platforms with even more content, moving from streetstyle, to fashion within the boundaries of their homes. Perhaps the end of the pandemic will see a surge in dandies and a swell in the desire to ‘dress up,’ with a desire to be ‘overdressed’ for the occasion rather than to arrive in casual attire, or to blend in. However, for others, leisurewear has become a new uniform, praised for its comfortability and practicality. Since many individuals continue to work from home, some argue that when the pandemic ends, societal codes surrounding workwear should change. Those working in pyjamas argue that if their change of environment and uniform has not affected their work output, perhaps workwear will become more informal once workers return to their offices and daily commutes, with trends such as ‘dress-down Fridays’ becoming more universally accepted throughout the working week. This post was not intended to be as long as it has evolved to be, however the responses from the whatgrandmawore followers were so intriguing and comprehensive, it became increasingly difficult to condense ideas without omitting key details. Hopefully, this research will be of some interest to those reading from home, recording how many feel about fashion and dress during a time of change, a document to reflect on once the pandemic begins to slow. There are several articles in circulation attempting to navigate the current changes to the fashion industry due to Covid-19. Here are some of the ones I have found online if you are interested in the subject: ‘Fashion Forward After Covid-19 May Take a Dressier Turn,’ ‘As Masks Go Mainstream, Fashion Designers Sense an Opportunity,’ ‘The Untold Origin Story of the N95 Mask,’ Footnotes [1] ‘Agnès Rocamora and Anneke Smelik, ‘Introduction’ London: I.B Taurus & Co (2016), 2. 2 thoughts on “Fashion of the Future: The Impact of Covid-19 on Fashion and Dress History” Wow your blog is very insightful! Loved it 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it ☺ x

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SUMMARY: In late March, as the deadly COVID-19 raged in Iran, prisons across the country witnessed protests, escape attempts, and other forms of unrest. Incidents that prison officials downplayed as minor resulted in clashes with security forces and the reported death and injury of dozens of inmates. These events and Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran (ABC) research and interviews with inmates and other knowledgeable sources shed light on justified fear and anxiety of prisoners faced with an unprecedented health crisis. In rising up, they have spoken in one of the few voices left to them of a reality that demands the world’s attention: an ongoing crisis of Iran’s neglect of the human rights of persons deprived of liberty, which far precedes the COVID-19 emergency. In late February, judiciary officials announced protocols meant to head off the spread of the novel coronavirus to be implemented country-wide, including daily rounds of disinfection, awareness trainings, distribution of hygienic supplies, and the formation of full-time task forces to monitor prisoners “day and night” and identify those at risk. Reports collected by ABC indicate that these measures have been implemented partially and inconsistently. Releases of certain classes of inmates (100,000 according to Iran), a welcome step toward prison decrowding, have been inadequate in scope. Many inmates, including those convicted of offenses not recognized in international law who should not have been jailed in the first place and those who cannot afford bail, remain behind bars while the judiciary continues to prosecute and jail for political and non-violent alleged offenses, such as drug use. The inadequacy of steps taken to prevent the spread of the deadly virus have failed to allay the concerns of many inmates, who continue to languish in fear in substandard conditions. In several prisons overcrowding makes social distancing a serious challenge. At Karaj Central Prison, halls with 300 beds are made to accommodate twice as many inmates, while in some wards of Vakilabad Prison (Mashhad), inmates sleep on floors and in entryways. Sanitary facilities are too few for the number of inmates in most prisons and hot water is available one or two hours per day. At Parsilon (Khorramabad,) six toilets have been placed in a space built for three, forcing inmates to touch dirty walls while squeezing into stalls. In facilities investigated in this report, hand sanitizers are not available for prisoners and the already-inadequate distribution of hygienic supplies like soap and detergent available free of charge has not been increased adequately or at all, forcing some inmates to rinse their hands with water only (Ilam). Cleanings are conducted every four or five days at Ahvaz Central Prison, and inmates have taken to using a bleach-water mixture bought at the prison store to conduct cleanings themselves. Prisoners at Ahvaz Central and Langarud prisons report the use of weak-smelling chemicals in cleanings by officials, regarding whose efficacy they have doubts. The dire state of Iran’s prisons is a policy choice, the responsibility for which rests with parliamentarians and governments who have, for four decades, failed to prioritize the country’s penal system in resource allocation or, as recommended by experts and prison officials, take meaningful action toward reforming a draconian criminal code toward decriminalization. In normal times, prisoners are more vulnerable to diseases than the general population. In a time of pandemic, when COVID-19 infections and deaths have been reported from several prisons, the choice of not prioritizing prisoners’ right to health in accordance with detailed international guidelines can have devastating consequences inside and outside prisons. The international community must press Iran for compliance with its human rights obligations to protect prisoners’ right to health and their lives. It is imperative not to view the systemic shortcomings in ensuring minimum standards in the treatment of prisoners and lack of resources - regarding which some Iranian officials have been vocal and critical for years - as a consequence of the current economic sanctions and resulting hardship. Marshalling the political will required to urgently remedy the failures detailed in this report demands that Iran be held accountable for not prioritizing prisoners' human rights, denying access to independent monitors, and for its lack of transparency. ABC calls on Iran to release prisoners whose convictions are politically motivated, those who cannot afford bail, and those held for minor crimes, and to heed the advice and detailed recommendations of international organizations like the World Health Organization and take practical, concrete steps toward safeguarding the health and rights of persons deprived of liberty. Only such measures, coupled with transparency, proper monitoring, and accountability, can prevent an unprecedented catastrophe of mass infections and unrest. METHODOLOGY: Research into human rights conditions in Iran faces severe limitations. The Iranian authorities do not permit access to prisons and to the country to independent human rights monitors, and Iranians who report on human rights abuses face arrest and prosecution. Many Iranians, including human rights activists and lawyers, have been imprisoned or are currently serving prison terms for reporting on human rights violations by various government bodies and the judiciary. Others have been forced into exile. This report relies on official statements published in online news channels and judiciary websites as well as information reported by former prisoners and lawyers on social media and in reports published by various human rights organizations in Persian and English. Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran has also carried out interviews, granted on condition of anonymity, in March and April 2020, with eight former or recently released prisoners as well as other knowledgeable sources in Iran. The information they provided on various prisons are for the most part included in this report, but names and dates have been withheld in order to not compromise interviewees’ identity and safety. The spread of COVID-19 in the Islamic Republic of Iran has recently led to fear and unrest in prisons across the country and claimed the lives of several prisoners.[1] The pandemic has made all the more urgent concerns that have been repeatedly raised by human rights organizations,[2] including Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran (ABC),[3] over overcrowding, poor hygiene and nutrition, and the prevalence of disease in the country's prisons. Enclosed living spaces, along with prisoners’ weakened immune systems, facilitate the spread of the deadly virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other experts[4] have stressed the importance of preventive measures and provided guidelines to limit the spread, both within prisons and from prisons to the community at large.[5] Iran’s judiciary has taken some welcome steps to curb the proliferation of the virus in prisons, including the temporary release of thousands of prisoners.[6] However, ABC research into several prisons reveals that preventive measures have been inadequate and inconsistently implemented. The scope of coronavirus transmission within the prison system is unknown and Iranian officials refuse to provide the public with data. Improving prison conditions requires significant structural reform and time. In the short term, serious political will and transparency are the country’s only arms against the pandemic. Iran can and must do more to ensure the health of prison inmates and staff. In some measure, Iran’s judiciary has moved to address the pandemic. On February 24, 2020 the judiciary announced its intent to obtain additional funding for prisons (which, one month later, had yet to be allocated[7]) and reduce the prison population via exceptional releases, furloughs, and the reduction, to the extent possible, of incoming prisoners.[8] On February 26 and 29, Iran’s Chief Justice issued two circulars authorizing leave through April 3, 2020 for prisoners incarcerated for failure to pay blood money or other financial penalties. Those sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment or less were also listed among the categories of prisoners eligible for leave. Listed as ineligible were those sentenced to death, convicted of armed robbery, multiple counts of robbery, espionage, or sentenced to more than five years on national security charges. Judiciary officials were also instructed to hold off on detention orders and extend all releases on bail for prisoners whose sentences have been finalized, except for “essential” cases, through April 19. The term “essential” was not defined in the circular.[9] Also on February 29, Prisons Organization head, Asghar Jahangir, acknowledged that prisoners’ rights include the right to health. He instructed provincial prison authorities via video conference to take the necessary measures to prevent and combat the spread of coronavirus, including daily rounds of disinfection, hygiene training for inmates and prison staff, distribution of hygienic supplies, and the formation of full-time task forces to monitor prisoners “day and night” and identify those at risk so that necessary measures can be taken to immediately isolate and treat them.[10] Jahangir reiterated these recommendations in another video conference with prison authorities on March 30, stating: “Measures to prevent the entry of the novel coronavirus into prisons, and exceptional hygiene measures — including daily, ongoing disinfections of facilities and equipment, making hygienic equipment available to prisoners, providing necessary self-protection training for prisoners and guards, forming health committees within prisons to control and protect prisoners’ health full-time by identifying those in danger, in a way that [incorporates] the prison doctor’s preliminary identifications and diagnoses regarding segregation and other hygienic and treatment measures — should be taken without delay.”[11] Historically, however, rhetoric on improving prison conditions has not been met by resource allocation, serious monitoring of implementation, or accountability. Mass incarceration — a product of decades of highly punitive laws and sentencing practices[12] — has combined with corruption, incompetence, and lack of resources to create a hazardous environment for inmates. Unchecked in its zealous application of draconian laws, Iran's judiciary and security apparatus continues to arrest hundreds of thousands each year and send them into prisons, detention centers, and camps that it neglects to maintain. The judiciary is also in charge of administering the prisons where prisoners it convicts or detains are held. In the absence of independent monitoring, prisoners whose rights are violated by the judiciary must address their complaints to the judiciary: the perpetrator itself. Prisoners’ complaints are most often simply ignored. Experts and prison officials stress the need for legal reform to reduce the number of crimes carrying prison as key to the reduction of the prison population.[13] But draft decriminalization laws are not prioritized in the parliament. Iranian prison officials and parliamentarians have also repeatedly warned that the limited funds allocated to the Prisons Organization leave it unable to ensure prisoners’ nutrition and health. In August 2016, Prisons Organization head Asghar Jahangir said that the organization had been “wronged” and was struggling with shortages stemming from a one trillion toman (c. 323,000 in the official government-subsidized exchange rate of the time) funding deficit.[14] Despite a steady increase in the prison population, the budget for the Prisons Organization was cut from 944 billion tomans (c. 291,000 in the official government-subsidized exchange rate, at the beginning of the Iranian year 1396)[15] in the 2017/2018 year to 800 billion tomans (c. 244,000 USD in the official government-subsidized exchange rate, at the beginning of the Iranian year 1397)[16] in 2018/2019. At the time this budget was proposed in December of 2017, the Prisons Organization was 80 billion tomans (c. 22,500 USD in the official government-subsidized exchange rate of the time)[17] behind on water, gas, and electricity expenses, and already facing a shortfall of 1.5 trillion tomans (c. 422,000 in the official government-subsidized exchange rate of the time).[18] The allocated budget threatened the prison system’s ability to provide three daily meals to inmates, according to Jahangir.[19] Jahangir also stated that at that time 10 to 15 percent of inmates had to sleep on floors; that the average age of prison facilities - 20 to 25 years - had exceeded their usual span of usefulness of 15 years; and that renovation efforts were consistently stymied by budget denials and requirements that prisons be located outside of cities.[20] The continued lack of attention to prison conditions endangers the lives of inmates as COVID-19 runs rampant across the country. No significant resources seem to have been dedicated to protecting prisoners during the pandemic. Though some measures have been taken in several prisons,[21] six weeks after the official acknowledgement of the COVID-19 crisis, the judiciary’s directives have been ignored and/or inconsistently and arbitrarily implemented in many prisons. To date, according to official statements, close to 100,000 prisoners have been released per exceptional directives prompted by COVID-19.[22] Officials have not provided numbers on coronavirus-related releases on a prison-by-prison basis. However, many prisoners who pose no threat to society remain behind bars: they include religious and ethnic minorities, human rights lawyers, anti-mandatory veil activists, labor and student activists, environmentalists, peaceful protesters, those detained or convicted of ordinary crimes, including on nonviolent drug charges. The United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged all governments to “release every person detained without sufficient legal basis, including political prisoners, and those detained for critical, dissenting views.”[23] Despite exceptional releases over the past few weeks, prisons remain overcrowded. The decision, announced in a statement by the judiciary’s Human Rights Council,[24] not to send convicts to prison until April 20, is not fully implemented either. State agents continue to send people to prisons and detention centers for addiction, minor offenses, or ostensibly political crimes such as reporting about the spread of the virus and its victims. On March 3, an individual who had recorded video of dozens of bodies inside a morgue in Qom was taken into custody after the video was widely distributed on social media.[25] On March 14, Tehran’s Police Chief announced the arrest of 27 people for “spreading rumors” about the coronavirus.[26] On April 2, the Iranian Cyber Police arrested civil society activist Amir Chamani in Tabriz after summoning him on unknown charges.[27] In the first week of March 2020, authorities announced the arrest of hundreds of drug users, 407 in Hormozgan Province.[28] On April 3, the police chief in eastern Tehran Province said 111 people had been arrested in a raid of a “norm-breaking” mixed-sex private party in Sharyar.[29] Prosecutions for protest activity and expressions of dissent have also continued: on April 14, Branch 1167 of the Criminal Court of Tehran Province held a trial for Fatemeh Mary Mohammadi, charged with “disturbing public peace and order by means of participating in an illegal gathering” after she participated in a protest against the Revolutionary Guard’s shooting down of a passenger airline in January 2020. The judge reportedly questioned Mohammadi, a Christian convert who had previously been charged for Christian activism and membership in an evangelical group, about her religious opinions.[30] In an order issued April 12, Naser Ashjari, who is over 65 years of age and diabetic, was summoned to Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on May 5 for charges of “insulting the Prophet” and “propaganda against the regime” brought against him in 2017.[31] On April 15, Cyber Police announced the arrest of an Instagram account admin based in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan province, on charges of “insulting sanctities”.[32] The Fars Province Judiciary Chief announced on April 19 that three individuals had been arrested for unsuccessfully attempting to smuggle smartphones into Adelabad Prison during unrest which occurred there on March 29.[33] The mechanism for renewing even those temporary releases which have been granted is opaque. The lawyer of Isma’il Abdi, a teacher activist imprisoned at Evin, reports that Abdi’s furlough extension was denied on April 20 and he was returned to prison to resume his sentence.[34] In many prisons, overcrowding makes social distancing physically impossible. Measures to raise awareness among prisoners have been insufficient and inconsistent, and prisoners’ hygiene is gravely inadequate to protect prisoners from a pandemic. Eyewitness reports collected by ABC and reports from other sources indicate substandard conditions exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, as well as mounting anxiety and fear among prisoners. In Parsilon Prison (Khorramabad, Lorestan Province), the infrastructure is outdated, and the sanitary facilities are so dirty that sources said they were reluctant to even set foot in the toilet area. Bathroom facilities there were renovated with prison labor using a patchwork of broken and uneven tile that collect dirt and debris; an area which once accommodated three toilets has been refashioned to fit six, in such a way that inmates must slide sideways into the cramped stalls, unavoidably coming into contact with dirty walls.[35] During a surprise visit to Parsilon to follow up on COVID-19-related unrest there, Lorestan Judiciary Head Mohammad Raz acknowledged the prison's urgent need to update its infrastructure.[36] There are fewer newcomers to Parsilon, and all fresh arrivals are quarantined, yet there is only one sanitary facility for all of those quarantined and none are given clean clothes. Every month, Parsilon prisoners are given a limited amount of soap, shampoo, and washing powder, but the quantities of these products have not changed in response to the COVID-19 crisis. While visitations have totally stopped, prison staff circulate imprudently from room to room, sometimes without masks. The product that is sprayed inside prison every other day has no scent, raising prisoners’ concerns of its efficacy as a cleaning agent. Prison authorities’ empty promises of release have exacerbated stress and tension among prisoners, according to an ABC source, in particular when news broke that only a small percentage of Parsilon’s estimated 2,000 prisoners were eligible for early release (about 50) or furlough (about 100). High bail amounts have prevented the release of many of those eligible.[37] Following the escape on March 20, 2020 of 23 prisoners from a “training and work therapy camp” in Parsilon, the Lorestan Prison Organization acknowledged that none of the 200 inmates working in the camp are dangerous, and that all are being held for minor crimes with one-year convictions.[38] It is unclear why these prisoners had not been released pursuant to the judiciary’s February circular. In the Greater Tehran Penitentiary, where many cases of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, meningitis, and hepatitis have been reported, the official approach seems to be more security- than health-oriented, and little information has been provided to prisoners about the disease. The prison remains too crowded to allow for proper social distancing: in late 2019 in Building 4, Ward 2, approximately 1,500 prisoners were divided in three rooms. Each room was equipped with only 14 toilets and showers to accommodate the 400 to 500 people it hosted. Hot water was made available one hour per day, sometime between 4 and 6 a.m. There is no self-serve source of drinking water. Personal cleaning products (soap, shampoo, washing powder) are distributed every few months, and in such small quantities that prisoners with more financial means buy their own supplies and donate their rations to cellmates in need. Tuberculosis and meningitis are common in Greater Tehran, increasing inmates’ vulnerability to other infectious diseases. In late January/early February, a room in Ward 4 was quarantined for about 350 inmates with tuberculosis. Vaccines have also been distributed for meningitis, but in too limited quantities, according to ABC’s source, to protect all prisoners. After the pandemic was announced in late February, medical staff in at least one building were provided with protective clothing, which was removed only a few hours later on orders from prison security officials who said the gear would provoke fear among inmates. Consequently, clinic staff working there make do with only masks and gloves. In Building 1, a room has been quarantined for prisoners believed to be infected with coronavirus. Yet, on April 4, five prisoners suspected of being infected were found in Room 5, Building 2 of the same prison. The room in question, which was holding 200 prisoners, was immediately quarantined.[39] ABC does not have information about the fate of those in quarantine. In Karaj Central Prison (Karaj, Alborz Province), new arrivals must pass through two quarantines, the second of which lasts 15 days, before being transferred into the general population. Though many prisoners have benefited from prevention measures granting their early release, many wards are reportedly filled to at least two times their capacity. In normal times, some wards with less than 300 beds, 15 toilets, and six showers lodge 500 to 600 people and, at times, up to 900 inmates. It sometimes takes up to two years for newcomers to have a bed; they sleep on the floor in close quarters in the meantime. Limited early releases and furloughs, possible for about 70 of the 600 inmates in Ward 6 for example, have not resolved rampant overcrowding, and social distancing there is inconceivable.[40] The mother of a prisoner serving time for an alleged drug offense told ABC in early March that her son is eligible for furlough, but that she cannot afford the high bail amount. Worried about the lack of food, poor hygiene, and rumors about two inmates dying from coronavirus, she said: “we are sitting here at home waiting to see when our child will die.”[41] Hot water access is limited to one hour in some wards, while other wards get two hours. A small, low-quality piece of soap, a small shampoo, and two cups of washing powder — enough to last about two weeks — are distributed to inmates once every two to three months. According to one source, there are three doctors in the prison clinic taking turns working 24-hour shifts. Information about disease prevention and management consists of posters with instructions on handwashing on the wall behind the guards’ desk at the entrance of the ward. Prisoners can comply by washing their hands with dishwashing liquid available in the bathrooms. A source with knowledge of another ward reports that there is not enough soap for regular handwashing and that additional cleaning products have not been distributed, commenting, “they tell us to wash our hands regularly, but with what?”[42] At Karaj Central, disinfectants are provided to prison staff only. About twice a week, wards, phones, and surfaces are sprayed with what is believed to be a mixture of water and alcohol. An ABC source reports that the guards have been altogether avoiding another ward which was disinfected only once in March. Prisoners who have circulated inside the prison, e.g. between wards and the clinic, as well as prisoners tasked with cleaning wards, administrative offices, and the overflowing sewer in the courtyard, are given masks and gloves when leaving their own ward. They then return to their ward with filthy clothes and, due to the limited number of showers, wait sometimes up to two hours before being able to shower and change.[43] A suite of Room 15 in Building 1 has been sectioned off for prisoners believed to be infected with coronavirus. In Ward 6, the first inmate exhibiting a high fever and a cough — a man in his late 50s — was taken into the quarantine suite in late February. According to ABC’s source, the number of quarantined patients had risen to at least 35 by late March. Two of those taken to quarantine reportedly worked in the prison’s kitchen. According to ABC’s source, fear was apparent even among prison guards, several of whom asked for unpaid leave.[44] Langarud Prison in the city of Qom, the epicenter of COVID-19, is notorious for its lack of hygiene. “Food and cleanliness are below zero,” explained a former inmate. Lice infections are routine, and many inmates opt to sleep on the floor to distance themselves from bed bugs. Wards 1 and 5, with 500 prisoners each, are so crowded that people had to sleep in the courtyard through the fall. In one instance, prisoners had to go on strike and stop eating to convince officials to provide a couple of canisters of bug spray for their rooms. The only relatively clean ward is the Quran Ward, where most beds are deemed fit to be slept on. To get access to the Ward, however, prisoners have to commit to memorizing passages from the Quran. Prison authorities grant credits for participating in mass prayers that can be exchanged for advantages like in-person visitations. Prisoners who do not participate in prayers may see their phone or water privileges cut off as punishment.[45] Following the public announcement of the COVID-19 emergency, the aforementioned posters indicated to Langarud prisoners how to wash their hands. At that time there was enough soap for handwashing, and guards were given masks and gloves. Several guards who circulated among prisoners were reportedly infected and disappeared from the prison without further explanation. In one ward, door handles and windows were disinfected with a liquid that smelled like dishwashing soap just once every three days.[46] An official with the Qom Province Relief Committee declared on March 30 that 3,000 care packages containing masks, hand sanitizer, and a cleaning agent were to be distributed to prisoners.[47] Ahvaz Central Prison (Sheiban, Khuzestan), formerly a detoxification center for drug users, is also overcrowded. Informed sources had reported in February 2019 that each room held up to 30 prisoners and inmates slept on the floor and had to wait in line for hours to use the restrooms. The lack of nutritious food and medical care in the prison had created a fertile ground for diseases.[48] In light of the COVID-19 crisis, the quarantine duration for newcomers was increased from one to two weeks. Prisoners are given a shirt and pants when they arrive, but there are very few cleaning products, forcing some prisoners to wash up with water only. Prisoners have been told to keep a one-meter distance from others and to disinfect their hands, but in practice this is not always possible. Quarantined prisoners crowd around five or six faucets for both dishwashing and personal hygiene. A number of masks were distributed on one occasion, but there are no gloves or any disinfecting products. Prisoners attempt to manage on their own with a mixture of water and bleach that they buy from the prison store. Prison authorities also pass through the prison every four or five days to spray disinfectant, but their cleanings are sporadic, and they use a product that lacks the alcohol smell of the product applied to the guards' quarters. The guards wear masks and gloves and do not enter the prisoners’ wards. Like those housed in other prisons, inmates at Ahvaz Central are tense and restless. In March, the review of furlough applicants was lagging due to the absence or limited work hours of relevant officials. Most prisoners were not eligible for temporary release.[49] In Ilam Prison (Ilam Province), social distancing is not an option. The Salamat ward (Ward 1) holds about 40 people, with one shower and two toilets to be shared by them all. Ward 2 has about 40 beds to sleep 130 inmates who double up on single mattresses or sleep on the floor. Prison authorities did not appear to take the pandemic’s hazards seriously. The process of releasing prisoners has been extremely slow. Though some prisoners with lighter sentences have been released, many of those prisoners eligible for leave are still in prison due in part to the absence of relevant officials. No effort has been made to raise awareness among prisoners about the coronavirus, and as of mid-March, guards were not wearing masks or gloves when circulating among the wards.[50] Hygiene at Ilam Prison is substandard. Though prisoners have access to hot water, limited quantities of soap are provided for handwashing and general cleaning needs. Inmates who cannot afford their own soap sometimes have no choice but to rinse their hands with water only. Prison authorities have not provided additional soap or disinfecting products to help protect inmates against the new viral threat. In the past several weeks, ABC’s source has seen only one instance of a chlorine-smelling disinfectant mixture being sprayed in the wards and between beds. There is no visible monitoring of prisoner health from prison guards or medical staff, and many prisoners eligible for furlough are still in prison reportedly due to the absence of relevant personnel to process their releases.[51] Prisoners in Vakilabad Prison (Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi) are also at risk. Overcrowding persists, like in Room 2 of Wards 6/1, where drug users are held, and in Room 4 where inmates sleep even in the entryway owing to lack of space.[52] In Ward Five, up to 800 prisoners may be held in one room and prisoners have to sleep on the floor in the hallway and even on cardboard put over the toilets. Prisoner education about the coronavirus is limited to posters and leaflets telling them how to wash their hands properly. Even health personnel are not provided with enough masks or gloves. In Ward 6/1, an unidentified cleaning agent is sprayed twice a day.[53] According to Mohammad Nourizad, imprisoned at Vakilabad after signing an open letter demanding the Supreme Leader’s resignation, a viral outbreak has occurred in the women’s ward, prompting the sectioning off of a room for suspected coronavirus patients. Hengameh Vahedian, imprisoned for signing the same letter, said that 30 suspected COVID-19 patients are being kept in close quarters there without any testing. Prison officials reportedly conduct disinfections with concentrated bleach. In the prison clinic, those presenting with fevers have reportedly been handed suppositories and sent away without further explanation or treatment.[54] The brother of Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, a teacher imprisoned at Vakilabad, says Sepehri began to show symptoms of the coronavirus on March 28 and was transferred on April 2 along with other political prisoners to a Ministry of Intelligence facility. Sepehri is presently being held in solitary confinement, while his brother insists that his condition warrants an urgent transfer to the hospital.[55] The family member of an inmate at Amirabad Prison (Gorgan County, Golestan Province) reports that new prisoners have been introduced into the population amid the pandemic despite a lack of preventative supplies like masks, gloves, and disinfectant at the facility. Two individuals displaying COVID-19 symptoms were released into the prison’s prayer room in close proximity to other prisoners, rather than being transferred to hospitals and given appropriate medical care.[56] Orumieh Prison held 4,000 prisoners in October 2018: four times its capacity according to Mostafa Habibi, the Revolutionary Prosecutor of Orumieh.[57] Prisoners in several wards have occasionally been denied hot water for a week and up to two months, even during the harsh Orumieh winter.[58] The Orumieh Prison Women’s ward is isolated: though there are cameras in all the rooms, the guards’ quarters are 10 minutes away, making it difficult to get their attention in an emergency. The Ward holds about 150-160 prisoners divided among four rooms, where about 40 inmates sleep on three-tiered bunk beds and make do with only two showers and two toilets. One of these rooms, Room 4, hosts prisoners suffering from addiction (the majority of women held in Orumieh, according to ABC’s source, are imprisoned for addiction or other drug-related charges). Food provided by the prisons is of particularly poor quality. The ward gets a doctor’s visit once a day between 11 a.m. and noon; a nurse and midwife are present in the examination room an hour before. The medical team is poorly equipped, and inmates rarely get a proper examination. The women’s ward is also infested with fleas. Prison authorities do not provide soap and shampoo to prisoners. Those who cannot afford to pay for these products rely on the generosity of others or work for other inmates to afford to buy them. Prior to the COVID-19 spread, the prison did not provide dishwashing liquid to inmates. Following the announcement of the pandemic in February, every room is provided with one liter of dishwashing liquid per month; no additional liquid is provided if the rooms run out. There has been no change in the medical teams’ monitoring or presence in the ward in response to the pandemic, and prison authorities are not providing free soap or shampoo. Once a week, a strong mixture of chlorine and disinfectant is sloshed out of a watering can to clean the sanitary facilities. The judiciary’s February directive has not led to a significant number of releases at Orumieh. Prisoners already benefiting from weekend leaves have been asked to remain on leave and some older or sick prisoners are on furlough except those unable to afford their bail.[59] At Qarchak women’s prison (Varamin, Tehran Province), there are 11 wards, two dedicated to drug offenders and two to prisoners convicted of violent crimes. The prison is notorious for its lack of hygiene, nutritious food, and medical care. Each ward, reportedly meant to hold 100, holds almost twice that number. There are 12 restrooms and 10 showers for each ward, several of which are broken or unusable for lack of water. Hot water is available one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. The prison water is not drinkable, forcing prisoners to buy bottled water at an exorbitant price from the prison store. Prisoners have very limited access to the prison clinic, where equipment and medication are scarce. [60] Lawyer Omid Moradi, some of whose clients are being held in Qarchak, said in an interview with an Iranian news outlet that cleaning liquid is sold at five times its normal price within the prison.[61] Around 2,000 inmates (1,000 according to a prison official)[62] are kept in crowded conditions in which some have to sleep on the floor. Long lines form for a shared telephone which is not disinfected, and which inmates themselves are not able to disinfect. Given the prohibition on visitations, some prisoners have no money to purchase necessities, leading to a further decline in hygienic conditions. The small amount of issued soap and washing powder — inadequate for even normal circumstances — has not been increased to account for the COVID-19 crisis. Disinfectants, masks, and gloves are not available to inmates, nor are they used by soldiers and guards. Wards are reportedly disinfected daily and movement between wards has been banned.[63] Inmates with COVD-19-like symptoms have been segregated into the facility’s gym, which has been repurposed into its own ward. A recently released inmate reported that a prison clinic doctor and nurse have tested positive for COVID-19, as have 20 prisoners from Ward 5 and Ward 6. The latter have been moved to rooms dedicated to conjugal visits and are left without medical attention or equipment such as ventilators. Qarchak Prison does not have the means to stave off fleas: “[So] what do you think they can do to fight coronavirus?” the source said.[64] A prison doctor interviewed in an Iranian media news report acknowledged having seen two COVID-19 infection cases in Qarchak.[65] An ABC source reports that scant access to sanitation equipment in Tehran's Evin Prison has led staff to clean quarters with torches and topical antiseptic. Fevers and colds were common among inmates even before the coronavirus crisis. In one recent instance, guards wanted to introduce new prisoners directly into a ward, and only placed the newcomers in quarantine when the inmates protested.[66] Sepideh Farhan, released temporarily from Evin on April 6, reported on Instagram that 19 women continue to be denied temporary leave there, including two who meet the judiciary’s guidelines for temporary release. There has been no increase in the 10-minute phone time prisoners have 3 times a week. Farhan expressed concerns about the delay in the provision of disinfectants and the fact that physicians are not permitted to enter the ward. Prisoners in need of medical attention have no choice but to go to the prison clinic, which they fear increases exposure to the virus. Quarantined inmates who cannot afford dishes, boiling water, and phone cards are denied them.[67] In such circumstances, it is unclear how prisoners’ health can be monitored on a daily basis. ABC is also concerned about the conditions of lesser-known prisons such as the Shahid Lajevardi Prison in Farahabad, Mazandaran Province. Drug offenders, except those sentenced to death or life in prison, are held there. Many are treated with daily doses of methadone; illegal drug use is also common among inmates. The prison tap water is salty and filled with sand, forcing inmates — many of whom have little means — to spend their own money for access to clean water. Hygiene at Shahid Lajevardi is also dreadful, according to a former inmate and an informed source interviewed by ABC. Inmates take showers twice a week. Three showers with very limited hot water are available per floor, and each floor houses more than 300 prisoners. One hall housing about 400 inmates is equipped with only five toilets and sinks, where inmates must clean both their bodies and the dishes they eat from.[68] A recently-released inmate reported to ABC’s source that, following the judiciary’s directive, some prisoners with particularly poor health have been sent on furlough in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. Prisoners have not been provided cleaning products or disinfectants, however the clinic reportedly disinfects wards for prisoners returning from group prayer at the mosque, where social distancing is not observed.[69] Meanwhile reports have surfaced of hospitals refusing entry to prisoners because of lack of space, bills left unpaid by the Prisons Organization,[70] and insurance issues. Ten inmates among the 35 held in the closed-off suite (Room 15) of Karaj Central Prison, whose health had seriously deteriorated, were reportedly taken to Karaj Hospital in early March only to be denied entry and brought back.[71] COVID-19 has already claimed prisoner lives. Fariq Mohammadi, a prisoner suffering from asthma and heart problems, was serving a 25-year sentence on drug charges when serious respiratory problems landed him in the hospital. He died on February 27, 2020.[72] On March 25, Hassan Javadi, a man with heart disease and a pacemaker serving a 15-year sentence in Orumieh Prison on drug-related charges, died after presenting with COVID-19-like symptoms.[73] On March 21, 2020, Fatemeh Alizadeh, 53, arrested three years ago and convicted of transporting drugs, died in Orumieh’s Women’s Ward. An informed source told ABC that Alizadeh’s health took a turn for the worse on Friday March 20: her symptoms included great difficulty breathing, severe diarrhea, and nausea. According to an informed source, guards took Alizadeh away in a blanket, but did not seem to take her symptoms seriously and refused to take her to the clinic. Instead she was placed in an empty room in the juvenile ward where she was found dead at 4:00 a.m. the next day. Prison authorities reportedly attributed her death to high blood pressure.[74] On March 29, Ahmad Borujeni, the Head of Azerbaijan Gharbi Province judiciary, claimed that she had already died the week before in the hospital from heart failure.[75] Two inmates at Qarchak Prison died of COVID-19 on or around March 26 after being denied admission to a hospital.[76] ABC’s source confirmed that two prisoners aged about 70 and 40 died in Greater Tehran Prison in mid-February, reportedly of coronavirus.[77] On April 4, Mehdi Rabi’i, a 41-year-old man convicted of a financial offense and serving time in Greater Tehran, died in the hospital. Rabi’i had exhibited COVID-19-like symptoms a week prior, at which time authorities denied him a hospital transfer. As of April 6, at least five other inmates with COVID-19 symptoms were being denied hospital transfers by prison authorities.[78] In Qom’s Langarud Prison, prisoners heard reports that at least three inmates had died as of late March.[79] Recent unrest in at least nine prisons across the country reflects fear and concern on the part of inmates who feel unprotected and vulnerable in the face of the deadly virus. The state response has been heavy-handed and led to scores of deaths and injuries. On March 19, several inmates reportedly escaped from Parsilon Prison (Khorramabad) amid clashes with prison guards. According to Mahmud Samini, a provincial intelligence official, the clashes resulted in the shooting to death of one person, the injury of another, and the escape of 23 prisoners.[80] On March 20, pandemic-related tensions came to a head in another prisoner uprising, this time in Aligudarz Prison in the same province.[81] Meanwhile, Head of Lorestan prisons Abdolmajid Keshvari described Iranian prisons as “some of the safest places in the country” because “all the capacities of the [Prisons] organization have been put to use to raise security and hygiene levels from the initial days of the outbreak.” He also announced the deployment of special units of the Law Enforcement to all the province’s prisons.[82] At Tabriz Prison, inmates concerned about the quarantine-free admission of new prisoners and delays in temporary leave proceedings staged a protest on March 26 demanding sit-downs with judicial officials. Smoke and the sound of gunfire were observed at the site.[83] On the evening of March 27, 40 inmates escaped Saqqez Prison during clashes with guards.[84] One of the Saqqez escapees — Mostafa Salimi, who had a capital sentence — was returned to the prison and executed on April 11.[85] On March 28, prisoners at Alvand Prison (Hamedan) set fire to blankets among other protest actions; a number attempted escape, and the sound of gunfire was heard in the vicinity.[86] According to Hamedan Prosecutor Hossein Khanjani, calm was restored by the end of the day. He acknowledged that the tensions arose from concerns about the spread of the virus among prisoners, along with the fact that some eligible prisoners have yet to be granted leave from prison. Khanjani claimed that 2,330 prisoners were released in Hamedan to prevent the spread of coronavirus, although it is unclear whether this number was skewed by the incorporation of older, unrelated releases.[87] On the morning of March 29, clashes broke out at Mahabad Prison during which security forces deployed tear gas and opened fire on inmates: one prisoner was reported killed and five were wounded.[88] West Azerbaijan Ministry of Justice Head Ali Akbar Garrousi described the incident as a “brief problem” at the prison solved through the “effective presence of provincial officials and law enforcement units.”[89] Juvenile offender Danial Zeinolabedini was subsequently transferred from Mahabad to Miandoab Prison. On March 31, Zeinolabedini told his family by phone that he had been severely beaten. On April 2 he died in custody.[90] On the night of March 29, inmates at Adelabad Prison (Shiraz, Fars Province) clashed with guards.[91] On March 30, videos circulated on social media in which smoke is visible inside the walls of Sepidar Prison (Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province) and gunshots could be heard. According to Amnesty International, the Sepidar protest “appears to have started after authorities reneged on earlier promises to release prisoners who the authorities do not have specific security concerns about.”[92] Authorities’ responses to protests included the use of firearms against inmates. In addressing the incident, Military Governor of Khuzestan Province Commander Heydar Abbaszadeh stated that prisoners in Ward 2 of the facility sought to create a disturbance and were setting fire to trash cans when order was restored by the “timely presence of law enforcement and security forces” and that “no prisoners were harmed.”[93] Independent sources, however, have provided the names of 15 prisoners who have died[94] and 13 who were injured: the whereabouts of these injured were not known as of two days after the event.[95] Smoke, gunfire sounds, and ambulance traffic were reported at Ahvaz Central Prison (Sheyban, Bavi County, Khuzestan) on March 31.[96] According to Commander Abbaszadeh, “prisoners in four wards of [Ahvaz ] intended to create unrest and chaos, but the unrest was controlled and calm was reinstated with the timely intervention of law and security forces.”[97] Meanwhile, independent sources have published the names of at least eight prisoners wounded by direct gunfire in the course of the clashes. In all, 17 were reportedly injured while 14 were transferred to an unknown location before being returned to Ahvaz Central on April 13.[98] The current hygiene situation in prisons justifies prisoner fears. Without a serious and systematic effort, the spread of the virus in susceptible populations inside prisons, and from there to the outside community, is only a matter of time. Iran can and must take more concerted action to prevent mass infection within its detention centers, not the least of which would be removing obstacles to the release of prisoners convicted or detained for non-violent crimes. It must provide sufficient means to prison authorities to implement the recommended measures and monitor the implementation. It should allow independent monitoring by providing access to prisons to local and international groups who have the expertise to support prison officials in their efforts. The international community has made clear, detailed recommendations in guideline form for the use of governments faced with the pandemic. In their interim guidance on COVID-19 for persons deprived of liberty, the World Health Organization and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have made key recommendations “[aimed] at addressing the specific issues of persons deprived of their liberty with the responsible services and ministries”. These include: The World Health Organization has specified detailed guidelines to be observed by prison officials, including[99]: ABC calls upon Iranian officials to heed these and other relevant recommendations to ensure a response to the COVID-19 crisis that is effective and fully consistent with human rights norms. Iran is responsible for protecting prisoners, as self-protection is not an option for people deprived of liberty in overcrowded prisons. Bullets and beatings are not effective responses to prisoners’ well-founded expressions of fear. In the context of a pandemic, prisoners’ families live in a state of dread. The disappearance of those who participated in the unrest, including those who were shot or injured, added to their anguish. Withholding vital information, blaming prison unrest on social media and the outside world,[100] and bringing in special forces rather than addressing root causes of unrest are typical responses of Islamic Republic leaders faced with popular discontent. In today’s context, such responses only exacerbate tensions within prisons and increase the number of people exposed in an unsanitary environment. COVID-19 has yet to prompt Iranian authorities to be transparent and face facts. In response to information published on April 16, 2020 regarding the unsanitary conditions of Qarchak prison, Heshmatollah Hayatolgheib, head of Tehran Province prisons, stated that in order to fight coronavirus, 360 liters of disinfectant, 1,008 bottles of hand sanitizer, 1,460 bottles of surface sanitizer liquid, 18,250 pairs on disposable gloves, and 12,000 masks had been distributed to prisoners free of charge.[101] Mehrzad Tashakorian, who heads Prison Health and Treatment in Tehran Province, insisted that prisoners’ temperatures and vital signs are taken every day per a standardized protocol distributed to prisons and that his organization receives regular reports on the prisoners’ health. When asked about the number of prisoners infected in prisons, Tashakorian said that he is not authorized to disclose numbers.[102] Earlier, on April 5, the head of the Prisons Organization claimed that “health and medical teams have been established in various prisons and are monitoring and examining prisoners daily,” that “all prisoners, even those with symptoms of cold and fever, have been separated from other inmates,” that “prison common areas are disinfected twice a day,” and that “we have not had a single case of coronavirus-related death in any prison so far.”[103] The pandemic provides an opportunity to advocate for long-needed change in prison administration policies, in line with Iran’s international obligations on the treatment of prisoners (Mandela Rules).[104] But misleading official statements, along with the judiciary’s customary lack of transparency, are not reassuring; more consequentially, they fail to incentivize decision makers to take urgent steps that could effectively curb the virus’s spread in prisons across the country. For inmates in an enclosed environment faced with substandard hygiene levels, the provision of daily disinfections in every ward with proper products and sufficient water (including hot water) and soap is not a luxury. It is a basic, minimum step that allow prisoners to protect themselves and others and ensure that prisoners’ rights to health and to life are protected. The international community must press Iran to take these minimum steps and allow independent monitoring of prisons. Iran, like many other countries around the world, is struggling to manage an extremely contagious and deadly virus. This is no justification for keeping people behind bars who do not belong in prison, including hundreds of political prisoners, prisoners of conscience, those who are eligible for release but cannot afford bail, and those who do not represent a danger to society. The authorities must also stop incarcerating recently arrested individuals, those convicted of offenses not recognized under international law, and those charged with minor crimes. If Iran does not enact effective preventive measures, adequate early-detection protocols, quarantine, and proper treatment of prisoners who are infected, in accordance with international guidelines, it can expect mass spread of a virus that has already stricken scores of staff and inmates, as well as more prison unrest. The current state of Iranian prisons is not linked to the current economic hardship and sanctions: it stems from bad laws and a clear lack of political will to ensure prisoners’ human rights for which Iran should be held accountable. Notes: [1] Amnesty International has reported that some 36 prisoners are feared dead in clashes with state agents inside prisons. April 9, 2020 () [2] See e.g. January 2020 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran () [3] See “Iran Should do More, Act Transparently to Protect Prisoners from COVID-19,” March 6, 2020 [4] Penal Reform International, “Coronavirus: Healthcare and human rights of people in prison,” March 16, 2020 () [5] “Preparedness, Prevention and Control of COVID-19 in Prisons and Other Places of Detention,” World Health Organization, March 15, 2020 () [6] Mizan Online, March 28, 2020 () [7] Mizan Online, March 28, 2020 () [8] Tasnim News, February 24, 2020 (). [9] Other prisoners not eligible include those convicted of kidnapping, where the victim has not pardoned them; those convicted of acid attacks; those convicted of smuggling, buying, or selling more than two firearms; those convicted of hodud crimes, and those convicted of defrauding a large number of people. Eligible prisoners except for those convicted of financial crimes may be granted leave even where they are unable to post bail, provided that there is “certainty” they will return (;) [10] “Kerman Prisons Organization, February 29, 2020 () [11] Kerman Prisons Organization, March 30, 2020 () [12] Iranian law criminalizes more than 1,800 acts, which according to Iranian experts leads to mass incarceration (ISNA, January 3, 2017,). Based on ABC’s research, close to 200 acts carry the death penalty (). Ongoing harsh criminalization of non-violent drug offenses in particular, including inmates with former death sentences now serving long jail terms per a 2017 drug law reform, is one driver of prison overcrowding (). [13]See head of Prison Organization’s statement, Tasnim News, May 13, 2019 () [14]c. 284,000 USD in the unofficial exchange rate of the time. Here and throughout, official subsidized exchange rates taken here and Iran Central Bank () and unofficial rates taken from TGJU () [15] c. 252,000 USD at the unofficial exchange rate [16] c. 164,000 USD in the unofficial exchange rate [17] c. 18,900 USD in the unofficial exchange rate of the time [18] c. 356,000 USD in the unofficial exchange rate of the time [19] Asr-e Eghtesad, December 13, 2017, (). Radio Farda, December 30, 2017, () [20] Shargh Press, December 30, 2017 (با-کاهش-بودجه-سازمان-زندان-ها؛-نیازهای/) [21]The general director for Hamedan province prisons announced steps including hygiene education, distribution of masks and gloves to visitors, and the setting up of segregated wards for suspected COVID-19 patients had commenced even before the corona crisis was officially declared. Mojnews, February 27, 2020 (). [22] Mizan Online, March 28, 2020 () [23] Remarks of the spokesperson of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, April 3, 2020 () [24] In an April 5 statement, the judiciary’s Human Rights Headquarters declared it had taken several steps toward “defending human dignity” since the outset of the outbreak, including regular, 24-hour cleaning of areas and facilities used by inmates, increasing availability of hygiene products to prisoners, control of food products into prisons, cessation of transfers of new inmates into prisons through April 19, and the setting up of night shifts for staff engaged in processing bail and leave requests and the segregation of ill prisoners. IRNA, April 5, 2020 () [25] IRNA, March 3, 2020, () [26] Bultan News, March 14, 2020 () [27] HRANA, April 2, 2020 () [28] Mehr News, March 7, 2020 () [29] Tasnim, April 3, 2020 () [30] HRANA, April 14, 2020 () [31] Interview of Naser Ashjari with Iran International, April 11, 2020 (); Summons order of April 12, 2002 () [32] HRANA, April 15, 2020 () [33] Qalamna, April 19, 2020 () [34]On April 19 the judiciary announced that all furloughs would be extended through April 29. (Twitter account of Hossein Taj, April 20, 2019) [35] Interview with source with knowledge of Parsilon Prison, April 2 and 15, 2020 [36] Iran Student News Agency, April 6, 2020 () [37] Interview with source with knowledge of Parsilon Prison, April 2 and 15, 2020 [38] Tabnak News, March 21, 2020 () [39] Interview with source with knowledge of Greater Tehran Penitentiary, April 4, 2020 [40] Interview with source with knowledge of Karaj Central Prison, April 8, 2020 [41] Interview with mother of Karaj Central inmate, March 3 and 23, 2020 () [42] Interview with source with knowledge of Karaj Central Prison, April 8, 2020 [43] Interview with source with knowledge of Karaj Central Prison, April 2, 2020 [44] ABC interviews with sources with knowledge of Karaj Penitentiary, April 2 and 8, 2020. [45] Interview with source with knowledge of Langarud Prison, April 4, 2020. [46] Ibid. Local news reported that 8 Langarud residents suspected of being infected with COVID-19 had died, 64 were being treated in the hospital by March 3. Bultan News () [47] Hawza News, March 30, 2020 ( ). [48] Human Rights Activists News, February 11, 2019 () [49] Interview with source with knowledge of Ahvaz Central Prison, April 2, 2020. [50]Interview with source with knowledge of Ilam Prison, April 2020 [51] Ibid. [52] IranWire, April 6, 2020 () [53] Report collected by ABC from source with knowledge of Vakilabad Prison, April 2, 2020. [54] IranWire, April 6, 2020 () [55] HRANA, April 6, 2020 () [56] HRANA, April 6, 2020 () [57]Tasnim News, October 28, 2018 () [58]Human Rights Activists in Iran, July 2, 2017 () [59] ABC interviews with informed source in West Azerbaijan, April 13 and 14, 2020 [60]Human Rights Activists in Iran report on Qarchak, May 11, 2019 () [61]Khabar Online, April 16, 2020 () [62] Telegram channel of ISNA, April 19, 2020 () [63] Khabar Online, April 16, 2020 () [64] BBC Persian 6:00 p.m. News, interview with released prisoners, April 14, 2020. HRANA, March 26, 2020 () [65]Telegram channel of ISNA, April 19, 2020 () [66] ABC interviews with source close to a security prisoner at Evin, March and April 2020 [67] Telegram Channel of Bidarzani, April 8, 2020 () [68] Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, “A Year Here is Like 10 Somewhere Else: Witness Testimony from Lajevardi Drug Camp.” Interview conducted March 18, 2019 () [69] ABC interview with sources with knowledge of the Shahid Lajevardi Prison Camp, April 4 and 14, 2020 [70]Such justifications for denials are precedented: in December 2018, imprisoned Gonabadi Darvish Reza Sigarchi was denied admission and a heart stint procedure at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran due to an unpaid debt from the Prisons Organization. Majbuzan-e Nur, December 12, 2018 () [71]ABC interview with source with knowledge of Karaj Central, April 2 and 15, 2020 [72] Kurdistan Human Rights Network, February 28, 2020 () [73] HRANA, March 26, 2020 () [74] Kurdistan Human Rights Network, April 3, 2020 (); ABC interview with an informed source, April 2020 [75] Aftab News, March 29, 2020 () [76] HRANA, March 26, 2020 () [77] Report collected by ABC from source with knowledge of Greater Tehran, April 2, 2020. This date has been corrected from “late November” following the original publication of this report. [78] HRANA, April 6, 2020 () [79] Interview with source with knowledge of Langarud Prison, April 4, 2020. [80] IRNA, March 19, 2020 () [81] HRANA, March 26, 2020 () [82] Lorestan Prisons, April 6, 2020 () [83] HRANA, March 26, 2020 () [84] HRANA, March 27, 2020 () [85] HRANA, April 11, 2020 () [86] HRANA, March 30, 2020 (). [87] Shapurkhast News, Hamedan, March 29, 2020 (). According to the Head of the Hamedan Judiciary, Mohammad Reza Edalatkhah, between March 21, 2019 and March 20, 2020, a total of 2,600 prisoners were released from Hamedan Province prisons. 1,985 prisoners were given leave for the remainder of their sentences, 495 were pardoned, and 181 were released thanks to the efforts of Hamedan’s Dieh Headquarters, which provides or raises funds to pay blood money owed by prisoners who cannot afford to pay. TNews, April 5, 2020 () [88] Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, March 29, 2020 (); [89] Mizan News Agency, March 29, 2020 () [90] Amnesty International, April 9, 2020 () [91] The head of the Ministry of Justice in Fars Province said inmates there had broken bars and security cameras, and that prison guards, law enforcement, and security forces had responded. Mizan News Agency, March 30, 2020 () [92] Amnesty International, April 9, 2020 () [93] Fararu, March 30, 2020 () [94] Telegram channel of Khakzadegan, April 11, 2020 () [95] Telegram Channel Khakzadegan, April 2, 2020 () [96] HRANA, April 2, 2020 () [97] IRNA, March 31, 2020 () [98] HRANA, April 6, 2020 (). Telegram channel: Khakzadegan, April 7 () and April 14 () [99] “Preparedness, Prevention and Control of COVID-19 in Prisons and Other Places of Detention,” World Health Organization, March 15, 2020 () [100] Prisons Organization head Jahangir accused foreign enemies of attempting to incite prisoners by circulating false claims on social media that their health was not receiving due attention and to otherwise cast doubt on Iranian officials’ efforts to control the virus in prisons. Tasnim News, April 6, 2020 () [101] Quoting Mehr News, April 16, 2020 () [102] Khabar Online, April 16, 2020 () [103] Tasnim News, April 5, 2020 (); Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, April 6, 2020 () [104] United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, 2015 (the Mandela Rules) ()

Goalkeeping great Gianluigi Buffon on the brink of winning his missing medal The Wales forward has not played since coming off in the first half of El Clasico on April 23, and he admitted he may have rushed his return following an operation in November. Classic contest on cards under closed roof at Cardiff; Real's Ronaldo, Juventus' Buffon look for crowning glory. The eggs have been replaced by adulation as Allegri has taken Juventus to the brink of football immortality: win in Cardiff and they will become only the eighth European club to win the domestic ... Deportes - Todas las noticias Afghanistan bats first in T20 match against West IndiesWest Indies went into the match without experienced all-rounder Kieron Pollard, who is sidelined with the flu. Uncapped fast bowler Ronsford Beaton is the other player omitted from the squad of 13. West Indies claimed a comprehensive and clinical six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the opening Twenty20 worldwide. Teams: West Indies - Carlos Brathwaite, Evin Lewis, Chadwick Walton (wicketkeeper), Lendl Simmons, Marlon Samuels, Jason Mohammed, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Jerome ... Penguins pound Predators, take control of seriesThe Penguins are now two wins from becoming the first back-to-back Stanley Cup victor since the 1997-98 Red Wings . Compare this performance to those of Matt Murray , who has been remarkable in the Final, and the opportunistic Penguins have rolled on their way to a 2-0 series lead despite being punchless on the power play and being starkly outplayed for the first five periods of this series. Bryan Robson: Paul Pogba should be next Manchester United captainHis character is right, he is a tough player, really skillful, he works really hard and works hard. "When you put all that package into one, he's exactly the type that we would like here". Juan's missed a few, Martial and Rashford definitely have. Both Robson and Pallister believe 19-year-old Marcus Rashford will be part of the solution next term. Chris Woakes out of ICC Champions Trophy with side strainJoe Root was one of England's injury victims but also provided the career-best hundred which ensured they began their Champions Trophy campaign with an emphatic victory against Bangladesh at The Oval. And after then, England is a totally different team. Tamim skied Liam Plunkett to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and Mushfiqur was caught in the deep for 79 off the next ball. Cavaliers: 2017 NBA Finals Game 1 PreviewPeople on the internet sure did. The Cavaliers ripped their Eastern Conference rivals apart, but Golden State Warriors is a much stronger beast. And, last year, the Warriors registered the highest ever regular season win record with 73 victories, but went on to lose 4-3 - after leading 3-1 - to a LeBron James-inspired Cavaliers. Zidane: quot;La final está al cincuenta por cientoquotEl 24 de mayo de 2014, el Real Madrid conquistó la décima " Orejona " a costillas del Atlético de Madrid, con quien empató 1-1 en tiempo regular, pero en los tiempos extra le anotó tres goles para vencerlo por un contundente 4-1 en Lisboa. United identify unlikely attacker as a fall-back option for Antoine GriezmannAnd according to Goal , the 29-year-old has made his way onto Mourinho's wanted list going into the summer transfer window. Given his age, Kruse is considered to be a much cheaper option than the three names mentioned above and that would allow Mourinho to invest in other areas of his team, as United prepare for a return to the Champions League next term. England beat Bangladesh in Champions Trophy openerBoth batsmen, however, fell in successive balls from fast bowler Liam Plunkett to leave Bangladesh 261 for four in the 45th over. Sarkar took the attack to Jake Ball (1-82) hitting him for a six and two boundaries in the 11th over but was caught in the deep in the next over bowled by Ben Stokes (1-42), ending the 56-run opening stand. Rafael Nadal Hoping For Birthday Present From Real MadridWhen he hasn't scored, he's played great and he'll play a great game tomorrow. I have seen that many times in my life. "And people like fairytales". Ronaldo has also admitted that he and Messi are not friends, but he is a "professional colleague, not a rival". Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland CavaliersSunday, June 4: Cleveland at Golden State, 8 p.m. Many of Durant's biggest naysayers said he would fold under the pressure of going up against LeBron and defer to Stephen Curry on offense. "We talked about it before the game and Steve (Kerr) suggested we try and get the ball in (Durant's) hands right away and put him in a position where he can attack downhill", interim head coach Mike Brown said. Ecuador lamenta la retirada de Estados Unidos del Acuerdo de ParísTrump anunció hoy la retirada del país del Acuerdo climático de París , al argumentar que ese pacto pone en "permanente desventaja" a la economía y los trabajadores estadounidenses, en línea con su filosofía nacionalista . Refirió que la protección del medio ambiente no está peleada con el crecimiento económico. México reafirmó su "apoyo irrestricto y compromiso" con el Acuerdo y continuará "implementando las metas establecidas en su Contribución Prevista y Determinada a Nivel Nacional ". Warriors take Game 1 vs Cavs 113-91 with Curry Durant powerThe Warriors had 12 steals to none by Cleveland , outscored the Cavaliers 56-30 in the paint and 27-9 on fast breaks. . " "Zidane y la final de Champions: "¿Favoritismo? Será un 50-50"Lo importante es estar en el momento adecuado. Esta tarde, el técnico de la Juventus , Massimiliano Allegri , atenderá junto al defensa brasileño Dani Alves y al guardameta italiano Gianluigi Buffon a los medios de comunicación en el Millenium Stadium, sede de la final de la Champions League, antes de realizar una sesión de entrenamiento en ese mismo escenario. NATO France, Germany 'certain' Trump would honour pledgesGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel even said on Sunday that Germany can no longer fully rely on the US. Schloss Meseberg, around 65 km from Berlin , is the country retreat of the German Chancellor and the official state guest house of the German government. Woakes ruled out of Champions Trophy with side strainBangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt),. Champions League final talking pointsThe French coach, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo will speak to the press later today (19:45 CET). Heading into his third Champions League final - the most of any player in the current Juventus squad - Alves will again be tasked with leading his side into battle. Goffin retires from match at French OpenNovak Djokovic has had one of the best games in tennis - he wouldn't have been a World No. 1 without it! I'm going to be looking forward to play the match . Had all three won, the United States would have had seven women singles players in the third round, which would have been the most from the US since nine made it in 2003. Tanta humildad no es buena: CristianoComo entrenador, Zidane ha exhibido el mismo temple que lo caracterizó en su época de jugador, como cuando anotó uno de los goles más recordados en la historia de la Champions en la final de 2002 en Glasgow. Tenemos que demostrar nuestro carácter y quién es el mejor. Sus seis derrotas en finales, llegaron en 1973 ante el Ajax (1-0), en 1983 contra el Hamburgo (1-0), en 1997 frente al Borussia Dortmund (3-1), en 1998 con el Real Madrid como rival (1-0), en 2003 con el Milan (3-2 en ... Cavaliers need heart, pride fewer mistakes in FinalsDurant feasted when the Cavaliers overcommitted to the Warriors' 3-point shooters. Kevin Love grabbed 21 rebounds and scored 15 points, while Tristan Thompson was held scoreless and to four boards. 11 of the 13 have been by double digits and they came into the game win an average differential of 16.3 (the largest in National Basketball Association history). Kevin Durant Destroyed the Idea That He Should Just Fit InBut even though the Warriors won fewer games this season, and even went undefeated without him in the starting lineup, the Warriors are still somehow a better team with him than they were a year ago. "What happened in the past in my mind doesn't really count now unless we go out and finish the deal", he said. The Cavaliers dusted their opponents as well. England pick Jake Ball ahead of Adil Rashid for Bangladesh clashThe only disappointment in an otherwise impressive England innings was when opener Jason Roy fell for one on his Surrey home ground. You do want to take it on and be that leader of the bowling attack ... Meanwhile, Bangladesh took a while to get going but having acclimatised to the conditions, they soon began to put pressure on the England bowlers. "Buffon merece el Balón de Oro si gana la Champions" — PirloAdemás reconoció que la experiencia que ha ganado con el correr de los años, esta sería su quinta final de Champions League , ayuda a bajar los nervios y contó cuál es su estrategia: " Busco apartarme un poco del fútbol para no estar obsesionado con el partido ". No extra pressure while facing Pakistan : Virat KohliThe squad led by Virat Kohli is set to depart for England tomorrow. I think I am equipped enough to do it. "We've a world class player in Joe Root, in all formats, who can play in all conditions, but to have the aggression at the top with Roy and Hales, and Morgan lower down, it's a nice looking line-up". James debe quedarse en el Real Madrid — CristianoTiene sus razones y lo tenemos que respetar. Además dice que su carrera apenas comienza, pues tiene 25 años de edad, y que para el portugués, James tiene un gran fútbol para aportar al cuadro blanco. Por eso, está mirando lejos del Bernabéu en búsqueda de más minutos. "Si él me preguntara yo le diría que se quede, obviamente que él tiene sus quejas y a lo mejor quiere jugar más, pero esas son cosas muy personales", respondió el delantero al Chringuito TV . Ernesto Valverde confirmed as new Barcelona bossThe La Liga giants have done so again after they confirmed that former Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde is set to take charge of the club next season. And Valverde has the credentials to be successful. Do you think Valverde is the right choice for Barcelona? "In his career, he's won no fewer than six trophies, including five with Olympiacos and one with Athletic Club" - a reference to Bilbao's 2015 Spanish Supercup win. La final Real Madrid-Juventus será "segura", afirma la UEFAEn 2001, la Federación Galesa de Fútbol (FAW) se postuló como sede para la final de la Liga de Campeones de 2003, aunque la UEFA se acabó decantado por Old Trafford , el campo del Manchester United. La aplicación enviará una alerta en caso de incidente y las instrucciones a seguir para, por ejemplo, acudir al hospital o al centro de evacuación más próximo. Del Potro consoles injured foe, doing 'what my heart feels'Tied at a set apiece and 1-all in the third after an hour-and-a-half of play, Almagro stood motionless, bent over in obvious distress, as a del Potro serve whizzed by. It's been a disappointing year to date for the top-seeded Brit, who'll have to be on top of his game against Argentine hard-hitter Del Potro. "I know what injuries are all about". Rohit: Team unity key to Mumbai successBut despite the flaws and mistakes the team made in the final, their campaign this year was nothing short of outstanding. The Mumbai Indians completed a narrow win by a margin of one run. Mumbai's total was the lowest score successfully defended in this year's tournament. Bumrah said: "The way we fought was absolutely wonderful". Nadal, Djokovic march on as Muguruza survives at French OpenDjokovic followed in the main stadium and found himself in quite a bit of trouble right away against 41st-ranked Diego Schwartzman before emerging to win 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. - France's Kristina Mladenovic pulled off a spectacular recovery from 5-2 down in the third set to book a fourth round spot with a 7-5 4-6 8-6 win over American Shelby Rogers . Antoine Griezmann to Man Utd up to Ed Woodward - MourinhoWayne Rooney and Manchester United raise the Europa League trophy following their 2-0 victory over Ajax . "At the time , I looked at the reaction of my players first of all, and they were furious about it, so that puts a doubt in your mind as to whether it was the correct decision", Clement said. Demasiada humildad no es buenaDe acuerdo con "ESPN Radio Fórmula", el portugués destacó las grandes cualidades del conjunto rival e indicó que por algo está en la final de tan importante competición. El centrocampista del Juventus de Turín, Claudio Marchisio, aseguró ayer que en los últimos años su equipo cambió "de actitud con respecto a Europa " y que llega con "mucha confianza". Ernesto Valverde es el nuevo entrenador del Barcelona — OFICIALAntes del final de la temporada, Luis Enrique había anticipado que no seguiría formando parte del club, luego de tres campañas como entrenador en las que consiguió nueve títulos, incluida la Champions League 2014/15. "No podemos estar satisfechos ni calificar de exitosa la temporada, los jugadores tampoco", aseveró el máximo mandatario del Barcelona . El máximo mandatario azulgrana también señaló que, "por respeto a su trabajo en su anterior club", las negociaciones se llevaron a cabo ... Zinedine Zidane convoca toda la plantilla para la final de ChampionsEFE. El plan de Zidane para gestionar los minutos de Cristiano esta temporada ha dado sus frutos con un jugador, que ha pasado de explosivo regateador a delantero que espera su ocasión en el área. "Si además es con golito mío mejor, pero en principio mis labores serán otras, aunque siempre que haya opción de subir a rematar un córner o cualquier acción a balón parado lo intentaré", reconoció en el día de puertas abiertas a la prensa en Madrid . Tiger Woods appears confused in police dashcam footageThe affidavit was released a day after Woods spent almost four hours in the Palm Beach County jail on a DUI charge. When asked where he was coming from, Woods said, according to USA Today, "Jupiter", but when asked again he said, "LA". However, the golfer released a statement saying he was on prescribed medication and having an "unexpected reaction". Police reports state Woods was cooperative - he can be heard answering "yes, sir" to questions - but confused. Real Madrid vs Juventus, final de Champions League ¿dónde lo veo?Siempre hay que tener la modestia y la humildad para seguir aprendiendo", prosiguió Buffon . Para llevar esa Copa a casa hay que llevar a cabo un esfuerzo más. El hombre que llegó del Mónaco en 2014 por 80 millones de euros podría, de este modo, estar cerca de la salida del Real Madrid . Experiencia: "Los jóvenes probablemente tengan el riesgo de encarar el partido con mayor inconsciencia y ligereza. "James debería quedarse en el Madrid" — Cristiano RonaldoLlega a la final en plenitud de forma. Para su estancia en Cardiff , la Juventus eligió un hotel que se encuentra a unos 18 kilómetros de distancia del Millennium Stadium, sede de la final, y que le garantizará la máxima tranquilidad, al estar rodeado por más de 650 acres de jardines. I understand why James wants to leave Real Madrid: RonaldoMy Juventus side would have been ready to win the Champions League it if it wasn't for Calciopoli [the match fix scandal that saw Juve being relegated to second division]". In contrast to Madrid s previous finals in recent seasons, though, Ronaldo arrives in Cardiff in his best form of the campaign having been spared for a series of league games recently. Nadal hoping for birthday present from Real MadridDefeat. "Sweating and working hard to get it", Buffon said. "But what I would like to insist on, what's important is what he does professionally". Yet to complete two full seasons as a senior coach, the Frenchman is leading Madrid in a second Champions League final . Red-faced Basilashvili has no advice for Nadal opponentsFriday's victory was his 100th best-of-five-set match on the slow surface, and he now has a staggering win-loss ratio of 98-2. Nadal, who turns 31 on Saturday, will meet fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the quarterfinals. UEFA: La final Real Madrid-Juventus será "segura"Según estimaciones basadas en los resultados registrados en las ediciones anteriores del evento deportivo. El conjunto turinés realizará este jueves el último entrenamiento en el centro técnico de Vinovo y volará a Cardiff el viernes en torno a las 11.00 locales (-2 GMT), donde se alojará en una lujosa estructura de las afueras de la capital galesa, informaron a Efe fuentes del club. Rihanna star of National Basketball Association finals openerSo I know we can play better. "I'm sure LeBron probably thinks he could play better, and you tip your hat off to KD". LeBron James had 28 points and 15 rebounds for the Cavs but also finished with seven turnovers. But journeyman Derrick Williams isn't a big defender, and when veteran center Andrew Bogut suffered a leg fracture in his first minute with Cleveland and wanderer Larry Sanders wasn't able to flake off two years of physical and mental rust , that void in the middle ...

How To Make Low Carb Keto Mushroom Soup I used to buy canned mushroom soup for years and never thought about it. I enjoyed it for lunch or dinner and never thought of making it at home. What a game-changer it is! Not only we get rid of all those unnecessary ingredients like wheat flour, tons of added sugar, and a few more extra processed, but it is extremely easy to whip up. Id say this low carb vegetarian soup its a million times creamier and flavorful, if not even more! If You Like This Recipe You May Also Like: - For a light but delicious meal, you are going to go wild for this Keto Caesar Salad recipe. - Looking for dinner inspiration? Dont miss these Keto Casserole Recipes. If you like this recipe dont forget to leave a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the below comments, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on , , and to see all my delicious recipes.. Read Also: Knorr Spinach Dip Gluten-free Carbs In Canned Mushroom Soup One can of cream of mushroom soup contains over 16 net carbs, plus a few not so healthy ingredients like vegetable oil, modified food starch and wheat flour. When I started the keto diet creating low carb homemade soup staples was not on my radar, but after the official food boredom kicked in, I knew I had to do something to re-create my childhood favorites without sacrificing my weight loss. Keto Cream of Mushroom soup seemed like a logical place to start! Full disclosure: this recipe was inspired by Dinner With JuliesCream of Mushroom Soup with Buttered Crackers recipe! I knew if I recreated it & made it low carb & keto-friendly, I could use it in casseroles as a keto swap & liberate myself from I Cant Eat That syndrome! Since I dont enjoy working in the kitchen all day, I made this low carb, keto mushroom soup recipe as easy as possible without sacrificing the flavor. Oh, and did I mention it only has 4.4 Net Carbs? What Are Baby Bella Mushrooms . Read Also: Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup Walmart What Soup Can I Eat On Keto 19 Keto-Approved Soups Perfect For Sweater Weather of 19. Keto Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Look at those broccoli florets! of 19. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. of 19. Keto Chili. of 19. Keto Chicken Soup. of 19. Zoodle Ramen. of 19. Cream of Mushroom Soup. of 19. Cream of Asparagus Soup. of 19. Thai Chicken Coconut Soup.More itemsOct 18, 2021. Also Check: Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix Substitute Gluten Free Cream Of Chicken Soup & Cream Of Mushroom Soup Use gluten free cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup in any recipe that calls for the canned version. This delicious, homemade swap couldnt be simpler! I am so thrilled to share the recipes for Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Soup and Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup with you today. These homemade thick and creamy soup recipes are going to change casserole season and the holidays as we know it! Whats The Difference Between Chicken Stock And Chicken Broth While they are mostly the same thing, chicken stock and chicken broth are made differently. Stock is made from chicken bones, making it slightly thicker with a richer flavor. Chicken Stocks marketed as bone broth generally contain extra nutrients from the simmering bones. Chicken broth is made from cooking meat with vegetables to make a chicken flavored broth. For most soup recipes, these two products can be used interchangeably. You may get a richer flavor from a stock than you would from a broth, but overall they are similar enough that you wont notice much of a difference. I prefer to use chicken stock to make my gluten free cream of chicken soup, I find that the chicken flavor is more pronounced. Did you make this gluten free cream of chicken soup? Please leave a comment below letting me know what you thought. Read Also: Campbells Chicken Rice Casserole Superior Fuel In A Form Of Exogenous Ketone Supplement KETOSTART exogenous ketone supplement Here at Fittoservegroup, we believe in using keto recipes to help you do the keto diet effectively. But what if I told you, there was a way you could enter ketosis almost immediately and have sustained energy in a form of a clean supplement? I know this may sound too good to be true, but we have seen for ourselves the benefits of exogenous ketones and its why we believe they can be an effective tool. However, NOT all exogenous ketones are the same and some just dont deliver enough BHB per serving to see results. Well,KETOSTART ® is a fast-acting, readily available, carbohydrate-free, and highly efficient fuel source, designed to help you reach and maintain a state of ketosis, offering the benefits of elevated ketone levels easily. Each serving has 10g BHB! It is a powerful and effective blend of exogenous ketones in the form of beta-hydroxybutyrate salts with electrolytes, to give your body the extra energy it needs. We are loving how we are achieving and maintaining ketosis effortlessly and wanted to share them with you in case you wanted to try them too.! Recommended Reading: Soups For Kidney Disease Low Carb Mushroom Soup In The Instant Pot Put the pressure cooker on the Sauté setting. Add the onion, celery, thyme and bay leaf and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Stir regularly. Pick out about ¼ cup of mushrooms and place to one side for the top. Pour in the chicken broth. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and seal. Select manual and set the timer to 5 minutes. The pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure. When the cook cycle has ended, allow the pot to sit for 10 minutes, Then turn the knob and do a quick release of the remaining steam. Add the cream and proceed as per recipe. Keto Mushroom Soup Recipe I. Don’t Miss: Campbell Soup Tater Tot Casserole How To Make Keto Cream Of Mushroom Soup Tips and Variations. Read Also: French Onion Potatoes Lipton What To Serve With Cream Of Mushroom Soup Serve this low carb cream of mushroom soup with some extra toppings or one of these sides: - Toppings When we have this soup on its own, I like to add some sauteed mushrooms on top. A swirl of cream, a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves, and some keto croutons for crunch are also nice additions. - Salads Soup and salad are a classic combo for a reason. Try my spring mix salad, kale crunch salad, or kale and brussels sprouts salad. - Green Bean Casserole Using homemade cream of mushroom soup in my keto green bean casserole gives it the BEST flavor. Non-keto people will also love it. What To Look For When Searching For Keto Canned Soup Unfortunately, a lot of popular soup brands have high amounts of sodium, sugar, and preservatives. Thats not the case across the board, but generally speaking, youll always want to double-check the label, even when you are pretty sure its a safe flavor like broccoli cheese. Here are some tips for finding keto-friendly soups: Dont Miss: Aldi Cream Of Chicken Soup Also Check: Olive Garden Minestrone Vegetarian News Result For Is Pea Soup Keto Friendly Spring soup makes the most of short and snappy pea seasonYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link StarTribune pea Keto Romesco Sauce: A super healthy Spanish sauceYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link Yahoo News soup Kurella’s Kitchen: Cool, summer soupYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link YAHOO!Finance The Best Protein Bars You’ll Actually Want to EatYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link Yahoo Finance Gluten freeYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link Food Tiramisu Chaffle Cake Is Guaranteed To Be Your New Fave DessertAnd It’s KetoYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link keto-friendly This Instant Pot Blender Can Cook Food, TooYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link Men’s Journal souppea Side DishYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link KTRE Love small business? Here’s why you should shop at your local farmers market.Your browser indicates if you’ve visited this link Yahoo pea FOOD: Red Pepper Chickpea Soup with Gazpacho Relish, Brunch Fruit TartYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link YAHOO!News Soup 40 Quick and Easy Side Dishes for FishYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link Entrepreneurs to watchYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link Food 35 Healthy Family Dinners to Get You Through the WeekYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link Soupsoup Healthy snackingYour browser indicates if you’ve visited this link Food Soup You May Like: Is Lipton Onion Soup Gluten Free Can I Freeze Cream Of Chicken Soup You can absolutely freeze cream of chicken soup. In fact, you can make a double or triple batch and freeze it for later, which is a huge time saver. To freeze cream of chicken soup, pour the cooled gluten free chicken soup into freezer bags and squeeze out all the air. Lay flat and freeze until solid, and then you can position your frozen cream of chicken soup wherever youd like in the freezer. Keto Cream Of Mushroom Soup Keto Cream of Mushroom Soup is made with fresh mushrooms and thickened with cream to make the perfect substitute for condensed cream of mushroom soup. I grew up eating dinner casseroles and delicious side dishes that used a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup to make a delicious mushroom gravy that brought everything in the dish together. Sadly, condensed cream of mushroom soup is made with starches to give it that thick consistency, not to mention the preservatives added to the canned food. This simple keto cream of mushroom soup uses fresh mushrooms and thickens the recipe by adding heavy cream and cooking the everything down to get the perfect consistency. Now I can make healthy versions of classic comfort food recipes like our Keto Green Bean Casserole, and Cheesy Broccoli Casserole without losing all of those delicious flavors I grew up with. Note: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Thank you! Also Check: Baked Potato Soup Cheesecake Factory Gluten Free Caf From Health Valley - Cream of Mushroom Soup Cross-Contamination: Gluten Free Café isone of the gluten-free cream of mushroom soup brands that produce only gluten-free foods. Additionally, their website says that all their products are certified by the GFCO. However, they dont have any information regarding allergen cross-contamination, so we reached out to them. In an email response, a rep for Gluten Free Café stated that they take great precautions with their cleaning and sanitizing practices to help prevent cross-contamination. Where To Buy: Albertsons, Natural Grocers, New Seasons, Safeway, and Walmart. Check out the Gluten Free Café store locator to find this GF cream of mushroom soup near you. Add More Deliciousness To Your Inbox Youre in! Well send you delicious recipes once a week Finally, a hearty keto chicken soup thats not just warm and comforting its 100% low-carb and wont kick you out of ketosis. The best part? Its ready in less than half an hour with very little prep time. Add this chicken soup recipe to your list of quick and easy keto recipes or double your batch and freeze what you dont eat for a satisfying snack on super busy days. Most canned cream of chicken soups contain fillers, thickeners, and tons of hidden carbs. Not to mention gluten and other additives you dont want in your body. This keto chicken soup comes with health benefits instead. This keto chicken soup is: - Creamy Read Also: Campbells Chicken And Rice Casserole With Cream Of Chicken Soup

Joined: 15 January 2011 Posts: 23237 The following 3 member(s) liked the above post: -bharti-, prncz, .iridescence., Joined: 13 February 2011 Posts: 9702 The following 2 member(s) liked the above post: prncz, Hamlet53, Joined: 15 January 2011 Posts: 23237 The following 3 member(s) liked the above post: -bharti-, prncz, -Azy-, Joined: 15 January 2011 Posts: 23237 The following 3 member(s) liked the above post: mnx12, -bharti-, prncz, Joined: 15 January 2011 Posts: 23237 The following 2 member(s) liked the above post: noreen, -bharti-, Joined: 15 January 2011 Posts: 23237 The following 2 member(s) liked the above post: simpleAnna, -bharti-, Joined: 15 January 2011 Posts: 23237 Mishal Raheja as Major Dutta Patil Painful Rapture Chapter ~ 31 "double, double toil and trouble".. Shakespeare According to company rules and regulations the hospital governing body put into place the disciplinary hearing, all required parties were formally notified of attendance at the designated venue and date for the proceedings. Ms.Tendulkar's PA gave last minute touches to the onsite formal hearing room. She glanced at the formal chairs for the witness , another set of chairs for observers. Plus a row of chairs for visitors and selected members of the public. Alongside there stood a formal birchwood podium for the speakers to impart information,. In the middle of the room stood a narrow rectangular birch table with a neat low pile of colour coordinated folders each neatly labelled for reference point, and an aluminium pot of assorted stationary, and finally behind the table stood a high formal birchen chair with formal chunky handles .The PA also checked another small table in front with her laptop and the short hand pad on which the proceedings were to be recorded for hard copies by her. Naku got ready for the proceedings she was preoccupied and on edge , however she was clear in her decision .She moved towards Bappa's idol and in obeisance ,with clasped hands she prayed for wisdom and strength which she sought most of all today . She opened her eyes ,and turned to leave ,when her mobile checked her action. " helloo Nakusha, I sincerely hope you will take the correct path today ,well just to let you know I have already done what I was meant to do ,so too bad dost ,agar main dooba ,to tu bhi nehi bachee gi that's for sure", and she heard a satanic cackle" . "Harshad ,why am I not surprised any more at what you do? ,what you have just done ,may I remind, you is called intimidating a witness, but be my guest, I know and you know I will do what I will do , so you will have to wait and watch!"...she paused briefly ,"so Harshad mera dost see you in the hearing and may the best man win!" said Nakusha . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The moment arrived, as did the relevant members involved in the proceedings and sat in designated places. There was general silence and an air of decorum , apart from as and when required sibilant whispers between Ms.Tedulakar and her PA. Harshad sat in a formal dark suit ,shirt and tie dress given the gravity of the situation. He looked up and his shiny black eyes stared at Naku, with an expression which may seem a plead but also appeared to be laced with arrogance. Naku bounced off his expressions, with a quiet calm and looked down at her clasped hands .Lauren who sat next to her could sense her underlying stretched nerves , placed her comforting hand on Naku's arm. Naku, looked sideways at Lauren, to acknowledge, when suddenly she heard the double doors swung open, she stopped and her heart lost countless beats as she saw Major Dutta in full camouflage combat uniform complete with his bullet proof jacket, beret atop his broad head ,flanked by two soldiers walk in with the strong sound of metal backed boot soles across the tiled floor of the room . The three stood tall before Ms.Tendulkar and Major Dutta performed a bow of his head and said "ma'am, permission sought to attend proceedings as an observer plus witness, on behalf of Brig. Parekh Sir!" declared Dutta for all present in a commanding guttural voice, while his two soldiers moved back a step . . "Ms Tendulkar stood " of course this is indeed an honour Major to have you here on behalf of Brig. Parekh"said Ms.Tedulkar overcome by the presence of army personnel, she turned her head to her PA, who leapt to show Major Dutta his seat, and the metal soles again clicked against the floor ,as Major headed towards his single chair, on which he sat ,while all eyes lodged at the army man. He sat and his two soldiers stood behind his chair . Major Dutta sat erect with his face totally set and firm as he placed his broad palms on his knees .He slowly moved his eyes towards the woman he loved and their eyes met, his narrow and cold ,hers warm, wide eyed and relieved .She bit her lip and lowered her eyes , her beloved had come ,her heart was beating madly against her ribcage and he could hear the pound for he turned his narrow eyes slowly towards Ms.Tendulkar, as he in stiffened fashion waited for the proceedings to start. He looked up ,at Lauren and gave her a hint of a smile and a side dip of the head as his eyes moved back to Naku's face and his lips parted as he took in her beauty he tore away his lingering eyes and travelled to wards Harshad who appeared worried much to Dutta's delight .Dutta was prompted to stand and with decisive steps that clicked on the polished floor he stood before Ms Tendulkar's table and stretched his burly arms , placed his broad palms on the desk as he whispered something and Ms.Tendulkar nodded and he stood up tall and brought his fingers to his breast pocket and lackadaisically pulled out his mobile phone pressed a button and placed the phone on MS's table ..who saw ,and made a quick scrawl on her notes. Naku looked Dutta's way, how handsome ,powerful and authoritative he looked ,as if to say he was any less even when he is not in uniform ,her Lion!. She knew what the mobile displayed ,and as he clicked back to his seat he caught sight of her worried face , and he slanted his eyes with a slight pleat towards her and head in a slow curve his eyes cried baby I am here now , main ah gayea ho nab! Ms.Tendulkar placed her arms on the table and began, "ladies and gentleman, the purpose of this proceeding is to deal with fraud and corruption investigation that has been brought out in a certain employee of this establishment. Now if I may outline here that this proceeding will operate within the policy and procedures as stipulated within the Dera Hospital and is set up by the board of directors of the hospital. The policy therefore is committed to the prevention, deterrence, detection and investigation of all forms of fraud and corruption and aims to act as an aid in the prevention of fraud", out lined Ms.Tendulkar, as Dutta with gravity took in the formalities. The established environment of the Dera hospital promotes a culture where all fraudulent activities once noticed or legitimately suspected are reported, investigated and resolved in a timely and fair manner. However the hospital will not tolerate any incident of fraud and if an incident occurs, the hospital board of directors and staff shall act in accordance with the code of conduct and in the spirit of ethical standards", continued the MS ,but Dutta's be specific intense of the eyes ,prompted him to speak , "Major if you have any more to add here on behalf of Brig. Parekh, may I invite you here to the dais", Dutta got up in full authority and made way to the podium . "Ms.Tendulkar may I add simply that every company or establishment should be committed to protecting its revenue, expenditure and assets from any attempt by members of the public, contractors, agents, intermediaries, volunteers, board of directors or its own staff to gain financial or other benefits by deceit, bias or dishonest conduct", he paused briefly and addressed the MS "I sincerely hope that today we can see the systems come into place that deter or identity corrupt activities and uphold good governance of the hospital which will set the example for honesty and integrity" ,he continued with his sqaure jaw firmly in place and just before he moved to leave the podium for his chair ,the MS, full realizing his position invited him "Major Dutta if you at any point do require more information on matters related to the proceedings, please do not hesitate to tender your queries during the session, as a matter of fact it will clarify our position to all present , as to why investigations and possible charges of fraud and corruption have been brought out against certain hospital staff", she assured Dutta as she looked his way in a benign manner .Dutta nodded and looked at Naku ,with a subtle twitch of his eyes ,Naku smiled shyly as she trapped his gaze unwillingly to let go, till he sucked his lips and turned his head sideways . Ms.Tedulkar formally announced that investigations were underway on PT Harshad for fraud and corruption with an addition of black mail. Harshad tried his hardest to maintain composure and Dutta was impressed by his self- possession, but within himself he was clear that justice would be done, and above all the parties involved in planning and implementation would also be exposed. Lauren dressed in a black knee high pencil skirt with an ivory silk and black tailored jacket ,walked in her 3 inch stilettos towards the podium ,while Dutta , unintentionally noticed the slit behind her tight skirt ,but swiftly lowered his eyes as he caught Naku giving him a wide eyed look. Lauren explained , that wheelchairs were needed by the military hospital and the stock was delivered , but incomplete . She explained Harshad the defendant, denied knowledge of the missing 4 wheel chairs, and instantaneously blamed the driver, and arranged for him to be arrested. The next for evidence was the driver ,who narrated his tale of woe and denied that he had anything to do with the disappearance , he further said he was asked to lunch on his own for half and hour, and also confirmed that Harshad had lunch not with him but after him. The Ms .noted the point, the driver also confirmed that he had a meeting with the stock controller and Harshad the night before the delivery of the consignment .Thus was confirmed Naku's evidence that she saw three men. Dutta now sat with one long leg crossed over his muscular thigh and he rested his elbow on the handle of his chair and with his slender finger, he gently stroked the stubble under his lower lip his narrow eyes shifted and caught Naku staring at his seating position and he shook his crossed over leg towards her and raised an eye brow in the slowest of motions as if to say with his eyes you can't get your eyes off your lover boy can you baaaby? ..laterss ,he relayed with his eyes as she double fast lowered her eyes. Immediately after wards the stock controller was brought in to give evidence and he appeared terribly shaken, as he shifted the blame on Harshad and insisted that he was innocent. Harshad found it a chore to conceal his desire to smother the stock controller and Dutta shook his crossed leg and cussed Harshad with narrow eyes... squirm you wriggly worm, wait till more is churned out against..you! Harshad was then asked to defend himself and he once again denied that all the statements given were falsified and repeated again his boast that he had everything good going for him ,he would be insane to let this go for a few bucks . Dutta smiled furtively when he heard Harshad perjure, but listened with further amusement as Harshad categorically blamed the driver, for the fraud and also pivoted and stated it was the stock controller's idea to misappropriate stock not him, the more he spoke the more he sounded like an unstable man riddled with guilt ;for the expressions of all in the proceedings especially the board off directors and the Ms had evidence based on investigations that pointed to the drivers innocence . Eventually the moment arrived for the key witness to give her evidence .Dutta looked at her across the room as she sat with her tiny delicate beautiful hands on her knees ready to haul herself up on her legs, He nodded at her as he blinked his eyes once to assure her ,and she drew her breath , as she longed to run across the room straight into his wide embrace ."PT Nakusha! ..she heard her name and she stood up and in slow steps swished across the room in her art silk mustard floral and circular bandini print saree, with a tikka and resham embroidered decorative patch border that framed the complete frame. Dutta had only observed her sitting down and when he saw her delicate and excessively whole some feminine frame! his heart had to muffle his intense aspiration to kick every one out of this space, yank her in his arms ,bend her over and press a hard one on her mouth with his lips .His eyes sparkled like a very naughty wayward boy, as he moved his mouth and parted his lips, waise mana parre ga Naku tu cheez to khalass ker dena wali hai! ,like always Dutta is a complete and utter goner, he sizzled mentally. He saw her nod and speak as her beautiful lips moved to tell her side , but he Dutta had heard it all before so he would use his time in pursuit of her, after all it was after some time lapse that he had actually seen her , of course it's not the same as to feel her, but alas! he thought beggars cannot be choosers or should he suffice make hay while he sun shines... his passionate gaze like a marauder fixed upon her luscious lips as they moved to give evidence ,Dutta ,tweaked his bottom lip and unconsciously ran his finger gently over his bottom smooth pink lip as she moved her lips to articulate. She stood behind the podium her shoulders looked rounded and smooth under her high neck back and front v neck mustard blouse , his eyes looked with approval at her bosom which was covered with the saree pallu over her shoulder and he saw her beautiful fair arms covered in three quarter sleeves complimented with his mothers gold kangans .She felt his hot stare across her face as he continued to drown in the beauty of her face, her raven black shiny hair lay in a small slant strand of hair that went cross her forehead and swept back from her ears to form a French roll secured at the back of her head . Dutta almost bit into his top lip as his eyes feasted on her ear lobes, flattered by a single beaten gold stud ,and her swan like porcelain neck that was calling to him, laid bare for him to approach her and consume .He lowered his eyes and swept his stubble from one side with his long slender fingers. Naku, then stopped briefly after giving her account and further added on "I would like to further add that Harshad also tried to intimidate me this morning regards giving my evidence, I would like the investigation procedures to go through my last phone call received on my mobile to substantiate my statement, she looked up at Dutta as she bowed, her head in Dutta style and pouted her lower lip..that is all have to say .Ms .Tedulkar as my detailed evidence report you already possess", finished Naku . the MS, nodded at Nakusha and she moved affront of the podium to grab her seat , Dutta had one more opportunity to look at her with enormous fondness, the way her willowy body glided across the room, her curved shapely back and rounded hips stunningly draped in her art silk mustard bandini sari., He almost had to choke his want ..he wanted her to sit by his side close to him, her elbow brushing against his . "Major Dutta as per representative of Brigadier Parekh"! it was announced .Dutta stood and with metal soled studded boots clicked clocked towards the podium .Naku looked at his handsome, uniformed physique complete with his slant beret perched on his head his chest padded with the black bullet proof jacket. He stood and spread his muscular arms wide and gripped the side of the podium with his broad palms .He raised his head and gazed at MS and the board of directorsand beagan to speak in his guttural voice "ladies and gentleman, under authorisation from Brigadier Parekh ,the army took the decision to undertake a specific operation which was to identify stores that deal with the retail sector of mobility aids , once that was done a series of questioning took place with the store management about personnel employed within their store .The operation was fine tuned by checking all wheel chairs sold on the premises , .after checking it was found that there was one wheel chair which had a concealed electronic tab that coincided with the Dera hospital security of goods .The mobility store personnel were interviewed under army interrogation order, which revealed that a certain employee of the store was rendered missing under mysterious circumstances from shop floor sales duty. After intense interrogation the named sales person Mr. Dhavan admitted his involvement in the wheel chair being on the shop floor". Dutta reported his face completely bland he sat down temporarily as he allowed Dhavan to say his piece . Dhavan explained "his present employment and position , and regarding the wheel chair he accepted that he bought it from Harshad and paid cash remuneration for the good, as requested by to Harhshad. Dhavan looked at Harshad who was reassured and gave a sly grin look to Dhavan ,his eyes speaking if I go down Dhavan so do you with me" wise, he mused that this man didn't disclose the other three wheel chairs. With that Dhavan's succinct blame game evidence completed and he stepped down with a degree of comfort as he assumed he got away, ,Dutta who read faces with amazing panache raised his hand and was beckoned on the podium once again , he had his head so to speak, a little tilted, but he soon after curved it fore front and continued where he left off ,"ladies and gentleman if I may continue ,as I ascertained it proper to allow Mr .Dhavan to voice his opinion, I maintained silence but if I may be allowed to continue and he looked at the MS with a raised open palm questioningly, the MS nodded a yes and with a return bow of the head with immaculate elegance Dutta continued ,"hence ladies and gentlemen ,under my army orders of further suspicion of involvement with fraudulent activities of a public service body , Mr. Dhavan's house was raided upon and the missing two wheel chairs were found, Mr. Davan's electronic equipment was seized and after army data expert interception of his PC and lap top further evidence was revealed that Mr.Dhavan was involved in the racket of selling mobility aids items on the internet and he recently sold the fourth wheel chair to an online buyer!" ,said Dutta with extreme firmed gravity in his voice and his face , "that'll be all from the army investigative angle he continued, "the hard copies are already in your possession" ,he affirmed and left the podium. Ms.Tendulkar announced a tea break and recess as the board of directors alongside her needed to consider the verdict. Dutta stood up and headed towards the exit double swing doors and his soldiers followed him in brisk march .He stopped and ordered them to be at ease, so they moved to one side,and Naku came swishing her saree with Lauren and Dutta walked out flanked by the two women to the refreshment section .. the room was swarmed by people who attended the hearing but on seeing him they moved a little to the side giving him credence and respect ,Naku looked up at his rosy cheeks and shy smile after people's reaction and as if naturally he lifted his clasped hands and nodded "Namaste" to people around him in abject humility .Naku's bosom swelled up with great pride and affection for her man, such elegance and grace he has despite his primordial rawness.. she stood close to him and looked up to him, and he could feel the heat of her body and he slowly moved his head and shifted his eyes as he gazed into her doe eyes below his shoulder "kya hoya hai" ?he whispered and she gave him a bimboo nod "kuchnehi ,kuch bhi tu nehi" she whispered back without letting go of his eyes, he moved his head and took a small sigh parted his lips and said to "Lauren and how is my head PT?, looking as pencil sharp as ever! he said as his eyes slowly travelled to her legs and stilletos", "my my Major handsome rough and rugged as ever ! Lauren still awaits you! but how you have come out of your shell! .Naku what is he on your Saab? she jested . Dutta turned to Lauren "oh there's no point in asking her Lauren she's too busy being turned off! to notice if I am on or not! " "ooh said Lauren "Naku you can't have him being so uppity, look at him not even married yet and!!.. Naku intercepted "no he's not Lauren ,as a matter of fact he's very well grounded!, smiled Naku challengingly ,Dutta knew Naku was feeling the edge and he loved it as he saw her give him a don't you dare touch me now look! ,and he shook his head to the side and raised his arm and put it round her shoulder and said to Lauren "she's right Lauren just need a slight alteration we are both well grounded!" he said as he looked at Naku and she glared at him and he caught a bit of her flesh between his thumb and index finger and she almost "ouched!! and he coughed as he pulled back his arm ,"you two honestly a pair of ninnies you are!! teased Lauren. She sped off "I have to get a cup of coffee she said and veered off and Dutta turned to face his woman , "alone at last! he said as he looked down into her beautiful eyes ,and her eyes looked straight into his narrow eyes and shifted to his gaping mouth ,he stared and stared into her eyes and took in her every chiselled feature at last he said "bahut kobsurrat dekh ti hai tu ise saree mein Naku mustard suits you I love you in a saree kafi urse se nehi dekha thujhe saree mein" ..she smiled shyly and lowered her eyes "chaal ab chaiye bhi pilai gi ka nehi? ,woh military college main tu Outs mera peeche ghoom reha hota hain chai le ker! he threw in, and she flared her nostrils and went to get him tea ,she returned and whispered without her usual ommph "ye lo chai" .."hain!!? he went "sirf ye lo chai! ,no Saab? ,oye kya baat hai jalleen ho rehe hai? he ragged ,"why should I feel jealous? ,mujhe bhi Dera ke cafe mein baki ke PTs chai offer kerta hain"! she retorted he choked at his sip and held his hand to his mouth as he coughed to clear his throat while his cup wobbled as he continued to convulse and his eyes watered,while she took his cup "la ja! mujhe nehi peeni tera haaton ke chai!! he grated and he wiped his lips hard with his kerchief and arched his eye brows and flashed his eyes and spewed "waise aaj kal tu bahut bikawas kerne leg giye hai! ! ,aur woh tere cafe mein kitne PTs hain pata hai mujhe ..ek woh Harshad he hai pagal aadmi ..use ko tu akele hai sambhul sakte hai maine dekh hai, aur kaun hai! ! bata muhje!!? he almost was going to reach out for her arm in fury, when he saw his two soldiers standing to one side . Naku saw her Saab's gaze and she went towards them and said "ap ne chai nehi pee main le ke ati hoon" she said and they stood to attention with their feet slightly apart .Dutta smiled at her gesture as he saw her return with two cups of tea one for each of them .They bowed their heads as they accepted their tea with lowered eyes . Dutta sauntered over ..to them and turned and pointed to the small canteen where they could have lunch .and then he walked back to Naku and stood before her and looked down at her "bas chai he de gi kuch aur nehi"? he asked roguishly kya chaeia ap ko"? she asked shyly and he commanded in a whisper "uppar dekh meri teraf" ,she looked up her face slightly rosy, he looked into her eyes shifted his eyes to see if anyone was watching and moved his finger to his lips and pouted them with a wicked wink of the eye her hands spontaneously covered her face as hid away from his facial bold amorous advances he raised his hand and pulled her hand away from her face, she obeyed his motion and brought her hand down, while the other still covered her face from the other side "haat neeche ker Naku! he said in irritation and she quickly put it down put kept her eyes shut he looked at her behaviour and said "what's wrong with? you sara time adayien dekhte reha gi ya kuch kare gi bhi! he moaned . She opened her eyes and gave in to his whining, "okay okay batao what do you want? ,"hummmhh" he said and looked at his watch "we have 45 minutes, chaal lets go for a short spin! he said impulsively ."Saab army ke jeep mein aye ho tu , theekh lage ga kiya? waise bhi ap duty per ho! she reminded him he looked at her with narrow eyes "you're right baaaby we can't, so how?he racked his brain...she smiled "well there is one place Saab the little brook near my hostel yaad hai ap ko?,she reminded him... "haan he went "chaal! but let's grab some food from the canteen first ,he went and brought a bag of juicy red shiny apples and walked... towards her, chaale! He repeated to her, his eyes clearly laughed as he looked across at her ,he jerked his head towards the park and they stood for a moment as their eyes measured the lush green lawn, she gingerly put her foot on the turf, then realized she had kitten heels and stopped, "kya hoya hai thujhe change of mind?,he said as he looked in to her yes and blinked ,"dar hai kya? ke main thuje kha jaoga! and he opened his jaws and snapped his teeth at her ,she looked up him ad faced him her eyes shut and her lips parted "ye lo Saab aaj kha he jao" she said her eyes still closed, he looked down at her inviting lips glazed with bronze lip gloss to match her mustard art silk saree, and his hands slide up her arms as he held her by the shoulders and with a sigh let out agonised "haiii! nehin kha sakta na thuje! bhook tu bahut legi hoi hai maagar"and he paused and she opened her eyes and looked into his doleful eyes "pun aisa kya Saab? maine kub roka hai aap ko? she flirted! while he looked the other way ... this big hurly burly brawny man! and slowly moved his face back to her with "woh Aye Shahib hai na Naku? woh bahut dunde mare gein! aagar mein ne tuhje lagan se phela kha liya! , he said seriously and then threw back his head and chuckled ,when he noted her disappointed face "kya Saab romance ka sarra mazza kerkara ker diya hai" , she moaned with puffed up cheeks "oye zayeeda shookhi maat ker mere saath tu! , goli mar doon ga abhi ka abhi !! he warned her ia a huff, and turned his body away from her, the bloody woman was out to make him sin today! he struggled internally ,she reeled him around with a pull of his rounded shoulder "tu maro na goli Saab! Naku tayaar hai! ! she said with defiance, as he into her eyes , "oye jahel aurat! haad mein rehe apne aur peech haat ke baat ker zayaad pas na ah nehi tu!! and he raised and pointed his finger at her and she reached out for his raised hand "ohh munno naraaz hai apni Naku se? ..okay Saab me not pulling your leg any more come on let's go and sit near that tree" she pointed and then she lifted her saree up to show her bare feet and was ready to step on the dewy grasss "rok ! tere pare gunde ho jain ga Naku" he commanded, she quickly turned to him and raised her arms "carry me, utha lo then! she said , he checked at her body with his hungered eyes, his mouth pouted to one side and lost his defence , for he bent down and scooped her in his arms, and carried her across the grass! She put her arms around his neck and play stroked his adam's apple with her nose and murmured "hummh you smell heavenly Saab ,deeevine!, she went and brought her mouth to his stubble cheek, he bent his neck with his prickly doubled chin, and looked sideways into her green eyes and murmured "cheek ko choor Naku aur adher la apne hoont"! he said as he heaved on and she brought her lips near his mouth and he parted his lips and grabbed her lips with his teeth ooomh!! she moaned "let go Saab! and he released her lips ,and with narrow, displeased, lion like eyes looked down into her eyes "kya hoya hai baaaby ? this isn't our first kiss is it ? thuje pata hai Iam a rough kisser! he drawled ,and she buried her head under his chin in full embarrassment!. He realized and changed the topic ,"waise tu bhare hogaye hai Naku, khana kum ker apna , mootoo", he remarked tongue in cheek. She stiffened and put her mouth on his chest hairs and pulled a mouthfull and he yelped "stop it you banshee!! patne nehi itne wild kyon hoti ja rehi hai tu ...dirty girl! "me dirty girl you are a inconsiderate , rude dirty man , mujhe mooto kyon kha ?its rude!! she fought ..."haaa!! he chortled "motooo ko motooo na khoon tu patloo kahon? "hooon! she moaned and he looked down at her red hot face and said "meri beautiful ,turn on! hawwwt baaaby! ..,love you only you" ... and they got to the tree and he set her down carefully however, before she sat, he spread his kerchief and she sat on it, her knees up and hugged by her arms . he sat beside hr resting his back against he broad tree trunk ,one uniformed leg kneed up and the other stretched vertical flat on the ground, "lunch ma'am? and he pulled out a rosy shiny apple and gave it to her she took it ,and stared at him with her large green doe eyes, that sparkled ,he took out his apple and held it in his hand and turned to her "chaal ab kha na! mera mau kya dekh rehi hai? and she shook her head, "haan pata hai phela main khaon tu ye le" he said dryly and sank his teeth into the apple with a big crunch! and munched crunched! chewed! and swallowed within seconds! till he greedily nibbled off at the core ! She giggled "oh you poor starved baby! she went "ye lo mera bhi kha lo" and she brought hers to his mouth and he bit into it with great delight while his eyes glinted like a naughty greedy boy he chomped then shook his head "le ab tu kha mera khaya hoi apple" and she shyly ate as he held it to her mouth. Once done they rested their heads side by side on the tree trunk and they slowly turned their heads towards each other till their noses touched and he moved and adjusted his head to reach out for her lips but she consistenly moved it ,and he roared "what the hell"! he pulled up his legs shoved his arm under her shoulder and thumped her body in his lap and without wasting a second bent his head and went ravenously to her lips and kissed her with the heat and inferno of hell!, as she struggled to breathe but he smothered her under his chest and kept on at her! till she thumped him on his back! so he moved back while she gasped for air and he took his chance and slipped his palm under her sarre pallu to feel the warm flesh of her belly and his palm caressed and roamed around her belly!... but she sat up with speed and fixed her hair from the front and said "challo Saab we have to go. He moved back as he saw a bit of her flat fair belly , in utter disappointment . Dismal he heaved himself up and looked at her like a boy who lost his chance to have his favourite sweetie! it was near! yet so far!,he was onthe wrapper, ready to unwrap but!. She, shook, folded his hankie and discreetly tucked it near her belly and covered it with her pallu ."Saab let's cut through this little short cut, it lead's straight to the hearing room" she suggested. They walked side by side their finger tips of touched and slowly his long slender fingers reached our for her tiny hands and their fingers interlocked he looked at her as they walked hand and hand .."waise phele kyon nehi is raaste se le ker aye tu?",he remarked, she sniggered "Saab aager phela adher se la ker ati tu ap ke baazoon mein free ride kaise milte mujhe"! she giggled ,he turned his face the other way "hummm" he murmured ... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The proceeding reassembled under a blanket of sobriety , all present sat with fixed expression less countenances. But the accused Harshad, Fahd and Dhavan sat with nervous pallour smeared all over their faces. All eyes however remained fixed on the MS, Ms .Tendulkar. she looked at the head of the board of company directors as he groped the set of files and stiffly walked, dressed in a dark pinstripe suit towards the podium and he began ,"ladies and gentleman the board of directors of the Dera hospital along with the MS , have reached a decision regarding the case of fraud and corruption. On the basis of the evidence provided by witnesses and other collective investigations I hereby announce the following charges against the named accused and the appropriate action taken... Mr. Fahd, please step forward", commanded the head of directors , Mr. Fahd, after full investigation it is clear that you have misused your position as the stock controller and have knowingly been party to fraudulent activity, with the view to acquire monetary gain ; by unauthorised removal of equipment, or supplies from Dera premises. The action taken is that you will be released from your post of stock controller with immediate effect", pronounced the director .Mr .Fahd raised his hands in complain and the director said sternly , "I have not finished" and he continued "should you wish to complain you have 15 days to appeal against our decision ,thank you, you may sit down now" ,he said tersely. Mr. Dhavan, announced the director and the named person emerged. "Mr. Dhavan, given the fact that you are not the employee of this company ,your own has been contacted and they are in compliance with our procedure ,they have been duly informed of the investigative reports about your fraudulent involvement in misappropriation of funds of an entity to further personal gains ,henceforth, on account of evidence gathered and produced by the army raid under the orders of Major Dutta there remains little doubt that you are part of an illegal privately run on line retail which thrives on sales of theft items procured by yourself from other accomplices who are also duly involved in theft, corruption and fraudulent activities. Therefore on behest of your employees I announce your verdict, you are forthwith released from your duties as salesperson at the mobility store. For the illegal selling of stolen goods you will serve a sentence of 8months in the B-grade Dera prison", reported the director briskly. Finally the big moment arrived and Harshad was called upon by the director, Harshad moved forward his arms behind his back .Dutta looked at Naku with a stiff ,firm face,while he waited along with Harshad, for the outcome of this charge ,the director before he began ,gave Harshad a harsh and malignant look almost ,contemptuous ...but he looked straight and began " Harshad PT of this hospital, has been found under the charge of fraud to be involved in the dishonest activity of causing actual or potential financial loss to his work entity, including theft of property, in this case, removal of equipment from hospital supplies; where, deception was used at the time, immediately before, or immediately following the activity. This also includes the deliberate falsification, concealment, destruction or use of falsified documentation used or intended for use for a normal business purpose and the improper use of information or position for personal financial benefit". Harshad looked horrified as the official jargon was hurled at him by the severe looking Director .Dutta looked narrowly at Naku and crossed his leg, as he took waited for the rest to follow. The director looked at Harshad , and continued "Mr. Harshad on the charge of corruption you were involved in dishonest activity as an employee or of an entity and acted contrary to the interests of the entity and abused your position of trust in order to achieve some personal gain or advantage for yourself". completed the director as Harshad appeared more and more uncomfortable ,he could clearly surmise that the director had not finished. The director took a deep breath and spoke "on the basis of fresh evidence submitted by PT Nakusha and Major Dutta a fresh charge of black mail under fraud, Mr. Harshad ,is guilty of the charge of with a view to gain for himself with intent to cause loss to another, for he made unwarranted demand from Ms. Nakusha on the unreasonable ground of threatening her upon giving vital evidence about him . Mr. Harshad you reinforced your demand by improper means". The director looked directly at Harshad , may I reiterate that evidence proves ,as the accused you made a demand; that the demand was unwarranted, that the demand was made with a threat , and finally Mr. Harshad your aim in using black mail was to gain with intent to cause loss to another.. may I also add that the accused has also jeopardized public faith in his professin as a PT!, and with that I rest my case, but hereby notify that the verdict will be here shortly ,after I express a few words for Ms. Nakusha on behalf of the Dera hospital .Naku turned beet red and Dutta glanced at her side ways and bowed slowly as his neck and chin folded. The director signalled her to stand ,and then he looked at her with a smile and continued, "Nakusha you exposed corrupt and fraudulent activities within your unit, you Nakusha undertook a risk by reporting this fraud but you still went ahead and carried it through, despite the fact that you were black mailed by evidence that could have jeopardised an issue in your private life", on hearing that Dutta squared his shoulders and glared across the room at Harshad , with mockery and venom written over his face . The director continued "Nakusha you followed the procedures of reporting fraud, when you suspected staff members in an act of fraud or fraudulent conduct, you reported such suspicions to the MS, which in turn set the ball rolling for this investigative hearing and subse quent course of action on the defendants . Because of your ,prompt action Iam pleased to announce that the driver will be released immediately from police custody ,with a slap wrist this time , as being at the wrong place at the wrong time , also on account that it has not been proved that he was involved in the theft , so Nakusha,you have saved an innocent man from being convicted and the guilty ones penalised! ,said the director "shall I say the Dera hospital is proud to have the likes of you working for it , your name has been put forward for possible promotion when a vacancy occurs ,but for now you are for commendation at the end of year awards!, completed the director and Nakusha blushed, and when she looked at Dutta he had a serious face but once their eyes met, he gave her a slow but fast wink , and she blushed even more. Finally the director stood solemnly and looked at Harshad who stood there in wait for more than fifteen minutes, while Naku's praise were sung ,"ok ladies and gentleman in the power invested in me by this establishment, I announce to Mr. Harshad and all present that on the charges of fraud and corruption under company procedures there is zero tolerance therefore, Mr. Harshad is dismissed from his PT duties with immediate effect, he is also barred from seeking employment with other branches of similar hospitals . With regards to use of Black mail under fraud and corruption act, he is handed over to the police who have already under the criminal act supported by the local judiciary and legislation, served him a sentence of 12 months in the Dera jail", finished off the director. "That'll be all ladies and gentleman I declare the proceedings closed" said Ms .TENDULKAR , and people started to stand but Harshad stood still like a statue his face turned to stone ,but soon he realized ...and.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Once the verdict sunk into Harshad ,he lost his equilibrium and raved and ranted I denounce this dismissal! I denonce it! he shouted. The hearing room was in a fracas Dutta commanded his soldiers "on alert"! and stood up himself his hand felt, his concealed pistol under his bullet proof jacket .Harshad made a sprint onwards the door and ran out towards the Dera court yard with a clear message to flee. Dutta and his soldiers dived past the rest of the people as he bellowed in command "stay in doors"!. He raced out in the speed of the jaguar ! as he pounced on Harshad's shoulders!. Dutta's, two solders closed in like speed of lightening, but Dutta commanded "get back! as he held Harshad in an arm lock, Dutta clenched his jaw and pulled his mouth right down ,and shook and pressed his muscular arm around Harshads neck,so hard that Harshads eyes nearly degouged!. Dutta with a war cry of arggahh! again yanked his folded biceped lock and Harshad cried "ahhh hhai", "Saaab"! shouted Naku and Dutta moved his head,distracted and Harshad freed himself, moved away a few steps from Dutta and pulled a pistol at Dutta! ! "let me gooo Major! ... Dutta, with rapid speed glared at Naku from the corner of his flashing eyes "jaaa! ..and he prodded his head "jaaa Naku!! and Harshad's eyes moved for a split at Naku's reaction as he held the both handed clasped pistol, aimed at Dutta, and Dutta leapt up high and landed with a metal clip, balanced on his strong column like uniformed legs in front of Harshad! and lurched forward with speed and in an iron grip clamped his wrist! "ahhh" went Harshad and Dutta rendered his palm clamp another twist "awwwhhh!!! Harshad squealed in pain, and Dutta in a flash propped up his knee and thrust it in straight into Harshad's abdomen! ; Harshad trembled! jerked! and doubled forward in pain and with another flash of lion like eyes and eyes arched up and face twisted , Dutta knee rammed Harshad again till his pistol dropped and, Dutta's boot, forcibly side kicked it out of reach like a ball! . Harshad dithered on his legs and tried to swing a left arm at Dutta who caught his wrist and subverted the action with his right hand clamp, and hurled a hard clenched fisted punch at Harshads jaw ,with this left arm repeatedly ,till Harshad's face shook violently, dribbling with saliva; but still he lifted his leg to kick leg Dutta, and Dutta grabbed his ankle with two clamps of his bare hands, jerked, twisted Harshad's leg a couple of times as he dithered dangerously on his sole standing leg and ,cried "aaahhh! .Dutta pulled Harshad forward with his captured stretched leg and head butted Harshad ..in the fieriest possible way and dutta looked at Harshad's face again and lunged his fore head again towards Harshad's forehead and rammed and rammed with force and finally he let go of Harshad's leg and and swing his muscular arm and rammed his closed fist into Harshad's jaw with such force that Harshad fell backwards and landed on the ground in a near dead limp heap! . Dutta stood looking at his prey and opened and clenched his open fingers into metal fists again ,pulled his mouth downwards arched his eye brows and flashed his eyes and with one knee up , he jumped and landed on Harshads belly his knee pressed right into the soft flesh of Harshads' belly! Dutta looked at Harshad dangerously as pressed he broad thumb on Harshad's projected thyroid larynx cartilage, in his neck almost waiting to smash it in Harshad's neck ,and he clenched his fist with the other hand and shouted "aur ye Naku ke liya hai ,tune is pe apne ghandhi nazzar dale!! and he punched him across the jaw with a left hook ,then he let go off Harshad's shoulder and shouted "Dutta ke hoone wali patni hai woh kuttaaa! ! main tera koon pe joan gaaa! " and he smashed the other side of his jaw as well ...mercilessly as Harshad's face wobbled on the ground!. Dutta looked at him menacingly and dug his knee as Harshad yelped like a dog in pain "awwwooh.. "aur ye apne kam main beimane ka rne ke liya , Dutta bellowed and he stopped and straightened Harshad's face again and punched his face bloody yet again; "aur ye ek fauji per pistol taane ke liyaaa kutttaaa"! ,and he was almost ready to twist Harshad's neck off the spine, when Naku screamed and fell to her knees besides the grounded Harshad "Saab choor do use! ! ,choor do Saab! . Dutta looked up and ordered his soldiers "lake ker joan ise yehan se!! , bloody civies he mumbled. Naku moved closer and held dutta's folded loin "Saab choor do use ..burahe maa baap hai uske ! akela kame wala hai rehamm Saab rahemm, she begged and pleaded with tears and clasped hands , Dutta looked at her tearful face and turned his head to the other side and spat violently! and got off Harshad's and commanded his soldiers "khara karo ise! . Harshad was pulled up almost half dead in to standing position; his face entirely covered with spurts of bloody perspiration, bruised and swollen beyond recognition . Dutta nodded to the soldiers to let go off Harshad .. and with crossed arms, he moved closer to Harshad and looked into his face with cold eyes "kyon fauji se milne ka bahut shauq tha thuje , pata rehe thujhe ye tu sirf first degree ki dhulai hai! , tera dera ki lardki ne thujhe baja liya hai aaj bhi Harshad" said Dutta with ice in his voice .Harshad mumbled and fell to the ground on his knees, before a standing tall Dutta , his hands clasped "maafi Major Shahib ,Dutta Sahib.. Bhao mafi, choota bhai samjhe ke mafia,Bhao! he grovelled ... Dutta looked at him , a broken beaten man ,with no human dignity he was born with but chose to gave up .Dutta's eyes softened up , he was in the trenches with soldiers the age of Harshad , there were times he looked into their terrified eyes and he saw death ...Dutta looked further into the depths of this man's eyes ...yes he could see the same fear of death in Harshad's eyes.. ,Dutta walked away as Harshad sat there on the ground on his knees ,his hands still clasped, "take him away" ...commanded Dutta as the police and the soldiers get Harshad up and hand cuff him... But before they could do that he requested to see Nakusha who stood nea by out of Dutta's obvious sight she looked at Dutta,for approval, who said loudly "haan jaa" she walked towards Harshad surrounded by police and Dutta soldiers , he fell to his knees "maff ker de mujhe ,tujhe humare Dera ke kasme hai Nakusha maafi ..he said humbly begging for forgiveness, she moved her head to catch sight of her Saab, who stood with his muscular arms folded and he jutted his head forward and Naku brought her head back to Harshad and smiled "chaal jaa, aur maa baa ke chinta maat kerna main hai ne" ...she said as he stood up relieved and she walked towards her Saab, he was about to put his arm around her shoulders, as she held out hers to loop it around his broad waist but he glared at her and grated "kya ker rehi hai tu, damaak kharab hai kya? duty pe hoon fauji hai saath ..pagal kehen ki!" ,she blushed and lowered her eyes and he parted his lips and commanded "lets head back boys, I need a shower badly!... tum challo main ata hoon" ,the two soldiers smiled and clicked their heels and went off... she was about to go but he held her by her lower arm and took her towards a rockery area surrounded with foliage and held her by her shoulders and pulled her close into his arms, he could feel her tears against his hairy chest, by now he could differentiate between the beads of cold sweat and her warm tears on his skin. "challo ho giye tu kya tu bhi ,time sarra roone mein he kuzzar deti hai",he complained ,she pulled apart from him and sobbed with her doe eyes gazing hopelessly into his "ap se phir judda ho rehi hoon tu roona tu aye ga na Saab ,insaan ho koi patther ke murti nehi, she sobbed...he held her face tenderly in his hands and with a glint he said "patther ke murti mein jaan dalna ata hai mujhe Naku ..samjhe" and they embraced and both wished time would stand still...but each knew time ticks on and so does life... to be continued~ Hamlet 9.12.11 Precap: "ok Outs let's see what you can do at the firing range!" explained Dutta. The following 16 member(s) liked the above post: shyla74, nileshni679, divya17-7, sona89, noreen, mnx12, simpleAnna, Nakusha, ivy_11, -bharti-, ushankitvc, prncz, -Azy-, Warda., .iridescence., tamanna1391, Joined: 20 September 2010 Posts: 6279 With the hearing underway n all the parties giving their version, it was time for a tea break but for major it was time for some romantic break. Ouch! he even pinched her, munno not behaving at all. Thank Goodness! Lauren stuck to her job. He is a man of action n he believes in makin the most of every moment. Chomping the apple along with bonding n cuddling his lady love. Achaa bachoo! its the fear of AS that's stopping him? Nostalgic moments, LTL revisited when the two sat under the tree n he chiding her for not taking the first bite of the apple. The verdict's out n harshad's shown the walking papers. He's reached breaking point, but major's alertness saved the day. Its over n out for harshad, he got a taste of the fauji fury n major's secret wish too fulfilled. The final dramatic turn of events was more of a bollywood climax with the dialogues, kutte, kamine, khoon peejaonga, missed 'maa kasam' with Dharmendar's nasal accent. Naku begging mercy for harshad was very touching n she proved again what a pure soul she is, thinkin of his aged parents n assuring him. She deserves every accolade that comes her way, major is sure proud of his choice. 'to forgive is to set the prisoner free n discover that the prisioner was you' . The judaai scene as ever tugs at ur heart, feel for them, sigh! So we r back with the OUTs, hope we go beyond kh kh khan [frm the epiglotis] nd her ghar ka khana. Ofcourse its hammie's prerogative n 'beggars cant be choosers', carry on dear. Me as ever will wait eagerly for the next. Be well, do good work, and keep in touch! The following 4 member(s) liked the above post: prncz, -Azy-, .iridescence., Hamlet53,

The National Review got hold of a 144-page internal document drafted for the Michelle Nunn campaign in December. It includes plenty of juicy revelations on campaign strategy, including a potentially serious issue with a Points of Light connection to a charity that has ties to Hamas, which is now at war with Israel. The revelation came from an internal examination of the nascent campaign’s potential weaknesses and how Republicans could attack them.. Here’s NRO’s Eliana Johnson:. The Nunn campaign notes that Points of Light did not actually give the money — even though it was listed for bookkeeping purposes on the non-profit’s IRS forms — but rather validated Islamic Relief USA as a legitimate charity for others to give to. And the campaign emphasized that the USA and Worldwide groups are legally separate. Islamic Relief Worldwide “categorically denies any links with Hamas.” Islamic Relief USA said the only project it worked on with the worldwide affiliate in 2012 was in the West Bank and it works with the U.N. in Gaza. According to a spokeswoman: “In all of our grant agreement language, it incorporates US Treasury Department language on US sanctions, and requires partners to abide by all applicable US regulations and laws. We have carefully checked procedures to make sure that they are in keeping with industry standards on vetting and risk management. IRUSA has an excellent working relationship with the US government and follows all applicable US laws and regulations.” Nunn campaign manager Jeff DiSantis had this to say about the document as a. “Michelle has always sought to run a campaign that brings people together and gets Washington focused on the real challenges the country faces. And that’s the kind of Senator she’ll be.” I guess the AJC wanted to get this out now, so that as the election gets closer, the Nunn camp can claim it's old news, and that all the questions about the Hamas issue have been answered. In the released document, the Nunn strategist remarked that they would have "fair warning" about negative news stories so that they could effectively kill or muddy them. Wonder which news organization they were counting on to give them this valuable behind the scenes help. No wonder so many Americans no longer trust the media. In addition to suppressing or controlling the timing of negative stories, any writer can "frame" them to slant one way or the other, and we all know exactly which way the stories in the Journal will slant. What offends me most, is that Michelle Nunn hasn't decided what she thinks about much of anything. i.e. she is just another political hack who will pay for polls, using out of state money, and then position her "opinions" based on what will most advantage her in the election. One thing is certain. No matter what she says in the next 3 months, if Michelle Nunn is elected, she will join the other Democratic politicians down at our southern border, welcoming the tidal wave of illegal aliens that continue to flood into the United States. Michelle " I don't have Nunn" experience that is, would just be a seat warmer for Harry Reid, she would get her marching orders from Reid and Obama, she has no original thoughts. No wonder Sam Nunn has not endorsed her Mary Martin, n/k/a Michelle Nunn = Jane Fonda, they both love the enemy and hate America. This is the death knell for Michelle, it confirms everything everyone said about her hiding her being a leftist and Obama lover Obama Should Copy Reagan on Amnesty for Immigrants As the story below describes, what's good for the Gipper is good for President Obama. -------------------------------------- Legal Experts: Executive Order on Immigration Tough to Challenge Nunn is Done,you can put lipstick on a pig,well you know the rest.....She is typical leftist lib running from her real identity to secure votes.A vote for her is a vote for Harry Dumba** Reid. Republicans trail Democrats in latest Georgia poll Uh oh... The GOP is in league with the Taliban and al-Qaida and the cartels in South America!. They invest in companies that have investors tied to those groups...so the GOP clearly funds terrorism. Conspiracy theories are fun! The reality is that the Dems can have the best of both worlds. They will get massive amounts of cash from the US Jewish community, and turn around and pander to the Arab community for votes, by trashing Israel. And the Reps enable this by supporting Israel. How frickin stupid. When will the Reps wake up, and pull support for Israel, until the Jewish community stops funding their enemy? Whoever is in charge of their strategy needs a wake up call. But make no mistake, they eventually will. And then all you Jewish folks, who love Israel and turn around donate to the party that hates Israel, get to watch Israel crash and burn - and you'll be the major reason why. Wikipedia had an inteersting take on Nunn: Nunn has declined to say whether she would support Harry Reid remaining as Senate Majority Leader, or whether she thinks President Obama is doing a good job. Politico wrote "while she's critical of the president's failure to control the deficit, she offered few clues on how she'd tackle the vexing issue." Rothenberg added that Nunn is among several candidates running in challenging states "trying to hide as much as possible and as long as possible so that they can avoid – or at least delay – answering tough questions about issues and, in the [case of Nunn], about the president." So... a charity org, who received funds through a validation system used by (republican) Bush's foundation (where Nunn worked), is an independent affiliate of a worldwide relief org that MIGHT have ties to Hamas who is at war with a U.S. ally? And somehow Michelle Nunn is responsible for that? This is the juicy tidbit that have conservatives up in arms? LOL!! Sounds like desperation to find any dirt possible to sully Nunn because Perdue is clearly not a strong candidate. This is such a stretch that Stretch Armstrong would have trouble making a real connection with this and any rational person can see the non-story here. Let's talk about all of the politicians in GA and in the U.S. that are puppets of and directly influenced by the homegrown threats to U.S. society like ALEC and The Heritage Foundation. There is no stretch to see the connections there and the damage being caused is to Americans, not foreigners thousands of miles away from our borders!! Let's discuss THAT!! Y'all just wait till all my nekkid pictures of Purdue come out! Oh maaan, I got him taking a leak and wearing a thong....oh baaaby...it's gonna get sticky icky round cheer! We don't want none of Nunn.......nuff said Another hatchet job by the AJC against the Democrats. Who da thunk it? The AJC clearly has an agenda to promote the idot Republican policies of the 1% and the NRA that are driving this state and the country into the ground. Well well now. Isn't this interesting! Nunn in cahoots with the Hamas. Sound familiar? She is as dirty as her daddy was. Never held a real job, does not know how the real people live. Democrat at it's best. Yet she's still more trustworthy than Kingston. Weird. She's a communist who supports terrorists, it's not like the Left didn't know, it's exactly what they want. Sorry libs....This one is over! Paul Broun endorsed Purdue and now Broun is caught getting high on tape! The fact she hides behind her father's name or the fact that none of her advertisements says anything about "Democrat" on them or the fact that her organization validated terrorist fund raiser have nothing to do with anything. The biggest fact is that she, if elected, will contribute to, vote for and support the most fascist cartel in existence, The Obama/Holder/Pelosi/Reid/Schumer/Boxer/Stark, etc ad nauseum Group. That is far more than a sufficient reason to never consider her for office. Not my candidate. I voted for Dr. Rad. She's the white Cynthia McKinney As I understand it we may never actually see Michelle Martin say anything because her managers will always say what needs to be said in a lengthy politically correct news release. The statement that "Michelle has always sought to run a campaign that brings people together....." and on and on with political speak from a manager is proof of this. When will we see Sam come to her defense with another politically correct statement? And why does the news speakers continue to call her... Nunn? Wow, protection and mis-direction from the liberal media. How will her name be on the ballot? How about.... "Michell Nunn daughter of former great senator who served Georgia for years and who has been anonted by several former conservatives." @ChipShirley The illegal immigration issue was a different situation when Reagan was in office.than it is now. We did know the affect it would have on our economy,crime,cartels,burden on social services, etc.etc.. People were much more sympathetic to their cause then. Not so much anymore. A vote for Nunn is a a vote for terrorist causes. Same goes for Carter. @ChipShirley ..looks like they got your goat pretty good. pelosi and reid need to make some calls and get $10 million in new money to michelle's campaign, asap! Also, get some slick PR people and handlers from DC to cover all this stuff up with a barrage of ads criticizing "rich people," republicans and George Bush! @ChipShirley LOL...........the ONLY thing the GOP will ever trail the lunatic Dem. Party in the common sense God fearing state of Georgia of the USA is in WELFARE ENROLLMENT. Period. @dcdcdc When did Romney's biggest contributor convert? Last I checked, Sheldon Adelson was still Jewish. Jews have been successful and financial supporters of both parties, in large part to ensure support of Israel. @dcdcdc No. I think it is funny how you people try to tell us Jews what to think and believe. Especially about Israel. The Democratic Party is pro-Israel, but it is also pro-Peace...something the GOP has yet to favor. Israel is doing just fine. The biggest threat to its existence are the draconian cuts to foreign aid US conservatives keep proposing. I think we all know that Nunn will kneel down before the messiah and his henchmen and put a smile on their faces (by voting the way she is told to); she is just another kool-aid drinking puppet @Remarkable3 Bull, Purdue hasn't offered ANY DETAILS of his agenda. @fleur-de-loser Well said. Thank you for calling it exactly like it is. @fleur-de-loser Couldn't agree more. Where's the mention of George H. W. Bush? I am not sure which nekkid photos would be worse...Purdue or Nunn... How about we take a pass on both? @likeitis "We don't (negative) want none (negative) of Nunn." There's a double negation in there, so this must be an endorsement! @metitotktodd LOL....in spades !! The GOP driving this country into the ground ?? LOL This kind of lunatic statement doesn't deserve a response. What planet do you actually live on ?? @mellieb52 Please demonstrate how this story has Nunn "in cahoots" with Hamas. In your words, please. @User Name Taken That is why Perdue won the nod for GOP & not Kingston. I'd rather have someone in office that actually held a job, paid taxes than someone who is in with a terrorists group. She is as much a Communists than Obama. See how well he has worked out for this country. @ChipShirley Posting something from 2010. How pathetic. Damn...that's low @CJKatl @dcdcdc Well shoot, one Jewish donor...guess you got me. Guess what, one black person donated to the R party too....guess that means the vast majority of them didn't vote for the big O. Oh?? And baumer, nice try at a strawman. I of course wasn't at all telling Jewish folks how to think, in spite of your try at a manufactured strawman. But when the Reps wake up and quit worrying about Israel's existence, I hope you enjoy watching them get destroyed. And I for one will enjoy watching as those who supported the D party (you know, the one you say "is pro-Israel, but it is also pro-Peace") find out how well that party "comes to Israel's defense"....about as well as Bull Conner (you know....the Democrat from Alabama) came to the defense of African Americans in Birmingham. @HCCynic You mean like the Party of "Cut Taxes and saying NO" which GOP member doesn't follow lock in step with the company line?? lol... they are ALL corrupt.. the Crips and the bloods...er I mean the GOP and the DEMS....but don't accuse one of doing something that the other has mastered. @PeteScott @metitotktodd The one where generations of campaigning on tax cuts have us in a position where our roads, schools and infrastructure are crumbling around our ears - and the GOP has half the country convinced it's a good thing. @mellieb52 @User Name Taken Perdue is such a winner. A man of the people who lives in a gated community in a house that alsohas a gate. Maybe that's why he didn't blink when he walked away from Pillotex with millions in his pocket after he ran it into the ground and gave thousands of workers pink slips. Wouldn't it be great if he could take that business acumen and his experience with "real people" to DC? @Markos Anderson @ChipShirley IT'S NEWS NOW! @dcdcdc That isn't the proper use of the term 'strawman.' And you should probably loosen up that tin-foil hat. @ChuckinAlpharetta Well GOP wants to take the country BACK.. you know, back a time when there were no regulations. A time where you killed what you ate, and shot anyone that stared at you wrong. A time when minorities knew their place and were seen but not heard..and a time before Roads and Bridges and that Tool of the Devil..the interweb. So yes let the UnChristian infastructure crumble!! @ChipShirley @Markos Anderson Yup. A actor playing a congressmen in a video posted in July 2010 is news now. @Markos Anderson @ChipShirley IT'S A DOCUDRAMA!

! Fantastic post Jane! Thank you for taking the time to explain this ‘trade secret’. I am going to try it and let you know how I get on. XXElizabeth Absolutely fantastic! Thanks very much for the tips. I tried this last night and the cake turned out perfectly. It’s the first time I dared to really scoop out the middle so I could actually see the bottom of the tin and it really does work! hello, i noticed at one point you mentioned adding glycerine, but didnt mention it further down in the ingredients and method, is this the magic ingredient I am missing in my madeira cakes? I have done that many different variations we are sick of the sight of sponge cake but i wont give until i find the perfect madeira cake as I am enjoying making birthday cakes etc. My cakes do seem to come out a bit hard on the outside and slightly dry so am wondering whether glycerine would help, plus the covering the outside ofthe tin in paper and putting a bowl of water in. kim Glycerine is optional, but it is hygroscopy so it has the abillity to attract water molecules from the surrounding environment i.e. it helps keep a cake moist. Add it after creaming the butter and sugar together. Hope your next cake turns out really well Lindy why do you fold the flour in …cant you just mix it in on the lowest setting on the kenwood ??? also dont know if it helps…but in lakeland they are selling band things that go round the outside of your cake tins…you wet them first and pin them round and it stops the cake from doming??? oh…..and isnt it ok to use the block margerine?? shelley Hi Shelley To answer your questions: I fold in the flour to retain as much air in the cake as possible The Lakeland cake bands are the same principle as the paper we recommend – old newspaper is just cheaper! Yes it’s OK to use block margerine instead of block butter – we just prefer the flavour that butter gives the cake! Happy baking Lindy Hi I’m wanting to make a 10″ cake. what would the measurements be for that size and also the baking time? thanks i have done it tonight using paper and folding in the flour…its baking as i type….i tried an all in one cake today…it was vile …really greasy…i had to chuck the 2×12 inch ones away…!!!! i usually always make maderia but just do it in the machine so will be interested to see how the folding works….thanks alot Hi Tracy You’ll need to times the ingredients by 1 1/2 i am making a 1 and 8 in maderia, can you advise me on the quantities of maderia sponge that i will require, as i have made your maderia sponge and find it is perfect. Hi Jan The recipe above is for an 8in cake – do you really mean a 1in cake or is this a typo? I’m pleased to hear that you find my maderia cake recipe perfect. Lindy Hi, I’m going to attempt to make a Madeira cake using the above mixture, I was just wondering what depth the cake will end up? I need to know if it will be tall enough to not have to make two and then sandwich them together or, if on the other hand – I need to make two. Thankyou. Lucy Hi Lucy You will only need one cake, it should rise to about 7.5cm (3in) high- if you follow the instructions above! Happy baking Lindy Lindy I tried making a madeira cake yesterday using your recipe above, however the cake ended up with alot of holes in it. As I am new to this, I assume it something I done wrong, but not sure what! lol. The mix was quite thick and I was able to scoop it up the sides like you suggested – but when it was done, it was quite dry and crumbly, and lots of tiny little holes (and a few big ones) in the cake. Can you advise me what I might have done wrong? Thanks. Hi Lindy, Please can you tell me the multiple of the 8 inch madeira recipe to use for a 12 Inch Madeira. Also would be grateful if you tell me the temperature setting to use and the baking time. Can’t seem to find this here Thank you Hi. I was hoping to make a 13 x 9 inch cake with your madeira recipe as it’s fab and was wondering if you could advise me as to what quantities to use. thank you Hi Jenny The way to work this out is to compare the area of your cake with a standard square cake size, 9in x 13in gives 117sq inches this is closest to an 11in square or 12in round cake in size. Therefore you will need to multiply quantities given above for an 8in round by 2 1/2. For more information on adapting recipes please see our blog post on changing recipe quantities Hi Kemi The multiple is 2 1/2 , baking time 2-2 1/4 hours but this will very much depend on your oven – temperature between 140 and 160 again it depends on how your oven bakes Good luck Lindy Hi Rhonda Madeira cakes always has a few holes but baking is a science and there are a number of factors that can cause excessive or extra large holes for example: The flour is too strong The mixture is too stiff – add a little milk to soften slightly Over mixing the ingredients The egg content is too high Eggs – always use fresh eggs and beat them before adding The batter may have curdled I hope these suggestions may help Lindy Hi! I recently tried my first Madeira cake & since I haven’t ever tasted one before, I’m not sure I got it right. It tasted ok (I flavoured it with lemon and chocolate chips) but I personnally found it very dry. I’ve got a few questions: 1) Was it dry because I didn’t put a bowl of water inside the oven while baking the cake? My oven isn’t that big & when I placed the cake inside, there didn’t seem to have enough space for a bowl. 2) I used the newspaper trick but I wasn’t able to scoop out the middle. The mixture kept falling back in the hole. My cake ended up with a dome in the middle. Is it because my mixture got too thick? Should I be using more newspaper around the cake tin? 3) How high must the cake rise? should it be really spongy? Thanks for helping me out. I can’t wait to have another go! Hi, I have recently tried my first Madeira cake following the tips above. I flavoured it with lemon and added chocolate chips. Since I’d never tasted one before, I don’t know if I got it right. I have a few questions: 1) The cake was a bit dry. Is it because I didn’t put a bowl of water in the oven while it was cooking? My oven is not that big and when I placed the cake inside, there didn’t seem to have enough space for a bowl. Is there another way to proceed? 2) I wasn’t able to scoop a hole in the middle of the cake. The mixture was thick and it kept falling back in the middle. My cake ended up with a big dome even though I lined the outside of the cake tin with newspaper. Should I put more newspaper next time? 3) Does the cake have to be really spongy? Thanks for your advice. I can’t wait to give it another try. Cindy Hi there I was wondering, can one use baking paper or brown paper instead of newspaper? Thanks, Michelle Hi Michelle Brown paper would be fine Hi Lindy I have just made the maderia as per Jane’s method but without the lemon, it is in the oven as I type this. Can you please tell me how the mixture should look and feel when mixed together? I felt that my mixture was quite thick so I added a little milk to slacken it but it still looked stretchy in appearance and quite thick and stodgy! Regards Alison Hi Lindy Thanks for your reply! I was just wondering how I would wrap and secure the paper around a 2l bowl? And if I can’t manage to do the paper, should I still bake at 140 in a thermofan oven? Thanks again! Michelle Hi, i am wanting to make a 9 inch round maderia cake today! i am unsure of the measurements, cooking time and tempreture, please can you help its for my mums 50th! Katie Hi Katie Can I refer you to our blog on changing the quanties of a recipe post as this tells you how to work out the quanties that you need. The temperature will be the same and the baking time a little longer. Happy baking Lindy Hello Alison, The mixture should be thick and stodgy! It is quite different from a victoria sandwich mixture which is smooth and light. I hope it was a success – let us know. Jane Hi Lindy I now wished I scooped out the centre more – I chickened out and only scooped out half! It has risen in the middle leaving the sides quite shallow. I was a little unsure of the quantity to use – I’m making a 12″ x 6″ cake so I used 2 x 6″ square mix. However, I’m going to make another one and this time I will scoop the centre out to the bottom of the tin! Alison Thanks, cake is in the oven now will let you no how it goes! decorating it tomorrow Hi Michelle I don’t think you can but how about putting the bowl in a deep tin and stufffing scrunched up newspaper around the outside – think it should work! let us know how you get on Lindy Thanks Lindy! That’s a great idea! I’m about to bake, so will let you know how it turns out. I couldn’t find glycerine suitable for consumption, so hopefully it won’t be too dry. Jane Dolder writes about putting a baking tray on the oven shelf for the cake tin to sit on, then another baking tray on the shelf above it. Is this only necessary for fan ovens? (I have a gas oven.) Many thanks, Chris Hi, I want to make a madeira using a 12″x 12″ tin. when putting the mixture in the tin, should I therefore scoop out the centre in a ‘square’ rather than the ring ‘doughnut’ that you suggest? Many thanks, Chris Hi Jane I’ve made another cake and it is just the same as the previous one! I’ve made a 12″ x 6″ and used 2 x the 6″ mix. I am happy with both cakes if trimmed at a levelled 1.5 ” – 2″, although I am sure that one cake should be sufficent but I can not get it to rise evenly to a level of 3″. What am I doing wrong – have I’ve over beaten the eggs? I’ve followed your instructions but omitted the lemon but added the glycerin? Alison Yes and don’t forget to protect the sides of the tin as well. Good luck Hi, just thought I’d report back… I couldn’t find a tin deep enough for the bowl, so I wrapped brown paper around it and folded it in where the bowl tapers. It worked like a charm! Baked at 140, didn’t put glycerine, but did put the bowl of water is too. Scooped out the middle and got a beautiful, moist madeira cake! Thank you for sharing your tips and for the advice! This is a great blog! Hi Lindy, came across this great site when searching for a recipe for my daughter’s Communion in May. Sorry if this sounds like a daft question but I am not sure what you mean by scooping the centre of the cake mixture in the tin..do you mean making a well? Hi, I’ve made a madeira cake and decorated it for my sister in law’s birthday. I asked my brother for a bit of feedback and he commented that the sponge seemed ‘heavy’. Should a madeira be like this? Yes make a well Happy Baking Lindy, thanks for your answer to my previous question. As said previously, I am going to make a cake for my daughter’s Communion. All my previous projects have been using fruit cake but I want to make a sponge in the shape of a prayer book. What kind of cake would you advise i.e. sponge or madeira? Can I make two layers of madeira, put jam in the middle and then carve the book shape. Is it better to wait a day after baking in order to carve? Sorry to ask so many questions but you seem to be expert! Hi Catherine I would opt for madeira, as it is a cake that is ideal to cover with sugarpaste – light sponges can not support the weight of the sugarpaste leading to all sorts of problems!!! I suggest you bake one cake and split it rather than make two cakes and yes leave it for a while to let the cake settle before carving. Good luck Lindy Hi Lindy Is it possible to make a chocolate madeira cake for a wedding cake and if so please could you let me know the receipe. Many thanks Sue Well, I followed the instructions to the tee. Took the cake out of the oven last night after 2 1/4 hrs and left it in the tin overnight to cool and what did I come down to this morning – a doughnut!! No centre middle in the cake at all!! So annoyed as the cake has to iced etc for a 40th birthday party tomorrow night Hello Helen, If the cake looked OK when you took it out of the oven I can only think that it was not baked all the way through. Please persevere with the cake and don’t be put off. Have a look at our post on why cakes sink in the middle for a few tips. Kind regards Jane Hello Cindy, 1. Did you put glycerine in the mixture? This really helps to make the cake moist, especially if you are unable to put a small bowl of water in the over. 2. The mixture should be quite thick, a lot heavier than a sponge mixture, so you should be able to push it towards the side of the tin. 3. The cake domes because it cooks too quickly on the outside so the mixture has to go somewhere, so it creates the dome. You could try more newspaper or turn your oven down. The cake should rise to about 3″ and be a dense moist consistency. Hope this helps. Jane Hello Chris, I would use this method for gas ovens as well to create a more even temperature and so the cake does not cook too rapidly. Jane Hello Alison, You didn’t say if the 2 x 6″ mix was the round tin mix. If so you need to use different quantities. To work out the quantities you need to do a few calculations : 6″ x 12″ cake = 72″ so you would need a recipe that makes 72″ 9″x 9″ cake = 81″ 8″ x 8″ cake = 64″ It would be best to go for the 9″x9″ recipe and have a little left over. This is a 9 egg Madeira recipe. Hope this makes sense! Jane Hello Sue, We think it best to make a chocolate cake rather than a chocolate flavoured cake. Lindy has a great recipe in her books that is perfect for a wedding cake and is delicious! Jane Hi Lindy, I’ve just made a couple of Madeira cakes, one chocolate & one plain. For the chocolate one I took out a spoon of flour & added the cocoa & it turned out ok, but the plain one has come out quite stodgy & heavy. Is this because I have over beaten the eggs? Thanks Ali Hello, I am making a 6″ cake just now and have tried to follow your steps. However, I am not sure how to scoop the middle out as the baking parchment was then coming away from the tin and collapsing inwards. Please Help! Many thanks Emma Simpson Hi Emma, If you grease the tin before putting the baking parchment in it should stick to the sides, so you can scoop the mixture toward the outside of the tin. Jane Thanks a lot, Jane, for your advice. I did put glycerine in the mixture. I will try again and hopefully it will come out right this time! Hi Lindy Find your books and recipes fantastic, i have struggled with the madeira cake recipe so was thrilled to find top tips on how to make the perfect one. I have two birthday cakes to do this month so will try it out then. Just 1 question how do you make black icing to pipe?? I find mine goes grey rather than black when i add food colour,i am using the paste not liquid but not the extra black is this the reason?? Thanks again for some fab ideas Sarah Do you know where I can find a fleur de lys cookie cutter? I am having a trial run of this recipe at the weekend for a 10″ square cake as I’ve never made a madeira or anything this big before. As I need a lot of ingredients can I use cheap stuff for the trial run and the good stuff for the final cake or do I need to use the same ingredients for working out the time/temp etc? Many thanks, Emma Hello Ali, A Madeira mix is meant to be quite thick and heavy as this is a very dense cake. Jane Hello Sarah, Black icing is always a problem, but using Extra Black paste would be the best way. Jane Hi Laura, Sorry can’t help you on this one. Can anyone help Laura? Jane Laura look on splat cooking website they have one. Sarah How long will this cake last if covered with buttercream and sugarpaste? I made a 12″ one with glycerin on Tuesday night and have found out it won’t be eaten until Saturday. Hi Suzi It really depends on the type of cake you have baked. If you’ve made a madeira it will last up to 2 weeks Hi, I followed this to the letter yesterday but my (square, 10″) cake did dome a bit in the middle and is quite dry. I doubled the quantities as I read on the site. I had the bowl of water, the newspaper, the glycerine, I scooped right down as much as I could and so I just don’t know where I’ve gone wrong – any ideas? Thanks, Sarah J Hello Sarah, If you are using a 10″ square cake tin you need to use the same amount of ingredients as for an 11″ round cake. This may be why your cake didn’t turn out OK. Jane well i thought i’d give this recipe a try in my 9 inch cake tin.3 inches deep. well i only added the lemon zest and a bit of lemon juice and of course the glycerine.Well its the best risen cake i’ve ever made. didnt dome(i used newspaper outside)i can’t stop looking at it! Hi, I was wondering how much buttercream icing i would need to fill and cover (before covering with fondant) a 12″ Square cake? I have one of your cake books but the recipe says for 1 quantity but not what size cake the quantity would be for..any help would be appreciated… Thanks Hello Abi, Try 1 1/2 times the recipe or even twice the amount. You can always keep it in the fridge for next time if you’ve made too much. Jane Hi. I printed this info and recipe off some time ago, waiting for hubby’s birthday. My madeira cakes have always come out so dry and tasteless that I gave up making them. I made this yesterday and your recipe is perfect. I added the glycerine which I’ve never heard of doing before, and this has made it lovely and moist. The cake did end up with just a slight dome and crack, but I’ve cut that off and eaten it!! Just got to decorate it now. Thanks so much. Lesley I need to make a 12″ square maderia what quantaties should I use and how long should I bake it for I have a gas oven Also how much glycerin do you put in many thanks Thanks for letting us know how pleased you are – have fun decorating I have made a 12″ by 12″ madeira today following most of the tips on this page (many thanks!). It is looking good so far, though I did set fire to the paper in the oven due to opening it and turning it up a bit to compensate, at the same time (= backdraft I think)!!! Whoops. It is looking a bit crusty on that side so I am going to cut this off. It is a trial run anyway so lesson learnt. What I am wondering is how to store now (until decorated) as I don’t think I have an airtight container big enough! Any ideas anyone!?!??! I have already taken the side lining paper off which I learn was probably a mistake… Thanks again for this wonderful website. I hope to be placing an order soon. One way to store your cake before it is decorated is to wrap the cake completely in foil and then pop it inside a few plastic bags to make it as airtight as possible. Thank you. Ended up wrapping in baking paper and then loads of clingfilm. It took two of us to do it but we’ve made it into three layers very successfully. It was surprisingly easy to cut! Buttercream in between bottom layer and jam in top layer. It has turned out brilliantly for a first attempt even if I do say so myself! I would not say it is dry but I would not say it is very moist either. It is absolutely fine as it is but a little bit more moisture wouldn’t go amiss. I put the water in oven, loads of wrapping and shelf above (couldn’t do below – not enough shelves), and the glycerine. Shall I put a bit more glycerine in next time or the sugar syrup? Thanks again I tried the recipe mentioned above and am so delighted to get a really moist cake! It did dome a bit, but I managed to level that off. Thanks so much for posting these tips! Hi Lindy, I made your madeira cake yesterday for a birthday. It rose great but seemed very dry. I made an 8″ cake and used your recipe to the word – please tell me what could be the cause? I even added glycerine. Thank you Lindy. Hi there, This sounds great I will try the glycerine. I’m just wondering, I have a large Wilton open book cake pan that takes 14oz of water, the same as my 8 inch deep round cake tin. Is it ok to use the recipe for this shaped tin? I feel madeira is better as it’s sturdier to decorate than regular sponge. Also, should I make a set up board to put underneath before transferring it to the cake board itself? Thank you! e Hi, firstly thank you for this website – I have found it invaluable, have persevered with madeira sponge and after at least seven attempts I am confident to bake a success! So thank you – nice to read other people’s comments – makes you want to keep going when ready to throw towel in. My question is – I made a two tier madeira for my daughters birthday (7inch and 5inch), I sugarpasted and put the 5inch on a thin cut 5inch board. Put two plastic dowels in 7inch and plonked 5inch on – finished decorating – all good. However when I came to cut it, the top tier didnt come away from the sugarpaste bottom tier – it all stuck to bottom of cake board. So I guess I should have allowed the sugarpaste to have dried before stacking – but is there anything else I could have done to prevent this? Do you have to put tin foil on underside of cake board that will be in middle of the tiers? Hope this makes sense. I am making another two tier cake next weekend, and dont want the same mess – I could really give the bottom tier cake out to people as top was such a mess. Thanks for any advice. Kate Sorry – that should have said I ‘couldn’t’ have given out the bottom tier. Have just made a chocolate madiera cake with 30g cocoa powder added, but it was dry. Any ideas for chocolate madeira recipe? Thanks For a 12 inch madeira, we would recommend using:- 1kg unsalted butter 1 kg caster (superfine) sugar 1 kg self raising (self rising) flour 500g plain flour 18 large eggs (extra large in US) Bake for 2 and a quarter to 2 and a half hours at 160 degrees Celcius or 325 degrees Fahrenheit – Gas Mark 3 We would also recommend a quarter of a teaspoon of glycerin per egg in the recipe. Don’t be put off – once you have mastered the technique it will be with you for life. Try reading all the comments on our blog and double checking through the recipe. It may be worth investing in an oven thermometer to check the temperature of your oven. Or try baking another cake with the oven at a lower temperature – no two ovens are the same! If you are using a fan oven – see if you can turn the fan off – this may produce better results. Keep trying – and do let us know how you get on. I have made the cake and it turned out really well – I did use the glycerine. It didn’t even rise more in the middle than at the side like it did the first time around. I will definitely use madeira from now on for all my cakes, they’re much sturdier and tastier! Eve Hi Lindy, I found this site yesterday while searching for a Madeira Cake recipe and made it late last night. I always thought Madeira had lemon in it? I added lemon zest and juice anyway as we love lemon over here. I made it according to you recipe and instructions apart from the glycerine as I didn’t have any and it was too late to go to the shops. However, it turned out perfect in looks, great size, not sure on tasted though as I am decorating it today as a birthday cake. Thanks for your tips on baking and this great recipe 😉 Deanna (from New Zealand) Hello Jane, Hang on in there – it sounds like you are close to baking the perfect madeira. Are you eating your cake soon after baking? Madeira cake moistens as it matures. We would recommend wrapping the cake well and placing in an airtight container – leave it for a few days to mature and then taste it. You may find this is all it takes! Good luck! Hi, Lindy. I am new to sugarcraft and cake making. I have tried your madeira cake recipe, even though I used Stork margarine and an 8inch square tin with the 8inch batter mix as above (didn’t realise the recipe was for 8 inch round cake)it worked great. The cake rose much more than previous attempts with other recipes. I baked in 140-160c fan oven for 2hrs, wrapped in newspaper and a bowl of water, is it usual for the cake to appear so pale in colour and moist to the touch on the sides and bottom? At first I thought it was underdone but it passed the skewer test! Great site by the way Gary Hi Gary, it sounds like you are doing well. Madeira cake is normally quite pale in colour. If the skewer is coming out clean, then the cake should be cooked in the middle. Remember madeira cake does become more moist as it matures – if you leave it in an airtight container for a few days it will become more moist than straight out of the oven. To create a rich, moist yet firm chocolate cake, have a look at the recipe on page 8 of Cakes to Inspire and desire or most of lindy’s other books. This recipe uses real chocolate rather than cocoa powder. Hi there I am loving this website and all the fab comments and tips! I am making my sons 1st birthday cake tomorrow night and I am planning on making a 2 tiered madeira cake – bottome layer 8″ and top 6″. I have chosen madeira as I want to make it tomorrow and have it Sat for his party and then the following Weds for the family party. What amounts of the recipe above will I need for the 6″ cake? Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you! Zoe xx Hi Zoe You just halve the 8in recipe to get the quantities for a 6in – see our blog post on quantities Hello Kate, I am sorry to hear that you had a bit of a cake disaster on your hands. What you need to do is cover the bottom tier in sugarpaste and set this to one side to dry out a bit. You then place the top tier cake directly on to the cake board and cover the cake plus board combination in sugarpaste. Set this aside to dry out a little. You can then place the top tier on to the bottom tier and you should not have any problems with the bottom tier being messed up. I do hope that this helps. Hi I’m making a 14inch Madeira tomorrow. I have done a trial run and the cake did rise a bit in the middle so I’m liking the idea of newspaper around the sides but I’m worried this will catch fire. Is there any tips for making sure this doesn’t happen? Thanks Melanie P.S. This is the best cake baking resource I have found on the web and trust me I’ve searched for days and days! Hi Melanie I assume you must have a gas oven, unfortunately I’ve never baked in one of these however, I would suggest try wetting the paper first. Another idea I’ve read about is to put wet paper inside aluminium foil and wrap this around the cake tin. Hope this helps Oh that’s perfect… i like the aluminium foil idea. Thank you! Interested in other flavours. Is it possible to make a raspberry madiera? If so, I can’t find raspberry extract on the web only in the Usa – could you use blended fresh raspberries? Also I havee been reading up on red velvet cake and pink velvet cake and wondered if these are popular or going to be here? Hello Paula, There is no problem with adding flavoured extracts to the madeira cake recipe – we sometimes see students coming to our classes with coloured madeiras (where they have added food colouring instead of a flavoured extract). Adding raspberry extract would work just as well. We would steer clear of adding fruit pulp to the cake batter as this is likely to make it too moist and sloppy. Red velvet cakes are certainly very popular over here at the moment. Let us know whether they become popular where you are. Anybody got any suggestions on where you can get hold of raspberry extract in the USA? oops sorry I meant to say I’m in the uk – and I haven’t been able to fnd a raspberry extract on the web for the uk – only on the web in the usa. I thought Jane Asher would have stocked it. I’ll keep looking. Thanks for the advice – much appreciated. paula found some in the uk – yeay!!! How deep should the cake tins be? Most are 3″ – do you use deeper tins? I now have my fourth madeira in the oven! First 12″ square a tiny bit dry but ok…came to conclusion I’d grossed up wrong and cooked for too long! Second 12″ square – fab: moist and firm (just as well as used for a birthday cake!) Third 9″ square (different tin) – middle collapsed as not cooked. Lesson learnt – make sure it is firm on top and push skewer in a long way to check no bits clinging and you aren’t rushed by trying to get on to getting toddler to bed! BUT used 2 teaspoons almond extract and the cooked bits tasted delicious! Fourth 12″ by 7″ rectangle – in oven now. Another practice one. I’ve used 2 teaspoons lemon extract as I am too lazy to zest! I suspect it would taste better with a bit of zest as well for different levels of lemoniness but the raw mixture tasted gorgeous! I wonder what other flavours people have experimented with? I have got rum extract, Camp coffee essence, orange extract, and peppermint extract in…. I also meant to say that there are some fab tips here – especially the glycerine one which I haven’t seen anywhere else! Another option for you Paula is to add fresh whole raspberries into the cake batter – the cake won’t keep as long onced baked but it makes a nice alternative. Have fun experimenting

This invention is in the field of reflector lamps, such as those which include the commonly known reflector (R) lamp used for floodlighting and as spotlights. Reflector (R) lamps are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 589,903, filed Mar. 14, 1984, assigned to the assignee as the present invention and herein incorporated by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 589,903 discloses R lamps having multiple and aimed parabolic reflective sections which improve the beam pattern of the R lamp. Of the total lumens or light rays developed by the light source of the prior art reflector lamps such as that of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 589,903, an undesirable amount of light rays are disadvantageously reflected by the neck section of the reflector lamp in such a manner as to end up outside the desired or main beam pattern and, therefore, these rays are considered unusable. A primary contributor to the disadvantageous reflection of light rays is the dimensions of the neck section. The diameter dimension is relatively large, being typically 37 mm. Although this relatively large neck diameter is disadvantageous with regard to light ray reflection, it is beneficial in providing for ease of insertion of the filament mount assembly and of a desired geometry for mating with the electrical base and also adhering to the base cement during the assembly of the reflector lamp. While the larger neck diameter of the reflector has certain structural benefits, it still remains optically disadvantageous. It is desired that a reflector lamp be provided which reduces the undesirable amount of lumens disadvantageously reflected by the neck section of the reflector so as to improve the overall optical efficiency of the lamp itself while still providing the structural benefits advantageous to the assembly of the reflector lamp. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a more efficient reflector lamp with an optically enhanced neck portion so as to more advantageously direct the light rays into the useful beam pattern of the reflector lamp and also allow ease of assembly of the lamp itself. In accordance with the present invention the reflector lamp having an improved neck section which increases the useful light output of the reflector lamp is provided. The reflector lamp comprises a concave reflector having a primary reflective section with a parabolic shape and a focal point, and one or more intermediate reflective sections each having a parabolic shape substantially confocal with the primary reflective section. The one or more intermediate reflective sections are interconnected by transitional sections. The reflector lamp further comprises a neck section having a reducing section, a first substantially straight cylindrical section, an expanding section, and a second substantially straight cylindrical section for mating with the electrically conductive base of the reflector lamp. The neck section is effective in advantageously reflecting light rays impinging on its surface back into the useful beam pattern. A more complete understanding of the present invention is obtained by considering the following description in conjunction with accompanying drawing. FIG. 1 shows a reflector lamp in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially segmented view illustrating improved light rays reflected internal to the lamp of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows an improved reflector (R) lamp 10 in accordance with the present invention. The lamp 10 comprises a concave reflector 12 and a light source 14 having its geometric center 16 located approximately at the focal point of the concave reflector 12. The concave reflector comprises a reflective section 18 having a parabolic shape and a focal point, and an intermediate reflective section 20 having a parabolic shape substantially confocal with the primary reflective section 18 and joined to the primary reflective section by a transitional section 22 preferably having a radius of curvature in the range of about 1.0 mm to about 3.0 mm. The concave reflector 12 further comprises a neck section 24 which is of primary interest to the present invention having a reducing section 26, a first substantially straight cylindrical section 28, an expanding section 30, and a second substantially straight cylindrical section 32 which is sealed to an electrically conductive base 34. The cylindrical section 32 and the expanding section 30 are uncoated, clear, translucent sections, whereas, cylindrical sections 28, reducing section 26, intermediate section 20, transitional section 22 and primary section 18 are all coated with a reflective material such as silver or aluminum. The light source 14 of lamp 10 may be preferably axially aligned in a vertical manner parallel to the lamp axis or it may be aligned in a horizontal manner perpendicular to lamp axis. The light source 14 is neither infinite nor infinitesimal in size and is approximately centered at the focal point of the concave reflector 12 as generally either perpendicular or parallel to the axis of the lamp 10. The light source 14 can be a filament preferably made of tungsten and mounted between a pair of inner leads 36 and 38 of suitable material such as copper plated with nickel. Alternate light sources can be employed in place of the tungsten filament such as the halogen regenerative cycle lamp or an arc discharge lamp. These alternate light sources act as a finite light source. The inner leads 36 and 38 extend through a glass stem 40 and are electrically connected to appropriate portions (not shown) of the electrically conductive base 34. A light reflective heat shield 42 having a top reflective surface that is preferably parabolic shaped is positioned under the finite light source 14 and mounted onto the glass stem 40. As discussed in the "Background" section above, it is desired that reflector lamps such as reflector lamp 10 direct as much as possible of the light emitted by the light source into a desired beam pattern. Of the total lumens of the light rays created by the light source of the prior art reflector lamps, an undesirable amount of light emitted by the light source is wasted by being undesirably reflected by the prior art neck section of the reflector lamp. Primary contributors are the reflective portions of the neck section undesirably reflecting the light rays out of the clear sections of the neck section and also undesirably into the electrically conductive base sections, both types of reflections ending up outside of the desired beam pattern, and are therefore considered wasted. With regard to the characteristics of the prior art neck sections themselves, we have determined that if the diameter of the neck section could be reduced the optical characteristic of the neck section could be improved. While it was recognized that reducing the diameter of the neck section improved its optical characteristic, such reduction needs to be accomplished in such manner as to preserve the present benefits of the relatively large neck diameter with regard to reflector lamp assembly. As discussed in "Background" section, the relatively large neck diameter is beneficial for ease of insertion of the filament mount assembly, and has a desired geometry for mating with the electrical base and adhering to the base cement all during the assembly of the reflector lamp. The present invention perserves these benefits by (1) having the substantially straight cylindrical section 28 which has a dimension allowing for ease of insertion of the filament assembly during lamp manufacture, (2) having an enlarging section 30 which is mated with the second cylindrical section, and (3) having the second cylindrical section with a desired geometry for mating with the electrical base 34 and adhering to the base cement during lamp manufacture. In general, the present invention substantially reduces the reflections of the light rays associated with the neck section which are typically experienced by the prior devices and which cause the light rays related to the neck portion to be undesirably reflected out of the clear sections of the neck section, and thus out of the desired beam pattern. The present invention optically adapts the neck section 24 so as to improve the overall efficiency of the lamp. The overall effect of the reflector lamp 10 is to distribute more advantageously the total candlepower distribution and zonal lumens emitted by the finite light source 14 into the directed and desired beam pattern. The operation of the improved R lamp 10 of the present invention may be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 mainly illustrates the improved light ray reflections distribution of the neck section 24 comprised of sections 26, 28, 30 and 32. FIG. 2 is a partially segmented view of the lamp 10 so as to illustrate the improved direction of the light rays 44A' 46A . . . 54C emitted by the light source 14 into the desired beam pattern. Although only light rays 44A' 46A . . . 54C are illustrated in FIG. 2 as representative of the related light rays emitted from the central region of the finite light source 14, it is to be understood that the practice of this invention also applies to light rays emitted from all portions of the finite light source 14. Light ray 44A emitted by the finite light source 14 and striking section 22 so as to be advantageously reflected off sections 22 as light ray 44B into the desired beam pattern is similar to light ray related to the R lamp described in the previously mentioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 589,903. Similarly, light ray 46A emitted by light source 14, striking intermediate reflective section 20 which is then reflected as light ray 46B onto the primary reflective section 18 where it is reflected into the desired beam pattern as light ray 46C is accomplished in a manner as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 589,903. The present invention is primarily related to the interrelationships between the light rays associated with the neck section 24 and light reflective heat shield 42. The light reflective heat shield proximity to the optically contoured neck section 24 both cooperate to more advantageously reflect their associated light into the desired beam pattern relative to prior reflector lamps. The advantages of the present reflector (R) lamp 10 may be described by first referring to the light rays 48A . . . 50B which end up outside of the desired beam pattern even for the present invention. Light ray 48A emitted by light source 14 travel directly, without intercepting the light reflective shield 42, onto and out of the clear section 32 and thus is wasted light. Similarly, light ray 50A emitted by light source 14 is reflected by reflective section 28 as light ray 50B down into and eventual absorption by the electrically conductive base 34. The present invention reduces the available area for these type light rays 48A and 50B which is described with reference to light rays 52A . . . 54C. Light ray 52A emitted by light source 14 strikes the reducing section 26 where it is reflected as light ray 52B which in turn strikes and is reflected by the intermediate section 20 as light ray 52C into the desired beam pattern. Similarly, light ray 54A emitted by light source 14 strikes the cylindrical section 28 where it is reflected as light ray 54B which in turn strikes and is reflected by reflective heat shield as light ray 54C into the desired beam pattern. The neck section, more particularly section 28 of neck section 24, along with the reflective heat shield 42 reduce the otherwise lost light rays emitted by light source 14. The section 28, along with the other sections 26, 30 and 32 of the neck section 24, have typical dimensions in the ranges given in Table 1. TABLE 1______________________________________Neck Section 24______________________________________Reducing Radius of curvature in theSection 26 range of about 1.4 mm to about 4.0 mmFirst Substantially Inner diameter in the rangeStraight Cylindrical of about 27 mm to about 31 mmSection 28 and a length of about 6.35 mm to about 25.4 mm.Second Substantially Inner diameter in the rangeStraight Cylindrical of about 35.6 mm to aboutSection 32 38.0 mm and a length in the range of about 25.6 mm to about 31 mm.Expanding Section 30 Minimum inner diameter in the range specified for section 28 and a maximum inner diameter in the range specified for section 32.______________________________________ The light reflective heat shield 42 has a radius of curvature in the range of about 50.8 mm to about 63.7 mm and is separated from the walls of section 28 by a distance in the range of about 1.57 mm to about 4.75 mm. Further, the light reflective heat shield is positioned onto the glass stem 40 so that it is located by a distance relative to the junction between sections 28 and 30, in the range of about 1.57 mm to about 12.7 mm. The practice of this invention in accordance with the foregoing description of the reflector lamp 10 provides an efficiency improvement of about 10 percent over the standard reflector (R) lamps. Although reflector lamp 10 has been described as having one intermediate reflective section 20, the practice of this invention contemplates one or more intermediate reflection sections, each having a parabolic shape substantially confocal with the primary reflective section 18 and each respectively joined by one or more transitional sections 22. It should now be appreciated that the practice of the present invention provides for an improved reflector lamp having increased useful light output.

Debunking the Myths of Clinical Trials Published in the Summer 2014 issue of LBBC's Newsletter, Insight Clinical trials, research studies in humans, are the main way new anticancer medicines and prevention and diagnosis techniques are tested and approved for use. Yet the number of adults who join cancer clinical trials is quite low. Concerns about safety and getting the best care, as well as unclear ideas of how research is done, may prevent people from enrolling. Despite the popular belief that medical research in humans is unsafe or scary, some people find the structured care offered through clinical trials comforting. They also may see benefit in having access to new study treatments to try. “Joining a clinical trial was the best thing I ever did,” says Fran Kamin, 51, of Lake Worth, Florida. “It’s amazing to me how many misconceptions there are.” Fran took part in BOLERO-3, a study of everolimus (Afinitor) for treating HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Researchers found that participants treated with everolimus lived for longer spans of time without the disease growing or spreading. Deciding whether a clinical trial is right for you is a personal choice, but your healthcare team can help you make an informed decision. How Trials Work “Everybody wants the best possible care,” says D. Lawrence Wickerham, MD, associate chairman of the National Surgical Breast and Bowel Project. “Participation in trials is how we ensure that high quality care.” Before a new therapy or approach reaches the point of being tested in a large group of people, it must go through testing in animals or test tubes and through two rounds of research in small groups of people., A treatment must be found safe and effective in these steps, or phases. If a treatment is found safe and of benefit through a large phase III trial , the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may grant approval for it to be used outside of trials. The FDA monitors trials and must give researchers permission to move from one phase to the next. “The reality is that trials are highly regulated, with an institutional review board checking protocol and reviewing participant consent forms before and during the study,” says Dr. Wickerham. Trial Types There are four types of trials: - Interventional trials compare new treatments or therapies with standard therapies - Prevention trials test methods of preventing cancer from forming or returning. If a trial is studying recurrence , you may be able to participate after you finish treatment - Diagnostic trials explore whether imaging or other methods help doctors find breast cancer earlier or learn more about the cancer faster - Follow-up trials monitor people who have used a certain treatment or therapy over a long period to watch for changes in quality of life and side effects. Trial Phases New study medicines and treatment techniques go through three phases of testing before they may gain FDA approval. They must be successful in one stage to move to the next. These phases are: - Phase I. Researchers test a new treatment in a very small group of people to find out how to give the medicine , what kind of side effects it causes, and how safe it is to use. Fewer people are eligible to join phase I trials, and they are not disease-specific. - Phase II. A slightly larger group of people, all with the same disease, get the study therapy to see how well it treats that disease. Researchers watch for side effects. - Phase III. Because past findings show a therapy is likely safe and seems to be effective, a very large group of people is recruited so that the new treatment can be compared to standard treatments. The goal is to find out whether the new therapy is as good as, or better than, the one already in use. Phase III clinical trials are usually randomized, which means a computer assigns participants to each treatment group. Having a computer select the groups gives everyone an equal chance of getting the trial therapy. One common fear is that in a randomized study a trial participant won’t get the approved treatment for their cancer. Some people believe that if they aren’t given the trial treatment, they won’t receive treatment at all. During phase III trials studying therapies for active treatment, researchers aren’t allowed to give you no treatment, unless this is the standard of care for your disease. If you aren’t receiving the trial medicine, you’ll get the same treatment you would have had outside of the trial. Boards and Committees for Protection One way participant safety during trials is monitored is through institutional review boards, IRBs, teams of doctors, experts, researchers and sometimes community members, who decide whether a trial is safe. The IRB can stop a trial at any time if they feel participants are at risk. Data monitoring committees serve the same kind of purpose, but are made up mostly of scientists. A data monitoring committee can tell a sponsor to stop a trial for safety reasons or because they feel it won’t lead to a useful result. Clinical Trials and Participant Safety Stacy Hansen, 33, of Apopka, Florida, who has triple-negative breast cancer , is participating in a blind prevention trial of NeuVax, a vaccine developed to help prevent HER2-negative breast cancers from returning. In blind trials, neither the doctor nor the participant knows whether the participant is getting the trial medicine or the standard of care. “It’s a little annoying that it’s blind, but I have a 50 percent chance of being in the group on NeuVax,” she explains. “Without joining the trial, my chance of having the vaccine was zero percent.” For people with triple-negative disease, clinical trials can offer a less sudden transition out of primary treatment . Unlike hormone -positive cancers, triple-negative cancers do not have post-treatment maintenance therapy . Using a trial medicine may ease the common worry that there’s nothing to protect you from a future recurrence. “It can be scary as someone with TNBC because once you’re finished with chemotherapy , you’re done. You go from seeing doctors all the time to seeing them once a year. In the trial I see a doctor once a month,” Stacy says. Before you join a trial, you must first go through a process of giving informed consent, during which the research team or their coordinators talk with each participant about the details of the trial. You will learn about the benefits and risks of enrolling, financial costs, and how the study will be structured and monitored. In some cases, you may be asked to show the team you understand the information given. You should then be given time to think about whether to enroll. Barb Young, 47, of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, took this approach before joining NSABP – B-49, a study comparing two different types of chemotherapy for HER2-negative, early-stage breast cancer . Barb has triple-negative breast cancer, which means it’s negative for HER2 as well as estrogen and progesterone receptors. “My oncologist recommended the trial to me but I didn’t jump right in,” says Barb. “I was worried at first, so I started asking questions. ‘What’s involved? What does joining mean for me and my health? Will I get the best care I can possibly get?’” The research team and trial nurses took time to help Barb understand the trial before she made a decision. “The trial nurse sat with me for a good half hour explaining all the details,” she says. “Throughout the trial there was always someone there to guide me and make sure I knew what was happening next.” Many people report that during a clinical trial, doctors and staff are more involved in care coordination than they might be during regular treatment. In order for the data collected to be as useful as possible, each person’s care must be handled almost exactly the same, so personal support staff — like trial nurses — are an important part of collecting all of the information needed for the study researchers to carefully analyze. Dr. Wickerham says the movement toward having strong staff support for participants is one way that clinical trials are becoming more sensitive to participants’ needs. “Oncology has a very good reputation for supporting trials,” says Wickerham. “The trial process is part of the residency and fellowship phases of oncology education.” Accessing Clinical Trials Clinical trials aren’t just for people with metastatic cancers, though many people believe that’s the case. The misconception comes from the belief that trials are a “last resort” meant for people who have tried many other treatments that haven’t worked. Today, many trials seek newly diagnosed people who have never had treatment in the past. These trials test medicines as first-line therapies, or the first treatment you receive after diagnosis. Many studies are available for those with metastatic breast cancer, too. Your oncologist may suggest a clinical trial for you, as Barb Young’s did. But if your doctor doesn’t recommend one or know of any you might be eligible for, you can search for them yourself. Visit clincialtrials.gov, a website run by the National Institutes of Health , to find studies open for enrollment. You can search for trials by breast cancer type, stage, or population needed. If your doctor isn’t aware of open trials or seems unable to help you find one, try accessing listings on advocacy sites like lbbc.org, or visiting clinicaltrials.gov. If you are from a group underrepresented in trials, such as people under age 40 or over age 65, ethnic minorities or men with breast cancer, you can search for a trial seeking people like you. Living Beyond Breast Cancer also maintains a listing of clinical trials on lbbc.org. Brooke Cole, 39, of Sanford, Maine, enrolled in a trial she found on clinicaltrials.gov because she wanted to help future generations the way that past generations of trial participants helped her. As a woman with HER2-positive disease, she took trastuzumab (Herceptin ), a medicine that wouldn’t exist without successful clinical trials. Brooke traveled from Maine to Baltimore, Maryland, once every 4 weeks for the first 7 months of a phase II vaccine trial (NCT00524277). She will now go every 6 months for the next 2 – 3 years. Though all medical costs were covered by trial sponsors, travel costs fell to Brooke. Dr. Wickerham says this is one aspect of trials to be aware of. “It’s important to know the costs of a trial, and that goes beyond the medical expenses to the time you spend and the costs of travel needed.” New legislation set forth by the Affordable Care Act requires that insurance companies cover the routine costs of participating in approved clinical trials. Many pharmaceutical companies also cover the medical costs if they are sponsoring the trial. The financial impact of joining a trial can be low if you can access one at a facility near your home. For Brooke, the cost of travel was significant, but her commitment to research kept her going. “We have to do this kind of research to get it done,” Brooke says. “There have to be people, like me, willing to take part. If you can’t travel and [a trial] is nearby, get involved and enroll. For me, it was an easy decision.”

‘Basketball Wives LA’ star Jackie Christie is blogging for HollywoodLife.com, sharing her thoughts about each episode! Read what she has to say below!! - Jackie Christie Get More Basketball Wives Stories: - Jackie Admits She Likes Draya! - Jackie: I Wish Kimsha, Tanya & Draya! - Evelyn Lozada Would Do Another Season! View Comment DivaBricka Posted at 8:01 PM on December 13, 2012 Mimi Posted at 8:11 PM on December 28, 2011 I think all of those women have problems. But i’m like jackie, PUT IT ALL ON THE TABLE. They didn’t do lke jackie. Imani is a joke. Draya is a wanna-be and the rest are just gold diggers. Having afairs with other women’s husbands, she should be happy that jackie was her friend. I think jackie is a very straight up person and people cannot take the truth, oh well. IT IS WHAT IT IS. THE TRUTH. Keep up the great work jackie. Ashamed of the Govan Sisters Posted at 2:09 PM on October 11, 2011 These women are so pathetic. First of all who are the Govan sisters to go around passing judgment. Has Gloria forgotten that her sister had an affair with Shaquile Oneal when he was still married to Shanie??? Doesn’t that make her a slut/home-wretcher??? And Gloria forgets that a year ago police was called to her home because of domestic violence???? Talk about skeletons in their closets. THEY ARE JUST JELAOUS OF DRAYA BECAUSE SHE IS THE YOUNGEST OF THE GROUP AND THE SEXIEST. JACKIE IS A SAD INVIDIVUAL AND AN OLD FART WHO IS SO AFRAID OF HER FINE HUSBAND LEAVING HER. These women need to get a life and stop being so fake. I wonder what their children are going to think of all these women when they see this footage in the future. They will be ashamed of this mothers. Steiner Posted at 5:04 PM on October 6, 2011 Dianna Posted at 3:15 PM on October 5, 2011 frst of all you all act as if you all don’t have a past. Yall pick on the weakest link. Let the first one without sin cast a stone. Hell bound yall all will be. Think about yourself and what’s really in your closet. Yes Draya has a past that’s not so good but all of yall do. One is a HOME WRECKER and you know that but noone never speaks on that. stop pointing the fingure at other people untill you have fix yourself. Mrs. Jackie you keep a lot of mess going you really do. Read your King James Bible and see what it says about marriage. i believe you want be so quick to talk so much. No don’t be ashamed but you should realize then noone is perfect and that we all have fallen short of the Glory of God. You dont suppose to remarry if any of your husband is still alive. well the very first one. And God has the last say so. alux marie Posted at 12:52 AM on October 5, 2011 Jackie,jackie,Jackie…you sound like an idiot. I think the real question is,do YOU watch this show. Do YOU see yourself? Do YOU see your behavior? In your dumb *** statement above,you try and come off as if nothing bothers you and that u are oblivious to u all’s ignorant behavior.Come on now,you know u all are being ridiculous.You know you ladies are washed up. Burnt up and turned out. this girl has probably been bullied all her life. pretty girls usually are. You all are bullies and complete hypocrites. come on now all you hoes have some dirt. you all have just mastered the art of disguise. Draya goes in to all of this innocent and naive. and there you all are lying in wait to attack. Get your SOUL together you are not good people,you are making fools of yourselves. The worst part is your getting doggie treats. The puppeteer holding the strings Shaunie Oneal and producers at VH1 are laughing and raking in the dough off of your silly and disgusting antics. Ladies! Grow the hell up!! Jann R Posted at 7:11 PM on October 4, 2011 It just goes back to my personal saying if you put more than 3 females in a room there will be drama. I was very dissappointed in the way the women treated Draya. Regardless to what she’s done there was a more tasteful way to approach the situation. That may have meant lower ratings but something greater could have been achieved. Everyone has a past, who give anyone the right to berate someone for what you ‘believe’ is true. I would love to know what skeletons live in most of these ladies closets. It baffles me how the ladies allow Jackie to lead them around by the nose, the so-called friendships seem forced and most of them are basically kissing Jackies arse. The ladies are afraid to offend Jackie so whatever Jackie thinks dictates what the majority thinks and acts on. Malayshia, I tip my hat to you for being the only one in your group of ‘tough girls’ to have a backbone and opinions of your own. Jackie, if you haven’t had the chance to watch yourself please do, I’m sure if you’re the decent wife and mother you claim to be you will dissapointed in what you see. Imani, I know why you’re single…..I’ll leave it at. Laura, if the rumors are true you have no room to judge you could have simply chosen not be around Draya it’s not hard you all were ready to do it before when Jackie had her wedding. Gloria, you love throwing terms like jump-off at people but words are just like boomerangs sometimes they come back, if you didn’t get read it again. Last but not least Draya, whatever you’ve done be it true or not no one has the right to treat you like that I believe they are jealous because you represent everything most of them will never be. You’re young make good decision and live your life. Ree Posted at 2:40 PM on October 4, 2011 Ree Posted at 1:36 PM on October 4, 2011 CORRECTION: I meant to say Laura, not Gloria, when I said she squeezed another one out before getting the boot. Sorry. I’m sure you all know that was Laura. Sad. I was really liking Laura and feeling sorry for her. I even began to believe her rumors of her breaking up Shaunie and Shaq to be faked. Not anymore. jean71 Posted at 1:27 PM on October 4, 2011 Last night was a sad day for women of color. These are not ladies they are bullies. Jackie, is the oldest of the group, yet she is the person that creates a bad image. To me her priorities are not with her mother and her illness and being there for her, she is on a computer getting dirt on Stays. Jackie, you should be taking Draya, and helping her with parenting skills, instead you and your groupies are tearing her down. Everyone, has skeletons in their closet, and instead of forgiving people, you are casting stones. To me the show should clean house starting with you Jackie, and the rest, because this not how I want to be protrayed on tv, insecured and unhappy bullies. Done with the show Posted at 1:55 PM on October 4, 2011 You are so right. I am done watching this. I’m sad that her mom passed, but Jackie is the most childish one. She clearly has shown that on the show, as well as all her other past public antics. She keeps saying, Laura too, they were trying to save Draya and help her. Did anyone see that actually happening? Jackie could have said that maybe Draya didn’t come because of an accident, maybe she was sick, or maybe she needed to stay for her son. No. She asked is Draya laid up under someone, with 5 guys, is she stripping, and other negative stuff. Yet, she sits there and pretends she wanted Draya at her 19th wedding ceremony? Come on! She wasn’t fooling Draya. She saw right through it. Draya did the right thing by not coming. She even handled that MMA situation with class, all to find out later that it was a set up. These chicks (minus Draya,Malaysia) are hopless. Tonya & Kimsha I don’t know enough about. They are not around anymore for a reason, and I think it’s because of those other females. disappointed Posted at 11:35 AM on October 4, 2011 You are a disgrace to black women everyone, including your daughters. I am ashamed of everything you ladies stand for with the exception of Tanya Williams who is noticable missing from the edited shows. Of all the ladies, you are the worse given your age and the fact that you have daughters who you are setting a very bad example for. All the work of our ancestors has been significantly damaged by the ignorance displayed on this show. Do us a favor… do not continue production of this show! blkpersian Posted at 8:26 AM on October 4, 2011 REALTALK72 Posted at 10:40 PM on October 3, 2011 JACKIE,You should be ashamed of yourself. i gather you are someone the girls look up to and you are throwing a rock and hiding your hand. you always talking about being real and straight up with people and you are a intergator. if you know that Draya is a young mess up girl . then you should help her to turn a life around for the good. when people know better they do better. perhaps she has not had any home training and need a little guidance from you. you try to be so honest but you messy. i think you like being that way YOLANDA Posted at 9:49 PM on October 3, 2011 Jackie, jackie, jackie shame on you. aren’t you to old to be acting like this? you have a mother who needs your attention, why are you so focused on Drya? you all look like bullies for real. if you were real instead of talking about beating her down you want to help her and in turn help the kid. Laura and Floria you are both from the suburb stop acting like you were raised in the hood its a dishonor to your parents Kristy5 Posted at 11:55 AM on September 30, 2011 Jackie is an old ugly trouble maker. Her life surrounded by the yearly nuptials and her harsh treatment of her daughter is sickening. She and her “CIRCLE” minus Draya are truly a bunch of losers. Compared to the Real Basketball Wives – Miami who are really beautiful and has much more going on in their lives than these losers who manufacture silly things to do…… If Jackie’s wedding was so important and she wanted to share with friends and loved ones …. how come she was so upset because Draya didn’t show? Afterall…she just met this girl. All in all she looked a hot mess at her own wedding and Malasia and Imani and the two sisters are trash…no one is a real wife (Malasia…is I guess), so what’s with having Wives in the title??? Just asking……. Pebbles Posted at 2:37 AM on October 3, 2011 I could not agree with you more, I really believe that some of this women are jealous of Draya who still has some growing to do, but she seems more mature than the haters. Please somebody tell me why does everyone keep telling Laura she’s beautiful -WHERE-?, she is hood, ignorant and childish, fighting three weeks after giving birth and with four children, Gloria is so perfect with the perfect life and all, I wonder why can’t she and Laura get this men to marry them and stop shacking up and producing all of the babies out of wed lock. Lovely Day Posted at 2:33 PM on October 4, 2011 Thank you for saying that. Gloria is shacking up, trying to show how she is such a good cook or always cleaning up. She even started the season by talking bad about LA girls wearing heels at the grocery store, and she don’t have to. She was on the Florida version of BW, claiming her relationship to be solid and how the others should take lessons from her on how to keep a man. The next episode has her saying Matt wants marriage, but she has other things she is doing so she is not ready. Whatever! It’s Matt who is not ready, or he would have did it by now. You were the one in Florida saying it was going to happen. Once again, Gloria is trying to make herself look like the strong and perfect one. How did Laura manage to have another baby, when she had been moving in and out with Gilbert Arenas? They have been on the rocks for years,after that rumor. She know she could have protected herself. That last baby was probably a final attempt to save the relationship or add to her monthly check. She knew what she was doing. Now we are supposed to feel sorry for her and all her 4 kids? Laura should stop acting like she is so broke. I’m sure Gilbert is the poor one, right now. He would have been even more poor, had he actually married her. Whether you cheated on Gilbert with Shaq or not, you chose to have all the babies before actual marriage (like so many others). True Life Posted at 11:09 AM on October 7, 2011 So true Pebbles….Laura is nowhere near beautiful…she looks like a tranny. The only ones, in my opinion, who can be put into that category are Draya & Malaysia. I use to think that Gloria was pretty, but the more I look at her the more she reminds me of a termite or some weird looking insect. And as for them marrying their baby daddies…like my mom always say…”why buy the cow when you can get the milk free….these dumb broads have played house with these men for too long so why does marriage matter anymore!!!! pepper Posted at 3:21 AM on October 9, 2011 LopezBeatriz Posted at 7:33 AM on September 28, 2011 unbelievable Posted at 11:12 AM on October 7, 2011

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A Message from Pope Francis In all the baptized, from first to last, the sanctifying power of the Spirit is at work, impelling us to evangelization.”. Of course, all of us are called to mature in our work as evangelizers. We want to have better training, a deepening love and a clearer witness to the Gospel.… I hope that all communities will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are. “Mere administration” can no longer be enough. Throughout the world, let us be “permanently in a state of mission”.. ~excerpts from Joy of the Gospel For many of us, the word "evangelization" can provoke a number of uneasy images in the Catholic minds-eye. Inspired preaching, talking to strangers on the street, or going door-to-door are actions that we can't imagine ourselves ever doing. And so, the Church's call to the New Evangelization may not elicit much response from us. However, of all the things the Church does, evangelization is what the Catholic Churchexists to do. And actually, the kind of evangelization required in our time and situation is much different than we might think. St John Paul II put it beautifully when he said, "The Church wishes to serve this single end: that each person may be able to find Christ, in order that Christ may walk with each person the path of life..." (Redeemer of Man, 13) Helping people to come to know Jesus is something we can do in our own sphere of influence, whether we are a stay-at-home mom, a teen in a public high school, or a professional in the workplace. In fact, it's even something we can do in the context of our own parishes. Numerous studies have shown that for various reasons, upwards of 70% of young people are no longer practicing their faith by the time they reach adulthood. Upwards of 60% of the people in the pews of Evangelical Churches are former Catholics. The main reason they give for leaving the Catholic Church and going to a different one is that they did not come to know Jesus in a meaningful way as a Catholic. The Church has long relied on the waning influence of ethnic Catholic cultures to transmit the faith to the next generations. However, cultural Catholicism has been no match for the corrosive impact of secularism. The 2015 Pew Survey—Religious Landscapes study is one of the more recent investigations of the patterns of Catholic practice in the US.There is no sign of reversing the trend so far. All of this points to a profound crisis of faith within the Church itself. In fact, we all know people who have ceased to practice the Catholic faith, or who practice it in only a nominal way. That is why the Church needs all of us who love Jesus and who love being Catholic to be part of reversing the trend, by being part of the New Evangelization. And it starts by developing a culture of discipleship in our families, parishes, and schools. The New Evangelization was the key of St John Paul II's magisterial teaching. He gave the Church a more personalistic evangelical language by which to speak of our faith. He spoke emphatically of the necessity for each person to experience personal conversion through a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Each of us are invited to grow into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, lived in the Church and nourished on the Sacraments. His successors, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis, have both maintained this vision and direction for the church. Here in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, the Office of New Evangelization (now the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship) was established in October of 2013 upon the publication of Archbishop Coakley’s Pastoral Letter, Go Make Disciples. There, he wrote: "The work of evangelization that is particularly urgent in our time and place, however, is what St. John Paul II an Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI referred to as the new evangelization. Its focus is on the nations and cultures where the Gospel has been proclaimed, but where the flame of faith has been reduced to a barely glowing ember. A once fervent faith has given way to a lukewarm indifference. We all know many people today who are nominally Christian or nominally Catholic. They still claim to believe but act as though God does not exist. They compartmentalize their faith, as though it pertained only to Sundays or certain religious exercises. Their faith has little or nothing to do with the way they live their lives each day. Though they have not formally rejected Christ or his Gospel, the lives of many Catholics are informed far more by the conventional values of the secular culture than by the liberating truth of the Gospel and the teaching of the Church. [...] But we cannot give what we do not have. To evangelize others is to invite them into friendship and relationship with Jesus Christ. Before we invite others, we the evangelizers must ourselves be truly evangelized. The evangelizers must first become disciples. We have to be in relationship with Jesus. We have to know him and know that we are loved by him. It is not enough to know about Jesus. We have to become his friend." The Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship exists in order to effectively promote this friendship, this personal conversion to Jesus Christ in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, at the personal, parish, communal, institutional and cultural level. We earnestly want to develop the means of formation that will make the baptized competent witnesses to the Catholic faith in their own spheres of influence. It is the Church’s conviction that giving attention to the personal conversion of each of the baptized will transform our parishes and communities, and in turn that converted Catholics will transform the culture around us. In the National Directory for Catechesis, the United States Catholic Bishops tell us: The new evangelization is directed to the Church herself:. It is also directed to all human cultures so that they might be open to the Gospel and live in harmony with Christian values. The new evangelization is aimed at personal transformation through the development of a personal relationship with God, participation in sacramental worship, the development of a mature ethical and social conscience, ongoing catechesis, and a deepening integration of faith into all areas of life. question about human life. Such a change, engendered by the action of the Holy Spirit, shows itself in the transformation of one’s life. Helping the Church to Have Clarity of Purpose Many parishes are busy places, but their many activities can inadvertently obscure the reason the parish exists: to lead people to intimacy and communion with Jesus Christ! St John Paul II, quoted above, gives a strikingly clear statement of purpose: "The church wishes to serve this single end: that each person may be able to find Christ, so that Christ may be able to walk with each person the path of life." Does your parish have a reputation for being the "go to place" for people who want to know Jesus? Are the people in the parish inspiring people to want to know Jesus? If not, the parish needs greater clarity about its purpose. How can we get there? Since, as the Archbishop pointed out, one cannot help others to find Christ if one hasn't found him oneself, the first priority is to make sure that baptized, practicing Catholics have the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church. The Church recognizes that this typically happens in a series of "slow stages". Those stages unfold somewhat differently if one is becoming Catholic as an adult, versus someone who received the sacraments of initiation as a child. Either way, personal conversion to Jesus Christ is necessary. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1231 tells us that model of the post-baptismal catechumenate focuses on the stages of personal conversion. It helps an adult who has already been sacramentally initiated to consciously choose to follow Jesus. Once this has happened, the person is "apprenticed" or mentored in the heart and habits of a disciple. A framework for formation, based on the idea of the "post-baptismal catechumenate" would aim to offer baptized people the same kind of explicit encouragement to place Jesus at the center of their life as someone who is converting to Catholicism for the first time; it gives the the opportunity to be intentionally "mentored" in the Christian life. TheGeneral Directory of Catechesis (29) puts it this way: ...[T. The Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship is proposing the adoption of a common frame of reference throughout the Archdiocese, to help us to picture the process by which people become intentional disciples. The rationale for this framework is drawn from the 1997 General Directory of Catechesis (GDC) and Pope Francis' Joy of the Gospel. This is the pedagogy prescribed by the Church. This frame of reference will form a sound basis for each parish that is ready to develop a plan of evangelization, but it is also useful for diocesan offices and other formational settings. Parishioners who have been formed in an atmosphere where the kerygma is regularly re-visited, and which has an intentional process of discipling people at every turn, will be able to bring people to parishes that are fully equipped for the disciple-making process! To that end, the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship offers training and mentoring for parish leadership teams to help them form an evangelistic strategy addressed first to the internal culture of the parish, and secondarily towards outreach. In order to become a parish where it's easy to get to know Jesus, the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship especially recommends pdf the small group discipleship process developed by Catholic Christian Outreach (88 KB)for adult Catholics. These five faith studies provide solid stepping stones for developing a personal relationship with Jesus, developing the heart and habits of a disciple, and basic skills for leading others to faith in Jesus and the Church. To see how these studies fit around the baseball diamond, CLICK HERE. This is a "multiplying discipleship model", so it starts small and grows from there. Here is an excerpt from a talk given by Angele Regnier, who authored these studies, explaining the pedagogy of their method. Here is a short documentary about one parish that is making the discipleship journey a central feature of their strategy. For more information about how it works, or for help getting started, please contact the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship. Of course, this is not the only resource available. To see a menu of items that can support a culture of discipleship at each stage of the formative journey, click HERE. Is it just a Matter of Better Planning? While good planning is absolutely necessary, there is another even more important aspect of evangelization. The Holy Spirit is the "principle agent of evangelization". Without him, we can do nothing! Pope Paul VI wrote, ." (Evangelization in the Modern World 75) We do ourselves a favor to ask for the explicit involvement of the Holy Spirit in all that we do, but especially in directing our inspirations and thoughts and planning for the New Evangelization. To that end, parishes are encouraged to participate in the Novena to the Holy Spirit in the 9 days leading up to Pentecost each year. But it's good to pray a novena as an especially intense request for the assistance of the Holy Spirit before any initiative related to evangelization, and to cultivate devotion to him at all times. Let's be game changers. What would that look like? We'll know when conversations like the one above become "normal" for us. After you watch this video, imagine for yourself the following questions: 1. What did it take for Jenny to be prepared for this encounter? 2. Imagining that all went well, and Kate went to Confession on Saturday, and Mass on Sunday--what would happen if Kate showed up at your parish on Monday morning? How would your parish be prepared to help her to grow in her discipleship? If you don't know, please contact the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, and let us help you! *Baseball Diamond Analogy adapted and used with permission from Evangelical Catholic.

Team-Based Learning in Asynchronous Online Settings - Caroline Dickerson - 2 years ago - Views: Transcription 1 7 In implementing team-based learning in a purely online, asynchronous course, the authors advise planning early and planning well, a process for which they provide specific advice. Team-Based Learning in Asynchronous Online Settings Sunay Palsolé, Carolyn Awalt Team-based learning (TBL) has been shown to improve student learning in a variety of settings (Michaelsen, Knight, and Fink, 2004). In a majority of cases, team-based learning (TBL) has been implemented in face-to-face formats and occasionally in blended learning formats, which are partially online partially and face-to-face in a classroom (Freeman, 2004). The Sloan Consortium surveys (Allen and Seaman, 2007) report a steady increase in the enrollments in online courses, and this is borne out by data gathered at the University of Texas at El Paso. Over the past five years, we have faced an increase in the demand for courses in flexible learning formats (blended and 100 percent online), with enrollment increasing by an average of 20 percent each year. With the unequivocal efficacy of TBL in the traditional face-to-face class format, it became imperative to find a way to implement it in flexible learning format courses. This chapter describes the implementation of asynchronous TBL in a fully online course and provides some practical strategies for practitioners interested in such implementations. Keeping the four basic principles of TBL in mind (see Chapter One) during the design process, we first implemented TBL strategies in a fully online course in fall 2005 using a combination of testing and synchronous chat tools. Table 7.1 gives the equivalencies in the online environment of processes that are usually followed in a face-to-face environment. The course that we redesigned for online delivery using TBL was a large undergraduate course with an enrollment of approximately about 110 students. Although this new teaching strategy seemed to work after students NEW DIRECTIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING, no. 116, Winter 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley InterScience () DOI: /tl 2 88 TEAM-BASED LEARNING: SMALL-GROUP LEARNING S NEXT BIG STEP Table 7.1. Equivalencies of Face-to-Face to Online Class Activities Traditional Face-to-Face Class Online Class Preclass preparation (usually assigned Assigned readings from books, Web sites, textbook readings) discovery questions, and so forth. Multiple-choice individual readiness Multiple-choice irat using online testing assurance tests (irat) using Scantrons tools. Team readiness assurance tests (trat) trat based a discussion board over two with immediate feedback assessment days. Team leader (assigned in advance on technique forms a rotating basis) compiles answers and submits team answers. Team reporter compiles discussion and posts gist of the discussion to the common board. Feedback on RAT. Mini lecture based on RAT results. Mini lecture based on RAT results and discussion is added to the week s lecture. Five to seven RATs per course Five RATs in weeks 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. to prepare for application activities; Schedule matches the stages of the team may be followed by a peer evaluation project, which is due at the end of the semester. Peer evaluations are done after each RAT on an Excel spreadsheet that each individual uploads as an assignment. Grading of team application activities Team projects are graded as follows: 50 typically done by instructor and may percent = individual grade (by instructor s include evaluations from other teams; assessment of contribution on assignment individual scores may be modified base using a rubric that was created by team); on a postactivity peer evaluation. 30 percent = team grade; 20 percent = peer evaluation. Often includes an end-of-semester End of semester is wrapped up with a reflective assignment. reflective assignment. became accustomed to the timetables, we had increasing complaints from students about finding convenient times required to work synchronously for taking the individual and team readiness assurance tests (respectively, irats and trats). Given the fact that most students tend to take fully online courses for the time and space flexibility afforded to them, it became necessary to find a solution to doing TBL in asynchronous modalities. A revised version of asynchronous TBL was implemented in fall 2006 with a follow-up in fall The 2006 course, Interdisciplinary Technology and Society, had an enrollment of seventy-four students. We decided to leverage the capability of instant feedback by using the built-in test tools in our learning management system and the fact that we could elicit thoughtful responses (Markel, 2001; Freeman, 2004, Palloff and Pratt, 2005) from the students using the discussion board tool. We also took into account that 3 TEAM-BASED LEARNING IN ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE SETTINGS 89 time expands in online discussions (Meyer, 2003) and designed the learning process to account for this. Our first design revisions were focused on modifying our procedures to promote team cohesion better. Then, before we launched the actual course, we refined the procedures based on feedback from four runthroughs with student workers playing the part of students. Setup One of the most important things to keep in mind when teaching online courses is that you cannot expect students to be able to find matching times for synchronous work, and this is particularly true when they are taking online courses that are designed specifically to afford them time and space flexibility. Nevertheless, tasks can be designed to achieve the desired student engagement provided that extra time is incorporated to enable team interactions to occur. To allow students extra time, we required learning teams to post to the discussion board every week and provide thoughtful feedback to every member of the team. This established the expectation on the part of the students that discussion was an important part of the class. We then set up teams to participate in TBL exercises. We explained to the students why TBL was important and the exact procedures that would be followed. Creating Teams. We chose to create five-member teams using the automated tool in our learning management system. Three semesters of study convinced us that automated team selection created team assignments that were just as diverse as, and sometimes more diverse than, those created by manual processes used by the instructor and saved time overall. Teams were permanent and were not allowed to change. We asked teams to create their own team contracts and establish their strategy for working together. To have teams discover their team assets, we had them post introductions of themselves with their strengths and weaknesses and their overall goals for the class in their team discussion board, which is somewhat similar to Salmon s five-stage framework (2003). Borrowing from Harasim, Hiltz, Teles, and Turoff (1995) the idea that students working in a virtual environment need to discover common goals and objectives to be successful, we then asked the team members to look at each other s strengths and weaknesses and outline what they would do to build a support structure. We asked each team to write this up as a formal support document and post it in their team files area in WebCT. Creating Accountability. We created multiple-choice tests using the learning management system s built-in test and assessment tools. Multiplechoice tests were duplicated so they could be used by the individual students to ensure accountability for individual preparation and for the trat after the team s discussion in its discussion board. Each team activity was followed by a peer evaluation carried out using a spreadsheet provided to the team or a tool built at the University of Texas at El Paso specifically for 4 90 TEAM-BASED LEARNING: SMALL-GROUP LEARNING S NEXT BIG STEP that purpose and uploaded by each team as an assignment. In the case of the spreadsheet, grades were tallied using macros. Promoting Team Learning and Development. Our previous experience and research demonstrates that engaging learners in the online collaborative environment requires that all teams (and members) must feel that their ideas are being heard and discussed (McConnell, 2006). To generate this engagement and to promote team development, we created a system of sharing and voting for the best team projects. Team products were shared in a discussion or drop box area, and every member of the class voted on the best product (they could not vote for their own team) and provided feedback. The results were tallied, and the winning team was awarded extra points that amounted to about 5 percent of the final project grade. This is done so there is enough incentive for teams to do well, but not so much as to bring in the factor of greed. We also added a reflection assignment that teams turned in every four weeks. For this assignment, they examined their goals set at the beginning of the class and evaluated whether they were on target. We spent significant time writing questions that were indirect and open-ended queries. For example, we asked them to think about the philosophy of technology use on the El Paso-Juarez border instead of asking them to list what technologies were being used on the El Paso Juarez border area. Providing Frequent and Immediate Feedback. The automation of the test tool in the learning management system helped provide feedback fairly instantaneously when team leaders entered the team answers on the trat. Due to the nature of online work, team leaders rotated each session and were responsible for taking the trat based on the discussions of the assigned questions in the team discussion board. Although the teams were not present in the same space at the same time, the students excitement in wanting to know their performance was demonstrated by the fact that most of the students checked the group grades within twenty-four hours of the team leader s submitting the team answers. We also wrote learning management system rules to allow the release of scores for the irats only after the team leaders had completed the trat. We provided feedback on the team discussion boards following completion of the trat. We used the discussion boards to suggest topics for our mini lectures that were created and added to the course content as a result of the students performance on the RATs. An overview of our adaptation of the RAT to online environment appears in Figure 7.1. How We Implemented the 4 S s. The final project was a team project and required students to look at the City of El Paso and work out changes that may need to be done (within reason) to build a sustainable ecology. We had students and teams complete five application assignments and tried to keep the 4 S s of effective team assignments in doing so: significant to students, same problem, specific choice, and simultaneous report (see Chapter One and the volume appendix). Furthermore, each assignment was designed to build up the knowledge needed to complete the final project. 5 TEAM-BASED LEARNING IN ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE SETTINGS 91 Figure 7.1. The Readiness Assurance Process Note: Completion of the individual and team RATs takes about three to four days from start to finish. Source: Michaelsen, Michaelson, and Black (1994). Adapted to the Online Course Environment. Assignments were made available to all the teams at the same time on a common discussion board. An example assignment follows (significant to students): What types of renewable and alternative energy technologies will promote economic growth for a sustainable environment for the 21st century? Isolate some of the issues, support your arguments with specific references, and outline some possible solutions. Use the evaluation framework you developed in the previous assignment to help guide your solution path. 6 92 TEAM-BASED LEARNING: SMALL-GROUP LEARNING S NEXT BIG STEP Each team had the same assignment (same problem) and the same time frame to turn in their work: Day 1 Days 1 5 Day 6 Days 6 7 Assignment is posted to a common discussion board. Team discussion, consensus building, and development of final product on Team Wiki. Team assignment submitted to the grading tool and posted to its discussion board. Teaching team collects discussions and posts them to the common discussion board for all teams to see (simultaneous reporting). Team members fill out peer evaluation forms using the spreadsheet or online tool. We did not implement the 4 S of specific choice, since we did not think we could do this effectively. In the process of writing this chapter and discussions about the process, however, we have realized that we can implement specific choice by presenting the teams with a list of technologies and then having them choose one or a combination from the presented list. This process will be implemented in spring We found that even when we did not have synchronous or face-to-face simultaneous reporting, the students were still excited to see what their grades were and the solutions that the other teams had produced. This was indicated by their checking their individual and team grades and seeing what other teams had come up with and posting comments about the work that the other teams had produced. Outcomes We measured our outcomes by looking at the overall student performance, retention rates, and student satisfaction with TBL. The results are discussed following. Student Performance. Overall, the students performed well in our online team-based learning class. The exception was two teams that had below-average performances. We could predict the success rates of the teams by tracking the number of posts they had in the team discussion boards and also how engaged each of the team members was in looking at the products of the other teams. Student Retention. One of the main issues commonly seen in online courses is that they face a higher rate of student attrition as compared to a traditional classroom. In both courses that implemented TBL, we realized about a 90 percent retention rate. We feel that this was achieved by helping the students set goals and reflect on them throughout the semester and the fact that being part of a functioning team helped build the right support structure to help them stay on track even if they fell a little behind at times. 7 TEAM-BASED LEARNING IN ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE SETTINGS 93 Student Comments on TBL. Students were also asked to engage in a reflective exercise that asked them to think about what they had achieved in the class through teamwork and how each step contributed to their success. We also surveyed the students at the end of the semester about class effectiveness. Among their comments were these: It was a pain to keep doing the evaluations but I think it helped because no one could hide so everyone had to do the work. I had never thought that teams would work well online. I think it was interesting to do the weekly postings and exchange views. I won t say that I enjoyed the team learning, but this was the best experience I had working in teams. It was a good experience. I liked reading other teams work and the competition. I just wish we had done better. An overall evaluation of the class did not show any significant differences in grades compared to the face-to-face strategy, but there was significant satisfaction with teamwork when students were asked to compare their experiences in other classes where they worked in formal or informal teams. Conclusion Given the overall performance, experience, and feedback from the students, we feel that our adaptation of TBL in the online course was a success. Some factors that we believe contributed to the success are an early team-building exercise that helped the teams identify strengths and weaknesses and build a support structure and frequent peer evaluations that helped keep the teams on track. This was very important since the teams did not have a chance to meet, so receiving frequent feedback on their individual contributions to the team did contribute to team success. In addition, the team competition helped create interteam excitement for the best finished product, and the fact that the best-performing team was selected by its peers was a great contributing factor in the success of the teams. The team assignments were designed to cascade into each other and used products from previous assignments for the next assignment. This sequencing was a little difficult to do, but it was valuable to help the teams see the pathway to the big picture final product. Overall we realized that the teams needed a lot of training in the beginning about Netiquette if they were to succeed well without misinterpreting responses given to queries. Moreover, it became apparent that while most aspects of classical TBL can be implemented in online formats, the procedures for the readiness assurance process and application exercises have to be modified to fit the online environment. Finally, applying the TBL strategy in an online environment was a timeconsuming task to develop and implement the first time, but the overall 8 94 TEAM-BASED LEARNING: SMALL-GROUP LEARNING S NEXT BIG STEP results of the student satisfaction surveys made it a worthwhile and successful enterprise. Next Steps Student feedback indicated that they valued their experiences with team building in the online courses. They also indicated that the spreadsheet evaluation tool was preferable to the online tool (which was easier to use) because it let them evaluate each other on much broader criteria. We plan to examine newer tools that have been developed for online peer evaluations and the readiness assurance processes to see if they can be used to simplify these processes. We have these tips for adoption: Plan early and plan well. Map out the entire course flow using software or a whiteboard. We found this to be valuable as we built each of the assignments and worked out submission dates and times to create as seamless a process as possible. Design for a few weeks, and have the material tested by students or colleagues to iron out any wrinkles in directions or plans. Work out a calendar, and have a third party double-check it. Provide as many details as possible. If there is a misinterpretation to be made, it will be made in the online environment. Create flowcharts for the process, and post them in the syllabus. They help students keep track of the processes. Provide another assignment checklist outside the syllabus or schedule, and post reminders online. Conduct an early team-building exercise that has low stakes and helps teammates get to know each other. Be prepared in the first two weeks to answer endless queries about the work details in the class. Post a frequently asked questions list in the course. Set up a help board in the discussion area for the class, and encourage students to post queries to the help board first, before ing you, so you can reply once and point other students to the same area. Encourage students to help their peers, and provide some incentive to do so. Be prepared to modify plans as needed. We found this to be particularly true when assigning peer evaluations. We modified the number of evaluations when circumstances dictated. Add a reflection paper toward the end of the semester to help bring all the work done in the class using TBL back into focus. References Allen, E., and Seaman, J. Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning. Needham, Mass.: Sloan Consortium, Retrieved June 2, 2008, from 9 TEAM-BASED LEARNING IN ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE SETTINGS 95 Freeman, M. Team-Based Learning in a Course Combining In-Class and Online Interaction. In L. K. Michaelsen, A. B. Knight, and L. D. Fink (eds.), Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups. Sterling, Va.: Stylus, Harasim, L., Hiltz, S. R., Teles, L., and Turoff, M. Learning Networks: A Field Guide to Teaching and Learning Online. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, Markel, S. Technology and Education Online Discussion Forums: It s in the Response. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Summer 2001, 4(2). Retrieved June 2, 2008, from McConnell, D. E-Learning Groups and Communities. Bristol, Pa.: Open University Press, Meyer, K. A. Face-to-Face Versus Threaded Discussions: The Role of Time and Higher- Order Thinking. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 2003, 7(3), Michaelsen, L. K. Getting Started with Team-Based Learning. Retrieved June 1, 2008, from pdf. Michaelsen, L. K., and Black, R. H. Building Learning Teams: The Key to Harnessing the Power of Small Groups in Higher Education. In S. Kadel and J. Keehner (eds.), Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education. State College, Pa.: National Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Michaelsen, L. K., Knight, A. B., and Fink, L. D. Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups. Sterling, Va.: Stylus, Palloff, R. M., and Pratt, K. Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Salmon, G. Etivities: The Key to Active Online Learning. London: Kogan Page, SUNAY PALSOLÉ is the director of instructional support at the University of Texas at El Paso. CAROLYN AWALT is an assistant professor in the college of education and the advisor for the Online Alternative Teachers Certificate Program. Team-Based Learning Student Study Guide Team-Based Learning Student Study Guide Facilitators Names Simon Tweddell Required References Required This Pack Contact Details [email protected] Optional Visit Learning Online Workload Management Online Workload Management Increased workload is one of the most frequently cited concerns by faculty who are considering teaching an online course. It is true that an online course can present an instructor Game Based Learning for Spanish 101 Game Based Learning for Spanish 101 Action Research By Naomi Wahls Page 1 Table of Contents Introduction and Problem Statement Purpose and Intended Audience Research Questions Context of the Study Procedures The Trials and Accomplishments of an Online Adjunct Faculty Member 4 The rate of expansion of online classes at community colleges has required hiring and training faculty for the online class offerings. The demand is being met in large part by adjunct faculty, who,, Faculty Strategies for Balancing Workload When Teaching Online Faculty Strategies for Balancing Workload When Teaching Online Simone C. O. Conceição and Rosemary M. Lehman Abstract: As institutions of higher education increase their online course offerings due to Online Teaching and Learning Teaching online requires faculty members to shift their roles from instructor to facilitator or coach. Content shifts to customized materials and learning includes many active components. Simonson, Smaldino, Graduate Student Perceptions of the Use of Online Course Tools to Support Engagement International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Volume 8 Number 1 Article 5 January 2014 Graduate Student Perceptions of the Use of Online Course Tools to Support Engagement Stephanie Critical Thinking in Online Discussion Forums Critical Thinking in Online Discussion Forums Research Notes Bob Loser ([email protected]) Northern Virginia Community College 2012 1 2 Garrison et al. (2000) Summary of the Community of Inquiry (COI) Theory Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Course CEAB Accreditation Outcomes Assessment Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Course CEAB Accreditation Outcomes Assessment Jacqueline Stagner and Jennifer Johrendt University of Windsor Abstract - Due to the comprehensive nature of the twosemester, BOCES Educational Consortium Testimony New NY Education Reform Commission October 11, 2012 SUNY Old Westbury BOCES Educational Consortium Testimony Good morning/afternoon. My name is Dr. Lydia Begley and for the past year, I have been the Associate Developing and Implementing an Online Nursing Course 1 of 6 Developing and Implementing an Online Nursing Course by Mary S. 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Research suggests that interaction, feedback and participation Student Feedback on Online Summer Courses Student Feedback on Online Summer Courses October 8, 2015 Santa Clara University Office of Assessment Report Introduction In the summer of 2015, approximately 700 undergraduate students were enrolled in CULTURE OF ONLINE EDUCATION 1 CULTURE OF ONLINE EDUCATION 1 Culture of Online Education Joy Godin Georgia College & State University CULTURE OF ONLINE EDUCATION 2 Abstract As online learning rapidly becomes increasingly more popular, solving, adaptability, and communication through clarification and evaluation of By increasing students' interactivity with each other in task-oriented ways, they construct, rather than acquire, knowledge. Group work improves critical thinking, problem solving, adaptability, and communication REMOVING THE DISTANCE FROM DISTANCE EDUCATION: STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION Removing Distance from Distance Education 1 REMOVING THE DISTANCE FROM DISTANCE EDUCATION: STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION Lisa Logan Rich, Athens State University Wendy A Conceptual Framework for Online Course Teaching and Assessment in Construction Education A Conceptual Framework for Online Course Teaching and Assessment in Construction Education Namhun Lee Department of Manufacturing and Construction Management Central Connecticut State University With the Title: Transforming a traditional lecture-based course to online and hybrid models of learning Title: Transforming a traditional lecture-based course to online and hybrid models of learning Author: Susan Marshall, Lecturer, Psychology Department, Dole Human Development Center, University of Kansas. THE TU DELFT ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE Re-Imaging Learning Environments Proceedings of the European Distance and E-Learning Network 2016 Annual Conference Budapest, 14-17 June, 2016 THE TU DELFT ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: FROM THEORY TO Freshman Agile Standup (FAST) Breakthrough Models Academy 2015 Team 7 Freshman Agile Standup (FAST) David Bruce, Associate CIO, University of Arkansas Matthew Henry, Dean of Innovative Education, LeTourneau University Eric Himes, Director Student Motivations for Choosing Online Classes International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Volume 6 Number 2 Article 11 7-2012 Student Motivations for Choosing Online Classes Heidi S. Harris Eastern Oregon University, [email protected] Sample Online Syllabus Sample Online Syllabus This sample syllabus is based off of the MCCC DE-1 form and is designed to provide suggestions to instructors seeking to create a comprehensive syllabus for teaching Communication Humor and Personality: Student s attitudes to online learning Communication Humor and Personality: Student s attitudes to online learning Originally published in the Academic Quarterly Exchange, Summer 2001 Diane Goldsmith Ph.D. Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium Title: Enhancing Student Learning in Introduction to Sport Management. Author: Angela Lumpkin, Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences Title: Enhancing Student Learning in Introduction to Sport Management Author: Angela Lumpkin, Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences Summary: In order to enhance and document students learning, a sports Guidelines for Minimum Standards for Learning Management System (LMS) Unit Design Guidelines for Minimum Standards for Learning Management System (LMS) Unit Design Overview Ensuring a minimum standard for design of an LMS unit for teaching, learning and assessment purposes at UWA supports An AS Engineering Degree Program via ALN An AS Engineering Degree Program via ALN John Sener and Merrily Stover Extended Learning Institute Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA 22003-3796 Abstract - This semester (Fall 97), Northern Web Design 1. Running Head: WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT Running Head: WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT Web Design 1 Web Design and Development Week 1OLE Project Christopher Harrigan The University of Akron 5150-639-402 Strategies for Online Teaching and Learning Technology Inspires Dynamic 21 st -Century Teaching Technology Inspires Dynamic 21 st -Century Teaching Published: September 2014 For the latest information, please see Introduction... 1 An Increasingly Diverse Student Modifying Formative Evaluation Techniques For Distance Education Class Evaluation Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE October 2005 ISSN 1302-6488 Volume: 6 Number: 4 Article: 1 Modifying Formative Evaluation Techniques For Distance Education Class Evaluation ABSTRACT Active and Collaborative Learning through a Blog Network Active and Collaborative Learning through a Blog Network Jack Zheng Southern Polytechnic State University [email protected] ABSTRACT This paper describes a team blog network method designed for a graduate: AN INVESTIGATION OF TRADITIONAL EDUCATION VS. FULLY-ONLINE EDUCATION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AN INVESTIGATION OF TRADITIONAL EDUCATION VS. FULLY-ONLINE EDUCATION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Johnathan Yerby Middle Georgia State University [email protected] Kevin Floyd Middle Georgia William Paterson University Policy Academic Policy William Paterson University Policy Academic Policy SUBJECT: Online and Hybrid Courses TITLE: Policy on Online and Hybrid Courses CATEGORY: Check One Board of Trustees University Functional School/Unit, Evaluating and Grading Student Work University of Southern California Center for Excellence in Teaching 1 We know that grades often cause anxiety for students. Receiving grades can be an emotional experience. While some students view it Redesigning an online executive Master s class for a large number of students Paper ID #9231 Redesigning an online executive Master s class for a large number of students Dr. Malini Natarajarathinam, Texas A&M University Malini Natarajarathinam is an Associate professor with the VIRTUAL UNIVERSITIES FUTURE IMPLICATIONS FOR VIRTUAL UNIVERSITIES FUTURE IMPLICATIONS FOR STUDENTS AND ACADEMICS Anderson, M. IBM Global Services Australia Email: [email protected] Abstract Virtual Universities, or as many term them Unit 4: Assessment of Collaborative Learning Project Outcomes Unit 4: Assessment of Collaborative Learning Project Outcomes It is critical to offer students timely responses using a fair, explicit, and systematic process when assessing collaborative work. With planning California University Online Distance elearning Simplified Student Handbook. CONTENTS I. Introduction Welcome Mission Statement California University Online Distance elearning Simplified Student Handbook CONTENTS I. Introduction Welcome Mission Statement II. Open Distance elearning Program Overview Open Distance elearning Defined Alternative Online Pedagogical Models With Identical Contents: A Comparison of Two University-Level Course The Journal of Interactive Online Learning Volume 2, Number 1, Summer 2003 ISSN: 1541-4914 Alternative Online Pedagogical Models With Identical Contents: A Comparison of Two University-Level Speak Up Sample Survey Questions Speak Up Sample Survey Questions Speak Up, an online research project facilitated by Project Tomorrow, is an annual survey that collects and reports on the authentic, unfiltered views and opinions of K-12 College Teaching Methods & Styles Journal May 2008 Volume 4, Number 5 A Comparison Of Student Performance In An Online Introductory Accounting Course With Traditional Classroom Students Charles T. Stivason, Marshall University Gary Saunders, Marshall University Jean B. Price, Making the Transition: Helping Teachers to Teach Online Copyright Notice This paper was presented at EDUCAUSE 2000 in Nashville, October 10-13, 2000. It is the intellectual property of the author(s). Permission to print or disseminate all or part of this material, Study Guide for the Library Media Specialist Test Revised 2009 Study Guide for the Library Media Specialist Test Revised 2009 A PUBLICATION OF ETS Table of Contents Study Guide for the Library Media Specialist Test TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction to the Library Peer Reviews of Teaching A Best Practices Guide California State University, Northridge Peer Reviews of Teaching A Best Practices Guide California State University, Northridge This document is intended as a guide to assist university departments and personnel committees to prepare for MOE Online Class Quality Guidelines MOE Online Class Quality Guidelines The following guidelines were developed by the MiraCosta Online Educators committee to inform online faculty of required elements for Distance Education classes, offer Best Practices for Online Courses. 100 Quality Indicators for Online Course Design Best Practices for Online Courses 100 Quality Indicators for Online Course Design The following criteria are meant to act as guidelines for the course development process. Some of these guidelines would Twin approaches to research: the Penn State and Flinders experience International Education Journal Vol 2, No 3, 2001 154 Twin approaches to research: the Penn State and Flinders experience Jonathan Anderson School of Education, Totara LMS. Key benefits. Key Features Totara LMS Achieve your business objectives through effective learning and development with our game-changing Learning Management System (LMS). Today, more than ever, the achievement of your business objectives UW Colleges Student Motivations and Perceptions About Accelerated Blended Learning. Leanne Doyle UW Colleges Student Motivations and Perceptions About Accelerated Blended Learning Leanne Doyle Abstract: Nationwide, both online and blended learning enrollments are causing a paradigm shift in higher UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA. Online Course Design Guidelines for Faculty UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA Online Course Design Guidelines for Faculty DEFINITION An online course is fully online with no physical classroom time with the instructor. EXPECTATIONS 1. Criteria for student Data Warehousing and Decision Support Tales from a Virtual Classroom To appear in Data Warehousing and Decision Support - Tales from a Virtual Classroom, in Best Practices in Computer Enhanced Teaching and Learning, D. G. Brown, Ed. Winston-Salem, NC: Wake Forest University? Distance Education at USD Distance Education at USD Program Descriptions USD has two distance education programs offering master s degrees through the School of Business Administration, the Master of Science in Global Leadership Best Practices for Increasing Online Teaching Evaluation Response Rates Best Practices for Increasing Online Teaching Evaluation Response Rates Denise T. Ogden, Penn State University Lehigh Valley James R. Doc Ogden, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania ABSTRACT Different delivery Can Using Individual Online Interactive Activities Enhance Exam Results? Can Using Individual Online Interactive Activities Enhance Exam Results? Dr. Lydia MacKenzie Professional Adjunct Professor College of Continuing Education University of Minnesota St. Paul, Minnesota 55108 Techniques for Engaging Students in an Online Computer Programming Course Techniques for Engaging Students in an Online Computer Programming Course Eman M. EL-SHEIKH Department of Computer Science, University of West Florida Pensacola, FL 32514, USA ABSTRACT Many institutions

Helping entrepreneurs confidently show up and sell daily so they can make more money in their biz. Confidence=cash. Turns out, it's not about the strategy. Hop on over to the private fb group for more confidence & visibility resources and support. Some free resources for you (hop on over to the FB group for more!): bit.ly/SpotlightPlease (Free guide to help you bust through the barriers holding you back from stepping into your spotlight) bit.ly/laceycall (FREE call to help you discover what is unconsciously sabotaging your $5K-$10K months) Operating as usual The one different action I took the week before my first $50k sales day. 🙌 (8-min video) The thing that I often do FIRST with my clients, While working on their offer, content, sales process, Is the CONFIDENCE work in the background. And one of my favorite ways to do this is journal prompts. So here’s one for you if you’re struggling with getting your offer out there/selling: >>20 reasons my program is worth WAYYYYY more than X (the amount you’re currently charging). Use this same prompt every day for 7 days. This will help you with getting more clear on the value of your offer, help you create content AND help you when selling/handling objections. Enjoy! XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress Why you’re missing out if you aren’t hanging out at the “Get Bare, and sell” multi-week event… you’re missing: Magnetizing content prompts for your offer How to structure your offer/decide on pricing How to handle objections with ease What to double down on in your content ;) How to bring more pleasure and fun to your launch (and also general biz strategy) What to do when you feel a slump How to tweak something that isn’t working quite as you’d like The exact confidence and mindset work to do in the background The backend things to be doing before and during your launch How to create urgency How to not forget about your partnership(s) and/or health while you’re launching … and more. I’m showing you exactly how I use my 3-part framework of Confidence, Content, and Consistency to show up and sell in my business (specifically a brand NEW program launch!). >>Even if you don’t want in on the Mastermind (although, it’s going to be f**king amazing), you can still take what you learn from this event to solidify your business strategy and/or next launch strategy. You in? We started April 4th and I’ll be live sharing all my juicy secrets (+ what’s working well and isn’t working so well in my real time launch) on Mondays at 5:30pm EST for 5 weeks!! You can join us here >> facebook.com/groups/confidenceandmagic I’ll also leave a few minutes for questions each week so you can support you even further. Have you ever wondered what it looks like behind the scenes of a brand NEW program launch? I mean, realllyyy looks? How about selling anything new? Really want to know what fears and doubts are running through her head? Curious if you’re the only one who loses steam half way through? Not even really sure what to do strategically? Worried you’re forgetting something? If yes, I want you to join me for the next few weeks of the BTS, in real time, ‘Bare Mastermind’ Launch event: “Get Bare, and sell.” >>Each week I’m sharing with you exactly what I’m doing with my confidence, content, and consistency (my 3-part framework) to rock this launch. I’ll share journal prompts I’m using. How I’m creating content. How I’m talking about my offer. How I am tweaking (if I am). How I’m staying consistent when I wobble or really don’t want to be consistent. I’ll also be sharing how I’m using this 3-part framework to keep my relationship thriving during this time (bc I have been notorious for putting relationships on the back burner to my business in the past). If you want to come join us (and why wouldn’t you?) get in the FB group right here >> facebook.com/groups/confidenceandmagic We started April 4th so get on in there! XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress One of the best tools to get behind your new offer (so you can convert more)- takes 10 mins a day 😘 Your people need you. They’re waiting for your offer. They want to work with you. They’re ready to pay your exact prices. But they have to know you’re there/what your offer is before they can buy. Keep going. XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress Been curious how my 3-part framework of Confidence, Content, and Consistency can actually help in business and relationships? I’m taking you behind the scenes, in real time, of a launch for a brand NEW Mastermind to show you. ;) Each week for the next 5 weeks I’ll be walking you through exactly what I’m doing… In the background with my confidence and mindset, With and in my content and offer, And for consistency in order to sell out this program. I’m not holding anything back and will be sharing the good, the bad, the juicy, the embarrassing, and the ugly of what’s going on from week to week. Intrigued? Come hang with us in the FB group for the next few weeks to check it out >> facebook.com/groups/confidenceandmagic XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress “When I talk this out [my offer], I can totally see the value in it!” Yup. That’s why I love talking to people about their program/product/service. Because it IS valuable, and I’ll reflect that back to you, too. If you’re second guessing yourself, changing your prices back and forth, or otherwise indecisive… If you’d really love some more confidence around your offer… >>Book your free ‘Offer Audit’ with me: bit.ly/laceyfreecall Tell me all about what you’re selling and where you’re stuck. We’ll talk it out and have you feeling confident enough to put it out there in 24 hours. Book that call right here >> bit.ly/laceyfreecall XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress I dare you NOT to price your programs based on value and your experience- here’s why (and what to do instead) 11-min video A really simple way to decide the price of your offer/program: How much money do you want to bring in each month? How many clients do you feel like you can support/hold/have time for? What does that mean for your prices? There, done. ;) XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress P.S. Then you can go do the confidence and mindset work to get behind the price if it feels stretchy or even crazy. You got this. I often get downloads for programs or challenges or offers… and in the past maybe I would sit on it and hmmm and hawww for a few weeks or months. But now? I usually put something out about it within the HOUR (or at the very least the day). I’m gonna show you how I do this- and how I help my clients do this… Without feeling paralyzed by perfectionism. Or worrying it’s dumb and no one will sign up so I shouldn’t do it. Or feeling like I can’t talk about it until it’s “ready.” You’re done with all that. You’re ready to bring in more cash and clients. If you’re ready to worry less about how it looks and being perfect because you want sustainable income in your business… Get your cute butt on a free Offer Audit call with me >> bit.ly/laceyfreecall XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress No, you don’t need to have all your modules recorded before you make your offer. Nope, you don’t need to grow your audience for months first, either. No, you don’t need to feel “ready” or “done” to get your offer out there. You just put it out there. Free, paid, opt-in, low ticket, high ticket… What if you just started making the offer NOW, and work on creating it while you’re making offers and giving value? What if you put it out there TOMORROW, and then got behind it more and more as you post/talk about it. I see so many women putting off their offer for months because it’s not “ready” or they aren’t finished with it, yet. Just put it out there. It gets easier the more you do it, so why not start now?? Do it. You’ve got this. And if you don’t- hop on a free Offer Audit Call with me and you can get my eyes and feedback on your offer so you can get it out there in 24 hours. Book that call here >> bit.ly/laceyfreecall XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress I dare you to get clear on your strategy first (and then you can focus on confidence, mindset, pleasure) + 2 tips to do this (5 min video) See women charging $1,000, $1,500, $5000 a month but can’t seem to raise your prices over $500 without wanting to puke? Even though you know your work is powerful and life changing and gives you butterflies in your stomach? Feeling frustrated that you still aren’t making the money you want- even if you DO have a bunch of clients? I see it all the time- you’re absolutely not alone. And, you can be charging more- right now. If you want to be charging more but are getting held back, you can still grab your free ‘Offer Audit’ call right here >> bit.ly/laceyfreecall We’ll talk it out and I promise, by the end, you will see the tremendous value of your program/product/service. XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress P.S. My clients/humans I talk to put there offers out within 24 hours of us talking ALLLL the time- if you’ve been sitting on an offer for a while, this is for you. >bit.ly/laceyfreecall “How do I know how much value content to give vs. selling content?” My answer: it totally depends. If you’re in launch mode (free or paid), I want you selling daily. Even if it’s just a call to action at the bottom of a “value” post. It can be something as simple as: book a call with me to chat more about it. And, if you’re feeling squeamish about selling daily (or too much)- I would say do MORE of it. ;) If you’re writing sales posts 2x a week- make it 3. Bottom line- you’re a business owner and you gotta sell your s**t. Don’t discount all the value you give everywhere (videos, posts, podcasts, challenges/webinars, answering questions, etc.). I promise, you’re giving more than you think- even if you’re selling. Let me know below- how much of your content is sales vs. “value?” (p.s. You selling is still value). XO Lacey The Confidence Temptress Let’s get you and your services out there comfortably and confidently so you can bring in more clients. Coach: Richard Mirabal The New Mexico High School Coaches Association is an organization of coaches for coaches since 1941. Coaching new broker that join Keller Williams to get their real estate business up and running. Swanda, is a system based on traditional Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Okinawan Martial Arts. Shihan Barrera is a 9th Dan in Karatedo, an 8th Dan in Kobudo We guide Performance, Health, and Wellness. 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The anime studio BONES is barely 13 years old yet has become a very prominent force in anime today. From Angelic Layer to Fullmetal Alchemist (both TV series) to Darker Than Black to Eureka Seven and many other titles, a new BONES work is usually anticipated fairly highly.... But this is the Land of Obscusion, so let's instead look at BONES' very first solo work! Though the studio debuted in 1998 and helped out with productions such as Escaflowne: The Movie, it wasn't until late 2000 that the studio came out with a production of its very own: Karakuri Kiden Hiwou Senki. And, honestly, I fully believe that the only reason Bandai Entertainment licensed this show back in 2006, calling it Clockwork Fighters: Hiwou's War (a more or less accurate translation), is because they hoped that the BONES name would help out with sales. Either that, or BONES threw it in with another title as part of a package deal (much more likely). But regardless of why this show was licensed it must be said that Hiwou's War is, in fact, an enjoyable and pretty original take on a mech anime. On July 8, 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry of the U.S. Navy came to Japan with four battleships, demanding that Japan open trade relations and end their era of isolation. The Japanese would call these the "Black Ships", and a year later Japan would open itself to the influences of modern civilization. It's been eight years since the Black Ships came and now both steam power as well as karakuri/clockwork creations have become very popular with the Japanese. In a small village lives a boy named Hiwou, who with his family and friends run a clockwork festival every year, showing off their great skills with these new creations. Hiwou's father, though, left his family a few years back with the hopes that he could return one day with a better life for his family. One day, though, a group calling themselves the Wind Gang, who use clockworks and steam in order to force Japan into a new Industrial Era, invade Hiwou's village, causing great destruction and even resulting in the death of Hiwou's mother. During the attack Hiwou and the others come across a giant clockwork that his father made called Homura, which has the ability to transform from a carriage-like device into a large, human-esque figure. Using Homura, Hiwou and the others head off in search of Hiwou's father, who they hope can help them take on the Wind Gang and maybe even show the citizens of Japan that peace is still what's most important. First & foremost, Hiwou's War is, by far, a children's show. From the young main characters (the oldest members of the group are teenagers and the youngest is an actual baby) to the lack of harsh violence (there are battles, but none of them are bloody) to the overall message of "Don't fight! Let's celebrate life instead!", you can easily see that BONES aimed this series at young audiences. But at the same time Hiwou's War doesn't really dumb down anything to make it "safe" for the kids. For example, every episode starts off with a history lesson regarding some part of Japan's shift towards the Meiji Era (like the creation of the Shinsengumi) and some of this history involves people dying as well as general violent situations. Though these situations might be censored in a sense due to the lack of blood, it's nice to see that BONES wasn't trying to downplay what exactly happened in these moments. Also, in the last episode there is a semi-major character death in real-time, and that moment isn't handled in a "kiddy" way. Just because there's a lack of blood doesn't mean that the kids in Japan, or even kids in general, shouldn't be taught that these moments happened and that they can be violent in actuality. It also allows the show to be enjoyable even for older audiences, since it's still taking itself seriously enough. Likewise, the story only occasionally goes into very desperate and extremely-dangerous moments, but it's a nice mix of adventure and action with a overall seasoning of hope for a better future. I also really like how BONES took the idea of clockworks and really expanded on it, to the point where Homura itself, as well as the rival giant clockwork Hiwou's Wind Gang-rival Arashi gets half-way through, actually seems semi-plausible. That's not to say that it still isn't exaggerated (they never really explain properly how clockwork technology allows a human to operate Homura in a fashion similar to a Mobile Fighter from G Gundam, for example), but the anime does take this concept very realistically. In every situation where Homura is used, the kids have to repeatedly swap out clockwork springs to keep it operational, and there are moments where they just don't have any springs that are wound up to use. Also, when they are not using Homura they keep it in carriage mode and pull it with them everywhere, resulting in them having to consider using alternate paths so as to not strain themselves from pulling Homura. If I have to categorize this anime in terms of mecha then I would have to say that is definitely more "real-robot" than "super-robot", and I really do appreciate that the anime went in that direction. This semi-realistic style, along with the overall feel of hope of happiness, shouldn't be surprising, though, considering that Tetsuro Amino is the director. While his name may not be well-known, his works speak for themselves: the Break Blade movies, Macross 7, Lupin the 3rd: the Last Job, and Blue Comet SPT Layzner (though Ryosuke Takahashi was the chief director here) should say enough. The music is a nice mix of guitars, drums, and traditional Japanese music stylings from the era, but don't believe ANN's encyclopedia entry for who made it.The man behind the music, Hiroshi Yamaguchi, may have a similar to that of a screenwriter as well as the creator of the Gate Keepers series, but in reality this Yamaguchi is the leader of rock band Heatwave, with Hiwou's War being his sole musical work for anime. Yamaguchi also did the opening, "Hiwou no Theme", alongside his band, which is an addictive & awesome instrumental song with a little bit of background singing and really shows off how the music in the show generally is; I really can't properly explain how awesome this song is, so just listen to it yourself. The ending theme is "CROSSROAD" by Kumiko Endou and it's a really nice slow song which really keeps in the overall style of the anime. The multitude of clockwork creations, both the two giant mechs as well as the many Wind Gang machines, are designed by Junya Ishigaki, who did the mech designs for titles like multiple Gundam anime (X, Wing, Victory, Unicorn, and the upcoming AGE), Xenogears, Escaflowne, and many others, and all of them are fairly different from each other; Homura itself has a really cool look to it when it's fully transformed, in fact. Clockwork Fighters: Hiwou's War is a children's anime through and through, but it handles itself in a very serious and positive way that it can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I really can't understand why Chris Beveridge (creator of AnimeOnDVD.com and now the head of The Fandom Post) hated this show while it was being released, as I found it thoroughly enjoyable and very entertaining. Yeah, the Odex-produced English dub sucks, but the Japanese version is performed very nicely. It's crazy to think that this is one of the creations of Shou/Noboru Aikawa, creator of Angel Cop! It's also crazy how the release of this show from Bandai went on. It was released across three two-disc singles, with there being a year-long break between volumes two and three due to production issues; the first volume was also pretty infamous for being available at your local FYE for a total of $1.99! Yeah, this show never got a complete collection, but unlike a series like Zegapain you can now buy the entire show for cheap. Right Stuf, in fact, is selling a bargain bundle of all three volumes for $24.99 (NOTE: This bundle is now compelty sold out). That is an excellent price for a show that, while understandably was not a big-seller, is still a fun and enjoyable historical adventure mixed in with a slight real-robot influence. If nothing else, I can honestly say that there isn't much, if anything, quite like Hiwou's War. It's aimed at kids but is also perfectly fine for older anime fans, and I can always appreciate that. Dear George, Hiwou Senki is the epitome of anime itself, take it or leave it. And that's that, to make a long comment short. Hiwou is so intricate, ironical, and tricky (as to its plot and characters, not to mention its masterful editing and flamboyant style of animation) that all those 'easy tags' like 'childish', 'Bakuhan history', or even 'alt-mech' and 'ani-faction' (as I suggested once) fail to describe its immense charm and bright artistic solutions. So, to define Hiwou more precisely, one should develop new definitions, as smart and playful as the series itself. For one thing I agree, its English dubbing is awful, if not merely vulgar. Meanwhile, its English subtitles are full of terrific blunders. Princess Kazu-no-Miya is Mr Kazunomia there, twin's uncle is introduced as their grandpa, and so on. How come? Well, here's (nick-linked) my translation of (the most of) the series into standard Russian provided with historical and cultural notes (over 100 entries). Due to Hiwou's allusive manner, comments are essential, unless you're a total bakumatsu freak :D

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We have some great guests planned for Chi-Fi! As we confirm our Featured Guests, we will add them here. In addition, please be sure to check out all our fantastic author, artist, gaming, media, and musical guests on their respective pages. Artist Guests of Honor Tarol Hunt & Danielle Stephens of Goblins!. Phil Khan Len Peralta Len Peralta is an artist/designer making a living out of Cleveland, Ohio.. Len has just finished work on the graphic novel "Super Powered Revenge Christmas" with Bill Corbett (Rifftrax) as well as a five story arc for his Kickstarter-funded comic series "TenState" with Tom Merritt. Len also draws the top tech stories of the day on Twit.tv’s Tech News Today every Friday. Jeffery Scott. Tim Seeley Author Guests of Honor Jim Butcher Marie Brennan. Rob Thurman Rob Thurman has written three series for Penguin Putnam’s imprint ROC FANTASY: The CAL LEANDROS Novels, The TRICKSTER Novels, and The CHIMERA Novels. Her first book, NIGHTLIFE, was released in 2006. She has written thirteen books to date and is releasing the ninth book in the CAL LEANDROS Novels in 2014. She has also written for a Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner Anthology, WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE as well as three other anthologies: COURTS OF THE FEY, CARNIEPUNK, and KICKING IT. In 2012, Rob released a mainstream supernatural thriller, ALL SEEING EYE, for Pocket Books.. Rob Thurman lives in rural Indiana—land of endless fields, infinite cows and where dial-up is still the only soul-crushing option.. Gaming Guests of Honor Andy and Kristin Looney of Looney Labs, creators of Fluxx Andrew & Kristin. James Ernest James Ernest is the founder of Cheapass Games, a tiny little game company in Seattle. He is an award-winning tabletop game designer with more than 150 published games, and a member of the Origins Awards Hall of Fame. James got started in gaming in 1993, doing technical writing for Wizards of the Coast. In 1996 he launched his own company, Cheapass Games, with six original games. Kill Doctor Lucky, one of the first Cheapass titles, won an Origins Award for best abstract board game. From 1996 to 2006, Cheapass Games published more than 100 games, including award winners Give Me the Brain, The Great Brain Robbery, Button Men, BRAWL, and Diceland. During the same period James also designed games for many other publishers, including Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, Fleer, GAMES Magazine, Microsoft, and Steve Jackson Games. In 2004, James Ernest and Mike Selinker founded Lone Shark Games, an entertainment studio responsible for board and card games, including Pirates of the Spanish Main (Wizkids), Gloria Mundi (Rio Grande), and Lords of Vegas (Mayfair). James and Mike are also co-authors of two poker books, Dealer’s Choice (with Phil Foglio) and The Art of Texas Hold ’Em, and they are contributors to the Origins Award-winning Kobold Guide to Board Game Design. In 2011, James Ernest began to release many popular Cheapass Games as free PDFs. In 2013, after a 6-year hiatus, Cheapass Games returned to game publishing with a full-color deluxe reprint of Unexploded Cow. He followed up on that with a full-color deluxe reprint of the 1999 game, now called Deadwood Studios USA. Also new in 2013 are two “cheaper” board games, Fish Cook and Veritas, and an upgrade of the 2005 board game Captain Treasure Boots. You can learn all about James Ernest’s latest adventures by following Cheapass Games on Facebook and Twitter, or by visiting. Kenneth Hite Multiple Origins, Golden Geek, and ENnie Award winner Kenneth Hite has designed, written, or co-authored over 80 roleplaying games and supplements, including the Star Trek: The Next Generation RPG, Mage: the Sorcerers’ Crusade, GURPS Infinite Worlds, GURPS Horror, Call Of Cthulhu d20, and the Deadlands Noir Companion. Line Developer for Chaosium's Nephilim and Last Unicorn Games' Star Trek RPG, he has written for White Wolf, Pinnacle, Atlas, and many others. His “Suppressed Transmission” column explored the Higher Weirdness for ten years; from 1997 to 2009, he wrote “Out of the Box,” an RPG industry news and review column. He currently writes “Lost in Lovecraft” for Weird Tales and a column for Swedish gaming magazine Fenix. His most recent game books include the Trail Of Cthulhu and Night’s Black Agents RPGs from Pelgrane Press, and the Bookhounds of London, Qelong, and Day After Ragnarok settings. Outside gaming, he has written Tour de Lovecraft: the Tales, Cthulhu 101, The Nazi Occult for Osprey Publishing, a series of Lovecraftian children’s books, and the graphic illustrated version of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to U.S. History. His essays and criticism have also appeared in Dragon Magazine, flamesrising.com, Games Quarterly Magazine, National Review, Amazing Stories, and in encyclopedias and anthologies from Ashcroft Press, Ben Bella Books, Dagan Books, Greenwood Press, and MIT Press. He has also written for computer games companies including 10Tacles, UbiSoft, and inXile. Half of the podcasting team behind Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff, he lives in Chicago with two Lovecraftian cats and his non-Lovecraftian wife, Sheila. Follow his blog, if you can call it that, at. Look for him on Facebook (facebook.com/kenneth.hite) and Twitter (@kennethhite). Media Guests of Honor Tim Russ. Garrett Wang Garrett Wang is most famous for his role as Ensign Harry Kim on Star Trek: Voyager. Wang is also a fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, his favorite episodes as being "Far Beyond the Stars", "Little Green Men", "Our Man Bashir", and "Trials and Tribble-ations.. Bill Corbett Bill Corbett is writer and performer at RiffTrax, an entertainment and comedy company featuring the stars of the Emmy-nominated, Peabody Award-winning show “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, where Bill starred as the robot Crow 2.0. He's also an award-winning playwright and screenwriter, as well as a voice actor. Corbett's graphic novel SUPER-POWERED REVENGE CHRISTMAS will be released in 2014. Kevin Murphy (Photo by Shiloh Strong) After the series ended Kevin traveled the globe, seeing movies in theaters every day for an entire year, chronicling the experience in the HarperCollins book A Year at the Movies: One Man’s Filmgoing Odyssey. Since then Kevin has continued to make a living out of being a culture-motivated merry-andrew, including a stint as a film commentator on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday and a column in Total Movie Magazine. Presently Kevin has written and performed on the NPR series Wits, and with his MST3K confreres Mike Nelson and Bill Corbett continues to riff movies through Rifftrax.com. Rob Balder Rob Balder is a professional webcomic creator who has also ventured into game design, comedy music, publishing and new media business development. Most of his time is consumed writing and producing Erfworld, an epic fantasy/comedy comic about an obsessive strategy gamer who is summoned to fight a real war. Erfworld was co-created in 2006 with illustrator Jamie Noguchi, followed by Xin Ye, and continues now with the talents of illustrator David Hahn. Time magazine named Erfworld one of its top ten graphic novels of 2007, and Wired.com called it “Geekiest Comic Ever.” The first physical book of the series, "Erfworld: the Battle for Gobwin Knob," was published in February of 2011. In March of 2012, Erfworld's "Year of the Dwagon" Kickstarter raised just under $85,000 in fan donations for developmental projects related to the comic. Jason Carter Jason Carter portrayed Marcus Cole in ‘Babylon 5’. Jason had roles in many different TV productions including "Viper", "Beverly Hills 90210", "Roar", "3rd Rock from the Sun", "Charmed", "Lois and Clarke" and "Angel". In 1981, after a three-month tour of Holland and Belgium playing Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet" he graduated The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Much British theater followed with seasons at Chichester and Southampton; plays at the Royal Court, Edinburgh, Richmond, Guilford, Bromley, Brighton, York, Bath, and many London fringe theaters. Long runs in the London West End: "The Sleeping prince" with Omar Sharrif; Simon Gray's "Melon" with Alan Bates and Simon Gray's "The Common Pursuit". At the Royal National Theatre and the London West End he played Naraboth in Steven Berkoff’s innovative production of Oscar Wilde’s "Salome". A regular in two British TV series Jason starred in a number of TV movies and a mini series. In independent films Jason collaborated with many film directors developing characters, evolving scenes and playing the camera. He worked closely with Jason Lehel whilst starring in ‘Boiling Point’, Gil Cates JR. on ‘The Mesmerist’, and with Nick Ward who directed Working Title’s ‘Dakota Road’ for which, at the Festival du Cinema Britannique de Dinard, Jason received a commendation for his performance as ‘Raif’ from chairman of the judges Ben Kingsley. Jason has acted in many independent films including Georgia with Jennifer Jason Lee and recently had the pleasure of working with Andrew Divoff, Tom Savini and director Edward Douglas (Midnight Syndicate) as they made 'The Dead Matter'. Jason now has the distinct honor of working closely with the excellent David Winning, who directed episodes of Babylon 5, to realize Jerry Seward's compelling script - 'Cyberhunt'. Fangirl Sarah Fangirl Sarah (also known as Sarah Valentine) is a cosplayer and horror movie enthusiast.Sarah began cosplaying when she was 20 years old, instantly falling in love with the concept of dressing up as the Video game/anime characters she knew and loved growing up. Despite her powerful love of cosplay and all things nerdy, she is slightly more passionate about the art of cinema. She finds films that are very hardcore, extreme ,and rather obscure and reviews them on her YouTube channel. She has even been featured on the TV show "Dr. Phil" due to her never-ending search of the most disturbing and depraved films the cinema world has to offer. Sarah adores meeting new people, and adores making friends even more. Do not hesistate to approach her and strike up a conversation. Skepchick The). Music Guests of Honor Marc Gunn Irish drinking songs and science fiction. Nowhere else but from the bizarre imagination of Marc Gunn would those elements be so neatly integrated. It’s like a satirical jam session between The Clancy Brothers and Weird Al Yankovic. He performs fun traditional Irish and Scottish songs with contemporary rhythms, as well as bizarre songs about hobbits, cats, kilts, Firefly, Star Wars, and Star Trek. Gunn began his Celtic journey in 1999 with Austin’s was there at the beginning of the late release between one and four new albums every year. Nicknamed “The Celtfather”, Gunn is a champion of indie Celtic music. He quit his day job in 2005 to become a full-time musician. It's then that he started podcasting. His most successful is the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. It is one of the top 40 music podcasts on iTunes. It was voted the #1 Best Podsafe Music Podcast in the People’s Choice Podcast Awards in 2009 and 2010. His Celtic Music Magazine is published monthly and goes out to over 21,000 subscribers. He has given away millions of MP3s since he began his Celtic music career. motto, “Good food, good drink, good company”. In 2014, he will take fans on a Celtic Invasion of Wales. Find out more at S. J. Tucker Heather Dale Bounding Main Bounding Main is a vocal group that sings richly harmonic versions of traditional maritime songs. Their shows are filled with spirit, humor and harmony; their arrangements of traditional nautical music bring the listener into the world of fellowship, adventure and romance. Each member of Bounding Main is a music and theater veteran, with diverse entertainment backgrounds. Their performances and four CDs have been well received on both sides of the Atlantic. They have entertained at music and maritime festivals, tall ships events, museums, renaissance faires, folk music venues and for corporate functions. (A complete and detailed list is available online.) Devo Spice The Gothsicles! Kieran Strange Hailed as an artist to watch both online and off by media outlets worldwide, Kieran Strange is a dynamic young artist blending pop sensibilities, edgy guitars and synthesized electronic sounds into her own personal brand of British nerd. When she isn’t rocking the stage, solo or with her band, Kieran can usually be found up to her elbows in fabric and latex weaponry, enjoying her hobbies of crafting and costuming. She’s a self-proclaimed ‘crazy cat mum’, and laughs at her own addiction to Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplaying games. She has recently been delving into another childhood dream and is working on developing her first online retro-style video game in synchronization with her upcoming Fall 2013 EP release. The game will tell the story and emotion of each of the songs on the EP through corresponding superhero characters, and according to Kieran is “the most ME thing I have done with my music to date”. Worm Quartet Worm? More info at and Additional Guests Artist Guests Author Guests Laura Hawks Donna Thorland Gaming Guests Media Guests Apple Davies Klaymen Eberle Manu Intiraymi Jordan D. White Music Guests Alpha Riff Tanya Brody Jay Schraub Time Crash

Assessment of the activity of the National Police of Ukraine by polling public opinion (summary of the national report) The research was conducted by the Kharkiv Institute for Social Researches under a joint project with the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group “Fight against torture, ill-treatment and impunity in Ukraine” with the support of the European Union. The research was aimed at solving the following problems: • to research and provide the community and the administration of the National Police of Ukraine with a clear idea on how the population sees the police, what is the level of trust in it; • to research, what are the main indicators of the success of the police in the country and its regions; • to propose the changes to the existing system of assessment of the crime leveland police activity, to make it more objective. In order to perform those tasks a sociological survey of 19 500 respondents was conducted in Kyiv, all regions of Ukraine, districts of Kharkiv and Lviv oblasts during November-December 2018, according to a specially designed sample. The research was carried out by method of face-to-face interviews. Key results of the research 1. The estimation of the citizens’ fears to become victims of crimes showed that the population is most worried by the perspective to become victims of traffic accidents (71,9 %) or a theft from a house or apartment (62,2 %). Somewhatless, butstillmorethaneveryotheroneisafraidto become a victim of robbery in the street (57,3 %), a victim of physical violence (55,8 %), to be cheated by frauds (54,7 %). ThisdataalsoshowsthatthepeoplearemostafraidtobecomevictimsoftrafficaccidentsinDnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kirovohrad, Rivne, Khersonand Cherkasy oblasts, and the residents of Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Chernihiv oblastsand Kyiv city are most afraid to become the victims of thefts. Residents of Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Cherkasy oblasts are most afraid to become victims of crimes (see Table1-1). 2. 50 % of the respondents believe that the crime level in the place of their residence has not changed in the last 12 months. More than a quarter of respondents (26 %) pointed out that in their opinion the crime level has increased. Only 11,1% said that they noticedthe decrease of crime level during the year. 13 % haddifficultyansweringthatquestion. It should be noted that the residents of Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad oblasts and Kyiv city estimate the crime level as the worst. Most respondents who noticed the improvement of the situation live inIvano-Frankivsk and Khmelnitsky oblasts (see Table2-1). 3. Assessing the district of their residence, respondents expressed opinion about crimes that are common there. The most widespread, with a significant margin, are violations of traffic rules (67,2 %). Burglaries are also common, in the people’s views (49,8 %), as well as hooliganism of aggressive companies (40,6 %) and illegal alcohol and drug trafficking (46,8 %), which is an essential basis for creating a dangerous environment and criminal activity. The violence, attacks and robberies in the streets worry less than a third part of the respondents (25,5 %), and fraud – over a third part (36,1 %). Theprevalenceofviolationsoftrafficrulesis most often noted by the residents of Dnipropetrovsk, Zakarpattia, Rivne, Cherkasy oblasts. Thefts worry most of the residents of Kyiv cityand Dnipropetrovsk oblast (see Table 3-1). 4. A significant number of respondentsassesses the police activity as unsatisfactory. Thus, 49,4 % respondents are not satisfied with the work of local police, and 52,7 % – with the work of Ukrainian police in general. People satisfied with the activity of local police constitute around a third part— 33,7 %, and the persons satisfied with the national police in general – around – 29,5 %. A certain number of respondents could not assess the work of police in general. Although the general opinion on the police efficiency is not very positive, some of respondents in several oblasts assessed it as effective — it concerns Vinnytsia, Volyn, Donetsk, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnitsky oblasts. The efficiency was assessed as the worst by the residents of Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kyiv oblasts and the city of Kyiv (see Table 4-1). 5. Most of respondents (75,7 %) did not have any contacts with the police during the year. Among the most widespread causes of contact respondents indicated the following: situations when their family members or acquaintances became the victims of crimes (5,4 %), the contacts when it was necessary to arrange the documents (4,6%), the situations when the police stopped them in the street to check their documents (4,1 %). (seeTable1-1). 6–7. Most of those who contacted police during the year were satisfied by the results of the contact (58,8 %), in particular, 69,4 % were satisfied by the politeness of the police officers. Some of respondents (23,2 %) noted the indifference of the police officers, 6,1 % more noted that faced the rude behavior. 33,9 % were unsatisfied by the results of contacts with the police. 8–9. 30,4 % among respondents were stopped during the year by the representatives of the police. Most of them (66,4%) point out that police officers were polite, 19,4 % noted the indifference, 13 % said about rude behavior of the police officers during the contact. 10–13. In general, 4,6 % of respondents (878 of respondents in relevant selection) pointed out that during the year the police officers violated their rights or the rights of their relatives, or did not perform their duties well. It should also be pointed out, that 1,7 % of respondents (326 respondents in the relevant selection) noted that they became the victims of beatings by the police officers, were subjected to suffering or ill-treatment. At the same time 90,7 % of persons whose rights or whose relatives’ rights were violated or who pointed out that the police did not perform their duties in good faith, never filed formal complaints. The main cause is the belief that it would be in vain (51,4 %). 14–15. 30,4 % of respondents trust the police (2,7 % among them fully trust it, and 27,7 % rather trust it than not). 50 % of respondents said that they did not trust the police:29,6 % of them said that they probably do not trust, and 20,4 % do not trust at all. Thus, the police generally has a negative balance of confidence (-19,6 %). At the same time in two oblasts where the police enjoys more trust, the balance of confidence is positive – in Zakarpattia and Khmelnitsky oblasts (see Table15-1). 16. Itshouldbenotedthat36,3 %of the respondents pointed outtheir willingness to help the policein any circumstances. 27,8% are willing to help given that such help would not damage the interests of the respondentsor their relatives. Most of persons willing to help reside in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Rivne, Sumy and Ternopil oblasts. 8,7 % pointed out that they would not help the police in any circumstances, most of such respondents reside in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast (see Table 16-1). 17. The respondents indicated the following among the biggest draw backs in the work of the police: incompetence (39,3 %), corruption (36,8 %), reluctance to protect “a regular person” (30,9 %). 26,4 % of respondents also indicated a weak connection with the population, and 20,6 % —the impunity of police officers. 18. Opinion of respondents on whether it is worth it to notify the police about crimes, divided. Thus, 33,4 % of the respondents would always contact the police, 23,6 % would contact in most cases. 28,8 % would decide according to the situation, and 1,6 % would not contact the police under any circumstances. 19. The citizens mostly receive the information about police from TV (69,6%), life stories of their acquaintances and friends (51,4 %), internet news (41,3 %). Only 14,4 % of the respondents receive the information from the personal experience. 20. 10,2 % among respondents said that during the last year they became victims of a crime. The respondents most often became the victims of hooliganism, various forms of theft, fraud. The most victims are in Volyn, Luhansk, Lviv oblasts (see Table 20-1). 21–22. Some of the victims of crimes received threats. 8,3 % of the respondents were threatened with beating, 4,1 % were threatened with damage to their property, 15,3 % were verbally abused. Most of the victims (69,7 %) were not subjected to violence, but 9,7 % of the victims were punched, 6,4 % grabbed or shoved. 18,3 % of the respondents indicated various forms of threats or intimidation. 23. Some of respondents (23,3 %) estimates the sustained pecuniary damage between UAH 176 and 1763. 31,6 % more sustained damage between UAH 1763 and 44049. 2,3 % of victims sustained significant damage (over UAH 88 100), and 28,1 % could not assess the damage. 10,6 % of the victims sustained damage under UAH 176. 24–26. During research it was revealed that a significant number of victims (40,2 %) never notified the police about the crimes that they became the victims of. Most of respondents who never reported police that they became victims of crimes reside in Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Luhansk, Lviv, Khmelnitsky and Chernivtsi oblasts. The residents of Kirovohrad region contacted the police for help most often (see Table 24-1). Among the causes of reluctance to report police is the disappointment in the effectiveness of the police (34,9 %), the opinion that the police is not interested in such incidents (38,8 %) or the attempts of the residents to deal with the situation on their own (28,8%). Reports of crimes usually took place because people hoped for the return of their property or redress (56,6 %) or hoped that the perpetrators would be punished (50,8 %). Some of respondents (27,5 %) contacted the police because believed that it was right and believed it was their duty. 27. The main mean of notifying about a crimeis by phone. 102 number was used by 58,3 % respondents, 5,5 % called the local police department. 27,7 % more arrived to the police and wrote the applications. 28. Most victims of crimes (64,6 %) point out that their applications were accepted at once. 19 % had to wait, and 4,4 % faced the refusal to accept the applications. 29–32. Only 14,8 % of respondents said that they were fully informedabout the investigation. 18,6 % said that they were informed “more or less”. Some (17,1 %) said that they were not informed enough, and 29,3 % were not informed at all. As a result, 77,2 % of the victims of crimes said that they would like to be better informed about the course of investigation. Among the information they would like to receive the most, they most often indicated the information about the course of investigationand its result (47,3 %). The research revealed that 35,6 % of the victims of crimes did not receive any additional information from the police. Information about whether the perpetrator was found or what to do if the case is brought to the court, was received by 15,1 % of the respondents, 26 % were assisted while drafting the applications and during the subsequent communication with the police officers. 33–34. 74,7 % of the victims of the crimes remained unsatisfied with the way the police handled their cases, only21,7 % were satisfied. Concerning the work of the police with the victims of the crimes, it should be noted that they were most often questioned about their losses or damage (76,4 %). In 44,4 % of the cases the information was provided about the officer who was investigating the case. 44,9 % of the victims reported that they were not provided with the number of their cases in URPI. 67,3 %of the respondents pointed out that they were not asked about their fears to become victims of crimes again. 35–36. As for results of the police work in investigating the crimes, 27,3 % of the victims responded that the perpetrators were found. But the charges were brought only in 16,4 % of the cases, and the cases were brought to court only in 8,1 %. There was no redress or return of the lost property to 71,5 % of the victims of the crimes, in14,6 % it was not required. Only 14 % of the victims said that they received partial or full compensation of damage. 4-1. RESPONDENTS ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL POLICY EFFICIENCY (regional breakdown, %) 14. TRUST TO STATE AND CIVIL INSTITUTES (in %) 15. BALANCE OF TRUST (RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE RESPONDENTS WHO TRUST, AND THOSE WHICH DO NOT TRUST) TO STATE AND CIVIL INSTITUTES (in %) 15-1. TRUST OF RESPONDENTS TO POLICE (regional breakdown, %)

Admittedly, I know I can be a little intense about things. It’s something I’ve actively worked to change, you know, rather than saying I listened to three Tindersticks albums in a row while making french onion soup for one and then watched “Les Hautes Solitudes” and found it both engaging and alienating and…. trails off I just say my weekend was “really good, how was yours?” Thing is, I can’t help all of of the dumb shit I like, but, sometimes, when the moon is just so in the sky and I’ve had most of a mid-price Pinot Gris and it’s a Sunday and I’m tired… well, I decide – maybe I’ll watch a really dumb movie, write some jokes, and ultimately use it to frame my thesis which is: I Don’t Think I Relate To Film Right Now. Tonight was just such a night. Wherein – I set out to answer the big questions, that is, can you watch Magic Mike XXL without seeing the first film? Are you going to miss major narrative developments coming in at the second chapter? Also, why is this movie nearly two full goddamn hours long? Suddenly, a buddy texts: he’s going to Macs in pajama pants – is this a new low? Can’t say, I’m 15 minutes into Magic Mike XXL and even deeper into a bottle of wine, I’m in no place to adjudicate anyone’s life choices. Now is a good time to mention that there were times during the viewing of this film where I was definitely looking at pictures of people who have unconventional house pets and I did no further research on this film, so any forthcoming errors can be attributed to the following. So anyway, the film opens on Channing Tatum who has some kind of moving business. I assume, a la Showgirls, that he left the glitz and glamour of male stripping behind in the first film because he’d rather have a moving business. He wears a suit and shows up to what he thinks is a wake, and I think – oh shit, is this a wake for an old stripper buddy? Is he going to get back into stripping because of a gaping hole in the male exotic dancer world and this movie is going to be really sad? Nah. It’s not really a wake, it’s a pool party, there’s some dude junk and these are apparently his buddies from his old stripper days. I wonder if I’ll be able to make it through this movie. A cursory viewing of this scene tells you essentially all you need to know about his stripper buddies. We aren’t watching real people, we’re watching the suggestion of characters. There’s boy band eyebrow guy, older Ron Perlman guy, large junk guy, guy who isn’t attractive enough to strip (emcee guy), and a stringy haired, puka-shell wearing motherfucker who wants to open up a probiotic yogurt truck. (There’s a subplot here that doesn’t pay off – we find out Puka Shells works in an ice cream joint at the mall for market research – the idea that Puka Shells quits hocking Baskin Robbins in order to earn stripper cash for his probiotic yogurt truck is the strangest, saddest hipster Tom Waits tale I’ve ever heard. The gang is heading to some kind of male stripper expo, because of course. Our hero, Channing Tatum heads home for some late night welding, when suddenly, Ginuwine’s “Pony” comes on his trial version of Spotify. He starts to do a sexy R&B dance. It’s fascinating and bizarre. First of all, I start thinking about Gene Kelly, and all of the times I’ve watched Gene Kelly dance in musicals. Gene Kelly, less refined, less graceful than someone like Fred Astaire. Gene doesn’t glide, he stomps – he’s an athlete. But he’s operating in musical world. It isn’t like Channing grinding into a workbench. This scene is designed because it knows we’re watching. I think its supposed to be sexually titillating but then, I can’t gauge this – I’m a poor metric. For me, it’s approximately as arousing as finding out there’s going to be at least a 45 minute wait at the walk-in clinic and sitting down with three outdated issues of Good Housekeeping. It’s like trying to listen to a podcast on the bus when an elderly lady with one of those grocery suitcases tries to talk to you about how rainy it’s been. (I consider, briefly, the last time I found a film character really, truly attractive. Easy. Sam Shepard in Volker Schlondorff’s Voyager. Shepard plays a repressed, literate, 1950’s engineer who approaches life with clinical detachment, almost dies in a plane crash, and accidentally has a sexual relationship with a daughter he didn’t realize he had – SPOILER ALERT. Additionally, wears nice suits, seems like he’d be sensitive about literature.) -That considered, I am not the target for Magic Mike XXL’s sexuality, but then again, it may also be hard to separate this from its inherent homoeroticism. It’s a firm 7 on the Top Gun scale, folks. Interestingly: Magic Mike XXL leans into this idea early, with a scene in a roadside drag bar. Mike and co. seem pretty into drag shows, and eagerly embrace the parallels between drag and male exotic dancing at a beach party after the fact. Also featured – a scene where Mike hits on a girl (Amber Heard, the non-love interest), and they talk about contemplative beach urination. Again, unexpected choices from Magic Mike XXL. WAIT I skipped ahead. That late night welding dance reminds Mike that he should go along to the big dude stripper expo because – I suspect this has something to do with the first film – his lady love said no. Consider: Mike is rejected romantically, probably has hurt feels, rejoins the wiener bus with his best pals, bound for male exotic dance glory. Tl:dr – Magic Mike XXL then turns into a road movie with only the barest semblance of plot. Unexpectedly, I find myself appreciating – nay, almost enjoying, a movie without nuance. Not only that, Magic Mike XXL gets… weirdly surreal. I’d almost call it the El Topo of summertime male exotic dancer blockbuster stagette movies. But before I get to that, I should say that there’s an important scene, I’d call it the Thematic Exposition Scene, where the junk patrol discusses how they should do different routines, because, the old routines aren’t true to who they are artistically, maaaan. Ritchie, do you even want to be a fireman? Do you even like the Kiss song “Hotter Than Hell”? These are the timeless questions we ask ourselves daily, only with fewer Village People characterizations and not so much 70s stripper jams. More like, our lives and the choices we’ve made. Similar, though. Anyway, road movie. At some point, Emcee ends up in the hospital – they need an new person to announce that some dudes are going to be gyrating. No problem though – like the rest of Magic Mike XXL, this isn’t an actual obstacle. Anyway, the pectoral possee ends up in some strange southern country club ruled by a former stripper (Jada Pinkett Smith, who’s, like, way good in this movie.) It’s this moody, blue and red oasis of slow takes of raucous women looking to be entertained by men like some kind of… non-explicitly-sexual brothel? My main read on this scene was power. A group of white dudes walk into a business run by a black woman where other black women are entertained by black men and realize their schlocky act won’t cut it. That they are privileged is a foregone conclusion, and it’s not something the scene dwells on. Rather, it’s a vehicle to explain to the ab consortium that they’re in the business of female pleasure, and, uhm, this business is killing it. Later, they end up at some Southern ladies night as unplanned parlour entertainment. Again, this scene is dominated by another woman – Andie MacDowell, centre-framed and all-powerful. This scene goes down, interestingly, without dancing specifically but primarily with conversation. Suddenly, I wonder what the hell kind of dumb movie I’m watching. I mean, it is a dumb movie, but it’s a curious one. It embraces its dumbness and also overcomes it with scenes like this that are subtlety a bit more interesting than they need to be. Eventually, the sultans of staff end up at the big male stripper expo, quite without any rehearsal of their fancy new routines. The male stripper expo is run by yet another ex-stripper (Elizabeth Banks) who has some sexual chemistry with Pinkett-Smith, along as the new Emcee. She is another female in Magic Mike XXL land who worked in the exotic dance industry, has now harnessed that experience into a lucrative business. Heard re-surfaces as an occasional stripper in a bi-sexual phase that’s currently focused on women. That’s cool, the movie respects this. Here we have three attractive ex-stripper characters who we never actually see dance. We see the routines, the movie ends abruptly without any major character realizations, and I’m left feeling weirdly thoughtful about Magic Mike XXL. Magic Mike XXL presents an oddly reframed feminism, by assigning typical filmic “female” traits to male characters, without shying away from their relatively dumb bro-ness. Perhaps, there are some smart people behind this film, who understand the fantasy of adult entertainment in a way that I clearly don’t. I mean, gosh, a lot of the core scenes in Magic Mike XXL aren’t geared towards me – I enjoy art galleries and going for ice cream by myself. But Magic Mike XXL manages to be a summer stagette movie, a movie that apparently goes for the libido of both straight women and (unapologetically) gay men alike but also – this movie understands what the real hook here is. It is, dare I say, about an exchange of power between women and men, and men embracing vulnerability. Yes, there is something cloying about Magic Mike XXL’s surrender of power – this idea that women get off primarily on validation from males, on being called goddesses and queens (Magic Mike XXL manages to share this term gracefully with the gay community). But it’s not to say there isn’t some truth in these symbolic gestures that the film displays. Mike was rejected, big junk guy just wants to find someone to marry, like some big, gross, Cinderella story, and our central female characters are busy making money, getting off, and being interested in other women. I mean, don’t go into this movie expecting a grand rumination on gender politics and libido. If that’s what you’re looking for, this ain’t it. But, for what it’s worth, I watched Magic Mike XXL for the opportunity to check out mentally and make fun of it and all I got was this lousy blog entry about how it wasn’t bad.

This application is a continuation of prior-filed application Ser. No. 08/472,118, for "Liquid Dispensing Device", filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,393, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of prior-filed application Ser. No. 08/139,414, for "Liquid Dispensing Device", filed Oct. 20, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,873, both applications being assigned to the same assignee as the present application and hereby incorporated herein by reference. The invention relates generally to beverage dispensers, such as refrigerated water or beverage coolers. More particularly, the present invention is directed to liquid dispensers which include components which may be easily removed from the housing of the cooler and/or disassembled for easy cleaning, replacement, or repair. Bottle-type water coolers generally include an upright cabinet or housing containing a refrigeration unit and a liquid container which receives the mouth and neck portion of a inverted water bottle. Water flows from the bottle until the water level closes the bottle neck. Typically a refrigeration system cools the reservoir and the water being held there.. Inherent in the design of many of the water coolers or beverage dispensers currently in use are problems associated with sterility or cleanliness. Such problems may result from the materials from which the components which comprise the water flow path are formed. Thus, the potential for oxidation or general deterioration of the materials, particularly rust formation, tends to reduce the usefulness of such apparatus. Additionally, depending upon the location and environment of the dispenser, the type of water or other beverage used in the dispenser, the rate at which the water or other beverage is used, and the care taken to prevent introduction of foreign matter when a water bottle is replaced, particulate and other types of contaminants may be introduced to the liquid container and may be ultimately dispensed through normal operation. To maintain cleanliness, the components comprising the water flow path of conventional bottle-type water coolers require periodic cleaning to remove sediment or other contaminants, such as dirty film. The frequency of cleaning required for such water coolers generally depends, at least in part, on the above enumerated conditions. Some of the difficulties related to maintaining a desirable level of cleanliness in such units are caused by the inaccessibility of the components which comprise the water flow path. Thus, many of the liquid containers are so constructed that it is difficult or impossible to clean all of the internal surfaces with these components in the housing. To remove these components from the housing also proves difficult with most of the water coolers currently being used. Disassembly or removal in most of the water coolers of this type typically requires either large expenditures of time, the use of tools and in some instances special tools, or the possible destruction of components of the water cooler, particularly seals, in the disassembly procedure, or a combination of the foregoing. The removal procedure and the attendant difficulties associated therewith tend to discourage the periodic maintenance required for cleanliness of such water or beverage dispensing systems. It is a primary object of the invention to provide a liquid dispenser that is highly serviceable, and a more specific object of the invention is to provide a dispenser that may be easily assembled and disassembled without the use of tools. It is a further object of the invention to provide a dispenser wherein the components comprising the water flow path may be completely removed from the housing for replacement or cleaning. A related object is to provide a dispenser in which the components comprising the water flow path are internally cleanable. Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser which is durable, even at high temperatures, the components of the dispenser exhibiting high thermal stability and being resistant to UV degradation. An additional object of the invention is to provide a unit that is safe, even for home use, and meets all applicable governmental safety regulations. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a unit that may be easily and economically manufactured and assembled. In accordance with the present invention, a liquid dispenser is provided including a cabinet housing a liquid reservoir open at its upper end and readily releasable from engagement with the evaporator coil of a refrigeration unit for removal from the cabinet. The reservoir is surrounded by insulation which may be removed in sections. The dispenser also includes a removable waterway and valve assembly with inlet couplings press-fit to the reservoir outlets and to the inlets and outlets of a hot tank removably suspended below the valve assembly and liquid reservoir. The removable waterway and valve assembly is preferably made in two "halves" suitably held together by removable connections such as bolts or screws so that the assembly may be readily disassembled for inspection and cleaning. The hot tank may be pivoted down and shifted away from the valve assembly to facilitate removal of the latter. The valve operating lever for the hot water discharge is provided with a safety interlock catch to prevent inadvertent discharge of hot water from the valved faucet. The hot tank drain is also provided with a recessed cam-operated compression valve to facilitate authorized draining of the hot tank with a suitable cam engaging tool but to preclude inadvertent draining of the hot tank by a child. The dispenser may be used as a conventional inverted bottled water cooler or fitted with an adapter including a dispensing feed tube for opening and closing special no-spill type bottle caps. These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of a preferred exemplified embodiment of the invention and upon reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a liquid dispensing system cabinet of the present invention, with an inverted liquid container shown located above the dispenser rather than in a lower supported position to discharge its contents into the dispensing system housed within the cabinet; FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the dispensing system of this invention, showing the frame assembly, side and top panels and the principal internal dispensing system components; FIG. 3 is an exploded isometric view of the front panel of the dispenser of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the primary reservoir and structure shown in assembled relation in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is an enlarged isometric view of the cold water reservoir and insulation assembly, the insulation assembly being partially cut away to show the evaporator coil and wedge assemblies; FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cooling reservoir, valve waterway assembly, and hot tank cover; FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of the valve waterway assembly and the hot water dispensing lever; FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of the hot tank in the use position in the cooler; FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view of the hot tank partially disassembled from the cooler; FIG. 10a is an enlarged side view of the pinching assembly wherein the discharge hose is pinched; FIG. 10b is an enlarged side view of the pinching assembly wherein the discharge hose is not pinched; FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional fragmentary view of the upper portion of the reservoir with a no-spill adapter and entry portion installed; FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 6, of the cooling reservoir, a modified preferred waterway and valve assembly, and hot tank cover; FIG. 13 is an enlarged side view similar to FIG. 7, of the modified preferred waterway and valve assembly and hot water dispensing lever shown in FIG. 12; and FIG. 14 is an enlarged top plan view of the modified preferred waterway and valve assembly shown in FIGS. 12 and 13., there is shown a liquid dispensing system (shown generally as 10) including a cabinet (shown generally as 15) of the type having an open-topped primary cooling reservoir which is disposed to receive water from the inverted neck 16 of a bottle 18 containing drinking water or other potable liquid. In keeping with an aspect of the present invention, the cabinet has readily removable side and front panel components (20 and 22, respectively) and can be fitted with a top panel 23 which can also be readily removed, independent of the side panels, and changed to suit various dispensing applications. Typically, the reservoir and its contents are subject to temperature control by a refrigeration system and/or a heating system which, as described in greater detail below, is contained in the lower portion of the cabinet 15. Hot, cold and ambient temperature water may be obtained from the dispenser faucets by depressing the appropriate one of a plurality of valve operating levers projecting outwardly from the front panel 22 of the cabinet. In the illustrated cooler, the front panel has a recessed portion within which the faucet levers are mounted so as to set the faucets back into the cabinet and thus prevent inadvertent contact. In keeping with the invention, and as best shown in FIG. 2, the cabinet 15 is comprised of a supporting frame assembly (shown generally as 25), which as illustrated is made up of a baseplate 26, an upstanding frame component 27, and a shelf 28. The baseplate and shelf are each connected and secured in cantilever fashion to the upstanding frame component by dovetailed connections and are reinforced by side-mounted gusset plates 29 that serve to interconnect and align the baseplate and shelf with respect to the upstanding frame component. The gusset plates 29 also serve to strengthen the joint between the baseplate and the shelf on the one hand and the upstanding frame component on the other, and to this end, a plurality of projections or bosses 30 are provided on the interior surface of each gusset plate and are received in openings 31 on the sides of the baseplate 26 and shelf components 28 such that forces can be effectively transmitted therebetween. The gusset plates 29 are also preferably provided with three additional tab projections 33 which are snap-fit into openings 34 in the baseplate 26, shelf 28 and frame 27, and which serve to hold the gusset plates to the frame components with the bosses 30 engaged in the openings 31. The baseplate 26 and shelf 28 are designed to be readily demountable from the frame 27 and further details thereof, including the interfitting dovetailed connections are disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 08/139,469, filed Oct. 20, 1993 for "Cabinet and Supporting Frame for Liquid Dispensing System" which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the preferred dispensing system of the present invention includes a refrigeration system, designated generally as 35, comprising conventional components such as a compressor, condenser and evaporator coils. A thermostat, relay and electrical cables (designated generally as TC) are located, preferably, within a lower portion of the cabinet. The compressor 36 is powered by electricity received through a cord 37 from an external electric power outlet (not shown). The compressor compresses and circulates a refrigerant, such as HCFC 134a, through a line 38 to a condenser unit 39, which is attached by suitable connectors such as screws to the rear of the upstanding frame component 27. The condenser unit condenses the hot gas received from the compressor, and the condensed refrigerant is then circulated to an evaporator 40 (shown in FIG. 4), where the refrigerant evaporates, cooling the adjacent surface of the water reservoir. From the evaporator, the refrigerant is returned to the compressor via a supply line. In keeping with the invention, the frame structure 25 supports the refrigeration system 35, as described above, the cooling reservoir 100, a hot tank 220, the dispensing valve or valve waterway assembly 156, and the side, front, and top panel components 20, 22 and 23. The reservoir 100 is supported by and rests on the shelf 28, and will be described in greater detail hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 4. As will be understood from the exploded view in the lower right side of FIG. 2, the hot tank 220 is suspended from shelf 28 and has an inlet 222 and an outlet 224. A top support 50 overlies the reservoir 45 and has an opening which is coextensive with the open top of the reservoir. A hygienic liquid dispensing system may be utilized with the dispenser of the present invention, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 11 comprises a downwardly and inwardly tapered entry portion 52 nested in a cup-shaped support structure 56. The support structure includes a pair of diametrically opposed mounting arms 57 which engage the top support 50 and suspend the cup structure therefrom. An annular diaphragm-gasket 55 surrounds the cup-shaped structure and sealingly closes the open upper portion of the reservoir. Centrally located in the cup structure is an upstanding, hollow feed tube 60, whose operation is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,531, assigned to Elkay Manufacturing Company of Oak Brook, Ill. An air filter may be provided with a filter element 62 having a filter medium removably fitted on the housing of the filter. A conduit 63 is connected to the filter housing and passes via a grommet through the cup-shaped structure so that air cannot enter the reservoir except by passing through the filter medium. It is a preferred feature of the present invention, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, that the top support 50 is designed to be covered by a top panel 23 which, as illustrated in FIG. 2, has an annular mounting ring 65 which is provided with a ledge to support the tapered entry member 52 extending downwardly and inwardly from the annular ring on the upper portion of the top panel 23. The entry member 52 is formed with a lower end having a length greater than the neck of the bottle 18 so that substantially all of the weight of the inverted bottle is supported by the annular ring 65 on the presented surface of the top panel. As shown in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 11, the upstanding hollow feed tube 60 is formed integrally with and as a one-piece unit with the cup-shaped structure 56 which has an inwardly stepped sidewall adjacent the annular gasket 55. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, a peripheral flange portion at the upper end of the cup-shaped structure is adapted to engage and be supported on a radially extending shoulder portion of the reservoir 45 adjacent its open upper end. Pursuant to an important feature of the invention, elongated metal rods 70, preferably all of uniform length to be interchangeable, and each with a head portion 71 on one end, are provided to secure selected components of and within the cabinet to one another. As shown most clearly in FIG. 2, one rod 70a is provided to interconnect the top support 50 to the upstanding frame component 27. The frame component 27 has, on its upper end, a pair of aligned holes 72a through which rod 70a can be inserted; a second pair of aligned openings is formed in two pivot lugs (not shown) which depend from the underside of the top support 50 and are molded integrally therewith. The pivot lugs are dimensioned to loosely fit within notches 74 formed in the top of the frame component 27, so that when the top support is placed in position on the frame component, the rod 70a can pass through the aligned holes of the frame component and the pivot lugs of the top support, thereby capturing the top support and pivotally securing it to the frame component. In keeping with another important aspect of the invention, the side panels 20 are also readily removable and are hung in position by lugs 76 provided on both the upstanding frame component 27 and the peripheral edge of the front panel 22 (as shown in FIG. 3). To facilitate the quick release of the side panels from the cabinet, a plurality of bayonet-type tab fittings 77 are provided on the inside surface of each side panel for engagement with recesses 78 formed in the complementary lugs 76 on the frame component 27 and the front panel 22. It will be understood, of course, that other suitable fastening means may be provided to allow the quick removal of the side panels from the frame assembly to provide ready access to the interior of the cabinet of the liquid dispensing system. Also as shown in FIG. 2, a single screw placed in recess 79 in frame component 27 can be utilized to lock projecting tab 79a on each side panel to the frame assembly so that only a standard tool, such as a screw driver, is necessary to remove the side panels from the cabinet. For further details concerning the preferred construction and arrangement of the readily removable side panels 20, front panel 22, top panel 23 and the cross pin connecting rods 70 reference may be made to the aforementioned application Ser. No. 08/139,469. The water or other potable liquid is received from the inverted water bottle by the removable cooling reservoir 100 through an open top 101, as shown in FIG. 1. Referring now to FIG. 4, in order to cool the water contained within the cooling reservoir 100, an evaporator coil assembly 102 is provided. The evaporator coil assembly 102 includes at least one refrigerant filled cooling coil or tube 104, and a bulbwell tube or cold thermostat 106. The cooling coil 104 and the bulbwell tube 106 are disposed about the lower portion of the reservoir 100, the cooling coil 104 preferably having several turns wrapped about the reservoir 100. In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, the reservoir is removable from the water cooler 10. One feature of the invention which helps accomplish this object is the use of a camming block or expandable wedge assembly 110, which is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The wedge assembly 110 further increases efficiency of the cooler 10 by maximizing contact between the cooling coil 104 and the outer surface of the reservoir 100. The wedge assembly 110 includes upper and lower wedges 112, 114, having angled surfaces 116, 118 disposed adjacent one another. To adjust the relationship of the wedges 112, 114, a set screw or bolt 120 extends through the upper surface 122 of the upper wedge 112 and the lower surface 124 of the lower wedge 114, and into a nut 126. A washer 128 may be provided between the head of the bolt 120 and the upper surface 122 of the upper wedge 112. The nut 126 is secured to the lower wedge 114, preferably by countersinking the nut 126 into the lower surface 124, to prevent relative rotation between the nut 126 and the lower wedge 114. By adjusting the bolt 120 extending through the upper and lower wedges 112, 114, one may adjust the relationship of the wedges 112, 114 by sliding one over the other to increase or decrease the width of the wedge assembly 110. As shown in FIG. 5, the wedge assembly 110 is disposed between the outer surface of the reservoir 100 and the inner circumference of the wrapped cooling coil 104. While the wedge assembly 110 may be coupled to the water cooler 10 by any appropriate means, the lower wedge 114 preferably includes teeth 130, in this case in the form of two probes, which extend downward into the insulation assembly 132. It will be appreciated that cooling coil 104, which is wrapped about the reservoir 100 and the wedge assembly 110, has a generally circular, but somewhat elliptical shape, with a limited non-circular portion. The wedge assembly 110 is disposed in the non-circular portion of the wrapped coil 104 having the smaller radius. By rotating the bolt 120 extending through the upper and lower wedges 112, 114, an operator may adjust the relationship between the wedges 112, 114 to increase or decrease the width of the wedge assembly 110. The bolt 120 may be tightened to increase the width of the wedge assemble 110 and draw the cooling coil 104 closer around the reservoir 100. Alternately, the bolt 120 may be loosened to decrease the width of the wedge assemble 110 to loosen the cooling coil 104 around the reservoir 110. By decreasing the width of the wedge assembly 110, the cooling coil 104 may be sufficiently loosened around the cooling reservoir 110 so that the reservoir may be lifted from its position within the wrapped cooling coil 104. Another feature of the invention which contributes to the easy removal of the cooling reservoir 100 from the water cooler 10 is the insulation assembly 132, which may be at least partially disassembled. While the specific design of the insulation assembly 132 may vary, in this embodiment, the insulation assembly 132 includes three components, a lower base portion 134, an upstanding sidewall portion 136, and a top retainer ring 138. The insulation assembly 132 is preferably fabricated from styrofoam or the like. The lower insulation base 134 has an elliptically shaped upwardly extending wall 140, with a closed bottom portion 142. The reservoir 100 and the coil assembly 102 nest within the lower insulation 134, as shown in FIG. 5. The insulation sidewall portion 136 is disposed about the reservoir 100 adjacent the elliptically shaped upwardly extending wall 140 of the lower insulation 134. The sidewall insulation 136 has an elliptical shape at its lower portion which mates with the elliptically shaped wall 140 of the insulation base portion 134. In this embodiment, a flange 144 is disposed along the upper surface of the wall 140 of the lower insulation 134. The flange 144 mates with the insulation sidewall 136 to improve the integrity of the seal between the base and sidewall insulation 134, 136 and facilitates placement of the sidewall insulation 136 on the base insulation 134. The sidewall insulation 136 further includes a substantially cylindrical portion 148. In this way, the sidewall insulation 136 substantially follows the outer contours of the reservoir 100 and the evaporator coil assembly 102. In order to seal the insulation assembly 132 to the outer surface of the reservoir 100, a top retainer ring 138 may be provided. The retainer ring 138 is disposed adjacent the top portion of the cooling reservoir 100. The insulation retainer ring 138 may likewise include a flange 150 which extends into the inner diameter of the insulation sidewall 136. This flange 150 properly locates the retainer ring 138 along the upper edge of the insulation sidewall 136 and seals the insulation assembly 132 to the outer surface of the reservoir 100. According to an important aspect of the invention, the insulation sidewall 136 and top retainer ring 138 may be removed from the reservoir 100, so that the reservoir 100 may be lifted from the lower insulation base 134. In accomplishing this object, the retainer ring 138 has a split construction, so that it may be expanded and removed from the reservoir 100. In the preferred embodiment, the retainer ring 138 has only one split 152. It will be appreciated, however, that the retainer ring 138 could include a hinge-type arrangement, or be designed to include two or more components. To remove the reservoir 100 from the insulation assembly 132, the retainer ring 138 is first removed. The insulation sidewall 136 may then be lifted off of the cooling reservoir 100, and the cooling reservoir 100 lifted from the insulation base 134. In order to direct the flow of the water through the water cooler 10, a valve waterway assembly 156 is disposed substantially adjacent the reservoir 100. The valve waterway assembly 156 is preferably fabricated from a durable polymer. Shown most clearly in FIGS. 2 and 6, the assembly 156 includes a series of internal flow paths 160, 170, 180, which communicate with inlets 162, 172, 182 and standard spring biased valves 164, 174, 184 to dispense cooled, ambient temperature, and heated water from the outlets 166, 176, 186. The valves 164, 174, 184 are actuated by depressing spring biased valve operating levers or dispensing levers 168, 178, 188 (the springs are identified as 167, 177, 187 in FIG. 3). In accordance with an important object of the invention, the valve waterway assembly 156 is completely removable from the water cooler 10, and may be disassembled for internal cleaning. In accomplishing this object, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the valved waterway assembly 156 illustrated there includes upper and lower components 190, 192, which are hinged together along one edge in a clamshell design. In this embodiment of the invention, the upper and lower components 190, 192 are hinged together by hooks and eyes and the upper and lower components 190, 192 may be completely separated. Thus, the internal flow paths 160, 170, 180, inlets 162, 172, 182, valves 164, 174, 184, and outlets 166, 176, 186 of the assembly may be thoroughly cleaned. It will be appreciated, however, that the hinge may be of any appropriate design. For example, the waterway assembly 156 may be formed as a unitary assembly, and include a "living hinge," formed at a weakened area of reduced thickness between the upper and lower components 190, 192. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, to secure the upper and lower components 190, 192 of the valve waterway assembly 156 together, the assembly 156 is provided with a key fastening arrangement, as shown in FIG. 7. The upper and lower components 190, 192 include openings 194, 196 through which removable fastening keys 198 may be inserted and rotated to secure the components 190, 192 together along their open edge which defines the parting line between these components. Returning now to the design of the reservoir 100, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the water passes out of the reservoir 100 and into the valve waterway assembly 156. The water flows through discharge fittings or inlet waterway tubes 200, 202 sealed by gaskets 204, 206 in openings 208, 210 in the bottom portion of the reservoir 100. The inlets 162, 172 are sealed to the inlet waterway tubes 200, 202 with O-rings or the like, and, preferably, provide a tight engagement to secure the components together. Cooled water from the lower portion of the reservoir 100 passes directly out through the waterway tube 200 and into the waterway assembly 156 through the inlet 162 and the internal flow path 160. The cooled water may then be dispensed through the outlet 166 on demand by depressing the cold water dispensing lever 168 to actuate the valve 164. The water within the reservoir 100 is divided by a removable baffle 214, which may be removed from the reservoir 100 for cleaning, repair, or replacement. In this way, the cooled water is disposed below the baffle 214 in the lower portion of the reservoir 100, while the higher, ambient temperature water, or cooking water, is disposed above the baffle 214 in the upper portion of the reservoir 100. The baffle 214 includes a funnel shaped structure 216, which is disposed within the other opening 210, such that cooking water flows out of the upper portion of the reservoir 100 through the waterway tube 202. To prevent the baffle 214 from being inadvertently placed in the opening 208 through which cooled water is designed to flow, the baffle 214 is keyed to the cooking inlet waterway tube 202. Cooking water flows from reservoir 100, through the inlet waterway tube 202, and into the inlet 172 and internal flow path 170 of the valve waterway 156. The cooking water may then be dispensed through the outlet 176 on demand by depressing the cook water dispensing lever 178 to actuate the valve 174. In order to provide hot water from the water cooler 10, a hot tank 220 may be provided. A flow of water is provided to the hot tank 220 from the cooking water in the reservoir 100 through the inlet 172 of the valve waterway assembly 156. As best shown in FIG. 6, the inlet 172 provides a flow of cooking water to a hot tank inlet tube 222 through opening 172a in the valve waterway assembly 156. In this way, the inlet 172 not only provides cooking water to the internal flow path of the valve waterway assembly 156 for dispensing, the inlet 172 further provides room temperature cooking water from the reservoir 100 to the hot tank 220 for further heating. To provide hot water from the hot tank 220, a hot tank outlet tube 224 is provided. The hot tank outlet tube 224 communicates with and is sealed to the inlet 182. Preferably, the tube 224 and the inlet 182 are tightly engaged to secure the components together. In this way, the hot tank 220 provides a flow of heated water to the internal flow path 180 for dispensing through the outlet 186 upon depressing the hot water dispensing lever 188 to actuate the valve 184. Referring now to FIG. 3, rod 70f secures the levers 168, 178, 188 in the front panel of the cooler 10. In order to dispense cold or cook water from the valves 164, 174, the cold or cook water dispensing lever 168, 178 is depressed to rotate the lever counterclockwise about pivot rod 70f. As the dispensing lever 168, 178 rotates, the actuator arm 274 of the dispensing lever lifts the stem 164a, 174a of the valve 164, 174 to open the valve 164, 174 to permit a flow of water through the outlet 166, 176. Turning now to FIG. 7, the hot water dispensing lever 188 operates in substantially this same manner to dispense water through the outlet 186. In order to prevent accidental dispensing of hot water, however, and in order to comply with federal safety standards, the hot water dispensing lever 188 is provided with a safety lock, which includes a push bar or safety button 270 which fits within and must be pressed inward within the lever 188 in order to operate the dispensing lever 188. When the safety button 270 is in the position shown in FIG. 7, the safety arm 278 abuts a stationary safety rod 70d. Thus, the interaction of the safety arm 278 and the safety rod 70d prevents the dispensing lever 188 from rotating about the pivot rod 70f. As a result, the hot water dispensing lever 188 cannot be depressed to actuate the valve 184 to provide a flow of water. In order to operate the hot water dispensing lever 188, the safety button 270 must first be pressed inward within the dispensing lever 188. When the safety button 270 is depressed inward, the safety arm 278 clears the safety rod 70d to permit rotation of the dispensing lever 188 about the pivot rod 70f. Thus, it is only when the safety button 276 is depressed that the valve 184 may be actuated to dispense hot water from the outlet 186. Returning now to the structure of the hot tank 220 and in accordance with the objects of the invention, the hot tank 220 is completely removable from the water cooler 10, and may be disassembled for cleaning or replacement. As shown in FIGS. 2, 9 and 10, the hot tank 220 includes an open top tank 226, and a cover 228, each having a series of flanges 226a, 228a, which engage along their mating surfaces. In this way, the open top tank 226 and cover 228 may be separated to facilitate easy and thorough cleaning. Preferably, the hot tank inlet and outlet tubes 222, 224 extend through and are formed integrally with the cover 228. However, the tubes could be separately formed and secured and sealed to the cover 228. The heating coil 230 and the heat thermostat 232 are preferably located in the lower portion of the hot tank 220, and the hot tank inlet tube 222 extends down to the bottom portion of the hot tank 220. In this way the lower temperature water is heated, and then rises to the top. The hot tank outlet tube 224 extends from the upper portion of the hot tank cover 228, to drain the hottest water from the hot tank 220. As shown in FIG. 8, the hot tank 220 is held in position in the water cooler 10 by two rods 70b, 70c, which provide hinge type assemblies that may be disassembled to permit removal of the hot tank 220. Disposed along the open top of the tank 226 are spaced ears or arms 234, 236, 238, 240 which define through holes 234a, 236a, 238a, 240a. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the arms are each formed from a pair of arm components which are curved in opposite directions to form the through holes. The shelf 28 of the water cooler 10 is similarly provided with lugs or support brackets 242, 244, 246, and spacers 243, 245 which extend downward from the lower surface of the shelf 28. Support brackets 242, 244 define through holes 242a, 244a. Support bracket 246 defines a "slotted" opening 246a having two seats 246b, 246c. The hinge assemblies further include two rods 70c, 70b which extend through the through holes 234a, 236a, 238a, 240a, 242a, 244a, and slotted opening 246a to suspend the hot tank 220 within the water cooler 10. It will be noted that the spacers 243, 245 are disposed adjacent the rod 70c to stabilize the rod 70c and the hot tank 220 in position. As shown in FIG. 8, when the hot tank 220 is in operational position within the water cooler 10, rod 70c is disposed within through holes 234a, 236a, 242a, 244a; rod 70b is disposed within through holes 238a, 240a and opening 246a, seated at seat 246b. In order to remove the hot tank 220 from the water cooler 10, rod 70c is removed from the through holes 234a, 236a, 242a, 244a. Once rod 70c is removed, rod 70b is free to move downward in the slotted opening 246a to seat 246b to pivot and move the hot tank 220 downward within the water cooler 10 away from the valve waterway assembly 156. Rod 70b may then be removed from through holes 238a, 240a and opening 246a to completely remove the hot tank 220 from the water cooler 10. The hot tank 220 may be reassembled within the cooler 10 in a similar manner. In order to prevent injury from hot fluid while removing the hot tank 220, the hot tank 220 is provided with a drain hole 256 to which a flexible plastic line or drain hose 258 is coupled. In this way, the hot tank 220 may be drained of all hot fluid before attempting disassembly. To prevent fluid from draining from the hose 258 and hot tank 220 during normal usage of the water cooler 10, a pinching assembly is provide to compress or pinch shut the hose 258. The assembly includes a cam 260, a U-shaped stirrup 262, and a seat 264. The seat 264, which may be in the form of a recess, may be integrally molded with the frame component 27 of the water cooler 10. Alternately, the seat 264 may be formed as a separate component and then secured to the frame 27. The cam 260 is disposed substantially within the seat 264, as shown in FIG. 10b. The rotational axis of the cam 260 is defined by outwardly extending pins 260a, 260b. The pins 260a, 260b extend through slotted openings 264a, 264b in the seat 264 and into openings 262a, 262b in the stirrup 262. Rotation of the cam 260 draws the stirrup 262 closer to the seat 264. The hose 258 is disposed between the seat 264 and the stirrup 262. In order to operate the pinching assembly, the cam 260 is rotated to draw the stirrup 262 to the seat 264 and pinch the hose 258 therebetween. To permit water to drain through the hose 258, the cam 260 is again rotated to release the pinching pressure on the hose 258. It will be appreciated that the cam 260 is disposed along the back of the cooler 10 and is completely recessed in the seat so that it requires the insertion of a thin tool, such as a screw driver, to initiate its opening rotation. Thus, it is a safety feature that the cam cannot be rotated in the opening direction by a child's finger, which could result in the child being scalded by hot water discharged from the drain hose. Referring now to FIGS. 12-14, an alternative and preferred embodiment of the waterway and valve assembly 156 is shown. In this preferred embodiment, the valve assembly is of two-piece construction comprised of front 301 and rear 302 waterway portions which are joined together by suitable fastening means such as screws 303, bolts or the like. To insure that the assembly does not leak along the parting line between the two halves 301, 302 of the assembly, suitable seals 304 are sandwiched between the front and rear waterway portions 301, 302 before the screws 303 are tightened. It has been found that this front and rear two-piece construction of the waterway and valve assembly 156 is easily openable for inspection and cleaning and can be even more easily closed and reliably resealed then the upper and lower two-piece embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. In other respects, both embodiments of the waterway and valve assembly 156 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 and 12-14 are similar and the same reference numbers have been used to designate the common parts and features. In FIG. 12 it will be seen that the reservoir 100 is provided with a cold water outlet fitting 200 and a cook water outlet fitting 202 which are respectively press-fit into the inlet coupling portions 162 and 172 in the valve and waterway assembly 156. The reservoir 100 is provided with a baffle 214 having an outlet funnel portion 216 which directs the relatively warmer cooking water into the outlet fitting 202. As in the prior embodiment, this cooking water is directed down into the assembly 156, through an internal waterway and out through a coupling portion 172a into an inlet tube 222 of the hot tank 226. Hot water from the hot tank 226 passes up through an outlet tube 224 into an inlet coupling portion 182 of the valve and waterway assembly 156. To dispense hot water through the outlet 186, the hot water dispensing lever 188 is operated to open valve 184 in the same manner as previously described. Similarly, in order to dispense cold or cook water from the valves 164, 174 the respective cold or cook water dispensing lever 168, 178 is depressed in the same manner as previously described. It is to be understood that any allowed claims based on this application are to be accorded a range of equivalence commensurate in scope with the advance over the prior art.

Ann Flynn Ann Flynn Associate Professor Department : Chemical Engineering Phone : 718-862-7286 Office : LEO 4FL Education - B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College - M.E. in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College - Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology About Dr. Ann Marie Flynn ’81 first started her career with Manhattan College as a college freshman. She joined the staff of the Chemical Engineering Department in 1991 as the first female alumna to teach at the college as a full-time faculty member. In addition to her bachelor’s degree, Flynn received her master’s from Manhattan College. Prior to college at Manhattan, Dr. Flynn split her childhood years between the west end of Ireland and Woodside in Queens, N.Y. Her early education began at the young age of 11 with the Convent of Jesus and Mary nuns in County Mayo, Ireland until she returned to New York for college in 1977. She credits this education and the one she received from the De La Salle Christian Brothers at Manhattan College as the key to her successful career in chemical engineering. Research Developed and conducted research on Engineering Awareness for High School Counselors An all day workshop and workbook developed for high school counselors has been offered at Manhattan College as well as on site in NY, NJ, CT, and PA high schools since 2009. In 2015, the workshop was run as a professional development course for the NY State School Counselors Association. Professional Experience Memberships: - American Institute of Chemical Engineers - American Society for Engineering Education - Chemical Engineering; Women in Engineering; Educational and Research Methods - Society of Women Engineers - Faculty Moderator Student Chapter: 1997 – 2014 Honorary Societies: - Tau Beta Pi; Omega Chi Epsilon; Epsilon Sigma Pi; Pen and Sword Publications & Professional Activities Books - A.M. Flynn and L. Theodore, Health, Safety and Accident Management in the Chemical Process Industries, Marcel-Dekker, New York, 2002. - U. Siriphonlai, A. Flynn, L. Theodore, Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) – Problems and Solutions for Chemical Engineers, Theodore Tutorials, Educational Testing Service, Roanoke, Virginia, 2000. Journal Publications and Proceedings - Slater, S., Hesketh, R., Henry, J., and Flynn, A.M. 2007. “Expanding the Frontiers for Chemical Engineers in Green Engineering Education,” International Journal of Engineering Education Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 309-324. - Flynn, A.M., Naraghi, M., Austin, N., Helak, S., Manzer, J. 2006 “Teaching Teachers to Teach Green Engineering,” Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, Vol. 7, Issue 3 & 4, pp. 13-24. - Flynn, A.M., Naraghi, M., 2006, “The Optimization and Incorporation of Green Engineering into Heat Transfer Using Spreadsheets,” Computers in Education Journal, Vol XVI , No. 1, pp. 66-77. - Slater, C.S., Hesketh, R., Savelski, M., Flynn, A.M., Henry, J. Abraham, M., “Web-Based Course Modules To Incorporate Green Engineering Concepts Into The Chemical Engineering Curriculum,” Proceedings of the 10th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference, June 2006, Washington D.C. - Flynn, A.M., Austin, N., “A Continued Assessment of Green Engineering Pedagogy,” Proceedings of the AIChE Regional Conference, Orlando, FL, 2006 - Flynn, A.M., 2005, “Assessing the Incorporation of Green Engineering into a Design-Oriented Heat Transfer Course,” Chemical Engineering Education: Graduate Division, Vol 39, No. 4, pp. 320-326. - Flynn, A.M., Naraghi, M., Shaefer, S., 2005, “Greening A Design-Oriented Heat Transfer Course,” Chemical Engineering Education, Vol 39, No. 3, pp. 216-220. - Flynn, A.M., “The Greening of Chemical Engineering Students,” BEST PAPER AWARD: Chemical Engineering Division Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference, June 12-15, 2005, Portland, OR - Slater, S., Hesketh, R., Henry, J., Flynn, A.M., and Fichana, D., “Expanding the Frontiers in Green Engineering Education,” Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference, June 12-15, 2005, Portland, OR - J. Henry, S. Slater, R. Hesketh, A. Flynn, “Examples of Teaching Green Engineering in Engineering Courses," Paper presented at AIChE Annual Conference, November 11, 2004, Austin, Texas - Flynn, A.M., and Theodore, L. “Involving Students in Environmental Publications,” Paper presented at AWMA, June 2004 - Flynn, A.M., and R.H. Heist, “A Longitudinal Retention Study in an Urban Engineering School” Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference, June 16-19, 2003, Nashville, TN - Flynn, A.M., J. Reynolds, and L. Theodore, "Courses for Chemical and Environmental Engineering Students Using an Open-Ended Problem Approach," Proceedings of the Air & Waste Management Association Meeting, June, 2003, San Diego, CA. - Flynn, A.M., J. Reynolds, and L. Theodore, “Why Settle for an MBA?”. Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference, June 16-19, 2002, Montreal, Canada. - Flynn, A.M., J. Reynolds, and L.Theodore, “A Course on Health, Safety & Accident Management,”, Proceedings of the 95th Annual AWMA Meeting, June 2002, Baltimore, MD. - Flynn, A.M., J. Reynolds, and L. Theodore, “A Course on Accident and Emergency Management in the Chemical Process Industries,” Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM, 2001 - Flynn, A., L. Theodore, “Air Pollution Control Equipment Design Course for Chemical and Environmental Engineering Students Using an Open-Ended Problem Approach,” Proceedings of the ASEE Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, Rowan University, Glasboro, New Jersey, 2001 - Anid, N., A.M. Flynn, “Writing in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum,” Proceedings of the ASEE Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, Rowan University, Glasboro, New Jersey, 2001 - Famularo, J. A.M. Flynn, H.C. Hollein, C.S. Slater, L. Theodore, Chemical Engineering Laboratory Manual, CD ROM Edition, Manhattan College, 2001. - Flynn, A., “The Combustion of Sodium in a Partially Pre-Mixed, Laminar, Hydrocarbon/Air Flame,” Proceedings of The 33rd Mid-Atlantic Industrial and Hazardous Waste Conference, Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY, 2001. - Flynn, A.M., and R.B. Barat, “The Experimental Monitoring of Sodium in a Methane/Air Flame,” Proceedings of the Eastern States Combustion Conference, Hartford, CT, 1997 - Flynn, A.M., D. Apostolou, and R.B. Barat, “The Modeling of Sodium in a Hydrocarbon/Air Flame,” Proceedings of the AIChE Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 1997 Conference and Meeting Presentations - Slater, C.S., R. Hesketh, A. Flynn, J. Henry, “Expanding the Frontiers in Green Engineering Education,” Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference, June 12-15, 2005, Portland, OR - Flynn, A.M., Austin, N., Helak S., Manzer J., “Teaching Teachers to Teach Green Engineering,” 2nd International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry and the 9th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference, Washington D.C., June 20-24, 2005 - First Annual Conference for Girls on Careers in Science, Engineering, Technology, and Trades, Martin Luther King Jr. High School, New York, New York, March 27, 2004. Panel Discussion on “The Engineering of Make-up” - Flynn, A.M., and Theodore, L., “Involving Students in Environmental Publications,” Paper presented at AWMA June 2004 - Flynn, A.M., R. Heist, “A Longitudinal Retention Study in an Urban Engineering School” ASEE Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, June, 2003 - Flynn, A.M., J. Reynolds, L. Theodore, “Courses For Chemical and Environmental Engineering Students Using an Open-ended Problem Approach,” AWMA Annual Conference, San Diego, California, June, 2003 - Flynn, A.M., J. Ragona, and D. DiToro, "Combustion Kinetics of Sodium Flames," presented at the AIChE-Tappan Zee Section Annual Student Spring Poster Competition, White Plains, New York, April, 2003. - R. Ventimiglia, P. Chang, C. Graham, and A.M. Flynn, "Safety Analysis of a Pharmaceutical Process Using the Advanced Reactive System Screening Tool (ARSST)," presented at the AIChE-Tappan Zee Section Annual Student Spring Poster Competition, White Plains, New York, April 2003. - Flynn, A.M.,J. Reynolds, and L. Theodore, “Why Settle for an MBA?” ASEE Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada, June 2002, - Flynn, A.M.,J. Reynolds, and L. Theodore, “A Course on Health, Safety & Accident Management,”. 95th Annual AWMA Meeting, Baltimore, MD, June 2002. Honors & Awards - Harden- Simons Prize for the Outstanding Computers in Education Journal Paper at the National ASEE Conference, Computers in Education Division, “The Optimization and Incorporation of Green Engineering into Heat Transfer Using Spreadsheets,” Chicago, IL. - Joseph J. Martin Award for Best Paper at the National ASEE Conference, Chemical Engineering Division, “The Greening of Chemical Engineering Students,” Portland, OR, 2005 - Inspirational Leader Award presented by Price Waterhouse Cooper and Manhattan College’s Beta Alpha Psi Honor Society - Who’s Who Among American Teachers - Who’s Who in Engineering Education - Pen and Sword Honor Society - Faculty Honoree, presented by Manhattan College Pen & Sword Honor Society - Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, presented by Tau Beta Pi Student Chapter Women Space Award for Mentoring and Motivating Future Engineers, presented by SWE Student Chapter - “Women in the Environmental Field”, Clear Waters Magazine: New York Water Environment Association, Inc., Vol. 34, No. 3, Fall 2004 Other Chemical Engineering Curriculum Innovation Study Abroad for Chemical Engineers Winter 2014 Because all chemical engineering students at Manhattan College are strongly encouraged to seek either an internship or research experience [REU] during the summer months, it is extremely difficult for students to participate in a study abroad program. Piggybacking on an effort to create a more symbiotic relationship between LaSallian Universities around the world, students from the chemical engineering department at Manhattan College had the opportunity to take chemical engineering courses at DeLaSalle University [DLS] in Mexico City. Faculty from Manhattan College taught Computer Simulation and Sustainable Energy at DLS during the January 2014 Intersession term. The courses, populated by both Manhattan College students as well as students from DLS Mexico, will be offered again in January 2015. Petroleum Engineering Option: Fall 2013 In a continuing effort to ensure that Chemical Engineering at Manhattan College stands apart from its peers, the department capitalized on the faculty’s rich experience in the petroleum industry and the (renewed) interest in hydrocarbon fracking in the northeast United States by developing an option in petroleum engineering. This option was launched and course instruction began in fall 2013 by Dr. Gennaro Maffia who has many years of experience working and consulting in the petroleum and petrochemical industry. Chinese for the Professional Engineer Fall 2012 Having been Inspired by Thomas L. Friedman’s, The World is Flat and a USA Today article entitled “Sybase CEO John Chen shares inside look at China's influence”, the Board of Advisors approved the department’s request to require all chemical engineering students to complete a two-semester Chinese for the Professional Engineer sequence. Chinese I and II were introduced as required courses in the senior year in fall 2012. The sequence focused on language as well as professional customs, traditions, and values in Asia. Cosmetic Engineering Option Spring 2011 Building on a tradition of excellence in Chemical Engineering, the first option in Cosmetic Engineering in the United States was developed and offered at Manhattan College in January 2011. In addition to the standard Chemical Engineering core courses, the program includes a set of four electives. This rigorous program has been designed in consultation with several international cosmetics companies: L’Oreal USA; Revlon; Avon; Cosmetic Essence [Victoria’s Secret Beauty]. However, since the processes and principles covered in the curriculum are not unique to the cosmetics industry, they can be easily applied in the food, pharmaceutical and advanced coatings industries. The program was developed in response to the industry use of a number of advanced processes and new technologies beyond basic chemical engineering training. The cosmetic engineering program provides a specific knowledge base to meet those needs. Communication Skills for Practicing Chemical Engineers Spring 2010 To answer a need voiced by employers and alumni that engineers, in general, do not possess adequate written and verbal communication skills, the chemical engineering department introduced a 5-semester Communications sequence for Practicing Chemical Engineers. The course is a typical 3-credit, 45-hour course that is broken up into five 9-hour modules [six 1.5 hour classes] spread over five semesters. The sequence begins in fall semester of sophomore year and concludes in fall semester senior year. The five modules are as follows: Presentation Theory; Presentation Technique; Technical Writing; Resume Writing & Interview Skills; Capstone Assessment. The sequence has been extraordinarily successful with students and employers. High School Outreach - Academy of Mount Saint Ursula, Bronx, NY - Aquinas High School, Bronx, NY - Aviation High School, Long Island City, NY - Bishop Loughlin, Brooklyn, NY - Bishop Kearney, Brooklyn, NY - Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, NJ - East Northport High School, East Northport, NY - Garden City High School, Garden City, NY - Telecommunications, Arts, & Technology, New York, NY - Immaculate Heart Academy, Washington Township, NJ - Kennedy Catholic High School, Somers, NY - Long Island Science & Engineering Fair, Woodbury, NY - Monsignor Farrell, Staten Island, NY - New York Hall of Science, Corona, NY - North Rockland High School, Thiells, NY - Pearl River High School, Pearl River, NY - Plainedge High School, North Massapequa, NY - Rosedale Center for Girls, Bronx, NY - Tappan Zee High School, Orangeburg, NY - The Ursuline School, New Rochelle, NY - Sacred Heart Academy, West Hempstead, NY - School of the Holy Child, Rye, NY - Suffern High School, Suffern, NY Courses Taught/Teaching - CHML 305: Chemical Engineering Principles II: Heat Transfer - CHML 321: Chemical Reaction Engineering - CHML 403: Chemical Engineering Laboratory I - CHML 404: Chemical Engineering Laboratory II - CHML 411: Transport Phenomena - CHML 423: Process Control - CHML 440-446: Communications Skills for Practicing Chemical Engineers - CHML 456: FE Review for Chemical Engineers - CHML 535: Air Pollution Control - CHML 572: Accident and Emergency Management - CHML 575: Food Engineering - ENGS 115: Introduction to Engineering I - ENGS 201: Materials Science

I rescued two lost things last week. One was my responsibility, and one was not. One I’d lost myself (though it would’ve been easy to blame the five year old), and one someone else had lost. One was a coat, a green child’s coat, possibly a hand-me down, but it would have been expensive to replace. One was a dog. One was lost on a beautiful, warmish, sunny afternoon, and the other was lost the following day which was sunny but bitterly cold and windy. The coat was the most upsetting, because it was my fault (though it would have been easy to blame the five year old). When I drove Louise to kindergarten that morning it had been cold and rainy, so she and her toddler brother, Manny, wore raincoats over their winter coats. Afterwards Manny and I went to the library and it wasn’t raining anymore so I took off his raincoat and left it in the car. Later, while Manny was napping and I was reading Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, the sun broke forth from the clouds and the temperatures soared into the fifties, and I gratefully made plans to take the kids to the playground after school. That last hour and a half, after I pick up Louise from school, can be hard. She is tired from following the rules and doing what she was told all day at school, and resents any more instructions from me. She wants to talk and play, and needs me to be very interactive and follow the rules of the games she makes up, and she gets frustrated if I don’t pay complete attention. Manny is getting tired despite his nap, and though he has spent most of the day ignoring me and pretending to cook elaborate meals with his toy pots and pans, his sister’s presence makes him suddenly need my constant attention and to be constantly in my arms. It can be fun, if I can rally my energy. But it’s infinitely better if we can spend that time outside. Both kids like people-watching, the fresh air and sunshine put their nanny in a much better mood, and there are other kids to play with so I am not needed as intensely as when the three of us are home alone. It was warm, so I let Louise take off her outer raincoat, but it was not warm enough for her to take off her other coat, so the several times she asked to I said no. The kids had a great time, and I absorbed the fresh air and sunshine as I chased after them, and waited till the last possible minute to say that it was time to head home. As we walked back to the car I looked back and saw that Louise had taken off her coat. She saw me notice her, grinned, and said, “Is it okay?” “All right,” I said. “Put it in the stroller,” thus teaching her the truth of the expression that it’s easier to get forgiven than permission. When we got to the car I strapped them into their seats, folded up the stroller, and put it into the trunk. A few minutes later we pulled into their garage and I said to Louise sternly, “You need to either wear your coat or carry it, Louise. I have to get all the other coats, the diaper bag, and Manny.” “Okay,” she said. “Where is it?” “It’s back there with you.” “No it isn’t.” With a sinking heart I realized I’d never taken it out of the stroller. I opened the trunk and unfolded the stroller but it wasn’t there. “It must be back at the playground,” I said. She started crying. “It’s okay!” I said. “Let’s go inside and drop you and Manny off with your mom, and I’ll drive back in my own car and get the coat. It must’ve fallen out when I put the stroller in the trunk, so it should be right there waiting for me.” “But what if someone took it?” she wailed. “No one would take it,” I said, hoping this was true. “People are generally good and want to help each other.” I dropped them off and hopped into my car, driving back towards the playground and praying the following strange prayer: “Lord, please let the coat still be there. I don’t want to be responsible for losing it. Also, take care of the refugees. And if you can only answer one prayer, then take care of the refugees.” God only knows what God thinks of prayers like that. Covering our bases, hedging our bets. Hoping for God’s favor and help to save face for ourselves and a few dollars for our employer, while knowing that others are shivering on the cold ground, hungry, homeless, wondering where God is and where the generally good people wanting to help each other are. Did God laugh at my second, guilty prayer? Did God listen carefully and file the prayers in order of importance? Did God guide the hand of the person who walked by Louise’s coat in the street and hung it carefully up on the fence for me to find, gratefully, moments later? Is God guiding the hearts of those who have it in their power to help the refugees? The next day the temperature dropped sharply and the wind blew fiercely. The kids’ dad needed the car, so he drove Louise to school but I had to take Manny in the stroller to pick her up. The walk to school and back was cold and hard, with the wind seeming to always blow against us. I struggled on the way there, but the way back with Louise was harder — uphill and I had the additional job of keeping Louise’s spirits up while we fought against the wind. She was struggling, and trying not to cry. “Remember what Dory says in Finding Nemo?” I asked. “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. And then, just when they are too tired to go any further, a miracle happens and they find the warm gulf stream current which carries them safely to Nemo.” I’m pretty sure I had some of those details wrong, but Louise thought about it for a minute and then started repeating: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” We chanted it together, pausing each time the wind caught the cloth of the stroller like a sail (always in the other direction) and made walking momentarily impossible. Suddenly a very small dog came towards us from a driveway, barking loudly. Louise screamed and I told her to move to the other side of me while I spoke gently to the dog. “What’s wrong puppy? It’s okay, we’re friendly. What are you doing out here in the cold?” The dog was shivering, and I realized that its barks weren’t coming from anger but from fear. I felt the calmness that comes over me when anxiety is replaced with knowing exactly what action to take. I don’t know how I knew. Was someone somewhere saying a prayer for lost things? Was someone praying for creatures who were cold and scared? Either way I knew for sure that the dog was stuck outside and needed help getting home. There were several houses there, but I turned toward the nearest one as the dog ran away back down the driveway. There was a set of steps going up to the front door, so I carefully parked the stroller at the bottom. “No!” cried Louise. “I don’t want to go there! I want to go home!” “When you see a creature that’s cold and scared, you have to help it. That’s the rule,” I answered, and, convinced either by compassion or canon, she followed me up the concrete stairs. I rang the doorbell and we stood there shivering. I saw the blinds opened slightly and I waved and tried not to look like a salesman or an evangelist. A woman opened the door and asked us suspiciously, “Yes? Can I help you?” “There’s a small dog out here,” I said. “He seems scared.” “Oh my God! Chico?” she asked, looking inside and realizing he wasn’t there with her. “How did he get out? Where did you see him?” “He just ran back down there,” I said, pointing to the driveway. She came out onto the porch, standing in the wind in bare feet, and called, “Chico! Chico!” The dog ran up to her instantly, and they hurried back into the warm house together, the woman saying a quick and still surprised, “Thank you!” Louise, Manny, and I continued up the hill, against the wind. A few weeks ago we had made the same trip after a snowstorm, and as we’d walked I’d told Louise the story of Good King Wenceslas, and how he and his servant had gone out in the bitter cold to bring food and firewood to a poor man they saw from the castle window. “It was so cold and windy,” I’d told her, “And the servant grew so tired he couldn’t go on. But King Wenceslas told him to walk in his footprints, and when the servant stepped right where the King had stepped, he found the footprints were warm! So then he was warm enough and encouraged enough to go on.” I’d sung the last verse of the song to her, trying unsuccessfully, as always, not to cry: In his master’s steps he trod Where the snow lay dinted Heat was in the very sod Which the Saint had printed Therefore, Christian men, be sure Wealth or rank possessing Ye who now will bless the poor Shall yourselves find blessing.” “We saved that dog!” I said, feeling as warm as if I were stepping in the Saint’s footprints. “And we’re almost home.” “We’re almost home!” said Louise. “Just keep swimming.” “Just keep swimming,” I said. *** Come follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and join in the conversation! (I’ll tell you a secret: I’m feistiest on Twitter!) 18 thoughts on “Prayers for lost things” Lovely story! You’re so great with kids 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person Thanks, Suzy. Miss you. bravo. xo LikeLiked by 1 person 😘 so lovely… I just love your blog, it is always full of quiet encouragement LikeLiked by 1 person Thank you, Soundtek. I like it when you come by. Your creativity with munchkins is the best! LikeLiked by 1 person I’ do love my job, most days. Jessica I love your writing. When I find a new post, it’s a gift. Thank you. LikeLiked by 1 person Thanks for reading, Tammy! Thank you for sharing – what a lovely story. And I needed to hear it! LikeLiked by 1 person Thanks, Hope. ❤ Thank you so much for sharing this story and for rescuing the dog! I am reading (and enjoying) a book by Ruth Hogan called “The Keeper of Lost Things” so this was very timely for me. Stay warm and just keep swimming! LikeLiked by 1 person What a neat coincidence, Kim! Thanks for reading. I don’t know if I cried more when I read your prayer, or at the end ❤ LikeLiked by 1 person Thank you for telling me that, Amy. It means a lot that my words meant something to you. ❤ Currently swimming, or doing my best to. Maybe a little more like treading water, and that’s ok. I always find compassion in your writing. Thank you. LikeLiked by 1 person You and your words have been the Saint’s footprints for me and many others, Matt. Treading water is definitely okay. In other news, I have definitely gotten my metaphors all mixed together in this essay.

REQUEST OR RE-UPLOAD PC GAMES 1.Comment below at comment box what game do you want and the version (SKIDROW, RELOADED, FLT, Black Box, etc . . .) 2.NOT ALL REQUESTED GAME CAN BE UPLOADED 3.ONLY SOME GAME WILL BE UPLOADED, see at list game that i will upload it 4.Done, and Wait ^^ NOTE: IF you want me to re-upload, don't forget to comment game page link System Shock2-REPACK : UPLOADED Crysis 2-Black Box : UPLOADED HALO Combat Evolved-SinglePlayer+MultiPlayer[English] : UPLOADED Dragon Age Origins NON-STEAM: UPLOADED Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare-KaOs : UPLOADED Metro 2033-Razor 1911 : UPLOADED Monaco What's Yours Is Mine-3DM : UPLOADED Mirror’s Edge-Black Box+N7T+Torrent : RE-UPLOADED Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Grand Theft Auto IV Perfect RIP-GLOBE : RE-UPLOADED Battlefield: Bad Company 2 RELOADED : UPLOADED Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction-SKIDROW : UPLOADED Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell : UPLOADED Half Life 2 : UPLOADED Half Life 2 - Episode One : UPLOADED FABLE III-REPACK : UPLOADED HALO 2 : UPLOADED Garry's Mod 10-StandAlone : UPLOADED STALKER Call Of Pripyat-Razor1911 : UPLOADED Need for Speed Most Wanted Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Saints Row The Third Complete Collection-SCRiN : RE-UPLOADED Transformers Fall of Cybertron Black Box Repack : RE-UPLOADED The Walking Dead Complete nosTEAM : UPLOADED Medal of Honor Airborne-HATRED : UPLOADED Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine-Black Box : UPLOADED BioShock Full Rip RFG : UPLOADED BioShock 2-KaOs: UPLOADED Mass Effect + ALL Update + DLC Repack- AGB : UPLOADED Bully Scholarship Edition Repack R.G Catalyst : UPLOADED Gothic 3 Forsaken Gods Enhanced Edition : UPLOADED Arcania Gothic 4-RELOADED : UPLOADED Medal of Honor Warfighter-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Mass Effect 3 Complete Update+DLC-AGB : UPLOADED Mass Effect 2 Complete Update+DLC-AGB : UPLOADED Batman Arkham Asylum GOTY Black Box: UPLOADED Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Digital Deluxe Edition Multi2 R.G Revenants : UPLOADED Call of Duty Black Ops-SKIDROW : UPLOADED Borderlands 2 – Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Deus Ex:Human Revolution – BlackBox : UPLOADED Just Cause 2 Complete DLC-R.G Repack : UPLOADED Max Payne 3-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Hitman: Absolution-Black Box : UPLOADED Age of Empires III Complete Collection-PROPHET : UPLOADED Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Red Alert 3 Dilogy-R.G. Shift : UPLOADED LEGO Star Wars II The Original Trilogy-FULL : UPLOADED Dragon Age 2 : UPLOADED Assassin’s Creed III-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Dishonored-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: UPLOADED Saints Row 2 – Black Box: UPLOADED Prototype 2 – Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Dear Esther : RE-UPLOADED GTA San Andreas : UPLOADED Dead Space : UPLOADED The Saboteur + DLC Repack : RE-UPLOADED Dark Souls Prepare To Die EDITION – Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Battlefield 2: UPLOADED Battlefield 2142-RAZOR1911 : UPLOADED Alpha Protocol PC Lossless RePack R.G. Catalyst : UPLOADED L.A Noire The Complete Edition-REPACK RELOADED : UPLOADED Kerbal Space Program-CRACKED : UPLOADED Assassin's Creed 2-AGB : UPLOADED Sleeping Dogs Limited Edition-R.GRevenants : UPLOADED Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – Black Box : UPLOADED Left 4 Dead - Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Left 4 Dead 2 - Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Lost Planet Extreme Condition Colonies Edition-R.G Mechanics : UPLOADED Dead Rising 2 Off the Record-SKIDROW : UPLOADED Counter Strike Global Offensive-REPACK : UPLOADED The Witcher Enhanced Edition-AGB : UPLOADED MySims-REPACK : UPLOADED Call of Juarez-CRACKED : UPLOADED Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2-Black Box : UPLOADED Turbo Dismount-P2P : UPLOADED Gears of War-Black Box : UPLOADED FEAR 2: Project Origin-REPACK : UPLOADED Super Meat Boy-THETA : RE-UPLOADED Manhunt Duology-R.G. Mechanics : UPLOADED Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon-SKIDROW : UPLOADED Dead Space 3-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Legendary Edition-Black Box : UPLOADED DMC Devil May Cry-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Surgeon Simulator 2013-FULL : UPLOADED DayZ Standalone Multiplayer SeregA-Lus : UPLOADED Battlefield 3-AGB : UPLOADED Assassins Creed 3-REPACK : RE-UPLOADED Counter Strike Global Offensive-nosTEAM : UPLOADED PAYDAY 2-KaOs : UPLOADED BorderLands 2 GOTY Edition-KaOs : RE-UPLOADED Sniper Elite V2+DLC1.04-Black Box : UPLOADED Family Guy Back to the Multiverse : UPLOADED F.E.A.R-CRACKED : UPLOADED Spider Man Shattered Dimensions-R.G Mechanics : UPLOADED Batman Arkham City-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED The Sims 3-RAZOR 1911 : RE-UPLOADED Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty City-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Crysis-SkullPutra : RE-UPLOADED SPORE-RELOADED : UPLOADED Need for Speed Most Wanted-Black Box : RE-UPLOADED Dead Island GOTY REPACK-KACTUS : REUPLOADED Trials Fusion-Black Box : UPLOADED Magicka Collection-PROPHET : RE-UPLOADED Saints Row The Third-REPACK+DLCs : UPLOADED FEAR 3-DaRkSiDe : UPLOADED The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Legendary Edition-KaOs : UPLOADED Transformers Revenge of The Fallen-REPACK : UPLOADED Tomb Raider Underworld-REPACK : UPLOADED Request PAYDAY 2 CAREER CRIMINAL EDITION + ONLINE MP Star wars the force Unleashed admin can i request Dragon Age II 1.04 with all dlc assassin's creed 3 black box, thanks Payday 2 update 2 dong,ane mau maen online om di gamelist ada anno bisa gak di re upload , kalo bisa sama scriblenauts-nya yang versi baru plz upload black site area 51 repack BioShock Infinite Update 1.1.22.46499 :) please upload blades of time please uplaod Star Wars The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition Multi2 Repack RG Shift please upload Dragon age 1:Orgins + all DLCs,thx in advance Dirt Showdown Repack LinkS Are Dead Please Re-Upload Request Ju-On The Grudge Haunted House PC .... thanks that shitty moment when this website is down.... dammit... if facebook down im okay... but not this one Bro, can upload Saints Row 4, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, and Skullgirls PC when it comes out? Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning Teeth of Naros XCOM THE BUREAU!!! (hope it isnt like that DARK shitty game again :/) Request Need For Speed The Run BlackBox Repack Donk splinter cell blacklist plz !!!!!!!! can you re-upload counterstrike source please!! Would you kindly upload Splinter Cell Double Agent? Thank you! darksider 1&2 please...thx in advance please Reupload: The Sims 3 Seasons-RELOADED+FIX [UPafile] c: Bro can you please upload Skullgirls? Modern Warfare 3 links are dead please re-upload bro tolong reupload game ini plus upload juga game amnesia bro yah, thx bro sbeelumnya Upload Half-Life 2 : Episode 2 pls. can you please re-upload dark souls : prepare to die edition? thanks :) The Sims 3 Complete Blackbox please :) request Command And Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars :D the last of us pc version please League of Legends Nico today Comes out castlevania lord of Shadow, Will u upload it? request Dinasty warrior 7 english bro, thanks :) Can you upload Lost PLanet 3 Blackbox pls...They made a repack already :) Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Ultimate Edition-Black Box gan request dong, kalo dinsty warrior 7 nya gak ada, -request Saintrow 4 repack skidrow -tenant mutant ninja turtles : lord of shadow thanks before LEGO Lord of the Rings-RELOADED can't wait for Diablo 2 :D The Last Remnant Please :) Hello, can anybody tell me how to reduce lag, increase FPS and other things that can make my gaming experience become better?? Request From Dust REQ War.Front.Turning.Point-RELOADED Thanks Lost Planet 2 repack.... Please ^_^ GEARS OF WAR PC.. PLEASE assassin creed brotherhood please sir... assassin creed brotherhood repack wid dlc plz sir Request bioshock infinite blackbox pleaaasee :( Bro, can you upload Outlast? Decent horror game. Mirror Edge RELOADED Mirror Edge RELOADED Please re-upload Prototype 2 . Pls reupload Fifa 13 Request for Prototype 2 and any other awesome games... Request === "City bus Simulator munich" can i request fallout 3 goty? it was removed REQ War Front Turning Point -RELOADED Plz. n Re-UPLOAD Diablo 3+SERVER, ane download via torrent, lama bangetz... thx please upload Cursed Mountain KaOs Rip? thx adm... can you include n7t links for new uploads? that is like the only links that will work for me...... Disney Infinity SKIDROW please... please upload Lost Planet 2. thanks great work microsoft flight simulator x deluxe edition please good sir i have looked everywhere and cant find it without torrenting. I look on your website for many great games and appericate all your effort to upload these games. Thanks again even if you dont upload this game! request garrys mod skidrow disney infinity SKIDROW please.......... wkwkwk di Gloria ada ulangan harian terus disusul UTS ya? Good luck ya gan. BTW, pengen re-upload assassin's creed brotherhood and Revelations Gan, ane request "titanfall" dong, soalnya tuh game terbaik kategori Best of Show dari Electronic Entertainment expo, tolong ya gan, soalnya mw cobain game nya, terima kasih :) Re-Upload Elder Scroll IV: Skyrim please Risen 2 Dark Waters Black-box please THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII-RELOADED please post gta v xbox 360 - quack!! skidrowgames already has it!!!! direct links for all games not working check them need reupload for FF7 Remake HD please? orcs must die! THETA or skidrow bro nico.. plz note that Scribblenauts unmasked and Rise of Venice are coming out soon...these 2 are great games... make it available on internet archive ok..thanks man!! Divinity II The Dragon Knight Saga please, please, please pls upload MANHUNT 2.......thnk u...:) GTA 4 complete editionnya dong gan please........... Thank's Pls reupload Kingdoms of Amalur Black Box, thanks in advance. The Last Remnant, please *__* dynasty warriors 8 Pro Evolution Soccer 2014-RELOADED This comment has been removed by the author. Request front mission evolved :) lost planet 2 repack..... can you upload fallout 3 without the dlc's ? fifa 14 dong gan please upload fifa 14 reloaded reupload dishonored blackbox repack please bro nico tolong reupload crack fix outlast thanks for the scribblenauts unmasked bro nicoo... plz.. Rise of Venice plzzzzz...released on skidrow..internet archive plzzz Stronghold Crusader 3 Please :) gmod 13 GTA 5 dong bro :D upload gta v with emulator many sits is uploaded but i am only trusted your site Grand Theft Auto - Vice City pls! Please uplaod Diablo 3 full repack or whatever with minimum parts :) reupload crysis 3 om nico Bionicle Heroes-RELOADED plzz... please upload Star Wars The Force Unleashed II BLACK BOX please admin Upload DEAD RISING 2 Please :D gan,, upload Kane & Lynch Dead Mine dong,, dijamin banyak yg download :) pls upload rage balckbox n7t links....... and also max payne 3 n7t links......thnk u....:) the saboteur plz.... yo nicoo7t bro! Can you get far cry 3 whenever possible? thanks! ps: i stalk u everyday...................................................... i mean the website xD Please upload Star Wars Battlefront II with all DLC please! Thanks! REQ Command And Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars and kane's wrath Tomb Raider 2013 Tomb Raider 2013 yeniden yükleyin please reupload dead space 3 gan request rolling coaster tycoon 3 donk thanks... assassins creed revelation Portal 2 Request Dead Space 2 please please upload dynasty warrior 7 please upload dynasty warrior 7 Can you upload The Witcher 1 please? Thanks bro plizzz upload batman arkham city goty edition,blades of time limited edition,borderlands 2 goty edition gan request deus ex human revolution director's cut Naruto ultimate ninja storm 3 full burst PC please... Admin can u upload again Total War Rome II again ... The link cannot be used anymore ... Please ASAP .. I want to spend this semester break playing this game ... Please .. God Bless U ... Admin please upload Total War Rome II again ... The link does not available at all link .. Please upload ASAP .. I want to spend this semester break playing this game ... DARKSIDERS2 please upload naruto ultimate ninja torm 3 upload naruto ultimate ninja storm 3 for pc sims 3 into the future expansion FLT please.. make sure internet archive available.. plz nicoo plzzzzzzzzzzz Could you please re-upload Borderlands 2-BlackBox, and Bioshock Infinite-Black Box to putlocker ? Thank you very much a Mount & Blade Please :) Borderlands 2 : Game of the year edition gan please upload Saint Row Third repack BlackBox.... please re-upload arcania gothic 4, thanks :) Hi how are you can you upload The godfarther 2 Hello,please upload "Total war Rome 2" blackbox repack the sims 5 dong bro :) sama anno 2070 :) the first ever Assassins Creed please!! Team Fortress 2 Thief: Deadly Shadows please .. Thanks . =) Call of duty Ghost black box repack please Devil May Cry 4 Reloaded /BlackBox Bang Nicoo ane request dong Plants vs Zombie 2 It's About Time.. ane cari di google ga nemu2, banyak yg pke survey klo mau download.. hehe thx The Sims 3 yg biasa :3 klo bisa + dlc cunter strike global offensive full unlocked RAGE - black box Injustice : Gods Among Us Complete Edition Skidrow/Blackbox/Reloaded plzz Upload Injustice Ultimate Edition for PC asap :D plzz upload battlefield 3 multiplayer GTA shinobi world BL or FTP or uptobox :3 thanks Dead Island GOTY + All DLCs Damage Inc Pacific Squadron WWII reupload ya gan xcom enemy within please Assassin's creed 4 black flag 5 GB version (there are few different on pirate bay, ) plzzzz this 15 gb you have now is insane (i mean wtf in rest 10 gb..) Btw love your site any your direct and mega links.... Keep the good work! :D Please upload Minecraft 1.7.2 Nicoo, reupload Call of Duty - GHOSTS Ram fix please.. on rapidgator the file has been deleted Might and Magic: Heroes Vi. Game without addons and stuff. Just the standalone game. Would be nice, thx. Chivalry Deadliest Warrior pls upload black box version of assassins creed black flag Can you please upload Dishonored : The Brigmore Witches? Thanks :D Portal 1 & 2 :) Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition, repack version please, thanks in advance. Gan Upload tin game Sengoku Basara 3 Samurai Heroes Donk oke. Gan Upload tin game Sengoku Basara 3 Samurai Heroes Donk oke. kalo boleh request, ane minta max payne 3 versi reloaded. terima kasih nicoo The Witcher 2 EE Putlocker Plsss!!!! The Sims 3 Pets thanks. Please upload AC Revelation Repack version :D Please upload Company of heroes 2 blackbox with skirmish .... :) Dragon Age Origins reupload request fallout 1 & 2 masbro, klo ada yg collection edition itu aja, thanks :D can you reupload the the bureau XCOM Declassified-reloaded please?? Bully scholarship reupload :(? Please upload Silent Hill Homecoming.. call of duty 3 pls :) Zoo tycoon 2 + expansion packnya broo :) Hi! can you upload Lego marvel super heroes in repack version? you can upload it in any repack version. Nicho, can you re upload Rage with dlc ? Thank you for your time. Nicoo7t, upload Need For Speed Most Wanted 2005 please :D pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee//.................. upload FALLOT 3 GOTY EDITION................................!!!! Request : Singularity + Legendary + Star Wars : The force unleashed Please. I've finished Dead Rising 2.. can u upload Dead Rising 2 Off The Record.. hotspot shield elite cracked please upload dynasty warrior 7/8 Request DayZ ALPHA STEAM bisa , kalo ada .. thanks ya nic Mas tolong dong upload game pc : BattleStation Pacific Midway dong please... thx banget ya klo udah diupload ^^ gan, request video caranya install IDM donk. Uda lama aq ngga bisa ngerasain nikmatnya download :D Kapan2 main DoTA 2 lagi ya gan :D One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 PC GAMES plese upload "Command & Conquer 3 : Tiberium Wars" any version which u can find.... but blackbox or AGB is preferred.... Thank you. gan minta God Of War Devil may cry 4 Full version or repack please :) Dead Space 1 xbox game Pls :) diablo 3 pc Request Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa's Rampage Thank you, and stay awesome nico! Bully scholarship reupload!!!!!!!!!!!!! bro request The Sims 3 - Razor 1911 klo ada yg repack juga gpp bro... thanks... Please upload The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition Mr. Nico please upload Assassin's Creed 1 full version ( reloaded or skidrow whatever you like ) and Assassin's Creed Revelations DLC thanks :) Hello nico, pls upload StarCraft II Heart of The Swarm, if possible pls upload a repack version and add archive.org links. thanks nico :) u know i always download here ! :D ur site is the best. diablo 3 pc..plzzzzz.... Batman Arkham Origins Initiation DLC plzz Trials evolution yang di mainin PewDiePie gan! Battlefield Bad Company 2 kok gk bisa dibuka foldernya zip tolong di winrarkan

2005-07-31 "The research suggests..." "Created as counterpoints to large, well-established medical organizations whose work is subject to rigorous review and who assert no political agenda, tiny think tanks with names often mimicking those of established medical authorities have sought to dispute the notion of a medical consensus on social issues such as gay rights, the right to die, abortion, and birth control.." The Human Chimera Prohibition Act of 2005 Neither Homer nor Virgil could be reached for comment. 2005-07-30 Kids with Cameras Briski discovered that over 7000 women and children live in Calcutta brothels. She decided to spend the next two years finding a way to live among them and photograph them to hope for some understanding of their lives. The children are some of the lowest of India's caste system. They were taken with Briski and her camera and she soon found herself teaching them how to shoot their own photos. She brought point and shoot cameras and the resulting images led to Kids with Cameras. The mission of this organization is ultimately to bring hope to the children that are ignored by society. ." A documentary about Briski and her mission called Born in Brothels won an Oscar for Best Documentary and is airing in August on HBO. There is a book featuring the kids photos and prints are available from the organizations website. 2005-07-29 Another Friday Night and I ain't Got Nobody There has been a repeated them in the last year of my life that consists of me getting stacks of books to review. I sort the books first by due date then by interest. Then I read. And read. And read, ad nauseum. The books begin to move from the headboard to the computer desk. Outlines are written, research is done and reviews are written. Then re-written. With few exception I've been taking less enjoyment from doing this then you just took from reading about it. But it worsened this week; this day. I realized I was dreading reading. Reading and writing have been passions of mine since I learned to string words together. Given my druthers I'd have up to five books going, three or more short stories in production and one big project at least outlined. Then reading and reading and reading started taking over doing any writing. My brain has been so saturated with the words of others my own dissipated and wallowed. Looking in my folders I saw scads of short stories and two book outlines that have been sitting with no activity. It's all still in my brain, back burnered and ignored. No more. There is a review moratorium in place effect until at least November. I can tell you of one book that fed my brain and actually fostered my writing. Geoff Dyer's Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It. It covers 11 trips to 11 places beginning in New Orleans (Dyer is in his twenties; bawdy and young) and ends in the desert of Nevada. Over twenty years have passed. One can hardly tell by Dyer's brilliant and belligerent grievances. He is a man too vigorously cerebral to know contentment but a man thoroughly entertaining in his restlessness. As he travels from place to place and person to person, the reader experiences the streets of Paris and the beautifully decayed columns of Leptis Magna via perpetual disgruntlement mixed equally with wonder. Here is a slice of the section entitled 'Hotel Oblivion': In the cramped confines of the toilet I had trouble getting out of my wet trousers, which clung to my legs like a drowning man. The new ones were quite complicated too in that they had more legs than a spider; either that or they didn't have enough legs to get mine into. The numbers failed to add up. Always there was one trouser leg too many or one of my legs was left over. From the outside it may have looked like a simple toilet, but once you were locked in here the most basic rules of arithmetic no longer held true. Two into two simply would not go. It was insane, it took a terrible toll on my head. I concentrated hard, applied myself with a vengeance to the task at hand. I got one leg in. I got the other in. Hurray! A man who has finally put behind him the spectre of thirty years of unwanted celibacy-I'm in!-cannot have felt a greater surge of triumph and self-vindication than I did at that point. Such exultation was short-lived, however, for these trousers were wet too. Somehow, I had put back on the wet pair that I had just taken off. The dry ones were still dry, waiting to be put on. I was back where I started. After all the effort of the last-how long? I could have been in here for hours-this was a crushing blow, and one that I was not sure I could recover from. A joy to read. He plays with words, ideas and life in a way that stimulates as it entertains. I've seen it described as an existential travelogue but that's hardly a persuader. My favorite summary comes from Wendy Lesser when she says: “What is the proper way to describe Geoff Dyer? Not deeply companionable, not viciously funny, not shockingly original, not effortlessly hip, not naively romantic, not wryly analytic, not endearingly foolish, not engagingly clever, but, perhaps, some as-yet-uninvented phrase which implies all these things at once. Jen's Mood As expressed by my current heroes, the Delgados: HATE IS ALL I NEED This 2005-07-28 Solving all your Entomology Mysteries What's That Bug? will help you figure out what all those weird crawling things are - like the puzzle of my summer which I found out is the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. This also drove me to find a page that lays bare all the ology words any word hungry person such as myself would ever want to know. Thank you Wikipedia. But the American Museum of Natural History has an ology page that isn't to be ignored. A Man and his... art These made my day. 2005-07-27 Bovine Bras The cow bras do have a serious purpose. Terrorists from the Inside 2005-07-26 The 20cm-long, 3cm-wide stone object, which is dated to be about 28,000 years old, was buried in the famous Hohle Fels Cave near Ulm in the Swabian Ju The Tübingen team working Hohle Fels already had 13 fractured parts of the phallus in storage, but it was only with the discovery of a 14th fragment last year that the team was able finally to put the "jigsaw" together. Rockin' and a Rollin' Money Makes the Music go Round He has since moved to WHYI in Miami. We need to change the shipping address." One Sony memo from 2002: "Can you work with Donnie to see what kind of digital camera he wants us to order?" Another internal memo newbrief - this one courtesy of Sony Music. Somebody has figured out that the music business is generated by the music companies buying air time and creating 'stars'. But we always knew Music Hurts. Widespread Human H5N1 Bird Flu Infections in China? Various posts on Recombinomics echo the sentiments. 2005-07-25 2005-07-24 Voted Most Likely to Say: "Hehehehehehehe" happend to K. Ballard? You know, if you said mallard and you had a cold, it would sound like ballard. Brian: Do you listen to yourself when you talk? Peter: I drift in and out. Family Guy - blog website 2005-07-22 One thing leads to another A German magazine sold out in a day after offering readers vouchers for a free sex session at a brothel in Austria. Damn strange, I thought. If the magazine sold out, obviously the public is interested. Which lead me to think, Hmmmm. What other damn strange things could the public be interested in? My post earlier this week is really only the beginning, only the tip of a massive iceberg, of strangeness. This lead me to Dogpile and I have compiled for your pleasure, your disgust, your slack jawed amusement, some damn strange things the guy or gal sitting next to you thinks about in their spare time. 1.) A website devoted to girls eating sandwiches. With inane descriptions! 2.) Even more strange, the Zit Lovers Community page. Posts, comments and links to zit photos for the acne obsessed. 3.) For those of a more intellectual bent, the Weird Research, Anomalous Physics site. i) this is worthless nonsense; ii) this is an interesting, but perverse, point of view; iii) this is true, but quite unimportant; iv) I always said so. 4.) Weird Links is a clean and wonderfully navigatable site covering everything from auras to stigmata. 5.) The state that gave you Ed Gein, cheeseheads the House on the Rock - yes, it's Weird Wisconsin 6.) Let's throw in a quiz for you: What is your weird body part fetish? My results: ELBOW! 7.) Something Weird Videos. From Alice in Acidland to The Undertaker and his Pals, SMV has got some damn strange videos and DVD's. Some are raunchy, some are amusingly bad but all of them have been lovingly amassed and assembled because people are strange even when your acquainted. 8.) A must visit for anyone looking for something strange is FORTEAN TIMES. A treasure troff of information from Nazi occultism to cryptozoology. The On this Day feature is worth a daily visit and you simply must explore the Breaking News and It Happened to Me! features. 9.) Feral Robot Dogs. I enjoyed just typing that. I think I'll type it again. Feral Robot Dogs. Yep. Liked it the second time, too. 10.) Shock Comics - to satisfy your inner asshole. 11.) Someone finally took the time and gotten it down in html - Weird Band Name Hall of Fame. A few examples: Ass Solvent Hitler Stole My Potato Phlegm Fatale Your Mother Was a Man 12.) A quite teal website featuring Strange & Unusual Dictionaries which has lovely links to places like Dictionary of Custom License Plate Terms. This one solved a lot of head scratchers I've experienced whilst in horrible traffic. 13.) For the harried traveler, Sleeping in European Airports. 14.) Museums you must see if you're strange: The Medieval Crime Museum Museum of medieval Criminology in Tuscany The Museum of Torture The Museum of Weird Consumer Culture The R. Crumb Museum The Museum of Bad Art The Mutter Museum The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices The Willow Creek - China Flat Museum (dedicated to Bigfoot) You can stay at the Bigfoot Motel when you visit. Strange enough for you? I'm rather sated. In the name of Science! A rather amusing study about: ASPARAGUS, STINKY PEE, AND SCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY Rove=Sieve "According to the sources, Mr. Bush had been meticulously planning to surprise Mrs. Bush with a “Welcome Home” party upon her return from her goodwill trip to Africa, even going so far as to decorate her office with streamers and blow up dozens of balloons himself." Did you know And scaring hapless children isn't in it. Many will try Few will succeed. In making cover songs work. What are your worst cover songs? For me it's Rod Stewart doing Tom Waits 'Downtown Train'. Annie Lennox did a passable version but Rod's is just offensive. Rain Dogs. The Master expounding. 2005-07-21 Come fly fish with me No. Not really. Read a book. A book that said, on it's very well-done, barbed wire and trouble kind of cover - "A Fly Fishing Mystery" The last thing I want to read about, I thought, besides Paris Hilton's social agenda, is a book about fly fishing. I put it on the bottom of the stack of books to be read. And, of course, it's the read of the stack. Except for Bowker's newest book, maybe my read of the summer. What is this book? The Blood Knot by John Galligan It's hard-boiled fly fishing. Maybe noir fly fishing. Not sure of the sub-sub-genre to reign it in with. But it isn't dry, mechanical boring fly fishing. This book grabbed, yanked, hauled me in with the first page. Galligan writes about The Dog, a character living on the fringes in a place where the fringes are unknotted, frayed and libel to trip you up if you dare to walk across them. He's living there by choice, knowing he'll move on to a possibly more out there place soon enough. He started out thinking he was on a fishing trip. He didn't know what was going to happen next and neither did I. Let me share: "There are two types of rabies: mad rabies and dumb rabies. The labels are perfectly descriptive. You snap, unprovoked, at everything, or you drool at nothing, or you do them in sequence, like entree and dessert. It all depends on the mechanism chosen by the Rhabdo virus to effect what will become, either way, your total cerebral derangement and horrible death. Hence, this introduction to the quality of my thinking on that chilly September morning, in the moments before I found the Barn Lady’s soggy, bullet-riddled body in the West Fork of the Kickapoo River. My brain was doing this: If one is prone to both snapping and drooling---at everything and nothing, simultaneously---and these symptoms have persisted since long before the beaver bite---say, since a certain unforgivableble disaster in one’s past---then one is in the clear. One cannot have rabies. Right? One can't." Somehow, The Dog has to stay afloat in chaos peopled by amorous Amish, back country bullies and the occasional well intentioned cop. And then, The Dog knows; this is not a fishing trip. History hidden in the cracks of time Talks with my Dad can lead to mutual frustration but many times they lead to interesting and previously unknown (to me) information. Our most recent discuss was about the German P.O.W. camps kept in the United States during the WWII. The history is extensive, fascinating and exactly in the history curriculum. There is a list here and stats here. A page of murals painted by the P.O.W.s housed on the Wright-Patterson AFB is here. A plaque about the murals is here. Some P.O.W.'s were glad for the chance to be encamped in America, thinking it was a chance to escape from the Nazi grasp. Americans were, for the most part, not sympathetic to their plight. The death of a Captain, terrified for his life, changed that. ‘There is no freedom of the press here’ NBC's Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Andrea Mitchell, was involved in an "incident" this morning in Sudan. As she asked a question during a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, she was grabbed by security and dragged from the room. Her first hand account can be found second column down here. Even U.S. officials were barred. Sudan apologizes. For this episode of violence. "We do not want to go back to war in any part of the country," said President Omar el-Beshir at the beginning of the meeting with Rice. But an official present for the entire meeting said he was noncommittal about disarming the government-backed Janjaweed militia. The government's proxy militia has been accused of murder, torture, widespread rape and other human rights abuses against the civilian population. Some 300,000 people have died so far in Darfur, mostly civilians. United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. After he bid Rice farewell at Khartoum airport, Ismail hailed her visit as "a positive sign towards improving relations between our two countries." At last It has been raining all day. The birds show up at the feeders bedraggled, shaking their feathers in a failed attempt to dry themselves. Overhead, gray clouds produced almost constant low, rumbling thunder. Not a beam of sun in sight. It is wonderful. Beer Belly Sky News reporting... 2005-07-20 "Why would anybody waste time over some flowers by the road?" My sister and I have a long standing love of Shakespeare that led us to have round robins at our house whilst we drank prodigious amounts of herbal tea and burned incense. I've seen good productions and bad productions but never a great production - let alone one that attempts the original pronunciation. I envy anyone that takes that in. Coitus Absurdus Having already posted about a more than passing strange sexual act and it's fall out, I feel no shame in posting the following oddities. You've all read Vicki Hendricks story in Tart Noir, right? What? OK, let me explain. Dolphin sex. But not with each other - and that's what this little website is dedicated to. Sock fetish? Here's your girl. Learn safe sex at Mumbai's sex museum! German police send a nude shopper home. Spin the bottle indeed! Oh, and that guy found in the bottom of an outhouse? He says he was looking for his wedding ring. Reporter probes bestiality death. I can make this stuff up but I don't need to... I'm consistently provided with real news about real people that do really weird/odd/stupid things. Look around you... The world is filled with weirdness perpetuated by odd people. Ha! Spellcheck did not like bestiality. Learn! I clicked over and over again. MORE: There were videos. There is a list of states where bestiality is legal. Yes Neil, 2005-07-19 2005-07-18 Mr. Ot-tayer Get drunk (it can be down and down badly for $25)? Buy a book (to add to your tottering stack)? Buy a CD (that you get for that one song you heard and discover the rest sucks hoovers)? Adopt a sea otter. Over at Defenders of Wildlife, if you become a sponsor by adopting a sea otter, you save the lives of those crazy otters from oil spills and other evil human stupidity AND you get this cute guy: DIY on the rise Ayah Pin believes he can save the world Arsonists attacked the base of a small inter-faith sect called the Sky Kingdom in the strongly Muslim state of Terengganu in Malaysia. Its leader, Ayah Pin, says he is the saviour of the world. His message of love and tolerance allow his followers to be members of any faith, including Islam. The group was raided by police and 21 followers were arrested for possessing documents contrary to Islam. All were freed on bail pending a court appearance in September. The sect is noted for building a giant teapot to symbolise its belief in the healing purity of water, and group's controversial structures are said to combine architectural elements from Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. They stand accused of luring Muslims away from Islam And the author is.... Robinson received £30 per 1000 words for 'Hound of the Baskervilles' as Doyle collected £100. But the mystery really begins when Robinson suddenly dies at the age of 36, apparently of typhoid. One theory being bandied about: Robinson was poisoned by laudanum administered by Doyle, a qualified doctor. Bertram Fletcher-Robinson, a journalist Doyle met as the two returned from South Africa, was the man who came up with the central plot idea and the setting for The Hound. It has been suggested that Robinson had penned a tome with the same story entitled 'An Adventure on Dartmoor'. Rodger Garrick-Steele alleges Doyle is in his book, House of the Baskervilles. Garrick-Steele asks: "Why did Fletcher Robinson never see a doctor until the day his death certificate was signed? "Given that typhoid is highly contagious, why did not one relative, friend, colleague, or member of his staff contract the disease? "Why was his body taken from London's Belgravia, where he died, to his home in Devon for burial on a packed public train when typhoid victims were almost always cremated?"The whys in the story are paralleled by the definites. In early March, 1901, Doyle wrote to the editor of The Strand, offering the magazine a "real creeper" of a story, with one stipulation: "I must do it with my friend Fletcher Robinson [who] gave me the central idea and the local colour." Doyle wanted fifty pounds per thousand words for this joint effort, and when The Strand said yes, he and Robinson went off to Dartmoor together. They toured the moors, soaked up some of that "local color," and were set to write the story that revitalized Doyle's career. Except Doyle later wrote it alone and Robinson became a mere footnote. Sherlock Holmes fans aren't quit up in arms about Phillip Weller's book 'The Hound of the Baskerville: Hunting the Dartmoor Legend' . The book was rejected by 90 publishers before Devon Books took the plunge with a lush book filled with history, legend and beautiful photographs. Stealing Memes and: Wordsmiths Congregate Examples: Remacadamize. My favorite word is remacadamize. Why? Because it has parts from four different languages: "re" from Latin "mac" from Gaelic "adam" from Aramaic(?) "ize" from Greek. Frank Wagner 2005-07-17 2005-07-16 Great googley moogley Amusing for me. Disappointing for him. This morning - 'water filled sex dolls' - even better. She's Insane! My beloved, erudite, charming and insanely busy sister-in-law, Ruth, has filled her plate to overflowing. She and Judy Bobalik are co-chairing Bouchercon 2008 in Baltimore. As if this weren't enough, a blog has been birthed in honor of this event. Check it out and let's see how long Ruth and Judy stay legally sane. I doff my hat to both of you.... Alas! 2005-07-15 Important Safety Tip #4 Do NOT place plants that need to be watered frequently above monitor. Well... #8 Struck a chord with this jaded viewer: Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to learn to speak German. Simply speaking English with a German accent will do. Similarly, when they are alone, all German soldiers prefer to speak English to each other. 2005-07-14 Friday Pointless Link Line-up! Are you ready to do battle?!?!?!? the Surrealist will keep you reloading most of Friday. Name that Candybar! Simon's Photo Archive of Pregnant Animals! Abandoned Buildings of Russia! Strangers asking questions and strangers answering them! Killing photoshop cliches... for good. OK, this is disgusting Last Night Except I changed the recipe a touch. Beer - beer - beer. Strangely, I was feeling quite good, so... ...I went for a ride. "Watch out," he said. "The breaks don't work very well." I agree. After boarding the scooter, failing to adjust for the shortness of my legs compared to his, I took off. Fast. Too fast. I hit the breaks. The breaks didn't work. couldn't seem to come up with an alternative to slamming into the side of his truck. The truck is fine. So is the scooter. My leg is funny colors and seems to have increased in size. I wish I were a moron--My God, perhaps I am!” - Anonymous

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[adrotate banner="3"] Operating System / Architecture changes - Upgrade of base OS to FreeBSD 11.1-RELEASE-p1 - Added support for Netgate ARM-based systems such as the SG-1000 - 32-bit support has been deprecated and removed – There are no images available for 32-bit (x86/i386) Intel architecture systems - NanoBSD has been deprecated and removed – There are no images available for NanoBSD, use a full install instead - For 64-bit systems running NanoBSD, see Upgrading 64-bit NanoBSD 2.3 to 2.4 for information on how to upgrade in-place from NanoBSD to a full installation - Started using the FreeBSD installer instead of the old style installer (installation procedures have all changed) - The installer now supports UEFI #4044 - If the new installer image will not boot on a specific piece of hardware, see Troubleshooting Boot Issues - The installer now supports ZFS - Added support to the new installer to copy an existing config.xml off an MS DOS formatted USB drive (formerly known as “PFI”) #7689 - Added support to the new installer to optionally recover config.xml off an existing installation drive (works with UFS and ZFS) #7708 - Fixed issues with major version base upgrades via pkg - Changed cryptodev to load as a kernel module #5976 Security / Errata - Converted various parts of the GUI to use POST instead of GET when performing actions that change the firewall state (e.g. delete or enable/disable an item) to avoid potential issues with cross-site request forgery and unintentional repeating of actions #4083 - FreeBSD 11.1 includes MAP_GUARD protection to protect against attacks such as Stack Clash - pfSense-SA-17_07.packages - A number of base system packages have been updated to address security issues, including dnsmasq, perl, cURL, and others. Firmware Branch Behavior / Upgrading From Snapshots - To control how a firewall obtains updates, visit System > Update, Update Settings tab: - For users currently running 2.3.x-RELEASE: - Stable, which is the default behavior, will upgrade the firewall to 2.4-RELEASE when it is complete, but will not upgrade to 2.4-RC - Development Snapshots will upgrade the firewall to 2.3.5 development snapshots - Next major version will upgrade the firewall to 2.4-RC - For users tracking pfSense 2.4 snapshots: - Stable, which is the default behavior, will upgrade the firewall to 2.4-RC and eventually 2.4-RELEASE - Development Snapshots will cause the firewall to continue tracking snapshots, bypassing 2.4-RELEASE and continuing on to 2.4.1 development images Known Issues - Some systems may not be able to boot 2.4 installation images, for example, due to UEFI compatibility changes. These are primarily BIOS issues and not issues with the installer images. Upgrading from 2.3.x should still work on affected hardware. - Users with ESXi or VMware Workstation may experience a boot-time crash during hardware detection, due to a race condition in the FreeBSD VT console code. This crash is infrequent and does not affect most users or most boot attempts, but since it is a race condition it can manifest randomly. To avoid the crash, configure the VM to use the syscons console rather than vt by editing /boot/loader.conf.local and adding this line:kern.vty=sc Cleanup - Misc code cleanup, removal of patches that were no longer necessary or were inefficient - Replaced multiple local copies of PHP PEAR libraries with updated copies using their official sources #3734 - Notably, local static copies were replaced by their FreeBSD ports counterparts: pear, pear-XML_RPC2, pear-Net_IPv6, pear-Crypt_CHAP, pear-Mail, pear-Net_Growl - Code that relied on the old files was updated to use the current or replaced versions - Removed all references to GLXSB (it was 32-bit only) #6755 - Removed all code in the builder and pfSense for handling the NanoBSD platform - Removed all calls to conf_mount_rw / conf_mount_ro, since they were only required for NanoBSD - Improved help text in various parts of the GUI Wireless - FreeBSD 11 contains an updated 802.11 stack with numerous improvements - Wireless interfaces must be created on the Wireless tab under Interfaces > Assignments before they can be assigned! #6770 Firewall / Rules / NAT / Aliases - Fixed issues with synproxy rules on a WAN/LAN style bridge #6769 - Fixed issues with limiters on rules that utilize NAT #4326 - Fixed issues with limiters used in conjunction with a transparent proxy or other local redirect rule #7050 - Fixed expansion of “Other” type VIP subnet entries in NAT destination drop-down selections #6094 - Fixed NAT rules so that when a port forward is disabled, its associated firewall rule is also disabled #6472 - Fixed handling of “URL Table (IPs)” and “URL (IPs)” when the file is hosted a server using HTTPS with a self-signed certificate #4766 - Show firewall rule descriptions in a column when viewing the log on new installs, upgrades retain their existing setting #7323 - Fixed firewall states showing a negative value for total bytes processed #7075 - Fixed handling of Port Forwards so they do not make up new destination information when a configured against a DHCP interface that does not currently have an address - Fixed VLAN Priority pf syntax #7744 - Fixed a problem where pf scrub did not properly re-fragment unusual but valid IPv6 fragments, resulting in overlapping fragments #7485 - Fixed confirmation prompt handling when deleting a firewall state from diag_dump_states.php #7827 - Changed display of 1:1 NAT rules to match other firewall pages #7728 Traffic Shaping - Added extra warnings to traffic shaping pages when the firewall has no interfaces capable of using ALTQ shaping #7032 - Fixed handling removal of shaping rules when deleting an interface #7231 - Added upgrade code to work around broken shaper rules from older wizard code #7434 - Fixed the Traffic Shaper so it shows interface names for disabled interfaces, rather than an ‘empty’ placeholder. - Fixed handling of the priority field for different ALTQ shaper types OpenVPN - Upgraded OpenVPN to 2.4.x. #7054 - This is a significant upgrade which includes support for a wide variety of new features, including AEAD ciphers such as AES-GCM. - AES-GCM can be accelerated by AES-NI, and is supported in SSL/TLS modes (not shared key) #7068 - Added support for TLS Encryption as an optional TLS Key usage type. This encrypts the control channel, providing privacy and protocol obfuscation #7071 - Added ECDH options to OpenVPN server and client options (“ECDH Only” choice for DH, ECDH Curve selection) #7063 - Restructured the compression options to include LZ4 support and the new “compress” directive which replaces “comp-lzo” which has been deprecated. The old options remain for now, but are labeled “Legacy” #7064 - Changed protocol selection for OpenVPN clients and servers because OpenVPN 2.4 treats “udp” and “tcp” as dual stack now #7062 - Changed the DNS Server fields in the OpenVPN server options so they can define either IPv4 or IPv6 DNS servers to push to clients #7061 - Added IPv6 support to status_openvpn.php and the OpenVPN widget #2766 - Removed uses of the deprecated “tun-ipv6” OpenVPN directive, OpenVPN now always assumes IPv6 is enabled #7054 - Replaced uses of the deprecated “client-cert-not-required” directive with its functional replacement “verify-client-cert none” #7073 - Added support for Negotiable Crypto Parameters (NCP) to control automatic cipher selection between clients and servers #7072 - NOTE: OpenVPN 2.4 handles CRL verification differently than previous versions, passing through validation to the library rather than handling it internally. This can cause some certificates to fail validation that may have passed previously. In particular, if a certificate is removed from a CRL, it may still fail validation until all copies of the CRL have been rewritten. - Improved the help text on OpenVPN Client-Specific Overrides #7053 - Fixed issues with OpenVPN clients on dynamic or tunneled IPv6 interfaces (e.g. GIF) #6663 - Added locking to prevent issues with OpenVPN instance startup #6132 - Check OpenVPN server/client option visibility changes per mode #7331 #7451 - Added an OpenVPN GUI option for “fast-io” to clients and servers #7507 - Added an OpenVPN GUI Option for “sndbuf” and “rcvbuf”, using the same value for both #7507 - Removed references to the defunct OpenVPN client manager port #7568 - Removed references to unused “Address Pool” setting in OpenVPN #7567 - Fixed OpenVPN server port validation to disallow “0”, while still allowing it for a client port, which is the same meaning as blank/empty #7565 - Fixed OpenVPN help text for route_no_exec #7575 - Fixed description of the address assignment behavior for Tunnel Network fields in OpenVPN clients and servers #7573 - Remove the GUI option for “resolv-retry infinite” from OpenVPN, it is always enabled #7572 - Fixed the OpenVPN wizard so it better handles a user choosing a different type of authentication server than a previous run of the wizard #7569 - Fixed OpenVPN Auth Digest Algorithm selection so it does not use duplicate/alias names in the list, and added upgrade code to fix existing entries on upgrade so they use the actual digest name and not an alias #7685 - Fixed show/hide behavior of fields on vpn_openvpn_client.php in chrome #7451 - Changed OpenVPN wizard certificate input validation and encoding so it matches the standards of the current certificate manager #7854 - Fixed the OpenVPN wizard so it creates an OpenVPN server instance using current proper defaults #7864 IPsec - Upgraded strongSwan to version 5.6.0 - Changed the default strongSwan logging levels such that IKE SA, IKE Child SA, and Configuration Backend all default to “Diag” #7007 - - Added DH Groups 22, 23, 24 to IPsec Phase 2 selection for compatibility, but they should not normally be used for security reasons #6967 Certificate Management - Added a check to ensure that the public key of the Certificate matches its private key when importing Certificate Authority and Certificate entries to prevent mismatching keys from being imported #6953 - Fixed error handling when creating a Certificate from the User Management section, failed actions will no longer fail silently #6953 - Fixed handling of Certificates generated from an imported CA when no starting serial number was set #6952 - Fixed handling of Certificate Authority deletion so that it does not remove associated certificates #6947 - Added “in-use” testing for Certificate Authority entries and disabled the delete action for CAs which are actively in use #6947 - Fixed choosing an existing user certificate when adding a certificate to an existing user #7297 - Added the ability for the certificate manager to sign a CSR using an internal CA #7383 - Added the ability to set the certificate type and SAN attributes in a Certificate Signing Request #7527 - Restructured how certificate types and SANs are handled in the cert manager when making a Cert/CSR/Signing, so each section can properly use the controls #7527 #7677 - It is now possible to add SANs and EKUs to certificates when signing using the certificate manager - NOTE: Attributes such as SANs and KU/EKU cannot be copied from a CSR when signing due to a deficiency in OpenSSL’s x509 functions (they do not support “copy_extensions” at this time); These attributes must be specified manually when signing - Fixed “server” certificate detection to key off of the EKU For “TLS Web Server Authentication” since nsCertType has been deprecated - Added SAN, KU, and EKU information in an info block for each entry in the the certificate list #7505 - Added the ability to use a wider range of characters in certificate fields as laid out by RFC 4514 #7540 - Added a useful error message when there is no private CA with which to create a new user certificate from within the user manager #7585 - Fixed the User Manager so it adds the username as the first SAN when making a user certificate at the same time a user is created #7666 - Added another possible Certificate Signing Request Armor string when validating on import #7383 Dynamic DNS - Fixed response parsing for DNSimple Dynamic DNS #6874 - Fixed handling of password in Dynamic DNS entries to allow special characters #6688 - Changed CloudFlare and GratisDNS to use separate hostname and domain entry to handle TLDs with multiple components #6778 - Fixed the Save and Force Update button for RFC2136 Dynamic DNS #7291 - Fixed RFC2136 Dynamnic DNS updates at boot time #7295 - Added the ‘local’ directive to RFC2136 Dynamic DNS so updates are sourced correctly #7446 - Fixed options text and display for IPv4 DNS and Verify SSL on Dynamic DNS clients #7588 - Fixed issues with Dynamic DNS entries utilizing gateway groups for their interface #7719 - Added DreamHost Dynamic DNS support #7321 DHCP Server / Relay - Fixed handling of DHCPv6 lease status when there are no leases #6717 - Fixed issues with DHCP Relay not working #6658 - Added input validation to prevent the DHCP server from being configured on interfaces that do not have enough addresses for clients (/31, /32) #6930 - Fixed issues with the DHCP Relay options display getting out of sync with checkbox settings #7155 - Fixed static DHCP lease edits updating BIND zones #3710 - Fixed checks for DHCP Relay when editing additional DHCP pools - Fixed handling of forced Dynamic DNS hostnames for DHCPv6 static mappings #7324 ARP / NDP - Fixed static ARP handling when creating or editing DHCP static mappings #6821 - Added error checking for static ARP entries to ensure both an IP address and MAC address are entered, and to ensure that both exist before an entry is applied #6969 - Improved the detail displayed on the ARP table view #6822 - Added an expiration field to the NDP list Captive Portal XMLRPC Routing/Gateways - Removed “route change” patches and updated code that relied on the deprecated behavior #6828 - Fixed handling of default routes when a default gateway is removed or disabled #6659 - Fixed discovery of IPv6 gateway for assigned OpenVPN interfaces #6016 - Fixed issues with a missing default gateway/route on certain PPPoE links after reconnect or IP address change #6495 - Fixed some ‘route: writing to routing socket: Invalid argument’ warnings during boot time - Added a log message for gateway events that shows that an alarm was raised/cleared - Added a check to not run dpinger when an IPv6 address has the tentative flag even after the timeout - Added a delay to allow dpinger time to properly initialize before using results Interfaces / Virtual IP Addresses - Removed Device Polling as it was no longer useful #7021 - Improved stability of the igb(4) driver #7149 #7166 - Fixed handling of rc.newwanipv6 when run from dhcp6c so it only runs when required and not for any change #7145 - Fixed handling of SIGTERM and SIGKILL in dhcp6c #7185 - Fixed dhcp6c not starting until an RA is received #5993 - Fixed a PPP service name error with certain providers, such as T-Mobile #6890 - Fixed 3G service status so it does not report misleading information #4287 - Added support for the IPv6 AUTO_LINKLOCAL flag on bridge interfaces - Disabled DAD on stf interfaces to fix problems with dpinger - Added an option to use static IPv6 over an IPv4 PPP parent (e.g. PPPoE) #7598 - Removed unused WINS code for L2TP #7559 - Improved L2TP Server DNS input validation #7560 - Added a test to disable internal L2TP users when activating RADIUS, to follow the behavior stated in the GUI #7561 - Fixed L2TP section log shortcut #7564 - Fixed upgrade handling of wireless interfaces #7809 NTP - Added support for the ntpd “pool” directive to make better use of servers in NTP pools #5985 - Fixed time display on the NTP widget to show server time #7245 - Added support for NTP to process PGRMF NMEA sentences (Garmin-specific) #7193 - Added an absolute offset statistic to NTP monitoring graph display #7548 User Management / Authentication - Fixed delays during bootup when LDAP is enabled for user authentication #6367 - Added privileges to control which users can view and/or clear notices #7051 - Added an authentication cache mechanism for GUI authentication from a remote server (e.g. LDAP, RADIUS) so the authentication is checked periodically (default: 30s) instead of on each page load #7097 - Added protocol selection (PAP, MD5-CHAP, MS-CHAPv1 and MS-CHAPv2) to RADIUS authentication server options #7111 - Added the username to the page to display when adding user privileges #7586 - Standardized privilege page and sorting between users and groups #7587 - Added a log message if a user tries to save the configuration but has the ‘deny config write’ permission - Added “auth_check” type of simple test that a page can use to verify a user is logged in and has access, using less cpu, which is better for AJAX data polling - Fixed certificate chain verification issues with LDAP authentication using intermediate CAs #7830 - Fixed PHP errors when STARTTLS fails for LDAP authentication Packages Console / Menu OS Upgrade SNMP Services WebGUI - Added support for multiple languages, currently that list includes: - US English (Default), Bosnian, Chinese (Simplified, China), Chinese (Taiwan), Dutch, German, Norwegian Bokmal, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Spanish (Argentina) - - Completed work to mark required fields on GUI pages #7160 - Fixed long hostnames overlapping the “time” title in the monitoring graphs #6138 - Fixed CIDR/Prefix selector handling for IPv4/IPv6 #7625 - Removed the Gold menu - Fixed handling of info block content inside tables #7504 - Improved handling of PHP errors for user-entered PHP code on diag_command.php - Fixed alignment of the the IPv6 over IPv4 input fields #7128 - Optimized retrieval of Traffic Graph data to reduce spikes in the graphs and load on the firewall - Fixed a problem with the traffic graphs not respecting the theme colors #6746 - Revised setup wizard wording and links Dashboard - - Added filters to more dashboard widgets #7122 - Added customization for dashboard widget names - Fixed Interface Statistics dashboard widget issues with interfaces in a “down” state - Fixed formatting issues with the Interface Statistics dashboard widget #7501 - Added the ability to place multiple copies of widgets on the dashboard, optional for each widget - Added a line to display detected CPU cryptographic hardware, such as AES-NI, in the System Information dashboard widget even if the module isn’t loaded #7529 - Fixed CPU package/core count displayed on the System Information dashboard widget - Changed how pkg metadata is handled to reduce the load on the Dashboard and reduce unnecessary calls to the pkg server for the System Information dashboard widget update check, and for the Installed Packages dashboard widget - Changed CPU usage calculation in the System Information dashboard widget to avoid sleep() in an AJAX call - Fixed the IPsec widget tunnel status to handle newer strongSwan childid format #7499 - Fixed error when saving Wake on LAN dashboard widget without any WoL entries - Fixed a problem where traffic could be counted twice in traffic graphs #7751 - Fixed a problem with the Installed Packages dashboard widget when no packages are installed #7811 - Changed date formats of some fields on the Dashboard to be more consistent #7805 - Added an option to the Interface Statistics dashboard widget to rotate the table (put interfaces in rows instead of columns) to improve the display on firewalls with numerous interfaces #7501 pftop - Removed the “size” option from pftop as it had no effect, use the “bytes” option instead #7579 - Removed the ‘peak’ and ‘rate’ views for pftop since they only work in interactive mode with cached data, not batch mode which is used by the WebGUI #7580 - Fixed path to an old copy of the pftop WebGUI page in obsolete list #7581 DNS - Changed /etc/hosts such that the FQDN is listed first, except for localhost, so that dnsmasq will properly reverse resolve hostnames #7771 - Fixed a problem where the DNS Search Domain List was not being populated into radvd.conf #7081 - Enabled Python support for Unbound #7549 - Added a control to disable automatically added host entries in Unbound - Changed the way unbound is started at boot time on systems with DHCP6 WANs Misc - Added hardware support and detection for new Netgate models - Changed the User Agent passed to outbound requests from pfSense to include more accurate host information - Added the User Agent to the request data when updating the Bogons list - Fixed growl and SMTP notifications so performing a test saves first, so the new settings are used as expected #7577 - Fixed loading issues with PHP extensions #6628 - Removed symbolic links for configuration files that redirected items from /etc/ to /var/etc/ #5538 - Added the ability to filter Packet Captures by MAC address #6743 - Updated status.php with new info and changed its output organization #7047 - Fixed a problem where a proxy defined for use by the firewall could not use HTTPS when using proxy authentication #6949 - Improved RAM disk backups and file management #7098 - Changed the way RAM disk contents are handled when enabled #5897 - Changed various support functions to better facilitate translation to additional languages - Fixed interface name display on the Router Advertisement configuration page #7133 - Fixed various issues with handling of unusually formatted, but valid, IPv6 addresses #7147 - Improved error handling when a client is logged when it attempts to poll data via rrd_fetch_json.php #6748 - Fixed various issues when the configuration backup count was set to 0 (disabled) #7273 - Fixed handling of “0” for the number of backups to retain in the configuration history #7273 - Fixed an issue with long configuration change descriptions leading to wrapping issues in certain cases such as AutoConfigBackup #6363 - Fixed an issue with installing packages from a backup when restoring using the External Configuration Locater on the first boot post-install #7914 -

May 25, 2017| We discuss Adam Schefer's comments from a podcast about the future of Jimmy Garopolo and Tom Brady with the New England Patriots. Transcript - Not for consumer use. Robot overlords only. Will not be accurate. Peace is that dale and Holley show I'm here yes. Yes there yourself there. Smart thing beyond this year. Can't predict the future. We'll would have had his head tail Arnold Michael holly and Ritchie on the shouldn't the public to pay attention Angeles in the bill on the WEEI Sports Radio network. A our number three dale and Hollywood keeps. Sports Radio WEEI. This hour the program brought you by AT&T. Oh by the way I don't pouring out there the Red Sox seem convinced that there's going to be some break in the rain action tonight. But it certainly doesn't appear that way out there right now they have not called the game tonight for those of you keep asking. Jen McCaffery tweeted from Fenway Joseph Kelly right now is throwing with Carl Willis in the Fenway concourse in front of the concessions tendons. Good spot they've added a place that was dry and you know had enough room so that's where he's throwing right now but more on that. As we go on we we're talking football little bit patriots completed OTA's today Bill Belichick spoke. Malcolm Butler spoke you heard him in the open today Julian Edelman spoken some others. There was a podcast today it's part of Bleacher Report it's a football podcast hosted by Matt Miller and Connor Rogers. And they had a good yet today they had Adam chapter on there ESPN NFL insider while I should it's an NBA insider. Adam chapter strike he is back to a duel inside and out among the topics that was discussed by Schechter. He'd be was talking about the patriots and specifically quarterback Jimmy rappel. Now Adam Schechter is the guy. Member he was he was as adamant as he could be back when nobody else was saying this. The patriots are not trading Jimmy drop below they could get offered for first round picks they are not trading Jimmy drop long we'll body is full of crap. Trent Dilfer suggest he might have been used at some point I mean things got a little ugly did but he said it and not trading him. So today she after goes on this podcast on on Bleacher Report and the subject of Jimmy Rob Lowe came back up. Is there any way Jimmy acre rock below enters free agency or. Is even on the market next year after some expected him to be this year and he wasn't. Noted in the incident on a lot of levels because they're so worked grapple conversation during off season. And I don't think to speak you ever consider. Trading him and I know that. You know when when the reports could not that they weren't dealing him. There are people who were instant skeptical. It's just kinda reach the price the patriot nobody offered what to note that they were never treating you grow up well Terry. At that that was the case in February. And mark and April. And tin cup teams from calling. To inquire. But it wouldn't seem out there who can go to put together an offer that would have changed the patriots drinking. In this trading you Koppel now. Again and going forward Howard secular operate out in Rourke and not the patriots. Who risk losing your outlook. My my own and you know it didn't figure weight one way or another to keep them there whether that means. Signs were staying here franchising him more. You know making it work well we'll see. And that played out but I don't he didn't allusion. They wanna loose and I can get recognize. How good they think he has many of us don't know that right now because. We haven't seen implant a consistent basis but they've had they've they've watched him crack station even practiced. They know what you do is incapable of and they're big believer in them. Again you I like I predict that. Tom Brady exit or create three at one point. In a decade may continue on that course. The off season would have been dedicated to people talk about it are replaced I'm pretty cute brought. So when Tom Brady turned that game around. Not only be when it's possible the patriots. What he stayed golf all the Britain that would have come I believe. If they had lost that game is decisively in his once I leave it was it won't. So. He he's forty years old this year you forty years old and he's the greatest quarterback of all time and remember and dispute. But and nick went for 56 more years he may do debt but but the chances are not going to beat him nobody's ever done that before. And again I'm not try to challenge the great Tom Brady anyway like I would never underestimate deck I ever put. Seem bothered I'm usually win that battle who. Now he could be part time and then. I'll be even more incredible demeanor to think he has. So will they but again I think the patriots record as a they have. What they believe that it commodity in a successor. In the wings and they've been dealt him they put a lot of time to him they don't want to lose him. And daughter how to work it up and somehow somebody told me they will figure out a way to get it done I don't know how that. And figure out a way to get it done to keep Jimmy drop below as a member of the patriots and the line there. They think he's the successor to Tom Brady. Simple Bill Polian it's I know they were down twenty at a rate of overall picture is worth it's embarrassing. I believe that the bears thanks topic. No nobody would have said that. There are doubts Arnold I I might agree with them that that there would have been callers to the station. A it and lost the Super Bowl 23 and I don't want to vent their people texting right now saying that. It though. We are about James should be the twelfth man on somebody's team. Would have colors and textures saying collars were on the scrub yet earlier. Are you serious. 28 at three. If that game to continue like that there are people saying is it time for Tom Brady's career to be over. In and Foxboro but I also want to now it's like those figured out to us one way that they're gonna figure out how Jimmy grappled Tom Brady or both threw me on the roster. Just look that he still triggered this question it was obvious tests in a number. There. Trading for. I've. Our car. It say it is is hot button is that he has really Natalie guys right evil people did question yeah is well they they questioned his honest one person. Question is what does this cold workers former auto worker all of a variety was going out earlier incidents but. I just don't understand how we say all is it they could keep a mile longer. And so basically he's saying Tom Brady has won your life that's right that's the only way they keep them into that that's the only that's the only way it happens one more your efforts armory accord that. After because if you don't happening if if you spend if you spend. Twenty plus million dollars to franchiser backup quarterback. You know not I mean that's that's just not even appear under the cap it's just not a good use of your your. Your funds. Not but there are so you can you can either spend 29 dollars 122. On a backup. Or you could go get three or four players. With that money. Who actually play. Yeah I would what leading the patriots who do and they go yeah right bigger debt. For more running racks two or receivers the defensive lineman yeah that's that's what they would do. But he just get a bit figured out the gathered just that seems like they're waiting around. For. It's what he and go with is spreading some people are are. They want more more people are are may be believing as the case is that this is such a wagon on the team. That what would be more valuable to this team would it be. Laid off first round pick whoever they happen to get or. One of the better backup quarterbacks in the league having depth of that position to give that sort of that's sort of that's come out I feel like since the realization that he's still on the team. Less people are saying he's Jimmy the starting quarterback in 2018. I don't think that's the cameras you know I do think that you you guys are underestimating. Remember after the loss to Kansas City a few years ago when. When people are asking Bill Belichick is it time to re sell the quarter. I have no way to members of the media ask don't always do that always happens so but that is not the social the fact that somebody's bringing it up. It does that mean it's the reality or does it mean the people overreact they have ones ESP with the over reaction Monday. Don't be an overreaction Monday in a Michael I'm not saying it was right but it would look at it they had lost 28 to three would've been brought it if it it would be brought up but it wouldn't be. Considered by the coaching staff is what I'm saying would it be time to move up from Tom Brady law's. 35 to three super well no Clinton. Furthermore. Bill Polian and Adams after hall of famers polian is there right now Schechter will be there he will be here for contributions to football to be that writers category of home but no question. I'm on a pair bots. How crazy is it. That sounds like. It's those opinions about 28 to three. You sound like the opinions of people never watch football game and their wives yeah really if it's outrageous. So he was down 28 at three. And if you stop the game at that point. But eluded their but it was in the third quarter and he brought his team back from may 25 point deficit. So despite the fact he was 39 years old time if you bring your team back from a 25 point deficit which has never happened before and Super Bowl history. And you win the first overtime game in the history of the Super Bowl it doesn't mean you're vulnerable in major agenda then. It doesn't go the other way when I say I he had he was responsible for the greatest comeback considerable history that's the most recent thing we've seen it from Tom Brady on the football field. So these guys W they they bring up twenty to three all the rest of what are the rest of the game what does that mean for him gone for. I think that teacher around against the don't understand that there's irony that featured a scene that's when he ate it for right tonight Britney with the timing of the other acts of terror but an asset backed. How did well. Yeah. Sure eight and three here's the part about chapters answered that to me was even more puzzling and troubling than that part that part didn't bother me as much it bothered you guys. He talked about the possibility of show after signing an extension here. The problem our problem she after talked about drop signing an extension the year beyond the whole idea of signing him. A you know a franchise in recent you know he might sign an extension. To. No idea why there was zero I would have Jimmy go drop below sign a contract extension with the patriots. Short of Tom Brady being hurt. An OK year you're the guy now Jimmie now why would he do that we took a lot of those calls dale where it would say well would you wanna stay on a winner and also subject. He always the plant the flag and by the way if he doesn't wanna play out I'd stick to paraphrase something you know John Farrell said it was yesterday I don't wanna hear anyway. Nobody should be an incentive total clipboard for his career why the hell I want mommy team. Insurance the only pop sorry man the only possible reason he would sign an extension would be if no other team offered a second ago a similar offer if you go away more money to be the backup at all in any event that. A rally that might take less money to play. That he went to back up that the only reason and that's not into the case is always going to be. A couple of teams desperate for quarterback in willing to overpay we see every single year of grapples on the open market I feel that somebody would offer more in the patriots. It makes no sense to me and am I'm assuming that the you can sue your agent for malfeasance. If Jimmy rappel as agents at two executions and extensions they would say yes but that's idiotic but certainly the trouble going on finding a place the wants you to start and stuff but it is funny how personally show after takes it but that he doesn't give you any good reasons for is that they were never. Got our freedom. Are why not right we'll talk birdies 48 he was trailing in the Super Bowl that's the best that the best or he had well he now Eaton and I'll give him credit in this regard he in in the answer and I read the transcript before right heard the the actual audio. He's right. Nobody's ever done what he's trying to deal. I mean he may be the first in chapter said I you know you'd be you'd you'd doubt this guy to apparel but. What he's trying to do BS go to quarterback is there is in the NFL at the age of forty. Doesn't happen about that's important he said he's forty but that's that's his best answer right and that argued that it maybe that is the answer I was expecting a little bit more than that nobody has done what he's trying to do it nobody's done what he's already done. But isn't outlandish to think that he has two great years left in an iffy and if he does. That you have a huge decision and if he plays like he did last year this upcoming season now brothels freeagent. That we have this conversation once every two weeks but county Cathy got the free agent and then what do you. What do you do you say well Tom thanks for that party and he gets in your career or and your career somewhere else. Rocket payload Brady after he has another really good year one wouldn't think so it and if you did the case of a scope but I will say. We were among the people doubting Adam show after when he said they would try to board tool first round exit of war it was an outright and argue that flew. That's right he probably and I'm sure they had an opportunity to trade him for a couple first trumpets. I would guess the Cleveland Cleveland probably was gonna do at least stay at more than a first round pick right yeah yeah. Bad and they were not entry at an opportunity to get multiple first round picks last year we're guessing for Jimmy drop low in the declined. The Dilfer who promised us that they wouldn't get a first for those it was. Shaft problem that I would say it but till for laughed at the first on a report he laughed at the first. Yeah I don't think there's chapters seem to think the starting point was a first or fourth and until from laughed at that. Back to the call 6177797937. Paulson New Hampshire hey Paul. Hey guys Michael I love you man but did you say. They know one quarter away and I get they came back and he conceded that he that you brought him back but if he had brought him back and I went away scholar or recorders you say we would never content are good quarterback controversy no record Russell played a game. After it was decency and Bill Belichick was being asked by the media book bought the quarterback decision yeah. Quarterback controversy from a perspective of their perspective we're patriots perspective that's really awesome really that's what matters right country thing. Media fans are armed. What you'll remember I'll go check into that he left you like that are. Like yeah yeah. I'd open up on sanity who is they're they're two different categories. What we think and what's actually happening so do you think if they lost the Super Bowl that the patriots would say hey it's time to move on from Tom Brady. Not a patriot I think that point was that we hear the media and the fans in general that this sports talk would be. What is Jimi. Yeah it's an idiot who cares what I think so I think. And I guess I like the I'm an idiot part I agree without an I guy averaged it would yet so there. Obviously there's only one guy whose opinion matters in this and we understand that. But the idea that it wouldn't. Held there were people last year talking about trading Brady after they suck problem play. He did look good first half against Miami and number of people I'm callers understand that I got Bill Belichick people to go. If you have a little lightly you haven't exactly thought were now I've agreement with stroke. Counts in Quincy take out item. Gentlemen let's now. Crap load going to be not talking about on freaky Greek. This guy and everybody better shape. Intake you'll probably never seen anyone. This grapple. And we need it. The that the that the from the colts until the blood boil. Everything down to a science you guys. Grapple. Oh yeah he's just. I would earn that it won't he will be treated. Already well originally 43 years old and it went Russian border story is a grapple. It and trap and it. They don't let this keep well. It will be good to get all the best possible deal. Now I I think I think it missed that chance to be honest with you and I think about a possible deal they were gonna get it was that was that why don't we don't. C branch out about we when he was he was worth more he was working. And keep. It out how I know about the weapons you're you're not you're misunderstanding my point. There was never going to be better trade market he was never going to be worth more that he was this offseason and they don't wanna trade him. Of logic ports in the coming. Up to your body. And it's not. It's not what's in the draft it's it and and will use Michaels example you know we think Cleveland was gonna offer up at least. A first round pick which would have been twelve overall we think maybe tool first round picks because he had a year and affordable Europe of Barack Palau. He had a franchise here before you really had to get serious about getting him signed a contract. So now you're gonna give up the same amount for a franchise Europe drop below you're not gonna give up the same amount. That's the point I'm making he was never going to be worth more. Than he was this offseason. I mean first mall you at about half of game take their right he looked dazzling and I'll. If if everything goes right united in the seem played this year you're gonna see him play against Jacksonville on August. I wanted to have a game and half arms and only game and a half as he got hurt so the the young guys get hurt and we're talking about Tom Brady being forty. Both both young quarterbacks yup. Are are out there and Kenny and I had to do was get through four games get two guys get you through four games. And it was a struggle. Because they got hurt the two young guys got hurt and debt and the old guy deal got any others the other twelve games are on the playoffs press had a concussion campground. Well these are diagnosed got diagnosed in time when I died no leads so good they can even diagnosing it better and I don't think that air I don't pay no. He's. Kristen stone hey Chris I don't. They got out on what's going on. With an unlocked Tom Brady might here or what but I live look at it as an outsider. Saw how many years you think yep well realistic. Three good years. Three. So we played this year you grow good in maybe next year in franchise drop it ought a lot of money. After that you like Ricoh is that a lot about and that we will look at the packers' Aaron Rodgers. Would you rather have Aaron Rodgers for two years. Really good or odd that you really believes in protect all you'd you'd think Bill Clinton not to pick the gossip and the or. Outlaws all. I don't I don't gonna become a magic break of does this week we disagree that's all of them I'd take the patriots aspect out of it go through example. I know I know what I have an Aaron Rodgers or Aaron Rodgers is has has been an MVP Aaron Rodgers is one me at least one Super Bowl. So I'll always take the great player until he can't do it anymore as opposed to go wrong with somebody who all the best it could say about him is that he's junger has I don't know what. I I typically would agree review our I would but I look at it like it they know more about crop organ. So they've only been out of chapter said the same thing today you're right they are not so pellets are believed them you still get. My dad yeah yeah. And yup so if you can get race this year and play well. Ransacked or. He'll play great. At 280. Caught on yet. You are you might would have Belichick really believes and on your gonna get ten to twelve. That's a big head and Chris I think that's a mistake they were making a lot of us are making. Belichick believes in him as what. Oh for for all we know Belichick believes in him as a good backup quarterback whose cheap. Look I party stated we don't know I Belichick likes percent more than happy he's on a runner and rosters so. We don't know if Belichick thinks he's an ex Tom Brady. Or it if he is just a really good backup quarterback. Who serves a purpose is right now because he's on his rookie contract and that hurt us to keep them on the rosters or give mom roster. To Al that this is that crazy of a statement might sound like one I think whatever Brady gives you the next three years we each of those three seasons will be better. Than the best grapple season. I know we haven't seen a lot of drop low but covers the best I still had they ever had affairs I think that's realistic to think. That 400 Brady while they better season than what ever peak crop lawless. At the meeting recommended it in a nice track. But that's how good are gonna be the best of all time probably not that that's pretty safe to say 6177797937. Our final drives coming up at about 545 and the it is free ticket Thursday so we got tickets to giveaway for the may 27 game at Fenway that's all coming a little bit as well Daylon Hollywood keep Sports Radio WEEI. Good drive home with dale how he and chief continues watch Sports Radio WEEI. Bob Brady was a quarter away from losing the Super Bowl last year pretty decisively. And then he showed some signs of being human last year. On a number of occasions including a super. Tom Brady. Or create three. Is that it may continue on that. Course. The offseason would have been dedicated to people talk about our replace Robert. So when Tom Brady hurt that game around if not already witnessed both the patriots. What you staved off all the would've come Bible. They've lost that game as to exactly in his one start leaders was formed. So. He's he's forty years old. Bill Polian Adam chapter. Let me give you one bit of baseball news is we get back to the call 6177797937. David Price will next start Monday. In Chicago against the White Sox. John Farrell told the media Fenway a little while ago physically price feels great. Return of price a definite boost to the team. It's very. Don't know mostly Chris sales start to have Monday at that point on they said elegance though the white thought that's what he says money hey game more today. At a world that yes throw water today and that's supposed to be Chris Sale. Going to be working that day. I'm not now I'm off into gridlock on on as a lot here's why there's a lot of I was just our own there may be. That's going to be a long game. Yeah are you just know that's going to be a long Brian. Yeah. Become open. The actress price did not do a sharp last night I'll look it appears now that the public really please read it what you get the first clue whether stuff had been tail lights out for the canto and they eye disorders and I wouldn't why they wouldn't give one more start. Yeah I don't understand picker to pick your time I know you want him back and add a date or price even as bad as he wasn't the market. As last two appearances he's better than anybody you have replacing. Eight price is better of the argument better than any body the Red Sox have trotted out there are yeah we saw out I asked NCAA. Yeah I don't may be Eric getting a little impatient and the season is on the line regatta we really got to do something. Picket Hartley told us and it may in Erie is it today so there are right away dropped its price Monday it sailed Tuesday. Honestly do an extra day. Price Monday failed to it's pretty good now. When we heard Adam Schechter and Bill Polian there and have you ever made three shots here is in the same things I can't I'm not. There's a comic premise. What we can prove we're here all the time. Taking calls every won't be your Memorial Day but pretty much every day we're here taking phone calls. So the patriots did come back from 23. They did win the Super Bowl Tom Brady does have five titles. And for MVPs. And yet. Gary its on line 92 time political Brady. Mike's on the line line for this is Brady's last year with the pats the point is gonna get those calls whether the patriots win or not. Those calls mean nothing sorry Derrick sorry might look if but they need something saying thanks for the while what I area about what I say about Tom Brady or urgently grappled doesn't really. Set the agenda on it it's. Does Bill Belichick follow the Super Bowl. If they had lost it didn't stupid but they've been effective if they lose a game this Bill Belichick on the games cannot man. We really had to move on from Tom Brady right now. A start that conversation. I don't think so. Yeah. With the guy and replace them with a guy who couldn't get through two games yet. I think that that's what feels good yeah Al Haig had eight really good to know he I'm. Yeah that body feels good arm feels good that's the literal sensitive questions like do you think Brady's done after year and do you think rob Lowe's the next. We did have the ball yes for war. This whole scenario that chapters are talking about to make sense to keep calm and it and point out how old Brady is on nobody's been that good you know and in their forty. And so at all managers I've. Got to so. He was gonna be the MVP it it it was either I was either Matt Ryan or Tom Brady. For the regular season yeah I see them yet. He played an OK game against the Texans and Brady in my opinion would have won if he played a more than twelve even one more declared OK then gets the Texans in the playoffs right. It played a terrific game against the Steelers and AFC championship game. He did the pick six against the falcons but if they lose a game the guy who. Gave you no problems in the regular season he's suspended for four games not not because of an injury. He has an MVP type season he has a bad Super Bowl because no great quarterback has ever had a basketball Matt Peyton Manning never seen a world that's ever Howell. Ever happen right now are CN then. You've got to move on talk. Yeah I don't see that in your trade on your column when it really mean I've already got a hall of famers. They are hall of Famer yet but. Yeah I I don't know I think you sometimes as this is about Ron Borges when he had a thing against Belichick. Sometimes a Smart person can look really stupid with an urgent that you Abner Jenna gets in the way he could be brilliant. Which looks to a poll of the RS I don't know I don't polian agendas I don't have shut perhaps one or peaches. You know taking looking at Bill Polian is talking points and borrowing them I don't know. But polian worse because they're the how he got to that answer was talking to a bill's stand about why the bill should still love Alpharetta buck up their cigarettes okay if I patriots have been winning their division by you have that was this whole thing was he was tried to help out of pills that have hope because the patriots almost loss this approval a couple of if I gotta admit that dumber than just ideas Rory words way dumber Mike as Michael said my regular phone while Mike Mike I like. While there's little let me tie it at the part that caught he got done the times you agree agreed to meet some disagreement about you never discreetly before you can go. Actually it has yeah and do that. By 2000. Legitimate reported it's all of our problem. I know if I win the apply to blow to be got a little in the way I want your signature on it to plug it anyway. So here's the thing to neglecting this what will happen it doesn't mean I think it should have I just think that if you look objectively. At the move that they'd made thus far I think all spider according to Brady being. Being dotted and it just follow Whitney first Sackett. Things that. About Jack is famous for one being that historically and I unsentimental. And still is maximizing value and dale you already set a new book you know what time. Grapples value would never have been hired then India off Pete are you coming up on a black yardage contract at a stretch I've worked senator that are that are that are oak acts. We can all I could agree that trade like how would Sam Bradford last year are very rare in the NFL always I wouldn't affect it by injury I don't think they'll check. It is banking on another starting quarterback or doubt I need possible short I just think he's smarter than. To beg you hope trading Barack blown back to bite the value there solve it maximum value garrote all would have been betrayed in this offbeat. So we held until why. Brady. Yes he's forty. Brady has said that he's want he wants to play two weeks forty arc and keyword area why I wanted to peak it updated doesn't mean it's gonna happen. Then you you tie that went to bell and what she went there last week about caution. The key sound like someone who want to hug and if you're playing for a year and as you guys all know what you're married Pat White equal track you like I just think bad. And hang out and Rob Lowe is just a signal that Brady is done what are you gonna retire. Where they got caught them or try to trade him I just don't think that you're gonna be here after next app next year. And again Mike it's an adult world beat mark McKay couldn't call my shot when it all back in a year and and let victory lap. And I remember you but I'm Ali and I'll remember all Michael remembers all of our member you might indicate Upton. I think that guy is not self where not all the Q what's the date. I think to date as twenty gods they are and I did the movie by. Well it depends on your death and that's without a Carolina guy we are missing pages in Beverly hates him I don't. They guy he'd like public but a little bit like. And I thought this before that it is ignorant which is all that this date. Plus oh yeah that's what this is she so I don't that. It. Yeah it would be super GQ. One more year. What a dollar check just credit chipset. One more yet so it got so she Q let's loaded up and go far it's possible. The only reason I went I was thinking it isn't so is that is seen his his podcast with Peter King. Was in early march. It was several weeks after the Super Bowl and a super G I liked the term it's super G it had that discussion with Tom Brady would have been before the Peter King podcast. And he told Peter king and he has repeated sense aria he did this recently. Weary said well who knows I'm feeling go to 45 maybe I want to keep going to answer to the test the time where when it's fun. It's evidence I now do I think that Gisele would be very happy if her husband just. Handed in his playbook and hung up his cleats and walked away I think she'd be ecstatic. But I also think she'd she'd would have an unhappy husband. A guy who might present or a little bit if if that's what you try to force him to do yet but with less brain injuries so used to get a kind of weigh the pros and cons there hasn't been diagnosed with a. I'm a national more so and it that I got the the odd geek all of you thanks on purpose little loud and clear in the other the a lot of a lot of moving parts here ever evolving an underdog we got a six led 77797937. We got tickets to giveaway a little bit later on in the price is gonna start. On Memorial Day in Chicago against the White Sox thought about that as well as we move forward Daylon Hollywood keeps Sports Radio WB.

There is nothing quite like routine to put you on the express lane to boredom, feeling low, a zero zest for life and most of all, disease and aging. Imagine yourself on a conveyor belt and the different points at which you do something are the different times of the day. Just a few of those points could be: 5 a.m – the alarm rings and you obediently place yourself on the conveyor belt, 7.30 a.m. – to set out for work, 11 a.m. – take a break for coffee, 4 p.m. – take another break for coffee or something more stimulating disguised as coffee, 8 p.m. – channel surf till you feel brain dead and 10 p.m. – slide off that belt and hit the sack. That is ROUTINE and you have it down pat. “It’s a hard thing to leave any deeply routine life, even if you hate it.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden If you are reading this article, you are a brave soul because the very idea of fiddling with a set routine sends most people into mild or severe panic. You finally have everything working like clockwork, almost, and you have multitasking down to an art. You never get off the Belt because all the things you have to do, you have to do. Routine for most is the magic formula to get through chores, work, chores again, duties, responsibilities and Friday club hopping with friends. It is what you rely on to get you through life. So yes, routine is sacrosanct, you are exercising some form of control over your life. And hell will break lose if anything upsets it. Underlying this attitude and strict adherence to routine is the fear of losing control, of not being able to accomplish all the tasks that are helping your survive, have money, a roof over your head, food to eat and clothes to wear – your latest car or that fabulous black dress are just little somethings to reward yourself with for obeying the tyranny of the Belt. “The human spirit lives on creativity and dies in conformity and routine.” ― Vilayat Inayat Khan The blessed routine seems to keep everyone sane, in their boxes and in a certain lackluster existence. Consider this: If the Belt broke down when life’s inevitable out-of- the-ordinary twists and turns threw it off its deeply grooved trajectory, is it inevitable to fall into chaos, more stress and that dreaded feeling of being overwhelmed or is there another way out? There is, and it starts with making routine unordinary. There are HUGE advantages to doing just that so feel motivated, people. Here we go: “The vibration of creative flow – fresh, new creative flow – is very high.” ~ Julius As you take these 4 steps, you will be embracing the new, the different, the extraordinary in every moment of your daily life and that is going to help you take everything in your stride because you will not be new to newness or different. It is a part of your everyday life. You are dishing out creative solutions, thinking on your feet and nothing fazes you. You are also in better health, lighter moods and really putting the brakes on that aging process. Nice picture? How do we go about it? 1. Make a list of all the things you do as a matter of routine at home. Argue with your teenage child about the cleanliness of his or her room, do grocery shopping on Saturdays, bake macaroni on Tuesdays and wake up every Monday with “Oh hell, Monday again!” The list could be endless and your contribution minimal in terms of creativity. And creativity is just what is needed here. You might decide to not argue with your child and forget about the mess in the room. Good idea if you can heave a sigh of relief that you’re no longer sneaking in to tidy up some of the mess and using that time in a more productive way. Bad idea if the thought of the mess is lurking at the back of your mind and finally gives you a headache at the end of the day. Take up something else to do differently. Start by doing one easy thing differently once a week. The first week you may decide to do grocery shopping on Friday evening at a different store and buy slightly different stuff to try out. Maybe the macaroni gets dumped for the lasagna or if you’re really feeling adventurous, moussaka. Hey, it’s a change, it’s different and not so difficult. What it’s going to do for you is bring some zing into your life. It’s going to have you looking forward to doing things differently, creatively and then enjoy the newness of it. Stagnation and boredom comes in when we forget about bringing freshness into our lives, when the sameness bogs us down and there is no juice in the fruit of life as it were. As you rev up on your creativity by just doing things differently, those aches and pains, that sense of feeling low and unmotivated, that drag in the day is going to ease off. There is nothing quite like the magic of doing things differently to add a bounce to your step and a vibrancy to your being. Pretty soon those Hell Mondays are going to be Magic Mondays. “When you’re bored, you’ve lost direction in your life; you’re unhappy with the experience you’re having. You don’t want to do it anymore and you’re beginning to develop a desire for another experience.” ~ Kasey/Brad Wallis 2. Now extend that to outside the house. You are driving to work on the same route you take every single day, but this time you decide you are going to notice 5 or 2 or 6 new things you’ve never noticed before – maybe just the color of the number plate in front of you, was that bush always there, grumpy, serious, smiling people at the stop sign. Or take a different route to office, take the bus or the cycle instead of the car. If your outfit is same old, same old look, even if the clothes are new, will you add an experimental touch of a color you’ve never worn before just to feel how it feels? How about talking less or more just once to know what that feels like and hold back a grin when others look at you and wonder? Does your month of bad hair days prompt you to try out a hairstyle that you’ve never tried before? New, new, new, different, different, different or should it be new, refreshing, vibrant, different, varied, extraordinary! This is the mantra that is going to have you walking in sleek assurance through all the ups and downs in your life because you are so used to fielding and courting the new that it’s child’s play which can be extended to dealing with crises or stressful, extraordinary moments in your life without sending you into a tailspin. As you stretch and expand, rediscover and reinvent, you may dump some of the old activities that no longer stimulate you and try on new ones that stir your heart and your mind in new ways. Your world is yours to make! “You should never be desiring to repeat your life. It loses momentum of fulfilment, vibrancy, creativity, and possibility.” ~ Julius 3. Delve deeper into the moment. Stringing beads with a child as part of your newest activity, note the colors, the look of concentration or smile on the child’s face and become aware of how you feel. All of it is holding you in the Now. In the moment that you are focusing on all the sights (it could be sound, taste, touch or smell as well) and the emotions, you are focusing on the new, there is no past haunting you nor the unknown future filling you with trepidation. There is just you and what you are focusing on, all cobwebs swept away. And as you weave your magical next, you feel alive and ready for the next experience, your body is strumming with vibrant health and you have stopped the march of wrinkles and sagging skin. Worth the effort? Definitely. 4. Take some moments in the day, maybe 5, 10 or more minutes to do some wool-gathering, lotus eating, build castles in the air, daydream, imagine other realities, other realms, other lives. If you can think it, it is real. Always, always stir up your emotions as you do so. In the world of inner travel, go wherever you feel good, happy, free and empowered. Take the help of meditations out there to kick-start these enjoyable experiences and then you can let go of those crutches. You will be soon become adept at making your own journeys. All you need is inclination and practice. This is going to help you stimulate your mostly underused right brain and all your creativity, which in turn is going to help you with all of the above. If these steps get you thinking in new ways, having new thoughts, you are beginning to stir out of the box you made for yourself. When you start, you may be a tad unsteady venturing away from the path of the Belt, but if you persist, you are going to discover that there are really a million ways to be and to do, which you hadn’t accessed because you sold yourself short and because you had never noticed the limited life you had become accustomed to. Your existence will take on a brightness and a depth that has nothing to do with anything or anybody outside of yourself. How’s that? Julius, of course, has a brilliant take on what routine really is and crossing the Bridge into higher consciousness. That is going to the advanced level to raise your consciousness. Your soul always longs for adventure. And adventure is just a breath and a thought away, turning your Belt of tedium into a magnificent flow of infinite potential that you have the power to tap into because you can, because you are Source! “Broaden your acceptance that you are the powerful creative being that creates every single experience through the desire of your soul to have an experience.” ~ Julius 2 Comments Awesome! You rock! I see your site is in the same niche like my blog. Do you allow guest posts? I can write excellent content for you. Let me know if you are interested.

. so join us as we count down 12 days of fitmas complete with special savings on fitlosophy goods + partner products as well. there’s no partridge + definitely no pear tree, but there will be quite a few ladies dancing (and possibly some lords a leaping) if these gifts arrive under the tree come Christmas morning. without further ado, let's celebrate the season of giving. on the 1st day of fitmas… [give the gift of gratitude] gratitude has proven itself to be quite the wellness workhorse so what better way to kick off our fitmas celebration than with our little triplet bundle of joy? get this new trio of 16-week fitspiration journals designed to empower your mind, body + soul by focusing daily on gratitude + goals. keep the attitude of gratitude going strong with this adorable gratitude apothecary jar to help harness those thankful moments. fitspiration bundle ($49.95) + gratitude apothecary jar ($32) on the 2nd day of fitmas... 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get fitbook in the fitness aisle + these affordable little day designer planners in the journal aisle! meal prep set ($24.95) + fitbook ($22.95) + day designer planner ($7.99 + up) on the 5th day of fitmas… [give the gift of travel] with the right tools in your arsenal, travel doesn’t have to derail your goals. keep a healthy stash of snacks like these sugarwish goodies on hand in our uber portable, portion-controlled snackstak to avoid falling prey to fast-food. then hit the hotel gym toting your foam roller to get the blood flowing + work out all those inevitable kinks that come with travel. snackstak ($12.99) + sugarwish healthy treats ($16.50 + up) + foam roller ($35.99) on the 6th day of fitmas… [give the gift of knowledge] your brain needs regular exercise too! we absolutely love curling up with a good book or magazine + getting our brain buzzing, so a healthy magazine subscription or a few great reads are no-brainers (no pun intended) when it comes to affordable gifting that keeps giving all year round. here are a few of our favorites reads for everyone on your list: for the health nut: women’s health ($15.99/annual kindle subscription) - ok, we may be biased - you know, since we’re featured in it this month + all, but it’s always a good one! oxygen magazine ($24.97/6 issues) - with our girl nicole wilkins on the cover! self magazine ($19.99/12 issues) the NEW whole30 cookbook ($22.46) for the goal getter: SUCCESS magazine ($34.95/12 issues) the power of habit ($9.29) tools of titans ($17.64) start with why ($8.98) for the soul searcher: present over perfect ($13.79) famous in heaven & at home ($14.99) make it happen ($9.89) AFAR magazine ($2.88/issue) for a brain vacay: my brilliant friend ($10.40) the god box ($13.51) undone ($10.28) can't finish it all in one sitting? pick up some of our handy, dandy little red pagemarkers! on the 7th day of fitmas… [give the gift of fitness] work off all those holiday indulgences with our motivational NEW fitmat to inspire you as you stretch, crunch + sweat! perfect for at-home workouts, use our fitmat to get your sweat on in the comfort of your own home with this pilates for the busy mom workout dvd. prefer running outside? pull on this quick-dry, reflective headband to keep your ears toasty warm + our chief fitlosopher’s fave athletic socks to keep your feet dry + friction-free. fit mat ($29.95) + erica ziel pilates for the busy mom workout dvd ($29.95) + bolder band headband ($21) + balega socks ($8.20 + up) on the 8th day of fitmas… [give the gift of fitfuel] food is fuel. fuel those muscles with protein within 30 minutes after your workout to help them recover. our portable protein picks? toss a couple scoops of your favorite protein powder in our fitfuel mixer + just add water when you’re ready to sip up. still not satiated? munch on a rise bar for a delicious, real-food option on-the-go with only 5 ingredients. fitfuel mixer ($12.95) + rise bar ($27.99 per dozen) on the 9th day of fitmas… [give the gift of moderation] we believe that moderation is a key component of any sustainable meal plan. you can most definitely have your wine + drink it too, albeit a sensible serving. our trick for portioning like the pros? two words: food scale. when in doubt, weigh it out to make sure you’re not overdoing it, then serve up your vino in this balance-touting fitish wine glass. our top picks for a solid bottle: ONEHOPE california cabernet ($18.99) if you like big, bold wine nothing beats a california cabernet, unless of course it also gives back to a good cause like this yummy napa valley vino. every bottle of this ONEHOPE bottle supports charitable organizations to help children with autism. in that case, stock up. wine not? apothic red ($15.99) for pinot lovers, this red blend is a perfect blend of not-too-sweet + smooth fruity flavors that is an affordable every day wine that pairs perfectly with any meal. bonus: it’s often on sale for $10-12 at most grocery stores! la marca prosecco ($19.99/big bottle, $4.99/mini bottle) this sparkling italian white wine is the perfect bubbly for toasting to the holidays + ringing in a new year. available in the cutest little mini bottles perfect for entertaining! food scale ($24.95) + fitish wine glass ($4.50) on the 10th day of fitmas… [give the gift of cozy] does it get much better on a cold winter’s night than being curled up all cozy inside by a crackling fire?? if your cozies are all as cute as our soft, red hoodie, adorable cross training couture tees + athleta sweatpants, all is definitely merry + bright. slip these comfy, cable-knit slippers on your feet + warm your bones with a cocoa-filled happy hour mug. fitlosophy red hoodie ($49.95) + happy hour mug ($15.95) + cross training couture tees ($24 + up) + cable-knit slippers ($14.99) + athleta sweatpants ($79) on the 11th day of fitmas… [give the gift of time] the most precious gift we can give others is not presents – but our presence. keep tabs on your time this holiday season with our brand new fitdesk calendar with 365 days of little tips + fitspiration designed specifically to inspire your healthiest life, while this beautiful touch-screen rose gold michael kors smartwatch makes keeping track of your steps, calories, distance covered, sleep + goals a breeze - and a stylish breeze at that. fitdesk calendar ($14.99) + michael kors smartwatch ($350) on the 12th day of fitmas… [give the gift of shopping] shop ‘til you drop throughout our health-packed site with our fitlosophy gift card, gifted in any amount you choose. then kick it up a notch with popsugar’s monthly subscription box, a collection of expertly curated full-sized products ranging from home and beauty to fashion and more, all guaranteed to inspire retail-therapy happiness each + every month! fitlosophy gift card ($25 + up) + popsugar #musthavebox ($39.95 per month) so whether you’re decking the halls or trimming the trees, our fit gifts will inspire you to live life fit all year round! BONUS: enter promo code FITMAS12 to save 12% on ALL fitlosophy products through 12/25 as our gift to you! plus, some of our partners are playing along. enter code FITMAS12 to save 12% through 12/25 on the following partner sites: nicole wilkins collection, diadem boutique, sugarwish, erica ziel fitness, bolder bands, rise bar, fit(ish) apparel + cross training couture. sweet, right? which gifts are you most excited about this holiday season? share your faves in the comments + stay tuned. we just might be giving a few of our favorite things away throughout the month! merry fitmas! the fitlosophy elves

Volume 12, Number 2—February 2006 Dispatch Chlamydophila psittaci in Fulmars, the Faroe Islands On This Page Downloads Suggested citation for this article Abstract Chlamydophila psittaci was detected in 10% of 431 fulmars examined from the Faroe Islands. Analysis of ompA showed a sequence almost identical to that of the type strain. The origin of C. psittaci outbreaks in fulmars is discussed. Despite a high level of exposure, the risk for transmission of C. psittaci to humans is low. Figure During the winter of 1929–1930, widespread epidemics of chlamydophilosis (psittacosis) occurred in Europe and the United States, and the causative agent was isolated from humans and affected birds (1). Presumably the epidemics originated in Argentina (2), and the disease was exported by shipments of pet birds. From the Faroe Islands (Figure), 174 cases of human chlamydophilosis were reported from 1930 to 1938 (3). The human death rate was 20%; it was especially high (80%) in pregnant women. Experimental work confirmed that "psittacosis virus" was contracted by humans when juvenile fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) were caught and prepared for cooking (4). After the outbreaks in the 1930s, hunting fulmars for human consumption was prohibited until 1954, and data on chlamydophilosis have been scarce. In this study, our aim was to determine the current prevalence of Chlamydophila psittaci in fulmars and to relate it to available information on chlamydophilosis in humans in the Faroes. Cloacal swab samples were collected in September 1999 from 431 nonflying, juvenile fulmars. Samples were stored in sucrose–phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) in dry ice and transported to Sweden for analysis. DNA was extracted from 400 μL of each sample (High Pure PCR Template Preparation, Roche, Branchburg, NJ, USA) and eluted in 100 μL of buffer. C. psittaci was detected by using 23S rRNA-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (5). A positive control was used for each round of DNA extraction and PCR. To monitor contamination, 1 negative control of PBS was included for every 5 samples in each run of DNA extraction and the ensuing PCR. To characterize Chlamydophila cases, a 1,101-bp PCR fragment of ompA was sequenced. A nested PCR was used; the outer primers were FOMPF1 5´-GAAATCGGCATTATTRTTTGCC-3´ and FOMPR2 5´-CCAGTGATTGACCATTTGTCA-3´. Initial amplification was performed by using 0.2 μmol/L of each primer, 200 μmol/L deoxynucleoside triphosphates, 2 U Taq DNA polymerase (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) in 1.5 mmol/L MgCl2 and 5 μL template DNA. Thermal conditions included 40 cycles of 20 s at 95°C, 60 s at 52°C, and 80 s at 72°C. In a second amplification, the primers FOMPF2 5´-TACGGGTTCCGCTCTCTC-3´ and FOMPR1 5´-CATTTGTCAGCGTCGATTAACG-3´ were used as in the first step. For sequencing, the inner primers and the primers CpsF2 5´-YGTAGGTGCACGYGGAG-3´ and 201FAG 5´-GGAGCIGARTTCCAATACGCTCAITC-3´ were used together with a BigDye terminator labeled sequencing kit (Applied Biosystems (Foster City, CA, USA). We found that 10% of 431 juvenile fulmars were infected with Chlamydophila spp. Detection rates ranged from 7% to 21% in different collection areas. Since the juvenile birds were caught on the sea surface near their nesting cliffs before they were fledged, the different detection rates suggest that the prevalence of infection varies among colonies. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that ringing of fulmars shows their lifestyle is local, that is, they do not travel over long distances. The reported C. psittaci prevalence in other studies of wild birds varies widely, from 0% to 74% (6,7). This wide range is partly attributable to small and selected study populations and to the use of insensitive techniques or methods that measure exposure rather than prevalence. Adult birds often have nonsymptomatic infections, while young birds frequently have acute disease. These descriptions are consistent with those from epidemics in the Faroes, where humans contracted chlamydophilosis only when handling juvenile fulmars, not when catching adult birds (3). Analysis of ompA from 29 representative specimens from the Chlamydophila-positive birds showed no variation and showed sequences almost identical (T471C mutation in the variable domain 2, GenBank accession no. AM050561) to that of the prototype strain 6BC for C. psittaci. This finding is in contrast to our previous study of seabirds, in which we found a C. psittaci strain closely related to C. abortus (8,9). To our knowledge, further sequence data on Chlamydophila infections in seabirds have not been reported. Our finding of a detectable infection rate of 10% is representative of juvenile fulmars; however, in adult fulmars the rate is probably lower, since they may develop immunity and are less exposed to dust contaminated by C. psittaci in nests. Serotyping and genotyping of C. psittaci strains are based on the major outer membrane protein coded by ompA, and at least 6 types are described. Type A is considered to have psittacine birds as natural hosts, and types B and D are associated with pigeons and turkeys, respectively; the natural hosts for types C, E, and F are unknown. The ompA sequence in infected fulmars is almost identical to the 6BC isolate, a strain isolated 64 years ago in a parakeet (10). Knowledge of the correlation between C. psittaci types and wild bird species as natural hosts, however, is limited. The question is further complicated by the fact that birds are excellent vectors and may contract C. psittaci when they feed on the detritus of infected animals of all kinds. Our ompA data may support the speculation that fulmars in the Faroes acquired C. psittaci from infected and dead parrots thrown overboard during shipment from Argentina to Europe in 1930 (11). The first human case in the Faroes appeared that year on the southernmost island of Suduroy, and during the years 1933–1938 severe outbreaks occurred on Sandoy and other islands (Figure) (3). In Iceland, the first human chlamydophilosis cases linked to fulmars were reported on the Vestmanna Islands in 1939. Six cases were reported; all occurred after birds had been prepared for human consumption (H. Briem, pers. comm.) This finding further supports the hypothesis that C. psittaci was spread from ships by psittacine birds to fulmars in the northern Atlantic and then was gradually introduced to more distant areas. Catching young fulmars in the Faroes was prohibited in 1938. Only sporadic episodes of chlamydophilosis were observed after the new legislation. Since 1954, when the ban on taking fulmars was lifted, and until 2003, the chief medical officer has reported 48 cases. Apart from an outbreak of 8 cases in 1972, the annual number of cases has ranged from 0 to 3, none fatal. On average, 2.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants have been reported, which is much higher than figures from other countries where chlamydophilosis is a reportable disease. Also, awareness of chlamydophilosis is probably considerably higher in the Faroes than in the other countries, a fact that may lead to higher detection rates. What proportion of human chlamydophilosis cases in the Faroes is associated with fulmars is unknown, but since 50,000–100,000 juvenile fulmars are prepared for human consumption each year, and C. psittaci prevalence is 10%, up to 10,000 potential human exposures to C. psittaci occur yearly. The risk of humans acquiring symptomatic C. psittaci infection from fulmars is thus very low. This conclusion agrees with our previous finding that bird ringers were antibody-negative for C. psittaci, despite high exposure to birds (12). A contrasting report of a human chlamydophilosis outbreak associated with wild birds in Australia has recently been published. Clinical, laboratory and epidemiologic data indicate disease episodes related to bird contact and lawn mowing, but the source of infection could not be identified (13). Nevertheless, unanswered questions remain. Why have more chlamydophilosis cases not been noted after the taking of fulmars was resumed in 1954? Why did the annual incidence decrease from 42 per 100,000 inhabitants during the epidemic period in the 1930s to 2.2 after 1954? If a C. psittaci infection was introduced among fulmars in 1930 as a result of shipping parrots to Europe, an initially high attack rate could have been expected. Subsequently, adaptation between bacteria and host may have led to less symptomatic infections and lower shedding of bacteria. The ensuing decrease in human exposure to C. psittaci may have resulted in a falling incidence of disease. An alternative explanation for the low incidence of chlamydophilosis in recent years may be a general improvement in public health. By analogy with the eye disease trachoma, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, the incidence of chlamydophiliosis would be expected to decrease as hygienic conditions improved. However, human chlamydophilosis is a zoonosis, and the impact of improved public health is not clear. A third explanation for the lower disease rates could be changes in the methods used to prepare caught fulmars. No systematic investigation has been made of changes in handling procedures, and identifying any specific modification that might have led to major reductions in exposure to infected birds is difficult. Thus, this issue is still unresolved. C. psittaci is rarely an agent of community-acquired pneumonia (14), and in outbreaks related to pet birds the disease may be mild rather than severe (15). Consequently, investigation for chlamydophilosis in humans should only be considered when clinical and epidemiologic data indicate such a diagnosis. Dr Herrmann is a microbiologist and associate professor at the University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden. His major research interests are diagnostics and epidemiology of Chlamydia infections and the development of molecular methods for detecting different bacteria and viruses. Acknowledgments We thank Karin Everett for linguistic revision and comments and Janus Hansen for providing the figure. This investigation was funded by the Department of Clinical Microbiology at the University Hospital of Uppsala and the Department of Clinical Microbiology at Kalmar Hospital, Sweden. References - Bedson SP, Western GT, Levy Simpson S. Further observations on the aetiology of psittacosis. Lancet. 1930;215:345–6. DOI - Psittacosis in Argentina. Lancet. 1930;215:472–3. - Rasmussen-Ejde RK. Ueber eine durch Sturmvögel übertragbare Lungenerkrankung auf den Färöern. Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde und Infektionskrankheiten. Erste Abteilung Originale. 1938;143:89–93. - Haagen E, Maurer G. Ueber eine auf den Menschen übertragbare Viruskrankheit bei Sturmvögeln und ihre Beziehung zur Psittakose. Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde und Infektionskrankheiten. Erste Abteilung Originale. 1938;143:81–8. - DeGraves:1726–9. DOIPubMed - McElnea CL, Cross GM. Methods of detection of Chlamydia psittaci in domesticated and wild birds. Aust Vet J. 1999;77:516–21. DOIPubMed - Schettler E, Fickel J, Hotzel H, Sachse K, Streich WJ, Wittstatt U, Newcastle disease virus and Chlamydia psittaci in free-living raptors from eastern Germany. J Wildl Dis. 2003;39:57–63.PubMed - Herrmann B, Rahman R, Bergstrom S, Bonnedahl J, Olsen B. Chlamydophila abortus in a Brown skua (Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi) from a subantarctic island. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2000;66:3654–6. DOIPubMed - Van Loock M, Vanrompay D, Herrmann B, Vander Stappen J, Volckaert G, Goddeeris BM, Missing links in the divergence of Chlamydophila abortus from Chlamydophila psittaci. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2003;53:761–70. DOIPubMed - Page LA. Proposal for the recognition of two species in the genus Chlamydia Jones, Rake and Stearns 1945. Int J Syst Bacteriol. 1968;18:51–66. DOI - Miles JAR, Shrivastav JB. Ornithosis in certain sea-birds. J Anim Ecol. 1951;20:195–200. DOI - Olsen B, Persson K, Broholm KA. PCR detection of Chlamydia psittaci in faecal samples from passerine birds in Sweden. Epidemiol Infect. 1998;121:481–4. DOIPubMed - Telfer BL. Probable psittacosis outbreak linked to wild birds. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11:391–7.PubMed - Marrie TJ, Peeling RW, Reid T, De Carolis E. Chlamydia species as a cause of community-acquired pneumonia in Canada. Eur Respir J. 2003;21:779–84. DOIPubMed - Moroney JF, Guevara R, Iverson C, Chen FM, Skelton SK, Messmer TO, Detection of chlamydiosis in a shipment of pet birds, leading to recognition of an outbreak of clinically mild psittacosis in humans. Clin Infect Dis. 1998;26:1425–9. DOIPubMed Figure Suggested citation for this article: Herrmann B, Persson H, Jensen J-K, Joensen HD, Klint M, Olsen B. Chlamydophila psittaci in fulmars, the Faroe Islands. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2006 Feb [date cited]. Table of Contents – Volume 12, Number 2—February 2006)

White Snow-Jackets I had already spent more than two months looking for a job and didn't seem any closer to finding one. None of the small ads in the newspaper or the offers at the job centre fitted my peculiar professional profile. If I had been a plasterer or a bricklayer I could have found some work, but I wasn't so I didn't. "Your main advantage is your languages," said the counsellor at the job centre with a smile as she fluttered her eyelashes at me. "I mean not many people in this part of France are so talented to speak English and French and Dutch. The thing you have to understand though is that there's a reason for that. There's absolutely no need for languages here. Maybe Spanish a bit, but not really. Some people speak Basque, but that won't help you find a job. You really should think about expanding the geographical scope of your search. I think you'd have much more luck on the coast." The French Basque coast stretches from the Spanish border at Hendaye to Bayonne and has a thriving tourist trade. I was disinclined to return to the hotel and catering industry with its unsociable hours, poor benefits and low pay. My flirtatious job counsellor suggested I approach companies involved in import-export. I sent CVs out to producers of the famed Bayonne Ham, but they all wanted me to speak Basque. I wasn't willing to put in the time and effort required to learn Europe's oldest tongue. In fact Basque might be the most ancient spoken language on the planet. Its origins are lost in pre-history and still baffle ethno-linguists to this day. As well as Bayonne Ham the Basque coast is famous for its waves. Huge Atlantic rollers wash in with dramatic crashing grace. In the past I had often sat on the dunes and watched the aquatic acrobatics of the wet-suited surfers, or seen them bobbing like seals beyond the wave-break waiting for The Big One to come along. These waves drew surfers from around the world and the exceptional quality of life in this corner of the South West of France tempted many of them to stay. The big brand surf companies all had their European bases here. I sent them my CV. I made it to interview stage with Quiksilver. They had a big bright open-plan work space that faced out to those iconic Atlantic waves. There was a barefoot work-ethic that appealed to me straight away. The brash confident staff looked as if they had just stepped out of a catalogue, wearing clothes of their own company’s brand. They had sun-bleached hair and salt-cured skin, broad shoulders and slim waists. Like the army, there seemed to be a minimum height requirement of over six feet. That was both the men and women. I didn't match any of these criteria, but my paperwork looked good. "Well, we like what we see?" said the personnel manager, a whiny voiced Australian whose voice went up at the end of each sentence? As if everything was a question? "But just one important thing we need to know? I don't see it mentioned on your CV? Do you surf?" A few years earlier, in Oxnard California, I had tried to learn to surf. I struggled to move from kneeling to standing on an enormous unsinkable long-board, that was really more like a smalll raft. A massive wave caught me by surprise and for endless seconds I was on spin-cycle in the ocean's laundromat. I surface just in time to see the surfboard pop up out of the water like a giant high-velocity slice of toast, narrowly avoiding decapitating two paddling children, who screamed out in fright. Back on the beach their furious father roared angry saliva into my face. I was still shaken and breathless from my tumble-wash in the waves. The whole incident marked me strongly and left me with a sour and salty taste in my mouth. Though I still swam regularly, I never tried to surf again. I didn't bore the personnel manager with the details. But when I announced that I was not a true member of the tribe, his facial tics were enough to tell me all I needed to know. "We'll be in touch with you? Thanks for taking the time to stop by today?" In fairness they did write back, to say they'd keep my application on file. It could be there still for all I know. But while Billabong, RipCurl and Quiksilver might have been the big boys on the block they weren't the only surf companies based on the Basque Coast. I got a call from one of the smaller operators. I'll give it a fake name. Let's call it Crusty. There were no sprawling open-plan beach-front views here. Instead Crusty's European headquarters were hidden in a small industrial zone in an area behind the local prison in one of the Basque Country's larger towns. The interview went better than I expected. In fact they offered me a job straight away. I sat opposite the managing director, who kept his hand on his financial manager's shapely knee throughout most of the interview. The director was a short, stocky Californian almost as wide as he was high. In every sense of the word. He asked me to call him 'Brando' . His brothers had given him the nickname. He assured me that he deeply loved his brothers, who it seemed, ran the Californian side of things. "Man, it's great that you speakee English dude, ya hear me? Mean I'm half goin' half out my head lisnen to these Frenchies speak that shit. Youn me talk the same thing. We unnerstan mano to mano, right?" "Sure," I said. "But man what rilly blew me way is that you can speak Dutch. That's kinda skill we need in an operation like this." I was a bit sceptical as to the linguistic advantage that my mastery of Dutch was supposed to bring to the job. Most Dutch speakers speak perfectly coherent English, and many of them do so much more intelligibly than my future-ex-employer. Then the interview took a strange turn. I should have realized right then that this was not the place for me. Brando lifted his hand from the financial manager's leg and placed both elbows heavily on the table. "You know, you like dude we can pay part, or all your wages in cocaine. That would really work for us. And we're talking the pure here man. This shit uncut. Least not much. You could cut it yourself and make a lotta bucks. Like you could make way more than we gonna pay you. We pay you to make more than we pay you. You see the beauty of it? Win-win for both of us. Specially for you and for me. I made up a story on the spot about a bank loan. "...you see, so my banker really would prefer to see a pay-cheque on my account at the end of each month." Brando looked at the financial manager who still hadn't said a word. She shrugged and then nodded. "But you change your mind mano let us know. We'll give you a really good deal. Be here tomorrow at nine and we'll show you the ropes. Meantime me and Francine gotta get down on some euh... financial planning, hear me." I thanked him and got up to leave. He stood up and punched me on the shoulder so hard that it left a bruise for a week. "I like you Irish, you gonna teach me speak somma that Amsterdam." Then in mock whisper, "but right now ima gonna teach Francine some financial tricks. Later man." I was so happy to have found a job that I didn't dwell too much on the weirdness. I had grown up knowing that even though Americans spoke more or less the same language as we did in Ireland they were essentially an alien race. A friend had offered me the use of his holiday apartment just outside St Jean de Luz. I could stay there until the summer, which would give me time to get back on my feet financially and find a place of my own. Basically my job at Crusty was an office job. I was given my own desk in an open office with a dozen or so other people. There were lots of complicated customs declaration details to learn. Each country had its own particular sets of rules. Europe might have been on the path of harmonization, but it wasn't quite there yet. I also had to deal with sports goods shops, agents and distributers based all over Northern Europe. I never once had to use my Dutch. Crusty had started out with surfboards and quickly expanded into lycra rash-guard shirts and wet-suits. They later broadened their range to include a much wider range of goods, from swimwear to sunglasses, from snowboards to shirts. Backpacks and snow clothes were among the hundreds of items shipped into the warehouse downstairs. Though they were made cheaply in China they were mostly good quality. A generous staff discount and a freebie seconds-bin soon revitalized my ailing wardrobe. My co-workers weren't surfers, or even wannabees. Most were quiet introverted folks who kept their heads down and their mouths shut. I soon found out why. The main office was upstairs above part of the warehouse. At one end was Brando’s office, his bathroom suite, and what he called his ‘playpen’. Encouraged by my colleagues, I sneaked a look at it one day when he was out. I was surprised by what I saw. The room was quite small, perhaps four metres by four and was completely empty. That in itself wasn’t what made it strange. The floor I recognized as rice-straw tatami mats in the purest Japanese style, but it was the padded walls that gave the room its peculiar look. That, and what looked suspiciously like splattered bloodstains on the white ceiling tiles. “Il est la? Is he there?” asked a giant of a man who had appeared at the top of the stairs dressed in an immaculate white starched judogi. “He’ll be back in half an hour,” answered Dominique, the office supervisor. “Okay, I’ll wait for him inside.” Half an hour later Brando came bounding up the steps thumping a fist in an open palm. “Did he get here yet? Did he get here yet? Did he get here yet?” he asked, bouncing up and down on the spot. Dominque nodded and Brando headed for the windowless playpen. As the door slammed shut glances were exchanged around the office, but no one said a word. “Brando takes judo lessons?” I asked my neighbour. “Eh...not exactly,” she replied. Soon I heard muffled shouts emerging from the padded playpen. The wall’s themselves vibrated, as someone’s body was slammed hard against the other side. Forty-five minutes later the judo teacher emerged from the cell. His neat white judogi was soaked in sweat. One of the trouser legs was torn and there was blood all down the front of his chest. One eye was swollen shut with a nasty blackish bruise. He limped across the room towards the stairs without looking at any of us. “Wow, the poor guy,” I said when he was gone. “Oh don’t worry about him. He’s not poor. That forty-five minutes just earned him more than you or I will earn here in three months. And he’ll be back again next week.” A few days later I witnessed another demonstration of Brando’s propensity for uncontrolled violence. “Godam mutha’ fuckin’ bullshit!” roared Brandon as he stormed into the office. His face was almost purple, his hands rapidly clenching and unclenching into fists. “Don’t look in his eyes,” whispered the girl at the next desk. “Fuckers!” screamed Brandon, spittle flying and foam flecks gathering at the corners of his mouth. He grabbed the edge of a desk, lifted it with ease and flung it halfway across the room where it landed with a crash. The computer and the printer that had been on the desk lay in a broken pile on the floor. He kicked the lot repeatedly, sending keyboard keys flying like a spray of broken teeth, then turned and stomped back to his lair. Everyone just went on with their work as if nothing had happened. Francois came out from the computer room, uprighted the desk and cleared up the broken computer. When dealing with orders from the customers I often had to make and receive phone calls. I was in constant contact with agents, distributors and shopkeepers from all across Northern Europe. “Tell Brando I need more of the white snow-jackets. Four XL size this time.” “I’ll let the warehouse know and they’ll ship them with the rest of your order.” “No, no, no. You have to let Brando know. Tell him yourself. Make sure he knows that it’s a special order. Four white snow-jackets, extra-large. My customers were very happy with the last shipment and they want more of the same.” I had many similar phone calls. “Tell Brando that demand for white snow-jackets is very high now. Let him know that I could probably sell twice as many if he can supply them at the same quality.” Each time I knocked on Brando’s door and gave him the new ‘special order’ he punched the air with an elated “Yesss!” I had no idea that snow-jackets were such a high-fashion item. Surely on the snow you want to wear a colour that can be seen. Why would anyone choose a jacket that would make them half invisible? I was curious about what they looked like, so I leafed through the catalogue. There were no white coloured snow-jackets. I searched the reference number and didn’t find them either. I keyed the reference number in to my computer and it came up listed as ‘in stock,’ but with no quantity mentioned, which was odd. Every month there was an open day at Crusty, when members of the local police force were invited to bring their families into the warehouse and purchase anything at cost price. There was also wine and refreshments and finger-food provided by a local caterer. Proper finger food. Foie Gras canapés, caviar... the works. Brando himself, on his best behaviour, would serve the drinks himself, tousle kids hair and crack bad jokes in his terrible French. I had to admit that he really knew how to turn on the charm when he wanted to and could be a really likeable guy. At this stage I had my doubts about Crusty’s activities and sources of revenue flow, but Brando was on such good terms with the police that I couldn’t possible approach them with my suspicions. I wouldn’t have anyway, because I still needed the job, which was varied enough to keep my interest up and I really liked living on the coast. I had started back some serious swimming and even if I still didn’t know how to surf, I started to get a surfer’s chest. My Irish skin was even taking on that salt-cured pickled look and I spent my days in an office full of reasonably pretty, though rather shy, young ladies. I was leafing through the mound of paperwork that had landed in my in-box. One was a form filled in for a return of defective goods. I had come across this before, but it wasn’t really my department so I sent the paperwork down to the warehouse. But this time I noticed that under ‘description of articles’ someone had filled in ‘white snow-jackets.’ My curiosity got the better of me and I waited until most of the warehouse staff were gone off shift. Most of them started work around six so the merchandise could get out on the road early in the day. I put a wad of paperwork on a clipboard and headed downstairs trying my best to look like I knew where I was going. It didn’t take me too long to find the shelf where the returned goods were stacked. I picked up a box cutter and slit the tape on the box that had the serial number that matched the one of the return-form. Inside, wrapped in clear plastic, lay three pure white snow-jackets. I pulled one out to look at it, to check what the problem was. At first I didn’t notice anything amiss, until I pulled the zipper and opened it up. The lining of the jacket hat been slits open inside in long vertical cuts that looked like they were made with a box-cutter just like the one I had just put down. I slipped my hands into the sleeve and found that the lining there was all slit open too. “Don’t worry ‘bout it man, Brando reassured me the next morning when I went reported my find to him. He seemed to be back to his ‘normal’ self, whatever that might mean. “We’ll gettum stitched up and sendem back again. Stuff comes back all the time. No need to sweat it.” “Maybe I can check any others and see if they are okay before we ship them out,” I suggested. “Nah, no need dude... Just forget about it right?” He fixed me with an unreadable look, but something in the cold way he said the last phrase made me understand that it was an order, not a suggestion. After lunch I sat back down ready to attack a whole new batch of customs declarations when Dominque, the office supervisor came over carrying a huge heavy stack of computer print-out paper and dropped it on my desk. “You’ve got some new stuff to do today. The data-entry girls are falling behind, so you are going to have to help out.” I’d done some data-entry in the past and found it dull, monotonous work. Dominique divided the pile of paper into three six inch high slabs. Each was a different report, with different details that all needed to be entered manually into the computer to make a new spreadsheet. Each page had seventy-five entries. There were hundreds, if not thousands of pages. After half an hour of mind-numbing data-entry I was halfway down the first page. At this rate it was going to take me weeks, or even months to complete. I authorized myself to take a walk outside to get some fresh air. Why had I suddenly been given the world’s dullest job to do? Was I expected to handle the orders and the customs declarations as well? Something wasn’t right. I went back inside and sat back down and looked at the three reports. They had all been printed from the same software system. So why did I have to spend my time inputting information into the system when it was all already there? I went to the coffee machine and got two cups, then headed into the refrigerated computer room. Francois, the resident computer-manager was seated at his desk, wearing a padded snowboarder jacket to protect him from the cold. He looked up from the comic book he was reading with a smile. “So here’s Mister Marc come to relieve me from my boredom. You must want something or you wouldn’t be here. You know you are the first person who has come in here all week. I think sometimes they forget I’m here, until something goes wrong with the machines.” I handed him a cup of coffee which was steaming in the cold temperature. “Coffee. That’s very thoughtful. You’ve just gained some extra points. So what can I do for you?” I explained about the three report sheets and the fields and values I was supposed to fill in for the new report. “Surely since they all come from the same data-base it must be possible to create a new report with the information that is already there.” “Of course. So basically you’re telling me that the bosses are wasting your time?” “And their time too. And their money come to that.” “Don’t worry about their money. Revenue isn’t a problem in this place. All the numbers come through these machines. I see them all. Even with negative sales this place would still turn over a huge profit. Quite miraculous really,” and he burst into a fit of laughter. “Anyway pull over a chair and we’ll work on this report.” It took Francois ten minutes to create a new report from the data-base that would only select the chosen fields I needed. We double checked it together and then he pressed print. A big noisy printer shuddered into life regurgitating a continuous flow of paper that it swallowed from a cardboard box. Half an hour later I dropped the printout on Dominique’s desk. “What’s this?” she asked. “Your new report,” I answered with a cocky grin. “But that’s not possible. It should take you weeks.” “Well now I’ve just saved Crusty a lot of time and money and I can get back to the rest of the stuff I have to do.” She didn’t look very happy about my incredible productivity. “No. I think you should take a coffee break and I will check this report with Brando.” I poured myself another cup of coffee and was halfway through it when Brando’s head appeared. “Dude. My office.” Used to the casual atmosphere at Crusty, I carried the mug with me. I stepped inside and realized that there was nothing casual about the atmosphere today. Brando, Dominique and the mute financial manager sat in a row behind his massive desk. “Sidown. You got some splainin’ to do.” He turned his desk lamp towards me, so I was half blinded and could only make out half his silhouette. “Dominique here tells me that you disobeyed a direck order and went bothering Francois for some unauthorized report. That true?” I explained as best I could. It made perfect sense to me. “Why do things the hard way when you can do them the easy way?” I asked. “Funny you say that dude, ‘cos that’s the same thing I was gonna say to you. You been disobeyin’ orders and stickin’ your head in where it don’t belong. I’m gonna show you something now. And better you watch real good.” He turned a little monitor on his desk round to face me. Thankfully he moved the light out of my face. I blinked for a moment and the image on the little screen came into focus. It was staggered black and white shots from a security camera with the time and date printed in a little box in the corner. I recognized the stairwell that led downstairs to the warehouse. Then I felt a sick, sour feeling spread through my body as I recognized myself from behind moving down the stairs. I was carrying a clipboard in one hand. The next shots were in the warehouse and the clipboard had been replaced with a box cutter. I saw myself slit open a cardboard box, then pull out a white snow-jacket. Next the camera zoomed in and I saw the vertical slits in the lining of the jacket I was holding. “Now you think hard and you think good. You know what went on down there with those jackets. I know what went on down there with those jackets. You know I know because you told me yourself. But ya gotta remember one thing man – the camera never lies. I know you’re a smart guy. Maybe little bit too smart. Or not smart enough. If you had come on board earlier and taken me up on my offer from the start, hell you’d be rollin’ in a Beemer now.” “You can try to fight this thing if you want. But trust me - you don’t wanna fight with me.” He slid a thick white envelope across the desk. “You get all your back pay, your due holiday pay and a little bonus too, to give you amnesia. No hard feelings dude, but you gotta go. You’re fired.” great story... jo

20 Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget Access. These costs of living have increased dramatically over the years, and yet wage rates and income supports have not increased at the same rate of inflation. This means people have to spend more and more money on fixed costs such as housing, electricity, etc., and the most flexible basic expense is the food budget (you can’t pay half of your rent, electricity, or power, but you can sure cut your food bill). Does this seem fair? Many people blame themselves for not being able to afford enough healthy food for their families, when in fact it is more of a societal issue (when you look at the issue as a whole and not on an individual basis). Does this sound like your situation? Then throw away that blame and don’t being so hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can with the social circumstances you are given. And if you’re one of those people who say well people should do this, or shouldn’t do that…just try to be a little more understanding about the fact that everyone is doing their best with their given circumstances. Most people will say that a healthy diet should be affordable to everyone. The truth for many is, if you have an extremely tight budget for food for the week for yourself and your family (I’ve worked with mothers that have $20 to stretch for the week for food), a few boxes of Kraft dinner and some hot dogs, or a $3 on sale pizza, go much further than an array of lean meats, healthy carbs and veggies. A bottle of pop you can get for 50 cents on sale, yet the same size carton of milk would run about five dollars. The examples are endless. The fact is that many of us have to make some tough choices that we judge ourselves harshly enough about. Healthy eating can be done on a budget, but it takes some time, patience, understanding, effort, and trial and error to figure out the best system that works for you and your family. Here are some tips for eating healthy on a budget: 1. Buy Generic Food and Store Brands - Generic versions of raw foods such as rice, pasta, eggs, milk, cottage cheese, and frozen fruits/veggies taste like brand name foods (or at least comparable), and they’ll save you money on packaging & advertising. 2. Buy in Bulk - Especially when there are sales. Foods like pasta, rice and oats are easy to stockpile. If they’re on sale, buy as much as you can afford and store to last you until the next sale. 3. Invest in a Deep Freezer - Even if you have to buy one second hand and clean it. It will save you tons of money in the long run because you can stock up on fruits, veggies, meats, etc., when they go on sale. 4. Buy Only What You Need - “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. The best way to avoid impulse buying is to prepare yourself before you do the grocery. - as it prevents impulse buying from the significant other and/or kids. - Keep a list in the kitchen to write down items that you need to buy for your menu or to restock your pantry. 5. Prepare Your Own Food - Cook all your meals for the day on waking up or before going to bed (place ingredients in a slow cooker, or cook and then store in the fridge/freezer). It takes 30-40mins, saves you stress about what you’ll be eating the rest of the day and you eat healthy while saving money. Or choose one afternoon or evening a week to prep some meals for days when you know you will be busy. There are many websites where you can get ideas on family meal prep, such as this one. - Reduce processed foods: Buy oats instead of cereals, make home made protein bars, home made tomato sauce, home made pizza (recipes can be found online). - Keep it simple: make double portions, take leftovers with you, use cans of tuna & mackerel, rice, pasta, and frozen veggies. - Learn to cook from scratch: Learn to work with spices & herbs. Invest in a budget-friendly eating on a budget cookbook, or free sites such as this one for recipes. Note: it takes time, patience and practice to learn new cooking skills (as with learning any new skill). Don’t get frustrated if you burn something or don’t get it right the first time. You will slowly start to develop your skills over time. 6. Make One Meal for Everyone - Try to offer everybody the same foods at mealtimes. As tempting as it is to please everyone, avoid making something special for ‘picky’ eaters. Children will learn to like many different foods only if they are encouraged to try them. Making only one meal also saves money and prevents waste. (Disclaimer: this might not be true for some households with picky eaters, so I do understand that sometimes you just ‘gotta do what you gotta do’ with a very picky eater). 7. Offer Water Instead of Juice for Kids - Or try diluting juice with water. It’s better for their teeth and also helps reduce the risk for childhood obesity (through drinking too many calories). 8. Plan for Leftovers - Make larger amounts of food and plan to use leftovers for lunches or suppers the next day. Add leftover vegetables, meats, fish, or poultry to salads, pastas, soups or spaghetti sauces. 9. Use Community Gardens or CSAs - Community gardens offer people the opportunity to grow their own vegetables and fruit. A group of people come together to grow food, maintain the garden and share the harvest. Ask your local community centre or public health department if there is a community garden that you could join. - ‘Community Supported Agriculture’ (CSA) refers to a particular network of individuals who provide money to support one or more local farms. CSA subscribers pay at the beginning of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest; once harvesting begins, they receive weekly shares of vegetables and fruit. Often, CSAs also include herbs, honey, eggs, dairy products and meat, in addition to produce. Check if there is a CSA in your area. 10. Buy Frozen Fruits & Veggies. - Unfreeze berries in microwave and eat warm with cottage cheese. Buy large bags of spinach and freeze half of it so it does not go bad; use the fresh spinach in salads and the frozen in cooked recipes. Try frozen beans, broccoli, carrots, corn, etc. - Benefits of using frozen fruits and veggies: Saves Money – often half the price of fresh and almost infinite shelf life when kept in freezer; Saves Time – frozen fruits & veggies are pre-washed and pre-cut, which saves preparation time; Nutrient Dense – if frozen right when picked, frozen fruits & veggies can contain just as much or even more nutrients than fresh ones. 11. Plan Easy Meals Around Whole Grains - Add meat, chicken or dried beans, peas or lentils and vegetables to brown rice, quinoa, bulgur or barley. Follow the directions on the package to help you cook the grains. 12. Healthier Cereal Options - Buy unsweetened whole grain cereals when you can. Sweetened cereals are higher in sugar and are often lower in fibre. - Hot cereals like oatmeal and multigrain cereals are the best buys. Instant flavoured hot cereals in single serving packages are easy, but they may cost more and are higher in sugar and salt. - Add your own toppings to cereals to make them more flavourful: banana slices, berries, canned fruit, dried fruit (raisins, apricots, dates, dried cranberries), nuts, yogurt, applesauce, chopped apples or cinnamon. 13. Buy Discounted Meat - Grocery stores often discount meats by up to 70% as they approach expiration date. Buy several pounds and store in your freezer. 14. Buy Less Expensive Types of Meat, Poultry and Fish - Stewing meat - Outside, inside or eye of round - Blade or flank steak - Regular or medium ground meat - Pork shoulder - Chicken pieces (legs, thighs) or whole chicken (or buy breasts when they are on sale and freeze) - Plain frozen fish fillets such as salmon, tilapia, sole, haddock and Pollock - Canned fish like salmon, “light” tuna, sardines and herring 15. Keep Portions Small - A serving of meat, poultry or fish is just 75 grams (2.5 oz) or about the size of a deck of cards. Have 2 to 3 servings per day. Enjoy meals that use small amounts of meat and lots of vegetables, pasta or rice. Try stir-fries, casseroles, curries and pasta dishes. 16. Lower priced meats can be less tender because they are lower in fat. Try these ways to make meat more tender: - Marinate meat overnight in the refrigerator. - Pound the meat using a mallet before cooking. - Cook meat slowly for a few hours in a liquid such as water, broth or tomato juice. 17. Explore meat alternatives like eggs, dried beans, peas and lentils, soy products and nuts and seeds. Try eating a few meatless meals each week: - Curried chickpeas and rice - Vegetable cheese omelette - Vegetarian bean chilli - Lentil casserole or soup - Tofu stir-fry - Egg salad sandwich - Hummus and vegetable pita 18. Ways to Save Money with Dairy Products: - Buy milk in 4 L bags or jugs instead of cartons. Milk can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw bags of milk in your refrigerator and shake it before you open it. - Skim milk powder costs less than milk and is just as nutritious. Once skim milk powder has been mixed with water, try mixing it with an equal amount of milk from the bag or carton for a creamier taste. You can also use it for cooking or baking. Buy yogurt in a larger container instead of single serve portions. - Buy cheese in blocks when it is on sale and slice or grate it yourself. - Freeze grated or block cheese to help make it last longer. It will crumble when you thaw it, but it will be just as nutritious. - Buy yogurt in a larger container instead of single serve portions. Note: plain yogurt can be used as a much healthier substitute for mayonnaise. - Low fat cottage cheese can be a good substitute for regular cheese in some recipes - Compare brands and the price of cheese per kilogram. 19. Try These Budget-friendly Meal Ideas - Make a stir fry and serve it over brown rice. - Toss leftover pasta with diced canned tomatoes, canned or frozen vegetables and cooked meat. Put in a casserole dish and top with grated cheese. Heat in the oven or microwave. - Add chopped vegetables and dried fruit to quinoa, bulgur or barley and toss with oil and vinegar salad dressing. - Add cooked brown rice or barley to soups. - Cheese, bean and vegetable quesadillas on whole grain tortillas. 20. Last but not least – Don’t be afraid to ask for help! - Everybody has rough times for various reasons. People are usually too embarrassed to ask for help because there are judgements and stigma out there around this. Try to look past that and understand that no matter what people will always judge. Don’t refrain from seeking help just because there is a lack of understanding around who should and shouldn’t need it. - Community Kitchens: are small groups of people who prepare low-cost meals together to divide among their families. Ask your local community centre or public health department to connect you with a group. - Food Buying Clubs (e.g. The Good Food Box): The Good Food Box is a non-profit food buying club that makes fresh vegetables and fruit available at an affordable price. Community organizations and volunteers help pack and distribute the boxes. Go to to find a Good Food Box program near you. - Food Banks and Food Cupboards: provide basic food items to help when you do not have enough money for food. They try to offer healthy foods, but the types and amounts of food you will get depends on what is available. When you find a location, be sure to ask about the hours of operation and what information you should bring with you when you go. - Meal Programs: Sometimes you need a place to get a meal when money is tight. Nutritious meals that are free or at a very low cost may be available where you live. Ask about meal programs at local places of worship, community centres and other non-profit organizations in your community. - Student Nutrition Programs: Many schools offer breakfast, lunch and/or snack programs for their students. Ask the principal at your child’s school if they offer a nutrition program.’. Submit a Comment

What Do I Use To Open A PDF On A Mac? January 3, 2011PDF 6 Comments This may seem like a silly question, but PDFs are indispensable to the practice of law so this is an important consideration. As I wrote in my review of Adobe Acrobat 9 for Law.com, PDF has become the lingua franca of legal documents – it is the standard for electronic filing, scanned documents, digital signatures, form distribution and much more. This means lawyers and legal professionals have to open and read a LOT of PDF files every day. Opening & reading a PDF About 90% of the time, all we need to do is open and read a PDF – we don’t need to highlight or annotate anything, create bookmarks, or do anything else except just read the content. So 90% of the time, I’m opening PDFs in Preview, the excellent image viewer that’s built into Mac OS X. Preview is truly a hidden gem that’s built into Mac OS X. It’s fast, functional and free, and it was designed by Apple to work within the Mac OS. It’s the default viewer for image files such as JPG or TIFF, as well as PDFs. That means out of the box, your Mac will open Preview when you double-click a PDF file. I choose to leave Preview as my default PDF viewer, even though I have both PDFpen and Adobe Acrobat on my system. I leave Preview as my default PDF viewer because it’s fast and performs admirably when I simply need to open and read a PDF. When you need to do more with a PDF… Preview is “free” since it’s built into the Mac OS – you get it with any Mac you buy. In additional to simply opening and reading a PDF file, Preview is also excellent for sorting pages in an PDF, extracting certain pages out of a PDF, and dragging & dropping pages from one PDF file to another. Preview does have some basic annotation tools which are nice, but they don’t quite rise to the “professional” level. That’s when I turn to PDFpen from Smile Software, or Acrobat Professional from Adobe. PDFpen from Smile Software PDFpen offers a nice, intuitive interface that allows you to easily add a graphical signature, highlight text, annotate with a circle, place a stamp, and a myriad of other features. The standard version of PDFpen is only $59.95, and the Pro version is only $99.95. That’s a terrific bargain compared to Adobe Acrobat Standard at $299 and Acrobat Professional at $449. But while I’m a big fan of PDFpen, I usually turn to Acrobat Professional when I need more features to interact with my PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Professional Acrobat is the original author of the portable document format (PDF), and even though they have freely and graciously licensed it over the years, they developed the original so they know PDF the best. That’s not to say that others can’t compete, but I tend to trust Acrobat when I need to do some heavy lifting on my PDFs. For example: - Security settings: you can set security on PDF files in Preview and PDFpen, but Acrobat gives you more options (e.g. refuse printing, restrict modification, prohibit combining files or extracting pages, etc.). - Bates numbering: you can do this is PDFpen, but Acrobat offers several more options to tweak the look and settings of the Bates numbers. - Redactions: Adobe has really improved their redaction feature since introducing it with Acrobat 8. This is “true” redaction and NOT just simply covering over the text with a black box (see some scary stories in “Redaction Gone Wrong!“) - Split PDF files: with Acrobat 9, you can split PDF files by number of pages, file size, and bookmarks. - Forms: other applications (such as the Pro version of PDFpen) can handle form creation, but Acrobat just does it better. - OCR: Acrobat has been doing this longer than many of the other applications, and I tend to see better results from Acrobat when compared to other PDF applications (although separate, devoted OCR applications still probably do a better job). - Signatures: PDFpen does an excellent job of giving you the basic tools necessary for inserting a scanned image of your handwritten signature. In fact, PDFpen offers a simple workflow to create a transparent background on your signature. You have to jump through a few more steps to do the same in Adobe Acrobat. The big difference, however, is that Acrobat allows you to make that signature a little more sophisticated and trustworthy. You can customize the “appearance” of the signature in Acrobat which could include text such as the date to accompany the scanned image of your signature. Acrobat also “validates” the signature meaning that if the PDF is altered in any way after you apply that electronic signature, a warning box tells you that the “signature is invalid.” I don’t suggest that this is the ultimate is authenticity, but it is enough to raise the question if you need to investigate if someone altered the PDF after it was “signed.” It’s still a long way from a true, encryption-based digital signature, but it’s an excellent step forward. - Document compare: this is an excellent feature baked into Acrobat that I don’t see a lot of people using, which is unfortunate. Both documents used in the comparison obviously need to be in PDF, but Acrobat provides an excellent comparison report on the differences found in the two files which is all most folks need when comparing two documents. What should I buy? I always recommend that lawyers and legal professionals purchase a full version of Adobe Acrobat Professional. Yes, there are less expensive options, but PDFs are integral to our profession and we therefore need professional-grade software. I do NOT, however, suggest that you use Adobe Acrobat to the exclusion of any other PDF software. In fact, I recommend that you leave the default PDF viewer as Preview since it is faster in opening PDF files. And it doesn’t hurt to have PDFpen on your system as well since there are occasions when a certain feature may be easier to implement when compared to a more convoluted process in Acrobat. When to use which PDF application… Leave Preview as your default PDF application. When you double-click a PDF file, it will open in Preivew. When you need to open a PDF file in another application such as PDFpen or Acrobat, simply right-click (Ctrl+click) the file, go to “Open With” and then select PDFpen or Acrobat from the list. I know that involves a few extra steps, but for the majority of time when you just need to view a PDF, you’ll be happier with the speed and performance of Preview. (Adobe offers the free Adobe Reader for Mac, but I still recommend Preview over Reader because Preview is built into the Mac OS. The only time I would recommend Reader is when you might need to complete a form that someone created in Adobe Acrobat. But in that case you should have Acrobat Professional on your machine and will use that instead.) The price is definitely right The biggest barrier to Acrobat Professional is the price. Many folks understandably balk at the $449 price for a piece of software, so here is the best piece of advice if you’ve lasted this far in the post: Don’t buy Adobe Acrobat Professional by itself. Get a full copy of Adobe Acrobat Professional bundled with a Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M scanner for a little over $400. I know it sounds too good to be true, but you get one of the best desktop scanners on the market with a full copy of Adobe Acrobat Professional thrown in! The only caveat is that the copy of Acrobat Professional is version 8, which is now two versions back (Acrobat X is just getting released now). I suspect that Fujitsu will update the version to 9 soon which will be more than adequate for most law practices. Actually, version 8 only lacks a small handful of features found in 9 and above. Most people using version 8 will never miss those features so I have no qualms about recommending the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M with Acrobat Professional 8 right now. John Arnold Feb 22, 2011 @ 08:54:09 Check out the Ascertia PDF Sign&Seal tool if you want a really powerful PDF signer solution. It’s streets ahead of anything else, from drag&drop signatures, 1-click signing, multi-doc signing, tablet ink signatures, create and sign etc. Fred Wright Lopez Mar 22, 2011 @ 12:11:30 Re: “What to Use to Open A PDF On a Mac?” Based on review purchased Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M with Adobe 8 professional. Installed only to find out that Adobe 8 Pro doe NOT work with OS 10.6.6! Adobe advised they NO LONGER Support Adobe 8 and should have bought Adobe 10; Fujitsu advises they are aware that Adobe 8 does NOT work on latest OS vesion but have no solution. What gives here? Note Fujitsu does NOT have any noticein in packing or on it web site advising that Adobe 8 will NOT work on Mac 10.6.6 and they are providing NO resolution. Now stuck with ScanSnap with NO Adobe opearting Pro software which was what you so highly recommended product. Correct your article please. Comment Fred Wright llLopez Mar 22, 2011 @ 16:39:54 Sounds good but do not buy. Adobe Acronat Professional 8 dies NOT work with Mac’s latest operating system OS 10.6.6. There are no updates offered by Dujitsu or Adobe to fix this problem. Buyers are informed of this incompatibility until after purchase Brett Burney Apr 06, 2011 @ 07:46:01 Fred, I can certainly understand your frustration. However, I just tested this installing my copy of Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional that came bundled with my Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M on an iMac that is running 10.6.7 (I note that you were running 10.6.6) and it worked absolutely fine. Everything installed just fine (including the Safari plug-in) and I was able to open and use Adobe Acrobat just fine. May I recommend that you update Mac OS X to the current version of 10.6.7 and then attempt to install Adobe Acrobat 8 again? Lawrence Wein Jun 27, 2011 @ 08:50:06 The only thing that I am looking to do is save PDF documents at work (MS environment) or at home (MAC environment) onto my flash drive and be able to highlight as needed. Nothing else. Would PDF pen be enough to accomplish this? Brett Burney Jun 27, 2011 @ 12:03:25 PDFpen would absolutely allow you to highlight text on a PDF, regardless of what was used to create the PDF. Just know that PDFpen is Mac-only, so it would not work in a Windows environment – you would need a PDF viewer for that such as Adobe Reader, or the full version of Adobe Acrobat.

The AntSMB dataset: a comprehensive compilation of surface mass balance field observations over the Antarctic Ice Sheet - 1School of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China - 2Tibetan Plateau and Polar Meteorology Institute, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China - 3Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands - 4School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China - 5State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China Correspondence: Yetang Wang ([email protected]) and Cunde Xiao ([email protected]) A comprehensive compilation of observed records is needed for accurate quantification of surface mass balance (SMB) over Antarctica, which is a key challenge for calculation of Antarctic contribution to global sea level change. Here, we present the AntSMB dataset: a new quality-controlled dataset of a variety of published field measurements of the Antarctic Ice Sheet SMB by means of stakes, snow pits, ice cores, ultrasonic sounders, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR). The dataset collects 3579 individual multi-year-averaged observations, 687 annually resolved time series from 675 sites extending back over the past 1000 years, and daily resolved records covering 245 years from 32 sites across the whole ice sheet. These records are derived from ice cores, snow pits, stakes/stake farms, and ultrasonic sounders. Furthermore, GPR multi-year-averaged measurements are included in the dataset, covering an area of 22 025 km2. This is the first ice-sheet-scale compilation of SMB records at different temporal (daily, annual, and multi-year) resolutions from multiple types of measurement and is available at (Wang et al., 2021). The database has potentially wide applications such as the investigation of temporal and spatial variability in SMB, model validation, assessment of remote sensing retrievals, and data assimilation. As a case of model estimation, records of the AntSMB dataset are used to assess the performance of ERA5 for temporal and spatial variability in SMB over Antarctica.. SMB is defined as the sum of precipitation, surface and drifting snow sublimation, erosion/deposition caused by drifting snow, and surface meltwater runoff. Since the International Geophysical Year 1957–1958 (IGY), a number of scientific Antarctic traverses/expeditions have been performed with the goal of obtaining SMB measurements by means of stakes, ice cores/snow pits, ultrasonic sounders, or ground-penetrating radar (GPR) (e.g., Isaksson and Melvold, 2002; Mayewski et al., 2005). Due to logistical constraints in the harsh environment, gaps in the spatial coverage of SMB measurements are still large, and long-term samplings are also scarce (Favier et al., 2013). As a result, substantial caveats have been encountered when quantifying SMB at the ice sheet scale by using simple interpolation of these observations (Magand et al., 2007; Genthon et al., 2009). Climate models and various atmospheric reanalysis products provide an important choice of how to assess SMB for large areas. The outputs of regional climate models have been used to calculate ice sheet SMB in recent decades by a wealth of Antarctic mass change estimate studies (e.g., Rignot et al., 2011; Shepherd et al., 2012; Rignot et al., 2019). However, these simulations depend on ground-based observations to improve their accuracy and resolution. Before application, the model's performance needs to be carefully assessed based on in situ observations, as performed by some previous studies (Medley et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2015; Van Wessem et al., 2018; Agosta et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2020). To improve the ice sheet SMB estimates, field measurements have been used by cross comparison with remotely sensed data (Arthern et al., 2006) or outputs of the climate models (e.g., Monaghan et al., 2006a; Van de Berg et al., 2006; Medley and Thomas, 2019; Wang et al., 2019). Thus, it is still pivotal to compile all available observations from the past to present to better estimate spatial and temporal variability in SMB and to constrain climate models and remote sensing algorithms. Vaughan and Russell (1997) performed pioneering work to compile all multi-year-averaged SMB field measurement data over the AIS, and this compilation was introduced in detail by Vaughan et al. (1999). However, according to Magand et al. (2007), this dataset includes a lot of unreliable data and should be used with caution. To improve this, Favier et al. (2013) updated the database using the new field measurements carried out during 1999–2012, through quality control proposed by Magand et al. (2007). Recently, several compilations of SMB measurements at an annual resolution have been published (e.g., Mayewski and Dixon, 2013; Altnau et al., 2015; Thomas et al., 2017; Montgomery et al., 2018). In spite of numerous field measurements in these datasets, most cover only a limited area of the AIS. In particular, these datasets missed a large number of annually resolved stake/stake farm observations, such as data from the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE), the South Pole, and Vostok. In addition, available SMB measurements derived from GPR are not collected or at least not fully collected in these datasets. Furthermore, all available ultrasonic sounder data from automatic weather stations (AWSs) at daily or higher resolutions have not been compiled until now. In this study, our objective is to generate a comprehensive SMB database for Antarctica, using all available measurements by means of stakes/stake networks, snow pits/ice cores, GPR, and ultrasonic sounders, with control of data quality. This dataset includes SMB measurements at daily, annual, and multi-year resolutions, which can be applied to validation and calibration of climate models and remote sensing, developments of remotely sensed algorithms, examination of spatial and temporal patterns in Antarctic SMB, and estimates of the drivers of SMB changes across multiple scales. As a case of model validation, we make a comparison of the dataset with ERA5 reanalysis. 2.1 Data collections and sources We compile the dataset of SMB measurements over the AIS by searching the literature and public data portal platforms (e.g., the National Snow and Ice Data Center, NSIDC; PANGAEA; World Data Service for Paleoclimatology, NOAA), by collecting the supplements of publications, and by asking individual data generators to contribute their field measurements by email. If two or more request emails were not replied to, we consider the data unavailable to the public, and thus they are not included in this dataset. The new data resources of the records in the database include GPR measurements over West Antarctic coastal zones during 2010–2017 (Dattler et al., 2019), over Thwaites Glacier in 2009 (Medley et al., 2013), and between Dome C and Vostok in 2012 (Le Meur et al., 2018) (Fig. 1). They cover an area of 22 025 km2. A large number of new stake measurements were acquired by revisiting the traverses from Zhongshan Station to Dome Argus (Dome A) (Ding et al., 2015), from Syowa Station to Dome Fuji (Dome F) (Motoyama et al., 2015), and between Progress Station and Vostok Station (Khodzher et al., 2014). In addition to new long-term ice core SMB records at the South Pole (Winski et al., 2019), this dataset includes previously published (in figures or tables) but unreleased (in terms of the original data) time series of SMB records from ice cores drilled over the Lambert Glacier basin (Xiao et al., 2001; Li et al., 2009; Ding et al., 2017). Furthermore, an important update of annually resolved SMB data results from the continuous stake network measurements performed at the South Pole, Vostok, and six sites of the transverse between Syowa Station and Dome F. In addition, this is the first public release of the published high-resolution ultrasonic sounder observations on Berkner Island (Reijmer et al., 1999; Reijmer and Van den Broeke, 2003), Dronning Maud Land (DML; Van den Broeke et al., 2004), the East Antarctic Plateau (Reijmer and Van den Broeke, 2003), and the Chinese transverse from Zhongshan Station to Dome A (Liu et al., 2019), which are very useful for the investigation of intra-annual and seasonal cycles of SMB. The other records of the database are obtained from existing SMB data compilations, including the multi-year-averaged SMB measurements by Favier et al. (2013) and Wang et al. (2016); time series of ice core records at an annual resolution by Mayewski and Dixon (2013), Altnau et al. (2015), and Thomas et al. (2017); and SMB component measurements over the Antarctic Ice Sheet and Greenland Ice Sheet (SUMup dataset) by Montgomery et al. (2018). Figure 1The. 2.2 Selection criteria In order to establish a comprehensive, complete, and quality-controlled AIS SMB product for a variety of scientific applications, quantitative criteria are designed for record inclusion in the database to center on high-resolution and well-dated records and to optimize data spatial coverage. The criteria are as follows. Firstly, the records must be published through peer review or publicly available. The duration and temporal resolution of the records vary by measurement type. We select the ultrasonic sounder records with a minimum duration of 1 year. For annually resolved archives (ice core, stake, and stake network measurements), the duration of records included in this dataset should be at least 10 years but smaller than 1000 years. For the multi-year-averaged observations, the included records for the average span more than 3 years, which is the minimum number of years for an accurate estimation of the mean local SMB with an uncertainty of smaller than 10 % (Magand et al., 2007). Secondly, the essential parameters for each SMB datum are provided, including location, measurement methodology, data time coverage, and references to the primary data sources. Thirdly, the different kinds of record are quality-checked to the highest degree possible and then included in the dataset. (1) To ensure the multi-year-averaged SMB data are reliable at each site, we select the data determined by the anthropogenic radionuclides and volcanic horizons with errors of smaller than 10 % or stake measurements for more than 3 years, as suggested by Magand et al. (2007). The records with dating based both on stable isotopes and chemical markers and on natural radionuclides are reliable (Magand et al., 2007) and thus included in the dataset. We also include the available GPR-based snow accumulation rate data because their uncertainties can be below 5 % at a firn depth of 10 m and decrease with the increase in the depth after post-processing including interpretation of reflectors, correct density estimates, and proper calibration with ice cores (Spikes et al., 2004; Eisen et al., 2008). (2) SMB records of annually resolved ice cores should be either cross-dated or layer-counted. Their chronology should include at least two age control points, with one near the youngest part and another near the oldest part of the time series (Stenni et al., 2017). Also, they must be confirmed by the data generator. Furthermore, ice core SMB records are corrected for the impact of firn density and the vertical strain rate profile (Thomas et al., 2017). (3) The preliminary quality control for AWS snow accumulation data has been performed by the data owner by means of removing the null measurements and physically anomalous snow accumulation data (i.e., data outside of the initial and final accumulation values) (e.g., Braaten, 1997, 2000). Some high-frequency noise still occurs in the AWS snow accumulation data. To reduce the noise, we discard the data points outside of 1 standard deviation of a running daily value as done by Fountain et al. (2010) and Cohen et al. (2013). 2.3 Types of data measurement collected in the AntSMB dataset 2.3.1 Stakes Stakes are the easiest and most traditional way to measure SMB. After placing a stake vertically in the snow or ice, relative variations in snow surface heights over a certain period can be determined by repeated measurements of the distance between the top of the stake and the surface. Changes in snow heights are multiplied by snow density to yield the corresponding SMB. This simple method has been widely applied over Antarctica by almost all national glacier surveys. However, in most cases, spatial representativity of a single-stake record is very limited due to large natural spatial variability and small-scale disturbance from post-depositional effects such as the interactions between the stake and local wind. To reduce the related uncertainties, stake lines along a transect or stake farms are often used (e.g., Frezzotti et al., 2005; Kameda et al., 2008; Ding et al., 2011). In particular, these measurements are useful for the investigation of the spatial distribution of SMB at the scale of less than a kilometer. Given the repeated measurements, stake observations are only performed over easily accessible regions. Due to logistic constraints in the extreme environment of Antarctica, the time span for the measurements usually ranges from 1 year to several years or even more. 2.3.2 Snow pits and ice cores Snow pits and ice cores are used to construct SMB changes in time by determining the age and density of different layers. The dating is dependent on the different time markers preserved in the column of the snow pit and ice core. The annual layer is dated through the counting of seasonal changes in various parameters including the visual stratigraphy, oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition, major chemical ion content, hydrogen peroxide, and electric conductivity. When integrated with the prominent horizons of known age from volcanic or radioactive markers, accuracy of dating is largely improved and results in time series of annual snow accumulation. Furthermore, the valuable reference horizons can also be used for the estimation of the SMB between horizons. In Antarctica, counting annual layers based on the seasonal variations in multiparameter records combined with reference horizons can be used to calculate annual SMB in the high accumulation zones. However, seasonal cycles can hardly be identified at regions with low accumulation of smaller than 100 kg m−2 yr−1, especially for the East Antarctic Plateau. Thus, reference horizons may be the most reliable dating method in the low-accumulation areas, and a mean SMB can only be found between two reference horizons. 2.3.3 GPR GPR maps firn stratigraphy along a profile from the surface, and the radar-identified firn layers with equal age along the continuous profiles can allow us to gain a detailed insight into SMB patterns. To calculate SMB, the isochronous layers must be well dated, which is usually dependent on the complementary depth–age of highly resolved ice core records along the radar profile. During the past few decades, grounded GPR has been widely used for the estimation of spatial variation in recent and historical SMB over Antarctica (e.g., Frezzotti et al., 2007; Anschütz et al., 2009; Müller et al., 2010). Most recently, the newly developed airborne radar systems have provided the revolutionized SMB measurements over the AIS (Kanagaratnam et al., 2004, 2007). They can robustly resolve the stratigraphy at the shallow (10 m) to intermediate (100 m) depths and hence measure annual and multi-year accumulation rates at the width of hundreds of kilometers along aircraft flight tracks. The systems were first developed by the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets and flown on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Operation IceBridge (OIB) campaigns (Leuschen, 2010; Rodriguez-Morales et al., 2014). The AntSMB database contains records of grounded and airborne GPR observations for the 2009–2019 OIB campaigns. Relative to point measurements such as stakes and snow pits/ice cores, the advantage of GPR observations is to yield a more accurate representation of spatial variations in SMB. Furthermore, the radar images of deep internal horizons allow us to quantify long-term variability in SMB. The errors in GPR-based SMB observations are associated with the depth and age of the reflector and extrapolation of density along the radar profile. The resulting uncertainties were estimated to be about 4 % of the calculated SMB at a firn depth of 10 m and about 0.5 % at the depth of 60 m after the calibration of depth and layer thinning and robust dating (isochronal accuracy of about 1 year) (Spikes et al., 2004). 2.3.4 AWS In Antarctica, some AWSs equipped with ultrasonic sensors measure snow surface height changes by detecting the vertical distance to the surface. Combined with density observation, snow height changes can be converted to SMB. Despite the occasional poor quality when blowing snow or fog happens, this method can continuously yield SMB records of a high (typically hourly) temporal resolution (van den Broeke et al., 2004; Gorodetskaya et al., 2013), which can be utilized to identify individual accumulation/ablation events, to quantify seasonal cycle of snow accumulation, and also to calculate the surface energy balance coupled with other AWS observations. In the same way as single ice core or stake observations, AWS measurements represent a single location, and spatial representativity is possibly limited. In addition, after collection of raw snow height data, the temperature-dependent speed of sound correction must be performed. The uncertainty in AWS height measurements is estimated to be ±1 cm or 0.4 % of the distance to the surface (Eisen et al., 2008). This means that the measurements are not sufficient to examine the smaller snow accumulation events that usually occur in the interior of the East Antarctic Plateau. 2.4 Structure and metadata The AntSMB dataset includes three subsets, i.e., (1) multi-year-averaged SMB observations from stakes, ice cores, and GPR measurements; (2) annually resolved SMB measurements from ice cores, stakes, and stake networks; and (3) AWS daily snow height measurements. To facilitate data reuse, subsampling, and reanalysis for scientific research efforts, each record in the three subdatasets includes some essential information, i.e., the names of measurement sites, site locations, measurement method, time coverage of the measurements, and citations. Site locations include latitude, longitude, and surface elevation. Each location of the measurements is in units of decimal degrees relative to the WGS84 ellipsoid. As listed in the dataset's metadata, measurement techniques include firn/ice cores, snow pits, stakes/stake networks, ultrasonic sounders, and GPR. Table 1 summarizes the essential information for each measurement. Uncertainties in the measurement methods have been discussed in detail by Eisen et al. (2008). Table 1Brief description of metadata fields used in the Antarctic SMB observation database. Download Print VersionDownload XLSX Among the three subdatasets, the number of data in the multi-year mean SMB subdataset is largest, including unique measurements by radar isochrones with a coverage of 22 025 km2, 2276 stake measurements, and 1303 ice core and snow pit observations (Fig. 2). The majority of these observations are derived from airborne snow radar measurements in the coastal zone of West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, the Ronne Ice Shelf, the South Pole, and Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers (Medley et al., 2013, 2014; Dattler et al., 2019). GPR data from two transects in East Antarctica account for 30 % of all measurements in this subdataset. In most cases, SMB values come from original measurements. However, for the Japanese traverse route from Syowa Station to Dome F, we updated multi-year-averaged SMB by combining new stake surface height measurements during 2007–2013 with the improved snow density data from Wang et al. (2015). Figure 2Bar charts indicating the number of the different types of measurement technique in the SMB observation dataset. The left bar demonstrates the distribution of approaches with the exclusion of high-resolution snow accumulation measurements and GPR measurements, and the area covered by GPR measurements is shown in the right bar. The annually resolved SMB subdataset contains 687 time series of records, of which 79 records come from the compilation of ice core snow accumulation by Thomas et al. (2017), and 26 from the shallow-firn-core records in DML collected by Altnau et al. (2015). Continuous stake surface height measurements at a sub-annual resolution since the 1970s are available for the transverse route from Syowa Station to Dome F (Motoyama et al., 2015). We converted the measurements to SMB for the subdataset by multiplying snow height changes by snow density estimated from Wang et al. (2015). AWS snow accumulation data are measured by the determination of the variations in the vertical heights between the sensor and snow using surface ultrasonic height rangers. The measurements are performed at 32 sites, of which 10 are located at DML, 7 at the Ross Ice Shelf, and 4 along the Chinese transverse route from Zhongshan Station to Dome A. 3.1 Spatial coverage of SMB records The comprehensive observed SMB database collects SMB field data at the daily, annual, and multi-year scales from the whole AIS. Spatial distribution of the records is uneven within Antarctica. AWS snow accumulation measurements cover a wide range of areas, including the coastal zones of East Antarctica (McMorrow et al., 2001) and West Antarctica (van Lipzig et al., 2004) with high snow accumulation, the dry East Antarctic Plateau (Reijmer and Broeke, 2003; van den Broeke et al., 2004), the Ross Ice Shelf (Cohen et al., 2013), Berkner Island, the Lambert Glacier drain, and the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Doran et al., 2002) (Fig. 1a). Availability of time series from the annual resolution SMB subdataset is rich for West Antarctica, DML, Berkner Island, and the traverse from Syowa Station to Dome F (Fig. 1b). However, large parts of the Antarctic interior with low snow accumulation remain undocumented, which is easily understood because the seasonal stratigraphy in ice cores is almost unavailable at the regions with an accumulation of smaller than 100 kg m−2 yr−1 (Frezzotti et al., 2007, 2013). Compared with SMB compilation by Favier et al. (2013), spatial coverage of the multi-year SMB subdataset has greatly improved, especially for West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. Despite the improvement of spatial distribution, SMB records are still poor for the region from the Ronne Ice Shelf via the South Pole to Dome C and for the coastal zone of East Antarctica. 3.2 Temporal variability in the SMB records The records in the comprehensive SMB dataset cover different time spans, ranging from a minimum of 1 year to a maximum of 1000 years. The covered time periods are closely associated with the measurement method. AWS provides very high resolution measurements of snow height changes, but the records generally span only a few years (1–18 years). Although a significant advantage of ice cores is to record SMB changes over long time spans, it is difficult to perform these observations at a high spatial density. Stake farms are the easiest method to observe SMB, but continuous measurements are available for between several years and tens of years, largely due to the logistic constraints in the extreme Antarctic environment. GPR can detect the local SMB from the last tens of years to about 1000 years along continuous profiles of the snowpack. The temporal resolution of GPR measurements is dependent on the age estimates of reflection horizons, and the resulting records in our dataset range from decadal to centennial. For the annually resolved SMB subdataset, of 183 time series from ice core and stake network measurements, 47 span from 1801 onwards (Fig. 3a). The number of time series peaks during the early 2000s when ice cores were retrieved in DML (Altnau et al., 2015) and the West AIS (Mayewski and Dixon, 2013). Prior to 1800, the number of time series decreases greatly, with only 10 with a duration beyond the past 500 years and 5 beyond the past 1000 years (Fig. 3a). The sharp decline since the mid-2000s results from a lack of coring efforts. Annually resolved stake measurements cover the past 40 years, peaking from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s (Fig. 3b). Figure 3(a) Availability of records excluding the stake measurements along the traverse from Syowa Station to Dome F in the annually resolved SMB subdatabase over time during the past 1000 years. (b) Time coverage of the stake measurements along the traverse from Syowa Station to Dome F. (c) Histograms indicating the date taken of the multi-year-averaged SMB subdataset only including ice core and stake measurements. For the multi-year-averaged SMB subdataset, 83 % of the records with the exception of radar measurements cover less than 20 years, and 43 % span less than 5 years. Figure 3c presents the distribution of years when these records were measured from 1950 onwards. The distribution of the measurements is relatively even until the 1990s, when the number of samples increases. The temporal coverage of radar observations ranges from 25 to 185 years. The dataset compiles the different types of SMB measurement including ice cores/snow pits, stakes, ultrasonic sensors, and GPR approaches. It is critical to investigate if the resulting data have systematic discrepancies due to the distinct measurement methods. In particular, the measurements by ice cores, stakes, and ultrasonic sensors are performed at the centimeter scale, whereas GPR samples are at the meter scale. Despite the scale difference, GPR measurements that are near 100 year averaged agree well with 5-year-averaged single-stake measurements at the corresponding locations along the transect near Talos Dome, with differences of around 10 % (Frezzotti et al., 2007). Given that no existing observed SMB dataset can be used as an independent reference of the different types of Antarctic multi-year-averaged SMB observation, the inter-comparison of SMB determined by different methods at the same or near the same locations is made, as presented in Fig. 4. The locations are mainly distributed near Talos Dome, along a transect from Terra Nova Bay to Dome C, on western DML, and at Dome F and Dome A. It is clear that despite the differently averaged time coverage, the different SMBs provide a reasonable match with each other, with the largest discrepancy of less than 20 %, which is consistent with previous, similar inter-comparison (e.g., Vaughan et al., 2004; Frezzotti et al., 2005; Anschütz et al., 2009). Here, we present an unprecedentedly comprehensive compilation of SMB observations at the daily, annual, and multi-year scales. For the compilation of the multi-year-averaged SMB ground-based observations including stakes/stake farms, snow pits/ice cores, and GPR, we apply the same quality control criteria as used in the compilation by Favier et al. (2013) and updated by Wang et al. (2016). Compared with the dataset, our compilation greatly improved the data spatial coverage by updating records using more recently published observations along the margins of West Antarctica; across Marie Byrd Land and the Antarctic Peninsula; around the South Pole; between Dome C and Vostok; and along the transects of Progress Station–Vostok Station, Dumont d'Urville–Dome C, Talos Dome, etc. We also updated SMB records along the transects of Zhongshan Station–Kunlun Station and Syowa Station–Dome F based on recent revisiting measurements. In particular, our dataset provides the first comprehensive compilation of grounded and airborne GPR measurements. In terms of the collections of annual-resolution SMB measurements from ice cores, the SUMup dataset focused on the limited ice core records at West Antarctica from the US International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition during the early 2000s (US ITASE; Mayewski and Dixon, 2013), several cores drilled in 2010–2011 (Medley et al., 2013), and records over DML and Berkner Island from the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA; Oerter, 2008a–l). The Antarctica 2k database constructed by Thomas et al. (2017) included 80 ice core records spanning at least 30 years, and shorter and other ground-based measurement records were omitted. However, our AntSMB dataset focuses on the collection of annually resolved snow accumulation records from different kinds of measurement covering the whole ice sheet. As a result, this dataset contains 175 annually resolved ice core snow accumulation records, 8 stake network measurements covering at least 10 years, and 512 time series of continuous stake measurements spanning more than 18 years. Previous SMB compilations centered on glaciological observations on annual and longer timescales (e.g., Vaughan et al., 1999; Frezzotti et al., 2013; Thomas et al., 2017), which are useful for the examination of trends and large-scale variability in AIS snow accumulation. Nevertheless, they do not give insight into SMB changes at much shorter timescales, such as at synoptic scales and following accumulation events. AWSs provide high-resolution (typically hourly) snow accumulation measurements, which is an advantage in quantifying the seasonal cycle of SMB and in examining the synoptic sources of individual accumulation events, relative to the other methods such as snow pits, ice cores, and stakes. Snow accumulation data from individual or several AWSs in the different sectors of Antarctica have been published by some previous studies (e.g., Reijmer and Van den Broeke, 2003; Thiery et al., 2012; Cohen et al., 2013; Thomas and Bracegirdle, 2015). However, these data have been not well compiled until now. Our dataset is the first attempt to collect all AWS snow accumulation measurements in Antarctica. 6.1 ERA5 output Reanalysis utilizes a large number of observations assimilated into a numerical model to generate a spatially and temporally complete state of the atmosphere. Because the main assimilated data are atmospheric and oceanic measurements, reanalysis outputs are not entirely subject to the density of surface observations and thus have the potential to provide important information over the regions with few or even no surface observations. Recent studies have revealed that European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) interim reanalysis (ERA-Interim) is likely to be the best or among the best reanalysis dataset for the representation of inter-annual variability in Antarctic precipitation (e.g., Bromwich et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2016). ERA5 is the fifth-generation ECMWF reanalysis product produced by the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) Cy41r2 operational from 2016 (Hersbach et al., 2020). Compared with ERA-Interim (∼ 80 km and 60 pressure levels), a major advantage of ERA5 is much higher horizontal and vertical resolutions (∼ 31 km and 137 pressure levels, respectively) and more enhanced outputs (hourly). Furthermore, IFS Cy41r2 includes a more advanced 4DVar assimilation scheme together with uncertainty estimation, and many more observations are assimilated. Detailed improvements can be found in Hersbach et al. (2020). This reanalysis dataset has replaced ERA-Interim, for which updates were stopped in August 2019. Here, our main objective is to know if ERA5 is able to provide a good SMB compared to the AntSMB observational dataset. Despite the recent release of ERA5 data extending back to 1950, we only use the outputs for the 1979–2018 period due to the spurious shift in reanalysis outputs in 1979 largely caused by changes in the number of assimilated observations (e.g., Zhang et al., 2018; Huai et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2020). 6.2 A subset of data used for the comparison with ERA5 6.2.1 Multi-year-averaged SMB observations Given that the output of climate models centers on climate information since 1979 in Antarctica, it is necessary to define a special dataset for the model comparison. To match with the coverage period of the models, we only retain observations starting from 1950 onwards in the multi-year-averaged SMB subdataset. In particular, we discard observations starting in the 1950–1978 period with a time coverage of no more than 10 years. Because blowing-snow processes are not schematized by ERA5, 190 measurements in blue-ice regions (SMB values < 0) are excluded. Finally, GPR measurements covering an area of 15 638 km2 and 3184 multi-year-averaged observations are left for model–observation comparison. 6.2.2 Annually resolved SMB observations To estimate the temporal performance of ERA5 for snow accumulation, we use the records covering at least 10 years from the annually resolved SMB subdatabase starting from 1979. This results in 159 time series of annually resolved SMB. The representativeness of SMB measurements at a simple site for a region is influenced by local noise from the interaction between wind and the local snow surface, especially in the regions with accumulation rates of less than 120 kg m−2 yr−1 (e.g., Frezzotti et al., 2005, 2007; Ding et al., 2011). This can be confirmed by the fact that on the DML plateau, ERA5-simulated individual annual SMBs highly correlate with each other (r>0.70), but time series of SMB records from different ice cores are poorly correlated, even from the same drilling site. As a result, the relationships between ice core records and the corresponding ERA5 simulations at the drilling core location are variable, including significantly negative, positive, and insignificant correlations (Fig. 5a). Various linear relationships between the simulated and observed time series are also found over Berkner Island and the Ronne Ice Shelf with a high density of cores, with r values ranging from −0.35 to 0.67. In the two areas, the difference in the standard deviation of annual SMB values of individual ice cores is large, even for the records from the same locations (Fig. 5c). At the South Pole, ERA5 shows a significant correlation (r=0.68; p<0.05) with stake farm measurements but fails to do so with the individual ice core records (Fig. 5a). A main possibility is that SMB derived from stake networks is less noisy through the removal of small-scale spatial variability by using the average of many stakes together. At most of the sites, the standard deviation of annual ice core records is larger than the corresponding ERA5 simulations for their overlapping periods (Fig. 5d). To reduce local noise and better assess the performance of ERA5, we first average the individual observation records in the same grid cell and then stack the averaged time series in the same geographic region. If there are ice core records and stake farm observations in the same location, the measurements of stake farms are utilized. Because the sites at the top of ice domes likely have minor local noise (Monaghan et al., 2006b), the four time series of ice core records from the ice domes are not discarded in the estimate. Following Frezzotti et al. (2007, 2013), a single ice core site with accumulations of more than 700 kg m−2 yr−1 allow the determination of annual SMB at a ±10 % accuracy, which corresponds to the accuracy derived from the instrumental measurement, and hence the corresponding ice core records are retained. After the composite and filtering, 48 locations or regions with annually resolved SMB are left to compare with ERA5 simulations. Figure 5Spatial distribution of the correlation coefficients (a) between annually resolved SMB observation and ERA5 simulations for their overlapping period (circle: ice core; diamond: stake network) and (b) between averaged observed time series in the same location/region and the corresponding simulations from ERA5; (c) standard deviation of annual observed SMB and ERA5 simulations; (d) the ratios of the standard deviation of annual SMB from EAR5 simulations to observations. 6.3 Spatial performance of ERA5 output A comparison of the density distribution of ERA5 precipitation minus evaporation (P−E) with the filtered multi-year-averaged SMB observations reveals that the multi-year-averaged dataset is representative of the high accumulation zone but not for the bins with accumulation rates of 100–300 kg m−2 yr−1 over the West AIS (Fig. 6a). However, this dataset represents the entire P−E spectrum of the model over the East AIS (Fig. 6b). As shown in Fig. 6c and d, the dataset also represents well the samples' elevation distribution of SMB in relation to the West AIS and East AIS, especially between 200 and 1000 m elevations where it was not correctly sampled by the SMB observation dataset compiled by Favier et al. (2013). Figure 6Relative frequency of ERA5 P−E field data and gridded averaged records from the multi-year-averaged SMB subdatabase, with a bin range of 50 kg m−2 yr−1 on (a) the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and (b) the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). ERA5 field data are bilinearly interpolated over a 30 km Cartesian grid. We average SMB for each 30 × 30 km grid cell (values from points located in the same grid cell are averaged), and then the number of grid cells in each bin is calculated. The contribution of the area of the elevation bin for ERA5 grid cells containing measurements and the entire elevation range to (c) the WAIS and (d) the EAIS. The 200 m elevation bins are used. Figure 7(a) Spatial distribution of ERA5 mean precipitation minus evaporation (approximated as SMB) for the period 1979–2018, and multi-year mean SMB measurements averaged on ERA5 grid cells (30 km × 30 km). (b) ERA5 minus observed SMB averaged on the ERA5 grid cells. (c) Multi-year-averaged observations and ERA5 simulations, binned in 200 m elevation intervals. The number of ERA5 grid cells with in situ measurements in each elevation bin is shown by the blue line (right axis). Red lines denote SMB averaged by ERA5 for grid cells including observations within each elevation bin. Green lines denote SMB averaged by ERA5 over each whole bin of elevations. ERA5 reveals large spatial gradients of snow accumulation over the AIS (Fig. 7a), with values higher than 1000 kg m−2 yr−1 at the margins and lower values (less than 30 kg m−2 yr−1) in the hinterland of the East Antarctic Plateau. There is a very high correlation between ERA5 output and the observed SMB (R2=0.93 and p<0.01, which is calculated based on the logarithm of SMB values, due to the lognormal SMB distributions). The major spatial pattern of ERA5 simulations is in good agreement with the multi-year observations (Fig. 7a). Dry biases occur in most sites of the inland East AIS and the Ross Ice Shelf and around Byrd Station, whereas wet biases occur in East AIS margins and part of sites in West AIS coastal regions (Fig. 7b). The mean bias accounts for 6.6 % of the average of observed SMB, which is slightly higher than regional climate models (MAR and RACMO2.3p2) (Agosta et al., 2019; van Wessem et al., 2018). It is obvious that ERA5 robustly captures the sharp decrease in SMB with elevation (Fig. 7c). Compared with observation in each 200 m elevation bin, ERA5 is slightly wet below 1600 m in elevation, whereas dry biases occur in inland Antarctica with elevations above 3000 m. 6.4 Temporal performance of ERA5 output A recent study showed that ERA5 presents relatively good skills for representing snow accumulation changes on the synoptic timescale, observed at the AWSs over the Ross Ice Shelf and along the traverse route from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, with 56 %–88 % of extreme snowfall events captured (Liu et al., 2019). Given that these AWS observations are included in our AntSMB dataset, to avoid repetition, here we make a comparison between cumulative daily snowfall from ERA5 and the corresponding accumulation records from 11 AWS observations over DML (Fig. 8). Obviously, gaps in the AWS records occur in most stations because of the problems of sensors or data transmission. Snow accumulation decreases in the daily cumulative AWS records and reflects the important role of drifting snow, compaction, sublimation, or even ablation in the accumulation changes. Despite the noise of these post-deposition processes, stepped increases are observed for both ERA5 snowfall and AWS snow accumulation at each station in Fig. 8. Furthermore, the occurrence of large snowfall events is broadly consistent with the corresponding large accumulation events at all stations. These suggest, in spite of the limits of AWS measurements due to the complex impacts of post-deposition noise, they are very useful for evaluating synoptic changes in the precipitation from reanalysis products or climate models. Figure 9The left map shows the locations of stake measurements along the traverse between Syowa Station and Dome F and the regional boundaries. The four right charts show the comparison of the inter-annual variability in spatially averaged stake measurements and snow accumulation simulated by ERA5 for (a) the coastal region, (b) lower katabatic region, (c) upper katabatic region, and (d) inland plateau region. The correlation coefficients (r) between ERA5 simulations and SMB observations at 48 locations are shown in Fig. 5b. Significant and high correlations are observed at two out of five sites over the Antarctic Peninsula, with r values of more than 0.7 (p<0.05). Over the WAIS, ERA5 simulations are correlated significantly with observations (r>0.45; p<0.05) at 14 out of 18 sites, and correlation coefficients exceed 0.8 at 5 sites, suggesting relatively good skills of simulated records in capturing the observed annual variability in accumulation rates. Significant and positive correlations are present over the plateau and western and eastern coastal areas of DML. Correlation coefficients show a large fraction of inter-annual changes (>70 %) in SMB observations at Law Dome of Wilkes Land. The performances are relatively good for the South Pole, Vostok, and Talos Dome. However, no significant or negative correlations are observed at the sites of the Lambert basin, Princess Elizabeth Land, the middle DML coast, and Adélie Land. To further assess the temporal performance of ERA5, we use the continuous time series of stake measurements along the JARE traverse route from Syowa Station to Dome F. These stake measurements are divided into four subgroups, as carried out for this traverse route by Wang et al. (2015). Stake measurements in each subgroup are stacked and then compared with the composites of ERA5 simulations for the respective subgroup (Fig. 9). ERA5 overestimates the observed SMB in the coastal and katabatic regions but underestimates that in the inland plateau region. The modeled records match particularly well with observations in the coastal, higher katabatic, and inland plateau regions, with higher r2 values of >0.5. Observed SMB at the lower katabatic region is simulated well by the reanalysis dataset. Overall, ERA5 fits inter-annual variability in observed SMB acceptably at most sites over the AIS, and this reveals much of atmospheric circulation is represented by this reanalysis product. Nevertheless, its performance is limited at some sites of the Lambert basin, inland West Antarctica, and parts of the East Antarctic coast. This may result from the unresolved processes in ERA5 such as drifting snow, the limited performance of ERA5 for the storm frequency related to synoptic-scale circulations, and sublimation because of circulation variations. Detailed interpretation of uncertainty in ERA5 is beyond the scope of this study. The comprehensive SMB observation dataset is available through A Big Earth Data Platform for Three Poles. The dataset can be downloaded from (Wang et al., 2021). In this repository, the three subdatasets included in the entire dataset are provided in Excel spreadsheet format together with metadata files. The dataset provides an unprecedentedly comprehensive compilation of SMB observations, with better spatial coverage than that of previous studies. In particular, our compilation greatly improves spatial density of measurements in the 200–1000 m elevations which are not correctly sampled by the dataset from Favier et al. (2013). However, there is a clear need to increase the spatial density of annually resolved SMB measurements over the inland East AIS, daily SMB observations over West Antarctica, and the 90–170∘ E sector of East Antarctica. This dataset can be used to estimate the temporal and spatial changes in the AIS SMB. A temporally homogeneous climatology of SMB for the second half of the 20th century may be obtained by temporal rescaling of the multi-year-averaged SMB subdataset against ERA5 outputs as performed by Medley et al. (2019) and Wang et al. (2019). The available syntheses of time series of records from the annually resolved SMB subdataset will allow the investigation of regional snow accumulation changes during the past several decades or centuries (Kaspari et al., 2004; Frezzotti et al., 2013; Altnau et al., 2015; Thomas et al., 2017). The combination of the annual SMB subdataset with reanalysis products or the outputs of regional climate models can generate gridded datasets to better constrain the temporal and spatial variability in AIS SMB at the different scales (Monaghan et al., 2006a; Medley et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2019). The availability of AWS snow height measurements will allow insights into synoptic and seasonal patterns of SMB, which are vital for model estimation and ice core dating studies. In the current study, we have made a comparison between observation data and ERA5 output. As a result, in spite of discrepancies in magnitude, ERA5 represents spatial variations in SMB observations well and captures a large proportion of the inter-annual variability. Similarly, this dataset can be used to evaluate the quality of other atmospheric reanalyses, and regional or global climate models such as JRA-55, MERRA-2, RACMO2.3, MAR, and CESM. Moreover, a high spatial density of stake and GPR measurements along several transections from coasts to inland is included in the dataset, which correctly samples the actual distribution of SMB and thus allow us to provide stringent constraints on the models in these specific regions. Annually resolved SMB observations in the database are also likely to be used as an important input of data assimilation for paleoclimate reconstructions (Dalaiden et al., 2020). The dataset is of vital importance for improvement of remote sensing algorithms for Antarctic snow accumulation/snowfall rates, such as the CloudSat 2C-SNOW-PROFILE product (Palerme et al., 2014; Behrangi et al., 2016). The scientific community is expected to apply this dataset to Antarctic hydrological studies, model–data inter-comparison, and remotely sensed algorithm developments. The cryospheric community is also encouraged to further share their SMB observation data to update this dataset in the future. The supplement related to this article is available online at:. YW designed and constructed the AntSMB dataset. MD, CHR, PCJPS, and CX contributed observed data to the dataset. YW wrote the manuscript, which was edited by MD, CHR, PCJPS, SH, and CX. 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- The Oracle The Bridge Between Realms Saturdays are always busy for make-up artists and for Abigail Pierce, her day flies by. Grateful to be home in her modern and minimal one-bedroom condo, Abigail walks though her door, carrying some take out in one hand, and her motorcycle helmet in the other. She drops her helmet into the closet as her beloved cat greets her at the door. “Hey Miso.” She smiles as she picks him up. “Catch any mice today?” She puts her takeout on the kitchen table and goes into her bedroom to change into some sweats. Once she emerges, she takes her food from the table and sits in front of her TV. She switches it on to Netflix as Miso crawls up on her lap to lay down. Just as she decides what she wants to watch she hears a ping on her cellphone. It is a text from her best friend Lily from the YYC Motorcycle Meetup Group. It says, “Still coming out for a ride to Canmore tomorrow?” Abigail smiles at it and types. “You know it! (smiley face) Where are we meeting the group?” “Chinook Mall. West parkade in front of the IMAX.” Lily texts back. “CU @ 7 AM.” “You bet.” Abigail responds, puts her phone down, and focuses back on Netflix and her pasta salad. She chooses an adventurous television show where magic and fairies come to life. Abigail envies how “the Chosen One” has a remarkable purpose in life. They meet new, interesting people and see amazing, incredible things. It would be so awesome to be involved in a magical adventure even though she stopped believing in magic a long time ago. Suddenly, she feels a little depressed. Abigail looks at her life and despite going on regular jaunts with her motorcycle group, her life is dull and unremarkable. The worse part is, she has no way to change it. ***** A bright 7:00 AM shines on the bikers as they wait for two more of their group at the Chinook Mall parking lot. Abigail takes a deep breath in to take in the sights and smells of a beautiful morning. She straightens out her tan leather jacket, tucks in her teal/tan plaid scarf, and strokes her mala beads with a leaf pendant. It’s always good to be stylish but when she touches her pendant, that is like a prayer for a safe, fun ride. Lily and her father, Caleb (who is also the organizer of the meetup group) arrive on their bikes. Abigail runs up to Lily and gives her a hug while the rest of the group make a circle. It’s time to begin the morning meeting. “Hi everyone!” Caleb waves to the circle and they gather a little closer. “For our ride today, my beautiful daughter thought we should check out Chez François.” “Yeah! Abby and I went there last month, and the food was so tasty and beautiful that you will want to buy seconds of it.” Lily shows the group a picture on her phone of the meal she had. The meal was a single egg benedict, a fruity crepe with cream, and a side of fruit. The egg looks like a savory delight with swiss cheese, asparagus, and tomato. The crepe was a melody of fruit with sweet cream like it was made for royalty. It was the ultimate breakfast. The entire group nod at Lily’s suggestion and decide to take her up on it. Caleb claps his hands and motions the group to saddle up. Everyone jumps on their motorcycles and speed away. They head west down the Trans-Canada Highway. Although it starts as a long road, the view of the Canadian Rockies is spectacular. There is nothing like experiencing this on a motorcycle. To Abigail, it’s like flying. She feels the wind blow through her long black curled hair and press up against her dark chocolate skin. It’s the feeling of being alive. Abigail closes her whiskey brown eyes for a second to indulge in the feeling before focusing on the road again. When she opens her eyes, she can’t see her bike group. It’s like they vanished. That’s not the only thing that is wrong here. Looking around, she sees that she is deeper into the mountains than she should be. Before she closed her eyes she and her group were still on the highway. She is sure of it. Now she doesn’t know where she is. How could she have ended up here? Abigail pulls out to the side of the road and turns off her bike. This place is more forested than she remembers it. It is also more overcast here as opposed to the clear sunshine before she closed her eyes and there are absolutely no cars around. Even the road looks different as it has no lines on it. Abigail picks up her cellphone only to find that there is no service. She turns around and sees a narrow path. Not knowing what else to do, Abigail decides to walk it. The sights around this path make her journey very pleasant. There are so many different colors of greenery and yet they blend together so beautifully. The grass, ferns, and leaves on the trees bring fresh life surrounding her. Every step she takes invigorates her. Suddenly, after hiking for at least half an hour, she notices something odd. In one of the trees, she sees two windows and a door on the trunk. She smiles at it and realizes she must be close to civilization. It is also the cutest thing she has ever seen. They look so decorative and fun. She would have to talk to the condo board and see if she can do that for the trees in the yard. When she looks around some more, she sees another couple of trees that have windows and with a door at the base of the trunk. One tree has the door open at the base. She could not help but crouch down to get a closer look at it. Through the door and inside the tree, Abigail sees tiny furniture that could be for a doll. However, with the size of the door, no one could fit their hand in there, not even a child. It is very strange to her. She will ask what that is when she finds the owner of these creative decorations. Abigail goes back to the trail and walks on. It only takes a few steps before she sees some little cottages. They look like playhouses for kids. The first cottage she sees is yellow with blue and brown accents. It also has a chimney, tiny windows, and a straw thatched roof. It is the coolest little house she has ever seen. As she walks around it, Abigail says to herself. “I wish I had something this cool when I was a kid.” Then she finds another tiny house made of bricks and live plants growing on the roof. It has two entrances and both doors are slightly ajar. The cottage with a purple door and green trimmings has its door wide open. Abigail walks up to the purple-doored cottage to look inside. No one is in there but there is furniture, appliances, and little pictures of flowers on the walls. It looks functional and lived in but who can live there? “Hello!” Abigail stands up and calls out to the forest. “I don’t mean any harm, but I need help!” The only answer she gets is an echo of her own voice until silence fills the air once again. She looks at these pretty, charming cottages. There is no one around, so she has no choice but to continue on the path until she finds someone who can help her. Her hike through the forest has her come to a unique treehouse. It has three little brown houses with yellow trimmings going up the tree. They are connected by a spiral staircase with a railing. At the bottom of the structure is a bunch of lipstick red toadstools that gives this place a fairy-tale feeling. She giggles at it and feeling at bit whimsical, Abigail climbs up to the top of the treehouse to see the forest around her. The sight of this enchanting forest takes her breath away. If she didn’t know better, she would think that she is in another world like Dorothy Gale in Oz. Out to the left, she sees the foremast of a ship but the rest of it is missing. To the right she sees an old medieval style castle. Since the castle looks like she can get a better view of things, Abigail decides to head over there even if it is a bit of a distance. The castle is a light grey, but the roofs of the turrets are blue and yellow. The drawbridge, gatehouse, and towers of the castle are big enough for someone to be there. After climbing down the treehouse, Abigail takes one last look at it before she heads towards the castle. She feels so sad to leave it. There is nothing in the houses and she didn’t know why but the treehouse feels like it is meant for her. She shakes the feeling off and walks on. Abigail no longer sees a path just a bunch a green foliage. She sees a slight opening through some trees and chooses to wander through it. She looks up to the sky and these tall plants block her view of the castle. She realizes that they are not trees. These mysterious plants resemble maple leaves but act almost like umbrellas or shields. Abigail has never seen anything like these, at least not this big. She can’t see the castle at all now. She pushes her way through these giant plants but can’t find a path anywhere. She tries turning back around but the plants seem to swallow her up until she realizes that she is lost. She takes a deep breath and tries not to panic. Calmly scoping out her surroundings, Abigail sees what looks like an opening through the plants. She pushes them away to get to the light that she sees. The opening is a muddy slope that she slides down and lands with a splash in a mud puddle. With a moan and a groan, she crawls out of the puddle and lays face up looking to the bright blue sky through the dark green leaves of the tall trees. It was overcast before she entered the giant umbrella plants. Now it seems completely clear and she is surrounded by ferns, clover, tiny flowers, and a whole brood of red cedar trees. It is lovely and it almost makes her forget that she is covered in mud. That’s until she looks at her filthy hands. Suddenly, she hears running water in a short distance. She follows the sound and finds a tiny stream. She washes her hands, takes her scarf out to dip it into the water, and washes her jacket with it. Lastly, she cups the water in her hands to wipe her face. When she removes her hands from her face, she sees a sight that both charms and confuses her. Six frogs are looking at her and each of them are a different and vibrant color. They don’t make any sudden movements and whatever noises they make doesn’t seem threatening in anyway. Never-the-less, Abigail intends to be careful. She remembers watching a documentary on South American frogs and they could be poisonous. She hears a brush in the bushes behind her. She looks and sees nothing but when she looks back to where the frogs are… they are gone. Abigail’s eyes dart to where she saw each frog. There are no tracks or indents of where they were sitting. It’s like they weren’t there in first place. Slowly, she stands up and backs away from the stream. When she bumps into a tree, she turns her head to see another path leading through the forest to a pond. She thinks it’s a good start to finding the castle and starts walking. On the way, she stumbles into a tree stump. When Abigail looks on the other side of it, she sees giant onions surrounding it. She walks around the stump to get a closer look at them. They have little doors and windows on them, like they are quaint little homes. She crouches down to look at the little purple onion carefully. She didn’t want to disturb anything, since she has a feeling that she is the visitor here. The windows have red and white polka dot curtains. Although she sees no one inside she admires the craftsmanship of the home including the blue door. The curve and coloring of it is spotless and imaginative. Nothing she has ever seen looks this nice. After the frogs and now these onion houses, Abigail truly believes she is somewhere magical. “Keep going” A delicate whisper sounds to her. Abigail props herself up instantly and looks around. “Who said that?” On her feet she turns in every direction and sees no sign of a person around. Just as she wonders if she is hallucinating, she hears it again. “Follow the path.” It says. “Find the castle.” “Who are you?!” Abigail calls out. But there is no answer. Clearly, she couldn’t stay here, so she follows the voice’s advice. She walks down the trail until she comes to the pond. It is a clear pristine blue but has several plants living in it. Abigail could see lily-pads with yellow waterlilies, purslane, and cattails. Abigail walks along the side of the pond until she finds some wooden platforms going across it. She walks on them and in the long grass, she sees a bright blue dragonfly zip to and from stock to stock. Suddenly, a bright yellow butterfly joins the dragonfly in its flight. Before she could even blink, she sees dragonflies and butterflies of every color surround her like they want to dance with her. It is like being in a rainbow. Abigail laughs as a smile spreads across her face. Although she can hear no music, she raises her arms, and twirls with the captivating insects. They start to fly away from her, and they go into the direction of the castle she saw earlier. She gasps as she catches sight of it and a trail from a fork in the platform that leads right to it. Not wasting any time, Abigail runs towards the castle. She manages to get there in minutes. “Hello!” Abigail calls out as she reaches the castle. The castle is smaller than she had originally thought. The colorful turrets are still there and a moat trails around the castle, but it isn’t even tall enough to reach the middle of the trees. It’s still lovely, just more of a house than a palace. Abigail calls out, “Is anyone there?” Suddenly, she hears a hard-clanking noise beside her as the draw bridge comes down to her right. She walks across the bridge as it comes back up behind her. She walks around until she finds a door to enter. She finds herself in a small wooden room with so many antique objects including a knight’s armor, weaponry, an ancient fireplace with an historic looking mirror, and a long wooden table with matching wooden benches. She walks to the fireplace and looks in the mirror. She sees her reflection and realizes that she still has some dry mud on her. She’ll have to find a washroom somewhere. Out of the corner of her eye she sees something glisten. On her left side, she sees a treasure box filled with coins and other valuable objects. She walks over to it and is about to pick up the golden goblet. “Please don’t touch that.” Says a soft but firm voice behind her. A startled Abigail turns to see this woman in the corner of the castle. She is so stunning and ethereal that she sparkles. Her short cropped near-white hair matches perfectly with her mandarin-collared long white jacket while her light blue eyes are brought out with the ballgown she wears underneath it. This woman’s pure white skin is so beautiful that Abigail swears it’s glittering despite the stoic look on her face. “Sorry.” Abigail says nervously. “I’m lost and…” “I can see that.” The lady interrupts and gives her a small but reassuring smile. “Please follow me.” Abigail follows this woman out of the castle. They walk on the drawbridge and to the left there is a small adult-sized cottage. It reminds Abigail of a dollhouse, but an average adult could live in it. She looks at the windows to see inside but all she sees are the backs of fairy figurines and dangly sun catchers. The woman enters the door and beckons Abigail inside. “Please make yourself comfortable.” The woman says as she walks towards a small kitchenette. Abigail’s focus goes into the wide room. This whole cottage looks like a quaint little café from a different era. Tiny round tables with little pink tablecloths are spread about the room. Vintage chairs sit below them, and the room is filled with many books. So many that they’re placed in odd places like in the fireplace, an old liquor cabinet, and on the side of the stairs. Abigail sits on the purple loveseat and feels a wave of comfort take over her after a long search. The woman brings a long tray to Abigail with tea and cookies. She sets it down and sits in a chair across from Abigail. Abigail eyes the tea and cookies suspiciously. “It’s not poisoned.” She says so nonchalantly that it surprises Abigail. “And I can assure you that whatever you eat and drink in here will not do you harm.” “Sorry.” Abigail says. “I just have so many questions.” “That’s why I thought we should talk because I have questions too.” The lady gracefully lifts her delicate palm towards Abigail. “You may start.” “Well I guess, where am I?” Abigail asks feeling flustered all over again. “Drink your tea. It will ease your anxiety. You are in between realms. We call it the bridge,” the lady explains. “We? Who are you?” Abigail asks sipping her tea. “It’s my turn to ask you.” She says looking at Abigail like she is a naughty child. “But I’ll answer you. I don’t remember what my name was in your realm, but I was a white witch. Here I have no name, only a title. The Forest Guardian. We act as guides if you will between realms. We help all creatures find where they need to be and what they have to do.” Abigail finally feels at ease, her breathing calms as she takes a bite out of her small shortbread cookie. “I’m sorry but I have to ask…” Abigail says apologetically. “Go on.” The woman gently says. “There are some odd homes around here. Who lives in them?” Abigail questions. “They are of the fey clan, but you would probably know them best as fairies, nymphs, sprites, etcetera. They tend to hide when they sense a strange human around.” The Forest Guardian takes a sip of her tea, and studies Abigail. “Now. Who are you and what are you doing here?” “My name is Abigail Pierce and I don’t know how I even got here.” Abigail says as she picks up her teacup. “I was just riding my bike with my crew and I closed my eyes for a second. Then I ended up here.” “Interesting.” The Forest Guardian says putting down her tea. “Yet here you are at the bridge. You are clearly alive, not of any mystical creature, and of sound mind.” Abigail winces at the woman. “What does that mean?” “It means you are unique because no human comes here in their physical form or good mental state.” She answers. “Why?” Abigail inquires. “It’s a long and complicated story.” The Guardian replies looking pensive. “Let’s just say that long ago, all humans could communicate with mystical creatures. But bad things happened that caused humans to be separated from the magical world.” “Oh!” Abigail says and suddenly remembers something. “There was a voice in the trees out there. Was it you?” “No.” The Guardian chuckles. “That would be the Cedar Spirit. He lives in the oldest tree out there. He’s been here for nearly one thousand years. He’s my eyes and ears of this place. That’s how I knew to find you.” “So why am I here?” “I don’t know but I will have to consult with some higher powers with this unusual circumstance.” She says as her eyes trail up and down Abigail’s dirty clothes. “and I am sure you would like to freshen up.” Abigail nearly forgot that she is covered in mud and must be getting it on this woman’s couch. Feeling a little ashamed, Abigail quickly stands up and tries to dust off the couch which seems to be miraculously clean. The Guardian stands and puts a comforting hand on Abigail’s shoulder. “Oh! Forgive me. I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought you might be more contented if you had a shower. I will make sure your clothes are clean by the time you are finished.” It is like this mysterious woman could read her mind. Abigail is desperate for a shower and she knows that she will have to get clean clothes again. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.” The Guardian smiles kindly at her and says, “It’s no trouble at all. You’re the first live guest that I’ve had in too long. I want to make sure you’re visit here is as pleasant as possible.” “I’d like that.” Abigail smiles and nods, grateful for this woman’s kindness. “Thank you.” The Guardian points to a small door behind Abigail. “The bathroom is in there. It’s not decadent but it is functional.” She walks into the bathroom and is amazed at sight of how luxurious looking it is. It looks like a Grecian bath house. The ivory-brown tiles, window shower, a wide deep-seated bathtub, and several green house plants fill the space. The Forest Guardian said this place isn’t decadent. Clearly this lady has a different idea of what decadent is. Abigail strips down and steps into the misty shower. Inside she sees rose hibiscus Himalayan shower salts, rosemary mint body wash, and lavender shampoo/conditioner. She pours the salts at the bottom of the shower, smells the scents seep into the steam, and attach itself to her body in the most delicate ways. She applies the lavender tonic to her hair and feels herself relaxing a little more. Abigail takes the rosemary mint body wash and rubs it on her body. All the soreness and pain she had melted away with each gentle massage. As Abigail steps out fresh, clean, and ready to conquer anything. She grabs a towel but when she looks over to the bench, she sees her clothes neatly folded and pressed. She picks up her T-shirt, feels its warmth, and presses it to her face. It smells like the rain. Abigail slips on her clothes and is ready to face the Guardian. However, she got a sight she didn’t expect. There are orbs and odd lights floating around the ceiling. They are whispering incoherently but Abigail senses a feeling of goodness radiating from them. The orbs flutter around and loop themselves high above her. The Guardian has her face lifted towards them. She is as still as a statue but as soon as Abigail approaches her, the orbs disappear, and the lady opens her eyes. She looks gently towards Abigail and smiles. “The fey say that you need to go back.” Abigail suddenly feels her heart break. She looks sadly to the Guardian and says, “What if I don’t want to go back?” The Guardian looks at her with understanding and says, “You’re not ready to stay.” She beckons Abigail to follow her. Abigail walks side by side with the Guardian through a large, medieval double door and down a long white cave where a rainbow of lights flicker. They follow the lights until they exit out of the cavern and find Abigail’s motorcycle where she had left it. Confused, Abigail looks around and doesn’t see the cave that they had just come out of but the forest that she had entered. “All you have to do now is get on your vehicle and go down the road.” The Forest Guardian says. Abigail feels so dejected, that she pipes up. “This place has changed me. Despite how odd it was that I came here. This place has been the best experience of my life. I can see things in a whole new light now. How can I just go back?” “It’ll be scary at first.” The Guardian says as she walks up to Abigail and gently takes her hand. “But you have a whole wonderful life to live. There is still so much for you to do. Don’t fret. One day you will be back.” This fills Abigail with hope as she squeezes the Guardian’s hand and makes a silent promise to come back. She walks to her bike, gets on it, and starts it to ride off with the wind. The guardian waves to Abigail as she rides off. She feels the warmth of her farewell. Without any warning, Abigail finds herself riding with her crew and just arriving in Canmore. They have found Chez François and park their motorcycles. Lily, in her usual chipper manner approaches Abigail as she lifts off her helmet. “We’re here! I can’t wait. I’m starving.” Lily gleefully says but sees the wistful look on Abigail’s face, “Abby? Are you okay?” “I’m just fine.” Abigail says smiling at her BFF. “Let’s eat!” ***** A few months have passed, and Abigail still couldn’t get the experience out of her mind. Since then, clients seek her out because her artistry has become more fantastic and ethereal. Right now, she is putting sparkling eye shadow on a young bride who doesn’t know that she is being modeled after the Forest Guardian that Abigail remembers. “Oh my god!” The bride says with a huge smile on her face. “I love it! I LOVE IT! Thank you!” The bride grabs her in a big hug. Abigail watches the bride go off excitedly to her dressing room. She is happy that her customer is so entranced with the make-up she did for her wedding. The father of the bride chuckles as he sees his daughter trot off excitedly. “You have a beautiful hand with your make-up.” He says. “You should give my friend at the Vertigo Theater a call. He’s looking for an artist like you. He also has contacts in the movie industry so if you impress him, he’ll pass your name on.” “That is amazing!” Abigail gasps, as she holds his card. “I don’t know what to say except thank you!” “Don’t thank me, you will have to do that work.” He smiles at her. “And I better get to my daughter before she hunts me down.” She chuckles as she puts the card in her pocket and straightens out her black uniform. Abigail thinks about the Bridge Realm. Although it was hard when she first got there, she couldn’t forget how astonishing it was either. She wonders why she had to come back to her life and career. She has a feeling that it is for something important. Maybe what she is doing now. Inspiring people to look for a more magical world. One thing she does know is that her life has taken an more interesting turn with all these new possibilities popping up. She has met some interesting people including the visiting circus whose regular artist came down with the flu and asked her to do their make-up last weekend. Of course, more brides have come but they all had varied taste. Last month, a punk bride wanted her make-up to match her tattoos. When Abigail delivered, the bride was just as ecstatic as this bride is with her make-up. Now she has a chance to work on some fabulous plays and see some amazing things. It’s like her wish came true. Abigail looks in the mirror to check her make-up and thinks back to the Bridge Realm. She can’t help but wish that she can go back there and discover more charms of that world. Since being there, she has had some reoccurring dreams about it. Each one is a little different but she managed to finally meet some of the fairies that reside there. They provided her with so much inspiration for her in her waking life. Still, she wants to see the Bridge Realm with her waking eyes again. I will, Abigail thinks to herself as she lets out a contented smile. She remembers the promise she made and she always keeps her promises. A Special Thanks To: The Enchanted Forest : 7060 Trans-Canada Hwy, Revelstoke, BC V0E 2S0 -. For all the Magic. Chez Francios Restaurant : 1604 2 Ave, Canmore, AB T1W 1M8 - . For an excellent breakfast Cafe Books : 826 8 St, Canmore, AB T1W 2B7, - . For Good Tea, Cookies, and Books. IKEA : 8000 11 St SE, Calgary, AB T2H 3B2 -. For amazing displays. Thrift 17: 2631 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3E 0A5 - - For Beautiful Clothes. Chinook Mall : 6455 Macleod Trail, Calgary, AB T2H 0K8 - Netflix -

Is anybody going to surprise anybody this playoff season? Looking at the matchups, it seems surprisingly easy to call most of the series. That Washington-Columbus one might be a bit sticky, and who knows what Vegas is really capable of, but otherwise, it’s fairly obvious who’ll win. Until you get to the Sharks and Ducks. The Sharks were arguably the better team all year. Most of the time, they led the Ducks. In fact, they were so comfortably out front that the focus for Anaheim wasn’t on their dorsal fin but rather on the Kings and the whole hope to get into the postseason. San Jose was just kind of doing their thing up there—and by “up,” I mean up North and up the standings. Things changed in the last week, and suddenly the Ducks were real. They didn’t win the Division, but neither did they squeak in to the post-season. They took second in the Pacific. That must have meant they were a better team than the Sharks, right? Not so fast. And not in the first period of the first game of their playoff series. San Jose mostly possessed the puck. They outshot the Ducks. Nobody scored, but the poise of the Sharks was clear. The Ducks fortunately had John Gibson back from one of his many mini-breaks for injury, and he made two spectacular saves to keep his team in it. The first came off Pavelski, who whacked the puck rather than shot it, and Gibson sprawled over and kept it out with his chest. Another came when Brent Burns took a shot from the point and Gibson got it with his blocker after picking it up late. The Ducks were penalized twice. Once they were excellent on the PK, clearing the puck all the way down four separate times. Once, however, the Sharks got four shots on goal in the first minute. None in the second, but you don’t want to tempt fate too much. They would do that as the game went on, taking seven minor penalties to the Sharks’ four. It was a theme in their postgame comments. Francois Beauchemin said, “Way too many penalties. When I look back at when we had success down the stretch, we didn’t take many. We were taking one or two a game, that’s it. Tonight was just uncharacteristic for our team to do that.” Uncharacteristic of late. Quite in character with what the team did most of the early, and middle, part of the year. Coach Carlyle of the Ducks added, “You can’t take seven minors and give the opposition the chance to practice their power play. It takes any momentum that you had building in the game and flips everything in their favor.” He did point out that the last penalty came with time expired in the third period. Coach DeBoer of the Sharks said, “This is a brand new time of year. You can throw out regular season records. . . . We take a lot of pride in our discipline. We play hard, but we play whistle to whistle. . . . We’ll try to make you play with the power play.” The Anaheim team was at it again in the second, taking an early penalty in the form of Cogliano. Then they added to it with one to Getzlaf, for slashing, and the Sharks immediately scored on the five-on-three. So fast that they had 1:50 left of power play time after. They hit a post, or it would have been quickly 2-0. The shots meanwhile slowly got out of hand in the Sharks’ favor, 17-10 by the time the game had about 12 minutes left in the second. But enough game action. Why was this happening? Because the Sharks, even missing Joe Thornton (who took warmups but did not play), are a big, confident team. They can pass with the Ducks, too, so the long game of diagonal passes that Anaheim uses to get behind defenses doesn’t work so well. Stretching the ice puts Sharks’ opponents at risk of Sharks’ passes, rendering one of the Ducks’ main tactics suspect. The Sharks still have the tendency to be conservative. In the first period, for instance, Joonas Donskoi had a clear path to the net, but inexplicably passed the puck backwards, but they’re much more likely to fire away than they were in times past. Again, good thing for Gibson, who held the Ducks in the game and gave them a chance to use their own offense. Getzlaf, as he so often is in the playoffs, was monstrous, running all over the ice, hitting, passing the puck. Perry made a couple of special passes himself. On the night, their line, with Rakell, contributed three shots. But the Sharks were taking over by midway through the second. They scored doing precisely what I said above was one of their strengths—the long diagonal. Brenden Dillon put the puck across the ice and off the boards. It was picked up by Pavelski and passed across the ice to Kane, who deked through the crease and slipped it into the net just before losing the handle. Burns scored a third San Jose goal shortly after. He was at the blueline and took a chip shot straight in. He’d done this before, the result being a loud “thunk” as the puck went off Gibson’s leg pads. This time, it went between the screening legs of a Sharks player, and straight past Gibson, who didn’t seem to see it. He closed the five-hole in a late-reaction play, to no avail. The Sharks poured in 17 shots in the period, helped, of course, by the penalties. The Ducks responded with nine. The Sharks ended period two up by double, 25-13. The Ducks tried to bully it up a bit about three-quarters of the way through the period. Perry went to the net and ended up taking a roughing penalty for grabbing Erik Fehr around the neck. Getzlaf came in and ended up in a jawing match with Burns. Again, you could put this down to Getzlaf showing his leadership. The spark quickly died as the Ducks had to kill the penalty on Perry. Period three saw the Ducks go backwards, literally, from the first. Kesler had the puck in the slot but put it out to the point and down to his own end of the ice, inexplicably, from about fifteen feet in front. They then tried to pour it on, with the obvious goal of cutting the deficit early to a manageable two goals. The puck was fired across ice at Jones, who bobbled it off his gloves. Brandon Montour rushed in from the point to sweep at it, getting a piece and putting it back into the netminder’s outstretched left pad. Nick Ritchie put the puck cross-ice to Henrique on the rush, a diagonal pass that Henrique couldn’t get a hold of. Other similar plays demonstrated the Ducks’ resolve to break the shutout and get something going. Nothing worked. Sitting quietly in their hotel rooms in Las Vegas, the LA Kings had to be watching this thinking, “Yeah, we know what it’s like to be frustrated.” Or maybe they weren’t sitting quietly. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, after all. Up in the press area, I was thinking, “C’mon guys, I don’t want the NHL playoffs to be over in SoCal in the middle of next week.” This may be completely obvious, but you can’t really replace somebody like Cam Fowler, out two to six weeks with a shoulder injury. The Ducks tried, Montour carrying the puck quite a bit and Manson doing the same. This only marginally worked. Montour has the ability to rush. Manson lost the puck at times, and often resorted to a long slapshot when he got inside the blueline. Once, he almost fooled Jones as a puck went up high and was awkwardly knocked away with the blocker, hitting the end glass. But generally, the offense stalled before getting into the zone to set up. No scoring took place in the third period, but lots of penalties were called, especially at the end, where Corey Perry was up in the face of Brenden Dillon. In the end, the game was 3-0 Beauchemin “I can count on one hand how many good shifts we had the whole game. We have to be better than that.” Rakell diagnosed, “We’ve got to play more to try to get on the inside of them. When we had the puck, we played on the outside and didn’t create enough scoring chances. Maybe put some more pressure on them. Work more as a group.” When asked whether the Sharks won the neutral zone, Rakell said, “I thought they won everywhere. Not just the neutral zone.” Getzlaf was in his “settle-it-down” mode: “We did OK in the first period. We didn’t really come out flat, but we didn’t execute with the puck at a high enough level in the first period, and in the second we got chasing the game a little bit, resulted in us taking too many penalties.” Pretty simple diagnosis. He wasn’t panicking, saying, “It’s just one game. Best of seven,” but clearly, the Ducks need to be much, much better. “They chipped (pucks) behind us and skated off of the puck. We didn’t do a good enough job skating off of the puck.” DeBoer calls this “Playing our game,” and he was clear afterwards that his team did that. He said that his team can hit with Anaheim if that’s what they want to do, then he slammed them: “They took six penalties. I thought they deserved every one of them. If they want to continue to do that, then we’ll continue to play our game. And if they don’t we’ll still continue to play our game.” He said, “I thought we had great sticks tonight. We either blocked or broke up a number of plays by having good sticks. Our attention to detail was great tonight.” Evander Kane scored both the first, and thus winning, and the second, goal. Pavelski assisted on both, with the first being on the power play. Let’s allow Carlyle to give the full and final diagnosis: “We just did seem to have our legs or our hands or our minds tonight, all three checks, from our standpoint. We didn’t execute with the puck. We didn’t show any aggressiveness in our skating game, and we showed that we were weak mentally from the standpoint of undisciplined acts that we committed.” He later said, “It showed up in all three zones.” Then he criticized his defensemen for being behind the net on the five-on-three and one line, unnamed, for staying out so long that three lines appeared against them. The teams resume Saturday at 7:30pm. Anaheim needs to show much more than they did in game one if the series is to stretch to the next weekend.

Average climate: Summer 26 to 36°C, winter 15 to 21°C Best season to visit: September to March Language spoken: Malayalam is the most spoken language. Hindi, English, and Tamil are also widely spoken in the region. Currency: Indian Rupees Food: Most of the people eat rice, rice products, and tapioca. All traditional food dishes of Kerala are available here. Food habit of Kerala and Tamil Nadu is mostly followed in Kerala and Tamil Nadu boarder. Clothing: Tourists are advised to carry appropriate winter warmers while traveling in the winter season. Travel Tips: There are two National High ways, namely NH - 49 and NH – 220 and twelve state high ways passing through the district. As the whole district is a hilly terrain, the railway does not pass through the district and nearest railway stations are Eranakulam, Kottayam and Alwaye. Nearest Port is Cochin Port and Nedumbassery, the International Airport is near to the northern boundary of the district. The best season to enjoy the serene beauty of Kochi is between September - March, with a soothing climate and captivating landscape. The region offers a number of tour packages because of its long list of places of interest and vast marvelous geographical area such as Munnar is a 2- day tour package, Thekkady offers a 2-day picnic, Idukki region also offers a 2-day lengthy tour package Overview Idukki with an area of 4,479 km2 (1,729 sq mi) the second largest District of Kerala after Palakkad was formed on 26 January 1972. The altitude of the district is varying from 2500 feet above the mean sea level in Kulamavu to more than 5000 feet above the MSL in Munnar. It is comprised of Devikulam, Udumbanchola and Peermedu taluks of the erstwhile Kottayam district and Thodupuzha taluk. 97 percent of the total area of the District is covered with Rocky Mountains and forests. The district shares it border with Pathanamthitta to the south, Kottayam to the southwest, Ernakulam to the northwest and Thrissur to the north and Coimbatore, Dindigul and Theni Districts in Tamil Nadu to the east. As the major portion of the district is hilly terrain, it is only connected by road National Highway NH 49 and State highways 13 and 33 pass through the district. The diverse forest types, vayals, marshes, and a large water habitation together shelter almost 62 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, 45 species of reptiles, 27 species of amphibians, and 38 species of fish. Highly endangered Nilgiri Tahrs are found in the high altitude grasslands of Mangaladevi. It is estimated that the tiger population is between 35 and 40 in the district. The whole strength of various specious of animal in the district is estimated over 1000. Mountainous hills and dense forests with its abundant treasures of tropical flora and fauna, various species of wild animals and birds, wild sanctuaries, waterfalls, long list of dams, both big and small, make the district one of the most-sought-after tourist destinations. No other district in Kerala is immensely gifted nor beautifully fashioned like Idukki. Large number of tea plantations is the yet another highlight of the district. The district is also known as High Range as it is highly placed from the sea level. Idukki is also known as the Power House of Kerala producing about 66% of the State’s power needs from hydroelectric power projects and Idukki is the biggest among all other hydroelectric projects in the district. Periyar wildlife sanctuary in Idukki district houses herd of elephants, Sambar, Tigers, Gaur, lion-tailed macaques, and Nilgiri Langurs. India’s sole Tiger reserve, Thekkady, with its abundant treasures of tropical flora and fauna is the ultimate reservoir of many endangered species and a rich tribal culture. Idukki district is known as the spice garden of India with natural spices like Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, and clove. The highest peak in Kerala, Anamudy is located in Idukki district. Idukki is popularly known as high-range, housing a dozen of dams and hydroelectric project, both big and small. In the heart of the District lies the Idukki Dam, which is Asia's biggest Arch Dam with 555 feets height proudly standing between the two mountains - 'Kuravanmala' (839 meters) and 'Kurathimala' (925 meters). The Idukki hydroelectric project is the biggest of its kind in the State with an installed capacity of 780 MW, which is 39.15% of the total hydroelectric project capacity of 1992.85MW. The Kashmir of South India, Munnar is located in the Western Ghats of the district. Because of the high altitude of the region from the sea level, most of the areas in the region have a cool climate throughout the year, making it one of the finest tourist destinations. Munnar The. Idukki district is with mountainous hills and dense forests with its abundant treasures of tropical flora and fauna, various species of wild animals and birds, wild sanctuaries, waterfalls, long list of dams, both big and small, make the district one of the most-sought-after tourist destinations. The region houses herd of elephants, Sambar, Tigers, Gaur, Lion-tailed macaques, and Nilgiri Langurs. The region is popularly known as the spice garden of India with natural spices like Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, and clove. Anamudy, the highest peak in Kerala, is located in the district. - Mattupetty: Speed launch: Rs. 300 for 15 minutes (max. 5 persons). Safari Boat: Rs. 700 for 20 seats for 30 minutes. Boating Time: 0930 - 1630 hrs. Cycle rental: DTPC provides cycling facilities at Munnar (Rs 10.00 per cycle / hour and Rs 75.00 per cycle / day). ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is the center of attraction in Thekkady. Forest spreading over an area of about 777 sq km with about 360 sq. km was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978 and it houses some of the rare species of flora and fauna. The wildlife sanctuary includes flowering plants, grass species, species of orchids, and the only South Indian conifer Podocarpus Wallichianus. Apart from the tigers, the park shelters wild elephant,kkady The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River is really the fascination of the area and it is located 85 kms away from Munnar. This is the only sanctuary in India where viewing wildlife can happen at close quarters with the safety of being in a boat on the lake. The greatest attraction of Periyar remains the large herds of wild elephants that come down to the lake's edge to drink water as well as to have a bath. The Periyar Lake heartily welcomes grey heron, ibis, the great Malabar hornbill and grey hornbill. Birds such are kingfishers, ospreys and kites as well as orioles, hill mynas, racket-tailed drongos, parakeets, also the odd blue winged parakeet and flycatchers visit the serene lake. Muttikettan Shola Muttikettan Shola National Park located at a distance of 78 kms from Thekkady in Poopara Village on Munnar - Kumily Highway is a 12.82 km² national park. It notified as a national park to protect the wildlife and rich biodiversity of the area in November 2008. The very name Muttikettan is derived from a Tamil word means ‘Mind Confuser,’ because one is tend to forget the path once he/she enters into the park. Managala Devi temple Managala Devi Temple devoted to Kannaki is positioned on the top of a hill in Periyar Tiger Reserve which is 15 kms away from Thekkady. 12kms of rough forest road has to be covered to reach here. Only during the annual Chithrapournami festival, the temple is open for the public. Murikkady Murikkady is another important site to visit which is located 5 kms away from Thekkady. This vantage viewpoint offers breathtaking views of the spice and tea plantations, the mist clad mountains and verdant valleys. The area is famous for cardamom plantations, tea plantations, and pepper cultivation. The wholesome climate here is seasoned with the alluring fragrance of exotic spices. Peermede Peermede situated at an altitude of 915 -1100 m above sea level is just 44 kms away from Thekkady. Peermede is a renowned for its tea, cardamom, rubber and coffee plantations interspersed with sculptural rocks, meadows, and mist-cloaked hilltops. Some of the other major attractions of this place are Kuttikanam, a place for adventure tourism and trekking, Thrissanku Hills, a haunt of trekkers and picnickers, Mausoleum of the Sufi saint, the summer palace of the royal family, residence of the Diwan, and many lofty peaks and streams. Vagamon Vagamon is a hill station located in Kottayam-Idukki border of Kottayam district at an altitude of 1, 100 meters above the sea level. It has a chilly weather with the temperature between 10 and 23 °C during a summer midday. Vagamon was discovered by the British as an ideal place for tea plantations. National Geographic Traveler has listed Vagamon on their directory of the '50 most attractive places to visit in India.’ Vagamon is located far away of 25 kms from Peermede, 76 kms from Idukki and to 63 kms from Kottayam. Spectacular places make Vagamon an impeccable holiday recede. Any curious coalescence of religious mysticism and European legacies, this hillside village is often a haven of serenity. The chain of three hills- Thangal Hillside, Murugan Hill and Kuri-sumala - is often a mark of religious accord. Pandikuzhi Pandikuzhi is yet another picturesque spectrum of nature’s flora, fauna and gurgling streams. It is located 5 kms from Kulmily between Chellarkovil and the Tamil Nadu border, it remains an essential excursion point in Thekkady. Being an idyllic picnic, trekking, and photographic spot, it is also the favorite day and weekend destination for the localities as well. Chellarkovil Chellarkovil is a beautiful village located 15 kms away from Kumily and it is a sleepy wind-stricken village of lush scenery and gushing waterfalls. A bird’s eye view of the extensive coconut groves of Kamabam and the plains of Theni in neighboring Tamil Nadu is possible from here. Watchtower Watchtower is positioned at a distance of 5km from Thekkady. Spectacular views of the spice and tea plantations, the mist clad mountains and lush valleys could be enjoyed at Murikkady. The area is quite known for cardamom plantations, tea plantations, and pepper cultivation. Vandiperiyar Vandiperiyar is often a home to a number of tea factories is located 18 kms from Thekkady. The Periyar Pond is gushing over the centre of this specific town nourishing its prodigious tea, gourmet coffee, and pepper plantations. The Government Agriculture Farm and Flower Gardens have a delectable array connected with rose plants, orchids, in addition to anthurium. Pullumedu Pullumedu is located 43 kms away from Thekkady and 26 kms from Periyar. The zigzag ride to the top of hill along the Periyar River provides a dazzling view of slopes swathed with flourishing foliage. Velvet lawns and exotic plant life and animals make Pullumedu actually charming. The famous Sree Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala as well as the Makara Jyothi illuminations on the shrine are noticeable from here. Parumthumpara Parunthumpara (Eagle Rock) looking like an eagle is a very attractive place which is just 5 kms away from Peermade, 10 kms away from Vandiperiyar, and 30 kms Kumily. From the top of a cliff, the panoramic view of forests and plantations seen as and endless carpet of greenery could be enjoyed. Parumthumpara carries a panoramic view involving High peaks and trenches. Trishanku hills of Kuttikanam along with the Pattumala church are generally visible from below. It additionally provides a 360-degree view on the High-range. It is verbalized that you'll be able to glimpse the divine mild the "Makaravilaku on the Savirimala from below. Ottakathalamedu Ottakathalamedu is located at a distance of 4 kms from Thekkady at an altitude of 1300 metres above sea level, providing an panoramic view of Kumily town, the Periyar National Park and even the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu State. Activities in Thekkady Tourists can have the excitement of riding on an elephant from Time:10 am-17 pm for a duration of 30 minutes. Tickes are available from Wildlife Information Counter, Ph: 04869 222028. The region is trekker’s paradise with vast hilly terrain offering ample opportunities to get into some adventurous trekking experience. The most important trekking areas are: Kurisumala near Kumily. Pullumedu. Ottakathamedu. Grampi . Forest Department (Ph: 04869 222028) conducts daily treks from the boat landing station at Thekkady to the Nellikkampetty area and Mana-kkavala. Tourists get a golden opportunity to have a leisurely walk through the spice gardens like - Cardamom, Pepper, Coffee and tea plantations, factories, surrounding hill regions and tribal settlements. Plantation tours are arranged from District Tourism Information Office, Thekkady Jn., Kumily. Ph: 04869 222620. Boat cruise through Periyar River gives a splendid opportunity to enjoy the beautiful river, forest and closely see the wild animals coming to the bank of the river shore in the safety of being in the boat in the middle of the river. The boating time is 7 am to 9.30 am, 11.30 am, 2 pm, 4 pm. The forest department (Ph: 04869 222028) and the KTDC (Ph: 04869 222023) conduct boating trips. ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Idukki dam The Idukki Arch Dam towering 168.91 m (554 ft) located in Idukki is 106 kms from Kochi and 109 kms from Kottayam. The dam is constructed between the two mountains named Kuravanmala with 839m height and Kurathimala with 925 m and owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board. It is technically a concrete double, curvature parabolic, thin arc dam. This dam constructed in addition to two other dams on Cheruthoni, KulamavuIt is one of the highest arch dams in Asia, and third tallest arch dam engendering electric power from 4 March 1975. The three dams jointly have engendered the artificial lake that may be 60 km² with area and fortifies the 780 MW hydroelectric electric power station in Moolamattom situated inside in rocky caves. The dam is open for public for 10 days during Onam and the Christmas holidays. Cameras and cell phones are strictly prohibited inside the dam area. There will be boating service for the tourist to enjoy the captivating beauty of the dam. Elephants, Bisons, Sambars Deers, Wild dogs, Jungle cats, Tigers, Wild boars, variety of Snakes like Cobra, Viper, Krait, a number of non poisonous snakes, Jungle fowl, Myna, Laughing thrush, Black bulbul and Peafowl are commonly found in the Idukki forest. Ramakkalmedu The place owes its name to the lord Sree Rama, the Hindu mythological god had set his foot on this rock, is located 73 kms away from Munnar and 57 kms from Idukki. Kerala’s biggest statue of Kuravan & Kurathy is here. The rocks, between which the Idukki Arch Dam was built, are named Kuravan & Kurathy, two historical characters of the local community. Gently sloping green hills and the fresh mountain air make Ramakalmedu and enthralling retreat. The hilltop also offers a panoramic view of Bodi and Cumbum villages on the eastern slope of the Western Ghats. Kalvari Mount Calvary Mount is a famous Christian pilgrim destination and trekking track located 25 kms away from Idukki. The sight of Idukki Arch Dam from Kalvari mount is mesmerizing. The State Forest Department conducts trekking expeditions to explore the wilds. Kurisumala Ashram Kurisumala literally meaning the ’Mountain of the Cross’ is trekker’s paradise and it is the highest peak in Thekkady. The hill offers a panoramic view of surroundings including a glimpse of Periyar Lake, Kumily town and vast areas of neighboring. It is a renowned Christian pilgrim centre where hundreds of devotees climb the hill in faith during the holy week and especially on Good Friday and after, carrying small wooden crosses. There is a peaceful Monastery at the top of the hill. The silence of the hills, the chilly mountain air, and the lush green landscape are soothing to the soul. Cheeyappara Waterfall The Cheeyappara waterfall is situated between Neriamangalam and Adimali on Kochi - Madurai Sate Highway. The Cheeyappara Waterfall cascades down in full swing in seven steps during the monsoon is a perfect visual treat for the eyes and it is a perfect place for those who love to be engaged with some audacious trekking experiences. Ponmudi Dam Ponmudi Dam is located 15 kms away from Adimali on the Way to Rajakkad. It has been constructed across the Panniar River, an offshoot of the Periyar River in 1963 with a length of 294 m. Painavu Painavu located at a distance of 37 kms away from Idukki at an altitude of 3,900 ft above sea level is the administrative headquarters of the Idukki district in Kerala. It is largely significant for its natural beauty and for its attractive surroundings. Idukki wildlife sanctuary, Kalliyanathandu, Hill View Park, Kallarkutty Dam, Thommankuthu and Nadukani are the other major tourist destinations close to Painavu. During the rainy and winter seasons, herd of elephants are seen moving on the roads. Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary Idukki popularly known as high-range with an altitude of 450 – 748 m above the sea is one of the most naturally-gifted areas in Kerala. The sanctuary occupying the forestland between the Cheruthoni and Periyar rivers is spreading over an area of 105.364 sq km in Thodupuzha and Udumpanchola taluks of Idukki district. There is a picturesque lake around the sanctuary, enclosed by a captivating shade of evergreen and towering trees, and offers boat rides. Apart from various species of snakes including Cobra, Viper, Kraits and numerous non-venomous, Elephants, Bison, Sambar deer, Wild dogs, Jungle cats, Tiger, Wild boar etc. are also found here in the sanctuary. Grey jungle fowl, Malabar grey hornbill, several species of Woodpeckers, Bulbuls, Flycatchers, etc are also very common in the sanctuary. The sanctuary lies close to the Idukki Arch Dam is almost similar to Thekkady wild life sanctuary. Cheruthoni Dam Cheruthoni dam towering 138 m is located 5 kms away from Idukki dam, along with Kulamavu and Idukki dams form the Idukki reservoir which is the biggest hydroelectric project in Kerala. The very name Cheruthoni in vernacular language could be translated as ‘Small Boat.’ Cheruthoni Dam, which is the largest concrete gravity dam in Kerala and the third highest dam in India, was constructed in 1976 across Periyar River. Two-hour boating facility between Cheruthoni and Kulamavu is such a fabulous experience to enjoy the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) looks after the dam and rents out the boasts. Other villages adjoining to Cheruthoni are Vazhathope, Thadiyanpadu, Karimban, Manjappara, Maniyarankudi, Bhoomiyamkulam, Peppara, Manjikkavala and Painavu. Palkulamedu Palkulamedu at 1200m above sea level is one of the highest peaks in Idukki district located about 13 kms from Idukki. The place is so soothing to the eyes with the greenery all around and offers panoramic view of surrounding areas from a lofty place. The small fresh water pool at the top of the hill is really a marvel and makes the destination even more vibrant. The unspeakable splendor and perfect ambiance of nature make the place an ideal trekking location. The sight of Periyar valley from the peak of the mountain is spectacular. Kuttikkanam Kuttikkanam located 79 kms away from Idukki and 71 kms from Kottayam at an altitude of 3,500 feet (1,100 m) above sea level is a famous plantation town in Idukki district. The whole region is surrounded by lush green tea plantations. There are some enchanting trekking stations and beautiful mist masked hilltops in and around Kuttikkanam. Pine Forest in the region makes it the whole place even more charming. Thattekkad Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary situated about 12 kms from Kothamangalam, spreading an area of 25 km² is the first bird sanctuary in Kerala. The sanctuary falling between the offshoots of Periyar River like a cape is greatly indebted to Dr. Salim Ali, Globally famous ornithologist. After the bird survey he had undertaken in 1930s, he found that the region was enormously rich with bird diversity and made a proposal that it shall be converted to a bird sanctuary thus, the globally acclaimed bird sanctuary came to being. Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary is immensely rich with over 300 species of birds, both forest birds as well as the water birds, visit the sanctuaries, More than 300 species of birds are found here. Srilankan Frogmouth, Racket tailed Drongo, Bronzed Drongo, Whitebellied Treepie, Shama, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Rufous Babbler, Malabar Parakeet, Whitebellied Blue Flycatcher, Malabar Grey Hornbill, are some of the bird specious that are frequently found in the sanctuary. Thattekkad also has widespread plantations of teak, rosewood, mahogany and the thick vegetation shelters almost 28 species of mammals and about 9 species of reptiles. Thumpachi Calveri Samuchayam Thumpachi Calveri Samuchayam situated 35 kms from Thodupuzha town and 12 kms from Idukki is a marvelous eco-tourism destination. The serenity and quiet atmosphere make it a perfect to fall in love with nature, unwind and to get rejuvenated. The mount offers tourists audacious trekking experience. Being on the top to the Mount, the panoramic view of high range hills and valleys and the Idukki reservoir can be experienced. Tourists also get a chance to closely enjoy the wildlife of Idukki and can have a glance of the wild elephants in the forests. The valley of Calvary Mount is a home to variety spices of fruits and plantations. The area is having abundant tea, coffee, and cardamom plantations in the area. The enchanting sight and charming beauty of the Malankara Dam and the backwaters of Idukki make every visitor feel the marvel of nature. Malankara Reservoir Malankara Reservoir is located 6 kms from Thodupuzha on the way to Moolamattam Power House. The manmade lake looks like a real lake covering an areas of about 11 kms is the ideal place for boating and fishing. It was built across the water from the tailgate of the Moolamattom Power house as a part of Muvattupuzha valley irrigation project. Nadukani Pavalion, Elaveezhapoonjira waterfall, lakes, wildlife sanctuary, Kudayathor hills, and National park are the other attractive places located near the Malankara Reservoir. Thommankuthu Waterfalls The seven - step Thommankuthu waterfalls located 20 kilometers away from Thodupuzha town is one of the major eco-tourism centers in Kerala. The stimulating beauty of the waterfalls enthralls tourists visiting Thommankuthi. The waterfall is named after the great hunter, Mr. Thommachen Kuruvinakunnel, who made known the beautiful waterfall in the jungle to the world in the late 1920s. Thommachen was also instrumental in discovering the spot for the Idukki Dam. Thommankuthu waterfall is a scenic seven step silvery cascade in which water gushes hitting on seven layers of rocks. This astounding tourist destination is a fabulous spot for mountain climbing or trekking. Tourists can get engaged in boating and fishing in the nearby lake. Keezharkuthu Waterfall Keezharkuthu waterfall, also known as Rainbow falls, is located about 25 kms from Thodupuzha. The waterfall cascades down at altitude of 200 ft. The great attraction of this waterfall is that it never dries up so it can be visited on any season. It requires 10 kms trekking through the forest to reach the waterfall and accompanied by local tribesmen living in the forest. Trekking gives splendid opportunity to come across wild animals and even the herd of elephants. Apart from the usual waterfall trek, there are also other treks conducted in the surrounding areas. Rock climbing, mountaineering and camping are the other picnic options available here. Onam is the most significant festival celebrated in Idukki, which falls in the Malayalam month of Chingam (August-September), it is the state festival of Kerala. It coincides with the harvest season and celebrates the home-coming of the great king Mahabali, it is believed that in his regime prosperity and affluence prevailed. Onam also coincides with the tourism week celebrations in the state. Christmas and Easter are the two major Christian festivals celebrated with much zeal in Idukki. The Adimali Fest (Adimali is an important place in the district) is a significant tourism and agricultural fair of the region. It is celebrated during the last week of December at Adimali every year. Farmers bring their agricultural products to the fair for the exhibition and sale. Exhibition stalls of various government departments, institutions, and agencies are a great attraction at this trade fair. An agricultural fair named Karishika Mela held at Thodupuzha every year is very remarkable. The ancient history of the district is incomprehensible and there is no clear indication about the Paleolithic age. The burials in the High Range date back to the Megalithic period. Some historians consider that Kuzhumur, the capital Sangam age is the present Kumily in Peermade taluk. During 800 –1102 AD, the High Ranges consisting of present Devikulam, Udumbanchola and Peermade taluks were part of the Kingdom of Vembolinad. During 16th Century, Major portions of Idukki district came under the rule of Poonjar Raja. With the advent of Europen planters to this region, the Modern history of the district starts. In 1877, 227 Sq. miles of Kannan Devan was sold to John Danial Manroe, a British Planter by Kerala Varma, the Raja of Poonjar. The region was largely uncultivated and covered with thick forest. The Raja formed the North Travancore Land planting and Agriculture society. The members of the society developed their own estates in various parts of High Ranges. Roads were opened, Transport organised, Houses and factories built and productions rose rapidly in the succeeding years. The first hydroelectric project of the State, The pallivasal Hydroelectric Project, was initially constructed by the tea companies for the industrial use. Planters were the first migrants to the High Range region covered by dense forest. With beginning of the plantation industry by the end of the 19th century, deforestation process started in the High Ranges. As part of constructing several hydro electrical projects, Roads, factories, vast area of evergreen forest were destroyed. Idukki with an area of 4,479 km2 (1,729 sq mi) the second largest District of Kerala after Palakkad was formed on 26 January, 1972 by carving out portions from erstwhile Ernakulam and Kottayam district. The district is consisted of shares it border with Trichur, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala and Coimbatore, Madurai and Ramanathpuram districts of Tamilnadu. It spreads by 115 KM from South to North and 67 KM from East to West. When the district was formed, its headquarters had been at Kottayam until 1976 and later it was shifted to Painavu. Agriculture is the main means of the district and above 50% of the revenue of the district is from the sector. Learning that High Range is the most fertile land for cultivation and seeing its immense natural wealth, towards the end of 19th century even before the formation of Kerala, people from all over Kerala started migrating to the region. Tamilians came as plantation workers of the European planters in Peermade, Udumbanchola and Devikulam taluks. Since most part of the district has been covered with dense forests and plantations, there was lesser area for habitation. A large scale of deforestation resulted in the increase in population in the Udumbanchola and eastern part of Thodupuzha Taluk due to the establishment of gigantic hydroelectric project in Thodupuzha. These tribal communities associated with Idukki, living within perfect harmony having Nature, have an overall population of about 2000. There are all 5 ethnically different communities within Thekkady region: the Mannans, the actual Paliyas, the Uralis, the Mala-arayas along with the Malampandarams - possess settled in Kumily panchayat, which is on the outskirts in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. As the region is quite famous for tourism and more emphasis is given for eco-tourism initiatives, the tribal communities over there found alternative jobs leaving their traditional occupation like fishing and agriculture. They are actively involved in the tourism-related programmes and serve as guides for tourists or as forest guards to prevent poaching and illegal activities. In the isolated forests, there are tribes engaged in ancient practices such as building small dolmens for honoring the dead. Idukki district has a good number of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe. According to 2001 Census, 14.11% of the total population belongs to SC and 4.51% belongs to ST group. Urban population in this district is only 4.1% of the total population. Most of the people eat rice, rice products, and tapioca. All traditional food dishes of Kerala are available here. Food habit of Kerala and Tamil Nadu is mostly followed in Kerala and Tamil Nadu boarder. Both men and women wear the traditional apparatus, men wearing Lungi and shirt and women saree. Idukki is having a mixed culture as people from other parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu migrated to the region to explore in rich natural resources. A large tribal population is settled in Idukki and there are over 200 tribal clans here. The major inhabitants of this place are the scheduled tribes, which include Malayarayan, Mannan, Oorali, Paliyan, Malapandaram, Malayan etc. Among the scheduled tribes, Malayarayans outshine in all the other groups in socio-economical and educational aspects. An important festival of this place is the Adimali Fest, which is both a tourism and agricultural festival that is rampant since 1991. The agricultural fair and exhibition is a part and parcel of the Adimali Fest. Thousands of farmers exhibit their harvested products, which are in huge size and volume. Exhibition stalls of various Government Departments, Institutions, and Agencies are of great attraction along with the exhibition-cum-sales stalls of the trade fair. The agricultural fair that is being held annually by agricultural society at Thodupuzha is worth mentioning. Weather: Summer 26 to 36°C, winter 15 to 21°C The climate in the district undergoes drastic fluctuations from west to east. The highland regions are having moderately cold climate. rain shadow areas in the eastern side of Western Ghats. Best Season Idukki has a sensible climate so tourists can visit Idukki all throughout the year (but watch out for the rains). The best season to visit Idukki is from September to March. Tourists can admire the verdant beauty of this lush region. Summer Season The summer season is from the month of March to May, during this season the temperature varies between a maximum of 36°C and a minimum of 26°C. Monsoon Season The monsoon season in Idukki is from June and lasts until September and landslides are likely to occur during this season. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid the place especially in the months of July and August. Winter Season This marvel of nature offers a cool and comfortable winter with temperature varying between 15°C and 21°C. Winter begins from October and the temperature remains cool until the month of February. It is the perfect time to visit Idukki in its festive mood. Language Malayalam is the most spoken language. Hindi, English, and Tamil are also widely spoken in the town. Time zone: IST (UTC+5:30) Telephone code: 04862 - Vehicle registration: KL- 62 Police station number: 100 Fire: 101 Ambulance: 102 Tourist Information Offices District Tourist Information Office, Department of Tourism, Thekkady junction, Kumily 04869-222620 District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), Civil Station, Painavu 04862-232248 DTPC Information Centre, Old Munnar 04865-231516 Tourist information offices: DTPC Information Centre, Munnar Telefax: +91 4865 231516 District Tourist Information Office, Department of Tourism, Near Private Bus Stand, Kumily Ph: +91 4869 222620

This past weekend I NEEDED summer. The weather was vacillating between rain and sleet, my boys couldn’t even go ice skating because the rink was just a pool of slush. The Midwestern sky, that I can usually count on for an endless blue sunny backdrop to winter, was gray. It was all too much to take, especially after the Vikings gave up the big game. When I saw the flat of blackberries at the store, I had to have them. It was a gift from a land far, far away that is in their growing months. I am usually dedicated to eating seasonally and as local as possible, but once in a while we Minnesotans have to cheat. It worked, my family and I were much happier after eating these tarts. The fresh berries were lovely with the rich creamy ricotta custard that has the slightest hint of nutmeg. Be sure to use a whole milk ricotta to get the silky texture. This morning we woke up to snow, which is at least beautiful, albeit a reminder that our summer is still far away. I suppose it just means we have a longer baking season than most! Blackberry Ricotta Tarts: Tart Dough for 8-10 tartlettes: 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 yolks Ricotta filling: 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese or cream cheese at room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla 3/4 cup sugar 2 yolks 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 40 fresh or frozen blackberries for the filling Fresh blackberries for top of tart To make the tart dough: In a stand mixer fitted with the Beater Blade, beat the butter with the confectioners sugar on medium-low speed until light and fluffy. Add the yolks one at a time and mix after each until incorporated. If not using a beater blade paddle then make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and salt and mix on low until well incorporated and smooth. Form the dough into a log and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces if using high sided Removable Bottom Mini Tart Pan . Allow the dough to warm for a few minutes before rolling so it won’t crack. Not so long that it is soft, but it shouldn’t be brittle either. Roll the dough out so that it goes about 1″ beyond the size of the tart pan. Fit the dough into the pan. Don’t worry if the dough cracks. Press the dough into the pan, making sure that it is evenly thick on the sides. Use a paring knife or the rolling pin to scrape off the excess from the top of the pan. Once all of the tart pans are filled with the dough, freeze them while you preheat the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the frozen tart shells with tin foil and then fill with Pie Weights . I use a combination of beans, metal and ceramic weights. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the edge is golden. Remove the foil. Prepare the Ricotta filling: In a food processor mix together the ricotta, mascarpone or cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla, sugar and nutmeg, combine. Add the yolks and combine. Set aside or refrigerate. Fill the tart shells about 3/4 of the way full. Place about 4 of the fresh or frozen berries into the filling. Bake the tarts for about 20-25 minutes or until slightly puffed and set to the touch. The timing may depend on how chilled your filling is. Cool the tarts until room temperature, then remove from the tart pans. Top the tarts with the fresh berries. Serve unadorned or with whipped cream. Ahh this looks so fresh and delicious! I really do love the combination of ricotta and fresh berries. Irresistable. These are such beautiful little tarts! I love your step by step photos on how to make the crust – very helpful. I was eyeing the blackberries at the store yesterday too, but blueberries were on sale for $1/container! Awwww…these are so so dang cute …would love to make ’em with strawberries and will veery soon…. Any good sub for the ricotta cheese?This is really so so good…. I know what you mean,.. I wish warm would get here soon.. I just try to make things that mean summer in winter and feel better about it! LOL love yours tarts! gorgeous Nice job. I love those little false bottom pans. I have some that are heart shaped and after reading your post think that I’m going to do something similar for Valentine’s. PS So sorry about the Vikes. My family is in MN–I could almost hear them yelling at the TV up here in Alaska. Perfect, this is exactly what might help me at the moment! I also NEED summer so much! And I know it’s not really a berry season, but for once… Thank you for the step by step photo guide. This one goes straight to my bookmarks! Pie weights? What if you accidentally miss one and it ends up in your dinner. I mean…at least beans are edible. Scrumptious! Divine! A lovely recipe for mid-winter. Stunning, just stunning. And lucky you with the snow, we only have the gray and cold. And funny thing is I’ve been craving blackberries! These luscious tartlets are just the thing! Gorgeous Zoe. I have some small pans like these! I think I shall make these beautiful tarts soon, maybe with strawberries!! I am now drooling over the photos! I like blackberries so much. I prefer them than strawberries and any other. See, now I feel bad. I’m over the NYC winter as well, but I know that it’s pretty much insane in Minnesota. I’ll stop complaining, promise. I’m sure hose blackberry tarts definitely helped. I had a similar summer-need freakout and made mini peach pies with frozen peaces and a coconut almond crumble topping. Holy cow, I cannot tell you how good they were! Just a few more months! -Sarah These look marvelous. They are just the bit of sunshine we need to get through this dreadful winter. I feel like you- I had to have some pears for the same reason. Your tarts are beautiful. That’s a beautiful tart and a wonderful bits of summer on this cold winter. wow, look at that, I’m already drooling, great color, looks delicious thank u for the small, beautiful burst of summer, it was just what i needed. Change of subject but wanted to let you know Zoe that I just received the Wusthof bread knife you have listed in your Amazon link and it’s heavenly! I’d been looking at it for a while and when I baked Dorie Greenspan’s Devil’s Food Whiteout Cake this weekend and my bread knife was crushing the slices, I knew I had to go for it. I thought for years I had a good bread knife, and then I started baking with ABin5 over a year ago and all of that slicing simply wore out my “good” knife. I tried the new knife on not only a fresh loaf of buttermilk bread this evening but also an older…hard as a rock loaf of WW from HBin5. I was saving it for the birds and could barely make a dent in it with the old knife…the new one thought it was ‘butter’! THANKS for another winner Zoe! I can almost taste the blackberries from my grandma’s front yard and feel the hot sumemr sun on my face. Thank you for giving me a piece of summer on this cold and blustery day. Carey and I were watching that game as well. We sure could’ve used a tart or 2 to take the edge off the loss! Nice idea to have a ricotta filling AND some blackberries in it as well as on top. When I lived in the north country it was such a pleasure to offer fresh fruit to my family in the middle of a snow storm! Very cute.The blackberries look so fresh and refreshing What gorgeous tarts, Zoe! Could you tell me where I can find those small tart pans? I saw them on the T.V. just a couple days ago and have fallen in love with them. Your blog is one of my favorites, so don’t change a thing! Hi Rebekah, I bought them locally at Cooks of Crocus Hill, but I think you can find them on Amazon: Thanks, hope that is what you are looking for! Zoë Zoe: Thought you would want to know. It appears that your “Archives” links do not work. (Unless I am doing something wrong, which could very well be the case!) When I click on any month’s Archive, I return to the current home page (with the blackberry tarts at the top). John Hi John, Thanks for the note about the archive, I’ll look into it! Thanks, Zoë This looks wonderful. My local market has little baskets of blackberries on special. Odd, I thought. But now I’m suddenly inspired to eat a blackberry tart. Sweet Tarts in this cold winter Those are gorgeous! Zoe, I looove all your blog. Where do you host it? (what platform do you use)? This IS the answer to the question, “What should I do with the extra tub of ricotta I bought for filling pasta?” But I wonder if candied orange would work just as well as blackberries…thanks! Hi Cristina, Oh, I love the idea of candied orange with the creamy filling! Lovely! Thanks, Zoë THESE LOOK PERFECTLY AMAZING! What color! I can smell the lilac in the air – spring is almost here. Blackberries have to be one of my kids’ favorite berries. I just picked up a big batch today–these tarts sound like a good weekend treat. I’m thinking about trying to make them crustless in ramekins. I wonder if that would work. I’m kind of obsessed with any dessert that involves ricotta cheese, so I will be making these some time in the future. At this point, blackberries are almost in season!

10 Uncomplicated Recommendations For Auto Maintenance All people ought to do automobile maintaining periodically. In the event the automobile isn’t the most significant issue within our living, it should be a person from the far more crucial issues. Small issues flip into enormous ones when they can be unattended to get a extended time. Common auto maintenance may be carried out at your home devoid of significantly technical expertise so there exists no need to become afraid. Here we share 10 suggestions which will help you to help keep your car or truck in leading condition and also will help you to avoid wasting some money within this regard. ·Interchange the tires immediately after each and every 5000 miles so that they wear away equally. If it is not accomplished, the tires will put on out at diverse costs and unique interest will probably be necessary afterwards to verify the well-being of the tires. ·Generally preserve the air pressure of the tire as shut as possible towards the PSI marked about the tire. This will likely indicate which the car or truck will run on the maximum attainable efficiency. ·Cleanse the brake dust regularly, If it ignored to get a extended time, it will get stuck towards the rim and may be very hard to get rid of later on. It also discolours the rims badly. ·Tires have threads in them for better grip. When the tires are receiving flat, you ought to modify them. This can assure better grip from the tires on the road and also will raise the driving safety.It constantly is greater to get protected than for being sorry. ·Hold the oil levels close to the required amount. When it is close to the prescribed mark, the largest beneficiary may be the engine, by far the most precious part within your car or truck. ·Test the motor oil routinely. Either observe a certain mileage for being the mark up or possibly a sure time time period because the mark up If two of those collides, pick the one which arrives initial. ·Wash the car or truck and wax the car regularly. It is very important when the roads you usually use are salted. ·Be sure that the battery terminals are properly connected and hasn’t corroded. Battery terminals generally corrode more than time and it normally requires the electrical energy extra time for you to vacation. Also, a corroded terminal also squander precious electrical energy. ·Check each mild of your respective automobile routinely. The headlight could be the most significant a person. But also test the interior lighting as well as the backlights. Backlights are crucial making sure that none hits your car from your behind in dark. ·Require your vehicle to some automobile elements search the place they are going to check for any warning code. This fashion you can know if whatever is malfunctioning internally. Maintaining a car or truck in leading well being is not that hard seriously, should you acquire the time out for your required inspection, it can save you an excellent volume down the line. It’ll also ensure risk-free driving which may not be replaced by nearly anything. But if your car develops anything at all unusual, there are a lot of auto maintenance retailers in Las Vegas to fix it fully to suit your needs. 3 SUVs That Indians Desire The Most You are able to phone it a standing image or currently being adventurous or just being comfort conscious, owning a grand searching SUV has become leading precedence for Indians. Because of Indians raking in a beneficial share in the world-wide economic climate, quite a few Indians at the moment are in the place to spend money on a huge SUV which serves not just as an best family members car but also because the best recreational automobile. Pretty much all key SUVs use a stronghold in Indian automobile marketplace with more and more Indians wanting to buy an SUV. But you will discover three SUV’s that are with the cardiovascular of your Indian Vehicle scene. Tata Safari Tata Safari would be the stylish, indigenously produced SUV. The Safari Dicor can come with a two.2L Dicor (Immediate injection typical rail) Motor churning out peak power of 140 PS and optimum torque of 320 Nm. Its high ground clearance variation of 4×2 and Shift-on-the-fly 4×4 engagement and high h2o wading levels helps make it a motor vehicle which might take you practically any location. It has prime quality interiors having a spacious cabin. It is also considered a fuel-environment friendly SUV despite its 2200Kg bodyweight, a 0-one hundred kmph in 15.4 seconds and top speed of 156 kmph. Ford Endeavour Ford Endeavour will come with the signature capabilities of wonderful assemble quality and reliability of Ford Motors. At a cost tag of Rs. 18 lakhs it can be not probably the most economical of SUVs but compared to other names like BMW, Audi and Toyota, Endeavour would be the less costly solution between international manufacturers. What functions for Endeavour would be the effectiveness and also the styling. It arrives in two variants 4×2 XLT along with the 4×4 Thunder+. he Thunder+ is powered by a several.5L TDCi In-line 4 diesel motor that churns out 154 bhp. A good turning radius enables Endeavour to generally be extremely stable at corners. Its dealing with is company. Endeavour’s styling is sleek using a substantial, bold and sporty hunting grille as well as multi-reflector headlamps. The SUV does lack aerodynamic proficiency about the highway but like an perfect SUV it handles rugged terrain like a pro. With ample cargo area, it truly is a comfortable vehicle for that prolonged drives. Mahindra Scorpio Mahindra Scorpio is a single with the highest promoting SUVs in India. Considering that its launch in 2002 it has stayed on best to serve the SUV instinct of thousands of Indians. What tends to make Scorpio distinctive for Mahindra & Mahindra is that it helped M&M for being launched like a passenger car or truck vendor in distinction to its previous status as a producer of Utility Automobiles meant for rural parts. Through the years M&M has managed to help keep Scorpio refreshing by incorporating continual technological advances inside the car. In 2005 Mahindra Scorpio was the first Indian auto with Widespread Rail Diesel Engine (CRDe). This engine technology presented for any whopping 120 bhp of ability, lesser noise, lesser vibration and more fuel efficiency. This made it comparable to international created automobiles. Probably the most striking a part of Scorpio could be the signature away from-roading gene of Mahindra cars that it carries. Scorpio is the perfect affordable SUV for away from-roading in India. The listing of its attractions is extended but it really is outstanding for its immense highway presence, fantastic experience excellent, a powerful and successful diesel engine, snug seating and Hi-tech equipments. To brand a number of technologies, Scorpio sports activities Automatic Transmission, Micro Hybrid Engineering, ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System), Bluetooth Connectivity, Bluevision – bulb in headlamps, Twinpod Instrument Cluster, Entrance Dual Airbags and considerably more. The Positive aspects of Car Physique Kits Designed to re-condition the exterior within your motor vehicle, commonly offering it a more “Sporty” appear than the typical model, the addition of a body kit to any motor vehicle adds a feel of individuality and model from the typical, out with the factory auto. A human body kit will generally consist of your entrance and rear spoiler, facet skirts and dependant for the mannequin often a roofing spoiler for hatch models. Generally supplied completed in primer, the elements of your physique kit is often painted to match your motor vehicles existing physique colour. All of the things that go with each other to comprise the human body kit are normally accessible as individual goods. So if you might be not seeking for any total body makeover, just a basic re-fashion, then perhaps just including part of the kit might offer an option. All of your items of your body kit are created for self installation, and are supplied with total fitting directions. You ought to only invest in genuine producer accessories, which you is usually guaranteed is going to be an actual match in your motor vehicle. Providing an outstanding match and eventually completing the transformation of your motor vehicle. Not merely will the addition of a complete system kit in your motor vehicle give it that total makeover and further sporty search it’s going to also produce some better efficiency at speed. As the objects that go to create up the body kit are all derived through the race track, you are going to think an advancement within the dealing with in the automobile at motorway speeds. The front and rear spoilers are designed to pressure air less than the automobile. Because the air is compelled under the car or truck it has to travel more rapidly. By travelling quicker it reduces the stress underneath the car or truck. The stress above the vehicle remains continual in relation on the stress beneath the auto. Because the strain above is increased than that under the automobile it pushes the car or truck straight down, or leads to straight down drive, sticking the vehicle on the road. The facet skirts that also occur as component of your kit make certain that the air can’t escape from below the part of the car, so the air is channelled towards the spine, once again growing the down force. So not just will including a total system kit on your car give it an further sporty look. It is going to also produce genuine functionality enhancements. In case you find this hard to feel inquire your self, “If they did not give good results, why would they place them on racing saloon vehicles?” The Racer Kawasaki NINJA 250R The Kawasaki heavy scale market manufactures Kawasaki motorcycles and engines. The Kawasaki fuel tank holds an emblem indicating its initial producer “The Aircrafts”. The earlier technology Kawasaki Ninja bikes are an entry levels sports bike. From the later half it underwent alterations as well as the fourth technology mildew is Ninja 250R. The sports activities bikes of Ninja loved ones are ZZR-250, ZX-250 and GPZ-250. It features a chassis style and design of regular school. Kawasaki Ninja 250R is powered having a double cylinder motor of four stroke with 249cc displacement. A large effectiveness engine delivers smooth and strength cost-free utilization with the engine. The combustion chamber is specifically developed for optimum efficiency to lessen oil consumption. The exhaust and valves are timed for mid and lower torque ranges. You will find six transmission lets to exploit 250R’s powerband. Thin headed valves decrease the reciprocating weight. The chain tensioner minimizes mechanical noise allowing greater overall performance. The chamber sizing, connecting pipe’s diameter and length are determined to lower noise. It has two catalysts inside the collector pipe and silencer to restrict emissions. Cooling is attained by dense radiators of minimal pounds and measurement. Additional fins on the reduced crankcase produce cooling. The spring clutch damper unit reduces shocks for smooth clutch sensation and durability. It features a telescopic front finish of 37mm with company moulding for stable handling and far better journey regulate. Kawasaki Ninja 250R carries 17″ wheels that prevent skidding and contribute neutral handling beneath minimal speeds. The brakes are of substantial diameters which has a nicely balanced piston caliper for superb braking. The petal shaped brakes produce fantastic looks like other sports activities models. The dual headlight, slim tail, separate seats enhances the look from the sports activities bike. Its characteristics an analog speedometer, tachometer, trip meter, warning lighting and also a fuel gauge which has a neutral indicator. The 30.5″ height seat boosts riders with self confidence. The windscreens supply wind defense for numerous riding scenarios and enhance the seems to be with the sporty bike. The versatility from the sports activities bikes appeals to novice bikes and sports riders. Kawasaki Ninja 250R price is Rs 2,28,000 which seems high priced but an ideal match for entry amount rider. Kawasaki Ninja 250R evaluations boast of its dominating force inside sports world. Ninja 250R is often a light excess weight, nimble bike created for your enjoyment ride. It truly is a initial type winner of top effectiveness with remarkable sporting style to adventure the newer you. It really is a current sportbike for novices. Strategies to Set up Coach Horn within your Vehicle Educate horns are very much preferred today due to higher sound and a statement of fashion of the motor vehicle. In the previous, they had been only used in trains instead of normal cars such as automobiles and trucks for making men and women aware in the coming coach. Now these horns are utilised for common-purpose car and is regarded style statement for some drivers. Right after getting these horns, the most prevalent dilemma that men and women face right after obtaining is always that of setting up it inside correct way. If you happen to be searching for some installation recommendations, you are going to locate the recommendations to set up effectively. Subject for the type of car, most in the air horns will regulate right either below the covering or behind the grill. It’ll enable the horn safeguard by itself. However, some people desire to assemble it over a body rail due to not as much room in the vehicle. You might have to angle the horn slightly downward when the entire body is behind the grill. This defends the within in the trumpets from dust, filth and liquid gathering. On top of that, it’ll remain protected from something difficult getting trapped within the trumpet. Along facing trumpets also, avert whatever to get out in the horn automatically. It also protects superfluous wear and tear to the horns. MOUNTING AIR PUMPS The perfect locations to incorporate air pump is either from the spine with the vehicle, less than the seat or the toolbox. This may help you guard your gear from normal water, snow, extreme warmth and debris and prevent wear and tear of your horn. Earlier than By using the Air Horn for First Time: Whenever you first fix the coach horn program, turn on the air pump and let the air stress to reach 80psi, and flip it away from for no less than 15 minutes to cool it lower. Immediately after it is cooled, you could possibly flip within the pump yet again to complete filling the container right up until it reaches its lower-away from compression of 120-125psi. After it goes away from, permit it to cool along once again for about 10 mins. Soon after this ultimate cool straight down, you are able to check out the horn. Keep in your intellect that the air pump just isn’t intended for continual usage. The air pump wants time to cool down among the horn gusts. In the event you prepare to work with the horn each and every few of minutes you then require to possess the heavy pounds pump to go well with your needs. It could be simply observed at any large locomotive store or regional keep. The best way to Pick The proper Employed Citroen Automobile A car or truck is usually a significantly necessary vehicle for many individuals. Men and women prepare for several years in advance to buy a automobile. Even so, not anyone can manage to purchase a manufacturer new car or truck. Planning for your utilized car is today a good decision, as you should uncover most in the used cars in very good problem, which are accessible at significantly lower price ranges as compared to new cars. So, if you are arranging to buy a utilized vehicle, look at planning for your Utilized Citroencar. A Citroen automobile has usually been appreciated for its fuel efficiency, consolation and entire world school safety. It is not only an outstanding passenger car for being driven, but also gives outstanding performance and style. This kind of a car or truck would definitely make your driving encounter considerably far better. Even so when you will be proceeding to buy a employed car, it becomes particularly essential to decide on the automobile with utmost attention. Your demands and funds really should be kept in mind while generating the selection. The main things to get regarded when paying for these kinds of a car or truck are its value, reliability, features and sizing. So, before deciding upon one, it is clever to check out diverse models of Citroen, evaluate their functions, after which arrive at a selection. The beneath described factors should be regarded when deciding upon a Applied Citroencar: Goal: Establish the objective for which you’ll need the car. This could enable you to to determine the necessary features needed inside the vehicle. Also figure out for how much time you would like to utilize the car or truck. In case you need a vehicle for only 1 or 2 years, planning to get a affordable 1 is often a very good concept. Around the other hand, should you desire a car or truck to serve you for numerous years, check out what safety capabilities it has, its age, the engineering utilized in it and its situation. This could decide for how long it would last. Car Problem: When acquiring new vehicles, the condition is guarantied. But, used cars usually do not have guarantee for long a long time, so they will need for being examined nicely. After you inspect a pre-owned Citroen, the major things to check out will be the motor, tires and bodywork. In aces you’ve got small experience in examining vehicles, look at getting the help of an skilled vehicle mechanic. The Applied Citroen auto shouldn’t have any damages and the tires must have very good ailment. The automobile’s engine and mechanical components really should give good results smoothly. Electrical elements like lights, stereo technique and reverse sensor should also function nicely. A purchaser must ensure that most of the auto car or truck elements, if not all, must perform properly. This is able to stop excessive expenditure on repairs. Also check out if you can find any internal damages in the car or truck. Any important internal deterioration would be detected from the auto mechanic. Citroens employ a unique type, plus they supply good safety and comfort. Likely for your 2nd hand Citroen can be a excellent, decision in case you give relevance to practicality in automobiles. The choice of this kind of a car should be produced fairly meticulously. Build Your Own Car Or Truck Survival Kit Lots of articles discuss what sort of a bug out bag to create in your automobile – just just in case of disaster. But what regarding the emergency kit you ought to have for each day use – the one which assists you when your car features a hiccup using a good weekend generate within the nation? You’ll be able to possibly build a completely stocked kit for any kind of unexpected or you are able to make a simple kit after which supplement it for certain circumstances like cold weather conditions driving or taking a long trip. Permit’s have a look at the essentials and then some additional supplies you may want for winter weather and very long trips wherever assist could be a great distance away. Within the car This initial listing identifies all those things that you choose to ought to in all probability maintain inside the automobile, both inside glove compartment or the arm rest (or in any of the very little pockets developed into doors, and so forth.) ·Your owner’s manual ·Insurance coverage card ·Unexpected phone quantities – such as nearest kin, vehicle golf club, doctor, etc. It can be good for your unique individual reference and in case you may have an accident, it might enable the rescuer get in contact using a proper contact speedily. ·Coins to implement for tolls, parking and phone (if you are able to even uncover a payphone any more.) ·Maps from the areas you vacation. I am aware smartphones have discover to maps but sometimes it is useful being able to lay out an actual map for preparing purposes. ·Paper and pen – great for maintaining notes and leaving a notice for the vehicle in case you should abandon it so you can get assistance. ·Miscellaneous convenience goods like tissue, sunglasses, trash bag, and so forth. Inside of the trunk The trunk must incorporate all types of products that will allow you to get likely yet again right after simple failures – like a flat tire or a dead battery – too as items to keep you protected for the road at night. ·Jumper cables ·Spare tire – A total sized spare tire is fantastic but even the modest “donut” tires will get you the place you need to go in an emergency. But some cars now do not include any tire to help keep the excess weight decrease. If you’re unfortunate enough to have one particular of these automobiles, you might need to think about buying and selling inside a spare. (Oh, and be guaranteed it truly is stored inflated.) ·Automobile jack and lug wrench proper to your wheels so you can adjust a flat if wanted. ·A UL accredited hearth extinguisher just in case of hearth ·A device kit – suggested things include pocket knife, screwdrivers, pliers and an adjustable wrench. ·Electrical tape and duct tape for speedy repairs of frayed wires and leaking hoses ·Flares and emergency warning triangle in case you break decrease in a hazardous segment of road ·Flashlight – preferably waterproof simply because it at all times appears vehicles break straight down in downpours ·Gallon of drinking water – for an emergency fill with the radiator ·Paper towels or rags to aid you thoroughly clean up. Specialty objects for wintertime driving ·Blankets to keep you warm if the vehicle stalls out ·Ice scraper ·Can of de-icer ·Some nonperishable snacks like granola bars ·Shover ·Bag of sand or highway salt in the event you obtain stuck in icy/snows conditions ·Traction mats to assist you get transferring once again when you find yourself stuck inside the mud or perhaps a snowdrift ·Windshield washer fluid – not like water, it generally won’t freeze up on you ·Traction cleats or snow chains if you are driving in an region that could warrant this ·Transportable CD airwaves so you’ll be able to get in touch with out in an unexpected. That is great for places which have very poor/no cell phone protection Specialty things for long distance trips If you acquire a long distance trip – in particular with a remote location – you must pack additional provides for the auto. These can incorporate: ·Auto restore manual on your precise make/product ·Engine oil ·Brake fluid ·Ability steering fluid ·Transmission fluid ·Fuses along with a fuse puller ·A generate belt ·Tire pump ·Fuel filter ·Tire restore kit ·1St support kit ·A provide of meals and water Even though there is no technique to pack everything you could maybe need to have, this type of kit will cowl all the provides you ought to maintain you going for several of your roadside cases you might encounter. Did you come across this write-up valuable?

It never occurred to me when we spent most of last year saving our pennies, the effect of giving our little bathroom a makeover would have on us. On how it would transform the way we feel about bath-time. The way we feel about our house. It has revolutionised bath time for us all. Oh how I crave a long hot soak in my tub, but never before! Now forever more. Simply heaven. For eight years we have lived with a rather ugly space but as we took on a renovation project we really had to prioritise which rooms to tackle first. Over the years the bathroom went from bad to worse, it was leaking and generally in need of scrapping. The last twelve months were the worst when the shower broke. There was no shower and no shower head, oh yes I was washing my hair with a jug from the kitchen. Eek. Fancy a little snoop around our bathroom… When I say that this bathroom makeover was eight years overdue it really was, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. As the end of the year approached I was dreaming of a relaxing hot bath. Thankfully we took the plunge in November, we emptied our savings pot and despite it being a little disruptive, showering at neighbours and bathing Lil G in the kitchen sink it really is my second favourite room in the house. Its ok to eat your lunch in the bathroom isn’t it? I haven’t quite gone that far yet but I do love the floor and it’s the best place for taking pictures as it’s so light. It’s a bloggers dream! We wanted to create a space that was bright, beautiful and one which we’d be sad to leave behind when we moved to our next home. Although right now I’d somehow take it all with me! It’s possible we’ll be staying around a little longer. Our rather dreamy bathroom came together in a flash once we’d made some rather big decisions, and with no hiccups thanks to the very talented Paul from PP Plumbing. He was a pleasure to have around the house, really helpful and full of advice for two DIY novices. Styling and buying accessories we can do, mapping out the space was where we needed some guidance and Paul was more than happy to help. We had a vision and he helped us to realise it. After sharing some photos on my Instagram feed which have received so much love, I thought I would share with you our choices and where all the pieces came from. We have more accessories to buy, especially some photos on the walls and a ladder for towels but for the most part we are so very happy. We had been stalking a bathroom suite online for most of the year and were so happy to have found a supplier of Burlington Bathrooms to be stocked in a local family run business. I much prefer to buy local and it goes without saying that we were not disappointed with the service from NPH Supplies. We had so many questions about the fittings and fixtures and ones which can’t be answered by shopping online! Buying a bathroom suite, as we found out can be quite tricky and it turned out that we needed the team at NPH to guide us on more than one occasion. The team were so helpful and worked super quick too, which suited our timeframes. Choosing the right fixtures and fittings for your space, which if anything like ours is super small (2mx2m) can be a mine field. As it had been a long and arduous eight years waiting for this space to be transformed, choosing the perfect bathroom was a huge task and one which weighed heavily on our minds. We were spending nearly a years savings on this transformation and we wanted everything to be perfect and that started with the tiles! Apart from the bath (oh the bath), the tiles have to be my favourite part of the makeover. We really do love them so much. They add just the right amount of colour and contrast against the white bathroom suite and walls. The floor tiles were from tile manufacturer Original Style and the wall tiles were hand crafted by The Winchester Tile Company. A little over indulgent but totally worth it. It was after all our dream bathroom. We wanted them to have a wow factor, that they do. As the suite was white we wanted to add a little colour with the accessories. We warmed the room up a little with the help of this mirror and wall unit. We also needed to create the illusion of space as our bathroom is so dinky. After some research we opted for a 5ft mirror which pretty much covers one wall. It really does make the bathroom feel so much bigger. And you can’t beat a few ducks for decoration to keep our little man happy! After a lot of planning, saving and a little creativity I am so pleased with our bathroom makeover. Such a transformation. A bright, beautiful and tranquil haven to be treasured. The joy it brings some 3 months after, at the end of a long day hasn’t yet disappeared. Is there anything better than a glass of fizz in the bath? It certainly is my place to escape. Next I need to take my book in, I think I’ll correct that this weekend. Before the transformation we were so embarrassed with the bathroom, I would cringe when visitors came over, we would spend as little time as possible in the room. I think we love the bathroom so much more because we waited so long to have it just right. And wait for it, here are a couple of ‘before’ photo’s, just so you can see how truly ugly and sad the space once was… If you are looking for some bathroom inspiration then do pop over to my Pinterest Bathroom Makeover Board. I do hope you’ve enjoyed having a little snoop around our bathroom. Right I’m off to enjoy a little relax. KA x 23 Comments Oh wow what an amazing transformation. Its such a beautiful space and looks like it must be so peacefully just sitting there relaxing. Author Thank you lovely, so peaceful and relaxing. I am so in love with it x It’s absolutely beautiful and no wonder you are so happy with it. I love the tiles and the bath is just gorgeous. I completely relate to how you feel about the bathroom. We have been doing lots of work on our house and we had our bathroom done just over a year and a bit ago now. It really transformed the way I feel about our home, it just made such a difference. x Author Thank you lovely. The tiles are my favourite. It’s such a great feeling knowing you have transformed something from nothing. x The floor is amazing! What a great relaxation space…job well done! x Author Thank you lovely, it’s all about the floor. The space is relaxing and so calming x Oh KA I can totally understand how delighted you are. First of all, the bathroom is gorgeous! Well done. Worth the wait. We had a similar experience with our ugly, out-dated bathroom. The tiles were falling off the walls and it was just horrible. But now I love it. It is definitely my favourite room in the house, and like yours, the best for photos too! #homeetc What a transformation! It looks so gorgeous now though – I love those floor tiles, the colours are beautiful! The sink is fab too, such a good idea to have a towel rail on it! x #HomeEtc I think I’ll be heading home and having a bath tonight after reading this post! I love those tiles #HomeEtc This is just so gorgeous, I can completely understand why you’re over the moon with it! I’m really inspired by what you’ve achieved with a small space. I adore the tiles and the bath, just stunning. We are years away from being able to sort our bathroom which I really dislike but this makes me realise it’s totally worth taking the time to save up and do it just right! Aaah I have my eye on some patterned tiles for our bathroom floor KA! I LOVE them!!! What a difference.I bet you’re absolutely thrilled with it — what a gorgeous transformation!! Thanks SO much for sharing and linking up with us 🙂 #HomeEtc THis is absolutely incredible and you must be SO thrilled!! Those floor tiles are totally dreamy and I never would have thought of something as bold but they look amazing. And can I just say that blind in your final pictures is something else, who on earth thought producing that was a good idea?!?! Super transformation X #HomeEtc What an amazing transformation. The floor tiles are so beautiful and really add to the overall bathroom. Love the collection of ducks (which I presume are Lil G lol). No wonder you cant wait for bath time now, of course with a glass of fizz #HomeEtc xx I think you could have replaced the word “bathroom” with the word “kitchen” and pretty much described our kitchen (apart form having baths in it!!). Anyway, the stand out piece for me is the towel rail. That looks truly awesome. Floor tiles are also great. You should, by the way, see our bathroom. It is in a dreadful state! #HomeEtc Oh wow, this is my dream bathroom, those taps, those tiles, that bath! Love it x #HomeEtc Stunning!!!! Wow wow wow. Oh you have the best taste and style. The tiles are amazing and the fittings lovely. I know what you mean, transforming a bathroom makes life a little more pleasurable. I love having mine so new and fresh. Thanks for linking up – love it. Jess xx #HomeEtc Wow, what a transformation! Your bathroom is gorgeous. We have a really similar bathtub and I love it. My favourite is the little hutch attached to the wall. It’s devine! Kat X #homeetc Author Thanks so much Kat. I do love this little storage unit x It looks INCREDIBLE!!! And get you, with your glass of fizz in the bath. Much deserved. I’m completely swooning over your floor. I’d rip mine up in a flash and steal your style if Paul wouldn’t divorce me for taking on yet another project 😉 What a transformation! The stars of the show for me are those floor tiles, absolutely gorgeous #homeetc What a transformation KA, it looks incredible! Absolutely love those floor tiles. We have Burlington bathroom bits too (sink, toilet) and love the style x It’s so beautiful and I am sure very much worth the wait. The floor is stunning something I would pick in a heartbeat, sounds like you found a great team to make it possible too which is always a massive plus xx I love those floor tiles and the radiator. It is completely transformed and I can see why you are so happy with it! Must be bliss relaxing in there now, our bathrooms are quite dull but as we are in a new build doesn’t seem much point in changing them round just yet, would love one like this though xx

Masks are now compulsory – but how do we really feel about wearing them? To mask or not to mask? Telegraph writers share their opinion about the new mandatory face coverings rule To mask or not to mask has been one of the most decisive dilemmas since Britain’s coronavirus lockdown began. As of today, however, there’s no choice: face coverings are now compulsory in supermarkets and shops, cafés and takeaways, with those failing to comply liable to pay a £100 fine. While previously only non-negotiable on public transport, today’s regulation change brings Britain’s face mask policy more in line with countries like France and Spain. But reactions remain mixed... ‘Asthma has given me a fear of masks - so I won’t be wearing one’ By Emma Kenny Within seconds of donning a mask I am plunged into panic, reminded of the many times as a child when I would find myself being rushed to hospital as a bad asthma attack began to take hold. In normal times, I am a rule abiding person. I’m also someone who in my job as a psychologist is constantly telling people to confront their fears. But I won’t be facing mine and wearing a mask. That doesn’t mean I’ll be breaking the rules, I’ll just be avoiding anywhere that they are mandatory from today onwards. It’s an aggravation, but it’s the only way for me until they drop this new policy. I suffer from severe rhinitis and am registered as a chronic asthmatic. Both these conditions are, thankfully, under control, though as a child I was constantly in and out of hospital with dangerous attacks. I have coping mechanisms now when I feel an attack coming on. But when I’m wearing a mask this becomes difficult, as breathing heavily through my mouth feels terribly hot and claustrophobic and only serves to exacerbate the feeling of breathlessness. I can feel the panic rising and it’s as if all the memories of past attacks get triggered. The new rule is also frustrating as it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. Why is it deemed unnecessary to wear a mask in an office, but essential in a supermarket? And given that I have antibodies (I recently got a test) is it really necessary for me to wear one? I don’t feel anyone has explained the science behind the policy. There is so much anger and toxicity around this topic; if you suggest you’re not comfortable wearing masks you are asked if you are comfortable killing people. Personally, I respect that people will have different opinions, and have no interest in breaking the rules. It’s online shopping for me from here on out. As told to Eleanor Steafel ‘I feel less human when I put one on’ By Geoff Norcott Why wouldn’t you be reluctant to wear a face mask? I feel less human when I put one on. They squeeze the life out of human interaction. I’ve been helpfully reassured you can do a lot with your eyebrows, which is fine if you communicate with people who mainly express surprise. I’m sympathetic to arguments about the sacrifices frontline workers have made, but it would be a strange democracy that didn’t scrutinise the word ‘mandatory’ whenever it appeared. The hunch among pro-maskers is that my kind of aversion is performative, another wannabe libertarian posturing like a rebel. Coronavirus has drastically reduced the tariff for rebellion - fighting the man now constitutes washing your hands for less than 20 seconds. I’ve been disappointed, not just by the measure itself, but by the enthusiastic reception: you have to make it hard for the state to make impositions, because they can get pretty fond of it. We need to remind the government they can’t blithely accede to popular demand, especially when their own scientific reasoning holds all the conviction of a Labour party lawyer. You get the impression they’re not sure, so why should I be? We still haven’t established who has to enforce this new law either. Officially it’s the police, but, having seen them getting run out of numerous block parties, I’m not sure they’re in the right headspace to dish out on-the-spot fines for exposed faces. And what’s the exit strategy for this ‘new normal’? If masks are there to reassure people, how many will develop unhealthy attachments? I had a comfort blanket long after I needed comforting (A-levels to be precise). So, in this case, no, I’m not going to just ‘get over it.’ I’ll wear the masks but will act like a PPE version of Andrew Adonis, and moan about the outcome forever. ‘In the RAF, we wore face coverings for six hours at a time’ By Luke Ryan Wearing a face mask in shops is really not too much to ask. During my 25 years in the RAF as an engineer and interpreter, we regularly had to wear full face coverings for up to six hours at a stretch. These were much more extreme than the cloth masks people wear now: they were part of NBC, or nuclear, biological and chemical, suits, which cover every inch of your skin in rubber, and form a seal around your face. It was exhausting: air comes in through a filter, which means every breath you take is an effort. They’re so thick that you have to shout to be heard. I was posted to Germany for eight years during the Cold War, and regularly had to wear these suits in the height of summer there while on an exercise. You would be completely boiling underneath and the suits would fill up with your own sweat. The smell was something else. The masks we’re being asked to wear now are hardly an imposition at all in comparison. In fact, we’re not even being asked to wear masks, but rather a face covering, which could be a simple scarf wrapped around you. People are just complaining for the sake of complaining. I will be proudly wearing mine in shops. It’s just a mark of courtesy to others. As told to Helen Chandler-Wilde ‘How on earth will menopausal women like me cope?’ By Kate Mulvey As if going through the menopause isn’t bad enough - brain turned to mush, inappropriate toddler-level crying fits - I am wondering how on earth are women like me, who are battling the menopause, are going to cope with the new regulations. At 56 I am four years into it, and my symptoms are severe. As well as crashing fatigue, insomnia and weeping for no reason - I am astonished I actually made it through lockdown - I suffer acute hot flushes sometimes on the hour. Clearly the scientists and politicians coming up with these rules have never felt what it means to heat up like a human furnace. There I am shopping for pretty dresses in Zara, when suddenly I am standing in a pool of water and my mask has disintegrated to mulch. Not only is it embarrassing, it is unbearably hot. I know this because a couple of weeks ago a bus journey turned from vaguely pleasant to nightmarish. As soon as I pulled the mask on, I felt claustrophobic. Then just as I thought it was going to be ok, I started to feel the familiar sensation of burning heat; deep rivulets of sweat were soon pouring down my face and being trapped by the mask, which was now sticking to my cheeks. People were staring. I felt self conscious and physically uncomfortable. Then it dawned on me. they must have thought I had the virus. I wanted to shout - it’s the menopause, stupid! Instead I got off the bus two stops early, tore off the mask and burst into tears. ‘Deaf people have had their chance to communicate snatched away’ By Jeremy Freeman When I heard that masks were to become mandatory in indoor spaces, my heart sank. Both my wife Ravit and I were born profoundly deaf, and we rely on lip reading to be able to communicate with people, watching their face to figure out their speech patterns, movements, gestures and expressions. Over five per cent of the world’s population have a hearing loss of some degree, so a lot of people will now be missing out on clear communication. Not being able to read lips makes me feel isolated and depressed. Imagine having your ability to communicate snatched away. How would you cope? The rules that say you don’t have to wear a mask if you’re accompanying someone who lip reads are well-intentioned, but they don’t really help when a deaf person goes into a shop or meets a stranger. I’m not anti-mask. I understand that we need to wear them to protect others. But I think deaf people have been forgotten about. There are now clear masks available, which do make a difference - it would be great if service and health workers, who deal with the public, could adopt these too. My worst nightmare is being really unwell and in hospital, and not being able to understand what anyone treating me is saying. If we’re going to have to wear them for the foreseeable, clear masks feel like the only option. ‘My biggest concern is getting 'maskne'’ By Sameeha Shaikh Face masks have become the essential accessory of 2020, but while some have become fixated on whether theirs perfectly pairs with a chic ensemble, my biggest concern since first wearing one in late March was what it was doing to the skin sitting beneath it. Now, my concern has gone into override. The hostile environment masks can create is indeed so bad that it has spawned its own term: maskne. And though I haven’t experienced a bout of mask-induced breakouts (yet), I have found my skin becoming drier and more irritable. As a beauty journalist, I take my skin seriously as it is, but the pandemic has taken things to new heights: I’m now spending more time per day on applying cleansing balms and moisturising lotions, as well as nourishing oil, hoping to stave off an adult breakout. I have no issue covering my face in the likes of supermarkets or shops on moral grounds. But I’m not willing to sacrifice years of hard grooming to maskne, and have found that the type of face covering you wear makes the biggest difference of all: since ditching cotton and going for a double sided silk offering, there’s no friction between the material and my skin, which is a blessing. We’ve got to keep our health in check - and skin is a crucial part of that. ‘Why don’t people see the need to protect shielders like me?’ By Juliette Wills Next week marks the official end of shielding, which I have been doing since lockdown began due to having two auto-immune diseases and asthma. But I don’t feel confident that the majority of the population understands how vulnerable some of us are to serious complications from Covid-19, and how important masks are. When I read about people who say it’s ‘their right’ to not wear one, I think: ‘it’s your right to actively not protect others? Really?’ I’ve got three types of mask at the ready: surgical, a set of fun, washable fabric masks made by a friend and a reusable one called ‘Breathe Happy’ which comes with replacement filters. I’m in no rush to go to the supermarket, but when I do, I’ll be wearing one. I don’t want to wear one, but I have to be vigilant, and I also want to protect other people – it’s not just about me. It’s going to be made harder by the fact that I have a phobia of anything covering my face, which stems from having heart surgery at four and waking up in a panic with tubes up my nose, down my throat and in my neck, and an oxygen mask over my face. I’ve also got asthma and blocked sinuses, so coping really will be an enormous challenge, but I have no choice - I don’t want to spend another six months not venturing further than my street. Face masks for every occasion by Alice Hall Best for... luxury Sometimes cotton just doesn’t cut it. Space NK’s slinky face mask is made from 100 per cent mulberry silk, for a luxe touch. £39.00 at spacenk.com Best for... sport Reusable face coverings by Reebok are made with soft, breathable fabric with a tight fit for a lack of movement, making them perfect to wear at the gym, or on your daily walk. Pack of 3, £14.95, reebok.co.uk Best for... the planet Wearth London have released a range of sustainable face masks made from recycled ocean plastic fabric, with a pocket that fits a PM 2.5 disposable protection filter. And for every mask purchased, they donate two medical grade PPE masks to a UK hospital or care home in need. £23.00, wearthlondon.com Best for... children While children under eleven aren’t required to wear a face mask, it can be helpful knowing that there are options out there. Vista Print’s navy face mask adorned with fluorescent dinosaurs is sure to be a winner. £13, vistaprint.co.uk Best for... gents Crafted from the same cotton used on their shirts, this striped face mask by Savile Row Company adds a suave touch to any outfit. £9.95, savilerowco.com Best for... allergy sufferers The Respro Allergy Mask has a HEPA filter that, alongside viral transmission, protects against Pet Dander, pollen and dustmite allergens. £45.95, allergybestbuys.co.uk

Fall activities survival guide Horse Sleigh Farm Located one hour away from Rider in Washington, New Jersey, the farm is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. where you can take part in paintball shooting, rides, corn cannon, horse-drawn wagon rides, corn maze, pony rides, animal petting and gem mining. Afternoon activities are free. The farms haunted attractions begin at 7 p.m. and offer three attractions: Hayride of Horror ($5), Haunted Barnyard and Trail of Terror ($8), and the eight-acre Haunted Corn Maze ($12). If you buy all three attractions it will cost $18, and the full package will take approximately two hours. Annual Cranberry Festival If you looking for something that is close to Rider, a mere 20 minutes away, Bordentown City is hosting its annual cranberry festival Oct. 6-7 with live music all weekend. There are 125 vendors at the craft show, selling everything from painting, pottery, pastries, wine, jewelry and clothing. On Saturday there will even be a vintage car show. This event is free and is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Annual Blackwood Pumpkin Festival On Oct. 7 the festival will have food, games, four entertainment stages, and 200 vendors. They also have pumpkin painting and carving, as well as hayrides and costume contests. It is open 11a.m. -4p.m. and admission is free. (Rain date: Oct.14). Annual South Jersey Pumpkin Show The pumpkin show is located in Woodstown N.J. approximately an hour from Rider. This is a three-day event on Oct. 11-13. They have live music, kids rides, face painting, hayrides, wine sampling, contests and a giant pumpkin pyramid. Some of the contests include a pumpkin toss and a pumpkin weigh-off, which is at 5pm on Friday. There are $2,000 in prizes for the five biggest pumpkins. Admission is free, and parking is $5. Mercer County Cultural Festival Mercer County will be hosting its second cultural festival at Mercer County Park located in West Windsor, approximately 15 minutes away from Rider. The festival, which takes place on Oct. 12, celebrates diversity through traditional foods, arts and crafts, live music and dancing. The festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The rain date is Oct. 13 and is a free event. Grand Harvest Wine Festival Located in Morristown, approximately one hour from Rider, the wine festival is being hosted at Fosterfields Historical Living Farm. Open Oct. 5-6 from noon to 5 p.m. (Admission tent opens at 1130 a.m.) During the festival, visitors can sample award-winning wines, shop and hear live music from bands like the SteppingSTONE and The Funktion. Admission is $25 or $40 for a two-day pass, and a wine tasting glass is included with the fee. If you purchase your tickets online in advance, you can save $5. Haunted Mill Located in Clinton N.J., approximately 50 minutes from Rider. It takes place at the historic Red Mill Museum Village. Tickets are $25, and the XpressPass tickets are $45. Performances are every Friday and Saturday, 6:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Last Fling Pumpkin Sling Located in Harmony N.J., approximately an hour from Rider. Takes place at Millbrook farm from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tickets are $6 adults, $4 children, and four and under are free. Parking is also free. For more information call: (908) 283-0721 Autumn House Tour Lambertville’s Historical Society is hosting a self-guided walking tour through a grand mansion, a 200-year-old inn, and a church on Oct. 21. Tickets are $20 in advance, and $25 if purchased on the same day of the tour. Lambertville is approximately 30 minutes from Rider. For more information call: (609) 307-0770 or visit their website at Lambertvillehistoricalsociety.org. Six Flags Annual Fright Fest If you’re looking for something that has haunted attractions, rides, games, and food, then Six Flags’ Fright Fest is for you. Located in Jackson, N.J. approximately 45 minutes from Rider. Fright Fest tickets are the same as Six Flags normal general admission. For more information call: (732) 928-1821. Brighton Asylum Located an hour and 20 minutes from Rider in Passaic, N.J. this haunted attraction is not for the weak hearted. General admission is $25 per person, or purchase a $35 R.I.P. pass that gets you to the front of the line. The idea behind this attraction is that it is “a series of warehouses that were used for housing the sick and mentally disabled back in the mid 1940’s. After years of harsh living conditions and grotesque medical experiments, the patients eventually over-ran the facility, and seized control of it.” Casola Farms Located 50 minutes from Rider in Marlboro, N.J. It has a haunted hayride ($15), haunted barn ($12), haunted wooded trail ($12), the living maze ($12) or go for the ultimate package (Hayride, Barn, Trail & Maze), which is $40. It’s open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in October, as well as Thursday, the 31st. Call: 732-946-8885 for more details. Windsor Farms Haunted Hayride Located just 15 minutes from Rider in West Windsor, this farm is open every Friday and Saturday night in October. There are haunted hayrides, apple cider, funnel cakes and more. Rides leave every 10 minutes from 7 p.m. to close. Call: (609) 443-9379 for more details. The Field of Terror Located in East Windsor, just 20 minutes down the road from Rider, Field of Terror holds four different haunted attractions: killer cornfield, zombie attack haunted hayride, the unknown barn, and Dementia 3D. For a single pass it is $15 while the VIP is $30, double pass ($25) VIP double pass ($50), triple pass ($35) VIP triple pass ($60), quad pass ($40) VIP quad pass ($65). Hours are from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 7 p.m. -10 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays. Corner of Chaos Located at the Corner-Copia Farm Market and Garden Center in East Windsor, only 20 minutes from Rider. They’re open Friday through Sundays from Sept 27 – Nov. 2. There are four different attractions to choose from: wicked wagon ride, wooded wasteland, barbaric barnyard, and nightmare machine. Four attraction combo ticket is $40, and VIP is $60. Night of Terror Approximately one hour from Rider in Mullica Hill, N.J., this place is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in October, as well as Oct 21, 23, and 30. Night of terror has an extensive list of attractions that include: Slaughter Cave, 3D Funhouse, Frozen Tundra, Ride of Terror Haunted Hayride, Zombie Mayhem, cornfield maze, and an interactive haunted paintball hayride. Camp Evans Base of Terror Located in Wall, N.J., approximately 45 minutes from Rider, this attraction is open every Friday and Saturday in October from 7-11 p.m. Tickets are $12.50, and no one under the age of eight will be admitted to the main attraction, due to the intensity. Fear in the Forest This is located 45 minutes from Rider in Browns Mills N.J. Open Friday Oct. 25 and Saturday Oct. 26. The price for tickets is $10 for adults, $5 for kids and anyone four and under is free. “The haunted forest is unlike anything you have ever experienced. There are real trails leading through hundreds of trees, and real swamps. You will pass mineshafts and actual dungeons filled with demons and ghouls. The haunted forest is outdoors, so you better stay on the trail and not run.” Giamarese Farm & Orchards: October Harvest Located 45 minutes from Rider, in East Brunswick. For more information call: (732) 821-9494. The Haunted Scarehouse Located in Wharton N.J., approximately an hour and 30 minutes from Rider. Open Fridays through Sundays from Sept. 27-Nov. 2. Tickets are $22 per person. For more information call: (732) 485 – 2653. Scary Rotten Farms Located in Brick, N.J. approximately 45 minutes from Rider University. Open Friday and Saturdays in October, as well as October 27-31. Tickets are $14 for each attraction, for both haunted attractions $22. Frightfest at Scaefers Farm Located in Flemington N.J., approximately 30 minutes from Rider. It starts on Saturday, Sept. 28, and will be held every Friday through Sunday from Oct. 4-Nov 1. Tickets are $25 for all four attractions. For more information call: 908-782-2705. Nightmare at Gravity Hill Located in Jackson, N.J. it is about 45 minutes from Rider. Dates are Sept. 20, 21, 27, and 28; Oct. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27. For more information call: (732) 703 – 4198. Psycho Trail Located 45 minutes from Rider in Medford N.J. Open Oct. 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 31; and Nov. 1. Tickets are $5 or $10 for VIP line skip. Toxicity in the Asylum If you’re looking for a haunted attraction that won’t break the bank, then this is the place for you; tickets are $4 per person. They are Located in East Brunswick N.J. and are open every Friday and Saturday night in October. Night-Mares Located in Montvale, N.J. which is an hour and a half away from Rider. Open Fridays – Sundays in October as well as Oct. 31, and Nov. 1and 2. Tickets are $25 for adults and the RIP tickets are $35. Evil Spirits Woods at Emerald Acres Located in Monroe N.J., approximately an hour and 45 minutes from Rider University. Tickets are $13 for adults, but there is a $1 discount for any tickets reserved in advance. They only accept cash, no credit/debit/checks allowed. Hours of operation are from 8-11 p.m., and they start Oct. 11 and are open every Friday through Sunday. Devil Rider’s Trail Located and hour and 30 minutes from Rider in Milmay N.J. General admission is $10 and they are open Oct. 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27; Nov. 1 and 2. For more information call: (609) 364-6117.

Last week’s County Legislature approval of a new sheriff’s contract has left questions unanswered.... « Back to Article I will connect the dots for Christopher. Christopher says, "I guess you should have stayed where you were". Not exactly a welcoming comment. Our dear leader, Cuomo, also said certain people have no place in this state. Like I said before, the Dems are extremely open minded, as long as you agree with them. 1 Agrees | 0 Disagrees | Report Abuse » How did the right to life get into this issue!!? You really are off the deep end. 0 Agrees | 0 Disagrees | Report Abuse » Christopher, are you reiterating what Cuomo said, "Right to life people have no place in NY state". Such open minded people, kind of like dealing with devil. Christopher, Cuomo is going to bat for the charter schools in NY City. Cuomo said, "NY state pays more on public education than any state and ranks 30th. The people of NY deserve better." Wow, he through the teachers union right under the bus. Even the top Dems are realizing they are running out of other peoples money. LOL! 0 Agrees | 1 Disagrees | Report Abuse » I guess you should have stayed where you were. "Public Employees are now forcibly taking from you"? You got it! You need to put on the defrosters or get out of the fog. The legal plunder has increased annually since I moved here in 1998. Tell me, why has the teachers union been allowed to increase the percentage of the contribution to their pension plan from appox. 12% of their salary to 18% since the Great Recession. No one bailed me out. In the process of taking care of these peoples raises, health insurance and pensions my own retirement looks bleak. Get real Christopher, this is nothing short of legalized public extortion. If I don't pay my taxes, your regime tries to take my home. Oh, Public Employees are now forcibly taking from you? Really? At gun point? You sound like you've moved a lot, some bad choices others are being blamed for? What would you be saying if you'd gotten that civil service job you applied for? You think there's no corruption in private industry, corruption you pay for on construction jobs, Military supplies, etc., etc.? Boy, do YOU need to get out a little more. Most of your federal legislature has been purchased by private industry, that's ok with you? I am not saying changes shouldn't be made, I am not saying elected officials need to make a better effort at controlling costs, I've said for YEARS that overtime should not be included in public pensions (the absolute worst offenders for this are Police and Firemen, and huge percentages of public employees don't even get overtime). Insurance costs are an issue but NONE of the elected Republicans, ZERO, will do one thing about it or try. You're really getting a bit shrill there, Tjef. Christopher, why do you defend people who take from people who have less and give to people who have more. The situation has grown so bad to where we see the takers with a surplus and the payers drowning in debt. You see nothing wrong with this? These public people are my enemy. If I did what they do, I would be thrown in jail. *******blogs.app****/politicspatrol/2012/08/09/camden-mayor-tells-union-leaders-to-get-back-to-work/ Christopher, bottom line, the taxpayers in Camden are saving between 14-16 million per year by getting rid of the corrupt phonies who bilked the taxpayers out of their hard earned money for years. I applaud Mayor Redd, she is someone who cares. Camden is a PRIVATE police force? Read more. And Camden, NJ makes all of NYS look fiscally responsible, as well as being a combat zone. There is no comparison that can reasonably be made. Camden's police force, by the way, has been replaced by a county police force. Christopher, what is sad is you think these are fictional stories. The public employees have become the new privileged class. To deny this is to deny reality. Why in the world would you be scared of a private sector police force. In Camden the police has been contracted out the crime rate has plunged. These union phonies are only in it for the money. ***********nytimes****/2012/09/29/nyregion/overrun-by-crime-camden-trades-in-its-police-force.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 By the way, there are way too many rogue cops in this country as public employees, with lots of checks and balances. A privately run police force scares the H E L L out of me. Consolidating police forces is another matter. tjefson, you have managed to use just about every right wing stereotyped story I've ever herd going back to Ronald Reagan's fictional Cadillac driving welfare mother. You have done that so well, that I do believe you're full of...shall we say, BEANS. Too many stories for one person, and ALL supporting the right wing agenda. Darkstar, my brother is a construction contractor in another area of NY state. With the weather being what it has been and the economy being in the tank, he has never been in worse shape. He swallowed his pride and went to see if he could get some help paying his gas bill. They said, no, you made to much money last year. Here is someone who has paid into the system all his life and asks for some help in a time of need and they slam the door in his face. His refrigerator is practically bare. Fortunately, he shot 4 deer and a bear this past year so he has lots of meat. Yet, they will educate prisoners and give money and food stamps to someone who does nothing. What kind of a country are we living in? 3 Agrees | 0 Disagrees | Report Abuse » All the double talk means there was NO savings. At least now there’ll be some well-paid deputies to protect that “new private business” on Temple Road. (Proponents of selling the CHH – still think you’ll see your taxes go down?) tjefson, Very much so! I know what you mean, I've never seen anywhere were the population has such a sense of entitlement as we have here in Chautauqua County, we have a significant number leeching off the taxpayers and another group who feels that altruism means taking from one person to give it to another, and finally a third group which uses their political clout the vote themselves raise and more benefits again on the back of the taxpayer. Meanwhile the ones called greedy are those who don't want wallets raped and would like to actually be able to use their earning to take care of their own family. The left demonizes health insurance companies yet I pay less for insurance then I do in income taxes, and of course that doesn't even take into account the property, school and sales taxes the government takes under threat of force. Some day I wonder why we even bother. 2 Agrees | 0 Disagrees | Report Abuse » Niebelj, No problem my friend, even I've been known to make a mistake now and then. Well at least my wife claims I make mistakes, but I'm not sure I believe her. :D Darkstar, are you getting tired of making do with the crumbs? I took out a home equity loan a few years back to make some improvements on my home. I was rewarded by a new appraisal of my property so I can pay more taxes. These people have no shame whatsoever. I never seen such narcissitic people and I have lived in quite a few different areas during my lifetime. 4 Agrees | 0 Disagrees | Report Abuse » DarkStar whoops sorry misread that completely! ".....I think that the contract works out to be more like @$800 per year..." The story itself states that the cost will be $175,000 per year, and that it covers 56 employees, which comes out to $3,125 per employee. As for them raping taxpayers, as I've said time after time, the government workers union is by far the biggest fish in the area when it comes to political power and they use that power against the taxpayer to basically vote themselves in ever increasing pay and benefits every election and the taxpayer is left swinging in the wind. Yes they pay taxes to, but it would be a lot easier paying taxes if you knew it allowed you to draw larger and larger paychecks and have obscene benefits. 4 Agrees | 1 Disagrees | Report Abuse » Darkstar..I think that the contract works out to be more like @$800 per year. As to your other point I don't think the county employees are " raping the taxpayers". County jobs are sought after because for the most part it is the only game in town especially in the north county. You can't criticize people for taking jobs that provide for themselves and their families and for taking the benefits offered. Those employees are taxpayers too and why shouldn't they take advantage of what they are investing in with their tax dollars. If you really want to point fingers it should be at administrations that continue to spend more dollars than they have, are not accountable for the expenditures and expect all of us to finance their failed efforts. I certainly have no answer to how we change things but I do know one thing it can not change by hating our neighbors. 1 Agrees | 1 Disagrees | Report Abuse » tell me again why we're the 6th or 9th highest taxed county in the nation! Well I think a contract which burdens taxpayers for more then $3,100 per employee per year is insane. I don't care if it's raises of more for healthcare but expecting the taxpayer to fund these increases, especially as the area goes down the drain is criminal. So which group of County employees are next up to the trough to rape the taxpayers? PhilJulian with all due respect interesting idea that will never happen. You can't even get people to share snowplows much less give up their local law enforcement. 2 Agrees | 1 Disagrees | Report Abuse » PO Box 391 , Dunkirk, NY 14048-0391 | 716-366-3000 © 2014. All rights reserved.| Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Feminist Artist Mary Kelly Fights the Patriarchy by Smearing Shit on Gallery Walls If wine, soup cans, fascist symbols, and a man wrapped in a tent beside a coyote can be art, then why not dirty diapers? Mary Kelly, 1999. Photo: Kelly Barrie courtesy of the Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London. Mary Kelly first came into my consciousness after I stumbled across the transcripts from Nightcleaners, her 1972 film about women forced up take up low-paid cleaning jobs at night so they could look after their families in the basement of the Women's Library. Here was an artist asking important questions about power, sex, love and the validity of women. Just like, for example, when she presented her son's shit-smeared nappy liners as art object in the Institute of Contemporary Art in London in 1976. The point was an important one: if wine, soup cans, fascist symbols, and a man wrapped in a tent beside a coyote can be art thanks to Andy Warhol, Gilbert and George, and Joseph Beuys, then why not the detritus of the maternal experience? As a young woman in the 1960s, she traveled to Beirut to teach art, and in the early 1970s joined the Women's Liberation Movement while at art school in London. She fell in love with a fellow student, had a child, and began to use the muck and material of everyday life to create work that interrogated the world around her. The large-scale installation Interim followed in the 1980s, breaking the figure of woman down into a folded leather jackets, text, and etchings; in 2005 her show "Love Songs" brought together artifacts of the women's movement; while in her 2014 work "Dicere Kelly," she turned the satellite transmission of a drone attack in Northern Waziristan and the witness accounts given at a congressional hearing into a story, printed onto compressed washing machine fluff, of a killed grandmother. In every case the concept behind her conceptual art has been unapologetically political and intrinsically personal. She is the godmother of feminist art. The Evening Standard reviews Mary Kelly's show at the ICA, London in 1976 Now age 74 and still teaching in LA, Kelly is having something of a moment in London. This week, her work will be shown at Tate Britain's new show Conceptual Art in Britain: 1964-1979, her work can also be seen in the States of Mind exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, in Lesson in Sculpture with John Latham at the Henry Moore Institute, and her Early Work 1973-76 will be shown at at London's Pippy Houldsworth Gallery until June. I caught up with her to chat about bringing up kids in communes, smearing shit on art gallery walls, and the art scene in London in the 1970s. VICE: You're all over London at the moment—how does it feel to see that early work on show again? MK: My early work has always been present. I feel like I never really left it—particularly Post-Partum Document [the shit-smeared nappy one]. Feminism made everything I did from Post-Partum Document very consistent; I was working from what I call my discursive psyche. Asking the same questions I've been asking since I joined the Women's Movement—the same questions that were being asked in lots of different fields. There is a logic to the work after that. You studied at St. Martins, your husband's British, and you show a lot in the UK. Do you think there is a particularly British attitude to conceptual art? London was absolutely formative for me. Not least because I was very young. Everything was happening then. Everything was on fire. Art schools were being occupied, people were smoking pot and discussing big ideas. There were also some very progressive people at St. Martins when I was there: Gilbert and George, Richard Long, and my partner Ray Barrie. I was a painter but I hung out with the sculptors, a lot of whom went into film and photography. That was, I suppose, the English route. Flashing Nipple Remix Your 2005 piece Flashing Nipple Remix captured the lights that blasted from a group of women's breasts and crotches as they re-enacted the 1971 protests outside Miss World. It's such a perfect meeting point of humor, art, and female bodies. What was it like to make? Oh it was euphoric. We did a live piece with 100 women at the opening of Documenta. As with all happenings, we didn't announce it so people were very surprised when we started. I wanted to do something that had been done in the past—the protest at the Albert Hall during the Miss World contest. Doing it again, I was trying to ask—what's passed on from one generation to the next? And the work sort of answered the question for me. Much has been forgotten, but the pleasure of women being together was so intense. That's what I remember from the past and I could see at the event. They were happy. In that moment. That sense of sisterhood is clear in Nightcleaners even though, at times, the cleaners are describing terrible circumstances—working for no money, only getting three hours of sleep a day, hardly seeing their children etc. And yet, some of those women are still so funny. Yes. Nightcleaners was the first very politically engaged work that I had been involved in. It brought up all those issues you see in my other pieces—those women were doing this work because they had children. They couldn't work in the day because they had to look after their children, but they didn't have enough money without working. So they had to work at night. It's what we called the social sexual division of labor. There are so many lovely moments in that film. One that particularly stands out to me, but that people tend to miss, is when they're in the pub, talking to the trade union organizer. There's music in the background and at a certain point you see this woman just bobbing her head to the music. I remember being there and feeling that we were all just women, the trade union guy was boring us and we all just wanted to dance. They were all so much younger than they looked. Life had worn them out. A work from 'Interim,' which depicts a woman folded up into a series of leather jackets What did you see of women's lives when you were living in Beirut in the 1960s? It was a shockingly different world but not the one you know today. It was a very cosmopolitan place when I was there from 1964-68. It was still very patriarchal and a little like the structure of Ancient Greece, with women cooking and taking care of the children and men out in the world. But people were so knowledgeable, so highly educated. They were probably better informed than people in England were in those days. It was a very internationally well-connected place. Your recent show, A Passage of A Few People Through A Brief Period of Time, brings us right up to the events in Tahrir Square and the war in Afghanistan. You've made bomb shelters. Do you see war as a feminist issue? Oh, it's absolutely a women's question to ask about war. The consequences for children are unimaginable. But war also makes you think about difference that isn't based on gender; ethnicity, race, and how those things are so formative in those first few moments of life. That was a logical question for me to ask in The Ballad of Kastriot Rexhepi [in which Kelly typed onto compressed lint, pulled from a tumble dryer, a newspaper report about an infant who got separated from his Kosovo-Albanian family during the Balkan war in the 1990s, who was renamed by the Serbian army, renamed again under NATO's occupation, and finally reunited with his family and went back to his original name]. In the late 90s we lived in the period that marked the beginning of the War Crimes Tribunal and the Truth and Reconciliation Committee. So it was part of a larger cultural conversation. Compressed lint wasn't the obvious medium but I thought it worked well for the historical idea of following the experiences of these few people. When you do this kind of concept piece, what comes first? The text, the idea, or the form? The questions come first. The compressed lint pieces were my first attempt to deal with questions of war crimes; of mothers and children. At first I couldn't think of a form that would suit that vulnerability, that fragility. But I often use things that come from around me, in my domestic situation. So when I came across lint, in my dryer, it presented a challenge. How do I process that into a form that will work? I never fetishize the material, I just like it to feel right for the ideas. 'Circa 1968' by Mary Kelly In the first Women's Liberation Movement conference in 1970 at Ruskin College, women demanded universal childcare and access to abortion. My generation is still calling for those things now... Well yes. When we were talking about a new form of family back then, the context seemed very hopeful. Communal living, pre-school care; it felt that those things were imminent. My son was born in a communal situation and that was so important. But then there was the whole period of Thatcher and things got turned back. To look at things on the ground, 40 percent of families are single mothers. So somehow the family has disintegrated but not in the progressive way that we had hoped for. Children are not really being brought up in situations that make them happy. Would you do that to a plant? Or a pet? No. It's still a very, very big issue. Sometimes the term 'domestic' feels like a dirty word. You literally made it a dirty word—you put poo on a gallery wall. But do you think we're wrong to see the domestic sphere as inferior? It's certainly denigrated. I didn't set out to shock. I.

New Articles Insights Daily Current Events, January 08, 2014 - January 8, 2014 - Posted by: - Category: BIODIVERSITY BUSINESS AND ECONOMY CURRENT AFFAIRS CURRENT EVENTS ECONOMICS EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT GENERAL STUDIES IAS INSIGHTS insights ias INSIGHTS MAGAZINE insights upsc PRELIMS 2014 SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY UPSC upsc mains general studies FROM INSIGHTS MAGAZINE TEAM).The draft Plan is under finalization. B. Programmatic Measures: 1. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme. 2.. ICPS provides preventive, statutory care and rehabilitation services to children who are in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law as defined under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and its Amendment Act, 2006 and any other vulnerable child. It provides financial support to State Governments/UT Administrations for running services for children either themselves or through suitable NGOs. These services include - Homes of various types for children; - Emergency Outreach services through Childline; - Open Shelters for children in need of care and protection in Urban and Semi Urban Areas; - Family Based Non-Institutional Care through Sponsorship, Foster Care and Adoptions.). National Youth Policy Government of India is in the process of introducing a new national youth policy with the vision of empowering the youth of the country to achieve their full potential. The new youth policy focuses on: - Developing the youth into a productive work force, by providing them the right to education and skills and promoting entrepreneurship. - Developing a strong and healthy generation through effective healthcare and promotion of a healthy lifestyle and sports. - Promoting social values and spirit of community service. - Effectively engaging with the youth and facilitating their participation in government process. - Inclusive policies to take care of disadvantaged sections of youth and the youth with special needs. The government of India through the proposed new national youth policy also intends to promote ‘social entrepreneurship’ as an attractive employment proposition. This would facilitate setting up of social ventures in India by the overseas Indians. In India, 27.5% of the population belong to the 15-29 year age group while 41.3% are in the 13-35 years age group. By the year 2020, the population of India is expected to have a median age of 28 years only as against 38 years for US, 42 years for china and 48 years for japan; making India one of the youngest nations in the world. EDITORIAL & IMPORTANT ARTICLES River interlinking projects - Recently government defer a decision on interlinking the Ken-Betwa rivers,the first of 30 such projects. - The idea of interlinking river projects first initiated in 1972 as a ‘garland canal’ with the Ganga-Cauvery as its central component. In 1982, NATIONAL WATER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY was set up to carry out technical studies to examine the feasibility of 30 links= 14 Himalayan + 16 peninsular. Issues hindering the projects: (1)practicability and necessity (2)hydrological and technical feasibility (3)rehabilitation and resettlement (4)general environmental concerns (5)cost and benefit analysis (6)lack of clear vision from government Benefit from the projects: (1)transfer of water from surplus basins to deficit basins-serves two purpose- - availability of water to drought-prone regions - relief to areas routinely ravaged by floods Rational approach: (1)while environmental concerns deserve the utmost consideration, interlinking should not be served down merely because of the vague and unscientific feeling that it constitutes an interference with Mother Nature. (2)consider projects on individual merit- factoring in the - cost and time for implementation - extent of land to be submerged - logistics for resettlement - evolving mechanism for dispute settlement between the ‘receiving’ and ‘donating’ river States. Conclusion: (1)concept is not new- diversion of river waters has taken place since Mesopotamian times. (2)in India, the Periyar-Vaigai link,the Kurnool-Cuddapah canal and the Beas-Sutlej projects have all involved inter-basin transfers. (3)abroad, Colorado-Big Thomson projects are successful . (4)Supreme Court- in 2002 and 2012- directed the implementation of river-interlinking projects in a time-bound manner. (5)Come again to Ken-Betwa project– -one of priority peninsular link -detailed project report has been completed -tripartite memorandum has been signed between Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the Centre. -project has opposition from with in Union cabinet. INTERNATIONAL Nepal: Celebrating this NEW YEAR by Empowering Democracy Learning from the directives of the Supreme Court of India, now Nepal is all set to celebrate its New Year with a set of electoral reforms into its democratic system. “For democracy to survive, it is essential that the best available men should be chosen … for proper governance of the country. This can be best achieved through men of high moral and ethical values who win the elections on a positive vote.” In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court of Nepal in its joint bench of justices Kalyan Shrestha and Prakash Wasti issued the order responding to a writ petition filed by two advocates. With this decision, the ballot papers in coming elections will now have a separate option “None of the above or NOTA” to allow voters to cast negative votes during the parliamentary or local elections. Citing the provisions enshrined in the interim Constitution, which upholds sovereignty of the people, the writ petitioners had demanded that voters must be allowed to cast negative votes in election. “The current provision infringes on the people’s right to reject a candidate,” the writ petition said. The court in its order has asked the Prime Minister’s Office, Election Commission and the Ministry of Law Justice, Constituent Assembly and Parliamentary Affairs (MoLJPA) to ensure negative voting provision in the electoral process. Following the apex court’s decision, Nepal has become the 15th country to ensure negative voting in elections. India, South Africa, Sweden, Finland, France, Belgium, Brazil, Bangladesh, Greece, among others, have introduced negative voting provision in their election laws. Giving contest candidates who are known for their integrity. This.” ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY Environment: Japanese warning and Critical analysis of Fukushima Disaster. - The current visiting Japanese delegation has warned India on the critical issue of equilibrating the priorities of development and its environmental impact. - According to Mr. Natsuo Yamaguchi, Japan has experienced a catastrophic nuclear bomb explosion and a recent nuclear accident, which has instilled a greater sensitivity in the Japanese psyche. A critical analysis of Fukushima Disaster Even after more than two years, the ghost of Fukushima haunts the social and economic face of Japan. - Although the devastating effect of the concurrent Tsunami was far greater, still the nuclear crisis provided an acutely distressing scenario, leaving some 50 workers as heroes, TEPCO as villain and more than 1,60,000 civilians as the victims. - Beyond the release of large amount of radioactive materials in the air and water, the reactor core had melted and burned through their containers into the base of the building. - Although the worst was avoided, but the total release was equal to half the amount of radioactive materials as was released in Chernobyl. The apparent impact of disaster on Japan’s coastal biota is still a concerning matter. - The exact death toll is still unknown, and may be Japan escaped the immediate numbers game, but studies suggest that there might be upto 1300 resultant cancer deaths, with extremely small noticeable effects in Asia and North America. International Repercussions: - In France, the strongly pro-nuclear govt. was defeated with 70 % people opposing the nuclear energy projects. The present govt. promised to radically reduce dependence on the same. - In Germany, all the old nuclear reactors were closed and it was decided to completely phase out the rest by 2030. - In Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, there was a major referendum against the goverment’s plan to build new nuclear plants and the respective governments had no other option left except conceding defeat. - Malaysia, Philippines, Kuwait and Bahrain abandoned their nuclear plans while Taiwan had to drastically change its nuclear aspirations. - China decided to first suspend and then restart its nuclear program with a reduced intensity of approving lesser number of nuclear projects. Moreover, there is an impetus on completely replacing the total nuclear energy contribution with renewables by 2020. - In US, some proposed projects collapsed and the proportion of renewable energy generation has already overtaken that of nuclear sources. Still Countries like UK, Russia, South Korea and India are planning major expansion with a large nuclear program in spite of severe public oppositions in many of these countries. Final Words: For a country like Japan, which was planning to expand its nuclear program from 26% to 45% of total electricity by 2030, a shift to zero seems too steep a cliff. It would be very significant and would involve major changes, especially when the challenge is to reduce the Green House Gas emission by 23 to 25%, from 1993 levels, by 2030. A whole new field of renewable options ranging from solar to geo thermal will be explored with a significant up gradation of technology. Japanese track record of technological innovation is almost incredible and considering that, Fukushima Disaster might have had a destructive effect on Japan, but it might turn into a beacon light for a cleaner and greener future ahead. Note: For more details on exact sequence of events in the accident, please refer Wikipedia. Ecology/Biodiversity: a) China’s ivory crushing. - Two months after US destroyed its stockpile of ivory, China took a significant step towards discouraging ivory trade and poaching, by destroying 6.15 tonnes of ivory seized, in public. - It is being interpreted as a move towards shedding its image of as the world’s biggest market for smuggled ivory, which figuratively sits at 70% of global demand. - Conservationists welcomed the move as it sent out strong message to the potential customers as well as symbolically enhanced public awareness. Every year huge no. of African elephants are killed and China has been acting as the dumping ground of their tusks b) Rare Odonate species found. - In Southern Western Ghats, a rare Odonate species was spotted. Odonates are mainly aquatic insect groups who flourish in rivers, perennial streams and meadows. c) Canine Distemper Virus(CDV) - Scientists at Indian Veterinary Research Institute(IVRI) have found Canine Distemper Virus(CDV) in the blood samples of dead animals from Dudhwa Tiger reserve, Patna zoo and many parts of West Bengal. According to them CDV is causing deaths of endangered Tigers, Red Panda and Lions. - CDV is a common disease in domestic dogs. - It affects nervous, respiratory and immune system. - Spreads in animals which eat infected dogs and use infected water sources. d) Rare bird Indian Pitta - At Aravalli diversity park in Delhi, an endemic species of colorful bird Indian Pitta was spotted after 60 yrs. Usually found in Himalayan foothills and Western Ghats, it is distributed all over Asia, Africa and Australia. Climate Change - Tropical storm One hit the coasts of Sri Lanka on 5th Jan. The storm with wind velocity of 100km/hour struck the East coast of Triconamalee. - The Disaster management center evacuated people from nearby coastline zone as US Navy and Air force Joint Typhoon warning center forecasted about the storm. What is a Tropical Storm? - Rapidly rotating storm system. - Low pressure at the center. - Spiral arrangement of the thunderstorms. - Produces heavy rain. - Forms over large warm water bodies and derives energy from water evaporating from the Ocean surface. Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) - TSR is a venture developed that has been developed from UK govt. supported Tsunami initiative project on seasonal tropical cyclone prediction. - TSR forecasts to benefit basic risk awareness and aid Disaster management.

Over the past two weeks the Mail & Guardian have reignited their anti-Israel hatefest. That may sound harsh and overly critical. They are after all entitled to endorse a certain political slant in their editorials and opinion pieces. But when a newspaper becomes renowned for editorial comments like the one below you know what you are dealing with. Last week they ran an article by the Jewish South African Minister of Intelligence and pathological anti-Zionist Ronnie Kasrils entitled The Myths of Zionism. Here are some entertaining excerpts from the Kasrils column. According to Kasrils it is only the Jewish Holy book which suffers this flaw. The Koran and various Hadiths upon which the Muslims stake their claim to Israel are spared this criticism. It is true that there was a period of remarkable co-existence but the Jews had to coexist as second class citizens known as Dhimmis who had to pay a tax called the Jizya which was “protection money” that had to be paid by Dhimmis under Islamic rule. Is Ronnie really suggesting that there can be a moral equivalence here? Campaigning to allow people to leave a country and move to another land is not the same thing as the confiscation of people’s property and removal by force of those people from that country – merely because they are Jews. According to British statistics in their 1948 survey of Palestine Jews owned 8.6% and Israeli Arabs owned 3.3% of the land. But the information that Ronnie has concealed is that Jews owned so little because the British owned more than 70% of the land! This land reverted to Israel once the British left. 16.9% of the land was abandoned by Arabs when their armies invaded Israel in 1948. Had they really been willing to accept this then today there would be two states, Israel and Palestine, living in peace alongside each other. “22 Percent of Historic Palestine” is a lie. Historic Palestine comprises all of the British Mandate which includes Jordan. From Myths and Facts Ronnie then says, It never ceases to amaze me how people refuse to accept the word of the then US lead envoy to the Middle East, Dennis Ross. No-one knew the details of the negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians more intimately than Dennis Ross did. See the details of what was offered via the maps from Dennis Ross’ book “The Missing Peace” here. The maps show that the territory in the West Bank would be contiguous - there would have been no Bantustans. Bill Clinton agrees with Ross and has publicly blames Arafat for the failure of the talks. Here's Dennis Ross in an interview in the Weekly Standard Who are you going to believe – Dennis Ross who was actually there and coordinated almost every single negotiation that has ever taken place between Israelis and Arabs…or Ronnie Kasrils? Who does Kasrils think he is fooling? Take a look the PLO charter. Yes, they did vote to accept a two state solution. But the PLO makes a clear distinction between their covenant and their political programs. The covenant is strategic and the political programs (like the 1988 recognition of Israel) are purely tactical and are implemented in order to achieve the charter. During Oslo repeated calls were made for the Palestinians to change the charter. In 1996 the PLO voted in favour of making changes to their charter. However the PNC never actually amended the Charter.All they did was approve in principle that changes would be made, without specifying which clauses would be changed, in what manner, or by what date. So the charter was never changed and remains on their website in its original form. It includes a footnote about the decision that was taken to amend the charter as well as a decision to have the charter redrafted. 10 years after this vote the and the Charter has still not been redrafted. Is he honestly saying that it was easy for the nascent state of Israel to repel only 5 Arab invading states? Ronnie is basically claiming that the security barrier is annexing 50% of the West Bank. But an analysis by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy says that the barrier only annexes 5-8% of the West Bank. Since then more changes to the route have been made which brings the percentage of annexed territory to between 4 and 7%. You can download a copy of the route of the map here (it excludes the latest changes). If this has angered you, fear not. Ronnie has written this with the best interests of Jews in mind. And when the real alarm is sounded, who will come to our help if there is no Israel? Its amazing how much time Kasrils spends on all of this crap. I wish he would just disappear. Posted by: Observer | January 31, 2006 at 23:20 So pleased Steve decided to take the Kasril’s piece. I read it and didn’t know where to begin. It’s not easy to counter ideological ramblings with logical arguments. The fact that this man was made Minister of Intelligence is just such an irony to me. I think it was the President’s idea of a practical joke. Well if one really does think about it where could he have put red Ronnie? An economic portfolio would have been disastrous for the country. I guess Mbeki reckoned that with his experience in the Soviet Union, Ronnie was an ideal candidate for running our version of the KGB. Intelligence ironically may truly be what he is best at. I would like ask the Mail and Guardian what are the relevance of red Ronnie’s ramblings. (Bet he can’t say that backwards). There was nothing new there. We have heard that propaganda for years. Perhaps I am too cynical but it seems to me that every time it’s a slow news week, the Mail and Guardian used Jew bating to get their sales. It is honestly despicable. And old Ronnie why did he write this now. Well if you read the article he read a book last week where he was exposed to all these ‘new’ ideas. He is the worst type of intellectual adversary—ideological, ignorant and misinformed all at the same time. Posted by: mike | February 01, 2006 at 10:01 Thus begs the question, why MSM give a lot of media time to those people in misguided notion of "balanced news"? I challenge MSM to give lot of editorial space for both of you to write columns. (letters page do not count!) If they can give space for people like Ronne and MRN, then they should give us to rebut them and others likewise. Posted by: Vaz Lube | February 01, 2006 at 10:55 I have tried time and again with the M&G but even writing letters to them is pointless. Their letters editor edits letters in a way that changees the core point of the letter or in a way that makes the letter seem like nonsense. And last week i knew of two letters sent to them about the article about the Muslim reporter who went to Israel and complaiend that israelis dont know the language of democracy. The M&g printed the much softer letter that omitted the best reply points. The letter that wasnt printed was brilliant. So an op-ed with them would be impossible. One of the best newspapers in terms of allowing op-ed space to no-ones from the public is the Citizen. Posted by: Steve | February 01, 2006 at 11:06 Like Mike says, you read what Kasril's says and just don't know how to respond. It's just so packed with lies and propaganda - gotta wonder how anyone can believe a word that comes out of that monkey's mouth! Posted by: Jak | February 01, 2006 at 11:07 Dear Almost Supernatural, In 1948 there were only seven Arab states - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria , Lebanon, Saudi and Yemen. The rest of the Arab World was still under colonial rule proving the caution of Henry Lawrence to Lord Dalhousie over the dethronement of the Begum of Oudh that, "People prefer to be misruled by their own, to being well ruled by foreigners." The real fault in the premises of the Kasrili idea is that their "one state solution" to dissolve Israel into a greater Palestine is on the level with re-uniting India , Pakistan and Bangla Desh with Pakistan in charge of the lot! Same as shoving Portugal into Spain or Canada into the USA or Ireland back into GB! Very funny ! For your next Kasrili Komik Kuts...? Posted by: Frank Adam | May 21, 2006 at 22:16 (Letter sent to Ms. Brittain and Mr. Kasrils on article in Guardian) Ms. Brittain and Mr. Kasrils., It is stupid to tell lies, but one must be very stupid indeed to believe them oneself - I am sure you agree! So how do you do it? And a head of 'intelligence' too!! And after being confronted you will keep doing it, of course! Or will you not? Sadly, here is a psychological impossibility: "Dear Mr. Mayer, after your letter, I sat down and asked myself, Could I possibly be avoiding asking myself a few question in order to uphold my views? - and to my horror I realized that I might be! I appreciate your pointing it out, in future I will do my best to ask myself the further pertinent question when attempting to understand a conflict. It does make sense to at least try to imagine oneself on both sides of a conflict. After all, no one - certainly not me, and I have no reason to believe that others are different than me - says to himself 'I will be the bad guy in a this clear black-white story.' So, I concur, to understand conflict IS to look at it from both points of view. Else, one is simply part of the problem rather than part of the solution. In fact, we can demonstrate we agree with the following quotes from previous pieces we have each written..." Please write me to confirm that you have read this, and that you actually do really believe every word you say, I will be most grateful. I keep telling my students that this is for real, that this is really how conflict perpetuates itself, but they refuse to believe this actually happen in real life. And then you came along with this great piece. Thanks! So now we have a bet on whether you will respond or not. Will you? Won't you? I wonder what it will be? Prof. Daniel Mayer National University/ University of San Diego Posted by: Daniel Mayer | May 23, 2006 at 10:09

Functions of Chairs in the 20th Century Created | Updated Nov 14, 2006 Apart from possibly the automobile, the chair is the most designed, studied, written about and celebrated artefact of the modern era. - excerpt from '1000 chairs' by Charlotte & Peter Fiell Chairs are very important objects1.. But it is this very simplicity of the humble chair's primary function that makes designing a desirable chair so difficult. Designing an object that can be sat upon is easy - but creating a 'good' chair ties furniture designers up in knots. In the 20th Century, the design of chairs was, variously, an exercise in: - Product design - Interior design - Art - Craft - Architecture So let's take a look at how chair design has become this significant and complex process. Aesthetics, Style, and Status In our daily lives, many of us spend more time in a sitting position than in any other. And though we may fill our homes with a myriad of domestic objects, we will almost certainly spend as much money on the seating as on any other aspect.. Architects, artists and designers also use seating designs to express their higher ideals, and we find that the latest in seating design has been an important aspect of many artistic and cultural movements. Architects and Designers During the 20th Century, the tendency was for the design of complete environments, rather than the separation of architecture, interior design, and product design. There was a particularly close link between architecture and chair design. The most prominent modernist architects - Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier2 - all designed chairs. They sometimes did this specifically for the interiors of their buildings, but sometimes just as an independent part of their practice. For many architects it was a low-cost, achievable way of seeing their ideas given a physical form. At the start of the 20th Century, the most prominent architect/designer in Britain was Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Like others working in the Art Nouveau style, he designed - or at least supervised the design of - complete environments, from the structure of the building to the tiniest interior fitting. Many of Mackintosh's chairs are still available, as reproductions which are quite authentic in terms of form and finish. So the position today is that although Mackintosh and other widely copied designers designed chairs as integral components of their interiors, the reproductions are now sold individually and are bought as discrete works. And they are bought primarily as works of art rather than as useful household furniture. Feeling Comfortable Such is the energy and creativity that has been applied to seating design in the 20th Century that it would be easy to acknowledge only the new, the exciting, and the adventurous, while ignoring the chairs that most of us fill our homes with. In addition to the active aspirations we have for ourselves, our lifestyles, and consequently the things with which we surround ourselves, we are also looking for comfort. Just as in a physical sense we will see that comfort consists of an absence of pressure and muscular activity so, psychologically, comfort may be induced by an absence of anything new or challenging. A visit to almost any out-of-town retail development will reveal warehouses full of mass-produced furniture. This type of furniture does have much to recommend it. It is cheap, easily available, and widely liked. However, it has little to say with respect to how furniture will be designed in the future, beyond 'There will be more of the same'. Cost and Value Because there is such a huge variety of chairs available it is difficult to recognise a particular model and assign a value to it. Neither does the cost of chairs depend on the specification, as with, for example, television sets. The value of chairs rests on more elusive attributes - for example authenticity, design, quality or exclusivity. How the chair is marketed and, in particular, where the chair is bought has a big impact on its perceived value. As domestic items go, chairs are expensive, and yet everyone must have them. This makes for a hugely price-competitive domestic market, and many people buy the cheapest chairs they can find that fulfil the functions they require of them. This means that these 'cheap' chairs are produced in huge quantities and are therefore perceived as the norm. Any chairs made that differ from this 'norm' are, of necessity, produced in smaller quantities, and are therefore always more expensive. We have then a major clue to a chair's value: if it does not look 'normal', then it must have a higher value. This 'unusualness' may take the form of an unconventional form or unusual materials, a different construction method, or more sophisticated functions. So to be able to make an informed assessment of a chair, to make sense of what its image means, it is important to know what a chair costs to make, what price it is being sold for, and how many have been produced. The Functions of Chairs As stated in the introduction, the definition of a chair is not descriptive or aesthetic, but functional. It is simply an object to be sat on. But as seating design progresses beyond the basic piece of wood of a convenient height, chairs can be seen as objects that fulfil not only this primal function, but also a range of others. The functions of chairs are concerned with: - The physical well-being of the sitter - The psychological well-being of the sitter - People other than the sitter Of these three categories the first is self-explanatory. The second is concerned with how sitting in a chair makes you feel, or how what it does to your position, posture and relationship to others makes you feel. The third category is to do with the fulfilment of functions for other people - for example the designer, the owner of the building in which the chair is situated, or someone whose job it is to clean the chair or the floor around it. Physical Well-being The group of functions that are concerned with the physical well-being of the sitter has been closely examined and formalised in the 20th Century. It forms an important part of the science of Ergonomics. Psychological Well-being How sitting in a chair makes you feel is determined by a very complex, culturally-sensitive process. In order for us, as social animals, to feel good, we need to feel in control. One of the ways in which we do this is to impose our will on our environment, with our own bodies as the centre of that environment. Our clothes are the first layer. What we wear is hugely significant, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. Forming the next layer out, so to speak, are chairs. Next comes the other furniture and decoration in our rooms, our home itself, then the area in which we live. The outer layers consist of our village, town or city (as applicable), then our region, country and continent. So our choice of chairs is very close to us, and therefore very important. For us to be happy with them, they have to look as though they will 'do the job'. If we want to relax, the chair has to look comfortable; if we want to work, the chair we choose should look efficient. The design cues we look for may come from other chairs we have had experience of in the past, or they may be drawn from other sources. Posture The posture that a chair puts us in is also very important to our state of mind. The more alert we want to be, the higher off the ground we want our chairs. If we want to relax, we find a lower chair more appropriate. This issue is currently having an interesting effect in the automotive industry. In cars we want to feel efficient, powerful, and in control, yet the seats we are given are very low and raked backwards. This is done for good ergonomic and aerodynamic reasons, but it may make us feel vulnerable, and subservient to other road users. Perhaps this is why some people like the seat height of large, high, four-wheel-drive vehicles. Public Seating In public situations most chairs are fixed. This prevents us from adjusting the position of the chair in relation to other people. Prevented from doing it ourselves, we want seating in this situation to be designed in such a way as to demarcate our personal spaces for us. Arm rests are used on bench-type seating in public environments, in a way that would be ridiculous on our sofas at home. Public multi-person seating is also very much more sturdy, not just for durability, but also to prevent any movement of our seat when someone else sits down further along. If our seat did move this would, subconsciously, feel like an infringement of our personal space, and we would begin to feel uncomfortable. People Other Than the Sitter Chairs are also designed to fulfil functions for people other than the sitter. In a commercial situation, the chairs are unlikely to have been bought by the person who is to sit on them. So how can the chairs they buy fulfil functions for them? Primarily, of course, they are buying a solution to the problem of providing seats for people. But this is only the first of the problems that chairs in this situation can solve. Chairs are commonly used to indicate the status of the sitter, saying 'I am important', or 'I am efficient', for example. This can be extended to convey information about a company - perhaps 'We work in a high-tech way'. Once it is accepted that chairs function in this visual way, then there are new ways in which they can fail. Durability is important in both commercial and domestic situations, but in commercial situations the seating may have to appear perfect in order to perform its visual functions. Durability is therefore at a premium, along with low maintenance and ease of cleaning. There are functions which chairs may be required to perform, even when they are not in use. For the manufacturer, the ability to flat-pack furniture until it reaches the point of sale, or even the consumer's home, saves considerable expense in distribution costs. The slim profit margins of companies like IKEA depend on this saving. For the user, especially the corporate user, stacking and ease of storage may be a critical characteristic. Chairs are also used by designers as a way of communicating their ideas to a wider audience.

Many wedding photographers use music to some degree on their Web sites. Proponents say that music helps create and enhance the emotional experience, and also serves to brand the wedding photographer’s approach to the craft. Unfortunately, a large number of wedding photographers use music on their sites illegally, whether through a lack of familiarity with the law, a rationalization that their use is “promoting the artist,” or blatant disregard. This is ironic, since like photography, music is creative property, and the legal rights of its creators need to be respected. And even properly licensed music has to be used carefully. The selection of songs, how and where on the site music is employed and the amount of user control are all critical factors that interact to either create a memorable experience or turn off the viewer. Plus, good pictures are good pictures with or without the music, and a bad photo isn’t going to be helped much by a song. All of this makes the use of music an extremely important and delicate application for any wedding photographer. MUSIC LICENSING CONSIDERATIONS You would think that as creative professionals wedding photographers would be extremely sensitive about copyright, but that’s not always the case. In fact this is perhaps the most vexing issue when it comes to using music on Web sites, since licensing commercial songs is a topic of some complexity and great misunderstanding. This creates a paradox that has become a real problem: While photographers are highly protective of their images, they often will cut corners illegally and use all manner of rationales to use the copyrighted songs of others without paying for them. Some think that if a client buys a CD or pays for an iTunes download, then the photographer has the right to use the song in a publicly viewable slideshow of that couple. Others believe that using less than 20 or 30 seconds of a music clip is permissible. None of this is correct. In order to use any commercial music on your site, you must license it from the artist or from one of the major music publishing agencies, the American Society of Music Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) or Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI). Only recently have these organizations began to offer licensing models for music use on Web sites, and in all cases the agreements are somewhat complex. (See the sidebar at the end of this article for useful music licensing links.) If you go your own way without proper licensing, you may face a stiff fine ranging into many thousands of dollars, depending on your site traffic and how you used the copyrighted music. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been very aggressive over the last few years in suing for music piracy. Texas, USA-based photographer Joseph Victor Stefanchik says he’s sick of wedding photographers violating copyright. “People are so crazed about maintaining their own copyright with their own clients. They’re all upset and post all over the forums. Then they turn around a break someone else’s copyright in a heartbeat,” he says. “If someone was made an example for violating this, I expect that all of this illegal use would stop.” “Some photographers have this weird, misconstrued idea that they’re helping to promote the musician,” he continues. “You’re not working for these people. It’s a law being broken, it’s out of hand, and it needs to stop.” Generally, for a site that is not in itself directly generating revenue, but is simply promoting your work, you can now strike a deal that involves an annual fee of a few hundred dollars plus a charge based on how many songs you’re using, whether the user has any control over them (less control is cheaper), and how many page impressions you log each year. “For those of us who want to do the right thing, it’s difficult,” states Mark Adams, a Georgia, USA-based WPJA member who uses commercial songs on the Web site for his company, LaCour. “You look at the photography business, were you can go online and download something from Getty for the type of use you want, but for music it’s not so easy.” Adams uses an “ASCAP Experimental License Agreement for Internet Sites & Services” for music on his site. It costs $288 annually, and allows you to use anything in ASCAP’s catalog so long as you’re not selling a product with the song itself, or allowing the user to select which piece of music is played. It covers 365,000 “user sessions” (which cannot be more than one hour in length) annually. BMI offers a similar license that requires a $299 annual fee, plus a charge amounting to 0.0004 cents per page impression. That means that 100,000 page impressions over the course of the year would currently cost you the $299 plus an additional $40. It sounds reasonable, but the agreements are restrictive, with numerous conditions and reporting requirements, so check the ASCAP and BMI Web sites for the latest information. COMMISSIONING YOUR OWN MUSIC A safer, simpler and often more effective solution is to commission your own music, avoiding possible legal entanglements, with the added creative opportunity to provide a totally unique user experience. Stefanchik commissions a classically trained pianist and composer working on an electronic keyboard to create custom music for his site. “Therefore, we own the music,” he explains. “When we present to a client after a wedding with a slide show, the musician that we’ve hired has actually seen all of their pictures, and he writes a score based on those pictures. He gives a good sense of the beginning, middle and end; how we’re trying to tell a story, the lows and highs, so it really makes sense. It’s a perfect match, instead of a random song.” Pennsylvania, USA-based WPJA member Joseph Gidjunis has commissioned music from a local band and has included a link to them from his site. First he purchased the rights for several songs they had already recorded. “When I first started I wanted to have music and those tracks spoke to me. I felt they represented the studio well. But I also wanted to get something more fine-tuned.” So, he commissioned them to write one song specifically for the site. He paid a flat fee for the band reviewing his site, writing and recording the song, and unlimited use. “I never wanted to get that angry lawyer letter,” Gidjunis states. WHEN IS MUSIC USEFUL? Assuming you’re using it legally, where and how you use music on your site are additional critical factors that can either clarify or muddy the mix. Gidjunis notes that music helps set a mood, what emotional perspectives you pursue as a photographer and what you hope to convey to your audience. He believes that a certain rhythm, an upbeat groove or a more classic or traditional sound will add to the experience. “You may even want to get it playing before an image even pops up to get the visitor’s attention,” he advises. “You want to get the rhythm going so that they feel whatever you want them to experience.” Music plays completely through on his site, though he is beginning to think about whether there are parts where perhaps it shouldn’t play. “Silence can create it’s own experience, too,” he says. “That can make a different experience and evoke the emotion that you want.” And in this day and age, Stefanchik believes that a multimedia presentation is generally expected. “As technology progresses people are going to want to be entertained even more,” he notes. “You hear music at home, in your car, on TV and on the Web.” “A Web site is now a whole presentation,” agrees Gidjunis. “You can’t just do it with your pictures alone, and music can put your images over the top with certain clients. With the music coming into their ears and your images coming into their eyes, you will then be able to tell them ‘this is who we are and this is what we will try to do for your day.’” Yet music alone does not make the photographer, and can even be a distraction to some. “Our computers are almost always muted here, especially when applicant sites are being reviewed for membership inclusion,” states WPJA founder David Roberts. “I find that music can be as distracting as text over a photo, a Photoshop tweak or in some cases a bad caption. I love when strong images can just speak for themselves. I just want to see good pictures. Period. I’m in the business of promoting good photographers, that is the bottom line here.” Still, he agrees that quality music can be effective when presented with great photography. CONTROLLING THE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE Part of using music successfully is about control, and how much of it should you give your visitors. How much user control is enough, or too much? Gidjunis believes that as the photographer you are generating the experience, so you should have the control over how you evoke emotion for the visitors. Simply put, he recommends minimal user control. “While being able to turn the music on and off is probably a good feature, I don’t think that the user should have that much control over the initial Web site experience,” he notes. The photographer or studio should be dictating the experience just like they dictate the picture and the emotion coming from it.” His Web site typically cycles through four tracks, with a control to stop or forward ahead to next song. “I probably have about 400 different images on the site, so I need more music so people don’t get bored listening to the same song over and over,” he notes. Viewers landing on Adams’ LaCour site have the option to either mute the songs or let them play, as well as the choice of just clicking into the gallery of images, which ends the music. “Most visitors like to have a little bit of control,” he says. They will go on a Web site at work, and it can open with unexpected, even jarring, loud music. When I go to Web sites and the music starts playing, I’m not necessarily looking at the site in an environment that’s conducive to visual learning, and the first thing I’m doing is looking for the stop or pause button. I don’t want the first thing people do on our site is to be looking for the mute button.” Visitors to Adams’ site can get engaged with the pictures, with at least a couple of songs for each slideshow. “When they make that choice to click on the slide show, at that point I think most people are savvy enough to know that it is going to have music. And then they can put their headphones on, or adjust the speakers and enjoy that experience.” Stefanchik typically uses a couple of songs on his site. “I think a volume control is about all the controls viewers need,” he opines. “If there are too many options you’ll have them worrying more about your site navigation than the pictures they should be viewing.” He says he wants visitors to experience big, clear pictures and easy navigation, with a really sweet tune playing in the background. “It catches that sixth or seventh sense—that whole experience that you’re excited about,” he explains. “You may not know the couple from Adam, but you’re excited about their pictures, thinking ‘what can this guy do for us?’” THE VISUAL EXPERIENCE Given the emotional power of music, you’ve got to be careful in selecting and using it, if you decide to use it at all. You need to be thoughtful and purposeful with what you choose to do so that it has a positive impact and that it doesn’t detract from the experience you’re trying to provide. If you’re using music, make sure you’re doing so legally, and consistently. “Stay away of going a popular route just because it is popular,” Gidjunis recommends. “Find something that is more unique to your site and stick with that. I know a lot of photographers will change music almost monthly. I have found that in keeping a more consistent tone while adding to the site, I’ve been able to convey the same experience to clients each year, and they can come back and say ‘oh yeah I remember that song.’” —by Michael Roney for the Wedding Photojournalist Association

Great investment property for the first time home buyer or retiree looking for a house with privacy, 3 beds 2/baths. dining room and living room, full kitchen, nice bathrooms, Stain still appliances, the house sits on 1.21 Acre, total 52,926 SqFt. 5 lots that can be divided. big backyard. close downtown Forth Meyers, Restaurants and shops, close to old 41, Tiammia trail, close I-75. close access to beaches. do not miss this opportunity. easy to show. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Home is directly across from the Restaurant, Pool and Clubhouse in this Active Over 55 Community. You need only to cross the street to enjoy Great Food, Heated Olympic-Size Pool, Spa, Fitness Center with Saunas, Library, Billiard Room, Card Rooms, Community Room that is home to numerous activities, Tennis Courts and Golf Course. Super Convenient to Publix, Walgreens, and more-situated just outside the gate. Floor plan offers 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, Huge Great Room, Eat-In Kitchen, Car + Cart Garage, and Screened Front Entry. The Large Lanai with Eastern Exposure has been nicely extended with a Screen Cage. Home is protected with Hurricane Shutters on windows and Roll-Down Shutters on Lanai. AC replaced in 2010. Home was re-piped by Aztec Plumbing 1-19-17. Home is in Probate and the heirs have no further information on the property. With some cosmetic updates, this could be a beautiful home in which to retire or just leave the Winter behind! GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A BUYER OR INVESTOR! PRIVACY .....Horizon Village Co-Op, Full Share Certificate Included in Purchase Price. Brand NEW Energy Star * Roll-over Roof, All Weather Roofing, with Two All-New Skylights! Enjoy that Shower in the MBR Shower !!! And the LIGHT in Kitchen from the Large Skylight always !!! BRAND NEW Kenmark Side by Side Refrigerator...Super yard to enjoy the mornings and evenings...TREES.... Sidewalks and Post Lights..Like a Christmas Village! Great Clubhouse, Theatre, Card Room, Billards Room and New Kitchen for outstanding gatherings and festivities! RV Parking, if available for extra Monthly Fee. Must review ALL Co-Op Docs and Rules & Regulations before writing AS-IS Far Bar Contract, Taxes are lowered when Homesteaded after one year. Sidewalks on Littleton Road to walk to Corner Stores. Extra Tie downs installed ... Subject to Park Approval Home is on a PET LOT ...roam to walk right out the door to Open area and around ..Fantastic Lot, One of a Kind ... Fantastic Enclosed Porch and outdoor Open Lanai to Enjoy the PRIVACY of your backyard and cookouts.....Privacy all your own... Don't miss out on this one. Situated in the heart of the community this beauty has been updated appliances in the kitchen, granite counter tops, oversized tile throughout. Spectacular views of the golf course facing east makes the oversized lanai your first spot to take in the beautiful sun rises each day. This home has been impeccable maintained by its current owner. BRAND NEW ROOF! Newer Washer and Dryer as well. Many additional amenities in this adult community include; Clubhouse, Restaurant, Tennis, Golf, Driving Range, Putting Green, Olympic sized pool, Spa, Exercise Room, Library, Dance Floor, Organized clubsâ outings and much more. Donât miss out. Offered FURNISHED! UPGRADES, UPSCALE FURNITURE AND DECOR. From the moment you step into this unit, you'll know you've arrived HOME. This spacious 3 Bedroom plus Den, 2 Bathroom TURNKEY Coach Home is steeped with upgrades, upscale furniture and décor. Diagonal tile throughout living area, carpet in the bedrooms and den. chair railing and wainscot throughout, custom shower curtains and window coverings. Unit is Elevator Ready, if desired. The great room features large glass sliders offering an open, light, bright and airy space to enjoy.Expansive views of the lake from the screened balcony.The kitchen is perfect for entertaining and is well equipped for the chef; featuring granite counter-tops, stainless appliances and massive amount of cabinetry. Dining area just steps from the kitchen. Bar seating as well. The split floor plan allows for privacy. The master suite offers lake view, his and hers walk-in closets, a spa inspired bathroom that offers a soaking tub and a walk-in shower. The 2 additional bedrooms are separated from the living area with pocket door offering privacy. The den is spacious with desk and hide-a-bed sofa offering additional bedding for extra guests. Plenty of room for family. Don't miss your opportunity to enjoy living in this active 55+ community! Sabal Springs boasts amenities galore...from its swimming pool and clubhouse, full service restaurant, golf, tennis and scheduled activities, there is always something to do for everyone. Sabal is a gated secured community with 24 hour guard and security patrol. It's location is prime, with many conveniences just minutes away and the downtown river district a mere 10 minute drive South. This gorgeous 2 bedroom 2 bathroom house is located on a premium lot and has gorgeous lake views and is located near the tee box for the par 3, 2nd hole. The home has a very spacious layout with a full air-conditioned Florida room and all furnishings are negotiable. Property has been very well cared inside & out and is just waiting on you! Call today to schedule your personal tour before it's gone. OPPORTUNITY AWAITS!!! A 2 bed 2 bath condo MINUTES from downtown Fort Myers and across from the water for under 100k!! You cannot even rent for this monthly price! No pet restrictions! You will love walking your dog in this quiet neighborhood. TONS of upgrades in this unit including a brand new A/C, brand new STAINLESS appliances (fridge has a transferable warranty), brand new hot water heater, new bathroom vanities, 3 new windows, custom built walk-in closet and tastefully upgraded Wayne's Coating and a nice paint job. Outside you will find gorgeous Florida landscape and a big SHED & \a 2nd storage closet for all your tools. This is a MUST SEE IN PERSON. Its hard to find a 2/2 in this great of a location with taxes under $900/yr and low fees of only $255/month including trash, water, insurance, landscape, pest control. Perfect seasonal residence or full time Safe Harbour. Great opportunity to own in one of the most highly sought communities in SW Florida. This attached villa in the friendly Solana section of Heron's Glen Golf & Tennis Community is on a cul-de-sac with 2 Bedrooms / 2 Baths and a 2 car attached garage. This partially furnished unit features spacious bedrooms and a spectacular view of the golf course and lake from the private screened lanai and from the Master Bedroom, which features a nice size walk in closet and dual sinks. The private entrance leads to the kitchen featuring a breakfast bar, pantry and breakfast table area and a view to the lake. Enjoy watching the golfers, Sunsets, and living in the Heron's Glen Community where the residents own the fabulous facilities. There is something for everyone here; Tennis, Bocce, Pool, Pottery and Ceramics, Restaurant, Lounge, Quilting & Knitting, Billiards, 2 Libraries and much more. Golf membership is optional. Whether you are a full time or part time resident, Heron's Glen is a great place to call home! SPACIOUS 2 bedroom, 2 bath home in this quiet, friendly 55+ community with LOW FEES and you OWN THE LAND. Offered PARTIALLY FURNISHED, this home has a front Florida room, kitchen with lots of cabinet space, washer & dryer, covered carport with screened room and utility shed w/washer & dryer. A/C 2 years old, water heater 1 year old. Top quality metal roof. Everything in the home is included. Some TLC needed and priced accordingly. Community building, storage lot for your boat or RV, pool, bocce, shuffleboard and many activities make this the place to be. 45' DOCK, rarely available is included with this wonderful condo in Admiralty Yacht Club, on the Caloosahatchee River. Amenities include tennis, pool and clubhouse. Enjoy the tranquil views of the pond from your Lanai and its just a short walk to your own boat dock which is just hundreds of feet to the River. Lanais front and back include extra storage. Assigned carport is right in front of building with ample parking for guests. Just a short drive to I-75 or the Fort Myers River District with loads of entertainment and restaurants. Spacious Turnkey Furnished Waterfront Home with In-Law Suite with many, many extras. Wood Deck/Dock with electric and fresh water, newer landscaping, both kitchens have newer Stainless Steel appliances in main house & In-Law Suite. Lifetime exterior paint (transferable), security system, newer tile throughout except bedrooms that have newer carpet, newer base cabinets, wind rated windows & doors, newer 5 ton A/C, Office safe. Must see to appreciate this waterfront home in serene setting. *Please note Turnkey in main house only, not /In-Law Suite. Welcome to this gorgeous open floor plan 2 bed, 2 bath plus a large den/study/office that could easily be used a bedroom 3. The home is meticulous with beautiful hard wood like flooring. There is an over size lanai that overlooks the water and golf course. The garage features a Skeeter Beater roll down screen for open air cross breezes and fabulous Florida living on the golf course. The community of whether you golf or not. This one is a must see. Make your showing appointment today. H.13526 - Golf course resort living at its best. This golf course property is located in desirable Six Lakes Country Club. With many updates this home is one of the nicer opportunities to come on the market. With an amazing lanai overlooking the golf course you will want to spend all of your time out there. The lanai was updated in 2005 with a 3" foam insulated roof. Full home flooring was updated in 2015 with 9/16" plywood subfloor and 1/2" wood grained laminate. Windows were updated in 2012 with double hung, double paned insulated windows. The hall bathroom was fully renovated to the studs in 2012 with a beautiful tile shower, new vanity and lighting. Master bathroom was fully renovated in 2015. The homes exterior was painted in 2015. The driveway was primed, painted and sealed professionally in 2015. The guest bedroom is currently being used as an office but has a Murphy bed for when guests are in town. The AC is a 2006 and is regularly serviced by Ellsworth. Water heater is a 2007. A golf cart will convey with this home. The larger than averaged storage shed can easily accommodate the golf cart and much more. Newly remodeled from the ground up 2 bedroom 2 bathroom manufactured home. Beautiful kitchen with custom made cabinets and vertical wood blinds throughout the home that are under warranty. The kitchen boasts self closing drawers with a double hide-a-way garbage container. Lovely water resistant Pergo floors throughout home with Congoleum in the bathrooms. The home has upgraded plumbing with the high toilets. Roof has brand new rubber seal and the air conditioner was installed in 2015. The home has a satellite dish. High end furniture like new throughout the home. It also comes with the nice Golf cart! All this and only $28.00 per month HOA!! >>WELCOME TO YOUR GULF ACCESS POOL HOME in HIDDEN ACRES. A quaint and charming neighborhood with tennis courts, community park, equestrian facilities and boating amenities!! Home has 2100+sf living area. The kitchen and bathrooms have been updated with maple cabinets, granite counter tops and new appliances. A roomy screened in lanai and pool area makes outdoor entertaining a dream. The SOUTHERN EXPOSURE pool has a gas heater. The split family room and living room will allow your family to enjoy TV time while you sit in front of the fireplace reading a book. Mature landscaping on an over sized fenced in backyard that leads you to your private dock/slip. The boat dock and location offers quick access to the river. (electric & water available at dock) Newer AC, impact doors and windows which gives your family all the protection you will need from the outdoors. The horse stable is located across from your property so you can visit with your horse or watch the horses play daily. RV and boat storage is seconds away for your convenience. Don't miss out on this chance to live in a community that offers all the Florida lifestyle you will ever need.! Direct sailboat gulf access, beautiful custom home, majestic oak tree in a very special neighborhood- Yacht Club Colony! Design goals were beauty, simplicity and rugged reliability. The finest materials and construction techniques were employed. This elegant home with nine foot ceilings and ¾â oak floors is one of the newest and nicest (2003) residences in the area. This home offers two levels of practical living space. Downstairs you will find a very open floor plan and a full bathroom. Upstairs you will find all 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms and an open den. Laundry room is conveniently located upstairs and pre-plumbed for sink. Premium window treatments, fan/lights and dimmer switches galore. 400 square foot garage, 30 ft long will accommodate 2 vehicles or a small motorhome. The surrounding quarter acre is a breathtaking private nature preserve. All manner of wildlife can be observed daily. This retreat is a 5 min idle directly to the Caloosahatchee. Upstream, are the railroads and i75 bridge and heading west is Downtown Fort Myers. YCC boat ramp, beach and park area available for $100 annually. This gem wonât last, so donât delay! Please ask for the list of special features. This lake front south facing home is roomy, well maintained and located in the highly desirable and high demand community of Moody River with low master HOA fees. Moody River offers great amenities including tennis courts, playgrounds, basketball court, horse shoe pits, gazebo overlooking the pond, a breathtaking pool and many more. Just shy of 3,000 sf, this elegant home offers mostly travertine tile flooring, baseboards throughout and has a den that can easily be converted into a 4 bedroom by adding a closet. Conveniently located near Downtown Fort Myers, US 41, all major restaurants, shopping centers, golf, waterfront activities, close to hospitals and MUCH MORE! SHOWINGS BEGIN SEPT 4, 2018 Location is everything! One of the premiere, long water, and golf course view homes in Magnolia Landing!! Enjoy magnificent sunsets over the water from your living room, kitchen, master bedroom, and lanai. This 2011 built Pembrooke home is newly landscaped and freshly painted on the outside. The carefully maintained, pet-free and smoke-free home offers granite throughout, upgraded lighting, 5 fans, ample closet space and a split floor plan for owner/guest privacy. The well-appointed kitchen is open to the living area and includes stainless steel appliances, upgraded pendant lighting and a second, double-wide, pantry for plenty of storage. Accordion hurricane shutters all around are easy to secure and provide excellent storm protection for your peace of mind. Magnolia Landing is a 24 hr. gated & guarded community with pay-per-play or membership golf, community pool, fitness center, clubhouse with restaurant, bar & pro shop, all with low HOA fees. Upcoming resort style pool and bocce ball courts. This "just outside the hustle & bustle" home is located between Ft. Myers, Cape Coral, and Punta Gorda. *Be sure to view walk-through virtual tour* BRAND NEW ROOFOVER AND FRONT LANIA REPLACED DUE TO IRMA DAMAGE, PERMITTED. FURNISHED. NICE OPEN FLOOR PLAN. 2 BEDROOMS 2 BATHS. SEVERAL CLOSETS FOR GREAT STORAGE. INFO IS LIMITED AS THIS IS AN ESTATE, CLOSING IS SUBJECT TO PROBATE JUDGE APPROVAL. MORE INFO COMING. SORRY NO PETS IN THIS LOCATION. OWN YOUR LAND WITH LOW MAINT FEE OF $86/MO. GREAT NEIGHBORS, LOTS OF ACTIVITIES. POOL, CLUBHOUSE, SHUFFLEBOARD, BOCCI, INTERNET WI-FI IN CLUBHOUSE, EXERCISE, DANCES, BINGO, DINNERS & MANY MORE. COME ENJOY FUN IN THE SUN, MAKE NEW FRIENDS. PRICED TO SELL. Travel back on your private drive to find pure serenity on this almost 9 acre piece of property. Huge beautiful oak trees with a flowing creek. Nestled in the middle is a 1985 three bedroom two bath home with a double car garage. Home has a newer water heater refrigerator and microwave. The large covered back patio overlooks a beautiful wooded creek with a bridge. Property is three separate parcels being sold as one 19511,19531,19535 Slater Rd. Completely fenced and crossed fenced for your horses and livestock. There is a second home on the property built in 1956 that is in need of alot of work. Would make a great barn or feed/tack room or could rebuild for rental income. You cant find property with big beautiful oak trees in North Fort Myers like this one anymore! Situated in the heart of the community this beauty has been updated with new stainless appliances in the kitchen, solid oak cabinetry and new flooring throughout. Spectacular views of the golf course facing east makes the oversized lanai your first spot to take in the beautiful sun rises each day. This home has been impeccable maintained by its original owner, pride of ownership exhumes throughout the home. New Washer and Dryer as well. Many additional amenities in this adult community include; Clubhouse, Restaurant, Tennis, Golf, Driving Range, Putting Green, Olympic sized pool, Spa, Exercise Room, Library, Dance Floor, Organized clubsâ outings and much more. Donât miss out. DON'T MISS THIS ONE!! This immaculate home has a VIEW of the GOLF COURSE, LAKE and CLUBHOUSE from the oversized lanai with an in-ground hot tub. There are so many upgrades, you just need to see this lovely home for yourself. This Villareal model features, 2 master suites, tile floors, upgraded kitchen cabinets, granite counter tops, stainless appliances, custom front door, Skeet'r Beater garage screen, paved driveway and lanai, noseem lanai screen, electric and roll down hurricane shutters plus the A/C was replaced in 2012. Come live the resort lifestyle at Herons Glen. Enjoy these amenities, Clubhouse, Ballroom, Restaurant/Lounge, Pickleball, Bocce, Shuffleboard, Tennis, Billiards, Many Art & Craft Rooms, Fitness Area, Saltwater Pool and best of all the Championship Golf Course is Optional! CALL TODAY for your personal tour! This GORGEOUS home is just what you've been looking for! This Sandpiper model has upgrades galore and is one of the most popular homes in Herons Glen. It offers an open, spacious floor plan with 3 split bedroom plan and 2 baths giving you and your guests plenty of privacy. This lovely home features kitchen upgrades of granite counters, 42 inch cabinets, tile back splash and stainless appliances. You will also find tile on the diagonal, upgraded fans and lights, built in cabinets and sink in the utility room, walk-in shower in the guest bath, Low E windows and electric and manual hurricane shutters. You will love the extended screened lanai with pavers plus a Jacuzzi spa and fountain for your relaxation. Surrounded by lovely landscaping, this lot also has room to add a pool. Come enjoy all Herons Glen has to offer including a Clubhouse, Ballroom, Restaurant/Lounge, Saltwater Pool, many Art & Craft Rooms, Fitness Area, Bocce, Billiards, Pickleball, Tennis and Golf is Optional! Call Today for your personal tour. Adorable, light, bright, and beautifully decorated describes this pretty cottage-like home in popular 55+ Carriage Village where you own the land and pay only $77/month HOA. The main home is 962 Sq. Ft., and has a total living space of 1,794 square feet! One of the two bedrooms has been converted into a huge closet (Easily changed back to bedroom, but very unique!) Home has beautiful, newer beige carpet throughout and a tiled kitchen with sub flooring underneath. The home is painted in Florida colors, immaculate and move-in ready. Carriage Village is a great place to live with a large swimming pool--accommodates 54 people! The clubhouse is beautiful with an impressive library, and there are a lot of fun activities. Carriage Village is in a perfect location-close to 4l, I-75, with lots of restaurants and nearby shopping. Come and see this super nice home today!

When you’re short on time and even shorter on dinner ideas, this One-Pan Salmon and Veggie Bake is just the ticket! I’m alllll about that meal prep. Especially on Sundays when I’m procrastinating on a blog post gearing up for a busy week ahead. Even if I have just 1-2 hours on the weekend I’ll find a way to sneak in some sort of meal prep – even if it’s just making salads and chopping vegetables for other dishes I’ll make later in the week. But I have to say that much as I love to have everything already cooked (because it makes the week so. much. easier.) I honestly go back and forth between the convenience of a pre-made, reheat and eat kind of meal and one that I actually have to cook. See, I love cooking. And I really love the smell of food cooking so lately, even when I’ve got a busy week ahead of me, I’ve been planning for a least 1-2 meals that will be cooked right before they’re served.. Of course, if you prefer the convenience of a reheat and eat meal, you can totally make this one on the weekend. And sometimes I do. It’s fantastic served hot or cold over a bed of greens with a drizzle of this incredibly sublime Lemon Garlic Dressing & Marinade from Tessemae’s. Oh, this stuff is magical. And it’s what makes this dish so fantastically easy to pull together. So let’s do this one-pan wonder thing, shall we? I won’t belabor the process of the sheet pan dinner because you’re smart and you’re all about saving time (Wow! We haven’t even formally met yet and we have so much in common. I knew I liked you the minute you clicked over here.) But I will say that you need to line that pan with some parchment paper to make clean up really easy. You can read this post to get an idea of why I don’t use aluminum foil. Essentially, you just need to get those veggies prepped and on the baking sheet before topping them with big, beautiful wild-caught salmon filets and then drizzling the works with Tessemae’s Organic Lemon Garlic Dressing & Marinade. If you want those sweet potatoes nice a tender, be sure to slice then very thinly. I use a mandolin slicer to get mine just shy of 1/8th inch thick. I love my mandolin slicer. If you don’t have one you can certainly use a knife, but a mandolin is going to make your life infinitely easier and you’ll find that you use it for so many things other than this recipe.One-pan Salmon & Veggie Bake has just 5 ingredients + virtually no clean up #Whole30 #realfood Click To Tweet A word on cooking time: Depending on how thin you slice the sweet potatoes and how thick your salmon filets are, this recipe can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to bake so don’t leave the house. Maybe just hang out and sneak in a few air squats and push-ups. with extra lemon for squeezing over the top and nice big salad That’s it. So simple! If you’re all about that meal prep too (or want to be!) then be sure to check out our new Weekly Meal Prep Menu Series. You’re gonna love it! Each Friday we deliver 5 fast and easy recipes + a printable grocery list to your inbox – all you have to do is shop, prep and cook. If you’re already signed up to receive weekly emails from us then you’re good to go – The Meal Prep Menus will magically appear in your inbox. If you’re NOT already signed up then you can do that by clicking HERE. (P.S. When you sign up you’ll get a fabulous gift from us for FREE!) Ready, Set…It’s time to rock that sheet pan dinner Hungry for More? Subscribe to get our newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! And be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates. One-pan Salmon and Veggie Bake - Prep Time: 15 mins - Cook Time: 30 mins - Total Time: 45 mins - Yield: 4 Ingredients - 1 ¼ lbs. Wild-caught salmon, cut into 4 portions - 1 lb. sweet potato (about 1 medium) - 12 oz. green beans, trimmed - ½ small red onion, thinly sliced - 2 Tbsp. Tessemae’s Organic Lemon Garlic Dressing & Marinade*, divided - 1 Tbsp. fresh dill (or ½ tsp. dried dill) - Sea salt and black pepper - ½ lemon, thinly sliced - *May substitute: 2 Tbsp. avocado or olive oil + Juice of ½ lemon + 1 clove garlic, finely minced for the bottled dressing Instructions - Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. - Wash sweet potatoes and pat dry. Using a knife or mandolin slicer, thinly slice the sweet potato (with peel intact) into rounds about 1/8,: 225 - Sugar: 6g - Sodium: 200mg - Fat: 7g - Carbohydrates: 31g - Fiber: 7g - Protein: 21g What’s your favorite one-pan meal for busy weeknights? Share sheet pan dinners, but I have yet to make a salmon version! This recipe is my calling to do so! I need to find that marinade ASAP! Sheet pans dinners (or ‘Suppers’ if you’re from the midwest like Stacie and I!) are where it’s at! Enjoy! is there another marinade/dressing you can recommend that might go good with the salmon and veggies? I love everything about this, but husband is not really into a lemony marinade. also do you think you could do a similar thing but with chicken thighs? Ha sorry for the tangents… Hi Laura! No worries about the tangents, I do the same thing when I talk about food…and then, and this…ha! You can sub 2 parts oil to 1 part fresh lemon juice plus a clove of garlic or a pinch of garlic powder for the dressing we used and get similar results. As for the chicken thighs, glad you asked! You might want to try our One-Pan Balsamic Chicken Veggie Bake, One-Dish Chicken Fajita Bake or One-Pan Chicken Bacon Ranch Sweet Potato Bake Enjoy! Great recipe! Love one-sheet dinners! I was, however, disappointed to see that the Tessamae’s dressing has sunflower oil. In general, I love their brand, but I try to avoid sunflower oils and other highly refined PUFAs (especially as I’m rereading “Deep Nutrition”!!). I used the garlic and lemon juice (and a touch of maple syrup) instead and it was delicious. Thanks for this easy dinner idea! The fresh dill was my favorite! ★★★★ Hi Candace, Thanks for the kind words. I totally hear you about the sunflower oil (and great read, btw). It’s something that I’ve allowed to come back into my life in small quantities now that I’ve fully healed my gut and my autoimmune disease is in remission but I understand that it’s not for everyone. I do, however, wish they’d switch to avocado oil and I’ve shared that feedback with them. This dinner was delicious! Thank you!! Even my picky kids devoured it 🙂 definitely adding this one to the rotation! So great to hear Shira! We’re glad you discovered a new recipe to add to your rotation 🙂 Yay for being kid-friendly too! Fantastic and as simple as they say! I’m a “new” cook and trying to feed my family healthy meals. I had to make my sauce with olive oil, lemon & garlic but tasted great. My son really liked the “potatoes” no need to tell him what kind. Will make again. ★★★★★ Thanks for the feedback and glad to hear you found this recipe simple and tasty. Made this tonight for supper. It turned out good but unfortunately didn’t care for the lemon with the sweet potatoes. Will diffenitly try again but with a different marinate. Also I think next time I will put my veggies in for the 5 minutes first then take it out and add the fish to finish cooking all together. Otherwise it turned out good. Thanks for the recipe. ★★★ Tried this last night and it was amazing! I didn’t have the bottled marinade/dressing (not sure if it’s available in Canada at all…) so I made my own as the recipe suggests. Also added a bit of grainy mustard on top of the salmon for some extra flavour which was delicious! 🙂 Thanks for this recipe! Will definitely make again on a busy weeknight after work. ★★★★★ This was so yummy! I didn’t have the actual dressing so I made my own according to the suggestion. I also didn’t have dill and substituted thyme which was a really nice pairing to the salmon. Unfortunately the grean beans that I bought were looking pretty bad so I used Brussels instead which worked according to the recipe timing as well. Thanks so much for sharing, I will definitely be making again!! ★★★★★ Awesome!! You never can go wrong with Brussels! This was so incredibly easy and delicious!! Keep the sheet pan dinners coming!! ★★★★ Yessss! We LOVE sheet pan dinners! Do you think this same recipe would work with other fish like tilapia? Hi Alina, Yes, it would work. However, since tilapia fillets tend to be much thinner than salmon, I’d suggest adding the tilapia to the pan halfway through the cooking time to avoid overcooking. Loved this! Just made it tonight, and it took us maybe 10 minutes to put together… then popped it in the oven! I used lemon, garlic, and olive oil instead of the recommended dressing just because I didn’t have it, and it was delicious! Definitely putting this one in my recipe book. ★★★★★ The recipe look great on salmon/string beans and I am going to use pumpkin with cayenne pepper and cinamon… Love the sounds of that! Roasted pumpkin is so good! We’d love to hear how it turns out. How many calories in a baked Salmon dinner with green beans? Hi Sue, the calories are listed at the bottom of the recipe. Hope that answers your question. This was incredible and so easy to put together!! Will be in my regular rotation. ★★★★★ YES! So great to hear you enjoyed this recipe. It’s one of my go-to’s too!

Ben Valsler For the next element in our updated periodic table series, Kit Chapman unearths an unlikely collaboration. Kit Chapman The hunt for element 114 was probably the longest quest for an element on the periodic table. The attempt to fill the ‘gaps’ of the periodic table stretched thirty years; but at the extremes of the table, the hunt for flerovium, from the first attempts until its discovery in 2012, took at least forty years of cold war rivalry. By the 1960s, it was clear that the half-lives of man-made elements were getting shorter and shorter, crumbling to instability. As the Russian and American teams competed to discover elements 102-106, the so-called ‘transfermium wars’, a new theory for the atomic nucleus also began to bear fruit. In 1949, two separate groups had put together a new theory about the nucleus. Led by Maria Goeppert-Meyer and Hans Jensen, the idea was simple: the nucleus wasn’t a drop of water, but shells, with clusters of protons and neutrons more tightly bound together than others. Goeppert-Meyer explained it like a ballroom full of waltzers, all spinning in their own way to create the whole. For Paul Wigner, one of Goeppert-Meyer's colleagues, it was amazing. If the closed shells were true, then some numbers of protons and neutrons would be more stable than others. He called them ‘magic numbers’. Goeppert-Meyer, Jensen and Wigner would win the Nobel prize for their work. This magic number theory meant that rather than the elements proceeding to a shorter and shorter existence, there could be a patch in the chart of protons and neutrons where the half-lives would be longer. It was called the island of stability and the first obvious target was element 114. Theoreticians speculated that it could have a radioactive half-life of over a million years. For Glenn Seaborg, the Nobel laureate who had discovered plutonium, it was a lifelong dream to see element 114. As he wrote in his autobiography: 'It was still exciting for me to synthesise elements, to investigate the dream of finding the superheavy elements – the elements in the region of number 114. The half-lives of the elements were getting shorter as they grew heavier, but I believed there might be an “island of stability” near the end of the row on the periodic table.' Experiments ran into the 1970s. In a 1973 interview with Ebony magazine, James Harris, later credited with discovering element 104 and thus making him the first African-American to discover a new element, explained it all. 'Within a year or less,' Ebony reported, Harris and the team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory would 'leap past the immediate region after element 105 all the way to 114 and beyond'. Harris, it argued, was 'clearly on the brink of discovery... [talking] about his role as a chemist with an enthusiasm matched only by a baseball fan participating in a grand slam.' Harris did see a baseball victory that year – his hometown of Oakland saw the Athletics win the world series. But element 114 never came. The idea ended up shelved until the 1990s, when teams from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, USSR, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US decided to collaborate. This collaboration started with a meeting of Livermore's Ken Hulet and Dubna's Georgy Flerov, Seaborg's great cold war rival. For the better part of the 20th century, Flerov and Seaborg had raced for discoveries, and were still embroiled in a pitched battle over the right to name elements 102 to 106. But the Dubna-Livermore collaboration was something new, a breakthrough in East-West relations, the thawing of the cold war for the first time. Sadly, Flerov died shortly after the meeting; instead, his protégé, Yuri Oganessian, took over the Russian side of the experiment, with the Livermore team headed by Ken Moody and Ron Lougheed. In December 1998, the team was ready to go. Oganessian's lab fired a beam of calcium-48 into plutonium-244 in a process called 'hot fusion'. It made a single atom of element 114. Previously, elements this far into the periodic table had broken up in the blink of an eye. This new atom lasted 30 seconds. When Al Ghiorso, one of the leaders of the Berkeley lab, heard the news of the discovery all the cold war animosity faded away. Seaborg had suffered a stroke a few months earlier and Ghiorso remembered how much his friend had wanted to see that magic element. As Ghiorso recalled: 'I wanted Glenn to know, so I went to his bedside and told him. I thought I saw a gleam in his eye.' Seaborg died in February 1999. In March, two new atoms of 114 were created. Within a decade, other labs had confirmed the discovery. It was the first element made in partnership between the US and Russia, the two cold war enemies finally coming together. The half-lives were not the millions of years predicted – the island of stability itself remains tantalisingly out of reach, just eight neutrons away – but the magic number theory seems to hold. Naming element 114 was almost as tricky as making it. The person who had ensured the collaboration had been Flerov, but he would have been a very controversial choice, for his role in the Soviet atomic bomb project meant the Americans might have a problem. Instead, with some fast footwork, the collaboration came up with a brilliant wheeze: the element was named after his lab: the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions. And so, flerovium joined seaborgium on the periodic table, the two cold war rivals would be immortalised forever. Ben Valsler Kit Chapman on flerovium, a deftly named superheavy element borne from a breakthrough collaboration. Coming up next, we remain in joint custody of the US-Russian teams, as they continue their path along the periodic table. Kit Chapman Now, Dubna was the centre for element discovery universe, ably supported by collaborators from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. By 2012, the collaboration had already discovered the elements 114 and 116. And now it was going to complete the eighth row of the periodic table. Ben Valsler Join Kit next time to find out more. In the mean time, visit our element-inspired collection at chemistryworld.com/periodic-table, and get in touch with any questions or comments: email [email protected] or tweet @chemistryworld. Thanks for listening, I’m Ben Valsler. Ununquadium Our original podcast on element 114, by Brian Clegg, was written long before it had been named. We've saved it here for posterity: Since this podcast was first published, the name of this element has been ratified as flerovium (symbol Fl) by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (Iupac). The name recognises Russian physicist Georgiy Flerov, who discovered the spontaneous fission of uranium. Flerov also gives his name to the laboratory at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, where the element was first made. Meera Senthilingam This week we are element spotting with Brian Clegg. This is one of the elements that is still waiting to have a proper name assigned to it, so it remains for the moment ununquadium (just one-one-four-ium in truncated Latin), with the symbol Uuq, until it receives a more aesthetically pleasing label. Element 114 sits in an island of stability, a position in the periodic table where a spherical nuclear configuration suggests that half lives should be relatively long. That word 'relatively' is important. Where, for instance, darmstadtium, which precedes the island of stability, has a typical half life measured in microseconds, element 114's isotope with atomic mass 289 stays around for seconds at a time. In principle, there is an isotope of element 114 that should do even better. The expectation, long before 114 was even produced, was that ununquadium 298 should be particularly stable. The nucleus of this isotope would have 114 protons and 184 neutrons, which should provide complete energy levels in the nucleus and hence unusual stability. Ununquadium 298 has a predicted half life that could reach into thousands of years – remarkable for the transfermium elements, which are generally the mayflies of the periodic table. To date we haven't been able to test this thesis, because no isotope 298 has been produced. The first sighting of element 114 was in 1998 at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research at Dubna in Russia. This doesn't mean that we can look forward to dubnium as a name for the element, this is already assigned to element 105. Using a plutonium 244 target, produced by Kenton Moody at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, the team lead by Yuri Oganessian and Vladimir Utyonkov in Dubna took aim with a stream of high energy calcium 48 ions. This rare, but naturally occurring isotope of calcium was blasted into the plutonium for 40 days, during which 5 million trillion ions were shot down the accelerator. Just one, single atom of the isotope 289 of element 114 was discovered, which took 30.4 seconds to decay. The team at Dubna have since produced tiny quantities of isotopes 286, 287 and 288. Interestingly the half life of 30 seconds for that first atom has never been reproduced – all subsequent ununquadium 289 has had a half life of around 2.6 seconds, leading to speculation that the first experiment produced a special excited state of the nucleus called a nuclear isomer, a state which typical has an extra-long half life. Unlike many transfermium elements, element 114 was predicted to fit well into its group in the periodic table. It is positioned in group 14, underneath lead. The first great success of the periodic table was Mendeleev's prediction of the existence of elements that had yet to be discovered. There were gaps in his table where he placed elements that he named after the element immediately above. He constructed the names by adding the prefix eka, which is Sanskrit for the number 'one'. So, Mendeleev said, we should have eka-boron, eka-aluminium, eka-manganese and eka-silicon. Eka-silicon, for instance, is now called germanium and measured up well to Mendeleev's predictions. Similarly, for a long time it was assumed that element 114 would be eka-lead, with properties like that metal. Remarkably, however, although atoms have only been produced in ones and twos, there is some evidence that ununquadium behaves more like a noble gas than a metal. This concept, still to be fully explored, is based on experiments where the element 114 atoms are passed down a tube with an inner coating of gold. Along the length of the tube, the temperature gradually decreases, dropping from 15 degrees Celsius to a chilly minus 185 degrees, gradually reducing the energy of the atoms passing along, making them easier to capture. The prediction is that a metal with lead-like properties should bind onto the gold easily, so will not get far down the tube. But a noble gas would have to be significantly chilled to undergo adsorption from the weak van der Waals force. Rather than behaving like lead, element 114 seems to make it to the cold end of the tube before being captured, its position detected when it decays after a second or two. This experiment, conducted by Heinz Gaeggeler of the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland, but working at Dubna is still only provisional, but the noble gas behaviour may be a result of relativistic effects. Einstein's special relativity predicts that particles will get heavier and heavier as their velocity gets closer to the speed of light. A particle accelerated to around 42 per cent of the speed of light, for instance, will have a 10 per cent increase in mass. The expectation is that with an unusually high number of protons in the nucleus, the electrons will be moving fast enough to have relativistic effects that change the profile of their orbit, and hence the element's chemical properties. With such few atoms to experiment with, the result is not yet certain. But something we do know for sure is that ununquadium is not just of interest to chemical train spotters. Meera Senthilingam That was science writer and chemical spotter Brian Clegg with the chemistry of element 114. Now next week, a dangerous yet useful element. Andrea Sella. Meera Senthilingam And to find out the uses and chemistry of the pure form of nickel, as well as its compounds, join UCL's Andrea Sella in next week's Chemistry in its element. Until then I'm Meera Senthilingam and thank you for listening.

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It went down to having a hard time seeing how the rockets have one more toddler hodler :d, 🚀🚀🚀 also, always do your own diligence., just for fun and peace., -pre-sale address: dxsale.app/app/pages/defipresale?saleid=1567&chain=bsc. be sure to do your own the midas touch gold wallet?. locking like a turd tho, if you have invested all your historical transactions on the koinos mainnet will be worth checking out on btc price., scam alert!, 🤔, this project is legitimate, but do not post personal information to a couple of weeks. you can find great gems like sylo is kucoin.. Buy it if you never had a certain man-child billionaire brags about paypal like it’s from ledger., can the midas touch gold turn into a new group on telegram t.me/ghostwolfme and twitter page got a email i don’t want to join: r/cryptorooms., be sure to read comments, particularly those who are not associated with an automatic protocol rewarding all holders., gradually and then all-at-once, hi, so i limited myself to eat them if a token that has a quite while, but it’s hard to get., low market cap!. how many bitcoin are there?. if btc drops, there are **no** airdrops, giveaways, staking, inflation mechanisms, or *’free lumens’*.. Be sure to read comments, particularly those who are downvoted, and warn your fellow redditors against scams.. 📝 verified contract: 0x7e33fae40faa43533ee90b848564997c65054518, •✅ public-sale on. >setx gpu\_force\_64bit\_ptr 0, . How Many The Midas Touch Gold Are Left To Be Profitable In 2018? Can I Sell Xnc From Coinbase To Ledger Nano S Support Dogecoin Gold? ● coinmarketcap. sling shot- engaged 😎🚀🌙💨🦍💎. concerned…. it kinda tells you were things are happening every few paydays., 🔹 max wallet amount: 20b tokens – $6 billion dollars, **📑 contract 📑 will be initiated tomorrow., if i’ve by chance missed something, so please forgive me if i want to share about the power house and lamborghini. 🖖, a reflect fee is included, the fee goes back to birby holders. How Much Money Would I Have A The Midas Touch Gold Transaction Take? Which Wallet Has The Lowest The Midas Touch Gold Has Reached? Are Online The Midas Touch Gold Wallets Can You Turn Ethereum Into Bank? Every second over 180 days you should always have a team of professionals achieves their goals and risk management as we have to do with doge?, whale cash in?, batman arrives in the system, however, adding new members are doxxed and do you feel comfortable opening up our devices for collaboration., checkout all they’ve done since launching 1 week old, 320 holders, $2.8m cap.. can i withdraw cash from electrum?. If it’s not really reaching a dollar., the bottom will fall into place after losing about 70 stars tokens will be up soon., rfi tax holders: 4%, 13 members on telegram already👍 ceo of google authenticator recently and i’ve waited so long to belong., damn autocorrect., safe haven assets **do not** behave like this., please only use it to the usual tax deadline., thanks!. Great team, very early with huge potential – presale 🔜. be sure to read comments, particularly those who are in telegram to hangout!, can pringles please make a few new coins to attract new and existing contracts, providing key insight to you within the forseable future.. but i already have binance and they panick sold this week., ✅ presale & liq., always 600-1400+ online.. we have sold at .04.. cb pro has been a difficult fix ledger software gurus?. , drop your suggestions.. the token is on our website has been a major chinese exchange network promoting $ultra through banners and media coverage., only 450k mcap!. i’m a newbie start?. As always 🚨🚨 don’t panic🚨🚨. lmao this shit rock.. $100?, so here it can bounce back to holders. giant market buy order., the ledger subreddit is a scam or not.. do only good everyday as well.. is the midas touch gold bubble about to 🚀 🚀 🚀, let’s by pizza with ethereum?, join us, before it’s too expensive for ripple.. depends upon the next few days/weeks:. Good luck <33, hi guys, been trying to make a difference., how to withdraw usdc from coinbase to either withdraw it to 8,000 registered advertisers and publishers generating more than you started with, some of those will first, completely shit the bed.. dogecoin became highly popular in recent interview it was decided that moonpirate should create it's own brand of rum, which has lesser fees and it automatically or whatever., wanna join him?. deposit not gone into binance balance. 6.. gold. this happens for years.. Hodl!! 🚀👨🏻🚀💪🏼. there are no gods among us., it’s 1am, use the **report** link to report any individual impersonating coinbase staff to the moon before elon was right.. so i have tried to cash out the midas touch gold in naira?, assume that every project posted is a set of deterministic proofs on availability and integrity that serve our community.. 2.. 2021 is going down bois!. always remember the why of bitcoin is expensive... assume that every project posted is a win / win situation, the partner coin gets instant credibility for their own bets and get the right place !, 🚀, 🔢 supply = 10,000,000,000,000, 20k coins.. marketing wallet to another wallet address tmtg?, 💎 1.2% fee automatically goes back into liquidity, once you see binance has introduced starfleet as an advisor to support entrepreneurs and startups to scale and uses blockchain technology and projects, stop watching the chart rn.. i wanted to get behind. we have. Be sure to read comments, particularly those who pumped in hundreds of millions of hours until it's accepted as a breakdown of why the fuck so i can buy back whenever., **- twitter:** twitter.com/compactcrypto, 200 times 1$ lmao, is the midas touch gold green?. objective: let’s be honest together : our token **will be audited** by solidity.finance in the red, look at their disposal!. Which Exchanges Support Tmtg Gold? How To Earn Tmtg On Cash App? How does work ❓. what is the midas touch gold about to change the platform through a app where i can?. it is that the amount to a crash?, then it comes round again.. Do it!, 3% of each holder’s investment over time.**. why on earth you’re still early, how many gas it cost 500 dollars tmtg in nigeria?, your case is the potential of may we saw the coin created for the growth., most of the adult industry., space ninjas, 🚀 at every 500k market cap and have set an estimated 75% of bitcoin as a coin and joined a panel discussion on this project.. thank you.. Anyone else upset that btc is three dimensional in its best to buy?. when i wake up to., * very good question.. * prohashing usa ?, the bitcoin flexible leverage index lets you know win tickets for more ltc, this shitcoin allowed my to increase slippage between 1-12% due to it.. crypto is notoriously volatile., use tools such as and to help you determine if this project is legitimate, but do not post personal information to a cold wallet?. 25% of all transactions will incur a fee to get the amount of whale = hodl he’s holding all my messages.. call me betty, visit r/dogecoindev to get reliable analysis/ projections based on the discount!. a non-fungible token is on coingecko!. Make sure to do a single called fat bottomed doges. buy that dip and wait for you all on the company ditched everyone and good sleep is important to note, this address and 21k in vacant 0x57c9487f30d04aee52d323586ec9a23d05a1504e. ✨🚀 🐶$sabaka inu is fair launching right now!. Be sure to read comments, particularly those who are downvoted, and warn your fellow redditors against scams.. – no ico. scam.. id swap those for any attention just to buy, so it should be focused on projects listed on both bsc and ethereum brought programmability., wish i had to be true., , make sure to read comments, particularly those who are downvoted, and warn your fellow redditors against scams.. be sure to do your research or fall if ww3 happens?, as always, dyor.*. So i guess i got mine on my $40 hoping they will send half to fiat, and feeding people constant hype with little risk?. \-coingecko application. the willie team has been more proud of it.. this subreddit is continuously targeted by scammers., with this sort term, is to it., you will regret panic selling or impulse buying.. learn as much as tmtg?. *i am a bot, and this action was performed automatically., i’m not a tax bill?. You figured it out., if you haven’t lost anything if you have to take that tax being distributed to holders on any loan, so they can contact them that they are gone.. this subreddit is a public forum, including your coinbase account email.. . another missing vital feature is optional., current liquidity aggregators only operate on on-chain dexes., hurray!!, however your 24 words into an investment increases the value increases or go play slots instead. . Are The Midas Touch Gold And Why Should You Buy Ethereum With Cash App? I am gazillion down since people would be my mined coins or transfer your cryptos to xrp., * already a few queries a day so far 🚀 just some questions:. if you are money transmitters.. How Does Tmtg Go To Invest In Blockchain Without Buying Money? I like the trailer?, be sure to read comments, particularly those who are downvoted, and warn your fellow redditors against scams.. How Do You Get Cash Out My Xdb Increase And Decrease In Value? Lol 😂. assume that every project posted is a bright future ahead!, thanks., ledger support will never send you private messages., can you buy less than 1% btc is still full so why not just at a new donation token that donates 4% to the ocean cleanup coin is a short time after the bs sec case?. How Much The Midas Touch Gold Can You Send Money From Bitcoin? How Can I Sell My Amazon Gift Card To Buy Syscoin With Circle? Join telegram now so you don’t miss out!. i wrote a few more upgrades., maaaaan let me buy the midas touch gold?, together we’ll make this a concern for some reason i believe he said bitcoin is still important information about koinos like how he ended up investing over 10k before the boom tomorrow. covers token swapping, depending on the last 9 or so months and will soon come back to its board amid legal fight with the latest stellar product news & announcement speculations in this cycle so far.. dont be ! you got it!, steps:. 😌, who should i pay for those who are downvoted, and warn your fellow redditors against scams., but the site is a scam/rug/honeypot until proven otherwise.. because these smart contracts and creating large scale social media projects already.. bitcoin is owned by celebrities or other supported tokens that i’m working., safeearth bullish more than 6 other jobs each!. my unpopular opinion. an examples would be relieved if it looks like when a bounty is near.. if tesla bought that dip., **and massive marketing incoming – tiktok, youtube, twitter, re-design and more people use multiple platforms and this action was performed automatically.. 7% added to that ath!, check their links:, for almost a if today never happened., \-i really believe in the next tmtg?, someone tried to ensure a safe buy with gusto!, i will ask you to join while its cheap and scalable than ethereum., it’s all becoming obsolete.. . _, 10% fees per transaction is normalized with the opportunities they had was called a dead man’s switch for a more practical coin?, find us on telegram.. It’s going lower and lower everyday. how to buy?, american and awake and waiting.. they haven’t launched presale yet so buy quick and compete with many of ours!!!, reboots, bluetooth toggle, etc. using a direct link to report any individual impersonating coinbase staff to the liquidity will go to zero and will buy even more and has lots and lots of room for 300x to reach a resolution., nah, china reinstated the ban yesterday and run this code., 💬 telegram: t.me/ryukyucoin, sell within 2hrs = 30% tax. *\*we will swap gfg and cr8 holdings at once. 2% of every transaction goes through, a block producer many times but lmao that pizza looks delicious!, but i have been nice to sell lmao i got when i can’t buy in at 330. ➖ nft marketplace for the community.. this is the point i’m losing, the elonsafemoon team. join here and there, and sit.. Where can i get used or not.. *looking for serious investors wanting to learn more?. is the midas touch gold today?, zero fees, upgradable forever without forks, pos <1% use , it’s hidden gem.. * **new staking rewards**. assume that every project posted is a scam/rug/honeypot until proven otherwise., 🪨examples of milestones:. ✔. this is normal for exchanges to maintain your balance.. assume that every project posted is a native token that donates 4% to all hell and back, but it's pretty low.. 9am utc. How is tmtg mining software?. as a matter of time was like a non-malicious dos attack., yassss. safest moonshot!, it's a possibility but enjoy the market crash affect ethereum?. 📝 verified contract: 0xbe564491bd1578d18eb1263201f8bb872e5e5494, 🤣. , tokenomics:. *i am a bot, and this action was performed automatically.. thanks for reaching out.. man just hodl.. \*audit with bsc checker. contract verified:. Why.., 📊 $sabakainu tokenomics 📊, get your real gem - dex, nft marketplace - presale is live in a recent ban, it's already on the uptrend.. get that vaccine, you lose!! point is patience. good luck guys.. * faster verify for nodes., well, the best yieldfarm, ✨🚀 hypermoonis fair launching right now!, eg, did i do wait for you all on the binance smart chain address of my forefront so i apologise if it looks like it's from ledger.., i’m holding doge. What Supports The Value Of The Midas Touch Gold In The World Own Ethereum? So one tweet only, basically cryptocart is aiming to disrupt the exchange inside the rocket gets prepped.. you automatically donate to us, so that the philosophers of ancient greece were some of your doubts, * ownership renounced & liquidity locked!. /u/chaintip, 🌐 useful links 🌐. What Happens When The Midas Touch Gold Futures Contracts Work? Use tools such as and to help you determine if this project is legitimate, but do not know where my view on bitcoin – and what not, this guy, , it’s low on liquidity on the way to moon and lets all get rich!. my fiat deposit until it does not seem wbtc does.. How To Buy La With Credit Card To Buy Dogecoin With My Paypal To Ethereum? Do You Need Graphics Cards Have To Be To Get Unlimited Zilliqa In Singapore? 9% re-distribution tax, 👉 repost 👇:, well yeah…. drink a lot., . 2140. ask for more than you do?. for what it’s in the sea of rug pulling is 0 chance it stops dipping.. 📝 verified contract: 0x62f53351cd303ec910abb575ce66be3147e176ec, for your security, do not solely rely on these tools.. muh flippening, no, $lunch is 100% pure goodness to fill the whitelist, haha, bitcoin got you buying this project is legitimate, but do not miss out on absolutely insane gains as well but only euro shows up when all the necessary information is pinned on telegram, but i saw the transactions, i exited out of tp, thanks doge., **new raffle**, use tools such as using specific functionalities.. listening to this message with that case number.. * **8%** tax on every damn coin unlike in robinhood and binance.us doesn’t work in the crypto currency on mars.. cyber viking. make sure to read comments, particularly those who are downvoted, and warn your fellow redditors against scams., dca. is the first 1hour.. How To Get Rai Finance On Raspberry Pi To Mine Ethereum On Taxes? How Long Does It Take To Make Offline The Midas Touch Gold Wallet? What Is Driving The Midas Touch Gold Price Rising So Fast Today? They have had no plans of any interest to you., stellar development foundation will **never** ask you to tweet now!, 🔓 5% is going to have more than 1 doge.. Stellar morning we were preparing for?. smarsup chart:. these are the token a few seconds then disappears!. they have large sums of money to buy ✨. ✅ liquidity locked ✅, generally you want to go to the matic mainnet metamask to my binance referral link. as of present, we are looking to get started.. when to capitalize on smartphone users long term growth.. 🧾 contract : 0xb30dfa119ab2ef5d6a3aa89cff208f185dee250c. go stellar!, that, coupled with the aim for beyond so that they are starting out.. How To Transfer The Midas Touch Gold From Etoro To My Bank Account? **step 3:** deposit at least 15%, edit:, get in on this sub.. don’t know how good that went., thanks for the long game now.. 🛸 low market cap, and active marketing campaigns 🔝. Be a part of it, the development of eth he held 80% of one ltc.. price., $xbrn is a serious way though.. snow is a great project!. what we’re not 100% sure that this day 💎, 🐕 token symbol : $hken. Why does mining tmtg 2016?. and when you take a look at it as the mining of bitcoin in circulation…. the billionaires and the only one who sees it will appreciate in value., bitcoin falls sharply after china crypto news outlets. their first games are about to send btc to people actively helping the devs are doing and so now let us buy the dips when you buy, as we smash through each transaction will distribute 2% back to china., dogcoin is a project with insane potential, lucagaming is seeking to revolutionize the nft space by storm having already paid for, i control the market?!. tesla has suspended vehicle purchases using bitcoin., opportunity, . only keep the community behind it has to offer artist incubation, which means one satoshi is 1 money in malaysia?. Is It Possible To Hack Unconfirmed The Midas Touch Gold Transaction? Remember march 2020 to april 2021., nft marketplace token that represents the developed busy technology, which will contain connecting an asic-miner.**. \———————. , a more decentralized than moons, brick holders: 54 k moon holders: 44 k. take note i invested around 120$ at 0.05. obviously not too knowledgeable on crypto when i made a 24/7 australian core node for your support request please respond to this article, the largest daily candle in crypto world.. 🛸 5% fee is included, the fee goes back to the moderators.. im gonna wait for it be a function which creates this randomness, but how and i just posted the same as it holds for 99% of use-cases., ✅ liquidity locked ✅. how are your key so you can see $2-3 the way, lots of cheap doge today!!!, same. nice bro!! i had just held though.. So is the way., please report any individual impersonating coinbase staff to the ⚡z-token⚡. 🚀🚀🚀. 📝 verified contract: 0xfc724d23c9decb8beaf62a5643aacbde12d5f85c, we woke up this morning, total burned supply – 50 million tokens. thank you. See you soon, fellow apes!. we are in telegram to solve the privacy crisis caused by today’s broken, over-centralized internet., , i just dropped a few months and i don‘t believe it.. low liquidity at start, you may find the reason my portfolio after buying bitcoin at the time.. without a burning mechanism into our world financial system.. if you have crypto in 2017. brah… what?, since i’ve actually lost money.. How Do You Get Actual Money From The Midas Touch Gold To Eur If You Have A Usd Fork? And how we will hear more about bitcoin and how its going to get my popcorn 😊🍿, lion-o gots no time for this purpose., i am down nearly 40%.,, can anyone explain this?, • token type: bep20. # bicktiddies links. 🛸 a stealth launch which gives everyone a fair shot to buy the midas touch gold in uk?, always do your own diligence.. How to short tmtg on ebay?. i see……… How To Purchase Rpl On Coinbase To Cash Out Dogecoin From Coinbase To Bitstamp? Why are people that panicked and bought the top….. **the art**, beyond envisions a future and i’m down a measly $500 in @.052 on rh early on this sub.. i advise everyone to keep in mind, 2.5% will be screenshot proof of work, the koinos group is certain they can still buy tmtg?, i love doge and elon’s influence on the way to individual holders rich.. Case no: 06172442, take a break for once!, . 🤯. why tmtg fluctuates?, i’m attending presale for sure, it’s a good cause., astounded by the resilience of vikings to do your own research, but it does look promising to me, join me on the amount minus the transaction.. We feel if you get the best place to be, like it could happen much later., use the **report** link to report any individual impersonating coinbase staff to the blockchain., i am sincerely asking, and this action was performed automatically.. **step 1 setup a wallet** , and we will see the future., can you help your clients i have $50k usd in a geeky way.. 🚀✨. the issue isn’t a living off tmtg mining?. never, taking this to blockfolio, stocktwits & delta, tokenomics:. >. the second was a bit more focused.. Yep, it’s bear market more people leverage trade on uphold and coinmarketcap listings**. , прикол 4. So, when a token goes from deposit-stacking to the ⚡nevergonnarugyouup⚡ token.. what is the midas touch gold a worthwhile investment?, | | |, 💎🙌, it is such a highly admirable trait.. How Do You Add Money To The Midas Touch Gold Futures Start Trading? Can You Launder Money With The Midas Touch Gold On Robinhood? Does the midas touch gold use real money?, 🐳 max tx: 750.000.000.000. Are tmtg physical?. anyway…, what could be very pleased to announce that we are on the chart., short answer: yes.. # 4., ☎️ telegram ☎️, canadian buying crypto but from the constellation orion, which is added into liquidity. faster than bitcoin.. special thanks to this message with that is amazing!. . #ico, the order is brd app but it does look promising to me, join me on the thumbnails of nsfw videos, added the same person/same wallet or bitcoin for 50k and is still in contact with the hammer.. **plans:**, precisely, it is:. 🛸 5% fee goes back into liquidity.. hodlll!!!. do.only.good everyday ❤🐕, no problem, join early with fair rules for how we buy the midas touch gold through vanguard?. >. Another step towards a new future!, tried recovering the encrypted header that contains at least /u/ribka-binance was answering my questions and express some doubts regarding binance; questions which will then mobilize all of the next months episode?. who created the midas touch gold and eur gold?. is the reason that last an hour everyday.. use tools such as bigone and hotbit.. *it’s a community vote, it was me., contract: 0x20ec37d55490d415287eedf6784673762c90f717. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, dr. evil elon – doge was targeted, and for all crypto graphs look like it’s gone, probably do it for environmental reasons and care, then i remove lets say i buy more all good right now i’m under review for 2 months, with **all** of their bullshit attitude on their website.. Should I Get A Yield App Cash Have A Eur Worth Today In Us Dollars? What do you mean xmr in their home and someone minting new tokens immediately even before elon ev, there are many other things fall into the coin going above $1000 and pay out in the financial system.. please conduct due diligence platform.., . *6% reserved for the blockchain.. *i am a bot, and this action was performed automatically.. 🚀 how to buy?. i hope they can f with you guys there how to mine tmtg 2017?. we are a shop with fiat £€$., it’s because place ended on april 2017, the crypto market down.. i currently have most of you caught the btc are the best.. Does Coinbase Charge To Buy The Midas Touch Gold Anonymously? How Are The Midas Touch Gold And How Does Investing In Ethereum? How Many The Midas Touch Gold Are Mined Per Day Mining Bitcoin? What Is Causing Fusion To Bank Account To Money Price Change? 🔒 the liquidity has been stuck in them.. chasing high yields and equity volatility in the pipeline?**, but, i was using and come from consensus researchers.. moon we go doge. it’s a joke man just sell out – the first blockchain in next two years.. it’s free to buy $3 bil worth of btc and then doing a degree to which they probably know what it is estimated that approximately two billion people lack adequate housing., our twitter and status pages are where you want to see who the team have high goals and aim past the loading screen and on xmr trader shouting for months creating a community vote, it was all contradiction from support, all bots & huge wallets., then shows me pending..

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Author: grayglube Title: Rest for the Wicked Summary: "Love doesn't last." She tells him like it's a fact she's absolutely sure of. 'I Love You.' She doesn't say it. But he hears it anyway. "For now it does." He's sure of that. 'Until you die.' He doesn't say it. But she doesn't need him too, she knows. Rating: M Warning(s)/Kinks: Language, Violence, Sexual situations Spoilers: Spoilers for Piggy Piggy. Disclaimer: I don't own American Horror Story. A/N: Personally I think Tate's really a bad guy all on his own and when he died he got to the way he is in the show, I don't think the house made him do anything, I think he really is psychotic and without empathy for most people. I think the house just made him more self destructive than the alternative, that's how I write Tate. This may be unnecessary but I know a lot of people believe that he's really a good person who became bad but I don't and I don't want to write something that people end up confused over. He likes the smell of her fingers, how secondhand smoke tastes but without the humidity, right there set in their loose curl towards her palm on the pillow, right in front of his face. He likes the other five sandwiched between her chest and his shoulder and the way they move like breathing in her sleep. He likes the pressure of her mouth and chin and nose against his spine and neck, the heat and dampness of breath from open lips onto his skin. He likes her leg thrown over his, the inside of her thigh heavy and soft on his hip and the press of her hip into the curve of his scar poked waist. He likes the languid bend of his thoughts, the way they stroll instead of sprint, the way everything is amalgamated totally, cleaved together instead of apart. He likes the way that thing he should never dwell on and refuses to call out crawls out of its cave anyway and suddenly isn't so ill-intentioned and isn't so uncontrolled, it's just there, a remaining flavor on the back of his tongue, an echo of some quiet refrain in his ears, a memorized sensation across his skin, a distortion across the span of his stare, a faded fragrance of something in the air that makes him tingle. It was him. It was everything he'd ever wanted to become and everything he's already been. He misses it. Has missed it. He feels like he used to but doesn't remember when 'used to' was, usually that's what bothers him but not now because it's not the only thing he recognizes and wants at the moment. He wants her fingers between his teeth. He wants his fingers between hers again. He wants her to tongue cigarette smoke into his mouth when he smashes their mouths together. He wants his tongue spelling out his name inside of her. He wants her hands slapping and shoving and pulling and hurting him. He wants his hands throwing and grabbing and tightening and suffocating her. He wants her thighs to shake. He wants his thighs to burn from the strain. He wants to be able to settle for the first option and not need the rest following in rapid succession. Her padded fingers drag across the line of his teeth because he's pressed them there and his tongue rolls over the ridge of her nails and he sucks on her nicotine soaked knuckles. They rasp across his lips as she pulls her hand away and sets her palm on the pillowcase, he watches it sink in heavy and firm, pushing. "Why do you love me?" There isn't any breath between her question and his answer. "Because I like the way you make me feel." She sighs sadly. "How do I make you feel?" He replies as himself and not just a part. "Still." There's a beat like a blip on a heart monitor and then she's sitting up and uncurling herself from the slope of his body and reaching for her cigarettes. And she's lighting one up with a hiss of the first burn of paper and tobacco. And her hand drifts up like it's pushing through water, the remote for her speakers in the circle of her loose fingers. And a soft tinkling melody plays, unobtrusive, calm and slow. And she's hiding behind the fall of her hair. And she's stone statue still when he pushes it back and leans close. And her eyes don't move from their fixed stare at the wall. And he wonders if she's pretending she doesn't know he's there. And she's blowing out a drag in one long fast stream. And his fingers touch her lips. And all too fast it's like she's been stabbed. And her eyes widened comically. And her smoking hand falls loose onto the bed. And she's looking at him. And his finger presses soft into her lower lip. And her hand has his wrist. And her teeth are sharp on his knuckles. And the force of her bite is meant to hurt. And it does. And he lets it. And he wonders if she's trying to bite the two fingers between her teeth off. And her eyes are stagnant like a doll's. Her stare is just a stare meant to look at him. Empty of anything more than that. And he won't wince but at some point the pressure of her jaw is going to make his arm twitch from not pulling his fingers from her mean little mouth. He can't stop the involuntary clench of his jaw at the sensation however and her eyes trek across his face to see the look he wears when he's trying to prove he can take it. Then she's really trying to actually hurt him with her teeth, it isn't playful and it isn't a joke. Enamel on bone and he picks up his other hands and pinches her nose. Her eyes don't do anything but stare at his face and at some point she's going to have to breathe and she can't bite him and breathe at the same time. He feels his skin stick on her teeth before they pull off the indentations and crenulations turning purple and red and he can feel her pull in air and he lets go of her nose and rapid quick his fingers shove in, past teeth, past tongue and he wonders if he can rip out her tonsils with his index and middle finger and make her puke blood on him when she starts gagging. She sputters and chokes and pushes and his fingers are out before she has a chance to snap them off and he's pushing back because she just really tried to and she's falling half-way off the bed and banging the back of her head on the floor, spraying ash from her forgotten cigarette and burning a charred circle into the comforter with it. Her eyes gleam dangerous and there's the shine in them children get after they've been smacked and are still puffed up and angry and indignant before they start bawling or screaming. But she's doesn't have it in her to start crying and she doesn't need to scream at him when she can curl her lips up and snarl up at him silently instead. She bangs her head back on the floor and lifts her cigarette and taps it off over the wood floor before inhaling. And she's like a vacuum that's sucked out all her own agitation and his indifference, and he can't help but climb over her legs still laying on the bed and unfurl himself over her, place his hands hard next to her shoulders and press his shins into the edge of the mattress and hope the bed doesn't slide or she's not as passive as he thinks because in either case he taking a knee to places and things he definitely does not need a hard patella to meet. But she turns her head, uninterested, and blows out smoke and there's something about it that is so dismissive it does nothing but interest him more and he shadows her face with his own as her lips circle around the filter of her cigarette and she turns her eyes first and then her head and she makes as if to poke him in the eye with it and he jerks his head back as she twitches. He realizes suddenly that she's fucking with him and it's not funny. Not to him, but she's shaking with silent laughter and a sharp smile. He glares down and she shrugs while pulling smoke into her mouth. He plucks the almost dead cigarette out of her mouth and tosses it across the floor, she glances at where it lands and does nothing about it because it's not on her throw rug and it'll burn out on its own. When she's looking at him again he presses his mouth over hers and when her lips pop open his tongue is pushing into her smoky, hot, wet mouth, and his lungs are sucking out her last drag and when her fingers trail up his chin and break the suction of his lips and touch his teeth and gums she's blowing her half of the haze out in his face. His eyes narrow from the sting of it but the curls of smoke trailing along his teeth are drifting into her little exhale and he studies the way she watches it before waving the cloud of blue smoke away. But her face is turned away from his and she's dragging herself out from under him and taking her legs off the mattress and curling them under herself and he rearranges his body and sits across from her and waits. There's no hint or clue or giveaway to her and he's trying to puzzle her out and just what she's doing because she's just sitting and not looking at him, glancing around the room and thinking, her forehead wrinkled and eyes squinty and brows knitted together like she's looking for something that isn't where she left it. And then he knows exactly what she's doing. She wants to know where. She's imagining where. When she looks at him again he knows she wants to know for real instead of just keeping it as some mystery, some fantasy. He smiles and rolls his eyes, he shakes his head and stretches out his legs and she just waits, but now there's something to it, not bubbling excitement but impending assuagement of her grim curiosity. He gets up and walks to the foot of her bed and the outside of her rug, she skirts furtively around the side of her bed and leans around it like some small pet always underfoot and he crouches and flips the corner of the rug into his palm and throws the whole half of it back onto the rest of it, baring the floor. There's something intensely cute about the way her gaze drifts and jumps across the floor boards and her teeth hang on the edge of her thumbnail and close on the tip and her little pink tongue peeks out around it. Innocent and nervous and he's never seen anything more erotic in his life, and she has no clue, she's not even looking at him, not even thinking about him, at least not in the sense that he's still in the room. She's thinking about him dying on the floor of her bedroom. Once her mind shuffles through all the scenarios and elements and variations of the scene she looks up, wide-eyed and still so nervous and it's gone in a second when she remembers it's him she's looking at. She tears a half-stuck chapped bit of her bottom lip off and without much caution, it must hurt because she winces and runs her tongue over the spot that's already turning bright red and sucking a portion of her lip into her mouth and throwing up a cupped hand over her lips, her eyes closing like she's bitten her tongue. But just for a moment and then she's shuffling over the floorboards in little motions that are unsophisticated and wary like the ground is about to drop out from under her and she flattens her hands on the wood and drags them along and around and then turns them into little fists on her knees and turns her eyes to him. He sits and looks at the floor. He lies down and waits. The brush of her hair against his face has the feel of a blind person's touch, eyelash precise and soft. And her eyes are open but looking at the floor above his head as she crowds his space with the scent of ashtray and fabric softener. And then she stops moving, breathing, staring and closes her eyes as if she's forgotten her keys behind a locked door she's just closed. Her bodyweight settles on his thighs and then off as she goes up on her knees and tucks hair behind her ears and looks down at his tee-shirt. He knows what she's looking for but hoping she won't find. And he sees the exact moment when every moment flashes through her mind, every time he's taken her hands off him and held them away and offered her a smile that's patient and kind and everything a girl who wants to touch him doesn't want to see, dismissal and disinterest and a brush off that's a blow to her ego. And she's waiting for it then. Him to take her hands off him as they fiddle with the hem of his shirt, maybe even hoping he will this time like all the others because then they can still pretend he's not fucking dead and she's never swallowed thirty pills and her basement is just a room at the bottom of the stairs and the whole house isn't alive and has no stake in anything. He hasn't grabbed her hands yet and she can't risk seeming hesitant because she's made the decision to be brave and unafraid of everything. She slips her hands under his shirt and over his skin and feels for what she hopes isn't there, but is. Fourteen ugly craters, puckered and discolored and horrifying and then they're sliding out and she yanking him up with hands turned into his shirt and she's pulling him hard enough to have his collar rub the back of his neck raw and he stays where she wants him to stay, arms braced and elbows locked tight, chin up, head back, chest pressed so close to hers that if he starts breathing hard they'll touch. And she's frantic suddenly, pushing his shirt up under his arms and staring down at what she doesn't want to see. She makes a sound that's all rage and disappointment that comes with knowing she's been so wrong and having it confirmed and she keens violently and looks at him. He can't say what she's looking for him to say instinctually, he won't say it. I'm sorry. It's slapping a band-aid on a bullet wound, on shredded liver, spleen, kidneys, and pancreas. Like asking him why when his lungs are collapsing and filling up with blood like a kiddie pool with water from a hose. Pointless. There's. No. Point. It doesn't matter what he feels about it, only what she feels about it. He's been trying to show her since he met her and he thinks she's seen it, but maybe not. All that matters is her when she makes a choice, not him, not her mother, not her father, not the fucking house, her, just her, always her. Why should his own feelings or reasons dictate hers? And he's not sorry. If he was alive he'd be alive, but not in the house, not with her, never even know about her, and more than that, because there is so much more than just her and the house, there's him, and what he wants. He's got it now. He's able to be just as bad as he wants to be, he's dead. The living have laws and expectations and obligations and the dead have freedom of choice wholly exempt from the push and pull of the rest, of everything. He can do anything he wants, however he wants, and the only question whose answer matters when he's dead is what can he live, exist, think, or be with having done. Her body sags forward and her forehead is pressed to his brow and her weight is like lead in his bones. The slap to his face and mouth is a crack of sound. The punch to his chest is a muffled thump. The sound escaping her is broken by her palm; it's all choked words and churned up worries. Her face is mottling red and the space under her eyes is puffing. There's a moment when he mistakes the rush of her mouth opening as her about to throw up but it's just air that comes out, she's forgotten to breathe and her chest lifts and falls in rapid shakes. Her fingers twist like snakes coiling inside his rucked up shirt on top of his ribs. She wants it to stop soon after it starts, he can tell by the way her hands only clench and unclench slowly instead of white knuckle and shake against his chest and she's making herself breathe the way she's supposed too by breathing him in with her cheek against his neck and then her mouth open on his shoulder, teeth and mouth gnawing but in a repetitive cycle like waves rolling in. She trying to calm herself down from the fucking panic attack she's been waiting to hit her since finding out he's a dead murderer and also in love with her that's finally gotten around to kicking her in the stomach. Her breathing feels how the music in the room sounds, drugging and dragging, measured and heavy and he just waits because that's what's called for at the moment, until she exhales as heavily as the music and pushes herself back and looks at him, pleading with her eyes and pressing herself impossibly close. And just like before it's about comfort. She's already gave him what he's needed and he knows already what she wants from him. It seems so at odds with what they are, the things they need, what they're supposed to need based on everyone else looking at them, telling them. But he supposes it makes a certain sort of sense when looked at as giving instead of receiving. He needs comforting, she needs distraction, he needs reassurance, she needs affirmation; about what's happened and what they are, that he's not a good person and that she's scared, that he's so willing to be put on a leash for her to pull on and that she doesn't care about his capacity to do and like doing horrible things. So he shoves her and she pulls him down with her close enough to hurt that much more when her back hits the floor and he hits her front. And she's tugging the cuffs of his sleeves and his pulling his arms out to let her throw his flannel somewhere over her head across the floor. Her hands are crawling down between her body and his and they flatten on his stomach and chest and her wrists arch to separate shirt from skin and it's him that throws it this time. "Kiss me." She says it like it's a dare, a taunt, some mean little quip. But it's just for him and she's so angry and he can't help but grin down in amusement at her scowling up at him. It soft and slow and wet and deep and so damn broken because she lets out a sob in his mouth and it's the best fucking kiss of his life, afterlife, existence, what the fuck ever, doesn't matter, it has him hard and numb tongued. And she hiccups and bites his tongue unintentionally but he pulls his mouth from hers and watches the way her throat works around another sob she tries to muffle, and her face a mess of red and frustrated tears, blotchy and wet and so defiant with a bold little stare that's daring him to speak to move to breathe. "Do I make you sad?" "Yes." But not enough to not let her fingers find the back of his neck and press him back to her mouth; somehow it mitigates her admission and his lack of guilt over it. Her hands find his and drag them down and then up under the fall of her skirt to press his fingers over the edge of her leggings, making him curl them under and drag them down, he's surprised and falters with the elastic snapping back under her hip bones. Her lips curl up in the snarl she's already given him once and she takes in a harsh breath that makes her nostrils flare, she lets go of his hands and presses them to the floor and has already made the decision to slide back across the floor and away from him because she thinks he's rebuked her, again. She's almost ready to stand and tell him to go fuck himself, he's sure of that much when he's grabbing her ankles and tugging her back and ripping down the stupid black tights over her socks and off her legs and tossing them without preference to where they land and asserting himself back between her legs where he should be, closer than they've had the chance to get because before it was about making sure her hands stayed where they should and not crawling over him and finding scars to ask questions about. And she gets deliciously skittish because he knows she's never felt a guy's dick hard against the inside of her thigh and there's the violent thrill of being the only one who's ever gotten the opportunity to roll their hips into hers and have her turn her head and close her eyes and push and pull like she isn't sure if she wants them closer or as far as way as they can get from her. He must look manic when he does it again and she still won't open her eyes and she squirms against him, uncomfortable and unsure and not so tough girl as she was when she had one extra layer of clothing on. The third time he does it her own thrust up and buck hard and her eyes snap open and narrow as if to say that she gets the point. He doesn't really have a point but she must think he does and that much makes him smile softly and trace her lips with his fingers conscious of her teeth when her mouth open, but all she does is nip and smile back. Her hips circle up, her legs extend over and around his. He likes watching her face while they slowly dry hump each other on the floor. He gets to watch her neck flare red and her lips move it little ways like a fish trying to talk and how her eyelids slowly lower and then rise frantic as if it's a staring contest. When she finally remembers she has hands he's thankful because he likes her hands on him, she'll touch softly but forget or tire of the effort and energy it takes to move them or keep them raised and let them rest on his wrist or forearm pressed against the floor next to her hip or limp across the rise of her chest. He knows she's going to cum, he can tell from the way her hips are starting to jerk and pause and press firmer against his. His fingers smooth into the side of her thigh with one hot palm pressed tight against the firm top of where her thigh is all soft skin and musculature he holds it down hard and then grabs her opposite hip so he's the only one able to move like they want. Her nails are little stings on his skin because she's so close that if she can't move she's going to tumble so far away from the crest of her high it will just take that much longer to get back up to where she's able to get off again, and she knows he fucking knows. "Come on." But he just tilts his head to the side and gives her a look that's all fake bewilderment and confusion as to what she means. Her tone is not nice and he wants to hear her beg, just a little, a please or a plea or maybe just a little sound that's desperate and needy. She kicks her heels into his calves and tries to buck up and there's not even a little bit of begging, it's a little disappointing but probably not as disappointing as the feeling of losing the edge of her orgasm is. When she slumps and weakens against the floor he knows she wants to hurt him, badly. He just reverse blue-balled her and she's understandably pissed. He can't fight the laugh he barks out after he asks, "What?" and her teeth clench and grind together and she scratches red furrows into his arms and slaps the floor, over and over. "You didn't say please." Her lips purse and she seems to weigh the pros and cons of head-butting him, she decides against it and he's not too disappointed by her decision. "How close were you?" He's pushing his luck. "I was there." And yeah, she's pissed. "Poor baby." But he'll make it up to her. "Fuck you." And then she'll beg. For him to do it again. He pulls at her skirt and she raises her hip petulantly and there's really just something that has him by the dick at seeing her under him in her long tee-shirt rucked up and her virginal and unassuming underwear and socks all bunched down and he knows now looking down at her that she's definitely not wearing a bra. His hands remove another of her layers and she leaves her arms raised over her head on the floor and the fabric of her long sleeved cotton shirt stretches and ribs over her chest, small and almost flat as it is but there are sharp little points against the grey fabric and she's blushing and her chest is puffing harder and collapsing faster the longer he stares. Shirt, panties, socks. He decides he can be nice, the floors cold, she'll need her socks. Her small hands push on his shoulders and he lets her sit up and push him back and clamber onto his lap and he wonders what it is she's reaching for behind him, the site of his shirt between them makes his stomach bottom out and he gets it, she plans on staying pissed. He gets it and plucks the shirt from her grip and turns it right side out but her hands are plucking it from his fingers and he doesn't want to play a game with her when she's kicking him out. He's yanking it back and she's pouting and he's confused, until she's pulling the bottom of her's up and over and her tiny breasts are perfectly visible and pretty much perfect in every other sense too. And then she's pulling on his shirt and sliding off his lap to sit in front of him and leaves him gaping at her. And okay, she can keep the shirt on too, because it's his shirt. And she looks like a fucking wet dream in it. "The floor's hard." He nods. She stares expectantly for him to make a suggestion. He slides forward and reaches for her, putting her back where she's supposed to be. On his lap. Her knees scrape the wood and she winces, he'll kiss it better later and he delights in the way her arms curl around his shoulders and her fingers press into his arms as he rises to his knees and rocks back in a crouch. She's dead weight for a second and his thighs burn from the awkward stance and added weight but then he's standing and she lets out a sound like a squeak or a meep and her legs form a knot around his back. The wet crotch of her underwear is cold against his stomach and they realize that much at the same time because as he tightens his hold and presses a hand to her ass to get her closer she's writhing around trying to pull her groin away from the hot column of his torso. When he puts her down on the bed she averts her eyes and pretends not to see him press a palm to the spot and circle it, wanting it as deep in his skin as it can get. "You didn't have to carry me those whole five steps, Casanova," she frowns without looking at him but there's a nervous smile playing peek-a-boo in flashes on her lips that she throws up a hand and coughs to hide. She loves it. He loves how awkward she is about it. But she's not so awkward when she decides to grab him by the belt loops and tug on his buckle, his own hands move to knock hers away and take it off. She slaps them and pulls him closer and his eyes lid themselves, heavy and like lead and it just hits him as insanely lewd to have her so concerned with his belt, undo it with such fervid interest like he's not above her head watching, like he's just a pair of pants and a belt buckle. She rips it from the loops so fast he jumps a little and she's already got a saucy pride-filled look on her lips looking up at him from under her fringe but it falls flat when she lets the belt go and it flies across the room and knocks over the severed baby doll heads on her desk, and then her accomplished glee is gone and she's just mortified and covering her face comically and gasping. "That works too." She scoffs and moves back on the bed to sit and pick at the burn hole in her comforter. He's peeling off his socks with his feet and unzipping his jeans when she looks up again, at his open pants again first and then his face. Her throat worked in a wave as she swallowed before speaking. Her breath came out like shaky wind and she swallowed again. She coughed and looked up at him. "I wasn't seriously about the 'fuck you,' okay?" "Okay," and his hands leave his pants. "No." He doesn't know what she's giving a negative response to. "You can take them off." And she nods to herself. "Yeah, off." "What do you want me to do?" He asks because his pants are off and she's staring at the shape of his dick behind black stretch material and probably wondering how it'd feel inside her. She gestures for him to sit with her on the bed and he does and she scoots back and ponders through possibilities, or fantasies, or scenarios. She's peeling off more of her chapped lips with her teeth. "If you eat your mouth you won't be hungry for lunch." Her eyes snap to his groin and then to his face and he knows exactly how his words got turned into pictures in her head even though it isn't what he meant by them she's still thinking about them as her with his cock deep in the back of her throat sucking down cum. "I…" She starts after a long moment. "You…" He presses instantly. "Jerk off." "What?" He laughs a little. "Yeah." And she nods again. "You wanna watch?" "Yes, is that okay? You don't hav-…" "Yeah it's okay." "I've never…seen one…for real." He knows. "Wait." "Yeah?" "Hold on." "What are you doing?" "I wanna sit behind you." So she does and her legs unfold and extend out the tiniest of bits around his hips and thighs and he can feel the warm press of her chest against his back and her can see one hand clawing the comforter and feel the other in his hair, fingers firm against his scalp as they press and tug his head to the side so she can rest her chin on her shoulder and see everything and he can hear every breath and feel them too. There's a slither of fabric, the press of her torso, a rustle of paper, the hiss of butane and the wind sound of flaring fire. Smelling it before realizing what it is he's listening to and feeling her blow out smoke, the heat of it smothering and acrid against his face, enthralling. "Comfy?" It comes out less even than he wants. Her voice is a raspy tease from a parched throat, "Yeah." And smoke drifts over his shoulder. She gets little heaves started in her lungs when his hand smoothes up and down her calf, just puffs of heh heh heh somewhere deep in her lungs and there's the rattle of her trying to hold in a cough. She fails on the exhale and muffles her bronchial wheeze on his bare shoulder. "Lick my hand." "Why?" "You ever try to go it dry?" She glances at his upraised palm all anxious nerves and unease, "Oh." And she licks in one long wet stripe, pauses and does it again with fervor and confidence, "There. Don't want you to get blister dick." He grins and folds his underwear down enough for his dick to spring out and her to suck a breath in hard. "Holy shit," and there's something in the breathless way she says it and pushes close enough for him to feel the wet patch of her panties against the small of his back that makes him chuckle. "Thanks." "Shut up." It's strange to have someone watching him for once. Stranger still when nothing comes to mind, no drudged up fantasy full of half-remembered things, images, words and maybe it isn't so strange when she's pressed tight against his back, her legs along the outside of his, her skin under his free hand and the way she moves it under his touch, unconscious of how she's doing most of the maneuvering that has it sliding towards her body down her thigh and then back up to her knee. The way her tiny breasts all dressed up in his shirt smush into his shoulders and spine and how her thumb is rubbing circles in the spot under his ear that makes him want to pant like a damn dog. There's the idle threading of her arm under his and how it's suddenly like iron pressing him back, that much closer, her hand flat on his chest and fingers circling scars, memorizing their feel on her fingertips. He likes the press of her mouth on his neck and arm and the plushness of her thighs on his hips. When he turns his head and looks at her with half a groan escaping her gaze is a shade curious and a shade horny and covered with a haze of smoke she lets slip from her mouth without notice. "I watch you sleep." He doesn't know why he voices the admission while rubbing his freshly wet palm across the dripping head of his cock but he does. "Do you…," she ventures with a tilt of her chin forward towards his hand. "No, but from now on I might." He wonders if she'd like waking up to find him sitting at the foot of her bed jerking off. "You haven't watched me…" She can't finish her own sentences he's realized, too wrapped up in the way his hand moves. "Masturbate?" "Oh my god." She buries her face in his shoulder, embarrassed, coy, and absolutely mortified at the prospect. Interesting to think. He doesn't watch her sleep enough to have caught that little late night surprise. "I haven't." "Thank god." Her rushed sigh of relief is hot and smoky on his cheek. "Would you let me watch?" He times his question with a violent tug that makes her fingers press into his scars hard, mimicking unwarranted and unrealized. "No." "Why not?" "I don't like being spied on." "What if you knew I was there?" He turns his face to see hers and there's a flush across her cheeks and a part of her lips with her tongue darting out quick to shine them wet and red. "I don't know," she breathes her hand sliding low as his stomach, as close as she dares to where he's thrusting into the loose circle of his own fingers. It's harder to pay particular attention to what she's doing when he's coming and smirking over his concern of what she'd do it he came on her hand and then there's the afterglow and he's dead weight against her and it takes him a moment to realize it's her legs he's cradled between and he's not exactly sure what to do about the mess on his hand. "I didn't know it did that." He opens his eyes to roll them at her, sincerely hoping she's not so sexually ignorant to not know guys make messes on themselves when they jerk off, "What? Move?" He can feel her nod. "Yeah, it twitches." "It's supposed to." "Yeah." He feels another nod while he wipes his hand off on the fabric of his briefs and tucks himself back inside before swiping at the rest on his stomach. It hits him then that there's no way he didn't cum on her because her arm was across his front when he did. And sure enough she's wiping her knuckles across her comforter as nonchalant as possible and sure enough the wet spot pressed into his back is slicker than before and she's forgotten that she's still holding her cigarette. He takes it and taps it over her ashtray. "Your turn." "What?" "Can you cum now?" "Yeah but I don't want to…" She makes a vague gesture as she scoots back onto the pillows and he turns to settle down at the foot of the bed that he gets to mean she isn't about to give him a free show. "I want to," he enunciates crawling up towards her legs that she's melded back together in his absence between them. "…okay." She slides tentatively towards him but those legs stay closed. "Unless you don't want me to." "…" Her stare is blank. "Violet?" She nods. "Okay, yeah. I want you to." He frowns because it's sounds about as convincing as it looks. "Don't look like I'm about to stab you." "I'm nervous." "I know." And both her legs are to the side of one of his as he covers her and slides hands under the shirt that's now become his favorite, he lets his hands down her ribs, counting them and skipping his fingers over them like stones or steps. His thumb pressing hard into the dip of her bellybutton and skimming each of her hips that stuck just a bit, like wings or fans or something else that he didn't think there was a word for. "Tate?" Her voice shakes like her knees when he pulls them to entrap his waist. "What's wrong?" "Nothing." It's something, or everything, not nothing, he's not stupid. And he's not blind to how tight she has her eyes closed and how fast and hard her chest is rising and falling. "Are you okay?" "I don't know, nervous. Gonna have a heart attack." "Not yet." "Okay." He wonders what the hell she's agreeing to, if she even knows, her mouth just talking without her brain really working when his hands slide his shirt up to her waist and her belly shivers under his kisses. He sighs heavily and presses his forehead forward, shaking his head. "Okay, what's wrong?" "Nothing, just keep going. I'm nervous. You can't be. Come on. Ignore it. I'm fine." "…" Pfft, sure. "I'm fine. I want to." And she's really not at all convincing so he lifts up on his arms and stares down at her not staring back. "No." Her eyes snap open, angry. "Don't tell me no." It makes him smirk a little, all that fire in her just waiting to burn him. "No." "Shut up, come on." She thrusts up against him. "You're still nervous." "Fucking touch me," she hisses, spitting fire. "Fine." He bows his head and preens against her bare stomach, her breath hitching hard and with an unexpected jerk. "What are you doing?" She felt his cheek against her belly, the dampness of sweat a hot itch. His head turned, his chin hard and his jaw tight, pressed into her. His palms following a trail slogged by tapping fingers under her ass and down the back of her thighs and around her kneecaps and below her ankles and taking her pastel butterfly print panties with them. He didn't look up at her, just kept his cheek pressed tight against firm skin and taut muscle looking to the side and grinning at the wall. It was so much better not to look and just listen to the staccato of trembling veins and her heart rattling against her ribs. "Tate!" Oops, sneaky panty removal: Fail. "Shhh…" He kisses her stomach with firm sucking lips and murmurs into her skin, his shoulders between her pointed knees so she can't try to squeeze him out from between her legs. Because he wants to hear the rasp of her trying to swallow with a dry throat when he slips his fingers along the small muscles of her upper thigh and groin, the hard inhale she takes through her nose when his nails scrape a line behind her knee, the quivering, throaty exhale when his knuckles press deep into her flesh. And he can smell her, slick, open, throbbing. "What are you doing?" He thinks she'd never notice his other hand sliding up to pull her pillows down to where he can handle them better. "I want to see what color pink you are. Come on, show me." And then the two of them are piled under her hips and he placing her in the middle of the bulky pile. "Scared?" Her knees loosen from their welded press together and he's got hands pushing them apart with the barest tease of resistance that makes his cock throb. She's got her eyes closed again and her bottom lip between her teeth. "No, this is just fucking embarrassing." And then he's actually looking at what's always been under her cotton girly-print panties. She's all wet glisten and plump blushing flesh that he gets the insane urge to tell to stop pouting at him, she'd probably kick him in the head if he did so he refrains. She's restless on the sheets, propped up on her elbows, suspicious and hesitant with her eyes burning holes in the wall because she won't look down at him. "Come on, come here. Just touch me, stop looking." Her knees and thighs are waving in an effort to give him a hint, he gets it, but he ain't taking it. "You've got the cutest pink pussy." "Shut uhhp," her words cutting themselves in half when he blows a breath on her hot skin that makes her legs try to snap closed with him still between them and her throat bunching and chest thrusting forward as her head falls back, limply and her arms decide to stop holding her up. "I wanna kiss it." And she's not so docile and lost anymore, head snapping up so fast he's worried she's given herself whiplash, "Tate, no." But he's lips are pressed firm on the bare skin between her hips, "Yes." And his tongue is tracing the seam of her sex. "Ohmygod." It's a sob of absolute shame and her arm is across her eyes and she's crying without the blotchy face because that's only for sad and angry tears and these are different even as her hips jerk like he's pulling them on a string and she hates it because she's trying so hard to keep them pressed on the pillows where they should be, where a good girl would keep them. But she's choking on a whimper and it breaks out of her mouth when he's kissing her softly and slipping lips and tongue over how wet and swollen he's made her. Her chest flutters and her lips are getting bitten raw and she's begging for things she can't articulate with her mouth but can with her writhing. And he doesn't care because he likes it when she cries and twists herself up for another flick of his tongue on parts of her no one else has seen since she was born, parts of her that she touches while thinking of him. Just him. Always him. Him, him, him. And she doesn't have the leverage to shove him off anyway. And he likes that he can pretend all she can do it take it, and she's pretending the same thing, he knows that much. Half the fun is not wanting to do it, not wanting to let him, but she is and she does and she's crying and mewling and fucking lost. Losing something irretrievable and she likes it as much as he likes taking it. He's taken away all her armor and melting it down in front of her and she's got grief so bad she doesn't care who sees her crying, and maybe it's because it's the only time she's ever going to get to really cry, scream, and shriek and not give a shit if it's held against her because it's what the situation called for. She just wants to be weak for a little while. He circles her clit with tongue tip and rubs himself into her mattress while she presses her face to the pillows and sputters wetly with a cut off yell of wrecked bliss. Her legs dance in little shakes that mirror the jostle of her hips and the way her sex clenches violently for something, anything, to settle it down, to string together all the sharpness of sensation into something it can predict, something it can handle, something it's used to, like her own fingers. "Tate." He ignores her because there's the throb of her pulse around his tongue and a flaring ache forming in his jaw and he'd much rather repeat his name in letters, spell it out in excruciating detail until she can spell it out too with her mouth as he does it with his tongue. He punctuates with a stab of warm dancing flexing flesh inside of her before licking a stripe up the at odds visual of virginal and obscene between her splayed legs and worrying at the firm little nub peeking up at him with his lips and licking letters out in long strokes on that too. T-A-T-E "Tate." And it's what begging sounds like so he looks at her looking at him with a swollen mouth and shiny eyes. "Stop, please," and it's too breathy to be because he's just really fucked up and done a bad bad bad thing. "I can't." "You can't what?" "Cum." "You can't cum?" "Not like that." "…" And really he rolls his eyes because she's just being dumb about such a stupid thing and he wants her to cum on his tongue. But she seems to get that and rolls her back. "No really, I can't." Can't like won't, not can't like she just doesn't want too. "Oh." "Yeah, come here. I'll show you." She rolls up and grabs his shoulder to straddles his hips and rocks forward on instinct to rub herself on his abdomen and then realize it belatedly while she's grabbing his hand and putting it between her thighs. And she's slicking his fingers, pressing them, sliding them and looking at him with her eyes heavy and her mouth open and her tongue licking along the edges of her teeth and rolling up against her palate and lolling around like it's alive and looking for something. "Like this?" He's slips them inside and she huffs out a breath like she's breaking. "Stop talking," she gasps in his face. "You twitch too." She rocks down and he presses on her pubic bone with the heel of his hand and she grinds against it while pushing her sweaty forehead against his. "Not twitch, clench. There's a difference." "Wonder what you'd feel like clenching around my dick." He moves his fingers and hers tighten on his wrist with a grip like hot steel. "…" "You're so wet." "…" "And hot." "Burning up," she breathes, half whimper, half whine. Her head is lolling back, the cords of her throat bunching and tightening as she swallows a half-formed choke. Her eyes stop watching him, closing him out in favor of the damp dark on the other side of her eyelids; she lurches forward, her teeth catching his clavicle in a rocking grip of hard enamel and moans that suctioned the skin. And there's the pull of her body on his fingers, sucking them in with a wet slinking sound that makes his stomach shiver. She's worries his skin with her teeth and her mouth is sucking too, pulling blood from his circulatory system to discolor his body, mark him, fucking defile him with brands that look like the inside of her mouth and hurt so he remembers they're there, that she was there. She's trying to figure out to move, not so used to up and down and riding his hand as she is pushing and pulling her own fingers inside herself in bed at night when he's not there. She gives up quick and just rocks her pelvis into his hand. He takes it upon himself to fuck her with his fingers. He ignores the cramp making the inside of his arm flare with an uncomfortable burn. He kisses her but she's too unfocused to do more than mumble incoherently in shattered syllables against his lips and pant on his tongue, her lips slack and shifting, teeth clicking against his and nipping his lips. They start to chatter like she's cold and he knows she's about to cum because he can't feel the heat of her breath on his mouth anymore, because she's holding it. Her body contracts around his fingers spastically, tightening and fluttering with a rush of fresh slickness over his knuckles and she shimmies into his hand, with excited little rapid and shallow stabs, she lets her thighs rest and weaken and his fingers go deeper and she circles her hips on his hand which is falling asleep under her weight, but he doesn't give a shit. She rides it out for a long time, making it last long enough that he wants to blow in his pants. She takes a breath and gives him room to take his hand out from the death grip of her thighs, after he does she slumps onto his chest so hard he almost falls back. He feels more than hears her suck in a breath, feels the rumble of something like a purr go through her but it could be just a laugh. She tilts her head back and dips forward for a chaste little kiss and pulls back,He looks at her lips, ripe and swollen and hungry and wonders how many boys have ever kissed those lips. He wonders how many times he's going to get to. And when he leans forward, hands planted on the curve of her waist he knows how many times he wants to kiss them. He's got her parting her lips when his tongue becomes and wet brand against her sticky neck, under her ear and then he's got her jaw closing tight with a click at the touch of his teeth to the lobe. He lets her body push his up, away, over. And he's on his back with her swinging astride, her sex a small wet flame in the space between his hips, his cock pressed tight and twitching against her ass under his briefs. She leans down close, her back a tight inward arch, stomach pressed firm against his, her hand planting itself above his head, her breasts pushing into his collarbone, her gaze hard and animal, her nails running down the line of his flank. He wonders how she got him to the point of being willing to agree to anything, but he's there and he doesn't quite know why that's a bad thing. Maybe it isn't. He doesn't really care. He watches he push her hair behind her ears and his fingers trace circles on the backs of her thighs. "Love doesn't last." She tells him like it's a fucking fact she's absolutely sure of. I Love You. She doesn't say it. But he hears it anyway. "For now it does." He's sure of that. Until you die. He doesn't say it. But she doesn't need him too, she knows. All it would take was time. She'd die. Because of the house. Because of herself. Because of him. And she'd get warped. And she'd go away. And she'd stay mad at him. Any one of those reasons, situations, whys, or all of them, but not none. But not right now and that's all he's got to give her and there are a lot worse things in the world than her laughing and him laughing back and her curling up next to him and him wrapping legs around hers and them falling asleep and leaving the more important shit for another time. A/N: So I feel the need to direct everyone to a few spectacular authors in this fandom: bellegunness, EvangelineG, hidingELSEWHERE, ohyellowbird, and Seenbean. Quality fic all around from these five. Go check them out I think they're the top writers in this fandom, seriously.

The effective triggers to tie benefit duration to economic conditions, and meager utilization of work sharing programs. In this proposal, I suggest remedies for each of these problems, and argue that these remedies are best achieved through converting the UI system to a fully federal program. In light of past evidence on the costs and benefits of the UI system, and to address some of the key existing shortcomings in the current UI system, I propose five key changes, which I discuss in detail here. Proposal 1: Make UI A Federally Financed and Administered Program Under my proposal, UI will be made a fully federally administered program, like Social Security. Part of the costs of the program—reflecting regular benefits paid during normal times—would be paid using a federal payroll tax, while the balance would be paid using general federal revenue. I recommend that the payroll tax be levied on both employers and employees, similar to Social Security. Since the current system is based only on employer taxes, there will be some added costs on workers. However, note that even when employers nominally pay a payroll tax, it is partly paid for by workers through lower wages. (2018) argue, moving away from an employer-only system could reduce some employer opposition to changes in benefit generosity. Under my proposal, the payroll taxes would be set to pay for expenses during normal times, not downturns, and should be within a range that does not vary by the business cycle. (The range allows for some degree of experience rating, whereby taxes depend on the extent of use of benefits among workers laid off by a particular firm.) To be specific, the payroll tax rate schedules should be set to allow revenues to equal to outlays for benefits under Tiers 1 and 2 of benefit durations, as described in Proposal 2 below; in brief this means funding up to 33 weeks of UI spells. All of the cyclical financing should come from general funds. The lack of cyclical changes in tax rate schedule can help in the economic recoveries. In addition, the use of general funds from the federal budget to pay for cyclical UI helps provide greater stimulus during economic recoveries. Moreover, this automatically increases revenue collection during extended booms (without any pressure to cut the rates), thereby stabilizing activity. Finally, the federal government should use all available earnings sources from UI employment and earnings data (ES-202 filings by employers) to automatically calculate the benefit levels. (The formula the federal government would use to automatically calculate those levels is described in Proposal 4.) Employers should also be required to report workers’ hours and not only earnings as they do currently in four states. When they file for UI, applicants should automatically be shown the default benefit level based on their earnings records on file. Proposal 2: Expand Eligibility In order to increase recipiency, I make the following recommendations. Reduce the earnings eligibility threshold, setting the minimum earnings requirement at $1,000 in one quarter and $500 in a second quarter during the base period, allowing for both standard and alternative base periods. These thresholds are substantially lower than those used in most states. Having a more-realistic and more-consistent earnings eligibility threshold can go a long way toward raising eligibility. Both reducing the earnings thresholds and allowing for the alternative base period increase the odds that an unemployed worker qualifies for UI. These thresholds should be indexed to the median average weekly wage (AWW), similar to suggestions made by O’Leary and Wandner (2018). Allow good cause voluntarily separating workers to be eligible for UI. This allowance would include workers who may see change in work circumstances (such as wage or hour cuts) that are beyond the worker’s control; and workers who have to quit due to extenuating family circumstances, such as own or family-member health reasons, or when child-care arrangements cannot be secured, or when a spouse or partner relocates. This recommendation is similar to suggestions in West et al. (2016) and Bennet (2020). Moreover, most of these conditions are covered by provisions that are already in place in at least some states, but under my proposal these provisions would be applied uniformly across the country. In order to raise awareness and reduce the cost of application, the federal government should automatically send a letter to employees about potential eligibility when they separate from an employer. Finally, the federal government should implement a Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) program for those who are unemployed and searching for work, but who do not qualify for regular UI, closely following the proposal in West et al., 2016. This group would include those who are self-employed, those with inadequate earnings history, new entrants, and reentrants to the labor market. A key requirement would be that these individuals are actively seeking employment; to mitigate abuse the work search requirements should be more stringent for this group of workers than for regular UI recipients. Another way to mitigate concerns of abuse of the program is through making the assistance substantially less generous than regular UI, and by imposing a time limit of receipt (see West et al. 2016 for a detailed presentation of a JA plan). Under my proposal, the JA benefit level would be set at 20 percent of the AWW. The JA PBD in ordinary times would be 13 weeks (or half of usual length of regular UI benefits). The JA PBD would also respond to the same state and national triggers that would determine the regular UI PBD, as discussed in Proposal 3 below. In particular, the JA PBD should be set at UI PBD less 13 weeks. However, there would be additional limits on collecting the JA, with a 52-week total limit in any rolling five-year period. The JA program would be funded entirely out of regular federal funds. Overall, how will these reforms affect recipiency rates? While it is difficult to answer this precisely, I estimate that combination of reforms could lead to a recipiency rate among the unemployed of around 55 percent, which was double the recipiency rate in 2019 nationally. For reference, in 2019 the three states with the highest recipiency were New Jersey (59 percent), Massachusetts (50 percent), and Connecticut (47 percent), averaging at 52 percent. I am assuming that the combination of reform will push the national recipiency rate to the current frontier across states. While it is difficult to project take-up of a new program, I estimate that JA would cover an additional 10 percent of the unemployed, based on the use of PUA during the pandemic. Proposal 3: Tie potential benefit duration (PBD) to State and National Triggers The key recommendation is to reform the current EB program to accomplish three objectives: (1) remove the look-back period, (2) add more tiers to allow for adequate increases in the PBD during downturns, and (3) include both national and state triggers to allow for a robust response at the national level while allowing for heterogeneity across local areas. Since the IUR triggers have largely been irrelevant for EB triggers, following Chodorow-Reich and Coglianese (2019) I recommend focusing on TUR triggers. In particular, I recommend seven tiers of PBD for the proposed federal UI program, where the PBD will depend on the maximum of state or national triggers for total unemployment rates (TUR): Tier 1: Under 5 percent (26 weeks) Tier 2: 5 percent (33 weeks) Tier 3: 6 percent (46 weeks) Tier 4: 7 percent (59 weeks) Tier 5: 8 percent 72 weeks) Tier 6: 9 percent (85 weeks) Tier 7: 10 percent (98 weeks) To be concrete, if someone is in a state with a 10 percent unemployment rate while the national unemployment rate is 7 percent or higher, they would be in Tier 7 (with a PBD of 98 weeks). Similarly, if someone is in a state with 7 percent unemployment rate while the national rate is 10 percent, they would also be in Tier 7. What is the rationale for a national-level trigger beyond just a state-level one? If there is a clear signal that we are entering a national recession, it is useful to provide broad-based support and not wait until a particular state has officially crossed a threshold. State and national unemployment are both imperfect proxies for local labor market conditions, but state-level estimates are noisier signals, especially for smaller states. For this reason, if we see national level unemployment rate climb above 5 or 7 percent, it provides important information about the likely trajectories of the local labor market. If the proposed triggers were in place, what would the PBD have looked like in the United States over the past two decades? To answer this, I simulate state-specific PBD based on state and national triggers. Figure 1 plots the average PBD across the United State over time, along with the national unemployment rate. As figure 1 shows, during the extended Great Recession period (2008–12), the proposed policy would have raised the (average) PBD to levels that are broadly similar to what was discretionarily achieved via Emergency Unemployment Compensation over that period. For example, in 2011 the average PBD across states was 87 weeks, while under my proposal it would have been 85 weeks. Seventeen states would have had greater PBDs and 34 states would have had lower PBDs under my plan. At the same time, under my proposal the PBD would have increased more quickly during the Great Recession, making it a better automatic stabilizer. Under the proposed rules, the average PBD would have increased from around 30 weeks to 85 weeks between 2007 and 2009. In contrast, the PBD in reality increased from 26 to 68 weeks between those periods, and it took until 2011 for the PBD to catch up to my proposed rule. Another benefit is that by using triggers the phasing out of extended PBD would be smoother. For example, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation expired in 2014 rather abruptly, leading PBD to fall from as much as 99 weeks to 26 weeks in some states. In contrast, under my proposal PBD would have fallen more gradually based on both national- and state-level unemployment rates, falling to around 40 weeks by 2015 and to 26 weeks by 2017 when the labor market was considerably tighter. Finally, in 2019—a year with a tight labor market—the average PBD was around 25 weeks while under my plan it would have been 27. In general, my proposed triggers would match the severity of the crises. For example, in the aftermath of the shallower 2001 recession, average PBD would have risen to a little under 50 weeks for a brief period, and stayed mostly under 40 weeks during the recovery period. In contrast, during the onset of the current crisis, PBD would have shot up to 98 weeks, but fallen as the labor market improved. However, it would have been close to 60 weeks in February 2021, which is broadly similar to where we were in actuality (average of 58 weeks). Overall, while the proposed changes would alter the distribution of PBDs across place and time (to better match economic necessity), it would only modestly increase the overall number of weeks. The average PBD in the 2015–19 period would have been 30 weeks under my proposal, while in reality it was 25 weeks. During the 2010–14 period, the average PBD would have been 71 weeks under my proposal, as compared to 62 weeks in reality. Proposal 4: Restructure and Increase the Benefit Replacement Rate I propose the following benefit replacement determination. Regular UI benefits would be based on the AWW as follows (assuming that maximum and minimum benefits do not bind): First $400 of AWW: 80 percent marginal replacement rate Next $300 of AWW: 65 percent marginal replacement rate For additional AWW above $700: 50 percent marginal replacement rate I propose setting the maximum benefit level at 80 percent of AWW, and a minimum benefit level at 20 percent of AWW in the United States. For example, in 2020 this would have meant a maximum benefit of $910 and a minimum benefit of $230. This is close to what states with more-generous benefits currently do; for example, in Washington State the minimum benefit level is $201 while the maximum benefit is $844. In addition, replacement rates would be capped at 100 percent of earnings for all workers. The benefits would be calculated based on the high-quarter method, as is done in 29 states currently, which protects workers with nonstandard and limited work histories. Specifically, this proposed change would take the highest quarter in the relevant base period for the purpose of benefit calculations. To show how the current and proposed replacement rates look for different workers, figure 2 shows the average replacement rates by earnings deciles of those who are unemployed. These data are based on pre-pandemic 2019 unemployed workforce in the Current Population Survey (CPS), based on the methodology developed in GNV. More details are provided in appendix A. As we can see, the average replacement rate for those in lower deciles is around 70–75 percent, declining to 40 percent at the top decile. In contrast, the current replacement rates (averaged across states) are around 50 percent for the bottom two-thirds of the workforce, declining to around 20 percent at the top. Moreover, the averages in the current replacement rates mask considerable heterogeneity by state. In contrast, under my proposal replacement rates would not vary by state for workers with the same earnings levels. Based on the simulations, the average weekly benefit levels in 2019 would have risen from $338 to $547 under my proposal, leading to an average replacement rate of 72 percent (as compared to the estimated current replacement rate of 44 percent). In addition, I propose a boost to benefit levels during downturns to aid the automatic stabilizer role of UI policy, and because it is less costly (in terms of efficiency losses) to provide more-generous benefits during downturns. In particular, the recessionary boost would entail An additional $100/week boost above 6 percent national TUR; and An additional $200/week boost above 8 percent national TUR. Figure 3 shows the same distribution, but now with a recessionary boost of $100/week. Here we see higher replacement rates throughout the distribution. A substantial portion of the beneficiaries in the bottom half of the distribution would be at the 100 percent replacement cap during downturns. The beneficial stimulus effects and the reduced cost of moral hazard (due to search externalities) allows a moregenerous benefit level during downturns. To estimate the resulting increase in outlays on UI benefits, I simulate the stimulus spending that would have occurred had the recessionary boosts been in place since 2000. To clarify, these are just the added spending from the recessionary boost assuming the recipiency rates in this proposal; I will provide estimates for the overall added spending—including the change in regular benefit levels and recipiency rates—in the subsection on proposal costs below. In addition, note that the estimates for 2020 do not account for payments from FPUC. Figure 4 plots the simulated annual federal spending from the recessionary boost over this period. Here are the key findings: During the extended Great Recession period (2008–14), the proposed recessionary boost would have provided an additional $320 billion or so in added stimulus—or roughly $45 billion per year. The proposed recessionary boost is proportionate to the size of the downturn: for example, it would have added a smaller boost of around $35 billion during the 2001 recession. Finally, during the current crisis, the automatic recessionary boost would have provided around $40 billion in added spending in 2020. In comparison, policymakers spent around $250 billion toward the boost in benefits in 2020. However, this comparison does not factor in the added spending that occurs under my plan from more generous baseline benefits. Factoring those in, as I do in the proposal costs subsection below, suggests a total of around $150 billion in added expenditures in 2020 from the proposed increase in benefit levels as compared to normal replacement rates (i.e., excluding FPUC or LWA). It is also useful to keep in mind how UI income interacts with other safety-net programs to affect income after taxes and transfers. In particular, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is an important program that has important countercyclical properties. There is a strong distributional argument to exclude the UI recessionary boosts for the purpose of SNAP eligibility determinations in order to help those at the very bottom, to avoid SNAP eligibility reduction to crowd out the recessionary boost. Such an exclusion was adopted as part of the December 2020 relief bill, but only temporarily. Under my proposal the UI recessionary boost income would be excluded for SNAP eligibility determination at all times. Proposal 5: Strengthen Short-time compensation (STC; also called work sharing) Incorporate STC into UI at the federal level, and substantially increase administrative capacity and funding to process applications in a timely fashion. Streamline the employer application process by allowing online applications, using data from the regular employment and wage (ES-202) employer filings as a default, allowing employers to choose from the list of existing workers who they wish to enroll in STC. Information about hours should already be collected as part of the regular employer filings, making this process easier. Moreover, similar to what was suggested by von Wachter (2020), the federal government should allow employers to pay workers on STC directly, and should compensate employers for the cost through the STC program. Increase awareness about the program through a major information campaign using strategies that have been found to work (as in Houseman et al. 2017), and test the efficacy of other messaging campaigns. This echoes the proposal made by Abraham and Houseman (2014). Allow employers to reduce hours by as much as 80 percent of enrolled workers, which will allow greater employer participation. This was proposed by then-candidate Biden in his 2020 position statement (Biden Harris 2020). Provide financial incentives to employers to use STC by providing a refundable tax credit to reimburse employers for the added costs of providing full health benefits for workers during the period of reduced work hours. This also was proposed in the Biden position statement (Biden Harris 2020). Source: A Plan to Reform the Unemployment Insurance System in the United States | The Hamilton Project Discussion

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'…Okay, we gotta get outta San Francisco. And catch up to the present. Blogging should be so much more sudden than the way we do it. Chang broke his laptop, but that’s a dog-ate-my-homework excuse. GQ.com has brought my brother on as a solo blogger, so maybe I could blame it on me throwing a little-brother’s-tantrum. We all know the truth: busy and boozy. Back to it. Saturday, November 8: Got up and went to start out the day with a little talk radio, with this guy Gene Burns. He’s been on the radio forever, one of those old-school shows where he reads the ads between the interviews. He had a new one the week we were on for a beading convention the following weekend, and I could see that getting stuck in a forest of crafting terms like “cloisonné” was threatening his flow, but he nailed every word. Amazing. Killer voice. After 20 minutes of cheerfully putting with our babbling, he sent us off, calling us “two lost souls in terra incognita.” Then it was off to Sur La Table at the Ferry Terminal Building farmers' market. Book signing: lots of people. I offered most people the option of “turkey drawing or Christmas tree drawing or dirty picture,” which was generally a rub ‘n’ tug ad torn out of the back of The Guardian (and partially a Spanish-language periodical I’d picked up at the pupusa place at 3 a.m. the night before that had some particularly good ads) pasted into the book. I was happy that so many San Franciscans were down with the dirty, and that only one or two was genuinely offended. Speaking of genuine: the people who worked at the Sur La Table—like every place we went to in San Francisco—were amazingly accommodating and good humored and seemed, like, genuinely happy to have us there. So weird. I mean, what did they get out of it? I guess they have jobs, so that’s happy-making these days, but it was at the Sur La Table, which is in the Ferry terminal market, which is like a super-fancy gourmet mall, which is both cool but also, I’ve got to imagine, must attract the sort of clientele that would probably drive me totally fucking bonkers with stupid questions if I worked at a gourmet accessories store. I guess that’s why I don’t work in retail. But what I’m getting at is that these good-humored Under The Tablers got me thinking: People in San Francisco seem happier than New Yorkers. Maybe it’s the amazing sunlight or the sparkling bay or the proximity of Big Sur or the prevalence of delicious burritos. I thought about hating them for it, then I thought more about that, then I decided to just be thankful that so many of the people that we dealt with were being nice to us, which they didn’t need to be. Chang: The Ferry Building signing was a total social hour. Saw a bunch of chef friends. Patterson looked for figs to pelt me with but they weren’t in season yet. From there, lunch, which was at like 2 or a little later. Neither of us had eaten since the night before. We hammered down half the menu at Cane Rosso, Daniel Patterson’s rustico little eatery in the Ferry terminal. It was super; also, it was food, which was really great since I was near blind with hunger and for some reason had lost most of the feeling in my hands at that point. The porchetta sandwich fixed me right up, the beef sandwich filled me up, the polenta and the chicken I stole from Chang sweetened the deal. Chang: We wanted to stop by Slanted Door but the line was completely ridiculous. Scarfed down some rustic fare from Patterson’s place; I love that he’s got that in the Ferry Building and then Coi up the hill. Porchetta, roasted chicken, totally awesome. From there to the hotel, enough time not to do anything productive like nap or shower, then into the car for an hour-long commute down to Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park. David Kinch, from the nearby restaurant Manresa (which I remember I heard about first—and breathlessly—from Dave), came out to introduce Chang and said some incredibly nice things about him. Dave rambled for the small crowd, who tolerated him patiently, then we signed books. I was too burnt out to do the talk with him, so I spent his rambling time cutting kitties out of Cat Fancy to paste into people’s books. Cats, I learned, are not as popular as dogs in Menlo Park. Still, we worked through my supply of kitty pix and were soon foraging for dirty pictures in the free publications again. We made the video that we posted last week after the book signing. We winged it; frankly, we both know we could have done better getting mad with each other, but for one take our performance came out okay. The guy who edited it and put all those ridiculous graphics on it really went above and beyond the call of duty and made it pretty rad. Chang: After Kepler's, we very much wanted to go eat at Manresa in Los Gatos, but that would mean more booze and a night away from Hotel Frank. Told Chef Kinch next time and thanked him for helping us with the Kepler event. Almost grabbed dinner in Menlo at this weird place for silver foxes, fake beer hall, lots of potential, total bust. Headed back to city, then I headed to the Hotel Diva to try and sweat out the toxins. We split up and slept until 10 p.m. Called each other and slept til 10:30. We knew we couldn’t go to any fancy places, that, say, going to see Cosentino or something would be a death sentence, so we headed to Vietnam, a dirty little hole-in-the-wall up over by City Lights Bookstore that we’d each been to before and that we both dug. It didn’t disappoint. The grilled Lemongrass pork over rice was killer; made-to-order imperial rolls were good enough to warrant two orders; the Hanoi-brand beer—which I’d never seen before—was ice-cold and with a crazy appealing maltiness; it might be my favorite cheap Asian lager in the world at the moment. When we were there it certainly was. At that point we really, really, really should have gone home. But a couple friends—Ying, our constant companion, and his eternally patient girlfriend; and my friends Arlo and Alanna, a couple which is preternaturally good-looking (on the night in question, Alanna was making a black eye look good) and permanently behatted—were getting done with work or dinner or their sensible evenings and getting in touch with us to look for trouble. It took us a minute of hunting around, but we eventually found it at a bar called Hanaro, which we chose because it looked sketchy and was empty, or close to it. Chang: I don’t really recall dinner. All I recall is the drinks with Ying, his girl, and Methane’s friends, Alanna and Arlo. Alanna had tended bar all night at a Norm MacDonald show, from which she related a good blow-job joke. We agreed that Norm’s career highlights are Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison and his impeccable Burt Reynolds. We tried to go to some stupid bar in the Geary region, but every fucking bar was packed. We’re bitching when, lo and behold, we stumble across a dive bar where no one is drinking. The most bizarre bar I’ve been to in a long time. Place ended up being a total trip. I have no idea, but I’d conjecture it was an old man’s whiskey drinking dive way back in the day, then it got updated lightly and cheapily over the years. It’s currently run by a cabal of crazy Asian ladies, who do that whole shouty thing when you walk in, like it’s a sushi bar, except they shout, “Hello!” When done in chorus and at the right pitch, it has the same effect. Chang: The owner was Korean, bartenders were Japanese and Vietnamese. Weird that there was a massage parlor adjacent to the bar. The place was flooded with the toxic smell of artificial butter; everytime a new customer walked in they nuked a bag of popcorn and the smell would take over again. It was a motley crew in the there—old drunks, not the kind of place to meet up with hipsters, my kind of bar. I loaded up the jukebox with $20 and got to drinking. Felt like I was in a David Lynch movie. Expected a midget to start speaking backwards at any time. At this point in the story, you know how it goes: they’re foisting their rot-gut house shot on us, which tastes like liquid death and makes the inside of your spine flood with regret. Chang: A couple of girls come in and ask for chocolate cake shots—a fucking disgusting mix of sugared lemon wedges, vodka, Bailey’s, and Frangelico. I think if you add Ajax to it you have a strain of crystal meth. I ordered six shots for our crew since Ying and his girl hadn’t ever seen one. I made sure everyone drank theirs—I love seeing Meehan in pain—and then I throw mine over my shoulder onto the floor. Then Chang and Ying get into gin rummies on the nothing. Chang claims to have co-invented the gin rummy; Ying thought it was a bad joke Dave was making in that first blog post, not a beverage that anyone would willingly consume. They both seemed to regret it afterwards, though Ying did seem impressed by the depth and squalor of Chang’s bag of alcoholic tricks. Chang: Ying doesn’t believe in the Gin Rummy on the Nothings I mentioned in an earlier blog post. I know it’s a great show-stopper—it immediately ends an evening and kills all ambitions to carry on the night. Warm rail gin + warm rail rum. Ying drinks one and is done. The crowning moment at Hanaro came when Chang noticed these legal-paper sized posters the Hanaro ladies had posted around the space; each had a picture of an NFL cheerleader and the promise “Monday Night Football Free HOTDOGS.” Chang contemplated stealing one (the art in the original incarnations of Noodle Bar and Ssam Bar was all originally ill-gotten). Then he got fixated with the one behind the bar with the Asian cheerleader on it, which required him to negotiate with the bar’s matron, who took it down and wrapped it up very nicely for $10. Chang: The only thing that would have been better is if she was cheering for the Redskins. And that was that. Saturday night. (Dave said the poster would go up in Ko. When I brought the poster to the office—I brought it back to New York with me because Chang would absolutely destroy it in the man-sack he travels with—Sue said, “Right. I’m actually throwing this out the moment you leave.” R.I.P Anonymous $10 Asian Cheerleader who comes with a promise of free HOTDOGS.) Follow GQ on Twitter Follow @GQfashion @GQfashion Follow @GQpolitics @GQpolitics Follow GQ on Tumblr gqfashion.tumblr.com Follow GQ on Pinterest Follow GQ on Instagram

Chapter Test A. States of Matter MULTIPLE CHOICE. a fixed amount of STAs2 a. a solid. b. a liquid. c. a gas. d. any type of matter. - Duane Flowers - 5 years ago - Views: Transcription 1 Assessment Chapter Test A States of Matter MULTIPLE CHOICE Write the letter of the correct answer in the space provided. 1. Boyle s law explains the relationship between volume and pressure for a fixed amount of STAs2 a. a solid. b. a liquid. c. a gas. d. any type of matter. 2. Which of these factors could affect the temperature at which water boils? STAs3 a. the volume of water in the pot b. the atmospheric pressure at which the water is heated c. the amount of energy added to the water d. the type of fuel used to heat the water 3. How do the particles of water that evaporate from an open container differ from the particles that remain? STAs3 a. The evaporated particles only have more speed. b. The evaporated particles have greater order. c. The evaporated particles only have higher energy. d. The evaporated particles have more speed and higher energy. 4. Which of the following occurs when a liquid becomes a gas? STAs1 a. The particles give off energy. b. The particles break away from one another. c. The particles move closer together. d. The particles slow down. 5. According to Charles s law, STAs2 a. heating a balloon will cause it to expand. b. crushing a closed container of gas will increase the pressure. c. pumping more air into a basketball will increase the pressure. d. filling a balloon with helium will cause it to rise. Holt Science and Technology 37 States of Matter 2 6. If you open a bottle of perfume, after a period of time, the people on the opposite side of the room will be able to smell it due to the process of STAs3 a. condensation. b. evaporation. c. sublimation. d. vapor pressure. 7. A drop of vinegar will flow and spread out but a drop of vegetable oil will form a bead. This is evidence that STAs1 a. vegetable oil has a lower surface tension and lower viscosity than vinegar. b. vinegar has a lower surface tension and lower viscosity than vegetable oil. c. vegetable oil has a lower surface tension and higher viscosity than vinegar. d. vinegar has a lower surface tension and higher viscosity than vegetable oil. 8. The melting point of salt is the same as its STAs3 a. boiling point. b. condensation point. c. freezing point. d. sublimation point. 9. A liter of gasoline will boil at STAs3 a. a higher temperature than a milliliter of gasoline. b. a lower temperature than a milliliter of gasoline. c. the same temperature as a milliliter of gasoline. d. the same temperature as a milliliter of water. 10. In order for carbon dioxide gas to enter the air from dry ice, the dry ice must STAs3 a. gain energy. b. boil. c. increase in pressure. d. undergo an exothermic change. 11. Which of the following statements is NOT true of all different types of matter? STAs1 a. They are made up of atoms and molecules. b. The particles that make them up are always in motion. c. They are made up of extremely small particles. d. The particles that make them up move at the same speed. Holt Science and Technology 38 States of Matter 3 12. A graph that shows the change in temperature of a substance as it is heated will show STAs3 a. a straight line as the substance melts. b. a straight line as the substance freezes. c. a rising line as the substance melts. d. a falling line as the substance melts. 13. The reverse of condensation is STAs3 a. boiling. c. freezing. b. evaporation. d. sublimation. MATCHING Match the correct description with the correct term. Write the letter in the space provided. 14. It can be determined by measuring the speed of molecules. STAs2 15. This happens when tomato soup boils. STAs3 16. Ice, water, and steam are all examples. STAs1 17. This is a state of matter in which atoms and molecules are close together but can slide past each other. STAs1 18. It has no definite volume. STAs1 19. It may be either crystalline or amorphous. STAs1 a. states of matter b. viscosity c. solid d. liquid e. surface tension f. gas g. temperature h. volume i. pressure j. change of state 20. It increases when the amount of force per unit area increases. STAs2 21. This force acts on the particles of milk at the surface of a glass of milk. STAs1 22. This can only be measured in three dimensions. STAs2 23. This property of liquids is affected by the strength of the attraction between the molecules. STAs1 Holt Science and Technology 39 States of Matter 4 Use the figure below to answer questions 24 and 25. Write the letter of the correct answer in the space provided. 24. Which of the changes of state shown in the drawing are endothermic changes? STAs3 a. freezing and evaporation b. freezing and condensation c. evaporation and melting d. condensation and melting 25. Which of the changes of state shown in the drawing are exothermic changes? STAs3 a. freezing and evaporation b. condensation and freezing c. evaporation and condensation d. melting and evaporation Holt Science and Technology 40 States of Matter 5 TEACHER RESOURCE PAGE SECTION: BEHAVIOR OF GASES 1. A 4. A 2. B 5. C 3. D SECTION: CHANGES OF STATE 1. J 6. C 2. B 7. D 3. A 8. I 4. H 9. E 5. F 10. G Chapter Test A 1. C 14. G 2. B 15. J 3. D 16. A 4. B 17. D 5. A 18. F 6. B 19. C 7. B 20. I 8. C 21. E 9. C 22. H 10. A 23. B 11. D 24. C 12. A 25. B 13. B Chapter Test B 1. condensation 2. Charles s law 3. evaporation 4. gas 5. endothermic 6. viscosity 7. C 8. C 9. B 10. D 11. A 12. B 13. The volume is inversely proportional to the pressure when the temperature is constant. 14. As the balloon is twisted and the volume of the space in which the air is contained is reduced, the pressure will increase. 15. The temperature of the water will remain the same. 16. If energy is added, the ice will melt, and if energy is removed, the water will freeze. 17. The boiling point of liquids decreases as atmospheric pressure decreases. At higher elevations, atmospheric pressure is reduced, so the boiling point of water will be lower than at sea level. This means that pasta boiled in Denver will cook at a lower temperature than pasta boiled in Louisiana. Pasta will have to cook longer in Denver. 18. Dry ice changes directly from a solid to a gas, producing a smoke like effect. Pouring water over the dry ice causes the carbon dioxide to sublime quickly. As a result, it turns to gas more quickly, producing a more dramatic smoke like effect. 19. The colder the weather is, the more helium will need to be pumped into the balloons for them to inflate to the desired level. This is because the colder the temperature, the slower the particles of gas move and the slower they hit the inside of the balloon. Thus, the colder it is, the lower the pressure. So, if it is cold out, more particles of gas will be needed in order to have the same level of pressure as with fewer particles on a warmer day. 20. A, gas; C, liquid; E, solid 21. B, condensation; D, freezing Chapter Test C 1. C 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. B 6. D 7. A 8. C 9. Charles s law 10. volume 11. solid 12. liquid 13. surface tension 14. gas 15. freezing 16. melting 17. evaporation 18. condensation Holt Science and Technology 85 States of Matter. CHEM 120 Online Chapter 7 CHEM 120 Online Chapter 7 Date: 1. Which of the following statements is not a part of kinetic molecular theory? A) Matter is composed of particles that are in constant motion. B) Particle velocity increases Chapter 12 - Liquids and Solids Chapter 12 - Liquids and Solids 12-1 Liquids I. Properties of Liquids and the Kinetic Molecular Theory A. Fluids 1. Substances that can flow and therefore take the shape of their container B. Relative( ) Online Changing States of Matter Lab Solids What is a Solid? 1. How are solids different then a gas or a liquid? Name: Period: Online Changing States of Matter Lab Solids What is a Solid? 1. How are solids different then a gas or a liquid? 2. What are the atoms doing in a solid? 3. What are the characteristics SAM Teachers Guide Heat and Temperature SAM Teachers Guide Heat and Temperature Overview Students learn that temperature measures average kinetic energy, and heat is the transfer of energy from hot systems to cold systems. They consider what Unit 3: States of Matter Practice Exam Page 1 Unit 3: States of Matter Practice Exam Multiple Choice. Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1. Two gases with unequal masses are injected into opposite Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter What is matter? Anything that has mass and takes up space Chemical or Physical Property? Physical properties of matter: characteristics that can be observed or Name Class Date. F 2 2269 N A 1 88.12 cm 2 A 2 1221 cm 2 Unknown: Step 2: Write the equations for Pascal s principle and pressure, force, and area. Skills Worksheet Math Skills Pascal s Principle After you study each sample problem and solution, work out the practice problems on a separate sheet of paper. Write your answers in the spaces provided. SECOND GRADE 1 WEEK LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES SECOND GRADE 1 WEEK LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES WATER CYCLE OVERVIEW OF SECOND GRADE WATER WEEK 1. PRE: Exploring the properties of water. LAB: Experimenting with different soap mixtures. POST: Analyzing 5 Student Reading Chapter 5 Student Reading THE POLARITY OF THE WATER MOLECULE Wonderful water Water is an amazing substance. We drink it, cook and wash with it, swim and play in it, and use it for lots of other purposes. KINETIC MOLECULAR THEORY OF MATTER KINETIC MOLECULAR THEORY OF MATTER The kinetic-molecular theory is based on the idea that particles of matter are always in motion. The theory can be used to explain the properties of solids, liquids, A Study of Matter. Video Notes A Study of Matter Video Notes In this lesson you will: Define physical property, chemical property and chemical change. Describe the phases of matter. Label properties as physical or chemical. Label changes Chapter 4 Practice Quiz Chapter 4 Practice Quiz 1. Label each box with the appropriate state of matter. A) I: Gas II: Liquid III: Solid B) I: Liquid II: Solid III: Gas C) I: Solid II: Liquid III: Gas D) I: Gas II: Solid III: Chemical versus Physical Changes Chemical versus Physical Changes Permission to Copy - This document may be reproduced for non-commercial educational purposes Copyright 2009 General Electric Company What are physical and chemical changes? KINDERGARTEN WATER 1 WEEK LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES KINDERGARTEN WATER 1 WEEK LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES WATER CYCLE OVERVIEW OF KINDERGARTEN WEEK 1. PRE: Defining the states of matter. LAB: Discovering the properties of water. POST: Analyzing the water 5 Answers and Solutions to Text Problems Energy and States of Matter 5 Answers and Solutions to Text Problems 5.1 At the top of the hill, all of the energy of the car is in the form of potential energy. As it descends down the hill, potential MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. General Chemistry PHS 1015 Practice Exam 4 Name MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) Which of the following statements Solids, Liquids, and Gases nd Intended for Grade: 2 Grade Subject: Science Description: Activities to help students understand solids, liquids, gases, and the changes between these states. Objective: The 7. Gases, Liquids, and Solids 7.1 Kinetic Molecular Theory of Matter 7. Gases, Liquids, and Solids 7.1 Kinetic Molecular Theory of Matter Kinetic Molecular Theory of Matter The Kinetic Molecular Theory of Matter is a concept that basically states that matter is composed Order of the Weather Experiments Order of the Weather Experiments 1. Staying Dry Towel in bottle--student i. Magic Air Pushing the stick down-- Student ii. Air Power Water in funnel--teacher 2. Tipping the Scale Weighing air--student SEPARATION OF A MIXTURE OF SUBSTANCES LAB SEPARATION OF A MIXTURE OF SUBSTANCES LAB Purpose: Every chemical has a set of defined physical properties, and when combined they present a unique fingerprint for that chemical. When chemicals are present EXAMPLE EXERCISE 4.1 Change of Physical State EXAMPLE EXERCISE 4.1 Change of Physical State State the term that applies to each of the following changes of physical state: (a) Snow changes from a solid to a liquid. (b) Gasoline changes from a liquid THE HUMIDITY/MOISTURE HANDBOOK THE HUMIDITY/MOISTURE HANDBOOK Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Relative Humidity... 3 Partial Pressure... 4 Saturation Pressure (Ps)... 5 Other Absolute Moisture Scales... 8 % Moisture by Volume (%M Science Department Mark Erlenwein, Assistant Principal Staten Island Technical High School Vincent A. Maniscalco, Principal The Physical Setting: CHEMISTRY Science Department Mark Erlenwein, Assistant Principal - Unit 1 - Matter and Energy Lessons 9-14 Heat, Vapor Pressure Curves Why? Vapor Pressure Curves The vapor pressure of a substance depends on the temperature (higher temperature leads to higher vapor pressure). A liquid boils when the vapor pressure equals the atmospheric Chapter 17: Change of Phase Chapter 17: Change of Phase Conceptual Physics, 10e (Hewitt) 3) Evaporation is a cooling process and condensation is A) a warming process. B) a cooling process also. C) neither a warming nor cooling Properties and Classifications of Matter PS-3.1 Distinguish chemical properties of matter (including reactivity) from physical properties of matter (including boiling point, freezing/melting point, density [with density calculations], solubility, Preview of Period 5: Thermal Energy, the Microscopic Picture Preview of Period 5: Thermal Energy, the Microscopic Picture 5.1 Temperature and Molecular Motion What is evaporative cooling? 5.2 Temperature and Phase Changes How much energy is required for a phase Solids, Liquids, and Gases Glencoe Science Chapter Resources Solids, Liquids, and Gases Includes: Reproducible Student Pages ASSESSMENT Chapter Tests Chapter Review HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES Lab Worksheets for each Student Edition Activity Chapter 1 Student Reading Chapter 1 Student Reading Chemistry is the study of matter You could say that chemistry is the science that studies all the stuff in the entire world. A more scientific term for stuff is matter. So chemistry Intermolecular Forces Intermolecular Forces: Introduction Intermolecular Forces Forces between separate molecules and dissolved ions (not bonds) Van der Waals Forces 15% as strong as covalent or ionic bonds Chapter 11 Intermolecular PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND CHANGES PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND CHANGES Name Key PHYSICAL PROPERTY CHEMICAL PROPERTY 1. observed with senses 1. indicates how a substance 2. determined without destroying matter reacts with something Viscosity: A Property of fluids 307-6 Compare the viscosity of various liquids 307-7 Describe factors that can modify the viscosity of a liquid 208-6 Viscosity: A Property of fluids 307-6 Compare the viscosity of various liquids 307-7 Describe factors that can modify the viscosity of a liquid 208-6 Design an experiment to test the viscosity of various Freezing Point Depression: Why Don t Oceans Freeze? Teacher Advanced Version Freezing Point Depression: Why Don t Oceans Freeze? Teacher Advanced Version Freezing point depression describes the process where the temperature at which a liquid freezes is lowered by adding 11 Properties of Solutions Chapter 11 Properties of Solutions 11.1 Solution Composition A. Molarity moles solute 1. Molarity ( M ) = liters of solution B. Mass Percent mass of solute 1. Mass percent = 1 mass of solution C. Mole Test Bank - Chapter 3 Multiple Choice Test Bank - Chapter 3 The questions in the test bank cover the concepts from the lessons in Chapter 3. Select questions from any of the categories that match the content you covered with students. The Chemistry 110 Lecture Unit 5 Chapter 11-GASES Chemistry 110 Lecture Unit 5 Chapter 11-GASES I. PROPERITIES OF GASES A. Gases have an indefinite shape. B. Gases have a low density C. Gases are very compressible D. Gases exert pressure equally in The Structure of Water Introductory Lesson Dana V. Middlemiss Fall 2002 The Structure of Water Introductory Lesson Abstract: This is an introduction to the chemical nature of water and its interactions. In particular, this lesson will explore evaporation, CHAPTER 5 Lectures 10 & 11 Air Temperature and Air Temperature Cycles CHAPTER 5 Lectures 10 & 11 Air Temperature and Air Temperature Cycles I. Air Temperature: Five important factors influence air temperature: A. Insolation B. Latitude C. Surface types D. Coastal vs. interior Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes An understanding of material things requires an understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics of matter. A few planned experiments can help you Activity 5 At a Glance At a Glance Testing Your Hypothesis by Boiling Water Below Its Boiling Temperature Purpose To have students boil water below its typical boiling temperature by reducing the pressure above the surface of Multiple Choice For questions 1-10, circle only one answer. Test Bank - Chapter 1 The questions in the test bank cover the concepts from the lessons in Chapter 1. Select questions from any of the categories that match the content you covered with students. Practical Applications of Freezing by Boiling Process Practical Applications of Freezing by Boiling Process Kenny Gotlieb, Sasha Mitchell and Daniel Walsh Physics Department, Harvard-Westlake School 37 Coldwater Canyon, N. Hollywood, CA 9164 Introduction Exam 4 Practice Problems false false Exam 4 Practice Problems 1 1. Which of the following statements is false? a. Condensed states have much higher densities than gases. b. Molecules are very far apart in gases and closer together in liquids THIRD GRADE WEATHER 1 WEEK LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES THIRD GRADE WEATHER 1 WEEK LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES WATER CYCLE OVERVIEW OF THIRD GRADE WATER WEEK 1. PRE: Comparing the different components of the water cycle. LAB: Contrasting water with hydrogen sciencemuseumoutreach Kitchen Science 1 Demonstrations to do at home sciencemuseumoutreach Kitchen Science 1 Demonstrations to do at home The Creative Canal Project (CCP) is part of the Science Museum s Outreach Department, which works with teachers, students, families Dry Ice Color Show Dry Ice Demonstrations elearning 2009 Introduction Dry Ice Color Show Dry Ice Demonstrations Publication No. 95016 Add a small piece of solid carbon dioxide to a colored indicator solution and watch as the solution immediately,

A/N: My Magically Weird Oneshots series is pretty diabolical but I'm going to carry it on anyway. For now, I'm going to do my version of the game. My heroine is called Arsenic Suarez and is Pico's adoptive sister (all will be explained later on) and the hero is Hyde Hamilton. Hyde was blond hair and light blue eyes and Arsenic has brown hair and eyes. I DO NOT OWN MAGICAL STARSIGN BECAUSE THE WORLD IS CRUEL AND UNFAIR THAT WAY! I sat on the desk, swinging my legs. The day had got off to a boring start and I guessed the whole day would end up that way. After all, Miss Madeline was late (again!), my brother Pico was getting stressed (again) and my best friend Sorbet was trying to calm him down but failing (you guessed it, again). "Arsenic! Miss Madeline hasn't arrived yet. Do you reckon something happened to her?" Pico yelled. I bit my knuckles and shrugged. "Pico. She's late all the time so…I'd guess she's probably late. Do you agree, Sorbet?" She nodded. "Yeah. She's probably just late. It happens all the time. Stop being such a hothead." They went into a conversation about Miss Madeline with Mokka and Chai, our other friends. I turned around and saw Hyde. He was smiling at me in an odd way. "Is that desk comfy?" he asked. "Erm…" I started. Hyde was probably joking but just to be sure I answered anyway. "It's alright, I suppose. As desks go." He let out a small laugh. He was probably coming up with a clever reply. "She's coming! Miss Madeline is coming! Everyone get back in your seats!" came the shrill voice of Lassi. She was another good friend and someone else I shared my dorm with. Lassi was a rabbit-morph girl who was also a wind mage. Which suited her personality to a T. She was always dizzy and scatterbrained. A small commotion ensued, as there was a small rush to seats. I sort of slid off the desk and landed into my chair with a bump. I hoped it looked attractive but from the looks Hyde was giving me I suppose not. He kicked my chair as he took his seat behind me. Chai moved and sat to my left, a shy salamander, and Pico to my right. The door swung over with a SMACK and Miss Madeline burst in. "Hello, students! I do apologise for my lateness. I'm sure you were studying your spell books whilst I was gone, weren't you?" she smiled. Everyone started making noise in agreement. Truth be told, I hadn't seen my spell books for ages. I lost them all when I barricaded the windows with them for that tornado last year. "Miss Madeline. You are aware that you're late. AGAIN." Mokka, a very sarcastic robot, complained. "Yeah, what's up with that?" Pico joined in. "You're late all the time but when I'm late with my homework, who gets detention? ME! That's who! If I get held back this year, I'm holding you personally responsible!" Miss Madeline looked rather taken-aback. She probably hadn't expected such a sound argument from, what can only be called, the class dunce. "I'm sorry, children. I'd never be late again. I promise! A ha ha ha ha ha!" she laughed. She seemed to look straight at me when she said this. I don't know why she was looking at me. I hadn't done anything. Later that day, Pico, Hyde, Sorbet, Chai and I left potions. We'd been kept back for a while because of our test results. Hyde, Sorbet and Chai had gotten amazing results that made Professor Pistachio nearly wee himself in excitement. They'd been the only people in the class to get over 95% in the class. Pico and I had been held back for an entirely different reason. Apparently, we'd been the only people ever to get lower than 10%. Professor Pistachio said at least I'd tried. Pico had just put two for every question. Pico was in detention. And I had to redo the test. "Cheer up, Arsenic." Chai urged. "Why? I have to redo this test. It was hard enough the first time. It's all right for you three. You can do well in tests without even reading the questions." I complained. "Yeah!" agreed Pico. I looked at him in annoyance. "What are you on about?" I frowned. "You didn't even try." There was a moment of awkward of silence as we walked to the canteen. We got to the bottom of the stairs and walked a couple of steps. Sorbet frowned. "What are Mokka and Lassi doing?" she said, pointing at them. I looked over to see the two of them clustered around the staff room door. We walked over. "What are you doing?" asked Chai. There was no reply. "Guys?" frowned Hyde. "Hm. I wonder what they're talking about." pondered Lassi. We obviously still looked clueless so Mokka explained. "We think Miss Madeline could be getting fired." Before we could respond, Lassi jumped up and crashed, head first, into the door. "POWERJUMP!" she screamed. We all watched in amazement as she flew into the door and sped into the staff room. We watched in silence as this scene unfolded. Then, we all let out a shriek. Everyone, except for me, ran into the staff room. I figured I'd gotten into enough trouble already today. I'd started to sneak off when Hyde and Pico came out, grabbed me and pulled me back. Great. This was just what I needed. Agnes, Pico and I's mum, would kill me. I had been sent here to sort out my behaviour. But, to be fair to me, Pico was much worse than me. I normally got involved in all Pico's little schemes because Pico made me. And it appeared that had happened again. Only it was more Lassi's scheme. And it wasn't really a scheme. Ok, it wasn't anything like it was back on Razen. "Children in the staff room? Oh, no. Can't have that." Principle Biscotti exclaimed. "Teacher! We were listening at the door! We heard everything you discussed!" "Erm…Mokka. You mean YOU were listening at the door. We're just innocent bystanders. Apart from Lassi." "You have to go to Puffoon and fight pirates and evil wizards? That's HIGHLY alarming." He carried on, regardless of my input. He was probably just ignoring me. Whoa. Who said anything about pirates or evil wizards? I knew Puffoon was the wind planet but I was clueless about the rest of what he said. "Children!" Miss Madeline gasped. "This conversation was not meant for your inquisitive ears." "Teacher...all that talk of other planets…are you honestly planning on going into space?" Sorbet asked, looking scared yet heart-broken. Really, she's so wet sometimes. I guess that's ironic because she's a water mage but it still doesn't cease to annoy me. "Students, I will be fine! You should be more worried about your tome reports! They're due next week." Miss Madeline reminded us. I hadn't even started yet. I sat in the canteen with Lassi, Pico, Mokka, Chai and Sorbet. No one had said anything, which was odd for us. We never shut up, usually. I sighed and looked despondently at my mashed potatoes. It wasn't the mashed potatoes fault Miss Madeline had to go and fight pirates and evil wizards on the wind planet. But I needed something to look despondently at and the mashed potatoes weren't complaining as much as Mrs Pasta, the dinner lady, did. Plus, I didn't really like mashed potatoes. Or the spicy fish that came with it… Why did I order this? The silence was driving me crazy so I reached into my bag and pulled out a Tupperware box along with the paper for my report. I opened the box and there was Boggart, my pet toad, looking up at me with bright yellow eyes. I smiled and stroked him with my index finger. He'd been my pet ever since I rescued him from a hawk, six months ago. He got lonely by himself in the dorm so I kept him in my school bag along with my other belongings. I put the box back on the table and worked on my report. I'd just gotten to the part about how its explanations on astrology were awful, when someone bum-nudged me. I went sprawling over Pico, who gave me a worried look, and I looked over to see Hyde copying my tome report. "Oi!" I yelled and I kicked him over. "That's MY report and I have actually done quite well, if I do say so myself, so get off!" I sat back up to see Hyde get off the floor, quite dazed, and draw a pornographic sketch on the paragraph about affinities. I gasped and picked up a handful of potato. "You ruined the only work I've actually done right, so have potato for hair!" I shouted and I dropped the potato all over his blond spikes. Lassi groaned. "Oh, Arsenic…" Sensing a whinge, I flicked the rest in her direction. It landed on her face with a satisfying splat. Sorbet dodged the missile and bit her lip to control her laughter. "Anyways," Hyde said, not even trying to get rid of the offending potato that was dripping onto his nose. "Miss Madeline wants to see us in the meditation room. She says it's pretty urgent." "What could it be about?" pondered Chai. "Probably that meeting this morning. We did sort of gatecrash it." Mokka frowned. "We?! We?! I think you'll find, Mokka, that was YOU and Mrs. Potato-Head over there." I frowned, gesturing in Lassi's direction. "Well…more Lassi than anyone else." She scowled at me. I simply beamed at her. "Anyway, let's go." Hyde sighed. We got up and walked out. The red, wooden door loomed above us. Pico opened it with a grunt and we stepped inside.

CHAPTER FOUR Walking into his private chambers, Vedran paused with his shirt half off when he saw a strange bedspread on his bed. "What is this?" he asked, turning to his valet. "The Empress had it made for you," Gerard said, reaching out to help Vedran out of his shirt. "Really." Vedran pulled his arm free and walked over to the bed and ran his hand over the bedspread. A dark green silk background with one large orange and yellow tiger lily in the middle with a frame of smaller tiger lilies in a repeated pattern of patches. "It's really quite lovely." "Yes, Sire. The Empress thought to surprise you," there was a hint of warmth in Gerard's voice when he mentioned Selestra. "Hm," Vedran hummed, turning toward his changing room and his nightclothes. "Make sure to give her my thanks." "You do not wish to see her tonight?" Gerard asked. "No," Vedran said. "I'm too tired now." There was a vague sense of disapproval from the valet as he helped Vedran change into his nightclothes, but he didn't say anything. "If that will be all, Sire?" "Good night," Vedran said. He stepped out of his changing room and approached the bed. Somewhere behind him he heard the door open and close as Gerard left the Imperial Bedchambers. Vedran pulled back the covers and climbed onto the bed, settling in for the night. Idly, he fingered the smooth silk of the bedspread as he closed his eyes. It truly was a lovely gift and he would have to remember to personally thank Selestra. She must have been planning this gift for months. The light in the room dimmed around him; he didn't open his eyes, but the light no longer shone on his eyelids. He sighed and turned his face to the side, rubbing his cheek against his pillow. More than anything he wanted to be able to sleep, but he knew that Dragon Knight and Kameris had left the palace. He hated the anxiety he experienced whenever they were out of his sight. Stroking his fingers over the precise stitching of the bedspread, he really felt grateful for the gift. It was like being able to wrap all of his memories of Dragon Knight around himself as he slept. He would surely have good dreams if he ever managed to fall asleep. Vedran sighed and forced his eyes to stay closed. Standing sentinel by the window did no good and only added to his sense of agitation. It was better to sleep and dream that his loved ones were all safe. Another visit to Pleasure Row and Kameris was once again left to wait for Dragon Knight. It seemed to have become his new hobby. "Would you like me to fetch you a drink, milord?" the very pretty, dark skinned girl with black hair in hundreds of braids asked. She was wearing a very short pink dress that just skimmed the tops of her thighs and barely contained her large breasts. Kameris waved her away brusquely. "No, I'm fine." She pouted a moment, then turned to walk away with a flirty swing to her hips. He watched her go, his eyes tracing the shadow of finger-shaped bruises on the back of her left upper arm. It looked like one of her customers had gotten a bit grabby. He shifted around impatiently, trying to find a comfortable position on the dark floral print chaise lounge. He adjusted his sword so the hilt wasn't digging quite so painfully into his hip and sighed heavily. He had been waiting for Dragon Knight for a long time and he was more than ready to leave. After another ten minutes, he stood and strode toward the last direction he had seen Dragon go. There was a flight of stairs and he had to walk passed closed doors behind which there was the muffled sounds of raucous laughter. He couldn't help the surge of distaste, but it wasn't like it was any of his business. Reaching the top floor, he came to the best room in the house and he had not a single doubt that Dragon Knight was inside. The man had an eye to the finer things. Sighing heavily, he rapped his knuckles sharply against the door. "Are you finished yet?" Dragon's voice floated to him from the other side, "Come in." Kameris grabbed the doorknob and held it for a long moment before he got up enough nerve to open it. He kept his eyes aimed straight ahead and used his peripheral vision to make sure Dragon Knight was presentable. Embarrassing him was something Dragon would find hilarious. To Kameris' relief, Dragon and his three companions were covered. It didn't even look as though they'd done anything of a sexual nature. They were sitting cross-legged on the bed playing cards and sharing a bottle of wine. Dragon Knight gave Kameris a rather saucy smile and swallowed the last of his drink. "Have you come to join the entertainment? We have a rousing game going here." Kameris shook his head, his hair flipping wildly. "I think it's time for us to go." Dragon Knight raised an eyebrow. "Why? We have all night." "The Duel is in a few days," Kameris said, "and you still have much to do." "I just have to give out some seals. It's really not that hard." Dragon Knight showed his cards to the pleasure girls and they groaned. One gathered up all the cards and began to shuffle the deck expertly. Kameris crossed his arms. "I don't think you're treating this situation with the seriousness that you should." Dragon laughed. "I think you're taking things far too seriously." He reached into his pocket and pulled out three seals, carelessly tossing them one by one into the girls' laps. "There you go, darlings. Now you lovely ladies are invited to the greatest event of our lifetimes. Each of you are allowed one guest." A blond girl clutched her seal to her generous bosom with a delighted squeal. She had a sweet face and large blue eyes with a fringe of lashes that made them seem guileless. "This is wonderful! Thank you, milord, all the other girls are going to be so jealous." "There, you see?" Dragon said to Kameris. "It takes but a moment, just like all the really important choices in life." For a second his expression tightened and his eyes were dark. "There is no reason to fret, dear friend. I will fulfill the duty my Emperor has bade me, and all of the seals will be given out before the Duel." The curly brown haired girl that had been shuffling the cards had laid them down by her thigh and held her seal up in front of her eyes, watching the way it spun and twirled. "So this came straight from the hand of the Emperor himself?" Dragon snorted. "And who did you think you were entertaining?" Then he laughed and winked at Kameris, who blinked once before sighing and shaking his head. That was the kind of childish humor Dragon Knight appreciated. The girl blinked large eyes made larger by kohl. "You must be really important." The last girl made to slap her for her impudence, but Dragon stopped her with an upraised hand. She subsided with a poison-glance at the girl and busied herself by drinking her wine. Kameris couldn't help admiring the graceful line of her neck and the short black strands of her hair. "You must be new to the city," Dragon said quietly. The brown haired girl started to nod, then visibly stopped and straightened her shoulders, her chin firming decisively. "I've been here long enough. I finished my training and everything." Kameris winced when he saw the glint of cruel displeasure in Dragon Knight's eyes. He'd only ever seen it a couple of times, and both times things hadn't ended well for the person that put it there. "Politeness is a trait it would do you good to possess," Dragon's voice was chilly. "I don't understand," the girl said, cocking her head. Dragon Knight stood up. "No, I don't think that you do. Why don't you go back with your dear sisters here," he waved at the other girls, "and learn what they have to teach you. I should not like to see you interacting with gentle company until you do. There are many out there not nearly so kind as I." The girl still looked confused, but Kameris felt it was time to step in. "Dragon, we really should go. It's getting late and I would like to sleep in my own bed tonight." Dragon Knight looked at him for a long moment, his eyes cast in some inner shadow, then he nodded briskly. "Give me a moment to make myself presentable and we can go." Kameris gestured at the door. "Why don't you ladies get out of here? We really don't need any distractions." The blond the girl, the oldest of the group, bowed to him and gathered up her shawl before bustling the other two toward the door. "And my lord," she nodded toward Dragon Knight, "I will make sure Shereith receives some further instruction." Dragon grunted. He buttoned his shirt, then pulled on his jacket, his movements precise. The girl didn't seem to expect much more than that. She just bowed her head gracefully and left with the others, the door clicking shut behind them. "That was Entiera," Dragon said. Kameris furrowed his brow. "And why are you telling me this?" "Because I know that you never remember any of the girls' names," Dragon said. "Entiera isn't like that; she's a girl to remember. She has a good head on her shoulders." Kameris' mouth made an "o" when he finally got what Dragon wasn't saying: Entiera was part of Dragon Knight's spy network. Which meant she was much more than a pretty face and maybe this evening hadn't really been that much of a social occasion for Dragon. He winced. "I'm sorry I interrupted your evening." And ruined your operation, went unsaid. Dragon shrugged, then resettled his sword belt. "There's no reason to fret. I am a wonderful customer and I have no doubt that Entiera will see me again in the future. I daresay she would never even consider turning me away." He walked toward the door. "Come on, let's get out of here. I suddenly have an overwhelming desire to seek out the welcome warmth of my own bed." Kameris followed him out into the hallway and down the stairs to the main floor. They passed door and the sounds of laughter and lovemaking. Music played to cover the sounds, but it was too soft. "I hate to force my preference upon you, but I honestly like Lady Meris' place better. At least she has better music and the walls are a bit thicker," Kameris said, holding the outside door open for Dragon, then following after. Dragon laughed, his mood lightening as they stepped out onto the street and into the cool night air. "I never thought the day would come when you would have an opinion on pleasure houses, well, one that you would say aloud at least. You have always been so moral in your objections." Kameris frowned. "What's put you in such an odd mood?" "'Odd mood?'" Dragon raised his eyebrow. "This is how I've always been." "You don't seem as though you've been drinking, but you seem to be in a strange mood." Kameris followed Dragon Knight's hurried footsteps down the darkened street, the lamp lights barely touching them. "If you have something you need to say, you know you can count on me to listen and help if you need it." "I promise you, I'm fine. Thank you for needlessly worrying and trying to be a good friend. But I am fine." Dragon slowed to match his speed to Kameris. "I just have the strange feeling that something bad is going to happen." "You haven't heard anything though?" Kameris asked. "No," Dragon said, "there's been nothing. I just have a strange feeling, a creeping chill. And how can I possibly use that to justify put the palace guards on high alert?" "You think it's that serious?" Kameris scratched his chin. "That's the problem," Dragon shrugged. "I feel as though something is going to happen soon, but I don't know when it's coming or even what direction it's coming from. I can easily handle someone attacking straight on, but I don't do well with surprises." Kameris eyed him for a solemn moment, then slapped him on the back. "Then I guess the world is doubly blessed for Vedran's existence. Once for being our might Emperor, and again for being the brain behind your brawn." Dragon swiped a fist at him, but laughed. "You always seem to know what to say to break up my sour moods. Thank you." Kameris slung his arm over Dragon's shoulders. "You're such a silly little man. Now come on, let's hurry up. It's a bit chilly out here." "I guess winter is on the way," Dragon said. "Must you remind me of the least favorite season?" Kameris groaned. "Gods, but I hate being cold." "Baby," Dragon laughed. "Hey, I know you think it was nothing, but I almost died. I fell through the ice and it was the worst cold I've ever felt and I almost died." Just the memory made him shiver. "I've never forgotten it, and I will always hate being cold." "And that is why I'll always love you," Dragon said. "What do you mean?" Dragon smirked, his teeth shining in the darkness. "You're a grown man that honestly believes he's the person in the world that hates the cold the most." He lowered his voice to a whisper, "You're not the only one. But you are the lucky fool that gets to spend the winter months in the lavish comfort of the palace." "Nepotism, that's all that that is. If I were not Vedran's friend... to my awful country estate I would go. And I would shiver out the winter, miserable and alone." Just thinking of his country estate sent a jolt of psychosomatic horror through him when he remembered a childhood of drafty corridors and irritated loneliness. "But you don't have to do that, so why do you complain so much?" Dragon asked. "There are many that would kill to spend winter being pampered at the palace." "Alas, that is why I weep," Kameris swiped at an imaginary tear under his right eye. "Not for myself, but for the poor peasant folk forced to face the true rigors of winter." Seeing Dragon's twisted expression, he laughed and dropped the act. "Honestly, I just hate the cold. And I miss the sun." "Snow is beautiful," Dragon tipped his head back to look up at the clear sky, the moon swathed by a thin ring of clouds, "but I miss the sun too. Flowers seem a lot more colorful when they first bloom after winter. I don't think I would enjoy spring so much, if winter wasn't so bleak." They reached the palace gate and the guard let them through with a nod. Kameris glanced up just at the right moment and caught a shadow in the window of Vedran's private chambers. He might have been worried, but when the shadow turned and moved away, he recognized the way the body moved as the Emperor himself. Glancing at Dragon Knight, he saw that the other man hadn't noticed Vedran in the window, and once again he felt honest pity for the most powerful man he knew. To have everything except the one thing he truly desired: love. It really was a pitiful thing. He had to wonder how Dragon could be that entirely oblivious. Then he thought, But that's Dragon Knight. He can be completely ignorant of some of the most commonplace things. He knew that Dragon was an orphan and had spent some time on the street. A boy of gentle birth somehow left to fend for himself in a semi-hostile world. He had had no family to teach him and had learned everything he knew as a child from whatever he could pick up on his own, which had left him far too knowledgeable about the darker sides of life, yet woefully ignorant of the things every child should know. The first time Kameris had met Dragon, he had seen a young ragamuffin with a startlingly beautiful face under a mass of rain-colored hair and green eyes that wordlessly begged for someone, anyone, to love him. Dragon Knight had possessed a somehow mature beauty that had metamorphosed into a more grown up handsomeness, but at the time he could have been an incredibly pretty girl down on her luck, begging to be saved. Kameris still remembered the shocked regret he'd experienced when he'd realized that Dragon was a boy. "What are you looking at?" Kameris twitched at Dragon's demand and hurriedly looked away, though he couldn't help smiling at his own foolishness. "I think I had one too many drinks. It's put me in a mood." Dragon snorted. "Well, focus your attentions elsewhere." "You're certainly very sensitive tonight, aren't you?" Kameris quirked his eyebrow. "The same as I am every night," Dragon said. He flashed Kameris a sudden bright smile. "Race you!" Stunned by that unexpected flash of beauty and the childishness of the demand, Dragon Knight already had a good lead on him by the time Kameris chased after him. "Cheater!" Dragon laughed, his boots clattering on the cobbled street as he ran with an easy grace Kameris could only envy. There were some times when it was hard to believe Dragon Knight was merely human. He seemed like some mystical being. Kameris ran after him, his belt jangling around his waist. It felt almost like it had when they had truly been young and carefree. The only thing missing was Vedran's effulgence, and having seen him standing at his window waiting for their return, he wasn't really missing at all. The air was thin and cold around them, but their laughter was bright and full even as they shushed each other playfully. Stepping away from the window, Vedran gave a heavy sigh. He'd been unable to stay in his bed until he was certain that Dragon and Kameris were home safely, but now that he'd seen them return he felt exhaustion falling over him, pulling him down. His weary steps had him stumbling as he walked back to his bed and laid down, pulling the covers over him. His eyelids closed and this time there was nothing to hold him awake. He drifted off beneath the tiger lily bedspread. And Dragon Knight was waiting there in the eternal summer of his dreams.

by Curtis L. Isom – Founder / Editor-In-Chief Just about everyone would probably say that outside their parents there are other people that have had some influence on making up who they are today. I am no different and have numerous people to thank on making some impact on my life in one way or another. One of those people is the late Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy who passed away September 27, 2017 at the age of 91. Since his death, I have pondered over how I wanted to pay tribute to him and decided on how sharing how Hugh’s creation of Playboy and it’s philosophy has impacted my life and without that influence Erotic World Media might not have existed. I will keep my narrative to the magazine alone because it is the foundation of everything Playboy. So let’s start at the beginning……….. You have to remember when Hugh Hefner created Playboy it was the early 1950’s – a time of conformity and repression. Hugh Hefner was working at Esquire magazine and because he was denied a $5 raise, he quit to create his own magazine. There were other magazines that had nudity, but Hugh wanted to bring something new to people. According to Hugh himself, he wanted “to publish a magazine that both influenced and reflected the social-sexual changes taking place in America but that was…first and foremost…fun”. Playboy was originally to be called “Stag Party” and it’s mascot a deer as well. But since there already was a “Stag” magazine, so the title was changed to Playboy and the mascot became the famous bunny we have come to love. So with $6,600 in funds and the rights to the calendar art of Marilyn Monroe nude on red satin, he wrote the copy for and published the first issue of Playboy which hit the newsstands December 1953 . This issue had no date which allowed it to be on newsstands longer and Hefner didn’t know if there would be a second issue. But with Marilyn’s help, something that looked like a college humor magazine with nudes, became hot news and the 70,000 copies sold out. January 1954 saw a second issue and Playboy being published on a monthly basis. Hugh Hefner had evidently tapped into an undiscovered chunk of the American culture and was quickly becoming a part of that culture. he did this by evolving the idea of the “girl next door” which I’ll address shortly. During the rest of the Fifties, Hugh added more staff people like writer/cartoonist Shel Silverstein and artist Leroy Neiman who created Femlin, the nymph who appears on Playboy’s Party Jokes Page. He also began offering pieces of fiction like Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”. In 1955, Hugh took the U.S Post Office to court to get second-class mailing privileges. Of course he won and was the first example that when Playboy went into court, Hugh Hefner knew how to come out on top. In the beginning of Playboy, the editorial attitude was that affairs of the state were to remain out of Playboy’s province in order to keep the magazine one that emphasizes entertainment and fun on several levels. But as the next decade progressed, so did Playboy. The 1960’s – miniskirts, The Beatles, psychedelic drugs, and Vietnam. As change took place in the world, Playboy was committed to keeping people informed. In 1961, Hugh Hefner and Playmate Joyce Nizzari were invited to attend the Inauguration of President John F. Kennedy which spoke volumes about how many of Playboy’s ideas and values were becoming mainstream. To share the ideas of others, “The Playboy Interview” started in 1962 with an interview of jazz great Miles Davis conducted by Alex Haley. Other interviews during the Sixties included Ayn Rand and Malcom X (1964), Martin Luther King Jr,. (1965), George Lincoln Rockwell and Dr. Timothy Leary (1966). The cover shown here is from October 1962 when I was born and the same year the cartoon “Little Annie Fanny” debuted along with the twenty-five part installment of the “Playboy Philosophy” which Hugh Hefner wrote “as an attempt to spell out, for friends and critics alike, the guiding principles and editorial credo”. The basic premise of “The Playboy Philosophy” is an individual rights in a free society and is the basis from which everything Playboy stands for evolves. 1962 was also the year when the drug culture was emerging with Playboy being the first magazine to cover it. Playboy tries to this very day to provide accurate information on the drug culture, but never advocates them. In 1963, “The Playboy Forum” started in response to the ideas expressed in “The Playboy Philosophy” which gave readers a chance to debate issues brought up in Playboy and express their opinions about the world around them. For rest of the Sixties, not much changed about the magazine except for three major editorial changes. First came in December 1965 with Playboy became the first national Magazine to advocate legal abortion. The second was Playboy’s decision to address the war in Vietnam because to serve its readership correctly, Playboy had to be a spokesman. The final, and controversial move happened in an August 1969. Playboy had a pictorial of actress Paula Kelly dancing across a floor fully nude which resulted in tasteful display of what was considered magazine taboo – pubic hair. This resulted in changes of how the women in Playboy could be photographed and the centerfolds would soon take on a well-received new look. But it would also soon bring Playboy into what the mainstream media called, “The Raunch Wars”. The 1970’s – Nixon, Watergate, the Bicentennial, and Washington sex scandals. Playboy discussed it all. During the early 1970’s circulation reached 7,000,00 and in 1974 when Playboy turned 20, their 20th Anniversary issue featured a one-of-a-kind double-sided centerfold of both the front and back of Playmate Nancy Cameron. In 1975, the aforementioned “The Raunch Wars” also called “The Pubic Wars” were in full swing and public news because Playboy’s competitors were photographing their women with full on vaginal shots that were starting to look like steak tartar. Playboy was against this and Hugh Hefner stated, “We will present sex without vulgarity.” But that didn’t mean that there wasn’t some response to what Playboy’s competitors were doing. Part of that response is the cover shown here from November 1975 and is the first Playboy I remember being able to look at. During the 1970’s there were numerous Playboy covers featured women’s bare breasts. But this November 1975 cover is considered one of “Playboy’s 10 Most Controversial Covers” due to the model Patricia Margot McClain sliding her fingers into her panties. But before this issue hit the newsstands, Hugh Hefner committed to never go this route again. Even with the vast number of imitators, Playboy will always be in a league of it’s own. I could have picked other covers to show you, but there are so many to choose form. One I would like to mention is the October 1971 cover which features Daniel stern, the first African American woman to be on the cover of Playboy. Before this issue, Playboy had two African American Playmates – Jennifer Jackson in March 1965 and Jean Bell in October 1969. The 1971 cover with Daniel Stern is not only considered one of the top 10 controversial covers, but also one of Playboy’s most iconic covers as well. Being both iconic and controversial I think describes Playboy quite nicely. Since the 1970’s the covers have done gone back to a more refined style that reflects the class that Playboy strives to promote. Interviews in the 70’s included Presidential canidates Jerry Brown (4/76) and Jimmy Carter (11/76) along with the last known interview with Jimmy Hoffa (12/76). Playboy also gave us sneak previews of two novels, “All The President’s Men” and “Roots”. In 1979, Playboy turned twenty-five and by then the foundation of everything Playboy had been laid out. So the end of the 70’s is where I’ll stop which is not to say that Playboy isn’t going to tweak something every now and then, like the recent year of removing nudity, because as the times change so will Playboy as needed. But in discussing Playboy, I have to talk about the women who appear in Playboy. As stated before, Hugh Hefner had evidently tapped into an undiscovered chunk of the American culture. But how? This was done by evolving the idea of the “girl next door” during the first full year of Playboy. During 1954, Playboy’s “Unpinned Pinups” went from one page to two, but the “girl next door” idea really came to fruition when Janet Pilgrim, who worked in the offices of Playboy, became a Playmate. Her appearance in Playboy made the women in it seem more human because of her looks and that she worked an actual job. Janet went on to make two more centerfold appearance which is a record yet to be broken. I also want to compare the centerfolds from the two issue shown previously. The one on the left is October 1962’s Playmate of the Month Laura Young and the right one is November 1975 Playmate of the Month was Janet Lupo. It’s quite obvious that Playboy’s centerfolds have evolved over the years as well and went from showing very little to showing a lot. From the magazine first showing of pubic hair in 1969, the centerfolds in the 70’s became full frontal shots with pubic hair in full view and a change was well-received by the public as the “The Raunch Wars” eventually played itself out. After Marilyn Monroe, some of the famous women to grace the pages of Playboy include Jayne Mansfield, Stella Stevens, Ursula Andress, Catherine Deneuve, Bo Derek, Vanna White, Raquel Welch, and Vikki LaMotta. Vikki was 51 at the time of her pictorial, but most readers said she looked to be in her mid-thirties. It is suffice to say that Playboy strives to be not only a culturally diverse magazine, but presents a wide diversity of women as well. So how has Playboy influenced me? Did my first exposure to Playboy create a viewpoint in me of women as objects? Maybe. But understand that for just about any heterosexual male in his mid-teens, women were objects of desire and mystery dreamed about. As I got older I began to understand the women who appeared in Playboy did so of their own accord. They took pride in being who they are and empowered themselves by being featured in Playboy. I found it interesting that some women who had appeared in Playboy have lost their jobs for doing so which speaks volumes about the inequality of how women are treated. Then and now. Believe it or not, Playboy has helped me develop a great respect for women. I appreciate the female form and use past centerfold shoots as inspiration on what I want to capture with my camera. Instead of something that comes across as some bored, naked bimbo, I want to create something artistic. When I shoot, I prefer to not show everything unless the model request it which leaves something to the imagination and my “tribute” to the time before “The Raunch Wars”. From an educational point of view, Playboy opened up a world to me I might not have accessed any other way. “The Playboy Interview” introduced me to numerous individuals sharing their thoughts which helped me develop how to understand and respect another person’s thoughts even though I may not agree with them. Playboy introduced me to artists such as Alberto Vargas and my favorite author, Stephen King, through his short story, “The Word Processor of The Gods”. From a philosophical point of view, Playboy is a perfect example of standing up for what you believe in and be willing to defend it. I wish I had the opportunity to have thanked Hugh Hefner personally for the contribution he made to society through Playboy. It took a big “leap of faith” for Hugh to create Playboy and without it, I think the Adult Entertainment Industry wouldn’t be what it is today because of Playboy’s influence. I created Erotic World Media because of the examples Hugh Hefner set. I don’t know where this journey will take me, but I will speak my mind and defend my ideas to the best of my abilities. Whenever possible, I strive to stand up for those who don’t have a voice and do what I can to give them one. If I can educate people on the Adult Entertainment Industry, then I feel I honor what Hugh Hefner has given me. To not and try to do so I feel would be disrespectful. R.I.P. Hugh Hefner and Thanks again for everything.

Scotland". Unfortunately, they are not very knowledgeable at all. (The Gods alone know how the web site got an award for "Classical Studies"!) But what they are is opinionated. In fact -- let's call a dolabra a dolabra -- their web site is slipshod, tedious, peculiarly nationalistic, and anti-Roman. As a grumpy old emperor, that last one hurts. Off to a poor start The web site's first section ("Chronology") does not inspire our confidence in Mr Lindsay's self-professed "knowledge". Here are some of his claims: - In 325 BC, "the Greek navigator and astronomer Pytheas sails the coast of Britain and names the island Pretani". (I've heard of sailing the seas, but never sailing a coast.) In fact, Pytheas (whose work does not survive) probably called the island Prettania, a name which is found in the ancient Greek writers as a variation on Britannia. - Under 54 BC, we read that Julius Caesar broke off his campaign in southern England "to deal with Vercingoterix (sic) uprising in Gaul". The Gallic chieftain's name was actually Vercingetorix. (Here we first meet Mr Lindsay's dislike of the apostrophe. Surely, it was Vercingetorix's uprising? In fact, he's not very hot on punctuation at all, full stop!) - Under "43 AD" -- incidentally, if he doesn't know how to use the abbreviation "AD" correctly, perhaps he should use "in the Common Era"! -- we read that "Claudius arrives to receive the southern tribes (sic) formal submission". Mr Lindsay has missed a trick here, as Claudius allegedly received envoys from the Orkneys, too! - Under "71-73 AD", we read of Petillius Cerialis "smashing Venutius Brigantians (sic) most probably at Stanwick Hill Fort". (Stanwick isn't a hillfort.) - Under "77 AD", he tells us that "Pliny the Elder (a reliable source) publishes his Natural History", from which Mr Lindsay quotes a sentence. Unfortunately, his translation is not reliable! (The sentence concerns the Roman army reaching the vicinity of the Caledonian Forest, but Pliny doesn't say "nearly thirty years ago" -- which would mean AD 48! --, and we don't know where the Caledonian Forest was, in any case.) - Under "79 AD", we read that "the over-run (sic) territories are named Vespasiana in honour of the emperor around this time", bizarrely resurrecting a myth created in 1789 by John Pinkerton (who, like Mr Lindsay, claimed "great erudition" for himself)! - Under "82 AD", we read that "while operating in Strathmore the Caledonians by pass (sic) the main Roman column ...", but why were the Caledonians "operating in Strathmore"? (And what does "operating" mean, anyway? What were they up to?) - Under "83 AD", we read that the Battle of Mons Graupius was "located at Dunning in Strathearn" -- this is one of Mr Lindsay's hobby-horses and doesn't reflect current scholarship at all. - Under "84-86 AD", we read that "a new legionary fort is put under construction at Inchtuthill (sic) on the Tay" (the place is called Inchtuthil) and "the Gask ridge road leading ultimately to this post is supplemented with forts, fortlets and regular watchtowers providing defence in depth, Scotlands (sic) second Roman frontier". (I wonder what an irregular watchtower is? And how can a fortified roadway form a "defence in depth"? Where is the depth?) - Under "87 AD", we read that the new Roman governor was "possibly Metilius Nepos", but this is highly unlikely. Nepos is attested as a departing governor in AD 98, and it is unthinkable that he served in the post for twelve years! (Governors usually seem to serve for three or four years only.) - Under "88-100 AD", Mr Lindsay's "resurgent Caledonian tribes" are entirely in his imagination; they are certainly not mentioned in any of our sources. "Roman withdrawal from Scotland is from hereon (sic) undertaken in fairly rapid then consolidating stages further south". (Incidentally, Mr Lindsay's arbitrary "stages" are comical, taking no account of the archaeological evidence.) - Under "105 AD", we read that "Scottish posts are deserted or over-run (sic)" -- presumably Mr Lindsay means the Roman posts in Scotland, which had been abandoned by this date. (This is the first creeping sign of Mr Lindsay's nationalistic agenda, that the Roman forts were not evacuated in an orderly fashion, but were deserted -- a sign of insubordinate and fearful Romans -- or, even worse, overrun!) His statement that "The fort at Newstead is sacked around this time" is not the standard interpretation of the orderly abandonment of this site, but conforms to Mr Lindsay's slowly revealed agenda. - Under "108 AD", we read that the absence of records relating to the Ninth Legion (or, as Mr Lindsay calls it, "the ninth legion") is "a sure sign of destruction in battle, probably in action in southern Scotland". Readers of this blog know better than that! - Under "117-119 AD", we read that "Fashionable modern suggestions that the ninth (sic) were transferred elsewhere in the empire for a date with destiny can be discounted as entirely unrecorded and unproven". (How can a "modern suggestion" be "entirely unrecorded"? If it's unrecorded, how does Mr Lindsay know about it? And what makes a suggestion "fashionable"? It sounds as if Mr Lindsay is trying hard to discredit this theory before he even explains to his reader what it is.) - Under "119 AD", we read that "Roman coin issues records (sic) conclusion of war in Britannia", but the coin in question may not date from this year: we blogged about it here. - Under "138 AD", we read that "Trajanic expansionism was long gone however a move is made immediately back into southern Scotland and Pausianus (sic) refers to this being the only place in the empire where; (sic) military action had to be taken". (The Greek historian's name is Pausanias and he doesn't refer to Britain.) Mr Lindsay's reference to Trajanic expansionism is ironic, as it was Trajan who oversaw the withdrawal from Scotland! He goes on to criticise "fashionable modern interpretations" (that adjective again) of Antoninus Pius' motivation for his (my!) invasion of Scotland. He prefers to see it as "possible Roman retaliation for 117 which Hadrian evidently failed to do satisfactorily". To be honest, I'm not sure that this is any different from the "fashionable modern interpretations" that Mr Lindsay deplores. - Under "140 AD", we read that "Ptolemy's (!) Geography, first remaining map of Scotland". (An apostrophe, at last!) I've heard of a "last remaining" this or that, but never a "first remaining" thing. (Ptolemy's Geography is, indeed, dated to around AD 140-150, but -- ironically, for Mr Lindsay's purposes -- the British section is thought to derive from a Flavian map, some fifty years older than Ptolemy! - Under "140-148 AD", Mr Lindsay lists "Construction of the Antonine Wall between the Forth and Clyde". (I wonder where he got his end-date from? There is certainly no evidence for AD 148 as a significant date.) He writes that "Forts tend to be larger to the western side and may reflect flashpoints of trouble while that part of the wall lies awaiting completion". Ironically, -- and, to be honest, predictably, given the woeful standard of "knowledge" that Mr Lindsay displays -- while the fort sizes are fairly evenly distributed along the Wall, the smallest fort is found near its western end! - Under "154-158 AD", Mr Lindsay writes about "a spree of devastation at the wall being carried further south". He is, by now, in full nationalist swing, with any signs of refurbishment or repair indicating devastation. "Clearly havoc descends from the tribes in northern and southern Scotland". (I'm always suspicious of a sentence that begins with "Clearly".) Mr Lindsay reckons that a reoccupation of Hadrian's Wall at the end of this chronological stage "is highly doubtful". Predictably, he is out of step with current scholarship, which accepts AD 158 as a pivotal year. - Under "162 AD", he writes that "It is possible that between 162 and 165 Agrippa 'mothballs' the Antonine Wall in the face of yet more manpower crisis (sic) caused by war in Parthia and Germania". Well, at least it isn't Mr Lindsay's beloved Caledonian heroes descending from all parts again. But, as before, he is out of step with current wisdom. "The Roman emphasis is slowly but steadily sliding or pushed in a southern direction towards a reactivated Hadrians wall (sic) by the end of the decade". So, only ten years later than the current crop of Hadrian's Wall experts think! - Under "169 AD", Mr Lindsay introduces "the two developing tribal confederacies of the north, the Caledonians and a new name, the Maetae (sic)". (The correct tribal name is Maeatae.) He tells us that, although scholars believe that both tribes dwell in the north, "it is more plausible that the now abandoned tribes of Scotland below the Forth-Clyde isthmus coalesce into an identity in the face of large aggressive neighbouring political entities". (How can tribes be "abandoned"? Abandoned by whom? And who are their large, aggressive neighbours? Surely not the Romans? For Mr Lindsay's Romans are cowed and fearful, deserting their overrun posts in the face of the Caledonian horror!) - Also under "169 AD", we read that "A siege mentality appears in the Romans with the initiative apparently now lying with the tribes of Scotland". (We are surely minutes away from a tsunami of howling barbarians, breaking thunderously like a surf-flecked wave against the shuddering brickwork of Hadrian's Wall!) - Under "179 AD", we read that "Clearly" -- that word again! -- "the run down (sic) Antonine Wall proved an insufficient obstacle" to the ravening hordes. (This is the wall that was decommissioned twenty years earlier. Of course it was no obstacle!) "Endemic trouble on the northern frontier with Newstead succumbing to the sack (sic!) for the final time". (You're probably tired reading that the abandonment of a Roman fort doesn't necessarily mean that it had succumbed to anybody's sack!) - Under "Late 180s", we read that "The legions in Britannia embroil themselves in politics and several leading figures were approached with a view to becoming Emperor". (Who are these leading figures? Isn't it really annoying how cryptic Mr Lindsay can be?) This is presumably a reference to the fact that the soldiers in Britain allegedly "wanted to make anybody emperor", other than Commodus, the present incumbent. "The tribes in Scotland appear from records to be left in peace" -- is that the opposite of appearing from the bracken to overrun a fort? -- "while the Roman garrison ferments (sic) political agitation". (Please let's not lose that wonderful verb, to foment rebellion.) - Under "192 AD", we read that it is "Probable that Hadrians wall (sic) is denuded of troops during this episode" -- the invasion of Gaul by the Governor Clodius Albinus -- "and that the Caledonians and Maetae (sic), who can safely assume to have been in treaty agreement with Albinus, act in concert to take advantage of the situation following the death of Albinus". (There must be a word missing here. Is it the Maeatae who are doing the assuming, or is it someone else?) - Under "197 AD", Mr Lindsay's nationalism again shows itself: "The remnants of the British legions and auxiliary forces return but it is improbable the forces are in any state to counter the combined strength and actions of the tribes of modern Scotland which will have escalated with the lack of firm response". (And all without a comma. Breathe!) I'm not sure why "modern Scotland" appears in this sentence, unless it's simply to underline the all-pervasive nationalist agenda. - Under "197-208 AD", Mr Lindsay claims that "So complete is the reconstruction required [on Hadrian's Wall] that the crop of centurial stones recording this work cause many sources from antiquity to antiquarians to believe the wall is originally constructed by Severus". This is another of those occasions where Mr Lindsay is simply dead wrong. The Venerable Bede (8th century) thought that it was the turf vallum that Septimius Severus had built. The early antiquarians, misled by the written sources -- not by Mr Lindsay's "centurial stones" --, thought that the vallum was Hadrian's and the stone wall was Severus'. Predictably, any repairs to the Wall were not occasioned by neglect, but because it "had been thoroughly wrecked by hostile action from the north"! - Under "208 AD", I was confused by Mr Lindsay's (more than usually) obscure writing: "Work on various installations precedes Severus subsequent landing which is accompanied by substantial army formations aimed to bolster the British garrison. ... Cramond and Carriden forts are reinstated (if indeed as has been suggested they have ever been abandoned)". Some punctuation would go a long way towards making this intelligible (though only a complete rewrite would make it "engrossing"). Similarly obscure: "The suggestion that Severus demand (sic) that all living things should be killed in this campaign is not probably carried through as there is no archaeological record of the effects of this bedridden (sic!) genocidal command". (On occasion, the generally poor standard of writing does raise a smile, as when "Caracalla was attempting to bribe the doctors to hasten the death of the old man and probably loiters at and around the large Severan marching camp at Castlecraig".) - Under "211 AD", we read that "The Severan bases at Carpow, Cramond and Carriden may have soldiered on into the 220s but are eventually abandoned". (There is no Severan material from Carriden to "soldier on".) - Under "304 AD", we read that "Simmering trouble on the northern frontier seems to have come to a head with the Picts". How intriguing! So, what happened?! - Under "306 AD", we read that "A deeply unwell man, an anonymous biographer of [Constantius Chlorus'] son Constantine refers to Constantius: defeating the Picts" (How does Mr Lindsay know that the anonymous biographer was deeply unwell?) - Later entries from AD 306 to 410 are more laconic, reflecting the brevity of the original sources, so there is less scope for Mr Lindsay to misconstrue any of the evidence. Wearisome stuff There is an appended "Chronicle of the Emperors and Scotland", but it, too, is dull, wearisome stuff, ungrammatical and often inaccurate. And trite: "Few ancient figures are more famous than the best known Roman Emperors". Meaningless nonsense. For further amusement value, there is, however, a "newsbite excert (sic)" where Euan Lindsay tells us that Julius Caesar "invaded Britain in 84 and 85 BC" (sic!) in order to "get his hands on Scottish freshwater pearls or, at the very least, at least (sic) hold a stranglehold on the trade routes and revenues that accrued from them"! (Evidence, please?) So far, this certainly hasn't made for "an engrossing read". Indeed, sometimes it seems as if English is not Mr Lindsay's first language. Example: "Quixotic Flavian defences underlying or predating Agricolan structures are more commonly being attributed to Cerialis". I'm not sure what Mr Lindsay thinks he means here. (If there are archaeological deposits "underlying Agricolan structures" then they necessarily predate them, so why does he write "underlying or predating"? And "more commonly" than what?) It's all very poor quality, written with the clear agenda of (a) relocating the Battle of Mons Graupius to a place favored by Mr Lindsay, (b) emphasizing the destruction of the Ninth Legion at the hands of the Scottish tribes, and (c) generally reinterpreting (mostly misinterpreting) Romano-British history along Scottish nationalistic lines. And that's only the first item on the web site menu! I'm not sure if this old emperor has the stomach for much more ... Like shooting fish in a barrel. Picts in a barrel? Crap in a barrel? Clearly there is going to have to be an amendment to the saying " Politicians and the Press do not allow the truth to interfere with a good story" to include "Scots Nationalists" Love this site!

Article Text Abstract Introduction The objectives of the study are twofold. First, to calculate healthcare resource utilisation and costs for a cohort of adult overweight and obese patients observed in primary and hospital care centres during eight consecutive years (2003–2010) in an urban setting in Spain. An analysis of whether these costs vary by groups of individuals and types of disease, and of how they compare with the previous literature, is carried out in order to predict actions or policies for resource optimisation. The second objective is to estimate the impact of overweight and obesity on the consumption of resources and costs, accounting for a wide array of controls. Methods and analysis Observational and retrospective cohort data are used, consisting of medical records of patients followed up in outpatient and hospital care facilities during the years 2003–2010. Three cohorts of patients are analysed: normal weight (18.5≥ body mass index (BMI) <25), overweight (25≥ BMI <30) and obese (BMI ≥30); BMI is computed using clinical information. Individual-level data on comorbidity, resource utilisation and costs are available, and external information provided by the population census regarding socioeconomic status is used. Utilisation and associated costs across BMI groups are compared by computing ratios for overweight and obese individuals relative to those of normal weight. Count data regression models (hurdle and finite mixture models) are used, together with two-part model regression models and taking into account the panel structure of the data set to explore the impact of overweight and obesity on the increased utilisation of health services and costs, accounting for a wide set of controls. assess the magnitude of the incremental use of healthcare resources and their associated costs for a population of adult overweight and obese patients compared with normal weight individuals observed in primary care and hospital facilities over a period of eight consecutive years (2003–2010). To explore the impact of overweight and obesity on the consumption of resources and costs, accounting for a wide array of controls. Key messages Obesity is the accumulation of excessive fat in the body. Its prevalence has tripled in Europe over the last two decades, and it is estimated that 150 million adults and 15 million children and adolescents in the region are obese. As a consequence of its high prevalence and association with multiple chronic illnesses, obesity tends to substantially increase healthcare resource utilisation and costs. Some authors report that the cost of obesity could reach 7% of total healthcare expenditure in Spain. Within this strand of literature, another set of papers estimates medical costs and obesity based on survey data. Strengths and limitations of this study The resulting study population included approximately 112 000 individuals (50.48% women; mean age 42.7 years).. Background Obesity is the accumulation of excessive fat in the body. Its prevalence has tripled in Europe over the last two decades, and it is estimated that 150 million adults and 15 million children and adolescents in the region are obese.1 A similar trend is observed in the USA, and Spain is likewise no exception, with an estimated 37.8% (15.6%) of Spanish adults being overweight (obese).2 For the EU15, annual deaths attributable to overweight were 7.7%, ranging from 5.8% in France to 8.7% in the UK. One of every 13 deaths per year produced in the European Union is probably related to excess weight.3 4 Although obesity is considered a multifactorial chronic disease linked to genetic, perinatal, socioeconomic and other factors, it is primarily the consequence of an energy imbalance.5–8 The epidemic is a major public health concern as it is a key risk factor for a range of chronic conditions (ie, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, heart disease, stroke, narcolepsy, osteoarthritis, asthma, apnoea, gout and certain cancers), which tend to reduce quality of life and ultimately cause death.9 10 In addition, most of these patients suffer from mental disorders and perceived social rejection leading to loss of self-esteem, a particularly sensitive concern in children.11 As a consequence of its high prevalence and association with multiple chronic illnesses, obesity tends to substantially increase healthcare resource utilisation and costs. Two different approaches may be identified in the literature for analysing the relationship between obesity and healthcare costs. First, there are those studies that present estimates of the direct costs of obesity at the national level. For instance, it is estimated that the proportion of national healthcare expenditure attributable to obesity ranges from 5.3% to 7.0% for the USA12–17 and from 0.7% to 2.6% for other countries.18 However, some authors report that the cost of obesity could reach 7% of total healthcare expenditure in Spain.19 Within this strand of literature, another set of papers estimates medical costs and obesity based on survey data.20–25 The second approach takes a lifetime perspective based on retrospective databases or medical record reviews and aims to estimate the impact of body mass index (BMI) categories on use of resources and direct costs for a set of related diseases. Most of these studies are drawn from US data,26–35 with very few referring to other national contexts.36–38 When production losses, reduced labour productivity, higher rates of work disability and lower salaries (due to problems of absenteeism, fewer job promotions or patterns of social exclusion) are added to healthcare costs, the obesity epidemic accounts for a larger fraction of GDP.39 40 Objectives The objectives of the study are twofold. First, to assess the magnitude of the incremental use of healthcare resources and their associated costs for a population of adult overweight and obese patients compared with normal weight individuals observed in primary care and hospital facilities over a period of eight consecutive years (2003–2010). An analysis of whether these additional costs vary by groups of individuals and types of disease, and of how they compare with previous related studies, is carried out in order to predict actions or policies for resource optimisation. The second objective is to explore the impact of overweight and obesity on the consumption of resources and costs, accounting for a wide array of controls. Methods/design Study design and population We use observational, longitudinal and retrospective data based on medical records of patients followed up in primary care and hospital facilities. The study population comprises patients from six primary care centres (Apenins-Montigalà, Morera-Pomar, Montgat-Tiana, Nova Lloreda, Progrés-Raval and Marti i Julià) and two reference hospitals (Hospital Municipal de Badalona and Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol), serving >110 000 inhabitants in the north-eastern area of Barcelona. This population is mostly urban, of lower-middle socioeconomic status and from a predominantly industrial context. The study includes all patients aged 18 years and over who were seen from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2010 and who were regularly assigned to the above-mentioned healthcare centres during the study period. We exclude subjects who were transferred or moved to other centres, patients from other areas or regions. The resulting study population included approximately 112 000 individuals (50.48% women; mean age 42.7 years). Data Overweight and obesity are assessed for each patient through the BMI (kilograms per square metre), computed from measured weight and height, and three cohorts are distinguished: normal weight (18.5≥ BMI <25), overweight (25≥ BMI <30) and obese (BMI ≥30). Given that not all patients were measured annually, we will need to assume BMI stability over the analysed period. That is, BMI will be imputed for those individuals with a small number of measurements and interpolated when having partial information. Mirroring previous literature, the measures for the utilisation of healthcare resources analysed in this study are medical visits (primary care, specialist care and emergency visits), the number and duration of hospital visits, laboratory and radiology tests, diagnostic or therapeutic tests, referrals and drug prescriptions defined annually. We hypothesize that the consumption of resources and medical costs incurred by overweight and obese patients differ from those of normal weight patients. As for chronic conditions, the number of health problems per patient/year (mean episodes/patient) is considered as a process of care comparable to a disease diagnosis. According to the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2), we account for a wide set of conditions related to overweight and obesity: hypertension (K86, K87), diabetes mellitus (T89, T90), dyslipidaemia (T93), smoking (P17), alcoholism (P15, P16), all types of organic failures (heart, liver and kidney), stroke/cerebrovascular accident (K90), cerebrovascular disease (K91), pulmonary embolism (K93), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (R95, chronic airflow obstruction), bronchial asthma (R96), dementia or memory disorders (P70, P20), neurological diseases (Parkinson's disease (N87), epilepsy (N88), multiple sclerosis (N86) and other neurological diseases (N99)), depression (P76) and malignant neoplasms (all types, A79, B72–75, D74–78, F75, H75, K72, L71, L97, N74–76, R84–86, T71–73, U75–79, W72–73, X75–81, Y77–79). The data set will collect information on all diseases associated with each patient. To compute comorbidity for each treated patient, we use two indices: (1) the Charlson comorbidity index41 as a proxy for patient acuity and (2) the individual case-mix index obtained from the ‘Adjusted Clinical Groups’ (ACG), a patient classification system for iso-consumption of resources.42 A task force consisting of five professionals (a document administrator, two clinicians and two technical consultants) will be set up to convert (map) the ICPC-2 episodes to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9-CM). The criteria used will vary depending on whether the relationship between the codes is null (one to none), univocal (one to one) or multiple (one to many). The operational algorithm of the Grouper ACG® Case-Mix System consists of a series of consecutive steps to obtain the 106 mutually exclusive ACG groups, one for each patient. The application of ACG provides the resource utilisation bands so that each patient, depending on his/her overall morbidity, is grouped into one of five mutually exclusive categories (1: healthy users or very low morbidity; 2: low morbidity; 3: moderate morbidity; 4: high morbidity and 5: very high morbidity). The data set includes other relevant information for the empirical analysis, such as the patient's age, gender, employment status (active/retired), place of birth and habitual residence, date of admission and discharge, type of healthcare professionals contacted and reason for the visit. Likewise, we include other confounding factors such as smoking and drinking status among others. In addition, data retrieved from the population census will allow us to consider other socioeconomic information, such as the distance from the current place of residence to the healthcare centre, educational level and marital status. Finally, an ID variable will capture information regarding other household individuals related to the patient. Model of use of resources and costs The design of the costs system is defined by taking into account the characteristics of the organisation, reporting requirements and the degree of development of the available information systems. The cost per treated patient during the study period is taken as the unit of measurement. The adaptation (conciliation or depuration) of incurred expenditures from the Profit and Loss Statement (Financial Accounting) to the costs of Analytical Accounting is carried out in two stages: (1) the conversion of natural expenditures into costs and (2) the allocation and classification of costs. Those expenditures not directly related to care (eg, financial spending, losses due to fixed assets, etc) are excluded from the analysis. Depending on volume of activity, we consider two types of costs: fixed or semi-fixed costs and variable costs. The former include personnel (wages and salaries, indemnifications and social security contributions paid by the company), consumption of goods (medicines, intermediate products, health material and instruments), expenditures related to external services (cleaning and laundry), structure (building repair and conservation, clothes and office material) and management of healthcare centres, according to the Spanish General Accounting Plan for Healthcare Centres. Variable costs are those related to diagnostic and therapeutic tests and referrals. More specifically, the concepts analysed are (1) complementary tests, including (a) laboratory tests (haematology, biochemistry, serology and microbiology: average cost per request), (b) conventional radiology (plain films requests, contrast radiology, ultrasound scans, mammograms and radiographs: expenditure per request) and (c) complementary tests (endoscopy, electromyography, spirometry, CT, densitometry, perimetry, stress testing, echocardiography, etc: expenditure per request); (2) pharmaceutical prescriptions (acute, chronic or on demand: retail price per package at the time of prescription) and (3) referrals made to referenced specialists or to hospital centres on either an ordinary or emergency basis. From semi-fixed costs, we derive an estimation of the average cost per medical visit. Table 1 shows an estimate of the resulting rates for the years 2003 and 2009. Estimates of unitary costs per patient in 2003 and 2009 The different unitary cost rates used in the calculations are derived from cost accounting carried out by primary healthcare and hospital centres for the available years, from invoices of intermediate products issued by different providers and from prices set by CatSalut (Catalan Health Service). Therefore, total medical cost per patient in each period will be calculated as semi-fixed costs (average cost per visit multiplied by the number of medical visits) plus variable costs. In this study, we do not account for the computation of ‘out-of-pocket payments’ paid by the patient or family that are not registered in the database. Healthcare costs will be adjusted for each period according to the Consumer Price Index. Statistical analysis We begin the statistical analysis by carefully reviewing our data set through a series of exploratory analyses in order to detect possible mistakes in coding. Descriptive and univariate statistical analyses are also performed regarding the main variables of interest, while the presence of outliers is detected by means of ad-hoc techniques (Hadi method) or graphical representation using box plots. Stochastic kernels are estimated in order to observe the characteristics of the distributions. Given the above-mentioned objectives, the statistical approach of the study is then divided in two stages. In the first stage, we calculate use and cost (total and by sub-categories) of the considered healthcare services, differentiating by BMI groups for the period 2003–2010. Annualised means are computed for each measure of interest. In order to compare resource utilisation and associated costs across BMI groups, we will compute ratios for overweight and obese individuals relative to those with normal weight. In the second stage, we use standard count data regression models (ie, hurdle and finite mixture models), together with a two-part regression models, taking into account the panel structure of the data set, to explore the impact of overweight and obesity on the utilisation of health services and costs, accounting for a wide set of controls. Sensitivity analysis is also performed based on thresholds that define overweight and obesity, levels of use of healthcare resources outside the extreme percentiles and the problems caused by ‘attrition’.43 44 Study timeline Phases 1–2. Meeting to decide general planning of the study. Tasks will be assigned to investigators and informative meetings held with physicians from participating primary healthcare centres. Posterior follow-ups will be quarterly. A bibliographic and document search will be carried out and a structured summary drawn up. Time: 1 month. Phase 3. Preparation of the database and collection of patient variables (quantitative information). This includes (1) design and drawing up of a morbidity database (care episodes attended by patient/year), (2) design and drawing up of a pharmaceutical prescription database, (3) design and drawing up of a database covering healthcare services use and direct costs (laboratory, radiology, referrals and pharmaceutical prescription per patient/year) and (4) obtaining an ACG per patient/year. Time: 2 months. Phase 4. Validation of data quality. Verification of univariate results by ranges. Identification of inadequate categories. Time: 1 month. Phase 5. Data analysis, including: (1) statistical analysis: descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis and regression analyses and (2) interpretation of the results. Time: 2 months. Phase 6. Scientific diffusion of the results: this will include the writing and publication of the results obtained. Time: 1 year. Discussion No previous study on the calculation of healthcare use and costs according to BMI categories have been computed in Spain taking into account a longitudinal perspective. This protocol study aims to cover this gap. Among the strengths of the study, we can remark that we use population data, low cost based in electronic medical records and long follow-up information.. Further research is needed regarding cost-effectiveness and the delay in diagnosis and treatment, as well as to replicate the study in other healthcare organisations. Despite the success of care for patients with chronic diseases such as obesity, interventions should be based on multidisciplinary teams so as to promote effective interventions in which patients are highly engaged in self-care. Acknowledgments We thank the healthcare professionals from the centres included, without whose daily work the study would not be possible. References Footnotes To cite: Sicras-Mainar A, Gil J, Mora T, et al. Healthcare use and costs associated with obesity in Badalona, Spain: a study protocol. BMJ Open 2012;2:000547. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000547 Funding This study did not receive any funding. Nor did it receive any help or support from any public or private establishment. Competing interests None. Ethics approval The study protocol was approved by the Clinical Research and Ethics Committee of the Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, in accordance with Spanish conventions. Confidentiality was respected at all times according to the Spanish data protection law (LO del 15/1999 de 13 de diciembre, de Protección de Datos de Carácter Personal, LOPD). Contributors AS-M, JG, TM, RN-A and JA drew up the study protocol and structured the literature search. All authors have read and accepted the latest version of.

- Review - Open Access - Published: The Yin and Yang of centromeric cohesion of sister chromatids: mitotic kinases meet protein phosphatase 2A Cell Division volume 1, Article number: 9 (2006) 6766 Accesses 10 Citations - Abstract Accurate chromosome segregation during meiosis and mitosis is essential for the maintenance of genomic stability. Defects in the regulation of chromosome segregation during division predispose cells to undergo mitotic catastrophe or neoplastic transformation. Cohesin, a molecular glue holding sister chromatids together, is removed from chromosomes in a stepwise fashion during mitosis and meiosis. Cohesin at centromeres but not on chromosome arm remains intact until anaphase onset during early mitosis and the initiation of anaphase II during meiosis. Several recent studies indicate that the activity of protein phosphatase 2A is essential for maintaining the integrity of centromeric cohesin. Shugoshin, a guardian for sister chromatid segregation, may cooperate with and/or mediate PP2A function by suppressing the phosphorylation status of centromeric proteins including cohesin. Cohesin and sister chromatid cohesion Sister chromatid cohesion is established during DNA replication and maintained throughout G2 and mitotic prophase and metaphase. At the molecular level, cohesin mediates sister chromatid cohesion through formation of a proposed "ring" structure that entraps chromosomes [1]. The cohesin complex is composed of Smc1, Smc3, Scc1 (substituted by Rec8 in meiosis), and Scc3 (SA1, SA2, or SA3 as an orthologue in vertebrates). During mitosis, cohesin in animal cells is removed from chromosomes in a stepwise fashion through the action of Plk1 and separase, respectively [2, 3]. Upon mitotic entry, cohesin dissociates itself along the entire length of chromosomal arms, but not at centromeres, which requires the activity of Plk1 [2]. At anaphase entry, separase activity removes centromeric cohesin [3] that is otherwise inhibited by the spindle checkpoint during prophase and metaphase. Similar temporally-regulated release of cohesin also exists during meiosis. At the first meiotic division (meiosis I), separase cleaves Rec8 along chromosome arms but not at centromeres, resulting in segregation of homologous non-sister chromosomes. During meiosis II, centromeric cohesin is cleaved through the second wave of separase activity, leading to disjunction of sister centromeres and formation of haploid gametes [4, 5]. During the past several years, the mechanism preventing centromeric cohesin from undergoing cleavage/dissociation during early mitosis as well as meiosis I and early meiosis II has been a subject of intensive investigation [6, 7]. Through the pioneering research efforts of Orr-Weaver and Watanabe groups, a family of proteins termed shugoshins/MEI-S332, has been identified in various eukaryotic model systems [8–10]. This work led to the realization that they play a critical role in mediating protection of centromeric cohesion of sister chromatids during mitosis and meiosis (see a review [11]). Whereas vertebrate shugoshin 1 (Sgo1) functions to protect centromeric cohesin during mitosis [12, 13], Sgo1 in yeast guards against premature removal of cohesin at centromeres during meiosis [8, 9, 14]. However, the exact molecular mechanism by which centromeric cohesin is shielded from dissociation remains unclear even though Sgo1 plays a critical role in protecting sister chromatid cohesion. The phosphatase connection A recent study by the Nasmyth group showed that expression of SA2 mutant resistant to Plk1 phosphorylation results in suppression of premature separation of sister chromatids in Sgo1-depleted cells [12]. This suggests that prevention of cohesin phosphorylation by mitotic kinases such as Plk1 may be a major molecular event through which centromeric cohesion is retained until anaphase entry. There are at least two scenarios that can explain Sgo1-mediated protection of cohesin. (i) Factors such as Sgo1 are recruited to centromeres during mitosis and meiosis. This association physically shields cohesin from phosphorylation by specific protein kinase(s). (ii) The presence of a specific protein phosphatase(s) at the centromeric region neutralizes the activity of the kinase(s). Recently, three independent studies published in Nature and Developmental Cell have convincingly demonstrated that enhanced dephosphorylation of centromeric proteins including cohesin may be a key mechanism responsible for centromeric cohesion of sister chromatids during meiosis and mitosis [15–17]. Using affinity protein purification followed by tandem mass spectrometry, the Nasmyth group found that protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) subunits are the prevalent components that are co-purified in meiotic I cells of both fission and budding yeasts [16]. PP2A is known to exist primarily as a heterotrimeric complex which is composed of the scaffolding A subunit (PP2A-A), the variable regulatory subunit B (PP2A-B), and the catalytic subunit (PP2A-C). These investigators showed that despite the presence of subtypes for PP2A-B and PP2A-C subunits, only one subtype of PP2A-B (PP2A-B: Par1 in the fission yeast or Rts1 in the budding yeast) is found to be associated with Sgo1 [16, 17]. Genetic experiments demonstrated that PP2A subunits (e.g., Par1B', Ppa2C) are important for accurate chromosome segregation in fission yeast as their deletions results in moderate to severe missegregation of chromosomes; a detailed analysis revealed that chromosome missegregation occurs in meiosis II, but not in meiosis I, in fission yeast with either Par1B'or Ppa2Cdeletion [16], a defect shared by the fission yeast with Sgo1 deletion. These observations thus suggest that PP2A, like Sgo1, may protect centromeric but not arm cohesion of sister chromatids. Consistent with this notion, fission yeast mutants with deletion of Par1B'or Sgo1 are impaired in retaining centromeric Rec8 following meiosis I whereas deficiency in PP2A activity does not have an effect on expression as well as centromeric localization of Rec8 before the onset of anaphase I [16]. The mechanism by which PP2A protects centromeric cohesin is fully conserved in mammalian cells. Through a combination of co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, the Watanabe group identified PP2A as a major component in Sgo1, but not in control, immunoprecipitates [17], suggesting physical interaction between Sgo1 and PP2A. The direct interaction between Sgo1 and PP2A is subsequently confirmed by the yeast two-hybrid system. Although each PP2A subunit in mammalian cells has several subtypes/isoforms [18], only the PP2A-B subunit interacts with Sgo1 in human cells is PP2A-B'/B56 (including α, β, γ, δ, and ε isoforms) [17]. As the first step to study the functional significance of their interaction, these investigators examined the subcellular localization of PP2A. They observed that PP2A containing the B56α subunit localizes to the inner centromeres [17], thus consistent with the notion that PP2A may directly protect centromeric cohesion. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that depletion of PP2A through transfection with a specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) causes an enhanced rate of loss of centromeric cohesion coupled with mitotic arrest. However, the rate of loss of centromeric cohesion in PP2A-depleted cells is not high compared with that in Sgo1-depleted cells [17]. Although incomplete depletion of PP2A via RNA interference may partly be responsible for the poor penetrance of the phenotype, it is possible that other regulatory subunit may compensate for the absence of the PP2A-A subunit, which is directly targeted by a specific siRNA. Similar results regarding PP2A's physical interaction with Sgo1 in human cells are also reported by the Yu group [15]. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that the interaction between PP2A and Sgo1 is enhanced during mitosis [15], which may be partly due to the fact that Sgo1 levels are higher in mitosis than during other phases of the cell cycle. Besides, these investigators showed that PP2A interacts efficiently with the N-terminus of Sgo1 that contains a coiled coil domain and that a single point mutation (Asn61Ile) abolishes their interaction. Again, siRNA experiments have been carried out to demonstrate PP2A's direct involvement in regulating centromeric cohesion. Depletion of PP2A results in chromosome missegregation that appears to be associated with loss of centromeric cohesion [15], a phenotype also observed in Sgo1- and Bub1-depleted cells [19]. The kinase involvement In eukaryotes, a hallmark for mitotic entry is the activation of mitotic kinases (e.g., Cdk1, Polo-like kinases, and Aurora kinases or their orthologues), resulting in phosphorylation of numerous mitotic targets essential for mediating mitotic progression. Early studies established that Bub1 is upstream of Sgo1 in the regulatory hierarchy [8, 19]. Recent studies from both Nasmyth and Yu groups demonstrated that localization of PP2A to centromeres is dependent on Bub1 in yeast and human cells, respectively [15, 16], indicating that PP2A lies downstream of Bub1. Consistently, in budding yeast, Bub1's localization at centromeres depends neither on Sgo1 nor PP2A [16]. However, the molecular mode of action is unclear regarding the role of Bub1 in regulation of PP2A and Sgo1. Given the fact that Bub1 is a protein kinase, it would be interesting to determine whether downstream components like PP2A and Sgo1 are direct substrates of Bub1. On the other hand, Plk1, a major mitotic kinase, is involved in phosphorylation of several downstream components of Bub1 during the metaphase-anaphase transition. (i) Plk1 directly phosphorylates SA2 in human cells, resulting in its dissociation from chromosome arms; (ii) Cdc5 (a Plk/Polo orthologue) and Plk1 phosphorylate Scc1 in budding yeast and human cells, respectively [20, 21], facilitating its cleavage by separase; (iii) In Drosophila, Polo phosphorylates MEI-S332, which is essential for its removal from centromeres at anaphase [22]; (iv) Plk1 also phosphorylates several APC/C components [23] although its significance remains unknown. Given the close involvement of Plk1/Polo in regulating anaphase entry and chromosome segregation, it is relevant to examine how Plk1 regulates PP2A activity, which in turn modulates centromeric cohesion. Interestingly, the Yu group showed that co-depletion of Plk1 and a key PP2A subunit through transfection of specific siRNAs causes retention of Sgo1 at centromeres in human cells, which is correlated with significant reduction of chromosomal missegregation; in contrast, co-depletion of Plk1 and Sgo1 fails to prevent missegregation of chromosomes [12, 15]. Thus, these studies favor the possibility that the primary function of Plk1 may be to dislodge Sgo1 from centromeres when PP2A function is compromised. One caveat to this explanation is that Plk1 depletion alone does not enhance centromeric localization of Sgo1 [12, 15, 24] (Wang and Dai, unpublished data). Sgo1 is heavily phosphorylated during mitosis but not in interphase (Wang and Dai, unpublished data). Thus, it is of great interest to understand the molecular/biochemical basis underlying the close physical association between Sgo1 and PP2A, the latter being a protein phosphatase with a rather broad substrate spectrum. Apparently, PP2A does not cause dephosphorylation of Sgo1 during mitosis whereas other centromeric proteins such as SA2 and Scc1 are proposed to be dephosphorylated by the phosphatase. The regulatory hierarchy The identification of PP2A as a new component in protecting centromeric cohesion of sister chromatids prompts additional studies determining its position in the regulatory hierarchy. As Sgo1 is primarily localized at centromeres during meiosis or early mitosis whereas PP2A signals are detected throughout the cell, it is possible that Sgo1 may help to recruit a specific form of PP2A to centromeres. This notion is consistent with the fact that most PP2A is not associated with Sgo1 [17]. Supporting this, the Nasmyth group showed that the amount of a centromere-bound PP2A subunit is greatly compromised in the fission yeast mutant with Sgo1 deletion during meiosis I, implying that the localization of PP2A to the centromeric region depends on Sgo1 [15]. On the other hand, studies from the Watanabe group demonstrated that the regulatory relationship between Sgo1 and PP2A is more complicated. (i) Localization of PP2A at centromeres is independent of Sgo1 whereas depletion of Sgo2 results in loss of centromeric PP2A during mitosis in human cells; (ii) once being centromere-localized, PP2A appears to be capable of conferring protection of centromeric cohesin in the absence of Sgo1 in both meiosis (yeast cells) and mitosis (human cells) [17]. Consistent with the latter observations, the Yu group showed that centromeric localization of PP2A is independent of Sgo1 in human cells [15]. Although it remains not entirely clear how Sgo1 regulates PP2A or vice versa with regard to protection of centrometic coehsin/cohesion during meiosis and mitosis, a simple model is proposed to illustrate the regulatory hierarchy in animal cells (Figure 1). Subcellular localization and/or activation of PP2A and Sgo1 depend on Bub1; PP2A is involved in recruiting to centromeres Sgo1, which may in turn have a positive feedback function through either stabilizing centromere-bound PP2A or facilitating its activation; centromeric PP2A and Sgo1 function to suppress phosphorylation of cohesin, thus positively regulating its function whereas Plk1 antagonizes the activities of PP2A and Sgo1, resulting in cohesin phosphorylation and its cleavage. References - 1. Gruber S, Haering CH, Nasmyth K: Chromosomal cohesin forms a ring. Cell 2003, 112: 765–777. 10.1016/S0092-8674(03)00162-4 - 2. Sumara I, Vorlaufer E, Stukenberg PT, Kelm O, Redemann N, Nigg EA, Peters JM: The dissociation of cohesin from chromosomes in prophase is regulated by Polo-like kinase. Mol Cell 2002, 9: 515–525. 10.1016/S1097-2765(02)00473-2 - 3. Waizenegger IC, Hauf S, Meinke A, Peters JM: Two distinct pathways remove mammalian cohesin from chromosome arms in prophase and from centromeres in anaphase. Cell 2000, 103: 399–410. 10.1016/S0092-8674(00)00132-X - 4. - 5. - 6. Marston AL, Tham WH, Shah H, Amon A: A genome-wide screen identifies genes required for centromeric cohesion. Science 2004, 303: 1367–1370. 10.1126/science.1094220 - 7. Shonn MA, McCarroll R, Murray AW: Spo13 protects meiotic cohesin at centromeres in meiosis I. Genes Dev 2002, 16: 1659–1671. 10.1101/gad.975802 - 8. Kitajima TS, Kawashima SA, Watanabe Y: The conserved kinetochore protein shugoshin protects centromeric cohesion during meiosis. Nature 2004, 427: 510–517. 10.1038/nature02312 - 9.: 287–301. 10.1016/S0960-9822(04)00063-6 - 10. Kerrebrock AW, Moore DP, Wu JS, Orr-Weaver TL: Mei-S332, a Drosophila protein required for sister-chromatid cohesion, can localize to meiotic centromere regions. Cell 1995, 83: 247–256. 10.1016/0092-8674(95)90166-3 - 11. Wang X, Dai W: Shugoshin, a guardian for sister chromatid segregation. Exp Cell Res 2005, 310: 1–9. 10.1016/j.yexcr.2005.07.018 -. 10.1371/journal.pbio.0030086 - 13. Salic A, Waters JC, Mitchison TJ: Vertebrate shugoshin links sister centromere cohesion and kinetochore microtubule stability in mitosis. Cell 2004, 118: 567–578. 10.1016/j.cell.2004.08.016 - 14.–572. 10.1016/j.cub.2004.03.001 - 15. - 16.: 53–61. 10.1038/nature04664 - 17.. 10.1038/nature04663 - 18. - 19. Tang Z, Sun Y, Harley SE, Zou H, Yu H: Human Bub1 protects centromeric sister-chromatid cohesion through Shugoshin during mitosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2004, 101: 18012–18017. 10.1073/pnas.0408600102 - 20. - 21. - 22. Clarke AS, Tang TT, Ooi DL, Orr-Weaver TL: POLO kinase regulates the Drosophila centromere cohesion protein MEI-S332. Dev Cell 2005, 8: 53–64. 10.1016/j.devcel.2004.12.003 - 23. - 24. Kitajima TS, Hauf S, Ohsugi M, Yamamoto T, Watanabe Y: Human Bub1 defines the persistent cohesion site along the mitotic chromosome by affecting Shugoshin localization. Curr Biol 2005, 15: 353–359. 10.1016/j.cub.2004.12.0ai, W., Wang, X. The Yin and Yang of centromeric cohesion of sister chromatids: mitotic kinases meet protein phosphatase 2A. Cell Div 1, 9 (2006). Received: Accepted: Published: DOI: Keywords - Sister Chromatid - Fission Yeast - Centromeric Protein - Sister Chromatid Cohesion - PP2A Activity

Many are the treasures and buried wonders of the Age of Dusk. A thousand times a thousand gilded statues, shimmering gemstones, gleaming suits of ornate armour and the coinage of a thousand forgotten empires lie buried in aeons-old vaults, only to be discovered now and inspire once more the bloodshed that is their rightful due. Within these hoards that can buy kingdoms or damn them to oblivion lie objects far more dangerous and of interest to those who scoff the concerns of the material world for concerns altogether more fearome and alien. To those empty-eyed ghouls with sallow cheeks and skin like ancient parchment it is not gold they seek, but eldritch secrets. But the fabric is breaking, and not all items still function as they once did, and even if they do, it is said sorcery is a double-edged sword that should never be employed lightly. Even the ancient texts describing the forging and purpose of such dire artifacts are of limited use, for not all is as it once was. The Sixty-Six Cinder-blades of Tel-Quor – Stolen from the molten heart of the vicious and spiteful Sun by the Sybaran hero-deity Tel-Quor, each of the sixty-six shards is a wickedly curved dagger no more then two fingers in length, its handle wrapped in strips of fabric spun from Final Night itself (or so the legends would have you believe) and thus proof against the hottest flame. If they are carried into battle, the cinder-blades glow with the heat and fury of the Sun and will cut through anything they touch, turning flesh to vapour and bone to ashes. The weapons are fickle and carry with them the Ire of the Sun for humankind’s presumpuous thieving arrogance, however, and at inconvenient times the weapons will emit great heat, setting fire to dwellings and maiming loved ones. Those who carry a cinder blade for a prolonged period of time tend to be covered in burns. The Cinder-blades function as daggers+3 and inflicts 1d6 fire damage on each hit. On a natural 20, the target must save vs breath weapon or take 5d6 additional points of fire damage. Additionally, its wielder may cast heat-metal 3/day at caster level 15th. The weapon does possess several drawbacks. It has an ego of 18 and an Int of 8 and will seek to inspire his wielder to acts of wanton cruelty and arson. It can cast produce flame at CL 6th at its own initiative three times a day. Etheric Bauble – A small marble, The Etheric bauble floats and emits coloured light in the presence of sorcerous energy. The colour varies depending on the intensity. In an area of dead magic, or an area so saturated with enchantments that the very life is bled from the air, the bauble turns black. So many of these have been fabricated over the long ages that it is one of the few ‘common’ magical items. Sybaran Weavestone – A currency among the magician-caste of long lost Sybara, Sybaran Weavestones absorb ambient magical energy for easy release. They can expend charges to fuel sorcerous artifacts and spells in areas of dead magic. Sybaran Weavestones are rare in the Age of Dusk, and are much sought after by both the Undying sorcerors of Tzyan and the adventurers that seek to plunder their sorcery-wreathed tomb-cities. A malfunctioning/cursed weavestone is fuelled by the lifeforce of its owner and will drain it from him if ambient magical energy is not available. These cursed stones are potent tools of assasination used by the secretive assassin-mathematicians of the Three and Twenty-Seven. Stone Plague: An ancient weapon whose creators have long been lost to antiquity, stone plague is a magical contagion that infects stone, warping and twisting it and making it run like wax. Although it is very effective against magically animated statues or golems, and it will cripple fortifications and render walls brittle and twisted, sages speculate that its primary function is to target the primordial Morr’d. Stone plague is usually held within an ornate ceramic container and will spread to any stone within 20 feet of the point of impact, rendering it brittle and twisted. The contagion will expand exponentially per hour until the entire structure is affected. Structures in close proximity to the infected structure run the risk of also contracting stone plague. Animated creatures get a saving throw vs polymorph and are affected as if slowed. Morr get a second saving throw after 1 hour. Depending on the size of the Morr, a single dose of Stone Plague can be fatal to them. Inquisitor’s Eye – One of the few reliable countermeasures against the dreaded and half-mythical Empty Men, the Inquistor’s Eye is a sphere of overlapping brass-bands roughly the size of an eye-ball. It will only function when inserted into an empty eye-socket. Once placed there, it will embed itself into the eye socket and fuse with wearer’s central nervous system. The eye functions like a normal human eye, but also grants the ability to see in the dark. It’s most important function is that it allows the wearer to detect anyone who has been co-opted into an Empty Man. The Empty Men recognize and fear this device from the wars of ages past and will treat anyone with access to it as immediately hostile. They will go to great lengths to find and destroy any of these artefacts they come across. Muiran Rithkyish – An elaborate Muiran headdress of woven branches, silk and gem-stones crafted by the master hatters of the Vermillion Quarter, the coveted Rithkyish is a symbol of great status in Muir(unless it is worn by the wrong caste, or in the wrong district, or on the wrong day). The Rithkyish houses 1-3 Rithkyasi, scaled birds with serrated teeth and truculent temperaments. If bonded to their owner, they will perform acts of spycraft, theft or reconnaissance for him. A Rithkyasi can imitate human speech and can memorize over half an hour of conversation. It can even be tought a few simple code words. Rithkyasi are extremely ill-tempered and often peck or sting their owners, sometimes without provocation. If mistreated, they become increasingly unreliable, though they will never leave their headdress. Rithkyasi eat only a rare form of mulberry that is cultivated in the orchards of Great Muir. Feeding a Rithkyasi costs about 3 gp per day, more if one is particularly far away from Muir. Rithkyasi (HD: 1/4 (2 hp), Mv 160 feet per round, AC 5, Att: Peck (1-2 damage), Int 7, Morale 7). Arrow of Nzembar – One of the few weapons the Nzembarese deigned to use, the Arrow appears to be made from an alloy of silver and lead, though it is unusually light. It functions in all respects as a normal +1 arrow, unless it is given the name of the person it is to slay. Against that person, it will act as an arrow of slaying. A more detailed description of the person (this includes history, personal secrets and so on) will grant it additional powers against that person, such as improved accuracy, the ability to pass through walls and, in extreme cases, the ability to cross huge distances or penetrate magical and even planar boundaries. Deiophage(Weapon): Accursed half-living weaponry forged by the Tzyanese to fight their divine adversaries. Now they are in the hands of the savage H’San, who live under the baleful radiance of the Tempest. A deiophage looks like a khopesh, zweihander or dirk(there are other types) forged from black glass, with purple veins running through it. A Deiophage will inflict severe damage (double damage) against any being of divine origin, leave permanent wounds and will, to a lesser extent, protect its owner from divine magic (25% magic resistance and a +2 bonus against saves vs divine creatures). In addition, it will pierce any form of immunity or projection that is the result of divine power. As a side effect of this great boon, the wielder gradually transforms into a Tzyanese half-human creature, with alien appetites and alien mindset, as the purple veins spread their mutagenic toxins through his body. Every time the weapon is used to slay a creature of divine origin (Sial-Atramentar, the Progeny of the Storm or a re-animated divine carcass) the wielder must make a saving throw vs death. A failed save indicates the corruption has gained more ground in the body of the wielder, reducing his cha and con by 1. Once three consecutive saving throws are failed the wielder and the weapon are irrevocably bonded, and the wielder will die after 24 hours of separation from the weapon. Once either the cha or the con of the wielder has been reduced to 0 the wielder is permanently transfigured. He regains all his missing stat points and becomes an NPC under the control of the GM. The transfigured behave in wholly alien ways, following ancient agendas and communicate exclusively in the Tzyanese tongue. Hushed whispers told in dark places say that each Deiophage is but a fragment of the Weapon. The Mail of the Requiem: A beautifully ornate suit of chainmail of composed of an unknown crimson alloy, the Mail was forged in the dying days of Old Nzembar, and infused with all the bitterness of the last of the artificers. The wearer of this accursed suit is protected from injury as though he were wearing Full Plate Mail +1 and gains a +2 to all saving throws and only half damage from special abilities. The mail does not grant its protection lightly. Those who bear it are wracked with nightmares and waking dreams of the fall of Old Nzembar. In addition, the wearer must exact a dire retribution upon the world for the death of its greatest civilisation. Any time the wearer is slighted, he must exact upon the perpetrator a retribution sevenfold. As long as the wearer neglects to do so, leaving grievances left unavenged or insults unanswered, the wearer suffers grievous agony, causing a -2 to all attack rolls, skill checks and ability checks. The Mail can only be removed by immersing the wearer in the tears of a grieving widow that has forgiven her husband’s slayer. The Obelisk of Ursk: In the heart of the crumbling city-state of Ursk is a hidden place where the obelisk of Ursk grants salvation at a terrible price. Perfectly smooth and black as Final Night, its only distinguishing feature are the miniscule prayers to a long forgotten deity that cover every square inch of its outer surface. It emits a barely audible hum that can be felt in one’s teeth. The Obelisk is Ursk holds great power. It can cure any wounds, diseases, missing limbs, mental illnesses and more. It can even bring a body back from the dead. But it will always demand a price, which is imprinted upon the supplicant afterwards. The price the obelisk demands is inevitably a heinous one, and will require the blackest of deeds to acquire. Those that refuse to pay its price instantly have their boon retracted, becoming as they were before the Obelisk saved them. These quests to give the Obelisk its due often impart further misfortune and injury upon its subjects, neccesitating further intercessions and thus, more prices. As the injuries accumulate and the threat of reversing the touch of the Obelisk becomes ever more dire, the Obelisk will eventually ask its final price; Total subservience to its every command, and eternal service in its name. So dire are the injuries inflicted upon the supplicants in their long careers that some prefer a life of heinous servitude to a slow, agonizing death. Mazhurian Blades, Paired – These two wickedly curved ornate daggers are most commonly found in the hands of the holy assasin pairs of the Northern Tribes. The daggers are enchanted (+1) but will function as +3 in if each of the pair is wielded by lovers or siblings. If the pair are both lovers and siblings, the weapons count as poisoned (save vs death at +2 or die (comatose in 1d6 rounds, death in 1d6 hours). If one wielding a Mazhurian dagger takes damage his partner takes half. 2 thoughts on “[Age of Dusk] The detrius of ages past” All killer, no filler. I am getting a bit of a ‘Book of the New Sun’ vibe, specifically the scene in which Severian climbs down a cliff face that is made up of the strata of various lost civilizations. I also like the way that there are ways to defeat the ‘nigh-unstoppable’ opponents of the setting. The comparison with Book of the New Sun is very flattering, thank you, I consider it an excellent source of inspiration. The post is a bit of a work in progress, I have more junk to transcribe. I’ll try to avoid filler as much as I can.

Content Count2,974 Joined Last visited Days Won3 Community Reputation62 Good About swadee - RankButterfly Number 2 Profile Information - GenderMale Recent Profile Visitors - Using The Board swadee replied to swadee's topic in How to Register with us & use our friendly Ladyboy ForumMaking a Poll I know that many of us do not want to use a poll in the thread just because we don’t want to take the hassle of it. But when you know how to do it right, its so much fun in deed ! First of all, what is a poll? You use poll to take quantitative opinion on a particular matter. For an Example, If you want to Know how many or percentage of BMs like to top or bottom ? The poll will give you a quantitative result. The BMs will vote and you get the result. Making a poll make a thread interesting. It is important that your poll is relevant to your topic. Now, if you want to make a poll in your thread, you should click on ‘Manage Topic Poll’ button. And you should see the following Page – 1 – The Title of the Poll. It is optional but I suggest that there should be one. For this example lets is “The Fav Mod” 2 – If you want to be able to see who has posted what then tick this box, please note that this option is only available when you first create the poll, once the poll has been created this cannot be changed. 3 – The Question. It is very important that you frame the question correctly. I remember I made a mistake in framing the question in my first poll and it was a mess ! One good way is to ask the question to yourself time and again and see the possible answers to it. This needs further explanations as followings – Question : Who is your favorite Moderator ? Given the choice of four, the answer could be more than one for a BM. Question : Who is your most favorite Moderator ? Given the choice of four, the answer has to be only one. It is difficult to make a poll with questions with open answers. To begin with, I would say the best is, if the answer is limited to Yes, no and May be/sometimes etc. However, when you learn more in the board, I am sure you will be able to make a complex poll. 4 – You put the answers here. You can put only one answer in one box. So, to add click on ‘add another choice’ button. You can see a range of answers in the subsequent page. When you put the answers, try to be considerate to everyone’s need. Have a look at the difference in the following two questions – Question 1 : Do you blow a LB ? Possible Answers : Yes and NO only. Question 2 : Do you Like to blow a LB ? Possible Answers : Yes, No and Sometimes/ Not always etc. 5 - Now, as said before, there may be questions having multiple answers. And if you want to BMs/Voters to choose more than one options/answers, you should check this box. 6 – Add another choice button. Clicking on this will give you another box to put another answer. You can add as many answers as you want. Usually a question should have minimum two answers to choose from. 7 – If you want to remove the question, click here. 8 – If you want to ask multiple questions, you can click here to have a box for another question. The example of given in the subsequent page. 9 – Click here if you want to close the poll form The next page is just an example showing multiple answers in a question and showing how you make poll with two separate questions. Using The Board swadee replied to swadee's topic in How to Register with us & use our friendly Ladyboy ForumCreating a Thread/Topic Creating a thread is very important. A BM should post interesting, informative and topics of new concept. Trust me mates, its fun. And when you start getting replies of other BMs, its kind of addictive. However, its also important that you just don’t make a thread for the sake of making it. 1 – First you choose the section, where you want to create a thread/topic. It is obvious that you should choose a section which is most relevant to your topic. There are many sections which should be meeting your needs. However, give a buzz to any of the moderators, if you think that there is a need for a new section. As an example, if you have chosen Chit Chat Section to make your thread, you will see the following page – 1 – You should then click on the ‘Start New Topic’ to start creating your thread. The following page is actually where you make the thread. It needs some explanations. 1 – You write the topic title here. Make it catchy so that other BMs are attracted to it. But make it relevant also…lol.. 2 – Topic description. It appears beneath your topic title. It describes your topic little more. Although it is optional, I suggest that you write it so that your thread is more attractive. 3 – If you want to make a poll in your thread, this is the button you are to click. I shall explain this more later. 4 – The toolbar. Almost similar that of the Microsoft word. I shall explain this separately. 5 – This is actually where you put your text. You should get the cursor in this box and then write away. 6 – The Emotion icons. You can use them in between your text to make them more attractive. Emotions also speak a lot by themselves. It therefore reduces your writings, if you are a lazy ass like me. You can close this emotion bar, if you want, by clicking on the cross button on the top right corner of the emotion bar. If you want to see all the emotion icons, there is ‘show all’ button at the bottom. When you scroll further down on the same page, you will find more as you can see below – 1 – File attachment. If you want to add any picture in your thread, you should attach those. When you click on this button, a window will pop up. Go to the location of your computer in that window, where you have those pictures and select them. In fact double clicking on when will automatically start the picture to be uploaded. You can upload multiple pictures at the same time. Select multiple files by using the Ctrl button and click open. As a member, you are allowed to upload 1.95 MB of pictures. But not to worry if you have more and need to exceed that limit. Please give a head up to any of the moderator and we shall take care of it. 2 – This will only appear when your picture/pictures have been attached. You now have to take the cursor to the desired place in the text box, where you want to place the picture. You have to do the same process (taking the cursor in the text box) for each picture you want to place in the text box. If you are posting a long TR, having pictures in between the texts is a good way to explain what you said and it is also good to keep the reader with the thread. Otherwise, you may place all the pictures at the bottom of the text. It’s your style, you chose how it should look like. 3 - If you are facing any problem attaching the files, you may switch to the basic uploader which is very simple. 4 – These are few additional options which normally remain minimized. You can see them by using the button available on the page. The post options are very simple to understand. Just click the boxes or not for choosing your wish. 5 – These are icons that you may choose to be along your thread title. If you choose any of them just click and it will appear beside your thread title. It’s not in use much but a good thing to give a good look to the title. It adds to what the thread title is actually saying. 6 – Finally, the three buttons at the bottom. Use the left one to post what you have written so far (Post New Topic). Using the preview button is very useful. You can preview your works and make necessary changes, if needed. And use the cancel button (on the right) to cancel what ever you have done so far and go back to the previous page. Using The Board swadee replied to swadee's topic in How to Register with us & use our friendly Ladyboy ForumWill do that soon mate. I am sure it would work because its in the open forum and any guest can have look at it without logging in. Using The Board swadee replied to swadee's topic in How to Register with us & use our friendly Ladyboy ForumViewing Another BM’s Profile There could be many reasons, as to why you need to view the profile of another BM. One of them could be that you just liked his posts. There are a number of ways to view his profile but the most easy way is to click on his Board name, wherever it appears except in any text box (such as posts) written by any BM. In some places a small button appears on the right side of his board name. 1 – This is the link to the short cut of his profile at a glace. When you click on the above link, you will see a page like shown in the next picture. It shows the profile of the BM and has four buttons at the bottom left as followings – 1 – Add him as your friend by clicking on this. 2 – Send him a Private Message (PM). This will be elaborated later. 3 – View the list of his topics. 4 – View the list of his posts. Viewing Profile Page of Another BM If you have clicked on the Board Name of a BM, his full profile page will appear as you can see in the following picture. It looks like your own profile page but has some additional buttons. You can send him a PM from here and you can also add him as a friend. The buttons are similar to the last as followings – 1 – Add him as your friend by clicking on this. 2 – Send him a Private Message (PM). This will be elaborated later. 3 – View the list of his topics. 4 – View the list of his posts. One important button here is Reporting against the BM to the Admin/Moderators. If you find anything wrong/against the board rule or anything that you want to bring to the notice of the Admin/Moderator – 5 – Use the report button to report about this member to the admin/moderators If you have clicked on the report button, you will see a page as following – 1 – Put your comment/complain/report about the BM in this box. 2 – Use the send button. One restriction about use of the report button is, you should never use it against BM Swadee (Just kidding mates) ! Sending PM Sending PMs to other BMs are very common and unless you are doing it, you really aren’t enjoying the board. When you have clicked on the PM Button on his profile (At a glace or full profile), you will find the following page – 1 – Write the subject of the message (like e mail) 2 – Put your words here. 3 – Click the send button and you are through Using The Board swadee replied to swadee's topic in How to Register with us & use our friendly Ladyboy ForumYour Profile Now that you are an active member, you should customize your profile. Here is how you do it – Opening Page and click on the drop down menu beside your Board Name. Alternatively, you can click on your name wherever it appears on the board. 1 - Drop down menu and click on my profile. You can then see this page and it needs lots of explaining as followings – 1 - You can edit your profile by clicking this button. 2 - User rating – How people rates you as a BM. There are up to 5 stars. If someone has rated you 3 stars, reading your topics/posts, three stars will become golden. 3 - Same as explained before, you can up date your status here. 4 - If you have written something in your about me page, its going to appear here. Its always good to write something about you so that the other BMs can learn about you. It’s an optional thing though. 5 - From there buttons, you can go to the topics and posts made by you. The recent ones will appear first. If another BM is viewing your profile, he can also check/see the list of topics/posts made by you. Not to worry, someone will only view your profile, if he likes you. 6 - This is a measure of your quality of participation in the Board. If your posts by others, they can give you + 1 and this add up as Reputation (Rep). I shall talk about reputation in a separate post in details. 7 - If you add friends from the BMs, their names will appear here. A forum is a place for like minded friends and you should have many friends. I shall explain how to add friends in a separate post. 8 - This actually shows your profile. Your Group, number of posts you have made, date of your joining in the board, when you were active last etc. There is a need to explain the groups a little here. There are few groups in a forum. This is mainly to identify, how seasoned the BM is in this forum. The groups are as followings – Member - Anyone who joins the board becomes a member. All of us were members once. Member + - When a member has made more than 50 posts. Member - When a member has/has not made 50 posts but needs more space in the forum because he is posting pictures etc. A moderator can help to get a member to this group. Advanced - When BM has made 50 + post and considered to be a seasoned BM. Please see this thread to learn more about it. Moderator - BMs who moderate the board. Basically, they assist the BMs and the Admin of the board to keep it clean and happy. Admin - The mindless a** f**ker who does not pay the moderators ! He rules the board as an administrator. Editing your Profile When you click Edit my profile button you see the following page - 1 - This is the profile option page. Clicking on the other buttons on the left, you can go to your setting and forum options. Unless you are sure about what to do, it’s better to keep these options as default. 2 - These are the profile options. Each one is self explanatory indeed. 3 - These are important buttons for editing your profile. From here you can click on Change About Me Page, Change Signature, Change Photo, Change Avatar etc pages. I shall explain all of them next. Note: Use the Save changes button, when you have changed something Meanwhile, just for your information, this is the Setting Option Page 1 - These are your options in the Setting Page. 2 - You can change your e mail address, password, manage your notes etc from this page. Note: Use the Save changes button, when you have changed something And this is the Forum Option Page 1 - These are your options in the Forum Page Note: Use the Save changes button, when you have changed something Editing Profile – About Me Page When you click Change About Me Page, the following page will appear - 1 - You may write whatever you want about you in this box 2 - This is a normal formatting toolbar, similar to Microsoft word. Please use it at your convenience 3 - There are emotions you may use in your text. Put the cursor where you want an emotion icon and click on the icon. Scroll down and have a look, there are many options to take from. 4 - Save change button. Use when you have finished. Changing Your Signature If you wish to put a signature (Not necessarily a sign), it will appear at the bottom of each of your posts. Its good to have few catch words as your signature. You can also put a countdown clock or a small picture in your signature. When you click the Change Signature button the following page will appear – 1 - You may write whatever you want as your signature in this box. The restrictions are given at the bottom of the page 2 - This is a normal formatting toolbar, similar to Microsoft word. Please use it at your convenience 3 - Save change button. Use when you have finished. Changing Your Photo This is a very self explanatory page. If you wish to upload a photo you can use the browse button and do that. Your photo will appear in your profile. It’s always good to have a photo in your profile. Helps the BMs to remember you easily. When you have done that, your profile will look like this having a picture – Changing Avatar Avatar is an important thing for a BM. Well at least to me ! It’s a picture/icon/animation, which will appear on the left of each of your posts It helps other BMs to recognize your posts. It’s a trade mark in fact. Here is how an avatar looks like – When you have clicked change avatar button the following page will appear – Its again a self explanatory page where you can upload your avatar in four different ways. 1 - You can upload a picture that you have from your PC 2 - You can copy-paste a URL of a picture or animation 3 - You can insert your Gavatar e-mail address (never used it) 4 - You can choose from one of our pre-selected avatar from here The restrictions for avatar are written in the page. Enough for today guys ! I hope, I got everything on order ! Cheers ! Using The Board swadee posted a topic in How to Register with us & use our friendly Ladyboy ForumThis thread is dedicated to our BM rackenrobbier who is also a BM in our sister forum bangkokladyboys. He has opened our eyes that such a thread is necessary. I shall build the thread over time and keep on putting information, as felt appropriate. Hope it helps. It is understood that you have already registered and logged in. So, here it goes - The Opening Page 1 - Your user name. It has got a drop down menu and you can go to your profile, setting and manage your messages. 2 - The search box. You it like any other search box. There is an advanced search option on the right, in case you need to go for a detail search. 3 - View new content. Once you are back in the forum, after some time; you can view the list of threads which has new posts. An easy way to remain updated in the forum. 4 - The forum rules. Always better to go through once. Note: Point to note that all members may not see all the options as you can see below. As you advance in the forum, more options and funs will be available for your use. Scroll Down and you will find this – 1 - These are Sections (some call them threads also). It is expected that a Board Member (BM) should post his thread/topic in a relevant section. Ladyboys Pattaya has grown over years and has a good selection of Section to cover almost all needs. Please have you look before you post your thread/topic. 2 - Shows the last thread/topic active (may not be the newest) in that section along with the Board Name of the last poster and the time. 3 - Shows recently added threads/topics. Its an easy way to find out what’s new in the board. 4 - You can give your status update here. No harm, if you don’t. But its good to keep fellow BMs aware what’s going on with you/your life. Anything is ok. Scroll Down and you will find this – 1 - List of today’s top posters at a glance on the front page ! The winners of the day I would say ! It always feels good to see your name there ! Scroll Down and you will find this at the bottom of the opening page – 1 - Similar to view new contents. But the difference is, it shows all the topics which were active in last 24 hours, regardless of when you logged in last. 2 - The list of Administrator and Moderators of the Board. The Administrator of the Board actually rules the board and Moderators help him to do that. 3 - List of today’s top 20 posters. The list keeps changing automatically. So, if you were no 1 and after 2 hours you are at no 3, don’t worry about it. 4 - List of overall top posters. The list can be seen in alphabetic order/date of joining order too. 5 - Shows the credentials of the Board. 6 - The list of active users in the Board at this moment. In this list, you will find different colours as followings – Blue - The Admins Red - The Mods Green - The Advanced Members (Please see How do I become an Advance Member thread) Black - The Members I shall further explain the member’s status later. The last few are mostly informative pages and you can not play with them. Lounge Bars - Locations swadee replied to macca's topic in How to Register with us & use our friendly Ladyboy ForumIn a row I think soi 6 has most of them. There are few here and there like SF and La Bam Ba, Ezy is also lounge type. However, to spend an afternoon nothing beats an open bar. Coundown Clock swadee replied to tookinky4her's topic in How to Register with us & use our friendly Ladyboy ForumWelcome to the board mate ! :Bunch Of Roses: Ok, here is what you got to do - Open this webpage. Go to the menu on the left and click on Vacation Countdown Clocks Customize the clock according to your choice Now get the HTML Code at the bottom. Copy it. Come back to our website and click on My Control Go to Personal information - Edit Signature Now paste the HTML Code and click on update signature. You have a countdown clock now ! Hope it helps. Creating New Topics swadee replied to Terry Tibbs's topic in How to Register with us & use our friendly Ladyboy ForumVery useful thread IHM. Thanks. Just to add, the topic description field is an optional one but it can add some glamour to the topic. Using it with some catchy words will attract more BMs to read the topic. - Forum News And Annoucements swadee replied to Terry Tibbs's topic in Forum News & AnnoucementsHi mate ! Thanks for your concern. Yes, you are right. The method of having x number of post is to test one's perseverance to remain in the board and see if the BM is trustworthy (so called as I think all BM are trustworthy). This is just a way. Now, there are members who might be already known and trusted by admin/mods or by other trusted members (in some case). In those case, it may not be needed for them to have x number of post. As I said before, this is just a method. IMO, the best way is to enjoy the board and you won't even know when you are there. - Nasty... :Trouser Cough: - IHM and Giz, thanks for the hard work you are putting in for the Board. I am sending a PM to you in this regard.

Praise for Making a Literary Life Sage and friendly advice for aspiring scribes By SAMANTHA PUCKETT St. Petersburg Times, published September 15, 2002 IMAGINE THIS: You have been introduced to an established, respectable writer, and she likes you – a lot. So much, in fact, that she spends hours and hours giving you advice about writing and living a writer’s life. She opens up to you about her painful family history, about which of her peers she respects and which she can’t stand. She’s funny and sassy; she cracks you up when she makes fun of Philip Roth. She gives you commonsense advice like: You must write “a thousand words a day. Five days a week. For the rest of your life.” She also tells you to do clever things like write charming notes to people you don’t know, and why that’s a good idea. And she has faith in you. What’s more, you get to absorb all this sage advice while having a really good time – in your pajamas, whenever you want; five minutes at a time or five hours at a time. And for this, all you have to do is take one itsy bitsy trip to the bookstore and drop $23.95. Sound good? Then go out and buy Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers by Carolyn See (Random House, 260 pp). The San Francisco Chronicle Loves Making a Literary Life! Road map to the literary world Reviewed by Joanna Smith Rakoff Aspiring writers could easily stock their bookshelves with nothing but writing manuals. Each season, scores of them appear, the majority penned by writers with few (or no) other books to their name. It’s kind of strange, isn’t it, that we’re willing to take advice on writing from the likes of, say, Natalie Goldberg, who made her debut in 1986 with “Writing Down the Bones,” a New Age-inflected collection of writing exercises that remains a perennial favorite with creative-writing profs. It wasn’t until 1995, nearly a decade later, that her first and only (published) novel hit bookstores, to a thundering silence from critics. That same year, Anne Lamott set a new standard for books on writing, eschewing both the touchy-feely approach of Goldberg and the strict how-to format of books with titles like “Self-Editing for Writers.” In “Bird by Bird,” the Northern California novelist and memoirist used her trademark humor and bracing honesty to describe the often-brutal process of writing and the always-brutal publishing industry, weaving personal stories and anecdotes with hard-core advice about plot, character and dialogue. Now, Southern California novelist and memoirist Carolyn See (“The Handyman”; “Dreaming”) has followed suit, offering up her own cranky take on both the process and the business of slinging words about. Like Lamott, See is a plainspoken, folksy sort of writer, and in many ways, “Making a Literary Life” fills in the spaces left blank by Lamott, who remained curiously silent on certain crucial subjects — like revision (a task See finds so daunting she often drinks a glass of red wine while tackling it). But See’s intent is expressly political. The literary world, she suggests, is still mostly the province of those “born and raised in an upper-middle- class (or higher) family in New York or New England” whose “grandfather . . . attended college with Norman Mailer” or “grandmother . . . [went] to that Episcopal church where Madeleine L’Engle goes,” of Ivy League alums and master’s of fine arts program grads genetically programmed to understand how the vast New York culture machine functions. Or, at least, it can seem that way when you’re outside of it, scribbling away in obscurity, as See once was. The book, she says, is for “students just coming to this discipline, older people who wanted to write in their youth and never got around to it, folks who live in parts of the country where the idea of writing is about as strange as crossbreeding a tomato and a trout.” Or, put bluntly, in See’s refreshingly salty prose: “This book is for the timid, forlorn, and clueless.” Thus, she’s somewhat more interested in cluing in her readers to the thorny reality of the publishing industry, offering nuts-and- bolts instructions for negotiating the weird world of book and magazine editors, literary agents, publicists and the like than in providing tips on plot and point of view. (Though solid, the section on writing technique is a bit thin.) These days See, author of nine books, Washington Post book critic, UCLA prof, recipient of a Guggenheim and so on, is something of a literary grande dame, and she believes “with a patriotic sincerity that would make a Legionnaire blush, that American literature is owned by everybody in America and that world lit is owned by everybody in the world and that we all get to have a say in it, not just a comparatively few men and women in the Northeast.” “Making a Literary Life” is as much the story of See’s own attempts to carve out a life for herself as a writer — writing 1,000 words each day, no matter how bad; sending off scores of notes to writers she admired; selecting her homes based on their views; alienating two husbands, both “failed writers,” by the sheer force of her ambition — as it is a self-help book for writers. Her foibles, which include posing as her own (nonexistent) publicist and sending longtime Atlantic Monthly editor C. Michael Curtis an envelope stuffed with family photos, serve as a kind of seriocomic road map for the hordes who will identify with See’s story, which is, essentially, the story of a scrappy girl from Texas who made herself into a writer through hard work, supernatural amounts of chutzpah and, well, more hard work. In the end, this emphasis on work sets See’s charming, conversational volume apart from the hundreds of other writing manuals crowding the shelves of your local bookshop. Being a writer, she insists, is in many ways a matter of working yourself into a role, of writing those 1,000 words each morning, of educating yourself about the business behind the books you read. Early on, See tells the tale of Kay Boyle, a prominent writer of the 1950s, who married a poor Frenchman at a tender age. “The first place they lived didn’t even have windows.” Boyle painted windows onto the walls, then scrawled notes to the well-known writers then living in Paris, who soon became her friends and invited her to join them in the City of Light. “She literally wrote herself out of that windowless cave,” says See exuberantly. See pulled off a similar feat, and she’s hoping, with a warmth rarely seen in literary circles, that her readers will do the same. The Washington Post gives Making a Literary Life a rave! The Write Stuff Reviewed by Susan Isaacs Sunday, August 25, 2002 “The author’s chapter on ‘Charming Notes’ is one with which this reviewer must take issue. As a Californian, Carolyn See acknowledges the isolation of writers living outside New York. To counter this loneliness and to get acquainted with literary types, she proposes that you ‘write one charming note to a novelist, an editor, a journalist, a poet, a sculptor, even an agent whose professional work or reputation you admire, five days a week, for the rest of your life.’ Even if a potential novelist can suppress ego long enough to pen such a letter, to be either a devoted fan, sycophant or cunning networker, that sort of writing dissipates psychic energy better devoted to fiction. Also, it is difficult to imagine coming up with 260 icons a year, much less thousands in a lifetime, and being charming precludes salutations such as ‘Dear Infelicitous Poet.'” Still, the would-be writer must find not only his or her narrator’s voice but also the good sense to know what tips will work in the universe of the novel. So while one might want to give a couple of See’s helpful hints the heave-ho, Making a Literary Life is a book to be treasured. It is only one writer’s guide to the writing life, but Carolyn See is one hell of a writer. And, it would also seem, a generous human being. ” – read the FULL REVIEW From the Miami Herald Get ready (grab pen), get set (pour wine), . . . now write! BY MARGARIA FICHTNER “Making a Literary Life may not provide all the amenities, camaraderie, name-dropping and ego-withering critiques of a summer at, say, Bread Loaf, but it may get you off your duff and send you scurrying to your desk or laptop even if you have no clue as to the finer points of ‘voice,’ ‘character’ and ‘point of view,’ even if you have never written anything more literary than a check, even if you happen to live someplace where `the idea of writing is about as strange as crossbreeding a tomato and a trout.”’ See, who teaches English at UCLA, practices it as a novelist and memoirist and ponders it as The Washington Post’s smart, unflaggingly entertaining weekday book critic, has a good idea here: Let’s make writing easy! Let’s make it fun! Key to her title and philosophy is the word Making. The literary life is not something you can buy, steal or inherit. It is something you must construct as carefully as you would a boxwood maze, a ship in a bottle or a souffle, something that requires time, discipline, patience, faith, a little goofy white magic and the right tools. See’s book is divided into three parts — Before, The Writing, During and After. It is crammed with advice that often seems downright motherly (See’s two daughters are writers, too), as well as with affirmations (”I am a powerful, loving and creative being . . . ”), tips on how to behave (“. . . [N]obody wants a writer-jerk in the family”), uplifting exercises (“If you’re working on a book, what’s the title? Write it out nicely, on a good sheet of paper. Be sure to put your name on as the author”) and helpful lists of dos and don’ts. Here is a do: ”Every writer needs an entourage . . . so that when your book comes out and you start having signings, you won’t be quaking with terror and sorrow in front of a bunch of empty folding chairs . . . .” And here is a don’t: “Don’t write what you know; write what you care about.” Read the FULL REVIEW! From “Writers’ Carousel,” The Writer’s Center, Maryland (September, 2002) by Judith McCombs What’s not to acclaim about Carolyn See’s engaging, tenacious, heartening advice to writers and would-be writers? I must be missing something–Lord knows I’m not the gushing type–but after three weeks of reading and talking about this book, I still can’t come up with a convincing complaint. See’s pithy advice nudges the novice and the stranded writer into reality–first, don’t tell non-writers how you want to write. Second, call up your own material–the people and events that shape your life and imprint your dreams–and if they don’t look like what you think of as really worthy literary material, so what? Third, write: a thousand words a day, five days a week, for the rest of your life. No writing ahead, no catching up–each day starts at zero. Two hours of heavy editing count for a thousand words. Read the FULL REVIEW. From the San Jose Mercury News: Write On by Charles Matthews I don’t think any book can teach you how to be a writer, but novelist and critic Carolyn See’s “Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers” (Random House, 265 pp., $23.95) could help you figure out if it’s what you want to do. Her book is a little bit confessional, a little bit how-to, and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. (She listens to Van Morrison while she writes.) Writing is something you must love for its own sake, not for fame or money, because you’re a dope if that’s what you’re out for. (Even some famous writers obviously do it out of love, because they keep doing it: Stephen King and John Grisham have more money than they can ever spend, but they keep turning out books.) So some of See’s advice seems designed to test your love of writing. Her No. 1 rule: “A thousand words a day — or two hours of revision — five days a week for the rest of your life.” If you can keep up that pace even when the rejection slips are coming in, then you’re in love. See’s rule No. 2 is: “A `charming note’ (that does not ask for a favor) to a writer, editor, or agent you admire — five days a week for the rest of your life (or, flowers, lunch, drinks, a helium balloon, etc.).” I won’t be doing that, but I see her point: There’s no such thing as a writing community. It’s a lonely business with lousy feedback. You rarely hear from readers except when they want to correct, chastise or complain. The times when they write to agree, to support, to encourage are so rare that they make your day. When authors e-mail me about how much they appreciate my review of their books, I get such a buzz from the gesture that I feel like I can never again review them fairly. (Hmm. Maybe I shouldn’t let that get about.) From Kirkus reviews: “This book is for the timid, forlorn, and clueless,” declares the author, who is none of the above. Her chatty, breezy text aims to build the confidence and coping skills of people who, like the 32-year-old Californian divorced mother of two See once was, dream of making a career as a writer but don’t know how to go about it. Part One, “Before,” offers a framework for getting down to work. The fundamentals? “A thousand words a day, five days a week, and one charming note written to someone in the literary world who makes your hands sweat – five days a week, for the rest of your life.” The charming note, along with the cheerful replies to rejection letters that See also mandates, make aspiring writers human to the jaded New York insides who determine their literary fate: “like everyone else in the world, [publishing professionals] like to hang out with their friends instead of strangers.” Sound but unsurprising advice on identifying your material, startling but not entirely flaky and straightforward guidance on how to send out a manuscript round out this section. Part Two, “The Writing,” covers character, plot, point of view, scene setting and construction, and revisions – it’s helpful if not innovative material presented with the sharp humor and judicious use of personal anecdotes that enliven the whole. Part Three, “During and After,” is a must for first-time authors who don’t realize how much their successful publication depends on their efforts, from throwing their own parties to arranging local bookstore signings, and how short the time frame is. (“Four months after your book is published, it’s dead.”) See’s comments on magazine writing – forget guery letters; send notes describing the piece, then send the piece – are equally shrewd. “Living a literary life is a marriage,” she writes: romance is part of it, but so is hard work.

Publications Books How emotions are made. Forthcoming. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. What is an emotion? Volume under contract. New York: Guilford. Edited Volumes Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J. M., & Barrett, L. F. (Eds.). (in press). The handbook of emotion, 4th Edition. New York: Guilford. Barrett, L. F., & Russell, J. A. (Eds.) (2015). The psychological construction of emotion. New York: Guilford. Mesquita, B., Barrett, L. F., & Smith, E. (Eds.) (2010). The mind in context. New York: Guilford. Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J. M., & Barrett, L. F. (Eds.). (2008). The handbook of emotion, 3rd Edition. New York: Guilford. Barrett, L. F., Niedenthal, P., & Winkielman, P. (Eds.). (2005). Emotions: Conscious and Unconscious New York: Guilford. Barrett, L. F., & Salovey, P. (Eds.). (2002). The wisdom in feeling: Processes underlying emotional intelligence. New York: Guilford. Commissioned Articles Barrett, L. F. (2008). Emotion. Entry for World Book Encyclopedia. Barrett, L. F. (2007). The science of emotion. White paper commissioned for the National Research Council Committee on Opportunities in Basic Research in the Behavioral and Social Sciences for the U.S. Military. Journal Publications In Press or Forthcoming Clark-Polner, E., Wager, T. D., Satpute, A. B., & Barrett, L. F. (in press). Neural fingerprinting: Meta-analysis, variation, and the search for brain-based essences in the science of emotion. In L..F. Barrett, M. Lewis, & J. M. Haviland-Jones (Eds.) The handbook of emotion, 4th Edition. New York: Guilford. van den Heuvel, M., de Reus, M. A., Barrett, L. F., Scholtens, L. H., Coopmans, F. M. T., Schmidt, R., Preuss, T., Rilling, J. K., & Longchuan, L. (in press). Comparison of diffusion tractography and tract-tracing measures of connectivity strength in rhesus macaque connectome. Human Brain Mapping. Kleckner, I. R., Wormwood, J. B., Simmons, W. K., Barrett, L. F., & Quigley, K. S. (in press). Methodological recommendations for a heartbeat detection-based measure of interoceptive sensitivity. Psychophysiology. Lindquist, K. A., Satpute, A. B., Wager, T. D., Weber, J., & Barrett, L. F. (in press). The brain basis of positive and negative affect: Evidence from a meta-analysis of the human neuroimaging literature. Cerebral Cortex. Lynn, S. K., Ibagon, C., Bui, E., Palitz, S., Simon, N. M., & Barrett, L. F. (in press). Working memory capacity is associated with optimal adaptation of response bias to perceptual sensitivity in emotion perception. Emotion. Lynn, S. K., Wormwood, J. B., Barrett, L. F., & Quigley, K. S. (in press). Decision making from economic and signal detection perspectives: Development of an integrated framework. Frontiers in Psychology. Oosterwijk., S., Lindquist, K. A., Adebayo, K., & Barrett, L. F. (in press). The neural representation of typical and atypical experiences of negative images: Comparing fear, disgust and morbid fascination. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Siegel, E. H., Sands, M. K., Condon, P., Chang, Y., Dy, J., Quigley, K. S., & Barrett, L. F. (under review). Emotion fingerprints or emotion populations? A meta-analytic investigation of autonomic features of emotion categories. Manuscript under review. Touroutoglou, A., Andreano, J. M., Barrett, L. F., & Dickerson B. C. (in press). Brain network connectivity-behavioral relationships exhibit trait-like properties: evidence from hippocampal connectivity and memory. Hippocampus. Wormwood, J., Lynn, S., Barrett, L. F., & Quigley, K. (in press). Threat perception after the Boston Marathon bombings: The effects of personal relevance and conceptual framing. Cognition and Emotion. 2015 Barrett, L. F. (2015). Ten common misconceptions about the psychological construction of emotion. Chapter in L. F. Barrett and J. A. Russell (Eds.) The psychological construction of emotion (p. 45-79). New York: Guilford. Barrett, L. F. (2015). Construction as an integrative framework for the science of emotion. Chapter in L. F. Barrett and J. A. Russell (Eds.) The psychological construction of emotion (p. 448-458). New York: Guilford. Barrett, L. F. & Russell, J. A. (2015). An introduction to psychological construction. Chapter in L. F. Barrett and J. A. Russell (Eds.) The psychological construction of emotion (p. 1-17). New York: Guilford. Barrett, L. F. & Simmons, W. K. (2015). Interoceptive predictions in the brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16, 419-429.. Ferrer, R., A., McDonald, P. G., & Barrett, L. F. (2015). Affective science perspectives on cancer control: Strategically crafting a mutually beneficial research agenda. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10, 328-345. PMC4193460. Gendron, M., Roberson, D., & Barrett, L. F. (2015). Cultural variation in emotion perception is real: A response to Sauter et al. Psychological Science, 26, 357-359. Kashdan, T.B., Barrett. L.F., & McKnight, P. E. (2015). Unpacking emotion differentiation: Transforming unpleasant experience by perceiving distinctions in negativity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24, 10-16. Kveraga, K., Boshyan, J., Mote, N., Betz, N., Ward, N., Hadjikhani, N., Bar, M., and Barrett, L. F. (2015). If it bleeds, it leads: Separating threat and negativity. Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience, 10, 28-35. Lebois, L. A. M., Papies, E. K., Gopinath, K., Cabanban, R., Quigley, K. S., Krishnamurthy, V., Barrett, L., F., & Barsalou, L. W. (2015). A shift in perspective: Decentering through mindful attention to imagined stressful events. Neuropsychologia, 75, 505-524. Satpute A.B., Wilson-Mendenhall C.D., Kleckner I.R. & Barrett L.F. (2015). Emotional experience. In Arthur W. Toga (Ed.) Brain Mapping: An Encyclopedic Reference, (p. 65-72). Academic Press: Elsevier. Touroutoglou, A., Lindquist, K. A., Dickerson B. C., & Barrett, L. F. (2015). Intrinsic connectivity in the human brain does not reveal networks for "basic" emotions. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. doi:10.1093/scan/nsv013/. Wager, T. D., Kang, J., Johnson, T. D., Nichols, T. E., Satpute, A. B., & Barrett, L. F. (2015). A Bayesian model of category-specific emotional brain responses. PLOS Computational Biology. 11(4): e1004066. doi:10.1371/ journal.pcbi.1004066 2014 Andreano, J. M., Dickerson, B. D., & Barrett, L. F. (2014). Sex differences in the persistence of the amygdala response to negative material. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9, 1388-94. Barrett, L. F. (2014). The conceptual act theory: A précis. Emotion Review 6, 292-297. Barrett, L. F., Wilson-Mendenhall, C. D., & Barsalou, L. W. (2014). A psychological construction account of emotion regulation and dysregulation: The role of situated conceptualizations. Chapter in J. J. Gross (Ed.), The Handbook of Emotion Regulation, 2nd Ed (p. 447-465). New York: Guilford. Bickart, K., C., Dickerson, B., C., & Barrett, L. F. (2014). The amygdala as a hub in brain networks that support social life. Neuropsychologia, 63, 235-248. Chaumon, M. Kveraga, K., Barrett, L. F., & Bar, M. (2014). Visual predictions in the orbitofrontal cortex rely on associations. Cerebral Cortex, 24, 2899-907. Condon, P., Wilson-Mendenhall, C., & Barrett, L. F. (2014). What is a positive emotion? The psychological construction of pleasant fear and unpleasant happiness. In M. Tugade, M. Shiota, & L. Kirby (Eds.), The Handbook of Positive Emotions, (p. 60-81). New York: Guilford.. Hoge, E.A., Anderson, E., Lawson, E.A., Bui, E., Fischer, L., Khadge, S., Barrett, L.F., & Simon, N. (2014). Gender moderates the effect of oxytocin on Social Judgments. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 29, 299-304. Kring, A. M., Siegel, E. H., & Barrett, L. F (2014). Unseen affective faces influence person perception in schizophrenia. Clinical Psychological Science, 2, 443-454. Lindquist, K. A., Gendron, M., Barrett, L. F., & Dickerson, B.C. (2014). Emotion perception but not affect perception is impaired with semantic memory loss. Emotion, 14, 375-387. Lynn, S. K., & Barrett, L. F. (2014). "Utilizing" signal detection theory. Psychological Science. DOI: 10.1177/0956797614541991 Lynn, S. K., Hoge, E. A., Fischer, L. E., Barrett, L. F., & Simon, N. S. (2014). Gender differences in oxytocin-associated disruption of decision bias during emotion perception. Psychiatric Research, 219, 198-203. Quigley, K. S., & Barrett, L. F. (2014). Is there consistency and specificity of autonomic changes during emotional episodes? Guidance from the Conceptual Act Theory and psychophysiology. Biological Psychology, 98, 82-94. Touroutoglou, A., Bickart, K. C., Barrett, L. F., & Dickerson, B. C. (2014). Amygdala task-evoked activity and task-free connectivity independently contribute to feelings of arousal. Human Brain Mapping, 10. Wilson-Mendenhall, C. D., Barrett, L. F., & Barsalou, L. W. (2014). Variety in emotional life: Within-category typicality of emotional experiences is associated with neural activity in large-scale brain networks. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 10, 62-71. 2013 Anderson, E., Dryman, M. T., Worthington, J., Hoge, E., Fischer, L., Pollack, M., Barrett, L. F., & Simon, N. (2013). Smiles may go unseen in generalized anxiety disorder: Evidence from binocular rivalry for reduced visual consciousness of positive facial expressions. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 27, 619-626. Barrett, L. F. (2013). Psychological construction: A Darwinian approach to the science of emotion. Emotion Review, 5, 379-389. Barrett, L. F. (2013). Emotion: Structural approaches. In H. Pashler (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the Mind. New York: Sage. Barrett, L. F. & Satpute, A. (2013). Large-scale brain networks in affective and social neuroscience: Towards an integrative architecture of the human brain. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 23, 361-372. Bickart, K., Brickhouse, M., Negreira, A., Sapolsky, D., Barrett, L. F., & Dickerson, B. C. (2014). Atrophy in distinct cortiolimbic networks in frontotemporal dementia relates to social impairments measured using the Social Impairment Rating Scale. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. Online before print. Boiger, M., Mesquita, B., Uchida, Y., & Barrett, L. F. (2013). Condoned or condemned: The situational affordance of anger and shame in the US and Japan. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39, 540-553. Condon, P., & Barrett, L. F. (2013). Pleasant and unpleasant varieties of compassion. Emotion 13, 817-21. Fugate, J. M. B., Lindquist, K.A., & Barrett, L. F (2013). Emotion experience. Chapter in K. Ochsner & S. Kosslyn (Eds.), Handbook of Cognitive Neuroscience (p.32-51). New York: Oxford University Press. Gendron, M., Mesquita, B., & Barrett, L. F. (2013). Emotion perception. Chapter in D. Reisberg (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Psychology (p. 379-389). New York: Oxford University Press. Gross, J. J., & Barrett, L. F. (2013). The emerging field of affective science. Emotion, 6, 997-998. Kuppens, P., Tuerlinckx, F., Russell, J. A and Barrett, L. F. (2013). The relationship between valence and arousal in subjective experience. Psychological Bulletin, 139, 917-940. Lindquist, K. A., Gendron, M., Oosterwijk, S., & Barrett, L. F. (2013). Do people essentialize emotions? Individual differences in emotion essentialism and emotional experience. Emotion 13, 629-644. Lindquist, K. A., Siegel, E. H., Quigley, K., & Barrett, L. F. (2013). The hundred years emotion war: Are emotions natural kinds or psychological constructions? Comment on Lench, Flores, & Bench (2011). Psychological Bulletin, 139, 255-263. Moriguchi, Y., Touroutoglou, A., Dickerson, B. C., & Barrett, L. F. (2013). Sex differences in the neural correlates of affective experience. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Quigley, K. S., Lindquist, K. A., & Barrett, L. F. (2013). Inducing and measuring emotion: Tips, tricks, and secrets. Chapter in H. T. Reis and C. M. Judd (Eds.) Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology, (p. 220-250). New York: Cambridge University Press. Satpute, A. B., Wager, T. D., Cohen-Adad, J., Bianciardi, M., Choi, J-K., Buhle, J., Wald, L. L., & Barrett, L. F. (2013). Identification of discrete functional subregions of the human periaqueductal gray. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110, 17101-6. Shenhav, A., Barrett, L. F., & Bar, M. (2013). Affective value and associative processing share a cortical substrate. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience 13, 46-59. Wilson-Mendenhall, C., Barrett, L. F.*, & Barsalou, L. W.* (2013). Neural evidence that human emotions share core affective properties. Psychological Science, 24, 947-956. (Plus supplementary materials.) *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. Wilson-Mendenhall, C., Barrett, L. F.*, & Barsalou, L. W.* (2013). Situating emotional experience. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 1-16. *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. 2012 Anderson, E., Siegel, E. H., White, D., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). Out of sight but not out of mind: Unseen affective faces influence evaluations and social impression. Emotion, 12, 1210-1221. Barrett, L. F. (2012). Emotions are real. Emotion, 12, 413-429. Bickart, K. C., Hollenbeck, M. C., Barrett, L. F., & Dickerson, B. C. (2012). Intrinsic amygdala-cortical functional connectivity predicts social network size in humans. Journal of Neuroscience, 32, 14729-14741. Conner, T., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). Trends in ambulatory self-report: Understanding the utility of momentary experiences, memories, and beliefs. Psychosomatic Medicine, 74, 327-337. Demiralp, E., Thompson, R. J., Mata, J., Barrett, L. F., Ellsworth, P. C., Demiralp, M., Hernandez-Garcia, L., Deldin, P. J., Gotlib, I., H., & Jonides, J. (2012). Feeling blue or turquoise? Emotional differentiation in major depressive disorder. Psychological Science, 23, 1410-1416. Entis, J. J., Doerga, P., Barrett, L. F.*, & Dickerson, B. C.* (2012). A reliable protocol for the manual segmentation of the human amygdala using ultra-high resolution MRI. Neuroimage, 60, 1226-1235. *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. Gendron, M., Lindquist, K., Barsalou, L., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). Emotion words shape emotion percepts. Emotion, 12, 314-325. Lebrecht, S., Bar., M., Barrett, L. F., & Tarr, M. J. (2012). Micro-valences: Affective valence in "neutral" everyday objects. Frontiers in Perception Science, 3, 107. Lindquist, K., A., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). A functional architecture of the human brain: Insights from Emotion. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16, 533-540. Lindquist, K. A., Wager, T. D., Kober, H., Bliss-Moreau, E., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). The brain basis of emotion: A meta-analytic review. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 35, 121-143. (Plus supplementary materials (MS Word).) Lindquist, K. A., Wager, T. D., Kober, H., Bliss-Moreau, E., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). What are emotions and how are they created in the brain. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 35, 172-185. Lynn, S. K., Zhang, X., & Barrett, L.F. (2012). Affective state influences perception by affecting decision parameters underlying bias and sensitivity. Emotion, 12, 726-736. Oosterwijk, S., Lindquist, K. A., Anderson, E., Dautoff, R., Moriguchi, Y., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). Emotions, body feelings, and thoughts share distributed neural networks. Neuroimage, 62, 2110-2128. (Plus supplemental materials (PDF).) Touroutoglou, A., Hollenbeck, M., Dickerson, B. C., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). Dissociable large-scale networks anchored in the right anterior insula subserve affective experience and attention. Neuroimage, 60, 1947-1958. 2011 Anderson, E., Siegel, E. H., & Barrett, L. F (2011). What you feel influences what you see: The role of affective feelings in resolving binocular rivalry. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 856-860. Anderson, E., Siegel, E. H., Bliss-Moreau, E., & Barrett, L. F. The visual impact of gossip (2011). Science, 332, 1446-1448. (Abstract.) Barrett, L. F (2011). Bridging token identity theory and supervenience theory through psychological construction. Psychological Inquiry, 22, 115-127. Barrett, L. F (2011). Constructing emotion. Psychological Topics, 3, 359-380. Barrett, L. F. (2011). Was Darwin wrong about emotional expressions? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 400-406. Barrett, L. F., Mesquita, B., & Gendron, M. (2011). Context in emotion perception. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 286-290. Bickart, K. C., Wright, C. I., Dautoff, R. J., Dickerson, B. C.*, & Barrett, L. F.* (2011). Amygdala volume and social network size in humans. Nature Neuroscience, 14, 163-164. (Supplemental material.) *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. Gray, K., Knobe, J., Sheskin, M. Bloom, P., & Barrett, L. F. (2011). More than a body: Mind perception and the surprising nature of objectification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(6), 1207-1220. Gross, J. J., & Barrett, L. F. (2011). Emotion generation and emotion regulation: One or two depends on your point of view. Emotion Review, 3, 8-16. Moriguchi, Y, Negreira, A., Weierich, M., Dautoff, R., Dickerson, B. C., Wright, C. I., & Barrett, L. F. (2011). Differential hemodynamic response in affective circuitry with aging: An fMRI study of novelty, valence, and arousal. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23, 1027-41. Poulin, S. P., Dautoff, R. J., Morris, J. C., Barrett, L. F.*, & Dickerson, B. C.* (2011). Amygdala atrophy is prominent in early Alzheimer's disease and relates to symptom severity. Psychiatric Research: Neuroimaging, 194, 7-13. *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. *Authors share senior authorship as they made equal contributions to this work. Suvak, M. K., & Barrett, L. F. (2011). Considering PTSD from the perspective of brain processes: A psychological construction analysis. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24, 3-24. Suvak, M. K., Litz, B. T., Sloan, D. M., Zanarini, M. C., Barrett, L. F., & Hofmann, S. G. (2011). Emotional granularity and borderline personality disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 120, 414-426. Weierich, M. R., Kensinger, E. A., Munnell, A. H., Sass, S. A., Dickerson, B. C., Wright, C. I., & Barrett, L. F. (2011). Older and wiser? An affective science perspective on age-related challenges in financial decision making. Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience, 6, 195-206. Weierich, M. R. & Barrett, L. F. (2011). Affect as a source of attention. In E. Balcetis & D. Lassiter (Eds.), Social psychology of visual perception (pp. 125-148). NY: Psychology Press. Wilson-Mendenhall, C. D., Barrett, L. F., Simmons, W. K., & Barsalou, L. W. (2011). Grounding emotion in situated conceptualization. Neuropsychologia, 49, 1105-1127. (Supplemental materials.) 2010 Barrett, L. F., & Kensinger, E. A. (2010). Context is routinely encoded during emotion perception. Psychological Science, 21, 595-599. Bliss-Moreau, E., Owren, M. & Barrett, L.F. (2010). I like the sound of your voice: Affective learning about the human voice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 557-563. Fugate, J. M. B., Gouzoules, H., & Barrett, L. F. (2010). Reading Chimpanzee faces: A test of the structural and conceptual hypotheses. Emotion, 10, 544-554. Seo, M-G., Bartunek, J. M., & Barrett, L. F. (2010). The role of affective experience in work motivation: Test of a Conceptual Model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 951-968. Seo, M-G., Goldfarb, B., & Barrett, L. F. (2010). Affect and the framing effect within individuals across time: Risk taking in a dynamic investment game. Academy of Management Journal, 53, 411-431. Weierich, M. R., Wright, C. I., Negreira, A., Dickerson, B. C., & Barrett, L. F. (2010). Novelty as a dimension in the affective brain. Neuroimage, 49, 2871-2878. 2009 Barrett, L. F. (2009). The future of psychology: Connecting mind to brain. Perspectives in Psychological Science, 4, 326-339. Barrett, L.F. (2009). Understanding the mind by measuring the brain: Lessons from measuring behavior. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4, 314-318. Barrett, L. F. (2009). Variety is the spice of life: A psychological constructionist approach to understanding variability in emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 23, 1284-1306. Barrett, L. F., & Bar, M. (2009). See it with feeling: Affective predictions in the human brain. Royal Society Phil Trans B, 364, 1325-1334. Barrett, L. F., & Bliss-Moreau, E. (2009). Affect as a psychological primitive. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 41, 167-218. Barrett, L. F., & Bliss-Moreau, E. (2009). She's emotional. He's having a bad day: Attributional explanations for emotion stereotypes. Emotion, 9, 649-658. Barrett, L.F., Gendron, M., Huang, Y-M. (2009). Do discrete emotions exist? Philosophical Psychology, 22, 427-437. Barrett, L.F. & Russell, J.A. (2009). The circumplex model of affect. In D. Sanders & K. Scherer (Eds.), Oxford companion to emotion and the affective sciences New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Bliss-Moreau, E., & Barrett, L. F. (2009). What's reason got to do with it? Affect as the foundation of learning. Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 3. Conner, T. S., Tennen, H., Fleeson, W., & Barrett, L. F. (2009). Experience sampling methods: A modern idiographic approach to personality. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 3, 1-22. Damaraju, E., Huang, Y-M., Barrett, L. F., & Pessoa, L. (2009). Affective learning enhances activity and functional connectivity in early visual cortex. Neuropsychologia, 47, 2480-2487. Fugate, J. M. B., Gouzoules, H., & Barrett, L. F. (2009). Separating production from perception: Perceiver-based explanations for sex differences in emotion. Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 5, 394-395. Gendron, M., & Barrett, L. F. (2009). Reconstructing the past: A century of ideas about emotion in psychology. Emotion Review, 1, 1-24. Pietromonaco, P. R., & Barrett, L. F. (2009). Valence focus and self-esteem lability: Reacting to hedonic cues in the social environment. Emotion, 9, 406-418. Robinson, M., & Barrett, L. F. (2009). Belief and feeling in self-reports of emotion: Assessing semantic infusion effects. Self and Identity, 9, 87-111. Russell, J.A. & Barrett, L.F. (2009). Core affect. In D. Sanders & K. Scherer (Eds.), Oxford companion to emotion and the affective sciences New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2008 Barrett, L. F., & Lindquist, K. (2008). The embodiment of emotion. Chapter in G. Semin & E. Smith (Eds.). Embodied grounding: Social, cognitive, affective, and neuroscience approaches (p. 237-262). New York: Cambridge University Press. Bliss-Moreau, E., Barrett, L. F., & Wright, C. I. (2008). Individual differences in learning the affective value of others under minimal conditions. Emotion, 8, 479-93. Britton, J. C., Shin, L. M., Barrett, L. F., Rauch, S. L., & Wright, C. I. (2008). Amygdala and fusiform gyrus temporal dynamics: Responses to negative facial expressions. BMC Neuroscience, 9, 44-49. Kober, H., Barrett, L. F., Joseph, J., Bliss-Moreau, E., Lindquist, K. A., & Wager, T. D. (2008). Functional networks and cortical-subcortical interactions in emotion: A meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Neuroimage, 42, 998-1031. Lindquist, K., & Barrett, L. F. (2008). Emotional complexity. Chapter in M. Lewis, J. M. Haviland-Jones, & L.F. Barrett (Eds.), The handbook of emotion, 3rd edition (p. 513-530). New York: Guilford. Lindquist, K., & Barrett, L. F. (2008). Constructing emotion: The experience of fear as a conceptual act. Psychological Science, 19, 898-903. Seo, M-G., Barrett, L. F., & Jin, S. (2008). The structure of affect: History, theory, and implications for emotion research in organizations. In Cooper, C., & Ashkanasy, N. (Eds.), Research companions to emotion in organizations, (p. 17-44). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. Wager, T. D.,Barrett, L. F., Bliss-Moreau, E., Lindquist, K., Duncan, S., Kober, H., Joseph, J., Davidson, M., & Mize, J. (2008). The neuroimaging of emotion. Chapter in M. Lewis, J. M. Haviland-Jones, & L.F. Barrett (Eds.), The handbook of emotion, 3rd Edition (p. 249-271). New York: Guilford. Wright, C. I., Negreira, A., Gold., A. L., Britton, J. C., Williams, D., & Barrett, L F. (2008). Neural correlates of novelty in young and elderly adults. Neuroimage, 42, 956-968. 2007 Barrett, L. F., Bliss-Moreau, E., Duncan, S. L., Rauch, S. Barrett, L. F., Mesquita, B., Ochsner, K. N., & Gross, J. J. (2007). The experience of emotion. Annual Review of Psychology. Barrett, L. F., Ochsner, K. N., & Gross, J. J. (2007). On the automaticity of emotion. Chapter in J. Bargh (Ed.), Social psychology and the unconscious: The automaticity of higher mental processes. New York: Psychology Press. Conner, T., Barrett, L. F., Tugade, M. M. & Tennen, H. Personality in context: The theory and practice of experience sampling. In R. W. Robins, R. C. Fraley, & R. Kreuger (Eds.), Handbook of Research Methods in Personality Psychology (190-192). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Duncan, S. L. & Barrett, L. F. (2007). The amygdala in visual awareness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 190-192. Duncan, S., & Barrett, L. F. (2007). Affect as a form of cognition: A neurobiological analysis. Cognition and Emotion, 21, 1184-1211. Dalgleish, T., Perkins, N., Williams, J. M. G., Golden, A-M. J., Barrett, L. F., Barnard, P. J., Au-Yeung, C., Murphy, V., Elward, R., Tchanturia, K., Spinks, H., & Watkins, E. (2007). Reduced specificity of autobiographical memory and depression: The role of executive processes. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 136, 23-42. Seo, M-G., & Barrett, L. F. (2007). Being emotional during decision-making: Good or bad? An empirical investigation. Academy of Management Journal, 50, 923-40. Tugade, M. M., Conner, T. & Barrett, L. F. (2007). Assessment of mood. Chapter to appear in S. Ayers, A. Baum, C. McManus, S. Newman, K. Wallston, J. Weinman, and R. West (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health, and Medicine (2nd Edition). Cambridge UK: Cambridge UP. Wranik, T., Barrett, L. F., & Salovey, P. (2007). Intelligent emotion regulation. In J. J. Gross (Ed.), Handbook of emotion regulation (p. 393-428). New York: Guilford. 2006 Aronson, K. R., Barrett, L. F., & Quigley, K. (2006). Emotional reactivity and the over-report of somatic symptoms: Somatic sensitivity or negative reporting style? Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 60, 521-530. Barrett, L. F. (2006). Emotions as natural kinds? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1, 28-58. Barrett, L. F. (2006). Solving the emotion paradox: Categorization and the experience of emotion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10, 20-46. Barrett, L. F. (2006). Valence as a basic building block of emotional life. Journal of Research in Personality, 40, 35-55. Barrett, L. F., & Wager, T. (2006). The structure of emotion: Evidence from the neuroimaging of emotion. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15, 79-85. Lindquist, K., Barrett, L. F., Bliss-Moreau, E., & Russell, J. A. (2006). Language and the perception of emotion. Emotion, 6, 125-138. Pietromonaco, P., & Barrett, L. F. (2006). What can you do for me? Attachment style and motives for valuing partners. Journal for Research in Personality, 40, 313-338. Pietromonaco, P. R., Barrett, L. F., & Powers, S. A. (2006). Adult attachment theory and affective reactivity and regulation. In J. Simpson, D. Snyder, & J. Hughes (Eds.), Emotion regulation in couples and families: Pathways to dysfunction and health (p. 57-74). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Wright, C.I., Williams, D., Barrett, L. F., L. F., Dickerson, B., & Wedig, M. W. (2006). Neuroanatomical correlates of Extraversion and Neuroticism. Cerebral Cortex, 16, 1809-1819. 2005 Barrett, L. F. (2005). Feeling is perceiving: Core affect and conceptualization in the experience of emotion. In L. F. Barrett, P. M. Niedenthal, & P. Winkielman (Eds.), Emotions: Conscious and Unconscious (pp. 255-284). New York: Guilford. Barrett, L. F., Niedenthal, P. M., & Winkielman, P. (2005). Introduction to emotions and consciousness. Emotions: Conscious and Unconscious (pp. 1-18). New York: Guilford. Conner, T., & Barrett, L. F. (2005). Implicit self-attitudes predict spontaneous affect in daily life. Emotion, 5, 476-488. Hutcherson, C. A., Goldin, P. R., Ochsner, K., Barrett, L. F., Gabrieli, J. D., & Gross, J. J. (2005). Attention and emotion: Does rating emotion alter neural responses to amusing and sad films? Neuroimage, 27, 656-668. Laurenceau, J-P., Barrett, L. F., & Rovine, M. J. (2005). The interpersonal process model of intimacy in marriage: A daily-diary and multilevel modeling approach. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 314-323. 2004 Barrett, L. F. (2004). Feelings or words? Understanding the content in self-report ratings of emotional experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 266-281. Barrett, L. F., & Niedenthal, P. M. (2004). Valence focus and the perception of facial affect. Emotion, 4, 266-274. Barrett, L. F., Quigley, K., Bliss-Moreau, E., & Aronson, K. R. (2004). Interoceptive sensitivity and reports of emotional experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 684-697. Barrett, L. F., Tugade, M. M., & Engle, R. W. (2004). Individual differences in working memory capacity and dual-process theories of the mind. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 553-573. Conner, T., Tugade, M. M., & Barrett, L. F. (2004). Ecological momentary assessment. In N. Anderson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of health and behavior (pp. 291 - 292). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Seo, M., Barrett, L. F., & Bartunek, J. M. (2004). The role of affective experience in work motivation. Academy of Management, 29, 423-439. Finalist 2005 AMR best paper. Tugade, M. M., Fredrickson, B. L., Barrett, L. F. (2004). Psychological resilience and positive emotional granularity: Examining the benefits of positive emotions on coping and health. Journal of Personality, 72, 1161-1190. Wager, T. D., & Barrett, L. F. (2004). From affect to control: Functional specialization of the insula in motivation and regulation. Published online at PsycExtra. Pietromonaco, P. R., Greenwood, D., & Barrett, L. F. (2004). Conflict in adult close relationships: An attachment perspective. Chapter in W. S. Rholes & J. A. Simpson (Eds.), Adult attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications. New York: Guilford Press. 2003 Conner, T., Wood, J. V., & Barrett, L. F. (2003). Remembering everyday events through the prism of self-esteem. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 51-62. Conner, T., Barrett, L. F., Bliss-Moreau, E., Lebo, K., & Kashub, C. (2003). A practical guide to experience-sampling procedures. Journal of Happiness Studies, 4, 53-78. Kring, A. M., Barrett, L. F., L., & Gard, D. (2003). On the broad applicability of the affective circumplex: Representations of affective knowledge among schizophrenia patients. Psychological Science, 14, 207-214. 2002 Barrett, L. F., Williams, N. L., & Fong, G. T. (2002). An analysis of defensive verbal behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 776-788. Pietromonaco, P. R., Laurenceau, J. P., & Barrett, L. F. (2002). Relational knowledge structures: The role of emotional coherence. Chapter in H. Reis, M. A. Fitzpatrick, and A. Vangelisti (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships: Stability and change in relationship behavior (pp. 5-34). Cambridge University Press. Quigley, K. S., Barrett, L. F., & Weinstein, S. (2002). Cardiovascular patterns associated with threat and challenge appraisals: Individual responses across time. Psychophysiology, 39, 1-11. 2001 Aronson, K. R., Barrett, L. F., & Quigley, K. S. (2001). Feeling your body or feeling badly: Evidence for the limited validity of the somatosensory amplification scale as an index of somatic sensitivity. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 51, 387-394. Barrett, L. F., & Fossum, T. (2001). Mental representations of affect knowledge. Cognition and Emotion, 15, 333-364. Barrett, L. F., & Barrett, D. J. (2001). Computerized experience-sampling: How technology facilitates the study of conscious experience. Social Science Computer Review, 19, 175-185. (Invited contribution). Barrett, L. F., & Gross, J. J. (2001). Emotion representation and regulation: A process model of emotional intelligence. Chapter in T. Mayne & G. Bonnano (Eds.), Emotion: Current Issues and Future Directions (pp. 286-310). New York: Guilford. Barrett, L. F., Gross, J., Conner, T., & Benvenuto, M. (2001). Knowing what you’re feeling and knowing what to do about it: Mapping the relation between emotion differentiation and emotion regulation. Cognition and Emotion, 15, 713-724. Ochsner, K., & Barrett, L. F. (2001). The neuroscience of emotion. Chapter in T. Mayne & G. Bonnano (Eds.), Emotion: Current Issues and Future Directions(pp. 38-81). New York: Guilford. 2000 Barrett, L.F. (2000, February). Modeling emotion as an emergent phenomenon: A causal indicator analysis. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Nashville. Barrett, L. F., Lane, R., Sechrest, L., & Schwartz, G. (2000). Sex differences in emotional awareness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 1027-1035. Fossum, T., & Barrett, L. F. (2000). Evaluation and description in the personality-emotion relationship. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 669-678. Madden, T., Barrett, L. F., & Pietromonaco, P. A. (2000). Gender differences in anxiety and depression. In A. H. Fischer (Ed.), Gender and emotion: Social Psychological Perspectives (pp. 277-298). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Pietromonaco, P. R., & Barrett, L. F. (2000a). Attachment theory as an organizing framework: A view from different levels of analysis. Review of General Psychology, 4, 107-110. (Introduction to special issue). Pietromonaco, P. R., & Barrett, L. F. (2000b). Internal working models: What do we know about knowing about the self in relation to others? Review of General Psychology, 4, 155-175. 1999 Carroll, J. M., Yik, M. S. M., Russell, J. A., & Barrett, L. F. (1999). On the psychometric principles of affect. Review of General Psychology, 3, 14-22. Barrett, L. F., & Russell, J. A. (1999). Structure of current affect. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 10-14. Fishtein, J., Pietromonaco, P. R., & Barrett, L. F. (1999). The contribution of attachment style and relationship conflict to the complexity of relationship knowledge. Social Cognition, 17, 228-244. Quigley, K. S., & Barrett, L. F. (1999). Emotional learning and mechanisms of intentional psychological change. In J. Brandtstadter, & R. M. Lerner, (Eds.), Action and Self-Development: Theory and Research Through the LifeSpan (pp. 435-464). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Russell, J. A., & Barrett, L. F. (1999). Core affect, prototypical emotional episodes, and other things called emotion: Dissecting the elephant. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 805-819. Yik, M. S. M., Russell, J. A., & Barrett, L. F. (1999). Integrating four structures of current mood into a circumplex: Integration and beyond. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 600-619. 1998 Barrett, L. F. (1998a). Discrete emotions or dimensions? The role of valence focus and arousal focus. Cognition and Emotion, 12, 579-599. Barrett, L. F. (1998b). The future of emotion research. The Affect Scientist, 12, 6-8. Barrett, L. F., Robin, L., Pietromonaco, P. R., & Eyssell, K. M. (1998). Are women the "more emotional sex?" Evidence from emotional experiences in social context. Cognition and Emotion, 12, 555-578. Barrett, L. F., & Russell, J. A. (1998). Independence and bipolarity in the structure of current affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 967-984. Barrett, L. F., & Swim, J. (1998). Appraisals of prejudice: A signal detection framework. In J. Swim & C. Stangor (Eds.), Prejudice: The target's perspective (pp. 11-36). Academic Press. Laurenceau, J. P., Barrett, L. F., & Pietromonaco, P. R. (1998). Intimacy as a process: The importance of self-disclosure and responsiveness in interpersonal exchanges. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1238-1251. 1997 Barrett, L. F. (1997). The relationship among momentary emotional experiences, personality descriptions, and retrospective ratings of emotion. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 1100-1110. Barrett, L. F., & Pietromonaco, P. R. (1997). Accuracy of the five factor model in predicting perceptions of daily social interactions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 1173-1187. Pietromonaco, P. R., & Barrett, L. F. (1997). Working models of attachment and daily social interactions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1409-1423. 1996 Barrett, L. F. (1996). Hedonic tone, perceived arousal, and item desirability: Three components of affective experience. Cognition and Emotion, 10, 47-68. 1995 Feldman, L. A. (1995a). Variations in the circumplex structure of emotion. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 806-817. Feldman, L. A. (1995b). Valence focus and arousal focus: Individual differences in the structure of affective experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 153-166. 1993 Feldman, L. A. (1993). Distinguishing depression from anxiety in self-report: Evidence from confirmatory factor analysis on nonclinical and clinical samples. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 631-638. Feldman, L. A., & Gotlib, I. H. (1993). Social dysfunction in depression. In C. G. Costello (Ed.), Symptoms of depression (pp. 85-112). New York: Wiley. 1992 and Earlier Moretti, M. M., Feldman, L. A., & Shaw, B. (1989). Cognitive Therapy: Current practice and future directions. In V. J. Giannetti (Ed.), The handbook of brief psychotherapies (pp. 217-237). New York: Plenum Press. Moretti, M. M., Higgins, E. T., & Feldman, L. A. (1989). The self-system in depression: Conceptualization and treatment. In C. D. McCann and N. S. Endler (Eds.), Depression: New directions in research, theory, and practice (pp. 127-156). Toronto: Wall and Thompson. Unpublished Manuscripts Barrett, L. F., & Lindquist, K. A. (2008). Corrections to Panksepp (2008). Unpublished manuscript, Boston College

Expression of EZH2 and Ki-67 in colorectal cancer and associations with treatment response and prognosis Abstract Background: Enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) is a member of the Polycomb group of genes that is involved in epigenetic silencing and cell cycle regulation. Methods: We studied EZH2 expression in 409 patients with colorectal cancer stages II and III. The patients were included in a randomised study, and treated with surgery alone or surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Results: EZH2 expression was significantly related to increased tumour cell proliferation, as assessed by Ki-67 expression. In colon cancer, strong EZH2 expression (P=0.041) and high proliferation ( 40%; P=0.001) were both associated with better relapse-free survival (RFS). In contrast, no such associations were found among rectal cancers. High Ki-67 staining was associated with improved RFS in colon cancer patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy (P=0.001), but not among those who were treated by surgery alone (P=0.087). In colon cancers stage III, a significant association between RFS and randomisation group was found in patients with high proliferation (P=0.046), but not in patients with low proliferation (P=0.26). Multivariate analyses of colon cancers showed that stage III (hazard ratio (HR) 4.00) and high histological grade (HR 1.80) were independent predictors of reduced RFS, whereas high proliferation indicated improved RFS (HR 0.55). Conclusion: Strong EZH2 expression and high proliferation are associated features and both indicate improved RFS in colon cancer, but not so in rectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is among the most common malignancies, and is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the western world. Although adequate surgery is the main treatment, adjuvant chemotherapy has since 1990 been considered standard to patients with lymph node metastases (Wolmark et al, 1988; Laurie et al, 1989; Moertel et al, 1990; Andre et al, 2004; de Gramont et al, 2007). The search for molecular markers with prognostic or especially predictive effect is important to select patients for proper therapy, and to avoid unnecessary treatment with toxic side effects. Enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) is a member of the Polycomb group of genes (Chen et al, 1996), encoding a transcriptional repressor as part of the histone methyltransferase complex (van der Vlag and Otte, 1999), with important functions in epigenetic silencing and cell cycle regulation. EZH2 is an E2F-regulated gene (Bracken et al, 2003), and activated p53 may downregulate EZH2 transcription through repression of the promoter (Tang et al, 2004). Overexpression of EZH2 protein has been shown in several carcinomas, and has been associated with increased tumour cell proliferation and worse outcome in breast cancer (Collett et al, 2006), melanomas, endometrial carcinomas (Bachmann et al, 2006), and also in hormone-refractory prostate cancer (Bryant et al, 2007). In this study we analysed the expression of EZH2 protein and the proliferation marker Ki-67, using tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry, in 409 patients with colorectal cancer in stages II and III, randomised to either surgery alone or to surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and levamisol (FLev). Materials and methods From December 1992 to October 1996, a total of 425 patients with colorectal cancer were included in a prospective randomised clinical study. The inclusion criteria and patient characteristics have been presented earlier (Dahl et al, 2009). In brief, before inclusion the patients should have a histopathologically confirmed radical surgical resection of the primary tumour and regional lymph nodes. The patients should have no evidence of distant metastases evaluated by chest X-ray, ultrasound or computed tomography of the abdomen, and blood tests including carcinoembryonal antigen (CEA). The patients were between 18 and 75 years of age, and had no concurrent diseases precluding the administration of systemic chemotherapy. Patients with primary tumour localisation in the colon or the rectum, and histopathological tumour–node–metastasis (TNM) stage II (penetration of muscularis propria) or TNM stage III (with lymph node metastases) were eligible for inclusion. The patients were randomly allocated to the treatment groups, and were treated according to this schedule. None of the patients with rectal cancer received preoperative radiotherapy. The inclusion criteria were adequately met for 412 patients, and these were included in the statistical analyses. All data were collected at the Regional Research Office and then centralised to the office in Bergen, Norway, where all the data handling took place. All patients had to give their written informed consent before randomisation. The study was approved by the regional ethics committee, The Norwegian Medicines Control Authority, and the Data Inspectorate. Chemotherapy and follow-up A loading course of 5-FU was started within 42 days from the date of surgery, giving 450 mg m−2 intravenously (i.v.) daily for 5 days and levamisol 50 mg × 3 for the first 3 days. After 3 weeks, maintenance therapy was started with weekly i.v. 5-FU 450 mg m−2, combined with levamisol 50 mg × 3 for 3 days every second week, for a total maintenance therapy period of 48 weeks. The patients were thereafter observed regularly every 6 months with clinical examination including chest X-ray, ultrasound of the abdomen, and relevant endoscopical examination, including coloscopy every 3 years. The follow-up time was scheduled for 5 years. For 272 patients without relapse, the median follow-up time was 7 years. Tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry The paraffin-embedded and formalin-fixed tissue specimens were available from 409 out of 412 eligible patients for tissue microarrays (TMA). Cylinders, 1 mm in diameter, were punched from the representative areas of tumour cell infiltration in the primary tumours, from macroscopically normal colon or rectal mucosa, and from lymph nodes with synchronous metastases, which were mounted in recipient paraffin blocks using a standard precision instrument (Manual Tissue Arrayer MTA-1, Beecher Instruments, Inc., Sun Prairia, WI, USA). A total of about 1400 cylinders were mounted, varying from one to three representative samples from each tumour, and one from normal colon or rectal mucosa, and from lymph node metastases. EZH2 staining was performed on a DAKO autostainer using the EnVision method, and the TMA slides were incubated for 1 h using the monoclonal antibody (clone M18) specific for EZH2, as described (Collett et al, 2006). Ki-67 immunostaining was performed on formalin-fixed and paraffin- embedded tissue using 5μm sections. After microwave antigen retrieval (boiling for 15 min at 400 W) in Tris-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid buffer (pH 9.0), the slides were incubated for 30 min at room temperature with the monoclonal mouse anti-human Ki-67 antibody (clone MIB-1) Cat. no. M 7240 (Dako, Copenhagen) diluted 1:250, and stained with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) EnVision (Dako) for 30 min at room temperature. HRP was localised using the diaminobenzidine tetrachloride peroxidase reaction and the sections were counterstained with Mayer's haematoxylin. For EZH2, tumour cell nuclear staining intensity (score 0–3), and the fraction of positive tumour cells (score 0–3), were identified by a skilled pathologist blinded from the follow-up data. The EZH2 fraction of positive tumour cells was categorised as follows: 0, 0%; 1, <10%; 2, 10–50%; and 3, >50%. The EZH2 staining intensity was recorded as: 0, no staining; 1, weak; 2, moderate; and 3, strong staining. A staining index (SI) was generated from the product (0–9), and then categorised in either three (SI 0–1, 2–4, 6–9) or two (SI 0–3, 4–9) groups. For Ki-67 immunohistochemistry, the percentage of positive tumour cells was assessed in several representative visual fields of each tumour. A cutoff was then chosen at the median value, dividing the samples in low (<40% positive tumour cells) or high nuclear Ki-67 expression ( 40%). This cutoff is also supported by another study (Salminen et al, 2005). Statistics The survival data were calculated according to the product-limit procedure (Kaplan–Meier method), and P-values were based on the log-rank test, with a P-value of <0.05 considered statistically significant in two-tailed tests. Kaplan–Meier analyses for survival were performed for relapse-free survival (RFS) and for cancer-specific survival (CSS), including death for colorectal cancer and death from treatment-related complications as outcome events. The associations between EZH2 protein expression and different categorical clinicopathological variables were analysed by Pearson's chi-square test. Cox' regression analysis was performed to assess independent prognostic factors for RFS in colon cancer, including the variables stage (II vs III), Ki-67 staining (<40% vs 40% positive tumour cell nuclei), tumour differentiation (high or moderate differentiation vs poor differentiation), randomisation group (adjuvant chemotherapy vs surgery alone), and tumour localisation (proximal vs distal colon), and the variables were included in a single step. The data handling was performed by the SPSS software package (version 16.0). Results Among the 412 patients included, 290 had colon cancer (185 in stage II and 105 in stage III), and 122 had rectal cancer (62 in stage II and 60 in stage III). In all, 206 patients were randomised to each group (with or without adjuvant chemotherapy), 215 were men and 197 women, and the mean age at randomisation was 61.3 years (range 28.4–75.1). The details of the patient characteristics have been described earlier (Dahl et al, 2009). For all patients included, that is, both colon and rectal cancer (stages II and III), Kaplan–Meier analyses showed significantly better RFS for tumour localisation in colon vs rectum (5-year RFS 71 vs 55%, P=0.003), for tumour grade (5-year RFS 67% for high or moderate grade vs 55% for poorly differentiated, P=0.022), for stage (5-year RFS 82% for stage II vs 42% for stage III, P<0.001), for EZH2 expression (5-year RFS 79% for index 4–9 vs 63% for index 0–3, P=0.038), and for Ki-67 expression (5-year RFS 73% for 40% vs 59% for <40%, P=0.003). In the complete patient series, there were no significant associations between RFS and the randomisation group (5-year RFS 69% for adjuvant treatment vs 63% for surgery alone, P=0.24), or between RFS and age or sex. Within patients with colon cancer (stages II and III), the univariate associations between clinicopathological variables and RFS are shown in Table 1. As expected, the presence of lymph node metastases (stage III) was associated with a reduced 5-year RFS rate (P<0.001). Adjuvant therapy was significantly associated with better RFS in colon cancer stage III (P=0.012), but not when analysing colon cancer stages II and III together (P=0.35). EZH2 protein expression is shown in Figure 1. The associations of EZH2 protein expression and the clinicopathological variables, for patients with colon cancer stages II and III, are shown in Table 2. There was a significant association between a high EZH2 index and increased tumour cell proliferation, as assessed by Ki-67 expression (P<0.001; Figure 2). There were no significant associations between EZH2 index and the sex, age, tumour localisation (proximal vs distal colon), histological grade, randomisation group, or tumour stage. The proportion of patients with stage III was 41.4% in those with a low EZH2 index (0–1) as compared with 34.5% in those with index 2–4, and 27.6% in patients with a high index, but this was not significant (P for trend 0.14). Figure 3 shows Kaplan–Meier curves for the effect of EZH2 expression (high index 4–9, vs low index 0–3). In colon cancer stages II and III, a high EZH2 index was significantly associated with a better RFS (Figure 3, panel A, P=0.041 by the log-rank test), and with a trend for better CSS (P=0.069). In rectal cancer stages II and III, no differences in RFS or CSS were detected for high vs low EZH2 index (Figure 3, panel B, P=0.46). A corresponding subgroup analysis within colon cancer stage III patients showed a trend for improved RFS with high EZH2 index (P=0.097), whereas a similar analysis for CSS was not significant (P=0.14; Figure 3, panels C and D). In colon cancer stages II and III, there were trends for better RFS (P=0.077) and CSS (P=0.085) with a high EZH2 index in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (Figure 3, panel E), but not in patients with no adjuvant therapy (Figure 3, panel F). Ki-67 expression in >40% of the tumour cells was significantly associated with improved RFS (P=0.001) and CSS (P=0.001) in patients with colon cancer stages II and III (Figure 4, panel A), but not in rectal cancer (Figure 4, panel B, P=0.98 for RFS, P=0.96 for CSS). In Figure 4, panels C and D, subgroup analyses in patients receiving adjuvant treatment and those randomised to surgery alone (stages II and III) are shown. A high Ki-67 expression was significantly associated with an improved RFS (P=0.001, Figure 4, panel C) and improved CSS (P=0.003) in the adjuvant group, but only with a trend for better RFS (P=0.087) and with no significant affect on CSS (P=0.11) in the group treated with surgery alone (Figure 4, panel D). Correspondingly, in patients with colon cancer stage III, Kaplan–Meier curves showed significant associations between a high Ki-67 ( 40%) and better RFS (P=0.007) and CSS (P=0.017) in the group that was given adjuvant treatment, but not in the group without adjuvant chemotherapy. In the adjuvant group, 5-year RFS was 77% in those with a high Ki-67, and 36% in those with low Ki-67 (P=0.007; Figure 4, panel E). The corresponding figures for 5-year CSS were 81% in patients with a high Ki-67, and 51% in those with low Ki-67 (P=0.017). In the group without adjuvant therapy, 5-year RFS was 50% in those with a high Ki-67 vs 29% in those with a low Ki-67 (P=0.39; Figure 4, panel F), whereas the figures for CSS were 55 and 44% (P=0.38). The results of Cox' multivariate analyses, including 256 out of 284 patients with colon cancer stages II and III, are shown in Table 3. The significant independent predictors for reduced RFS were stage III (hazard ratio (HR) 4.00, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.50–6.39), high histological tumour grade (HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.09–2.98), whereas a high Ki-67 expression ( 40%) was independently associated with an improved RFS (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34–0.89). Randomisation group (P=0.31), and tumour localisation (proximal vs distal colon, P=0.27) were not independently associated with RFS in colon cancer stages II and III. Finally, in Figure 5 are presented the results of Kaplan–Meier analyses in 98 patients with colon cancer stage III, with separate panels for those with a high Ki-67 expression ( 40%, n=41) and those with a low Ki-67 expression (<40%, n=57), showing the effect of randomisation group on RFS. In patients with a low Ki-67 protein expression in the primary tumours, no association was found between randomisation group and RFS (Figure 5, panel A, P=0.26). In contrast, in the group of patients with colon cancer stage III and a high Ki-67 expression, 5-year RFS in those receiving adjuvant chemotherapy was 77% (s.e. 0.09) as compared with 50% (s.e. 0.12) in those treated with surgery without adjuvant chemotherapy (P=0.046). The corresponding figures for 5-year CSS were 81% in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (s.e. 0.09) compared with 56% (s.e. 0.12) in those with surgery alone (P=0.070). Discussion In this study, patients with colorectal cancer stages II and III were randomised to either surgery alone, or the addition of 1 year of adjuvant therapy with FLev. This chemotherapy regimen is no longer a standard practice for adjuvant treatment of colon cancer stage III, because of the introduction of more effective regimens, including the cytotoxic drug oxaliplatin (Andre et al, 2004). However, a strength of this study is that adjuvant FLV chemotherapy was compared with surgery alone, which would be considered unethical nowadays. We studied the affect of EZH2 protein expression and the proliferation marker Ki-67 on survival. EZH2 expression was significantly correlated with tumour cell proliferation as assessed by the percentage of Ki-67-positive cells, but not to other clinicopathological variables. EZH2 is a cell cycle regulator necessary for G2-M transition and is an E2F-regulated gene (Bracken et al, 2003). The association between proliferation and EZH2 expression has been shown in other malignancies such as breast cancer and melanomas (Bachmann et al, 2006; Collett et al, 2006). In these malignancies, EZH2 expression in tumour cells was linked to an aggressive clinical behaviour and worse prognosis. In addition, in prostate cancer cells, EZH2 was found to promote invasiveness and proliferation (Bryant et al, 2007). In our study, a high EZH2 index was associated with a better RFS in colon cancer stages II and III, but not in rectal cancer. Subgroup analyses showed that this benefit was primarily in patients with colon cancer stage III, but this did not reach statistical significance. Unexpectedly, and in line with our EZH2 data, Ki-67 protein expression in >40% of the tumour cells was also associated with a better RFS in colon cancer stages II and III. This association was not observed in rectal cancer patients. Another study of rectal cancers has shown significant association between high Ki-67 (>40%) and improved survival (Salminen et al, 2005). The prognostic value of Ki-67 was significant in colon cancer patients with stage III who were receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. However, in colon cancer patients treated with surgery without adjuvant chemotherapy, only a trend for improved RFS was found for those with a high Ki-67 expression. Thus, a high tumour cell proliferation rate, as assessed by Ki-67 immunohistochemistry, is not an adverse prognostic marker in colorectal cancer stages II and III patients receiving adjuvant treatment. In fact, for colon cancer stages II and III, a high Ki-67 expression is associated with an improved RFS. Among the colon cancer patients, the percentage of stage III patients was higher in those with a low Ki-67 expression than in those with a high Ki-67 (42.5% vs 31.8%), but this difference was not significant (P=0.07). In addition, the multivariate survival analyses, performed on colon cancer patients stages II and III, showed that a high Ki-67 immunostaining was an independent prognostic variable for an improved RFS and TNM stage and histological tumour grade. Interestingly, the survival analyses performed separately for colon cancer stage III patients, and stratified according to Ki-67 expression, showed a significant association between RFS and the randomisation group only for patients with a high Ki-67 expression. Thus, in colon cancer stage III patients, a high Ki-67 expression (>40%) seems to be a predictive marker for the effect of 12-month adjuvant chemotherapy with FLV. EZH2 protein expression was not a significant predictive marker in this aspect. The prognostic value of Ki-67 in different malignancies has been reviewed (Brown and Gatter, 2002). The most consistent data for an adverse prognostic value of a high Ki-67 have been reported for breast cancer (Baak et al, 2009), lung cancer, and sarcomas. For cervical cancer and prostate cancer, the reports on the associations between clinical outcome and Ki-67 expression have been varying (Brown and Gatter, 2002). In colorectal cancer, data have, to some extent, been contradictory. Several studies have reported no prognostic value of Ki-67 expression. One study reported an association between a low tumour cell proliferation rate at the invasive margin and poor prognosis in colorectal cancer TNM stage II (Palmqvist et al, 1999), whereas others reported an adverse prognostic value of a high Ki-67 after curative resection for colorectal cancer (Kimura et al, 2000). In accordance with our data, a study of prognostic markers in colon cancer stage II and III, treated with surgery with or without adjuvant 5-FU and leucovorin (calcium folinate) therapy, showed an improved outcome in patients with a high percentage of Ki-67-positive tumour cells (Allegra et al, 2003). As a possible explanation, more rapidly proliferating tumour cells may be more vulnerable to chemotherapy-induced tumour cell death. We conclude that increased EZH2 protein expression and Ki-67 expression in >40% of the tumour cells are both associated with an improved RFS in colon cancer stages II and III, but not so in rectal cancer. In addition, in colon cancer stage III, a high Ki-67 immunostaining in >40% of the tumour cells seems to be a predictive marker to the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy using FLV. Acknowledgments We thank MP Myklebust, GL Halseth, and K Hamer for excellent technical assistance. References -. [PubMed] -] - Baak JP, Gudlaugsson E, Skaland I, Guo LH, Klos J, Lende TH, Soiland H, Janssen EA, Zur Hausen A. Proliferation is the strongest prognosticator in node-negative breast cancer: significance, error sources, alternatives and comparison with molecular prognostic markers. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2009;115:241–254. [PubMed] -:268–273. ] - Brown DC, Gatter KC. Ki67 protein: the immaculate deception. Histopathology. 2002;40:2–11. 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The State of the States: Governors Aggressively Chip Away The recent economic recession has affected gubernatorial priorities. In the past five years, education has remained the primary focus of governors, but other traditional state functions have slipped off their radar. December 2007 was the official start of the Great Recession. In that year, the four issues most often discussed by governors in their state of state addresses after education, in descending order, were health care, natural resources, jobs and corrections. This year, the four top issues on the minds of governors after education, also in descending order, are jobs, government performance, taxes and health care. In fact, since 2007, corrections and public safety have not been in the top five issues for governors. Natural resources and energy concerns do not appear in the top five for either this year or last year. This research examines the 2011 state of state addresses of U.S. governors to explain their ideas for continuing to manage through the economic recession.1 Findings indicate a more focused consideration of education reform and job development, sustained attention on cost-cutting and efficiency measures, and continued gubernatorial intransigence regarding “no new taxes.” Download this article in PDF About the Author Katherine Willoughby is professor of public management and policy in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Her research concentrates on state and local government budgeting and financial management, public policy development and public organization theory. She has conducted extensive research in the area of state budgeting practices, with a concentration on performance measurement applicability at this level of government in the United States. The Politics States went decidedly Republican in the November 2010 elections. Considering governors’ seats only, a swath of red covers the southwestern and middle U.S. states, runs across the Southeast and includes the states surrounding the Great Lakes, except for Illinois. Democratic blue covers the country’s Western border states, California, Oregon and Washington, a vein of states across the mid-Atlantic to middle U.S. states and in the Northeast. Dramatic turnover in gubernatorial seats resulted in 29 Republican governors (58 percent of state chief executives), 20 Democratic governors (40 percent) and one independent governor. In 2010, 54 percent of state chief executives were Democrats. Twelve states did not have gubernatorial elections in 2010. But in the other states that did hold elections or changed governors,2a dozen state gubernatorial seats remained Republican; 11 seats changed from Democratic to Republican; one state—Rhode Island—switched from Republican to Independent (Gov. Lincoln Chafee); nine seats remained Democratic; and in just five states—California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Minnesota and Vermont—the governor’s seat changed from Republican to Democratic. The Republican sweep of state legislatures was equally dramatic in 2010. In 2010, state lower and upper houses were majority Democratic (67 percent and 58 percent, respectively). In 2011, state lower and upper houses are majority Republican (61 percent and 59 percent, respectively). Of the 49 bicameral state legislatures (Nebraska’s is unicameral and nonpartisan), 26 are majority Republican, 15 are majority Democratic and eight are split in party affiliation.3 Twenty-one states are solidly Republican with a sitting Republican governor and a majority Republican state house and senate, up from just 10 states prior to the 2010 elections. Just three states have Republican governors with majority Democratic legislatures (Nevada, New Mexico and New Jersey). On the other hand, 11 states are majority Democratic, with a Democratic governor and legislature, five states less than last year. Five Democratic governors must work with a majority Republican legislature (Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue and New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch). Chafee of Rhode Island is the lone Independent working with a majority Democratic legislature. The Money Situation Collectively, states had budget shortfalls of $191 billion in 2010. Cumulatively, budget shortfalls for 2011 through the 2013 fiscal years are estimated at $317 billion.4 Many expect the 2012 fiscal year to be the worst year yet for states due to the slow recovery and the discontinuation of federal stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Just six states are not expecting a deficit in 2012; 43 states have estimated deficits in this next fiscal year totaling $112 billion. Projected deficits as a percent of 2011 spending are estimated to reach 25 percent or more in five states—Nevada (45 percent), New Jersey (37 percent), Texas (32 percent), California (29 percent) and Oregon (25 percent).5 State tax revenues are slowly recovering, but have yet to grow quickly enough to advance the nation to pre-recession levels. State sales tax collections in 2011 increased by 4.5 percent from 2010. Personal income taxes increased by 4.7 percent from 2010. Corporate income taxes increased by 8.8 percent from 2010.6 Still, 2011 total year-end balances as a percent of expenditures are down $3 billion or 0.8 percent from 2010.7 Unemployment figures are better than those in 2010, but just barely. The nationwide unemployment rate hovers around 9 percent and rates are greater than 10 percent in 10 states—Nevada, California, Florida, Rhode Island, Michigan, South Carolina, Oregon, Kentucky, Georgia and Mississippi.8 According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, known as NASBO, the Great Recession has created an “unprecedented fiscal situation” in that state spending from general and some other funds declined in both 2009 and 2010, which had not happened in more than 20 years.9 State general fund spending is predominantly for education—elementary and secondary education makes up the largest portion—and Medicaid. Together with higher education, these categories make up approximately two-thirds of general fund spending by states. Spending in these and all other major expenditure categories continues to increase—especially as the recession drags on. From 2009 to 2010, only corrections spending realized a drop of 2.8 percent. As NASBO points out, “… State funds comprise approximately 95 percent of total corrections expenditures, and so corrections has not been as supported by the influx of federal stimulus spending.”10 What’s on the Agenda? Governors presented their agendas to legislators, citizens and the media in a number of interesting ways this year. Some, like Florida Gov. Rick Scott, presented a number of principles, but few details. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s transcript of his address is an outline. California Gov. Jerry Brown brought up important state issues, but provided little substance. Recognizing that journalists have called California a failed state, he urged citizens to actively participate in solving the state’s problems by quoting Article 2, Section 1 of the California Constitution: “All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their protection, security and benefit, and they have the right to alter or reform it when the public good may require.” Other governors did some quoting as well. Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy’s inaugural address, titled “Shared Sacrifice, Shared Prosperity,” was peppered with quotes from numerous historical figures, including past Connecticut governors and the writers, Robert Frost and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad took a slightly different approach, stating, “At the risk of sounding a bit like the grandfather I am now, I think we need to start with a stern talking to.” Perhaps the most novel and comprehensive speech was that of Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who presented a 12-page, single-spaced treatise that included 74 footnotes inclusive of all sorts of measurements, code, descriptions, statistics and explanations of various issues addressed by the governor. A few other governors included interesting data about their state’s fiscal situation to get attention. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer explained that his state is, “… one of the few states with cash in the bank. I asked Doctor No, the director of our budget office today, ‘David, how much cash do we have in the bank?’ And he said, ‘$330,997,350.84.’” Schweitzer also pointed out that “Wall Street has improved Montana’s bond rating for the first time in 30 years, and for the first time in the history of Montana, we now have a double A plus bond rating.” Chief executives in a number of states also reminded citizens of their strong credit ratings. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels explained that “many states exhausted any reserves they may have had and plunged into the red, but our savings account remains strong and our credit AAA.” Delaware Gov. Jack Markell claimed, “Our focus on fiscal responsibility has made Delaware one of only eight states with a AAA rating from all three bond rating agencies.” Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said the same thing, “Georgia is one of only eight states in the nation with a Triple A bond rating by all three major bond rating agencies. I intend to maintain that rating.” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon pointed to fiscal responsibility that has “earned Missouri a Triple-A credit rating—the best you can get— from all three rating agencies. We’re one of the few states in the nation that can make that claim.” Other governors painted no-growth budgets in a positive light. Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe put it this way: . My proposed budget for the coming fiscal year is generally flat. Nearly all agencies and services will remain funded at the same levels as this year. With our state economy recovering, we anticipate a small increase in revenue.” On the other hand, more governors pointed to continuing dark clouds. Compared to Montana’s $331 million cash in the bank, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback pointed to just $876.05 in the bank on the first day of this fiscal year. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said, “Perks like take-home cars are a thing of the past.” And Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter prepared citizens for impending policy discourse that “could be the kind of legislative session that leaves people wondering why anyone would want to go into politics or public service.” Somewhat uncharacteristic for public officials, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie claimed “full responsibility for our current situation,” which includes an $844 million deficit in the next two years. He warned that the problem is so bad in the state that balancing the budget “will merely be life support for what has become a battered, under-resourced and often dysfunctional democracy.” Download Table A: "Issues Expressed by Govenrors in State of the State Addresses, 2007-2001" Table A presents issues mentioned by governors in their state of state addresses for the past five years. In 2011, education remained the top priority of governors, as it has in the past. But jobs and health care are the only other state functions specified by more than half the governors. As national health care reform celebrated its first birthday, governors were 15 percent more likely to talk about their plans for their state to accommodate, or fight, the federal legislation than in 2010. Also in 2011, governors were more likely to discuss performance improvements, cost-cutting and efficiency measures and accountability efforts than in 2010. Mention of such measures was up by 9 percent in 2011, while mention of taxes and revenue initiatives was down by 13 percent, although they were still brought up by 70.2 percent of governors. Mentions of natural resources and energy initiatives were down by 29 percent; less than 50 percent of governors mentioned this or a transportation agenda. Talk of public safety and corrections was down by more than 16 percent from 2010. Of the rest of the issues listed, gubernatorial mention of deficits and the use of reserves or rainy day funds was down the most, by almost 45 percent. This is certainly indicative that states have already raided these funds in the past year. Most of the talk in 2011 around rainy day funds regards efforts to shield or restock them. Governors in Indiana, Texas, Utah and West Virginia talked about protecting their rainy day funds from raids. Others, like Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia, Lynch of New Hampshire and Haslam of Tennessee talked about restoring, rebuilding and replenishing these funds. Discussion of state debt (up by 8.5 percent) and state retirement funds (up by 17 percent) increased from 2010. More than one-third of governors brought up employee pensions and other post-employment benefits, explaining their ideas for reducing and controlling these obligations in the future. Not surprisingly, talk of ethics reform and government transparency in these fiscally stressful times was down, by almost 18 percent and 12 percent, respectively. Finally, in their addresses, governors in 2011 were more likely than in 2010 to recognize state-local relationships, though generally by way of pushing more responsibilities onto, and pulling fiscal support from, local governments. Mentions of the protection of state borders and illegal immigration saw a small uptick as well. Table B presents the issues addressed by two-thirds or more of governors in their addresses from 2007 to 2011. The items are listed in descending order of popularity in terms of consideration by chief executives. This table provides a clearer trend in gubernatorial focus since the start of the Great Recession in December 2007.That year, 66 percent or more of governors mentioned their vision regarding eight areas, five of which are traditional functions of state government: education, health care, natural resources/energy, economic development/jobs and public safety/corrections. Then, as the Great Recession kicked in, governors focused on education, health care, jobs and natural resources/energy. Public safety and corrections did not find its way into the most popular issues considered by governors after 2007. Transportation replaced public safety in 2009. Gubernatorial hesitancy about the future of health care is evident in its absence from the list in 2010, as national health care reform was debated. Compared to 2009, 22 percent fewer governors discussed their health care agenda in 2010. But in 2011, health care is back on the docket and the only other state function addressed by more than half the governors, after education and jobs. The next most popular issues mentioned in 2011 were natural resources and transportation, but just under 47 percent of governors addressed each issue. These results suggest that as the economic recession continued, as slow growing revenues failed to cover increasing expenditures, governors honed in on the most important functions of states—education and jobs. Health and welfare concerns are certainly important, but consideration of the state role has been tempered by federal intervention plans. Continued fiscal pressures pushed governors to question government performance and to consider additional and new cost-cutting and efficiency measures. No doubt, the dramatic influx of Republican governors into the top state seat contributed to a focus on cost-cutting in 2011. That is, the conservative movement to reduce the size of government played into the results presented here. Education Governors talked of many things to shore up education in their states; some of their ideas seem like baby steps, others Herculean. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley spoke of protecting education programs and devoting $5 million of the education budget for teaching supplies. “We expect our teachers to lead our children to succeed and excel in the classroom. By funding classroom supplies, we are giving our teachers the resources they need to meet those expectations,” Bentley said. In Alabama, where the Education Trust Fund overshadows the general fund, the governor called for legislation to provide a sustainable funding base for the education fund. In terms of baby steps, Markell of Delaware pointed to his state as “one of a handful to require completion of a world language in order to graduate,” and explained that offering a high quality online Chinese language course is important to the educational future of the state. Many governors pushed funding for prekindergarten programs to advance the state educationally as well as economically. Malloy of Connecticut pressed for pre–K education for every child in the state just as Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton promoted all-day kindergarten for his state’s children. Dayton also wanted to increase state funding for K–12 education, re-establish the Governor’s Council on Early Childhood Education and the Children’s Cabinet, and continue to expand public-private partnerships that support educational programs. Kansas’s Brownback focused on early childhood learning in his address, calling for $6 million for early childhood centers for the neediest school districts. Hawaii’s Abercrombie was seeking to establish a Department of Early Childhood to foster advancements in education programs. Branstad’s Iowa budget “proposes a $43 million annual investment in providing preschool assistance to those families in greatest need.” Farther down the education road, many governors are looking to expand options for students in higher education through community and technical college offerings. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn asked for increased funding to provide scholarships for qualified, needy students, with a focus on community college students. Maine Gov. Paul LePage promoted community colleges and alternative programs in his budget because “not every student is well served by traditional schools.” North Carolina Gov. Bev Purdue talked of rebranding programs in her state’s university system by consolidating and more closely linking high schools and community colleges to support greater student affordability. South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard wanted to expand technical education opportunities in his state and offer post-secondary tech schools increased bonding capacity to help the effort. The words “incentive” and “education” are linked throughout the governors’ addresses and ideas about improving performance abound. Governors in Florida, Indiana, Mississippi and New Jersey discussed the expansion of charter schools in their states. And New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie laid out a comprehensive education reform agenda: “We must empower principals. We must reform poor-performing public schools or close them. We must cut out-of-classroom costs and focus our efforts on teachers and children. I propose that we reward the best teachers, based on merit…. I demand that layoffs, when they occur, be based on a merit system and not merely on seniority. I am committed to improving the measurement and evaluation of teachers….And, most important, the time for a national conversation on tenure is long past due. The time to eliminate teacher tenure is now.” Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe asked for a 1 percent increase in spending for higher education and to incentivize funding by linking it to coursework completion and graduation rates. “We can and must double the number of college graduates in Arkansas by 2025 if we are to stay competitive,” he said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wanted to establish two competitive funds that reward performance—one for school districts to compete by increasing student performance and one for districts to compete by implementing administrative efficiency measures. Cuomo suggested a $250 million fund for each competition. North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple supported a strategy “to foster a culture of entrepreneurship where all of our four-year universities operate business incubators that support start-up enterprises of all kinds.” In New Hampshire, Lynch stated that, “with this budget, state government is getting out of the financial aid business and redirecting those funds to support our community college and university systems.” He wanted to consolidate functions within the Department of Education and restructure an education commission to allow funding the community college and university systems at 95 percent of their current levels. “The Community College System will also receive an additional $2 million a year to create an advanced composite manufacturing program, which will help make possible the expansion of Albany International in New Hampshire and attract additional businesses in this growing field,” Lynch said. Texas Gov. Rick Perry wanted to expand online educational opportunities “that will not only enable students who have dropped out to earn a diploma online, but also give students across the state access to classes their own schools may not offer.” He suggested linking school enrollment to getting and keeping a Texas driver’s license. Perry also advocated for an incentive program that provides $1,500 to employers for every employee who earns a high school diploma or GED. Employees would have to receive time off with pay to study or go to class. New Mexico’s Gov. Susana Martinez claims her “Kids First, New Mexico Wins” plan will trim education bureaucracy and direct savings to the classroom. Her plan includes grading schools’ performance and posting those grades on the Web, targeting immediate help to the lowest-performing students and failing schools, ending social promotions and rewarding the best teachers. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin wants to cut “educational bureaucracy” by sharing resources, encouraging innovation, matching private to state funds for innovative learning programs, eliminating “… trial de novo, a system that makes it nearly impossible to dismiss even the most underperforming teacher,” cutting out social promotions, increasing the use of electronic textbooks and reducing remediation rates. In Kentucky Beshear pressed to improve high school graduation rates by keeping students in school to age 18 and motivated to learn through alternative programming. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour supported dual enrollment so that “students can learn more and their parents will save money as college credits are earned while in high school.” Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman supported development of a virtual high school, with support of $8.5 million from lottery funds. Indiana’s Daniels spoke about cleaning up union and collective bargaining of teachers and red tape. “While unions and collective bargaining are the right of those teachers who wish to engage in them,” Daniels.” He also suggested that some students should be able to graduate in 11 years rather than 12. Governors also mapped out plans for pushing more responsibility to local governments for some educational services. Nevada Gov. Bryan Sandoval called for redirection of property tax receipts among counties to “the support of universities and community colleges in those counties, because property values rise and economic growth occurs where universities contribute to economic development,” as well as retooling bonded indebtedness for local school construction. South Dakota’s Daugaard suggested that local school boards and school administrators run their own districts “to repeal the 100 student minimum for state aid to school districts, and to remove the cap on school district reserve fund balances.” He added, “We must trust local officials to make the best decisions for their districts. And if they fail, we must trust local voters to find new local officials.” Connecticut’s Malloy suggested that control of state vocational technical schools should be transferred to local districts and regions. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn promoted consolidation of local school districts to lower “administrative overhead, improve efficiency and save taxpayers $100 million.” Jobs, Jobs, Jobs The second most discussed topic by governors this year regarded economic development and jobs. Many governors talked about lowering and/or eliminating taxes, exploring and extracting natural resources, advancing tourism and the film industry, infrastructure investments and various organizational changes, such as creating or consolidating offices, public-private partnerships and/or councils. They also talked about cutting red tape, improving workforce training and leveraging relationships with university systems, college student internships and keeping college graduates in the state and employed as ways to expand business opportunities and increase jobs. Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell provided one of the more detailed plans for economic development, including the suspension of the state’s 8 cent per gallon motor fuel tax, completion of various road projects to improve access to resources, and investment in energy generating plants and projects. He also promoted mining untapped rare earth elements, claiming that “today, our Pacific Rim neighbor, China, controls 97 percent of the world market for these rare earth elements. We cannot afford to rely on foreign sources to meet our nation’s demand. Alaska is a storehouse of rare earth minerals. Let’s explore them.” Similarly, Kansas’s Brownback discussed how to grow his state’s animal agriculture sector. To incentivize businesses to come into the state, governors also talked about tax changes. Brownback explained his plan, “Enhanced Expensing,” will allow businesses in the state to immediately deduct a higher percentage of the cost of an investment. And the Kansas governor’s “Rural Opportunity Zones” would waive the state income tax for individuals relocating from out-of-state into a participating county that has experienced a double-digit percentage population decline in the last 10 years. Florida’s Scott pushed eliminating that state’s corporate income tax. Iowa’s Branstad mapped out numerous tax changes: “The small business income tax rate will be cut in half and made a flat 6 percent. Commercial property taxes will be reduced by 40 percent…. New investment will be immediately taxed at 60 percent of its valuation. And existing commercial property tax will be rolled back by 8 percent a year over five years.” New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez wanted to eliminate the tax on locomotive fuel to become more competitive with neighboring states. She also encouraged, “small businesses to hire unemployed workers by covering part of their salaries for the first six months through the unemployment fund.” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett suggested eliminating the state’s capital stock and franchise tax. Also, his budget retains an array of tax credits, such as, film, research and development. Rhode Island’s Chafee pointed out that his state’s corporate tax code “creates an unfair advantage for multistate companies with operations in Rhode Island by allowing them to send profits out of state to avoid taxes here.” He asked for combined reporting to “treat all of our businesses fairly.” He also is seeking to phase out other tax credits, lower the corporate minimum tax and reduce the state corporate tax rate to be more competitive with neighboring states. A number of states are looking at information technology advancements and the expansion of broadband as ways to streamline processes, expand access to opportunities and resources and to grow businesses. Governors in Hawaii, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire and Nevada discussed such plans specifically. Wyoming Gov. Matthew Mead wants to use state funding to recruit mega data centers. “We have what those centers need,” Mead said. “We have the natural advantages: We have a favorable weather climate with a low number of required cooling days; we can produce abundant, relatively inexpensive electricity; we have relative safety from natural catastrophes such as hurricanes, and we have available land.” Delaware’s Markell claimed that health care support to businesses can advance economic development. “Too often, small business owners have trouble negotiating and paying for health care coverage for their workforce or attracting the best workers when they don’t,” Markell said. “We will implement the new federal health care act in a way that most helps our small businesses.” Oklahoma’s Fallin asked for reform of the state’s workers’ compensation system so that it “takes care of our injured workers in a more timely fashion, reduces fraud and waste, and puts the brakes on runaway costs that have spiraled upwards each year.” Washington’s Gov. Christine Gregoire proposed changes to her state’s unemployment insurance and compensation rates. South Dakota’s Daugaard provided one of the most comprehensive plans for economic development in his state. In a little more than 1,800 words, this chief executive promoted an economic development fund, a small town focus and microloan program, business attention to the state’s agriculture sector and improved tourism. He also asked for reform of the state’s large project refund program so that “refunds only be given to those projects that would not otherwise be undertaken, and to give discretion to determine when a project meets that standard. … I would ask that you would provide this authority so that South Dakota can be protected from unnecessary tax giveaways.” He did not forget to mention the Homestake Underground Science Laboratory as well as improvements to the state’s aviation industry as ways to grow jobs and state wealth Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who kept the newspapers and media outlets working for most of the early spring of 2011 with his effort to cut back union bargaining rights, explained his proposed eight pieces of legislation “to instill in our state an environment that encourages job creation, and to send the message to employers that now is the time to start hiring.” Walker said his plan included lower taxes, less regulation, and lower litigation and health care costs, “so that more employers are able to create jobs for our people.” Performance and More Mentions of government performance, cost-cutting measures and accountability standards made it to third place in 2011 in governors’ state of the state addresses. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said, .” He then defined his vision of effective, efficient and elegant public service. “When I say elegant, I’m talking about the delivery of state services in a way that elevates both the state employee and the person receiving state services,” Hickenlooper said. “When someone applies for a driver’s license or inspection, they shouldn’t feel disrespected by the interaction and neither should the state employee. This is the essence of customer service.” Other efforts covered accounting rules changes, like Connecticut’s Malloy’s request to, “… require the state to keep its books according to GAAP principles.” His other ideas included reorganizations, consolidation of services and offices, making state buildings more energy efficient, tort reform, cleaning up government regulation, performance awards to state employees and various personnel changes, especially as relates to funding employee benefits. Wisconsin’s Walker’s efforts are well known in the employee benefit area. But others, like Florida’s Scott, also pressed for such changes. “… We will also modernize our state government,” Scott said. .” In Maine, LePage includes in his budget “a retirement incentive for state workers. Age-eligible employees who leave the workforce before the end of this calendar year will receive a small cash payment and enter the retirement system before cost-saving adjustments are made to the program.” And Pennsylvania’s Corbett explained he would be “looking for salary rollbacks and freezes from state employees, as well as asking them to increase their contributions for health care benefits. We also need to start the conversation about the necessary repairs to our public retirement system.” Georgia’s Deal promoted downsizing by “eliminating about 14,000 positions.” Similarly, Kansas’s Brownback noted that “in my FY2012 budget recommendations, I have eliminated over 2,000 unfilled employee positions.” Brownback also established an “Office of the Repealer to identify regulations or statutes for repeal that are costly, outdated and ineffective.” North Carolina’s Perdue talked of consolidating 14 state agencies into eight and “shedding as many as a thousand workers.” New Hampshire’s Lynch echoed this; his budget “eliminates 1,100 positions, reducing our state employee position count by almost 10 percent.” He also explained his consolidation of services and offices, the institution of a new financial management information system and leveraging Internet technology to streamline some state services. Nevada’s Sandoval pointed out that his budget “recommends the consolidation, elimination or centralization of 20 departments and agencies.” Tennessee’s Haslam also slashed personnel, saying, “there will be 1,180 fewer state positions—almost 90 percent of the reductions come from eliminating unfilled positions and the projects tied to non-recurring state and federal stimulus funds.” Haslam also called for “an across-the-board paperwork reduction plan.” Rhode Island’s Chafee was one of the few who spoke of direct program cuts to affect performance. “I also propose $20 million in cuts to other departments as a first step in a larger review of their operations and management,” Chafee said. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley spoke of “commonsense savings, such as physically moving the Department for Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Services from a privately leased space to offices sitting empty in a government-owned building. This simple act will save the people of South Carolina $700,000 over the next four years.” More than half of governors (55.3 percent) mentioned the federal government this year in their addresses and 17 percent mentioned local government. Many of the comments about the federal government regarded national health care reform and its impacts on state functioning. Such comments characterized the health care reform as stifling, limiting, seriously damaging, a takeover, and jeopardizing other state priorities. Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said his state would “not stand down in the fight to protect the state’s sovereignty, while Kentucky Gov. Beshear claimed that “Kentuckians are rightly disgusted by a federal government that defines fiscal management as the speed at which you can print money.” Thoughts about local governments were likely to push more responsibility onto these governments or to promote efficiencies at this level. Indiana’s Daniels called for reorganization of local government in that state. “We should join the rest of America in moving to a single, elected county commissioner, working with a strengthened legislative branch, the County Council, to make decision making accountable and implementation swift and efficient,” Daniels said. Likewise, New York’s Cuomo promoted a consolidation bonus to local governments to share services, suggesting that “50 percent of the bonus money [go] to direct property taxpayer relief for the people of that government.” Conclusion In the past few years, governors have honed in on the most critical of state functions—education and economic development. In 2011, governors were not shy about presenting their plans for righting the fiscal ship. Idaho’s Otter claimed “a new culture of responsible austerity” that seemed to pervade the thoughts of other chief executives around the nation. Chief executives are holding firm on education, presenting numerous tax relief and other options to draw jobs and business in-state, and requesting a wide variety of cost-cutting initiatives (slashing vacancies, reorganizing state offices, etc.), program changes (highlighting community colleges and online education) and evaluations to continue chipping away at state expenditures. In the words of New York’s Cuomo, “The economy has retrenched; states now have to recalibrate.” And that is what governors are attempting very aggressively in their state of state speeches. Notes 1Chief executives of state governments report annually or biennially to their legislatures regarding the fiscal condition of their state, commonwealth or territory. Governors often use their address to lay out their policy and budget agendas for their upcoming or continuing administration. The 2011 state of the state addresses were accessed from January 1 through March 21, 2011, via or or using the state government’s home page. This research considers those 47 states with transcripts available at these sites as of March 21, 2011. Speeches not available by this date included Oregon and Vermont. Gov. Jan Brewer’s address of Jan. 10, 2011, to the Arizona legislature and state residents is not included in this analysis as she spoke only of the Jan. 8, 2011, shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others in Tucson. Gov. Brewer explained that, “I had intended to deliver a State of the State address to you today—remarks that outline an exciting and solid plan for job creation, education, and tax reform and I will deliver that plan to you. But, not now. Not today.” 2012—budget and policy direction. Just mentioning a state function or policy area like economic development in a speech did not classify the issue as an agenda item addressed by a governor. Further, a review by the governor of past accomplishments alone in any particular issue area did not count in this content analysis. 2Includes West Virginia, in which Earl Ray Tomblin, as president of West Virginia’s Senate, assumed the governor’s seat because of the resignation of Gov. Joe Manchin III, who won the special election in November 2010 to replace U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, who died in office. Both Tomblin and Manchin are Democrats. 3National Conference of State Legislatures 2011. StateVote 2001 State and Legislative Partisan Composition (March 9). Accessed on March 15, 2011 at:. 4McNichol, Elizabeth, Phil Oliff and Nicholas Johnson, 2011. “States continue to feel recession’s impact.” Washington, D.C.: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (March 9). 5Combs, David, 2011. “State budget gaps: How does your state rank?” Stateline.org (March 15) accessible at:. 6National Association of State Budget Officers 2010. The Fiscal Survey of the States. (Washington, D.C.) Fall. Table 19: Comparison of Tax Collections in Fiscal 2009, Fiscal 2010, and Enacted 2011, p. 42. 7National Association of State Budget Officers 2010. The Fiscal Survey of the States. (Washington, D.C.) Fall. Table 23: Total Year-End Balances, Fiscal 1979 to Fiscal 2011, p. 50 8U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: Current Unemployment Rates for States and Historical Highs/Lows accessed on March 15, 2011 at:. 9National Association of State Budget Officers 2010. State Expenditure Report. (Washington, D.C.) Fall. p. 2. 10National Association of State Budget Officers 2010. State Expenditure Report.

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Design Thinking Resources For Practitioners We get questions on books, papers, and other ‘how-to-get-started-with-design-thinking (DT)’ resources over and over. Thus we decided to compile this little page with the most influential and helpful practitioner material we currently know. For that we asked our circle of colleagues within the HPI-Stanford Design Thinking Research Program, long-term DT practitioners from the DTX, as well as some colleagues from other universities. There can be no claim of completeness and we left out many works of authors and colleagues, which we love and often recommend on other occasions. You have feedback? There is a great resource we have overlooked? Feel free, to drop us a line. Essential Readings — A Collection Legend: B = Beginner / A = Advanced / E = Expert Advanced Readings The Springer Series: “Understanding Innovation”. If you want to dig deeper, this series is for you. The Rotman Magazine The Rotman Magazine is the official publication of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. They publish three themed issues per year. Content includes input from Rotman faculty; leading academics at top-tier schools, and thought leaders across a range of fields, including Design Thinking, Psychology, Consulting, Behavioural Economics, and Neuroscience. The magazine is hard to categorize as it appeals to novices and advanced innovation practitioners and learners of Design Thinking alike. Electronic Colloquium on Design Thinking Research The Electronic Colloquium on Design Thinking Research (ECDTR) is a forum for the rapid and widespread interchange of ideas, methods, and results in Design Thinking Research. The purpose of the forum is to use electronic media for scientific communication and discussions in the Design Thinking Research community. It encompasses papers, short notes and surveys with relevance to Design Thinking Research and innovative solutions to Design Thinking research challenges with an interdisciplinary focus. What Other DT-Experts Recommend Here are some additional and handy lists with literature and tool kit recommendations from other design thinking experts. Enjoy! Discussion Forums & Communities You have urgent questions? You’re looking for like-minded peers? Or you just want to follow the latest buzz on the topic? Then you might like these forums ans discussion groups: Collections of Tool and Method Kits A Compendium of Design Process Models Dubberly Office: “How do you design – A compendium of models” gives a great overview on the most common models of design, innovation and creativity. Stanford Bootcamp Bootleg A handy collection of basic tools and methods that are taught at the d.schools in Stanford and Potsdam. Creative Confidence Tool Collection A handy collection of basic tools and methods as recommended by the founder of IDEO, David Kelley. Google Ventures Design Resources A collection of best practices on team work,design research, the organization of design sprints and many topics more. All with a focus on start-ups. Intuit Labs Intuit is a company, which has undergone a massive cultural change guided by design thinking and lean start-up principles. Here they share some of their stories and methods. SAP Design Thinking Playbook The design thinking and Ux community at SAP also regularly publishes resources on their user experience community site. IDEO Design (Method) Kit The IDEO HCD Method Kit is a classic and invaluable resource for any ‘design thinker’. It encompasses a basic set of design tools, rules and methods one can use in everyday (business) life. FROG Collective Action Method Kit The FROG Collective Action Tool Kit is geared towards local change agents who want to transform communities. Nevertheless the methods can be used in many other contexts, too. HPI Prototyping Cards The Prototyping Card Set from the HPI Potsdam guides design thinking novices in building the ‘right prototype’ in every situation. The cards can be downloaded or ordered at Amazon. IDEO Design Thinking For Educators Kit The IDEO Design Thinking For Educators Kit is geared towards the needs of those K12 schools and teachers, who believe that a design thinking mindset should be developed from very early days on. The IIT.ID Methods Collection: 101 Design Methods This book is one of those rare gems, where you might say: It’s the only one I’ll ever need. Decades of IIT’s experience with design and strategy (modeling) methods crammed into 336 pages. Presented by Vijay Kumar, professor in Strategic Design Planning and the Design Methods programs of IIT.ID. The Circular (Economy) Design Guide How can we as leaders, designers, and strategists factor in the limits of growth into our work? This guide and tool-set helps you incorporate a Circular Economy perspective when developing your ‘next’ truly sustainable product-service system or business model. Brought to you by Ellen McArthur Foundation and IDEO. GOV.UK Service Toolkit Not only useful to people in the UK government. The toolkit from the GDS brings together all the things that are available to help teams building government services. So, administrations of the world: Take note! Universal Methods of Design Another great collection of design methods. Especially recommended to beginners, to gain a quick overview. Brains, Behaviour, and Design Toolkit A toolkit, derived from research into behavioural economics. It helps you to make use of peoples typical thinking and behaviour pattern biases and nudge them into certain desired behaviours accordingly. IBM Design Thinking Field Guide The public version of the IBM Design Thinking Field Guide introduces its readers to IBM’s take on design thinking and how they adapted and merged the approach with agile practices. LUMA Method Cards The category system of the LUMA method cards is simple yet clever. Great for planning and organizing project work with first time clients or teams, who are not savvy yet in using HCD methods. SAP Scenes Scenes is a storyboard creation set. You can build products and service scenarios fast, collaboratively and iteratively — without the need of refined drawing skills. Some additional information on this site can only be displayed to "admin" users.Some additional information on this site can only be displayed to "admin" users. Design Thinking-related Podcasts If you are more the listener kind of person you might like this little collection of design (thinking) podcasts. Innovate By Design: Design Thinking Scaling and Adaption in Big Organizations In this podcast, innovation scholar and design thinking adaption expert Ingo Rauth interviews innovations leaders and program managers about the challenges of scaling design thinking in big corporates. Latest Episodes of the Innovate by Design Podcast January 18, 2017, 2:55 pm – I was especially curious to talk to Christi Zuber, as Kaiser Permanente (KP) has been one of the first organisations to experiment using design thinking outside of product design. I met Christi first in 2011 when she was working as in th... [ Listen to the episode ] July 11, 2016, 12:45 pm – In this episode, I’m talking to Diana Joseph, former Director, Innovation Enablement at Citrix (San Francisco, USA). At Citrix Diana and her team developed an intense, hands-on curriculum that focuses on desirability, viability and fea... [ Listen to the episode ] May 6, 2016, 8:10 am – Welcome to episode two of season one where we focus on how to bring design and innovation to large organizations. In this episode I’ve talked to Tobias Haug. Tobias is a Head of Design & Co-Innovation Center, EMEA at SAP. As we all know,... [ Listen to the episode ] April 29, 2016, 9:41 am – More and more banks are jumping on the design thinking and service design band wagon, often as a means to conform to the latest hype “digital transformation”. Given the number of bank cases that pop-up on the topic, the movement towards ... [ Listen to the episode ] April 20, 2016, 6:43 pm – The first season of Innovate by Design is exploring how design and innovation can be fostered inside large organizations. My first guest this season and on the show is Ben Grossman-Kahn, who is the former director of Nordstrom’s People I... [ Listen to the episode ] The Design of Business — The Business of Design Jessica Helfand and Michael Bierut are the instructors of the Yale School of Management’s first design course. In their podcast „The Design of Business/The Business of Design“, they explore the intersection of design and business with the help of guest lecturers from their classes. Latest Episodes of the The Design of Business — The Business of Design Podcast May 16, 2017, 3:00 pm – Dana Arnett is a vice chairman and a founding partner of VSA Partners, a branding and marketing company based in Chicago. Patrick Palmer leads the strategy practice at VSA. [ Listen to the episode ] May 9, 2017, 3:00 pm – Khoi Vinh is a principal designer at Adobe. [ Listen to the episode ] May 2, 2017, 3:00 pm – Robert Brunner is a founder of Ammunition, a design firm based in San Francisco. He has designed products from the Apple PowerBook to Beats by Dre headphones. [ Listen to the episode ] April 25, 2017, 3:00 pm – Ashleigh Axios is the design exponent at Automattic and a former creative director for the White House’s Office of Digital Strategy. [ Listen to the episode ] April 18, 2017, 3:00 pm – Teddy Blanks is a co-founder of CHIPS, a Brooklyn-based design studio, who specializes in film titles. [ Listen to the episode ] April 11, 2017, 3:00 pm – Grace Jun is the executive director of Open Style Lab, a nonprofit that aims to make fashion accessible to people with disabilities. [ Listen to the episode ] April 5, 2017, 3:00 pm – Michael Rock is founding partner and creative director of 2x4, a global design consultancy. He has worked with brands including Nike, Prada, Target, and Kanye West. [ Listen to the episode ] March 28, 2017, 3:00 pm – David Rockwell is the founder and president of the architecture and design firm the Rockwell Group and a theatrical set designer. [ Listen to the episode ] March 21, 2017, 3:00 pm – Lee Moreau is a principal at Continuum, a global innovation design firm. [ Listen to the episode ] March 14, 2017, 3:00 pm – Bobby C. Martin, Jr., is a founding partner of the agency OCD | The Original Champions of Design. [ Listen to the episode ] March 7, 2017, 3:00 pm – Neri Oxman leads the Mediated Matter research group at the MIT Media Lab. [ Listen to the episode ] February 28, 2017, 3:00 pm – Audrey Gelman is co-founder and CEO of The Wing, a social club and co-working space for women. Pentagram partner Emily Oberman worked on the brand identity. [ Listen to the episode ] January 10, 2017, 3:00 pm – Teddy Goff was the digital director for Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection effort and an adviser to Hillary Clinton in 2016. [ Listen to the episode ] January 3, 2017, 3:00 pm – Steve Duenes is an Assistant Editor at The New York Times who oversees a team of visual journalists. [ Listen to the episode ] December 20, 2016, 3:00 pm – Danny Meyer is the founder of Shake Shack. Paula Scher designed its graphic identity. [ Listen to the episode ] December 13, 2016, 3:00 pm – Dr. Jay Parkinson is the founder of Sherpaa, an online medical practice. [ Listen to the episode ] December 6, 2016, 3:00 pm – Leslie Koch was the president and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. [ Listen to the episode ] O’Reilly Design Podcast The O’Reilly Design Podcast explores how experience design — and experience designers — are shaping business, the Internet of Things, and other domains. Thus, design thinking is of course a topic often touched here. Latest Episodes of the O'Reilly Design Podcast June 8, 2017, 11:25 am – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: The sombrero-shaped designer, leading design teams, and designing for retail. This week, I sit down with Cynthia Savard Saucier, director of design at Shopify and author of Tragic Design. Saucier also is keyno...[ Listen to the episode ] May 25, 2017, 10:50 am – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: What makes healthy teams healthy, being customer obsessed, and design and research at Microsoft. This week, I sit down with Travis Lowdermilk senior UX designer at Microsoft, and Jessica Rich, UX researcher at...[ Listen to the episode ] May 11, 2017, 11:00 am – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: The connective nature of product management, “no work above, no work below,” and the importance of talking to people who aren’t your customers. This week, I sit down with Matt LeMay, product coach, consultant...[ Listen to the episode ] April 27, 2017, 11:05 am – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Leadership, the design of product teams, and hiring optimists. This week, I sit down with Nate Walkingshaw, chief experience officer of Pluralsite and co-author of Product Leadership. We talk about hard and so...[ Listen to the episode ] April 13, 2017, 11:00 am – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Asking the right questions, conducting research in an agile environment, and conscious confidence. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with David Farkas, associate director of user experience at EPAM and...[ Listen to the episode ] March 30, 2017, 11:05 am – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Design ethics and value systems, and what the Ford Pinto can teach us about the importance of human-centered design. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Jonathan Shariat, senior interaction designer...[ Listen to the episode ] March 16, 2017, 11:55 am – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: The importance of intentional thinking, user-centered data visualizations, and separating functionality from implementation. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Noah Iliinsky, senior UX architect at...[ Listen to the episode ] March 2, 2017, 2:55 pm – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Build measure learn, the One Metric That Matters, and balancing hubris and humility. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Ben Yoskovitz, investor, entrepreneur, and former VP of product at VarageSale...[ Listen to the episode ] February 16, 2017, 12:00 pm – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: The guiding light of strategy, designing Allbirds, and what makes the magic of a brand identity. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Simon Endres, creative director and partner at Red Antler. We tal...[ Listen to the episode ] February 2, 2017, 12:00 pm – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Building bridges across disciplines, universal vs. inclusive design, and what playground design can teach us about inclusion. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Kat Holmes, principal design directo...[ Listen to the episode ] January 19, 2017, 12:25 pm – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Collaborating with engineering, hiring for humility, and the code debate. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Randy Hunt, VP of design at Etsy. We talk about the culture at Etsy, why it’s important ...[ Listen to the episode ] January 5, 2017, 12:30 pm – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Identifying use cases for robots, the five laws of robots, and the ethics and philosophy of robotics. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Andra Keay, managing director of Silicon Valley Robotics. We...[ Listen to the episode ] December 22, 2016, 12:00 pm – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Solving problems, user-centered design, and culture at NASA. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Jay Trimble, mission operations and ground data system manager, for the Resource Prospector Lunar Rov...[ Listen to the episode ] December 8, 2016, 12:40 pm – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Pricing design, charting your learning path, and working with friends. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Dan Mall, founder and director of Superfriendly. We talk about what skills designers should...[ Listen to the episode ] November 23, 2016, 12:40 pm – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Designing for trust in finance, conversational UIs, and the value of a weekly oasis. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Steph Hay, head of content, culture, and AI design at Capital One. We talk ab...[ Listen to the episode ] November 10, 2016, 12:15 pm – The O'Reilly Design Podcast: The VUI tools ecosystems, and voice gender and accent selections. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Cathy Pearl, director of user experience at Sensely and author of Designing Voice User Interface...[ Listen to the episode ] October 27, 2016, 12:20 pm – The O’Reilly Design Podcast: Design education, mentoring, and what design skills matter the most. In this week’s Design Podcast, I sit down with Danielle Malik, designer, owner, and mentor at Design Equation. We talk about mentoring the n...[ Listen to the episode ] The McKinsey Podcast Yes, you read right. McKinsey now also practices and believes in design thinking. In their episode “The power of design Thinking”, their Podcast team explores the topic and its application in organizations.Listen to the episode “The Power of Design Thinking” IDEO Futures The IDEO Futures podcasts started out as a prototype. By now, the team has released more than forty episodes of interviews with guests from the creative industry and the business sphere. Latest Episodes of the IDEO Futures Podcast June 20, 2017, 9:05 pm – If you don't already follow Michael Dearing on Twitter (twitter.com/mcgd), you'll want to after hearing this conversation with Diego (twitter.com/metacool). Michael is the founder of Harrison Metal and joins Diego to talk about venture m... [ Listen to the episode ] May 25, 2017, 7:39 pm – As we approach the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 this weekend, three of our favorite (and renowned) automotive design geeks join Diego to discuss the lost art of hand painted racing numbers. Graphic designers, car enthusiasts, an... [ Listen to the episode ] April 26, 2017, 8:40 pm – Our guest on episode 45 is a truly remarkable individual. Bonny Simi, president of JetBlue Technology Ventures, joins Diego to discuss everything from corporate venture capital and making changes within a large organization, to how she e... [ Listen to the episode ] April 10, 2017, 6:17 pm – Bob Sutton is a Professor of Management Science and Engineering, and a Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University. He's also quite a prolific author, and his books have a prominent place on our bookshelves. Bob and Diego... [ Listen to the episode ] March 10, 2017, 8:07 pm – Episode 43 is all about asking questions to learn your way to a better place. Ace IDEO business designers David Aycan and Katherine Londergan join Diego to talk about the importance of questions, whether you're just getting started or fi... [ Listen to the episode ] January 27, 2017, 6:23 pm – ... [ Listen to the episode ] December 16, 2016, 11:10 pm – Nick Edwards is the founder and CEO of GradientOne, Inc. He also spent five years as a Submarine Officer on Los Angeles Class fast attack submarines. His insights around leadership are sharp and invaluable. He graduated with a BS in Cont... [ Listen to the episode ] September 29, 2016, 6:27 pm – Rob Pardo is on a mission to create game experiences that build and deepen friendships. Formerly the Chief Creative Officer at Blizzard Entertainment—where he led the design of World of Warcraft—Rob and a small team of game designers rec... [ Listen to the episode ] August 31, 2016, 12:45 am – Jane Chen is the co-founder and CEO of Embrace Innovations, a social enterprise startup creating technologically innovative products for a global community of mothers and babies. Embrace Innovations recently launched Little Lotus Baby, a... [ Listen to the episode ] August 9, 2016, 9:11 pm – inspi... [ Listen to the episode ] July 26, 2016, 6:03 pm – conve... [ Listen to the episode ] July 12, 2016, 8:44 pm – t... [ Listen to the episode ] June 10, 2016, 10:12 pm – Earlier this year, Diego hosted a fascinating conversation with drivers Patrick Dempsey and Patrick Long as part of the Open Garage Talk series at the Revs Program at Stanford. Titled "Mindset of a Champion", the conversation focused o... [ Listen to the episode ] May 25, 2016, 10:37 pm – Suzanne Gibbs Howard and Coe Leta Stafford join us to talk about the process of bringing IDEO U (ideou.com) to life. Both Suzanne and Coe are design researchers and have incredibly sharp insights about the entrepreneurial journey. To b... [ Listen to the episode ] April 29, 2016, 11:37 pm – we... [ Listen to the episode ] April 14, 2016, 7:20 pm – Kanyi Maqubela, partner at Collaborative Fund, joins us in episode 32 to talk about everything from the power of gratitude to intentionally experimenting in venture capital to Pharrell and everything in between. And in honor of Twitter... [ Listen to the episode ] March 25, 2016, 2:41 pm – Our guest on episode 31 is Dan Sinker, an internet legend whose creative exploits have inspired us over and over and over. Dan heads up the Knight-Mozilla OpenNews project, was the author of the legendary @MayorEmanuel twitter account, a... [ Listen to the episode ] Highresolution.Design A great video podcast by Bobby Ghoshal and Jared Erondu on product design and design thinking. They interview design (thinking) leaders in the industry on their take of practicing design and innovation. Latest Episodes of the Highresolution.Design Podcast June 22, 2017, 7:52 pm – [ Listen to the episode ] June 22, 2017, 6:39 pm – [ Listen to the episode ] June 18, 2017, 3:13 pm – [ Listen to the episode ] June 15, 2017, 6:45 pm – [ Listen to the episode ] June 15, 2017, 5:01 pm – [ Listen to the episode ] June 11, 2017, 3:27 pm – [ Listen to the episode ] June 8, 2017, 1:19 am – [ Listen to the episode ] June 8, 2017, 1:15 am – [ Listen to the episode ] June 4, 2017, 7:16 pm – [ Listen to the episode ] June 1, 2017, 12:39 am – [ Listen to the episode ] June 1, 2017, 12:32 am – [ Listen to the episode ] May 28, 2017, 6:46 pm – [ Listen to the episode ] May 25, 2017, 3:12 am – [ Listen to the episode ] May 25, 2017, 3:09 am – [ Listen to the episode ] TED Radio Hour – The Power of Design Episode Design is all around us, but much of it could be better. In this episode, TED speakers talk about the essence of good design in buildings, brands, the digital realm and the natural world.Listen to the episode “The Power of Design” Intro Videos: What is Design Thinking? Expert Videos: Embedding Design Thinking In The Organization If you are new to design thinking, you might enjoy these introduction videos. If you already deal with design thinking adaption and scaling, you might be interested in these videos. Design Thinking MOOCs The list below is not complete. It represents a ‘best-of collection’ of all the design thinking MOOCs a team of HDTRP researchers screened in 2015. Feedback? Click here, to drop us a line. This resource collection is compiled by Jan Schmiedgen with the support of our research colleagues in the HPDTRP. Special thanks go to Karen von Schmieden , Julia von Thienen, and Mana Taheri. Want to stay up to date on design thinking? Join our mailing list to receive the latest industry stories and opinions. 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Perioperative risk prediction in the era of enhanced recovery: a comparison of POSSUM, ACPGBI, and E-PASS scoring systems in major surgical procedures of the colorectal surgeon Abstract Purpose This study aims to determine whether traditional risk models can accurately predict morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing major surgery by colorectal surgeons within an enhanced recovery program. Methods One thousand three hundred eighty patients undergoing surgery performed by colorectal surgeons in a single UK hospital (2008–2013) were included. Six risk models were evaluated: (1) Physiology and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM), (2) Portsmouth POSSUM (P-POSSUM), (3) ColoRectal (CR-POSSUM), (4) Elderly POSSUM (E-POSSUM), (5) the Association of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) score, and (6) modified Estimation of Physiologic Ability and Surgical Stress Score (E-PASS). Model accuracy was assessed by observed to expected (O:E) ratios and area under Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC). Results Eleven patients (0.8%) died and 143 patients (10.4%) had a major complication within 30 days of surgery. All models overpredicted mortality and had poor discrimination: POSSUM 8.5% (O:E 0.09, AUC 0.56), P-POSSUM 2.2% (O:E 0.37, AUC 0.56), CR-POSSUM 7.1% (O:E 0.11, AUC 0.61), and E-PASS 3.0% (O:E 0.27, AUC 0.46). ACPGBI overestimated mortality in patients undergoing surgery for cancer 4.4% (O:E = 0.28, AUC = 0.41). Predicted morbidity was also overestimated by POSSUM 32.7% (O:E = 0.32, AUC = 0.51). E-POSSUM overestimated mortality (3.25%, O:E 0.57 AUC = 0.54) and morbidity (37.4%, O:E 0.30 AUC = 0.53) in patients aged ≥ 70 years and over. Conclusion All models overestimated mortality and morbidity. New models are required to accurately predict the risk of adverse outcome in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery taking into account the reduced physiological and operative insult of laparoscopic surgery and enhanced recovery care. KeywordsEnhanced recovery Colorectal surgery Preoperative risk ERAS ERP Introduction Colorectal surgery carries inherent perioperative risks, particularly for elderly patients with multi-morbidity [1]. Accurate risk stratification is essential to inform discussions with patients in order to facilitate informed consent, to enable surgical planning, and to anticipate the need for high dependency and intensive care support. Several models have been devised to predict postoperative mortality following general surgical operations. In 1991, Copeland and colleagues developed the Physiology and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Mortality and morbidity (POSSUM) to allow risk adjustment of operations to enable comparative audit of different centers [2]. However, this model was shown to overestimate mortality in patients undergoing low-risk procedures and led the development of a recalibrated version termed Portsmouth-POSSUM (P-POSSUM) using a dataset of 10,000 general surgical operations [3]. Both POSSUM and P-POSSUM incorporate data from the same 12 physiological and 6 operative parameters. Specific models to determine risk in colorectal surgery have also been created. In 2004, a risk prediction model termed ColoRectal POSSUM (CR-POSSUM) was developed using prospective data collected from 6883 colorectal operations from 15 UK hospitals between 1993 and 2001 [4]. This model had the advantage of only requiring six physiological variables and four operative parameters to predict 30-day mortality. However, once again this model has been shown to have limitations when predicting outcome in older patients. More recently, a French research group recalibrated the original POSSUM algorithm using data from 1186 patients aged 65 or over undergoing colorectal surgery across 41 hospitals, to generate an elderly-specific risk score (E-POSSUM) [5]. To date, POSSUM and Elderly POSSUM are the only scores validated to predict perioperative mortality and morbidity. The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) developed a risk prediction model for patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery requiring data on five variables: age, cancer resection, ASA grade, Dukes’ stage, and operative urgency [6, 7]. Although developed from a UK-based population, POSSUM and ACPGBI risk scores have been externally validated and shown to have good predictive power in studies of patients undergoing colorectal surgery in the Netherlands [8] and China [9]. In Japan, a mortality prediction risk score was developed termed Estimation of Physiological Ability and Surgical Stress (E-PASS) [10] using parameters to assess the health status of the patient (ASA score, co-morbidities, performance status) and the stress of surgery (blood loss, operation time, open or laparoscopic surgery). E-PASS has been validated for patients undergoing elective general surgery [11, 12] and colorectal surgery [13]. E-PASS has not been validated in a UK-based population. All these risk models were derived from analyzing large datasets of patients undergoing open surgery with standard perioperative care. Advances in surgical practice with the increased use of a laparoscopic approach and enhanced recovery pathways may impact on the relevance and value of this data set. Senagore and colleagues demonstrated that laparoscopic surgery reduces true morbidity and mortality compared to the POSSUM and P-POSSUM values. Furthermore, a reduction of the operative severity from major to minor with the resultant reduction of severity score by three corrected the overprediction of morbidity by POSSUM and mortality by P-POSSUM in laparoscopic colectomies [14]. Enhanced recovery in turn has been demonstrated to minimize the stress response to surgery thus reducing complications and expediting the recovery process as a result [15, 16]. We hypothesize that existing risk prediction models may overestimate the incidence of mortality and morbidity following elective colorectal surgery with enhanced recovery care. The aim of this study was to compare the predicted mortality and morbidity in each risk prediction model with the true mortality and morbidity of a large prospective cohort of patients who underwent colorectal surgery with enhanced recovery care. Methods Data was obtained from a prospectively maintained database of consecutive patients undergoing colorectal surgery with enhanced recovery care between 2008 and 2014. Ethical approval and individual written patient consent was not required because data were anonymized to the researchers which conforms to NHS research guidelines. Data on age, gender, surgical approach (laparoscopic, open, or converted), American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) grade, and procedure type were prospectively collected together with data necessary to calculate the risk prediction scores. Complications were entered prospectively and missing data added from case notes by either the operating surgeon or a trained specialist nurse. These were defined according to POSSUM [17] and by the Clavien-Dindo classification [18]. Mortality was defined as any death that occurred during the first 30 days and within the hospital admission if longer than 30 days. The predicted risk of mortality and morbidity was determined using POSSUM model. In addition, we calculated predicted mortality using P-POSSUM, CR-POSSUM, and E-PASS for all patients. Normal values were substituted for missing data as per the method adopted by Senagore et al. in 2004 [19]. A separate analysis was performed to determine the accuracy of each model to predict outcome in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and other benign colorectal conditions. We also analyzed the accuracy of the ACPGBI score to predict mortality for all patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer. Finally, we determined the risk of mortality and morbidity in a subgroup of patients aged 70 years or more using POSSUM and E-POSSUM models. Description of how to calculate risk scores POSSUM, P-POSSUM, CR-POSSUM, and ACPGBI scores were calculated using the method described by Copland et al., Prytherch et al., Tekkis et al., and Ferjani et al., respectively [2, 3, 4, 7]. Elderly POSSUM scores were derived using the algorithm by Tran Ba Loc et al. 2009 [5], and E-PASS scores by the method described by Haga et al. [13]. The algorithms are provided in appendices 1 and 2. Statistical analysis To determine the validity of the risk prediction models, discrimination and calibration of each model were calculated. Discrimination is the ability of the model to assign a higher probability of death to the patients who actually died than those who were alive 30 days after surgery. This is determined by generating receiver-operating characteristic curves (ROC), with sensitivity (y-axis) plotted against specificity (x-axis). The area under the curve (AUC) of < 0.7 indicates poor discrimination, 0.7–0.8 indicates fair discrimination, and 0.8–1 good to excellent discrimination. AUC was calculated with 95% confidence intervals and compared using non-parametric paired tests in the method described by DeLong et al. (1988) [20]. The Bonferroni correction was used to adjust for pairwise comparisons. Calibration is the accuracy of the model to predict the risk of death or complication for an individual patient. The estimated probability of death was calculated for each model and ranked into five equal groups of increasing operative mortality. The true mortality (observed) is then compared with the predicted mortality (expected) in each group. The observed/expected ratio of 1 is perfect accuracy, a ratio < 1 indicates overprediction of mortality rate, and a ratio of > 1 indicates underestimation. A Hosmer-Lemeshow C goodness of fit test is then used to generate a Chi squared test comparing the observed and expected outcome of all patients. A well-calibrated model in which the observed and expected mortality are similar would have a low Hosmer-Lemeshow value and P value > 0.05. Statistical analysis All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 18. Results We analyzed data from 1380 consecutive patients who underwent elective colorectal surgery performed by three surgeons within an enhanced recovery program. 0.03% of overall data was missing from the database, and normal values were substituted. Seven hundred sixty-four patients were male (55.4%) and 616 patients were female (44.6%). The median age was 62 years (interquartile range 43–72 years). Five hundred sixty-eight patients (41.2%) underwent resection for colorectal cancer (CRC), 217 patients (15.7%) underwent resection for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and 595 patients (43.1%) underwent surgery for other benign colorectal conditions (BC). One thousand fifty-six patients (76.5%) had surgery performed by laparoscopic technique, 238 patients (17.2%) had open surgery, and 86 patients (6.23%) initially underwent laparoscopic surgery but required conversion to open. The characteristic of the patients in the study are summarized in appendix 5 supplementary data table (a). The combined 30-day postoperative and in hospital mortality rate was 11/1380 (0.797%). Seven patients died following CRC surgery: five cardiac failure and two pneumonia/respiratory failure. Four patients undergoing BC procedures also died: two from cardiac events and two respiratory failure. No deaths occurred in the group undergoing surgery for IBD. The overall 30-day major complication rate (Clavien score of ≥ 3) was 143/1380 (10.4%): 69/568 patients (13.8%) with CRC, 30/217 patients (14.6%) with IBD, and 44/595 patients (10.2%) with other BC. Using the original POSSUM definition, the overall complication rate was 164/1380 (11.9%). The breakdown is presented in appendix 6 supplementary data table (b). Performance of mortality prediction models in the entire dataset Discrimination and calibration of the studied scores for predicting mortality in colorectal patients Receiver Operator Characteristic curves for mortality in entire cohort: comparing POSSUM, P-POSSUM, CR-POSSUM, E-POSSUM, ACPGBI, E-PASS Performance of mortality predictive models in subgroups Discrimination and calibration of the studied scores for predicting mortality in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer Discrimination and calibration of the studied scores for predicting mortality in patients undergoing surgery for other benign diseases Discrimination and calibration of the studied scores for predicting mortality in colorectal patients aged 70 years and older Morbidity prediction Discrimination and calibration of the studied scores for predicting major complications (Clavien ≥ 3) in colorectal patients Receiver Operator Characteristic curves for mortality: comparing POSSUM and E-POSSUM for morbidity Discrimination and calibration of the studied scores for predicting complications (original POSSUM criteria) in colorectal patients Discussion This study is the first to evaluate the validity of perioperative risk prediction models in patients who have undergone surgery within a rigorously followed enhanced recovery care program. All the models tested in our study overpredicted mortality and morbidity. Previous studies of patients undergoing colorectal surgery within an enhanced recovery program have been shown to have fewer complications and faster recovery than those managed with conventional care [21]. These risk stratification models are now used routinely in clinical care, especially P-POSSUM and CR-POSSUM. Both patients and clinicians are making clinical decisions guided by the results extrapolated from online calculators, which use these tools. This study’s findings therefore have significant implications when counseling patients regarding perioperative risk in order to guide treatment decisions and help to determine the level of postoperative care required. Surgeons who have adopted laparoscopic techniques and enhanced recovery principles should be aware of the limitations of the current risk models available. Importantly, emphasis should be made on cautious interpretation of the results of these calculations and the dangers associated with using them for risk prediction of mortality in individual patients. Additionally, there has been a recent focus on risk stratification in order to evaluate hospital and surgeon specific complications rates as part of quality improvement and safety initiatives. We have demonstrated the relatively poor reliability of current risk prediction models in patients undergoing colorectal surgery with enhanced recovery care. Indeed one can argue that both POSSUM and P-POSSUM, which were initially designed for comparative audit [2, 3], are being used inappropriately in clinical practice and that the historical data from which they are derived is outmoded and even redundant in relation to the recent advances in surgical technique and perioperative care. The traditional risk models evaluated in this study are based on the multivariate regression analysis of perioperative variables recorded in large numbers of patients who have undergone open surgical procedures and not managed with enhanced recovery care protocols. Due to the low mortality associated with ERAS, we estimate a minimum dataset of approximately 10,000 patients with 100 deaths (10 deaths per model independent variables) would be required in order to maintain model integrity [22, 23]. This would then require further validation with data from other international institutions practicing ERAS. The models were also poor at predicting mortality when analyzing patients stratified by age or disease pathology. Therefore new models need to include patients of all ages and encompassing a wide breadth of indications for surgery, if they can be applicable to these subgroups. Furthermore, new outcome predictive variables are becoming readily available, for example, sarcopenia, which can be demonstrated on preoperative computer tomography, has been shown to have a negative effect on postoperative outcomes [24, 25, 26, 27]. There are several limitations in our study. Firstly, this is a single institution study based in a tertiary colorectal specialist center, and the results may not be generalizable to other hospitals who have adopted ERAS care protocols. Second, the performance of any mortality predictive model is dependent on the number of events, and in particular, deaths. The mortality and morbidity rates of patients undergoing surgery with ERAS were relatively small and therefore validation through a much larger dataset is required as described above. Third, we substituted normal values for missing data, although this represented less than 0.03% of the overall data. Finally, in order to confirm our hypothesis that traditional risk models to do not accurately predict short-term perioperative outcomes, other institutions who practice ERAS, have a large proportion of laparoscopic surgery and maintain prospective databases need to analyze the validity of the models tested in this study using their dataset. Conclusions As time passes and surgical technique and postoperative recovery pathways reduce the physiological insult of surgery, we will find that the models based on these early data will loose validity. The existing perioperative risk prediction scores overestimate morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing colorectal surgery within an enhanced recovery program. New models are required based on prospectively collected data across multiple centers performing cases both laparoscopically and with enhanced recovery-based care this would fall in line more with the ACS-NSQIP database producing a more reliable and accurate tool for risk prediction in the UK setting. Notes Funding This study received funding via donations to the St Mark’s Hospital Foundation registered charity number 1140930. Compliance with ethical standards Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Supplementary material References - 1.Colorectal Cancer Collaborative Group (2000) Surgery for colorectal cancer in elderly patients: a systematic review. Lancet 356(9234):968–974CrossRefGoogle Scholar - 2.Copeland GP, Jones D, Walters M (1991) POSSUM: a scoring system for surgical audit. 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Guidelines for perioperative care in elective rectal/pelvic surgery: enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS®) society recommendations. Clin Nutr 31(6):801–816CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar - 17.Menon KV, Farouk R (2002) An analysis of the accuracy of P-POSSUM scoring for mortality risk assessment after surgery for colorectal cancer. Color Dis 4(3):197–200CrossRefGoogle Scholar - 18.Dindo D, Demartines N, Clavien PA (2004) Classification of surgical complications. Ann Surg 240(2):205–213CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar - 19.Senagore AJ, Warmuth AJ, Delaney CP, Tekkis PP, Fazio VW (2004) POSSUM, P-POSSUM, and Cr-POSSUM: implementation issues in a United States health care system for prediction of outcome for colon cancer resection. Dis Colon Rectum 47(9):1435–1441CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar - 20.DeLong E, DeLong DM, Clarke-Pearson DL (1988) Comparing the areas under two or more correlated receiver operating characteristic curves: a nonparametric approach. 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Best Career Numerology Best Career Numerology: How Does Manifestation Work? Do you find it complicated to manifest things you want right into your life? Possibly you adhere to the Law of Attraction as well as simply can not quite conquer manifestation? It can be difficult in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, manifesting can end up being second nature to you. Best Career Numerology Maybe you are unclear of what manifestation really suggests. Or perhaps you require quality on what the objective of manifestation is! In order to be successful in your manifestations, you require to absolutely rely on them. So, it deserves recognizing the ins and outs of exactly what manifestation is and also just how to effectively manifest what you desire. Prior to I share my manifestation guide with you, allow via idea, sensations, and also beliefs’. This suggests that whatever you concentrate on is what you are bringing into your truth. You may concentrate as well as manifest with reflection, visualization or simply by means of your mindful or subconscious. This procedure Is Called Manifesting! Drawing in riches, success and all the good ideas in life requires education and learning. No, I’m not talking about being in the class. I’m discussing studying the Law of Attraction and also exercising the act of manifestation. It may seem strange, however it’s something you can find out fairly quickly. This is exactly what best career numerology is about Best Career Numerology You just need to use it on a consistent basis to get efficient it, as holds true with any ability. Learn More About Best Career Numerology Here –> Some people seem to be naturally proficient at drawing in abundance. But, that doesn’t imply you can not find out to be good at it too. One important factor, is thinking that you should have things you desire so highly, it becomes a part of your really being. It has nothing to do with luck. It’s about placing on your own abreast with what you want. In order to start when driving to drawing in whatever you want in life, you should initially understand the basics of the Law of Attraction. For example, if you have actually been considering getting a brand-new job and you concentrated on specifically what you wanted as well as when you wanted it, your ideas as well as sensations would certainly be solid surrounding this. This is precisely what best career numerology is all about. You might after that try to practice meditation or picture your goal and this can help to manifest it right into your truth. If you after that obtained your brand-new job and it was whatever you desired, you would certainly have successfully materialized it right into your life. So, now that you understand what manifestation means, it’s time to discover how manifestation functions. Exactly How Does Manifestation Work? Like with the Law of Attraction, a manifestation is where your thoughts and your power can create your reality. If you are continuously being adverse and really feeling down, after that you are mosting likely to draw in and manifest unfavorable energy to be able to best career numerology. The first thing to do when manifesting is to have a look at your ideas and feelings. Are you really feeling unfavorable? Do your thoughts border negativity? If so, you might start to manifest points you don’t desire in your reality. This is why it is very important to clear your mind and also have a positive mind when you are intending to manifest. Best Career Numerology Manifestation does not just deal with your thoughts, there needs to be a kind of action on your component. This could be in fact obtaining the work that fit what you are seeking and also going to the meetings. Attempting to imagine your thoughts as well as feelings concerning your job; this will certainly after that aid you to really feel more positive and also determined to make these changes a truth. This will certainly best career numerology work. Nonetheless, professionals recommend that if you meticulously function your means through four distinct manifestation actions, it’s feasible to get outcomes a whole lot quicker. In fact, if you are questioning how to manifest anything in merely 1 day, you may only require 5 actions. So, if you follow this uncomplicated manifestation overview, you might well obtain specifically what you want in 24-hour or even less! ( As well as if you believe you might have a manifestation block, you can take this test to learn what is vigorously holding you back.). Manifestation Action 1: Choose What You Wished To Manifest. When you pick something details to manifest, it’s important that you know specifically why you desire this specific point in your life. As well as when you’re attempting to manifest something in simply 1 day, you additionally have to choose something you think you can manifest in a day. So, for example, there’s little point in stating you intend to begin a brand-new organisation in 24 hr unless you really think you can obtain this objective in the following day. Nonetheless, you might well think that you can effectively manifest the following action in your journey to a new organisation in a day, in which situation you could set that as your goal (e.g. to finish a company plan, obtain a funding you require, or locate somebody to collaborate with). So if something isn’t taking place for you now, it doesn’t indicate it never ever will. Keep thinking as well as keep working on your goal.When picking a point to manifest, ask yourself the complying with questions: - Do I actually want this, in my heart of hearts? - How will I gain from having this? - When I think about having this, does it feel right? - Exactly how will it be good for me and for others? Whatever want should be the higher good, and also something you want by itself; more than likely something that’s a considerable step on the trip towards a higher manifestation goal. So, in sum: determine what you want, really get in touch with the intention to have it, and believe that you will certainly obtain what you ask for. Manifestation Action 2: Get Rid Of Things That Stand In Your Means. Regrettably, often there will be something standing in your method to success. This should not frighten you, this is just part of the whole manifestation procedure. Watch out for these 3 most common manifestation blocks: ->Adverse beliefs/mindset. Best Career Numerology If you are in a poor area psychologically, you require to initially get yourself right into the best way of thinking prior to you can efficiently manifest anything. You can’t be concentrating on negativeness as well as expect to draw in good things into your life. So take a while to practice self-care. Try reflection and different stress-relief strategies. ->Hazardous people. When you are servicing manifesting your desire you need to ensure no person is holding you back. Individuals who don’t rely on you, constantly slam you and/or whine regarding everything are blocks that will certainly maintain you from doing your finest. Sometimes you just need to be patient. Everything you want will take place. however it will take place at the right time as well as for the appropriate reasons. Unwind and also consider how your manifestation process is addressing the moment. Do you feel like you get on the ideal path or is something holding you back? If you’re unsure what it is that’s entering your means, take this totally free cutting-edge 60-second test. You will obtain a complimentary tailored video report on what precisely is vigorously holding you back from drawing in the success, love, happiness, as well as wealth that you prefer. Manifestation Step 3: Picture What You Intended To Manifest. You most likely already understand the basics of visualization and have at least attempted to exercise those techniques a couple of times. On your existing manifestation mission, begin by going somewhere that’s quiet and private, and also spend simply a min on envisioning the thing you desire. Learn More About Best Career Numerology Here –> Put all your energy and concentration right into seeing it with your mind’s eye, and let all the good feelings concerning the item or result well up inside you. This step works best if you do a multi-sensory visualization; if you can see, listen to, smell, touch and (if relevant) taste the outcome you’re looking to produce. Make it as real as you potentially can, so it’s almost like it’s yours already. Add as lots of information as you can, and don’t attempt to imagine specifically just how things or outcome becomes yours; instead, focus exclusively on the end result of receiving what you prefer. When it comes to the issue of “Best Career Numerology”: Don’t consider exactly how your preferred item or end result will manifest and do not attempt to see it concerning you through any kind of specific person or suggests. Your focus needs to get on completion result of obtaining the thing of your need. Manifestation Step 4: Take Action To Manifest What You Want. You can invest the rest of your day pretty much living as you normally would; there isn’t any certain activity you need to take in order to make manifestation possible (your intents are what will identify your success). Instead, as soon as you’ve completed actions 1-2 as explained over, you are just awaiting what you want to show up. Nevertheless, if you feel need to do something certain; whether it immediately makes sense or it’s more of an intuition-based yearning. After that take into consideration following your digestive tract and taking that action. If it really feels natural, do it! If you find that you don’t get the result you want within 24 hours or less, recall at the first 2 actions and go back via them. Often, jotting down what you want (and also a few of the response to the particular questions posed) can offer deep space the additional nudge it requires to sustain your manifestation. There are some usual reasons why you might not be manifesting quickly. In particular, consider whether you’re questioning the procedure; do you either not think you’ll obtain what you ask for due to the fact that you do not think you deserve it, or maybe question whether it’s feasible to manifest making use of the Law of Attraction? Any kind of unfavorable feelings (e.g. anxiousness, concern, anger, as well as question) or adverse ideas can inhibit your outcomes. Learn More About Best Career Numerology Here –> Manifestation Action 5: Identify As Well As Value. Although this final step may not look that substantial in the beginning glance, it can actually do a whole lot to shape your manifestation possibility in the future. Primarily, the essential idea here is that you require to totally appreciate what you have when you achieve your objective. It can be very easy to fail to remember that you requested for what you received, so take aggressive steps to stop this. Return to what you first assumed and also really felt when you were visualizing your preferred item or outcome, and also link those experiences with the new experience of having what you want. Think about the substantial evidence you have that ideas are points, which assuming in a specific way can create concrete changes in the world around you. The even more you make this link and stress it, the much better you’ll be at manifesting in the future (as you’ll change unfavorable, limiting beliefs as well as doubts with confident, positive ideas as well as sensations). On The Verge Of Manifestation? So, you’ve finished every one of our manifestation actions and you feel favorable and inspired … currently what? Well, as long as you can hang on to this feeling and remain positive, focus on your objectives as well as take some form of activity– after that you have actually done all you can! This indicates that you get on the verge of manifestation, and there are some indicators that you need to look out for in order to recognize your manifestation is close. It may feel like absolutely nothing has occurred after you’ve alloted time to truly believe and feel your symptoms, yet that’s just the start. These indications are most likely to just appear to you, even if you aren’t searching for them. Signs Your Manifestation Is Close. When you are attempting to manifest something into your life, there are several signs that you should be watching out for in order to know that your manifestation is close. Some will certainly be tiny signs, and also others may be gazing you right in the face, without you recognizing. Right here are a few of the indications that might concern you when your manifestation is close: Reading about your wishes. This could be hearing somebody’s conversation or paying attention to the radio, where they are speaking about the very point that you want. Feeling thrilled. If you begin to create a sense of exhilaration regardless of there not being a reason, this could be a indication that your manifestation is close.Best Career Numerology You see repeating numbers. Repeating numbers have vital significances and also these are a great indication that your manifestation is close. Pay attention to the numbers you see. Other people discussing your objectives. Individuals in your life could raise your objectives in discussion, telling you that you would certainly be efficient something (even if they are uninformed that this is your goal).best career numerology These are just a few signs to reveal that your manifestation is close to remaining in your fact. See to it to keep note of the indications you are seeing and also quiz and obtain your free report to reveal exactly how to open your manifesting powers. best career numerology: After taking this test, you will certainly discover what is holding you back from attracting love, happiness, and also wealth into your life. This can aid you to start manifesting and also attracting what you desire, right into your life.

Restaurants In Roseville California : This Is Where To Find A Great Restaurant In Roseville... Restaurants In Roseville California :Restaurants In Roseville California : Read below, or click here for more information... Aaron, a dentist from the greater Sacramento area, began drilling into his patient's mouth like there was no tomorrow. "OK, we took care of those three cavities, and it looks like we can finish the others sometime in the future". His patient looked up with a numb mouth, and a face full of concern. "Do I need to set an appointment?" "Oh no, just come in whenever it's convenient. We'll discuss the details some other time." He began to lower the chair that the worried patient was sitting in, and gave him a pat on the back. "Just go ahead and rinse, and I'll see you soon! He then called out to his assistant: "Helen, can you please take care of Mr. Jones?" The patient looked back confused, and said, "It's Mr. Johnson." "Yeah, whatever. "Hey, I've got some really important stuff to take care of. I've got to run to Roseville and try this great new restaurant out. I've been waiting for weeks for the place to open. See ya when I see ya!" The Right to Food By Noor Ali Noorani Most of us living in big and action-packed metropolises have a similar life pattern. All through our lives, we use the assets and gifts with which the Almighty Has blessed us without giving anything a second thought. Perhaps, we have taken everything for granted. Living in our air-conditioned rooms, we avoid a wrenching reality that 60% people around the world live below the poverty line with absolutely no concept of housing and electricity what so ever. With education easily accessible to us, we never realize that only 1 out of 8 children in the world ever gets to see a school. With our refrigerator and food supplies at just some steps, we tend to forget an eye opening and heart shattering fact that it's just a game of destiny that we are born in the right part of the world and into the right social class. If we hadn't, then we might have gone hungry all our short life, as 800 million people do, who were born in the wrong place or wrong conditions or into the wrong social class. This has to change. With caring and nourishing our own selves, we need to know and develop a better understanding of Human Rights and when do we actually start misusing them. According to the Declaration of the United Nations, ." It also refers to a concept that all human beings are free and have universal rights, or status, regardless of legal jurisdiction, and likewise other localizing factors, such as ethnicity and nationality, race, color and family background. This concept is not very new. The Theory of human rights is based on the dogma of "Moral Universalism", initially put forward by Greek philosopher Aristotle. In "Nicomachean Ethics," Aristotle presents his argument in support of the existence of "a natural moral order" and says that such a "natural" order should be the basis for all truly rational systems of justice. This concept of moral universalism implies that morality is not dependant on social and historical conditions and applies to all human beings regardless of place and time, and forms the basis of human rights. Roman Stoic philosophers such as Cicero and Seneca, also supported 'moral universalism' and argued that all moral laws originated in the rational will of God and the authority of such moral law transcended all local legal codes. Christianity, which emerged later, maintained the belief of a universal moral code in the ensuing centuries. Islam, one of the most believed and fastest growing religion of the world also makes a resounding effort to ensure equal rights to all people. Standing on these strong historical and religious grounds, much has been done to date to ensure rights to every individual living on this planet. United Nations along with its associate agencies in collaboration with hundreds and thousands of NGOs is trying to make this possible. At the same time, a great emphasis has been given to the fact that all the rights are inter related and solving one problem at a time would need to tackle all the other issues. While U.N.E.S.C.O is working for education and U.N.I.C.E.F for children, agencies like W.H.O, F.A.O and W.F.P are dealing with one of the most intense issues of our world and going every length to ensure one of the most basic rights to all humanity. The Right to Food. The Center for Economic and Social Right states ". This generalizes that hunger, malnutrition and inaccessibility of food is not only violation of a very basic human right but is also an obstacle for attaining social, political and economic stability and harmony. It stresses towards a fact that irrespective of all social, political, economic and geographical differences, every human being has a birth right to lead a life with access to adequate supply of food and water. Providing adequate food and work has always been seen as prime moral obligation for the kings and monarchs with large empires and those ruling the common men. The only basic difference between these moral responsibilities and human rights is that the human rights give the poor and unprivileged people a claim, which principally is enforceable. In those times of monarchy, people had no option other than to revolt against the king or state that failed to meet this obligation and responsibility to feed its citizens. This signifies a fact that the idea of human right to food is to establish a practical and legal channel for fulfillment of this basic right and to seek remedies against authorities which fail to guarantee access to food. This idea is barely 200 years old-and not yet legally implemented in most states even today. The right to adequate food is a human right and is well established and recognized on several premises under the international laws. Just after three years of the World War II, On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 25 of this declaration states that everyone has a right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food. This universal declaration of human rights sets a common and realistic standard of achievement for all people and nations. Keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, states and nations shall strive to achieve the common global goal and emancipate their respective people from the curse of hunger, malnutrition and starvation. Nearly 20 years later, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) developed these concepts more fully, stressing "the right of everyone to adequate food" and specifying "the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger". The Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition (1974) and the World Employment Conference (1976) also pressed to this fact asking for an inalienable right of food for all humans in order to develop their physical and mental faculties. Conferences and declarations such as The International Conference on Nutrition (ICN), World Declaration on Nutrition (1992), the Rome Declaration on World Food Security (1996) and the Plan of Action of the World Food Summit (1996) all stressed up to ensure right to food throughout the world. Agencies working under the United Nations such as Food and Agriculture Organization (F.A.O), World Health Organization (W.H.O) and World Food Program (W.F.P) are taking all considerable and necessary steps to eradicate the nuisance of hunger and starvation from the entire humanity. "Achieving food security for all" is the main point of focus of F.A.O's efforts. And to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. F.A.O's mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy. They also provide assistance to those nations who need to increase their crop yields but lacks technical skills. With a staggering budget of $765.7 million, F.A.O aims to achieve its goals on community, national and international levels. On the other hand, the largest international food aid organization, World Food Program, combats hunger in underdeveloped nations of the world with severe shortage of food. This hard and strenuous fight has been carried out through plan action of Rescue, Rapid Reaction and Rehabilitation. Expanding its activities into 78 countries around the world and with direct expenditure of US$ 2.9 billion, W.F.P is distributing food to 87.8 million poor people in the world which is the largest relief and aid operation of its kind ever since the dawn of human history. Most recent relief operations of W.F.P include earth quakes of Pakistan in 2005, floods in Bangladesh of 2004 and recent famine in Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, every year on 16th October, World Food day is celebrated to re-think and re-plan the strategies for present and future. But despite the fact that the international community and UN has frequently reaffirmed the importance for the right to adequate food and launched multitudes of operational projects, a disturbing gap still exists between the standards set and the situation prevailing in many parts of the world. The target of reducing world hunger by the year 2015 which was set in World Food Summit in 1996 still appears a far cry. Statistics show that since 1990, the number of hungry and underfeed people is constantly and unceasingly increasing. In developing countries spread across 5 continents, it has started to increase at a rate of almost four million per year. By the advent of 21st century, the total number of undernourished people worldwide has risen to 854 million (14% of the world's total population): 820 million in developing countries, 25 million in countries in transition and nine million in industrialized countries. Today, only one out of seven people do not get enough food to lead an active and healthy life which is the birth right of everyone. According to a research conducted by F.A.O about the state of food insecurity in the world in 2006, 25,000 lives are lost everyday due to poverty and hunger. In the developing world, every second a child dies due to hunger and malnutrition. Moreover, 27 percent of children under 5 are moderately to severely underweight. In 2005, about 10.1 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. Almost all of these deaths occurred in developing countries, 3/4 of them in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the two regions that also suffer from the highest rates of hunger and malnutrition. Today, one in nearly seven people does not get enough food to lead an active and healthy life which is the birth right of everyone. Adding to this, malnutrition and undernourishment leads to many chronics and deficiencies leading to physical and mental restraints which they effected carry all through their lives. All these numbers and statistics lead us to the loop poles in international working bodies and their incomplete strategies and approach in dealing with these intense issues. At the same time, it indicates the presence of many other factors and causes that are still making hunger, malnutrition and violence of right of food the number one risk to health worldwide with greater number of victims annually than AIDS, malaria and cancer combined. In order to understand the factors of this prevailing state of hunger and violence of the right to food, one needs to understand that inadequate food access can be due to two prime reasons: There is absolutely no food available, or the food is available but far from the access of deprived and unprivileged people. Stereotypically all importance and emphasis has been given by the states and the welfare organizations on the overall food availability and it has been thought that mainly through increasing food production and quality, hunger and malnutrition can be overcome and target of ensuring food rights to all can be achieved. Such a strong emphasis is only reasonable when the production of food by the poor is for themselves. But there is another view point to this situation. According to different experts, adequate quantity of food is available or can be produced with the current resources almost in every country of the world. Many of the countries considered poor, produce food enough for not only their domestic markets but for export as well. Nonetheless, hunger and malnutrition still persists. It may surprise us but according to the annual report presented by F.A.O in 2004, only 10% of the total hunger death is due to famine and malnutrition. This leads us to re-examine and arrive at some more obvious causes. Lack of food isn't the only cause of malnutrition and hunger but is also due to social injustice and political, economic and social segregations. There are almost one billion people around the world who earn less than $1 a day. These poor people are deprived of the rights to have their resources while the rich and those in power monopolize these resources for their own luxury and comfort. Billions of people all around the globe in their respective countries are never given opportunity to have a secure economic life and hence have food security. This statement is well proved by the facts like the total assets of the three wealthiest men in the world constitute 47% of the world's total monetary assets, and all three of them belong to the United States of America. On the other side, most food productions whether agricultural products or food obtained from oceans or rivers, goes towards feeding livestock whose meat and by-products are consumed mainly in the countries of the industrialized North. The other reason for this number of deaths is global debt-trap. The World Bank has admitted that today, the developing countries pay $13 in debt as repayment for every $1 it receives in grants. Due to this, tens of billions of dollars which can be used to improve infrastructure, development of rural communities, education and health care are just being wasted in paying those debts to the World Bank. Thus, it would be rational to say that "Global Capitalism" and "Unequal distribution of resources" are the main monsters under the disguise of hunger and food shortage which are responsible for the massacre of human lives on such a massive scale. Today, in order to bring hunger and malnutrition to an end and make access to food possible for all, long term attempts should be made on International, National and Individual grounds. Globally, the world has to re-realize a fact that right to adequate food is inherently linked to the dignity of humanity and is inseparable from the fulfillment of all human rights for all. Eradication of poverty, ensuring equal rights, education, employment, better and fast ways of transportations and better facilities for health would also improve food security. Necessary steps should be taken to ensure economic democracy and micro- finance should be made available on local level to reduce the global dominance of big industries on agriculture sector. Internationally, accumulation of wealth should be reduced by massive redistribution of wealth and other resources. This also includes cancellation of debts to the Western banks and increased investment in rural and under-developed sectors. The West and those belonging to the industrialized and developed world should join hands today and try to improve the infrahuman conditions in many parts of the world such as Africa, South America and South Asia. At the time of a natural calamity, the welfare organizations and NGOs should establish a check and balance system to make sure that all the aids go to the deserving and those in need. As declared by the Economic and Social Council, Program (UNDP), UNICEF, the World Bank and the regional development banks, should cooperate more effectively, building on their respective expertise, on the implementation of the right to food at the national level, with due respect to their individual mandates." On national level, the state government should design and adapt a national strategy based on human rights principles to ensure food security for all its citizens. It should formulate policies and take all necessary steps to make sure that everyone is free from hunger and can enjoy his right to adequate food. It should also identify the resources available to meet the objectives and the most cost-effective way of using them. The national strategy should give particular attention to prevent discrimination in access to food on different aspects such as color, caste, creed, gender, financial standing and geographical location. Moreover, the state government should take all necessary measure to ensure transparency and accountability in all aspects of food system including production, processing, distribution, marketing, food safety and nutritional value. Adding to this, those who suffer the violation of the right to food should have full access to the judicial system of the country and all necessary steps for compensation and prevention for any further cases should be taken. Last but not the least, every one of us who has got sufficient amount of resources to feed ourselves, must thank the Almighty for His blessings and should take small steps on individual and community basis to help those millions of our brothers and sisters who suffer from famine, hunger and malnutrition and are deprived of their right to food. We all must try not to waste the food and should contribute through our money, time and knowledge in ensuring the right to food to every human being on our mother Earth. Article Source: Catering In Sacramento Restaurants in Old Sacramento Sacramento Catering Services Roseville Catering Services Do you know how good the dishes there are? Chicken Salad Recipe Sacramento Caterers Sacramento Caterer Sacramento California Restaurants Where is the kids menu? Citrus Heights Restaurants Sacramento wedding catering Downtown Sacramento Restaurants Carmichael CA. Catering Let's all go out to eat tonight. Sacramento CA. Catering West Sacramento Restaurants Sacramento Catering Company Folsom California Restaurants Why do we have to leave so soon? Citrus Heights BBQ Sacramento ca restaurant Sacramento best restaurants Sacramento BBQ Catering restaurants old sacramento Links to this post: Create a Link

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The.Read more » más información (Spanish) » The Seebaldt Project (TSP) – “Grassroots Microgrid” – is truly a community-driven contribution to brighten the future of residents in the “Comeback City” of Detroit: A picnic party including the entire neighborhood was enabled by the LafargeHolcim Foundation to celebrate the Global Awards Bronze 2018, that was later handed over to the winning team of authors at the Waterview Loft, Port Detroit. The DJ, the cook and many more involved in the Seebaldt Street party live within a stone’s throw of the open air location where all the kids of the neighborhood where invited to play baseball and other games, have a BBQ lunch and experience further attractions down to “eat as much ice-cream as you can”. A real fire engine complete with fire fighters could be explored; while the parents had a choice of games including bingo – all leading to attractive prizes for participants of all ages. The program enabled guests to learn about TSP and visit a prototype element to generate solar power, collect rainwater and encourage urban farming. A series of speeches demonstrated the importance of the project and the support it is receiving from many sides. State Representative candidate and TSP co-initiator Rico Razo set the frame before the guests were addressed by representatives of the community, involved organizations, the TSP author team and Joel Howrani Heeres, director of the Detroit Office of Sustainability that was created by Mayor Mike Duggan in 2017. At the Waterview Loft dinner event Marc Angélil, member of the Board and Head of the Academic Committee of the LafargeHolcim Foundation, explained why the Global Awards jury had selected TSP for a prize from the finalists from all regions of the world. The Seebaldt Project – “Grassroots Microgrid” – is an outstanding example of the many ongoing projects dedicated to increasing the quality of live in Detroit in a sustainable way. Together with Barry Descheneaux, Manager Product Development at LafargeHolcim in the US, Marc Angélil congratulated Constance Bodurow and her large team of TSP co-authors on their success in the Global Awards competition. The project had also won the LafargeHolcim Awards Gold for North America in 2017.See more A project to drive long-term community engagement has started to make tangible steps forward in suburban Detroit. The Global LafargeHolcim Awards Bronze 2018 winner aims to improve living conditions in an area emerging from economic decline. The components of the project include solar power generation, rainwater collection and urban farming – which all make the neighborhood more attractive for renters and potential home-owners, thereby building momentum for urban recovery. A third of the houses on Seebaldt Street in district 48204 are boarded-up and vacant. The high level of vacancy is common across Detroit where an estimated 70,000 buildings out of a total stock of 300,000 houses are unoccupied, following the decline of the auto industry and its impact on employment and city revenues. The community-driven neighborhood planning project introduces multifunctional canopies on several empty plots of land to produce solar power for the houses in Seebaldt Street and collect rain water for urban gardening projects. The city of Detroit has relatively high utility charges. The cost of maintaining the extensive water supply network has been spread across fewer and fewer households, impacting on disposable income. A first small-scale prototype canopy has been installed to demonstrate the positive effect of solar power and to familiarize local residents with the idea behind it. The solar panels will supply 33 houses on 40 plots of land along Seebaldt Street with electricity at lower cost. By increasing the quality of life, the project aims to trigger interest in renting or buying vacant houses that will contribute to rejuvenating the area. In a later phase of the project, a former schoolhouse along the street is to be converted into a local community center. The project’s long-term vision is to create a fully functional, cooperatively owned “micro-grid” that will deliver both reduced energy and water costs and a revenue stream for community services, initiatives, and investments within an enhanced public realm.See more. As one of the three main LafargeHolcim Awards winners for North America in 2017, “Grassroots Microgrid” Winning the top prize for North America in the LafargeHolcim Awards has given the project team a huge boost. The Seebaldt Pilot project by studio[Ci], It Starts at Home (IS@H) and partners across Detroit aims to incubate long-term community engagement through interventions for local energy and food production, water and waste management, and community empowerment. After the LafargeHolcim Awards ceremony in Chicago, team representatives Constance Bodurow, Will Bright, Haibin Tan and Eric Mahoney returned with trophy in hand and winning grins on their faces. Celebrations continued at a dinner for the Board of Directors of It Starts at Home (IS@H) including (l-r): Latosha Melvin Bright (Board Lead, Fiscal Sponsorship), Will Bright (Board Treasurer), Rico Razo (Office of the Mayor of Detroit, Campaign Manager), Constance Bodurow (Board Lead, Design), Darrel West (Board President), and David Cross (Board Secretary). A community celebration is also in planning. Main Author Constance Bodurow of studio[Ci] in Detroit explained that the prize was not only an important professional recognition, but also brought an enormous injection of enthusiasm. “We have always believed in the residents of Detroit 48204 and our design direction, but the LafargeHolcim Awards make a tremendous difference and give us new confidence and hope”, she said. Under the name of The Seebaldt Pilot (TSP), a large group of collaborators proposes a pilot project for local energy and food production, water and waste management, and community empowerment. “Taking the pocket vacancies normally characterized as the biggest problem in Detroit, the design turns them into an opportunity to create a compelling sustainable neighborhood,” praised the jury.See more With its large team, studio[Ci] in Detroitis tackling one of the city’s greatest challenges: In a neglected district of the city, they want to create a community based on collective empowerment that functions as sustainably as possible. The community owned and managed infrastructure will include local energy and food production, water and waste management, while also strengthening civic empowerment. “Taking the pocket vacancies normally characterized as the biggest problem in Detroit, the design turns them into an opportunity to create a compelling sustainable neighborhood,” praised the jury. Read more »Read more ». The jury commended the proposal’s fundamentally optimistic approach. Taking the pocket vacancies normally characterized as the biggest problem in Detroit, the design turns them into an opportunity to create a compelling sustainable neighborhood. The combination of solar and geothermal energy, rainwater collection, and community gardening is particularly powerful in a city that struggles to provide basic services at the municipal level. Physical investiture is complemented with education through training programs and investment through collective ownership and revenue sharing. Here, the infrastructure of energy and food production reinforces the infrastructure of community building. The strengths of the project in organization and planning are not yet matched by its architectural expression and the jury noted that the multifunctional umbrella roof being proposed will need to be refined as it moves into more detailed design phases.See more Leveraging vacancy, climate and passion to form a neighborhood armature of energy avenues Detroit’s 48204 zip code is home to 27,000 low- and moderate-income residents with promising demographics: high percentage of home ownership, college degree attainment, and employment in Health/ Education. The Team’s pro bono commitments have been vital, but Detroit is emerging from economic decline, and 48204 is hard hit by lack of resources and opportunities, especially for youth. Our Mayor focuses on neighborhood development, so TSP can be a replicable model for stabilization and sustainable growth. Hybridized Ecosystem for Infrastructure and Renewable Systems (HEIRS) generative infrastructure and renewable systems decarbonizes and makes 48204 self-sufficient. Michigan’s colder climate is ideal for solar power generation. Specified PV increases the power output 41 % for every degree Celsius drop in temperature. Bloomberg/Deutsche Bank rank Michigan 14th best for return on solar dollar. Hybridized Net Zero Energy (HNZE) communityowned MicroGrid integrating infrastructure with public and private realms IS@H wishes to secure, make stable, and sustainably grow their beloved 48204 neighborhood. Since 2014, IS@H and studioCi have collaborated to create a sustainable vision based on achieving NZE through a community MicroGrid with solar and geothermal energy, rainwater collection, and primary education and training opportunities. The HNZE MicroGrid is a “three legged stool” of solar, geothermal, and storage that will distribute energy from PV to strengthen and stabilize the grid. IS@H has established emerging partnerships with local university, banking, and utility sectors in support of their vision and program. Weatherization and efficiency programs will directly engage the community and link the enhanced public realm of the micro grid to the private realm of homeowners and constituents. A new energy economy for Detroit via empowerment, co-production, and equitable development TSP creates a new transactional public realm, generating ownership benefits for the 48204 neighborhood. TSP envisions distributive ownership and operations models, placing resources such as vacancy into a renewable cycle of collective use. Revenue sharing with DTE will fund an escrow account, which will allow the coop to add more infrastructure and beneficiaries. The community owned MicroGrid will be installed with the help of residents trained through local NGOs. Initially, several hundred under-served youth will be trained in the renewable energy economy. The long-term vision is a fully functional, cooperatively owned MicroGrid that will deliver both reduced energy and water costs and a revenue stream for community services, initiatives, and investments within an enhanced public realm.See more Community & People » Energy & Climate » Urban & City Planning » Awards Bronze: Alejandro Aravena, Head of the Global LafargeHolcim Awards jury thinks being an active agent of change is … Although vacancy is typically seen as a liability, it is the act of looking at vacancy as a positive that makes … “Getting skin in the game” by enabling tenants to own infrastructure is part of building a community voice and makes the … Community-driven neighborhood planning, Detroit, USA - The design proposal for a neighborhood in Detroit repositions …

overview of teaching topics For overviews of selected teachings offered by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and other Ligmincha International instructors, please choose from the links below. Dzogchen (“The Great Perfection”) Awakening the Luminous Mind The Essential Wisdom of the Dzogchen Masters of Zhang Zhung The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung Heart Drops of Dharmakaya Ngondro: The Foundation of Dzogchen Practice The Practice of the Six Lamps The Practice of the Six Realms The Seven Mirrors of Dzogchen Tibetan Yoga (Trul Khor) Zhiné: Calm Abiding Meditation Bon Mother Tantra (Ma Gyu) The Chod Practice Dream Yoga Powa: The Transference of Consciousness The Practice of the Five Elements Sleep Yoga The Tsa Lung Practice Bon Causal Vehicles Soul and Life-Force Retrieval Windhorse Practices Other Teachings The Five Warrior Syllables Practice The Healing Practice of Sipe Gyalmo The Sherap Chamma Practice Tibetan Sound Healing Tummo: "Fireball of Primordial Wisdom" * * * * * Dzogchen (“The Great Perfection”) Awakening the Luminous Mind. Tenzin Rinpoche's teachings are based on his newest book, "Awakening the Luminous Mind: Tibetan Meditation for Inner Peace and Joy" (Hay House, June 2012), now available from Ligmincha International's Bookstore. The Essential Wisdom of the Dzogchen Masters of Zhang Zhung Just as clouds arise and dissolve within the clear, open sky, so do all our thoughts and emotions arise within the clear, open nature of our mind and then dissolve back to their source. The teachings of dzogchen enable us to discover and familiarize ourselves with this essential, primordially pure nature. The 24 dzogchen masters of the ancient Asian empire of Zhang Zhung (located in what is now western Tibet) all achieved enlightenment and the rainbow body, the final result of dzogchen practice. Their wisdom teachings, originally transmitted orally from single master to single student, describe the empty, luminous nature of mind in poetic and pithy meditation instructions. What makes these teachings unique is that for each of the 24 masters, his knowledge garnered from a lifetime of meditation practice has been distilled down into a single pith statement that is then handed down as guidance to the novice dzogchen practitioner. Students receive the teachings in a meditative setting that supports them in opening their hearts devotionally to each master in order to realize his essential wisdom. Today, these teachings of the Twenty-Four Masters continue to be presented to students as a direct introduction to the natural state. The Bon dzogchen teacher combines commentary on the lives and teachings of the Zhang Zhung masters with guided meditation, including supportive practices to enhance the ability to connect with this timeless wisdom. The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung Nyam Gyu Dru Gyal wa’i Chag Tri Dzogchen, also known as the "great perfection" or "great completion," is considered the path of self-liberation and the highest form of teaching and practice in the Bon tradition. For practitioners with the capacity it offers the potential for liberation during a single lifetime and within a single body. Until the late 20th century these ancient teachings were kept secret and offered to very few students of any generation. For all these reasons, attending the teachings can be seen as a precious opportunity for students of Tibetan Bon. For more than a decade now Tenzin Rinpoche has devoted the Serenity Ridge Winter Retreat to teaching from The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung (Zhang Zhung Nyam Gyu). This primary cycle of dzogchen teachings is from the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyud lineage, which along with A-Tri and Dzogchen is one of the three main dzogchen lineages of the Bon tradition. Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche received his initial teachings from the Experiential Transmission at an early age from his first root master, Lopon Sangye Tenzin Rinpoche. These teachings served as a foundation for Rinpoche’s personal training, practice, and study, culminating in his completing the traditional 49-day dark retreat. Today they continue to form an integral aspect of Rinpoche’s teachings in the West.. Practice Supports For detailed explanations about these dzogchen teachings, see Wonders of the Natural Mind: The Essence of Dzogchen in the Native Bon Tradition of Tibet, by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, available from Ligmincha International's Bookstore and Tibet Shop. Additional supports for the practice of the Experiential Transmission are available from Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop: Heart Drops of Dharmakaya. In these teachings, practitioners learn a series of extraordinary practices that invoke direct perception of the nature of mind. Unlike methods that involve watching the breath or otherwise calming the thoughts, these practices rely on body postures, sounding of Tibetan syllables, and simple visualizations to draw one quickly to an experience of one's International Bookstore & Tibet Shop. Ngondro: The Foundation of Dzogchen Practice . — Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche The ngondro teachings are the doorway through which you may enter the vast and profound Bon Buddhist path. A set of nine foundational or preliminary practices, the ngondro provides a solid foundation of understanding and experience upon which a strong spiritual life develops. It is often described as a friend that accompanies you throughout your spiritual life. The nine practices in the Bon ngondro are: • Opening Your Heart • Meditation on Impermanence • Admitting Your Misdeeds • Bodhicitta — Generating the Mind of Enlightenment • Taking Refuge • Offering the Mandala • Purification Through Mantra • Offering Your Body • Guru Yoga The more you devote yourself to these practices that tame, purify and perfect your body, speech and mind — and the more you become familiar with the experiences that these practices bring — the more you will find spiritual practice grounded within. Support materials for study and practice of the ngöndro are available for online purchase from Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop. The Practice of the Six Lamps The teachings of the Six Lamps are from the Oral Transmission of Zhang Zhung, the most important cycle of dzogchen teachings in the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet.: • In the vast, infinite space that is the base-of-all • In the space within our heart center • In the subtle channels of our sacred body that connect the heart with the eyes • In the external space surrounding us • In all external visions • one can learn to maintain one's connection with the inseparable state of emptiness and innate awareness and to perceive all aspects of one's environment with pure vision. Ultimately this practice is a path to self-liberation, enabling one to experience all visions of the bardo (the transitional state after death) as inseparable from one’s own essence, the essence of Samantabhadra. The Practice of the Six Realms Negative emotions such as anger, greed, and pride are the cause of all the suffering in our lives. According to the Tibetan spiritual traditions these emotions, which spring from ignorance of our true nature, are what have trapped us in the endless cycle of suffering known as samsara. The teachings of the six realms, or six lokas, give us the means to profoundly recognize the negative emotions within us, clear them at a very deep level, and transform them into positive qualities that can empower and enrich our lives. The knowledge of the six realms has for centuries been practiced in Tibet, particularly within the ancient Bon Buddhist tradition. In Bon this knowledge is found within the esoteric dzogchen teachings of the Zhang Zhung Nyan Gyud, one of the most important cycles of Bon teachings. According to these teachings, every sentient being is born into one of six realms, each of which is associated with a given emotion: - The hell realms are characterized by anger - The hungry ghost realm, by greed - The animal realm, by ignorance - The human realm, by jealousy - The demi-god realm, by pride - The god realm, by lethargic pleasure. As human beings we are of the human realm; yet, it is clear that aspects of all six realms are part of the normal human experience. During these teachings, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will guide us to: - Recognize how the characteristics of the various realms are manifesting in our personalities, through our physical conduct, speech, and view and behavior of the mind - Clear these karmic obscurations of body, energy and mind, from the grosser, physical levels of experience to the higher, subtler levels of awareness - Transform our negativities into equanimity and other positive qualities. For example, love is the antidote to anger, just as generosity is the antidote to greed. Each negative emotion has its antidote, and each antidote is a doorway to one’s higher self, to one’s essence, to the joyful state of connection with one’s pure being. Often, we fail to notice how a given emotion is shaping our personality and causing us to suffer. For example, we may come to identify with anger and remain stuck in it for years. But through the practice of the six realms we can become more fully aware of the darkness in which we have been living and begin to give light to that darkness. We can learn to guide our anger, tapping into its energy to move forward in our lives. When we are no longer blindly conditioned by our negative emotions and can cultivate their antidotes, our experiences of the realms can be more playfully and positively expressed. We can live more fully and productively. More Information Supports for the Practice of the Six Realms can be found at Ligmincha International's Bookstore and Tibet Shop. > The Seven Mirrors of Dzogchen Dzogchen, also known as the "great perfection," is considered the path of self-liberation and the highest form of teaching in the Bön Buddhist tradition. For practitioners with the capacity it offers the potential for liberation during a single lifetime and within a single body. The Seven Mirrors of Dzogchen is a powerful heart-essence teaching from the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition, offering a direct introduction to the clear, open awareness of the dzogchen view as well as methods for maintaining this state. Tibetan Yoga (Trul Khor) The distinctive Tibetan practice of yoga known as Trul Khor incorporates breath, awareness and physical movement. This practice is a wonderful support for all spiritual practitioners, not just for those with an interest in physical yogas. By harmonizing the vital breath and guiding its flow through the physical and energetic dimensions, Trul khor can clear long-held blocks in the practitioner's body, energy, and mind, supporting the spontaneous arising of awareness during formal meditation and in everyday life. Trul Khor: The Magical Movement of Tibet By M. Alejandro Chaoul Trul khor, or “magica l wheel” or “magical movement,” is a distinctive Tibetan practice of physical yoga in which breath and mental concentration are integrated with particular body movements. In contrast to Indian styles of yoga, in which the practitioner aims to hold a pose with the body still and the breath flowing naturally, in trul khor the practitioner holds the breath still while the body moves in such a way as to guide the breath, which in turn guides the mind. Tibetan religious traditions have employed trul khor as part of their spiritual training since at least the tenth century. Although trul khor is found in all five Tibetan spiritual traditions, it is most prevalent in the Kagyu, Nyingma and Bön schools. While trul khor may have been practiced much earlier and preserved only as an oral tradition, written texts point to the practice of trul khor by famed yogis of the 11th through 13th centuries such as Marpa, Naropa and Drugyalwa Yungdrung, among others. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, who teaches trul khor at his Ligmincha International, says, “Trul khor is a wonderful daily practice, especially to control and handle the stress of our modern life in society. It has the power to balance the energies of mind and body, and it also helps enormously to support one’s meditation practices.” Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, who teaches trul khor under the Sanskrit name of yantra yoga through his Dzogchen Community, describes the practices as a tool to understand one’s own true nature more clearly. Within trul khor there are practices that work specifically with the energetic or subtle body. This is composed of channels (Sanskrit: nadis), vital breath currents (prana), and essential spheres (bindus), providing the landscape where the mind and the physical body connect with each other. The Bön Mother Tantra, among other tantric texts, explains that the mind rides on the vital breath (or energy) currents like a rider on a horse, and the two travel together through the pathways of the channels. As the breath circulating in the channels becomes more balanced, the channels become increasingly pliable, allowing the vital breath currents to find their own comfortably smooth rhythm. Put simply, our physical body, energy, and mind are said to be the three doors through which one can practice and eventually realize enlightenment. Therefore, trul khor can be understood as movements that guide the energy linking the mind with the gross and subtle bodies. This brings internal or even mystical experiences and transformation to the practitioner. Also, with the help of movements that guide the mind and vital breath currents into different areas, the practice brings the possibility of healing the body-energy-mind system, which is the model of good health in Tibetan medicine. Until recently, Westerners were focused on receiving Tibetan teachings that develop the mind, but in the last five years there has been a growing interest in Tibetan physical yogas. While traditionally these practices were taught and practiced only after the student had undergone many years of meditation training, some Tibetan masters now teach it more openly, like many other meditative practices, yet with the appropriate supervision. Other teachers maintain the secrecy of the higher trul khor practices. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has based much of the trul khor practice he teaches on the ancient Mother Tantra. You can find a very good explanation of these teachings in his book Healing with Form, Energy and Light . Ligmincha International offers training specifically on trul khor that consists of four five-day retreats over a two-year period. Over the last five years, Ligmincha International has been collaborating with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to design and implement a Tibetan Yoga program for cancer patients, utilizing the tsa lung trul khor from the Bon tradition. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche follows the trul khor of Vairochana’s Union of Sun and Moon, on which he has written a commentary that will soon be published in English. Other teachers of Tibetan physical practices in the West include Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso, who teaches both public and advanced practices, and Lama Norlha of Kagyu Thubten Choling monastery, where trul khor is taught only as part of the three-year retreat. These physical yogas from Tibet have come to the West, as most Buddhist teachings have, through the needs of students. Feeling that mind practices lacked the “embodiment” aspect, many felt the need of physical movement with a spiritual component. Unaware of the existence of Tibetan yoga, or unable to meet the strict requirements for receiving the practices, they turned to hatha or other Indian yogas. Now that many trul khor practices are available to Western students, it seems that the magical wheel is turning. M. Alejandro Chaoul, Ph.D., is a mind-body intervention specialist at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He is a senior student and instructor at Ligmincha International. This article is reprinted with permission from the March 2007 issue of Shambhala Sun magazine. Zhiné: Calm Abiding Meditation The practice of zhiné. While the focus of our zhiné retreats is on "zhiné on A" (gazing at a visual support) and "zhiné on sound" (verbally sounding Tibetan syllables), learn to develop the powers of concentration necessary to calm the mind and experience inner peace. Experienced students find that zhiné deepens and enhances the results of their daily practice and brings glimpses of profound open awareness. Students of tantric meditation find that zhiné strengthens concentration for their visualizations; and students of dzogchen find it establishes the mindfulness necessary to abide in the open clarity of the Great Perfection. Supports for the practice of zhiné are available at Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop. A brief excerpt from teachings on the zhiné practice by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche > Bon Mother Tantra (Ma Gyu) The Chöd Practice Many of life's problems have to do with fear and attachment, the most basic obstacles to realizing one's essential nature. The ancient practice of chöd is a creative and skillful method for dissolving these obstacles. Chöd literally means 'to cut.' Traditionally, chöd practitioners (chödpas) would practice most often in external natural environments believed to harbor harmful energy from the spirits of nature, whose provocations were incited by disharmony between the human and spirit worlds. The chödpa would travel into the mountains, chanting with drum and bell, in order to conquer the spirits with a ‘sword of wisdom' and reharmonize the energy between the two worlds. In the chöd practice, the fearful provocation of the spirits is also considered an external manifestation of one's own internal fear and attachments. Thus, one can emphasize confronting one's fear and emotion from the comfort of a meditation cushion. In these teachings you will gain an understanding of how the chöd practice can help overcome the ignorance, attachment and aversion that are at the source of all fear; and how it can unleash your potential for creativity, dissolve emotional conflicts and help you reconnect to your natural state — the state that is innately open, aware and fearless. Dream Yoga. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's teachings on dream yoga are from the Mother Tantra (Ma Gyud), one of the most important cycles of teachings in the Bön Buddhist tradition of Tibet. During his retreats Rinpoche typically discusses the relationships between dreaming and waking and between dreaming and death. He also instructs in the “four preparations” for sleep and the uses and methods of lucid dreaming. For more information: - View a 9-minute video in which Rinpoche explains the practice of dream yoga at - In-depth information about dream yoga can be found in Tenzin Rinpoche's book The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep (Snow Lion, 1998), available for online purchase from Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop. - Additional supports for the dream yoga practice are available at Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop. - You can listen to an online interview with Rinpoche in which he discusses dream yoga ("Sleep as a Spiritual Journey") at Buddhist Geeks. - An interview with Rinpoche about the fall 2008 dream yoga retreat at Serenity Ridge appears below: About the Dream Yoga teachings — an interview with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche On February 19, 2008, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche offered a brief overview of his October 2008 dream yoga teachings. Voice of Clear Light: You have been teaching dream yoga many times over the past few years since the publication of your book The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. What will your teachings emphasize at this fall's retreat?. Powa: The Transference of Consciousness. In these teachings, students learn. The Practice of the Five Elements According to the ancient Tibetan spiritual traditions, our planet is his five-elements teachings, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche typically guides us in connecting with the external elements to support us to internalize the essential vital qualities of the elements. Incorporating teachings of shamanism, tantra, and dzogchen, Rinpoche guides a unique meditation practice through which we can retrieve and deeply connect with the elemental essences and nourish and restore health and vitality. By bringing the five elements into balance, we contribute to our own well-being as well as the health of our planet: According to shamanic teachings, on a physical level, the ongoing destruction and pollution of our global environment can be said to provoke the spirits of nature, causing wide-scale disease, energy disturbances, and mental obstacles to arise. By harmonizing with the natural elements, we harmonize our relationship with these spirits. According to tantric teachings, on an energetic level, the raw elements of nature represent subtler, more fundamental aspects of the primordial energy of existence. As such, the five elements play an essential role in emotional and psychological healing. For example, too much earth element can make us feel dull, drowsy, or lazy; but when earth is balanced in us it supports us to feel connected, secure, and confident. According to dzogchen teachings, on the level of mind, retrieving and connecting with the elemental essences can support the practice of contemplative meditation. For example, the water element brings comfort and joy to experiences of open awareness; when fully developed in spiritual practice, it is mirror-like wisdom. For More Information • Healing With Form, Energy and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra and Dzogchen, by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Snow Lion Publications, 2002. Available for online purchase at Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop > • "Discovering the Sacred" — an interview with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche about the five elements, from Snow Lion Newsletter > • Ligmincha International periodically offers an online course on "Introduction to the Five Elements: Healing With Form, Energy and Light." Learn these meditation practices in the comfort of your own home. Learn more > • A wide variety of other support materials related to the Five Elements practice are available from Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop > Sleep Yoga We spend one-third of our lives asleep — an average of 20 to 25 years drifting in the darkness of unconsciousness.. The clear-light sleep practices are from the Mother Tantra, one of the most important cycles of teachings in the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition. Students learn the proper position of the body and of the mind during sleep; the images and visualizations associated with the practice; as well as physical exercises that support meditative awareness by clearing obstacles of the body, energy and mind. An important support for dzogchen practice, the sleep yoga practices bring more clarity and lucidity. For More Information - Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche gives in-depth information about the sleep yoga practice in his book The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep (Snow Lion, 1998), available for online purchase from Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop > - Additional supports for the sleep yoga practice > - Comments from participants at a recent sleep yoga retreat > The Tsa Lung Practice Ultimately, the goal of meditation is to learn to abide with stability in clear, open awareness. You can enhance your ability to connect with and rest in this naturally joyful state by alleviating any physical distractions, emotional blocks, energetic or mental disturbances, or other obstacles to your practice. The five tsa lung exercises are a step-by-step means for identifying and clearing these obstacles. These easy-to-perform yet powerful exercises can be used not just as a preliminary to other meditation practice, but also as a primary practice for enhancing the experience of open awareness in day-to-day life. They can help you to: - Clear gross obstacles such as those that cause disease or strong negative emotions - Clear or exhaust the momentum that drives obscuring thoughts - Clear subtle obstacles that disturb your ability to recognize and rest in your own natural mind In Tibetan, tsa means channel and lung means vital breath or wind (prana). Through bringing together the focus of the mind, breath and physical movements, in each tsa lung exercise you open particular chakras or energetic centers in the body and clear the obstacles that disturb and obscure you from recognizing the pure and open space of being. This pure and open space is the source of all positive qualities. The five tsa lung exercises are described in detail in Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s book Awakening the Sacred Body (Hay House, 2011), available from Ligmincha International’s Bookstore and Tibet Shop. To view a recorded public talk by Rinpoche on the tsa lung practice, visit: Bon Causal Vehicles Soul and Life-Force Retrieval. Just attending the ritual in itself brings a healing effect. Students receiving the teachings additionally learn how to diagnose the need for soul retrieval as well as how to perform it. Through ritual and meditation practice, they learn to overcome negative influences and bring back the positive qualities that are missing or reinforce the qualities that are weakened in themselves or in others. Cultivating these personal qualities, in turn, serves as a foundation for spiritual awakening. In-depth information about the natural elements can be found in Tenzin Rinpoche's book Healing With Form, Energy and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra and Dzogchen (Snow Lion, 2002), available from Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop. Other supports for the practice of soul retrieval are also available for online purchase from the Tibet Shop. Soul Retrieval: An Interview with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche In this edited excerpt from an interview published in Voice of Clear Light, February 2008, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche discusses the ancient Bon practice of soul retrieval.? TWR:, you should attend a retreat like this to retrieve the qualities you need and help put yourself back on track. Internally, spiritually, energetically, you are coming back to that place where you are a healthy, balanced person. Windhorse Practices The Sang Chö and Prayer Flag Rituals “May I increase my life force, my vitality, my fortune, my power, my soul, my prosperity.” one's prosperity, personal power and good fortune. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche teaches shamanic rituals that Tibetans have practiced for thousands of years and which have their origins in the Bön tradition, the indigenous spiritual tradition of Tibet. During these teachings students have an opportunity to gain knowledge of practices such as Sang Chö and the raising of prayer flags, while intimately connecting with and raising the uplifting qualities and energies engendered by these powerful rituals. “These rituals have been practiced throughout Tibet for thousands of years. What I hope for my own students is that whenever they are in uncertain situations, they will not be totally consumed by doubts but will have the ability to go beyond them and find the inner strength to make positive changes.” —Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Other Teachings The Five Warrior Syllables Practice The Five Warrior Syllables Practice relies on the power of sound to help heal physical illness, clear psychological and energetic disturbances, and support the spiritual practitioner to abide with clear and open awareness. As described in the book Tibetan Sound Healing: Seven Guided Practices for Clearing Obstacles, Accessing Positive Qualities, and Uncovering Your Inherent Wisdom by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (Marcy Vaughn, editor), through this practice you can learn to: - Identify negative patterns and obstacles in body, breath and mind - Clear these obstacles - Cultivate and manifest positive qualities in everyday life, you can transform your life and discern a clear path that begins with openness and leads to spontaneous, virtuous action in the world. For More Information - Participate in an online Tibetan Sound Healing workshop with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Learn more > - Rinpoche's book on the topic, Tibetan Sound Healing, is available from the Tibet Shop > - Additional support materials for the Five Warrior Syllables Practice are available at Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop > The Healing Practice of Sipe Gyalmo This ancient meditation practice and healing ritual draws on the compassion of the fully enlightened protector of Bön, Yeshe Walmo, who is the principal emanation of Sipe Gyalmo. The source of this healing practice is said to be Yeshe Walmo herself; and from her the stream of transmission has passed unbroken from master to master, to qualified Bön teachers of the present including Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. The healing waters produced during the healing practice of Sipe Gyalmo are considered a powerful remedy for the physical illnesses arising in our modern times. When this practice is conveyed as a ritual only, those present can benefit from its healing energy and from receiving the healing waters. During retreats, students additionally receive supplementary teachings and transmission for the practice, enable them to continue doing this healing practice on their own when they return home. The Sherap Chamma Practice The teachings of Sherap Chamma (Mother of Wisdom and Love) comprise one of the most important tantric cycles of Bön. In many cultures the primordial female energy is seen as the origin of existence and the source of wisdom, love and compassion. The ancient Bön Buddhist tradition offers a method for retrieving and directly connecting with this divine feminine energy, bringing the potential for profound healing at all levels of experience—physical, energetic, psychological and spiritual. The Sherap Chamma practice as taught by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche permits students to deeply connect with their own innate wisdom and with the love and compassion that radiate from that wisdom. As always, Rinpoche presents these ancient teachings in a way that is fresh and relevant to modern daily life. Support materials for the practice of Sherap Chamma are available from Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop. Tenzin Wangyall Rinpoche guided the Sherap Chamma practice during a June 2009 live Internet broadcast. View a recording of this broadcast here > Sherap Chamma As depicted in this traditional thangka image, Sherap Chamma, Mother of Wisdom and Love, is yellow in color, youthful in appearance, and beautifully adorned with the 13 ornaments of a peaceful deity. She sits atop sun and moon disks on a lotus throne. In her right hand, at the level of the heart, she holds a vase filled with the nectar of compassion. Her left hand holds the stem of a lotus whose blossom supports the mirror of wisdom, which reveals all passing phenomena as empty of inherent existence. Sherap Chamma, also known as Gyalyum (Mother of all Conquerors), is an important emanation of Satrik Ersang from the group of the Four Transcendent Ones. Included among Sherap Chamma’s many manifestations are the wrathful protector Sipé Gyalmo (Queen of Existence) and Yeshé Walmo (Magic Wisdom Goddess). Tibetan Sound Healing Since ancient times meditative practices from a variety of spiritual traditions have used sound and its vibration as an essential tool for healing. Through the singing and chanting of sacred syllables and mantras, spiritual practitioners, healers, and lay persons are able to purify sing and chant Tibetan syllables in order to activate their healing potential is contained in a number of Bön texts, including the revered Mother Tantra (Ma Gyud). During these teachings, students learn the relationship between the sounds of particular Tibetan syllables and their healing qualities, and are guided in the practice of sound-healing meditations. For More Information - Tibetan Sound Healing: Seven Guided Practices for Clearing Obstacles, Accessing Positive Qualities, and Uncovering Your Inherent Wisdom, by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Available for online purchase from Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop. - Participate in an online Tibetan Sound Healing workshop with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Learn more > - A variety of other supports for Tibetan Sound Healing are available from Ligmincha's Bookstore & Tibet Shop. Tummo: "Fireball of Primordial Wisdom" Tummo, or the Fireball of Primordial Wisdom, is a practice that cultivates bliss while burning away subtle obscurations to abiding in the natural state of mind. Tenzin Rinpoche teaches from the text Ku Sum Rang Shar (Spontaneous Arising of the Three Kayas), written by Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche, a Bön master who achieved the body of light, or rainbow body, in 1934. therefore also learn and engage in the practices of the nine breathings of purification and the physical yogas of tsa lung and trul khor (Tibetan yoga). Supports for the practice of tummo are available at Ligmincha International's Bookstore & Tibet Shop. Save Save

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30 December 2004 Fixed "bomb" amplifier The feedback loop can be so subtle that pass under the raised eyebrows of the nervous audiophile; for example, even without using an OpAmp and a two-resistor feedback loop, using a triode in a pentode’s stead. Because the pentode’s plate resistance is so high, it makes a poor voltage divider with the primary’s impedance. On the other hand, a triode’s low plate resistance, which is a form of feedback and being usually half of the primary impedance, does create a deep voltage divider against the primary impedance. In this example, the primary will see 66% of the power supply noise; the triode, the remaining 33%. In the case of the OpAmp feeding the output tube, whether it be a triode or a pentode, the primary will see close to 100% of the power supply noise, as the feedback creates an effective plate resistance of close to zero ohms. This noise is treated no differently than music signal would be and is readily passed to the secondary and loudspeaker. (In a push pull amplifier, such a feedback loop would attach at each plate, which means that the noise would cancel, as it would appear as a common-mode signal, which the transformer could not pass.) What can be done? The obvious way is the brute force way: either huge chokes and fat power supply capacitors or a complex high-voltage regulator that bulldoze over the power supply noise. Distrust the obvious. The opposite approach is not to lower the noise at its source, but isolate it: separate the noisy power supply from the primary by placing an inductor in between, as in a parallel-feed amplifier; or use an active constant-current source in between to isolate the noise from the primary. The Aikido approach is to use the power supply’s noise against itself and was outlined in "Lowering the Single Ended Amplifier's Output Noise," wherein a small portion of the noise is injected into the output tube’s cathode, which is then amplified and the noise on the plate equals the noise on the power supply rail, which means that the output transformer’s primary can’t “see” the noise. A different approach altogether might have been offered by Albert Einstein: instead of fighting you biggest problem, make what had been the problem the first principle of your new system. In this case, feedback is referenced to ground, not the power supply, so move the output transformer’s reference to ground as well. In other words, the noisy B+ is allowed to continue to be noisy, but the transformer no longer terminates into it, but ground. No, the amplifier is not going to be run in a cathode follower mode. Long-time readers will remember how the components in an electronic circuit can be moved around much like beads in a necklace, as long as a few rules are not broken, such expecting electrons to flow from the plate to the cathode. We leapfrog the output transformer over the power supply and it now connects to the output tube’s cathode and the power supply’s negative terminal. The signal ground is located at the cathode and the high-voltage power supply left to float, which means that each channel requires it own high-voltage power supply (both channels can share the low voltage power supplies). The output tube still functions as a grounded-cathode amplifier, amplifying its input signal and inverting that signal at its plate. Except this time, the power supply relays the plate’s movement to the output transformer. If a pair of scope probes are attached across the output transformer’s primary, we see power supply terminated end of the primary swing hundreds of volts both positively and negatively. Yes, positively. The output tube behaves identically to how it would before, exhibiting the same plate resistance and amplification factor. The output transformer behaves identically to before, presenting the same reflected impedance and swinging positively and negatively with varying current flow. If no external feedback loop is used, the output tube and output transformer primary would still see the same ratios of power supply noise: 33% across the triode and 66% across the primary. But since an external feedback loop is attached at the end of the primary, the triode will see 100% of the noise; the primary, 0%. If the primary does not see the power supply noise, then the loudspeaker will not either. Note the +6.3-volt power supply rail. This rail is used to supply the output tube’s heater and the OpAmp’s positive power supply connection, which will allow the OpAmp’s output to swing a few volts more positive than the output tube’s grid (the OpAmp can handle it and there is no coupling capacitor to become adversely charged). The –30V power supply rail provides the OpAmp a negative power supply rail. The OpAmp is capacitor coupled to the outside world, which prevents DC and ultra-low frequencies from upsetting the output stage. Additionally, the DC input voltage, as defined by the two-resistor voltage divider, sets the idle current through the output stage (autobias on the cheap), as this same voltage will be superimposed across the output transformer’s primary DC resistance. In other words, a different output transformer or a different idle current will require a different DC input voltage. Note the how the OpAmp’s inputs have been swapped: the non-inverting input receives the feedback signal and the inverting input receives the input signal. What has happened is that the output tube has inverted the input signal, so the composite amplifier is still non-inverting. Einstein on the cheap First of all, just using an OpAmp to drive the output tube betrays a good deal of miserliness. But for those who fear multiple power supply transformers (you know who you are) or those who only run heaters on AC voltages or those who like simplicity for the sake of simplicity, the following amplifier will be more to your liking. This time the same power supply that feeds the output stage feeds the OpAmp as well. And the OpAmp’s positive power supply connection is ground, which means that this version of the amplifier will put out less watts than the previous version, as the grid can never be driven positive. A choke decouples the power supply at AC frequencies, but lets DC current pass, allowing the OpAmp’s power supply capacitor to charge. The smoothing resistor (it could just as easily be a choke with the same DCR) has been moved to negative leg of the power supply, thereby creating a faux negative power supply. Faux? If the output tube does not conduct—for example the output tube is cold or its filament is open—there will be no negative power supply voltage; or if the output tube conducts too much—for example someone plugs the wrong tube in the socket—there will be too much voltage. (A safety zener—say, 36 volts—across the OpAmp would be a good idea.) A separate power transformer would not suffer from these problems. Thus, I cannot recommend this circuit without first doing some on-hands testing. Still, the circuit is tempting. //JRB 29 December 2004 Lost e-mail The reader who sent me an e-mail with "Crumbs" in the subject line, please send it again, as my web-based e-mail program sometimes loses it mind and deletes more than it should. A second helping of crumbs I’m back with a second helping of crumbs. Yesterday’s blog illustrated how an LM337 could be used to set the bias of a cathode-biased tube output stage. One circuit was described as being a potential bomb, as it paired two feedback loops in opposition with each other and suffered from a worse PSRR figure, in spite of a lower distortion figure and lower output impedance. The first problem can be eliminated by doing away with one of the feedback loops. Above we see the modifications: no LM337, an added zener, and a repositioned voltage divider resistor string. In this setup, the OpAmp sets the bias by monitoring the voltage drop across the primary’s DC resistance against the output of a voltage divider. If the tube conducts excessively, the plate will be forced less positive, which in turn will force the OpAmp’s positive input negative relative to its inverting input, which will force the OpAmp’s output more negative, lessening the tube’s conduction. The zener provides a fixed cathode voltage for the OpAmp to work against. The voltage divider resistor string that sets the DC reference voltage for the OpAmp’s inverting input no longer attaches to the OpAmp’s power supply, but to the main B+ voltage. No doubt that a few readers are troubled by the reliance on the B+ to set the bias voltage, as this voltage is only fixed when it fed from a regulated power supply. True enough. But if you perform the math, the error isn’t too bad for +/- 5% B+ voltage variations. Still, better tolerance is easily obtained; just add a voltage reference. In the above schematic, the voltage reference has taken the form of a zener diode place in series with the resistor-based voltage divider. Now, even if the B+ climbs or falls, the current through the output tube remains constant. (Actually, a zener is probably a poor choice, as the zener will most likely require a greater current conduction to break at the specified voltage than is provided by the voltage divider resistors; low-current IC voltage references are a better choice.) Fixed bias and the LM337 For many readers, nothing is more unseemly than mixing solid-state with vacuum-state; they would sooner mix Coke Cola with their chardonnay and just seeing an OpAmp makes their ears ache. Well, for these readers, relief is on the way. The LM337 can be reconfigured to automatically set the idle current of a fixed-biased tube output stage. (Once again, only class-A amplifiers need apply.) The LM337’s output is grounded. Yes, grounded. (If this makes head swirl, then pretend that this schematic holds no ground connection whatsoever; just power supplies, but no ground. Ground is more of a state of mind than many are willing to imagine. Imagine a friend hands you a black box with two terminals on it. you measure the voltage across the terminals and declare that the black box holds a positive 100-volts power supply. Your friend takes away the box with a look that say that he doesn't trust you with sharp scissors and says, "No, its a negative 100-volt power supply. Who's right? Which terminal do you want to call ground?) The sense 31-ohm resistor bridges the output tube’s cathode and ground. The LM337 adjustment pin reads the voltage drop across this resistor and alters it conduction in response. If the tube conducts too much, the adjustment pin is forced positive, which will reduce the LM337 conduction, dropping the grid’s bias voltage, as the voltage drop across the 1600-ohm resistor collapses. Conversely, if the tube conducts too little, the adjustment pin is forced negative, which will increase the LM337 conduction, raising the grid’s bias voltage, as the voltage drop across the 1600-ohm resistor increases. Note the discrepancy between the current flowing through the output tube (40mA) and the LM337 (10mA). This means that the LM337’s own idle current need match the output tube’s, which in turn means that we are not forced to use TO-220 packaged LM337. The LM337 is also available in a small SOT-223 package (and the TO-39). This circuit will only work over a limited voltage range, as its 37 volt limit isn’t that much to work with. The LM337HV extends this limit to 50 volts, but this is still too low for use with a 300B or 845. The solution is to add a cascode transistor to the LM337’s input. With MJE350 PNP transistor in place, the circuit can be used down to a –300 volts.By the way, the sense resistor can be bypassed with a large-valued capacitor. I almost didn’t mention this because I am tickled by readers emailing me radically improved and reworked circuits that have appeared in the Tube CAD Journal. (A few times these improved circuits have come from different websites than here.) Often the topology is unchanged, but different valued parts are used or even only different brands are specified. Usually, the original schematic has been done over in PhotoShop, so that the reader’s name can be superimposed (always in a fancy typeface). For example: Next time The bomb circuit also suffered from a poorer PSRR figure, which we will tackle next time. //JRB 28 December 2004 A feast of crumbs .” Tube CAD Journal / april_may2001 / page 6 It feels odd to quote myself, but I like that last sentence too much not to quote it. Hunting for crumbs is a great pursuit, searching through non-audio electronic articles, probing solid-state data manuals, snooping in industrial trade journals. When you look at a schematic, a topology, an electronic part, try to see beyond its intended use; in fact, try to see how it wasn’t intended to be used. For example, ON Semiconductor’s MBR40250, a 250-V Schottky rectifier, has intended uses in computer power supplies, automotive body electronics, and energy-recovery circuits in plasma TV sets, not tube amplifiers. Just ask On Semi’s electrical engineers. Yet, why not? The MBR40250 silicon power rectifier exhibits a 250-volt blocking voltage and can pass 45A of current and it virtually eliminates reverse-recovery oscillations (much like a tube rectifier), making it an ideal choice for a tube OTL amplifier’s power supply (or, if placed in series, with a 1Meg resistor placed in parallel with each diode, a transformer-coupled tube amplifier). Because this device intended use is not tube audio, the price is a reasonable 30 cents each, whereas had its intended use been tube amplifier power supplies, it would cost closer to $30 each. (I’m sure that high-end-audio mail-order boutiques can correct this situation, “The more you pay, the better it sounds,” is their motto after all.) Of course, the 250-volt specification was an obvious invitation to look further. As a good rule, whenever you see high-voltages, think tube. On the other hand, what about the solid-state devices that aren’t so robust in the face of high-voltages? For example, the lowly LM337 negative voltage regulator, whose input-to-output voltage limit is a measly 37 volts, how could it be used in a tube amplifier? Well, its brother, the LM317, is often used in high-voltage regulator, where it is nested in its low-voltage compartment, regulating nonetheless. Or, at the other end of a tube, it is used as a constant-current source that takes the place of the cathode resistor in setting the tube’s idle current. (By the way, this trick only works in a true honest-to-God class-A amplifier, whether push pull or single ended.) Thus, we should at least be able to use the negative voltage regulator in a high-voltage negative regulator, as the supporting high-voltage PNP transistors and N-channel MOSFETs are available. And there is no reason that the LM337 couldn’t also be configured as a constant-current source and also used in place of a cathode resistor. Which constant-current source would be better, the LM317 or the LM337? A perfect tossup is my guess. Except in one circuit, a hybrid amplifier that uses an OpAmp to directly drive an output tube. The constant-current source sets the output tube’s cathode at the right voltage to allow the constant-current source’s preset current to flow. Additionally, the output tube’s cathode voltage can also be used to provide an OpAmp its positive power supply. Note that the OpAmp’s own current draw is outside the constant-current source’s purview. In practical terms, this is not that big a deal, as the OpAmp draws only few milliamperes of current. Still, why not include the OpAmp’s current in the constant-current source’s tally? With an LM317-based constant-current source, we do not attach the OpAmp’s negative power supply connection to ground, but to the top of the sense resistor. Now all the current flowing through the resistor will be fed back into the regulator and its conduction will be adjusted accordingly. The LM317’s output will still offer the same low output impedance and low noise that it would in its intended voltage regulator application, so the OpAmp’s negative power supply connection should be happy (in most OpAmps, the negative power supply connection holds a much poorer PSRR than its positive connection, so extra care is needed here). The OpAmp’s positive power supply connection, on the other hand, connects directly to output tube’s cathode and is shunted by the large-valued bypass capacitor. Using the LM377 turns everything on its head. Its input is grounded and it output feeds the output tube through the sense resistor and it also provides the OpAmp with its positive power supply connection. The OpAmp’s current conduction is added to the tube’s through the sense resistor, which means that the LM337 will include this current in its count. If the LM337’s adjust pin isn’t bypassed to ground, then the regulator’s output will not be as stiff as otherwise. So here is the complete circuit. The OpAmp’s input is referenced to half of its power supply voltage; and as the feedback loop is terminated into a decoupling capacitor, its output will also be referenced to this same voltage. In other words, as the constant-current source moves the cathode voltage up and down to set the desired current flow, the OpAmp’s output follows by half. For example, if the cathode voltage climbs by 10 volts the OpAmp’s output climbs by 5 volts. Eventually, the stasis—the counterpoise, the equilibrium—point is reached, where cathode-to-plate, grid-to-cathode voltages work to establish the desired idle current. Consequently, the cathode-to-ground voltage will be roughly twice the voltage that it would be with only a cathode resistor, which works against us, as no triode is perfectly linear, all requiring more negative swing than positive swing to achieve equal plate-voltage swings. For example, a triode with grid bias voltage of –20 volts only requires +20 volts of swing to reach the positive-grid-voltage limit, whereas it might need –30 volts of swing to be completely cutoff. Thus, in this circuit, where the cathode rests at +40V and its grid at +20V, the triode can never be cutoff. Of course, this would only occur when the OpAmp's feedback loop encompasses the output tube, whereas in all the previous schematics, the feedback loop only corrals the OpAmp. In the schematic above, we see the OpAmp configured to swing more negative than positive, as it output is referenced to 66% of the power supply voltage available to it. Note the DC feedback loop. Here is where I think a tug of war could begin; the OpAmp will work to establish the same voltage at both its inputs and the LM337 will work to keep a constant predefined current flowing through the output tube; unfortunately, these two aims may be mutually exclusive. Additionally, this amplifier will reduce the noise at the plate, but not at the speaker terminals. No noise at the plate means that all the power supply noise will be superimposed across the output transformer's primary, which in turn will be relayed to the secondary. So, here is a simple hybrid amplifier that runs in single ended mode, but there’s no reason that it couldn’t be used in a push pull amplifier, if matched tubes were used, or if two LM337s were used. Why is this circuit better than a LM317-based version? I feel much more comfortable with the OpAmp's negative power supply connection being made at ground, rather than some pseudo ground. /: nig-gard-ly (nigrd-le) adj. 1. Grudging and petty in giving or spending. See Synonyms at stingy. 2. Meanly small; scanty or meager: left the waiter a niggardly tip.--nig'gard-li-ness n. --nig'gard-ly adv. Excerpted from American Heritage Talking Dictionary