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Editor's Note: Singer-songwriter Chely Wright is the author of the autobiographical book "Like Me." Her coming out process was filmed in the documentary "Wish Me Away." This is an edited version of her conversation with CNN about Anderson Cooper's announcement, why she came out, and what happened after.
by Chely Wright, Special to CNN
I'm happy about Anderson (coming out) and that he didn't allow himself to be a whisper.
It's inspiring.
I hid for 16 years of my career.
It became worth it to hide - until it is not worth it anymore.
Video: Chely Wright on coming out as a lesbian
I was afraid.
Singing is not my hobby, it is my job. I was afraid of losing my livelihood.
I hit my rock bottom in 2006, when I realized no one really knew me. I had very detached relationships with human beings, and no one really knew much about me.
That is how it is when you are burdened with fear - you never know.
Love doesn't grow in a dark closet. It can happen, but it won't survive.
I made the decision to come out in 2007. My life got easier the moment I decided to come out – I knew that freedom was on its way.
I had steeled myself as best I could for negative fallout. I had a feeling that some tour dates would be cancelled and records would not be sold.
From the day that I officially came out, on May 4, 2010, many people that had been fans aren't anymore. My mother did not take it well at all and we don't speak, and that was a cost.
Many people are very misinformed about people like me. I am a Christian. I don't drink, I don't do drugs. People had it in their head that there is no one gay in country music.
LGBT is a unique minority in which we have to identify. Straight allies have to be out too.
I am a storyteller by nature and songwriter, and I thought it would be a tremendous honor to advocate for LGBT youth in particular.
My whole objective in coming out was to challenge the stereotypes.
When you are a public person with public capital, I say those who are safe and able should look themselves in the mirror and say, can I make a difference? There is no definitive indictment when they don't come out, but I know something is going on, something is keeping them from coming out - when you know that by standing up and saying "I'm gay," it might make (some young kids) feel less alone.
I would like to see those young people enjoy the very diverse communities that America provides.
Change and equality only happens when people stand up and identify.
No civil rights movement has ever been progressed on a whisper.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Chely Wright.
Excellent insight on the subject. Please continue posting good article. Thank you
People will never understand what it feels like until their facted with the deep feeling of living in silents. Living in silent only hurt the one's we love. Coming out helps bring out the beauty that is in our heart's. Gay people are different but we still have a loving heart and can love just like anyother person.
Do what you want and let others do as they see fit (aside from murdering and the like) then, once you die, which you will, find out the truth then and deal with those consequences afterwards if there are any. What's the point of arguing about this at all. Seriously, who cares!!!! Has anyone ever changed their mind here? I doubt it, everyone is way too busy pontificating.
Stop throwing pearls to swine.
Who cares? P.s. Anderson may have allowed someone to publically acknowledge that he is gay, but we knew...The thing is..Nobody cares. At least nobody I know cares..Live your life, do your thing as long as you don't hurt me or infringe on my freedom, you can do what you want. Chely, you had one hit. It wasn't the fact that you were gay that people stopped listening to you..it's that country fans didn't connect with you like they do Carrie, or Faith or Reba.
let her be! We are strange in different ways!
I didn't read many of the comments here. Honestly, it's typically a bunch of propaganda or drivel, but I just wanted to thank you for writing this article. I haven't told everyone in my life about my sexual preferences, but I did decide to tell my mother and a few close friends. Telling my mother was the hardest thing for me. I expected her to have a reaction like yours did, but she looked at me after a moment or two and said 'does this mean you aren't the person that I loved and raised as my child?" and I said no, I'm exactly the same person I have always been. She replied with a laugh 'well then what why are you crying?' I said I was worried about what she thought etc etc. she said 'I find it a little strange that you waited so long to tell me, but I don't care who you are with as long as they treat you the way that you deserve and I don't care what you tell me it will never change my opinion of you unless you've been pretending to be someone else all these years.' She went on to mention that I shouldn't ever cry over who I am unless I'm ashamed of who I am because she would never be ashamed of me.
I wish that more people could be like my mother. I mean if you guys want to get technical, God says you're supposed to love everyone. It's high time some of you started practicing what you're so ready and willing to preach without making all these exceptions. People like Ms. Wright and Mr. Cooper know how it feels to live with a secret of this magnitude. They write about it simply because it somehow makes it easier on those of us in hiding to say 'well they did it in front of millions of people, why am i struggling to tell a handful.'
Thanks for your efforts. I'm not a big country music fan, but I always loved your songs and your voice.
if the world had not prepared my family for me i would not of said anything and kept it to myself .
Chely you are a jewel but you were making your business in country music and they will not change for you. Hell, your mother wouldn't even change for you. Sad for you.
I am a Christian. The "christians" that spew hatred and condemn others are not true Christians. Just because I don't sin the same way as others, doesn't mean I am better, I am still a sinner. God called us as witnesses, not judges.
Looks like the lyrics to her song "Single White Female" have a whole new meaning now.
She is definitely beautiful and talented. I do miss her music from back then.
She is a stunning woman!
The Bible says more than just "don't judge" fellow sinners. It calls all sinners to repentance...to TURN AWAY from their sin. Is it loving to allow a friend to continue in sin simply because you're trying to not judge them? no. It IS loving to gently counsel brothers and sisters to turn away from sin. LOVE does not equal letting a person walk blindly in sin, it means accepting the person as a fellow human being with respect. Many Christians don't the difference between harshly shaming a person for their sin and lovingly helping them out of it...but that doesn't mean we throw the baby out with the bathwater and allow sin. It means we stand up for the truth as we show basic respect for fellow men and women.
Its an amazing feeling to have all the weight lifted. It's important to be counted, because I believe had more people came out sooner, America would have been more inclusive sooner. Nonetheless, it's never too late. Discrimination and setbacks will happen because of closed minded people in high places. I was a good engineer in a very conservative career. The relentless question why I haven't gotten married and side jokes about gay people driven me to give up what I had loved and studied so hard for. I eventually moved to San Francisco where I can start living life again and never looked back at my least career and old friends/acquaintances. That was my cost for coming out, but I am much better as a person for that. In an ideal world, where there is no discrimination, no one has to go through a process of coming out. For those that are not gay, it's hard to fully understand the struggle.
Why is it necessary to "announce" you are gay? Just go about your business as usual. You have your friends and family and that includes me . I just care that you are a compassionate human being period!
"Just go about your business?" That is why they are coming out. So they can go about their business. Get married. Get visitation rights in the hospital. Get spouse benefits. If they were not lacking civil rights they would not be making a big deal about it.
It seems that its the latest trend now 😦
I'm not a Country Music fan so I have to ask...........who is this woman and why would anybody give a hoot if she's gay, straight, oblong or undulated???????????
As for Anderson, he's been "out" for years. Yaaaaaawn! Since CNN is Obama's Campaign manager, Anderson's been 'chose' to bolster Obama's announcement that he supports an unnatural lifestyle.
Now that's out of the way, can we get back to the Economy, Jobs, Infrastructure, Immigration etc etc etc?
It is sad how people who call themselves Christians can be so judgmental and hateful. It is truly shameful.
How is is that God always gets sucked into these commentaries? I'm not sure the "voice in the whirlwind" really has the time or gives a rip one way or the other. Perhaps best to leave the "voice" out of the debate. Job got the interview he thought he wanted and spent the balance of his time trying to get his socks back on. Regarding the article.... not exactly the most burning issue of the day for most people. Their minds are cluttered with things like jobs, or the lack thereof, home foreclosures, wars, illegal immigration, national and personal debt, crime, healthcare, forest fires, etc.
People who don't believe in God USE His name when it suits them, to cover their own bad choices and failures.
A bit like Obama, really. He doesn't believe in Congress but HE only uses them to cover his bad choices and failures too!
It must be a psychological "thing" wsith failures then, eh?
"No civil rights movement has ever been progressed on a whisper."
Really? This is a morality issue, not a civil rights issue.
Yes. Thank you for pointing out that ending bigotry and discrimination is a moral issue.
Agreed Steve. Excellent comment.
"love the sinner, hate the sin"
Who cares? Less than 1 percent of the U.S. Pop is gay and by the way CNN major media plays the 'gay' card they would have us believe that a full 25 percent of the U.S. Pop is gay vis-a-via the over representation of gays in the industry. Cover more important stories: Obama's trillion dollar debts, Saudi Arabia obtaining nuclear weapons from China to guard against Iran and of course Obama care that will bankrupt the nation and will probably plunge the nation into a depression.
The trouble is Jawal, Americans have been fed a diet of 'Hollywood Junk Food' for so long that the REAL world – like, economy, Jobs, Immigration, inequality etc, fade into the background..... and ONLY sensationalism and a small percentage of unnatural people trying to have their lifestyles made , somehow, "respectable matters .
I'm not much of a country music fan although I do enjoy some of Chelly's music. If I was a little bit of a fan before, I am really a fan of hers now for being so brave and dignified. Peace, Chelly. You rock.
I agree. I wasn't a fan before, but now I am. I have had the wish me away album in my car all week. Love Note to the coroner! Especially now that I know she struggled so with coming out. Nashville can be cruel, they iced the Dixie Chicks too on a moral high horse kick. Ruins careers to disagree with Jesus and Country music.
Wow, so many people that are sick of the topic, or hearing about so and so announcing they are gay. Whatever.
But as a society all wrapped up in what's going on with the Kardasians, Snookie, or finding out who "gets the rose" in some phony match-up "reality" show, it shouldn't be too difficult hearing about a celeb here and there that wants to come out. I think we can all cope, even though we should focus on more important topics..
Kudos to you Chely (and Anderson)!
Sorry to break it to you intolerant anti-religious nutjobs, but your voting base also includes a large portion of Christians, Jews, Muslims, etc. who vote on the left as well as on the right. You need them to bring your party to power, plain and simple. You can spew your hate and bigotry, but you're no better than those neo-cons. And for you zealot "believers" out there...casting stones on others is laughable and very anti-christian...fools.
Mike, let me clue you in:
We are a SECULAR nation founded by men who feared the ignorant, religious, unwashed masses.
The earth is 4.5 BILLION years old, NOT 6000 years old.
Dinosaurs existed, just not with man.
Evolution, and Global Climate change, are scientific facts and our ancestors are over 6 million years old.
No, the world won't end concurrent with the Mayan calendar.
The whole "god" & "jesus" thing: myths invented by man and is no more relevant or accurate than the Greek/Roman gods, Hinduism, Mithrasian faiths, etc. 98% of all christianity is LIBERALLY lifted from preceding "pagan" faiths (oh, the irony!).
There is NO peer reviewed, legitimate academically accepted proof that "jesus" ever existed and you'd think the most important "person" in christianity would have proof of life.
The parting of the Red Sea, Noah's Ark, "jesus" rising from the dead, etc......all myths.
Abortion? That issue was decided with Roe vs. Wade, get over it.
I don't care what you believe provided you keep ALL religion out of public schools, science & academia, foreign and domestic policy, laws & jurisprudence. KEEP IT OUT OF OUR LIVES. FOAD.
And since when did the "theory of evolution become a scientific fact? By definition a scientific fact is an observation that has been confirmed repeatedly and is accepted as true (although it's truth is never final). I don't dispute the theory of evolution. Neither do I disbelieve that evolution is inconsistent with a supernatural cause behind the "Big Bang." Both are theories that warrant discussion and have yet to be fully resolved in the minds of theologians or scientists. You might wish to moderate your opinions and respect the opinions of others. Neither your ramblings, nor mine, are the end all.
Ya know who really cares, I too am tired of hearing about it all the time!
apparently the cost of your coming out, or any celebrities as a matter of fact, is for the rest of us, being bombarded with information that know one needs to know nor cares about... all so you can use ever scrap of publicity in pursit of your "15 minutes of fame"
if we say we have no sin we decieve ourselves and the truth is not in us.......john
Zeus loves you.
Why was my quote from Chronicles of Narnia deleted? It is recognised as being based on religion! CNN that is religious intolerance!
"The Witch knew the Deep Magic. But if she could have looked a little further back... she would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards." Aslan
What people do in their bedroom with their husband, wife, lover, partner, boyfriend, girlfriend is no one's business but their own. As a straight male I find it appauling that this is STILL an issue. Who cares who people love? I have many gay friends, and never once has it occured to me that they are doing something wrong by loving who they love. There are far more issues with this world than telling someone they can't love someone else. Let's try and get to the real problems of the world, and leave the gay issue alone already. Once again: WHO CARES??? 🙂
A HUGE round of applause!
But, Adam, how will God know who's gay if no one points it out to him? Why, some of them might actually get away with it!!! (Please note the dripping sarcasm....)
Adam, thank you SO much for your common sense comment. Sadly, there are many people who have very little to live for, so they fill their lives with hatred and fear. Happy people do not care who loves who, they simply enjoy their lives and hope that others can find a way to do the same.
Well Said. 🙂
i couldn't agree more. well said
Thank you, Adam. Think of the possiblities if more people were as open-minded and cool as you.
Anderson was not a surprise. Sandusky was a big surprise to me though. I hate that we waste a whole month on it. The only way you are going to get away from not having people stand out for their differences is to stop calling out those differences.
Everyone who really gives a rip give a shout out. Probably no many giving a shout out.
What does Sandusky have to be with being gay?
Because he is gay. He continued his horrilble relationships with these boys past 18, when they are considered men. Men did not turn him off. I think he just went with what he thought he could control. Probably preferred men, but knew he would get blackmailed or found out. Thought he could control the situation with boys and young men and he was correct. I'm sure he'll be full blown gay in prison. Its a preverted situation and a preverted mental state. I grant you that, but he is still gay. May be many things in addition.
@KeithF – Sandusky is a pedophile who was attracted to pre-pubescent children. Before puberty the bodies of girls and boys are not that different in appearance. The reason Sandusky preyed on boys is because they are easier to get access to. People tend to keep a closer eye on their daughters than their sons. This is a mistake, of course, and I think people are going to learn to watch out for their sons too.
Sandusky is a pedophile, which is NOT the same as being gay. If he had been molesting girls, you wouldn't be labeling him as 'straight'.
Phlea, you got that right!
Keith is one of those people who tries to understand, but in the end, the best he can do is to compare the dark pathology of abusing children with consensual adult love.
*Note to Keith – please take at a bare minimum, at least one basic psychology class, so you can at least learn the difference between rape and adult love.
I don't understand how parents can cut off contact with their children. If one of my children told me they were gay I would be saddened but only because I know that their lives are going to be made more difficult by this fact. Nothing could make me love them less. In fact I believe this is true for Chely's Mother too. It is the sadness coupled with guilt that somehow we as a parent failed to protect our child from an unhappy fate, that makes a parent turn away from their child.
Do I care if you're gay, black, red, white, disabled, etc. etc.? Why do gays feel that they have to announce themselves (come out of the closet)? Are they that narcisstic that they think people care? Seriously, this is getting tiring. I guess people who are bipolar, schizo should announce to the world too. Jeez, how about just living your life and not boring others with the details......
Don't blame Gay men and Lesbians for your hatred issues, of which there are many.
Because a large number of people still think there is shame in being gay. And unless prominent people stand up and let people know that its' not just 'wierdos' and 'those kind of people' that are gay, that 'normal' people are gay, people who are sucessful and respected and 'real', gay people may continue to be marginalized. That is why.
What if a person was severely injured and needed care and the avail. dr. was gay. Would that person say "don't touch me or help me, you're gay"? I think that would be funny, everyone gay on this side of the room, everyone straight on that side, and see where we'd be. Talented people from all walks and all persuasions, just live and let live, be happy.
I stil think Chely Wright has a terrific and unique voice. I'm still a fan of her older music, just not her new music. Her being gay has nothing to do with why I haven't bought a CD lately. The new stuff just isn't country at all and (clean & twangy) country is what I prefer. Be true to yourself Chely! When old fans waiver, new ones will come. Life goes on ...
Interesting. I used to love, LOVE Melissa Etheridge's music. Did not bother me she was gay. It did change a little how I perceived her music. Was it written for a man, for a woman, etc? It's so subjective...Then her personal lissues in the press – gf's, and kids, breakups just seemed to overtake her music and talent....I stopped seeing her as the songwriter and more a celebrity. I'm sure she never would have intended this as a backdrop to her coming out. Still consider her one of THE best songwriters in the world, but sorry to see her personal issues taking the forefront.
Jesus Loves you. Not Sin.
well said.....thank you but for me and my friend...Not Justyet
Jesus loves everyone. Including rapists, murderers, and child abusers as well. That doesn't mean he approves of the lifestyle. What it means is He loves everyone, even if they aren't living the standards he requires in order to return and live with Him again.
Michael B., I don't know which God/Jesus you are referring to but the Jesus that I know, the only son of God sent to die for us all, and was resurrected as promised 3 short days later, so that I could return to live with them, had no such "requirement" for all to be able to do exactly that is as the Bible clearly reads to "BELIEVE Jesus is the Son of the Living God whom God sent to die on the cross for our eternal sins so that we CAN and WILL live for eternity". TO NOT BELIEVE THAT is the only thing that will keep us from doing exactly as the Lord Our God promised. THAT is MY God, His SON and my brother, with the Holy Spirit. I have seen and experienced TOO MANY miracles NOT to believe... and it breaks my heart that there are too many who don't know Him and live their lives without "HOPE" because they believe otherwise. Living in THIS world, especially in THIS day and AGE, without His UNCONDITIONAL LOVE MERCY, and FORGIVENESS, is almost unbearable to me and I KNOW that if He WASN'T GOD, it would be unbearable to Him. Praise His Holy Name...!
Your 'god' is no better than this woman's intolerant mother.
Your god will send me to burn & suffer horribly for all eternity if I don't profess my love? How compassionate.
Maybe you read the part in the Bible about the consequences of sin. And the part about repent and be baptized and go and sin no more. You left out a BIG chunk about God.
I simply cannot believe//trust WHATEVER in any person, real or imagined who would love anyone that is a rapist or murderer or child molester. I suppose that's why I could never get with the religious crowd.
Wrong. The Jesus I know loves EVERYONE, regardless of your judgements. It is NOT A SIN to be gay. Get that through your rotted heads.
You're absolutely right. Jesus loves all regardless of their lifestyle. The hatred just keeps going on and on.
You can deny christianity but don't say it's not a sin according to the Bible:
Romans 1:25-27
English Standard Version (ESV)
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Don't forget about the old testament Leviticus. The whole man lie down with a man... abomination etc...
Jeses does love everyone but he does not and will not condone sin as spelled out in the Bible.
It's curious cindy about what is actually defined as "sin." Given all of the negative attention that usually hits openly gay people, I think it's safe to say that people don't choose to be gay just as much as straight people don't choose to be straight. The idea of sin implies a choice, and an action and although I am acutely aware that the descriptions in Leviticus, Acts and Romans are all actions, consider the ramifications of what your actually asking. It is it honestly fair for these people, who have no control over what their feeling much like you and I, to live a lonely life and a lie? I am not disagreeing about what the bible says, merely over our interpretation on the idea of sin...
To you Bible nuts and "Christians" out there: YOU ARE NOT JESUS. It doesn't matter if you condone sin. And if you will recall, Jesus would sit down to eat dinner with all manner of people, including those you would classify as "sinners." Remember the dinner at Matthew the tax collector's house? I think that showed more about Jesus' character and desire for a loving world than any other story of the Bible. Your version of morality implies that you think you're Jesus and can pass judgement on others; what they do is between them and Jesus, and you have NO SAY in their lives.
But what about my magic man in the sky? He loves me bunches. 🙂
I have watched A C for as Long as I can remember and will continue to do so for as long as I live. I am in the closet and have a relationship with a buddy that started 4 years ago and we get along great. He is married as well with a couple of kids. Are we gay? YES ...are we bi? YES..are we straight? YES.
To hear about Anderson today says alot about who I am ...we will stay in the closet but when a celebrity like A C comes out , it makes us feel that we are doing nothing wrong except living a lie. We compare ourselves to the movie, Brokeback Mountain. We will live our lives in secrecy. Its why we are happy. Thank you Anderson Cooper
I agree with the others. If this man is married he SHOULD NOT be cheating on his wife. He made a commitment to her. If he cannot kept that commitment then he needs to divorce her. It's not fair to her.
Gay people are coming into the light for the first time as they start winning legal equality as well as hearts and minds. Visibility is at the heart of equality.
this is hillarious, basically chely wright hopped on the gay band wagon, and look, now she gets to write a blpog for CNN. Talk about exposure! Look, gays will be gays, they are humans like yhe rest of us, but for goodness sakes, it is getting boring as hell reading about them, seeing them in movies or tv etc... what are they 3% of the population at best? And how much 'airtime' do they get? Too damn much.
easy buddy...so what...we are all human
In Grand Prairie, Tx the show was wonderful! Sitting in the bnoalcy I was worried we wouldn't get the full effect of the dancers but although the venue was good, the whole experience came in very clear! I thought the lighting was blinding at times and over powered the dancers but over all a very pleasant time!The video expression with the numbers/dance were timed and very eye appealing! The finally was tremendous! My wife and I have followed the show every season and love how they give good ordinary kids (not stinking celebrities who receive more than they deserve already) opportunities to use their God given abilities to entertain us!! Nice going dancers and the crew! God bless! Jesus is Lord!!!
Mike in NJ, touchet! I agree with everything you've posted here. Incidentally, Anderson never did make a big deal of coming out. He said he has always lived his life openly to his friends and family and co-workers. All he did was give permission for others to publicly acknowledge it now. It's the rest of us making a big deal of it, and I think that's great. When the public as a whole truly IS bored enough to stop noticing such "comings-out," then the act will have fulfilled its purpose and no longer be necessary. Thanks again, Anderson, Ellen, Rachel, and the rest!
Easy buddy, indeed.
I wouldn't hold too tightly to that "3%" figure. Keep in mind that not everyone is out; we can only hope that more people will feel comfortable being so with the honesty of highly esteemed people who are LGBTQI or A. That is the purpose of this airtime.
Chely didn't "hop on the bandwagon" she started coming out in 2007 (5 years ago) and officially came out 2 years ago. Also, she didn't write this blog. It is excerpts from an interview she did. Sorry to see that your lack of reading comprehension is on par with your idiocy. Please do the rest of the world a favor and not breed.


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To boldly go… in your ear: Episode 2: the Radio and Other Full-cast Audio Thrills!
Thanks to Signor Marconi and his fellow inventors we have the marvelous wonders of wireless telegraphy. And what better use could be made of invisible waves traveling at the speed of light than to bring you the drama from long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: the Radio Drama Brian Daley turned the original 1977 two-hour film by George Lucas into a six-hour thirteen-part radio play for National Public Radio in 1981. John Madden directed film cast members Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels to reprise their parts as Luke Skywalker and C-3PO; Brock Peters plays Darth Vader, and the John Williams original score is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. It's everything you love about the movie and more. And the story continues with radio productions of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Perhaps the most infamous science fiction radio broadcast occurred just before Halloween 1938. Director Orson Wells led the cast of the Mercury Theater on the Air in The War of the Worlds. Writer Howard Koch adapted the novel of Martian invaders by H.G. Wells by modernizing it and bringing the setting from England to America. Instead of the Martians landing on the Horsell Common and moving on London "in the last years of the nineteenth century" they landed in New Jersey in 1938 and started toward New York! Thousands of people, who had been twirling their dials* between stations and programs missed the opening announcements and thought they were listening to a real reporter and not an actor, who informed them,
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed. . . . Wait a minute! Someone's crawling. Someone or . . . something. I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks . . . are they eyes? It might be a face. It might be . . . good heavens, something's wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now it's another one, and another one, and another one. They look like tentacles to me. There, I can see the thing's body. It's large as a bear and it glistens like wet leather. But that face, it . . . ladies and gentlemen, it's indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it, it's so awful. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is kind of V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate."
*For younger readers I need to point out before remote controls were standard issue for all manner of electronic devices, this is how listeners did their "channel surfing."
Fast forward to the 1950s, the era of Rock 'n Roll, flying saucer sightings and other social indicators of instability or fun, depending on your point of view. Legends of Radio: Science Fiction Classics is an impressive compilation of American science fiction radio programs from the 1950s. Three of them, "Destination Moon," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and The War of the Worlds," are adaptations of the motion pictures of the same title and vintage, but of most of them are adaptations of the stories of prominent authors of the time: Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, L. Sprague De Camp, Philip K. Dick, Gordon R. Dickson, Fritz Leiber, Clifford D. Simak, Robert Silverberg, and Theodore Sturgeon. There are also a few written originally for radio. An excellent accompanying booklet explains the emergence of the genre and then a program-by-program profile of the authors, with their portraits and a cast list.
And now for something more up to date. Solaris is a 2007 BBC Radio 4 dramatization of Stanislaw Lem's novel. Psychologist Kris Kelvin is sent to the space station orbiting the planet Solaris to investigate the crew's psychological fitness for duty. What's left of the crew are behaving very strangely. Some of them are downright anti-social. Kris spends some time gazing at the wondrously sublime ocean of the planet below, goes to sleep, and then gets a visit from his wife Rheya. This is quite unusual because she committed suicide several years before this unexpected arrival at the foot of his bed.
Turning from the wondrous to the wonderfully silly we have Earthsearch, Series I & II: The Complete Radio Series by James Follett. One-hundred-fifteen years after it left earth, the ten-mile long starship Challenger and its crew of four returns to its home world to find that it's gone. The moon remains alone orbiting Sol. The Sentinel on the moon tells the crew that it was dragged away by its inhabitants half-a-million years ago. In their search for the missing planet the grandchildren of the original crew encounter the mishaps of many interstellar travelers: manic robots bent on destruction, grumpy androids, galactic emperors who rule a few small asteroids, another massive starship the mirror image of their own, a shortage of oxygen, hostile humans who take them for aliens, worshipful humans that take them for gods, black hole gravity wells, time dilation, the temptation to eat forbidden fruit, starship computers who want to rule the world, androids that want to rule the universe, and ten-mile high pyramids filled with mysterious secrets, planet engulfing floods, in short, just about every science fiction cliché imaginable, and played absolutely straight faced with tongue firmly in cheek. This is a marvelously fun space opera.
Also marvelous fun is the production of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World done by the Production Company Alien Voices. This item is slightly off topic because it's not really a radio drama—but it's so good I couldn't resist adding it to the list. Scripted by Nat Segaloff and John de Lancie it was "Performed at Creation Entertainment's Grand Slam V Star Trek Convention in Pasadena, Calif. on March 22, 1997." The audience participated by acting the crowd in parts of the play. The recording was then taken to the studio, cleaned up and released directly as an audio recording. Because it was first performed at a fan convention it features a cast composed of veteran Star Trek actors: Leonard Nimoy, John de Lancie, Roxann Dawson, Richard Doyle, Marnie Mosiman, Ethan Phillips, Dwight Schultz, and Armin Shimerman.
Professor Challenger leads an expedition deep into the heart of the Amazon, complete with hostile natives and poisonous snakes, to a previously unmapped plateau compete with pterodactyls, dinosaurs, and vicious ape-men. It would be hard to match the cast's exuberant over-the-top adaptation of Conan Doyle's original creature feature.
- Gentle Reader, please don't aim your photon torpedoes at me if I've neglected your favorite space opera of the air. Just send me a comment. I'll be happy to gain enlightenment. And besides, I'm in consular library on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan.

subset: commoncrawl


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Taking yourself off Paxil without side effects...???
One of my dear friends, J, had been taking Paxil for a few years. J's "situation" that lead to her taking this medication has greatly improved and she is looking forward to stopping Paxil, under her doctor's supervision.
J's doctor advised her to cut her dose in half for a week, so instead of taking 20mg/day, she'd be taking 10 mg/day. Then, cut that down to half again for a week--take 5 mg/day for a week, then stop taking it entirely. In two weeks, she'd be weaned entirely off Paxil.
J's a bit worried about the things she's heard about people trying to come off Paxil, and the side effects. She's heard everything from seizures to flu-like symptoms, to dizziness.
Does anyone have any experience with this?
I've always heard that the longer you take to get off Paxil, the better it is for you...like maybe she should ask her doc if she should take 10 mg/day for two weeks, then 5 mg/day for another 2 weeks, then either stop, or take 5 mg every other day for 2 weeks, then stop entirely.
Thanks for any input!
Tell her to follow her doctor's advice. He certainly knows more about her than we do and he may have reasons for wanting her to do it that way. She should keep in close touch with him so that if things do not seem to be going well, he can make adjustments.
Above all, she shouldn't worry about things that she has "heard." She doesn't know about what those people's particular circumstances were or what their doctor's had told them to do. There may have been other medications involved. That's just worry that she doesn't need.
I agree that she should taper off. I was on Paxil a few years ago and decided to quit, so I just stopped taking them. I had a couple very rough days, for me it was more mental side effects and not physical ones. It definately can be an addictive drug.
Good luck to her.
PeaBee4 is right on everything. In my experience, a two-week taper isn't out of line at all, in fact it's rather generous given the three days I had to discontinue it (and change to a different med).
Yes, there are *discontinuation* effects assoicated with Paxil. Some people have no effects at all when going off, and I say that based on the patients I personally work with as a health care provider. These are NOT side effects of going off an "addictive" drug because Paxil is not addictive.
Sooz -
" the things she's heard about people trying to come off Paxil, and the side effects. She's heard everything from seizures to flu-like symptoms, to dizziness. "
Side effects are most often seen in people suddenly stopping it, not tapering off ... she should follow the dr's instructions. And not blame EVERYTHING on the Paxil: one friend of mine blamed it for a nasty bout of flu-like symkptoms - until her hubby came down with the flu too.
She should never quit taking an antidepressant without her doctor's advice. My spouse quit taking Depakote on his own and right now he is more depressed than ever. Is she wanting to try another medication or just quit all meds?
My sister quit cold turkey and had a very terrible few weeks and is very glad to be off it. She found less trust in her doctor who had been prescribing them to her and was grateful that she got off them and out of his life!
I think one should always find a doctor who is a friend or best- a family friend someone who cares and has integrity and ethics.
Happy update! My friend J successfully weaned herself off Paxil with nothing more than one slight bout of dizziness, and with the doctor's supervision if needed. She extended the doc's recommendation to 2 weeks, so she took 10 mg/day for two weeks, then 5 mg/day for two weeks, then stopped it entirely.
Thanks to all who posted!
Glad to hear your friend was successful. I'm in week 4 or 5 of trying to wean off - it sucks. I've only taken Paxil for about 6 - 8 months. Every time I step down to a lower dose I get migraines. If I skip it for a day I get the "brain zaps" people describe.
Doctors should warn their patients about Paxil and drugs like it. Granted, some people really need them so they can function, but it's very addictive and nobody seems to acknowledge that.
I've been extremely slowly been tapering off Paxil, under my doctor's supervision. I was easily able to gradually go from 40mg to 10mg. But, under 10mg, I just get these horrible side effects! After spending months at 10mg, I've begun cutting off the ends off my pills. I've been doing this for 2 weeks and it has been very difficult (mental and physical side effects, such as irritability, mental instability and being short of breath). I've had to wean off Effexor XR and Desyrel before, but Paxil has been the worse. My doctor says such anti-depressants are not addictive... That is just not my impression... I guess people react differently to these meds, but I think doctors should listen to us patients who have suffered from severe side effects while tapering off them. I guess I'm a little sour, especially since a psychiatrist said they should never have given me these meds in the first place!
I am currently weaning from paxil/paroxetine after over 9 yrs. of taking 20 mg. once a day, every day. First, I must say that I am only one of a long list of family members who have/had anxiety/panic disorders and severe depression (with many suicides). My doctor advised me to take 10 mg. for a week then alternate taking it one day and none the next for another week before completely stopping the medication. The first week of being on only 10 mg. was the worst week of my life! The brain zaps quickly spread to my entire body. (I have experienced brain zaps in the past by missing a regular dosage time but these were the most horrible zaps I could have ever imagined.) I felt like I had the worst flu ever! I even ran a fever. I searched for answers online and found that I was not the only person to experience these awful and terrifying symptoms while trying to withdraw from paxil/paroxetine. The main point on every site I visited was to take the weaning SLOWLY. I called my doctor and she agreed that I would have to go much slower with the weaning. She offered to prescribe the paroxetine in liquid form to make the dosage decreases easier. (I have OCD also but even I can't cut that little piece as tiny as necessary.) I am currently on 12.5 mg. and will stay on this dosage for at least 2 weeks, eventually dropping to 10 mg. I may have to take it one milligram at a time but I will succeed and be paxil/paroxetine free one day! Oh, the reason for my weaning off paroxetine? The weight gain and the tiredness were at the top of my list, but my husband's biggest (and constant) complaint is my total lack of libido. To make a long story short, the one vital suggestion I can offer for anyone weaning off paxil/paroxetine is TAKE IS SLOWLY! Talk to your doctor. It seems some doctors are actually finally admitting that this medication is more than 'just a pill' now. Best of luck to you all!
Not quite sure how I ended up here. Google is such a weird thing, Still, glad that I did. People here seem to be taking a lot of sense. I've been on paxil/paroxetine for approx 12 years at various dosages, depending on my syptoms. I'm currently taking 30mg a day. I'd really love to be able to come off it but after reading so many horror stories about withdrawls and the like, I'm really quite afraid to even give it a try. Even the thought of trying to wean myself off it and I start with side effects. I have spoken with the practice nurse at my doctors and she agrees that when I do decide to come off it then it's best to do it very slowly. I've actually decided that to wean myself off it I'm gonna do it by a mg a week using the liquid version. In this case it'll take me 30 weeks to come completely off it, which in my mind isn't bad really as long as I reach my goal.
I'll post on here when I start and hopefully keep everyone informed of my progress, this way it may help others with their plight.
I would like to add that I feel paroxetine has really helped me over the years. I've been in some pretty dark and lonly places over the years and without the help from this drug I'm not sure how I'd have made it out of there. I feel this is a very important drug to many in stabalising their lives and giving them a life back. There just comes a time for people when they want to face life without a crutch, and for me that time is now.
I tried to stop Paroxetin (I have been on it for the past 13 years) by cutting it down to 10mg/mg a day for 15 days, and I started to have panicking side-effects: flushes, trembling, migraines and backaches. Had to start taking it again 20mg/day and am desperate to quit now that my liver (serious liver steatosis/non alcoholic cirrhosis) is affected by this medication which has helped me after shell shock but now I have to get off it. PLEASE HELP ! My psychotherapist does not really help so far..
I have had a terrible time going from 20mg to 10mg. Just in the past few days I have felt nauseous, diarrhea, night sweats& dizzyness...do you find the liquid to be easier to ease off of it with?
I have been on Paxil for 13 yrs. I recently asked my physician if I could switch to something else due to weight gain and lack of libido. She switched me Wellbutrin, but told me I still had to wean off the Paxil. My Dr. told me she never prescribes paxil anymore because of all the problems with side effects and withdrawals. She will leave patients on it if they are not having problems, but she does not give to newbies.
I was on 20mg, and weaned off for a month. I have not had paxil in my system for 3 days and am having horrible brain and body zaps, nausea and exhaustion. It worked well for me, but if I missed a dose... it was hell. And I am going through it now even after weaning.
Update on my friend J. Well, J. successfully went off paxil--in baby steps, over a period of a month--and then in 2006, work stresses had her going back to her doctor and asking to be put back on it.
In 2009, her work situation changed for the better and she once again took herself off Paxil with her doctor's approval. This second time, she noticed a lot of dizziness, even though she said she took herself in even smaller increments and for a longer period of time than the first time. It took her close to three months to come off it, ending up with taking the smallest amount every day for 2 weeks, then every other day for 2 weeks, then every two days for another 2 weeks, then every three days for an additional 2 weeks. Everyone is different of course, but that's how she did it and except for the dizziness, there were no other side effects.
I asked her tonight about brain/body zaps, headaches, nausea etc but she said the only side effects she had coming off it was the dizziness, and that the dizziness was temporary and came and went, didn't last very long, but occurred for a number of weeks. Hope this info is of help--as always, check with your physician! :O)
I have just taken myself off Paxil abruptly, after being on it for about 10 years. I have been on 10 mg. As of 3 days of being off the medication, I can report definite lightheadedness, short attention and irritability. I will keep you posted on my progress. Libido problems were early taken care of with an herbal remedy called "wild oats" in pill form that can be found in health food stores. This seemed to have worked for me for the first few years, when taken 1/2 hour before sex. After a while it lost it's effect. My present state is tiredness, and dizziness. If anyone knows how long this will last that would be great news.
Gosh, folks, if people who wean themselves off Paxil over a period of time are having issues, of course you're going to have issues going cold turkey!
Have a care for the abrupt process your body and your personal biochemistry is going through because of your personal choice.
I am having to come off paxil b/c I can't go to Dr. to get a new prescription, I started reading about it and I really do want off I am suffering I am trying to come off some what slow but have been on a long time how on earth does the medical world get by telling people this drug is not addictive. Obviously they have never had to stop the drug or those words could never come out of there mouth, or it has to do with money or fear of law suits. This is horrible I was on 2 20mgs a day to one that did not hurt me I then tried a half a day that was bearable then half every other day on days not taking I am in terror honest and my sister is the same. I am wondering if taking SAMe with the small dose will help me any one take it?
I have been on Aropax (paroxetine) for about 9 years. After an appointment with a cardiologist, it was confirmed that it was the medication causing my issues, not my heart..also the weight gain.
I have been weaning myself off for a month so far (one tablet every second day and now I'm taking one every third day), and I'm now getting dizzy spells - finding them worse when I'm driving.
It is disappointing that none of this was explained when I was first prescribed the pills - and I feel now I can't function without them.
I'm taking 20mg paxil twice daily plus 15mg buspar twice a day my dr says i can get off one 20mg paxil and 15mg of buspar want i have some side effects by just getting off the one
hey... just trying to wean off paxil also... so far on the liquid form..side effects have varied! tired! dizzy. headaches, zaps, but so far it is alittle easier with liquid form... going down every 2.5mg every 4 days per my MD supervision...
anyone else have any ideas
i have been on paroxetine for i cant remember how long now. i have been on 40mg daily. today i have asked my doctor to tapper me off of it. She has me starting 30mgs for 7days then 20mgs for 7days then 10mgs for 7days and then 10mgs everyother day for 14 days. after reading some of these i am scared. i have had the sexual side effects. i would not take it for 2-3 days so i could have a better time in bed. But after that 2-3rd day i started feeling the effects. I am wondering if since i could do that my side effects wont be bad from coming off that drug. What does anyone else think?
I have read all the posts, and here is my story. I was on Zoloft for 2 years. I started having severe side effects from taking it, such as; itching, heart racing, no energy, no libido at all, etc. My arms look like a war zone from constant itching. I am so embarassed. I told my doctor about these and he sent me for a stress test. It showed a spot near main artery to heart. The heart doctor wanted to do a heart catherization on me. My doctor had me get a mammogram and a chest xray on heart at my request. They came back normal. He switched me to Paxil. I started having same side effects. So I was weaned off of Paxil, per doctors instructions. My doctor says this medicine is not addictive. I know better. I am living proof. I have been off of these drugs for two weeks and still having terrible side effects, such as; no energy, lack of breath, brain zaps, swelling in lower limbs. I just want to be myself again. My poor husband is suffering also with my irritability among other things. I can't sleep nights. I hope and pray for all of you who really want prayer. There is a way out. There has to be. I keep looking up to my main physician in heaven. He will heal us if we ask Him to. Be patient, He is with us. Will keep all of you informed of my progress on all of this. Hoping to give you good news soon.
I have been on the generic of paxil (10mg) for about 10 months and am in the process of weaning myself off. I take one pill every other day for one week and beginning this Friday will begin taking 1/2 a pill every other day for one week. I have already experienced the light headed feeling and the shortness of breath. My biggest reason for discontinuing is because of the weight gain. I had kept 35lbs off for over 4 years and in the ten months of being on this drug have gained 16lbs without eating any differently and being more active.
I am now on day 7 of going cold turkey. I have been on them for probably 10 plus years. I didn't have a clue as to how addictive they were when the doctor first put me on them.
I had been thinking for several years that I needed to go off of them, but I knew from just not having them over a weekend how bad the withdrawal effects were.
Luckily I was heading off for a spiritual retreat and just forgot to take them with me. (I remembered when it was about 10 minutes before boarding time.) I knew I could make a couple of calls and have some waiting for me when I arrived at my destination. Instead I decided to take the plunge.
Once again, thanking God, it hasn't been as bad as I expected. Definitely some headaches, so I have been popping a few more Tylenols. I have gotten the twinges and shots of electricity but not as bad as those days when I had forgotten to fill the prescription. I'm back to menopause again with the hot flashes :). But so far, the withdrawal affects have been comparatively minimal.
Hey I went through menopause once and made it through so I figure I can do it again. I definately wouldn't say that this is for everyone, but I surely know that at this point in time that I have NO interest in taking one of those pink pills. By the way, I had been on the 20mg dosage throughout the whole time.
Wish me luck and I wish you all luck that are considering it.
Wow it's so nice to know I'm not the only one going through this. I too was put on Paxil about 7 months ago for depression. I wish I could say it was for something traumatic but my dog died and I didn't handle it well. But my doctor also said that my symptoms could be that of a chemical imbalance. Anxiety and depression runs deep in my family. I had had a few panic attacks in my 30 years. But fortunately nothing near what most of my family has gone through. Anyways, I messed up and took my last pill Friday night and couldn't get it filled until Monday morning. Let me tell you that was the dumbest thing I have ever done. I didn't think it would be that bad. I didn't know what the feeling of what I described as power surges were. Now I know its part of the side effects of missing the medicine. I came to work and had was in the worst mood i'd ever been in. Everything had me on edge. I even found myself snapping at my mother when she called. I knew that something was wrong. Being the "googler" I immediately got online and went to searching the side effects of missing the medicine. Zaps apparently are what I refered to as surges throughout my entire body. It's just a weird feeling. Nothing that is painful just weird. I called my boss and asked to go home. The entire drive home I was twitching and feeling those "zaps." I made it home in time to take my meds and a dose of zanex to fall into my bed and burst into tears. I did manage to fall asleep and rest for about 4 hours. Once I woke up I felt some better. I tossed and turned the rest of the night having just some crazy dreams. By this morning I was ok but felt just mellow. Kinda like I was having a slight buzz from a drink. But as of this very moment I feel like I'm on top of the world and back to my old self. I have had the opposite effect of some saying they had weight gain. I've had more energy and exercise more and actually losing weight. I want to get off it because I hate being medicine dependent but at the same time it scares me because I'm afraid to lose this amazing feeling I have and the energy it has given me. I will say this much I've never done a drug in my life and the feeling of "withdrawl" that I had yesterday made me feel for those people trying to quit drugs. It's a horrible feeling and you just can't seem to get a hold of yourself. You can't describe to anyone how you feel except to say that you feel that you're not in control. I wish everyone who is going through this the best. Thought maybe my story might help someone know they are not alone. :)
I haver been on paxil for seven years. I want off, as I would prefer to be med free. I have weaned from 37.5 once a day to one every other day. I then went to half every other day for a week. now I am five days off. Yesterday, I started having alot of anxiety. I don't believe it is my anxiety disorder, it feels like coming off the med. I drank a bunch of wine, and that helped. Today, I obviously am not doing that again. How long do these side effects go for? should I expect to feel like myself by tomorrow? All of you who have come off, I am assuming it was worth it. I guess I just have a few more days to get through.
Seven years ago I took an Oxycut wieght loss pill. It set off a panic attack that lasted from February to June. And I mean it was a full fledged attack, racing heart, crying, etc. for five solid motnhs, I lost 30lbs, I could bearly function. I couldn't leave the house and breath at the same time. The paxil got it under control. Paxil was a very good choice at the time. I had tried Buspar with worse effects,the paxil made me feel normal again.
Now after seven years, my husband and son comment on how much my personality has changed,I have gained back the weight I lost plus another 40lbs. I have sexual dysfunction and still have a few break through anxiety attacks. I decided to wean off with out telling my doctor. I did it pretty well, as you can see in the above post. Today is day 8.
What I didn't realize is that no one was talking about how long it takes to get off. I weaned the way I was supposed to. The withdrawls didn't come until a few days being completely off. I have now found some obscure websites that say it takes 10-25 days/ 2-6 weeks to get rid of all of the withdrawls. Every day gets better,so I don't think I'll be on the longer side, but boy does this suck. The electrical surges, food aversions, stomach problems,dizziness, exhaustion, etc.
The side effects are managable. I have not taken anything to ease them. I am making it to work, although I am so exhausted I can't wait to get home. My husband, son and co-workers have been wonderfully supportive. My anxiety has been fine.
I can't believe that with today's technology, they have not found medications that do what they are supposed to with out this very addictive quality. I have heard that Paxil is non addictive. I have not read the actual definition of addictive,but if I need to wean off for this amount of time and have withdrawls as long and as intense as I do, I would call it addictive.
I have had a decent amount of medical experience, so I think I weanned off well. If you are planing on coming off, talk to your doctor and do it under thier care.
Unless something horrible happens, I plan never to go back on this med. If I need more anxiety help, which I probably will (I already do counseling, meditation and healthy eating), I will ask my doctor for a short lived med.
Good luck everyone. It is too bad more people do not look at this post, or have a good active blog for Paxil and other meds. The support of smart people who have been through what you have been is priceless. Thank you for everyone who posted here over the past years, I hope my posts help others.
This has been my personal experience, so take it with a grain of salt. Your experience may be different.
I've been taking Paxil since 2005. It is now August 2012. I have tried to stop taking it twice. The last time I tried to stop was July of 2011. The reason I stopped are twofold: sexual drive and inability to have more children. We had two children right before I started taking this medicine and my doctor gave me no warnings as to the fertility side effects. She may not have known about it. Although today it's apparent that fertility is a definite side effect of SSRI's.
The second time that I stopped taking Paroxetine (Paxil) it took approximately 2 - 2 1/2 weeks to experience the first shock wave. And it was very bad. Let me first say that I tried something similar to the 20mg, 10mg, 5mg downgrade in dosage for 4 weeks before I completely stopped taking it. I shudder to imagine what the experience would have been if I had gone cold turkey.
After some delusional thinking and hallucinations along with 5 days of insomnia I decided to go back on the meds. It just wasn't worth it at the time and with being the primary breadwinner in the family. It took a little over a week of taking the meds again to finally come to some semblance of normalcy.
My advice, if you plan on having a family stay away from this drug and deal with the panic attacks/stress. Or, take St. John's Wort.
I have been taking Paxil for 8 years now and no longer have the stressors in my life that made me go on it. I have weaned myself from 50mg to 25 mg, and now 25mg every second day over the past 2 weeks. I have been reading all of the postings for advice and to see if others are suffering the same symptoms...I found a bit about physical effects but very little about emotional. I have been getting brain zaps (I call them flutters)every few minutes, worse if I bend over, a bit better if I eat something. A severe session of flutters effects my short-term memory and I spend a great deal of time remembering what I was doing or wanted to do. I have headaches every evening and wake every 2 hours at night, sometimes failing to get back to sleep after waking at 4 AM.
I have had some emotional rebound effects. I was incapable of crying for the past three years, but the floodgates are open now. I even get tears fron sentimental commercials!Hopefully this will diminish over time.
One thing I am trying is cutting back on caffiene. Too much coffee can give similar side effects and I am dealing with enough already.
Does anyone have advice on managing symptoms? How long will I have these flutters? When do the headaches end? How long before I can sleep well again?
I went from 20 mg a day to 40 because I was having severe panic attacks. After about 8 months I asked my doctor and she ok'd me to go back to 20 mg a day. I did have a couple of minor panic attacks that week but I believe it was totally in my head worrying that my attacks would start back up. Now @ 4 months on 20 mg and hardly ever an attack (Was having 10+ major attacks a day prior to Paxil) I am switching to 10 mg. (havent told the dr yet but will today) for the past three days on only 10mg I have had no ill effects and I hope to be able to drop to 5mg next week then be off by june 1st the latest.
Good luck to all those who are well enough to start lower doses or to get off totally. I thank God for Paxil but I am also looking forward to the day to be free of it!
To "M" who said Paxil isn't addicting it sure the heck is! You can call it "discontinuation effects" if you want to but that's just calling it a different name. I don't expect any less from you since you are a health care worker. You are conditioned to tell people Paxil isn't addicting. If Paxil wasn't addicting you wouldn't have to go through withdrawal symptoms. It's no different than a heroin addict going through withdrawal symptoms. Would you call a person on heroin going through withdrawals that heroin isn't addicting? You are just going through "discontinuation effects?"
I have been taking Paxil for about 7 years. I have cut myself down from 40mg to 10mg with no problems. I am now trying 5mg. I missed about 4 days and am experiencing nausea and diarrhea. I feel like I could throw up all the time. If I just quit at this point how long could I expect this to last? I want OFF this stuff BAD!!
I have been taking Paxil for about 7 years. I have cut myself down from 40mg to 10mg with no problems. I am now trying 5mg. I missed about 4 days and am experiencing nausea and diarrhea. I feel like I could throw up all the time. If I just quit at this point how long could I expect this to last? I want OFF this stuff BAD!!
I have been taking Paroxetine for about 10 years. I have hovered between 10 and 20mg over the years, but have been on 10mg for about a year now. These tablets are most definitely addictive as my new doctor confirmed. I decided to wean myself off and went down to 5mg. Then I started to have a clear day in between for about 8 days. I've been off completely now for 5 days. I have had the worst dizzy spells with awful nausea, brain freeze, headaches and hot and cold flushes. My concentration has been poor as well. I'm determined to ride it through though. Reading the posts from others on this forum has been a blessing as I don't feel quite so alone in what I'm experiencing. I wasn't sure if it was just me, but now I know that it all goes with coming off this drug. Withdrawal is the pits.
I hope all get free of these drugs the only problem the doctors are not held responsible for putting patience on them, they all get a free pass for killing people.They studied 66,026 Paxil users from FDA. Among them, 762 have death
This post was edited by d0ug on Wed, Jul 24, 13 at 9:19
hey, guys. after i've read this chat, i've decided to take action and temper off myself from paroxetine, as my doctor has always denied (as most of the psychiatrists) that paroxetine develops addiction. So, I've believed her for six years, and have kept taking paroxetine, even though i knew i was not myself with it. probably, i won't go into much details, but i just really want to say THANK YOU for posting your experiences here, because after reading the ways you guys temperred of paroxetine, i have used the same method (I took at the very beginning of my illness 40mg, then ME MYSELF came to a decision that i don't need that much, and i started taking half of the pill. it was a big problem for me for some 4 years that i couldn't further split the pills, as they are made in two halves, so i finally purchased a special pills' cutter (after again doing researcg online on my own, my doctor was completely worthless at this point. im still anrgy at them, as they have a right to PUT you ON antidepressants, but they give you no advice WHATSOEVER of how to temper off). after purchasing the cutter i used to take 10mg daily for some two years. all the times that i tried to quit the drugs, i culdn't, my doctor kept telling me i had to continue taking them, because supposedly 'my brain asked for these drugs, because i was not ready to temper off' and kept denying that they are addictive. i believed her for those two years,and now, after reading this chat, i finally found my way of weaning myself off this shit. it's now a month i'm free, and i used the same method you advised - i started taking only 5mg for some two weeks, and afterwards i noticed i didn't need them at all. !! i feel like im a human being again. and i too see how wrong it is to trust those 'professionals' who have no idea what they do. i'm also aware that i've wasted six years of my life by doing things without any direction, by not being able to make any sense of y social relationships. i don't feel perfect now (neither did i when i took the meds), but at least i feel like myself and i look for solutions. i also think antidepressnts do not solve your problems, they only delay them up to the point when you feel ready to deal with them. but i feel six years have been far too long for me, and i felt i could have dealt with things earlier. at least i'm doing this now. cheers, and i encourage you all VERY much to take the step if you're thinking about it and furthermore, to ignore doctors advice when you feel it's not right.


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Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy (pedagogy), adhering to the K-12 High Quality Service Learning Practice Standards and Indicators, which connects learning (classroom and community) to real world issues and meeting community needs.
Service Learning projects which meet academic standards, civic, character, or leadership learning goals through hands on, relevant, and relational service, in collaboration with the community, build the capacity for empowered youth to be active and engaged citizens and the change they want to see and can be! Ready for College, Career, and Life!
Service Learning Seattle (SLS-SPS) is a partnership between Seattle Public Schools, higher education, local government, businesses, community based organizations, teachers and empowered youth to support the long-term sustainability of high quality service learning opportunities for youth in Seattle and regionally. We seek to collaborate to develop, implement, and evaluate service learning projects and practice.
To connect key stakeholders in community based organizations and schools to facilitate high quality service learning opportunities that meet real community needs. Promoting and supporting a common definition of service learning, advocating its integration into K-12 teaching strategies and curriculum, and implementing common assessments and data collection for reporting school and community impacts.
To support high quality service-learning practices through resources, tools, education and training to community organizations, educators, parents, students and other interested parties. Obtain resources to support high quality service learning implementation through grants, partnerships, and development.
Steering Committee: of community organizations, school district staff, teachers and youth. Meets monthly, and leads work teams (training & technical assistance,partnerships, advocacy). Membership is open to committed stakeholders.
Partners: all interested parties that attend activities and training, and/or participate on work teams.
More Information


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The Gravitational Lens G2237 + 0305
The European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera on board NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided astronomers with the most detailed image ever taken of the gravitational lens G2237 + 0305 – sometimes referred to as the "Einstein Cross." The photograph shows four images of a very distant quasar which has been multiple-imaged by a relatively nearby galaxy acting as a gravitational lens. The angular separation between the upper and lower images is 1.6 arcseconds.
The quasar seen here is at a distance of approximately 8 billion light-years, whereas the galaxy at a distance of 400 million light years is 20 times closer. The light from the quasar is bent in its path by the gravitational field of the galaxy. This bending has produced the four bright outer images seen in the photograph. The bright central region of the galaxy is seen as the diffuse central object.
Gravitational lensing occurs when the light from a distant source passes through or close to a massive foreground object. Depending on the detailed alignment of the foreground and background objects with the line of sight to Earth, several images of the background object may be seen. In fact, astronomers expect that a faint fifth image of the quasar should be present near the center of the galaxy in G2237 + 0305. Careful image processing will be needed to determine if the fifth image is actually seen in this FOC exposure.
Gravitational lenses, such as G2237 + 0305, are useful probes of many types of phenomena that occur in the cosmos. For example, it is possible to "weigh" the foreground galaxy by measuring the relative positions and the brightnesses of the different images of the quasar. This should be possible to do more accurately given the resolution of images obtained with the Faint Object Camera. Also, gravitational lenses in general offer the possibility of determining the elusive "Hubble Constant" – a fundamental measure of the size and age of the universe – by measuring the time delays in changes of the brightness of the lensed images.
Detailed analysis of this fascinating Faint Object Camera image and others to be observed later with the Hubble Space Telescope will provide a wealth of information on the details of lensing galaxies, as well as on the process of gravitational lensing itself.


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So I asked one of the black belts last night about KK guys dealing with face punches and he said that he didn't think that it would be a problem for a couple of reasons. First, the trained KK fighter will be a much better technical fighter than your average untrained street-brawler. Second, although the rules of KK tournaments don't allow punches to the face, it often happens that uppercuts and other punches intended for the body miss their mark and land on the chin. So KK practitioners have to be vigilant of face punches even in training/tournament.
I still think they would be at a disadvantage if fighting a trained fighter such as a boxer who is accustomed to delivering and receiving a high volume of face punches.


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McDonald's is feeling the pressure right now.
Its earnings whiffed, the company says that same-store sales is "trending negative" and global economic conditions appear not to be improving anytime soon.
"That puts a lot of pressure on the new CBO sandwiches to succeed," writes Scott Hume at Burger Business.
There's a "new normal," defined by heavy competition and uncertainty, that's forcing McDonald's to make moves to adapt.
And right now, there are a lot of eyes on McDonald's latest limited-time offering, the Cheddar Bacon Onion — or CBO.
It's adding higher-profit items like the CBO to offset the cost of budget items. The CBO also represents the first time McDonald's is offering a premium sandwich has either Angus beef or chicken.
McDonald's CEO Don Thompson explained on a call with analysts:
"We're balancing our value messaging with premium menu news, including this month's introduction of the Cheddar Bacon Onion sandwich, which is made with hickory-smoked bacon white cheddar cheese, caramelized grilled onions and creamy mustard sauce on top of a grilled or crispy chicken patty, or our Angus beef patty. The CBO as we like to call it was inspired by a similar entry in Europe.
This is the first time we've offered one sandwich with a choice of chicken or beef in the U.S. and we've seen that both have a high rate of extra value mill conversion and average check increase in our test markets. And in December, we'll bring back the popular mackerel sandwich nationally. Local markets also continue to focus on beverages in an effort to generate additional consumer excitement."
NOW SEE: 12 McDonald's Menu Items That Failed Spectacularly >


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Make a name for yourself in the world of extreme sports! Try your hand at multiple crazy extreme sports and pose as a superstar phenomenon by challenging your friends in exciting competitions.
Motionsports Adrenaline will allow you, your friends and family to take part in extreme activities you would never dream of attempting in real life. From the peaks of the Himalayas to the waterfalls of the Amazon, this is the chance to release your inner daredevil. So one question remains: Will you take the challenge?
Also known as: Kinect Motionsports Adrenaline, Motion Sports Adrenaline
Release Region: United States
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Region: United Kingdom
Release Date: October 28, 2011
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Region: Australia
Release Date: November 3, 2011
Publisher: Ubisoft
Also available on: PlayStation 3
MotionSports Adrenaline at IGN
MotionSports Adrenaline at GameSpy
MotionSports Adrenaline at GameStats


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A new video was released today by the folks at Strengthen Social Security to highlight the absurdity of today's political debate about "entitlement programs," and specifically to address proposals that would raise the retirement age. Social Security and Medicare have widespread support from Democratic and Republicans voters alike, and defending them should be the at the center of centrist thought. Instead it's fashionable in Washington for otherwise reasonable Democrats like Sen. Dick Durbin to push for cuts to these programs.
And if you object to what's being done in your name, why, then, you're not very "civil."
The retirement age is already scheduled to increase, and raising it even more is nothing less than cruel. That idea's part of the political trend toward "austerity economics," a resurgent anti-government ideology that'sengendered a wave of enthusiastic – no, make that orgiastic prose – from well-fed pundits. Their display of almost snuff-movie-like excitement should have been predictable, but I found it shocking anyway.
The entire idea of raising the retirement age is based on the false premise that Social Security has a financial problem because we're living longer. The numbers say otherwise. And proposals like Simpson/Bowles would do other terrible things, too: shift more of the tax burden onto the middle class, lower taxes even further for the rich, disproportionately harm women and minorities, and impose drastic financial hardship on the elderly.
In other words, this entire debate is based on a radical right-wing agenda which poses as "a good bipartisan starting point." In order to make sure the new consensus becomes reality, Republicans are pushing apocalyptic austerity programs that have no chance of passing. They're designed to pave the way for a predetermined"compromise" – an austerity that's merely unnecessary and brutal. When this theatrical display is concluded and the elite's long-awaited cutbacks are finally imposed, we'll be expected to cheer for the "victory" won through the tough "negotiation" of Dick Durbin and like-minded Democrats. (For more on Simpson/Bowles, see "10 Reasons Why the (then) Deficit Commission Proposal Is Still Unconscionable and Unacceptable.")
Anyone who disagrees with the new draconian agenda called "impractical," even though Reagan's chief Social Security actuary supports our conclusions, as do many (if not most) economists. And anyone who supports the pro-entitlement agenda support by Americans of all political persuasions is called "extreme," while anyone who gets heated when discussing the suffering and loss of life these plans would create is called "uncivil." Washington's treatment of these policies resembles the Polynesian practice of tabu, so any mention of their real-world implications is a gross violation of propriety (if not downright sacrilegious).
(For more on the selling of this extreme agenda, check out the 20-year old, top secret PowerPoint presentation on selling right-wing radicalism that I discovered recently. It's eye-opening, shocking, and completely made up.)
This video takes a "Twilight Zone"/"alternate reality" tack, which suits me just fine. We've used that approach plenty of times ourselves over the years. (Here's the latest.) With that in mind, we'll adopt our best Rod Serling voice:
Submitted for your consideration … The Ryan budget proposal is called "serious" by the likes of Ezra Klein and others, yet Ryan voted to preserve a tax break for hedge fund billionaires that allows them to be taxed at 15% of income while the rest of us pay much higher rates. That will never people from writing sentences like this one from Ezra: "I like Ryan personally, and appreciate his policy-oriented approach to politics."
Submitted for your consideration …The top 25 hedge fund billionaires made $22 billion last year. If they had been taxed under the same rules that are used for cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers … for anyone who actually helps society, for that matter … the government would have received $4 billion in revenue last year.
Submitted for your consideration …That revenue would have been enough to write a check for $1,400 to everyone that turned 65 last year – all 2,858,000 of them.
Submitted for your consideration …Or the revenue from these hedge fund billionaires could have paid the entire Social Security retirement benefit for more than three hundred thousand people – more than four hundred thousand, if they were women.
Submitted for your consideration …And that's just by establishing tax fairness for 25 people. Imagine what a return to Reagan-era tax levels would do. Back then, the top marginal rate was 50%. It's 35% now (except for those hedge fund managers, who pay 15%), and both the Simpson/Bowles recommendations and Ryan's "policy-oriented approach" would lower it even more. While, of course, cutting Social Security and Medicare …
Of course, nobody's proposing to pay anybody's retirement benefits out of general taxation – just lift the payroll tax cap so that the wealthy contribute more. Is that unfair? Not if you consider this: The changes made to Social Security under Reagan would have kept it solvent forever, if not for the fact that the extremely wealthy have captured more of our national income than even Alan Greenspan expected. Lifting the cap just redresses that wrong.
Submitted for your consideration …These unpopular cuts to Medicare and Social Security wouldn't even be possible politically unless Democrats like Dick Durbin were accquiesing, and unless Democrats like Barack Obama weren't refusing – at least so far – to offer unequivocal opposition. When Obama makes a Harry Reid statement about Social Security, we'll be fine. Until then I'll worry.
If I have any complaint about the video, it's that it's too lighthearted. The reality behind raising the retirement age is a brutal one. (They'll undoubtedly try to mask the cruelty by creating a "hardship exemption" that will fail to protect workers. We've explained why that won't work.) And the same people pushing this "solution" want to cap Medicare benefits. If that happens, people will die. That's not funny at all.
Submitted for your consideration …The new consensus that's being so warmly embraced by Dick Durbin and others will increase the death rate among elderly Americans, and force millions to continue working under conditions that are all but Dickensian for someone of their age.
And nobody's outraged. Nobody at all. But then, why am I surprised? Outrage isn't civil.
This post was produced as part of the Strengthen Social Security campaign.


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|Oracle Solaris Cluster Data Services Reference Manual Oracle Solaris Cluster 4.0
- resource type implementation for failover Domain Name Service (DNS)
The DNS data service for Oracle Solaris Cluster is configured as a resource managed by the Oracle Solaris Cluster Resource Group Manager (RGM). You must set the following properties on a DNS resource.
See r_properties(5) for a complete description of the following resource properties.
A list of logical-hostname or shared-address network resources upon which this resource has a dependency. This list contains all network-address resources that appear in the properties Resource_dependencies, Resource_dependencies_weak, Resource_dependencies_restart, or Resource_dependencies_offline_restart.
This property is updated automatically by the RGM, based on the setting of the resource-dependencies properties. You do not set this property directly. Instead, use the Resource_dependencies property.
The empty list
When disabled
Specifies a list of resources upon which a resource depends. This list includes any logical-hostname or shared-address network resources that are used by a resource. The default value for this property is null.
You can specify one or more resource names. Each network resource can contain one or more logical host names. See the clreslogicalhostname(1CL) and clressharedaddress(1CL) man pages for more information.
You can specify an alternate kind of dependency by using the Resource_dependencies_weak, Resource_dependencies_restart, or Resource_dependencies_offline_restart property instead of the Resource_dependencies property. For more information, see the r_properties(5) man page.
The empty list
Any time
At creation
For DNS resources, the value of 53/udp is the only recommended value.
Any time
Any time
Any time
Type string array. This property is the path name to the configuration directory that contains the file named.conf of the DNS resource. You must specify only one value for this property at resource creation time.
Type string array. This property is the configuration file to be used for starting DNS. The default is conf, which means that the DNS is started by using the named.conf file located in the directory pointed to by the value of the Confdir_list property. A value of boot means that DNS is started with the named.boot file as the configuration file. You can specify the value of this property at resource creation time only.
Type integer. Default is 4. The Minimum value is –1. This property controls the restarts of the fault monitor. It indicates the number of times the fault monitor is restarted by the process monitor facility and corresponds to the -n option passed to the pmfadm(1M) command. The number of restarts is counted in a specified time window (see the property Monitor_retry_interval). Note that this property refers to the restarts of the fault monitor itself, not DNS. The restarts of DNS are controlled by the system-defined properties Thorough_Probe_Interval and Retry_IntervalandRetry_Count, as specified in the description of those system-defined properties. See clresource(1CL). You can modify the value for this property any time.
Type integer. Default is 2. The Minimum value is –1. Indicates the time (in minutes) over which the failures of the fault monitor are counted and corresponds to the -t option passed to the pmfadm(1M) command. If the number of times the fault monitor fails exceeds the extension property Monitor_retry_count, the fault monitor is not restarted by the Process Monitor Facility. You can modify the value for this property any time.
Type integer. Default is 120. The Minimum value is 15. Indicates the time-out value (in seconds) used by the fault monitor to probe a DNS instance. You can modify the value for this property any time.
Example 1 Initiating a Failover DNS Resource
For this example to work, you must first install the data service. This example instantiates a failover DNS resource named dnss in a resource group named dns-rg. dns-rg is assumed to contain at least one LogicalHostname resource, which identifies the logical hostnames associated with the resource group.
example# clresourcetype register SUNW.dns example# clresource create -g dns-rg –t SUNW.dns \ -p Confdir_list=/global/dns dnss
In this example, the DNS resource created is named dnss, which listens on port 53, with a corresponding configuration directory path name /global/dns. The configuration file that is used for starting the DNS resource is named.conf, located under /global/dns.
Example 2 Instantiating a Failover DNS Resource
For this example to work, the data service must first be installed. This example instantiates a failover DNS resource named dns in a resource group named dns-rg, which uses the LogicalHostname resource lh-specific.
example# clresourcetype register SUNW.dns example# clresource create –g dns-rg –t SUNW.dns \ -p Confdir_list=/global/dns \ -p Network_resources_used=lh-specific dns-lh
In this example, the LogicalHostname resource lh-specific must be a resource in the dns-rg resource group.
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
named(1M), pmfadm(1M), scha_resource_get(3HA), clresourcetype(1CL), clresourcegroup(1CL), named.conf(4), attributes(5), r_properties(5)


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Child Development Milestones for 6 Year Olds - Dexterity
The following are the child development milestones for a 6 Year Old focusing on Dexterity development. Our Child-Experts use these milestones for a 6 Year Old as a guideline for selecting all our educational toys, books and games. We have created the Head-to-Toe system - consisting of the seven developmental skills that every toy, book and game will help develop. From Imagination at the top of their heads to the locomotion skills at the tips of their toes. And every point in between.
Below are the Dexterity skills to a 6 Year Old child, the associated Dexterity developmental milestones and links to the age-appropriate educational toys.
Please keep in mind that all children develop at different speeds. If your child is not able to do all of these functions, do not be alarmed. These developmental milestones are a guideline. If you believe that your child is behind in learning and developing these skills please consult your pediatrician.
- Will be able to master buttons
- Will be able to write the alphabet, though the letters may not be neat or precise
- Copies a diamond
- Draws with precision and to detail
- May write independently


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Bookseller Central is your place
to learn more about selling on AbeBooks, the bookselling industry,
and marketing your inventory. Check back often for new tips, events,
and more!
At AbeBooks, our mission is to help people find and buy any book from any bookseller anywhere: often, that means finding hidden gems within your inventory. Click through to learn more about marketing opportunities, staying informed, selling on AbeBooks and the benefits available to you.
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As a seller of new or used books, you know that there's a buyer out there for every book. Read on to find customized tips for showcasing your inventory on AbeBooks and stay up to date on features and tools that will save you time or make your books easier to find and buy.
New and Used Booksellers
Textbooks are the fastest-growing segment on AbeBooks as more students come online to save money each semester. While the students are studying, brush up on a few tips to make selling on AbeBooks easier, faster, and more successful.
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Get the Flash Playerto see this player.
|Hot House
Short review: A top company puts out its DVDs for members to stream online here and, as you have so many, you get excellent value. You'd never be able to buy all these in the store for the same as you'd spend being a member for a year. Hot guys, jocks, studs, muscle men, hard cocks, and bods, and the added attraction of some extreme fetish in the bonus sites. This is a dream of a hardcore site.
Content Amount: There were 100 full length DVDs when I called in, and that added up to 496 scenes of varying lengths. There were 944 photo galleries with between three and 75 pics per set, and there were 439 models; plus there were bonus sites, live shows and archives.


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My friend Carlo Flores has died. He lived in Los Angeles, and on Twitter, every hacker in Los Angeles was going nuts with grief a few days ago. None of them would say what happened. I had the terrible suspicion Carlo killed himself, and I eventually found out I was right:
I can't even imagine the pain he must have been in to seek a way out, knowing that it would make all of us miss him this way.
I love you Carlo. I'm going to rock for you today.
Converted some former ashtrays into gardens. Working on getting better. pic.twitter.com/FvfYM1k0oV— see flowers (@lolcatstevens) February 12, 2015
Found some animals on flattened recycled aluminum cans at DTLA #artwalk. Contact info is last pic. pic.twitter.com/oMhOBLywn5— see flowers (@lolcatstevens) February 13, 2015
February 19, 2015
All I want to do is build cool shit that is interesting and respectful.— see flowers (@lolcatstevens) February 16, 2015
The last text I got from @lolcatstevens was so Carlo it hurts: "<3. Happy Valentine's Day a little early!" I miss you pic.twitter.com/NeiLc7OPbC— Diego Prats (@mexitlan) February 19, 2015
A memorial is being arranged at Spring St. Bar Sunday 8pm to remember @lolcatstevens. If you can make it, please do. pic.twitter.com/onov3EECaz— js.la (@jsdotla) February 19, 2015


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Antique Hardware & More's bin pull, or cup pull, selection represents a variety of styles popular over the last two centuries. Our bin pulls are of high quality brass and iron and come in different finishes. Cup pulls were frequently used on kitchen cabinets but are a lovely addition to any cabinetry or furniture.
Antique Hardware & More offers a wide range of antique reproduction brass, iron and steel hardware including drawer pulls, knobs, single post pulls, bin pulls, knobs, keys and keyhole covers, casters, bed parts as well as a large assortment of trunk parts.
Our selection of reproductions of antique drawer pulls and keyhole covers and inserts represent a wide variety of styles including Victorian, Eastlake, Hepplewhite, traditional and primitive among others. Antique Hardware & More carries a wide range of production handles in brass and iron.
Our knobs, single post pulls and cup pulls or bin pulls represent both commonly found styles from the last two centuries as well as more unique designs. The trunk parts pages include everything you will need to either restore a vintage trunk or to create a new one. Our bed parts and casters page include the some of most commonly found antique hardware from the last century.
The selection of hooks includes Victorian reproductions as well as new designs with that "old time" feel.
Finally, visit our Chemicals and Solutions page to full line of Kotton Klenser and Bri Wax and Bri Wax 2000, brass darkening solution and more.


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CrossFit FAST, a fitness and training center in Westlake Village, is pumping out championship winning weightlifters.
Throughout the facility, people of various ages and athletic abilities are swinging from rings, running sprints and tossing medicine balls as music continually blares from unseen speakers. But, tucked away in the corner of the 6,500-square-foot building, the staccato of weights assaulting the floor drowns out all else. It's an area crowded with barbells and Olympic weights cast in an array of garish colors.
"Welcome to the Pit," said Josue "Cap" Cano as a cloud of chalk dust erupted from his hands.
Cano, 36, spends six days a week training in the Pit. The Oxnard resident is an accomplished Olympic-style weightlifter, specializing in the barbell snatch and the clean and jerk. This past July, he won a gold medal at the California State Games in San Diego. Cano out-lifted his opponents in both events, totaling just more than 487 pounds between them. He also earned a silver medal at the So Cal Championship and another gold at the American Masters Championship in November, both in the 170-pound weight class.
Though Cano is an Olympic lifter, the Pit is also home to several powerlifters. While powerlifting is different from the Olympic styles — consisting of three different lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift — Cano insists that competitors of each style are cut from the same cloth.
"We're lifters. There's a difference between being a lifter and lifting weights," he said. "Lifting weights? That's an activity. People will use it as a tool to do something else, bodybuilding, fitness or whatever. We're lifters. We compete. We're concerned about one thing: putting up as much weight as possible. That's what we cultivate here."
Steve Melero, 30, is one of CrossFit's powerlifters. The Newbury Park resident has been lifting since high school, though he has only been competing as a powerlifter for a little more than a year. During that time, Melero has wasted no time setting records. In November, he took first place at the 2012 International Powerlifting League (IPL) World Powerlifting Championships, with his combined totals for the squat, bench and deadlifts topping 1,344 pounds. He also set both California State and World records for the United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) and IPL with a 600-pound deadlift.
"I love it. You know, it's something I could see myself doing for life," said Melero "With proper training and being safe, you can last a long time in this sport."
But it's a sport not without its stereotypes. Competitive weightlifting is often regarded as a realm of sweaty, hulking behemoths. Cano casually brushes these preconceptions aside.
"There's not just a bunch of bare, rugged men in the Pit. We have females in here, too," he said. "And they don't look like men. They're feminine and beautiful."
Tina Daneshmand, 26, is proof of Cano's claim. Clad in a blinding pink and standing a head shorter than the men around her — she's only 5 feet tall — Daneshmand goes about her training with the same determination, performing her reps with relative ease. Though she hasn't been lifting as long as Cano or Melero, Daneshmand's efforts have afforded her an impressive start within the sport.
Just six months after starting her powerlifting training, Daneshmand competed in the 2012 USPA Southern California Open. Her combined totals for the squat, bench and deadlifts topped 655 pounds, earning her three state records. The following day, she set a national record for the 132-pound weight class by deadlifting 358 pounds.
"After that, I mean, I'm so competitive and I just want to compete, compete, compete," said Daneshmand. "I've only been in two competitions and lifting for five months. No athletic background prior to that. I didn't play sports or anything my whole life."
Daneshmand isn't the only one focused on competition. Cano is currently training for the National Championship in March and the International Weightlifting Federation's Pan-American Championship in June.
Meanwhile, Melero has his sights set on entering the 181-pound weight class and performing a 700-pound deadlift. Rest assured, he'll be working toward that goal in the Pit.
"It's a great, great home to train in," said Melero. "We all come together, unite and just encourage each other to become stronger. It's a great environment."
"We're all a big happy family here," added Daneshemand.
Steve Melero has his sights set on entering the 181-pound weight class and performing a 700-pound deadlift.