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The American Telegrapher: a social history 1860-1900 Edwin Gabler Rutgers University Press, 1988 ISBN 0-8135-1284-0 (hardbound), 0-8135-1285-9 (paperback) I seem to read a lot of books which are at the same time both interesting and tedious. This is one such book. Written by an academic historian for reading by other academic historians, it is long on footnotes, theories, and statistics and short on flesh-and-blood storytelling; yet there is enough of the latter to entertain the casual reader. Part I of this review is an attempt to convey the general message of the book. Part II is for fun: a selection of stories about the lives and times telegraphers a century ago. Part I There are five chapters: a history of the Great Strike of 1883 as an introduction to the world of the operators; a description of the telegraph industry and especially Western Union; a social portrait of the telegraphers; a study of women telegraphers; and a summary of the labor movement and politics of telegraphers. An epilogue compares the situation of telegraphers in the 1880s with that of the air traffic controllers a hundred years later. Telegraph and railroad companies following the Civil War represented an entirely new kind of business, one in which the company's assets are strung out for hundreds or thousands of miles with offices and employees sprinkled along the lines. There were other affinities between the two kinds of companies. Railroads used telegraphy to support their own operations. Railroad rights-of-way were ideal places to run telegraph lines, affording easy access for construction and maintenance at a time when there were few roads. Telegraph business was likely to be found in the same places the railroads served. In many small towns the railroad station served as the public telegraph office, as there was not enough telegraph business to support an office for telegraph alone. Some railroads such as B & O operated their own public telegraph businesses. (cf. Southern Pacific a century later getting into the communications business.) Other railroads had contract arrangements with the telegraph companies, principally Western Union, for use of rights of way, interconnection of circuits, and providing public telegraph service at the railroad stations. These new kinds of businesses needed a new kind of management. The military became their model. Many of the top managers were alumni of the Civil War military telegraph system. The companies had divisions, rule books, general orders and special orders, and chains of command. Management style was authoritarian. As is the case with some companies today, the telegraph and railroad companies then were headed by a mixture of people who knew the business and those who were primarily financial wizards. Telegraph operators represented the beginning of a new social class, the lower-middle-class white-collar employees of large corporations. Many were the children of farmers or of city blue-collar workers. A great many were of Irish lineage. For all of these telegraphy offered a step up the social ladder as well as an escape from hard physical labor and city slums or rural isolation. Telegraphy was an occupation open to women, although the majority of operators were male (and, like the women, young and unmarried). The national economy was fairly flat or even deflationary during the period 1860-1890. Western Union profits rose handsomely throughout the period. The operators did not share in this prosperity. For one thing, there was an oversupply of them. First-class operators, who could send and receive thirty to forty words per minute for hours on end, were assigned to press and market reporting circuits. They could command pay two to three times as great as that of the second-class operators who made up the bulk of the force. Many operators learned the craft by hanging around small railroad and telegraph offices; others worked their way up from messenger and clerk jobs in larger offices; still others were trained at a number of schools that sprang up around the country. Most of the latter seem to have been disreputable if not completely fraudulent, operating for profit and promising high pay and mobility to rural youth. They were the century-ago counterparts of the for-profit data processing schools of our own times, the kind that advertised on matchbook covers and turned out an oversupply of under-qualified graduates for high tuition fees. Another financial problem for the telegraphers resulted from their new social class. Telegraphers' pay was on a par with that of skilled blue-collar workers; but their living expenses were greater. With the move to suits and ties and shined shoes they felt a need to live in middle-class housing, eat middle-class meals, and partake of middle-class entertainments. A few of the operators' perceptions of mistreatment by the companies were more apparent than real. The 1840s through 1860s had been a period when telegraphy was just getting started. Job opportunities were abundant and promotions were rapid. As the industry matured there were fewer spectacular success stories; telegraphy even seemed to be a dead-end job. Other complaints had a more solid foundation. Mergers of telegraph companies eliminated jobs. An economic downturn in the 1870s caused Western Union to institute across-the-board salary reductions, which were partially offset by monetary deflation. Operators tended to move around a lot, which allowed the company to hire cheaper replacements for those who left. The first attempt of telegraph workers to organize was the National Telegraphic Union of 1863. This was more of a mutual benefit society than a labor union. It provided members with sickness and funeral benefits and aimed to elevate the character of the members and promote just and harmonious relations with employers. With conditions for telegraphers growing worse after the Civil War the Telegraphers' Protective League was formed in 1868 as a very different kind of organization. It was a secret organization, because there was nothing at the time to protect its members from the unbridled power of their employers. Rather than relieving the sick and burying the dead it proposed to raise the members to a financial position in which they could take care of themselves. The TPL felt strong enough by January, 1870 to risk a strike against Western Union. It failed after about a week. There were just too many operators seeking work, especially in the winter season; the company was too strong; and the union was too poorly organized. The operators' situation continued to deteriorate through the 1870s as Western Union reduced wages, the number of would-be operators increased, and the company absorbed its competitors. An attempt to form another union in 1872 fizzled. In 1881 Jay Gould took over Western Union, moving the company closer to being a true national monopoly. By the summer of 1882 a number of regional labor organizations put aside their differences to form the Brotherhood of Telegraphers of the United States and Canada under the aegis of the Knights of Labor. The Brotherhood, unlike its predecessors, accepted the female operators as members. In July, 1883 the Brotherhood presented a list of grievances to Western Union and some other firms, hoping for at least a compromise settlement and at worst a short strike. When the company made no meaningful concessions the telegraphers walked out on July 19. At first things looked good for the Brotherhood. About three fourths of Western Union operators honored the strike. Public opinion was much on the side of the telegraphers, at least to the extent that it was against the side of Jay Gould and the W.U. monopoly. One competing telegraph company settled quickly with the union; and another (B & O) came close to, but never close enough. Union leaders worked hard to keep the public on their side, urging the strikers to be models of dignity and sobriety. The women were as valiant as the men, if not more so, in upholding the strike. Still, public sympathy did not feed the hungry; and the strike dwindled until it was officially called off August 17. Operators wishing to return to work had to sign a pledge of loyalty; those considered militant unionists were blacklisted by the company. Still, it appears the company was somewhat humbled by the power of the union and made a few concessions to the operators. Failure of the strike led to some ill feeling in the larger labor movement. The telegraphers accused the Knights of insufficient support; the Knights leadership felt the telegraphers had acted impulsively and without sufficient preparation. The Brotherhood soon withdrew from the Knights; and union activity reverted to local groups. Yet by 1885 there was a new organization, the Telegraphers' Union of America, which rejoined the Knights in 1886. This seems to have faded away by the early 1890s along with the Knights. Railroad telegraphers formed the Order of Railway Telegraphers in 1886. An Order of Commercial Telegraphers was formed in 1890 but never amounted to much, and allied itself with the railway telegraphers in 1897-98. The next attempt to form a union didn't happen until 1907, with the Commercial Telegraphers' Union of America, which also suffered disaster in a strike against Western Union. Gabler concludes with a discussion of a number of labor and political issues affecting telegraphers. One of the Brotherhood's demands had been equal pay for equal work, male and female. This seems to have been widely hailed as the Right Thing to do. I wonder whether the male telegraphers supported the demand because it was right; or if they supported it because they knew if the companies had to pay men and women the same they would hire only men. Some wanted a craft union, with membership limited to telegraphers, with an apprenticeship program that would raise the quality of operators while reducing their numbers. There was some interest in government licensing of operators. Others favored an industrial union, open to all Western Union employees. Some objected to the secret fraternal rites that were a feature of the Knights of Labor; Catholic workers were forbidden to become members of secret organizations of any kind. The operators wanted to protect their new middle-class image by being models of respectability and sobriety; some of the linemen on the other hand had no scruples about cutting wires to increase pressure on the companies during a strike. Some felt that telegraphy should be a government monopoly, as was and still is the norm in Europe. Some saw salvation in a worker-owned cooperative, if they could only convince the banks or the government to put up the money necessary to establish the system. Others sought to improve the status of the working classes through political action; quite a number were attracted to the United Labor Party of Henry George. A hundred years later issues like these are still with us. Part II Dr. Gabler had access to a vast amount of material: census records, archives of the telegraph companies, contemporary newspaper accounts, magazines published for the edification and amusement of operators, and even novels in which telegraphers were used as characters. The footnotes and bibliography take up 48 pages. One page in the book is an illustration of advertisements in a telegraphers' magazine of 1883. They include a book on shorthand, a book of money-making secrets, a book on the mysteries of love-making, a book on fortune telling, watch charms with microscopic pictures, a book of advice to the unmarried, a package of stationery, a book on politeness, a book of letters for all occasions, playing cards with marked backs, a book of magic tricks, a book on business, and a book on ballroom dancing. The theme is that these appealed to working-class young adults who felt a need to learn how to behave properly as members of the middle-class. A number of telegraph operators rose to prominence. Thomas Edison and Andrew Carnegie are the best known; Theodore N. Vail was a founder of AT&T; others found success in business or politics; and almost all the upper management of Western Union was drawn from the ranks of operators. In 1885 there were five doctors and one dentist moonlighting as telegraph operators -- maybe medicine and dentistry didn't pay all that well in those days. Thomas Edison, as a young telegrapher in the 1860s, would work a full day and then stay in the office at night, listening to a press circuit to get high speed code practice. Later he worked the Boston end of a New York circuit with an operator named Jerry Borst. Operators formed friendships with their counterparts at the other end of the wires. The telegraph companies insisted that operators should work at whatever circuits they were assigned. Edison and Borst conspired to change three characters of the code, so that nobody else could copy their transmissions and they could always work together. Cockroaches were such a problem in the office that Edison devised a bug zapper to protect his lunch from the little beasties. Friendships over the wires were nourished during lulls in traffic by exchanges of jokes and local news, and by checker games. Sometimes love and courtship blossomed too. At other times operators were rude to one another. On one occasion two operators got so angry at each other that they arranged to meet at a town halfway between their posts and settle the matter with fists at 1:00 AM. "Salting" (sending too fast for the receiving operator) was a frequent source of irritation. Salting was also part of the common practice of hazing new operators. Operators frequently got privileges, such as free passes to theaters and on trains. With the chronic oversupply it was common for operators to travel back and forth across the country looking for work, or for better conditions. Operators didn't get vacations, paid or otherwise; but in the summer months telegraph offices would open in the resort towns where the rich took their vacations, and operators could find work there. In 1883 Western Union employed 444 telegraphers in New York City, 96 in Boston, 88 in St. Louis, and 83 in Chicago. This seems to support a conjecture of mine that W.U. was weakened all its life by overattention to serving New York City and insufficient effort to develop the business in other parts of the country. There was friction between the city operators and the rural operators. The city operators were proud of their skills, and wanted to move the traffic. They resented they way country operators would frequently interrupt transmissions. The country operators, usually working in railroad depots, countered that telegraphy was but a small part of their duties. They had to answer questions from the public, sell tickets, meet trains, tend switches and signals, handle freight, and keep the lamps burning. They commonly worked shifts as long as twelve or even sixteen hours. Development of duplex and then quadruplex operation greatly increased the pressure on operators, as the receiving operators could not interrupt the senders. Gender stereotyping held that only male operators had the stamina to handle these heavily-loaded circuits; yet the book cites a number of examples of women who worked these circuits. Women were consistently paid less than men. The companies were well aware that women were a bargain compared with men, and continually tried to replace men with women. Nellie Welch had full charge of the telegraph office in Point Arena, California in 1886. She was eleven years old. Western Union and the Cooper Union Institute in 1869 jointly started a free eight-month telegraphy course for women. It lasted through the early 1890s, turning out about 80 graduates a year. They would first take non-paying jobs assisting regular operators, and then be hired as operators on lightly loaded city circuits. This school was much despised by men for its contribution to the oversupply problem, thought it probably hurt the opportunities for women more than those for men. Beginner and less-skilled operators were called "plugs" or "hams." (Note the endless controversy over the origin of the term "ham" for amateur radio operators.) The schools that turned out these operators were called "plug factories." Craft magazines sought to shame operators who taught telegraphy. They were urged to pass on the secrets of Morse only to brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. At least one railroad operator quit his job rather than cooperate with a student placed with him by the company. ---------------- [Moderator's Note: My thanks for this very interesting article. Digest readers are encouraged to send book reviews and other special articles like this to Telecom for distribution on the net. PAT] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: (in 2005) Another article about Nellie Welch (the 11 year old in 1886 who operated the telegraph office) told of how she was _very quick_ at sending and recieving messages; how in her 'spare time' she also wrote and sold stage coach tickets and tended to the horses. That particular combination telegraph office/ stage coach 'way station' was also a place where the stage coach drivers would exchange their horses for a fresh team of horses to continue their journey. Nellie would unhitch the team of horses, take them in the stable to be fed, watered and 'bedded down' until the animals started their trip back to where they came from the next day. Then she would take a fresh team out, hook them to the stage coach. That was also a change place for the stage coach drivers, who sometimes stayed there overnight while some other driver took the stage coach on to wherever. Assisted by her mother and her invalid father, she was the principal 'bread winner' in the little family. PAT]

In this section find Free repair advice and support on our forum (whether you bought your machine from us or not). Free Ebooks, service manuals, business guides and much more in our book section. The latest vending industry news in our news feed section. Place a classified ad for free (for sale or wanted)in our classifieds section. And our Helpful links page has many links to other sites with a wealth of information about the vending industry.

Heartland Gifts will add the cost of shipping and handling to your total credit card bill. This does not apply to college care packages since your student will be notified by email and or postcard of pickup days and times by the university.

Personal tools Jam Coordination This is an area for jammer's to cooperate in planning the jam, arranging transportation, discussing feedback, etc. To secure personal info like addresses, there is some stuff here that is accessible only to logged-in jammers. There are many plane and train options for getting to the DC metropolitan area, but very limited public transportation options that'll get you the last 60 to 90 miles to Claymont. Having a ride is your best bet, and the organizers and jammers try to help coordinate shared rides if you can't arrange one. Here is info about routes to get there and leads on public transportation. Get emails announcing ECJ registration availability and other landmarks

Heroes of Science and Secularism: A Series March 24, 2012 Welcome to the first in a series of posts calling attention to men and women you may not have heard of – women and men who are making significant contributions to science and secularism. I won’t call them unsung heroes, as they are well known in their fields and spheres of influence; but neither are they famous at the level of Richard Dawkins, or even Sam Harris. But like those luminaries, some of them have had books on the New York Times’ bestseller list. The plan for future posts is to keep the introductory comments brief and let my heroes speak for themselves via links to audios, videos, and written materials. So this time only, I’ll ask you to endure a few paragraphs of preliminary explanations. It’s probably just me preaching to the choir again, but I still feel the need to comment on why I’m using the descriptive noun hero in a gender-neutral sense. To my ear and sensibilities feminine terms like heroine nearly always seem to detract from what is important about a person by needlessly calling attention to their gender. Consider the deservedly archaic aviatrix, or the ludicrous mayoress or governess. Or instructress, inventress, proprietress/proprietrix (LOL). Don’t you agree there’s something kind of weird about talking that way? Thankfully, those words and others like them have fallen into disuse; and what I’m saying is that all routinely feminized nouns like heroine need to join them in the linguistic hall of shame. We live in a society where more women than men graduate college, for chrissakes, where women have taken their rightful, earned places in all fields at all levels (although we’re still awaiting a woman president, but thank Zeus the anti-woman Michelle Bachmann never got any traction). So let’s drop all gratuitous, patronizing gender distinctions as I do in this series, which features only heroes – women, men, and groups. Now about the relationship of science and secularism, which will also be obvious to many readers. After much thought I concluded that science and secularism together covered damn near everything that’s important to me in the public domain. Science subsumes reason, logic, skepticism, critical thinking, transparency, rejection of authority, and the primacy of repeatable evidence. Secularism, which in this country theoretically separates church and state, is a necessary condition for science to function effectively. It takes very little imagination to see how science, and ultimately everything, would suffer under an American Taliban – a Christian fundagelical theocracy – which is clearly a goal of the shockingly successful religious right. So science and secularism are interdependent, inextricably intertwined (I just had to use that phrase at least once). In the broadest sense, science covers everything we know – and I mean everything we have been able to verify, directly and indirectly. (Of course not everything we know has to be verified scientifically (e.g., the Eiffel Tower is located in Paris); but if something can’t be properly verified, then we are, or should be, obliged to be skeptical of its existence (other than in the minds of believers). On the other hand, skepticism of well-verified scientific findings is perverse and prevalent, especially among those who identify as conservatives or Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals. Science is, of necessity, open, transparent, and universal; it requires freedom of thought and expression; it cannot be censored or constrained by dogma. And it should be abundantly clear that political and religious ideologies are mortal enemies of science; they would make scientific inquiry and findings subordinate to their dogmas; they would cut off its head, tear out its heart, and turn what was left into an evil instrument of oppression and aggression. The role of science in a secular society seems obvious and in alignment with common sense and the principles enacted by the founders of this nation, to wit: let our laws and public policy be informed and guided by verifiable evidence and reason. Given the nature of the world we live in, anything less is a prescription for disaster. I was going to say long-term disaster, but the long term is already upon us. What happens in the next few years will most likely be a template for the future of the country. So on my list of heroes are people who are fighting to reclaim and secure a future that is safe for science and reason. Most of them are atheists or agnostics; a few, like Frank Schaeffer, Barry Linn, and Kenneth Miller, are practicing Christians. And of course there are many awesome women, including Eugenie Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education. So far no Muslim or Christian fundagelical is within shouting distance of making my list, so be sure to let me know if you come up with a qualified candidate (which I find hard to imagine). END OF INTRODUCTION Now, at last, meet my first Hero of Science and Secularism, Sean Faircloth, public speaker extraordinaire and the most important person you may not have heard of. It has been less than a year since I first heard him speak on a video posted at the website of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. That short talk really resonated with my thoughts and fears about the religious right, and I was blown away by Faircloth’s deep understanding of the issues and his compelling plan to counter the theocratic threat to what’s left of our freedom and democracy. So I immediately forwarded the video to everyone on my email list along with effusive words of praise and an expression of uncharacteristic hopefulness. As my long-suffering friends and tens of readers are aware, it takes a lot to rouse me from my pessimism regarding the United States’ and the world’s collective future. And yet that's what Faircloth accomplished in a 31-minute talk and with his new book, Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All and What We Can Do About It. In his book and his speeches he puts forward a realistic vision and a strategy for reversing “creeping theocracy” and bringing about the tolerant, secular society we all want to live in. His many examples of real harm being done to real people in many unsuspected ways provide a way to connect with regular folks who are not aware of the nature and extent of the threat from the religious right. Faircloth is saying it's time for a change in the priorities of the secular movement, time to focus on public policy issues and to reclaim the moral high ground. (We know the religious right is profoundly immoral, but the majority of citizens do not.) And he actually succeeds in making me believe that our message can be presented so as to capture the attention of the non-theocratic majority of Americans – to help them understand and feel what's at stake. And to energize them to support efforts to undo the growing list of wrongs perpetrated and perpetuated in the name of religion. As much as anyone, I love to mock conservatives, theocrats, wingnuts, and Republigoons™ – all those proto-fascists who are poisoning our public and private spaces. It’s satisfying to show, again and again, how ignorant and how wrong they are about everything (which, of course, never changes their minds). But if we’re going to reverse the insidious theocratic trend, we need to recruit and organize support at all levels, just as the right has been doing for 30 years or more, and with alarming success. I see Faircloth as a present-day Paul Revere sounding the alarm, telling us to tone down our internecine differences and focus our collective efforts on saving the things we most value about this country. Addendum: Attack of the Theocrats was published before Rick Santorum entered the Republican race for president. I have to think that Santorum’s menacing theocratic positions are an incredible gift to secularists. If the majority of Americans aren’t revolted and scared shitless by the implications of his regressive agenda, they soon will be with some help from people like Sean Faircloth. And us.

Recently, the Afghan Government announced that it will soon start assuming security responsibility for 7 regions throughout Afghanistan. President Karzai explained on Tuesday, March 22nd, that the transition will commence…

Factory blaze has financial fall-out Ratna Begum is too injured to work after the fire As 112 of her colleagues perished in a Bangladesh clothing factory fire, Dipa Akter got out by jumping from the third floor through a hole made by breaking apart an exhaust fan. Her left leg is wrapped in bandages and she has trouble walking. But she still wants start work there again. Ms Akter, 19, said: “If the factory owner reopens the factory sometime soon, we will work again here. If it’s closed for long, we have to think of alternatives.” Major Western retailers whose products were found in the fire have distanced themselves from the Tazreen Fashions factory in Dhaka, but workers who survived have not. They can’t afford to. Factories such as the one which was gutted on 24 November are a rare lifeline in this desperately poor country – without it, many of the more than 1,200 surviving employees have no work and few prospects. Ms Akter spent 25 minutes trying to get down the smoke-filled stairs before jumping, which she said was “the only option other than being burned”. Almost one-third of Bangladesh’s 150 million people live in extreme poverty. There are few formal jobs in the villages where about 70 per cent of the country’s population lives. Textile factory work is one of the few paths to secure a stable income – especially for young, uneducated rural women, who are already trained to make clothes at home. The industry has given women in this Muslim-majority, conservative nation an acceptable opportunity to leave their homes and join the workforce. Ms Akter made about 4,550 takas (£34) a month sewing trousers, shirts and nightgowns. Her husband makes about the same at another factory, but she said they cannot live just on his salary. Now the landlord is demanding rent and she has bills to pay at a grocery shop. She said: “I am in big trouble because I don’t have any savings.” The government announced on Saturday that it would give 200,000 takas (£1,525) to the families of those who died in the fire and 50,000 takas (£380) to those who were injured. It also said unhurt workers would get their November wages, but many staff are demanding four months’ salary as compensation. It is not clear when, or even if, Tazreen will rebuild the factory. One worker, Ferdousy, 20, said: “If I am not compensated, I have to start begging. I have to move to the street.” With overtime, she earned up to 7,000 takas (£53) a month from Tazreen as a sewing machine operator. She escaped unharmed by running out as soon as the fire alarm went off, ignoring her supervisors’ insistence that she stay at her station. But now she needs to find work again, or be compensated while the company rebuilds. Her husband needs treatment for asthma and is too sick to work. Her two children need food. The rent needs to be paid. “I worked hard to support my family. I always tried to cross my production targets so I could earn extra money to support my family. But now I have no place to go,” she said. Ratna Begum, 30, is too injured to go back to work for the foreseeable future – she jumped out of a fifth-floor window to escape, thinking: “If I die, my family will at least get my body.” Now she has a bandage on her head and cannot walk without help. Without her monthly pay of up to 5,000 takas (£38), she wonders how her family will afford rent, food, her medical bills and schooling for her two sons. Without compensation soon, the family, from the desperately poor Rangpur district of Dhaka, fear they will have to sell their only property: three cows. The factory had no emergency exits and police are continuing to question three managers suspected of locking in the workers during the fire. As difficult as life is for survivors, some families don’t even know for certain whether their loved ones are among the dead. Dozens of bodies too badly burned to be identified have already been buried. “My mother has gone to the factory, she has not returned home yet,” Rumi, seven, said as she showed a passport-size photo of her mother. Her father, Ahedul, said he went to the hospital mortuary but could not tell whether his wife’s remains were there. He said: “The government said it will compensate us, but how will I compensate my baby?” This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here. If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the IPSO by clicking here. The Scotsman provides news, events and sport features from the Edinburgh area. 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Read Book Chapter 8: Life, Death and Love I have heard about a man. He was once presented to the governor-general in India because he was a man of rare memory. He knew only one language, Rajasthani Hindi. He was a poor man, uneducated, but if you told him anything in any language, he would never forget it. He would repeat it like a parrot, not knowing what it meant. He was called to the governor-general’s palace; the governor-general was surprised to hear about his capacity. Thirty other persons were called, and in thirty languages they uttered a few sentences. It was arranged in the following manner: the man went to one person, the first, and the first person said the first word of a sentence. Then he went to another person and he said the first word of his sentence, in another language. Then he went to the third. In this way he went to thirty people. Then he went back to the first who said his second word. And in this way again - it took many rounds, many hours. And then he repeated all the sentences separately. The governor-general was simply puzzled. He could not believe it. But this man went mad. This much memory is dangerous. Three types of people are almost always idiotic. Too much memory is not a good sign: it simply says that you have a very mechanical mind, it is not a sign of intelligence. Hence you hear so many stories of absent-mindedness about great scientists, philosophers. They are not people of great memory. Great intelligence has nothing to do with great memory. Memory is mechanical, intelligence is non-mechanical. They are totally different. So don’t be worried, it is good. The memory is relaxing, many things will disappear, space will be created in you. And in that space you will be able to become more brilliant, more intelligent, more understanding. Intelligence means understanding; memory means a quality, a mechanical quality of repetition. Parrots have good memories. Don’t be worried about your memory. In the beginning it happens because you have accumulated much rubbish. When you meditate that rubbish starts disappearing, falling away. “.and I feel myself a stupid child.” That is the way, the way to the kingdom of God. Lao Tzu says: Be like an idiot in this world so that you can understand the illogical ways of Tao. Jesus says: Be like a child - because only those who are like children will be able to enter into the kingdom of God. Don’t be worried about those things; the nonessential is dropping away. Feel happy and grateful. Once the rubbish has dropped, the real will arise; with the nonessential gone, the essential will arise. This is the way to reach to one’s own source. But many times you will get scared because you are losing your grip on whatsoever you have valued up till now. But I can tell you only one thing: I have traveled the same path and have passed through the same phases. They are phases, they come and go. And your consciousness will become more and more purified, virgin, pure, uncorrupted. That uncorrupted consciousness is godliness.

Hopeful for the New Year by Alice Callahan on January 2, 2014 I, for one, am not sad to see 2013 go. It’s been a rough year for me. I haven’t been blogging about it – haven’t been blogging about much of anything, actually – and I think it is time for an update. 2013 started with a miscarriage in progress, finally ending with a D&C on January 4. I grieved that lost pregnancy openly on this blog. It was therapeutic for me to blog about it and to feel support from women who had had similar experiences, or at least had empathy for the magnitude of love and hope that comes with a pregnancy. I started to feel better. I was confident that I would be pregnant again soon, and that was the obvious way to fill the gaping hole in my heart. In the spring, I watched seedlings poke through wet dirt. Our neighborhood burst with color and new life, and I felt hopeful. But as the days grew longer and hotter, I felt sadder and sadder. I still wasn’t pregnant. My previous due date came and went, now just another day, but such a heavy one for me. Cee and I sorted through newborn clothes in our hot attic, not for a new baby for our family, but to lend to a friend. Cee asked to keep a few onesies for her baby doll. I showed her how to fasten the snaps and then sent her downstairs so I could cry. In August, I had another miscarriage, this time very early. Then, another one in October, early again (and thankfully spontaneous) but far enough out that I let myself think ahead to another summer due date. That one really crushed me. I know miscarriage is common, and it’s easy to chalk the first up to bad luck. But by the third time around, I had really lost faith in my body. It has failed, repeatedly, to do one of the things I feel it was always meant to do. I’ve always wanted children, and the family that I have, for which I am exceedingly grateful every day, doesn’t feel complete. There’s still a gaping hole here, and it’s only gotten bigger. Meanwhile, Cee turned three in November. I know my sadness has affected her, and it’s affected my parenting, because my emotional reserve is just plain depleted. I am working hard at being enough for her and at assuring her that she is enough for me. (And she is. She really is. I’ve come to terms with that, most days anyway.) But Cee would be such an amazing big sister. She is obsessed with babies. She cares for her baby doll tenderly all day long. She also has a set of imaginary friends collectively known as “Baby’s cousins,” whom she visits and calls on the phone several times per day. And most days, Cee walks around with her belly stuck out for a few minutes, telling us that she has a baby in her tummy. Sometimes she rubs her tummy and then lifts a new baby out, like a genie from a bottle. She holds this tiny, invisible baby delicately in her arms and tells me that her name is Alice. “You want to hold her, Mama?” I play along, but it is such an eerie, painful game. I haven’t talked to Cee about wanting another baby, but she’s sharp, and she knows, through her three-year-old lens. It’s as if she’s trying to fill my emptiness with her play. And, of course, this holiday season was tough. For most of last year’s season, I was pregnant and blissfully unaware that it was failing inside of me. As we went through the holiday rituals this year, my latest memories were of that pregnancy. I didn’t really feel like putting on a happy face for holiday parties, and nobody wants to talk about your latest miscarriage around the punch bowl. Passing the anniversary of the ultrasound showing my failed pregnancy felt like crossing over into the current reality. It was a relief. In December, we also did a few baseline fertility tests, and they basically looked normal. That was reassuring. I haven’t been blogging about this, and I’m not sure why. I know that blogging about my first miscarriage was extremely helpful to me, and I hoped that by writing about it, I would open the conversation to other women. But there is still a dark undercurrent of shame around miscarriage in our culture. A recent national survey was illuminating: American adults believe that miscarriage is rare, and they pretty much place the blame squarely on the woman. Survey respondents thought that miscarriage occurs in less than 6% of pregnancies, when in reality 15-20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. When asked to name the major causes of miscarriage, the two most common answers were stress and lifting a heavy object. This, again, is not the reality; most miscarriages are due to chance chromosomal abnormalities and can’t be prevented. Miscarriage is misunderstood, and that’s a burden on women carrying this quiet grief. I know that my silence on this topic is in part about shame and vulnerability. But it’s also just been a little too raw for me to share. I seek out support carefully, and blogging and social media often open unfiltered conversations that are just draining to me now. I have been turning inward, dumping my fear and frustrations into my journals. Sometimes this strategy works well for me, but sometimes it swallows me up in loneliness. My experience, both online and in real life, is that when I open up to another mom about how I’m feeling, two things usually happen. First, my load feels a little lighter. And second, she feels safe to tell me what she’s struggling with right now, too. We all struggle with something, and pretending otherwise hurts us all. It’s always hard for me to hit “Publish” on a personal blog post, but I’ve never regretted it. And now, I have a book to finish. The last six months of writing have been slow and difficult. When I signed the book contract, I was pregnant, and I envisioned completing most of the manuscript while I prepared for the birth of that baby, giving me a non-negotiable deadline and personal motivation behind my research. Instead, the cycles of emotion that come with trying to conceive, and loss, have made it hard to sit down at my desk and write about… babies. I am still happiest when I am buried in the science, trying to make sense of it all. I just hope that I have the chance to use some of this mountain of knowledge as a mom again. The book is coming along, and I think it will be really great, but it isn’t where I want it to be yet. The manuscript is due in six months, and starting today (yay, resumption of childcare!), I’m putting my head down to finish it. Anyway, I wanted to write today to let you know where I’ve been and also that I probably won’t be blogging much between now and July 1. I need some major focus and momentum to finish the book well, and I’m still teaching a couple of classes each term. In the meantime, I have a thick folder full of topics for future blog posts, and I’ll be back to blogging regularly after I finish the book manuscript. And also, I’m okay. I feel ten times better today than I did a month ago. I survived December and have lots of hope for the New Year, and that hope doesn’t even feel entirely tied to a baby. New Year’s Eve afternoon was unseasonably warm and sunny for Oregon in December. Our little family hiked up a local trail to catch the last few rays of the year. The sky filled with pink and orange, and I pointed out the colors to Cee. “I think someone much have gone up there with a paintbrush and painted all those colors,” she said. Curious, I asked her who she thought might have done that. “Baby’s cousins,” she replied self-assuredly. Of course. It made me smile to think of an imaginary pack of kids painting the sky. We let 2013 go with the sunset. Then we turned around to hike down in the waning light. We spotted the first star of the night, and I made my quiet wish. I commented on your last post about miscarriage – I had 4 before my son was born. Now he is 2 and we are trying again- and another miscarriage. As mine were mostly super early, I thought seeing the heart beat meant we were safe, but sadly no. I am now also resigning myself to the possibility of being a family of 3 and not 4, and it is hard to think about. In this culture it is assumed a) you will have kids plural and b) it is ok to ask about where you are in the process. It was hard enough listening to the questions before I had my son, but almost harder now. Why is 3 not enough? So I feel your pain about all of it; it might happen yet, but also, you need to prepare yourself that it might not. And you need to decide if your emotionally capable to try again. I’m not sure I am, and that’s another kind of pain altogether. Good luck and I will be thinking about you. I’m so sorry. I know this would have been harder for me had it happened before Cee was born. Now I just feel incredibly lucky to have her. But having her also makes it hard to explain how desperately I want another child. And it means that we are now surrounded by families with children, most of them on their second or third ones. Anyway, I think you’re right. Recovering from the October miscarriage, at least so that I could get my work done and function as a parent, meant coming to a place of acceptance that we’ll be okay if we don’t have another child. And we will, really. We will also keep trying, for now, even though I know that at this point we run a high risk of more heartache. Hey, Alice, I’m so sorry to hear this. I haven’t experienced it myself, but I have several friends who were on the multiple miscarriage cycle, and who came through it to complete their families. Most stopped at two children, for reasons I’m sure you understand well. In most cases, they simply kept trying until one stuck, but one particular friend went through 4 – 6 miscarriages in a row and sought help from a fertility specialist. She would get pregnant every month, and miscarry by 6 weeks. Ultimately, her doctor put her on Femara, not for ovulation help but because he said there was evidence that it could be helpful in cases like hers. Her next pregnancy was the keeper. At any rate, I thought I’d mention it, because I know she (also a scientist) swears by this drug. And if all you want and need is support while you keep trying, I have that for you, too. 🙂 Hi Rachael – I’ll definitely look into Femara. I haven’t heard of it before, and it looks like it might be worth a shot. Thanks for sharing that info. It’s also nice to know that you have friends who have survived this process and eventually had healthy pregnancies. I’m not sure I know anyone personally who has had multiple miscarriages, but I know that in fact I probably do. We just don’t talk about it. Anyway, thanks for the support:) So sorry to read about your miscarriages. All the very best in the new year to you. The year has been very stressful for me too, although for different reasons. I too am glad to let 2013 go. Cant wait to hear more news about your book. Take care! I am thankful for Oregon! One good thing about this year has been that we bought a house and are really feeling settled here. I love this place more and more with each passing season. And it’s always nice to hear from moms that are on the other side of this! Thanks:) Lots and lots of love to you Alice! After having a miscarriage myself at 6 weeks, I found myself wondering why there is such a stigma attached to it. I wondered why I had to keep it so quiet and why did everyone give me that ‘look’ like I was some bad person cause I lost a pregnancy? I soon learned, after I decided it was stupid to hide it like some terrible thing, that opening up and talking about it enabled me to learn that so many women in my life had been through the same exact thing. 20% rate is probably a low number in my un-scientific study. Your line, “miscarriage is misunderstood, and that’s a burden on women carrying this quiet grief” really resonates with me. I am proud of you for being able to talk about it and for the love of Pete please don’t beat yourself up about this! Of course you always wonder ‘what if?’ but then again I have decided it was God’s choice and it wasn’t meant to be. Somehow I find comfort in that, and like you say, the fact is that sometimes the chromosomes just don’t line up in perfect order and dance the dance. It is reality and it is science! Love you and kiss that gorgeous daughter of yours for me! 20% may be a low estimate. It’s hard to measure because so many pregnancies are lost before the woman even knew she was pregnant. Some estimates are much higher. I’ve seen numbers up to 50% when you count failure to implant. It’s actually kind of incredible that we have this sensitive system of biological checks and balances that help ensure that the babies we end up carrying to term have good chances at survival. Also, if 20% of recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage, but a mother has several children, chances are pretty good that she has at least one miscarriage in there. I agree – it is strange how we are expected to handle this grief on our own, when so much else about our lives is so very public. I’ve thought a lot about why that is. Writing about my first miscarriage was so illuminating and therapeutic because I heard from so many women, many of whom I knew, who told me that they’d miscarried as well. Anyway, I don’t beat myself up over it. It’s the other way around; it’s beating me up! I’m just frustrated and tired of not having any good news to share. Thanks for writing, Jenny. Love to you, and your little girl, too! Pregnancy loss is incredibly hard. I had an early loss the first time around, followed by what I suspect was at least one more very early loss before I conceived again. It prompted me to do a lot of reading and research about miscarriage and, after all that, I’m amazed that ANYONE is able to conceive and carry a baby to term. It’s so complicated! When I finally did conceive again, the anxiety about keeping the pregnancy really colored the experience for us – and it stayed with me during the early months of my son’s life. Best wishes for your family & your new year! My heart goes out to the challenges you have faced in 2013. I am not a medical expert but it appears there is an imbalance in your life preventing another successful pregnancy. Looking back at the time you were pregnant will your daughter Cee, How does the experience compare to what happened in 2013? What was different? What was the same? By compare and contrast maybe you can identify a critical factor that changed the outcome. I do wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors of 2014 and hope all your desires and dream come true. Thanks for the kind wishes. I know you’re trying to be helpful, but I have to gently point out that this response is implying that the miscarriages are my fault. Believe me, I’ve racked my brain over all your questions. I’ve tweaked my body weight and exercise intensity. I’ve optimized nutrition and given up alcohol and most caffeine for the time being (might be silly, but I figure it can’t hurt). It’s maddening to feel helpless in the outcome, but that’s how it is, and blaming myself won’t change that. Also, I had several early pregnancy losses before my pregnancy with Cee, so this is likely just a part of our biology (recognizing that my husband is the other half of our offspring’s chromosomes). I am not blaming or finding fault in you. My idea was to look at things from another angle and maybe see something that you had not before. For example, increased geoengineering is adding enormous amounts of hazardous air pollutants & metal particulates in the atmosphere. The oranges & reds in the sky you described in your blog result from the sun reflecting off these metal particulates. Pregnant women exposed to hazardous air pollutants has been linked to Autism. Nobody precisely knows all the different chemicals the are spraying on the population. I did not mean to make you feel bad or think you are the direct cause. But hopefully help shed some light. I know you weren’t trying to make me feel bad. I also know that this line of thinking would drive me mad eventually, so I’ve tried to reign it in, control what I can, and accept what I can’t. I’m pretty sure that air pollution isn’t causing my miscarriages, since my town is full of healthy pregnant women and new babies – all breathing the same air – these days (at least, that’s how it seems to me!). Thank you so much for sharing. I also went through a similar situation during the holiday season of 2010. It was very much as you described. After some testing, we were told there was nothing wrong and to continue trying because we are young. We got a second opinion and I’m so glad we did. I actually tested for something called MTHFR, which was fixed easily by taking baby aspirin and deplin (folic acid). I have since then had two successful pregnancies and no losses. Pregnancy loss affects an entire family. I will be thinking of your sweet family during this time. Best of luck! Interesting… It sounds like the jury is still very much out on a role for MTHFR and recurrent miscarriages – there aren’t great studies on it, and it sounds like it is commonly tested by some doctors but others completely ignore it. I’ll keep it in mind if we decide to pursue further testing. Your beautiful words have brought tears to my eyes. Thank you as always for sharing, educating, provoking introspection and pause in my work day. If it’s any consolation, since you’ve been blogging less, it only makes me more eager and excited to open each new post! Though the content here is certainly not cause for celebration, your spirit and philosophy most certainly are. I wish you and your family all the best for the new year, and every year. I wish on the first star I see almost every night, by the way! Thank you for writing this, and about writing about the quiet grief. I had two miscarriages and struggled for a little over 2 years to have our second child (born this past year). What was always sad to me was the conception that news of miscarriage should not be shared; I concluded this after the thinking about the ‘don’t tell anyone you’re pregnant until after the first trimester’. I mean, I did tell a few close friends and family, but in general it feels sad and uncomfortable to keep it to yourself. So I wanted to thank you so much for sharing your struggle. On new years day, even, I was at a brunch with some friends who didn’t know our miscarriage and conception struggles and the discussion came to spacing kids and pros and cons of different spacing. My boys are 5 years apart and when the discussion was on spacing kids so far apart, people looked to me as part of the discussion, and I ‘thought I heard one of them getting into trouble in the other room’ and ducked out of the kitchen. Even though we have had the 2nd child we were hoping to have, the pain is still there. We have friends who have little toddlers the same age that our (8 week miscarried) baby would have been and it is hard to watch them play together, thinking that our child should be there with them too. I have been reading your blog for a while but have never commented. I appreciated your first about miscarriage post but I couldn’t comment at the time. For the rest of the blog; I really appreciate all the research and in depth discussions you present and look forward to reading more when you are able (and the book). Thank you for sharing your personal story. I will be hopeful for you too in 2014. Thanks so much for writing, Sally. I’ve thought a lot about how careful we are to share the grief of miscarriage, how we usually keep pregnancies a secret from most people until we are past the riskiest time for miscarriage. We will tell the world on Facebook that a friend, relative, or pet died, but it might seem strange to announce a miscarriage that way. I think that part of this secrecy is due to what I wrote about in the post, the underlying sense of shame. I feel like I’ve personally shaken that feeling, but that perception of shame associated with miscarriage is still held by many. The other side of it is just very personal, I think. It has taken me a long time to feel brave enough to write about this on my blog – to feel ready for the conversation. (Even now, I didn’t share this post on my personal Facebook page. It’s just weird to announce it to all my old high school friends, etc.) In early pregnancy, I tell the friends and family that I want to surround me if things go wrong. I don’t want to tell people who will start planning a baby shower or celebrating before I’m ready. We have to grieve on our terms, and I think we fear sharing the news because we’re worried that people won’t know how to react, which is true in a way, though probably not as much as we think (given how common miscarriage is). Anyway, thanks for being honest about how it continues to be hard. I wasn’t prepared for how hard the due date was or this last holiday season. Now I know that I’m probably going to feel twinges of sadness at those times of year for a while. It’s good to be prepared for that. My best to you, and thanks for reading and commenting. Thank you so much for bravely sharing this posting. I am very much looking forward to your book, and hope that you do get to sneak in some more blog postings between now and then…. Enjoy 2014 – All three of you! Thank you so much for sharing, Alice. I had noticed fewer blog posts from you but had assumed that it was because you were working on your book. Having had a 9.5-week miscarriage this past summer (with a 15-month-old daughter at the time, now 21-months-old), I understand why you’ve been drawing inward. I’ve found myself doing the same. The times that I have opened up with friends, family and colleagues about our loss, I have found healing as well. But it’s difficult to do so nonetheless. After a three-month hiatus, we’re trying for #2 now too, and I think we may have had an early miscarriage last month – I felt many of my early pregnancy symptoms for a week or so (smell aversion, implantation cramping, etc.), and then they were gone. I think the fetus probably didn’t implant properly. We’ll keep trying. I’m a little worried that my 41-year-old self may just not be as fecund as my 38-year-old self was. If we go another few months without conceiving successfully, we’ll go the fertility specialist route. I’ll share a few things that I have found helpful, in case they might help you or others too. Firstly, my massage therapist, who also happens to be a grief counselor, has told me a few times that the baby that I miscarried wasn’t meant to be here, for whatever reason, but my daughter, husband and I are. While this notion doesn’t necessarily help me accept what happened, it does give me some sense of peace about it. Secondly, while I put a great deal of stock in science, I am also a Christian, and I have a deep faith that I will meet my miscarried child/children in the next life. It gives me hope to think of God and my grandparents who have passed away watching over our little one(s), as does knowing that I will get to meet them someday. I’m not a Bible thumper, but I’ll share a verse that I use like a mantra when I feel in need of hope: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, that you may overflow with hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) This was heart-wrenching, but the hope is apparent. I can only imagine your sadness and am glad to know you have healthy ways of coping. I’ve been using my blog to get through some rough stuff with my kiddos and love the community here on WordPress. I am excited for your book and hope that you are able to find continued peace as you travel this rough road. Love and light. My heart goes out to you and I truly understand your pain. 2013 started with me pregnant and excited only to have no heartbeat at the first ultrasound. I suffered a second miscarriage a few months later and it was devastating. I had one before my daughter was born, but two in a row felt ominous. I didn’t realize how much I was internalizing the pain until my friend who I don’t see often enough asked me how I was and I just broke down completely. I heard myself tell her I was terrified of becoming pregnant again because I just didn’t know how I would cope with another loss. Breaking that dam of emotion was really helpful for me. I was able to better articulate how I was feeling to my husband and we discussed what it would be like to have one child. I finally was able to wrap my head around the idea of one kid, and we decided we would give it one more go and if that one didn’t take we would be done trying. (I am in my early 40s, so there was also a time issue) I am currently pregnant with my second girl, due in 2 months. I am happy it worked out, but I also know that having the specter of loss hanging over me has made it harder to truly enjoy this pregnancy without some tangential fear. Until she is safe in my arms, I don’t think I will fully relax. I wish you the best in whatever happens. Being able to conceive easily, but not having the pregnancy stick is frustrating because there is no explanation. It just plain sucks. Best to you and your family and here is hoping 2014 is a happier year. I can completely relate. As much as I desperately want to be pregnant, I’m also terrified of it now. Every bit of hope is balanced by bracing for loss. If I do manage to have a healthy pregnancy, I know that it will probably feel very different from my first. Best wishes to you and your growing family! I’m glad that things worked out for you and hope you can relax with that healthy little girl in your arms soon! This is my first visit to your blog, and what an amazing woman and mother you clearly are. I have been trying to get pregnant for the first time for almost a year now, and have had no luck so far. That said, thanks to the willingness of the women in my life to share their stories with me, I have prepared myself for the possibility of miscarriage should I get pregnant. Not that it won’t devastate me, but knowing how common it actually is has allowed me to be as mentally prepared as one can be for such a thing. I’ve been pretty open with people about trying to get pregnant, which I feel is also still some sort of “hush-hush” topic. So strange. I agree that the more open we are, the better able we are to support one another and see that we’re not really so alone. Wishing you continued healing, happiness, and love. *hugs* I had the exact same experience at times this year, without the additional miscarriages. I spent all of the 2012 holidays managing an ectopic loss, and life factors have made it so we haven’t really tried again since (and have been actively avoiding instead). Even knowing moms with multiple miscarriages, as well as moms with stillbirth and newborn losses didn’t mean I wanted to talk about how I felt. The anniversaries were particularly hard – the would-have birthday, and the repeat of the holidays, and compounded by a friend’s baby born within a couple weeks of my would-have been. Stillbirthday helped when I was first dealing with the ectopic, but I really haven’t been back there since. We moved in the middle of the year, and getting asked over and over if DD is an only child has been a big trigger as well. She likes to play sisters, and have a pretend little sister that she helps take care of (she even changes names so that she uses her middle name and the sister uses her first name), or play mama DD – both so hard when you are missing the baby you didn’t have. DH and I have discussed adoption at various points, and looked into it a little bit. We would have to do adoption from foster care, since we don’t have and aren’t likely to have the money for a private or international adoption, so there are extra complications involved. Would we want to do foster care as well? What children are available that we feel able to care for and how would they fit with DD? Would we want a sibling group or not? So many extra things to consider comparing to adopting a newborn privately or getting and staying pregnant. Everyone has different emotional and physical resources, and has to decide for themselves how many losses they can handle, and whether or not they want to continue to try, stop trying, or pursue something else (like adoption or fertility treatment). I hope you are able to get to the size you want, with a method that’s right for you, or find the right resources to help you be okay with what you individually are able to manage. *hugs* I’m so sorry 😦 I don’t have anything to say. I have watched friends struggle with infertility and with miscarriages and it always breaks my heart because I know I can’t do anything to make it better. Not sure if you’re a Stargate fan – but Amanda Tapping who played Samantha Carter opened up this past year about how she’d had multiple miscarriages – two before her daughter was born and six after. http://www.wevancouver.com/news/206606891.html And. y’know, emotions are messy things. I think we can love what we have and still hope for more and it all be okay. We feel what we feel and I’ve never had much luck changing it as much as I’d like to sometimes. So. Yeah. That’s about all I have as a random person on the internet who appreciates your blogs. Thanks, random person:) Yes, emotions are messy things, and it sucks that I feel sometimes like I have to explain mine, because you’re right, they just are. I’ve been thinking about what other moms can do to help friends struggling with pregnancy loss or infertility. Maybe that will be a blog post someday, but the biggest thing is just to be there. The worst part of all of this is feeling alone. I have felt blessed to have good friends who have always been willing to listen and show their support, even though there’s not much any of us can do to “fix” things. So sorry to hear about your miscarriages. Been there, done that. ‘Quiet grieving’ was precisely what I was told. I was even told it was ‘no big deal’. There is a baby that I didn’t get to know. And the loss of her was deeply disappointing (i was angry at god too actually). Thankfully, i had three more kiddos after that baby…so four in all for me. I met ladies from Texas and UK on-line. That was encouraging. Almost 11 yrs later and I still honour the expected due date & the day she was born into heaven. Now it’s all a bittersweet memory. A dream thwarted. And for me, a lesson in life (that life isn’t always good–i think our culture teaches us we must always be happy or we are doing something wrong–having said that i titled my blog: capturingthecharmedlife–life can be hard, so carpe diem). I pray you’ll receive the dream of your heart this 2014. My heart goes out to you. How brave of you to write about something so intimate and painful. I know I appreciate it and many other women who’ve gone through pregnancy loss will too. I never had a miscarriage, but my dear sister-in-law has a very similar story to your own, and it’s so important for those who love and care about others who go through it, to try to have a better understanding of what the experience is like, what you go through. Your honest writing does just that. My sister-in-law now has 2 healthy daughters, after many miscarriages over many years. Although she is grateful for her girls, and the ache lessens with each year, she still recognizes with sadness those anniversaries, those ghost birthdays. She planted a tree on her property after every loss, and in taking care of those trees, lounging under them and gazing up at their budding leaves in spring, and watching her daughters have tea parties and picnics in their shade in summer, she has found hope and comfort. Wishing you all the best, and hope you keep on writing it out. ~Ilene Thanks for all the thoughtful and helpful posts so we can all share in your knowledge and be better moms/friends/people. The people who gather on your site are my favorite support group. Big hug and wishes of kindness and happiness to you in the new year. You are a beautiful writer and are incredibly brave for sharing your innermosts thoughts. In fact, I am so very appreciative for this as I know it will help others in the same unfortunate predicament. I feel such empathy as I too have suffered from miscarriages, though I have been blessed with 3 children (2 birth and one stepchild which I normally wouldn’t single out but helps to explain our trying as it was difficult between our 2nd and 3rd child to conceive). To give you a ray of hope in this sadness and in looking at the bright future ahead, I will share that while I had a spontaneous miscarriage and one D&C, that we had no issues with the birth of our third child. Prayer, positivity and perseverance will get you through this. Many blessings to you and your family in the coming year. I am hopeful for you and wish to hear good news in your future posts!!! Thank you again for sharing your personal story. You mentioned, “and I hoped that by writing about it, I would open the conversation to other women.” It certainly did for me. When I first read your post I was thankful to have never experienced a miscarriage. My first came just a few weeks later and it was so comforting to know that you had been through it and I wasn’t the only one. It helped me to open up to other moms and talk about it. That miscarriage was at 5 weeks and I had a second in May at 8 weeks. My husband and I were “leaving it up to fate” as to whether to have a second child and after two miscarriages he has decided it is not our fate and doesn’t want to try again. He is very happy and prefers a family of 3. I, though, feel the emptiness you describe. And like another commenter, I have friends that had babies around my due date for the second miscarriage and I can’t even bring myself to want to hold the babies. When I learned more about miscarriage and how often they occur when people don’t even know, it made me very curious about the statistics. It just seems that the rate is probably so much higher. Even my mom who previously claimed to never have had a miscarriage conceded that her Dr told her she probably did have several before I was born. They were under the guise of “irregular periods.” I also wanted to add that I did share the news of the first pregnancy with our families and when the miscarriage happened, I felt pitied. I hated that feeling and made a point not to share the second pregnancy. It felt better to let people know about it on my terms rather than them asking about how things were going. Dear Holly, I’m so sorry to hear of your miscarriages, your current grief of those losses, and your struggle to come to terms with your family size. I say that I’ve accepted that things will be okay if we don’t have another baby, but I haven’t honestly come to terms with that as a reality. These are really difficult waters to navigate, and I’ll be thinking of you this year as I navigate my own. And it does make me happy that my writing about miscarriage last year was a help to you. That’s HUGE to me. I hope to someday write much more about miscarriage for those who are struggling with it and those who are wondering how they can support a grieving friend. It is such a hard thing, but to me it is made a little lighter by talking about it and connecting with others who understand. Big hug, Alice I am so, so sorry for your losses. I also am very glad to hear that you are feeling better, even if it’s a slow process. Coming out of grief is hard—sometimes we have to really, really reach and even fight for our healing, but there’s no rushing it either. “One day at a time” is my family’s motto (my mother has been recovery some 25 years), and while some of those days can be real doozies, it makes the work of healing a bit less overwhelming and reminds us that we simply *can’t* do 25 years of it in two weeks. Also, I just have to say I’m so amazed at Cee’s sensitivity. It’s incredible how she has such intelligent empathy even if she doesn’t fully comprehend that’s what it is. It’s a testament to your good rearing that she pays such close attention to others’ feelings (even if that can be hard for you at times). Finally, thanks for speaking about your experiences. I think our society is too quick to assign blame (especially to women) and the lingering stigma surrounding miscarriage is part of that. But I am seeing more and more women speaking openly about their miscarriages and publicly reaching out to each other. It makes me hopeful–that’s how we lift each other up. Thanks, mt. And I know, I’m blown away by Cee. All of this could be a coincidence, but I doubt it. I’m actually grateful that she hasn’t really turned her baby obsession on me. She doesn’t overtly ask me for a sibling, for example, and that’s a relief because then I would feel like I was really letting her down. But I do feel like she understands a lot, and I struggle with how to explain my sadness to her without putting that burden on her. Right now, I’m just trying to let her “play it out” and to give her lots of reassurance that I’m okay and that my love for her is unshakeable. And yes to one day at a time, with firm deadlines for book tasks attached:) I am so sorry for your losses that you have gone through. I have never had a miscarriage myself but i have many friends and family members who have had numerous miscarriages. One of my friends had seen a specialist and learned that she had a uterine septum. It seems this is extremely common and a major reason of infertility or miscarriages and alot of women dont know about it. Its a very easy thing to correct but is time consuming but she had the procedure done and she just welcomes a baby boy right before christmas after getting the procedure done. She said her doctor said that many women who have trouble getting pregnant have this issue and never even know about it since doctors dont usually check for this unless they are specialists. A uterine septum doesnt always affect pregnancies unless the embryo attaches to a certain area in the uterus where there is not enough blood flow to survive. this is a link to some information about it…http://www.center4fertility.com/blog/2013/03/18/what-is-a-uterine-septum-123360 I honestly hope that one day that you and your family have another child and are able to feel complete! You never know but this might help you as well as others reading this blog! Good luck!! and this procedure is covered under insurance! I’m really sorry for you. I went through that too. I share, what helped me. Maybe that helps you too. I always wished for a healthy (!) baby and after each misscariage I was sure that the fetus was’nt healthy and so I had to lose it. I was so sad of course but I didn’t change my wish to ‘just’ having a baby. 2013 a healthy, bautiful little girl was born. I am so grateful. And I am somehow sure, that that happend, had to happen… Fay Dear Alice, thanks for sharing and I am really sorry to read about your miscarriages. I too went through one at 6 weeks and it was quite devastating at the time, especially because it was following fertility treatment and before having had any baby, so you can imagine the blow to our hopes. It was also difficult to share because we had been keeping a low profile about our treatment too. However, once i told a friend, i was so surprised to hear about how many other common acquaintances had been through it as well. But as you say, people don’t share such news. Anyway, i would also like to tell you that i have known several women who suffered more than two miscarriages and nevertheless went on to have more than one kids. I also remember our fertility doctor telling us that in a way my miscarriage was great news because it meant that we could actually get me pregnant. But also that even with the most advanced forms of assisted reproduction, there are factors that we cannot control between fertilisation and a successful pregnancy. I suppose that is what we call ‘luck’ and, unless there are known reasons explaining infertility, it’s only with repeated attempts that we can get lucky. You have proof, your daughter, that you and your husband have what it takes to create and deliver a healthy baby, so hang in there. I wish you all the best for 2014, loads of persistence for finishing writing up the book and i look forward to your resuming writing in your blog more frequently. Yes, I feel lucky that I’m facing this after the birth of Cee and not before. Emotionally, I think it would have been much harder if we were trying for our first, and Cee is a great solace to me. I also find some reassurance in my ability to get pregnant, although the tradeoff of the grief of miscarriage is a big one. It’s impossible not to feel a little hopeful at the beginning of a pregnancy and to be knocked down pretty hard by the loss. Sigh. But so it is. I hope you’re right that we have what it takes. Thanks so much for the support and good wishes! I have been in that dark place of wanting a child and wondering if it can happen. I feel your pain. It worked out for me and I hope it will for you too. I love your blog, which I just found. As a scientist I love the facts and citations!!! Not being in even a life sciences field I couldn’t read this literature and I really appreciate your lay-person-but-not-idiot summaries!! Thank you! I’m glad you found me and that you appreciate the science! I am looking forward to posting more regularly again after finishing the book, so stick with me for a few months, OK? And I’m glad that things worked out for you and your family. It’s so good to hear success stories! I shared your entry on my facebook page and received a lot of good in return. Reconnecting with old friends going through hard times, current friends finding relief that they aren’t alone. Thank you, thank you for this post. Thank you for sharing your story, & I’m truly sorry for your loss. We went through 10+ years ttc through various methods when we found that we were miraculously pregnant w/twins, who are 3 now. Last month we found we were unexpectedly pregnant, only to realize a week ago that there was no heartbeat @ 10 wks….now waiting to miscarry…..so your blog, while I’m sure was incredibly painful to write, was very timely. Thank you again for sharing, & I hope & pray that you get the desire of your heart. I’m so sorry, Donna. So sorry. Sometimes I just wish I could send a real hug across the Internet, because I don’t know what to say. HUG! Motherhood asks so much of us, and sometimes the wanting a child and losing a child part (or even fear of it) are the most heart-wrenching parts, even if our homes are filled with healthy children and our lives consumed with daily tasks of parenting. I’ll be thinking of you and sending you strength. I know it may not help… but I feel your pain. 2012 we started infertility treatments, and in 2013 we went full force with treatment after treatment… month after month… with always failed results. Once they thought I could have miscarried, but it would have been too early to tell for sure. Each month it felt like we lost a child and each time my heart ached more then I can express. In December we had to give up any further infertility treatments as it is no longer covered by my insurance and it is way too expensive for us to pay for it on our own. It was a hard decision and felt like a hug loss all over again. It was compounded by friends having babies and with my job (as a mental health therapist) I was seeing so many women who didn’t want to be mother or very bad ones who were referred by CPS or other services due to their actions. It just made me hurt worse. I still fight daily not to get too sad about things and long to join the mommy club. I just keep praying there will be a way for us before I am too old to really be a good active mommy. I am sorry for your loss and hope Cee will be a comfort to you in this time. Though I do not know you personally, I have felt a certain kinship with you as I followed your blog over the last couple of years. As a fellow mother of a child who is almost three, with a scientific background, your clear, lucid, well-researched posts are so much more my cup of tea than vast majority of parenting information online, where sources are never provided, actual studies are not described, and the same guidelines are repeated time and again, without any explanation of how they were derived, how they weight the relative costs and benefits. Your posts make me feel enlightened and curious to learn more rather than skeptical, irritated, and frankly, infantilized. It was with some sorrow, then, that I wondered why you had been less prolific on your blog over the last year. Was the book you had agreed to write sapping up all your energy and free time? Had something happened to your family? Or had your interests simply wandered from pregnancy, toddlerhood, and nutrition as your daughter grew older? Your post today provided an explanation: over the last year you had experienced three successive miscarriages. I am so terribly, terribly sorry. I am going to try to give you words, even for something for which there really will never be any words, certainly not the right ones. And while I do not presume to know how you personally feel, having had trouble getting pregnant before, I know how awful it can be. How it can make you envy other women’s apparent ease at becoming pregnant. How it can render you incapable of being happy for even your dearest friends as they become pregnant and give birth. How guilty you feel for these feelings, and how inescapable they are. How difficult it is to distract yourself, to focus on the good aspects of your life. And although I do not know this personally, I can imagine how successive miscarriages must be particularly heartbreaking. But my main reason for writing this letter is not to commiserate with you, but to applaud you for taking the time to share your experience, to come forward with something we often keep out of view. Really, it is just downright odd that infertility is something we are not supposed to talk about freely, something revealed only our closest friends, if at all. Fundamentally, it is irrational that your fertility feels tied up with your identity, you worth as a woman, your virility as a man. Or that we fear others will see it that way. For fertility problems are extremely common. 1 in 6 couples are estimated to suffer from impaired fertility. Perhaps, like homosexuality in this country until very recently, because no one talks about it openly, it still feels rare. And although this is anecdotal, I can tell you, that as my network of friends learned we were having trouble conceiving, so many people came forward me to share their stories: a work colleague had had three miscarriages before conceiving her son, another friend’s husband had a low sperm count, another friend from work and her husband were unable to conceive for unknown reasons, another was not ovulating, and so on. Lots and lots of people I knew personally had trouble having a child. In some ways, it was really wonderful to be in on each person’s “secret”. It gave us a point of emotional connection that enhanced our ability to trust each other and eventually expanded our friendships. But the best part of this experience has been that we, and they, are all now blessed with beautiful, healthy, happy children. Which is not to imply that all such problems are surmountable–I know they are not. But I will say this, getting help from true reproductive specialists and not general practitioners really matters. We, and everyone we know, eventually went to specialists, and it made all the difference. For fertility problems, the scientific literature and the diagnostic guidelines lag far behind what most clinics are capable of. This is the result of many systemic issues, lack of training in fertility issues for general practitioners, little government or other sources of funding for fertility research, small sample sizes for clinic-run studies, and poor insurance coverage for many fertility problems. Obviously, this is an extremely personal decision, involving your own risk tolerance (e.g., what hormones might I be willing to take, with what possible future consequences), your financial resources (what kind of help do I need and can I afford; IVF is expensive and seldom reimbursed), and your own comfort level with reproductive assistance. Many people feel reluctant to seek help. All of this is to say, in a very long-winded way, that I really appreciate your post today, and that I would like to leave you with a message of hope. I have seen this sort of thing work out. Please do not feel ashamed of wanting another child or of having trouble having another child, and most importantly do not let that complex mixture of shame and fear that you may feel keep you from seeking out real help. Basic tests are often wrong, and can be downright misleading. I want to echo Amy’s comment above. If you (or anyone) wants to pursue medical support for fertility, it behooves you not only to see a specialist, but also to seek the most-effective reproductive endocrinologists you can. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offer a data clearinghouse with the success rates of clinics that perform assisted reproductive techniques (ART):http://www.cdc.gov/art/ My husband and I wasted more than two heartbreaking years working with the biggest, well-regarded IVF clinic in our city, only to realize later that they have HALF the success rate (measured as live births per cycles attempted) as the smaller-but-best clinic in town. We had to switch doctors in order to successfully produce our twin daughters. Thank you for sharing your story! I’m currently pursuing a PhD in Bioinformatics and am the mother of an 8 month old girl. Your blog always seems to strike a great balance of science and common sense that really appeals to me. I went through a long, drawn out, miscarriage with my first pregnancy in 2012. It felt particularly tough at the time because we weren’t really sharing with anyone that we were trying to have a baby (what with it not being the most acceptable thing for grad students to do). I ultimately wound up with a D&C when the miscarriage did not complete on it’s own after weeks of waiting but we still didn’t share with anyone but our roommates and family (who live a very long way away). It wasn’t until I was pregnant again that we actually told people. And at that point I realized that I regretted that and wished we’d been more open about it. My next pregnancy went better, but I bled for almost 10 weeks, which was very stressful for me because of the similarity to my miscarriage. When the bleeding started I was sure the pregnancy was a loss again. The nurse who answered my call to my OB’s office told me to go home and wait to lose the baby. I’m always the calm, rational scientist but I was absolutely beside myself for those days of waiting. By the time we finally got to go see a (different) nurse at the practice in person I was crying so hard I could hardly talk trying to explain what was going on. Ultimately blood tests and ultrasounds demonstrated that the pregnancy was viable but I remained at a higher than usual risk of miscarriage. Those 10 weeks of bleeding were some of the most anxiety filled of my entire life. We’re starting to discuss when to have our second child now and while I’m thrilled at the idea of having another baby, the thought of dealing with miscarriage again definitely gives me pause. If you have any interest in additional reading material, I highly recommend the book Coming to Term (http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Term-Uncovering-Truth-Miscarriage/dp/0813540534/). It’s a good look at what we know (from a scientific standpoint) about miscarriage, written for a lay audience. It’s getting a bit old and the evidence for some of the stuff he discusses has changed a bit, but overall I think it’s a solid read for those who are interested in the scientific side of things. I don’t know that it made me feel better about the miscarriage exactly, but it gave me a lot of insight into how OBs approach miscarriage that really helped me feel comfortable with my care during my second pregnancy. I blog completely anonymously simply because I can’t discuss my miscarriages with my family or friends 😦 Online I have found so much support and encouragement, and the very act of writing things down seems to clear my mind. I am so sorry for what you have been through. My 4 year old says my baby turned into a butterfly and flew away – it breaks my heart when he says it. They are wise beyond their years. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2014 X This is a brave and candid post that will certainly bring a level of comfort to other women. It is true to the spirit and mission of your blog that you are breaking the silence associated with part of reproduction that, while tragic, is actually quite common. I have just recently discovered your blog and think the premise is outstanding. It’s both engaging and incredibly useful to readers. Alice, like so many others, I want to thank you for sharing your experience here. It has been very powerful and comforting for me to read your words. 2013 was a year of sadness and frustration on the fertility front for us as well. Like you, I have a 3 year old who is the light of my life. But, like you, I still feel our little family is not quite complete for reasons that sometimes are mysterious to me. As 2014 starts I’m working on remaining hopeful, while also trying to accept that this is something that is largely out of my control. Perhaps, one day, I’ll be brave enough to share my experiences on my own blog. I have found that when I open up about this with friends or family, I find so many others who have had their own experiences with infertility and through these conversations (and your writing) I feel less alone. Wishing you a peaceful 2014 full of blessings. Best, Heidi Dear Heidi ~ Thanks so much for commenting, and I’m sorry to hear that you’re experiencing similar frustration and sadness. It’s really hard, but posting this, and reading all of these comments, has definitely helped me to feel less alone. I’ve decided that this is one of the most helpful things to me – just to reach out to others and have them reach back, and to know that we all have our struggles. Lots of love, peace, and maybe a little luck:) to you and your family this coming year! I’m sorry for your losses. My mother and grandmother both had miscarriages. My aunt had so many that she didn’t even tell her mom she was pregnant until she well into her 5th month with her daughter. Therefore my husband and I are very grateful for our little 2 month old, especially because he was conceived on the first try with IVF. That same procedure means little K had, very briefly, a twin. The other heartbreaking part is that we wouldn’t have been able to afford the IVF if my mother hadn’t died and left us some insurance money. I suspect Mom would consider that a fair trade, but i can’t let myself think about it much… Thank heavens for the sweet children we do have and for friends and family when something goes wrong I know depression and lost hopes are debilitating, so I thought I would share this with you. I work in a large engineering firm, and most of my collegues are nerds. Three of the young men have had their first baby this year, and I directed all three to your blog. One of them (with a 3 week old) came to me this morning and said “Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is hte first thing I have seen that isn’t fluff and ‘I feel’. I stayed up all night reading that blog, especially the studies about infant sleep! I’M NOT ALONE!!!” Your research based reporting is making a huge difference 🙂 Maggie, thank you SO much for sharing this story. It really makes me feel good about the work I’m putting into my book to get feedback like this. And I love that fathers are finding my blog useful! I’m purposefully trying to write my book so that it will appeal to dads as well as moms, so this is encouraging to hear. I saw your comment first thing this morning and it definitely gave me a boost in my work today, so thank you! Thanks so much for sharing your story. My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at 12 weeks (a horrible first ultrasound…) and we went on to have 2 kids (and a good number of additional miscarriages as well). Because of really bad nausea, most of my pregnancies were quite public early, and so were their end. It was hard to face the work but it was also a relief not to have to pretend all was well. Best of luck. It happens much more often than we think and should be viewed as a natural part of having kids, You are courageous to shared your life so openly and freely with the world at large. Thank you for a great blog and heartfelt insight into miscarriage. Good luck on the book and hopefully the darkness will reveal the light soon. Im so sorry to read about you rough year – I myself had a miscarriage many years ago – it didnt hit me till 6 months later when i found myself sobbing for what seemed no reason. when my husband asked me what was wrong – suddenly i knew – and i shouted “I really wanted that baby” My thoughts go out to you Thank you so much for sharing. Our 2013s mirror each other in a startling way. I too had a missed miscarriage followed by two early losses (both chemical pregnancies). Three back-to-back losses rock you to your core. A few things are helping me to slowly make my way back to a place where, as a book I recently read stated, I can actually face the grief of what happened head on. The first has been my faith – I know that is something that looks different for everyone. But the second was switching from working with my OB to a reproductive endocrinologist. My OB did a fairly thorough job with recurrent pregnancy loss testing, but I wasn’t 100% comfortable with the level of monitoring they proposed for their treatment plan. The reproductive endocrinologist offers a lot more hand-holding in both the getting pregnant process and the first trimester. If you have time while writing, you may want to investigate the TLC method for treating recurrent loss. Several studies have shown marked improvement in the rate of live births for women who have had recurrent losses and are given extra care by their providers in early pregnancy. Hi KT – Thanks for writing. I’m sorry that you’ve been going through this as well. Those losses do take a serious toll, and it is good to recognize that. I’ve heard from others that switching to an RE really helped them as well, and we will definitely consider that. How interesting that TLC helps with recurrent pregnancy loss! There is so much we don’t understand about all of this. Good luck this year:) Thank you for sharing. I’ve thought about you since reading your blog last year and I’ve wondered how you are doing. I have found your blogs so incredibly informative and helpful. Cee sounds like such a sweetheart and you are lucky to have such a wonderful family! I look forward to your book coming out and wishing you the best! Thank you for sharing this courageous post. I miscarried last year and a year later my sister miscarried on the day my baby was born (quite cruel). I don’t think it was shame that made us both shrink a bit inside, but true sadness. A sadness that is hard to explain, but so palpable it rises in my throat as I read your experience and every day when I think how my sister has her own unique sadness. I am a believer that writing is very therapeutic, so whether it be on this blog, your book, or a private journal – encourage yourself to write about it. Oh, that sounds hard! It is difficult to watch the families of your friends and family grow while you wait and hope and wonder if it will ever happen for you. I should also say that there isn’t shame in what I feel; it’s more of a societal assumption that that’s what I should feel. Mainly it’s sadness, and I do think that’s part of the quiet around miscarriage too. Best wishes to both you and your sister. Wow……What a year you have had. I can’t imagine this grief you are experiencing.Women don’t talk enough about miscarriages, but when it is brought up so many women have a story about it. Thankyou for sharing yours 🙂 I just found your blog and I’m so glad I did – for two reasons. First, my daughter was stillborn at 23 weeks in June 2013 so ending the year was bittersweet for me as well. I had a subsequent early miscarriage and now I’m 26 weeks pregnant. I have no living children and I’m so afraid of losing this one too. As much as I wish this only happened to me because I don’t want anyone else to have gone through it – it’s good to know I’m not alone. Writing has been very helpful in my grief journey. I write about stillbirth, grief, and pregnancy after loss at http://rememberingada.wordpress.com/ Second, I’m a scientist and I’ve noticed a real lack of science-based information on pregnancy, birth, and parenting. I’m looking forward to reading your articles on those topics. My expertise is plant breeding and genetic engineering, which I write about at http://biofortified.org/ So nice to meet you, Anastasia. I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your daughter, and I hope that your pregnancy is going well. I will check out your personal blog, and I already know that the Biofortified site is very useful! Alice, I’m a long time reader, first time commenter. I am so truly sorry to hear about your awful year. Thank you for sharing your story. I cannot imagine what it’s like to go through what you’ve suffered and my heart goes out to you. You made and carried Miss Cee without a hitch, why can’t the body work like it did before? I don’t feel like there’s anything I can say to make things better for you, except to add that my best friend had eight miscarriages over about eighteen months between a healthy daughter and a healthy son. They (her, her husband and their medical team) don’t know how or why, but the toll on her body and heart was devastating. All she knew was that she wanted to keep trying and eventually her baby boy ’stuck’. I wish for you all the good things in the world that it takes to add to your beautiful family. (That sounded clunky, but I don’t know another way to put it!.) Thank you so much for this wonderful resource and all the best with finishing your book. You are a treasure! First, I am new to your blog and I appreciate it. Thank you for applying your scientific expertise to sifting through the monumental heap of parenting views and lifting up meaningful information. I look forward to reading your book, and your blog if/when you have time and energy to take it up again. Second, thank you for sharing your personal story of pregnancy loss here. Something like 1 in 8 US couples struggle with infertility and many feel isolated and alone, lacking knowledgeable or empathetic resources to help deal with it. My husband and I struggled more than 7 years before our twin girls were delivered, and it’s important to me to make my story accessible to other women who may be in the same painful predicament. I blogged about infertility, both as a journal exercise and also as a freely-given lifeline to other struggling couples. I appreciate that you’ve done that here, too. Domar observed that infertility is profoundly linked to stress and depression. Further, stress and depression suppress reproductive function. What she finds next is powerful and hopeful: social support (either in a group setting or individually) and mind-body techniques like yoga and meditation, demonstrably improve reproductive function. More importantly, with or without another pregnancy, they are effective ways to be happier and healthier. For me, a support group led me to a wonderful social worker who specializes in women’s reproductive issues and a half dozen “fertility buddy” girlfriends, which have been invaluable. You may already be plugged in with good fertility support resources. But in case you’re not, it looks like Resolve (the national nonprofit infertility support and advocacy organization) has both peer and professional resources in Oregon. Maybe someone is near you:http://www.resolve.org/support-and-services/support-group/oregon-support-groups.html Either way, I hope you can enjoy similar support as you continue your family-building journey. I just reread what I wrote above and wish to clarify one point. Dr. Domar found that struggling to conceive *causes* profound stress and depression, which *in turn* suppresses fertility, in an ugly vicious cycle. I hope it didn’t sound like I was diagnosing or blaming the (unknown) cause of your struggle. Sorry! Hi Robin, I understood what you meant. Thanks for the lovely comment, book recommendation, and sound advice. I feel like both my mind and body have been taken hostage by infertility, and I’m working on taking them back:) Yoga is a big part of that for me right now. A support group would be wonderful, once I finish this book:) Hi there Ms. Callahan, I was recommended to your page on digestion of starches in infancy and was really glad to read it. Then I clicked on the homepage and said, “I’ll be danged, I think that’s the ridgeline trail! I don’t think that’s Spencer’s…” Well, you can tell me for sure but either way, say ‘Hi’ to my hometown for me. 🙂 I’m so sorry to hear about your losses. I’ve had at least one myself, and it took IVF to get pregnant a second time. Luckily that time took, and like you I’m worried about being able to make a second happen. All my wishes are with you for your family to grow as you deeply desire it to–I know that we don’t always get our wishes but if hoping helps make that happen, please add my hopes to yours. I am a late comer. I got hooked to your blog after reading the series about sleep because I am currently trying to get my 3 1/2 month old to sleep better. This post was so honest and open and so makes me empathize. Wanting and not being able to have children was the hardest trial of my life. I am thankful for IVF which made my daughter possible. I hope you find some solace in all the other mothers that have experienced similar things. Wishing you a future healthy pregnancy and all the other wonderful things you deserve this year. Thank you for your bravery and openness. I just spoke with a dear friend yesterday about her miscarriage and your discussion of the shame and rawness affects so many women I know. Sharing your story helps others feel less alone. Today is my first day on WordPress in probably years, but I just felt the need to stop by. This blog was my first stop completely by “accident”, or maybe not. After giving birth to three beautiful healthy children, my lovely wife lost 2 in 2 years almost to the date. Both were missed miscarriages, one at 14 weeks and another at 17 weeks. My wife experienced the hardship of carrying this little one for weeks after the miscarriage. It’s something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I’m so glad that you courageous ladies are out here talking about this, and I’ll be sure to pass this on to my life-partner. I truly hope more people will start embracing these not so easy topics, because the pain is all too real, and no one should go through these tragedies alone. Trackbacks & Pingbacks Welcome! Welcome! I'm the author of The Science of Mom: A Research-Based Guide to Your Baby's First Year, published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2015. I write about science, health, parenting, and nutrition here and for other print and online outlets. Find more about me at my website: https://alicecallahanphd.com/ Search Science of Mom Search Never Miss a Post! Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

RESIDENTS Michael Hardt is the new chronicler! MICHAEL HARDT May 12, 2014 Michael Hardt, one of the most influential thinkers of our time, and well known for his works on globalization, politics and cultural theory, will be the next guest of Boğaziçi Chronicles between 12th and 28th of May. Hardt will make a public talk titled “where have all the leaders gone?” on the 21th of May. Then on the 25th, he will come together with students in a panel-forum on the South Campus of Boğaziçi University to discuss alternative movements and the Gezi uprisings. Hardt describes his participation at Boğaziçi Chronicles as: “I am excited to participate in the Boğaziçi Chronicles project, in part, because of the dynamic intellectual atmosphere at Boğaziçi University. I have met and had wonderful interactions with several students and professors from the University. In addition, I look forward to learning more during my residency about the current social movements in Istanbul including the variety of forces that coalesced at Gezi Park last summer." The abstract of his talk on the 21st:Where have all the leaders gone?From 2011 to 2013 erupted a cycle of “leaderless” movements, which have proven able to pose democratic ideals, sometimes to force reforms, and to pressure and even overthrow regimes, but they tend to last briefly and often seem unable to create a lasting social transformation. Where are the new Martin Luther Kings, Rudi Dutschkes, Patrice Lumumbas, and Steven Bikos? Is the Left no longer capable of producing leaders? Or have the challenges to authority, undemocratic structures, and centralized decision-making, along with the critique of representation and the mandate against speaking in the name of others made Left politics incompatible with leadership? And, if so, is this incompatibility a weakness or a strength of the Left today?Many discussions today in the movements (and the Left as a whole) make it seem as though we are faced with an alternative: either create something beautiful, democratic, and horizontal but that doesn’t last and is ineffective or be satisfied with a hierarchical leadership structure and traditional organizational form that betray our democratic aspirations (which itself will be ineffective because it will inevitably lack mass support). Neither of these alternatives is, in fact, really a solution to our dilemma and this is not really even the problem we face today, but it is the point of departure of Hardt’s lecture.(please note that the entrance will be free of charge but due to the limited number of seats, coupons are provided; coupons will be accesible from the Public Relations Office on the 16th and 20th of May as well as the day of the talk. T: 0212 359 6703/6609)

The Lovereading4Kids comment July 2016 Book of the Month | In a nutshell : aliens invade Bromley The follow-up to David Solomon’s prize-winning sci-fi comedy My Brother is a Superhero delivers just as much in the way of tension, adventure and laughs. Still resentful of his now superhero big brother, Luke inadvertently gets his own back by revealing that sulky teen Cara is the kryptonite to Zack’s Superman. Unfortunately, this plays into the hands of aliens intent on invading Earth and forcing its inhabitants to watch reality TV for the rest of time. The action is as fast and funny as ever, and the in-jokes possibly even better. Young readers will love this and parents, it would make the perfect bedtime read – some of those jokes are too good just for the young! The Editor at Nosy Crow says: “My Brother is a Superhero set the bar high, but this sequel does not fall short – it’s just as crammed with laughs, adventure, wit and emotional depth. And Serge. Magnifique!” Reader Reviews Some of our Lovereading4kids Reader Review Panel were lucky enough to read and review the first in this series, My Brother is a Superhero. You can read their full reviews by clicking here. Nicholas Butler, age 9 - 'My Brother Is a Superhero is a really exciting book, really funny and packed with outstanding vocabulary.' Joseph Harris-Hart, age 13 -'A book definitely for children who like superheroes with a bit of witty banter throughout the story.' Joshua Zinkin, age 10 - 'This book truly deserves a 10/10 and I would really like it if there was another one in the series.' Isaac, age 11 - 'This book was one of the best I've read in Lovereading. It had everything an imaginative child would want.' Alex Crisp, age 9 - 'As I really love superheroes, this book especially appealed to me, but I think other people would enjoy it even if they don't know much about superheroes.' Tomasz Hawryszczuk, age 9 - 'It was hard to put down as there was so much suspense and excitement that I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.' Calum, age 11 - 'I rate this book a 5/5 because it hooks you in and then keeps you in another world. I was so addicted to it that my mum had to make me put it down.' Ross Dawson, age 11 - 'This is a marvellous comic lovers' adventure story. If you enjoy a good cliffhanger, then this is the book for you!' Rohan Delamere, age 9 - 'An epic book about a boy called Luke who has to save his brother - who happens to be a superhero!' Charlotte Rosevear, age 11 - 'I think this is an amazing book and would recommend it to anyone.' Alexander Bisland, age 9 - 'I recommend this book to 10+ superhero fans who love adventure books. I give this book a green, I mean red, I mean great 101/100!' Danny Belton, age 9 - 'I loved this book and I also loved the way that the author carried on with the story line.' Synopsis My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord by David Solomons Sequel to the bestselling My Brother is a Superhero - over 47,000 copies sold to date! David Solomons is a meteroic new voice in children's fiction - perfect for fans of Frank Cottrell Boyce. Zack and Lara have superpowers. Luke has new school shoes and a burning sense of resentment. He KNOWS that aliens disguised as gym teachers are about to attack Earth but will anyone listen? No. So one dodgy pact with a self-styled supervillain later, and Luke is ready to save the world. He just needs to find his trainers... About the Author David Solomons has been writing screenplays for many years. His first feature film was an adaptation of 'Five Children and It' (starring Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Izzard, with gala screenings at the Toronto and Tribeca Film Festivals). My Brother is a Superhero is his first novel for children. He was born in Glasgow and now lives in Dorset with his wife, the novelist Natasha Solomons, and their son, Luke.

Yes, Tutor.com is great when you need some help with homework but it is so much more. Get help with resumes, test prep, GED, essays, science projects and the list goes on. Live tutors are available from 3:00pm to 11:00pm daily, other site resources are available 24/7. Hold Still Hold Still, is one of the South Carolina Young Adult Book Nominees. It's is a book about a girl named Caitlin, who is struggling to recover losing her best friend, Ingrid, to suicide. She find's Ingrid's journal, and she reads it everyday. She doesn't realize it at first, but Ingrid's journal, full of notes to other people, telling them she thinks she's ugly, she's not worth anything, slowly, somehow gives her hope to overcome the loss. I will warn you, its a book that will make you cry. Normally I don't like these kinds of books, but this one opened my eyes to a suicide minded girl's view on life. I don't know how else to express it. But if you really hate books that make you cry, stay away. Truthfully, when I first picked this up, and read the excerpt on the back, it really didn't seem all that great. But I picked it up anyways, and I loved it. It's really sad, but all in all, I'm happy I picked it up. It really showed me a different perspective, and that's why I read books, to get another person's perspective, whether it be fictional or not. Hope you pick this book up, and enjoy it, and get out what I got out of it!

Generally, as one of the youngest persons in the room in a culture that respects the gravitas of age, I am honored when provided the floor to speak. So, for an African American woman who grew up in one of the most dangerous communities on the south side of Chicago, to have earned a Ph. D, authored two books, edited one, managed two political campaigns, maintained a tenure-track teaching position, organized faith-based community action work, and now pastoring a local congregation while pursuing a fourth degree, all before turning 36, I was satisfied in this conversation with just knowing I am signee #523. And yes, auto correct thought my first name was more accurately ended in “ie” rather than ‘y,’ and even changed my “signature” there. However, all laurels aside, when we look at the growing number of 1,400-plus women from various walks of life, some whose names we can rattle off from Ebony, People, and US magazines chronicling their lives to others whose works speaks more volumes in an eight-block radius for the aid and comfort she provides to sexual assault survivors, I must stand up and declare: “Women of color community and faith-based leaders are not divided when it comes to the resounding critique of re-aligning the agenda of the president’s White House Initiative, My Brother’s Keeper” (MBK). Thirty-plus women whose names may be popularly recognizable and heralded by staff of the White House, who tapped them to craft a letter of support a week after the original critique and request pales in response to the hundreds of women and men leaders who recognize the present and foreseeable detriment that MBK will have in our communities if carried forward without serious reconstruction. From “high-level” positions, to on-the-ground community activists, nearly 2,000 women and men in our communities recognize how we will collectively suffer if girls and women of color are not included in MBK. Let’s be clear, none in this number either believe or propose that President Barack Obama is incorrect in stating: “The plain fact is there are some Americans who in the aggregate are consistently doing worse in our society, groups that have had the odds stacked against them in unique ways that require unique solutions, groups who’ve seen fewer opportunity that have spanned generations… We’ve become numb to the statistics. We’re not surprised by them, we take them as the norm. We just assume this is an inevitable part of American life instead of the outrage that it is.” However, to purport that those aggregate numbers do not include women and girls of color who likewise systemically have the odds stacked against them and need unique solutions to bring them out of a normalized reality of despair in American society, is an erroneous failure from the presidential platform. Such a failure leaves White House leadership playing the Oppression Olympics, inappropriately and egregiously arguing over who is more endangered than the next. This is a poor attempt to salvage a “good intentions narrative” as opposed to admitting that many roads to hell were paved with good intentions. I will not participate in the Oppression Olympics, but will present data that contextualizes the experiences of Black women in the United States. To be clear on a second critical argument in this discussion, baited supporters of MBK argue that the president is not ignoring women and girls of color because they were ubiquitously included in The White House Council on Women and Girls. Yes, in 2014, women scholars and activists of color are still educating popular leadership on the definition and impact of intersectionality. I refuse to stand on a soapbox, but encourage people to do the research as the historical and present evidence remains: when initiatives particularly focus on females in general, White women are the primary benefactors (i.e. the Suffragist Movement, or gender equity in education and the workplace) leaving a trickle down effect for women and girls of color. Likewise, as we are witnessing in this moment, when initiatives have a racialized focus, males of color primarily benefit, leaving women of color to double their efforts for equitable restitution. Throughout the public discourse around MBK and #Whywecantwait, the need to include girls and women of color, supporters of an exclusively male focus for MBK liken Black males to miner’s canaries sounding the alarm of danger for life in the mines. Fine, as one reads in our letter, the 1,400-plus signees do not argue with seeing Black males as canaries in this metaphor. What is a problem is to believe that if we focus on giving the canaries gasmasks (mentors) in order to better navigate the mines, then all will be fine. Those of us who critique the current direction of MBK recognize that the real problem is the mine itself; we must come to the realization that the mine does not provide suitable and sustainable life for anyone, not just the metaphoric canaries. Black males have been victimized by institutional structures of oppression, but their victimization happens along with black female victimization—a victimization most often compounded by their male counterparts. Thus, to tell women of color to wait while initiatives are designed to save and redeem males of color is to keep playing a scratched and warped 45 record of men first that dates back to abolition, suffrage, worker’s compensation and unionization, to civil rights. This played out track of waiting is what has us collectively in disparaging structures of oppression today. As stated earlier, not only am I scholar, but I am also a clergywoman. I state this not to be applauded, but to re-contextualize this media conversation that is problematically elevating some community and clergywomen, because they have more recognizable names. This pseudo “divide” leaves me reflecting on Martha’s misguided assessment of her sister Mary when Jesus came to stay with them. Martha, content with the cultural structure, cherished and took pride in her gendered role of holding down the domestic sphere while the men of the community were taught and trained in the ways of salvation. She, however, took issue and attempted to garner support from Jesus in condemning her sister Mary, who in that moment chose not to serve lentils and Challah while the men were intellectually and spiritually fed and cared for, but demanded the same care for herself. As #523 among 1,400-plus, I stand with the Marys who demand to be in the salvation conversation that’s happening right now in our house, “for we have chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from [us]” (Luke 10:42). Stephany Rose is author of “Abolishing White Masculinity from Mark Twain to Hiphop.” She is an assistant professor of Women’s and Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church of Colorado Springs. Frost Facebook Fans Stay connected with Frost email updates! Fort Wayne—The scene was frantic last week as scores of residents found themselves forced to leave their homes at Baldwin Creek Apartments. On June 11, residents were informed that they had just hours to grab any essentials and evacuate the premises due to unfit living conditions caused by raw sewage backup in basements of several […] In the video below, Barry Minniefield delivers a strong blind-audition take on “Me and Mrs. Jones” on The Voice on March 2. Scroll down to see an interview with Barry about his audition, landing on Team Adam and the road ahead. Click here to read more. . Watch the interview with Barry about his audition, […]

Top 100 weird pet names of 2013 ByDogTime With a database of almost half a million pet names, VPI Pet Insurance took a look and selected the top 50 strangest monikers for dogs and 50 for cats. So, if you’re tired of common pet names, such as Spot, Fido, Bella, and others, you might find the ideal title listed below. Just think how you’d be the envy of the neighborhood when you proudly call your pooch, “Night Panda,” or your feline, “Inspector Gadget:”

Education Download My Curriculum Vitae Research Interest/Specialty My lab focuses on the role of Activator of G-protein Signaling, a family of accessory proteins, in renal epithelial cell repair. Upon injury to the kidney by biological insults (eg. ischemia-reperfusion injury or chemicals) or genetic damage, the renal epithelial cells undergo a well orchestrated set of steps to initiate repair of the damaged cells. Due to the importance of G-proteins in this process, our lab has identified novel accessory proteins that can control the activation/inactivation of specific G-protein subunits, specifically AGS3 or GPSM1, to mediate this reparative response in mouse models of renal injury. At this time, we have discovered that AGS3 can play a critical role in the repair of the renal epithelial cell following ischemia-reperfusion injury. In the absence of AGS3, the renal epithelial cells are unable to fully recover from the ischemia-reperfusion related damage to the kidney. Subsequently, we discovered that AGS3 is abnormally expressed in mouse models of polycystic kidney disease, which can be a system to evaluate "futile" repair mechanisms, since the genetic mutations do not allow the kidney to return back to normal and lead to the formation of renal cysts. In these models, the loss of AGS3 resulted in exacerbated cystic disease progression. Because of these initial findings regarding the role of AGS proteins in the kidney, our lab is now studying the role of other AGS proteins and how their expression profiles relate to the repair of the renal epithelial cells in the kidney.

Riding horses was not fun for the Star of Bonanza. From the book Hollywood... more » Riding horses was not fun for the Star of Bonanza. From the book Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes About the Stars and Legends of the Movies! (9780963897275). Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon or wherever books are sold. http://www.hollywoodstories.com « less

Earthquake? Well we get them in England occasionally. The nearest geological fault is in Iceland (Italy being slightly further away, but only just) What I want to know is why is it that whenever I empty out the washing up bowl there is always a teaspoon in it? Yes! Even after I swish my hand around at the bottom to make sure I got everything, I dump and low and behold, but the magic teaspoon has come to visit. Some of my personal mysteries: 1) Where the heck did my glass pie pan go? It's never been out of this house, so where could it be?2) Why do I have no paper clips, bobby pins, or lighters when I need just one of those items? For instance, I don't need a lighter, but I'll find dozens of paper clips, or I don't need a paper clip, but I find dozens of bobby pins. And whose bobby pins are these? I've never bought light-colored brass bobbies, or hot pink ones, what is going on?3) How did I get such a monstrous stack of dirty dishes in my sink? (Haha, oh wait, no mystery, just laziness ) I think I remember about 4 quakes in my life though - and ususally they start with a big BOOM -- crazy There was one in central Georgia when I was a child...a huge boom (we were visiting friends of my folks and the adults thought that us kids had done something to make the sound...it was like furniture being thrown around. They swore it was us until Dad read in the paper the next day that there was a small earthquake. You'd have thought the geologists would have known it wasn't the poor children (Daddy and his friends were both geo profs) Where did that wooden spoon with the funky handle come from? I've asked people that have brought dishes over to my house in the past and no one has claimed it. On that note...Where did the ginormous wooden handle butcher knife come from? It doesn't belong to my set of knives and none of my extended family of friends will claim it. Also, where do all my spoons and forks go? and why do I keep finding extra butter knives and shrimp forks that don't match my pattern? and where did my favorite colander disappear to for over six months and then one day I just find it sitting on my counter? Logged Meditate. Live purely. Quiet the mind. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine. ---Gautama Buddah I was sitting at a fast food resterant today. All of a sudden the tables started shaking? earthquake? in Ohio? maybe? I don't see why not. We get them in Florida (though infrequently, I think the last one I remember was 2006 or so) and we do get minor tremors every once in awhile from earthquakes in the Gulf or near the Carribean Islands. Though I found most people don't notice them or think it is from airplanes, trains or shuttles going off/NASA testing/Airforce testing etc. Logged Meditate. Live purely. Quiet the mind. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine. ---Gautama Buddah I think I remember about 4 quakes in my life though - and ususally they start with a big BOOM -- crazy There was one in central Georgia when I was a child...a huge boom (we were visiting friends of my folks and the adults thought that us kids had done something to make the sound...it was like furniture being thrown around. They swore it was us until Dad read in the paper the next day that there was a small earthquake. You'd have thought the geologists would have known it wasn't the poor children (Daddy and his friends were both geo profs) Charleston, SC was stuck by an earthquake in the 1800's sometime that was so strong, it set bells off in Boston. I saw an episode on "It Can Happen Tomorrow" in which a similar earthquake roared through today. 30 years ago, I came home from school on a particularly warm day. I'd had gym class last period and was still in my gym clothes. I was hot, sweaty, and tired. I went through the house, straight to the porch, where I took off my glasses and set them on a railing (INSIDE the screened-in porch, not outside), then opened the screen door, walked straight to the pool and jumped in, clothes and all. I used to have a set of metal bookshelves in my bedroom (the kind people usually keep in basements or garages, with nothing to close in the back or sides). We had no pets at the time. Every night I would take my glasses off and set them on the second shelf next to my alarm clock, near the front edge of the shelf. On two different occasions I woke up in the morning, unable to find my glasses. In both cases they were found along the wall, as though someone had knocked them down the back of the shelves.

Ernest & Celestine Check Availability Deep below snowy, cobblestone streets, tucked away in networks of winding subterranean tunnels, lives a civilization of hardworking mice, terrified of the bears who live above ground. Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer, and when she nearly ends up as breakfast for ursine troubadour Ernest, the two form an unlikely bond 1 videodisc (80 min.) : sound, color ; Jack Ryan :Shadow Recruit / Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions present a Lorenzo di Bonaventura/Mace Neufeld production ; produced by Mace Neufeld [and three others] ; written by Adam Cozad and David Koepp ; directed by Kenneth BranaghCheck Availability After serving in Afghanistan, a young Jack Ryan becomes an analyst in the Financial Intelligence Unit of the CIA under the guardianship of his handler, Harper. When Ryan believes he's uncovered a Russian plot to collapse the United States economy, he goes from analyst to spy, fighting to save his own life and those of countless others. Meanwhile, he ... 1 videodisc (105 min.) : sound, color ; isbn:1415776865 The Lego movie / Warner Bros. Pictures presents ; in association with Village Roadshow Pictures ; in association with Lego Systems A/S ; a Vertigo Entertainment/Lin Picutres production ; animation co-director, Chris McKay ; story by Dan Hageman & Kevin Hageman and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller ; screenplay by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller ; produced by Dan Lin, Roy Lee ; directed by Phil Lord & Christopher MillerCheck Availability Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared 1 videodisc (101 min.) : sound, color ; Lone survivor / Universal Pictures and Emmett/Furla Films present ; produced by Peter Berg [and eight others] ; written and directed by Peter BergCheck Availability The story of four Navy SEALs sent on an ill-fated covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative. They are ambushed by enemy forces in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Based on The New York Times bestseller 1 Blu-ray disc (122 min.) : sound, color ; The Past / produced by Alexandre Mallet-Guy ; written and directed by Asghar Farhadi.Check Availability When Ahmad returns to Paris from the Middle East to finalize his divorce, he discovers troubling secrets behind his wife's request to end their marriage. 1 videodiscs (130 min.) : sound, color ; isbn:6315358497 The Purge / a Universal (in U.S./U.K.) release and presentation of a Platinum Dunes, Blumhouse, Why Not production ; produced by Jason Blum, Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller, Sebastien Lemercier ; written and directed by James DeMonaco.Check Availability On the evening of the yearly Purge, when all crime is legal for 12 hours, a family within a heavily secured house finds themselves under attack from a group of strangers. 1 videodiscs (86 min.) : sound, color ; isbn:6315150616 RoboCop (2014) / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures present a Strike Entertainment production ; produced by Marc Abraham, Eric Newman ; written by Joshua Zetumer and Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner ; directed by José PadilhaCheck Availability The year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. When Alex Murphy, a loving husband, father, and good cop, is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, ... 1 videodisc (117 min.) : sound, color ;

FLYERS SPARKPLUG Danny Briere, a former Sabre, this week called Ryan Miller the league's best goalie. Peter Laviolette, Briere's coach, made sure to note that Miller wasn't the league's only good goalie. Last night, Briere's analysis looked more accurate than his boss'. Miller, by far the brightest star on a team without many, logged his second shutout in 41 playoff games. He stopped all 35 Flyers shots in Buffalo's 1-0 win in the first game of the teams' Eastern Conference quarterfinal. "Their goaltender played well tonight," allowed Laviolette. "Miller made some great saves," offered Briere, himself denied by Miller three times. Miller was focused and healthy earning a silver medal and the tournament MVP at the Winter Olympics last year. He was focused and healthy as he won the Vezina Trophy in his All-Star campaign of 2009-2010. Last night, Miller endured a suffocating second period that included a five-on-three kill and a point-blank shot from Flyers assassin Jeff Carter. "He was locked in," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff was not certain Miller would be sharp, or just rusty. As this season waned, Miller missed four games with an upper-body injury. He then played only parts of the last two games simply to resharpen his skills. It worked. "I told myself, no matter what happened out there, I was going to stay contained and cool," Miller said, dead-eyed. He didn't seem cool or contained when Flyers captain Mike Richards took a shot at Mike Weber in Miller's crease 4 minutes into the game. After Weber retaliated, Miller, 6-2 and Ichabod-slim at 175 pounds, took a swipe at Richards himself. "I think it did" set a tone, Ruff said. "We said we were not going to allow them near our paint."

Ars Technica - Games for Windows Live is a broken mess and I hate it.Microsoft wants to be a part of my living room, and they are. But if the company also wants to butt into my PC gaming and require this login, it needs to find a way to allow me to use my account on different devices at the same time. Heck, if you spend the money on two Xbox 360 systems, you can't use the same account on both; you have to move it with a USB stick or recover the account whenever you move between systems. I understand that if you want to play on both systems online at the same time, Microsoft wants you to have two accounts, but if I want to have two systems in different rooms they don't want me to switch back and forth in a convenient fashion? Really lame.

Yesterday we went to our first Craft Fair of the year at Little Downham near Ely. The organisers are Funky Fayres and Events Ely. It was a full hall, with an Easter theme, including an Easter egg hunt for the children. The little ones had a wonderful time, one little girl enjoying it so much that having collected a bag of chocolate eggs, she went round and hid them again, purely for the joy of finding them again We have a completely new set up for this year, with a polka dot tablecloth and our custom made banner. Our buttons are now hanging on the two carousel stands, sorted into large focal ones on one stand, and sets of buttons on the other. We had several pieces made especially for Mother's Day, including necklace and earring sets.As always, the fellow crafters were friendly and supportive, the food was lovely (I can recommend the jacket potato), also the hot chocolate with marshmallows.It was a good start to the year. Next fair is in two weeks time on 5th April at Downham Market Town Hall. Hope to see you there! Happy St David's day! Spring is outside my window today. The daffs are in bud and the sun is shining. This week's cane has been my favourite so far - a cat cane ! Here's the cane and its slices on the left, and on the right is what was made with it. Today I've been busy making the slices into hair barrettes, buttons, earrings, a necklace and cuff-links. I loved making this cane and will definitely make more in different colours. Esme was our beloved tortoiseshell cat. She was 16 1/2 when she died. She'd been a member of our family from 8 weeks old. When I started the business, the name came to me straightaway. I feel her spirit is here with me guiding my creativity ♥ Esme's Buttons is a registered member of the Professional Crafters Guild

Comprehensive analysis of home decoration Feng Shui 2019-05-09 14:04:49 Home Furnishing Feng Shui is like a complicated and huge machine. It can be controlled by interlocking and constantly changing. Some of the materials collected today are based on a simple and practical perspective, to give you an introduction to Feng Shui. Room Feng Shui: room orientation A good room feng shui is nothing more than having a spacious, airy, sunny room, and the room orientation plays a decisive role for this. Generally, the northern hemisphere houses are facing south, which can make the sunshine time the longest and the room air light is the best. Room Feng Shui: House configuration House configuration: door The gate is the total import and export of a house, and the door of each room is also a small entrance and exit. The door is suffocating, and the importance is self-evident. All good and bad are determined by it. The shape of the door should not be skewed and the height is different. The stairs should not be straight to the door, and the door should coordinate with the room. House configuration: stove The stove is an important financial position for the family. When you enter the gate, you can't see the stove at a glance, otherwise the fortune can't be hidden. The stove can't be opposite to the toilet, and it is easy to get sick. The stove symbolizes the fire. If it is in a straight line with the sink, it will be a taboo for water and fire, which will lead to family misfortune. House configuration: master bedroom The master bedroom is where the owner rests and sleeps, affecting the health of the owner, career, emotional aspects, and relationship between husband and wife. The main bedroom door should be avoided to face the other doors, and excessive air circulation will reduce the comfort of the master bedroom. More attention should be paid to the bed. There is no contraindication to the mirror, the door can not be relied on, and the beam cannot be pressed. House configuration: decorations A good home feng shui, there are always some unavoidable shortcomings, but the feng shui masters will not let their existence harm the owner, but will set up some feng shui decorations in a certain position to dispel. Common feng shui decorations include Feng Shui fish, Feng Shui plants, scorpion, Guanyin, Buddha, tiger, jade and so on. The layout of the room is more complicated. How to meet the favorite decoration effect at the same time, while sitting in the room feng shui of a prosperous house, it is necessary to coordinate each part of the whole house, which is also a test of the design level.

What's the difference between the Charlotte's Web Isolate and other Charlotte's Web products? Our CBD Isolate is THC-Free.* Unlike our other broad spectrum products, the Isolate does not contain additional phytocompounds such as other phytocannabinoids beyond CBD, terpenes, and flavonoids. *This product is tested by high performance liquid chromatography to ensure it contains no more than 13 parts per million tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). If you are subject to testing for THC please see www.cwhemp.com/testing for more information prior to using this product.

Air Jordan 11 Low Toro Available Options The Air Jordan 11 Low paired a Black nubuck uppermost with a leather Gamma Azure mudguard and outsole, a hint concerning Red on the language, and a Air Jordan 11 Low lining.It has been sometime since the initial announcement of the Air Jordan 11 Low Toro that is arrange to release this year.As pics show, the Air Jordan 11 Low in some white and black tumbled leather high highlighted by Air Jordan 11 Low focus on the collar as well as outsole in a fresh observation.They won't be bought from stores but one gifted boutique will includes a pair on display at present, so check out additional shots below so if you're in the Miami city, head on over to SoleFly to see people in person.

Thursday, February 24, 2011 I remember when I was a wee lad we got a day off from school every February for President’s Day. Each year our day off would be preceded by a couple weeks of studying up on various Presidents and a cool class project. Fast forward a few years and President’s Day turned in to President’s Week and we got a whole week off from school, pretty sweet! I’m not sure if kids will ever have a full month off from school in honor of El Presidente but with a little bit of wall space our nation’s leaders can be celebrated year round. Here are a few Presidential favorites from our Famous Seniors line: Please visit our Etsy shop to see more of our Presidential tributes. Have a favorite President that you don’t see listed? Don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll see if we can come up with something. Hail to the chief, Happy President’s Month! Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Afternoon readers, today we have some cool news to share. Earlier this week we found out that our tshirt design for the 2011 Lincoln Tunnel Challenge 5K was selected as a quarter finalist! The race will be held in April and is put together by Special Olympics New Jersey. The winning design will be selected by voting, and will ultimately be printed on the tshirt that will go to all race participants. As you can see in our design, Abe is making his way out of the tunnel but he needs your help. Please click here to vote for our design and help Abe find his way. He would be very appreciative, honestly. You can vote every four hours as many times as you like, so remember, vote early and vote often. The quarter finals round of voting ends Monday 2/28 at 12PM EST, we’ll keep you posted. Thanks for your support! Sunday, February 20, 2011 Flash back a few decades. You tell someone that you are going to run and then jump, soar roughly 13 feet in the air, and throw a ball through a goal that is 10 feet off of the ground. What would they say? Well, their first reaction probably would have been laughter, then they would probably call you crazy. This week we recognize the crazy. This week we pay tribute to the imaginative high flyers who took dunking to a new level. With All-Star weekend drawing to a close, I figured what better time for a video tribute to some of the game's high flyers. With a long and distinguished list of high flyers including the likes of Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter, Larry Nance, Spud Webb, Dee Brown, Jason Richardson, Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, and Andre Iguodala, we had a rough time deciding who to include in the tribute so we took inspiration from last night's Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. For those who didn't have a chance to see the contest, it was excellent. Each dunker brought their A game and put on a great display of athleticism and creativity. At the end of the night Blake Griffin beat out Javale McGee in the voting but we think it could have gone either way (personally I think the choir pushed Griffin over the top). While the two finalists put on quite a show my favorite dunk of the night was performed by Serge Ibaka. Ibaka's first dunk of the night added a new level of awesomeness to a Slam Dunk Contest classic, the foul line dunk. While many have performed the dunk, the best recognized examples come from Dr. J and Michael Jordan. So what made Ibaka's dunk so sweet you may ask; well, check out the video, Ibaka was fully behind the foul line on takeoff(I think it was the shoes)! Here's a few more sweet dunks from last night and over the years: High flyers, thanks for confirming that imagination is indeed more important than knowledge, we salute you. Happy Sunday! The calendar includes 13 8x10" designs that are ready to be cut out and framed at the end of each month, for year round colorful inspiration. That's only $5 for each 8x10" print which means you can buy a few frames, give the prints as gifts at the end of each month and look pretty swell ;) More info about our calendar can be seen here. It would appear that good things do, in fact, come to those who wait after all. Happy Sunday! Thursday, February 3, 2011 My sister found out about the Lincoln Tunnel Challenge 5K run about a month ago and after checking out the details dicovered that to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event, the organizer, Special Olympics New Jersey, is holding a contest to design a tshirt for the run. Abe Lincoln? Tunnels? New Jersey? Who could ask for a better combo? We figured let's give it a shot, so we just submitted our design for the 25th annual Lincoln Tunnel Challenge 5K earlier this morning! We decided to go with an arms pumping image of Honest Abe emerging from an arch(symbolizing his escape from the tunnel). As an aside, this is what our 16th President actually looked like. He was just rarely seen in training and was more often photographed in a suit and hat. We chose to keep things simple and go with a yellow and black color combo as the design will be on a white shirt. To tie things together we included an image of the state of New Jersey in yellow on Abe's shorts. There's still a few days left to enter the contest so if you would like to give it a shot check out this site. The finalists will be announced, and voting will begin, on 2/21; we'll keep everyone posted ;)

The Lonesome Dove For the past couple of years, my wife Connie and I have seen a lone dove hanging around our farm. We can’t be sure but, we remember there being a couple the year or two before. Then one day all we saw was the single dove. These were Mourning Doves or Zenaida Macroura, and they mate for life. If one dies, the other generally doesn’t look for another mate, hence the term mourning. They live the remainder of their lives in mourning. Such devotion is rare with humans. Just as sure as a husband or wife passes away, they start looking for another mate. But Paul said: 1 Corinthians 7:6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. 7:7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. 7:8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. 7:9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was at one time a Pharisee. To be a member of the Pharisees, one had to have a wife. So Paul must have been a widower. His reasoning was that not having a wife gave him more time to serve God. 1 Corinthians 7:26 I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. 7:27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. 7:28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; Lord, please grant me and my wife the ability to serve you no matter what our state or condition. Help us to continue on in your service should one of us go home to You before the other. Help us to be therewith content no matter what… Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Fan First Week Collection: Shahrukh Khan’s Fan minted 71.35 crores in the first week to become the third highest opening week grosser of 2016. Shahrukh Khan’s latest release Fanhad a low first week at the domestic Box Office. After a superb opening day with the collection of 19.2 crores, the movie failed to carry the momentum despite positive WOM superb reviews. ‘Fan’ managed to earn 71.5 crores in the first week, thus becoming the third highest opening week grosser of 2016. The movie failed to beat the opening week collection of Airlift (83.5 crores) and The Jungle Book (74.3 crores). Let’s have a look at the top opening week grossers of 2016. Movie Name Star cast Director Collection (In Crores) Sultan Salman and Anushka Abbas Ali Zafar 209 MS Dhoni The Untold Story Sushant Singh Rajput, Disha Patani and Kiara Advani Neeraj Pandey 94.13 Rustom Akshay, Ileana Tinu Suresh Desai 90 Airlift Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur Raja Krishna Menon 83.5 Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Ranbir, Anushka, Aishwarya Karan Johar 80.19 Housefull 3 Akshay Kumar, Riteish and Jacqueline Sajid-Farhad 80.1 Fan Shahrukh Khan Maneesh Sharma 71.5 Shivaay Ajay Devgn, Sayyessha, Erika Kaar Ajay Devgn 70.41 Baaghi Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor Sabbir Khan 59.72 Dishoom Varun, John and Jacqueline Rohit Dhawan 53.34 Mohenjo Daro Hrithik and Pooja Hedge Ashutosh Gowariker 51.18 Udta Punjab Shahid, Alia, Kareena and Diljit Abhishek Choubey 48.5 Dear Zindagi Shah Rukh and Alia Gauri Shinde 47 Kapoor & Sons Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan Shakun Batra 46.93 Ki and Ka Arjun Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan R. Balki 37.57 Pink Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu Aniruddha Chowdhary 35.91 Neerja Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Ravjiani Ram Madhvani 35.32 Ghayal Once Again Sunny Deol, Om Puri, Soha Ali Khan Sunny Deol 34 Wazir Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari Bejoy Nambiar 30.57 Azhar Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai and Nargis Fakhri Tony D'Souza 29.7 Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, Mandana Karimi, Umesh Ghadge 29.65 The movie was expected to make new records at the Box Office but that didn’t happen. In its first week, the movie was severely affected by ‘The Jungle Book’ which had a terrific second week at the Box Office. ‘The Jungle Book’ remains the first choice for the audience in metros and multiplexes. Made on a budget of 115 crores, ‘Fan’ will find it difficult to recover its budget unless something special happen in the second weekend. Considering the current trend, it seems difficult for the movie to even cross 100 crores at the Box Office.

Running Time: Publisher: Published: Reference(s): The Physics of Star Trek is a popular-scientific work written by scientist Lawrence M. Krauss. Written in a style, easily accessible to a general readership, Krauss explores several scientific topics and phenomena in the field of physics, often referenced to in imaginary science fiction properties, such as Star Trek, and how they relate to real-world science. As the title already suggests, Krauss uses examples from the live-action Star Trek productions as illustrative backdrops, though examples from other properties such as Star Wars and the movie Independence Day (1996) also passes the revue. The book contains a black-and-white photo section that showcases real-world scientific equipment and spacial phenomena. Contents "Today's science fiction is often tomorrow's science fact. The physics that underlies Star Trek is surely worth investigating. To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the Human spirit."

BSP again says no to deliberate weakening of the peso The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, reiterating earlier statements it made in early October, again insisted it will not deliberately weaken the peso against the US dollar. Rather, the BSP would have the exchange rate determined by the market. The BSP explained that, while deliberately weakening the peso may benefit exporters, the same move could be disadvantageous to other sector. The clamor for the BSP to weaken the peso comes from export groups and some economists supporting the export sector. They said the appreciation of the peso so far this year has made Philippine-made goods more expensive in dollar terms and thus less competitive in the global market. They want the BSP to engage more heavily in dollar buying in the foreign exchange market so that the dollar will strengthen and the peso will weaken. BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr., however, said exporters should not rely on the exchange rate to remain competitive. “We [BSP] have maintained that external competitiveness is more than the exchange rate. It is principally increasing productivity and reducing cost,” Tetangco said. The BSP does not target a particular exchange rate but instead maintains a presence when the volatility is excessive, Tetangco said. A much earlier report from last October 8 said the BSP had stressed that it would not increase its dollar-buying activities just so the peso would become artificially weak. While a strong peso hurts exporters, it benefits importers. This is because a strong peso makes imported goods cheaper in local currency terms. And because it helps make imports, such as oil, cheaper, a strong peso likewise helps temper overall inflation in the country. The peso, which lingers in the 41-to-a-dollar level, has strengthened against the US dollar by about 6 percent since the start of the year. — DVM, GMA News -- Get stories like this on the Yahoo app and discover more every day.Download it now.

Borges’s Dark Mirror 1. In 1961 the directors of six leading Western publishing houses (Gallimard, Einaudi, Rowohlt, Seix Barral, Grove, Weidenfeld and Nicolson) met on the Mediterranean island of Formentera to establish a literary prize that was meant to single out writers who were actively transforming the world literary landscape, and to rival the Nobel Prize in prestige. The first International Publishers’ Prize (also known as the Prix Formentor) was split between Samuel Beckett and Jorge Luis Borges. That same year the Nobel Prize was awarded to the Yugoslav Ivo Andriå«c, a great novelist but no innovator. (Beckett won the prize in 1969; Borges never won it—his advocates claimed that he was scuppered by his political utterances.) The publicity surrounding the Prix Formentor catapulted Borges onto the world stage. In the United States, Grove Press brought out seventeen stories under the title Ficciones. New Directions followed with Labyrinths, twenty-three stories—some overlapping the Ficciones, but in alternative translations—as well as essays and parables. Translation into other languages proceeded apace. Besides his native Argentina, there was one country in which the name Borges was already well known. The French critic and editor Roger Caillois had spent the years 1939-1945 in exile in Buenos Aires. After the war, Caillois promoted Borges in France, bringing out Ficciones in 1951 and Labyrinthes in 1953 (the latter substantially different from the New Directions Labyrinths—the Borges bibliography is a labyrinth of its own). In the 1950s Borges was more highly regarded, and perhaps more widely read, in France than in Argentina. In this respect his career curiously parallels that of his forerunner in speculative fiction, Edgar Allan Poe, championed by Baudelaire and enthusiastically taken up by the French public. The Borges of 1961 was already in his sixties. The stories that had made him famous had been written in the 1930s and 1940s. He had lost his creative drive, and had furthermore become suspicious of these earlier, “baroque” pieces. Though he lived until 1986, he would only fitfully reproduce their intellectual daring and intensity. In Argentina Borges had by 1960 been recognized, along with Ernesto Sábato and Julio Cortázar, as a leading light of his literary generation. During the first regime of Juan Perón (1946- 1955) he had been somewhat of a whipping boy of the press, denounced as extranjerizante (foreign-loving), a lackey of the landowning elite and of international capital. Soon after Perón’s inauguration he was ostentatiously dismissed from his job in the city library and “promoted” to be inspector of poultry and rabbits at the municipal market. After the fall of Perón he became fashionable again; but his support for unpopular causes (the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, for instance) made him vulnerable to denunciation from the left as well as by nationalists and populists. His influence on Latin American letters—where writers have traditionally turned to Europe for their models—has been extensive. He more than anyone renovated the language of fiction and thus opened the way to a remarkable generation of Spanish-American novelists. Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos… This article is available to online subscribers only. Please choose from one of the options below to access this article: Purchase a trial Online Edition subscription and receive unlimited access for one week to all the content on nybooks.com. If you already have one of these subscriptions, please be sure you are logged in to your nybooks.com account. If you subscribe to the print edition, you may also need to link your web site account to your print subscription. Click here to link your account services.

Learn the traditional tea ceremony and feel the Japanese spiritual world. You can try making tea by yourself. Our teas are named after their respective production areas. So you will see where the teas are from and their characters. It is our belief that good tea is grown in fertile land. We make every effort to grow some of our teas organically without using pesticide. We take pride in our teas and tea utensils. Please have a look. * The staff in kimono will make tea. Enjoy a photo session with the tea instructor wearing kimono. This will be great for Instagram! Learn the traditional tea ceremony and feel the Japanese spiritual world. You can try making tea by yourself. Our teas are named after their respective production areas. So you will see where the teas are from and their characters. It is our belief that good tea is grown in fertile land. We make every effort to grow some of our teas organically without using pesticide. We take pride in our teas and tea utensils. Please have a look. * The staff in kimono will make tea. Enjoy a photo session with the tea instructor wearing kimono. This will be great for Instagram! *PLAN DETAILS 1. Welcome!! A briefing is given on the basic background and manners of tea ceremony, the history of the tea room and the decoration of the tea room. 2. Demonstration Listen to the lecture on the origin and the spirit of the tea ceremony and watch the demonstration of making Usucha (weaktea.) Please have Japanese confections. 3. Tea ceremony experience Now it's your turn to make tea. Please try to sit in the correct manner on a Japanese tatami mat, if possible. 4. Photo time Try easy-to-wear kimono and take photos. This is all for the experience. We are looking forward to seeing you again. （Koryu Naginata）Learn the art of self-defense of samurai in the Edo Period. A master of Tendo-ryu style will teach you! *OUTLINE Itami City is home to the headquarters of the All Japan Naginata Federation and the dojo with over 200 years of history. Itami is attracting attention as the center of Naginata ... More info › *PLAN NAME （Koryu Naginata）Learn the art of self-defense of samurai in the Edo Period. A master of Tendo-ryu style will teach you! *OUTLINE Itami City is home to the headquarters of the All Japan Naginata Federation and the dojo with over 200 years of history. Itami is attracting attention as the center of Naginata. Why not immerse yourself in the world of the popular manga and film "Asahinagu"? People from all ages can enjoy practicing Naginata and handling the Naginata spear, which is taller than a person. Learn the culture of Naginata, which, along with Kendo and Judo, is one of Japan’s classical martial arts. You will be able to get in touch with the spirituality of martial arts by acquiring the basics of Naginata. Wear dougi (Naginata uniform) and take photos! *PLAN DETAILS 1. Welcome!! Change into dougi (Naginata uniform.) Have a briefing of the background and rules of Naginata, the history of the dojo and the rules of the facility. 2. About bowingEverything begins and ends with bowing in martial arts. Listen to an explanation of the bowing ritual and open the training session accordingly. 3. Practicing the Kata (routine)Here, we demonstrate the goal of the training session. You will try a Kata (routine) called ‘Ichimonji no ran.’ Ichimonji no ran refers to the Arrow-cutting technique, the basic of Tendo-ryu. 4. The final practiceFor the final practice, a video will be taken to check the Kata. 5. Get the certificateGet a certificate and take a picture with the master. This is all for the experience. We are looking forward to seeing you again. The dojo was established in 1786. We preserve Japan's traditional culture of Kendo, Naginata and Iaido ... More info › *PLAN NAME Be a Japanese samurai! Learn the Spirit of the Martial Arts! *OUTLINE The dojo was established in 1786. We preserve Japan's traditional culture of Kendo, Naginata and Iaido. Through martial arts training, instructors help practitioners gain control over their body and mind. We respect the traditional manners of martial arts – as the saying goes "Everything begins and ends with bowing." We provide training to people who aim to become competent in both cultural and martial arts. We also aim to contribute to the development of martial arts themselves, and to the peace of the local community. In this plan, learn about the culture of Kendo and get in touch with the spiritual side of traditional Japanese martial arts by acquiring the basics. Wear dougi (Kendo uniform) and take photos! *PLAN DETAILS 1. Welcome!! Change into dougi (Kendo uniform.) Have a briefing of the background and rules of Kendo, the history of dojo and rules of the facility. 2. About bowing Everything begins and ends with bowing in martialarts. Have a lecture about the meanings of the manners and pay respect to them. 3. Enbu (demonstration) Watch the demonstration of "Kata" and get the image of the goal of the training. 4. Training/practice After 50-minutes training and practice, you can hit the opponent wearing the face protector. 5. The final practice As the final practice, you will be video-taped to check the Kata. 6. Get the certificate Get a certificate and take a picture with the master. This is all for the experience. We are looking forward to seeing you again. *You will get a tenugui (towel for headband) as a present. Our teas are named after their respective production areas. So you will see where the teas are from and their characters. It is our belief that good tea is grown in fertile land. We make every effort to grow some of our teas organically without using pesticide. We take pride in our teas and tea utensils. Please have a look. Try to make our beloved Matcha by yourself. There is a knack in whisking Matcha smoothly. You may be charmed by the delicate flavor and aroma of Japanese tea. * Our staff will not be wearing kimono. *PLAN DETAILS 1. Welcome!! A briefing is given on the basic background and manners of tea ceremony, the history of the tea room and the rules in the facility. Our teas are named after their respective production areas. So you will see where the teas are from and their characters. It is our belief that good tea is grown in fertile land. We make every effort to grow some of our teas organically without using pesticide. We take pride in our teas and tea utensils. Please have a look. Try to make our beloved Matcha by yourself. There is a knack in whisking Matcha smoothly. You may be charmed by the delicate flavor and aroma of Japanese tea. * Our staff will not be wearing kimono. *PLAN DETAILS 1. Welcome!! A briefing is given on the basic background and manners of tea ceremony, the history of the tea room and the rules in the facility. 2. Try making matcha We provide you with the a tea bowl and tea utensils specially chosen for you. Our staff member will tell you how to make tea with respect. 3. Enjoy tea with Japanese confections Have two kinds of confections. Both of them are traditional Japanese sweets that go well with matcha. 4. Photo time Taking commemorative photos and the experience is over. How did enjoy the program? We are looking forward to seeing you again.

More Articles Business comment Orange and Rockland Utilities (O&R) on Friday, Jan. 26 requested a regulatory review of its electric and natural gas delivery rates by the New York State Public Service Commission (NYSPSC). In a press statement, O&R President and CEO Robert Sanchez said, “Today’s rate review request is designed to meet the demands of a dynamic energy marketplace where customers desire more control over their energy usage and expect a more reliable and resilient system. This request achieves those goals.” Rockland County Executive Ed Day immediately questioned the timing and need for the rate increase. “Anybody in charge of an organization understands that costs do go up but I find it extremely troubling that at the same time the federal corporate tax rate is dropping they are increasing the costs to our consumers," Day said. "That should warrant extreme scrutiny by the PSC,” Day said. “The savings from Orange and Rockland’s reduced tax burden should be passed along to their customers.” O&R seeks an increase in revenues for electric delivery of $20.3 million. Under the proposed rate increase, the bill for a typical residential electric customer using a monthly average of 600 kilowatt hours would rise an average of approximately $6 per month from about $122 to $128. O&R also is seeking an increase in revenues for gas delivery of $4.5 million. If approved, those rates would become effective in January 2019. Bills for a typical residential natural gas customer using 100 Ccf per month would increase about $4 per month from about $134 to $138. According to the utility company, the revenue increases to fund both the electric and natural gas delivery proposals in this rate review request were mitigated by the recently enacted federal tax code changes that reduced O&R’s corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. O&R will realize a tax savings under its current energy delivery rate structure from the time the new federal corporate tax rates became effective until January 2019 when new O&R energy delivery rates are due to go into effect. O&R will defer the federal corporate tax savings from that period as a customer benefit. The NYSPSC is expected to decide the amount, manner and timing of that customer benefit’s return to customers. To further improve future customer experience and increase customer engagement, O&R plans to install 230,000 electric smart meters and 130,000 smart gas modules in its New York service area by 2020. O&R also is planning to improve efficiency, reliability and resilience in its system through the construction of new electric substations in Stony Point, Port Jervis and New City. O&R’s natural gas rate review request includes initiatives to: Enhance gas safety by replacing 22 miles of aging pipe per year Provide greater safety in the operation of the natural gas delivery system through increased deployment of inspectors to job sites, video confirmation of pipe location and increased outreach to excavators. Under O&R’s planned efforts to continue gas main replacement, the company is on track to remove all low pressure gas systems, which includes all aging cast-iron mains, by 2019 --- a major milestone for O&R.

Stephen Hawking: 13 times art met science From Pink Floyd to The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons, take a look at some of the times the late Stephen Hawking popped up in popular culture. 14 March 2018 Stephen Hawking is the most famous genius of the modern age and has made numerous appearances on television and in songs and ads to back it up. From Pink Floyd to The Big Bang Theory, take a look some of the times Professor Hawking popped up in popular culture. Pink Floyd Professor Hawking's electronic voice features in two Pink Floyd songs — Keep Talking and later Talkin' Hawkin. Both songs used a sample of Professor Hawking's voice from a British Telecom ad in which he proclaimed: "Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking and its greatest failures by not talking." The Big Bang Theory Sheldon's meeting with his hero doesn't turn out quite how he expected. The Simpsons Professor Hawking has made several appearances in the long-running animated series. Futurama It's no surprise then that he also makes several appearances in Simpsons creator Matt Groening's other animated series Futurama. Star Trek: The Next Generation Professor Hawking appears on the holodeck playing poker with Data, Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton. Little Britain Professor Hawking appeared on the British comedy in 2015. He played himself and replaced Matt Lucas' character Andy in his motorised wheelchair. "Despite being the most intelligent person on Earth, Stephen Hawking loved a good laugh," Little Britain star David Walliams said in the wake of his death. Epic Rap Battles Professor Hawking turns up again with Einstein, this time dropping truth bombs on Epic Rap Battles. One Direction heartbreak Just after Zayn Malik left One Direction, Professor Hawking was asked this at the Sydney Opera House: "What do you think is the cosmological effect of Zayn leaving One Direction and consequently breaking the hearts of millions of teenage girls across the world?". His answer gives hope to even the most devastated Malik fan. Hawking Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the role in this 2004 BBC telemovie, dealing with Professor Hawking's time as a post-graduate at Cambridge University. The Theory of Everything Eddie Redmayne portrays Professor Hawking from the early 1960s to the 1980s. Pee in the shower ad In this public service announcement encouraging Brazilians to pee in the shower to save water, Professor Hawking is one of several famous (and infamous) people to make an appearance. Shin Megami Tensei This video game, and its sequel (pictured), feature a character based on Professor Hawking. UK insurance ad Professor Hawking finds an interesting use for his supermassive black hole, in this ad for a UK insurance firm.

The owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons reported a second straight quarter of decline in comparable sales at Burger King in the United States and Canada. Restaurant Brands International shares fell 3.3 percent to C$60.55. Toronto-Dominion Bank and TD Ameritrade are buying Scottrade Financial Services for $4 billion in a deal that would combine two of the biggest U.S. discount brokerages, the companies said. Shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank rose 0.5 percent to C$60.30. The biggest drags on the index included some of the country’s major energy pipeline companies. Enbridge Inc fell 1.3 percent to C$58.00 and TransCanada Corp declined 1.6 percent to C$61.82. The overall energy group declined 0.4 percent as oil prices fell. U.S. crude prices were down 1.3 percent to $50.17 a barrel as Iraq said it wanted to be exempt from a deal by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut production. Last week, the index rose 2.4 percent, while Friday’s close was the highest in 16 months. Losses for the index came despite encouraging domestic data. The value of Canadian wholesale trade increased in August for a fifth consecutive month, rising by 0.8 percent on higher sales of agricultural supplies and machinery equipment, Statistics Canada said. The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, lost 1.7 percent. Barrick Gold fell 2.4 percent to C$22.03, while spot gold was down 0.3 percent as the U.S. dollar reached a nearly nine-month high against a basket of major currencies.

News & Media SXM Airport Maintains Moody’s Baa2 Stable Rating SXM Airport Terminal Building. (SXM photo) SXM Airport check-in hall. (SXM photo) SIMPSON BAY, St. Maarten (Sunday, October 25, 2015) - In its latest credit opinion on the Princess Juliana International Airport Operating Company, PJIAE NV, Moody’s Investors Service gave the company the same favorable Baa2 rating with a stable outlook it had granted it in 2012, although it noted a number of delays in the execution of the capital improvement program, which could result in cost overruns. As part of its detailed considerations for the rating, Moody’s analysts pointed to “several unanticipated challenges while securing the new fuel farm location at the current Goddard Catering site.” “As a consequence, many of the remaining projects are delayed including the fuel farm relocation, Goddard Catering relocation as well as the construction of the fixed based operations (FBO) terminal and the rescue and fire and technical buildings,” Moody’s stated. And although it said “Management neither expects the program to be delayed further nor to issue debt in order to complete the projects,” the analysts added, that “Our expectation is that some delays and cost overruns are likely to occur due to the projects’ dependency on one another, but this is partially compensated by the improved cash generating capacity.” Among what could drive the ratings up, Moody’s said was the “completion of the capital programs on time according to the new schedule and within budget.” Moody’s listed among PJIAE’s credit strengths the fact that it is the “dominant commercial airport on the island … that also serves as a connecting hub for neighboring islands lacking long-haul air service of their own,” and that the “main terminal, completed in 2006, provides sufficient capacity to accommodate planned growth without the need for extensive capital improvements.” Other strengths include the “desirable mega-yacht facilities on the island adjacent to the airport (which) drives demand for general aviation,” as well as the fact that “Tourism to the island is driven by high proportion of time share properties and the high end destinations of St. Barths, Anguilla and a proportion of exclusive villas in St. Maarten/St. Martin, resulting in repeat visitors and less passenger volatility than that of other tourist destinations.” Moody’s also considered as another strength, “a diversified market base of travel origins including the USA, Canada, Europe, Central/South America and the Caribbean (which) helps mitigate single source for business risk.” The challenges PJIAE faces, according to Moody’s, include exposure to volatility as a result of the “large dependence of the island and the airport on tourism” and the fact that though the debt service reserve has improved from three to six months, it is still “lower than industry norms.” Other credit challenges identified by Moody’s are the Island’s location in the hurricane belt, which increases event risk to bondholders and the “compensatory nature of airport revenues (which) leaves the airport fully exposed to demand risk.” “We are pleased with this credit opinion and will continue to work diligently to meet the performance benchmarks set especially for our capital improvement program as mentioned by Moody’s,” said Regina LaBega, managing director of SXM Airport.

Like Minesweeper, Tetris, and 18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul, “The Last Cargo is the result of the experience of a man exposed to the debilitating power of religious indoctrination.” It is a survival horror where the player faces the burdens of forced belief in a building built of his own faith; a ramshackle tower of creeping horrors, shadows, locked doors. It is an intriguing setting with an even more intriguing premise: the player’s imposed faith has rendered him unable to walk, so he must use a wheelchair. After all, the best horror games prey on weaknesses, and having a character bound to a wheelchair as he has to fight off the monsters that sprout out of a crucifixion corpse (yeah, it appears to be a bit heavy-handed) definitely looks like it’d have me back-wheeling. You’ll see from the footage below that progress is slow, and the world only peeks out of the darkness through the shadows. The addition of a headtorch helps, but the batteries are a concern. The team is currently hoping for funding over on Indiegogo. Here’s the pitch. And here’s a bit more footage. An atheist horror game? There’s a Greenlight page if it holds an interest for you. This game looks nightmarish in a bad way. I doubt even people in wheelchairs want to play a game where their avatar is bound to one. In the sequel they’ll make us play as quadriplegics like the late Christopher Reeves or (effectively like) Stephen Hawking. Just the other day I was thinking someone should make an horror game in which the player’s bound to a wheelchair. Only, I was thinking of it as an Occulus Rift game, you know, as a way to avoid the inmersion-breaking moving while remaining seated. I was going to make a snarky remark on how weird it would be to pilot a mecha in a horror game, (thus exposing that a solution to a mechanical problem needs to fit the game’s genre), but it wouldn’t really. Imagine a game in which you’re trapped in a mecha, looking at the outside world through a closed circuit camera that often goes dark just as you hear banging on your suit. Ot even a game in which you’re trying to leave town without going out of your car due to some horrible thing that can’t break glass but can skin you in an instant.

Gay, Hipster, Yuppie Condo Party Degenerates Into "Shitshow" At a new condo in the East Village in NYC, a volatile mix of summer weather, a rooftop pool, gays, hipsters, and wealthy young hedge fund yuppies conspired to form a party that resulted, predictably, in drinking, drugs, debauchery, and defecation. Disasters of this type never happened when all members of various disparate cultural groups stayed neatly separated from each other, in neighborhoods segmented by class, wealth, race, and sexual preference. A Curbed tipster gives a brief glimpse into this dangerous world in which ubiquitous money obliterates traditional social boundaries and brings together GayHipYups in search of intoxication: "our building had its first pool party this weekend and i thought you would enjoy. the disastrous combo of hedge fund guys, gay guys, and hipsters caused massive combustion resulting in the cops coming, fdny as well, the roof trashed, drugs, booze everywhere and some random people shitting in our gym. i stopped by for a couple hours and saw the disaster in the making! i'm sure you'll read about it in curbed soon. it was one of those 'only in ny' moments."

Workshop on white tailed deer "Sportsman Series: White tailed deer from A to Z" at PEEC, 11am-3pm. What do our chef, biologist and hunter all have in common? Their love of the white tailed deer. Cost: $20. Lunch included. Register: 570/828-2319.

The Presbyterian Hymnal: Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs Menu 1. Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Take my moments and my days; Let them flow in ceaseless praise, Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 2. Take my hands, and let them move At the impulse of Thy love. Take my feet, and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee, Swift and beautiful for Thee. 3. Take my voice, and let me sing, Always, only, for my King. Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages from Thee, Filled with messages from Thee. 4. Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and use Every power as Thou shalt choose, Every power as Thou shalt choose. 5. Take my will, and make it Thine; It shall be no longer mine. Take my heart, it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne, It shall be Thy royal throne. 6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store. Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee, Ever, only, all for Thee.

WEBSITE RECOMMENDATION: BOOKBUB I hate not being able to afford books. Especially when it's that time of the year when all the good ones come out and you've got no money at all. The thing is, there's always a silver lining and for us, and it's BookBub. I only just found this website and I'm so glad someone recommended it to me! (I'm going to sound like an advert now but seriously, it's such a great site) If you've not heard of BookBub then you're missing out. People who own Kindles absolutely love this website and why's that? You can get extremely cheap books. And not just cheap one's but free books too. FREE. I'm being serious. I've gotten so many good stories from this website, all you have to do is sign up - it's completely free - and it tells you which books are on sale on Amazon. When you see a book you like, just click 'Amazon' or any of the other options like Apple, Kobo and B&N and it'll send you to your Kindle page to purchase it. Easy. For example, popular book We Were Liars by E. Lockhart at the moment is 99p and I wouldn't know that unless I received an email from BookBub this morning about it. Perfect. You need to join this site.We're telling you this because we want to help each other out. Bookworms helping bookworms. Subscribe via email Hello from Natalie and Lexie! This is where book obsession, book reviews and general bookaholic tendencies converge in a tiny, blog-sized package. News, reviews, lists, discussions and more are available weekly, primarily in the field of Middle Grade, Young Adult and New Adult literature..

One of the highlights of Anjunadeep:06, Paramour is a stunning mix of progressive and deep house that showcases Jody Wisternoff’s mastery of different styles, and now the full version is set for a full release. Once again, Jody’s trademark style of building little ideas and riffs to create a sonic journey is present from the off. Rather than having “the drums” mixed with “a bassline,” the various individual elements interact with each other in subtle ways–a hi-hat pattern dancing with a bass riff, a synth stab working with a snare. But while Jody’s prowess at mixing sound to create an aural gem is evident, the musical aspect of Paramour is something else. A deep house groove sits alongside some progressive house chords, before giving way to a massive break packed with lush melodies and plenty of atmosphere–a welcome surprise at the heart of the track. The net result is an emotional piece of music that is simultaneously a killer house track, a rare and welcomed combination that Jody has pulled off with style.

I love their sunflower seed butter! It's like crack to me. I also get their vegetarian chorizo, arugula, avocados and almond meal. Their plain (full fat) greek yogurt is lower carb than most and really thick and creamy. For me, some of the best deals at Trader Joe's are in the cheese area. I can find equal quality cheeses at Whole Foods, but the price is about double there. I love Trader Joe's honey goat cheese, New Zealand White Cheddar the best so far. Trader Joes nuts and almond meal also tend to be lower in price than elsewhere. Again those products aren't new or revolutionary, but the price is better, so I can afford to have a more gourmet item than otherwise. I believe their organic or grassfed type meats are less expensive. Unfortunately, a lot of what Trader Joe's is famous for is not low carb - their speculous cookie butter, JoJos (like oreos), all sorts of chocolates and cookies, frozen mandarin orange chicken, various cool prepared dinner foods and appetizers, etc. Since LowCarbers tend to stick with basics, like meats, produce, etc, you probably wont be overwhelmed with how great things are, but may find some better prices. I like their frozen and refrigerated Indian meals - esp the paneer masala or butter chicken. I just dont eat the rice. But I cant give you an accurate carb count on those minus rice. I want to try their frozen Hake in Pappilotte (white fish in parchemnt paper with some veggies) and frozen Cioppino (both happen to be low in carbs). Alot of their frozen seafood offerings are naturally low in carbs. Basically just look around and enjoy and read your labels to see what works for your plan! Thanks, everyone! Austin is the hometown of Whole Foods so I'm interested to see how well the community embraces direct competition to the "local" store. I, for one, am not a fan of Whole Paycheck, um, er, Whole Foods. Thanks, everyone! Austin is the hometown of Whole Foods so I'm interested to see how well the community embraces direct competition to the "local" store. I, for one, am not a fan of Whole Paycheck, um, er, Whole Foods. I want to try their frozen Hake in Pappilotte (white fish in parchemnt paper with some veggies) and frozen Cioppino (both happen to be low in carbs). Alot of their frozen seafood offerings are naturally low in carbs. Basically just look around and enjoy and read your labels to see what works for your plan! Their Cioppino is wonderful! I was there one day when they were sampling it.. mmm... yumm.. I love the marinated mozzarella balls. The almond meal and coconut oil are unbeatably low priced. Three cheese marinara pretty lc. Marinated artichokes are good as well as the almond butter. The produce is great and mostly well priced for the quality and the bagged salad seems to last along time. I used to drive quite a distance to Trader Joe's in order to stock up on their mayonnaise. At that time, I was eating a Lot of chicken salad & tuna salad, made with mayo, so it was worth the drive. Because, TJ's was the only mayonnaise anywhere without some sort of sweetener in the ingredients. And check the labels on their other products. There are plenty of products that do Not need sweeteners, but almost every other brand adds them anyway, buried deep in the ingredients list. (And here's my biggest beef with Whole Foods: they have the UN-needed sweeteners in the food too, only with healthier-sounding names, like "crystallized cane juice" instead of sugar. Or Agave syrup, or etc. But why not just leave it Out of the foods that don't need it??) Check the labels and a lot of times you'll find that, unlike most brands, if a product does not need a sweetener, TJ's often does Not add it. For one example, they have a marinara sauce with No sweetener. And various other condiments. Also they have some seasoning blends that actually List ALL the ingredients (unlike supermarket brands that say, "and other flavorings"), and they really are ALL just herbs & spices. (My favorite is their "21 Seasoning Salute.) The other thing I like to get from TJ's is their oatmeal & honey bar soap. Excellent for sensitive skin, better than most of the expensive soaps elsewhere, and a 2-bar package is still Under $2. I'm lucky enough to live six blocks from Trader Joe's, so I go at least once a week! As so many have already mentioned, the coconut oil is a great deal. My other staples are vanilla unsweetened almond milk, mini goat cheese rounds, pork carnitas from the refrigerated section, cage-free eggs, tuna and sardines packed in olive oil, and Applegate Farms uncured nitrate-free beef hot dogs. I also pick a new cheese to try every week. They have wonderful sf, nitrate free smoked bacon...it's actually ends and pieces, but mine has always had nice pieces mostly...it cooks nicely an d the flavor is wonderful...I also get almonds and almond meal as I think the price cannot be beat. Like someone else mentioned, they have a low carb, sugar free chocolate bar...with or without almonds...it is a great choc emergency fix... I'm lucky enough to live six blocks from Trader Joe's, so I go at least once a week! As so many have already mentioned, the coconut oil is a great deal. My other staples are vanilla unsweetened almond milk, mini goat cheese rounds, pork carnitas from the refrigerated section, cage-free eggs, tuna and sardines packed in olive oil, and Applegate Farms uncured nitrate-free beef hot dogs. I also pick a new cheese to try every week. Thanks for the info about Trader Joes expellier pressed canola oil mayo! My understanding is that is one of the "Good" oils (lots of omega 3s, as long as its expellier pressed, not commerically refined). I've been dreaming of an acutal mayo that is ok to eat! Thanks for the info about Trader Joes expellier pressed canola oil mayo! My understanding is that is one of the "Good" oils (lots of omega 3s, as long as its expellier pressed, not commerically refined). I've been dreaming of an acutal mayo that is ok to eat! I don't think this is right. I think it's supposed to be very high in PUFA's. somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I have an unopened jar in my cabinet that I bought before I paid so much attention to fats. I have been using a non-extra virgin OO from TJ's to make my own mayo instead. I love TJ's and the prices can't be beat around here. The cheeses are great. Lately I've been loving the mascarpone. Great fresh salsa, kerrygold, huge selection of nuts and seeds, kerrygold butter, avocado's number quac, pesto. They also have a lot of stuff I wouldn't eat but I feel good about feeding to my kids. ETA: okay, I'm wrong about the PUFA's, but there was some reason that I decided not to eat canola. Am I just being nutty? lol __________________ jayne, type I diabetic and mama to two sweet boys (9/03 and 2/09) I don't think this is right. I think it's supposed to be very high in PUFA's. somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I have an unopened jar in my cabinet that I bought before I paid so much attention to fats. I have been using a non-extra virgin OO from TJ's to make my own mayo instead. ETA: okay, I'm wrong about the PUFA's, but there was some reason that I decided not to eat canola. Am I just being nutty? lol I don't eat canola oil. The plant is not a naturally oily food that can yield oil by cold pressing (like olives or avocados yield oil through cold pressing). It has to be heated to high temperatures to expel the oil, which can lead to rancidity and free radicals. I trust Sally Fallon and Mary Enig on oils, and canola oil is not on their healthy oil list. I threw out my opened bottle of canola oil and gave away my unopened bottle of canola oil by leaving it out with a "free" sign at work.

We're sorry, an error occurred.We are unable to collect your feedback at this time. However, your feedback is important to us. Please try again later. What Is German Measles? German measles, also known as rubella, is a viral infection that causes a red rash on the body. Aside from the rash, people with German measles usually have a fever and swollen lymph nodes. The infection can spread from person to person through contact with droplets from an infected person’s sneeze or cough. This means that you can get German measles if you touch your mouth, nose, or eyes after touching something that has droplets from an infected person on it. You may also get German measles by sharing food or drinks with someone who’s infected. German measles is rare in the United States. With the introduction of the rubella vaccine in the late 1960s, the incidence of German measles significantly declined. However, the condition is still common in many other parts of the world. It mainly affects children, more commonly those between 5 and 9 years old, but it can also occur in adults. German measles is typically a mild infection that goes away within one week, even without treatment. However, it can be a serious condition in pregnant women, as it may cause congenital rubella syndrome in the fetus. Congenital rubella syndrome can disrupt the development of the baby and cause serious birth defects, such as heart abnormalities, deafness, and brain damage. It’s important to get treatment right away if you’re pregnant and suspect you have German measles. What Are the Symptoms of German Measles? The symptoms of German measles are often so mild that they're difficult to notice. When symptoms do occur, they usually develop within two to three weeks after the initial exposure to the virus. They often last about three to seven days and may include: pink or red rash that begins on the face and then spreads downward to the rest of the body mild fever, usually under 102°F swollen and tender lymph nodes runny or stuffy nose headache muscle pain inflamed or red eyes Although these symptoms may not seem serious, you should contact your doctor if you suspect you have German measles. This is especially important if you’re pregnant or believe you may be pregnant. In rare cases, German measles can lead to ear infections and brain swelling. Call your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following symptoms during or after a German measles infection: prolonged headache earache stiff neck What Causes German Measles? German measles is caused by the rubella virus. This is a highly contagious virus that can spread through close contact or through the air. It may pass from person to person through contact with tiny drops of fluid from the nose and throat when sneezing and coughing. This means that you can get the virus by inhaling the droplets of an infected person or touching an object contaminated with the droplets. German measles can also be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her developing baby through the bloodstream. People who have German measles are most contagious from the week before the rash appears until about two weeks after the rash goes away. They can spread the virus before they even know that they have it. Who Is at Risk for German Measles? German measles is extremely rare in the United States, thanks to vaccines that typically provide lifelong immunity to the rubella virus. Most cases of German measles occur in people who live in countries that don't offer routine immunization against rubella. The rubella vaccine is usually given to children when they’re between 12 and 15 months old, and then again when they’re between ages 4 and 6. This means that infants and young toddlers who haven’t yet received all vaccines have a greater risk of getting German measles. To avoid complications during pregnancy, many women who become pregnant are given a blood test to confirm immunity to rubella. It’s important to contact your doctor immediately if you've never received the vaccine and think you might have been exposed to rubella. How Does German Measles Affect Pregnant Women? When a woman contracts German measles during pregnancy, the virus can be passed on to her developing baby through her bloodstream. This is called congenital rubella syndrome. Congenital rubella syndrome is a serious health concern, as it can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. It can also cause birth defects in babies who are carried to term, including: delayed growth intellectual disabilities heart defects deafness poorly functioning organs Women of childbearing age should have their immunity to rubella tested before becoming pregnant. If a vaccine is needed, it’s important to get it at least 28 days before trying to conceive. How Is German Measles Diagnosed? Since German measles appears similar to other viruses that cause rashes, your doctor will confirm your diagnosis with a blood test. This can check for the presence of different types of rubella antibodies in your blood. Antibodies are proteins that recognize and destroy harmful substances, such as viruses and bacteria. The test results can indicate whether you currently have the virus or are immune to it. How Is German Measles Treated? Most cases of German measles are treated at home. Your doctor may tell you to rest in bed and to take acetaminophen (Tylenol), which can help relieve discomfort from fever and aches. They may also recommend that you stay home from work or school to prevent spreading the virus to others. Pregnant women may be treated with antibodies called hyperimmune globulin that can fight off the virus. This can help reduce your symptoms. However, there’s still a chance that your baby will develop congenital rubella syndrome. Babies who are born with congenital rubella will require treatment from a team of specialists. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about passing German measles on to your baby. How Can I Prevent German Measles? For most people, vaccination is a safe and effective way to prevent German measles. The rubella vaccine is typically combined with vaccines for the measles and mumps as well as varicella, the virus that causes chicken pox. These vaccines are usually given to children who are between 12 and 15 months old. A booster shot will be needed again when children are between ages 4 and 6. Since the vaccines contain small doses of the virus, mild fevers and rashes may occur. If you don’t know whether you’ve been vaccinated for German measles, it’s important to have your immunity tested, especially if you: are a woman of childbearing age and aren’t pregnant attend an educational facility work in a medical facility or school plan to travel to a country that doesn’t offer immunization against rubella While the rubella vaccine usually isn’t harmful, the virus in the shot could cause adverse reactions in some people. You shouldn’t be vaccinated if you have a weak immune system due to another illness, are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant within the next month.

Interview with Lynne McKee, Baptist Care Maranoa Centre, on the role of desserts Lynne McKee talks about the role of desserts at Baptist Care's Maranoa. Eating a healthy diet is important, but let’s be honest: life would be rather dull without desserts. Lynne McKee, Hotel Service Manager from Baptist Care’s Maranoa Centre in Alstonville couldn’t agree more. “Desserts are very, very important,” McKee said. “Many residents would rather have sweets than the main meal.” At Maranoa, desserts and sweet treats make every day special. Lynne ensures desserts are on the menu every day, following both lunch and dinner. “Residents have dessert every lunchtime and some will also have a lighter, smaller dessert in the evening. Even a small serving of ice cream, custard, jelly, yoghurts or mousse is the perfect way to end the day.” Mealtimes at Maranoa are special occasions where residents chat and share stories; Lynne McKee believes mealtimes should never be a rushed affair. “Food is such an important part of a resident’s day and a positive dining experience can be the difference to a happy day. Keeping residents sitting together with the promise of a delicious dessert is a crucial way to increase their socialisation and sense of community.” While most residents aren’t fussy about desserts and are happy with anything sweet put in front of them, there are a few favourites. “Here on the Northern NSW Coast people often come from a farming family background so some of the favourite desserts are things like bread and butter pudding, rice pudding, sticky date pudding, trifle or lemon meringue pie, just to mention a few,” said Lynne. “People love the old English-style puddings and tarts bring back fond memories of their younger years.” McKee and her team love to learn some of the residents’ own signature recipes too. “Over the years, we have picked up many lovely dessert recipes from our residents – Apple Roly Poly, Gramma Pie, as well as many slices and cakes such as Raspberry Jam Slice and Frangipani cake.” Residents on special and texture-modified diets never miss out on desserts. Often softer desserts like mousse, custard, jelly or cheesecake are more suitable for people with dentures, or chewing and swallowing difficulties, so these are regular additions to the menu. “We create our menu around our residents with special diets – no one likes to miss out on sweets! Our diabetics can have most desserts on our menu, although it is usually a smaller serve. There is nothing more disappointing for a resident to be sitting at a table where everyone else gets a cheesecake and they get fruit and custard.” “We also use gluten-free flour to make many sweets and morning tea items for gluten intolerant residents.” “To modify textures, we often will puree the sweet or offer a slightly varied version, such as baked custard. We use moulds also.” Special celebrations like major milestone birthdays are always a lovely excuse for a cake. “We often have special cultural luncheons with food from a different country each time. It’s a lovely way to celebrate our residents’ diverse cultural heritage. We’ve had a Greek Baklava, French Crepe Suzette, Indian Rice Pudding with Saffron Honey Pears & Cashews and German strudel.” As for Lynne’s secret dessert tip, she has two: Cream and Butter. “These two ingredients are added to many desserts – especially in sauces.” “While many people have been on a life-long diet – a habit that’s hard to break – cakes and desserts are an important part of a resident’s overall diet. A daily sweet treat helps keep them in the healthy weight range and in a positive frame of mind, all day long,” Lynne said. Install this webapp on your iPhoneInstall this webapp on your iPadInstall this webapp on your Android phoneInstall this webapp on your Windows phone Tap the share icon below and choose add to homescreen.Tap the share icon above and choose add to homescreen.Tap the share icon below and choose add to homescreen.Tap the share icon below and choose add to homescreen.

OIL, CHEMICAL AND ATOMIC WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION, AFL-CIO, and James K. Phillips, Jr., Vice President of Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, Appellees,v.DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, Appellant. No. 01-5163. United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit. Argued March 7, 2002. Decided May 10, 2002. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, 141 F.Supp.2d 1, Gladys Kessler, J. Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, argued the cause for appellant. With him on the briefs were Roscoe C. Howard, Jr., U.S. Attorney, and Leonard Schaitman, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice. Daniel Guttman argued the cause for appellees. With him on the brief were Brian P. McCafferty, Reuben A. Guttman and Traci L. Buschner. This is an appeal of an award of attorney's fees for actions brought under the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"), 5 U.S.C. § 552, and the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552b. The question is whether Buckhannon Bd. & Care Home, Inc. v. West Virginia Dep't of Health & Human Res.,532 U.S. 598, 121 S.Ct. 1835, 149 L.Ed.2d 855 (2001), decided while this appeal was pending, applies to FOIA cases. I. 2 Congress created the United States Enrichment Corporation ("USEC") to operate uranium enrichment plants in the country. See 42 U.S.C. § 2297a (1992). There are two such facilities, one in Kentucky, the other in Ohio. The Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers International Union represented employees at both plants. In 1996, Congress decided to "privatize" USEC by having a private entity lease the facilities. SeeUSEC Privatization Act, Pub.L. No. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321-335 (1996) (codified at 42 U.S.C. § 2297h). Concerned that privatization would affect its members' employment, the union sought information about what was planned. USEC refused to provide the information voluntarily. The union then sent a FOIA request to USEC. On June 30, 1998, after USEC failed to provide the information, the union filed this action in the district court. A few weeks later the union brought a separate suit under the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552b, seeking to open USEC's board meetings on privatization to the public. The district court denied the union's request for a temporary restraining order that would have required an "open" board meeting. Privatization occurred a few weeks later, on July 28, 1998. 3 In August 1998, the government moved to dismiss the FOIA and Sunshine Act suits, arguing that the court's jurisdiction ended when USEC ceased to be a public entity. Rather than grant the motion, the district court substituted the Department of Energy as defendant on the grounds that the Privatization Act called for the government to fulfill obligations incurred by USEC, and that there was a "Record Agreement" to the same effect. Several status hearings took place after this order. On December 10, 1999, the parties (the union and the Energy Department) filed a Stipulation and Order of Dismissal stating that the government had provided "substantial amounts of material" and dismissing the claims with prejudice, although reserving the union's right to seek attorney's fees. The district court endorsed the stipulation. 4 The parties were unable to resolve the attorney's fees issue amongst themselves, so the union filed an application for fees with the district court on April 17, 2000. On March 16, 2001, the court ruled that the union was entitled to receive fees, but not in the full amount it sought. (The court stated that the union could recover any Sunshine Act fees in its motion for fees under FOIA, but it also denied the union's request for fees related to its failed attempt to get injunctive relief halting the USEC board meeting or opening it to the public. The union does not appeal this decision, so our analysis is limited to the request for fees under FOIA.) After the court's order, the parties stipulated that the proper amount of fees and costs totaled $108,173.25, reserving the Energy Department's right to appeal. The court ordered the payment of this amount on March 30, 2001. Shortly after the government noted its appeal, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Buckhannon, holding that attorney's fees are not authorized under the Fair Housing Amendments Act or Americans with Disabilities Act to a plaintiff who achieves the desired result without a judgment on the merits or a court-ordered consent decree. See 532 U.S. at 600-01, 121 S.Ct. at 1838. II. 5 In order to recover attorney's fees in a FOIA case, the plaintiff must have "substantially prevailed": the "court may assess against the United States reasonable attorney fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred in any case under this section in which the complainant has substantially prevailed." 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(E). In determining whether plaintiffs are eligible for an award, we have followed the "catalyst theory." So long as the "litigation substantially caused the requested records to be released," the FOIA plaintiff could recover attorney's fees even though the district court had not rendered a judgment in the plaintiff's favor. Chesapeake Bay Found., Inc. v. Dep't of Agric.,11 F.3d 211, 216 (D.C.Cir. 1993) (citing Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council, Inc. v. Usery,546 F.2d 509, 513 (2d Cir.1976)); see also Cuneo v. Rumsfeld,553 F.2d 1360, 1364 (D.C.Cir.1977). 6 In Buckhannon, the Supreme Court rejected the "catalyst theory." Plaintiffs there had alleged that certain "self-preservation" provisions of a state fire code violated the Fair Housing Amendments and Americans with Disabilities Acts as applied to an assisted-living facility. See 532 U.S. at 600, 121 S.Ct. at 1838. Before the district court ruled, the state legislature repealed the provisions. See id. at 601, 121 S.Ct. at 1838. Plaintiffs then moved for attorney's fees, arguing that under the fee-shifting statutes at issue they were "prevailing parties" because their lawsuit had prompted the change in the law. See id. The Supreme Court held that absent some sort of judicial imprimatur, a plaintiff could not be considered a "prevailing party" and an award of attorney's fees was therefore impermissible. We therefore adhere to the proposition, well-established in this court and in the Supreme Court, that eligibility for an award of attorney's fees in a FOIA case should be treated the same as eligibility determinations made under other fee-shifting statutes unless there is some good reason for doing otherwise. One such reason, the union argues, is the contrast between the language of the statutes in Buckhannon, which authorized fees for the "prevailing party," see 42 U.S.C. §§ 3613(c)(2) & 12205, and FOIA, which allows fees if "the complainant has substantially prevailed." 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(E). It is true, as the union points out, that Buckhannon treated "prevailing party" as a "legal term of art." 532 U.S. at 603, 121 S.Ct. at 1839. Yet all must agree that a "prevailing party" and a "party who prevails" are synonymous. FOIA's addition of the modifier "substantially" might possibly be taken as limiting the category of "prevailing parties," but it cannot be taken as expanding the universe of parties eligible for a fee award. To put this in concrete terms, a FOIA plaintiff may seek thousands of documents but wind up with a judgment providing only a handful of insignificant documents. One might say this plaintiff was a prevailing party, but nevertheless not say that the plaintiff substantially prevailed. Cf. Tex. State Teachers Ass'n v. Garland Indep. Sch. Dist.,489 U.S. 782, 789-92, 109 S.Ct. 1486, 1492-94, 103 L.Ed.2d 866 (1989) (discussing "significance" as it pertains to the definition of "prevailing party"). We have seen nothing to suggest that Congress sought to draw any fine distinction between "prevailing party" and "substantially prevail." The Internal Revenue Code, for instance, defines "prevailing party" to mean a party who has "substantially prevailed." 26 U.S.C. § 7430(c)(4)(A). Consistent with our practice (and the Supreme Court's) of viewing the various fee-shifting statutes as interchangeable, we have in the past treated the "substantially prevail" language in FOIA as the functional equivalent of the "prevailing party" language found in other statutes. See Foster v. Boorstin,561 F.2d 340, 342 (D.C.Cir.1977). 9 The union also maintains that since FOIA cases are equitable in nature, the limitations imposed in Buckhannon are not appropriate. Judge Friendly made the argument forcefully in an influential opinion: 10 To take an extreme example, Congress clearly did not mean that where an FOIA suit had gone to trial and developments made it apparent that the judge was about to rule for the plaintiff, the Government could abort any award of attorney fees by an eleventh hour tender of the information requested. 11 Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council, 546 F.2d at 513. But FOIA cases are not unique in this respect. There are many potential actions in which the "prevailing party" may sue for injunctive relief or for damages and an injunction. See, e.g., Wagshal v. Foster,28 F.3d 1249, 1251 (D.C.Cir.1994) (plaintiff seeking damages and injunctive relief under 42 U.S.C. § 1983). It is hard to believe that Congress would have intended to create a system in which a "prevailing party" would be eligible to recover fees for the injunction portion of the lawsuit but not for the damages portion. The Supreme Court in Buckhannon considered a problem similar to that posed by Judge Friendly but refused to limit its holding to actions at law. 532 U.S. at 608-10, 121 S.Ct. at 1842-43. In the Court's view, policy arguments could not carry the day because the meaning of "prevailing party" was clear. See id. at 610, 121 S.Ct. at 1843. 12 The union also sees a distinction between FOIA cases and Buckhannon stemming from FOIA's legislative history. The argument is that Congress intended FOIA's attorney's fee provision to be understood differently from comparable provisions in other statutes such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. The history leading to passage of FOIA is thoroughly surveyed in Judge Friendly's opinion in Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council. See 546 F.2d at 512-13. The original House bill made a plaintiff's eligibility for an award of fees turn on whether the court had issued an injunction against the government. See id. at 512. The final House bill conditioned eligibility on the government's not prevailing. See id. The Senate bill contained the "substantially prevailed" language, along with a list of factors for the court to consider in determining whether to make an award. See id. The accompanying Senate report talked about eligibility for attorney's fees in cases in which the plaintiffs had successfully proven that the government had wrongfully withheld information. See id. at 512. The final version, as it emerged from conference, deleted the Senate's list of factors. See id. at 513. With great respect to Judge Friendly, on whose opinion we relied in Cuneo, 553 F.2d at 1364 & nn.3-8, this record is inconclusive. None of the Committee reports mentions awarding fees in the absence of a judgment. And both the House and the Senate reports contain statements suggesting that the FOIA provision was modeled after feeshifting provisions allowing fees for a "prevailing party," which further supports treating FOIA no differently than the statutes interpreted in Buckhannon. See H.R.REP. No. 93-876 (1974), reprinted in LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, 1974 AMENDMENTS 126-27 & n.10 (1975); S.REP. No. 93-854 (1974), reprinted in LEGISLATIVE HISTORY, supra, at 170, U.S.Code Cong. & Admin.News 1974, 6267. 13 We therefore hold that in order for plaintiffs in FOIA actions to become eligible for an award of attorney's fees, they must have "been awarded some relief by [a] court," either in a judgment on the merits or in a court-ordered consent decree. Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 603, 121 S.Ct. at 1839. Because Buckhannon controls, the existing law of our circuit must give way. See Benavides v. Bureau of Prisons,993 F.2d 257, 258-59 (D.C.Cir.1993) (reversing circuit precedent on the eligibility of a pro se FOIA plaintiff for attorney's fees in light of Kay v. Ehrler,499 U.S. 432, 438, 111 S.Ct. 1435, 1438, 113 L.Ed.2d 486 (1991), a case arising under 42 U.S.C. § 1988). III. 14 The union claims that even if Buckhannon applies, we should sustain the award because the parties received a "court-ordered settlement." The Department of Energy became a defendant on March 18, 1999. The parties agreed to dismiss the case on December 10, 1999. In the interim, the district court had issued three orders. The first, entered on March 31, 1999, ordered the government to review the documents the union sought and to submit a "joint report with a proposed schedule" no later than July 10, 1999. The parties timely filed the joint report, stating that the Energy Department had reviewed the 4,000 documents and that "to the greatest extent possible, the parties wish to resolve this case without further contested proceedings." The court's second order directed the parties to submit another "status report" by August 20, 1999. The parties' second report stipulated that, "[s]ubject to the approval of the Court," the government had provided most of the materials the union had requested, that it would search for the remaining items and release any that did not merit withholding under FOIA's exemptions, and that the union was dismissing its case with prejudice except for the remaining items. The parties reiterated that they "wish[ed] to resolve this case to the greatest extent possible without further contested proceedings" and asked for leave of the court to continue negotiations until December 8, 1999. The court signed the document, which carried the heading "Stipulation and Order." It is clear from the record that to this point the court had not rendered any judgment about the legality of the government's withholding any information and that the parties had been attempting to resolve the case through negotiation. See, e.g., 3/31/99 Tr. at 9:19-23 ("I'll certainly read the joint report as soon as it comes in, and ... I'll either sign off on what you've given me or set up a conference call or an in-court status to resolve things finally."). 15 On December 10, 1999, the court approved the parties' final status report as a "Stipulation and Order" stating in its entirety: 16 Subject to the approval of the Court, it is hereby stipulated and agreed as follows by and between the undersigned: 17 1. In light of defendant's production of substantial amounts of material responsive to plaintiff's claim for relief in this action, the action is hereby dismissed with prejudice and, except as provided in ¶ 2, without fees or costs. 18 2. The dismissal of this action shall be without prejudice to the right of plaintiff to obtain in [this case], an award of attorney's fees and litigation costs covering work performed in this action. 19 This order did not constitute a decision on the merits; the court had no contested issues before it. The "Stipulation and Order" approved the parties' terms of dismissal, but this was merely a formality. An "action may be dismissed ... without order of the court ... by filing a stipulation of dismissal signed by" all of the parties. See FED.R.CIV.P. 41(a)(1). 20 The union claims that since the court signed the order, it is a "court-ordered consent decree[]." Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 604, 121 S.Ct. at 1840. By this term, the Supreme Court meant "a court `ordered chang[e] [in] the legal relationship between [the plaintiff] and the defendant.'" Id. (quoting Tex. State Teachers Ass'n, 489 U.S. at 792, 109 S.Ct. at 1493-94); see also Smyth, 282 F.3d at 278-82 & n. 11 (discussing the meaning of a "consent decree" in the Buckhannon context). The Court distinguished private settlements, which do not create a "`material alteration of the legal relationship of the parties' necessary to permit an award of attorney's fees." Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 604 & n. 7, 121 S.Ct. at 1840 n. 7 (quoting Tex. State Teachers Ass'n, 489 U.S. at 792-93, 109 S.Ct. at 1493). The discussion in Buckhannon also makes clear that there must be some sort of "judicial relief" in favor of the party seeking an award of fees. See 532 U.S. at 606, 607 n. 9, 121 S.Ct. at 1841, 1842 n. 9; id. at 622, 121 S.Ct. at 1849-50 (Scalia, J., concurring). 21 The December 10 Stipulation and Order of Dismissal did not meaningfully alter the legal relationship of the parties. Its only effect was to dismiss the union's lawsuit with a court order when no court order was needed. That cannot represent "judicial relief" for the union. Aside from the union's attorney fee request, there was nothing left for the district court to oversee. This contrasts with the consent decree in Maher v. Gagne,448 U.S. 122, 126, 100 S.Ct. 2570, 2573, 65 L.Ed.2d 653 (1980), which increased AFDC allowances and gave recipients the right to prove that their individual expenses exceeded the standard levels. The decree in Maher constituted "judicial relief" that "materially altered" the rights of the parties: for example, it estopped the government from refusing to disburse benefits in excess of the standard level to an individual who demonstrated the requisite personal expense level. Had the December 10 stipulation between the union and the Energy Department outlined documents the government still needed to disclose to the union, matters might be different. But the parties stipulated that the union had received enough information to forego continuation of its lawsuit. 22 Our dissenting colleague thinks that the district court's endorsement of the August 23, 1999, stipulation qualifies as a "settlement agreement enforced through a consent decree." Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 604, 121 S.Ct. at 1840. The union's brief never made this argument. It argued instead that the court's denial of the Energy Department's motion to dismiss changed the legal relationship of the parties. Neither the union's argument, nor the dissent's attempt to salvage the union's case, are correct. Surviving a motion to dismiss does not alter the legal relationship between parties. See Hanrahan v. Hampton,446 U.S. 754, 758, 100 S.Ct. 1987, 1989-90, 64 L.Ed.2d 670 (1980). The dissent's focus on the August 23, 1999, stipulation ignores the interim nature of that order, which is properly viewed as a procedural ruling that cannot serve as the basis for a determination that the union prevailed. See id. at 759, 100 S.Ct. at 1990. The only part of the order which arguably changed the legal status of the parties was the requirement that the Energy Department complete its record review in 60 days. Before August 23, the court had not ordered the Energy Department to turn over any documents; after August 23, the Energy Department still had no obligation to do so. Both before and after August 23 the district court did not disallow any of the Energy Department's justifications for exempting documents, or portions of documents, from disclosure. This is not judicial relief on the merits of the union's complaint. Contrast Maher, 448 U.S. at 126, 100 S.Ct. at 2573 (settlement agreement required government to pay higher AFDC benefits to plaintiffs). The dissent theorizes that the August order prompted the Department to turn over enough information so that by December the parties could agree to dismiss the case. In other words, filing the lawsuit and receiving some scheduling orders served as a catalyst resulting in the relief the union sought. Even if the dismiss assessment had any proof behind it (it seems equally plausible that the Energy Department simply lacked the time to review the items), Buckhannon clearly instructs that we are not to analyze "the defendant's subjective motivations in changing its conduct." 532 U.S. at 609, 121 S.Ct. at 1843. Instead, we are to look for some form of "judicial relief," and it is clear that the union received none. 23 Under the rule of Buckhannon, the union therefore was not entitled to attorney's fees because it did not "substantially prevail." 24 Reversed. ROGERS, Circuit Judge, dissenting: 25 Today the court decides whether the Supreme Court's decision in Buckhannon Board and Care Home, Inc. v. West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources,532 U.S. 598, 121 S.Ct. 1835, 149 L.Ed.2d 855 (2001), applies to suits for attorney's fees under the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"). See Opinion at 453. Even assuming that the answer to this question is in the affirmative, there are two separate problems with the court's opinion. The first involves the suggestion that the Supreme Court's decision in Buckhannon bars attorney's fees in the absence of a final judgment on the merits or a consent decree embodying a settlement. To reach this interpretation of Buckhannon, the court, contrary to the other circuits, glosses over the holding and underlying rationale of Buckhannon. The second problem arises from the court's failure to acknowledge the plain terms of the district court's order to the government to turn over documents that Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union ("OCAW") sought under FOIA and that the government had previously withheld. I. 26 The holding and rationale of the Supreme Court in Buckhannon is hardly as broad as some of the court's language today suggests. The Supreme Court stated its holding as follows: "[W]e hold that the `catalyst theory' is not a permissible basis for the award of attorney's fees under the [Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988], 42 U.S.C. § 3613(c)(2), and [the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990], 42 U.S.C. § 12205." Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 610, 121 S.Ct. at 1843. The reasons that the Court gave were as follows. The Court first noted that the term "prevailing party" is a legal term of art that means "one who has been awarded some relief by the court." Id. at 603, 121 S.Ct. at 1839. The Court then explained that its precedent was consistent with this meaning. Reviewing its previous decisions addressing the meaning of "prevailing party," the court explained that in addition to a judgment on the merits by the court, see id. at 603-04, 121 S.Ct. at 1839-40 (citing Hanrahan v. Hampton,446 U.S. 754, 758, 100 S.Ct. 1987, 1989-90, 64 L.Ed.2d 670 (1980) (per curiam); Hewitt v. Helms,482 U.S. 755, 760, 107 S.Ct. 2672, 2675-76, 96 L.Ed.2d 654 (1987); and Farrar v. Hobby,506 U.S. 103, 113 S.Ct. 566, 121 L.Ed.2d 494 (1992)), settlement agreements enforced through a court-ordered consent decree may also serve as the basis for an award of attorney's fees. Id. at 604, 121 S.Ct. at 1840 (citing Maher v. Gagne,448 U.S. 122, 100 S.Ct. 2570, 65 L.Ed.2d 653 (1980)). Although consent decrees need not contain a defendant's admission of liability, the Court viewed them as a court-ordered "`chang[e] [in] the legal relationship between [the plaintiff] and the defendant.'" Id. (quoting Tex. State Teachers Ass'n v. Garland Indep. Sch. Dist.,489 U.S. 782, 792, 109 S.Ct. 1486, 1493-94, 103 L.Ed.2d 866 (1989)) (alterations in the original). The Court also distinguished consent decrees from private settlements, noting that "[p]rivate settlements do not entail the judicial approval and oversight involved in consent decrees[, a]nd federal jurisdiction to enforce a private contractual settlement will often be lacking unless the terms of the agreement are incorporated into the order of dismissal." Id. at 604 n. 7, 121 S.Ct. at 1840 n. 7 (citing Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am.,511 U.S. 375, 114 S.Ct. 1673, 128 L.Ed.2d 391 (1994)). 27 Finding a common thread in its precedent, the Court in effect established a line: a party prevails only upon obtaining a "judicially sanctioned change in the legal relationship of the parties." Id. at 605, 121 S.Ct. at 1840. On one side of the line, the Court observed that its precedent reveals that "enforceable judgments on the merits and court-ordered consent decrees create the `material alteration of the legal relationship of the parties' necessary to permit an award of attorney's fees." Id. at 604, 121 S.Ct. at 1840 (quoting Tex. State Teachers Ass'n, 489 U.S. at 792-93, 109 S.Ct. at 1493-94). The Court then held that the "`catalyst theory' falls on the other side of the line from these examples" because "[i]t allows an award where there is no judicially sanctioned change in the legal relationship of the parties." Id. at 605, 121 S.Ct. at 1840. The Court explained that "[a] defendant's voluntary change in conduct, although perhaps accomplishing what the plaintiff sought to achieve by the lawsuit, lacks the necessary judicial imprimatur on the change." Id. 28 The Supreme Court's holding and rationale in Buckhannon do not limit attorney's fees awards to cases in which there is either a final judgment on the merits or a consent decree. Rather than define these two forms of relief as the only instances in which there could be a "prevailing party" for purposes of recovering attorney's fees, the Court used these forms of relief as discrete examples, illustrated by its precedent, in which the need for "judicial imprimatur on the change" in the parties' legal relationship is present. Id. As the factual setting before the Supreme Court makes clear, the Court did not have the occasion to provide an exhaustive list of the various forms of judicial relief that the plaintiff must obtain in order to be a "prevailing party" for purposes of an award of attorney's fees. In Buckhannon, the petitioner's suit for declaratory and injunctive relief coincided with the State legislature's subsequent repeal of the allegedly offending statute, and the district court thereafter dismissed the lawsuit as moot. Id. at 601, 121 S.Ct. at 1838. There was no judicial involvement in the resolution of the litigation. Petitioners, however, sought attorney's fees as prevailing parties under the FHAA and the ADA on the theory that the lawsuit had served as a catalyst of the repeal. Id. Not having any occasion to consider the precise contours of the necessary judicial imprimatur on the change in the legal relationship of the parties, the Supreme Court did not need to, and in fact did not, seize the opportunity to explain more than that the "catalyst theory" as applied on the facts before the Court — where there was no judicial involvement in the resolution — was not enough. 29 Indeed, the Supreme Court's review of its precedents demonstrates that the Court did not establish a finite list of the forms of judicial relief that are necessary to "prevail." Rather, as described by the Court, on one side of the line, where there is a "prevailing party" for purposes of recovering attorney's fees, is precedent holding that judgments on the merits and consent decrees are sufficient to give rise to prevailing party status. See id. at 605-06, 121 S.Ct. at 1840-41 (discussing Farrar, 506 U.S. at 112, 113 S.Ct. at 573-74; and Maher, 448 U.S. at 129-30, 100 S.Ct. at 2574-75). On the other side of the line, the Court, again looking to its precedent, indicated only that preliminary victories such as withstanding a motion for a directed verdict or a motion for summary judgment for failure to state a cause of action were insufficient. Id. at 605-06, 121 S.Ct. at 1840-41 (citing Hewitt, 482 U.S. at 760, 107 S.Ct. at 2675-76; and Hanrahan, 446 U.S. at 759, 100 S.Ct. at 1990). Although the Court in Buckhannon only specifically listed a judgment on the merits or a court-ordered consent decree as examples on the other side of the prevailing party line, id. at 606, 121 S.Ct. at 1841 (citing Farrar, 506 U.S. at 112, 113 S.Ct. at 573-74; and Maher, 448 U.S. at 129-30, 100 S.Ct. at 2574-75), attorney's fees could be awarded in other circumstances. For example, two members of the majority noted that court-approved settlements in addition to consent decrees bore the necessary judicial imprimatur. Id. at 618, 121 S.Ct. at 1847-48 (Scalia, J., concurring, joined by Thomas, J.). Additionally, in Hanrahan, cited with approval in Buckhannon, the Court acknowledged that "[t]he legislative history of the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act of 1976 [§ 1988] indicates that a person may in some circumstances be a `prevailing party' without having obtained a favorable `final judgment following a full trial on the merits.'" Hanrahan, 446 U.S. at 756-57, 100 S.Ct. at 1989 (quoting H.R.Rep. No. 94-1558, at 7 (1976)). The House Committee Report indicated that Congress had adopted the approach that the Court had taken in Bradley v. Richmond School Board,416 U.S. 696, 94 S.Ct. 2006, 40 L.Ed.2d 476 (1974), in which the Court stated that "`the entry of any order that determines substantial rights of the parties may be an appropriate occasion upon which to consider the propriety of an award of counsel fees....'" Hanrahan, 446 U.S. at 757, 100 S.Ct. at 1989 (quoting H.R.Rep. No. 94-1558, at 8 (quoting Bradley, 416 U.S. at 723 n. 28, 94 S.Ct. at 2022 n. 28)). The Senate Committee Report stated that "the award of counsel fees pendente lite would be `especially appropriate where a party has prevailed on an important matter in the course of litigation, even when he ultimately does not prevail on all issues.'" Id. (quoting S.Rep. No. 94-1011, at 5 (1976)). From this history, the Court concluded: 30 It seems apparent from these passages that Congress intended to permit the interim award of counsel fees only when a party has prevailed on the merits of at least some of his claims. For only in that event has there been a determination of the "substantial rights of the parties," which Congress determined was a necessary foundation for departing from the usual rule in this country that each party is to bear the expense of his own attorney. 31 Id. at 757-58, 100 S.Ct. at 1989. Nothing in Buckhannon suggests that the Court has overruled this precedent; rather, the Court only clarified that the catalyst theory fell on the other side of the line of this precedent. Other circuits, taking a less narrow reading of Buckhannon than the Ninth Circuit, have nonetheless recognized that Buckhannon has a limited holding in two respects. First, the circuits have looked at the particular attorney's fees statute at issue to determine whether Buckhannon's interpretation of "prevailing party" applies. For example, the Tenth Circuit in Center for Biological Diversity v. Norton,262 F.3d 1077 (10th Cir.2001), declined to apply Buckhannon to the attorney's fees provision of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1540(g)(4), which did not require that there be a "prevailing party" and left the decision to award fees to the discretion of the district court. Id. at 1080 n. 2. Other circuits considering other statutes have also treated this as a threshold question in applying Buckhannon's reasoning. In Crabill v. Trans Union, L.L.C.,259 F.3d 662 (7th Cir.2001), for example, the Seventh Circuit concluded upon examining the text, structure, and legislative history of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681o & 1681n, that the reasoning of Buckhannon applied. Id. at 666-67. The Federal Court of Claims, in Brickwood Contractors, Inc. v. United States, 49 Fed. Cl. 738 (2001), on the other hand, limited Buckhannon to the statutes cited by the Court and declined to apply Buckhannon to the Equal Access to Justice Act. Id. at 744-47. 34 Second, the circuits have looked beyond whether the relief obtained was either a judgment on the merits or a consent decree and instead have looked for action compelled by the court, focusing on the underlying concern of the Supreme Court in Buckhannon that there be some "judicial imprimatur on the change" in the parties' legal status. As the Seventh Circuit explained in Crabill in rejecting a claim of entitlement to attorney's fees in the absence of any judicially ordered relief, "[t]he significance of the Buckhannon decision... [is] its insistence that a plaintiff must obtain formal judicial relief, and not merely `success,' in order to be deemed a prevailing or successful party under any attorneys' fee provision comparable to the civil rights attorneys' fee statute." Crabill, 259 F.3d at 666. Thus, the Second Circuit in J.C. v. Regional School District 10, Board of Education,278 F.3d 119 (2d Cir.2002), in addressing fee awards under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(i)(3)(B), and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794a(b), considered whether the relief received by the plaintiff was more akin to a judicial consent decree or a private settlement, and concluded that statutorily required relief could not be a substitute for a judicial order or decree under Buckhannon. Id. at 125. Likewise, the Fourth Circuit in Smyth v. Rivero,282 F.3d 268 (4th Cir.2002), applying § 1988, considered whether the two forms of relief obtained by the plaintiff constituted sufficient judicial relief to trigger prevailing party status in Buckhannon by examining on which side of the Buckhannon line the relief fell. Id. at 274-75. Concluding that the preliminary injunction plaintiffs obtained was more akin to the judicial relief deemed inadequate in Buckhannon because it was a "preliminary, incomplete ... merits examination," id. at 277, the Fourth Circuit examined whether an agreement between the parties that was referenced in the district court's final order of dismissal was sufficient to show entitlement to attorney's fees. Id. at 273-74, 284. Observing that Buckhannon indicated that "a determination of `legal merit' is necessary for an award of attorney's fees," id. at 281 (quoting Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 605, 121 S.Ct. at 1840), and that the Supreme Court's focus was on "judicial approval and oversight involved in consent decrees," id. at 281-82 (quoting Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 604 n. 7, 121 S.Ct. at 1840 n. 7) (internal quotation marks omitted), the Fourth Circuit declined to read Buckhannon "so restrictively as to require that the words `consent decree' be used explicitly," and instead concluded that an order containing an agreement of the parties may be the functional equivalent of a consent decree for purposes of the Buckhannon inquiry. Id. at 281. The court concluded that the district court's order of dismissal was insufficient, however, because the order did not entail a judicially enforced obligation to comply with the terms of the agreement: it neither stated that the court retained jurisdiction to enforce the parties' agreement nor compelled compliance with the terms agreed to by the parties. Id. at 284. Rather, the court concluded, the findings in the final order were "most properly read as noting and reciting the agreement ... as a component of its analysis of the mootness of the case...." Id. Similarly, in a case that is closest factually to the instant case, the First Circuit in New England Regional Council of Carpenters v. Kinton,284 F.3d 9 (1st Cir. 2002), also applying § 1988, examined whether the appropriate judicial imprimatur on the relief was present. In Kinton, the answer turned on whether the district court had ordered the respondent to revise its regulations, the relief that the plaintiff sought in court. Id. at 30. Proceeding on the assumption that something other than a final judgment or consent decree sufficed for the judicial imprimatur required by Buckhannon, the First Circuit concluded upon review of the district court transcript that, although the district court had discussed the possibility of ordering the defendant to amend its regulations, "the [district] court eschewed an order and gave [the defendant] sixty days within which to decide what (if anything) it wished to do, reserving the possibility that the court might enter an order at a later date." Id. at 30. Under the circumstances, the First Circuit held that: 35 The district court did not compel [the defendant] to adopt the regulations. Under the Buckhannon rule, that ends the matter. Because the district court entered no explicit order compelling, or even leading to, [the defendant's] adoption of the regulations, we cannot say that the district court's refusal to award attorneys' fees constituted an abuse of discretion. 36 Id. at 30. 37 The few district court opinions to have addressed Buckhannon likewise take the position that as long as a party has obtained some judicial relief more akin to a consent decree rather than a private settlement, the Buckhannon test is satisfied. The district court in Aynes v. Space Guard Products, Inc., 201 F.R.D. 445 (S.D.Ind. 2001), concluded that although an accepted offer of judgment under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 68 was "neither a judgment on the merits nor a court-ordered consent decree," it satisfied the Buckhannon test because it was both "enforceable against [the] Defendant by this court unlike the resolution effected by a private settlement" and "caused a material alteration of the legal relationship of the parties." Id. at 450-51. Similarly, in Johnny's IceHouse, Inc. v. Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois, No. 00-7363, 2001 WL 893840 (N.D.Ill. Aug.7, 2001), the court refused to limit unduly the concept of court-ordered consent decrees and concluded that an order incorporating a settlement was sufficient under Buckhannon. Id. at *3. Likewise, in National Coalition for Students with Disabilities v. Bush, 173 F.Supp.2d 1272 (N.D.Fla.2001), the district court evaluated whether a settlement was the functional equivalent of a consent decree, constituting the necessary judicially-sanctioned change in the legal relationship between the parties to satisfy Buckhannon, id. at 1278-79, and concluded that it was because it was incorporated by reference into a court order in which the court retained jurisdiction to enforce its terms. Id. 38 The court today properly begins by addressing whether Buckhannon's reasoning applies to attorney's fees suits under FOIA, but gives short shrift to Buckhannon's reasoning and glosses over whether the relief obtained by OCAW was compelled by the district court. Although the court uses language that would suggest that Buckhannon is a bar to attorney's fees regardless of the nature of the judicial action short of a final judgment or a consent decree, see Opinion at 457, Buckhannon and the decisions interpreting it make clear that there is no principled basis for this suggestion. What is key under Buckhannon is whether the particular relief obtained results in a material change in the legal relationship of the parties that bears the necessary judicial imprimatur. The court's failure to come to grips with Buckhannon's holding and rationale is only possible because of the second problem in the court's opinion. II. 39 Buckhannon indicates that to be a "prevailing party" one must obtain a change in the legal relationship of the parties that bears the necessary judicial imprimatur and cited as examples a judgment on the merits or a court-ordered consent decree. Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 605, 121 S.Ct. at 1840-41; see also id. at 622, 121 S.Ct. at 1849-50 (Scalia, J., concurring). Because the question put to this court under Buckhannon is whether OCAW obtained a change in the legal relationship with the government that bears the necessary judicial imprimatur, the court's failure to address the district court's orders in the record with any particularity is inexplicable. OCAW, which is the appellee, pointed out during oral argument in response to the government's argument that the district court did not grant OCAW any of its requested relief, that the final resolution "did not emerge out of thin air" but resulted because on August 23, 1999 "the [district] court ordered ... the defendant ... [to] cause a search to be made ... and release to plaintiffs all records thus retrieved" and thus "the court was intimately involved in approving the settlement." An examination of the record makes clear that OCAW in fact obtained judicially sanctioned legal relief akin to a consent decree and hence sufficient to meet the Buckhannon test. 40 Overlooked almost in its entirety is the district court's August 23, 1999 Stipulation and Order. The court's recitation of the factual background ignores the August 23 Order. When the court finally refers to the August 23 Order it misrepresents and confuses its contents and mischaracterizes it as a "report." Opinion at 457. Contrary to the court's assertion, there is no indication in the August 23 Order that the government had provided "most of the materials" requested by OCAW. Opinion at 457. Although the August 23 Order resulted in the dismissal of OCAW's requests for some records, the order addressed other documents that the government refused to turn over to OCAW despite its FOIA request. In light of the plain terms of the August 23 Order, it cannot fairly be described as a "report." Rather, the court's characterization of the August 23 Order as the "parties' second report," Opinion at 457, reveals the court's confusion of this order with the parties' actual second report, dated November 8, 1999, which is titled "Second Joint Report." The August 23 Order, by contrast, is titled "Stipulation and Order" and consists of two parts: (1) the district court's identification of various documents that OCAW sought and that the government had refused to release; and (2) the district court's order to the government to search for and release those documents (subject to applicable FOIA exemptions) within 60 days. The district court signed the "Stipulation and Order" stating "Approved And So Ordered." As the parties themselves stated in their second report of November 8, 1999, "[b]y stipulation and order dated and filed August 23, 1999, the Court directed defendant to search for certain records and to release to plaintiffs `all records thus retrieved except those records or portions of records determined to merit continued withholding under applicable law....'" Second Joint Report, Nov. 8, 1999 (quoting Stipulation & Order, Aug. 23, 1999, at ¶ 2) (emphasis added). The second report of November 8 also indicated that the government had complied with the terms of the August 23 Order. 41 The existence of the August 23 Order directing the government to release documents that OCAW had sought and the government had previously withheld is a judicially sanctioned victory on the merits; the release of withheld documents is the whole point of a FOIA lawsuit. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(B) (2000); Students Against Genocide v. Dep't of State,257 F.3d 828, 841 (D.C.Cir.2001). The court recognizes as much when it notes that "[h]ad the December 10 stipulation between [OCAW] and the Energy Department outlined documents the government still needed to disclose to the union, matters might be different." Opinion at 458-459. But this is precisely what the August 23 Order provided. As a result of the August 23 Order, there is an undeniable change in the legal relationship of the parties: the district court ordered the government to release documents that it previously refused to produce upon OCAW's request. In addition, the relief obtained by OCAW in the August 23 Order bore the necessary judicial imprimatur: unlike a private settlement or resolution through negotiations by the parties, here, the district court's order recited the terms of the parties' negotiations and ultimate agreement so that the August 23 Order had elements of both "judicial approval and oversight involved in consent decrees." Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 604 n. 7, 121 S.Ct. at 1840 n. 7. After the August 23 Order, the government was under an enforceable court-ordered legal obligation to release the identified documents, potentially facing a contempt citation for failure to comply. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(G). The August 23 Order is thus a material alteration of the legal relationship of the parties bearing the necessary judicial imprimatur and hence satisfying Buckhannon. To reach a contrary conclusion the court is forced to rely on factual assertions that are unsupported by the record, to attack a theory that appears nowhere in this separate opinion, and to ignore both the "judicial relief" that OCAW in fact obtained and the arguments that OCAW in fact made on appeal. 42 For these reasons, I conclude that in light of the district court's August 23, 1999 Stipulation and Order directing the government to release documents previously withheld after being requested pursuant to FOIA, OCAW has satisfied the Buckhannon test because there has been a judicially sanctioned "`material alteration of the legal relationship of the parties' necessary to permit an award of attorney's fees." Buckhannon, 532 U.S. at 604, 121 S.Ct. at 1840 (quoting Tex. State Teachers Ass'n, 489 U.S. at 792-93, 109 S.Ct. at 1493-94). A remand is nonetheless required, for although the district court ruled that the government withheld "numerous categories of documents ... without any legal basis for doing so," the record is unclear whether the district court would have reached the same decision considering only the documents OCAW obtained pursuant to the August 23 Order. On remand, the district court would determine OCAW's entitlement to attorney's fees, see Chesapeake Bay Found., Inc. v. U.S. Dep't of Agric.,11 F.3d 211, 216 (D.C.Cir.1993), and if necessary, proportion the amount of attorney's fees previously awarded that are attributable to OCAW's efforts to obtain the documents that the government produced pursuant to the August 23, 1999 Order. Accordingly, I respectfully dissent.

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island nation and the smallest country in Southeast Asia. It is located on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, south of the Malaysian state of Johor, and north of the Indonesian Riau Islands. It lies 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of the Equator. According to folklore, a prince named Sang Nila Utama was caught in a storm that did not cease until he threw his crown into the water. He sailed to the closest island and the first animal he saw was a lion. He named the island Singapura. The name Singapore is derived from the Malay language words singa (lion) and pura (city). Hence, Singapore is also known as the Lion City. The site of ancient port cities and a possession of several empires, over the past 40 years Singapore has transformed itself from a poor, politically volatile state into an economic powerhouse. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit quality-of-life index, Singapore has the highest standard of living in Asia, and is ranked 11th in the world, and is the world's 22nd wealthiest country. A long period of stable government, investment in housing and education, and pragmatic and pro-active policies have created a modern nation that exists on the cutting edge of technological progress. Contents Geography Singapore, which consists of 63 islands, is slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC. Land reclamation has resulted in an increase of land area from 224 square miles (581.5 square kilometers) in the 1960s to 269 square miles (697.2 square kilometers) in 2007. About 23 percent of Singapore's land area consists of forest and nature reserves. The Johor-Singapore Causeway connects Singapore to Malaysia in the north, crossing the Tebrau Straits; and Malaysia-Singapore Second Link is a bridge from western Singapore to Johor. The highest point of Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill, with a height of 538 feet (166 meters). Singapore Botanic Gardens, a 166 acre (.7 sq km) botanical garden in Singapore that includes the National Orchid Garden which has a collection of more than 3000 species of orchids. Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinct seasons, characterized by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 72F to 93F (22C to 34C). On average, the relative humidity is around 90 percent in the morning and 60 percent in the afternoon. During prolonged heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100 percent. The only remaining area of primary rainforest is the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. A variety of parks are maintained, such as the Singapore Botanic Gardens. With no natural freshwater rivers and lakes, rainfall, collected in reservoirs, supplies approximately 50 percent of water. The remainder is imported from Malaysia or obtained from recycled water, a product called NEWater, and desalination plants. New towns built since the 1960s have resulted in an entirely built-up and urban landscape. About 83 percent of Singapore's population lives in housing estates constructed by the Housing and Development Board. As a result of controls on motorized traffic, the maintenance of natural greenery, and strict regulations on industrial locations and emissions, Singapore has been able to control its pollution levels to within World Health Organization standards. History Chinese texts from the third century C.E. contain the first records of Singapore's existence. The island was an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and originally bore the Javanese name Temasek (which means sea town). Temasek became a significant trading city. Between the sixteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Singapore was a part of the Sultanate of Johore. During the Malay-Portugal wars in 1613, Portuguese troops set fire to Singapore. Statue of Thomas Stamford Raffles by Thomas Woolner, erected at the spot where he first landed at Singapore. He is recognized as the founder of modern Singapore. In 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, an official with the British East India Company, signed a treaty with the Sultan of Johore, and established Singapore as a trading post and settlement, bringing instant growth and immigration. Britain made Singapore a crown colony in 1867, and later an entrepot town, due to its strategic location along the busy shipping routes connecting Europe to China. During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Malaya and attacked Singapore. The British, despite having more troops, were not prepared for an attack through the dense Malayan jungle and surrendered on February 15, 1942. The Japanese renamed Singapore Shōnan and occupied it until the British repossessed the island on September 12, 1945, after the Japanese surrender. Singapore became a self-governing state in 1959 with Yusof bin Ishak as its first head of state and Lee Kuan Yew from the People's Action Party as its first prime minister. Following a 1962 merger referendum, Singapore joined Malaysia along with Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak in September 1963, but was expelled after heated ideological conflict with the federal government in Kuala Lumpur. It gained official sovereignty on August 9, 1965, which later became Singapore's National Day. Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as the first President and Lee Kuan Yew remained as Prime Minister. The Downtown Core of Singapore at dusk The fledgling nation faced mass unemployment, housing shortages, and lack of land and natural resources, including petroleum. New Minister of Finance Goh Keng Swee adopted a strategy to encourage investment with tax incentives and the establishment of a large industrial estate in Jurong. The education system was revamped to train a skilled workforce and the English language was promoted over the Chinese language. Lee Kuan Yew, during his term as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, curbed unemployment, raised the standard of living, and implemented a large-scale public housing program. The country's economic infrastructure was developed, the threat of racial tension was eliminated, and an independent national defense system was created. Singapore evolved from a developing nation to a global city with first-world status by the end of the twentieth century. In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as prime minister. During his tenure, the country tackled the economic impacts of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, as well as terrorist threats posed by the militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah post-September 11 attacks and the Bali bombings. In 2004 Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third Prime Minister. Politics and government Singapore Parliament House The politics of Singapore takes place in a framework of a parliamentary republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Singapore is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. The president had largely a ceremonial role until 1991, when constitutional changes meant the president would be directly elected, by popular vote, for a six-year term. The president has veto powers in a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of key judiciary positions. The cabinet forms the executive, and is answerable to the Parliament. The President appoints the Prime Minister, and 16 cabinet ministers, on the advice of the Prime Minister. A unicameral Parliament with the President as its head makes up the legislature. The 84 members of Parliament are elected for a maximum five-year term, and represent either single-member constituencies or group representation constituencies, in which political parties field a team of between three to six candidates. At least one candidate in the team must belong to a minority race. Voting has been compulsory in Singapore since 1959. Paper ballots are still used. In the general election in 2006, the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) won 82 of the 84 seats. The PAP has dominated Singaporean politics since 1959. Some foreign analysts and several opposition parties have argued that Singapore is a de facto one-party state. The Economist Intelligence Unit listed Singapore as a country with a hybrid system of democratic and authoritarian elements. The Supreme Court consists of the Court of Appeal and the High Court. The President appoints the Chief Justice, judges of appeal, judicial commissioners and High Court judges from candidates recommended by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must consult the Chief Justice before recommending the judges. The Constitution is the supreme law, and cannot be amended without the support of more than two-thirds of parliament. The President may seek opinion on constitutional issues from a tribunal consisting of at least three Supreme Court judges. Part XII of the Constitution allows the Parliament of Singapore to enact legislation designed to prevent subversion. The Internal Security Act is a law under such provision. In 1966, Chia Thye Poh, an alleged communist activist member of Parliament, was detained under this act and was imprisoned for 23 years without trial. Singapore's laws derive from British and British Indian laws, and include many elements of English common law. Laws restricting the freedom of speech are justified by claims that they are intended to prohibit speech that may breed ill will or cause disharmony within Singapore's multiracial, multi-religious society. For example, in September 2005, three bloggers were convicted of sedition for posting racist remarks targeting minorities, with one sentenced to one day in jail; the second to one month; the third sentenced to probation. The Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force, with its members recruited from Nepal, is a counter-terrorism unit. Here, the officers join other members of the local constabulary in the annual Police Day Parade. Some offenses can lead to heavy fines or caning. First-degree murder and drug trafficking receive the death penalty. Amnesty International has criticized Singapore for having the highest execution rate in the world per capita. The PAP's policies have some socialist aspects. The Housing Development Board oversees a large-scale public housing program and there is a rigorous compulsory public education system. Government-linked companies dominate the media, utilities, and public transport. Transparency International has consistently rated Singapore as the least-corrupt country in Asia. Singapore has mutual defense pacts with several countries, most notably the Five Power Defense Arrangements. Singapore subscribes to a philosophy of Total Defense, in which five aspects of national defense are identified: Civil defense; economic defense (a robust economy); psychological defense (a patriotic citizenry); and "social defense" (a population at harmony with itself). The Singapore Armed Forces, which includes the army, navy, and air force, is one of the most modern in Asia, with advanced equipment and high level of training reflecting the fact that military expenditure dominates the government budget annually. The Gurkha Contingent, which is part of the Singapore Police Force, is a counter-terrorist force. Singapore's defense resources have been used in United Nations peacekeeping assignments in Kosovo, Kuwait, and East Timor. Economy Singapore's Central Business District (CBD), where there is the fourth largest exchange center in the world. The piece of green land facing the CBD would be half the site of the future Integrated Resort. Singapore's national icon, the Merlion can be seen in the CBD and Sentosa. Panoramic view of the Singapore River. Once center of trade and commerce as the port of Singapore during its colonial times, it is now a tourist spot with numerous bars, pubs, and seafood restaurants along the river. Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy, and is a developed nation. It ranks 25th on the Human Development Index (HDI) which measures standards of living, and second in the Index of Economic Freedom. Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP), per capita, is equal to that of the major European countries. Singapore is also the fourth largest foreign exchange trading center in the world after London, New York City and Tokyo. The geographically small nation has foreign exchange reserves of more than S$197 billion (US$119 billion). The city-state employs thousands of foreign workers—Indians, Malaysians, and Filipinos. It requires talent from outside to fill the various jobs the economy is generating, most of which are in the information technology and financial sectors. The government offers easy processing time for permanent residency or citizenship. The economy depends heavily on exports produced from refining imported goods. Manufacturing, which contributes around 28 percent of GDP, includes electronics, chemicals, mechanical engineering, and biomedical sciences. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan, Singapore's fast-paced industrialization earned it a place as one of the four original "East Asian Tigers." In 2001, a global recession and slump in the technology sector caused the GDP to contract by 2.2 percent. The Economic Review Committee set up in December 2001 recommended policy changes to revitalize the economy. Improvements in the world economy led to an economic growth rate in Singapore of 8.3 percent in 2004, 6.4 percent in 2005, and 7.7 percent in 2006. The per capita GDP in 2005 was US$26,833 and the unemployment rate was 2.7 percent in 2006, with 124,000 new jobs being created in the first three quarters of 2006, a record high. Singapore introduced a goods and services tax (GST) with an initial rate of 3 percent on April 1, 1994. This increased government revenue by $1.6 billion, stabilizing the government's finances. The government has used revenue from this tax to re-orient the economy around services and value added-goods to reduce dependence on electronics manufacturing. The GST was increased to 4 percent in 2003 and to 5 percent in 2004. Singapore is a popular travel destination, making tourism one of its largest industries. 8.9 million and 9.5 million tourists visited Singapore in 2005 and 2006 respectively. The Orchard Road district, which is dominated by multi-story shopping centers and hotels, is the center of tourism. Cuisine has been heavily promoted as a tourist attraction, along with shopping. The government organizes the Singapore Food Festival each July. Singapore is an Asian transportation hub, and transportation accounts for over 10 percent of Singaporean GDP. The Port of Singapore was the world's busiest port in 2005 with 1.15 billion gross tons handled. Singapore's Changi Airport acts as a stopover point for the "Kangaroo route" between Australasia and Europe. A network of 81 airlines connected Singapore to 179 cities in 57 countries in 2005. A Kawasaki Heavy Industries & Nippon Sharyo C751B train at Eunos MRT Station on the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, one of three heavy rail passenger transport lines in Singapore.]] Singapore has a network of expressways. After a government study which predicted traffic congestion and air pollution, the Land Transport Authority began to improve the bus service and allowed for more taxi operators. Since 1987, the heavy rail mass rapid transit metro system has been in operation, later augmented by the light rapid transit. The EZ-Link system allows non-contact smart cards to serve as stored value tickets. More than 2.8 million people use the bus network daily, while more than 1.3 million people use either the LRT or MRT as part of their daily routine. Tolls discourage private vehicle use in the central area. Demographics Built in 1843, the Sri Mariamman Temple is the largest Hindu temple in Singapore. It is also one of the many religious buildings marked as national monuments for their historical value. Singapore is the second most densely populated independent country in the world. About 83 percent of Singaporeans live in public housing provided by the Housing and Development Board. The largest group in the population of 4.48 million (as of June 2006) are the Singaporean Chinese who account for 76.8 percent of the population, making it one of the largest Chinese cities outside of China. Singaporean Malays, the indigenous native group of the country, constitute 13.9 percent. Indian Singaporeans are the third largest ethnic group at 7.9 percent, consisting of several groups — Indian Tamils and Sri Lankan Tamils, Malayalees, Punjabis and Bengalis. The rest are made up of Arab Singaporeans, Thais, Japanese, Europeans, and the Eurasian Singaporean community. The government of Singapore has been careful to maintain ethnic harmony after racial riots erupted in the 1960s. Racial harmony has been emphasized in all aspects of society, including the Singaporean education system, military, and housing. So far the policy has been largely successful, and there have been few signs of ethnic tension since the early 1970s. Current issues include the ban on wearing the Islamic headscarf in public schools. The national language is Malay, and it is used in the national anthem, "Majulah Singapura." The official languages are English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. Most public signs and official publications are in English. The local dialect of English is Singlish, incorporating vocabulary and grammar from various Chinese dialects, Malay, and Indian languages. Singlish is spoken on the streets. English became widespread after it became the language of the education system. The government has introduced a "speak Mandarin campaign," "Hua Yu Cool," to promote Mandarin as a common language among the Chinese. After two decades of a family planning policy, Singapore is now facing the threat of an aging population with declining birth rates. The government provides financial incentives for the first to fourth child of each family. Society and culture Enjoying Singaporean cuisine is a national pastime. Hawker centers and kopi tiam]s are well-distributed throughout the country. Rice, fish, chicken, and vegetables are the staples, mixed with a rich variety of spices, chilis, coconuts, lime, and tamarind. The variations are endless. Food is often eaten in food centers where food is cheap, tasty, and freshly made. Malay Muslims do not eat pork, Indian Hindus do not eat beef, and many Buddhist Chinese are vegetarians. Many people do not drink alcohol. Singapore has become a center for modern architecture as older buildings are cleared away to make space for newer, larger buildings along the coast of Marina Bay and Raffles Place. No building is to be taller than 920 feet (280 meters). A few signs of Singapore's colonial past remain in the form of "Black and White Houses," built in the early to mid nineteenth century to house the British generals and governors when Great Britain occupied the country. They became home to many Japanese generals during World War II. The majority of Singaporeans live in planned estates of high-rise, high-density Housing and Development Board apartments. Singapore has a Little India and a Chinatown, formed under the Raffles Plan to segregate immigrants. Many places of worship were constructed during the colonial era, a practice encouraged by the British to promote religious tolerance. Sri Mariamman Temple, the Masjid Jamae Mosque, and the Church of Gregory the Illuminator were built during the colonial period. The policy for the primarily commercial ethnic neighborhoods stands in contrast to the policies of the Housing and Development Board that attempt to promote a mix of all races within each housing district in order to foster social cohesion and national loyalty. Primary education is compulsory in Singapore; the literacy rate is 95 percent. The Ministry of Education sets the standard for the school curriculum with a mix of private and public schools. Students take the primary school leaving examination. Their performance in the examination is the main criteria in determining whether they enter their desired secondary schools. There have been complaints about excessive educational streaming at a young age. After secondary education, a further set of examinations are taken which determine the next step to tertiary education. Junior college is a precursor for entry into the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and Singapore Management University. There are polytechnics, where students will graduate with a diploma and may choose to move into the workforce or pursue higher education in public universities. There is teacher training college, various management institutes, and vocational education institutes. Singapore students took first place in the 1995, 1999, and 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. They used the Singapore Math Primary Mathematics series. The national textbooks have been adapted into a series which has been successfully marketed in North America as a rival to other math programs and an alternative to controversial standards-based mathematics curricula. Orchard Road is a popular tourist attraction in Singapore. Every year, Orchard Road is brightly lit during Christmas, so that tourists can enjoy the night scene of the streets during this period of time. Singapore hosts an annual Singapore Arts Festival. In 2003, the Esplanade - "Theatres on the Bay," a center for performing arts, was opened. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts offer full-time programs for the performing arts. Since the 1990s, a film industry has sprouted. Eric Khoo and Jack Neo, are two pioneering film makers. In particular, the movie I Not Stupid struck an emotional chord among many Singaporeans as its story highlighted many issues faced in a competitive society. In 2003, ten-year-old Megan Zheng became the first Singaporean actress to win the Taipei Film Festival Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer with her role in Jack Neo's movie Homerun. Popular sports include soccer, swimming, badminton, basketball, and ping pong or table tennis. Most people live in public residential areas that often provide amenities including swimming pools and outdoor basketball courts, as well as indoor sport centers that provide facilities for badminton, squash, table tennis, gymnastics, indoor basketball, and volleyball, among others. In the realm of spectator sport, soccer is king. Singapore has its own professional soccer (football) league. Launched in 1996, the S.League now consists of 10 teams competing in stadiums around the country. In 1998 and 2004, the Singapore national football team became the champions of the Tiger Cup, the premier football competition in Southeast Asia. Singapore has won only one Olympic medal, a silver medal at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics by weightlifter Tan Howe Liang. A National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) was introduced in 1982, a scheme which requires all primary and secondary students to participate. The government sponsors the Singapore Sports School which opened in 2004, combining a reduced curriculum with professional training in each student's preferred sport. Notes ↑Chew, Ernest (1991). in Edwin Lee: A History of Singapore. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-588917-7. SingaporeCountries and Their Cultures Sa-Th, observed January 26, 2007. Credits New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopediastandards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

Tagged: CO2 The president summarized his strange dilemma as follows: “[Keystone] could create a couple of thousand potential jobs in the initial construction of the pipeline, but we’ve got to measure that against whether or not it is going to contribute to an overall warming of the planet that could be disastrous.” The data may show Earth experienced its hottest year on record in 2014, but that would not be proof humans are causing global warming. It wouldn’t even prove the year was the hottest on record, or even particularly hot. Democrat State Representative Pam Snyder representing Pennsylvania’s 50th district is the author of House Bill 2354, called the Pennsylvania Greenhouse Gas Regulation Implementation Act, which was signed by into law by Gov. Tom Corbett on October 22, 2014. This important piece of legislation was developed in response to the Obama administration proposed a 30 percent cut in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions below 2005 levels by 2030 from power plants. Controversy continues over the adoption of new schoolbooks in Texas, as environmental lobbyists fight to have sound science concerning global warming removed from the curriculum. With the ability to influence millions of schoolchildren regarding climate change, environmental alarmists are trying to ensure their message is the only one heard. All this fuss over one buried gas transmission line, a minor addition to the 200,000 miles of such pipelines already transporting natural gas in the United States. The county has electric power lines that are more visually obtrusive and carry more soil erosion risk. We apparently accept those intrusions because we all plug into the wall sockets. The shale gas pipeline, however, will initially carry most of its gas to the cities of coastal Virginia and North Carolina, so it is resented here. Big mistake. The ongoing economic suicide of Europe is based on a faulty understanding of the climate issue by most Western politicians and on their extreme policy response, based on emotion rather than logic and science. The major European economies have reacted irrationally to contrived, unjustified fear of imagined global-warming disasters The Texas State Board of Education (TSBOE) is in the process of adopting new social studies and history textbooks. Once approved, the books will likely be used in schools for more than a decade, and because Texas is a huge market for textbooks, other states often adopt the choices Texas determines, thus making this decision particularly influential. On Nov. 2, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its “2014 Summary for Policymakers.” This report has been described as the starkest warning yet about the need to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions or face “the chaos of runaway climate change,” despite the scientific fact there has been no significant increase in the average global temperature since 1998. For those concerned about the U. S. government going in debt $1.5 billion every day, rejoice. Here is a chief example–EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will be in Atlanta October 26 to address the National Congress of American Indians. (The News Announcement follows this article.) No doubt she will be giving out large amounts of ‘wampum’ to keep tribal support for EPA regulations that inhibit economic growth of the United States. While the U.S. military continues, for more than a decade now, to fight a war on terrorism on multiple fronts, soldiers are being thrown into danger in Africa in the humanitarian battle against Ebola and a resurgent Russia is testing the United States and Europe with air and sea forays along our national borders. Meanwhile, Obama administration Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his entourage recently joined the defense ministers of 34 other nations in a posh Peruvian resort to discuss the real threat to America and the world: global warming. More than seven billion people now populate Earth, including six billion who live in developing economies. After having already quadrupled in the past century, the world’s population could reach near 9 billion by 2050, according to projections by the United Nations. Half of that growth will come from Africa, which will increase its percentage of world population from 13 to 20 percent. This warming disaster idea has become so entrenched that even prime ministers and presidents now misuse “carbon” as shorthand for “carbon dioxide,” and often call this plant-fertilizing gas a pollutant. A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirms what many small-government environmentalists have been saying for years: States are more effective at regulating the disposal of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing operations than is the Environmental Protection Agency. In 1997 during the Kyoto Protocol Treaty negotiations in Japan, Dr. Robert Watson, then Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, was asked about scientists who challenge United Nations conclusions that global warming was man-made. He answered, “The science is settled…we’re not going to reopen it here.” Thus began one of the greatest propaganda lines in support of the theory of human-caused global warming. To ensure the quality of the education provided to students, the Texas State Board of Education has begun the process of updating its textbooks to reflect the latest information and advancements in history and science, because part of giving kids the best education possible means giving them access to the best resources available. In a more rational, moral, compassionate, scientifically literate world, this Cornwall declaration would not be needed. It assesses the “far-reaching, costly policies” that the world’s governments are adopting, supposedly to prevent global warming and climate change. It calls on governments to focus instead on protecting the poor, who desperately need the affordable energy that those policies circumscribe. Thanks to Sunday’s Climate March in New York and Tuesday’s Climate Summit at the United Nations, Americans and others will have been deluged with the lies that have been told to sustain this greatest of all hoaxes.

Teens and young adults who were infected with HIV near the time of birth are at increased risk for serious health problems and death, a new study finds. “Despite being engaged in health care, the number of deaths among youth born with HIV in the U.S. is six to 12 times higher than for youth without HIV of the same age, sex and race,” said study leader Dr. Anne Neilan. She is an infectious disease fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Neilan and her hospital col-leagues analyzed 2007-2015 data from more than 1,400 young Americans who were infected with HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — when they were born. Those between the ages of 13 and 30 were more likely to have what doctors call poor HIV control. That means they had higher levels of the virus and lower levels of the immune cells that HIV targets. They also were more likely to have AIDS-related illnesses and die. Of those between 18 and 30 years of age, 35 percent had poor HIV control. That makes them more likely to become resistant to some HIV medications and transmit HIV to others. “Adolescents infected with HIV — either at birth or later in life — experience poorer health outcomes compared to adults with HIV in nearly every respect,” Neilan said in a hospital news release. “The good news is that among those with good HIV control, serious health problems are rare.” Along with HIV-related health issues, the most commonly reported problems among patients in the study were mental health disorders and nervous system development. Many women also had sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), possibly related to a weakened immune system. “This may suggest a biological mechanism for increased STDs or may reflect that patients who have difficulty with their medications are also engaging in more frequent risky sexual behaviors,” study senior author Dr. Andrea Ciaranello said in the news release. Ciaranello practices in the Division of Infectious Disease at Mass General. The study was published online March 27 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. About 10,000 young people in the United States were infected with HIV at birth, and most are now over age 18. Due to the use of antiretroviral therapy, fewer than 200 U.S. babies a year are born with HIV now, the researchers said. But better care is needed for young people who have HIV, Neilan said. “That might include youth-friendly services that consider the substantial stigma many of these patients face, novel approaches to antiretroviral therapy delivery, and improving support for youth transitioning from pediatric to adult health care providers,” she said.

Karrueche Tran: Chris Brown & I Are ‘Stronger’ After Rihanna Drama Karrueche and Chris have definitely had their ups and downs, but luckily, it was worth it! They’re stronger than ever after everything they’ve been through. Karrueche Tran opened up to Just Keke on July 16 and admitted that after all the drama she’s been through with Chris Brown, their relationship is actually going amazing, and somehow, “like any other relationship.” We have a hard time believing that! Chris Brown & Karrueche Tran: Stronger Than Ever “We have our ups and downs, of course, but because we went through such tough times — through the relationship [with Rihanna], through the heartbreak, through rehab and through jail — we’ve stayed together and we’ve built a stronger foundation. We’re happy and we enjoy each other’s time.” It was really nice to hear that Karrueche and Chris are in a happy relationship! They both have been through so much, so it’s definitely well deserved from both ends. Karrueche Cries Over Chris/Rihanna Drama However, earlier in the interview, Kae opened up about that “heartbreak” and just how tough it was. She was even brought to tears! She explained that it’s definitely a relatable story about a boyfriend going back to his ex — but in her case, that ex was Rihanna. “In this case, my boyfriend is a celebrity who’s ex-girlfriend is an even bigger [celebrity,]” she said. “So, not only am I fighting a battle with her, I’m fighting a battle with her 14 million fans or however else. So, imagine how that feels for me when I gotta get on Twitter and I see a whole bunch of stuff.” It definitely couldn’t have been easy. Lucky for her, we know that Chris feels “awful” about the way that she got upset in the interview. It’s great to hear they’re doing great now though! Do you think they’ll last, HollywoodLifers?

Tim Urban is the latest American Idol hopeful to leave the show despite showing two weeks of continued improvement. The 20 year-old Texan found himself in the bottom three alongside Aaron Kelly and Casey James. His cover of the Goo Goo Dolls failed to impress viewers and he was sent packing. Ryan Seacrest affectionately called him the Comeback Kid and Teflon Tim, as Tim has had to endure a ton of criticism this season, and has even been compared to season six’s Sanjaya. In other Idol news, Crystal Bowersox made headlines last week when it was reported she tried to quit the show, and was talked out of it by Ryan Seacrest. Crystal’s friend and former Idol hopeful, Katelyn Epperly, then revealed in a radio interview that Crystal sent her the following text message: ‘Oh, yes, I’m fine, Betrayed by Seacrest,” when asked how she was doing by Katelyn. Crystal however seems to be changing her tune, telling PEOPLE magazine that all is well between she and Seacrest. There is “no beef with me and Ryan…We were never angry with each other. We had a conversation. He gave me good advice and I highly respect him,” said Crystal. But then again do we really expect her to say ‘Ryan’s a scumbag, I confided some things in him, and he went behind my back and leaked it to the media.’ She would never say that of course, and is actually smart to make the PC comment about all being well. Next week, the six remaining contestants will have former guest judge Shania Twain as their mentor. They will all be singing her songs.

StateofFlorida.com is not affiliated with, owned, or operated by the State of Florida and is not endorsed or approved by the State of Florida. Visit MyFlorida.com Top Colleges in Florida 2014 Best Florida Colleges Florida is home to hundreds of esteemed community colleges, universities, and private postsecondary schools, and they provide opportunities for prospective students interested in any field of study. There are many factors that play into ranking a college by state or nation. This list compiles several research- and review-based estimations including relative Forbes rankings, economic value according to Kiplinger, comparisons by the U.S. News & World Report, and more. For a full list of colleges, click here. Please note this list includes only a selection of Florida's top colleges, and is not meant to be an official ranking or complete list of Florida's best schools. University of Florida, Gainesville — Ranked 80th overall in Forbes National List and 4th among state universities. It was also ranked the 3rd best value nationally in public colleges for in-state residents by Kiplinger. The U.S. News & World Report placed UF as the 54th best university in the nation and 17th best public university. The University of Florida features a wide range of colleges and majors, has the state's second-largest student body, and holds a 94% freshman retention rate (an indicator of how well liked the school is by the students). University of Miami, Coral Gables — Ranked 132nd overall in Forbes and the 37th best value in private universities by Kiplinger. The U.S. News & World Report placed UM as the 44th best university in the nation and the best in the state of Florida. The University of Miami is a private research university with a wide range of colleges and majors, specializing in their schools of medicine and marine biology. New College of Sarasota — Ranked 189th overall in Forbes and the 7th best value nationally in public colleges for in-state residents by Kiplinger. The U.S. News & World Report placed New College as the 87th best national liberal arts college in the nation. Founded in 2001 and foregoing typical college processes, New College students receive written evaluations for each class rather than letter grades, are encouraged to participate in Independent Study Programs yearly, and are required to complete and defend a thesis to graduate, helping their students routinely win national recognition and awards. Florida State University, Tallahassee — Ranked 193rd overall in Forbes and the 26th best value nationally in public colleges for in-state residents by Kiplinger. The U.S. News & World Report placed FSU as the 97th best university in the nation and 42nd best public university. Florida State University features a wide range of colleges and majors, holds a 92% freshman retention rate, and was ranked the best school in 2012 for financial resources per student. Rollins College, Winter Park — Ranked 207th overall in Forbes and the 78th best value in private universities by Kiplinger. The U.S. News & World Report placed Rollins as the best regional university in their South region. Rollins College is a comprehensive liberal arts school with an impressive 10:1 student-faculty ratio. University of Central Florida, Orlando — Ranked 462nd overall in Forbes and the 42nd best value in public colleges for in-state residents by Kiplinger. The U.S. News & World Report placed UCF as the 174th best university in the nation and 98th best public university. The University of Central Florida is also ranked as the #5 best up-and-coming school by U.S. News, is the second-largest university in the country, and has a wide range of colleges and majors.

North American stock markets continued to look for direction amid a decision by the European Central Bank to hold interest rates until it knows the full impact of Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

I read the OP and read that the "Fat" O-rings are too thick to be used with "low-profile" keycaps, but then I also saw "If you are using SignaturePlastics keycaps (w/ no crossbar inside), you have to double - sometimes triple - them up." I have DSA Dolch and DSA PBT Blanks from SP. DSA is a low-medium profile. Will the Fat O-rings work? I think I read something about the crossbar right underneath the top layer of the keycap missing in SP keycaps. I understand that means stacking more O-rings, but is there a fit issue with the width? Can you clarify? I ordered normal, thin 0.4mm TEX O-rings from Massdrop, but I would like to shorten and soften my key travel distance as much as possible. I'm hoping these Fat O-rings will do nicely. I read the OP and read that the "Fat" O-rings are too thick to be used with "low-profile" keycaps, but then I also saw "If you are using SignaturePlastics keycaps (w/ no crossbar inside), you have to double - sometimes triple - them up." I have DSA Dolch and DSA PBT Blanks from SP. DSA is a low-medium profile. Will the Fat O-rings work? I think I read something about the crossbar right underneath the top layer of the keycap missing in SP keycaps. I understand that means stacking more O-rings, but is there a fit issue with the width? Can you clarify? I ordered normal, thin 0.4mm TEX O-rings from Massdrop, but I would like to shorten and soften my key travel distance as much as possible. I'm hoping these Fat O-rings will do nicely. That's right - these "Fat" O-rings are too thick to be used with Cherry profile keycaps (made by CherryCorp, GMK, BSP or IMSTO). On the other hand, DSA keycaps (made by SignaturePlastics) work really nicely with O-rings if you are able to stack a few of them on top of each other. In your case, this setup - one 1.5mm O-ring (for example, one of your TEX O-rings) + one 2.5mm O-ring - would be perfect ! This is exactly what I'm using right now with my DSA Granite set and I'm really enjoying it Just ordered some of each, I have a few unknown spec o-rings on my Ducky which makes my home row sound nicer, but there's still room for improvement which thicker should bring not to mention the rest of the board There are still a few bags left (^ 90 pcs) but over the last 3 weeks, nearly ~6k O-rings were sold between Geekhack, Deskthority & /r/MechMarket ! Wow! 6k O-Rings sold in 3 weeks? That's pretty amazing. Just goes to show how easy selling is when you cater to the right market, and beat the pricing on the easy option by half + have more info on your products (your $9.00 O-Rings vs. WASD's $18.00) Invoice paid! Awaiting shipping notice whenever you get a chance =). If I like these (never used O-Rings before), I might be getting more if (when?) a round 4 rolls around . My +3 year old nitrile o-rings from WASD keyboard are cracking down and now need new rings asap. Any estimate when you have a new stock? Hi there ! Welcome to geekhack I had to get things sorted with a new manufacturer regarding the thickest O-rings (pricing - pre-production sample - quality control... et cetera) and my contact in China is ~8 hours ahead of me so it can be tricky to move things forward as quickly as we would like. Current exchange rate between USD and EURO is also not really helping. But I'll do my best and I won't start ROUND 4 until everything looks perfect and is ready for dispatch ! TL;DR - WILL START ON : 8th April | 20th April | 4th May If you were only interested with the thinnest ones (aka Red "Slim") I might be able to help you - right now - please PM me for more detail ! UPDATE : It's taking more time than I was expecting but there is nothing to worry about ! I must say, these things are damn nice and quite well priced when compared to alternatives (like the ones from WASD). Got some from R3 and they're super soft and comfy. They really make typing on a metal plate a lot more enjoyable. I suggest stocking up . I must say, these things are damn nice and quite well priced when compared to alternatives (like the ones from WASD). Got some from R3 and they're super soft and comfy. They really make typing on a metal plate a lot more enjoyable. I suggest stocking up . I must say, these things are damn nice and quite well priced when compared to alternatives (like the ones from WASD). Got some from R3 and they're super soft and comfy. They really make typing on a metal plate a lot more enjoyable. I suggest stocking up . "A few packs" haha sure. Your order kinda freaked me out. Thank you for your support~ I must confess things have gone out of control yesterday. I was planning to run this sale over a month b-b-but nearly all my "Thick" & "XXL" O-rings were already taken within a few hours ! Hey, a few can be up to 8 or 10! So, I still totally qualify! And, thanks for providing the service. I'm really glad these are selling so fast and this is working out so well for you . actually I jumped on the Granite and Dolch Key Set from MassDrop so maybe the XXL are better as you stated on 1st post? I tried the order form but its closed. would going with the mid ones (think) let me use them with any type of keycap? Maybe this?1xThin1XThick1X XXL any recommendations would be appreciated. thanks! For those wondering, I would definitely go with the XXL for any DSA sets you have (or any SP sets really). The issue with SP sets isn't actually a difference in profile, it's the fact that the caps are missing crossbars in them, like classic cherry ones have. The crossbars in classic cherries, take up 25-50% of the area underneath the cap, which works perfectly with O-Rings. When you remove those crossbars, you need a good deal more area. For my tests, using just one thick clear O-Ring had a very minimal effect on my DSA caps and higher row DCS caps (it worked pretty well for the bottom row DCS caps though), but the second I added a second, thin, red O-Ring, everything felt just about perfect. It might have been a bit too much even... meaning the XXL's are perfect, since they're right in between a single thick clear and a thick clear + a thin red. But, you couldn't go wrong with a set of thick clears and thin reds. Together those solve just about all SP problems and, separately, they still handle Cherry profile caps fine . I must say, these things are damn nice and quite well priced when compared to alternatives (like the ones from WASD). Got some from R3 and they're super soft and comfy. They really make typing on a metal plate a lot more enjoyable. I suggest stocking up . "A few packs" haha sure. Your order kinda freaked me out. Thank you for your support~ I must confess things have gone out of control yesterday. I was planning to run this sale over a month b-b-but nearly all my "Thick" & "XXL" O-rings were already taken within a few hours ! Hey, a few can be up to 8 or 10! So, I still totally qualify! And, thanks for providing the service. I'm really glad these are selling so fast and this is working out so well for you . actually I jumped on the Granite and Dolch Key Set from MassDrop so maybe the XXL are better as you stated on 1st post? I tried the order form but its closed. would going with the mid ones (think) let me use them with any type of keycap? Maybe this?1xThin1XThick1X XXL any recommendations would be appreciated. thanks! For those wondering, I would definitely go with the XXL for any DSA sets you have (or any SP sets really). The issue with SP sets isn't actually a difference in profile, it's the fact that the caps are missing crossbars in them, like classic cherry ones have. The crossbars in classic cherries, take up 25-50% of the area underneath the cap, which works perfectly with O-Rings. When you remove those crossbars, you need a good deal more area. For my tests, using just one thick clear O-Ring had a very minimal effect on my DSA caps and higher row DCS caps (it worked pretty well for the bottom row DCS caps though), but the second I added a second, thin, red O-Ring, everything felt just about perfect. It might have been a bit too much even... meaning the XXL's are perfect, since they're right in between a single thick clear and a thick clear + a thin red. But, you couldn't go wrong with a set of thick clears and thin reds. Together those solve just about all SP problems and, separately, they still handle Cherry profile caps fine . I must say, these things are damn nice and quite well priced when compared to alternatives (like the ones from WASD). Got some from R3 and they're super soft and comfy. They really make typing on a metal plate a lot more enjoyable. I suggest stocking up . "A few packs" haha sure. Your order kinda freaked me out. Thank you for your support~ I must confess things have gone out of control yesterday. I was planning to run this sale over a month b-b-but nearly all my "Thick" & "XXL" O-rings were already taken within a few hours ! Hey, a few can be up to 8 or 10! So, I still totally qualify! And, thanks for providing the service. I'm really glad these are selling so fast and this is working out so well for you . actually I jumped on the Granite and Dolch Key Set from MassDrop so maybe the XXL are better as you stated on 1st post? I tried the order form but its closed. would going with the mid ones (think) let me use them with any type of keycap? Maybe this?1xThin1XThick1X XXL any recommendations would be appreciated. thanks! For those wondering, I would definitely go with the XXL for any DSA sets you have (or any SP sets really). The issue with SP sets isn't actually a difference in profile, it's the fact that the caps are missing crossbars in them, like classic cherry ones have. The crossbars in classic cherries, take up 25-50% of the area underneath the cap, which works perfectly with O-Rings. When you remove those crossbars, you need a good deal more area. For my tests, using just one thick clear O-Ring had a very minimal effect on my DSA caps and higher row DCS caps (it worked pretty well for the bottom row DCS caps though), but the second I added a second, thin, red O-Ring, everything felt just about perfect. It might have been a bit too much even... meaning the XXL's are perfect, since they're right in between a single thick clear and a thick clear + a thin red. But, you couldn't go wrong with a set of thick clears and thin reds. Together those solve just about all SP problems and, separately, they still handle Cherry profile caps fine . This is quite cool. I currently use blue o-rings to ease RSI pain, nice to see another option that may be better. So the best ones to get are the thickest (XXL) ones yeah? Any reason one wouldn't get the thickest? Like perhaps they are worse for gaming or something. This is quite cool. I currently use blue o-rings to ease RSI pain, nice to see another option that may be better. So the best ones to get are the thickest (XXL) ones yeah? Any reason one wouldn't get the thickest? Like perhaps they are worse for gaming or something. • If you are using "low-profile" keycaps, the thinnest O-rings should be great. • If you are using stock keycaps (standard / OEM profile), you may want to use some thicker O-rings. • If you are using DSA keycaps (no cross-bar support), my new "XXL" O-rings are specially made for you ! This is quite cool. I currently use blue o-rings to ease RSI pain, nice to see another option that may be better. So the best ones to get are the thickest (XXL) ones yeah? Any reason one wouldn't get the thickest? Like perhaps they are worse for gaming or something. • If you are using "low-profile" keycaps, the thinnest O-rings should be great. • If you are using stock keycaps (standard / OEM profile), you may want to use some thicker O-rings. • If you are using DSA keycaps (no cross-bar support), my new "XXL" O-rings are specially made for you ! I'd love to get a 125 pc set of these. Any idea how well the XXL 3mm rings will work on a Corsair k70? I'd REALLY like to minimize travel. Been using low profile rubber dome keyboards prior to this. With this mechanical keyboard, I love the feel of the press, and the keycaps actually, but they go down for miles. I'd love to get a 125 pc set of these. Any idea how well the XXL 3mm rings will work on a Corsair k70? I'd REALLY like to minimize travel. Been using low profile rubber dome keyboards prior to this. With this mechanical keyboard, I love the feel of the press, and the keycaps actually, but they go down for miles. Careful there ! These REAAAAALLY thick O-rings ("XXL" ones = 3.0mm) in combination with the stock keycaps (OEM profile) of your Corsair K70 keyboard will start to edge into the engineered tolerance of the actuation point of your key switches and as a consequence, you may not be able to actuate every switch comfortably.

LA PLATA, Md.—Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy Bragunier sentenced a Waldorf man to 55 years imprisonment for crimes associated with raping a 15-year-old family member. Earlier this year on May 15 a Charles County jury deliberated for five hours before finding Clayton Calvin Griffin, Jr., 43, guilty of Sexual Child Abuse, Sexual Solicitation of a Minor, Incest and Third Degree Sex Offense. Griffin, a Federal Protective Services police officer, did not speak on his own behalf at the sentencing hearing but, through his attorney, did maintain his innocence. Charles County State's Attorney Tony Covington, however, reminded the Court of the text messages introduced at trial which included messages where Griffin told the girl that he "always" used contraception when he had sex with her and messages where Griffin asked if he could perform a specific sex act on the victim. Covington also pointed out that the Defendant through text messages told the victim to erase the text messages about the sex and contraception. In his remarks to the Court, Covington urged the Judge to impose a sentence that "will punish Griffin for his despicable acts and that will send this message to would be abusers: In Charles County if you have sex with a child you will go to prison for a long time". While the victim did not address the Court, she did provide a letter that was read out loud by Covington. In part, the victim wrote, "You know what you did and I feel that if you weren't afraid to abuse me, you shouldn't be afraid to speak up and admit what you did to me." She also indicated that despite Griffin's actions she was determined not to let this "break [her] down" and that she is determined to "be the successful girl [she] was meant to be". Facing the Judge with his head hung low, Griffin began to quietly cry when he heard the Judge announce the imposition of the maximum sentence allowed by law for his crimes. He was given consecutive sentences of 25 years for Sexual Child Abuse, 10 years for Sexual Solicitation of a Minor, 10 years for Incest and 10 years for Third Degree Sex Offense.

Paul Walker Set to Star in Universal's ‘Skyscraper’ Fast & Furious action star and producer Paul Walker has a two-year first-look production contract with Universal Pictures to house his Laguna Ridge Pictures. The first project under this agreement is the action thriller Skyscraper, based on an original idea by Mike Sobel. Paul Walker will executive produce and star, with Neal H. Moritz's Original Films producing. The action star said this about the relationship with the studios: "I've had a long and successful relationship with Universal so it's the obvious and ideal home for Laguna Ridge Pictures. I'm excited to expand my relationship with them and with Neal, who has been a catalyst and a guide throughout my career. Having the support of Jim Berkus, Theresa Peters and Christopher Hart at UTA, along with my manager Matt Luber and my producing partner Brandon Birtell, now is the time to take this next step," said Paul Walker. Walker's most recent film with the studio, Fast Five, grossed over $630 million dollars at the worldwide box office, making it one of the biggest films in Universal's history. This spring, Walker will start production on The Fast and the Furious 6. Walker is also attached to star in and executive produce Hours, alongside producer Peter Safran's, Safran Company. The thriller, set in post-Katrina New Orleans, is slated to begin production in April. Walker recently starred in and executive produced Vehicle 19, also with the Safran Company producing.

Marketing: retain and recruit young adults, both men and women, by becoming part of their socialising/alcohol habits and experiences. Communication: Build awareness around the new positioning, leveraging Schweppes image as the perfect social partner. Creative work As building character isn't easy and to make men see and realize the harassment women face when going out, Schweppes created "Dress for Respect". It's a dress made with an ultra sensitive tissue that register every touch received. 3 different women wore the Dress for Respect to a popular nightclub in São Paulo, Brazil. As they made their way to the bar, the dress sent to a control unit every information in real-time of the non-consensual touches (where they happened, the intensity and duration, for example) they received from men who tried to approach – or simply put their hands on them. With the help of 6 hidden cameras and 2 disguised photographers, we could also register what those men said and how they acted close. The real-time action became a video shared by Schweppes, launching its new positioning – 'Character required'. Nothing more needed for this situation than character. This time, there was no way men couldn't see the harassment. And for Schweppes, nothing more important than make them realize that harassment isn't flirt.

The man who allegedly bashed him was a prison ally, but also one of the country's most dangerous inmates, the Herald Sun newspaper reports, and is responsible for bashings and riots in the past 20 years. It is also believed another inmate who was present during the bashing was one of Williams' lieutenants and was reportedly on the phone during the attack, giving a blow-by-blow account of the beating. Williams was sitting at a table when he was hit from behind in an exercise facility in the Acacia Unit of the prison, southwest of Melbourne. Williams' lawyer Rob Stary said he was gobsmacked over what happened because Williams was under constant monitoring while in solitary confinement or when released into common areas. A prison officer was about 10m away when the bashing occurred and Williams returned to his cell before going into cardiac arrest. Mr Stary said he was preparing an appeal to have Williams' minimum 35-year sentence reduced. "There are other matters that are currently in the loop of great sensitivity," he told ABC Radio. "Dare I say, he was a goldmine of information that unfortunately goes to his grave with his untimely death." But Mr Stary said not even Williams' death would prevent allegations of corruption from reaching the public domain. "In good time a can of worms will be revealed which I regrettably can't talk to you about now, but they were matters of great sensitivity," he said. "So the public doesn't know in the same way as in NSW with the Wood royal commission or the Fitzgerald royal commission in Queensland the extent of corruption that existed in this state. "And there are people who are trying to suppress it for their own self-interest." Mr Stary has called for an independent investigation into Williams' death, with hopes of exposing those who benefited from his murder. "I'm hopeful that there's a very thorough investigation as to all aspects of Carl Williams death — independent of Victoria police and independent of Corrections," he said. "So that those that were going to profit from his untimely death will hopefully be fully exposed." Williams was serving life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 35 years, after pleading guilty to ordering the murders of three underworld rivals and the failed conspiracy to murder lawyer Mario Condello.

Nicaragua - Finca San Jose de las Nubes Nicaragua - Finca San Jose de las Nubes from 16.00 Following his country's civil war, Bayardo returned to Nicaragua, purchasing a plot of jungle near the farm his family lost during the conflict. Over the last twenty years, Bayardo and a dedicated team have slowly transformed this swath of jungle into a thriving coffee farm. Bayardo's coffee is meticulously managed, grown in the shade of plantains and the region's rugged mountains.

Share This Post The long-anticipated follow-up to Space Jam finally has a release date. The sequel, starring basketball superstar Lebron James, will dribble its way into theaters on July 16th, 2021, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is produced by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler and will be helmed by Terence Nance, the creator of the HBO series Random Acts of Flyness. While it's still two-and-a-half years away, you can always bide your time on the Space Jam website, just as it appeared back in 1996. More Space Jam 2 Along with this announcement, Warner Bros. made a few other changes to its slate as well. Godzilla vs. Kong was moved up from May 22 to March 13 next year to avoid competition with Fast 9. The film will serve as the culmination of the Godzilla and King Kong reboots that have hit in recent years, bringing the two legendary creatures together in what's sure to be one heck of a monster mash. Additionally, Annabelle 3 will come out a week sooner than anticipated, and will now start haunting theaters June 28. Next up, Amblin Entertainment has acquired the script to the sci-fi romance Distant. Deadline reports that the company made a pre-emptive strike in acquiring the screenplay from Extinction scribe Spenser Cohen, who wrote Distant on spec. Amblin is reportedly fast-tracking the project, which is described as When Harry Met Sally meets The Martian. The story follows an asteroid miner who crash lands on an alien planet. As he tries to make his way across the harsh terrain, he finds himself running low on oxygen and hunted by strange creatures. Eventually, he meets the only other survivor: a woman trapped in her escape pod. It's quite the metaphor.

Missing the Summer Sun? Give Yourself a Glow! This entry was posted on February 27, 2013 by sbadmin. It's a really gloomy day in New Jersey! Missing the summer sun? Unfortunately we can't bring you the sun today but we can provide you with a glow. This Tan Towel Facial Moisturizer will give you just the hint of color you need. :)

News Talk Radio asked several people on the street what they think of racist comments being shared on social media. “In comparison to America I don’t think that we’re all that much better. I think that we just say it nicer. I think that we use euphemisms a lot.” “You can peel back the layers when things like this happen. People start coming out of the woodwork and it’s ugly.” “Unfortunately social media shoots from the lip and doesn’t wait for facts, doesn’t wait for background, doesn’t wait for reality. I have a very low opinion of social media so I would (say) it’s a sounding board for mostly morons.” “It doesn’t matter how mean you are, how stupid you are, how dumb these idiots are, as long as you got people yelling at them back on social media they’re pretty much considering that a win.” People say even though the inappropriate comments are becoming part of the story, they don’t feel those attitudes are representative of a broader issue in Saskatchewan. “I really don’t think that that’s indicative of everybody.” “I hope it’s a small minority. I don’t see that in people in my life.”

Coping with Cancer Coping with Cancer Coping with the health related issues of cancer is hard enough, but add on the possible legal ramifications related to insurance, work and debt it could seem like an insurmountable hill. Understanding your legal rights can help you advocate for yourself or a loved one. Here are the top five most common legal issues faced by cancer survivors and how to deal with them. 1. Insurance Coverage Too often, we assume that the doctors and nurses treating us understand our insur-ance coverage, and know better than to suggest uncovered and unaffordable treatments but, this is not always the case. To save yourself frustration – and, pos-sibly, significant medical debt it’s important for you to take the initiative to learn as much about your insurance coverage as you can so you’re not left with unexpected bills. For starters, thoroughly review your summary plan description or evidence of coverage booklet, both of which are usually available online. If you have questions about your plan, call your insurance company, and take detailed notes about what the customer service representative tells you. If need be, ask a trusted friend or family member to help you understand the information provided to you by the insurance company. Insurance can be confusing, but knowing what’s covered can help you plan and reduce stress. 2. Workplace Accommodations If cancer and the effects of treatment are making certain aspects of your job more difficult, you might be entitled to something called a reasonable accommodation. The Americans with Disabilities Act protects workers with disabilities from discrimination at companies with at least 15 employees, and people with cancer are usually considered “disabled’ under the ADA. If you work for a smaller employer, check to see if your state’s fair employment law covers you. Not only are employers who are bound by these laws prohibited from discriminating against you if you have cancer, but they may have to make changes to the work environment that help you to keep doing your job, as long as the changes you request aren’t too expensive or too difficult for your employer to make. Examples of reasonable accommodations might be: changing your work schedule so you can go to doctors’ appointments or chemo treatments, allowing you to work from home and adjusting the office temperature. It is imperative that you ask for workplace accommodations before your work performance is affected because if you start showing up to work late, missing work, or deadlines, your employer might be allowed to write you up or even fire you if they were not aware of your need for an accommodation. 3. Time Off from Work You don’t have to quit your job just because you have cancer. The Family and Medical Leave Act provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid job and health benefit-protected leave for eligible employees. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees with 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave per year and requires that group health benefits be maintained during that time. Those patients with cancer and their caregivers might be eligible for FMLA if they have worked for their employers for at least a year and the employer has at least 50 employees within a 75-mile radius. Under FMLA, you can take the 12 weeks all at once, or in smaller increments. So, whether you are having surgery with a long recovery or only need one day off per week for treatment, you may be able to use FMLA leave. If you don’t qualify for FMLA, you might still be able to take time off as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (see 2 above). It’s also a good idea to check your employee manual or talk with Human Resources about medical leave, since some larger employers provide even more time off than the law requires. 4. Debt Cancer treatment is expensive, even with great insurance coverage. Since you might not be able to prevent taking on some debt, prioritizing which debts you pay first can help improve your quality of life. There are two main types of debt: secured and unsecured. Secured debt is a debt that is tied to a piece of property (like a home or a car), called collateral, which means that if you don’t pay the debt, that property can be repossessed. Unsecured debt is not linked to collateral. If you don’t pay an unsecured debt, the company or person you owe cannot get anything from you unless they get a judgment against you in court. Examples of unsecured debts are credit cards, medical bills, and student loans. Sometimes it can be a good idea to prioritize paying for necessary expenses over unsecured debts. For example, if you need your car to get to and from treatment, you will need to keep making your car payment so it doesn’t get repossessed. Also, a landlord or bank can start eviction or foreclosure proceedings if you don’t pay your rent or mortgage, even if you have cancer. Since having a place to live is essential, you might want to prioritize paying your rent or mortgage instead of making your credit card payment. 5. Denial of Coverage When it comes to getting insurance coverage for a treatment you need, don’t take no for an answer. If your health insurance company denies coverage of a certain service or treatment, you should likely appeal the decision. First, you usually have to appeal directly to your insurance company to get them to reconsider their decision. If they still say no, most people with private health insurance now have access to an external insurance appeals process, sometimes called an Independent Medical Review, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. An external appeal is where an independent third party reviews your request to see whether the insurance company was right in denying you coverage. Additionally, most people are denied Social Security Disability benefits the first time they apply. If you apply for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income because you are disabled and no longer able to work, and you are denied benefits, you have a better chance of getting approved and receiving back-pay you might be entitled to if you appeal, rather than submit a new application. You usually don’t need a lawyer for the first Social Security appeal, but it can be helpful to hire a lawyer if you reach the second level of appeals and are scheduled for a hearing. Learning your rights and how to enforce them can help prevent legal problems down the road. The Cancer Legal Resource Center empowers survivors to learn their legal rights so they can advocate for themselves, before legal issues become a problem. The CLRC provides free education and resources on cancer-related legal questions to cancer survivors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. For more tips or answers to your cancer-related legal questions, contact the CLRC at (866) 843-2572 or visit CancerLegalResources.org.

This page is intended for any person or organization that has or will use the PROV interchange model and wishes to help the PROV-WG by reporting on the models adoption. To become a Final Recommendation, the PROV-WG needs to demonstrate that the PROV model has been implemented. + Thank you for your interest in the PROV candidate recommendations. To become a Final Recommendation, the PROV-WG needs to demonstrate that the PROV model has been implemented. Therefore, if you have used the PROV standards in your application, we really want to hear about your experience. − It is worth noting that an implementer need not implement the entire specification to be included in the Implementation Report. An implementation of each individual construct contributes to the final report. + In particular, we would like to know what part of the standards you implemented and whether there are parts that do not work for you. Your feedback will help us to identify any implementation issues you may have and address them where possible. In addition, the information you provided will be compiled into the PROV Implementation Report, which will be the main decision factor for PROV to become W3C Recommendations. − + − <Why the PROV WG needs reports from implementers of the PROV specifications> + == How to report your implementation == == How to report your implementation == − <What it means "to implement a PROV + To tell us about your application, please use the [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?pli=1&formkey=dGM4cXZYMk0xaFBDT2VyRV92YkY5WkE6MQ#gid=0 Implementation Questionnaire], which will help us to quickly collate relevant information into the report. − === Implementation Questionnaire === + − [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?pli=1&formkey=dGM4cXZYMk0xaFBDT2VyRV92YkY5WkE6MQ#gid=0 Link to the questionnaire] + <Link to see the whole questionnaire before filling it?> <Link to see the whole questionnaire before filling it?> Revision as of 20:51, 21 November 2012 Thank you for your interest in the PROV candidate recommendations. To become a Final Recommendation, the PROV-WG needs to demonstrate that the PROV model has been implemented. Therefore, if you have used the PROV standards in your application, we really want to hear about your experience. In particular, we would like to know what part of the standards you implemented and whether there are parts that do not work for you. Your feedback will help us to identify any implementation issues you may have and address them where possible. In addition, the information you provided will be compiled into the PROV Implementation Report, which will be the main decision factor for PROV to become W3C Recommendations.

Ruptured Achilles Tendon My friend ruptured his Achilles tendon when we were playing squash last week. I got him to the emergency room and he stayed in the hospital for a few days with a cast. Initially the doctor said they would probably have to operate, but after the ultrassound they said there were no great advantages of surgery, because it was a partial rupture, near the muscle/tendon portion. I'm not big on orthopedics, so I did some research in some books and online and from what I can tell, the treatment is still controversial. Some authors say surgery is the treatment of choice, and it has a lesser degree of recurring injury, but others say strengh and activity levels are very similar with both surgery and "conservative" treatment. Given the location of the tear, I can understand why the doctors said they don't feel surgery is needed, I guess the surgical juntion of muscle/tendon won't be as effective, and the blood supply will be good enough for a decent healing process... But I'm still kinda worried, I want my friend to be able to have a normal everyday life and sports activity, I don't want him to have another rupture in a year or so because this injury wasn't properly dealt with. But then again, surgery and anesthesia have their possible complications as well... Plus my friend is overweight and smokes like 10cigs a day, I'm just imagining deep vein thrombosis (although he is just 25 years old) and other problems... I feel responsible, in a way, because I kinda dragged him into squash. He has had a bad couple of years personally and has let himself go fitness-wise, but I felt he was doing better, getting his stuff together and wanted to help with the getting back in shape. Tried to get him to join the gym and asked him to play tennis and squash, even gave him a squash racket for his birthday... Well, I just wanted to get this off my chest and hopefully get some experience/advice from other members on this situation. I had a partial tear back in the mid-90s. I was on crutches for a while but never had it in a cast & never had surgery -- no medical insurance at the time. I had ankle & heel spurs at time. Perhaps compensating for those bone spurs while playing a tournament, somehow resulted in the tear. I have never had a re-occurrence of the tendon injury. Now in my late 50s, I still have very good ROM with that tendon. Even the bone spurs are no longer a problem. i had a 85% rupture, although get this, it wasn't diagnosed properly by family doctor........ took awhile before i saw specialist......... anyway... took a long time to heal. upwards of year........ we tried to go without surgery but it wasn't getting better (partially because i wasn't in walking boot from day 1). then i had surgery and that did the trick. although that was 6-8 months of recovery. to where i'm probably 85-90% seven years later. i think it would be hard to get back to 100%. I had a ruptured peronal tendon this year, the one that runs from the calf to the underside of the big toe....search on my name if you want the gory details, but long and short of it, little to do but surgery. I was good to go after 3 months...been about 6 now and I barely notice a problem.... It will heal with time. Unfortunately, connective tissue such as ligaments and tendons don't have the great blood supply that muscle tissue enjoys. So healing takes a lot longer. Sounds like your friend has competent care. He should be fine. I tore an Achilles and had surgery. Took roughly a year to get back to full speed competition. Basketball, tennis, running, it has been 12 years and so far no problems. Surgery should always be a last option and if the doctors advise against it, don't do it. An achilles tendon blowout is extremely painful and your buddy will have trouble walking for a while, but in about 6 months, he should be walking without pain and if there is pain, it'll be minimal. Your buddy can start doing some toe raises in a few weeks, but he should wait until most of the pain has gone. Right now, he needs to give it plenty of rest. No surgery is what I recommend. This injury sounds awful. How might one prevent it from happening in the first place if possible? Click to expand... There is still no clear evidence as to why the Achilles ruptures. In most people, there are no symptoms prior to the rupture. You hear stories all the time from folks who were simply stepping off a curb, walking up a hill, etc. when the rupture occurred. The best guess is that the tendon suffers a series of micro tears over a long period of time that results in the build up of scar tissue. Eventually the scar tissue encompasses a large enough area of tendon tissue that elasticity is compromised and a rupture occurs. Best way to prevent injury is to give the Achilles time to heal anytime you have persistent soreness in it. Stretching your calf and lower leg when they are healthy can help. But don't overdo the stretching. The Achilles tendon is under tremendous tension and that tension is what puts the spring in your legs. It needs to be tight to do its job. All you have to do is hear one rupture to understand. It really does sound like a loud gunshot. Surgery should always be a last option and if the doctors advise against it, don't do it. An achilles tendon blowout is extremely painful and your buddy will have trouble walking for a while, but in about 6 months, he should be walking without pain and if there is pain, it'll be minimal. Your buddy can start doing some toe raises in a few weeks, but he should wait until most of the pain has gone. Right now, he needs to give it plenty of rest. No surgery is what I recommend. Click to expand... Yes. Surgery is usually reserved for complete tears where the ends have pulled away from each other. In my case there was a large gap. The surgeon wove the tendon back together with a Kevlar-based material which provided a scaffold for the tissue to grow around. He said he could guarantee it would never rupture at that site again. But no guarantees it couldn't happen again somewhere else. The biggest loss was jumping ability. I never regained the level of tendon tension I had pre-injury and my calf muscle has stayed roughly 2/3's the size of my other one, even after years of calf raises and running. So my vertical leaping ability dropped by about 75%. Positive is I have a very limber right leg that I can really stretch out. There is still no clear evidence as to why the Achilles ruptures. In most people, there are no symptoms prior to the rupture. You hear stories all the time from folks who were simply stepping off a curb, walking up a hill, etc. when the rupture occurred. The best guess is that the tendon suffers a series of micro tears over a long period of time that results in the build up of scar tissue. Eventually the scar tissue encompasses a large enough area of tendon tissue that elasticity is compromised and a rupture occurs. Best way to prevent injury is to give the Achilles time to heal anytime you have persistent soreness in it. Stretching your calf and lower leg when they are healthy can help. But don't overdo the stretching. The Achilles tendon is under tremendous tension and that tension is what puts the spring in your legs. It needs to be tight to do its job. All you have to do is hear one rupture to understand. It really does sound like a loud gunshot. -k- Click to expand... Sounds reminiscient of my two calf tears, one in each leg, a year apart. Both occured while I was barely moving, and both felt like a gunshot. (Though I don't recall a sound.) I doubt there was much I could have done to prevent them. They both seemed to come out of nowhere.

Red tail roost Was out hiking (with the wife) up in Lagunas yesterday and was ascending Red Tail Roost. I saw a (fellow) mtbiker coming down, so me an the misses moved aside (well before) to let him go thru. We were only off the trail about a foot or so...so, as the rider approaches us, he blurts out, "oh, sand..."....then proceeds to get stuck in it and promptly falls over on the opposite side of us...directly across from us. He was going kind of slow, so it made his fall seem like slow motion. The "sand" was actually just 2-3 inches of loose, fine dirt (about 10 feet long on the trail). He should have had a little more speed and lifted the front wheel up a tad. Anywho, as he was lying down....all cool points lost...he says, "not the first time, won't be the last" Of course, I said, "welcome to the club!" I started to chuckle (just a bit) as he was getting up. I couldn't help it! I have taken many dirt naps and such, so I felt I was entitled. The guy was a good sport and "understood"..and continued on his ride. *NOTE: No bikers, hikers, forest critters, or dirt was hurt in this unfortunate event! It was a great day to be up there. Me and a buddy were also riding in the area (didn't do Red Tail, but we were in the general vicinity - BLT, Gatos, Agua Dulce, Penny Pines, some trail off Los Huecos...). There were a TON of hikers, kids, and dogs out enjoying the day. Maybe we passed you! It was a great day to be up there. Me and a buddy were also riding in the area (didn't do Red Tail, but we were in the general vicinity - BLT, Gatos, Agua Dulce, Penny Pines, some trail off Los Huecos...). There were a TON of hikers, kids, and dogs out enjoying the day. Maybe we passed you! We did some of the BLT - from Red Tail Roost connector to BLT/PCT TH. Also, we were on all of Agua Dulce...saw a couple of solo bikers, hikers, and several on horse back. A good day, in deed! The only (legal) trail off Los Huecos that I can recall is the fire road near where the BLT crosses with Los Huecos...is that the one? If there is another one (quasi or not)...do tell....just want to make sure I don't poach it unknowingly! Nah, I'm pretty sure it isn't a poach. It's a well-established trail, with no signs or fences blocking access (although I don't think there was a sign granting access, either). It was the one going from BLT-25 down to BLT-4 on MTBBill's map. Fun, short little trail. My riding buddy said some folks call it "Little Noble" because of the short chunky section in the middle. We rode into the campground from BLT, then up Los Huecos Rd. to get to it. Stopped and chatted with a couple of horseback riders (who are also MTBers) at the start of it. Nah, I'm pretty sure it isn't a poach. It's a well-established trail, with no signs or fences blocking access (although I don't think there was a sign granting access, either). It was the one going from BLT-25 down to BLT-4 on MTBBill's map. Fun, short little trail. My riding buddy said some folks call it "Little Noble" because of the short chunky section in the middle. We rode into the campground from BLT, then up Los Huecos Rd. to get to it. Stopped and chatted with a couple of horseback riders (who are also MTBers) at the start of it. BLT25 to BLT4...that's a long established trail, part of the BLT as a whole. It hasn't changed much since the early 90s when I first rode it. Are you sure you aren't a noob!!?? Somebody actually did some trail work on it and widened the upper part of it before it hits Los Huecos bc it's more rideable now than before, in that, before, it was pretty gauged down and your pedals would hit the sides most of the way up. Spot NAMs all around! I did notice one thing this w/e...on Bill's map, the yellow connector just east of that is a recent continuance of the old fire road and it used to dead end just past where you take the BLT ST down to Sunrise Hwy....appears it has been extended since I was last up there a few years back. The olde signage near Los Huecos still states that part of the fire road is not a thru road. The more things change... Well, I only discovered BLT about 8 years ago, so I've probably only ridden there around 20-30 times - if that makes me a n00b, so be it! I think I rode that trail in the other direction a few years back when our group made a wrong turn trying to get back to Red Tail via Escondido Ravine. We ended up on Los Huecos Rd. and rode it all the way up to the highway. Originally Posted by Ray Raton What were the temps like that day, roughly....I'm thinking ahead to next weekend. Seemed like it was in the mid-high 70's all day. We were there from around 9 to 12, then we headed over to Descanso Junction Cafe for lunch. Well, I only discovered BLT about 8 years ago, so I've probably only ridden there around 20-30 times - if that makes me a n00b, so be it! I think I rode that trail in the other direction a few years back when our group made a wrong turn trying to get back to Red Tail via Escondido Ravine. We ended up on Los Huecos Rd. and rode it all the way up to the highway. Seemed like it was in the mid-high 70's all day. We were there from around 9 to 12, then we headed over to Descanso Junction Cafe for lunch. Thanks. BTW, there is a MUCH better place to eat now right up on Mt. Laguna, the Pine House Grill & Tavern. I think the cost might be a buck or two more, but the chef/owner was a former 4-star chef with a strong leaning towards local, organic ingredients. And they have at least two first rate local micro-brews on tap at all times. It's right next door to the Burnt Rancheria Campground. Ray My son and I stopped today for lunch after our ride. Darn good burger and fries that weren't that store bought junk tossed on the grill but homemade goodness. Like you said, it's a couple of bucks more but ya gotta spend your money somewhere so I spent mine there and loved it. After missing the traffic due to the fire they could use it more than the local chains Ray My son and I stopped today for lunch after our ride. Darn good burger and fries that weren't that store bought junk tossed on the grill but homemade goodness. Like you said, it's a couple of bucks more but ya gotta spend your money somewhere so I spent mine there and loved it. After missing the traffic due to the fire they could use it more than the local chains Glad to hear it, DR. They are good people and their business is growing. That place has always seemed to have some kinda bad feng shui, Ju-Ju, or whatever. These folks have the moxie, the skills, and a very real potential to break that buildings' losing streak. Hey....so gimme a report on the heat up there. I want to go up tomorrow, but I don't wanna ride in heat-stroke conditions. If you gimme the thumbs-up, I'll make sure to eat there after my ride, too. BTW, they make a genuinely kickass cobbler! You were absolutely right. The temps were not that bad until around 1 pm. which was a couple hours after I finished riding. The post-ride beverage was indeed above average, and the burger was its' usual awesome. A great little 1/2 day getaway. On a tangent note, Anyone see any turkeys in the Rec Center lately? Thanks Bill I see wild Turkeys just about every time we go up there...in all areas of the park. According to legend, they are not indigenous and were released by locals with the last 100 years or so and have now made the park area their home. Yesterday, during the thunderstorms and torrential rains, (after our 8-mile hike on the BLT/PCT) we saw two deer, a buck and a doe, in Lagunas. The buck ran across the road right in front of us in the Chariot Fire burn area. It had no problem running up hill and jumping over the 4ft barbed wire fence. No, there were no tell-tale bicycle tracks on the PCT, if there were, the evidence was all washed away from the rains! I see wild Turkeys just about every time we go up there...in all areas of the park. According to legend, they are not indigenous and were released by locals with the last 100 years or so and have now made the park area their home. Yesterday, during the thunderstorms and torrential rains, (after our 8-mile hike on the BLT/PCT) we saw two deer, a buck and a doe, in Lagunas. The buck ran across the road right in front of us in the Chariot Fire burn area. It had no problem running up hill and jumping over the 4ft barbed wire fence. No, there were no tell-tale bicycle tracks on the PCT, if there were, the evidence was all washed away from the rains! Thanks. The San Diego turkeys were released by Fish and Game at the Eagle Peak Hunting club in the early 90s. Two hundred, I think. They have really spread out in the county and multiplied. It sounds like deer are already hitting the burn area. The Forest Circus does or did prescribed burns in the Rec Center and it seemed to be real beneficial. The real question is have the feral pigs reached the Lagunas yet? Bill Turkeys crossed over from the Cuyamacas into the Lagunas around 8-10 years ago. Some people thought they would never leave the park, but now the Lagunas are lousy with them. The mountain lions and bobcats and coyotes out that way now have a more balanced diet. To me, they are an invasive species, eating the food sources that other animals would normally get, and should therefore be eradicated. Open season. I took one, no, two, at a friend's trailer in a park adjacent to Cuyamaca with a very accurate hunting air rifle. Legal method of take in CA. Two head shots, two turkeys. They are a serious hassle to get ready for the table. I don't mind killing them, but I hate the cleaning part. That's wimmen's work! Reporting live from Big Laguna meadow spur trail to Sunset Trail. So, as me and the wife were hiking up the spur, I hear a crack up in the tree tops. At first I thought it was a woodpecker...then I hear a louder crack and see movement at the base of a nearby tree. I yell at my wife to look over there where i am pointing....she's like at what...then i tell her that tree is falling keep watching. Took all of 5 seconds for it to fall. It was a dead Sycamore tree about 25 feet tall. Never saw a tree fall in the forest before by natural causes...and, yes, they do make a sound!

Tag: rain When I read of new hikers who are coming to grips of the realities of the trail for the first time I think about how we have a tendency to build things up. Put things on a pedestal. I once heard a story from Baltimore Jack. Of rain that lasted for forever. Grown men would wake up hearing the same sounds that had put them to sleep. The constant drumming of rain on the tin roof. It brought them to tears when they looked outside and saw the grey clouds and constant water cascading from the skies. He said it was one of the wettest springs on the AT – and he saw more people break from the rain than he’d ever seen before. People just gave up and went home. I can understand that. I sympathize – there are few things worse then getting up for the fourth or fifth day in a row, putting on wet and cold socks with the utmost trepidation. “If I pull them on slowly, they’ll warm up a little more than if I pull them on quick and shock my feet.” Hearing the squelch of water as you shove your feet into your shoes. Packing your things up haphazardly – it doesn’t really matter anymore, everything is at least damp already. The rain jacket has as much moisture in it on the inside as it does the outside, why bother putting it on. You’ve stopped trying to avoid the puddles and small lakes that form on the AT because the whole trail has turned into a river. You think you’ll never be dry again. I know how it feels. I’ve been there. It’s odd because looking back now I recognize the same feelings of despair in that scenario of rain that I had with depression. Trapped. Drowning. Overwhelmed. Too tired to care anymore. How do you keep going when it’s like that. I think some people are just built a little differently. No matter how depressed they get, how awful the situation gets they keep going. I’ve heard some call it “dogged determination.” People have called me stubborn. It’s been described as a coping mechanism, or protective trait. Some call it strength or mettle. But whatever you want to call it – these people just keep going.They don’t lie down and die, and they don’t seem to ever quit. And when they do quit it’s because they are literally so run down, so ragged that they just don’t have the energy anymore. I once read a psychology theory that postulated we can all endure only so much. Our capacity for suffering, for the negatives in our life are like a glass for water. It’s only so large. The more things we have going against us, the more water fills that glass. We can only handle so much before it all spills over. You can make your glass bigger by doing positive things, having good friends to share the load or have coping strategies. But there is always a finite amount you can take. Eventually you reach that. The people who broke down and cried on the 5th day of rain had just reached their limit. Their glass was full. That was all. What’s the take away from all of this? I’m not really sure honestly- lord knows I rambled on in this post, but I wonder if there really is an answer. On one hand, we’ve gout our dreams, and we want to pursue and accomplish them. But we should always be realistic of the moment, of the adversity facing us. So what should we do? I don’t know. It’s something you’ll have to make up your mind about yourself. I follow this simple advice. Don’t ever quit until you’ve been completely and fully miserable for 48 hours. Then give it another 24 hours of staying someplace with a TV and Ac/Heat. If you’re still miserable – then you can quit. Because it’s not something you can fix with pizza, Chinese food and beer. And if you can’t fix it with those things, you may be well and truly screwed. The air was so thick with water you weren’t breathing it – but drinking it.

AWS Redshift and BitYota launch, big data's problems could shift to real time, and NYPD may be crossing a line with cellphone records. Here are a few stories from the data space that caught my attention this week. Amazon, BitYota launch data warehousing services Amazon announced the beta launch of its Amazon Web Services data warehouse service Amazon Redshift this week. Paul Sawers at The Next Web reports that Amazon hopes to democratize data warehousing services, offering affordable options to make such services viable for small businesses while enticing large companies with cheaper alternatives. Depending on the service plan, customers can launch Redshift clusters scaling to more than a petabyte for less than $1,000 per terabyte per year. So far, the service has drawn in some big players — Sawers notes that the initial private beta has more than 20 customers, including NASA/JPL, Netflix, and Flipboard. Brian Proffitt at ReadWrite took an in-depth look at the service, noting its potential speed capabilities and the importance of its architecture. Proffitt writes that Redshift’s massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture “means that unlike Hadoop, where data just sits cheaply waiting to be batch processed, data stored in Redshift can be worked on fast — fast enough for even transactional work.” Proffitt also notes that Redshift isn’t without its red flags, pointing out that a public cloud service not only raises issues of data security, but of the cost of data access — the bandwidth costs of transferring data back and forth. He also raises concerns that this service may play into Amazon’s typical business model of luring customers into its ecosystem bits at a time. Proffitt writes: “If you have been keeping your data and applications local, shifting to Redshift could also mean shifting your applications to some other part of the AWS ecosystem as well, just to keep the latency times and bandwidth costs reasonable. In some ways, Redshift may be the AWS equivalent of putting the milk in the back of the grocery store.” In related news, startup BitYota also launched a data warehousing service this week. Larry Dignan reports at ZDNet that BitYota is built on a cloud infrastructure and uses SQL technology, and that service plans will start at $1,500 per month for 500GB of data. As to competition with AWS Redshift, BitYota co-founder and CEO Dev Patel told Dignan that it’s a non-issue: “[Redshift is] not a competitor to us. Amazon is taking the traditional data warehouse and making it available. We focus on a SaaS approach where the hardware layer is abstracted away,” he said. Strata Conference Santa Clara — Strata Conference Santa Clara, being held Feb. 26-28, 2013 in California, gives you the skills, tools, and technologies you need to make data work today. Big data problems, in real time? Some of the big problems with big data might not be what we think they are — and some might not end up being problems at all. The New York Times’ Quentin Hardy talked this week with technology pioneer, brain researcher and Numenta co-founder Jeff Hawkins, who believes data storage companies, relational databases and historical data analysis may soon be things of the past. They’ll be replaced by real-time analysis of information streams from sensors, what Hawkins calls “the future of machine intelligence.” Hardy reports: “‘Hadoop won’t go away, but it will manage a lot less stuff,’ [Hawkins] said in an interview at Numenta’s headquarters in Redwood City, Calif. ‘Querying databases won’t matter as much, as people worry instead about millions of streams of real-time data.’ In a sensor-rich world of data feeds, he is saying, we will model ourselves more closely on the constant change that is the real world.” Hawkins’ company Numenta has been developing a real-time artificial intelligence product called Grok, which is modeled on how Hawkins believes the brain to work — taking in information and seeking patterns in order to predict what will happen next. As described on its website, Grok is a cloud-based service that pulls in data streams from sensors — servers, consumer devices, machines, etc. — in order to make actionable predictions to help inform decisions. Hardy reports Numenta claims the service’s limited release has been successful, with results 10-20% better than traditional predictive benchmarks. They expect to sell the product on a broader scale in early 2013. Stolen cellphones give NYPD phone record carte blanche A report this week from the New York Times brought to light new data privacy concerns regarding cellphone records. Joseph Goldstein reports that the standard procedure for the New York Police Department in the case of reported stolen cellphones is to subpoena the phone records for the stolen phone’s number, starting from the day of the theft. These records are then added to a searchable database, hyperlinking each phone number to allow detectives to cross-reference phone calls in other case files. This may seem reasonable from a crime-fighting standpoint, but there’s a problem with scope. Goldstein reports: “The subpoenas not only cover the records of the thief’s calls, but also encompass calls to and from the victim on the day of the theft. In some cases the records can include calls made to and from a victim’s new cellphone, if the stolen phone’s number has been transferred, three detectives said in interviews.” Goldstein points out that all this information is obtained without having to acquire a court order, and the phone records remain in the system to “conceivably be used for any investigative purpose.” Civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel called the situation “eye-opening and alarming” and told Goldstein, “There is absolutely no legitimate purpose for doing this. If I’m an innocent New Yorker, why should any of my information be in a police database?” Tip us off News tips and suggestions are always welcome, so please send them along.

Indium Corp.'s new Indium10.8HF is a halogen-free, no-clean solder paste that is formulated to provide industry-leading non-wet open performance on large, high IO electronic packages, such as microprocessors. Teledyne Microwave Solutions has invested in the Teledyne Labtech facility at Presteigne, Wales, following the recent completion of the installation of the new Shadow Line processing equipment in support of increased production requirements. Remtec Inc., the leading manufacturer of substrates and packages using Plated Copper On Thick Film (PCTF®) metallization, has completed a new, comprehensive web site www.remtec.com that strengthens Remtec's position as the leader in providing ceramic solutions for DC power electronics, optoelectronics and RF/MW applications. T-Tech Inc. and The Geek Group announced a joint agreement to offer a state of the art solution and facility for rapid printed circuit board (PCB) design, verification, and fabrication. The collaboration will combine T-Tech's QCJ5 series Quick Circuit System and IsoPro® Software for PCB prototyping with The Geek Group's expertise and 43,000 square foot Leonard Street Labs Facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Casey, a junior defensive tackle who is considered a future first-round draft pick, had to assume a larger role in his family after his older brother was convicted of murder. Jurrell Casey has been a starter at USC only one season, but the junior defensive tackle from Long Beach is projected by several NFL draft prognosticators as a first-round pick next April. Not that he spends much time thinking about it. "At this point, you kind of like put it to the side," he said. "No distractions." Even through hardship. Casey proved that during his final two years at Long Beach Poly High after his older brother, a college football prospect himself, was arrested and later convicted of murder. At USC, the 6-foot-1, 305-pound Casey has excelled despite playing for three position coaches in two-plus years, drawing praise and comparisons to former Trojans All-Americans Mike Patterson and Sedrick Ellis. New defensive line coach Ed Orgeron loves Casey's attitude and build, but he has reserved judgment before putting him in the same category as players selected 31st and seventh overall in the NFL draft. "He shows signs, he shows capabilities, but he has to do it on a consistent basis," said Orgeron, who also tutored Patterson and Ellis during a previous coaching stint with the Trojans. Casey agrees, and he intends to quietly lead a defensive line that is regarded as the strength of a USC team facing its own focus-related challenges. NCAA sanctions have left the Trojans on probation and ineligible for a bowl game. USC Coach Lane Kiffin, an offensive assistant for the Trojans when players such as Patterson, Ellis, Kenechi Udeze and Shaun Cody terrorized opponents under Orgeron's tutelage, has raved about the defensive line since spring practice. Nose tackle Christian Tupou must sit out the season while recovering from knee surgery, but the line still features ends Nick Perry, Wes Horton and Armond Armstead and nose tackles DaJohn Harris and Hebron Fangupo. Casey, who utilizes speed, strength and leverage to overpower opponents, will be at the other tackle spot. "He frees me up because a lot of teams are going to try and double-team him," said Armstead, another top pro prospect. "He's always humble, but he's a beast on the field." As a baby, Casey's mobility apparently resembled that of a reptile. His mother, Collette Burns, laughs heartily when recalling how the youngest of her four children earned his nickname. "One of his aunties said he looked like a little turtle crawling around, so she called him Tut-Tut," Burns said. "That name just followed him." Casey took the name to Poly, where his brother, Jurray, was establishing himself as a star defensive end and linebacker. Jurrell played as a reserve for the varsity as a sophomore and was proud when his brother committed to Oregon after being selected as the co-defensive player of the year in the Moore League. But in January 2006, Jurray and another man were charged in connection with a fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy in Culver City. A year-and-a-half later, Jurray, 19, was convicted of first-degree murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle. He was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. "Jurrell was hurt in his own way, but he never showed it," his mother said. "When everything happened, I just knew it was my turn to step up and be the man of the house and take care of the family," Jurrell said. "That happening inspired me to go out and work even harder. After me there was no one else." Poly High Coach Raul Lara said his staff kept an eye on Casey and watched him channel his emotions into football. "It was rough at the beginning when everything first was happening, but I've always been very strong and don't let things get to me very much," Casey said. "When I go out there on the field and focus on things I get my stress out." His brother's situation, he said, kept him moving toward his own goals. "You always learn something from something negative, you know, to choose friends wisely, who to be around, when something is about to happen to go the other way. … From there I just stayed focused in school to get my grades right to get ready to come to college and focus on football." Casey chose USC over Oregon and played as a backup nose tackle under former defensive line coach Nick Holt as a freshman. Last season, Jethro Franklin moved him off the center to the other interior line position and Casey had nine tackles for loss, including 4½ sacks. Orgeron replaced Franklin in January, Casey well aware of the fiery coach's reputation for tearing players down and building them back up. "Back in the day, he was kind of crazy, a wild man," Casey said, chuckling. "He kind of calmed down a little bit." Orgeron still made it clear to Casey that he needed to play harder and more consistently. "The first time he said that, I was like, 'I'm out here first through fourth down!' " Casey said. "But if you go back and look at the film, there are a couple plays I take off here and there. "I understand where he's coming from. To be great you have to go every down. Every snap you have to play at the same pace."

Coronavirus Updates: Jobs Report, Mask ScienceA dismal jobs report, on top of millions of unemployment claims, paints a dire picture of the economic carnage of the coronavirus. NPR correspondents examine that — and take a look at mask science. Coronavirus Updates: Jobs Report, Mask Science A dismal jobs report, on top of millions of unemployment claims, paints a dire picture of the economic carnage of the coronavirus. NPR correspondents examine that — and take a look at mask science. MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: This week, we learned 10 million Americans filed for unemployment just in the last two weeks of March. Then this morning, the latest jobs report came out showing 700,000 jobs had already evaporated in the first half of March. Stacked on top of the millions of unemployment claims, the new report makes clear just how precarious a situation the U.S. economy is in. Here's White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow this morning. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) LARRY KUDLOW: The effects of the pandemic and the mitigation that's required to end it are taking a huge toll. We have not seen the worst of it. I don't want to sugarcoat it. And that's why we have created the largest rescue package in history. AILSA CHANG, HOST: And small businesses scrambled for that rescue today, the first day to apply for emergency loans from the relief package. Here to catch us up on all that is NPR science correspondent Richard Harris, political correspondent Scott Detrow and chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley. Hey to all three of you. SCOTT DETROW, BYLINE: Hey, good afternoon. SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: Good afternoon. CHANG: All right. Scott Horsley... RICHARD HARRIS, BYLINE: Hey, Ailsa. CHANG: Let's start with you. Hey, Richard. Can you put this latest jobs report in context with the huge unemployment numbers that we have been seeing? HORSLEY: Yeah. This monthly snapshot is based on surveys that were taken three weeks ago, and that's before the bulk of the stay-at-home orders were issued in response to the coronavirus. We know things have gotten a lot worse since then. But even three weeks ago, this pandemic was delivering a gut punch to the U.S. economy. It broke a nearly decade-long stretch of positive job growth. And while it understates the total job losses by a lot, it's still the worst jobs report since the depths of the financial crisis 11 years ago. About two-thirds of the job losses recorded in March were in bars and restaurants and the like. We knew they were hard-hit. But, really, this shows the pain was spread across nearly every industry - construction, manufacturing, retail. Even health care saw job losses, which seems odd. CHANG: Oh, wow. Yeah. HORSLEY: But remember. A lot of doctors and dentists have shuttered their offices to all but emergency patients. CHANG: Right. Well, as we said, today was the first day for small business owners to apply for some $350 billion worth of loans. How's that been going? Do you know? HORSLEY: A lot of small business owners are applying or at least trying to. You know, the Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration raced to get this money out the door. And, not surprisingly, there have been some hiccups. Some of the big banks say they're not ready to accept applications yet. There were some last-minute changes to the paperwork. As of this afternoon, though, community banks had taken applications for nearly $2 billion worth of aid. And Bank of America says they got applications for another 6 billion by lunchtime today. CHANG: Wow. All right, let's turn to the other Scott now, Scott Detrow. You know, all week as jobless numbers and the death toll have been going up, the White House has been highlighting that there is an increasing number of tests being done, that supplies are being distributed, manufacturers ramping up. What do you see in how the White House is trying to control the message? DETROW: Well, I think it's pretty straightforward. They're wanting to show they're on top of things. They are all very aware of the criticism that testing was far too slow at first and that the president did not take this seriously for a long period of time. They're also aware of the obvious political dynamic that thousands - millions of job losses and death projections of 100,000 or more are very bad things to happen on a president's watch, to put it mildly. So a big part of these briefings each night is to deliver this message that the White House is acting fast. But governors across the country from both parties continue to say they do not have the tools they need. And many have been frustrated by the mixed messages coming from the president especially. CHANG: I mean, maybe the most visible sign of federal assistance right now is a giant Navy hospital ship, the Comfort, that's docked right now on the West Side of Manhattan. Do you know - how much has that ship helped so far? DETROW: Well, according to The New York Times, not much at all actually. It's a thousand-bed ship, but just 20 patients were there yesterday. CHANG: Oh, wow. DETROW: There are - yeah, there's a lot of restrictions on who can even be treated there. And there are complaints from hospital administrators that this is not easing the patient load at all, as the city expects this overloaded crowding to be happening within days in the hospital, this surge. CHANG: OK. Richard, let's turn to you now. President Trump spoke tonight at the coronavirus Task Force briefing about some new voluntary guidelines for wearing face masks. I mean, at first, public health officials were telling people, you don't need to wear masks in public. But now they're changing their view, right? What's the latest with the guidance? HARRIS: Some cities like Los Angeles and New York recently recommended that people wear a mask, a scarf or other face covering when they go to the grocery store or otherwise have to be out in public. The idea is that to the extent they're helpful, they mostly protect people around you from you. Don't assume they will protect you. And that's why public health officials had been cool on the idea. Masks and scarves could create a false sense of security. Today President Trump gave the recommendation a lukewarm introduction. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: This is voluntary. I don't think I'm going to be doing it. HARRIS: The Surgeon General explained that the recommendations have changed as health officials have come to realize just how many people without symptoms can still spread the virus. And health officials say this is no substitute for social distancing. That is still vital. Now, we've seen a lot of masks in Asia, but there's a different societal vibe there. As a generalization, people are more likely to act on behalf of their community, not just in their own self-interest. CHANG: OK. Well, Scott Detrow, the president is not requiring people to wear masks around him. But he is requiring tests, right? DETROW: Yeah. This was a new announcement that happened today. Going forward, anyone in close proximity to either the president or the vice president will have to take a rapid COVID-19 test. Before that, everyone going into the White House had already needed to get their temperature taken. But this is a much more drastic step that's starting today. CHANG: OK. Well, we are wrapping up another very extraordinary week. And I would just like to get a final thought from each of you. Let's start with Scott Horsley. HORSLEY: Ailsa, I'll just pass along a little wisdom I saw stenciled on the sidewalk here in Washington. I took my dogs out for a walk earlier this week. Some grateful neighbor had spray-painted their thanks to some of the people who are still on the job and not working from home - sanitation workers, medical workers, delivery drivers and the Postal Service. And then the spray-painter added in a different color words maybe we should all remember right now, love your neighbor and wash your hands. CHANG: I love it. Scott Detrow, how about you? DETROW: You know, one thing I'm thinking about politically is that since his campaign began in 2015, President Trump is someone who has succeeded by creating his own realities and changing the focus through tweets, attacks, a whole bunch of tools. It's getting harder and harder for him to do, and tweets do not change 10 million jobs suddenly gone and more than 100,000 people possibly dying, a thousand people in a day alone. And that reality is just going to get more and more stark for the president and the White House in the coming weeks. CHANG: Yeah. All right, and, Richard Harris, you have the last word. HARRIS: OK. Well, understandably, we are focused on the tidal wave that will start to hit the United States starting next week and thinking about what a struggle it will be to meet that challenge. But let's not forget; this week, the world passed the mark of 1 million reported cases, so I'm also thinking about so many places in the world that have far fewer resources. They're behind the U.S. on the curve right now. But when it hits them, it will be a much bigger struggle. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Summary: NuoC is part of the connecting fragment of NADH dehydrogenase I [Leif95]. Unlike in other bacteria, which contain two separate genes encoding the NuoC and NuoD subunits, the nuoC gene of E. coli K-12 encodes a fused version of these subunits [Braun98a]. NuoC is the only subunit of the peripheral arm that does not contain a cofactor. This subunit was predicted to function as the proton channel [Friedrich98a]. NuoC interacts with FliG and FliM, components of the flagellar switch-motor complex [Zarbiv12]. Mutagenesis of two conserved histidine residues, H224 and H228, only has a modest effect on ubiquinone reductase activity of NDH-1. An R274A mutant leads to a significant loss of signal from the N2 4Fe-4S cluster as well as from a second fast-relaxing 4Fe-4S cluster [Belevich07]. Mutagenesis of several highly conserved amino acid residues in the NuoC domain showed that certain Glu and Asp residues are required for energy transduction of NDH-1, as well as for assembly of the enzyme [CastroGuerrero10]. Null mutants of all individual nuo genes have a growth defect under aerobic conditions in rich medium [Erhardt12]. nuoC is one of a network of genes believed to play a role in promoting the stress-induced mutagenesis (SIM) response of E. coli K-12 [Al12]. Summary: NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase I (NDH-1) is an NADH dehydrogenase that catalyzes the transfer of electrons from NADH to the quinone pool in the cytoplasmic membrane and is able to generate a proton electrochemical gradient. It is part of both the aerobic and anaerobic respiratory chain of the cell. The study of this enzyme is of great interest, because it is considered to be a structurally minimal form of a proton-pumping NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase and serves as a model for the more complex mitochondrial enzyme. NDH-1 is one of two distinct NADH dehydrogenases in E. coli. In contrast to NDH-2 (encoded by ndh), NDH-1-catalyzed electron flow from NADH to ubiquinone generates an electrochemical gradient. Depending on the strain, NDH-2 utilizes NADH exclusively, while NDH-1 can utilize both NADH and d-NADH, which enables specific assays of the enzyme [Matsushita87, Hayashi89, Calhoun93] Crystal structures of the membrane domain of NDH-1 have been solved at 3.9 Å resolution [Efremov10] and later at 3 Å resolution [Efremov11]. A plausible mechanism of electron transfer and its coupling to proton translocation has been deduced from this crystal structure and that of the Thermus thermophilus enzyme [Sazanov07, Efremov10]. Proton translocation may be induced by movement of the long amphipathic α-helix of the NuoL subunit that is aligned parallel to the membrane [Efremov10]. This model is discussed in a comment by [Ohnishi10]. The exact number of protons translocated across the membrane remains unknown; the H+/e- stoichiometry is at least 1.5 [Bogachev96]. Recent experiments argue for at least two coupling sites for proton translocation, with NuoL being essential for the translocation of 2H+/2e- [Steimle11]. A crystal structure of the membrane component at higher resolution has allowed identification of possible proton translocation pathways and argues for a purely conformation-driven pathway of proton translocation [Efremov11]. Zn2+ inhibits Ndh-1, possibly by blocking the entry or exit of a proton translocation pathway [Schulte14]. Based on a stoichiometry of 4 H+ translocated per NADH oxidized (2e-), a mixed model for proton translocation using both direct (redox-driven) and indirect (conformation-driven) mechanisms for proton pumping has been presented [Treberg11]. However, a lower ratio of 3H+/2e- has recently been proposed [Wikstrom12]. The Ndh-1 catalytic cycle has been followed in real time, revealing an essentially biphasic reaction [Belevich14]. The purified enzyme can be separated into three components: a soluble fragment composed of the NuoE, F and G subunits which catalyzes the oxidation of NADH, representing the electron input part of the enzyme [Braun98a]; an amphipathic connecting fragment composed of the NuoB, CD and I subunits; and a hydrophobic membrane fragment composed of the NuoA, H, J, K, L, M and N subunits [Leif95]. The soluble subunits contain all iron-sulfur clusters and the FMN cofactor; the redox properties of those cofactors have been studied [Euro08], and their intrinsic redox potential was modeled [Medvedev10]. Electron transfer from NADH via FMN to the iron-sulfur centers has been measured in real time [Verkhovskaya08]. Results from crosslinking analysis suggest that the ubiquinone-binding site of the enzyme is located on the membrane subunit NuoM [Gong03a], but it has also been modeled to the interface between NuoB and NuoCD based on its location in the T. thermophilus enzyme [Baranova07]. Site-directed spin labeling is being used for localization of the ubiquinone binding site [Pohl10]. There may be two ubiquinone binding sites [Verkhovsky12], and NDH-1 purified using a new procedure contained two molecules of ubiquinone per complex [Narayanan13]. A tightly bound ubiquinone found by [Verkhovskaya14] has a very low midpoint potential of < -300 mV, while two quinone radicals found by [Hielscher13] had midpoint potentials of -37 and -235 mV. The NuoJ [Kao05a], NuoK [Kervinen04, Kao05b], NuoM [TorresBacete07] and NuoN [Amarneh03] subunits are implicated in the ability to generate an electrochemical gradient. Molecular dynamics simulations of the membrane domain have established a possible coupling mechanism for energy transduction within NDH-1 [Kaila14]. Three-dimensional reconstruction and 2-D crystals of the NDH-1 complex based on cryo-electron microscopy showed an L-shaped form with an integral membrane and a peripheral arm [Guenebaut98, Holt03]. A model of the spatial arrangement of the subunits and the possible functional mechanism of proton pumping has been proposed [Holt03]. Under low ionic strength conditions, the complex appears to adopt a horseshoe-like conformation [Bottcher02]. Cryo-electron microscopy of the membrane domain allowed calculation of a projection structure at 8 Å resolution [Baranova07]; later, a cryo-EM 3D structure of the intact NDH-1 complex was obtained [Morgan08]. Binding of NADH induces a conformational change in both the membrane and peripheral arm of NDH-1 [Mamedova04, Pohl08]. A mechanism by which the redox reaction of the N2 Fe-S cluster induces a conformational change that may lead to proton translocation has been proposed [Friedrich10]. Heterooligomers of NDH-1 and NDH-2 have been identified by electrophoresis and sucrose gradient centrifugation suggestive of a supramolecular organisation in the membrane [Sousa11]. NDH-1 is required for the anaerobic respiration of NADH using fumarate or DMSO as the terminal electron acceptors, thus implying that the enzyme can transfer electrons to menaquinone [Tran97]. The comparative energy efficiency of utilization of the various components of the aerobic respiratory chain has been examined [Calhoun93a, Unden97]. Stolpe and Friedrich [Stolpe04] showed that NDH-1 is primarily an electrogenic proton pump which may have secondary Na+/H+ antiport activity. However, contrary to the generally accepted view, Steuber et al. [Steuber00] suggested that NDH-1 functions primarily as a Na+ pump, a function that can be conveyed by a truncated form of the NuoL subunit alone [Steuber03, Gemperli07]. NDH-1 produces reactive oxygen species, mainly in the form of H2O2, at the NADH dehydrogenase active site, involving the FMN cofactor [Esterhazy08]. NADH-dependent production of hydrogen peroxide is increased in a NuoF E95Q mutant [Knuuti13]. The rate of O2 reduction is dependent on the NAD+/NADH ratio [Esterhazy08]. Purified NDH-1 is activated by detergent and phospholipids [Sinegina05, Stolpe04]. A tightly bound metal, most likely Ca2+, is required for activity [Verkhovskaya11]. Mutants lacking NDH-1 can not compete with wild type in stationary phase [Zambrano93]. Expression of the nuo operon is regulated by oxygen, nitrate, fumarate, and other factors including C4 dicarboxylates [Bongaerts95, Tran97]. Transcription and activity of aerobic respiratory chain components in the different phases of aerobic growth have been measured [Sousa12].

Random thoughts from a grace saved sinner, small church pastor, and home-school dad. For it is by grace you have been saved... Tuesday, April 2, 2013 The Battle Rages On, Even Though Victory Has Been Achieved Having just celebrated the Resurrection this past Sunday, rejoicing in Christ's victory over sin, death and Satan, we might be tempted to be a little overly triumphant. Not that we shouldn't rejoice in His triumph. Not that we shouldn't rejoice in our victory in Him. But we need to not lose sight of the reality that though the victory is won, the battle rages on. I've been preaching through Ephesians for the last year or so, and we've arrived near the end and Paul's discussion of the Christian's armor. The first question that should come up in light of this past weekend is this: If Christ is victorious, why do we need armor? And the answer is plain: because the battle rages on. It's somewhat confusing, at least for me. How do I reconcile the message of the resurrection, the victory of Christ, with Scripture's repeated urging to "fight the good fight", "put on the whole armor of God", etc.? The war is over but the battles continue? Seems a bit odd, doesn't it? But this is the reality we live in. Jesus has won the victory. Satan is defeated. And yet, his final defeat will not be "realized" until the end when Christ returns to establish his kingdom. In the meantime, you and I live in this land of "already, but not yet." We are already partakers with Him in life and victory. But we have not yet experienced the fullness of that. He has already won, but the enemy has not yet surrendered. And so the battle rages on. I don't want to go into too much detail. At least one or two of our church folk read this blog and I don't want to give away the next few weeks' sermons. But in short, we need to find this balance between confidence in our victory, and vigilance in our ongoing spiritual battles. We need to beware becoming to overconfident because of the Resurrection that we overlook the enemy's ongoing war against us. Just because he's lost, doesn't mean he's given up. Again, Scripture gives us warning after warning about this battle, and speaks often with a military motif. Be on your guard. Keep watch. Stand firm. Be of good courage. Fight that good fight. Don't ever lose sight of the reality that there is a real enemy out there, a real foe with "schemes" and "flaming darts" and everything. Yet at the same time, remember who we are, and Whose we are. We fight day in and day out, but the battle is the Lord's. And He will win, has won. Battle on, but do so in confidence. With that in mind, here is this wonderful old hymn on spiritual warfare by Isaac Watts from 1709. It reminds us both of the ongoing battle and the absolute confidence we have because of Christ's victory.

As smartphone makers work to maximize screen space on the front of the phone, there is a continual question of what to do with the front-facing camera. Companies like Samsung reserve a large portion of bezel along the top of the device for components like the camera, while more and more smartphone makers have followed Apple's lead and carved a notch out of the top of the screen. Chinese smartphone maker Vivo is launching a device with another solution: a pop-up camera lens. The camera is hidden most of the time, but open the camera app and the front camera will mechanically rise out of the top edge of the device.

“If they’re going to tell you how to field the ball, they are going to tell you why you need to field it this way,” outfielder Reagan Hathaway said. “It’s a lot easier to learn and grown when you can get behind what you’re being told to do.” Said outfielder Kaitlyn Washington: “I think the main thing that the new coaches make us want to focus on is having intent with everything, intent and purpose. Even just putting on our cleats in the dugout, swapping our shoes out, everything has a purpose.” Texas outfielder Kaitlyn Washington bats against Kansas at McCombs Field on March 28, 2018.JAMIE HARMS / FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN Following White’s hire, only one of UT’s eligible returnees left the program. He inherits seven players who had 100 at-bats last year, and senior pitcher Brooke Bolinger threw 117 2/3 innings during an all-conference season. Additionally, the Longhorns added five freshmen and Seminole State College transfer Macy Smith. “I think it would be great if we were gravitating more towards a set lineup (after the fall), but I don’t think it’s going to be finalized at all,” White said. “We don’t want it to be finalized. We want there to be competition.” White will primarily work with a pitching staff that features Bolinger, sophomores Chloe Romero and Ariana Adams and freshman Shealyn O’Leary. The defense boasted the nation’s 12th-best fielding percentage this past season. Questions, though, linger about an offense that hit .268 and averaged 3.5 runs per game. White described his style of play as aggressive. Upon his hire, White called out the team’s dismal power and base-running numbers. This week, working on plate discipline was on White’s to-do list. (Texas struck out 251 times while drawing 141 walks this past spring.) Since all four of UT’s coaches can throw, the Longhorns will participate in a lot of batting practice. “The best form of defense is offense,” White said. “That prevent defense, you see that in football, right? We’ve given up chunks of yardage, so I don’t think sitting back and playing too defensively works very well.”

Gene Tunney is the new heavyweight champion... The front page features has a nice banner headline proclaiming: "TUNNEY IS NEW CHAMPION, BEATS DEMPSEY IN TEN ROUNDS; OUTFIGHTS RIVAL ALL THE WAY, DECISION NEVER IN DOUBT; 135,000 PAY MORE THAN $2,000,000 TO SEE BOUT IN THE RAIN" with many subheads that include: "VICTORY IS POPULAR ONE" "TUNNEY ALWAYS MASTER" "The Round-by-Round Description Shows How Tunney Beat Dempsey" and more with photo of Tunney. Unusual for such great coverage of a boxing match on the front page, especially in the prestigious New York Times. A great item for display. Other news, sports and advertisements of the day. Complete with all 48 pages, light toning, a little irregular along the spine, very nice condition.

Friends, Food and French Wine…the journey continues Good friends are invaluable. I have a very special group of girl friends. We met in graduate school three years ago. We are all different ages, have different ages of children, and are on varying career journeys; however, the seven of us thoroughly enjoy each other’s company. We meet for lunch regularly and when our busy schedules allow we meet for dinner. We celebrate each other’s successes, cry together during hardships and laugh hysterically often! We call ourselves the HCVs, and that’s all I can say about that. One night recently we came together for a Ladies Night Out to celebrate our friend Marie as she journeys into a new phase of her life. As is typical for us, the evening was centered around friendship, and accompanied by a great spread of food and wine. As part of my journey to improve both my knowledge and taste buds of French wine, I offered to provide the wine for our evening. Like my first post regarding my summer of French wine, I sought out Michael at Total Wine for guidance on what to serve my dear friends. He has visited the Château de Charmirey winery so he recommended both a red and white from the winery. Which is the red and which is the white? Alas, this is one of the American criticisms of French wine. On the rear labels in the top right corner in very small lettering each bottle was designated as either Blanc or Rouge, other than that the labels were the exact same. Château de Chamirey 2010 Mercurey Blanc: This soft golden wine met the nose with an alluring aroma of herbs, citrus and wet stone. On the palate it offered flavors of stone fruit, citrus, minerality and herbs. This chardonnay was a well balanced wine, on the dry side with an inviting acidity that I really enjoyed. It paired well with the spread of food we enjoyed: fresh fruit, deviled eggs, smoked turkey, salami, black bean and salsa dip, havarti cheese, dried apricots, marcona almonds and Greek dip made of feta, tomatoes and kalamata olives. The dryness of the wine married beautifully with the fat offered by each one of the foods. This was truly a wine made for food! The grapes for the 2010 Blanc were hand-harvested then pressed in a pneumatic press. Alcoholic fermentation and aging were 15 % made in oak barrels with 10 % of new barrels. Stirring of the lees was made once a week. Malolactic fermentation was 100% fulfilled. However, this chardonnay did not have a heavy oak or buttery flavor that often accompanies new world chardonnays that have undergone malolactic fermentation. The vines were grown in limestone soil, which rounded out the taste with the stone and minerality. SRP is $27.99 at Total Wine, which I felt was a fair price for this medium body, fresh wine. Château de Chamirey 2010 Mercurey Rouge: This soft ruby pinot noir met the nose with inviting soft scents of strawberries, red currants and earthiness. On the palate this light bodied pinot dances with flavors of strawberries, cherries, red currants, smoke and minerals. This pinot was light and approachable with soft tannins; a wine that’s best enjoyed accompanying food. Just like the chardonnay, the Mercurey Rouge paired well with each of our food selections. As I am learning more about French wine this pinot met closer to my expectation; however, it was definitely not a new world pinot and my friends found it a bit too light. The grapes for the 2010 rouge were harvested by hand then sorted out and totally destemmed. Maceration was made and alcoholic fermentation lasted from 15 to 18 days. The wine was aged 100 % in oak barrels with 30 to 40 % of new barrels. Malolactic fermentation was 100 % made. Each cork was marked with the name of the wine growing estate and the vintage. SRP for this wine was also $27.99; if you enjoy the light nature of a Burgundy pinot this is a wine for you; however, I did not feel it was not as good as the Ropiteau Bourgogne 2011 Pinot Noir, which sells for $17.99, so between the two I recommend the later. The Domaine of Château de Chamirey, planted in the best terroirs of Mercurey, covers 95 acres of which 38 are located amongst the most renowned Premiers Crus of the appellation. The Domain consists in 37 hectares (27 reds, 10 whites, 15 of which are Premier Cru) reflecting the diverse soils and micro climates found within the Mercury appellation. Château de Chamirey overlooks the village of Chamirey and was built in the 17th century in the heart of Burgundy in the Mercurey. Please visit their web site to learn more about this beautiful winery and the portfolio of wines they produce. As all wine lovers know, wine is always best when shared with friends; therefore, these wines lived up to their expectation because we ladies had a wonderful night! My life is richer with these wonderful women a part of it. My Song Selection: The song I have selected for this fun evening of food and wine is I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man by Muddy Waters. If you recall from my “About” page my song selections are subjective; sometimes selected to represent the wine, sometimes selected to represent the event or story around the wine. This song was selected organically from our awesome evening of crazy women fun. It is a great song, lots of soul and feeling, like a fine glass of French wine; and that’s about all I can say about that. ;-) Get your own bottles of Château de Chamirey 2010 Mercurey Blanc and Rouge and let me know what songs you would pair with them. Cheers! Smile :) You’re at the best wine blog ever! Scroll down to read our fun stories, and join our journey as we fight through the wine jargon in search of a good glass of wine. Wine blogs; the best place to read about wine online! We're rated as one of the most influential wine people on the net by Klout and Kred. Contact: winewankers@hotmail.com

In a laboratory study pairing food chemistry and cancer biology, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center tested the potentially harmful effect of foods and flavorings on the DNA of cells. They found that liquid smoke flavoring, black and green teas and coffee activated the highest levels of a well-known, cancer-linked gene called p53. The p53 gene becomes activated when DNA is damaged. Its gene product makes repair proteins that mend DNA. The higher the level of DNA damage, the more p53 becomes activated. "We don't know much about the foods we eat and how they affect cells in our bodies," Scott Kern, M.D., the Kovler Professor of Oncology and Pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said. "But it's clear that plants contain many compounds that are meant to deter humans and animals from eating them, like cellulose in stems and bitter-tasting tannins in leaves and beans we use to make teas and coffees, and their impact needs to be assessed," he said. Using Kern's test for p53 activity, which makes a fluorescent compound that "glows" when p53 is activated, they mixed dilutions of the food products and flavourings with human cells and grew them in laboratory dishes for 18 hours. Measuring and comparing p53 activity with baseline levels, the scientists found that liquid smoke flavouring, black and green teas and coffee showed nearly 30-fold increases in p53 activity, which was on par with their tests of p53 activity caused by a chemotherapy drug called etoposide. Kern's team analyzed p53 activity triggered by the chemicals found in liquid smoke. Postdoctoral fellow Zulfiquer Hossain tracked down the chemicals responsible for the p53 activity. The strongest p53 activity was found in two chemicals: pyrogallol and gallic acid. Pyrogallol, commonly found in smoked foods, is also found in cigarette smoke, hair dye, tea, coffee, bread crust, roasted malt and cocoa powder, according to Kern. Gallic acid, a variant of pyrogallol, is found in teas and coffees.

With the death of Guitar Hero, the song that launched a thousand YouTube videos makes the leap to Rock Band 3. DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames" hits on March 29, with Pro Guitar and Pro Bass support. Ouch.

U.S. Soccer introduces James Bunce as High Performance Director Posted on February 13, 2017 CHICAGO(Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Soccer Federation has announced the hiring of James Bunce as High Performance Director. Bunce joins U.S. Soccer after serving as Head of Performance for the Premier League in England. “I am honored and humbled to join U.S. Soccer,” Bunce said. “The Federation is an organization that continues to dedicate the right resources to high performance and development growth. I am looking forward to getting started and confident that we will be able to accelerate U.S. Soccer’s ability to develop world-class players, coaches and referees.” As U.S. Soccer’s High Performance Director, Bunce will lead the supporting personnel and initiatives dedicated to enhancing elite athletic performance and improving the development of younger players. Bunce’s high performance leadership will cover all areas across physical development, nutrition, recovery, strength and conditioning, mental conditioning, performance data and performance research and innovation. Bunce brings a wealth of experience in elite level training, sports performance, science and medicine. In his most recent role as Head of Performance for the Premier League, Bunce designed and developed several new national performance projects including national injury surveillance, national physical profiling, and technical, tactical analysis for all 20 professional Premier League clubs. He was all responsible for supporting performance departments across the Premier League. Before his promotion to Head of Performance, Bunce was the Premier League’s Head of Sport Science. In that role, Bunce’s array of accomplishments included introducing and developing the first nationally required accreditation for sport scientists in soccer within the UK and the development and introduction of national growth and maturation player profiling. “We are adding a world-class level sports performance expert to our staff,” U.S. Soccer Director of Sport Development Ryan Mooney said. “James possesses the right balance of theoretical and practical experience that we are confident will lead to an acceleration across all of our player development initiatives.” Prior to his time in the Premier League, Bunce was Head of Athletic Development with Southampton FC, regarded as one of the world’s most successful player development clubs. During his eight years at the club he helped develop many world-class players that have become Premier League and international soccer stars.

This suit is one of the best values out there; it looks good, fits well, and is durable. With proper care (cold water rinse after use), this suit is going on 2 years old with an average use of 90 min/day,5-6 days per week. My go-to suit to use and abuse! ★★★★★ Tyr Durafast Splice Jammer Male WALDEMAR DMYTROWSKI, MILAN, NY Overall, good fit and design, but cuffs are too narrow and the rubber too tight for average legs. This product could get better ratings, if improved, by using more elastic and wider rubber (compare Nike jammers). ★★★★★ Durable Durafast Steve Williams, Henrico, VA The Durafast Jammers give superior durability and fit compared to lycra suits. A great training suit for frequent use.

Abstract We relate the canonical basis of the Fock space representation of the quantum affine algebra Uq(glˆn), as defined by Leclerc and Thibon [15], to the canonical basis of its restriction to Uq(sln), regarded as a based module in the sense of Lusztig. More generally we consider the restriction to any Levi subalgebra. We deduce results on decomposition numbers and branching coefficients of Schur algebras over fields of positive characteristic, generalizing those of Kleshchev [13] and of Tan and Teo [19].

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Friday, August 29, 2008 This is a post for my anonymous commenter who is to afraid to say who they really are, i have a scripture for you! Look up and read Philippians 2:12, matter of fact just read the whole chapter!!!! And also as you so kindly put it, that i was two-faced and hypocritical...... for your information, i am a "ONE GOD, APOSTOLIC, tongue talking, Holy roller, born again, HEAVEN bound, believer in the LIBERATED power of JESUS NAME!!!!! If you have a problem with that then you can take it up with my MAKER!!!! Monday, August 25, 2008 I had the privilege of going to PEAK this year in Tulsa, Oklahoma! I cannot begin to describe to you how incredibly awesome it was! The services were beyond description, Bro Jason Calhoun and Bro. Cody Marks did such a great job and were very anointed and in the Holy Ghost! The first night of the conference started with prayer that lasted over 30 minutes, no music, no singing, just magnifying God and praising Him... That is one service that i will never forget! I prayed about some things during that part of the service and when Bro. Marks got up to preach, it was if he was speaking right to me.... God was already answering all of my questions!! We serve a GREAT and MIGHTY GOD!!!! It was great to see a lot of people that i haven't seen for a while and to hang out with some of my good friends! Bekki Simpson stayed with Nay and I, and we had sooooo much fun! Thanks Bekki for staying with us! Can't wait till next year! "How bout sum sweet teee?" lol.... you just had to be there, we were basically laughing the whole trip! "Didn't want to wake ya'll up, so i just left a note!" (inside joke) Bekki and I in service the first night The Hospital where i was born! This is in downtown Tulsa! We were driving by it so i just had to take a picture of it! This is at the Airport, and i am in to taking really random pictures! Chris Sindle, Me and Michael Madriaga at a place called "The Brook" or something like that, umm just don't ask! lol....that is mac and cheese that Michael is putting in his mouth and yes its on purpose, we took another picture that was "normal" but the flash was off, so it didn't come out!!! Great memories!! Guess who??? me in the multi, Nicole in the open toed, Bekki in cream and Nay in black! after a great service My Cousins, Shanelle and Natalia!! Love ya both! Me and Natalia!! Isn't she a doll?!?! Can't wait till i can dress my lil girl in cute clothes and big bows!! Need i say anything??? We went to Starbucks A LOT !!!! Austin Deatherage and I My dear friend Suzanne and I Whitney, Bekki, Me, Nicole and Delayna Bekki, me, and Nicole!! Us again waiting for church to start! SIBLINGS!!! Stephanie, Me, Nay & Chad Another long lost friend of mine! Tim Rivers Nay, Steph and I Lisa and I.... We went to grade school together back in the day! I miss her, she is married and living in Kansas!!! Maria and I....luv ya girl.... never forget the late night chat!!! Me, Curtis, and Nay P.F. Changs the last night! The Morrell Family! AWWWW Church on the last night!!!! OFF THE HOOK!!!! That was such a memorable service! I am so thankful for the presence and the anointing of God that we felt in that place! I believe that God is doing great things in the midst of the young people of our generation! Don't give up! Keep the faith!!! The devil is DEFEATED!!!!! In the end WE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Friday, August 22, 2008 The Saturday after Camp Meeting, Shenay and I flew to Tulsa, Oklahoma! By the way,it is my home town! It was great to be able to see everything again, i haven't been out there in about 10 years! We had a long day that day~ We left our house at 7a.m. and drove to Bakersfield, our flight left at noon. We had a hour and half lay over in Salt Lake City, which that airport was very crowded and apparently there was a lady that had passed out or something, because the fire department and the paramedics were all standing around her! I was getting ready to go invite them to church!! lol!!! When we arrived in Oklahoma we were greeted by my Uncle Kendall and one of the neighbor kids that had rode with him to pick us up! The picture below is me and Nay after a really long day, and you can tell!!!! :+) We stopped at a place called Kicks 66 Diner, the food was actually pretty good, but my Uncle kept sayin things to the waitress and it was really funny, they probably thought we were extremely weird, but hey it was a lot of fun! It started to rain right when we were leaving the diner. It POURED!!! If you have never experienced an Oklahoma thunder/lightning storm, you are missing out!!It was really neat, but it took us a lot longer to get home! On Sunday, we slept in and just hung around the house, because my Uncle had to fix the van window, and so he drove his truck to work that day! After he got home we went to a place called Ozzies, its right on the water. The food was excellent, i had fried steak strips! this was the view from our table! Nay, Kendall, and Cadie Cadie and I This is Cadie at Rib Crib, we went there on Monday night, very good food, and great atmosphere! Kendall and Cadie @ Rib Crib Me and Nay Had to take a picture of the sign! Oh and by the way Grove, OK has a SUPER WALMART!!!! Can you believe that?? We don't even have one of those! This restaurant is right in front of there! Of course we went to WALMART about 4 times when we were there! Also on Monday we drove around the town and went shopping in all there lil boutiques and random shops! A water tower with Grove on it!This was on Tuesday, Nay and I drove to Joplin, Missouri to go shopping at the mall, and as soon as we seen our exit there was a Cracker Barrel, another thing that you are missing out on, if you have never been!!! The food was incredible! They serve HUGE portions, as you can see... That was Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, french fries, fried apples, a biscuit, corn bread muffin and SWEET TEA!!!! okay okay, i didn't eat it all, but it sure was tempting!!! This is a McDonalds, that is over the freeway, this is on the interstate about 20 minutes from his house! Sailboat Bridge takes you into Grove, and this goes over Grand Lake, which covers about 1700 miles of shore line and goes through 7 towns.... i didn't realize that the lake was this big, when my uncle was explaining that he lived right by the lake! Well it is BEAUTIFUL!!!! His house is right by the lake, you can see it out of his back window and if i threw a rock i could hit the lake!!! This is a random picture that i took when i was driving, i really like it though! It looks like it has a story behind it, maybe one day I'll blog about the straight road, or something!! Me drivin! And that ends the pictures from Grove! We had such a great time and i wish that i could've stayed longer! Can't wait to go back!!! Wednesday, August 20, 2008 ASHTYN SARGENT CAMI AND I ME 'N' NICOLE THE "GIANT" AKA BRYSON AND ME CHERIC AND I I will be adding pictures from all the recent activities and vacations that i have been on! I will start with Camp Meeting just because that was the first thing that happened! It was a lot of fun this year! I was able to be a part of the Praise team, and also sing with the awesome WAY CHOIR!!! It was great to see everyone again, and be able to minister in singing!!! Hope everyone had a great time at Camp!!! Photography Blogs About Me I married the man of my dreams on April 2, 2011!!! I am enjoying everyday of my life with my sweetheart! We have the best family.. i miss all of my family and friends that i don't get to see on a daily basis, but i am so happy where i am!!!

Senate Dems seek to extend tax cut Senate Democrats are set this week to push for an expansion of the current payroll tax cut – and pay for it by tacking on an extra tax for millionaires. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Monday that the upper chamber will vote on a bill that would expand the payroll tax holiday – a move intended to pump more cash into consumers’ pockets and give a jolt to the still-weak economy. It would be paid for by a 3.25 percent surtax on income over $1 million, he said. Story Continued Below “If [Republicans] choose to oppose this payroll tax cut, we’ll know what they meant to say was, we can’t afford to raise taxes on the rich,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “In fact, more clearly, we cannot afford to raise taxes on the rich, but we’re happy to raise taxes on the middle class.” The Senate has repeatedly rejected efforts to pay for economic measures via a millionaires’ surtax, including the entirety of President Barack Obama’s jobs package and smaller proposals intended to help teachers and first responders and rebuild the nation’s aging infrastructure. In all instances, Senate Republicans – as well as a few moderate Democrats – denied the Senate Democratic majority the 60 votes needed to proceed on the measures. In the House, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said last week he would be open to discussing an extension of the payroll tax cut with Obama. But the addition of the millionaires’ surtax to pay for the estimated $265 billion proposal makes it unlikelier that it would gain support from congressional Republicans. “Republicans have said that extending the payroll tax break is a potential area of common ground, but coupling it with a job-killing tax hike on small businesses makes no sense whatsoever,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in an email to reporters. “It looks like Washington Democrats are playing politics with American jobs – again.” Perhaps acknowledging that the legislation with the surtax attached is unlikely to clear the Senate, Reid told reporters that he would bring up a payroll tax cut extension “at least two, or maybe three, times” should it fail at first. Democrats estimate their proposal, which would slice the payroll tax cut in half from 6.2 percent to 3.1 percent, would save the average U.S. family $1,500 a year. Authored by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), the bill also cuts payroll taxes for employers and gives incentives for businesses to boost their payrolls. The payroll tax holiday extension has been a top priority for Obama, who has traveled the country in recent days to try to drum up public support for it. In Manchester, N.H., last week, he hit Republicans for opposing tax increases in general but supporting a payroll tax cut extension. For instance, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said Sunday that he would oppose extending the payroll tax holiday, arguing that the tax cut hasn’t helped create jobs and would hurt funding for Social Security. Reid, during a conference call with reporters on Monday, denied the payroll tax cut would make the program insolvent since the bill would require transfers from the general fund to the Social Security fund. The payroll tax cut holiday, which lowered rates to 4.2 percent, is set to expire at year’s end. Action on that is one of the top legislative priorities that Congress faces in December, along with extending unemployment insurance, funding the government and preventing cuts to Medicare payments for doctors. CORRECTION: The total cost of extending the payroll tax cut is estimated to be $265 billion.

Westport School Committee grapples with future of school buildings Sunday Aug 6, 2017 at 6:58 PMAug 6, 2017 at 6:58 PM By Jeffrey D. Wagner, Herald News WESTPORT — The School Committee voted to form an ad hoc committee to explore how to use the current junior/senior high school building if voters at the end of this year approve a new grades 5 through 12 school building on Old County Road. In related moves, the committee voted to move the central administration and maintenance staff from the current high school buildings to other locations. The Macomber Primary School building or modulars appear to be the leading candidates for use for central administration offices. After a School Building Committee meeting last Wednesday and then a separate School Committee meeting on the same night, architect Jonathan Levi updated the public on plans for the new building, which should go before the state School Building Authority in early fall. He mentioned that the new building comes with areas to house trucks and other large equipment used for the school’s maintenance department. Levi mentioned that using the new building to house central maintenance would not expand the square footage of the building far beyond the MSBA-approved 185,600 square foot figure. The size would be around 185,800 square feet. Levi also toured the Macomber Primary School and identified three classrooms, with ample light and space, to house the central administration office, business, human resources and special education offices. That space would use current partitions that are in place to create the offices, which would fit into 2,500 square feet. Director of Facilities Michael Duarte and his staff would be able to complete the conversion in-house. The space would be freed up because the current Westport Elementary School would likely become a grades 1 through 4 school, instead of a 3 through 6 school. The Macomber Primary School would be converted into a pre-kindergarten and kindergarten school, which had previously served as its grade configuration. When prompted by School Committee Chairwoman Margot DesJardins, Levi conceded that the central administration office’s move to Macomber would not be a good long-term solution. DesJardins said she was looking for solutions that would address all building needs in the district for the next 30 to 50 years. Levi said he does not think that Macomber would last that long. Superintendent Ann Marie Dargon gave a presentation and made recommendations of her own. She recommended that Macomber indeed become a pre-kindergarten and kindergarten school, WES become a Grade 1 through 4 school, while the new building would address grades 5 through 12. Dargon recommended that central administration either move to Macomber, move to the current modular building adjacent to that school building or work with the town toward leasing space elsewhere. Dargon provided cost analysis of all the options. She mentioned that if the town were to discontinue using the modulars once the lease expires, it would cost around $113,070, according to current costs. It would cost around $325,000 to buy the building once the lease expires. The downside — modulars last 10 to 20 years, according to estimates she received. Dargon said the Fairhaven School District leases a residential home for administration offices and Westport could also work with the town on that option. Meanwhile, some officials staunchly opposed reusing the high school for school grades. This led to an approved motion that the School Committee does not anticipate using the high school building for grades kindergarten through Grade 12 if the district is successful in building a new school for the 2020-2021 school year. Committee member Antonio Viveiros said he would support any motion that would consider the abandonment of the current high school for education purposes. School Building Committee Chairwoman Dianne Baron said using the high school for education purposes would be “illogical” and send mixed message to the public. “Why hang onto a building like this?” she asked. By the end of the year, voters will be asked to approve a bond for the new school building, with the MSBA reimbursing around half the costs for a new building and for razing the former middle school, which has not been used by the district since the 2014-15 school year.

The Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park The Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park is the green space that surrounds the Imperial War Museum on the corner of St George’s Road and Lambeth Road. Previously the grounds of Bethlem Hospital, there was concern that when the hospital moved to a new location in Beckenham in 1930, the grounds would be built upon. The hospital needed to sell the lease to the St George’s Fields site to finance the building of the new hospital, but while freeholders the Bridge House Estate were amenable to the transfer of the lease, there was opposition from the Ministry of Health, the LCC and Southwark Council. The grounds of the hospital had become a popular open space within a densely populated area at a time when there was an awareness of the need for green spaces for the health and well-being of town dwellers and as a place for children to play. The Charity Commission insisted that the matter should be put before Parliament. The situation was saved when Lord Rothermere, brother to Lord Northcliffe who had founded the Daily Mail and now since his death its owner, purchased the site for £150,000. Some of the hospital buildings including the two wings that flanked the central core were demolished and the open areas formed into a park. This was dedicated to Geraldine Mary Harmsworth, Lord Rothermere’s mother, for the benefit of the "the splendid struggling mothers of Southwark in the training and upbringing of their children”. Lord Rothermere gifted the site to the LCC and the Imperial War Museum moved into the remaining part of the hospital in 1936. Sadly, the Lido suffered the same fate as many others and was filled in due to lack of funding during the 1970s and 1980s. A family orchard has now been planted on the former site and within the park there are also a small copse, a world garden and an ice age tree trail. A Green Flag was awarded in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The park was opened in 1934. Four years later a lido was opened that measured 93ft x 90ft and a depth that graduated from 8 inches to 3 feet. Use was restricted to children aged 12 years or under. The Lido was opened on the first day of the school holidays in 1938 and the lido was packed. The LCC also provided fortnightly entertainments for children during the summer holidays in their parks such as a Punch and Judy show. On the day the Lido opened, the children were entertained by a conjuror. There were three new permanent additions in the park in 1999, the Tibetan Peace Garden, a section of the Berlin Wall, and the Soviet War Memorial. The latter commemorates the sacrifice of 27 million lives by the citizens and armed forces of the former Soviet Union to defeat fascism in World War II. Made of granite, it was unveiled on 9 May 1999 which in Russia is known as Victory Day when the defeat of Nazism in Germany is celebrated. The memorial provides the focal point for remembrance ceremonies on Holocaust Memorial Day, Victory Day and Remembrance Sunday. At the end of the second world war, Berlin was divided, the East came under the control of the Soviet Union and West Berlin under control of Britain, France and the United States. In August 1961 the Soviet authorities built a physical wall between east and west to prevent those living in the eastern sector fleeing to the more affluent and liberal west. The wall was heavily fortified and over 100 people died attempting to escape to the West. From the 1980s on, the wall attracted graffiti artists from around the world. The western side of the wall was completely covered in graffiti, by contrast the eastern side was blank as no one was allowed to get close enough to the wall to paint it. In November 1989 the East Berlin authorities began dismantling the wall and free movement was allowed between east and west. The Imperial War Museum acquired this section of the wall in 1991 which was painted by Indiano. In October 2004 two Chilean Araucarias (monkey puzzle trees) were planted in the park. They were planted to mark the 30 year period since the 1974 'disappearance' of Jacqueline Drouilly Yurich and her husband Marcelo Salinas Eytel who lived in Chile at the time of the coup and the subsequent military dictatorship of General Pinochet. It's estimated that 3,000 were murdered under the regime and 1,119 were "disappeared". The planting of these trees and accompanying plaque are part of a human rights project to plant a tree for each victim to create a "virtual" worldwide forest of remembrance. The latest addition to the park was unveiled on 9 December 2015 and carved from a diseased plane tree by mORGANICo at the suggestion of the Friends of Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park. The theme of the sculpture is Peace.

Not long after it purchased Pebble for $40 million. Share this story Fitness wearables company Fitbit didn't announce any new products at CES 2017, and we didn't expect it to. However, just days after the show ended, news of a new acquisition has come out. Fitbit has purchased the European smartwatch startup Vector, which already has two devices in the luxury connected watches market. Both watches boast 30-day battery lives. A message on Vector's website confirms the acquisition but does not disclose how much Fitbit paid for the startup. Vector CEO Andrei Pitis also confirmed the news to TechCrunch and said Fitbit is acquiring the company for its "software platform and design team." Further Reading "We believe this is an important milestone as a moment when we will start building other new and amazing products, features, and experiences, incorporating our unique technology and knowhow with Fitbit’s experience and global community," the Vector team wrote on its website. Vector came onto the scene in 2015 with its Luna and Meridian smartwatches that are compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows devices. Both watches have similar features: activity tracking, onboard apps, their own OS with discrete notifications and "streams" (or visuals of cherry-picked information from social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook), and an impressive 30-day battery life. Both the Luna and Meridian come with high price tags, though, with the circular-faced Luna priced between €349 ($426) and €549 ($670) (depending on materials used) and the rectangular-faced Meridian priced at €299 ($365). According to Vector's website, both of its smartwatches will continue to work normally, but no new software or hardware features will be added in the future. Vector will still provide a two-year warranty on all of its devices, and the company will continue to offer support through its Help page and support@vectorwatch.com. Fitbit hasn't officially announced that it is creating a smartwatch, but with this acquisition and Fitbit's recent buyout of Pebble, we can safely assume the company is working on something. Both Pebble and Vector have interesting and very different approaches to smartwatch operating systems than Fitbit does (the only OS Fitbit has is the makeshift system on its Blaze tracker), and it's possible that Fitbit is trying to glean how to best create a wearable OS that can compete with Apple's WatchOS and Google's Android Wear. Fitbit is likely also going to use Vector's design team to make any device it comes out with as watch-like as possible, which would be a change from its current wristband trackers.

Phase Two Orthodontics What advantages does two-phase orthodontic treatment offer? Instead of focusing on a single aspect, two-phase orthodontics combines both tooth straightening and facial/physical changes. A Phase Two stage of treatment as its name implies is the following phase after the patient has had an initial “Early Orthodontic Treatment.” Two-phase treatment is much more likely to foster functional, healthy, aesthetically pleasing results that concentrate not just as straightening teeth but focus on the more contemporary treatment approach and philosophy of “treating the phase not just the teeth” What if I wait until later for treatment? Waiting until later in life for treatment often results in more comprehensive and at times more involved treatments that are less likely to completely correct the alignment of teeth and jaws. We will help you understand why orthodontic treatment is advantageous if the proper diagnosis is done in combination with ideal timing. Resting Period (between Phase One and Two) After a Phase One treatment is finished the resting period begins, this time is also known as an “orthodontic recall ” during this time we will simply make sure a retainer is worn and we will essentially “Let nature take its course”. At this active time of growth many more permanent teeth will be erupting and the orthodontists will see your child every 3 to 4 months for a brief check up.

Bongs Is Not Rocket Science! Learn Them Now! Bongs Is Not Rocket Science! Learn Them Now! Bongs can eliminate some of the harmful substances in marijuana smoke. Regarding easy cleansing, glass pieces would be the absolute best. Today, we are going to view one of the major core distinctions: acrylic vs glass bongs. Yet a bong can cost you far, much more than its simple purchase price, as athletes and actors sometimes learn the difficult means. As a smoker of various natural herb mixes and blends i’ve always been wondering of both bongs and vaporizers, but more particularly; Glass Bongs. Glass is the most popular product regularly build bongs. Glass enthusiasts – if you are after a truly one-of-a-kind piece, then finding a non-traditional bong from all of these categories is definitely the most useful place to start. The down stem switches into the bong’s chamber, in the water. Part Water customers report great results stay after 40 bowls. Get low priced brand new glass bongs on line from China brand new cup bongs wholesalers. For folks who typically roll their cannabis into bones , bongs offer their cooling percolation while keeping the pungent spectral range of aroma and taste that cannabis creates. Bongs may differ in expense from inexpensive $10 pieces to well over $20,000 or even more. It really is often called a fall as you eliminate it through the downstem whilst the final action before inhaling the smoke within the smoke chamber. Vaping will make you super high – just as high as smoking a bong or joint – but with no risks connected with smoking many people choose vaping because it’s instantaneous, effortless and effective. 2. Downstem – a pipe that slides to the side regarding the associated with bong and into the water. You therefore have to smoke more out of a water bong than you’d a pipeline for website equivalent level of stoned. Before detachable bowls, a carbohydrate had been used to clear the smoke from the bong, in the same manner, a carbohydrate on a cup pipe helps clear the pipe of smoke. Bubblers are much better for smoking on the go. If you’re thinking about bringing one thing to smoke away from wherever you are going, it is much easier to travel with a bubbler than bringing around a bong with all from it’s pieces. Also, this also causes it to be the perfect option for whoever likes to stock up the bong with ice for an extra chilly smoke sesh. The aim of the 2 chambers is always to filter out the smoke at a much greater level than usual bongs meaning you will have an infinitely more enjoyable experience. We shop bongs, pipes, vaporizers and smoking accessories in a well-maintained warehouse to ensure product quality. Actually, they are what initially separated water pipes from dry pipes.

Intersexuality is a state in which someone has sexual characteristics associated with both genders. Sometimes, intersexuality manifests in a very obvious form, as in the classic case of someone born with both male and female genitalia. At other times, intersexuality is much more subtle, and sometimes the condition isn't even recognized until after death, when an autopsy reveals unexpected findings. Estimates of the number of intersex individuals in the population vary, but usually hovers around one percent. This condition is caused by some sort of interruption in fetal development which causes a deviation from typical sex development. Depending on the type of interruption, someone may be obviously intersex at birth, or signs of intersexuality may emerge later in life, such as in puberty or middle age. In some cases, intersexuality is discovered when a doctor attempts to get to the bottom of a medical problem, and it may come as a great surprise. There is a great deal of controversy about the appropriate label for intersex individuals. Through the 20th century, the term “hermaphrodite” was used, but most people frown upon this word today, both because it is imprecise, and because it has offensive characteristics. Some people prefer to say “disorders in sex development” instead of intersexuality, while others prefer “variations of sex development,” to stress the idea that intersexuality is not necessarily a disorder. Ad Some activists in the field of human sexuality believe that intersexuality suggests that gender may run along a continuum, rather than being restricted to male and female identities. Some intersex individuals also support this view, choosing to abstain from surgery, hormones, and other corrective treatments because they see nothing which needs to be corrected about themselves. Intersexuality is also sometimes used as an explanation to explore the wide range of gender identities in the human race. Whether or not one views intersexuality as a problem which needs to be corrected, or a natural genetic variation, it can pose some interesting challenges for parents. When children are born with obvious intersex characteristics, parents are usually asked to pick a gender for the child so that the infant can be whisked into surgery. Activists have suggested, however, that it might be better to raise the child as-is, allowing him or her to pursue surgery and other treatments later in life, if desired. While this option may seem better in the eyes of activists, it can place a heavy burden on parents, as human society is not gender-neutral, and an obvious intersex child could face formidable social problems. Discuss this Article anon165535Post 6 wow that's a very narrow view of intersexed people. I have been on hormones for 15 years and it was a decision I made for myself. As it turned out, after some surgery to remove cancerous organs, I have to be on HRT for the rest of my life. To suggest intersexed people who happen to be queer or have had consensual surgical intervention are invalid is so outrageous I am lost for words. Some intersexed conditions assure that some of us will develop certain cancers due to the orientation of internal organs. It's good that you can affirm yourself as a man in every sense, but for some of us its not that cut and dried and therefore for some, it would be life threatening to not be on HRT. --India anon127989Post 2 I don't know of anyone with a Disorder of Sex Development who prefers the imprecise term "Intersex" who does not take some form of hormone therapy to enhance male or female characteristics, and I know a great many "Intersex" people. Intersex as a term is insulting to me, I am male through and though "balls to bones" as the saying goes. That I was born with a congenital disorder is irrelevant, I am male. Who I am in my head is much more important than who I am according to someone else's definition or terminology. People who call themselves "Intersex" and take hormones to enhance either sex and claim being "Intersex" is a natural form of being are deluding themselves, burying their heads in the sand. Intersex only exists as a disease state, in my opinion. Post your comments Please enter the code: Login Register Make changes/additions/deletions to the article below, and one of our editors will publish your suggestions if warranted. Optional: Explanation of your recommended changes Thank You! One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!

i have some un-opened cases of SHTF ammo sitting in a closet and i was wondering how YOU store your SHTF ammo? i was thinking of opening all the cases and boxs then, filling steel ammo cans to the top with the loaded ammunition. i have a few ammo cans filled with boxed ammo but, if i open them and pour the ammo into the can i can fit ALOT more! good idea or bad? I have 600 rounds in mags in the safe. The rest is in the original packaging on a shelf in the basement. Ideally the "rest" (or a couple K anyway) would be on stripper clips, in bandoleers, in ammo cans with desiccant. To be honest though I have other SHTF ammo packed as described above, if I go through 600 rounds and need more then I will be surprised. If you get in a firefight/SHTF situation and if you live to use more than a hundred rounds...you're doing good. I've seen alot of combat...you RARELY use that much ammo (600rnds is ALOT in a gunfight.) Of course...if the zombies are attacking...let your imagination run wild. Major A combat load (180-210rnds) will suffice in MOST situations. I would have at least that much stored properly (in mags and ready to go.) Originally Posted By MajorAR:If you get in a firefight/SHTF situation and if you live to use more than a hundred rounds...you're doing good. I've seen alot of combat...you RARELY use that much ammo (600rnds is ALOT in a gunfight.) Of course...if the zombies are attacking...let your imagination run wild. Major A combat load (180-210rnds) will suffice in MOST situations. I would have at least that much stored properly (in mags and ready to go.) Originally Posted By MajorAR:If you get in a firefight/SHTF situation and if you live to use more than a hundred rounds...you're doing good. I've seen alot of combat...you RARELY use that much ammo (600rnds is ALOT in a gunfight.) Of course...if the zombies are attacking...let your imagination run wild. Major A combat load (180-210rnds) will suffice in MOST situations. I would have at least that much stored properly (in mags and ready to go.) You gotta appreciate real world advice like this. yes, it is great advise! the major is 100% correct. since i have more than 210 rounds in my "ever getting smaller closet", my question was about putting ammo directly into a ammo can so i can make more room for more ammo! Considering that most here are arm-chair commandos and wanna b war lords they will stock thousands of rounds for there fantasy shtf world. In reality , there is only a slight chance in hell that you as a civilian will need anymore than a mag or two loaded and ready o go. Originally Posted By MajorAR:If you get in a firefight/SHTF situation and if you live to use more than a hundred rounds...you're doing good. I've seen alot of combat...you RARELY use that much ammo (600rnds is ALOT in a gunfight.) Of course...if the zombies are attacking...let your imagination run wild. Major A combat load (180-210rnds) will suffice in MOST situations. I would have at least that much stored properly (in mags and ready to go.) You gotta appreciate real world advice like this. No doubt, that's why I said "I would be surprised" if I needed more than 600 rounds loaded up and ready to go. Surprised to be alive is what I meant Originally Posted By Grumple:Considering that most here are arm-chair commandos and wanna b war lords they will stock thousands of rounds for there fantasy shtf world. In reality , there is only a slight chance in hell that you as a civilian will need anymore than a mag or two loaded and ready o go. Are you saying that I won't need 8.5K rounds of various 5.56 ammo at the ready ? Alright, to the OP, a more specific answer as I re-read your post; Personally I like filling my ammo cans with boxed ammo but you could "dump" the rounds in loose as long as the cans have good seals and you put some desiccant in there with them, make sure it's the right amount for the space though. Also make sure you store said ammo can in a cool dry place. Doing that, you'll be fine. Oh, if you just dump them in, make sure they're all from the same LOT number and throw a piece of the box with the lot number in the can with all of the ammo so you know what it is and what lot number/year it was when you open it up in 40 years since you've never used it. I just got 3k of wolf 7.62x39mm in the mail today... It's just gonna be stacked one on tope of another in the safe... yes sadly I must stock pile wolf... ammo to expensive... In regards to your question... I put some in cans but keep them in boxes... for when the SHTF you may want access to packs of (in wolf's case) 20 rd boxes to throw in your back pack... or if you keep a tactical vest then whatever you got in Mags and can hold on your vest use that and any other ammo... rathers its in cans or in boxes that are in cans.... just keep them cool and dry... or get the ammo that is in sealed cans... you could burry it for years and it'll be just as fresh today or in 100 years... and Major... your the man for having gone through combat and lived to tell about it.... my uncle was in vietnam and my grandfather in the korean war (was a P.O.W. for 9 months and escaped and made his way back to US territory) and I've heard some crazy shit from them... so just like them... your a real battle hardened man... Originally Posted By umc:Alright, to the OP, a more specific answer as I re-read your post; Personally I like filling my ammo cans with boxed ammo but you could "dump" the rounds in loose as long as the cans have good seals and you put some desiccant in there with them, make sure it's the right amount for the space though. Also make sure you store said ammo can in a cool dry place. Doing that, you'll be fine. Oh, if you just dump them in, make sure they're all from the same LOT number and throw a piece of the box with the lot number in the can with all of the ammo so you know what it is and what lot number/year it was when you open it up in 40 years since you've never used it. thanks umc, this is the kind of answer to my question i was looking for. good idea about the lot numbers and date! i do have a bit of ammo that i keep aside for SHTF, however, i am NOT an armchair commando, nor do i believe in zombies. in fact i dont have 600 mags either. really, i just wantd info about how some of you store your ammo. Originally Posted By Grumple:Considering that most here are arm-chair commandos and wanna b war lords they will stock thousands of rounds for there fantasy shtf world. In reality , there is only a slight chance in hell that you as a civilian will need anymore than a mag or two loaded and ready o go. i don't really shoot or have any guns that shoot the ammo i store... i really just stash it to throw at zombies I try to keep 6 thirty round mags in each room of my house, six in each vehicle, and 20 in the garage. Another dozen in wrapped oil skin bags every 100 meters along the driveway. Then two boxes of cliped 8 round mags for my Garands, and a dozen loaded for two M-1 Carbines.On the roof I have 100 match loads for my Tactical Savage in 6.5X55.My dog has a special collar that holds 2 30 rounders ready to go. Oh shit, actually I have one on my walker and 6 in my tactical bag that I can drag behind me. Originally Posted By threefeathers:I try to keep 6 thirty round mags in each room of my house, six in each vehicle, and 20 in the garage. Another dozen in wrapped oil skin bags every 100 meters along the driveway. Then two boxes of cliped 8 round mags for my Garands, and a dozen loaded for two M-1 Carbines.On the roof I have 100 match loads for my Tactical Savage in 6.5X55.My dog has a special collar that holds 2 30 rounders ready to go. Oh shit, actually I have one on my walker and 6 in my tactical bag that I can drag behind me. Originally Posted By threefeathers:I try to keep 6 thirty round mags in each room of my house, six in each vehicle, and 20 in the garage. Another dozen in wrapped oil skin bags every 100 meters along the driveway. Then two boxes of cliped 8 round mags for my Garands, and a dozen loaded for two M-1 Carbines.On the roof I have 100 match loads for my Tactical Savage in 6.5X55.My dog has a special collar that holds 2 30 rounders ready to go. Oh shit, actually I have one on my walker and 6 in my tactical bag that I can drag behind me. Other than the dog (pretty good idea there), this is another outstanding example for the legal, civilian possession of M18A1 Claymore Mines --- less logistics required! Bear ETA: But to answer your original question; My Ready Ammo is all kept on strippers, packed in cardboards & in bandoleers. One spoon (stripper clip guide for the non-military types out there) per bandoleer, and two additional loose spoons sitting on top of the bandos packed inside the can. I have three cans of Ball and one can of Tracer packed this way and each can is marked with a yellow vinyl circular "dot" (red dot for tracer). Gone are the days that I felt the need to keep loaded AR magazines in my LBE (old school here) just in case Ivan Pooshky came knocking. Now it's a loaded 45 Combat Commander in the safe, loaded Beretta 92 in the truck, and a loaded Sig 228 in my paddle holster for the common scumbag threat. If the threat level jumped I'd probably load up my Benelli and Ithica shotguns and just hunker down in to a "hull defilade" Bug In position. Of course if the threat level went thru the roof and I needed to scoot I'd load up a Basic Combat Load of 30s, plus a Beta C, and BUG OUT! Now, about those Claymores..... Is it that we have so often been told that violence is not the answer to everything that we fail to realize it IS the answer to some things? Originally Posted By threefeathers:I try to keep 6 thirty round mags in each room of my house, six in each vehicle, and 20 in the garage. Another dozen in wrapped oil skin bags every 100 meters along the driveway. Then two boxes of cliped 8 round mags for my Garands, and a dozen loaded for two M-1 Carbines.On the roof I have 100 match loads for my Tactical Savage in 6.5X55.My dog has a special collar that holds 2 30 rounders ready to go. h thanks man. i got a real laugh outta that. where'd you get the dog collar? We all got enough ammo to probably open our own stores by now.I do not know if the SHTF will or will not happpen anytime soon but many here probably remember the first gun bans and registrations beginning with the dead Kennedys.When ammo and guns began to get banned and registered people did not think in time and were left out.Not this time and the world and the economy are a far worse place now and more reason to be armed and ready especially with the possible change to more democrats in power put there by the liberals with the help of the illegal aliens.Guns without ammo are nothing but clubs so it is necessary to stockpile and store for use.Looking at it from a goverment viewpoint if I was a democrat wanting to take away the citizens arms with all the folks stocking up that would scare the shit right out of me!Rather like a big nationwide CCW system in that you would never know whose door you may be trying to knock down and whether they might have one gun or a dozen and enough supplies and ammo to hold you off for weeks.Secure handy storage I think is more important than long term where you may never use it and buy as much as you can afford as you have it to barter with and share with friends and relatives. Originally Posted By cx4stormer:i have some un-opened cases of SHTF ammo sitting in a closet and i was wondering how YOU store your SHTF ammo? i was thinking of opening all the cases and boxs then, filling steel ammo cans to the top with the loaded ammunition. i have a few ammo cans filled with boxed ammo but, if i open them and pour the ammo into the can i can fit ALOT more! good idea or bad? Originally Posted By threefeathers:I try to keep 6 thirty round mags in each room of my house, six in each vehicle, and 20 in the garage. Another dozen in wrapped oil skin bags every 100 meters along the driveway. Then two boxes of cliped 8 round mags for my Garands, and a dozen loaded for two M-1 Carbines.On the roof I have 100 match loads for my Tactical Savage in 6.5X55.My dog has a special collar that holds 2 30 rounders ready to go. Oh shit, actually I have one on my walker and 6 in my tactical bag that I can drag behind me. All my ammo is in USGI ammo cans or in spam cans. I put most of my ammo on stripper clips, sleeves, bandoleers w/charger. All other ammo is still in the original box. I don't really see the point in dumping all the ammo loose into the can. I would definitely have my ammo in a can if it was stored in my garage or basement. I personally keep all my ammo in a climate controlled area. Unless you are swimming or on fire, there is no such thing as too much ammo! Originally Posted By cx4stormer:i have some un-opened cases of SHTF ammo sitting in a closet and i was wondering how YOU store your SHTF ammo? i was thinking of opening all the cases and boxs then, filling steel ammo cans to the top with the loaded ammunition. i have a few ammo cans filled with boxed ammo but, if i open them and pour the ammo into the can i can fit ALOT more! good idea or bad? IMO, the only way to truly store SHTF ammo is loaded into magazines that are in new condition, tried and tested, in sealed ammo cans for easy grab-n-go. Anything else just isn't SHTF if it's not ready to slap into a rifle. I have no use for bandoliers or chargers.

New funding grants for ARC 30 October 2017 Professor Tim Naish and a team of leading scientists from NIWA, GNS Science and Otago University recently received a $7.1m grant for the NZ SeaRise Programme from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Over the next five years, the team will try to create accurate estimates of the magnitude and rate of sea level rise for our coastal regions to the end of the century and beyond. The study would take into account the unique factors of vertical land movements related to ongoing natural ground subsidence. "One of the key things for New Zealand is, sea-level rise will be different depending on where you are," said Professor Tim Naish. ARC’s Director Associate Professor Andrew Mackintosh has been awarded a Marsden Fund Grant – one of the 17 ground-breaking Victoria projects. Andrew’s research ‘Did a previous collapse of the Antarctic Ice Sheet cause abrupt climate change in the Southern Hemisphere? will receive $960,000 of funding over three years. The Marsden Fund, which is administered by Royal Society Te Apārangi on behalf of the government and supports New Zealand’s best investigator-led research in the areas of science, engineering, maths, social sciences and the humanities.

Disclaimer: Murder in Suburbia and its characters are the property of ITV. No infringement intended. Summary: A string of unusual and particularly gruesome murders, one occurring every Saturday since the first Saturday of October, have been taken straight from the pages of popular British mystery novels with one notable exception. Will Ash and Scribbs be able to solve the cases before the next scheduled murder takes place on All Hallows’ Eve? Very special thanks to the wonderful FlyingPeanuts for her superb beta and continued support throughout this writing endeavor and to the ever gracious and extremely patient Ralst for making certain that I stayed true to these two lovely Brits. Murder Most Foul Thursday, October 29, 2009 In a room bathed in semi-darkness and littered with unoccupied desks, Detective Inspector Kate Ashurst ran her fingers lightly across her forehead, her usually ramrod straight posture slumped forward. She rested an elbow on the arm of her chair and stared down at a white sheet of paper that was encased inside of a clear plastic evidence bag near the edge of her desk. The killer continued to taunt her with words he’d left behind at his last crime scene: A pleasing land of drowsy head it was, Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye; And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, Forever flushing round a summer sky. Castle of Indolence. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Ash whispered to herself as she once again turned her mind to the now familiar excerpt. Why had the killer made such a clear reference to an American classic when all the other murders had come directly from British mystery novels? Was it just a red herring? What had they missed? Four Weeks Earlier - Sunday, October 4, 2009 “This had better be good,” Detective Sergeant Emma Scribbins muttered under her breath as she walked alongside her partner, keeping in perfect stride with Ash’s longer legs. Her frustration at being dragged from her bed on a Sunday morning provided the perfect equalizer. “Murder is never good, Scribbs,” Ash said, pushing her hands deeper into her coat pockets. It was an unusually chilly morning for this time of year, and she’d have preferred to have stayed in bed, too, although she’d have never admitted it to her partner. “And Wilkins didn’t intentionally drive into a brick wall. He was trying to avoid hitting a dog.” “He was probably talking on his mobile and didn’t see the dog until it was too late,” Scribbs grumbled, still clearly unhappy that because of their colleague’s bad habits and less than stellar driving skills she was trudging through a light misting rain instead of snuggling under the dry, warm covers of her duvet. “Yes, well, that’s probably true, too, but it doesn’t discount the fact that he certainly didn’t injure himself on purpose,” Ash replied, picking up her pace when she spied familiar white police tape surrounding the perimeter of a dilapidated house. She yanked a pair of latex gloves from her pockets and began to stuff her hands inside. Scribbs followed suit as she scanned the scene and the house that stood in the center of the cordoned-off area. Keen brown eyes immediately noted chipped and peeling paint, missing tiles, boarded up windows, and a gaping hole where the front door used to be. “Someone actually lives here?” “I’m not sure,” said Ash, crinkling up her nose in distaste at the thought of anyone inhabiting the ratty-looking house. “Sullivan just said there’d been a murder, and he gave me the address.” She angled toward a police officer who stood near the front of the house. “Morning, Ladies,” the officer looked up from his small notebook and greeted the two detectives with a slight tip of his hat. “Or should I say strange morning?” “Sorry, Scribbs, no can do, but if you’ll follow me, I’ll let you decide on the strangeness factor,” Stevens said, starting toward the empty facing where the front door once stood. “As best we can tell, the body’s in the dining room.” A pair of dark brows narrowed into a deep frown. “As best you can tell? Is there something wrong with the body?” Ash really hoped Stevens wasn’t referring to any type of dismemberment. If so, DS Wilkins was in extreme danger of further bodily harm. “We’re not actually sure it’s the dining room. There’s no furniture in the house, and it doesn’t look as if anyone has lived there for a while,” Stevens reported with a shrug. “From the scuff marks on the wooden floor, it appears as if there’d been a table and chairs in the center of the room at one time.” Ash nodded her understanding and followed behind Stevens, taking extreme care in her foot placement as the front step was almost entirely hidden by leaves. She glanced over to warn Scribbs of the potentially dangerous situation just as her partner stepped on a rotten For Sale sign, one that had been carelessly tossed onto the step long ago and forgotten by time. Damp, slick leaves clung to its surface, adding to an already precarious and slippery condition and causing Scribbs’s booted heel to shoot forward and slide well ahead of the rest of her body. Reacting immediately, Ash reached out and pulled a floundering Scribbs toward her. She tried not to notice how good it felt to have Scribbs pressed so closely against her. “Careful, Scribbs, or you’ll end up on a gurney in the A&E beside Wilkins,” Ash cautioned as she eased away from her partner, the immediate loss of welcomed warmth causing her to feel more chilled than before. “Sullivan needs you in one piece; he’s already down a DS.” She swallowed the rest of her words. Scribbs didn’t need to know how much Ash needed her to be in one piece, too. Scribbs uncharacteristically blushed in embarrassment at nearly falling ass over tea kettle; however, her cheeks remained heated for an entirely different reason once Ash had released her. She explained the wonderful, spine-tingling sensation away as not having had so much as a snog in weeks. “Sorry, Ash, I was focused on the doorway. It looks so odd for a door not be there, doncha think?” Stevens spoke up before Ash could form a reply. “Think that’s odd, wait until you see the body.” He continued down a narrow hallway and ducked into a room halfway down the corridor. Ash and Scribbs carefully navigated their way to the wide-open entry and moved into the house. Both detectives came to a full stop, side by side, in the doorway that led into the room where Stevens had disappeared. “Well, there’s something you don’t see everyday,” said Scribbs, inching into the room. There, near the far wall, lay a well-dressed man, his hands clenched tightly together and his arms stretched out to the sides. A black, shiny top hat sat on the floor next to the body. Ash noted drops of blood dotting the floor, walls stained with yellow, weathered wallpaper that was torn and tattered, and windows so dirty she could scarcely see outside. She shivered. She knew exactly what Stevens was about to report. “There aren’t any marks on the body, are there, Stevens?” Stevens’s head snapped up in surprise at Ash’s very accurate assumption. “No, not a single mark.” Ash nodded her head and moved closer to the body. The victim stared up lifelessly at the dilapidated ceiling with an expression of fear frozen on his features. Moving her gaze lower, she found the man’s legs interlocked as if he had struggled mightily against his attacker. She slowly lifted her head and took a deep breath as she focused on an unlit corner of the room that stood in shadows. Blood-red letters, spelling out a single word, were scrawled across a yellowed area of coarse plaster where a large piece of wallpaper had been torn away. “Rache?” Scribbs said as she followed Ash’s line of sight. She crossed over to the corner to get a better look. “Rachel?” “No, Scribbs: revenge, ‘Rache’ is German for revenge,” Ash replied with certainty as she turned back to the officer on scene. “Stevens, have his pockets been searched?” Stevens shook his head. “No, we were waiting for you or SOCO, whoever showed first.” Ash returned her gaze to the letters on the wall and stared intently, almost as if she were willing them to disappear. “I think we should wait; SOCO should be here any minute. Besides, I already know what they’ll find.” “So you can suddenly speak German and you’re psychic, too?” Scribbs asked in a teasing tone, although she was a little spooked by her partner’s odd behavior. “A study in scarlet,” Ash said in her typical matter-of-fact tone as she pulled her focus away from red letters that simply wouldn’t go away. “The victim will have all his belongings in his pockets, along with a business card that will bear his name. And the cause of death will more likely be from poisoning rather than a blow to the head or other internal trauma.” Scribbs stole a quick glance at the officers who were milling around the room. Broad smiles and shaking heads seemed to be very popular responses to Ash’s outlandish statements. She gestured to Stevens with a jerk of her head toward the door. “Hey Stevens, why don’t you and the others wait outside for SOCO to arrive? We don’t want to contaminate any of the evidence,” Scribbs suggested casually. “Maybe see if you can turn up anything on the outer perimeter.” Stevens understood the DS’s intentions perfectly. “Good idea, Scribbs. Just give a shout if you need anything.” He made a broad sweep with his arm toward the hallway. “C’mon you blokes, let’s see if the killer left any evidence outside.” The others didn’t hesitate to hurry after Stevens, gladly leaving Scribbs to deal with their usually level-headed DI. Scribbs waited until the last officer had left the room before turning her attention back on her partner. Ash had walked over to the bloody inscription left by the killer and seemed to be intently studying the distance from the base of the wall to the bottom of the letters. “Um, Ash? You okay?” Scribbs asked softly as she eased her way over to stand next to her partner. “You’re acting a bit strange.” “Strange?” Ash finally turned and faced Scribbs. “What’s strange, Scribbs, is the way this murder so closely resembles one of Sherlock Holmes’s cases, his first in fact, or rather, his first in print.” “Sherlock Holmes?” Scribbs’s voice scaled much higher than the requisite rise in tone typical for asking a question. “Ash, have you got a fever?” Ash stared at her partner for a long moment before asking a question of her own. “Scribbs, how long have you wanted to be involved in law enforcement?” Scribbs shrugged, not sure of the answer and certainly not sure where the question had come from. “What has that got to do with you being so weird today?” “I’ve always wanted to be a DI, Scribbs, and hopefully one day, a DCI,” Ash said, her voice softening in memory. “I used to sneak into my brother’s room and read his detective novels. I wasn’t allowed to own such rubbish, but my parents let him have them all. I read everything I could get my hands on.” Scribbs smiled at the image of a younger Ash nicking one of her brother’s books and running off to hide somewhere so that she could read in peace. Scribbs had done the same thing, only her books were purely romantic in nature and usually held a picture of some muscled man leaning over a woman with large breasts that strained mightily against the threads of a low cut dress on its cover. “Ash,” Scribbs dared to take a step closer to her partner. “Those are all fictional characters. Surely you realize that now, right?” “Don’t be daft, Scribbs,” Ash admonished. “Of course, I know.” She turned her focus back on the word that had been purposely left behind as a clue. “But this crime scene is real – the lettering, the drops of blood, the placement of the body, the dilapidated old house, the top hat, all of it. And it’s straight out of Conan Doyle’s novel, A Study in Scarlet, introducing Sherlock Holmes.” Scribbs’s eyes grew large as she once again swept a gaze over the room before settling her focus back on the writing. “You’re joshing.” Ash shook her head back and forth. “I wish I were, Scribbs. I really wish I were.” The two detectives stood silently staring at blood red letters; both secretly wishing Wilkins had taken a different route into work today. *** The arrival of SOCO had turned up more clues, all of them just as Ash had predicted. The motive had clearly not been robbery as jewelry and money had been found in the victim’s pockets, and his name had indeed been revealed both on a business card and a driver’s license – Harold James. But from that point on in the investigation, everything began to deviate drastically from Doyle’s script. James wasn’t Mormon nor was he an American. He was a well-to-do businessman from London. And when the body had been moved, it was immediately discovered that the killer hadn’t left behind a woman’s wedding ring beneath the victim as was found in A Study in Scarlet. Instead, a plain letter-size envelope was revealed. Its stark whiteness had shown brightly against the drab, dirty flooring of the abandoned house. Now, hours later, Ash sat at her desk and stared down at a small wooden peg, the sole item inside the envelope and the only tangible piece of evidence linking James’s killer to the crime. All the other evidence had been a manufactured reproduction of a fictional murder, and even though the killer had been entirely responsible for every scrap of evidence collected by SOCO, the envelope and its contents were the only items Ash was interested in. Both could be attributed to James’s killer and his killer alone. He’d left it behind for a reason, and Ash was determined to uncover his motive. “Think this has something to do with a golf game gone bad? Some bloke didn’t take kindly to losing?” Scribbs asked, more in an attempt to pull her partner from the quiet mood Ash had slipped into rather than to be seriously considered as an actual motive for the crime. The killer had gone to too far of an extreme for just settling a score. She swiveled her chair to fully face Ash. “Assuming the killer is a he.” Ash maintained her focus on the pointed tip of the white tee, its rounded end providing a solid base that kept it upright. “Harold James looked to be healthy and strong, so I think we can safely assume that the killer is male, although I’m sure there are some females who possess the necessary strength to subdue someone of James’s size.” “Yeah, I’ve seen a few of those in my day,” Scribbs said, the makings of a grin forming at a fairly recent memory. “Remember that woman we questioned a couple of month ago at the equestrian center?” Ash literally cringed, bringing a bright smile to Scribbs’s face. She’d finally found something to draw her partner’s attention away from the golf tee. She pushed on. “The one we’d both been so sure had strangled the horse trainer?” “I think she rather fancied you, Ash,” Scribbs teased. “If you hadn’t accused her of murder, she may have asked you out.” “Not funny, Scribbs,” Ash replied, her gaze drawn back to the integral piece of her latest murder puzzle, one that didn’t seem to fit anywhere. “Besides, she’d probably have a solid alibi just like last time.” “Ah, fast work, Ash,” DCI Sullivan complimented his DI, having walked up to overhear Ash’s last few words. He’d had no idea that Ash and Scribbs had found a suspect in their case, much less have had time to question the woman. Ash jumped in her seat and turned toward her boss. The tips of her ears pinkened at the thought of Sullivan overhearing Scribbs’s ridiculous statements. “Scribbs was mistaken, Boss. Lillian Gordon-Moore never once came on to me.” Sullivan glanced over at a grinning Scribbs before turning his attention back to Ash. “I was actually referring to you finding a suspect so quickly. Are you sure this Gordon-Moore woman’s alibi is ironclad?” “Um...” started Ash, clearly flustered by Sullivan’s change in direction. He’d skipped right over the bit about some woman being romantically interested in her, as if he hadn’t been surprised by the knowledge, and had gone directly to an outlandish misunderstanding of their former suspect’s role in this new murder. “Lillian was actually a suspect in another case, Boss,” Scribbs said, coming to her partner’s rescue. “We were just talking about her physical attributes. James’s killer would have to possess a great deal of strength. We were trying to decide whether to discard any female suspects.” “Exactly!” Ash chimed in, finally finding her voice. She pointed animatedly at the golf tee for more proof that their interest in women had been purely investigative in nature. “And I’d think there are considerably more men golfers than women.” Sullivan nodded. “I agree, but I’m afraid you’ve got another problem entirely.” He gestured toward the pointy, white piece of evidence. “I was able to call a friend to do some checking on Harold James. It seems he never took up the game.” Reaching into his pocket, he removed a folded Post-it note. “Here’s my friend’s name and number. He’s expecting your call.” Scribbs pushed to her feet and crossed over to where Sullivan was standing. “Thanks, Boss, we’ll ring him straight away.” She took the small yellow paper and smiled. “Okay then, I’ll let you two get back to it.” With a nod to each of his detectives, he turned and walked away. Ash waited until he’d started up the stairs to his office before she turned and bounced her head off the edge of her desk. Scribbs chuckled and moved back to her chair, patting her partner on the shoulder as she passed. “Well at least we know Sullivan has an open mind to same sex relationships.” She laughed at the pitiful groan coming from Ash but decided now wasn’t the time to get Ash’s perspective on just such a relationship. “Okay, you want to ring Sullivan’s contact or should I?” Ash’s head popped up and she reached over to snatch the paper from Scribbs’s dangling fingers. “I’ll do it.” Grabbing for the phone’s receiver, she began to punch in a series of numbers, her posture becoming more erect with each push of a button. “DCI Hollingsworth, please. This is DI Kate Ashurst from Middleford CID. I believe he’s expecting my call.” Resting her elbows on the arms of her chair, Scribbs folded her hands across her middle and leaned back to observe professional Ash in action. They’d have the murder solved in no time. Sunday, October 11, 2009 “I should’ve figured it out,” Ash said softly as she and Scribbs stood next to a bunker on the tenth hole of a local golf course and watched the SOCO team gently dig around a hand that had been spotted by the first group of golfers on the course for the day. Little did the men know there was a body attached to the limb. “Ash, we’re not sure it’s the same killer,” Scribbs tried to reassure her partner, although she was absolutely certain it had to be the same man. What else could the golf tee had meant? They’d both discarded the idea of golf being the killer’s message when they’d found out Harold James held a loathing for the game. That discovery had actually been the most progress they’d made on the case or so they’d thought. Nothing else had shed even a glimmer of light on the murder. Ash swung a not so subtle glance over each shoulder to make certain no one was within earshot, and satisfied that the forensics personnel were too preoccupied with their digging to pay attention to her observations, she explained to Scribbs exactly why she knew James’s killer had more than a hand in this new murder as well. “He’s choosing different books and recreating the murder scene as closely as he’s able.” She freed a hand from her coat pocket and gestured toward the well-manicured green of the nearby fairway. “Murder on the Links. Agatha Christie this time. My guess is that he couldn’t find a golf course under construction so he made do with this one.” Scribbs frowned at both Ash’s revelation and her own ignorance of yet another book. “And we were supposed to make that connection from a measly little golf tee?” “It wasn’t just the tee, Scribbs. He purposely chose Harold James as his first victim because of his position in life. Granted, he wasn’t a millionaire like Renauld, the victim in Christie’s book, but he was very well-off. The killer wanted us to connect the tee with James’s wealth and tie them both to another murder mystery – James’s status to represent the next victim and the tee to name the venue. The tenth hole, of course, represents the date of the intended murder – October 10, last night’s date,” Ash explained quietly, while keeping an eye on the forensic team’s progress. An arm and shoulder had been exposed and the outline of the victim’s neck and head had begun to take shape. “So, we’re dealing with a literate serial killer with a passion for murder mysteries?” “It’s not uncommon, Scribbs. In fact, just this past May, officials in Iran arrested a woman for killing at least six people. She admitted to taking her patterns from Agatha Christie novels.” “Yes, but our killer isn’t sticking to just one writer and apparently he has a PDA to schedule his murders,” Scribbs replied, scratching the tip of her nose to hide the grimace that had suddenly formed at seeing the victim’s face unearthed. “Jeez, Ash, you could’ve warned me about the bludgeoning.” “Bludgeoning?” Ash asked, her tone fraught with confusion. She’d taken a moment to look over at Scribbs during their verbal exchange and had then scanned the area, again, looking for anything that might be out of place. She’d not noticed when the team had uncovered the face of the victim, but her focus was now fully on the bloodied and completely destroyed features. They’d need the world’s most renowned forensic artist if they intended to recreate the victim’s face. “Something’s wrong.” Scribbs completely misunderstood Ash’s concern. “No kidding. It’s going to be very hard to identify a victim without a face.” She no longer tried to hide her discomfort at having to look at a face that, for all intents and purposes, resembled raw hamburger. Her hurriedly consumed Sugar Puff drink that she’d had for breakfast began to curdle in her stomach, and she was forced to look away. “No, that’s not what I meant,” Ash replied as she eased a few steps forward to get a better look at the rest of the bunker, taking care not to damage the area around the crime scene. She slowly panned from one side of the sand to the other until she finally spotted what she’d been searching for – a lead pipe, only it was stained with red, not at all like the one in the book that had remained unused. “I don’t understand.” “What’s not to understand, Ash? The killer beat the victim to death,” Scribbs tried to explain, her focus on Ash’s confused expression and not on the bunker and especially not on the body. She’d seen enough of the damage to surmise the blows to the head had to have been the cause of death. No one could survive such a vicious attack. “The victim in Murder on the Links was stabbed. He was killed before he could use the lead pipe to destroy the decoy’s face. In fact, he was stabbed before he could even retrieve the body of the other...” Ash abruptly cut off her words and snapped her head to the right toward the direction of a small shed she’d spotted earlier on their walk to the tenth hole. Without another word, she hurried off across the green, her strides lengthening with each step. “Ash!” Scribbs called out, scrambling after her partner. “Where are you going?” Not bothering to try to explain their sudden departure to SOCO and other officers on scene, Scribbs went after Ash. She had no idea what to tell them anyway. *** Standing outside the door to Ash’s flat, Scribbs raised her hand to knock and then hesitated before slowly lowering her closed fist to her side. She glanced down at her clothing and sighed: a worn t-shirt, loose fitting sweats, and a beat-up pair of trainers – her favorite and most comfortable outfit. Ash had told her to dress comfortably as they’d be up all night working on the case, but Scribbs couldn’t help but wonder what type of message she’d send with her current attire. She and Ash had once had a conversation about clothing, and although Scribbs was certain that the outfit she’d chosen for today was far from projecting the wedding slut image Ash had steered her clear of months ago, her partner going so far as to offer one of her own suits for Scribbs to wear to the wedding of an ex, Scribbs didn’t want to appear like a slob. She just needed to find an in-between message to the two Ash had alluded to that day, not quite ‘see what you’re missing’ but well short of ‘this is something you can never have.’ She didn’t have many opportunities to spend time alone with Ash outside of a police setting, and she wanted to make the most of it, even if nothing would probably come from it. They were in the middle of a serial killer investigation, after all. The flat door suddenly swung inward and pulled Scribbs from her thoughts of proper and improper clothing and the many messages each might send. She jumped back slightly and snapped her head up. Ash stared back at her. “Good, you’re here,” Ash said enthusiastically, stepping forward to retrieve the bags Scribbs had placed on the floor to free her hand to knock. “Let’s get started.” Turning on a bare heel, Ash disappeared into the flat, leaving Scribbs standing open-mouthed just outside. “Well, hello to you, too,” Scribbs muttered quietly as she eased back into reality. Stepping inside, she closed the door and moved further into the room, coming to a halt when she spied a mountain of books on the coffee table. “Please tell me those are the books you’ve ruled out.” Ash placed a bag of crisps on the counter and reached inside a second bag. She grinned at finding a tube of Smarties. “Those are the ones I’ll skim through since I’ve already read them all. Yours are on the sofa.” Scribbs looked down to spy two books on the far cushion and angled her head to read the titles. “A Study in Scarlet and Murder on the Links.” She frowned. “Why do you want me to read those? The killer has already used scenes from those books.” “Precisely, Scribbs,” Ash said, crossing the room to take the other two bags from her partner. “You need to acquaint yourself with the murders that have already been committed. Get a feel for the way the killer is creating one murder scene, while alluding to another.” She peeked inside both bags. “No toffee?” Scribbs watched curiously as Ash sighed dejectedly and turned to head back toward her kitchen, presumably to unload groceries from the last of the bags. Her partner seemed... off. Had, in fact, seemed that way since the day before when Scribbs had followed Ash from the bunker where the victim had been buried to a small storage shed near the ninth hole. Ash had appeared almost disappointed at not finding an expected second body, and the pair of pince-nez they’d found prominently displayed on a shelf inside the storage facility had only served to make Ash more frustrated. Apparently, the clue wasn’t at all helpful as Ash couldn’t recall a single murder mystery where the old style eyeglasses had played a prominent role, which was precisely why Scribbs was standing in her partner’s flat for the start of an all-night reading session. “So, do you think the pince-nez is the only clue the killer intends to carry over?” Scribbs asked as she plopped down on the couch and mentally counted the books Ash intended to ‘skim.’ They’d have to work well into the next day if Ash planned to seriously consider all of the novels she’d accumulated. “Good question, Scribbs,” Ash said, popping a handful of Smarties into her mouth. She washed them down with a sip of wine and headed toward her partner with two filled glasses in hand. “According to the pathologist, the victim died from a stab wound before being beaten about the head, and he’d already been dead 48 hours before being buried in the bunker. I’m beginning to think the killer played it out that way on purpose to have Conneau’s original plan of planting a decoy body in his stead to come to full fruition. I just can’t figure out why.” Scribbs frowned as she took a wine glass from Ash. “Conneau? Who’s Conneau?” “Renauld. Conneau is Renauld. He wrote a letter to the police confessing to a murder - a murder very similar to the one he’d plotted for his own supposed demise – and then he fled to Canada and next to South America where he gained a fortune and a new name – Paul Renauld.” “This is all very confusing, Ash,” admitted Scribbs, taking a healthy sip of her wine and hoping the alcohol would somehow clear up the perplexing explanation or, at the very least, make her befuddlement more bearable. Ash walked to the end of the couch and picked up the Agatha Christie novel she’d set aside for Scribbs. “Here, read this. You can read Sherlock Holmes afterward.” Scribbs just shrugged as she took the book and settled back against the couch. Taking another sip of wine, she opened the cover and began to read. She never felt the dip of the cushion as Ash settled in next to her. Sunday, October 18, 2009 A claw-foot tub sat nestled against a yellow tiled wall on one side of an otherwise ordinary-looking toilet. From a corner window, light streamed directly onto the cast iron enclosure, highlighting its antique taps, its glossy finish, and the body of a man wearing only a pair of pince-nez. “You were right, Ash. This murder scene is straight out of a Dorothy L. Sayers’s novel. Now we just have to figure out whose body it is,” Scribbs remarked, the last bit said with a lilt of humor in an attempt to lighten the dark mood of the situation by cheekily referring to the title of the book the killer had used to stage his latest murder. Ash didn’t reply straight away as she continued to study the tub and its surroundings, finally settling her gaze on the body and expelling a frustrated sigh at not noticing anything out of context with this crime scene and the one depicted in Sayers’s book. “Being right certainly didn’t help this victim,” she chastised herself for not being able to figure out the entire puzzle in time to stop the crime. Concentrating solely on the use of pince-nez in the various mystery novels, she’d narrowed down the list of possibilities for the next murder significantly during their all-night reading session, but when it had been discovered the following day that the victim from the golf course had been stolen from a medical school’s anatomy lab, Sayers’s Whose Body? sprinted across the finish line as the definite winner. “Ash, we’ve only known for 72 hours what the killer had planned for his next murder. There was no way we could have staked out every flat in Middleford, even if we’d had more time. He never intended for us to use his clues to catch him; otherwise, he’d had given better clues. He’s playing with us.” Ash nodded in agreement despite her utter frustration at the way they’d been unable to mount any kind of effective investigation. With the killer following a written prescription for murder, he’d made no mistakes and had paid close attention to detail. “He’s definitely meticulous and is very good at research. I imagine his line of work must integrate both of these qualities. I do wonder how he chose this particular flat to display the body.” “Well,” Scribbs began as she moved toward the window to peer outside. A narrow cobblestone lane ran between the building and another. Several windows of the other building appeared to have a fairly decent view of the flat’s toilet. “The owner is away on business most of the year, so I imagine that was a huge draw to the killer.” She glanced back at Ash. “We should probably try to track the owner down, even though he’s probably just a pawn in all of this.” “True, another victim of circumstance. Hmm, I wonder if he’s an architect like the flat owner in the book,” Ash muttered softly, her thoughts turning inward as she continued to scan the room for signs of clues outside the realm of Sayers’s mystery but foreign to the flat’s usual items. “I don’t see anything unusual or different.” Scribbs looked down at the body in the tub. “Other than a naked dead man wearing antique glasses, you mean?” She readied to ask if Ash thought that perhaps the killer had already grown bored and that the murders had come to an end, but a voice from the doorway dashed her unspoken hopes before they could be voiced. “We found something,” Stevens reported, motioning over his shoulder. “It’s in the kitchen.” Ash just nodded and gestured for Stevens to lead the way. She and Scribbs followed silently behind the officer but brushed past Stevens when they entered the kitchen and spotted a small dining table against the far wall. Two places had been set, complete with fine china, forks, spoons, and cloth napkins. Scribbs immediately noted that Sugar Puffs had been poured into one of the bowls and frowned at its intended message. “Cereal killer,” she said, lacking her usual enthusiasm at finding a clue. She wasn’t one bit happy that he’d chosen her cereal of choice for his sadistic communiqué. Ash grimaced at the killer’s sick attempt at humor and focused on the other place setting. There was no cereal, no food of any kind. Just an empty plate with a single place card in its center. Moving around behind a chair for a better view, Ash stared down at the card. She wasn’t able to stifle the light gasp that escaped. The card had been emblazoned with a single name: Kate Ashurst. *** “So, what’s the significance of the place card? Do you think that you’re his next intended target?” Sullivan asked his DI as he rocked back in his chair and tried to appear unconcerned that some psycho had specifically named one of his detectives at the latest crime scene. The Chief Superintendent hadn’t been happy to hear about it either. Ash glanced over at Scribbs, who could only shrug at their boss’s question. They’d both wondered the same thing when the place card had been discovered, and they still weren’t one hundred percent certain what the killer had intended with his mock table setting. The specific use of Sugar Puffs had been equally disturbing to Ash. “Um, the victim in Bentley’s book was a business tycoon and male. I don’t fit the profile,” she explained, her voice not sounding very convincing. Seeing her name printed in Copperplate script calligraphy had unnerved her, its elegant strokes even more derisive than if a simple print had been used. Of course, she’d originally had no idea what the actual style had been called, but their research department had quickly been able to differentiate among the various types of scripts, citing that the style chosen by the killer was one easily learned by a beginner. Sullivan stilled his motion, his mind churning with possible motives. “Why do you think he made a specific reference to you then? Just to taunt you?” “Perhaps,” Ash started hesitantly as she ordered her thoughts around the specifics of this newest murder mystery reference that had been left behind for them to unravel. “In the matter of Trent’s Last Case, the sleuth, Trent, made the grave mistake of falling in love with one of the primary suspects and he ended up drawing all the wrong conclusions following his collection of evidence. It was only when he’d had dinner with the actual perpetrator of the crime that he discovered his errors. Marlowe methodically detailed every single mistake Trent had made in the investigation and then went on to prove that the murder wasn’t a murder at all. It was a suicide, carried out exclusively to frame Marlowe for the crime. After the revelation, Trent vowed never to dabble in crime detection again.” Ash shifted her weight and folded her left hand over her right wrist to keep from fidgeting. “I believe our killer set up the kitchen scene as a message to me: he sees me as Trent and he’s telling me that I’m mucking up this case.” “And don’t forget about the cereal,” Scribbs muttered, adding a gentle nudge in Ash’s side for good measure. She shot a forced, painful-looking smile in Sullivan’s direction. “Yes, very ingenious of him to set himself up as a serial killer at the table,” Sullivan said facetiously, having already read the report about the crime scene and the cereal in question. “Don’t suppose we could have expected him to leave his own name at his place setting.” Ash swallowed the almost paralyzing terror that had been plaguing her ever since she’d made her own connection to the ‘unwritten’ message the killer had created in the kitchen and finally spoke her true fears. “Actually, Boss, it’s Scribbs we need to be concerned about.” Her voice wavered noticeably, but she soldiered on. “It’s common knowledge that this is our case and that I’m the senior detective, so the reference to me isn’t a far stretch for the killer; however, his obvious choice of Sugar Puffs indicates that he has personal knowledge of Scribbs. I fear he may have set his sights on her for his next victim.” Sunday, October 25, 2009 “I gotta say, Ash,” Scribbs said softly so as to avoid being overheard by the swarm of police personnel milling around the crime scene. She’d never get used to having practically the entire force working alongside her and Ash. “I’m not terribly disappointed that you were wrong. I’d much rather be standing here beside you, looking down at the victim, than having you stare down at me lying there with a hole in my head.” She also wasn’t terribly disappointed that Ash had insisted that she move in with her until the killer was apprehended, and if it hadn’t meant more dead bodies, Scribbs would be quite ecstatic to have the killing spree continue for a while longer. “I’m glad I was wrong, too, Scribbs,” Ash replied in what she hoped sounded like a calm, sincere tone. When she’d been roughly yanked from sleep by the ringing of her phone and reports of yet another murder, she’d practically leapt out of bed and raced to go check her sofa. She’d never been so happy to see rumpled covers strewn everywhere and, more specifically, ends of blonde hair sticking out at odd angles from beneath ivory-colored sheets. She’d stood there, quietly, allowing time for her racing heart to slow to a more normal beat, and watched Scribbs sleep. Warmth had spread through her body like the first rays of sunshine on a cold, damp, rainy morning, and instead of bottling up the wonderful sensation as she’d usually do, she’d embraced it and let it have free rein. She’d even gone so far as to briefly consider expressing her guarded feelings when Scribbs was actually awake. Scribbs smiled at Ash’s concession of error but more so at the obvious attempt by her partner not to appear overly concerned, while still projecting enough emotion to show that she did indeed care about Scribbs’s welfare. The last few days, spent entirely in the company of Ash, had been quite illuminating. Several times during the week, Scribbs had glimpsed a side of Ash she’d always suspected had existed. “So, what do you think we’ll find today? Think the killer will change mystery novel detectives again or return to one of the others?” Scribbs asked as she surveyed the surrounding area for clues of the next murder. She’d wait until after they’d solved the crimes before addressing the not so subtle change in their relationship. The dinners they’d shared – some take away and others a light fare, prepared together in the small confines of Ash’s kitchen – and late nights spent, side-by-side on the sofa, their heads bent close together as they sipped wine and poured over the various crime novels, had felt so comfortable, so right, but Ash was wound so tightly at the moment, Scribbs was certain her partner couldn’t handle such a discussion, and if she were totally honest with herself, Scribbs would readily admit she really wasn’t, either. Focusing on grass still damp from the morning dew, Ash shifted her gaze to the single gunshot that had penetrated the victim’s left eye. Other than the bullet hole, the man’s face was scarcely disfigured. The killer had managed to recreate Trent’s murder scene exactly as it had happened in print. “Everything seems in order, although I imagine this victim wasn’t the one who put a bullet in his own head. I guess we’ll have to wait to find out his identity before we can make any conjectures as to what novel will follow,” Ash replied as she reached into her pocket for her latex gloves. Her head snapped up at the sound of Wilkins’s voice. “Hey Scribbs! We found a car parked around the corner. I think it may belong to the victim.” “What makes you think it’s his?” Scribbs asked curiously, crossing over a small patch of worn grass and starting toward her fellow DS. “There’s a sheet of paper stuck under one of the wiper blades. The wording is strange,” Wilkins reported. “I think it’s from a book I’ve read. I just can’t remember which one.” The body forgotten, Ash stuffed her gloves back into her pocket and hurried after the pair. Thursday, October 29, 2009 “Figure out who’s gonna lose his head?” Scribbs asked jokingly as she walked toward her desk. With the lights turned down low and the room empty except for her partner, she’d stood in the doorway for several minutes and watched Ash intently study the words the killer had left behind on the windscreen of his latest victim’s car. If they didn’t find him soon, the case would certainly be taken from them and that was something neither she nor Ash could live with. Keeping her focus on the cursive writing, Ash shared her thoughts. “He’s come full circle, Scribbs. The first and last victims in the novels were American and now he’s referencing an American novel, one specific to this Saturday’s date: Halloween. I’m just not seeing the connection.” Scribbs settled into her chair and looked across the top of her desk at her partner. “You really think he’s going to run down someone on horseback and chop off his head?” “Her head, Scribbs. I believe the next victim will be female,” Ash said, pausing slightly before continuing. “He really is focusing entirely on you and me. I think he always has been, too. I should’ve realized it after he’d set up the crime scene from Whose Body. The killer in Sayers’s book actually attempted to murder both Inspector Parker and Lord Peter Wimsey, although I believe our killer is fixated on only one of us and the other has been pulled into his elaborate scheme by association.” “You’re saying he’s been obsessed with one of us from the start?” Scribbs unconsciously ran her hand along the base of her neck, following the path the killer would more than likely take with his next victim. She’d figured he’d only named Ash on the place card because it was a necessity to reference the next murder mystery, and she’d begun to believe the use of Sugar Puffs had been purely accidental. “Why would he go to such extremes? Why didn’t he just stalk you or me like a normal stalker?” Ash glanced up to respond but was distracted by the motion of Scribbs’s fingers tracing along smooth, silky skin. She swallowed hard and ignored her desire to do the same as she forced herself to concentrate on the seriousness of their situation. She chose not to ask exactly what constituted a normal stalker in Scribbs’s mind. “I haven’t figured that part out yet,” Ash replied as she carefully placed the plastic evidence bag containing the Sleepy Hollow reference on her desk and leaned back in her chair. “The timing for his first murder bothered me, but then I realized earlier today that you and I had been originally scheduled to work the first weekend in October. It was just blind luck that we ended up at the scene.” “We had?” Scribbs asked, a tiny crease forming between her brows. She hadn’t remembered switching weekends with Wilkins; however, her memory was starting to improve. “Didn’t we...” she began but was interrupted by Ash who seemed, as always, to be able to read her partner’s mind. “We switched weekends with Perkins because his wife was nearing her due date, but then his wife went into labor earlier than expected and he swapped with Wilkins. For some reason, I’d been thinking it had been mid-September.” Scribbs’s head bobbed up and down; her memory was crystal clear now. “Yeah, me, too. I was so tired of listening to Perkins drone on and on about his wife’s pregnancy and weird cravings that I lost track of time. It seemed like it took forever for her to pop out that kid.” Ash grimaced at a memory of one rather disgusting craving Perkins had mentioned. “Ugh, don’t remind me,” she said, her face screwing into a frown as if she’d bitten into the sourest of lemons. “I still occasionally have nightmares involving an onion, banana, and mayonnaise sarnie.” The expression on Scribbs’s face morphed into one that mirrored Ash’s, but the thought of food, even Mrs. Perkins’s strange cravings, reminded her that neither of them had eaten since they’d each grabbed a biscuit on the way out of Ash’s flat that morning. At least Scribbs could now remedy that particular oversight. She slowly stood and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. “C’mon, Ash, I’ll buy you dinner.” She slipped her arms into her coat and quickly quashed the protest Ash was obviously formulating, judging by her partner’s narrowed brows and pursed lips. “We’ll hit the books when we get back to your flat.” Scribbs’s concession that they’d return their focus back to mystery novels after their meal seemed to pacify Ash, although the low grumbling sounds emanating from her stomach may have been the deciding factor for the DI. Pushing to her feet, she reached over and switched off her desk lamp. “Okay, but let’s get a take away. We don’t have a minute to spare.” “Fine by me,” Scribbs said, gesturing for Ash to lead the way. Her partner nodded curtly and started for the door. Time was running out yet again. Saturday, October 31, 2009 “Where’s Scribbs?” Sullivan looked up from the pages of his paperback when he spotted his DI loitering outside the doorway of his office. Dog-earring his place in the book, he closed its cover and laid it down on his desk as he motioned Ash inside. With a stride more determined than she felt, Ash crossed the room and moved to stand in front of her superior’s desk. She couldn’t stop a wince from forming when she glanced down at the book’s cover and caught sight of a cowering man astride a white horse, frantically fleeing a black steed that was obviously gaining ground, its rider minus an important and very necessary feature: his head. “She’s gone to check on something,” Ash answered distractedly, her gaze still on the book’s cover. It would be dusk soon and, other than beefing up patrols in and around the more wooded areas of Middleford and stationing personnel at local stables, they still hadn’t found that one clue that would successfully stop the killer from carrying out his next self-appointed task, a clue that would identify him by name. “Good, so she’s still in the building,” Sullivan said, pleased that Scribbs was still following orders and hadn’t gone off on her own to check out a theory that she’d come up with at the last minute. He’d known Ash would follow his instructions, whether she liked it or not. “Any news from the stables?” Ash shook her head dejectedly. She hated being stuck at the station while her colleagues were out combing the city for a lunatic on horseback, but Sullivan had been very clear in his demands that she and Scribbs not leave the building until the sun rose on the following day. She could actually understand his decision to keep her and her partner under ‘lock and key’ given that the killer had deviated slightly from his purely novel-oriented clues to send a plain brown envelope to the station addressed to Sullivan and containing a photo of two headless women dining at a restaurant. He’d immediately suspected that the women in question were his detectives by their dress alone, but their identities were positively confirmed when he’d turned the envelope upside down and had shaken it over his desk. The heads of Ash and Scribbs had landed face-up. “Boss,” Ash started, her voice rising slightly as she addressed her superior. “What if Scribbs and I teamed with Wilkins and Johnson for the evening and promised that we wouldn’t split up?” She’d grown tired of ‘manning’ the phone hours ago, especially when the little bugger had refused to ring. Besides, this was her case, hers and Scribbs’s, and as long as the case wasn’t going to be assigned to someone else, they needed to be in the thick of things, not left behind at the station while the others worked to track down the killer. Sullivan eased his elbow onto the arm of his chair and rested his chin on his thumb, splaying two fingers across his cheek as he studied his DI. He’d already compromised once, having originally ordered Ash and Scribbs into protective custody, but Ash had balked – very vocally and very loudly – and so he’d insisted instead that they stay at the station and run things from in-house. There was no way he was allowing either one of them to leave the building tonight. “No,” he said simply, but firmly, his response very unSullivanlike and not at all like his usual diplomatic and explanatory replies. There was really nothing left to say and it was time Ash faced the fact that she and Scribbs truly were in danger. It did, however, have the desired effect. “Oh,” said Ash, unsure how to proceed. Sullivan’s entire demeanor projected a ‘this isn’t up for discussion’ attitude, and Ash knew better than to protest his decision, for now anyway. She needed to regroup, she needed to have a sound argument with sound reasons, and she needed Scribbs by her side to distract Sullivan whenever their boss found fault with those very same reasons. “Um, I’ll just find Scribbs so that we can better coordinate things on this end,” she stuttered, her words seeming to be actual physical impairments – blocks that she’d littered across her path and struggled to keep from stumbling over. She very gingerly made her way to the door as a slight smile made its way onto Sullivan’s face. He’d have to remember that particular strategy the next time Ash and Scribbs tried to pull a fast one. *** “Anderson, have you seen Scribbs?” Ash visually scanned the small, windowless room and came up empty, just as she had when she’d returned to her desk from her failed mission to get her and her partner out into the field. Scribbs hadn’t been at her desk, either. Looking up from his computer monitor, a balding, bespectacled man glanced around the room as if he fully expected to spot Scribbs from his seated position. “Huh... she was here a few minutes ago,” he offered in explanation and immediately went back to typing on his keyboard. Ash waited only a few seconds before walking closer to his desk. “Did she happen to say where she was going?” Click...click...click...click...click... “Anderson!” Ash raised her voice and resisted reaching over and removing the man’s hands from the keyboard. “Huh?” he asked, splitting his attention between Ash and his computer screen. He was in the middle of important research that was certain to break the recent dog kidnapping ring wide open. In fact, he’d been so obsessed with finding the key link to the individual who’d been stealing pedigree canines in the area, he was totally oblivious to the serial killer who’d been operating in their midst for the past four weeks. “Scribbs... did Scribbs say where she was going?” Ash asked as calmly as she was able. She’d moved from merely wanting to slap Anderson’s hands from the keyboard to having the almost overwhelming urge to strangle the absentminded officer. He glanced around again and finally settled his gaze on an empty desk on the other side of the room. It seemed to jar his one-track brain into action. “Oh yeah, she left.” Ash clenched her fists and pushed her words through pearly white teeth. “I know she left, Anderson. Did she say where she was going?” “To meet you. Harrison said something about your mobile not working properly and that Scribbs was to meet you...” he paused in thought. “Um, he didn’t actually say where, he just handed her a piece of paper with the address, and then he started yammering about taking a trip across the pond. I tuned them out to concentrate on the mating habits of Pomeranians.” “Harrison? James Harrison?” Ash’s pulse quickened and she suddenly found breathing a chore. “Where is he now?” Her eyes lit on his empty desk and zeroed in on a single sheet of paper near one corner. It stuck out like a sore thumb on the overly tidy desk of the station’s most obsessive compulsive employee. Crossing the room in three strides, she snatched it from its edge and brought it closer. The handwriting, though not written in Calligraphy, flowed across the page in a neat cursive and appeared very familiar. Ash focused on the words that wavered from the shaking of hands that struggled to hold firmly on to the paper. The named location was well outside of the town on a road that was lined with woods on both sides. Fumbling for her mobile, she managed to hit the speed dial for Scribbs on her first try. It immediately went to voice mail. *** Along a winding country road, a beam from the headlights of an approaching car bent around a particularly sharp curve and reflected off the swaying branches of several trees that stood well away from the edge of the concrete. The car appeared to slow as though the driver were unsure of her destination or perhaps spooked by the eerie effect projected in front of her as trees seemed to come to life and stretch out spindly arms menacingly in an attempt to snatch her car from the road. “Where are you?” Scribbs whispered aloud, craning her neck over the steering wheel to aid in her search for the turnoff that would take her to where she was to meet her partner. The gray of dusk had settled into pitch black a half hour ago, and she was having a difficult time navigating her way. “I can’t believe you want me to meet you in a cemetery, Ash,” she added as a chill ran down her spine in memory of the last time the pair had traveled through a graveyard. Spotting a black cat atop one of the headstones certainly hadn’t helped her nerves that day. A break in the trees just up ahead became steadily clearer as she got closer and closer until the opening finally grew into a dirt-paved road, barely wide enough for two cars to pass. Scribbs took a deep breath and eased onto the narrow path just as a heavy band of clouds, hidden behind a cloak of darkness, shifted and allowed the full moon it had been holding captive to unleash its bright light on the world below. Scribbs wasn’t certain whether she liked being able to clearly see her current path any better than being blind to her surroundings, but she finally breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Wilkins’s car parked outside a set of tall metal gates which she hoped was the entrance to the cemetery Ash had alluded to in her message to Harrison. Angling her car beside her colleague’s, she glanced over and peered through the passenger-side window; however, despite her attempts to squint almost painfully to try to change the view of what she was seeing or rather what she wasn’t, the vehicle remained unoccupied. Reflexively, her hand moved into her pocket and pulled out her mobile, flicking it open with a single motion of her wrist. No signal... Low signal... No signal. “Bollocks,” Scribbs muttered as she watched the display vacillate between the two messages, the no signal script being the more dominate of the pair. She lifted her head and stared up at the metal gates in front of her, the twisted design near its top taking on a macabre look as her imagination began to run away with her. “Okay, don’t panic. Just get out of the car and go find them; they can’t be far,” Scribbs said as she waged an internal battle against hightailing it away from the cemetery. She gripped the door handle, slowly opened the door, and eased a foot onto a hard dirt-packed surface. Now, more than ever, she wished for a gun, even though she was fairly certain that she’d end up shooting herself in the foot. The moonlight seemed to soften its glow when Scribbs reached the entrance, making it difficult to clearly make out objects more than thirty feet away but, determined to find Ash, Wilkins, and Johnson, she pressed forward until she came to a dead end in front of a large statue of a guardian angel. Diligently scanning the area, she peered down paths to her left and to her right, each leading further into the graveyard. She looked back up at the angel. “A little help would be nice,” she said softly, but the angel only stared back with its stony eyes. Scribbs opened her mouth to say something sarcastic and witty but instead emitted a slight squeak when she heard something off in the distance. “Ash, is that you?” she asked in a hopeful tone, her eyes darting across the graveyard and over its sea of headstones. “This isn’t funny,” she added truthfully, not at all amused by her colleagues’ little game of ‘scare the shit out of Scribbs.’ Just as she felt a virtual tug against her left leg, she finally spotted the culprit of the noise that had caught her full attention. To her left and under the low branches of a small grove of trees stood a figure on horseback, the cloaked individual and his steed both in black and barely visible against their moonlit background. Scribbs concentrated on the rider’s hood, trying to discern if there was a head beneath the material, but her focus was drawn higher to where moonlight cast a bright, almost blinding light above where the rider sat tall in the saddle. She stared at the incandescent glow and soon was able to make out its source: silver metal, very sharp-looking metal, attached to a long wooden rod that looked every bit like the weapon that, in her mind, had chopped off Icabod’s head. Taking a stuttered step backward, Scribbs tripped but managed to catch herself on the edge of the statue. She stared up at the angel. “Help?” she softly pleaded as she righted herself and glanced back at the tree line. The rider gripped his staff and Scribbs frantically searched for a place to hide. A chirping sound from her pocket set her in motion and she left the path, heading for a small grouping of headstones. She dove behind the largest of the markers and reached inside her pocket for her mobile, almost shouting out the location of her hiding place to the rider when she spotted Ash’s name on her mobile’s display. “Ash! Ash!” she yelled in a whispered but frantic tone as she peered around a gray headstone, searching for the headless horseman. The area under the trees was vacant with no sign of horse or rider anywhere. Scribbs’s eyes widened and she jumped to her feet, keeping low and using the grave markers as her shield. She ducked behind thick black marble and looked back down at her phone’s display. No signal... “Shit!” Scribbs cursed as her pulse and heart rate neared all-time highs. She stuffed her phone back into her pocket and focused on the path that would lead her back to her car. Figuring it was her only chance of survival, she mentally calculated the distance and prepared to make a run for it. On the count of three, she leapt to her feet and sprinted as fast as her legs would take her. She’d just stepped onto the dirt path when she heard the sound of horse hooves behind her and quickly picking up speed. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted horse and rider bearing down on her and, right when she felt the hot breath of the horse against the nape of her neck, she closed her eyes and dove to her left. *** Ash wheeled her car next to Scribbs’s and tossed her dead mobile on the passenger seat. Jumping from the vehicle, she hurried through the gates of the cemetery and scanned the graveyard for any sign of her partner. If anything happened to Scribbs, she’d not be able to bear it. The thought had scarcely entered her mind when she spied Scribbs, still with her head attached and looking relatively unharmed, ducking behind a large black headstone. Ash released a breath in relief and started forward, stopping in her tracks when she caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye. She focused on a tall stone angel in the distance and then a black horse that sidestepped into the middle of the path. At that exact moment, Scribbs ran directly into the horse’s path and Ash watched in horror as her partner began to sprint toward her, the large black steed literally right on Scribbs’s heel. The rider confidently lifted his weapon high overhead and started a downward motion but wasn’t able to complete his follow-through before he fell from his horse. Ash raced toward her partner and slid to her knees next to Scribbs. “You okay, Scribbs?” she asked breathlessly, reaching out shaky hands to grasp her partner’s shoulders and gently attempt to pull Scribbs from her ‘balled-up’ position. She was met with rigid resistance. “Run, Ash! Save yourself,” Scribbs cried as she tried to keep her head hidden from the killer’s sharp blade. “It’s okay, Scribbs,” Ash assured, her voice full of emotion. “The headless horseman has been apprehended.” Slowly lifting into a sitting position, Scribbs rolled open an eye to see a hooded figure face down on the ground and another figure standing over him with a booted foot in his back and a hand holding the man’s weapon upright with its wooden end resting on the ground. She followed the dark shaft upward until she saw the glint of shiny metal. Swallowing hard, Scribbs moved her gaze to a second person, a shapely blonde, who had a gun trained on the man and looked to be enjoying the experience just a bit too much. Two horses stood nearby – one, a tall black creature that snorted loudly and the other, a stark white one that seemed content to nibble on the grass. Scribbs squinted and again stared at the figure that stood over the horseman, the person’s features slowly coming into focus. “Lillian?” “Yes, Lillian; I figured we needed help to be on equal footing with the killer,” Ash explained, her composure clearly shaken at nearly seeing her partner decapitated. Her scream had caught in her throat when she’d watched the horse chase Scribbs down. She hadn’t even been able to call out her partner’s name as the sharp-looking blade had descended toward Scribbs’s head. A strangled cry of relief had sprung from her lips as she’d watched the blade stop at the last moment when Lillian and her horse had crossed the other horse’s path. The stocky woman had swung a cricket bat across the rider’s midsection and knocked him from his saddle. “I rang her from my mobile when I left the station. Little Stempington is about the same distance to the cemetery as Middleford,” Ash continued as she stood and held out her hand to help Scribbs to her feet. Interlacing their fingers, she refused to let go as she led her partner toward the killer and the two women who kept guard. Scribbs didn’t seem to mind one bit. “Detectives,” Lillian greeted with a smirk. “Fancy meeting you here.” She winked at Ash and nodded casually at Scribbs as if she’d knocked hooded men, yielding archaic bladed weapons, off their horses every day. “Hope you don’t mind that I called for backup, too,” she said, gesturing toward the blonde at her side. “This is Hilary.” Hilary Davenport took one look at the two Middleford detectives, the way they stood so close to each other, and how their hands were so comfortably intertwined, and she instantly knew Lillian didn’t have a prayer of snaring the stern-looking brunette. Her friend stood a better chance of nailing Little Stempington’s police superintendent’s wife, Joyce Hazledine. Scribbs hadn’t noticed the blonde’s scrutiny as she was too focused on the hooded man who was pinned to the ground. Her curiosity winning out, she reluctantly released Ash’s hand and bent over to remove the killer’s hood. “Harrison?” she asked stunned. “What did I ever do to you?” “You turned me down twelve times for dinner!” he spat, glaring up at Scribbs with fire in his eyes. He grimaced when a booted heel dug into his spine. “Yeah, but Ash turned you down, too. How come you didn’t try to chop off her head?” “She turns everyone down! But you... you’ll go out with anyone!” “Except for you,” Ash returned quickly, staring down at the man with disdain in her eyes. “I’d say Scribbs’s tastes have drastically improved, especially if she refused the likes of you.” The faint sound of sirens silenced any retort Harrison might have as a procession of flashing blue lights made its way down the narrow dirt road. Hilary smiled and lowered her weapon, discretely sliding it behind her back as the cavalry drew nearer. *** “He was after Scribbs, Boss, not me. I don’t see why I have to be excluded from Harrison ’s interview,” Ash said as professionally as possible given the circumstances that had her actually asking permission to close her own case, hers and Scribbs’s. Standing in front of her superior for the second time in less than twenty-four hours to make yet another request to stay directly involved in her case, she ignored the intense feeling of déjà vu and also disregarded the fact that she had an overwhelming desire to strangle James Harrison. She’d allowed this case to crawl under skin like no other. Of course, none of her other cases had been centered on one man’s obsession with her partner and certainly none of them had Scribbs nearly losing her head. Literally, anyway. There was that time Scribbs had stood in the path of a vicious dog, actually coercing the animal to attack. The dangerous tactic by her partner had been one the few times Ash had acknowledged to herself that she had true feelings for Scribbs, feelings she’d force herself to hide and bury away from everyone, including Scribbs, until something else came along that would push them bubbling to the surface, only to last long enough for her to repeat the cycle once again. This time, however, that hadn’t happened. Instead, she’d let them grow stronger and stronger, her heart refusing to allow her to ignore them any longer. “I believe he was just as focused on you, Ash, but even if he weren’t, there’s still the matter of you enlisting the help of non-departmental personnel. Not only do I have to explain to the Chief Superintendent that the killer had been right under our noses all this time, but I also have to detail how Harrison was apprehended, not to mention how easily Harrison had tampered with Wilkins’s car so that he could use the vehicle to trick Scribbs. The Chief Superintendent’s not going to be happy with any part of this case,” Sullivan explained, dreading the meeting with his supervisor that had been scheduled for later in the day. He hadn’t been particularly happy with the way Wilkins had been duped or with the manner in which the arrest had been made, either. He was, however, extremely grateful to the two ladies of Little Stempington that Scribbs had remained unharmed. Ash stood silent; she had no answer for her superior. The rule-oriented, by the book detective wouldn’t hesitate to repeat her actions to ask for assistance should the situation call for it, especially when Scribbs’s life depended on it. She simply conceded to Sullivan instead without further discussion. “I’ll just leave you to it,” she said with a slight nod. “I’d appreciate being kept informed, Boss.” Not waiting for a reply, she started for the office door with a purposeful stride. It had been at least a half of an hour since she’d last rung Scribbs to check on her. “Ash,” Sullivan called out and waited for his DI to turn and acknowledge him. “Tell Scribbs to take it easy for a few days. You, too.” He smiled warmly before turning his attention back to the arrest report and his current dilemma. There had to be a way to explain away or, at the very least, sugarcoat Lillian Gordon-Moore and Hilary Davenport’s involvement in apprehending Harrison. Ash paused momentarily in thought before heading away again. A particularly vivid image of Scribbs, looking up at her just moments after Harrison had missed with his weapon, made its way into her mind. Perhaps she should check on Scribbs in person. *** With a hand poised to knock on Scribbs’s door, Ash pulled back seconds before her knuckles could make contact against the smooth surface. She’d sat in her car close to fifteen minutes before talking herself into getting out and, now that she’d finally made it to the front step of Scribbs’s house, she felt as if she were housing a thousand butterflies in her stomach and they’d all suddenly decided to take flight at the same time. What was wrong with her? It was just Scribbs. There was no reason for her to feel nervous and unsettled. “This is silly,” Ash whispered under her breath as she forced her hand from its frozen, mid-air position to rap sharply on her partner’s door. The loud knocking startled her and caused her to glance around uneasily even though she was entirely responsible for the sound. Smoothing her hands down the sides of her trousers to calm her nerves, she quickly slipped them into her pockets in a poorly veiled attempt to appear nonchalant when the door swung open. “Ash? What are you doing here?” Scribbs asked tiredly, her voice rough from lack of sleep. After spending hours recounting her version of the evening’s events and the subsequent attempt on her life, Sullivan had ordered her home with implicit instructions to stay away until the loose ends of the case had been tied up. Her efforts to sleep had failed miserably as every time she’d close her eyes she’d see the razor sharp blade of Harrison ’s weapon coming down upon her and neatly removing her head from her shoulders. She’d pop open her eyes and lightly cup her hand around her neck, rubbing the pads of her fingers along its base to ensure that it truly was attached. “I just thought I’d...” Ash started but stopped abruptly when she noticed a discoloration beneath Scribbs’s left eye. Unconsciously easing a hand from her pocket, she stepped closer and gently ran her thumb over the purplish colored skin. “What happened?” It took Scribbs a full beat to realize what Ash was referring to, the light caress distracting her from her partner’s question. She looked into green eyes filled with concern and almost forgot her own name. “Uh, oh yeah. Um, I must have hit it on something when I dove out of the way. It’s gotten worse in the last couple of hours. Guess I’m lucky to come away with just a black eye, huh?” Scribbs joked, hoping the humor would restore a darker contrast to the paper thin line between them. It had slowly been lightened, bit by bit, since the first murder had been discovered and was on the verge of being erased completely. Not that she minded, but Scribbs was certain Ash wanted nothing more than to redraw the line with a permanent Sharpie and keep the barrier firmly in place. “Have you tried ice?” Ash asked, stepping closer to get a better look at her partner’s injury. Her arm brushed against Scribbs’s thin shirt and a light shiver coursed through both women at the unexpected touch. Each tried to ignore the spontaneous reaction and rationalize that it was solely due to the thought of icing down bruised and tender skin on a cold and windy morning. “Hey, what happened at Harrison’s interview?” Scribbs questioned suddenly, needing a change of subject before she did something stupid and irreversible. She didn’t think Ash would fall for the ‘my lips were dry and I needed to borrow some of your lip gloss’ excuse, but if Ash persisted in touching her, they’d soon be sharing much more than just flavorful lip gloss. Ash’s expression instantly turned to one of disappointment and she eased her hand away from Scribbs’s face and back into her pocket. Scribbs’s distraction ploy had worked. “Sullivan is conducting the interview. He believes I’m too personally involved in the case because of you,” she explained, pausing briefly in memory of her meeting with Sullivan and one specific reason he’d mentioned in passing at the onset. “Because we’re partners, Scribbs. Um, that is partners... not because we’re... um, you know, partners.” Her hand flitted back and forth between them to add clarification to her meaning. Scribbs bit back a grin. Even under what should have been considered a serious circumstance, especially given that she could have easily been Harrison’s final victim, Scribbs found Ash’s reply utterly cute and beyond charming. She loved seeing this side of Ash. “I wonder why Harrison didn’t just come after me from the start. Why did he develop such an elaborate scheme?” The investigator in Scribbs wouldn’t be satisfied until she knew all the reasons behind their psycho colleague’s murders. “I have a theory,” Ash said just as a strong gust of wind blew across the front step. She scrunched her neck inside her coat and burrowed her hands deeper into her pockets. Scribbs reached out and crooked an arm around Ash’s elbow. “Why don’t I make us a cup of coffee and you can tell me about it?” Ash just nodded her assent and allowed Scribbs to pull her through the front door and into the house. *** “So?” Scribbs asked as she took her first sip of coffee. She’d been avoiding the high-in-caffeine drink since she’d arrived home after her harrowing evening and extremely long night of filling out reports and answering Sullivan’s questions. As it turned out, it wouldn’t have mattered if she’d drunk an entire pot of coffee. She’d stayed awake just the same. Ash leaned forward and set her mug on the coffee table. She’d had way too much coffee during the night. “I spoke briefly to Harrison when we first returned to the station.” Scribbs sat up straighter and angled toward her partner, her knee pressed against the side of Ash’s leg on the small sofa. “What did he say?” Already situated against the sofa’s edge, Ash had nowhere else to go. She tried to ignore the warmth that spread from Scribbs’s touch. “He wanted to embarrass us professionally before he made it personal.” “By killing innocent people? Couldn’t he have just stuck to burglary? I’m sure there are plenty of mystery novel scenarios that he could have recreated if he still wanted to go that route.” “He’s a sadist, Scribbs. He got a thrill out of watching us try to solve each case before the next victim was murdered. He knew we’d both become as obsessed with solving the crimes as he was to get back at you and me. It was all a game to him.” “One that would end, I suppose, with my death,” Scribbs surmised, returning to her latest habit of running her thumb and forefinger across the base of her neck. “Was he planning to just stop the killings and then continue in his job?” “He didn’t say; however, I found a boarding pass for a flight to the States scheduled for later today. He must’ve printed it minutes before he left to cut off your head.” Scribbs’s hand stilled as her jaw went slack and her eyes got huge. “He lops off my head and then goes on holiday?” “Yes, I believe that was what he’d planned. After a couple of weeks, he’d have come back to resume his job, knowing he’d gotten away with murdering you and the others.” Scribbs nodded in agreement of her partner’s assessment. “And you, Sullivan, and the rest would continue working with the very person you’d been looking for and be none the wiser.” “Yes, but I wouldn’t be working with him,” Ash said softly, her focus turning to her untouched coffee. She wondered if it was as cold as Harrison seemed to be. “I’d have quit, Scribbs. I’d be lost without you.” Easing a hand to Ash’s knee, Scribbs squeezed gently. “You’d get another partner, Ash. Probably someone a lot less irritating, too,” she teased to lighten the mood, but when green eyes fastened on to hers, she realized she shouldn’t have bothered trying. A bright smile lit Scribbs’s face. She’d glimpsed a decided change in their relationship, but she didn’t think she’d ever hear those words coming from Ash’s lips, even if the other woman was only admitting to their working partnership. “I want you, too, Ash, but first, let’s nail Harrison’s arse to the wall.” Ash chuckled lightly and stretched an arm across the back of the sofa. Scribbs took the less than subtle move as an invitation to settle her head on her partner’s shoulder. “Scribbs,” Ash said softly as she eased her hand to the top of her partner’s shirt and gently traced her fingers back and forth along the tips of Scribbs’s collarbone. “Just so you know, I was referring to more than just work colleagues.” Angling closer, Scribbs looped a hand around Ash’s waist and burrowed into her partner’s side. The two women sat, nestled together, in comfortable silence. Like Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Philip Trent and Lord Peter Wimsey, Ash and Scribbs had solved their case, but there was one very important difference in the telling of their story.

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I probably should not write when I’m upset. But I’m going to do it anyway. I warn that you won’t find this pleasant on this Universal Children’s Day. But I assure you, the World’s children find it even more unpleasant than you ever will. I’ve done my best on Twitter and Facebook to bring attention to these things for the past two days, but they’ve gone completely, utterly ignored. It’s all fallen on deaf ears and into blind eyes. I’m stunned. We all claim to care so much about the World’s children, but when they’re sitting there staring us in the face, charred to death in the latest airstrikes wherever, we really don’t. We care so much about the celebrity who cared for these children, but we don’t care for them – the children themselves. In the end, what seems to matter to us is our own fantasies of having been somehow important to, or somehow being associated with said celebrity, even if only in spirit since he’s gone. It’s really just all about us, isn’t it? It certainly looks that way, from the lack of attention and response these things have gotten when I shared them. But the kids MJ lived for and the world they live in? The innocents who ask: “why are we included in these adult fights? Why can’t we have a normal childhood without all this fighting and violence? What did we do to deserve this?” The ones who are charred to death by the airstrikes? The ones who are trafficked and sexually abused? What about them? Not a word. Not one comment. I’ve posted photos. Videos. Michael’s own handwritten words. News clippings. But not one response. Nothing. Not even on Universal Children’s Day. Their innocent voices remain ignored, it seems. I wonder what MJ would say about all this? Would he be impressed with us? He’d be heartbroken about these kids, for sure. Do his fans pretend to care because he’d want them to care – or because they really care? It appears to be more the former than the latter for far too many of them. Not all of course, but far too many. This is just something to think about as you gaze down this page at what I’m about to share with you. First of all, Palestine (and by association what is currently going on in Gaza at the hands of Hamas and Israel). Below are some lyrics to a song that Michael wrote but was apparently never released or published: “Palestine” – written by Michael Jackson “Bomb shells are flying, bodies multiplying, see the children crying, what are they fighting for” is part of what Michael had written above. A child in Gaza, the region that has been blown once again to smithereens in the past few days, asks a similar question in the following video – it’s at the very end and the video is unceremoniously cut off, as if the creator and/or the news media felt what this child had to say was unimportant. But the child’s question deserves an answer. Can you answer the child’s question in the end of the video? The child below was charred – possibly to death – by an airstrike in Gaza on Monday November 19th, 2012. Child charred in Gaza airstrikes, November 2012 Is this “too difficult” for you to look at or respond to? Imagine how it felt for the child. Imagine how it feels for all of them. Whoever you might feel to be at fault in this latest conflict, this child knows nothing of adult conflicts, nor should (s)he have to. The height of immorality is that (s)he and so many others have been made to suffer (or die) for things they know nothing of and are not involved in. And just a few moments ago, this story appeared on my twitter timeline: Study describes range of sexual crimes perpetrated mainly against girls by male teenage gang members and older men Thousands of children are raped and abused each year, with many more cases going unreported by victims and unrecorded by the authorities, according to an official study presented as the most comprehensive inquiry to date of the scale and prevalence of child sexual exploitation in England. The disturbing and at times horrific study, which describes a range of traumatic and violent sexual crimes perpetrated mainly against girls, by male teenage gang members and groups of older men, was described as a “wake-up call” for safeguarding professionals by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England (OCCE). It draws an alarming picture of serious sexual crimes against children: girls groomed, then drugged and raped at seedy “parties” in private homes and warehouses organised by groups of men, for profit or pleasure; assaults in public parks, schools and alleyways by gang members influenced by violent pornography, and intent on threatening, punishing or controlling young women by means of forced oral sex, and anal and vaginal rape.” . . . “We need to ask why so many males, both young and old, think it is acceptable to treat both girls and boys as objects to be used and abused. We need to know why so many adults in positions of responsibility persist in not believing these children when they try to tell someone what they have endured.” Oh I know these images and stories are very upsetting and may even be an emotional trigger for some readers. But just imagine what it’s like for these kids to have to live (or die) like this, all around the world. Should we just ignore all this because it’s “too hard” for us to look at or acknowledge or because we just don’t know what to say? If we do that, then we can be assured that this suffering will only continue. The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging that one exists. And plenty of them exist where the children in this World are concerned. These awful stories and images are only a few of them. I know too that most people feel there’s nothing they can do about these issues. One thing we can all do is: C A R E Care enough to look at these horrific images, and listen to the kids asking “why” and to read the stories of the hideous abuse they suffer. Even if it is hard for you to look at or listen to or read. Forget yourself for just a moment or whose side you’re on. What about THEM? How is any of this ever going to be stopped if nobody CARES enough to even notice? On this Universal Children’s Day, you can at least do that, can’t you? Hello? Anybody out there? “while everyone is freaking out over twinkies, can we please take a moment to #pray for all the lives taken in the middle east ?” –Paris Jackson While you live in your safe, warm home anticipating whatever holidays that may be upcoming in your part of the world, having plenty of food to eat, having clean water, and being able to educate and hug your children and keep them safe from the worst harm or neglect, can you at least take a moment to care about these other kids in the world that we alleged adults force them to live in? If it matters to you, I’ll tell you that it might make Michael happy. But we should all care regardless what he’d feel about it. Because somebody still needs to. You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to do anything right now. But you can at least care enough to look, to see it. Even if it upsets you. Related 22 Responses to “Oh, Palestine on Universal Children’s Day” Thank you for this, Seven. It is hard to look at that poor charred body, but it needs to be on every front page b/c this is what is happening right now. 27 children have already died from the bombing of Gaza. Thank you for posting that song/poem that Michael wrote. (Can you read the first line, I can’t figure it out: “See the ‘plines’ (?) of the days of old.” )I have been watching the sorrow and suffering of Plaestine all my adult life, and I don’t know when it will end and it is very hard to endure. I want it to stop yet I feel powerless. It seems the Israelis do not try using carrots, only sticks and very harsh measures to get what they want. It is always said that positive reinforcement is more effective than punishment, that you get more flies with sugar, and so on. I wish they would try some incentives, rather than bombs, bullets, drones. Maybe we could all write to the White House about our feelings, our grief for these poor innocents. What I find so hard to understand is the logic behind such cruelty–Hamas attacks Israeli civilians, so Israel attacks Gazan civilians. They are both doing the same thing to each other, only the Israeli side has one of the top militaries in the world, thanks to USA, so they can kill more Palestinians. Self-defense must have boundaries–it cannot be unlimited permission to destroy. Thank you, Michael, for your beautiful poem and your caring for the world and the children. You are right, Seven! Shame on us! This is what Paris Jackson twittered today: “While everyone is freaking out over twinkies , can we please take a moment to #pray for all the lives taken in the middle east ?” At least Michael is still there through his kids and cares. We watch horrified as atrocities are being committed in Gaza and various other places around the world right now. Do we just sit and wait and hope that someone somewhere will come to their senses and do something to stop the insanity? Children are being murdered, maimed and burned right before our eyes. How long should we wait and not say anything while this continues on? What are we thinking? We may be thinking that the suffering of those children is the suffering of “others” – as long as it’s not us or our children who are suffering we can feel sad for them for a while and then continue on with our own “normal” lives, considering ourselves to be fortunate to not be involved in that unholy mess over there in that “other” place. We may be thinking we are powerless to do anything. If we say anything, who will listen? And what will the consequences be if we do speak out? Maybe we’re just afraid. It doesn’t help that insidious, agenda-driven propaganda has a lot to do with the way we think and react or don’t react. The innocent and vulnerable children and men and women who are suffering the atrocities in Gaza are not “others.” They are our children and they are our brothers and sisters on this Planet Earth and they are suffering unspeakable, barbaric acts of hatred and violence and it just gets worse. How can we not speak out? So I am with you Seven. That makes four of us. No, six of us – Michael Jackson cared. He always spoke out for children everywhere and because he was who he was, many people listened. His was a powerful voice… And there’s Paris, Michael’s daughter. Really, there are many people who care. The more people that do speak out, the more people will become aware of the atrocities being committed. Awareness is the first step. If we all raised our voices as one, “they” would have to listen and by “they” I mean the people to whom we give the power to govern us, whether they’re elected or self-appointed. That’s what it will take. They need to hear us, many of us. I got cold shivers and felt close to tears, reading Michael’s song/poem. I notice very acutely what is happening in the world and often wonder if Michael’s messages about peace and equality have had anything to do with events like the Arab Spring where I saw rebels in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya making the Peace sign and moonwalking! God. I hope so. Now we have Syria. Regarding Palestine, I wrote an email to a private government office in London and hope someone had time to read it. I went to a talk a few weeks ago by a Christian group member who had visited the Holy Land and learned much I didn’t know about the history of the country. She said the people they stayed with in the West Bank were warm and hospitable. This is what I put in the email, that it all started 70,000 years ago when the Jews revolted and were thrown out by the Roman army and scattered all over the world. It wasn’t until 1,900 years later that the United Nations, backed by America and Britain, declared the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 and they began moving back into Palestine, with a complete lack of foresight. But that meant millions of Palestinians’ villages and houses were razed to the ground, and they began living in refugee camps, behind the security wall in the West Bank, in high rise concrete blocks, and in the Gaza Strip like second class citizens. It is so unfair and unjust. I asked why couldn’t new boundaries be created like in Europe so each nation had its own country and land; but, of course, that would be too naive and simplistic. After the Zionist movement was formed in Eastern Europe in the 19th century, pressing for a new homeland for the Jewish people, the Jewish people were asked if Israel could be formed in a huge empty area in Africa, but, of course, they refused. So now there are two nations trying to live in one country, and Palestine is now without a country. It’s all totally crazy. I hope this doesn’t sound too much like a history lesson. I have signed a petition on line as well. At least tonight a ceasefire has been declared. I wonder if anyone read my email? I care very much and get very angry when I hear news readers and government people call Palestinians militants/terrorists and say Palestine started it or admitted to the bus bombing, when it was not true, or have killed more civilians that the Israelis have, when it was the other way round. Sorry. Thank you and bless you for posting that. Seven, what can I say ! I am terrified over this, watched it of course. I must say, since “that” June 25 my life changed, and I don’t watch TV anymore, nor read newspapers. I know from the radio two or three headlines every morning, not in detail, and I am aware of what is happening in the middle east. I wish I could do something, we could do something. I think, as long as we “tax payers”, in all the countries all over the world, allow military existence, allow weapons to be made and distributed, we will have these problems. Because, there lies the problem. There lies the origin of the Vietnam war, the Iraqi war, all wars and killings, happening everywhere. See, those big corporations who profit directly and indirectly (like companies specialized in re-building war torn areas- governments and politicians that get financial support) do not want a happy planet. They could, if they would like to, change their production plants into constructive, life supporting factories. But they won’t, because they are probably too greedy and shutting their eyes for what is really happening. And they keep on producing arms, which, at one point, have to be used, because they become “aged”, not according to the highest technological standards. Then there are two possibilities : they sell them to “third countries” or terrorist groups, or they try to convince their governments to start a war or conflict anywhere so the arms can be used. This enables these governments again to convince the people to keep up the military apparatus, thus asking the tax payers again to sustain the so called “defence” system” of their country. That is the circle. I have been thinking of not paying the % of my taxes that goes to the “defence” department. But alone, you can really do nothing. A Bailiff will force his way into my house, take whatever he needs to cover this lack of tax money, and nothing will change. If we were thousands doing this that would be different. But I think that we have to start to get arms out of our world, asap. Imagine, if all these means that now are used for destroying people, would be used to help people, all over the world. I think nobody would need to use violence to live a happy life. Now, the out of balance of the means, the resources and possessions, also causes a lot of resentment. Anybody has any idea how we can do something about it ? And thank you Seven for your efforts. Thank you Seven for bringing the childrens´suffering into focus. Ofcourse for some days the TV screens were full of pictures of the fighting, but did not focus on the children. It seems that there is no end to wars in the world. Thank you for your passionate plea and call. Personally, I do know many of us do work for the cause in our professional and personal lives every single day – be that on a macro scale or in individual work to help and reduce the suffering and promote healing of children. So, while part of the silence may be due to discomfort, I know for a fact that many in this community are more quiet as they busily work daily on these very issues. To those quiet ones- my thank you! Seven , Thank you for reminding us what is going on as we speak. This is happening in 2012 on a daily basis ! We get numb or shut ourselves off the news because its too painful to watch children suffer and feel powerless. But that will not make it go away. Imo its the guilty conscience of the world leaders since world war 2 when they stood by and watched the shoah take place. Then to get rid of the problem they just transfered it to the middle east. Its always the children who pay the price. you may or may not publish my answer. It changes nothing for me, nothing for dying children. But your article does. I was waiting ever so long to see you here again, worried if you will ever come back. And then I saw this. And then I understood that Michael was our teacher, but we are on our own now, and we have to ACT. I can not believe none of his fans replied on Facebook. I don’t have FB account, I only follow you here, cry with you, smile with you. This time, yes, it rang a bell. To acnkowledge that I am not able to help, but not turn my head to the other side. Let it sink in, let the prayer appear, energy of our souls, maybe even that alone can save one child’s life. And then, from prayer, to charity, to being able to do something…it all starts, as you say, with not closing one’s eyes. It is a sad reality unfortunatly. Many many children the world over are victims of violence at the hands of adults!!!This can be in war torn countries or even in their own homes. There are people who care, & dont close their eyes to it!!!! I don’t have a FB account, but I am grateful that you posted this narrative and the images here. They are profoundly heart-rending. Gratitude to you for bearing witness. Let our prayers and actions now be focused on the alleviation of suffering for the innocent children tangled in the conspiracies and ruses of war. Was this not the deepest wish of Michael’s soul when on this earth? Thank you for all you do to open our eyes and hearts. Don’t ever leave us. I really do care. And know others do also. Please have faith: Michael’s followers really do care. I don’t have time right now to send a longer comment, but will this weekend–in fact send the comment I composed on this site last week. However, when I’d finished and hit “send” it failed to post because I’d become disconnected from the internet (almost cryed). And I’m so, so glad you’re back. You’re a vital part of Michael’s legacy and I so value your contributions. I hope you realise how much you and your invaluabe efforts were missed. War and weaponry are now an “industry”. There is obscene amounts of money to be made. When that happens, integrity and morals go out the window. Of course, as usual, the little ones are always the first victims. They have no voice,do they and they have no power. We know that Michael tried so hard to give a voice to children and he was silenced first by false accusations and secondly, by physically leaving us. What do we do? It is damn infuriating to see adults killing one another and children becoming collateral damage in their disputes. As Aldebaran said, these reports need a lot more media attention, but I think many have become desensitized to others’ suffering. You never hear about Haiti anymore or for that matter how the people of New York and New Jersy are doing. The coverage stops suddenly once the “rush” of the event has lapsed. But we do care, Seven, very deeply. We are just at a loss to know what to do. (So glad to see you are back posting again). I want to add something here from Wikileaks. It is posted (for some unknown reason under the death hoaxes,though it bears no realation to these beliefs)By Sarahli,(“soldier”) about a secret vic.clip from Irak,;It was horrible to see. Then she gives the lyrics to a MJ song I have never heard or known about.It is too long to give the full lyrics and I don´t know the name of this song. It starts;Love was taken from a young life- and no one told her why-Her direction ..a dim light from one more violent crime…..How is it that you chose who are to live or die…I was able after some difficulty to get it up on youtube, but it was pretty impossible to listen to or make out the lyrics from there. You can find it on wikileaks under the death hoaxes, the one on Apr .6:th 2010. Be careful to look for this date, otherwise it is impossible to find it. In US there was a time ,mostly in the 80:ies, but it never stopped, when people were hysterical over satanic sexual abuse. Something the infamous Dr. Stanley Katz also got involved with in connection with the McMartin Preschool scandal.He later “interpreted” the Jordan- Dr. Gardener interview.There are satanic abuses committed all the time,mostly by men in 3-piece suits, that is financial crimes against large portions of the population in many countries.No conscience here,it is even considered good for us.One such crime was attempted against Michael too, see the contract against Michael.However most victims are the poor and especially children.Where ever there is widespread poverty children are being sold into sexual slavery allover the world. It is just more convinient and oh so exiting to blame Michael Jackson for allsorts of things Thank you Seven for your wonderful article and for speaking the truth. It is important that people understand the reality of the suffering innocent children are having to endure in so many different situations around the world, particularly when many of the stories are either manipulated or hidden by the mainstream media. I have been following the Palestinian situation for several years and it is heartbreaking to see what their people go through on a daily basis – being chased from their homes which get destroyed leaving them as refugees, enduring a harrowing siege in Gaza and of course unprovoked killings. I cried so many times when I have seen the bodies of Gazan children – particularly during Operation Cast Lead in ’08/09 and the most recent airstrikes on Gaza. Of course we never see these disturbing images on the mainstream media who would rather make us believe that the Palestinians are responsible for all of the violence in the region which it is quite the opposite. I have joined many protest marches and signed petitions but I still feel like we are powerless to make a change. And of course MIchael Jackson undoubtedly would have cared. In addition to the unreleased song “Palestine”, we heard him plead during the Earth Song “What about the holy land? Torn apart by creed”. I hope one day we will see a peaceful end to this conflict and that the Palestinians can finally return to their land knowing that they can enjoy basic human rights that we all take for granted. But I fear this conflict could get uglier in the years to come, especially if we don’t stand up against the governments who are complicit in the crimes against these innocent people. Keep speaking out, someone is listening even if it is not everyone. Voices like yours are very important and need to be heard. Oh, dear Seven! Yes, the way we treat children is horrific. The picture of that innocent, helpless child horribly burned in a bombing incident takes me back to so many instances of violence which sadly affected the innocent children. The Vietnamese girl screaming, naked, running through the streets after a napalm explosion. The searingly heart-breaking photo of little Bailey, whose lifeless body is cradled lovingly by a firefighter after the Oklahoma bombing incident and now the mind-shattering stories of carnage of first-grade babies in Newtown, Connecticut. Whether it is cultures, classes, or races waring, it is always the innocent who pay the biggest price. As I watched the reports come flooding out of Connecticut, one person spoke the most compelling words I’ve heard. When asked what can be done to prevent more of this violence, he said we must double-down on love. When will we take that advice, Seven? Thank you for focusing on what we all should be focusing on. May you find inspiration, hope and some semblance of peace for the coming year. The poor innocent victims, our children. They are ALL our children, no matter what color they are, what flag they live under, what religion their culture follows… Michael would know that they are all our children. If your own flesh and blood child is an innocent victim of some violence, you never recover from it. If we also feel pain for all our children, we must act, at least in some small way, give our drop of water that can join other drops and become a waterfall. I miss Michael’s leadership. Seven, it’s been almost a year since you have posted. I am wondering where you are. Today Michael would be 55 years old. I’m still grieving, still wishing he’d just come back. His kids need him… all kids need him, the world needs him. First I’d like to thank you for posting this for the awareness. It is devastating & difficult for people to look at. On the other hand, there are thousands of Michael fans & groups that work endlessly supporting & helping millions of these children everyday & all over the world. Spreading Michael’s message throughout this world. There are millions of hard working volunteers that CARE. All of Michael’s fans do JUST THAT. CARE !! Not turning a blind eye. Yes, we GLORIFY. Michael. But, at the same time, carrying on his legacy by helping all his children. I do agree there are people who do turn a blind eye. But NOT True Michael fans. True Michael fans CARE & don’t turn a blind eye. Spreading his message is creating AWARENESS for these children. Thank you for this oppotunity to post my true opinion. I can honestly say I CARE. MORE PEOPLE NEED TO ” Make That Change “. & it starts with us. God Bless The world & All these children & innocent people affected by all the Hate.

The Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio has a keyboard layout, which is thinner than its previous version for the iPad 4 and its minimal construction goes well with the Air tablet. According to Cnet, despite being thinner and minimal, the cost of the keyboard at 149.99 dollars is likely to put of customers for being expensive. The case appears to be covered in a rubbery, silicone-like material, which feels soft on the outside but on the inside the rubberized fabric has a little more friction. The keys are flat, responsive but oddly spaced and like previous FabricSkin, the A key shares its space with Caps Lock, the Tab and Q keys are combined, and colon/semicolon and other punctuation keys are compressed. However, there are some premium features like the cover automatically pairs with the iPad after snapping into position against a magnet above the keyboard and thus, saves battery life and when the cover is folded into tablet-viewing mode, the keyboard is deactivated. The report said that the FabricSkin, weighing 0.94 pound, almost equal to the iPad Air itself, can be recharged via Micro-USB and a full charge would last at least three months.

A great mold to have that has endless possibilities is our crate / basket mold. Your finished item will weigh 3 oz with the inside measuring approx 3 1/4" and 1 1/4" deep. The outside of the item will be 4" long x 2" wide x 1 3/4" tall. For the picture we filled the finished item with large wax raspberries. This would also be pretty filled with flower guest soaps or other small items including wax items.

The Psychotherapist and Asking the Right Question Years ago I was working in a large inpatient setting which at times had some very psychotic patients. I was new to the job and “shadowing” someone while taking in this unfamiliar psychiatric setting. While in this role, I observed an interaction between a very disturbed patient (who had a history of violent behavior) and several clinical staff members who were doing their best to coax this patient out of the shower where he was in essence, holding the shower hostage. He took his stand in a narrow entry way leading into a single shower stall that was shared by many other patients one at a time. Because of his positioning, he was throwing the entire day’s routine off schedule, and in a setting such as this one, the situation had the potential of upsetting other patients and staff. I’ve never forgotten the lesson that I learned about the power in the right question while I was observing this interaction. The scene unfolded like below. The large, muscular, psychotic man was standing in the narrow passageway, and wouldn’t budge. Staff members, including a senior clinician, were doing all that they could to attempt to get this man to exit the shower area. The senior staff member asked Mr. X if he would come out so that other patients could use the shower. “Mr. X,” he said over and over, “would you please come out of the shower?” After maybe an hour of this line of questioning and efforts to coax the patient to come out, things were beginning to get more serious. There was now discussion of getting a team together to forcefully get this patient out of the shower area. Of course in a psychiatric setting like this, when things get to this point, it gets more worrisome because people (patients and/or staff) can potentially get hurt. Just minutes before the team was going to begin the forceful extraction, another clinical staff member entered the area. And that was all that it took. A new perspective entered the scene. After quickly assessing the situation, this woman expertly asked the patient one simple question that had yet to make the rounds of questioning. She said, “Mr. X, is there a staff member here that you would care to speak with?” Upon hearing this question, the wild eyes and posture of Mr. X seemed to soften. He looked toward this young woman and said, “Yes, I want to talk to Ms. Y.” As if on a dime, both the tone and intense feelings related to the entire scene changed. Soon the team that had been preparing for the extraction disassembled. Other staff went to get Ms. Y, who the patient had requested to speak with. I left the scene shortly after this, but heard later that the patient came out of the shower area as soon as Ms. Y arrived, and he did not need any further more intrusive interventions such as physical restraints or involuntary medication. As psychotherapists, we sometimes forget about the psychotherapeutic power that lays hidden in the right question. I also believe that the overall model embraced by a large portion of the mental health system throughout much of North America, also forgets about the power inherent in both the right questions and the more general mode of “talk” therapy. The “right” questions from the psychotherapist can save a patient from more intrusive interventions that can become harmful, such as in the above example, in both inpatient settings, and in the outpatient consulting room. In today’s climate of managed health care, quick fixes, and a greater reluctance of insurance companies to adequately cover outpatient psychotherapy, psychotherapists and the current mental health system in general, sometimes forget the life-saving power in the right psychotherapeutic questions. As psychotherapists, we invest great time and energy in schooling and study that prepares us for the privilege of being able to call ourselves a psychotherapist (fill in your credential here—LCSW, MFT, Psychoanalyst, Psychologist, Psychiatrist). The different training modalities of preparing the psychotherapist all have their rightful place in a world where so many individuals are suffering with emotional and thought disturbances and/or a life without meaning. But all of us who call ourselves “psychotherapist” share some very important qualities. We are all granted license to use the right questions that can make or break a unique situation and also make a significant difference in a client or patient’s life. Sometimes, the right question will remain with a client for many years, perhaps even a lifetime. At other times, the right question will help to initiate a client on a path of less suffering or more meaning. As psychotherapists, it is essential that we not forget the psychotherapeutic power in the right question no matter the climate that we are practicing in now. Sometimes the right question can even save a life. 6 Responses to The Psychotherapist and Asking the Right Question Thank you again Jeff for another fascinating post. I can imagine how that man felt — he needed something, but didn’t know how to express it — maybe he didn’t even know what it was until the wise Ms. Y came in and demonstrated the power of seeing past the dramatics of the situation and into his humanity. Beautiful. Thanks for commenting on my latest blog post. You put it right about Ms. Y seeing past the drama. The more I thought about this scenario as I was writing about this topic, the more I realized how indeed just one simple question can have such a powerful impact. I really appreciate your comments and support Sarah. Thank you! In my training, which I’m currently participating in, to become a psychotherapist I have the opportunity this semester to learn in a practicum experience for the first time. I saw my first client just last week. Prior to my experience I asked my sister, who is a medical social worker, what advice she had and it mirrors yours, “It isn’t always about asking questions, it is asking the right question?” As your post demonstrates the right question isn’t always apparent – exploration and time assist in rooting it out. Thank you for your post – it was particularly meaningful for me, as today I will see a new client for the first time later today. It is a reminder that patience and compassion can lead to the right question. I’m glad that you stopped by my site, and I’m also glad that the reading material on this post fit with your work this week. Seeing new clients as you begin practicum work is an exciting time. I certainly remember it as that way. Yes, like your sister said, I believe that the “right” questions really can make a difference. Much of the time, I feel that our intuition, coupled with clinical acumen, can help us with this. Good luck Nancy as you move foward with your training, and thanks for the comment! Yes, asking the right questions is vital. Often we fail to ask questions as we look for ways to insert our wisdom in the form of answers to questions not asked. We are an answer focused culture and are troubled by questions, especially those questions for which we don’t have answers. I agree completely with what you said about our culture being an answer focused culture. As psychotherapists, having answers to questions not asked are not even close to as helpful as having the right question at the right time. Thanks so much for your input. By the way, I enjoyed your latest post on celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving in America. Though I live in America, I have friends and family in Canada and have always had very close ties there, so I sometimes get to celebrate Thanksgiving twice! Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Comment Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail Welcome Jungian psychology originated with the work of psychiatrist Carl Jung. Jung was fascinated with unconscious dynamics, and in particular with the nature and function of dreams. He helped his clients find their own unique life-path through taking direction from their inner selves.