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Global Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Market: Overview
A small tube placed into peripheral vein in order to administer medication directly into the circulation is known as a peripheral intravenous (IV) catheter. In addition to medication administration, peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters are used to withdraw blood from veins for testing. Advanced peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters are equipped with additional safety features to avoid needlestick injuries. Due to their direct contact with the circulatory system, peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters are prepared with non irritant material such as silicone, which do not have side effects even when peripheral intravenous catheters are left in contact with the circulatory system for several months or weeks.
Global Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Market: Drivers and Restraints
Peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters are commonly used for vascular access. Medicine administered through a peripheral intravenous (IV) catheter enters directly into the blood flow and thus shows rapid action. With the advantage of rapid action, peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters are commonly used in emergency patients, surgical patients and patients suffering from vomiting, pediatric patients, unconscious patients and the elderly population, who face difficulty in swallowing medicines. Factors such as aging of population and advancement in surgical and treatment technologies resulting in increased surgical procedures are driving the global peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters market towards growth. On the other hand, factors such as high cost of closed catheters, painful insertion and need of trained medical professional to use peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters are restraining the growth of the global peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters market. Based on the type of catheters commercially available, the global peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters market is segmented as follows:
Use of integrated/closed intravenous (IV) catheters is rapidly increasing over conventional intravenous (IV) catheters due to capacity of integrated catheters to apply power while injecting medicine in the circulation. Integrated intravenous (IV) catheters are used for injecting contrast media into the circulation system prior to computed tomography (CT) imaging. On the other hand, high cost of the integrated peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters is restraining the growth of integrated peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters market in economically backward markets.
Global Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Market: Regional Dynamics
Geographically, the global peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the world (ROW). Currently, North America is leading the global peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters market and is followed by Europe. Factors such as existence of a large pool of geriatric population, highly developed healthcare infrastructure, high healthcare spending and advancement in technology resulting in higher rates of surgical procedures in this region are boosting the growth of the peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters market in these regions. Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing market for peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters due to increasing disposable income, rapidly improving healthcare infrastructure and rapidly growing medical tourism industry in this region. In addition, countries such as China and India have the largest population pool in the world and thus the large geriatric population of both the countries will lead to an increasing patient population in the near future. Some of the players contributing to the peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters market include Terumo Corporation, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Smiths Medical, Becton, Dickenson and Co., Teleflex Inc., C.R. Bard Inc., Tangent Medical Technologies, Vygon SA, Argon Medical Devices Inc., Vascular Pathways Inc., Medical Components Inc. and VIGMED AB.
The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.
The study is a source of reliable data on:
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The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industry’s value chain.
A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.
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"It is our comfort (and we are therefore exhorted to take comfort in this) that this High Priest has prayed for you and me and for us all, for his crucifiers. For just as he suffers for us all, so he also prays for us all. Thus his crucifiers are not only the Jews and Gentiles, who at that time laid hands on him and nailed him to the cross, but also we ourselves and the whole world. For it was our sins which crucified him, wounded, and crowned him with thorns. Those crucifiers were simply our sins' servants and lackeys. Had your sins and mine not nailed Christ to the cross, those crucifiers would have had to let him alone. Christ is there the true Priest and Lamb of God paying for the sins and death of the whole world with his offering... For that reason his prayer covers the entire world. When Christ prays for those who crucify him, he is praying for all men, also for us who by our sins were the cause of his cross and death; and he does not pray for our condemnation but for our salvation."
--Martin Luther, "Fourth Holy Week Sermon," 2 April 1534. Luther's House Postils, vol. 1, 424-425.

domain: literature


WWE tag team legends The Hart Foundation
There’s some crazy, awesome stuff that most of us probably haven’t seen before.
Arizona Wrestling Federation returns to the Peoria Community Center on Saturday, September 20th.
Hulk Hogan has been talking to just about anybody who will listen to him.
While on her honeymoon, Eden (@RealEdenWWE) takes the WWE Universe with her to Maui, the second largest Hawaiian island.
History of the National Wrestling Alliance: Past, Present & Future by Brian R. Westcott and Eric Chmiel Here is an article about the NWA from...
Courtesy of pyroandballyhoo.com: Dear Vince, Stephanie and Hunter, First let me apologize for my rant last night on Russo on Raw. I’m Italian, I’m emotional, I’m...
Russia has long been a source of heels for the company whether the wrestlers are actual Russians or not.
Relive Joan Rivers' appearance at WrestleMania as she serves as ring announcer for Roddy Piper’s boxing match with Mr. T.
The Rock confirmed on Twitter he will be playing Black Adam in the upcoming DC Comics movie.
The Best Of Sting is coming to DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on October 6th.


Posts Tagged Steam
Last August, we found out that Steam’s Big Picture interface would be moving into its beta phase “soon,” but we never expected it would be, like, soon. It is Valve after all, and our cold, dark hearts weren’t never figured that Big Picture’s public beta would be happen in our lifetimes, let alone on Monday, September 10, like the New York Times says.
For those of you who haven’t been following this song’s bouncing ball, allow us to refresh your memory: Steam’ Big Picture interface is a custom UI designed specifically to make Valve’s all-encompassing digital storefront more user-friendly on televisions. It’s being designed with controller-based navigation in mind and would represent Valve’s first primordial step into the living room. Whether Monday’s testing is truly public or invitation based like its Community beta remains to be seen.
Snapshot is now available (surprisingly) on Steam. Retro Affect’s 2D puzzle-platformer has been in development for several years and stars a robot named Pic, who can change the environment around him by taking pictures and placing them in the environment. The creative game is also coming to the PS Vita and PS3 later this year.
Snapshot is the second project from Retro Affect ? the studio’s first effort was Depict1, a freeware game that came out of Global Game Jam 2010. Kyle Pulver, one of the members of Retro Affect, also recently launched his solo project Offspring Fling, a fun-yet-evil game about throwing babies around.
DrinkBox Studios’ roly poly platformer Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack was widely recognized as the PS Vita’s best early release, and now it’s going to get access to an even bigger audience. DrinkBox has announced in the gibberish-ridden teaser trailer above that the game is headed to Steam, with the Vita’s touch controls translated right over to the mouse and keyboard.
The team is seeking beta testers right now, and the game will be out on August 15. Oh, and if you have a PS Vita and live in the EU but haven’t played the game yet, it’s on sale right now there as well.
Who can afford to blindly purchase games they think may be good? Not in this economy, buster – free demos are a necessity. Today, a demo for Civilization V: Gods & Kings is available for download on Steam.
Gods & Kings launched earlier this month – we enjoyed it – and is currently available as a $29.99 expansion. Of course, you must already own Civilization V to play.
EA’s Senior Vice President of Global Ecommerce David DeMartini said that deep-discounting of games on Valve’s Steam service “cheapens intellectual property” in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz . As head of EA’s Origin digital distribution service, DeMartini suggested an alternative to Steam’s approach in dealing with “aging inventory.” “We don’t believe in the drop-it-down, spring-it-up, 75 percent off approach, but we’ve got something else that we do believe in that we’ll be rolling out,” he said, without revealing the company’s plans outright. DeMartini also commented on the company’s recent announcement to waive distribution fees for crowd-funded titles, saying it was “the first thing Origin did that no one could complain about.” Fully-funded games that hit Origin’s virtual shelves will not be subject to the service’s fees for the first 90 days. He added, “We figured this is something we could do that is going to please the hardcore; it’s going to please the independent development community.”
The time of being born into power is coming to a close, as democracy sweeps across this world of ours. Now, if you want to be a leader of a country, you need to be smart – a student of conquest and diplomacy – and this weekend you can study up in Civilization V on Steam, free of charge.
You can install the game through Steam and play until you bring the world around to your type of thinking, up until 1pm PT on Sunday. And if you like Civilization V, it just so happens you can also purchase it at a 75% discount this weekend, which brings the price down to $7.49. A good ruler must also be able to spot a good bit of marketing. The expansion, Gods and Kings, is a little more than a month away, after all.


Have you already got internal systems for managing orders, stock and accounts?
Make your life easier, by integrating your website with your accounts, order and stock systems.
Whether you need a fully automatic system that seamlessly integrates with your systems, or whether you just want a simple CSV to upload daily into your accounts package, Realnet can create the right solution for you.
Realnet websites have integrated with Sage, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, SAP and Lotus Notes Domino amongst others. If your software has a way of importing or exporting data, your Realnet website can use it!
Realnet have also integrated with other custom API's, allowing websites to communicate with each other seamlessly in the background behind your website.
At Realnet we have extensive experience of developing and integrating APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). In layman's terms, an API is a tool that translates the languages of two different programs, allowing them to speak and operate with each other.
As with every aspect of our work, we are methodical and thorough in our processes, and when it comes to writing APIs we understand the importance of fully documenting them. From accessing and authentication protocols, through to methods and outputs, our supporting documentation is as reliable as our coding.
As well as developing APIs, we are fully versed with integrating existing APIs from all the big names into your project - be that Facebook, Google, Twitter, Amazon, Ebay or Microsoft, we know how to make your systems communicate.
If you don't have an API, or have a poorly documented API, and you need to extract or enter information to and from a system, we can help. We've constructed integrations which work via the existing frontend web technologies, posting to forms already in place and requesting then "scraping" data from the pages; through to full database level integrations where we use our reverse engineering skills to understand how your systems work at data level, and then build a bespoke interface with the database.
"We tasked Realnet with a complex project of migrating the orders from an e-commerce website we acquired into our new order fulfilment system and warehouse, and to integrate the site as a white label selling engine into our existing portfolio of over 1000 community pharmacy websites. This has been handled expertly with a rapid grasp of our business requirements, swift responses to all our development issues/new task requests and unprompted proactive suggestions on how we can approve sales performance.
Our lead developer quickly developed a very good working relationship with us and we would happily recommend Realnet. "
Oliver Harris – Medicine Chest


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Niagara Gazette —
Two young activists from Long Island who call themselves "the youngest prostate cancer health advocates in America" will be in Niagara Falls Saturday evening when the mighty cataracts will be colored blue in memory of those who have died of prostate cancer.
The two, who each lost a grandfather to prostate cancer, became inspired to create a foundation after they produced a film at Long Island University about a man battling the illness. They later created the Brown Byrd Prostate Cancer Foundation in New York City.
"At the time we started a lot of people didn't know what prostrate cancer was," said Blossom Brown, 31, vice president and co-founder, who speaks throughout the state with the organization's president, Kevin Byrd, 32, a Manhattan actor. These days, as the pair attends health fairs and community functions, they find that men still aren't comfortable talking about the disease, which impacts the African American community more than any other.
The latest statistics available from the Center for Disease Control show that African American men have the highest rate of getting prostate cancer, followed by white men, Hispanics, Asians and native Americans.
"We want to open the way for people to speak about it more," Brown said.
The foundation also works with an organization called 100 Black Men of Long Island, where Kevin is the health and wellness chairman. In addition, Byrd has done outreach programs with with Rabbi Edgar Weinsberg, author of two books on health, including one on conquering prostate cancer.
The rabbi remarked on the pair's achievements in getting politicians to acknowledge the issue of prostate cancer, including Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke of New York, who acknowledged the organization and its activities in a speech to Congress on Feb. 2, 2012. In addition, just recently, Mayor Paul Dyster proclaimed Feb. 2 "Prostate Cancer Awareness Observance Day" and a similar proclamation was issued by James Diodati, the mayor of Niagara Falls, Ont.

domain: sociology


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We offer massage therapy at Turning Point Medical Group as a complementing treatment for our suite of physical therapy services. Massages are given by fully licensed and experiences massage therapists. Our clinic has a dedicated quiet, calm massage room.
The benefits of massage therapy include temporary relief of pain, stress release, and improved blood circulation, to name a few.
What Is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy has been an alternative treatment for aches and pains for many centuries. Along the way, dozens of different massage styles have evolved to give individuals pain relief from injuries and health related conditions. The Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing defines massage therapy as: “A collection of bodywork modalities designed to improve health through manual manipulation of soft tissues including stroking, kneading, pressing, tapping, and shaking. Intends to improve local circulation, reduce pain, and promote relaxation.”
Regardless of the particular style, or combination of styles, of massage therapy that you have, it employs various pressures, manipulation, and rubbing movements that target your soft tissues and muscles. Massage therapy is a hands-on therapy that involve our therapist’s hands, fingers, elbows, forearms, and sometimes their feet. Some of our massage techniques do include essential oils or lotions to aid in the stretching and loosening of certain body areas as well as to reduce any friction against your skin.
In the video below, physical therapist and owner/CEO, Markus Ernst, PT, explains the role of massage therapy at TurningPoint Medical Group, Colorado Springs, CO.
Who Is a Candidate for Massage Therapy?
The beautiful part about massage therapy is that it can help just about everyone from the toddler to the senior citizen. Some of the treatments that our massage therapists specialize in are health-related massage techniques for:
- muscle soreness
- stress induced insomnia
- temporomandibular joints
- cardiopulmonary disorders
- neurological disorders
Always talk to a medical doctor about the diagnosis and treatment of any medical condition.
How Does It Work?
Each distinct style of massage therapy uses a combination of movements to achieve targeted specific end results. These are the most common styles of massage therapy used by our therapists:
- Swedish Massage:
This is a soft, gentle form of massage that uses kneading strokes, circular movements, and tapping strokes on the upper layers of your muscles. It has a soothing effect and can help with injuries and closed wounds.
- Sports Massage:
This technique combines a variety of movements to promote flexibility, prevent injuries, relax muscle strains and help the healing process after sustaining an injury.
- Deep Tissue Massage:
This massage style uses slower, deeper strokes with attention on painful, tight areas of the body. The pressure strokes are focused on the inner layers of your tendons, muscles, and soft tissue deep within your skin. This style helps chronic tension, back sprains, and other muscle injuries.
- Reflexology Massage:
This technique uses the hands, thumbs, and finger movements on different areas of your feet that relate to different areas of the body. This method can help alleviate the pain of neuropathy in diabetics and also to promote overall welfare.
- Pregnancy Massage:
This style of treatment uses special massage pillows and the massage movements help with the major bodily changes that occur during pregnancy, reduce stress, relieve joint and muscle pains, and decrease swelling in your arms and legs.
- Neuromuscular Massage:
This massage style uses soft tissue movements to locate and release spasms in order to balance your central nervous system with your musculoskeletal system. This technique aims to heal injured tissues, restore alignment, and improve blood flow.
- Myofascial Release Massage:
This massage style employs gentle pressure and movements on your fascial system to relieve pain and discomfort. This technique has proven beneficial for cervical pain, fibromyalgia, scoliosis, back pain, chronic headaches, and restrictive motion abilities.
How Much Does Massage Therapy Cost?
The cost of a massage therapy treatment depends upon your condition, style of massage, and number of sessions. Some health and vehicle insurance plans cover the cost of a certain number of physical therapy sessions. This includes when massage therapy is part of a treatment plan prescribed by a physician.
Medicare does not cover massage therapy. Each state’s Medicaid plan is different, but some plans do cover massage therapy. Getting your treatments covered may require a physician’s referral and the need for prior authorization from the Medicaid organization itself.
Worker’s Compensation does pay for a certain number of massage therapy treatments if you have a doctor’s prescription for the therapy plus it needs to be approved by the worker’s compensation insurance agency.
We let you know the estimated cost of your treatment plan before any therapy begins and we only start your therapy with your authorization.
How Long Does Massage Therapy Take?
Therapy treatments range from ten minutes to an hour or more. The number of treatments required depends on your condition. You might need one or more visits per week for an extended period of time. Your personalized massage therapy schedule is developed to meet your unique situations and goals.
Is Massage Therapy Painful?
Massage therapy relaxes, soothes, heals, and revitalizes your body. However, there are some forms of massage therapy that target taut and tight areas which may leave you with a bit of soreness for a day. This is a good type of soreness that lets you know the stretching and pulling movements are working. Your therapist lets you know about any potential side effects before your therapy begins.

domain: medical


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Colombia, for all its cultural wealth and geographical beauty, is also a nation that finds itself embedded in a six–decade-long armed conflict that has come to characterise the country both within and beyond its national borders. The belligerent forces are, according to the United Nations, “irregular armed groups”, a loose diplomatic term that serves to identify violence without having to cast the blame on anyone or needing to confront the possible roots of such violence. Truth is, both government and non-governmental agencies have been battling it out resulting in thousands of deaths and disappearances, leaving a large part of the population displaced and on the run.
Venezuela, its neighbouring nation, has stood not only as witness to the events but also as player in both political and humanitarian relief, providing asylum to over three thousand Colombians. Whilst the true figures of Colombian refugees in Venezuela stand at over two hundred thousand, it is evident the process of registration still fails to keep up with the increasing and apparently continuous numbers of asylum seekers entering the country. Nonetheless, this situation has meant that Venezuela has made the issue of Colombian refugees a question of public policy and has articulated a state-wide response to a pressing situation.
“The absolute majority of those who have fled and find themselves today in Venezuela, are villagers, or campesinos, and those who come from the frontier zones between Colombia and Venezuela”, explains Mohamed Alwash, the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Venezuela. “They flee for various reasons. Firstly, and most generally, they flee because of the instability in the area due to the activities of armed groups. Secondly, they wish to escape forced recruitment. The same groups will approach a family and target the younger members of 14 to 15 years old, an age old enough to fight but still young enough to influence and manipulate. They warn the family they have one week to make a decision. If the answer is no they will come back and kill them. Sometimes the whole family flees or sometimes just those who had been specifically targeted. La vacuna is of course a further reason for fleeing, exercised in the name of protection. This is due to either weak or the total lack of governmental presence, which, in theory, should be the one guaranteeing the people’s security. These groups could either be guerrilla forces or paramilitaries. In our literature we call them irregular armed groups and then we let your imagination work out the rest. They are all the same to us.”
The absence of Colombian government or authority with regards to the situation of displaced Colombians means that there exists an equal disparity in the legislature set up to manage the conflict. It was only last year, under the Juan Manuel Santos administration, that the Ley de Víctimas (Law for Victims) was established, signed together with the current Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon. “This law recognises for the first time that there is a conflict in Colombia, and that there are victims. It is a huge step forward. The majority of victims, between six and eight million people, are still within Colombia, not refugees in other countries but displaced within their own country. This new law gives them the right to compensation”. Despite these advances, Alwash is cautious when examining the conflict today and believes that while the influx of refugees to Venezuela continues, true changes by the Colombian government towards the forced migrations are still difficult to measure. On the border, the situation has not changed. It is a no mans land, and a handful of competing parties, from land owners, rebel groups to privately hired assassins continue to operate with complete impunity.
Arriving in Venezuela
A Colombian’s journey on reaching Venezuela is another experience altogether. High levels of immigration during the nineteen sixties due to Venezuela’s petrol boom meant that many Colombians today have dozens of family members already residing in the country. As a result, seeking a place to stay and employment is a lot easier, even if they never mange to claim full refugee status or legal documentation. Considering only a small percentage of refugees are ever fully recognised by Venezuela’s National Commission for Refugees, due to the lengthy process that can be the registration of an individual, alongside the overwhelming influx of Colombians, their quick adaptation and settlement comes as comforting news considering the harrowing experiences they are fleeing. Alwash relates how he met a young Colombian man in San Antonio del Táchira, the first town in Venezuela after crossing the Colombian border. “I saw him from afar, crossing the bridge that leads from one border control to the next, and then I met him in the Caritas centre in San Antonio (A Christian groups that also works with Colombian refugees). I asked him where he might go now, and quite confidently, he replied that he had family working in a finca (farm) and that they could get him housing and work. This is the case for many, and most will try to travel as far away from the border as they can”.
Working in the fincas has been for decades the answer for most Colombians on the run. Seeing as many come from rural or peasant backgrounds, it permits them to continue working in the line of work they are already familiar with. However, it is worth noting that working in a Venezuelan finca wasn’t always the better option. The west of Venezuela, in the states of Zulia, Táchira, Mérida and Apure have for a long time been the home for a few rich land owners who amounted wealth and territory through cattle farming. Many of these ranches however have been abandoned over the years as their owners moved to the United States and left the management of the farms in the hands of incompetent business men. Numerous farms still in operation were discovered to be selling low quality products and some still capitalised on entire herds affected by tuberculosis. A wave of government-fuelled land expropriation swept through the country in order to regain much of the abandoned land that had, in some cases, been used in illegal business transactions with foreign oil companies. Large extensions of land were bought and sold so as to secure the territory if ever oil were to be discovered, regardless of the thousands of peasants that inhabited the same area. 2010 to 2011 were particularly intensive years for this governmental policy, uncovering at times criminal cases of mistreated cattle and equally mistreated workers, who all the while were being exploited whilst the next oil dig was being planned. Hacienda Bolívar, a farm covering 3902 hectares, belonging to the Brillembourg family, strongly tied to the Rockefeller family, in Zulia State, was taken over on 17th December 2010. On opening the gates, over 137 workers were discovered living in appalling conditions, underpaid, overworked and lacking the most basic of medical attention. The majority of workers were Colombians, political refugees and lacking legal documentation. Their vulnerability meant that farm managers had taken advantage of their inability to protest and their need to keep quiet. One individual who had been living in the hacienda, who preferred to remain nameless, commented; “We were living like slaves, completely humiliated. Even the cattle were dying”. Immediate action was taken to tend to the Colombians and today most of them have received their documentation and are now free to work where they choose in the confidence that they too can demand to be treated fairly.
“Openness” in Venezuelan Government Approach
The general response to the case of Colombian refugees on behalf of the Venezuelan government has been overwhelmingly positive, and one, according to Alwash, who has worked with refugees in four different continents, that singles itself out in terms of openness and willingness to address the situation. This is due in large part to the fact that there exists very little cultural difference between Colombians and Venezuelans, who share similarities on ethnic, religious and historical grounds. Nelisa Sanchez from San Cristobal, an important Venezuelan town just one hour from the border explains. “Culturally speaking, we [Colombians and Venezuelans] are an historic reality that has been formed from the same origin which is both countries at once, so we share many things in common”. Indeed, from San Cristobal in Venezuela, to Cucuta in Colombia, the area is a melting pot of Colombian-Venezuelan identity, with accents and faces merging into one people who live and work between both countries with an ease only true to that of, what many call themselves, “cultural brothers”.
Nonetheless, this border-zone reality, as autonomous as it may feel at times, remains sensitive to diplomatic relations. In 2009, tense relations between Uribe of Colombia and Chavez of Venezuela, a situation caused by a number of political differences regarding the establishment of US military bases in Colombia, meant that the border zones lining the two countries became heavily militarised and the crossing extremely complicated. Nelisa remembers how at the time, business dropped and day to day life was severely affected. “A lot of us live and work between the two countries, suddenly we could no longer pass through how we used to”. Relations have improved since the 2009 situation, to the degree that at the start of 2012, Venezuela decreed that all Colombians could freely pass into Venezuela without the need of a visa. This is unquestionably the fruit of healthier relations between Chavez and the current president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos.
Reasons to flee to Venezuela, apart from the urgency in itself to escape persecution are also founded on the fact that once in Venezuela, Colombians can expect to enjoy the fulfilment of their basic human rights. The Venezuelan constitution declares that all must be allowed free health care and education as well as easier access to housing, regardless of their nationality or whether they possess legal documentation or not. Compared to other cases of political refugees around the world, where many are moved from one prison cell to the next, this is an exceptional situation.
Maria Cordoba, a young Colombian mother of three who had crossed the border but a month ago, now also living in San Cristobal shared her joy at having been able to settle down so easily. “After the first two weeks of being in Venezuela, my children were already attending a local primary school down the road from where we are now living, and I have found work as a cleaner. I feel very lucky”.
In December 2011, Venezuela participated in the Geneva summit and made three pledges with regards to ameliorating its politics towards Colombian refugees in Venezuela. The first pledge was to guarantee the situation was met by public policy in all areas. The consequent meetings in Venezuela after the summit saw twenty five ministries meet and decide how each in turn could better address the problem. “Even the Minister for Youth attended, and stressed the importance of building more playgrounds for refugee children. Now that is amazing!” shares Alwash, smiling. The second pledge was to grant further care to refugee women, adolescents and children. The third was a promise to improve the process of registration and documentation, at times an extremely time-consuming and bureaucratic procedure. As to whether the treatment of Colombian refugees would differ if there were to occur a radical change of government, Alwash reflects. “I am not in a position to say. The treatment shouldn’t change but who knows? In a socialist government, the nature of its theory should be to grant lots of rights to people. And if you agree to also give those rights to a foreigner, well, that’s quite something.”
Venezuela offers a refuge to those who find none in their own country and a peephole view into what has been lived by millions of Colombians. However, it also exposes the shortcomings in the Colombian system. Although the conflict has quietened down over the last few years, as have the number of attacks on both civilians and governmental institutions, the response on behalf of the Colombian government with regards to its conflict and consequences still leave much to desire. The fact that millions of Colombians have been forced to relocate, the majority unable to cross the border, means that the crisis cannot be remitted to the history books just yet. Until the situation improves, Venezuela will continue to provide the necessary support to a people in need.
Stephanie Kennedy is a writer and journalist based in Caracas, Venezuela. She writes a blog with Huffington Post UK, which can be read here.


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Model Bella Hadid, a vocal advocate of women’s rights and the rights of Palestinians, criticized the discrimination faced by Muslim women in India and elsewhere.
Taking to Instagram, the supermodel shared multiple news items from several countries and wrote, “In other forms of discrimination: I urge France, India , Quebec, Belgium, and any other countries in the world who are discriminatory against Muslim women, to rethink what decisions you have made or are trying to make in the future about a body that is not yours.”
She added, “It’s not your job to tell women what they should or shouldn’t wear, especially when it is pertaining to faith and safety.
It’s not your job to tell women whether or not they can STUDY or PLAY SPORTS, ESPECIALLY when it is pertaining to their faith and safety. Hijabi women in France are not allowed to wear their Hijab to school, to play sports, to swim, even on their ID pictures. You can’t be a civil worker or work in hospitals with a Hijab. To get an internship, most universities will say, the only way to get one is to take off the hijab. It’s ridiculous and really shows how Islamophobic the world is without even acknowledging it. In regards to these new Bills that are either in the process of being passed , or have already.”
Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor has also appreciated Bella Hadid’s Instagram post.
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Same-sex marriage advocates in Rhode Island are making the argument that children raised by same-sex guardians are as well adjusted as those with a mother and a father, and that there are no adverse effects on children from being raised in such an environment. However, a study published in the well-respected journal Social Science Research in June of 2012 shows the exact opposite.
Below is an image addressing just some of the points from the study, which show that children with same-sex guardians are more likely to be confused about their sexuality, and are more than twice as likely to find themselves in therapy as adults. Children raised in same-sex environments have also been found to be twice as likely to be unemployed in their adult life and three times as likely to be unfaithful in relationships.
This study is not biased or propaganda as same-sex marriage advocates would have you believe, but has been published in a respected social science journal.


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I recently stepped back into the Roaring Twenties during my time at REVIVE—an immersive experience that delivered astounding circus performances while guests wined and dined. The show had its final run this past weekend and, although I’m sorry to say it has ended for now, I wanted to share details and photos I took throughout the evening. It was a night filled with delightful libations, delectable food and dazzling entertainment.Continue reading “REVIVE Circus & Dining Experience at Vibiana”
Into the depths of the psyche we go, with artist Edward Transylvania as our guide. The Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and poet has been crafting macabre magic through his lyrics for more than a decade and is continuing to carve out his own place within, not only the goth genre, but also the world of dark music. Listeners can expect passionate vocals and sinister beats.Continue reading “Spotlight on Edward Transylvania: Dark Singer, Songwriter & Poet”
I was 18 years old when I first saw a Marilyn Monroe film. I was familiar with her image and had seen her face on all sorts of souvenirs, from t-shirts to purses to coffee mugs. But that was all I knew of the starlet until that day when I turned on the television and saw her on the screen. I was mesmerized by the way she moved, her powder white hair, her doe eyes and coy voice. The movie was Some Like It Hot and I watched it in awe, laughing like crazy as she and her two cross-dressing co-stars, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, got into outrageous shenanigans!
Ever since, I’ve been hooked on the blonde bombshell. I’ve read many biographies, seen most of her films and have become a collector of Monroe memorabilia. So, it’s only fitting that I start my journey of becoming a Marilyn Wines connoisseur. In celebration of what would have been her 96th birthday on June 1st, I’m reviewing three wines I tried from the glamorous brand. Cheers!Continue reading “Kissed by Marilyn Monroe Wines”
When I started getting into the goth scene, I went on a mission to navigate my way through the numerous bands that existed. Since it is a music-based subculture, I wanted to have at least a general knowledge of what had been and was continuing to be produced. One of the beautiful facets of goth is its rich musical heritage. There’s an abundance of beats and sounds that have been created within the genre, and others that have sprouted from it, such as darkwave, ethereal, deathrock and coldwave. For World Goth Day, I’m going to share what I listened to and some of the core groups that were my gateway to the music.Continue reading “Experiencing the Goth Subculture Through the Music”
When Mother’s Day rolls around, I see a ton of gift ideas, but sadly, none that resonate with moms who have darker tastes. Well, I decided to set things right and create a gift guide filled with recommendations suited for the macabre parent. Here, you’ll find ghastly items meant to pamper and electrify the Morticia Addams in your life. To all the mommies that are into Halloween, horror, witchcraft, goth and gothic, this is for you.
Note: This list is not exhaustive but will at least give you a good start and serve as a source of sinister inspiration. The article features no affiliate links. I’m simply supplying the URLs to support these small businesses.Continue reading “A Macabre Mother’s Day Gift Guide”
The Mystic Museum in Burbank, Calif., has unleashed an all-new immersive experience that pays bloody tribute to 90s slashers! My interest was piqued when the oddities shop announced the event, and I had the chance to attend the recent grand opening. Horror fans are in for quite a treat, and I’m giving a peek inside for those dying to find out more.Continue reading “The Mystic Museum Presents 90s Slashers Immersive Experience”
A strange plague is coming and it’s thirsty for blood…
The Sixth Chamber has released a new music video for their single “Red Death Masquerade” and it’s to die for! The band’s blend of retro gothic metal, gothic rock and epic doom exquisitely sets the dark, foreboding mood for the tale that unfolds throughout the recording.Continue reading “The Sixth Chamber New Release: “Red Death Masquerade””
Before Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, there was Vampira, famously known as the original Glamour Ghoul. Her pale visage, raven-colored locks, crimson lips, and highly arched brows made her quite the image to behold on late-night television. While she’s revered today as an icon in the underground scene, her claim to fame was short-lived during her time.
In an all-new book called The Vampira Diaries: 1954-1956, author Jonny Coffin gives readers a closer look into the world of the queen of the night. Digging out archives from the grave, he presents a collection of unseen photographs, newspaper clippings and excerpts from her diaries, resurrecting the voice and presence of this dark soul. I recently finished the biography and want to share a bit of what lies on the pages.Continue reading “The Vampira Diaries Book Review”
Bridging the realms of goth subculture and the gothic aesthetic, Adrienne LaVey is an individual who revels in the beauty of darkness. Her YouTube channel, Ligeia Resurrected, features insightful reviews on topics that run the gamut from 19th-century macabre literature to the latest goth music releases. Of the content she produces, her absinthe videos truly set her apart and are a unique offering. Since March 5th is National Absinthe Day, I felt it fitting to interview someone who seeks to unravel the mysteries that surround this widely misunderstood spirit.Continue reading “Spotlight on Adrienne LaVey: Absinthe & Gothic Arts Connoisseur”
It’s been more than two years since the last time I’ve seen Dita Von Teese perform. After her 2019 New Year’s Eve show that ushered the crowd into 2020, she and her crew had to cancel all upcoming performances due to Covid. I’m ecstatic to share that she’s back in action, and her recent Valentine’s Day event marked her return to the stage!
Now, this revue was slated to happen this past December 31st, but the date was pushed back due to world circumstances. I must say, however, I feel February 14th was the perfect occasion for a burlesque extravaganza. Dita was accompanied by her Vontourage, as well as a slew of gifted performers who showcased new and exhilarating acts. Here’s my recap of the soiree.Continue reading “Dita Von Teese’s Valentine’s Day Burlesque Show”

domain: entertainment


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Five of us got together to have a close look at this extremely fine barn, which lies at an angle next to Parson Lee Farm. This is a mid-1700s double-pile farmhouse facing south. It contains a textile production room facing north.
The barn is earlier, c.1600, and is stone built with a heavy flag roof, pinnacles, off centre double wagon doors, fine threshing floor, cattle doors and vents. Inside there are modern timber balconies over removed cattle stalls at each end. Holes in the walls show that earlier ones were slightly lower. It looks like there were two rows of stalls at the south end and one to the north. The whole building is suffering from substantial movement with the trusses and walls racking towards the south gable. Additions to the barn, such as a pair of pigstyes to the south, are acting as buttresses to this movement.
When we measured the barn, we found its size was very close to Bracken Hill barn which lies to the north-west of Wycoller. The corbels supporting the trusses and the stonework also looked similar. The two barns may even have been built by the same builder. However, there were some differences. Parson Lee is a little lower and has two chamfered cattle doorways with flattened rounded Tudor-style heads on the side facing the house. At Bracken Hill, the door heads are square, not unlike those on the rear elevation at Parson Lee. The round headed doors may simply have been the particular choice of the farmer.
Parson Lee barn has lost its original roof structure and heavy blackening and possible scorching on the internal walls suggest it was through a fire. The replacement roof is a fine queen post construction strengthened with bolts, roughly 1900 in date. Another difference with Bracken Hill is that corbels for the roof trusses are set around 0.5-1m below the tie beams of the trusses. This implies they were supporting arch braces from the corbel to the tie beam, a feature common on timber frames (see illustration below) which made the vertical posts rigid through triangulation. They can also be found on expensive church roofs, such as hammer-beam roofs. However, this is the only example on a barn we know of in the vicinity. If our interpretation is right, it could be explained as a response to the considerable width of the barn. At Bracken Hill, the trusses are especially thick and strong. Perhaps here, they were slightly thinner and needed extra support.
The measurements will be drawn up in due course. We also took digital and black and white film photographs which we will upload when processed. We are grateful to the owner, Mr. Hodgson, for his interest and knowledge as well as for allowing us unfettered access. As we were packing up, he showed us a slighly raised site just to the south of the farmhouse which contained worked stone when a trench was put through. Nothing is shown on early plans and it is possible this is the site of the original pre-1700s house.
We are currently one person short on this project. If you would like to join us on the next study day on 2nd July, please book here

domain: design


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Where does the history of consumption happen? The answer would be easy for the history of production: the workplace. Historians can use a well-understood taxonomy to organise their research: the farm, the factory, the office and so on. The history of consumption has never had this precision, thanks to the less location-specific nature of consuming.
What a great idea! The only wonder is why no publishing house thought of commissioning a book on the topic before. The reader’s delight starts straight from looking at the cover illustration – a ‘translation’ of Harry Beck’s celebrated London Tube Map, in which Waterloo Station becomes Gare de Napoléon.
The current trend in history publishing for a ‘one stop shop edition’ of essays on a particular subject, variously entitled ‘Handbooks’ or ‘Companions’, is a welcome addition for teachers and students of history alike.
Students of history are not always aware when they live through major historiographic change; shifts are sometimes only recognizable in hindsight, with accumulated divergences sharply evident against the backdrop of the field.

domain: library


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Finding the positive amid adversity is difficult. Some individuals are inherently optimistic and can concentrate on the positive and stay positive.
Aquarians have an unconventional take on life. Humanitarian and idealistic, they're hopeful.
Leos are energetic and sense potential in others that others don't. They're hopeful because they believe in human decency
Their positivity and forward-thinking enthusiasm propel them onward. Aries are the most optimistic about reaching objectives.
They also enjoy life. Libras, governed by Venus, perceive the world through rose-colored glasses.
Despite uncertainty, their optimism and compassion for others give them hope.Sagittarius

domain: psychology


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We discovered this friendly and healthy spot on our last day at HH. Wish we'd found it earlier -- we would have come for lunch every day. Food is FRESH and made to order. Buddha bowl was scrumptious. So was Yom roll. Refreshing, green, delish!!! Wish I could thank the woman I chatted with yesterday who told me about delisheeeYo!
Updated from previous review on Wednesday April 09, 2014
Cons: A tad slow -- but made-to-order, Limited seating

domain: food


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Cast before 1895 by A.D. Farmer & Son [Reichardt 2011] but not yet shown in their 1893 catalog.
Adopted by Photo-Lettering, Inc. for phototypesetting. Shown in PLINC’s Art Nouveau Xenotypes 1895–1905 (1962) as Xenotype 1190 and in One Line (1971) as Beekman.
Fonts In Use is a collaborative project and our collaborators are visitors like you! The uploading tool makes it simple to contribute your own work or other typography you admire.


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Gates-gate is, of course, only the most recent installment of the American Dilemma, and not nearly as bad as it could have been—nobody got killed, or even physically injured. Dunno whether this means we are learning how to do this stuff less dangerously, or just that a Harvard professor in a classy college neighborhood is less likely to get shot for mouthing off to a cop than a Haitian cabdriver in the ghetto. I would like to believe the former, but experience tells me it’s probably the latter. Having lived fairly near Gates’ neighborhood myself for a while, I find that reasonable.
But I’m hearing all sorts of people saying that Gates himself obviously had a chip on his shoulder or the incident wouldn’t have happened in the first place; or that Obama only made things worse by commenting on the incident (which he did only in response to a reporter’s question, which he couldn’t have avoided without also making things worse, after all.) Or that any African-American who presumes that the cop in the case was racist is only a reverse racist himself. Or that anybody, white, black, or purple, who mouths off to a cop, regardless of circumstances, deserves what he gets.
Some of my best friends and favorite students have been cops. As an attorney and an English teacher, I have crossed paths with cops in my professional capacities and occasionally in theirs. (In case you were wondering, they get trained to write police report English, in which nobody ever gets out of a car, they always exit the vehicle.) I have been arrested once, in an incident which ultimately got me a couple of grand in a settlement. My husband was shaken down by the police on a couple of occasions. My surrogate nephew was arrested for driving without a license on suspicion of being Chinese. (Long story. Charges ultimately dismissed, when judge took judicial notice of the fact that he was clearly not Chinese.) I have also handled a number of divorce cases involving police officers as parties. It’s a sufficiently varied spectrum of experience that I don’t think I’m biased one way or the other. But I am still really bothered by the idea that police officers are trained to establish and maintain their authority before doing anything else.
I have occasionally given talks to local kids and their parents about staying out of legal trouble. That usually includes a subchapter on dealing with cops. Talk softly and slowly. Keep your hands empty and in plain view. Move slowly. Don’t run, in either direction. Don’t swear. After the second or third time around, I realized that these instructions are very similar to what I would tell somebody heading into a wildlife preserve, about how to behave so as not to get eaten by a grizzly bear. It is sound advice (for both purposes.) But are we supposed to be training, arming, and paying our police officers to behave like grizzly bears? Aren’t they supposed to be ones who can keep their heads when all about them are losing theirs? Aren’t they supposed to be keeping the peace, not protecting their own prerogatives?
I do have a certain personal concern, because one of my clients is a young, very tall, African-American man, with a mental problem. His mother has her own personal private nightmare, which, however, finds its way into the public press a couple of times a year: young Black man starts behaving erratically; somebody calls the police; the police arrive, start yelling and giving orders to establish their authority; young Black man, confused, threatened, and utterly bewildered, fails to respond appropriately, makes a move the police interpret as threatening, and ends up getting shot and killed. So far this hasn’t happened to my client, but I can’t blame his mother for fearing that it could. So do I. Why aren’t the police being trained in grizzly-bear-mollification techniques, which would obviously be appropriate when dealing with people who have mental problems? (Okay, apology here—apparently some such training is being given, at least in Chicago. It just doesn’t seem to have penetrated the Department all the way down yet. Like the training in handling domestic violence complaints, which took about 20 years to make its way through the whole Department. Jody Weis’ current proposal to encourage early retirement among the older generation of Chicago cops may have some hidden benefits.)
Getting back to Gates-gate, we still don’t know all the facts. Did Gates misplace his keys, or just have trouble opening the door after unlocking it? At what point in the incident did he show his ID to the police? What did the police do after that? Where was Gates when he started mouthing off to the police? Was this before or after the police had succeeded in establishing that Gates was on his own property? The answers matter. Once it was clear that Gates legitimately lived in the house, there was no reason for the police to stick around, no matter how Gates was expressing himself.
Regardless of the facts in this particular all’s-well-that-ends-well case, it would be a good idea to establish once and for all the principle that the police have no business using their arrest powers merely to maintain their own authority against mouthy civilians. We can clear up the racial rights and wrongs later, but can’t we at least stop adding fuel to the fire in the meantime?

domain: law


Originally Posted by rrg201
What's the coldest weather anyone had that's windsport in.?
Empty and winterized - below zero.
Occupied - don’t think we’ve been below 20’s - have had it with 6” of snow on roof.
Issue is keeping the occupants warm - you can almost watch the propane gauge move with furnace running...
Electric heaters and/or Extend-a-stay style propane adapter recommended.
No issues with mechanicals.. Our fresh water tank is mid ships between dinette and bathroom... dropped water line to RV at night (heated option could be used there).
Would dump some antifreeze in drains if extended time... mainly to protect the tank to dump valve pipe.


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The Baloch American Congress (BAC) has appealed to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to intervene to save the lives of two students were forcibly disappeared in Quetta Monday.
Dr. Tara Chand, president of the BAC, said Sunday Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and Military Intelligence have made life unlivable for youths and students in Balochistan.
“On Monday two students, Suhail Ahmad and Safi Baloch, hailing from Noshki were forcibly disappeared by the ISI from the hostel of the University of Balochistan in Quetta.”
He said hundreds of soldiers have been deployed at the University of Balochistan and the sports complex there had been converted into an interrogation center.
He said the Pakistani authorities are shutting the door of education on the Baloch youth for demanding their basic rights, including their right to self-determination.
“Baloch human rights defenders say at least one person is forcibly disappeared every day in Balochistan,” Dr. Tara Chand lamented. He pointed out 28 persons were forcibly disappeared in Balochistan in the month of September alone.
Dr. Tara Chand urged Secretary Blinken to help stop the collective punishment of the Baloch people and bring to an end the impunity of Pakistani security services in Balochistan.
He said the fate of thousands of victims of enforced disappearances, who are languishing in torture cells, is not known to their family members.
He said the Golden Jubilee of the freedom of Bangladesh where the Pakistan army carried out genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes will be marked next month but seems like the Pakistan army has not learned any lessons from its defeat.


Oh-Ohhh. You are NEXT on the list to “pay for that wall. Mark my words”, Canada. Kinda’ better start saving up those Canadian dollars, if by some chance tRUMP is elected, Canada..
Report: ISIS Terrorists Infiltrating Canada, May Use for Entry to US The Mexican border might be getting a lot of the attention because of Donald Trump’s wall proposal, but terrorism threats …
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True Stories of Antibiotic Resistance
3 personal perspectives
Every year, millions of Americans battle antibiotic-resistant infections, and thousands die.
Resistant infections affect people from all walks of life— –young and old, healthy and chronically ill. These illnesses often start with something seemingly benign, like a simple cut or a routine medical procedure.
In the following videos, hear from people who know firsthand the consequences of antibiotic resistance and what they are doing to contribute to the fight against superbugs.


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Give your friend a card they can keep forever!
My friend’s 21st was coming up so I decided instead of a normal card I would make her a message in bottle so she should keep it forever.
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Fill the bottom of the bottle so the key will have something to sit in. I used silver glitter and birthday confetti because it was a 21st and I wanted it to be all sparkly and girly. But you could use beads or beach sand if you preferred. Anything really, that will sit nicely at the bottom of the bottle.
I normally buy my keys from a home industry (cake) shop but it closed down a couple of months ago. I tried at the craft store and they said they normally do stock but they were out of stock and they wouldn’t have been able to get any on stock by the time I needed it. So I had to settle on making mine out of cardboard.
I traced my bathroom door key onto cardboard, cut it out and stuck a 21 confetti onto it.
But as luck would have it, not being able to obtain a 21st key turned out to be a good thing as I only realised when I went to put the key into the bottle that the 21st keys I normally buy would never been able to fit down the bottle neck. But maybe you will be able to find a smaller one. The ones I have seen have always been the same standard size. If not I would say making your own paper one would be best.
Put one of the ribbon stands through the charm and tie it around the bottom of the bottle neck. I used a dog charm as my friend adores dogs. I didn’t tie a bow and only stuck to one colour cause I didn’t want it to look to busy but you can go crazy and use multiple different coloured ribbons and tie bows if you want.


Choosing the right fertilizer can be challenging for many plant lovers as there is a great variety of these products available on the market. Whether you’re feeding your vegetable garden or going for a greener, thicker lawn, applying the wrong fertilizer could do more harm than good.
There are various types of plant-specific and general-purpose fertilizers to choose from. These are also available in various forms, like granules, liquid, or water-soluble. Moreover, they are of several types depending on their application, such as foliar or directly applicable on the ground. Fertilizers are also divided into slow and fast release fertilizers, organic or synthetic, and so on.
I’m sure you understand by now why choosing the right fertilizer might be an intimidating task. Many get lost in these details and end up choosing the wrong fertilizer for their plants because they ignore one of the most important aspects of choosing a fertilizer – its N-P-K ratio.
Even though these numbers may seem extremely confusing at first, if you know what this ratio means, it will help you a lot to choose the right fertilizer for your plants.
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. This means that the owner of this website might be compensated for any qualifying purchases made via these links.
What Is N-P-K In Fertilizers?
As you’ve probably seen, all fertilizers display a set of three numbers on their packages. These represent the basic nutrients all plants need. Some need a balanced blend, while others need more of one nutrient than another. To choose the correct blend for your specific application, you need to know what the numbers represent, what each nutrient does, and which blend is best for the plants you’re feeding.
Plants require about 16 nutrients to live and these are divided into macronutrients and micronutrients. What plants need in larger amounts are the macronutrients.
While there are about 9 essential macronutrients, plants consume in larger quantities 3 of them:
In chemistry, the symbols that represent these three elements are N, P, and K, respectively.
The set of these three numbers printed usually near the product’s name on a bag of fertilizer represent the percentage of total weight that is nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). Thus, if a 10-pound package of fertilizer has N-P-K numbers of 12-4-2, it would contain 1.2 pounds of nitrogen, 0.4 pounds of phosphorous, and 0.2 pounds of potassium. The remaining 8.2 pounds is filler.
Common fillers include sand and granular limestone. This filler helps ensure that the fertilizer is spread evenly. Too many of these essential nutrients ending up in one spot can damage plants.
What Each Of The N-P-K Nutrients Does?
Knowing what each of the main ingredients in fertilizer do will help you choose the proper mix. If you look at a bag of lawn fertilizer, you’ll notice that the nitrogen content is very high compared to the amounts of phosphorous and potassium. That’s because nitrogen promotes the vigorous growth of leaves and enhances their color, thus giving you a thick, very green lawn.
If your grass doesn’t have a rich green color and isn’t growing very well, this is an indication that more nitrogen is needed. If, however, you use lawn fertilizer in your flower or vegetable garden, you could cause your plants to have very healthy leaves and no flowers or vegetables at all. The lawn mix contains too much nitrogen for this type of application.
Phosphorous promotes healthy root development as well as fruit, vegetable, flower, and seed production. Phosphorous also helps plants to better utilize other nutrients. Vegetable and flower gardens that aren’t producing as expected may be lacking phosphorous.
Potassium is the multivitamin of the plant world, promoting general health. Among its wide-ranging benefits, potassium helps plants grow healthy root systems, makes them more disease tolerant, and helps them survive cold temperatures and drought.
Choosing The Right N-P-K Ratio
Many fertilizers are mixed to promote the growth and health of specific plants, like lawn fertilizer that has a high nitrogen content for greener, thicker grass, or a mix intended for azaleas, that includes the extra iron they need in addition to the N-P-K content.
You may have good results using these targeted blends for specific applications, but for gardens with a variety of decorative or vegetable plants, getting your soil tested before you buy fertilizer is a good idea. You can purchase DIY test kits at garden centers or order them online.
You can also contact your local county extension office and ask them about having your soil tested. The latter will often provide you with more detailed results that include specific recommendations for a fertilizer blend ideal for your area and specific application.
In general, vegetable gardens need some nitrogen, but not nearly as much as your lawn. A good all-purpose garden mix might have an N-P-K ratio of 5-10-10. This mix can produce great results and can be very effective for tomato production in particular.
If you plant bulbs, your best N-P-K ratio will generally have a high phosphorous content and little or no potassium. A ration of 6-12-0 would be fairly typical. Fertilizer mixes for plants grown from bulbs often contain bone meal as well.
There are all-purpose fertilizers, perhaps with a balanced ratio of 10-10-10, intended to promote general flower garden health. But again, a soil test is recommended. Using this mix could harm certain plants if the soil is already rich in nitrogen.
Because plants use more N-P-K than other nutrients, regular application of fertilizer will be necessary to yield the best results. How often you’ll need to fertilize depends on factors such as how much rainfall you’ve had since your last application and whether your soil is naturally rich in nutrients.
Nitrogen tends to wash away in heavy rain. Indications that it’s time to fertilize could include pale leaves, weak stems, plants losing their leaves, and slow growth of lawns and garden plants. Remember, however, that over-fertilization could damage your plants. If in doubt, do a soil test just to be safe.
Organic fertilizers are generally a better choice than synthetics. They actually promote healthy microbial growth and support the earthworm population in the soil. Earthworms aerate the soil and allow more water penetration. They also consume leaves and other organic matter and convert it to even more fertilizer in the form of their castings.
Microorganisms also create more fertilizer by decomposing organic materials. They’re producing compost. Some local and state governments have restrictions regarding the application of fertilizers with high phosphorous content due to concerns about phosphorous runoff contaminating waterways.
Chances are that your local garden supply center would not carry a particular fertilizer blend if its use was prohibited in your area, but, with ordering online being so common now, you may wish to check with your local extension office to find out whether there are any applicable restrictions.
Knowing what the N-P-K ratio represents and how each of these nutrients affect different types of plants will help you choose the right mix for your particular needs. If you know what signs to look for, you’ll also know when it’s time to fertilize.
Getting a soil test will provide more specific information about what N-P-K ratio is best for your soil and the plants you wish to grow. And finally, remember that organic mixes not only provide the nutrients your plants need but also promote microbial growth and the development of a healthy earthworm population – both of which contribute to overall soil health.


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It wasn’t surprising that my son Milo asked about tattoos. After arriving a few months ago from Philadelphia, we couldn’t help but notice that the tattoo culture is much bigger in Spokane than it is back East. After a baseball tournament in Idaho last month, Milo, 15, told me that he and his teammates on the 14U Spokane Expos were discussing body art.
A number of his new friends talked about getting “tatted” with crucifixes and phrases. When I asked Milo if he ever thought about getting inked, he said he would like to place the cover art of Car Seat Headrest’s “Twin Fantasy” album on his back or ribs. “The album is so important to me,” Milo explained. “ ‘Twin Fantasy’ changed my life.”
Milo isn’t exaggerating. My sports-obsessed boy immersed himself in the album and would listen to the 12-minute epic tune “Beach Life-in-Death” over and over. Milo would dissect the disparate set of 10 tunes, which are connected by an invisible thread. I’m not a tattoo guy, but I’m impressed since the band is so significant for Milo, who was a casual music fan before discovering “Twin Fantasy.”
Will Toledo, CSH’s singer-songwriter, crafted an old school album’s worth of catchy, quirky songs, which are the finest teen-angst tracks I’ve heard in a generation. Milo experienced six CSH shows in nine months during 2018-19. During a Philly show, the band pulled Milo up onstage to play a cowbell during his favorite CSH song, “Destroyed by Hippie Powers.”
During a show in Austin in 2019, CSH drummer Andrew Katz saw Milo after the show and said, “What are you doing here, Milo? You’re from Philly, right?” It’s been trippy since the story for most is that your first favorite band lives in a fortress of solitude.
That’s the way it was for me with KISS. When I was 11 years old, there was no access to those dudes in makeup. When I caught KISS as a prepubescent, the pit between the stage and fans was akin to a moat. However, Milo has chatted with every member of Car Seat Headrest. “Twin Fantasy” is a cool tattoo choice.
When I asked his brother Eddie, 18, during a separate sit-down if he was thinking about getting a tattoo, he laughed. “The only tattoo I would like to get is the cover of Car Seat Headrest’s “Twin Fantasy.” How weird? It sounded good to everyone but Milo.
“Eddie can’t get that tattoo! If anyone is getting it, it’s me. Eddie has only seen Car Seat Headrest twice. He doesn’t understand Car Seat Headrest like I do!” Milo spoke as if there were only so much ink out there. Hey, that’s cool if you want a tattoo, but there is much more to consider.
Tattoos, unlike much in life, are permanent. Many friends regret their choice to ink. I gave my best childhood friend a nickname, Nake, which stuck in more ways than one. My kooky pal, who was formerly known as David, received his odd moniker when I was just 4 years old, but it was an inspired morning during a sweltering summer.
The laidback dude, who is the closest I have to a brother, decided to apply my cool nickname to his body. I suggested that at 13, he tattoo it across his forehead. Fortunately, he chose his fingers a la Ozzy Osbourne’s artwork. “It’s always been great for job interviews,” Nake cracked.
Tattoo exposure is something you have to consider, I explained to my boys. A friend from journalism school interviewed for a job at a CBS affiliate and was hired on the spot. However, a few months later while covering an MLB game, he scored some grief.
While wearing a golf shirt on camera, the tattoo on his bicep was exposed. His boss didn’t like it, and after a heated discussion about how he is alienating some of the audience, my pal quit on the spot. Over a tattoo. And then there are the friends who went through the removal process – expensive and not exactly a walk in the park.
Neither of my daughters, Jillian, 21, or Jane, 11, have any interest in tattoos. They are happy in their own skin . Neither girl nor their brothers have altered the color of their hair. “I think some people believe that tattoos show that they’re rebellious, but to me real rebellion comes from the inside,” Jillian declared.
That reminds me of George Carlin. There was no comic more rebellious than Carlin, who didn’t have a tattoo but possessed a razor sharp wit and welcome candor. Interviews with the late icon were unpredictable, provocative and always a great time.
I recall asking Carlin why he lacked Hollywood friends, and he explained that he never wanted to play the game. No tattoo was required for Carlin, who became a legend thanks to his enviable mind.
I remember as a kid that tattoos weren’t ubiquitous like they are now. Such badasses as sailors and construction workers had tattoos back then. It was kind of cool then, but the day my mother-in-law added a rose tattoo to her ankle, well, the tattoo cool quotient dropped precipitously.
It reminds me of what Prince once said about clothes. The late musical genius said once too many people wore a style of shirt or pants, it wasn’t cool anymore. Years ago, before I had kids, the subject of tattoos came up during an interview with stunning recording artist Phoebe Legere. “I’ll never get a tattoo because blank skin is like a canvas that is so beautiful,” Legere said.
During a chat with Mike Tyson, I couldn’t help but ask the baddest man on the planet about his facial tattoo. “I just wanted to do it,” Tyson said. “I earned the right.” The most intimidating boxer of the 1980s nailed that. Tyson looks good rocking a tattoo on the side of his face.
However, I can’t say the same for pop star Post Malone, who never learned that less is more. Milo hasn’t given up the ghost on his “Twin Fantasy” tattoo. I told him I have an open mind and asked to see his “Twin Fantasy” jacket. However, Milo somehow lost the expensive piece of merchandise.
I was incredulous. How could he misplace his prized possession? Milo turned the unfortunate situation into a reason to bolster his argument for a “Twin Fantasy” tattoo. “If you let me get a “Twin Fantasy” tattoo, there’s no way I could lose it,” Milo reasoned.
I told Milo to get lost.

domain: artistic


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Renovated in 2009, this city hotel comprises a total of 10 rooms and is a great place to rest from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Facilities on offer to guests include a lobby area with a currency exchange facility. There is a large breakfast/dining room, and games for children and WLAN Internet access are also on hand. Parking is available for those arriving by car.
This hotel is located at 4018 Cape Horn, 5 km from the centre of Ushuaia. It lies in a very quiet area offering spectacular views of the Beagle Channel and covering the entire Bay of Ushuaia, Locked Bay, Golondrina Bay, Bridges Island, Navarino Island and Hoste Island. Martial Glacier, Ushuaia port and the Tren del Fin del Mondo are all 10 minutes' drive and it is 25 minutes' drive to the Tierra del Fuego national park. Only 40 minutes away by car, guests can ski at Cerro Castor. Ushuaia's Malvinas Argentinas International Airport is just 4 km away.
The rooms enjoy great views of the city and all come with a shower/bathtub and a hairdryer. They are equipped with a telephone, cable TV, a radio, WLAN Internet access and a minibar.
Guests can enjoy a Fueguino breakfast each morning.
American Express, MasterCard and VISA are accepted at this establishment.
Direct dial telephone

domain: travel


text:
Kinnicutt Stripe is a unique stripe design resembling a simplified version of our Kinnicutt Midi print. Without the vine motif of Kinnicutt Midi, the coffee bean stripe pops and enables versatile applications in both modern and traditional spaces. It is particularly well scaled for all sizes of rooms. Hand printed in the USA, Sister Parish Kinnicutt Stripe is available in four refreshing colors. Also available in fabric.
Repeat: 13" H, 1" V
Wallpaper sold in 5 yard rolls (singles) and packaged in 10 yard rolls (doubles).
Made in the USA.
VIEW FULL REPEAT AND TEAR SHEET HERE >
All designs are copyrighted to Sister Parish Design.
Email or Call Us:
email@example.com or 1-800-970-3366


text:
We see our clients as an extension of ourselves.
We have had the pleasure of working with clients in very diverse industries which include Telecommunications, Infrastructure, Construction, Investment, Property & Law. We believe that each client is unique and offers us and offers us the versatility of creativity.
Lepang appears to have an inexhaustible wealth of creative ideas. She created our website from scratch and designed our logo and because of her incredible work, I have used her skills again to create a logo for one of my other businesses. In each instance, she captured our vision exactly. She is higly professional, reliable and a real delight to work with. I unreservedly recommend her to anyone looking for a talented graphic designer.


Technology companies are deliberately creating devices that cannot be easily repaired or updating operating systems that are incompatible with older devices, resulting in an increasing amount of electronic waste
Because there are too many procedures for processing wire harness assembly
During the torch relay, some people with disabilities will use upper and lower limb assisted exoskeleton robots to help them carry the torch. \nAfter months of adaptive training with assisted exoskeleton devices, they can grasp the torch autonomously and walk upright.
A bionic whale shark made its public debut at an aquarium in Shanghai recently. This is the first robot of its kind in the world. It can be remotely programmed and controlled, and the developers are planning to give it more practical functions.
Turning pie-in-the-sky Olympic ideas into reality
Quality is the most important factor that makes us stand out in the competition of our peers.
Did you know that The terminals in each batch of wire harnesses are subjected to terminal tension tests before production
FFC refers to any type of electrical cable which is flexible and flat whilst an FPC is a flexible printed circuit.
Mainly: micrometers, calipers, gauges, thickness gauges
mainly UL, CSA, and other certification specifications
UL American Standard Wire UL1015 28-9AWG, High-Temperature Electronic Wire Household Appliance Wire Complete range of colors
For the power supply and data transmission, With more reliable strain relief (optional)


BC: Well, thats all for now, and remember, listen to Jazz!!!!!
FC: Popular Instruments of Jazz Music!
1: The Saxophone is more commonly known as a sax, and is a member of the woodwind family. The brass instrument was created by a Belgium-born instrument maker named Adolphe Sax. Adolphe created the Sax to make a better tonal link between clarinets and Brass instruments. The sax also uses a single-reed, which is a piece of wood that goes on the mouthpiece of an instrument which then vibrates to produce sound.
2: Like the Saxophone, the Clarinet is a member of the Woodwind family and uses a single-reed. Clarinet bodies have been made of many types of material, wood, plastic, hard rubber, metal, risin, and ivory, though most proffesional clarinet players have their clarinets made of African hardwood. The Clarinet also has a very deep sound, and has the greatest range of any common woodwind.
3: The trumpet, unlike the clarinet or Saxophone, is a member of the Brass family. A musician who plays the trumpet is called a trumpeter. The trumpet is constructed of brass tubing bent into a rough spiral. The trumpet has a very rich, bright sound. It has three "buttons" which in a variation can produce different notes. The oldest trumpet dates back to 1500 BC and earlier. Therefore, unlike the saxophone, is not such a recent discovery.
4: The trombone is a member of the Brass family. Sound is produced by the players buzzing lips, which makes the air column inside the instrument to vibrate. The word trombone derives from the Italian word tromba (trumpet) and one (a suffix meaning large), so trombone is literally means, a "large trumpet".
5: The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with felt hammers. The hammers immediately rebound allowing the strings to continue vibrating at their resonant frequency. These vibrations are transmitted through a bridge to a soundboard that amplifies them. The piano is plaid mainly for solo-preformance in Western music.


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Add a splash of colour to your Nordic room with these amazing Knitted Poufs. All textiles, blankets, rugs, pillows, towels, are designed to add more colour to neutral in Scandinavian interior design and rescue from depression.
Omslagdoek, link naar gratis patroon. 5 bollen van 0,99 van Zeeman.
Crochet Pillow Cover
Crochet pillow shams. Cable stitch to right of buttons, and plain stitch to left. (Contrasting Colors?) Make one decorative pillow to go in front of pillows.


text:
Amazing. Astonishing. Phenomenal. Those guys have made it to the top of El Capitan, the smooth, sheer rockface that no-one - no-one - goes to Yosemite without taking a photo of. And they were using nothing but fingers and toes! One of them with only nine fingers! That's 19 days spent hanging from ropes, inching (if you'll pardon the mixed measurements) 914 metres up a part of the cliff that to all of us normal people appears to have only hairline cracks. And getting bigger all the time was that dizzying sheer drop right down to the bottom where people have been stopping on the road and standing in the grassy meadow there, peering up at them and, sooner or later, walking away rubbing their necks having found it just too tiring and uncomfortable looking up that high.
It's the only complaint they could make, comfort-wise. Yosemite is a very user-friendly national park: all of its best-known features are easily accessible from roads, with its little town, very close to El Capitan, well-supplied with coffee, doughnuts, souvenirs, art galleries, hotels and bars and all the other tourist necessities. Which is not to say that it's a blot. It's a pretty place, and though it's busy, being such a well-known destination, it's not spoiled. When I was there, there were bears within view of the town - distant, admittedly, and not close enough for me to count as a sighting, but still clearly a mother and cub. I went looking for something more definite, and had a quietly exciting encounter in the woods with one very hairy and rather wild-eyed bear which appeared on the path behind me while I was concentrating on another one a few metres away fully focused on hoovering up acorns to get fat for winter. Don't worry - look, I'm still here!
The other well-known feature of Yosemite is the Half Dome, another bare granite feature which is exactly that - a round-topped mountain that's only half there. It's pretty impressive - and pretty, too, especially when the rock is given a rosy tint by the sunlight filtering through forest fire haze in the air. I especially liked how gnarled the Jeffrey pines are, fighting for survival on the bare surface, exposed to the worst that both winter and summer can throw at them, roots clinging valiantly to the rock. Much as Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson did, on their epic climb. Well done, them.

domain: geography


text:
Beat it: Innovative, new design could revive heart function, increasing cardio health
A tiny metal spring that is implanted into the heart could revolutionise treatment of heart failure, a condition that affects almost a million people.
The device pushes against the walls of the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, to help it expand and fill with blood.
When the chamber is full and the heart contracts, these springs give way, allowing the left ventricle to fully contract and force out as much oxygen-rich blood as possible to the circulation, so organs, muscles and tissues continue to get a healthy supply.
The device is being tested in a ten-patient trial in Israel.
Every year, about 270,000 people in Britain have a heart attack. Damaged by the lack of oxygen, the heart can undergo what cardiologists call adverse remodelling, where damaged muscle begins to change shape. Within days, areas of firm heart muscle can become soft and thin, dramatically reducing the heart’s performance.
In many cases, this leads to heart failure, where weakened heart muscle is unable to deliver sufficient oxygen to tissues.
In some patients, the heart stops contracting as it should; in others, the heart doesn’t relax enough, so the left ventricle doesn’t expand and fill with blood.
The new implant is designed for the latter group of patients and helps the left ventricle expand as much as possible as it relaxes.
Heart failure causes symptoms such as severe tiredness, shortness of breath and chest pain. It can also be caused by high blood pressure or heart rhythm problems.
There are medicines that can control the symptoms. However, many people gradually deteriorate, and up to 40 per cent die within a year of diagnosis.
National health scare: Every year, 270,000 people in Britain have a sudden heart attack
The new implant, called CORolla, is placed inside the heart’s left ventricle under general anaesthetic. Doctors can insert it via two routes: either through an incision in the groin and through the blood vessels to reach the heart; or through the chest wall.
The device is pushed through on the end of a tube, called a catheter, and fed into the left ventricle. Once in situ, the implant opens and the three wire prongs, connected to each other with tiny wire springs, open up and attach to the bottom corner of the left ventricle. The implant pushes hard up against the walls of the chamber to help it open wider and fill with more blood.
When the heart contracts, the springs — a bit like those you would find on a clothes peg — allow the three prongs to collapse, or give way, so the left ventricle can fully contract. The springs then instantly return the prongs back to their original position, forcing the walls of the ventricle to fully expand again.
The trial at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, will assess the spring implant’s effectiveness in improving cardiac function and easing heart failure symptoms. Patients will be monitored for two years. The first results are due next year but it is hoped that the relatively simple technology could help thousands in the years to come.
Commenting on the implant, Martin Cowie, a professor of cardiology at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, said: ‘This idea seems interesting and makes sense from the scientific point of view. But it is at a very early development stage.’
Julian Halcox, a professor of cardiology at Swansea University, added: ‘In principle, this strategy looks very promising, but we need to see what the real benefit is in terms of symptoms.’
MEANWHILE, Canadian researchers have found a human protein can help heart muscle grow normally after heart failure.
The team from Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa injected a protein called cardiotrophin 1, which is also found in human muscle, into mice and rats with heart failure for two weeks.
Heart scans showed it made the heart grow bigger and healthier, in a similar way to changes induced by exercise, they report in the journal Cell Research. It could lead to a new drug for heart failure and researchers hope to test it in humans within three years.

domain: news


LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 2 TD5 WIRING DIAGRAM
Land Rover - Car Manual PDF & Wiring Diagram
Land Rover Car Manuals PDF & Wiring Diagrams above the page. That's why, when the creators of the car, the Wilkes brothers developed the first Land Rover in 1948, they made it as strong as an ox. World famous car was not the product of a long process of production of new ideas, but rather a response to a question like "why not."
Use the electrical library with the wiring diagram
Dec 25, 2014Use the electrical library with the wiring diagram - Understanding Land Rover wiring diagrams Trailerfitter's Toolbox Videos. Land Rover Discovery Series II Ignition Cables Tip -
Land Rover manual and part catalogue Defender, Discovery
Land Rover Manuals and other useful pdf files. In this section you can download Land Rover workshop manuals, part catalogues and other useful pdf document like product specifications, instructions, repair jobs, engine & fuel pump tuning etc. all in easy downloadable pdf format.


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“Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.”
What's the "Degree of Difficulty" for that dive?
The famed Single Lindy.
That looks like a metaphor for banged up shins.
I used to do that on purpose in the pools around here - would approach the end of the board, do my hurdle and then land with one foot off the edge of the board which would catapult me off the side. I'd land awkwardly and lay in the water for a while as motionless as I could - always good for seeing if the lifeguards were paying attention or not. :-)
That smarts even to watch!

domain: hobby


Main / Casino / I feel like dying chopped and screwed
I feel like dying chopped and screwed
Lil Wayne I Feel LIke Dying Chopped and Screwed My music myspace is http:// epargne-banque.com Mix - Lil Wayne- I feel like dying Chopped and ScrewedYouTube · Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne - No Frauds - Duration: Nicki Minaj. Lil Wayne's "I Feel Like Dying" screwed, a lil chopped, bass boosted. I do not own the rights to this song.
Stream Lil Wayne - I Feel Like Dying Chopped And Screwed by Sirslumpington from desktop or your mobile device. From DJ Michael "" Watts' latest Swishahouse mix, Somethin To Smoke 2, this is your brain on drugs. Mingle with the stars, throw a party. A game-changing artist and celebrity, Lil Wayne began his career as a near- novelty -- a preteen delivering hardcore hip-hop -- but through.
I Feel Like Dying (Screwed and Chopped Mix). DJ DrobitussinLil Wayne. Play on TIDAL. or open in our Desktop app. Share. Myspace Search. Discover. Featured · Music · Videos · People. Sign up. Sign in. Help Site Info Privacy Terms · Ad Opt-Out A part of the People / Entertainment. I Feel Like Dying - Screwed and Chopped Mix. By DJ Drobitussin, Lil Wayne. • 1 song, Play on Spotify. 1. I Feel Like Dying - Screwed and Chopped .
В© 2018 epargne-banque.com


2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Q&A
2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Question: my oil gauge is on the high side.
High oil pressure is better than reading low which could indicate engine damage. There is a possibility that the oil pressure sender unit is damaged or the wire to the sender unit has been "grounded" causing the gauge to read high. Best to gert it checked out by replacing the sender unit on the block and or screwing in a mechanical oil pressure gauge to verify oil pressure. - patrick mannion


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In our family, this special recipe is often served for our Christmas Day brunch. I was always looking for something unique to serve, and this rich, colorful dish certainly fills the bill. It tastes so good!
"Wow!" is the reaction from family and guests when they see and taste this lovely three-layer cake from Nancy Reichert. "White chocolate, coconut and pecans make the cake so delicious," notes the Thomasville, Georgia cook.
Perfect for the ballpark, these beefy rolls from the National Live Stock and Meat Board will label you a "good sport" whenever you serve them. Zesty cream cheese-horseradish filling cheers on the flavorful roast beef.
This is comforting chicken dish that features a medley of flavorful cheeses. Some days I make it in the morning so I can just pop it in the oven for dinner of have my husband start it baking if I'm not home.
—Vicki Raatz, Waterloo, Wisconsin
I changed a recipe I found and ended up with this rich, fresh-tasting dessert. Decorated to resemble a flag, it's perfect for the Fourth of July or any other patriotic occasion. —Sue Gronholz, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
This hearty cheese ball is as wonderful to eat as it is beautiful to serve. A delicious combination of cheeses makes it a real crowd-pleaser, and it's so quick and easy to make—perfect for open houses and wedding receptions.
—Anna Mayer, Fort Branch, Indiana


CAN-SPAM Act continues to come up short in efforts to curb unsolicited email
Despite the upcoming three-year anniversary of the federal CAN-SPAM act, Barracuda Networks reports that spam is showing no signs of slowing down.
The CAN-SPAM act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act), which was signed into law on Dec. 16, 2003, set up requirements for sending commercial email as well as determined penalties for spammers and companies whose products are advertised in spam if they violate the law. The act also gave consumers the right to ask emailers to stop spamming them. In the three years since the law went into effect, Barracuda Networks has found that spam has nearly tripled in volume and that the types of spam have also significantly increased.
“Total spam volume is very high, independent of any legislation, to the point where it now represents between 85 and 90 percent of all email on the Internet,” said Stephen Pao, vice president of product management for Barracuda Networks. “Even with the ongoing increases in “good’ email, we continue to see spam growth outpacing it.”
Just last month, Barracuda Networks reported a more than 67 percent increase in overall spam volume and a 500 percent increase in image spam since August. This increase is attributed to a number of trends, including the number of penny stock promotions and image-based spam, as well as an increase in shopping-related spam tailored around the holiday season, that Barracuda Central, an advanced technology operations center, has seen hitting the millions of inboxes of its more than 35,000 customers worldwide. This is a marked increase in the amount of spam hitting the Internet when compared with the volume three years ago when the CAN-SPAM act went into effect. At that time, industry estimates put total spam volume between 30 and 35 percent.


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A Place Under the Sun
In March to Athens on 27 January 2012 at 16:53
Day 81-VII, from Sezze to Pontinia, 14 km.
Pontinia, January 27
We have finally descended into the former Pontine swamps, and after a short stroll through the polder we arrived in the new town of Pontinia.
It’s interesting. For me it’s like walking through Pompeii. The fascist era has lasted little over twenty years and it has left various architectonical testimonies. The most famous are probably the railway station Santa Maria Novella in Florence, the Sapienza university in Rome, and most of all the E.U.R. quarter of the capital, built for the world exposition of 1942 which was supposed to celebrate 20 years of fascism, but which was never held because of the war. Many architectural remains are big neo-roman marbles, square and ugly. But here in Pontinia there is something more. This place gives you an idea of fascist city planning.
The town was founded in 1935, the third of the new towns in this area. Obviously it’s inspired by the straight city grids of the ancient Roman towns, but it has its own peculiarities.
There are two main roads. The North-South axis is the ‘civil’ road, dominated by the town hall on the south side. The East-West axis is the ‘religious’ road, dominated by the church on the west side. The two don’t cross in the middle. They cross on the central square in front of the town hall, and their angulations are exact. When I arrived today at noon, the sun was directly behind the tower of the town hall.
The marble sign on the façade is still the original one. It proudly tells how this town was founded when the country was under ‘economical siege’ by the rest of the world, which ‘owed so much to Italy’ in terms of civilization.
In 1935 Italy had invaded the ancient christian empire of Abessinia, modern day Ethiopia, one of only two independent nations in Africa. The fascists wanted their ‘rightful place under the sun’. So they came to bring ‘civilization to the negroes’, and they did so with bombers and poison gas. The League of Nations, whose member states had colonised almost the entire remainder of the continent at the time, hypocritically imposed economical sanctions on Italy. It was oil on the fire of Italian nationalism. Mussolini’s economical philosophy was based on national self sufficiency, and the economic sanctions would prove that Italy could do without the rest of the world.
In retrospect, it was the high point of Italian fascism. When Ethiopia was conquered the Italian king was proclaimed emperor of Abessinia, and Mussolini’s voice over the radio could proudly declare that the empire was restored an that Italians “from the Alps to the Indian Ocean” were united by a single battle cry. “Duce!”
After that, Mussolini came under increasing influence of Hitler, and in 1938 the axis Rome-Berlin was formed. When war broke out, fascism fell apart like a house of straw. The Italian war effort was a joke. Mussolini’s legions were beaten on all fronts, even by the Greeks.
What’s left are towns like this, where some of the very old people on the square still remember those days with a melancholic smile. But in the Italian psyche fascism is still alive. Not as a kind of hereditary sin, like nazism in Germany. It’s alive in the sense that many people still believe in it, and many more people still fear it and feel the need to fight it.
It’s crazy. Fascism, just like communism, was a product of its time. Now it’s dead and buried. It will never come back. But because people are still obsessed by it, they don’t see that there are different, but equally dangerous ideologies which have taken its place, and which need to be resisted, right here, right now. In particular berlusconism, the mixture of populism, disrespect for the rule of law, and the celebration of cultural trash, which has slowly poisoned Italian society for twenty years running.
Fascism ended with a country in ruins. Berlusconism on the other end didn’t end when Berlusconi (temporarily) stepped down. It has become part of Italian daily life, but as long as Italians are more concerned with the phantoms of their past, they won’t be able to address the phantoms of their present.