Adorning yourself with kimono costumes, capes from sci-fi movies, and recognizable Nazi propaganda is certainly one way to distinguish a stage presence. Though The Red Paintings are active participants in such methods, they hardly have a need for such superficial props. Their powerful sound does them more than enough justice. After waddling around for several years in trying to get the word out on their unique band, a break finally came last year for The Red Paintings when the punk-cabaret duo, The Dresden Dolls, became so impressed with the five-piece’s initial output that they offered them a spot on their prestigious tour. That was merely the beginning for The Red Paintings, as they went on to play with the likes of Mogwai, record three EPs, and are now set to release their debut album, The Revolution Is Never Coming, later this year. It would be quite appropriate to say that The Dresden Dolls gig was inspiring in more ways than one.
Their name derives from the band’s odd obsession with painters. Considering they seem to have an odd infatuation with geisha and Nazis, it almost seems conventional in The Red Painters’ perspective. According to the band, in their willingness to hand out painting supplies during shows, they have witnessed some awe-inspiring paintings by “the most gorgeous souls” at their shows, giving perhaps some idea of The Red Paintings’ vivid portrayal of songwriting. The Red Paintings’ unique ability to express their presence hardly stops there. When they were promoting one of their EPs, Destroy The Robots, the band marched around each city they toured with self-built robots. When the next tour came around and The Red Paintings painted crosses and crucifixes on the same robots, I could imagine that the local pastors for the touring towns were not nearly as thrilled as the masses of fans were. Though they look like some deranged cast members from a Tim Burton movie, The Red Paintings’ musical prowess is definable by one of the only aspects in life that The Red Paintings seem to not visibly mock on: the power of art.
The Red Paintings’ third and most recent EP, Feed The Wolf, is also undoubtedly the most accomplished. The self-titled track signifies what The Red Paintings are all about. Like a Frans Hals painting, the result is epic and highly interpretable, revealing human emotions to the most authentic of perceptions contained in turbulent themes of religion, morality, and romanticism. However, instead of masterfully depicting realistic facial expressions like the brilliant Hals, the five-piece from Australia accomplishes such measures through sweeping instrumentation and trembling lyrical foreplay. Apart from the repetitious patterns of guitar and rhythmic progressions, the most flagrant display of innovation is found in the strings layered . Prominent and lively, they cry out in anguish and pain, similar to the lyrical torment presented when the vocals actually kick in at nearly the two-minute mark. Though the vocals are lower in pitch and more lacking in variation, there remains a comparable distinction to Placebo’s Brian Molko. Perhaps it is the instrumentation that is the most similar, but The Red Paintings offer the same theatrical delivery that causes even the most ample moments to seem like the eye of a gripping storm. Though the radio edit for “Feed The Wolf” is the most well-known, I have served up the full, unedited platter below.
Just like the greatest moments of early Interpol, The Red Paintings could have fared exceedingly well in being solely an instrumental band. Their post-rock influences are highly recognizable, often shrouded in moments of intense instrumentaton surrounding boisterous guitars and melancholic strings. The oddly touching “Mercy Seat” details the commonplace fear of death, being one of the most accurate depictions of a song that uses a build-up approach to express the most vulnerable of emotional boundaries. Beginning as nothing more than a simply executed piano track with the aid of powerfully emotive vocals, it slowly but steadily transforms into an impetuous ballad accompanied by strings, guitars, and percussion. “The mercy seat is waiting and I think my head is burning,” an impassioned voice sings, occasionally debating the validity of Christianity before he finally concludes wholeheartedly, “and I’m not afraid to die.” The enjoyable “Sing” builds its strength up in a similar pattern, this time initially starting out with an acoustic guitar. The continuous doubt of authentic empathy is also a repeating factor, resonated effectively through vocals that are impressively soaring. Though The Red Paintings may appear to be too controversial for significant commercial growth, their songs remain gripping, thought-provoking, and genuinely fascinating.


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We have confirmed that 16 air ambulance helicopters, operated by Bond Air Services, are covered by the suspension.
The 16 air ambulances operate in the following areas:
- Dorset and Somerset
- East Anglia
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight
- The Midlands
- The North West (three helicopters suspended)
- Scotland (two helicopters)
- Thames Valley and the Chilterns
- Wales (three helicopters)
Cornwall has an EC135 helicopter, but it is being serviced and a replacement is in operation. Devon has an EC135 but it is not operated by Bond Air Services, so it is still flying.
More top news
Police are responding to an incident at Manchester Arena and have said to avoid the area.
ITV News travels to Britain's eastern-most city to gauge how the electorate will be casting its votes.
Carefully choreographed campaigns can become unstuck because voters have the power to peel back a politician's veneer.

domain: geography


text:
Winter is just around the corner, so I thought it might be a good time to talk about the bones of your landscape. It is easy to add a new pot of annual color or colorful shrub border, but sometimes you need to look beyond to make your garden come to life.
- Look UP. Look for trees that need to be removed or limbed up to provide a better view of your home or let more sunlight in. As trees mature (and decline) they can shade shrubs underneath and make them appear scraggly or thin. Always look for a reputable tree removal contractor who is insured when working near your home.
- Mailbox that Delivers. An interesting mailbox box bed full of Iris, Boxwoods, and maybe a clematis vine can ad instant curb appeal! Consider upgrading your mailbox too. There are so many interesting options from Copper, Traditional, and mid century modern, etc. Look to your home’s dominate style to lead you to the best choice
- Front Door Redo. Everyone wants a front door that pops! Matching planters are a great way to accent everything, but consider a new front door. Changing from a solid 6 panel door to a door with glass can change the whole feel of your space...or maybe just a fresh coat of paint is the answer. From Black to a vibrant Green can liven up an entry!
- SEE the difference! Low-Voltage or Solar Landscape Lighting is an easy way to change the look and feel of your home at night! It can make dark areas more safe and inviting for entertaining. Also consider new accent lighting on your home. Lights that are the wrong size or style can make your home look dated. Also, notice the light color—always opt for warm shades of light over blues.
As always, we can help you LIVen up your space!!

domain: design


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Artists Who Hold Space for You: Last Chance to View Sublime Exhibition “Part to Whole”
“I created spaces high up in trees to take refuge in . . .” Elizabeth Weber, artist
When you sit down to talk with artist Elizabeth Weber, the first thing you feel is a powerful sense of space opening around you, like a nest. Inside the nest, Elizabeth is present with you, simply present, in a place of stillness, calm, and maybe even transformation. There is no goal to be met, no agenda to follow. Just a space opening between two people that is a refuge from the rush of the world outside.
Nests are the center of Weber’s work in “Part to Whole: The Making of Art, the Artist, and the Artist Group,” a six-artist exhibition that has spent several months in the Galleries at Library Square and is closing after this Saturday, June 29. Like the work of the other five artists in the show (Mia Hall, Robyn Horn, Dolores Justus, Barbara Satterfield, Sandra Sell), Weber’s work is movingly drawn from nature. A walk through this gallery is like a childhood walk through the woods—at every turn, a novel and curious beauty is waiting.
A walk through this gallery is like a childhood walk through the woods . . .
Weber’s nests catch at the heart, enough to arrest you in mid-stride. Their blend of fragility, tenderness, and danger creates a tension also found in nature by the Romantic poets. They called that intense blend of qualities “the sublime,” by which they meant a work of nature or natural art so simultaneously beautiful and strange that it casts you out of rational, everyday thought and into an experience you can’t measure or put into words.
One of Weber’s nests, a white, paper-thin sphere made of leaf skeletons, is perched on a bed of thorns so long, black and sharp that they threaten to pierce you just for looking. But on the thorns, the nest-refuge floats, like a held breath, carrying a peace so light and strong it can’t be penetrated. This is the sublime.
Weber and the other artists of “Part to Whole” have opened this space for you.
If you ever loved the secret paths of the woods or fields, you need to see this exhibition before it closes on Saturday. These works will go with you after you leave. Because when you look as deeply and unflinchingly into Nature as these artists have—bright and dark, life and death—what you find is your own truth. And that is something you do not want to miss.
“Part to Whole: The Making of Art, the Artist, and the Artist Group” is showing at the Galleries at Library Square through Saturday, June 29. Admission is free. Visit us in downtown Little Rock, where Library Square serves as the headquarters of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) and includes Main Library, the CALS Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art, the CALS Ron Robinson Theater, and the Bookstore at Library Square.

domain: library


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Traditional herbal medicine therapy of gallbladder ascariasis: a case report
Journal of Medical Case Reports volume 15, Article number: 26 (2021)
Ascariasis is one of the common intestinal infections in developing countries, including China. Migration of Ascaris lumbricoides into the gallbladder is rare, unlike ascariasis of the bile duct and when it does occur, treatment is generally by endoscopic or surgical extraction.
A 4-year-old Uyghur boy with a history of ascariasis developed intermittent upper abdominal pain for 7 days, was being treated by a local practitioner, and when the pain worsened with yellow sclera for 3 days, he was admitted to our hospital. On physical examination, found out the patient with yellowish skin tone, pale yellow fur on tongue, mild yellow staining of the sclera and tenderness in epigastrium. Laboratory data plus liver function test showed damage of liver function. Abdominal Ultrasonography (USG) and Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) showed a long, linear, echogenic structure in the gallbladder neck near to the common bile duct. Once the ascariasis diagnosis was established, he was given conservative treatment of magnesium sulfate with herbal medicine. In 4 days, the patient discharged Ascaris through the stool.
Conservative treatment of magnesium sulfate with Uyghur medicine treatment according to syndrome differentiation is proven to have curative effect.
Ascaris lumbricoides, Helminths or roundworm, is considered as the most common parasitic infection worldwide. The adult form of Helminths usually resides in the human intestinal lumen (most frequently in the jejunum and middle ileum) and does not cause symptoms [1, 2]. Migration of the worm into the biliary tree is not uncommon and is considered to be a frequent complication of intestinal ascariasis [3, 4]. Gallbladder involvement is very rare, it leads to 2.1% of all biliary tract ascariasis cases [1, 4]. Ultrasonography (USG) is the most commonly used diagnostic modality for this pathology [5, 6]. Computed tomography (CT) magnetic, resonance imaging (MRI) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are also useful . Most of the patients were treated through endoscopy or surgery [8,9,10]. There are a few reports of conservative medical treatment [11,12,13,14,15]. In this article, we present the radiologic findings, clinical manifestations and successful herbal medicine treatment of a patient with gallbladder ascariasis (GA).
A 4-year-old Uyghur boy suffered from intermittent pain in upper abdomen for 7 days, treated by a local practitioner with anthelmintic drugs; however, the pain worsened with yellow sclera for 3 days, then he was admitted to our hospital on October 3, 2016. The boy had a history of roundworm disease nearly a year ago and recovered after a combination treatment with pumpkin seeds and anti-ascaris drugs. On physical examination, we found him moderate nutrition, moderate subcutaneous lipid barrier, medium body size, yellowish skin tone, slightly lower skin temperature, slightly dry skin, red tongue with pale yellow fur, mild yellow staining of the sclera, no yellow staining of the skin and mucous membranes. Furthermore, tenderness was found in epigastrium, the rest of abdomen was soft and non-tender. Bowel sound was normal, no lump palpable. Laboratory data showed (Oct 3, 16.): eosinophils 0.02 × 109; stoll ova and parasite (O&P) test was negative; total bilirubin (TBIL): 128.57 umol/l, direct bilirubin (DBIL): 116.38 umol/l, Alanine aminotransferase (ALT): 2122 u/l, Aspartate aminotrans-ferase (AST): 389 u/l, Gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT): 209 u/l, Serum total bile acid (TBA): 214 u/l, Cholinesterase (CHE): 5057 u/l, Adenosine deaminase (ADA): 26.30 u/l, respectively. Abdominal USG showed a long, linear, moving echogenic structure in the gallbladder, but no abnormal dilation of the bile duct (Fig. 1a). Abdominal magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) showed liver volume was normal, no obvious abnormal signals was seen in the liver parenchyma, the intrahepatic bile duct and common bile duct were unclear, the gallbladder volume was enlarged, the wall was rough, with curved (linear) long signals more obvious than USG image(Fig. 1c, d). After the diagnosis was established, our patient was given conservative treatment of magnesium sulfate 30 ml/qd with TUM Sirkenjibin buzuri(SB) 10 ml/tid (Sirikanjiben buzure heji, Sirkenjibin buzuri mixture, Xinjiang Drug Approval No. M20041575), Dinar sherbiti(DS) 50ml/tid (Xiaoyan dinaer tangjiang, Dinar syrup, Xinjiang Uygur Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Z65020183), Kasin Jewhiri(KJ) 6 g/tid (Qingre kasen keli, Kasen granules, Xinjiang Uyghur Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Z65020172). In 4 days, the patient discharged roundworms through the stool. After 5 days, repeated USG showed disappearance of Ascaris from the gall bladder and common bile duct (Fig. 1b).
The follow up monitoring of the patient was carried out. On 04 October, 2016, test repeated report see Table 1. Other test results were urine specific gravity 1020, pH 6.5, protein nil, blood nil, pus cells nil, cast nil, crystals nil, bacteria nil, patient was evaluated clinically and BP was 90/60 mm Hg, no lumber pain, no edema, urine output was normal all other complains were also normal. Whereas on 7 October and 16 October 2016, 20 April 2017, test repeated report also see Table 1. Other test results were urine specific gravity 1.015, pH 6.0, albumin negative, blood nil, red blood cell (RBC), casts, crystals were nil, bacteria (−) reported. Laboratory test values are summarized in Table 1.
Unlike bile duct ascariasis, Ascaris rarely enters the gallbladder, once ascariasis occurs; it is usually treated by endoscopy or surgical removal. We describe a case of successful conservative treatment of GA in a 4-year-old boy. The treatment method of Uyghur herbal preparations based on syndrome differentiation has practicality and curative effect, which suggests that it may treated GA with liver protection, choleretic, anti-inflammatory and open obstructive effects. Early combination therapy can help optimize management and avoid preventable complications of GA.
Ascaris lumbricoides, an intestinal roundworm, is one of the most common helminthic human infections worldwide; it infects more than 1 billion people worldwide. Infections are mostly asymptomatic, adult Ascaris worms can survive in the human intestines for over 1–2 years [16,17,18]. The most common presentation is small bowel obstruction due to the mass of worms which obstructs the lumen of the intestine [16,17,18]. The most common settlement of the worm is in the jejunum middle of small intestine . Due to the narrow and tortuous structure of the biliary tract, it is rare for the Helminth to invade into the gallbladder, constituting 2.1% of hepatobiliary ascariasis . GA may result in severe complications such as ascending cholangitis, acute acalculous cholecystitis, obstructive jaundice, empyema, pericholecystic abscess, pancreatitis, liver abscesses and septicemia [19,20,21]. The worm can enter the biliary tree from the duodenum and causes variable symptoms such as biliary colic and obstructive jaundice [1, 2].
USG is an important non-invasive diagnostic procedure in the evaluation of the patients who usually present with a clinical picture suggesting gallstone disease [5, 6, 22]. USG appearance of biliary ascariasis is well documented. The worm is usually seen as a long, linear or curved, no shadowing echogenic strip, containing a central, longitudinal anechoic tube, probably representing the digestive tract [5,6,7,8]. Movement of worms in the biliary tree is characteristic and is confirmatory evidence in USG diagnosis [5, 6, 22]. Javid et al. reported  that 47 of 56 patients with GA were diagnosed by USG and 9 were unable to be diagnosed by USG. After surgery, GA was confirmed, all of which were dead roundworms. USG readily show the movement of the worm in the biliary tree and this is an advantage of USG over CT and MRI [5,6,7], which is supported by Cha et al. .
Therefore, patients are usually treated by endoscopy or surgery. In this patient, epigastric and right upper quadrant pain with yellow sclera was the main symptom, which is considered to be due to the acute cholecystitis. Contrary to our expectations, there was moderate biliary tree dilatation in this case. The patient had a history of Ascaris in the past year, and his parents reported that he had been cured by pumpkin seeds combined with anti-Ascaris drugs. This time, there were intermittent right upper abdominal pain, jaundice, liver function decline and other clinical manifestations. USG indicates that there was linear substance without curling movement in gallbladder. MRCP reported that there was linear substance in the gallbladder. Combined with the history, it was diagnosed as GA.
Eosinophils slightly increased, O&P experiment was negative, and Ascaris had no movement during the USG examination. GA responds poorly to medical treatment because less than 1% of the antihelminthic drugs are excreted in bile. After the worms migrate out of the biliary tree into the duodenum, the antihelminthic drugs can act upon them [2, 4]. Considering the dead Ascaris, we chose conservative treatment. In this case, we administered combined therapy magnesium sulfate with SB, DS, and KJ [23,24,25,26,27,28,29]. Ingredients, treatment effects, uses, preparations of these herbals are summarized in Table 2. The purpose of the combined treatment is to protect the liver, promote the contraction of the gallbladder, change the suitable environment for Ascaris survival, and eliminate it [23,24,25,26]. Inoue et al., found that after oral administration, magnesium sulfate can reflexively cause the relaxation of the sphincter muscles of the common bile duct and the contraction of the gallbladder, promote the emptying of the gallbladder and produce a cholagogic effect, which is conducive to the expulsion of Ascaris from the bile duct . After 4 days combined treatment, and we found dead Ascaris bodies excreted from stool. We reviewed by USG the roundworm was found to disappear from the gallbladder (Fig. 1b).
In this case, we continued combined therapy for 10 days. Magnesium sulfate didn't cause diarrhea, dehydration and other adverse reactions. No adverse reactions were found with treatment of SB, DS and KJ. It leads us thought that magnesium sulfate combined with SB, DS and KJ may eliminate Ascaris through contraction of gallbladder, cholagogue blockage [23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30]. Also recover the liver function by anti-inflammation, cholagogue, diuresis and relieving pain effects [23,24,25,26,27,28,29].
Magnesium sulfate combined Uyghur herbal preparations have resolved GA within 4 days, as analyzed by USG, serum and urine tests. Further follow up for another 10 days showed sustained improvement. The early combined treatment can help to optimize management and avoid the preventable complications of GA. Based on syndrome differentiation, the herbal medicine treatment has applicability and curative effect; which indicate liver-protecting, choleretic, anti-inflammatory and open obstruction effect.
In sum up, the results of the study show that there may an effect of above medicine in the treatment of GA. Magnesium sulfate combined Uyghur herbal preparations can improve clinical curative effect of GA, which provides a new way of thinking to clarify herbal preparation’s molecular mechanism and potential curative target not only for the treatment of GA, but also for biliary ascariasis.
Availability of data and materials
All data used during the present study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Traditional Uyghur medicine
- O&P test:
Stool ova and parasites test
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
Serum total bile acid
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We are very appreciating those valuable discussions for Dr. Ablajan Hemdul, Dr. Elijan Osman and Dr. Abdurehim Abdukerim; and very grateful to Mr. Abbas Eset of Urumqi Pioneers Education English School for correcting our grammatical mistakes.
This work was not supported by any grants.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
This case report was ethically approved and consented by the Ethics Committee of Hospital of Xinjiang Traditional Uyghur Medicine.
Consent for publication
Written informed consent was obtained from the patient’s parents for the publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
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Cite this article
Israyil, Z., Gul, A., Memtily, N. et al. Traditional herbal medicine therapy of gallbladder ascariasis: a case report. J Med Case Reports 15, 26 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-020-02571-x
- Gallbladder ascariasis
- Sirkenjibin buzuri
- Dinar sherbiti
- Kasin jewhiri
- Magnesium sulphate

domain: health


text:
Interview with Mark Metternich on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen
Episode 015 with Florida-based landscape photographer, Mark Metternich. Mark is an incredibly accomplished photographer, known for his work in the Pacific Northwest and American Southwest. Mark has spent most of his time living mobile on the road. Mark's great passion for fine art landscape comes through in his work and has attracted a wide audience around the world, has been widely published and has won various awards. Mark has spent as much as 300 days a year leading a unique brand of adventure photo tours across the western US and abroad. Mark also produces many post processing training videos, teaches post processing (via Skype online screen sharing) is a freelance contributor to a number of photography publications, does post processing / print work for a wide variety of fine art clients as well as does public speaking / teaching.
In our conversation we covered some really thought provoking topics, including the importance of human connection, his philosophy to leading workshops, and the craft of print making.
I think you'll enjoy this one. As usual, please find some links to various topics we covered below:
Mark's work can be found on:
Lastly, please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! Let’s keep the conversations going!
Keywords: f-stop collaborate and listen, interview, landscape, mark metternich, photography, podcast
Recent PostsDiscovering the beauty of Iceland and falling in love - the best Iceland photos from a 10 day trip Sarah Marino and Ron Coscorrosa on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Live Podcast Episode with Erik Stensland on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Photographing the Moon with Jennifer Khordi on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Conversation with Adam Gibbs on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Storytelling with Miles Morgan on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Landscape Photography websites with Aaron Meyers on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Conversation with Barry Sweet of the National Park Service on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Conversation with Adam Woodworth on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Conversation with Mark Handy on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen

domain: artistic


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February Theme: Guardians
Grab your stuff because today, we’re going on a roadtrip with Egwene and the gang! We’re so excited to share that THE WHEEL OF TIME is the fandom for our January Polaroid and it was illustrated by @elionhardt! We fell in love with this hilarious polaroid and we can’t wait for you to add them to your collection!
February crates will be on sale tomorrow, so it’s time to reveal our upcoming shirt theme! This book left us spellbound and we can’t wait for its sequel that’s going to be released next year! Can you guess the fandom by adding the missing letters? Here are some clues:
🔮 A Trans Witch who needs to save a fae kingdom
❤🔥 Slow burn romance
✨ Romantic Found Family Plot
We're so excited to announce that we will be including a piece by @darrylpyon in our February “Guardians” Crate! You might remember him as the artist of our exclusive dust jacket for Dream Country in our April 2021 crate, and we really can't wait for you to lay your eyes upon his new masterpiece! 💖 (Artwork in graphic from artwork he did for our exclusive editions of Dream Country)

domain: entertainment


text:
The mid-term elections of 2006 are over, but the arguments continue. Democrats have gained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, for the first time since the early years of Bill Clinton’s first term as President. This condition quite naturally has convinced Democrats and Liberals that America now prefers their leadership to that of the Republicans and Conservatives. The Republicans and Conservatives contend that the election was the result of a combination of Democrat misportrayal of their policies and ideals, and public disgust of the Republican failure to deliver promised reforms. Each side claims that the other is doomed to irrelevancy and a loss of position in government. It now appears to me that such prophets are unaware of the demographics.
Demographics is one of those fancy words people use when they want to sound smart, and that includes me at times. Put plainly, the study of demographics is just studying who the people are and what they believe. Those beliefs are the ideals and values they hold, and those determine which party serves them best. Knowing the trends of demographic behavior helps show which party has the most potential “turf” for election contests, and suggests the strategies necessary to win control of the government.
Two notions which are over-used and subject to rational challenge, are the notion or denial of a “mandate”, and the belief that any one election makes a change which cannot be undone. The data from past elections shows that every election is a mandate of a sort, though never an absolute one, and that the public always reserves the right to change its mind. A big part of the problem is that more and more, the public perceives elected officials as alien to the public norm; candidates always appear to be people of relative wealth and influence, which is no surprise given what is needed to endure a campaign, but it also creates a separation from the public and their elected officials. While no one seriously wants a person of only average intelligence, ideals, and ability to be in charge, there is a great mistrust of a class of persons who appear to not have direct experience of real world conditions. People who never appear to deal with rush hour traffic, physical work and the sheer aggravation of government bureaucracy, are not seen as completely able to address the concerns and needs of ordinary people. This condition is well-known by politicians, which has primarily led to a flood of commercials every election showing the candidate as a regular guy – who just happens to be rich, in perfect physical shape and who thinks his management of the bureaucracy will solve many problems.
As a result of this mistrust, there is a limit to how many people will vote each election cycle. Only a part of the public is eligible to vote, and of those only some will register to vote. And only some of the pool of registered voters will vote in a given election. Many consultants are hired every election to find a way to get desired voters to the polls. Getting sixty percent of the popular vote is considered a landslide, which should tell you how difficult it is to win a majority at all. Generally, either a Republican or Democrat can expect to collect between 35 and 55 percent of a vote, depending on the nominal characteristics of the district or state in which they are running. This can be altered by either drawing in a higher portion of your own “base”, or by convincing your opponent’s base to stay home somewhat. Nick Lampson, for example, won the 22nd Congressional District race in a heavily Republican district, by motivating his base while the Democrats worked hard to dismay the Republicans from supporting the write-in candidate, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. The Democrats managed this election by not only motivating their base, but also by depressing Republican turnout.
Polls, as we know, can be misleading if the results are manipulated rather than viewed in context. Among the myths being presented this year are claims that Republicans voted for Democrats rather than staying home, or that Independents showed up in large numbers and swayed the elections. The best way, I think, to sort out such claims is to look not only at the claims, but the hard numbers.
Let’s start with an important number from 2004; more than 62 million American voters chose to re-elect President George W. Bush. That sets a standard; while midterm elections generally produce a much lower turnout than elections in Presidential election years, 2004 establishes an important benchmark. The Census Bureau noted that turnout in 2004 was the highest in U.S. elections since 1968, and a four-point jump in overall participation from 2000, which itself showed strong turnout on both sides.
Between 1978 and 2004, on average 62.9 percent of eligible citizens vote in Presidential election years, versus 48.5 percent in mid-term elections. For registered voters in that same time frame, 72.3 percent vote in Presidential election years and 67.6 percent vote in mid-term. So for starters, people who keep up their registration are more likely to vote than people who have to be motivated to renew their registration. It also suggests that about 48 million Republicans would reasonably expect to vote in the 2006 election under nominal conditions. George Mason’s numbers show national voter turnout at the 39% level, far below expectations and a salient factor in the possibility that a specific sector of the demographic could sway the election results on the national scale.
Using CNN’s exit poll results for the 2004 and 2006 House of Representative national voting sample, the demographic numbers did not change much at all. The 2004 balance of party identification seems to have been the key; Democrats kept their share of the vote at 38%, but Democrats who only voted for their party 90% of the time in 2004, did so 93% of the time in 2006. A small measure, but it could make the difference in tight races. Also worth noting was the decline in GOP voting. Republicans declined slightly, representing 38% of voters in 2004 but only 36% in 2006. Voting by Conservatives also dropped by two points, indicating that the stay-at-homes were conservative Republicans, which would explain why votes for Democrats by Republicans rose from 7% in 2004 to 8% in 2006. Again, each of these is a small matter, except that they add up. Self-described Moderates increased their share to 47% in 2006, up 2 points from the 45% they represented in 2004. Those moderates swung more to the Left, voting 56% for Democrats in 2004 but 60% in 2006.
The real key is to understand that the voter pool for 2006 was not static from 2004, but dropped significantly. CNN noted that 11% of voters in 2004 said they were voting for the first time, but they showed no results this time, which is consistent with a voter pool largely disillusioned and inclined to give this round a miss. For all effective counting, more than a third of 2004’s voters stayed home in 2006, from both parties and all ideologies. This election came down to three factors which played against the Republicans:
Most open seats were Republican, and the most incumbent seats at risk were Republican;
The Democrats were largely unified in purpose, while some leading Conservatives advocated abandoning Republican candidates; and
The Mainstream Media made a hard push against Republicans, as exemplified by highlighted focus on DeLay and Foley, who had each already resigned, while ignoring in-office criminals like William Jefferson and Harry Reid.
I would like to say that this was a one-time aberration, but instead it’s more of a wake-up call. Democrats proved they could win by uniting on a common theme, using the media to their advantage, and protecting fellow party members from loss. Fortunately for Republicans, the Democrats have shown no inclination to correct deep-seated errors in their strategy and focus, the nation is significantly more conservative than liberal, and Democrat blunders and quick moves to increase taxes and abandon duty in the Middle East are already making ripples in the national opinion; Pelosi burned the honeymoon early on, and the dealmakers have shown the Democrats for frauds, to talk about reform when in fact they intended only to improve their graft technique. The Republicans have lessons to learn, but presuming they do so now, the damage to be done by the Left may be, if not prevented, at least repaired somewhat later.

domain: news


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Oakland girl's family spending holiday at hospital
Family of Jahi McMath will wait until Thursday to discuss a possible appeal
The family of a 13-year-old Northern California girl declared brain dead after suffering complications following a tonsillectomy was trying to give the girl as normal of a Christmas as possible, with a tree and presents in her hospital room, her uncle said.
The family of Jahi McMath will wait until Thursday to discuss a possible appeal of a judge's decision allowing a hospital to remove her from life support, said Omari Sealey, the girl's uncle.
They planned to spend Christmas Day at Children's Hospital Oakland and had set up a Christmas tree in Jahi's room with presents for her and her siblings. The family normally gathers at Jahi's grandmother's house, where they share food and play dominos and cards, Sealey said.
"We're going to discuss our opportunities tomorrow. Today we are going to keep as regular as possible," Sealey said.
"We still got five days for a miracle. We are still hopeful."
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo ruled on Tuesday that the hospital could remove Jahi from the ventilator keeping her body functioning, but gave the family until 5 p.m. on Dec. 30 to file an appeal. Until then, she will stay on life support.
The family has not decided if it will keep fighting.
Jahi's family has said it believes Jahi is still alive, and that the hospital should not remove her from the ventilator without its permission. The teen suffered cardiac arrest after bleeding profusely following her operation this month.
The family has said that as long as the teen is breathing, there is hope of recovery.
Grillo based his decision on the conclusions of two doctors, court-appointed Dr. Paul Fisher of Stanford University and the hospital's Dr. Robin Shanahan.
Fisher examined the girl for several hours on Monday and reported to the judge Tuesday that the teen was brain dead, the same conclusion Shanahan reached.
Grillo said he had no other choice but to allow the hospital to remove the ventilator.
"I wish I could fix it, but I can't," he said.
The hospital had argued that the teen had no chance of recovery since all brain function had ceased.
"Our sincere hope is that the family finds peace and can come to grips with the judge's decision," hospital attorney Doug Strauss said outside court after Grillo's ruling.
The case is now out of Grillo's court and the decision will be up to the California Court of Appeal if the family decides to pursue its legal case to keep Jahi on the ventilator.


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The return of mod jazz
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With technological advancement, the healthcare industry has started providing data-oriented treatment. While the healthcare sector used to rely on descriptive analytics, now it is driven by predictive insights.
As the healthcare sector is emerging with lots of trendiest technologies, predictive analytics is yet to be explored by industry experts. However, it has many benefits when you incorporate advanced features into your services.
In addition, the mobile application is one of the most remarkable ways to connect with patients and provide high-end treatment. Besides, you can get more insight into the patient’s treatment using predictive analytics.
The healthcare app development company now provides futuristic features integrating predictive analytics to deliver better services. It allows medical experts and administrative staff to gather all information about the potential events. With this, they can be prepared for the upcoming hurdles and challenges during the operation or surgery.
Above all, as a healthcare industry expert, if you want to develop a healthcare app that can offer predictive analytics, contact a mobile app development company. Since it seems an important point to consider, implementing such features requires an expert’s involvement.
Apart from this, some information can help you understand how predictive analytics adds value to healthcare applications. Read thoroughly.
Top reasons how predictive analytics will help to get meaningful insights
Sometimes, a hospital or clinic may experience a staff shortage due to overload at the hospital. In such a case, predictive analytics can help effectively to forecast staffing challenges. In addition, there might be chances of burnout or excess work scheduled; using predictive analytics for healthcare app development, you can get over such issues.
It also helps medical professionals to monitor the factors to enhance their medical services. For instance, the professionals can identify the number of staff required, disease outbreaks, and seasonal patterns affecting health. While incorporating AI into healthcare apps, hiring becomes easy, and you can get reliable specialists.
Chronic Disease Management
Machine learning algorithms make remote patient monitoring possible without breaking a sweat. Moreover, medical experts can prevent and diagnose many chronic diseases with the help of technology. Also, it is helpful to avoid severe complications and flare-ups.
When doctors or medical professionals get data about patients, they can treat them in a better way and schedule an appointment with the patient accordingly.
A predictive analytic model makes it easy to analyze the patients’ biometric data, lab results, and lifestyle information. For instance, if a patient has smoking habits and alcohol consumption.
Predictive Care for At-Risk Patients
Apart from chronic diseases, there are many other fatal risks that patients may encounter; predictive analysis helps them to cure. Using technology in healthcare apps can be a lifesaving step for the elderly or patients discharged after surgery. It facilitates the ability to analyze biometric data, check-up updates, and family medical history and make timely diagnoses. Moreover, taking care of high-risk ailments becomes easy with such technology incorporated into the app.
Historical data analysis in the healthcare industry assists medical examiners in eliminating serious issues in older patients. Also, inspecting head injuries, hip fractures, or broken bones quickly fixes seams.
Predicting medical equipment maintenance needs
When it comes to medical treatment, medical equipment plays a crucial role in the diagnosis. And nothing is as important as maintaining the equipment for accurate results ensuring the needed high-quality care.
Any failure in the medical equipment may lead to injury or death. In addition, it can help to prevent anesthesia hazards, surgical fires, and other mishaps to tube misconnections and defibrillator failures.
However, with the help of predictive analytics, everything becomes easy to identify before the use of equipment. Thus always consider predictive analytics as an essential component of developing an app. Any healthcare app development company can provide such solutions without difficulty.
To cut a long story short, the medical arena can experience lots of critical data and make the process more efficient using predictive analytics. In addition, it boosts patient treatment quality and reduces hospital readmissions.
If you want to make your contribution to the industry and build an app that can make a difference but lacking in technical resources. Invest in healthcare app development. Hire a mobile app development company with an experienced and skilled team of developers who can help you achieve your targets. Thus, connect with an industry expert right now.

domain: medical


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Join us January 27th @ 7PM for our Watercolor Stationary Class!
We'll be making 3 different water color designs to develop into stationary. This is a technique based class - so feel free to use your creativity to put your own unique spin on your design!
- All materials needed
- Your final project, 12 Valentines Cards (4 of each design) available for pickup starting 1/31
- 20% Storewide for the night! Select exclusions apply.
- $50 Gift Card to use - Active for two weeks starting 1/28.
As always Wine & Snacks will be enjoyed!


It’s Moon Cake Season everyone!
Join us THIS Saturday 9/16, at England Brothers Park in Pinellas Park for a fun celebration of Mid Autumn Festival hosted by @saigonnightmarket
The Mt Song Lion Dancers will be performing at 5pm! (Saturday only!)
Don’t miss the fun. See you all there
#liondance #midautumnfestival #moonfestival #mtsongdemoteam


Our kids deserve better. We can give it to them.
I have over a decade of experience in public education and working with youth, particularly marginalized youth, low-income youth, and youth of color. For six years, I taught high school math – everything from Freshman Algebra to AP Calculus to IB Math. I worked with students who came to my class many years behind grade level to not only get them caught up, but to get them to college. For two years, I was the head of my department where I served a school of over two thousand students, and during my tenure as chair, I worked with teachers, families, administration, and other schools in the district to get more of our most vulnerable students into AP, IB and honors level courses.
And last year, I served on Mayor Ed Murray’s Education Advisory Council to propose student-centered solutions that the City could implement to address the achievement and opportunity gap.
I am proud to be the only candidate in my race with teaching experience.
Ultimately, the school board needs more than education experience. Managing the district’s $1 billion revenue stream and negotiating key contracts requires a deep understanding of finance and the law. As a business and tax lawyer, I have the skills to analyze financial statements and to navigate the complex regulatory framework that governs our schools.
Our district has challenges, but we can tackle them together. I need your support to realize our vision of Seattle Public Schools becoming an inspiration for the rest of the nation.


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|Black Watch Association - Toronto|
About the Branch
The Toronto Association was actually formed by World War One members from the imperial side of our family in 1921. In 1935 the Association opened a club on Wellington Street and the Saturday and Wednesday night dances were very popular. The Saturday night dances continued until the close of the clubrooms.
The first Red Hackle Dinner was held on January 12, 1928 in the King Edward Hotel. With our move to York street as described below, the Dinner moved to the Royal York Hotel and remained there until 1987 when we moved the venue to the 48th Highlanders Sergeants' and Warrant Officers' Mess in Moss Park Armouries.
Until the 40's, all Regimental members were from the Imperial Black Watch. The first "Canadians" (to which the new Regimental members were referred) did not arrive until the Second World War. From Wellington, we moved to York Street across form the Union Station in 1969 and had at our peak 550 members (mostly associate) possibly attracted by the delta in beer and liquor prices between ourselves and the Royal York Hotel directly opposite. However, all members knew the meaning of Regiment and family; for it was in those days we would have as many as 200 members on the annual November 10th evening Remembrance Day Parades.
Alas, the building on York Street was put up for sale in 1982 and although we had a large general membership, the managers of the Club had to be Black Watch Regimental personnel. This group was getting few in number, so the decision was made to close clubroom operations. However, we did go out in a blaze of glory in that on February 22, 1982 (the day after our last meeting), the electrical vault under the street outside blew up and the building went on fire. It has subsequently been demolished.
Since the loss of the formal clubrooms, we have been meeting in the Naval Club and in the Sergeants' and Warrant Officers' Mess of the 48th Highlanders of Canada.
ACTIVE SERVICE FUND
The Active Service Fund (ASF) covers the cost of supplying comfort packages to our Black Watch Soldiers on active operations. All funds donated to the ASF are held in trust and can only be used in support of programs that assist our soldiers on operations. Should you wish to donate to help keep these packages moving, we will gratefully accept your payment through this PayPal link:
The current branch executive is as follows:
Immediate Past President: William "Bill" Davis
Bill Green, Bill Carlisle, Michael Dickinson, Marilyn Lawson-Dickinson, Robbie Herd, Ray Joseph, Bruno Lamarre, David Mack
Membership renewal for 2017 is now open.
You may renew your membership using your credit card HERE (service charge applies) or mail a cheque (no service charge) to the address on your invoice.
Joining the Black Watch Association (Toronto Branch)

domain: history


On a recent voyage — System 002, nicknamed ‘Jenny’ — hauled more than 9,000 kilograms of marine debris from the ocean! After witnessing the success of this oceanic cleaning device, experts from The Ocean Cleanup now believe that cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is entirely possible.
New Hope For The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
As the Great Pacific Garbage Patch grows in size year after year, it can be hard to remain hopeful that it’ll ever be cleaned up. But now, thanks to a piece of breakthrough technology by The Ocean Cleanup — the Great Pacific Garbage Patch may become a thing of the past.
System 002, is an 800m U-shaped installation that’s capable of funneling pieces of marine debris into its net. It’s the latest design by The Ocean Cleanup; a not-for-profit with a goal to clean up 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040.
On Instagram, @theoceancleanup shared the exciting news: “October 8th, 2021: the final test extraction of System 002, and the moment we knew that cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is possible”.
How Does System 002 Work?
System 002 is the successful result of years of research and failed prototypes by the experts at The Ocean Cleanup. It all begins with identifying where the currents are pulling the plastic. From there, System 002 is placed in the plastic hotspots to maximise collection. To guide the plastic into the funnel-shaped net, System 002 is pulled along by 2 boats.
Once the net is full, it’s tied off and loaded onto the back of the nearby boats. Then, the cleanup continues! The masses of plastic are brought back to shore, separated into appropriate waste streams, and recycled into awesome new products.
In early October, The Ocean Cleanup took System 002 out for its final test extraction. In a single trip, the device caught 9,000 kilograms of marine debris — how amazing is that!
Does System 002 Harm Marine Life?
It’s important to mention that System 002 has a negligible impact on marine life! Obviously, the idea of a massive net being pulled by two boats rings alarm bells — but the main purpose is to guide the installation and load up trash.
The net itself moves at around 1.5 knots, which gives marine life ample time to swim under or around the net. To make it extra safe, The Ocean Cleanup installed escape routes and lights to guide disoriented animals out of the netting.
System 002 captures a wide variety of marine debris — from microplastics as small as 3mm, to fishing nets (ghost nets) more than 10m wide. Abandoned fishing nets make up around 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, so getting rid of these death traps is fantastic news for marine life.
How Long Will It Take To Clean Up The Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an ever-growing, swirling vortex of trash in the Pacific Ocean. It’s roughly three times the size of France, and most of the debris lies under the surface of the water. Tackling such a complex problem depends on stopping plastic flowing into the ocean and cleaning up the 5 trillion pieces of plastic already choking our oceans.
Dutch inventor and founder of The Ocean Cleanup, Boyan Slat, believes they would need to deploy ten System 002’s to clean up half of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within five years! Then, with a fleet of System 002’s deployed into every ocean gyre, and efforts to stop ocean plastic at the source, The Ocean Cleanup estimates that 90% of floating ocean plastic could be removed by 2040.
As a non-profit, The Ocean Cleanup relies on funding and donations to operate System 002, sort through all the marine debris, and expand their fleet of ocean cleanup devices! Recently, they’ve developed a pair of 100% recycled sunglasses made from the marine debris they’ve collected. Purchasing just one pair of these sunglasses allows System 002 to clean an area of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that’s equivalent to 24 football fields! To discover more ways to support this amazing not-for-profit, head to The Ocean Cleanup’s website.
For more fantastic ocean cleanup initiatives, head to our Eco News category and check out the blogs below!


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Hedge funds returned an average of 0.99 percent globally in March, led by managers who invest in emerging markets and companies going through takeovers and bankruptcies, according to a report released Monday by Hedge Fund Research Inc.
The increase compared with a gain of 1.12 percent, including dividends, by the Standard & Poor's 500 index, a benchmark for large U.S. stocks. For the 12 months through March, hedge funds gained 2.88 percent, beating the index's return of 0.64 percent, according to data from the Chicago-based research firm.
Managers that bet on stocks and debt of emerging markets gained 4.88 percent last month. Funds focused on corporate changes returned an average of 3.8 percent.
Funds concentrated on financial-services companies dropped an average of 4.3 percent, the biggest drop by any investment strategy, according to the research firm.
Hedge Fund Research estimates global funds manage $1.4 trillion of assets, more than double the amount in 2001.


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The widow of a Russian colonel who shot himself at a conscription center in the Russian Far East earlier this month has blamed his suicide on the pressure he was put under during the Kremlin's recent mobilization drive.
Yulia Boyko, the widow of Colonel Vadim Boyko, addressed an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin that was published by Russian media on Monday, in which she called on the Kremlin chief to personally oversee an investigation into Boyko’s death.
Boyko wrote that after he was threatened with a criminal case and financial repercussions for failing to meet his recruitment quota, her husband fell into a "depressed moral and psychological state" and "had insomnia for about a month, losing 15 kilograms."
Colonel Boyko, who was the deputy head of the Pacific Higher Naval School in Vladivostok, was reportedly put in charge of training and accommodating newly mobilized personnel in the city and became a scapegoat for the many problems created by the sudden call-up, according to his widow.
Having been instructed to repair faulty equipment, Boyko was reportedly summoned to a training facility for a dressing down by his superiors who accused him of being personally responsible for the equipment's malfunction.
"The inspectors had already openly informed Colonel Boyko that for the loss and damage to state property, more than 100 million rubles of debts would be passed on to him and he would be punished with confiscation of property," Yulia Boyko wrote in her letter.
Feeling the pressure, Boyko entered his superior's office on Nov. 16 and shot himself five times in the chest with a pistol, in what his widow claims was a direct appeal to the authorities to address the issues created by mobilization.
"By his actions he clearly wanted to attract the attention of the leaders of the Russian Federation and give you a sign that trouble is afoot, that something needs to be done, that the Motherland is in danger," Bokyo wrote.


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Today I’m excited to share my thoughts on the second book in the “Carthage Chronicles” series, Return to Exile by Lynne Gentry. Also, I’m doing a giveaway! You can enter to win 1 paperback copy of Return to Exile at the end of this post. (Thanks to the publisher and Lynne for the unexpected extra copy!)
You may remember my review of the first book in this series, Healer of Carthage. This second in the series picks up a few years later, following Dr. Lisbeth Hastings as she’s raising her daughter in modern day Dallas and following Cyprian Thascius as he contends with exile to a secluded island.
For numerous reasons, including an ancient-turned-modern plague at her heels, Lisbeth decides to take a major risk and try to get back to Cyprian’s world in 3rd century Carthage. What she encounters there is nothing like the chaos she left 6 years ago. With a plague still raging in the city, familiar political nemesis Aspasius is still trying to exterminate the early church and overthrow Cyprian’s property.
Lisbeth faces some unexpected surprises and twists when she returns to Carthage. The story is so fast-paced, you have moments to get used to her new reality before the adventure changes and she’s pulled deeper into commitments in the past.
Lynne’s writing style is so easy to read, almost a conversational tone. Although a good portion of the story takes place in ancient Carthage, I never felt distracted by that fact or by the unique blend of modern characters in that ancient time. I was anxious to see how Lisbeth and Cyprian’s stories would continue. Lynne doesn’t disappoint! We get to see their worlds collide again, with a new child in the middle.
One thing I loved about the first book was Lynne’s way of reminding the reader that Lisbeth is from modern day but stuck in the 3rd century. She continues this with subtle humor and mentions of culture (Disney princesses!) and technology, while staying relevant to the story.
This story is one that will keep you on your toes, with drama that reads at times like a medical thriller. The themes of the story, though, are most important: letting go of fears, loving your enemies, and holding on to faith when it’s hard. This is shown through the drama of the early church’s challenges in culture and politics. Also, through a picture of the importance of family, no matter what boundaries and obstacles may separate them for a time.
If you’d like to learn more about this book or about Lynne, shop on Amazon, visit her website, Twitter, or Facebook page.
Or, see my fun interview with Lynne from last year!
Thanks a ton to Lynne Gentry and to Howard Books for the free review copy in exchange for my honest review. I’m so glad I was able to be on your team!
Anywhere back in time? Well most people will probably say waay back during a historical event, but I just wanna go back a few years. My grandmother passed away a couple months ago, and I miss her a lot.
Sierra, sorry to hear about your grandmother. I lost my mother and I’d give anything to spend a day with her.
Sierra, thanks for visiting. I’m so sorry for your loss. We often take for granted time with our loved ones. Cherish every moment!
If I could travel back in time, I would join Peter in the boat and walk on the water with him to Jesus. That would be so amazing! Courtney thank you for your review and giveaway of Return to Exile.
Thank you for entering! That would be so cool to experience!
I would love to return to life on the prairie out West! I love reading about those times, and even though I’m not sure I’d be tough enough to survive, I’d like to see what I’m made of!
Thanks so much for your great review and your support of Lynne’s book!
Hi Janet! Thank you for visiting. I would love to experience life out West, too! I hope I would be tough enough to make it, too 🙂
Love the photo! 🙂 There’s like 900 eras I want to see! I think I’d love to see the ancient times of Egypt, Greece, Rome, etc since there’s not as many images/artifacts. Or maybe Victorian England…Although I’d love to stop by the Civil War-era too…so many times I’d love to see!
Crazy, but I’d love to be back in the Civil War too. Maybe I’ve seen Gone With the Wind too many times.
Thank you! I’m with you, I’d love to experience different eras. Those sound like fun. A girl can dream, right? Good luck!
I think I’d like to go back to the days of the old west.. Riding horses & living on a ranch at the foothills of the mountains.. Such a simple but maybe hard life.. I’d love to read Lynne’s book though.. that era is interesting!
oops… email – dkstevensneAToutlookDo T CoM
Yes, and maybe even looking for gold! That would be so fun.
Thank you for entering! I hope you do get the chance to read Lynne’s stories sometime. The combination of a modern character with ancient Carthage is so fun.
These sound like fun books! I haven’t read them, though am all about the time travel plot. 🙂
They ARE super fun!
I would probably pick regency England (1800-1820) or WW2 United States because those are the time frames I like reading about in historical fiction. Thanks for the giveaway! momrain(AT)aol(DOT)com
Hi Loraine! Thanks for visiting. Those are some great choices!
I would like to go back to the 60’s! I loved the hippies and their love of everything simple and free! I used to live in New York, and my Dad would take us into the city, to Central Park and to The Village, and it was just awrsome. We would go to the fountain in Central Park and dance with them and sing, they would play guitars and mandarins, and it was a lot of fun! Thanks for the great giveaway! Have a wonderful, blessed day!!!
Thanks for entering! That sounds like fun. I visited NYC once, but I’d love to go back – even in modern day! Good luck!
I love this series!!! Studied Ancient Rome with my girls while we were homeschooling. However, I too would like to go back just about 40 years and revisit my Mom & Grandma, miss them dearly and would love one more day!
Lisa, I’m so glad you’re reading this series! It is so cool. That is so sweet. Time with our loved ones is precious. Thank you for visiting!
Pingback: Review: “Valley of Decision” by Lynne Gentry | The Green Mockingbird

domain: literature


India A continued their winning ways in the ongoing unofficial ODI series against NZ A, by winning the second match by 5 wickets. This win also gave India A an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the 3-match series against New Zealand A.
India A won the toss and chose to bowl first. Despite two cheap wickets of Hamish Rutherford (8) and captain Corey Anderson (0); George Worker’s 99 with 8 fours and 1 six and Will Young’s 102 with 6 fours and 3 sixes and their 109-run partnership aided NZ A’s score towards 300 plus.
But Navdeep Saini (2/68) and Khaleel Ahmed (2/65) pegged NZ A back, however, Daryl Mitchell (45) and Cole McConchie (21) took the team to 299/9 in 50 overs.
India A got a decent start with openers Agarwal and Gill making 25 runs apiece and Shreyas Iyer making 59 runs. However, the innings that took India A to its victory was captain Manish Pandey’s 111* with 5 fours and 3 sixes, as he scored runs at a good pace.
He was aided by Vijay Shankar’s 59, as India A registered a win by 5 wickets with an over to go. This win also gave India A 2-0 lead over the hosts in the 3-match unofficial ODI series.
NZ A 299/9 (W YOUNG 102; K AHMED 2/65) lost to IND A 300/5 (M PANDEY 111*; C McCONCHIE 2/39) by 5 wkts


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With pest complications lowered and nutrients continuously fed into the roots, productivity in hydroponics is high; even so, growers can further more enhance generate by manipulating a plant's natural environment by developing complex growrooms.
A NASA researcher examining hydroponically cultivated onions, with Bibb lettuce to his still left and radishes to the ideal.
Like soil, hydroponic techniques might be fertilized with natural and organic or chemical nutrients. An organic and natural hydroponic system is noticeably extra function to keep up. The organic compounds have a bent to lock alongside one another and trigger pumps blockage.
Distinct containers are protected with aluminium foil, butcher paper, black plastic, or other material to exclude light-weight, Consequently assisting to eradicate the development of algae. The nutrient Option is modified either with a schedule, including the moment every week, or in the event the focus drops under a specific degree as identified having an electrical conductivity meter. Each time the answer is depleted under a specific stage, possibly water or refreshing nutrient Option is included. A Mariotte's bottle, or even a float valve, can be employed to mechanically keep the answer amount. In raft Resolution tradition, crops are put inside a sheet of buoyant plastic that's floated to the area of the nutrient Resolution. Like that, the answer degree by no means drops underneath the roots.
Tie the string loosely to the top with the trellis (Image one), attach the clips and string to the base of each plant (Impression 2) and gently wind the ideas on the vegetation within the string.
six. H2o seedlings on a daily basis with nutrient combine, ensuring that that the drinking water amount while in the container will not be much too higher: There ought to be about an inch of space in between the water line and the bottom of the Styrofoam cups.
A rotary hydroponic backyard garden is often a style of commercial hydroponics developed in a click round frame which rotates repeatedly throughout the complete growth cycle of whichever plant is being grown.
Hydroponic gardening also provides quite a few Advantages to our setting. Hydroponic gardening works by using substantially fewer drinking water than soil gardening, due to the continuous reuse the nutrient remedies.
Working with Superior machines for hydroponic options is usually helpful to growers of any track record mainly because nutrient alternatives are often reusable. Simply because nutrient remedies are nearly never ever fully depleted, and may in no way be due to the unacceptably low osmotic strain that will end result, re-fortification of old methods with new nutrients can help you save growers funds and will Handle issue source pollution, a standard resource for the eutrophication of nearby lakes and streams.
The By natural means substantial pH of mineral wool helps make them at first unsuitable to plant advancement and calls for "conditioning" to produce a wool by having an correct, stable pH.
Examples of suitable products, with their common nutritional contents tabulated when it comes to per cent dried mass, are mentioned in the following table.
Add drip emitters for the flood table. Drip emitters enable to drip out water within the garden to ensure the drinking water does not sit stagnant within the flood table. You will find them from the irrigation offer section at your local hardware retailer or nursery.
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domain: agronomy


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The majority of us don’t have the time to join a weight loss health club or a burn the excess fat exercise gym. That is not to mention why these kinds of weight management can become a considerable experience. Nevertheless are you aware that you can control excess fat effectively right at home.
This is often done several ways, and these are effective and reasonably affordable for even the smallest budget. Here are a few home weight reduction tips that will get you started in the right direction. Implementing simply a couple of these will get you results. Advertisement a few more as you go and you will turn your body into a fat using up machine.
The Most Effective Exercises for a Weight Loss Routine….Gradually increase both repetitions and sets to increase the challenge.
If you are a woman you might be concerned that lifting weights or building muscle is going to make you “bulk up” or get bigger. As long as you lift a moderate amount of weight and do more reps rather than lifting very heavy weights with fewer reps your muscles will just get more lean and toned rather than getting bigger, so don’t worry about that.
Tips Before You Begin….Continue to be aware of that fact that, if your goal is to quickly lose weight, choosing more strenuous exercises will facilitate weight loss more efficiently than spending valuable time doing the less difficult spot-reduction exercises intended to tone only a single area of your body.
Best Advice To Lose Weight
The main reason why many people who desire to lose weight get frustrated in the end is limited knowledge. Having the full knowledge of what the problem is paves way for getting the right solution. As you proceed to the next page, you will discover more about at home weight loss, You will get a better understanding of problems associated with weight loss and learn how to overcome them through proper planning.
For the appropriate quantity, you should put the food on plate where you see it while you eat and not from a container. Get into the routine of eating at home. When you dine out most of the time you cannot watch what you eat. If circumstances demand that you eat away from home, you should plan in advance what you would eat. Have a high fiber cereal for breakfast.
If you stop eating white bread and pasta all of a sudden then you will never lose weight because your body will yearn and crave badly for it and before you know it, you will be consuming them in larger quantities than before.
Tips Before You Begin….Don’t spend the majority of time targeting problem areas. Spot-reduction exercises for specific body parts will rarely produce significant weight loss because they are not challenging enough to accelerate the fat burning process. To put it more simply: they don’t burn as many calories or elevate your metabolism to the extent that other, more effective exercises will.
Produce a plan at least a week in advance to determine what food you will consume. This will help you with the logistics and prevent you from having to make quick last minute decisions. When you urge cravings for unhealthy food, try to disrupt them by doing a meaningful activity, say tidying your household to keep your mind of things.
Home Weight Loss Tips….Eat regular meals and be sure not to skip breakfast. 4 or 5 small meals evenly spread out through the day will speed up your body’s metabolism burning the food you eat instead of storing it as body fat. Do not eat seconds. This balance will give you more energy and assist you with the next home weight loss tip.
Do not take a trip to your local grocery store when you are feeling hungry. By taking a stroll to your local grocery store with a full tummy; you would be surprised how much you could save on your grocery bills. Furthermore, you would also be surprised that home weight loss is much more achievable while you are shopping with a full tummy.
People diet for all sorts of reasons. They want to build up their self esteem. They want to catch the eye of someone special. They want to look good for the wedding or some other special event. They want to get back into their clothes. They want to rekindle the romance in a marriage. They want to get their energy back.
Arrange for regular workout activities to keep you fit. When you are stressed at work, try to deal with it effectively. Stress can make you have unhealthy foods that will cause you to increase weight. Engage in a regular daily exercise routine. 30 minutes per day is what I advise.
Home Remedies For Rapid Weight Loss
Stop to think for a moment, about all those diets that have gone before. Think how they can ignite your wants and desires and cause you to believe things you know will prove false, eventually. Look at it realistically; if just one single diet out of all those hundreds of diets finally proves to work, it will become the winning diet and nobody will want or need a diet ever again.
The amount of calories in the body contributes to the amount of weight, in other words less calories will be less weight. So how do you lose calories? By building muscles, it will help you to burn more calories than burn fats, besides calories are much easier to burn than fat, you will get quicker results with burning calories than burning fats.
When going on at home weight loss program there will be no one to push you compare to if you have an instructor. The program will contain a systematic instruction on what to do and what not to do some will be difficult to practice. You must always focus on your intention for wanting to lose weight because this will help you to stay focus.
Attempting to construct an at home weight loss work out can be daunting, but an extremely effective at home weight loss work out can be done without the necessity of unsightly and expensive equipment or wasting money on a costly gym membership.
Workout Videos for Fast at Home Weight Loss….For those who are looking for a more balanced workout, there are many exercise videos that focus on the entire body. Others target specific areas of your body so that you can work on your trouble spots. Whether you choose a video geared towards your abs, legs, or arms, you can be sure that your entire body will be getting a workout.
Learn how to get back your energy and vitality. Learn how to keep your slim body and never have to put the weight back on again. So what do you expect from an at home weight loss that does not require you to cut down your food intake?.
Where to Find Exercise Videos for Home Weight Loss….Exercise videos for fast at home weight loss can be picked up at bookstores and superstores all around the country. However, it is probably a good idea to look online at reviews of various workout programs to see what others have to say about a particular workout video.
Food and activities you enjoy will help you to achieve the result you want as soon as possible. Talking about food make sure that they are the kind of food you will implement in your diet. The right exercise makes weight loss a magic but keeping up with the right exercise can be quite challenging.
The good thing is there are plans that help you to strike a balance between the two so that on one hand you still enjoy the food you love while on the other hand, you are also losing the weight you hate.
Effective Weight Loss Tips
Additionally, very low calorie diets can actually send your body into “starvation mode” causing your metabolism to slow down to conserve energy. That’s going to not only make it harder to lose weight, but will make it a lot easier to put any weight you do manage to lose back on as soon as you go back to eating normally.
With today’s economy we all need to be more self sufficient and do as much for ourselves as we can. There are many Home Weight Loss Programs to choose from so you have to decide which one is right for you.
If you have a walking partner then that will make it easier for you to become motivated. If you have a pool then swimming can also be a great exercise you can do at home. There are many other exercises you can do at home to workout your legs, arms, butt and abs. Squats and lunges happen to be a great at home exercise.
By extending each leg a bit higher than usual, you are straining your muscles and your body is putting extra effort which means your muscles are getting tighter. Moreover, try walking the stairs up and down several times a day as it is a good cardio exercise.
Where your diet is concerned, have more servings of fruits and veggies. Fiber is important, too. Stay away from fats and sugars. If you must eat meat, do so in little servings and go for the lean portions. While they may be very sumptuous, shun chicken skin-they’re chock full of fat.
Losing weight is quite a challenging task if you are at back home all the time but you can get the greatest from it when you try straightforward tricks. Here are some great home weight loss tips that you can try and you should definitely be able to shift some pounds if you put your mind to it. If you can make the tips part of your day to day lifestyle, you will realize your weight loss goals.
Losing weight start with being discipline, many people ridicule a lot of weight loss program out there and I do agree that there are some that are worthless but still there are good ones but people are just too lazy to follow their rules and regulations there by concluding that such program are ineffective.
Instead of doing them lazily, you can be a little more active. For instance, you can burn 4 calories per minute by merely changing the bed sheet. If you wash the floor, you can burn around 4.5 calories every minute.
Where to Find Exercise Videos for Home Weight Loss….This will save you some money by helping you find workout videos that are best suited for your needs and tastes. You could also take a look at the selection of your local public library.
Before You Begin, Consider The Following Facts….To obtain the best weight loss results, never burden yourself with a cumbersome routine that is not focused on rapid continuous movements and effective over all exercises.
Before You Begin, Consider The Following Facts….Never waste precious time on one area of your body when you can focus on the entire body and burn more calories in a shorter period of time. This will allow you to achieve more results in less time.
How to Lose Weight without the Gym….While having a gym membership might work well for some people, not everyone can afford the monthly payments that are required. Workout videos are a great alternative for fast at home weight loss.
Many people have high ambitions of losing weight, especially at the start of each new year. Fast at home weight loss is gaining popularity, and with 2010 just around the corner, many people are already looking for a simple way that they can lose weight in their own homes.
Home Weight Loss Tips….Exercise more. This is the most dreaded part of weight loss for most people but if done correctly can be most fun and enjoyable. Simple activities such as walking, riding a bicycle and swimming can go a long ways to further up your metabolism and increase your stamina.
Instead, you want an easy at home weight loss program that you can do on your own time in the privacy of your own home. There are a couple of problems with these types of diets. First, anytime you cut out too many calories or cut out an entire food group you are going to be hungry and have cravings. That’s going to make it a lot harder to stick with the diet for any length of time.


On a warm evening last spring I found myself at a dinner party in the lush suburbs of a small Ivy League town not far from New York City.
The main concern of a fellow economist was the trouble his son was having raising his new family: that would be the son living in Manhattan, the one making $10 million a year.
It appears there is a bidding war for spaces in good kindergartens and, as we all know, prices skyrocket when demand outstrips supply.
And demand has been rising. We also know that.
So the most striking claim in the Economic Report of the President for 2012 is not that the share of earnings accruing to the top 1%—a share that was about 8% during the early 1980s—stands at close to 20%. After all, this is old news, the stuff of Occupy Wall Street.
Continue reading “Inequality begets inequality, according to the Economic Report of the President”
This video of a panel discussion called “The Challenges of Growing Inequality” organized by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University features a discussion by Lawerence Katz, a prominent labour economist. Katz speaks on the causes of inequality and offers advice to Occupiers on what should be done about it.
Continue reading “Inequality and Occupy Wall Street 8: causes of growing inequality and policies to address it”
Perhaps a bit more politely than others in the mainstream media, but nonetheless pretty emphatically, the Ottawa Citizen columnist Joanne Chianello tells Occupiers that it’s time to leave, and she offers some advice:
“I don’t know what the answer is to the growing income gap. Unfortunately, neither do the people at Occupy Ottawa or Occupy Toronto or Occupy Vancouver. They could have contacted a lefty economist (yes, they exist) to help frame specific policy issues or demands, but they didn’t. Perhaps that’s the protest’s “stage two” we keep hearing about.”
Contact a lefty economist!
Well, if economists are going to be at the centre of “stage two” why don’t we forget about “lefty” or “righty”, and just consult the “best”?
Continue reading “Inequality and Occupy Wall Street 7: tax policy for occupiers”
There is nothing wrong with inequality … until it starts limiting opportunity.
Well that might be a bit too strongly put, but it is certainly one thing to live in an unequal society where the chances of changing places with the rich, of seeing your children move on and upward, are high. Indeed, if this is the case we may even want a certain degree of inequality: people would have both the incentive and the possibility to better their situation.
But it is another thing altogether to live in an unequal society where there is little chance of moving on, where there are barriers preventing our talents and energies from being rewarded, where the accident of birth determines a child’s life chances.
This type of inequality should worry Occupiers and the 99% because it cuts sharply against what we commonly understand to be the American Dream.
Continue reading “Inequality and Occupy Wall Street 5: decline of the American Dream”
It was almost a sad sight to see Rupert Murdoch’s son sitting beside the famed newspaper publisher in the televised committee hearings conducted by the British parliament last July.
James seems so out of depth.
Superstar salary he certainly has, but superstar talent?
If the members of the top 1% are there because of connections or political power—rather than by the force of their talent, energy, and motivation—then we should be rightly critical about claims that they merit their fortunes, and question the contribution they make to economic productivity.
Continue reading “Inequality and Occupy Wall Street 4: daddy put you in the top 1% !”
To explain the fact that the top 1% now take home a larger share of total earnings than they ever have since the 1940s Occupiers need to understand the economics of superstars.
Talent is unique. Or as the late University of Chicago economist Sherwin Rosen stated, “hearing a succession of mediocre singers does not add up to a single outstanding performance.” When he was at his best there was only one Wayne Gretzky, and I guess that is why they nicknamed him “the Great One.” To those of us listening to the opera, or watching the hockey game, the superstar is one-of-a-kind. And because there are no substitutes they get paid much more than even the second best.
This only explains that there is a top 1%, and that as the most talented they get paid a good deal more than the rest of us. It does not explain what has changed, why have they been taking away a bigger and bigger slice of the pie since about 1980.
Continue reading “Inequality and Occupy Wall Street 3: the top 1% are superstars”


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When parents discover that their child has been experimenting with drugs or alcohol, they may find themselves asking why he or she has gone down this dangerous road.
It’s a complex question, and there’s not a simple answer. But it can be a common issue, as shown by this statistic by the National Institute on Drug Abuse: “By the time they are seniors, almost 70 percent of high school students will have tried alcohol, half will have taken an illegal drug, nearly 40 percent will have smoked a cigarette, and more than 20 percent will have used a prescription drug for a nonmedical purpose.”
Here’s a look at a few potential reasons why teens turn to drugs and alcohol.
We all see quirky beer advertisements during the Super Bowl and other sporting events. Some may think it’s a stretch to assume that a commercial will lead to substance abuse. So how much of that content is reaching teenagers?
Take a 2015 study by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, which aimed to measure the effects of “brand-specific alcohol advertising,” as reported by Science Daily. The study showed that exposure to this advertising “is a significant predictor of underage alcohol brand consumption, with youth ages 13 to 20 more than five times more likely to consume brands that advertise on national television, and 36 percent more likely to consume brands that advertise in national magazines compared to brands that don’t advertise in these media.”
David Jernigan, director of the center, said in the story: “Marketing exposure is increasingly recognized as an important factor in youth drinking, yet few studies have examined the relationship between overall advertising exposure and alcohol consumption at the brand level. These findings indicate that youth are in fact consuming the same alcohol brands that they are most heavily exposed to via advertising.”
Many teenagers will wonder what alcohol or drugs are like, perhaps after being exposed to representations in movies or television, or seeing their friends experiment. They may have also seen examples of adults using or abusing substances. As Raychelle Cassada Lohmann explores in a story for Psychology Today, “Sometimes the desire to try drugs is a satiated need to satisfy curiosity.”
“When no one is home and the liquor cabinet is unlocked, what better time to explore what it feels like to get drunk?” she says. “When your friends are sitting around getting high, what’s the big deal if you take one or two hits? These youth often convince themselves that one time won’t hurt anything, or better yet, they tell themselves, ‘Everybody else is doing it so why can’t I?’ They feed themselves lies to justify their unhealthy behavior.”
There is no question that the teenage years can be incredibly difficult. Teens may rebel against their parents, teachers, coaches, any figures of authority. And experimenting with forbidden substances can serve as a significant act of rebellion. As Lohman notes, “Rebellion can come at a high price.”
“When a teen rebels he/she feeds an internal rage; a rage that has no conscience,” she says. “It tells them to go ahead and do what they want and not even think about the consequences. Sadly, rebellious teens may gravitate toward drugs which in turn feed their aggression.”
Many teenagers struggle with self-esteem and self-confidence. Some may find that their insecurities are reduced when drinking or taking drugs, and therefore will want to chase that feeling whenever they can. As this story by the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids explains, “This is part of the appeal of drugs and alcohol even for relatively self-confident teens; you have the courage to dance if you’re a bad dancer, or sing at the top of your lungs even if you have a terrible voice…”
“And alcohol and other drugs tend not only to loosen your inhibitions, but also alleviate social anxiety. Not only do you have something in common with the other people around you, but there’s the mentality that if you do anything or say anything stupid, everyone will just think you had too many drinks or smoked too much weed.”
This can be one of the most challenging aspects of adolescence to navigate, the pressure to join others in experimenting with alcohol or drugs. Conflicted teens may feel that they need to indulge to fit in, or so they can avoid being the subject of ridicule. Erica Loop explores this in a story for Livestrong.
“Some peer pressure is typically obvious — such as when a friend says, ‘You should try drinking, we are all doing it,’” she writes. “Other times, this type of influence is much more subtle. Instead of directly telling your teen what to do, his friends may make it known that he needs to conform to their rules in order to remain part of the group. For example, all of his friends may go out drinking every Friday night. Even if these friends don’t explicitly tell your teen that he must drink, he knows that not joining in will isolate him from the clique.”
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domain: psychology