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Something smells fishy here, but in a good way
We had some great food (and drinks!) in both Panama and Costa Rica when we travelled there earlier this year, but the most memorable food we had was a fish taco from a street-food-style grill in Boquete (pronounced Bock-et-ay). Boquete is a small town located in the highlands of the province of Chiriqui, Panama. It’s only about 40 minutes by car from David, the second city of Panama. Because of its elevation (about 1200m above sea level), the climate is quite a bit cooler than the climate in the lowlands of Panama. Basically, it’s spring all year round.
This draws the attention of many expats, particularly retirees, bringing a chilled-out and friendly vibe to the place. The Rio Caldera flows through the town and adds a relaxing ambience to the bundle. As Chiriqui is known for offering adventurous activities such as white water rafting, Boquete is also a hub for backpackers and globetrotters. Bringing this interesting mix of people together has had a positive effect on the diversity of local bars and restaurants and we found that Boquete caters very well for tourists without being crowded or feeling overly touristic. In one of the many restaurants around the town, we found one of the best meals of our trip.
Big Daddy and Japanese fishermen
Now, this leads to the famous fish tacos from Big Daddy’s Grill. No matter where we asked the locals where they recommend to eat, Big Daddy’s Grill and their fish tacos always got a mention. Because of that we were determined to try these mythical tacos and visited this place with high expectations. Fish tacos are thought to have originated in Baja, Mexico, where a large immigrant population of Japanese fishermen lived. They deep fried the fish they caught and wrapped it in tortillas along with some other ingredients, like shredded cabbage. Thus the fish taco was born.
So we took ourselves off to Big Daddy’s Grill one evening and ordered up the goods. The service was very friendly and the beer was very cold. But the true highlights were the most awesome fish tacos I ever had in my life (ok, it was also the first time I ever had tried fish tacos). I immediately fell in love with the mix of fresh and tasty flavours. We loved it so much that we decided to try and recreate the authentic fish taco experience ourselves at home.
Taking the good things back home
Now I’m not going to say that you can’t make nice fish tacos here in land-locked Switzerland, but you definitely don’t get fish as fresh as in Panama, where you’d struggle to find somewhere more than 100km from the ocean. As we had already decided that going on with a life without fish tacos in it was not an option, we created our own fish taco recipe. I think we use this recipe at least once a month because you can’t ever get enough of fish taco (as you can already tell by the number of times that I wrote fish taco).
Before I share my take on this yummy dish, I would like to give a big shout out to Big Daddy’s Grill. If you’re interested to learn more about this awesome Grill, visit it on Facebook. But for now get ready for our fish taco recipe TripGourmets-style.
Fish Taco TripGourmets-style
You will need for 4 servings:
- 500g fish fillet (we used monkfish based on what was on offer in our local supermarket, but you can use more or less any other fish you like)
- 1-2 limes
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- Pinch of chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- Mixed crunchy salad (either make your own or use a bag of prepared salad)
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- A small bundle of coriander, leaves only, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (or other oil suitable for salads)
- salt + pepper
- 8 soft corn wheat tortillas or taco bowl
- 1 small tin of sweetcorn, drained
- Some jalapenos for garnishing
For the salsa:
- 2 ripe mangoes, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- Small bundle cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 red chillis, very finely chopped
- Juice of 1-2 limes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Wash the fish fillet, pat it dry, cut it into bite-sized pieces and place it into a dish. Pour over the juice of one lime. Peel the garlic, finely chop it and add it to the fish. Add a pinch of chilli powder and the ground cumin and mix it all together. Cover it and put in in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Wash the crunchy salad and cut it into small pieces. Peel and slice the onion. Wash the coriander, shake it dry and finely chop the leaves. Slice the avocado into two halves and remove the stone. Slice the flesh into small pieces while the avocado is still in its skin and then divide the flesh from its skin. Add it to the mix. Put the sweetcorn also into the mix and drizzle over the juice of half a lime. Add in 1 tsp of avocado oil, and the seasoning and mix everything together.
To make the salsa, mix the mango, the bell pepper, the chillis and the onion in a serving bowl. Pour over the lime juice and mix it well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let the salsa rest for at least 10 minutes.
Prepare the tortillas according to the instructions on the package. Fry the fish in a little oil at middle heat for about 5 minutes. Here you need to be very careful that the fish pieces don’t crumble, turning them gently.
Season the salad-avocado mix once more to taste after you fried the fish and spread it on the warm tortillas. Add the fish on the top of it. Pour over 1 to 2 tablespoons of the salsa and some pieces of jalapeno. At last, fold the tortillas once, make sure you have plenty of napkins (or a change of clothes!) available and enjoy!
Need more Tacos in your life? We got you covered with this great Taco cookbook:
If you want to go and experience the famous Fish Taco in Boquete yourself, then check out Booking.com for the best hotel deals;
Disclaimer: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase or a booking, we will receive a small commission from the vendor at absolutely no cost to you.


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Thursday, December 13, 2012
Ann Bartow (Pace) has posted Review Essay- Property Outlaws: How Squatters, Pirates, and Protesters Improve the Law of Ownership (IP Law Book Review) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
This review essay of property Outlaws: How squatters, Pirates, and
Protesters Improve the law of Ownership by Eduardo Moisés Peñalver and
Sonia K. Katyal discusses and
critiques the major themes of the book.

domain: library


'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Joining Pitino in the class of 2013, announced Monday, are former NBA stars Bernard King and Gary Payton, former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian, North Carolina women's coach Sylvia Hatchell, former University of Houston coach Guy Lewis, former University of Virginia star Dawn Staley.
Rick Pitino got the phone call of a lifetime and an incredible text at the same time.
Expected to dominate, they did.
Nnemkadi Ogwumike wants one final shot at an NCAA championship.
Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper and Diana Taurasi lead the list selected as the WNBA's Top 15 players of all time.
Debbie Ryan, who built Virginia's women's basketball program into a perennial NCAA tournament team and overcame pancreatic cancer, has resigned after 34 years and 736 victories.
For most leagues, the All-Star break is a time for players and fans to relax and have some fun. For the WNBA, the All-Star break included some serious business.
"I thought we played as well as we could play considering who we were playing and the type of night Nneka Ogwumike said," Staley said. "My hat goes off to our players who fought so hard and gave all they had."
"Whoever has the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, they're going to get a nice solid player who's going to help them right away," Staley said.


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Two great cities are running promotions this month offering serious deals for anyone who loves saving money on admission fees at museums, aquariums, and other attractions.
San Diego Museum Month
Following a seriously scaled-back version in 2021, San Diego’s Museum Month is back for 2022. Through February, the program offers half-price admission at more than 45 local museums, historic sites, gardens, aquariums and other cultural destinations throughout San Diego County.
The list includes the Comic Con Museum, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the San Diego Museum of Art, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, and many more.
How to Participate: San Diego’s Museum Month pass is available for free at all Macy’s store locations in San Diego County and at 75 area libraries Each Museum Month pass can be used for up to four half-priced admissions at any of the participating museums. Additional fees may apply for special exhibitions and events at some museums. Passes are good through February 28, 2022.
Seattle Museum Month
Not to be outdone, Visit Seattle, more than 60 downtown hotels, and over 30 area museums are hosting Seattle Museum Month. The program offers half-price admissions to anyone booking a room at any participating hotel during February.
How to Participate: Book a room at one of the participating downtown Seattle hotels and be sure to ask for the pass at check-in. A family or group of four can receive up to 50% off when visiting museums and attractions such as the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Pinball Museum, the Museum of Pop Culture, the National Nordic Museum, and many others.
The museum review team at StuckatTheAirport.com tested out the Seattle Museum Month pass with a staycation at the Sound Hotel in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. We visited the Seattle Art Museum, the Seattle Aquarium, The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific Amerian Experience, the Seattle Pinball Museum, and MoPop in two days.
And with all the money we saved on admission fees we were able to buy ourselves a very nice meal.

domain: travel


Brunswick hockey wins opener
A 39-save shutout by senior captain Gryphon Richardson and a natural hat trick by Stephan Seeger led the Brunswick School to a 3-0 win at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Mass., Wednesday.
"We were out-shot and out-played for parts of the first two periods, but our defense and goalie did their job and special teams gave us a nice three- goal cushion after two periods," Brunswick coach Ron VanBelle said.
Seeger opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at the 2:12 mark of the second period before adding power play tallies at 4:49 and 14:48.
"We came out in the 3rd determined to not only protect the lead but to build on it," VanBelle said. "The boys played a great period and out-played and out-shot NMH, making it impossible for them to chip away at our lead.


Today, 15 September 2021, marks 50 years since Greenpeace - the global environmental organisation - was created. From a small band of activists standing up against US military testing nuclear weapons, the group has expanded to become the foremost climate NGO on the world stage, engaged in climate crises around the world and a distinctive household name.
The organisation has played a pivotal role in drawing attention to crimes against the climate and indigenous communities perpetrated by governments and international corporations. Their direct engagement with local populations and wider society has crystallised public engagement and helped put climate activism on the political agenda.
Victories that can be attributed to the group include compelling the French government to stop nuclear testing in the Pacific, forcing a global ban on ocean driftnets in 1989, and pressuring fashion brands to adopt less toxic production methods.
The fight is far from over
Yet despite the group's undeniable influence on matters of environmental import, it is important to note that past successes are perpetually under threat from new administrations and trends that so often overlook long-term catastrophe in the drive for short-term pleasure and profit.
To this end, Greenpeace Executive Director Jennifer Morgan is restrained in her excitement for the organisation's big day. Far from popping the champagne, Morgan highlights the deteriorating environmental situation around the world and stresses the need - now more than ever - for a cohesive and compelling movement to combat the already dire effects of climate breakdown.
"We are in a climate emergency," Morgan stated in a blunt interview with AFP at the modest Greenpeace HQ in the outskirts of Amsterdam. "All the momentum we have gathered over the past 50 years must be redoubled to create radical and profound change. Time is running out."
Action at Brent Spar oil rig, 1995. © Greenpeace / Peter Thompson
The momentous date for the NGO comes just weeks before the UN Climate Change Conference, where representatives of the world's most powerful and polluting nations will convene to discuss what political and practical actions can be taken in response to the growing threat of climate catastrophe.
Yet despite countless reasons to be pessimistic about the general inability to take decisive and concrete measures to combat climate change, Morgan is far from defeatist and still expounds the same idealism upon which Greenpeace was founded: "Greenpeace started with the idea that individuals could change the world with an idea and some hope... I think that in 50 years, Greenpeace has made some miraculous achievements."
These have been particularly remarkable given that the NGO is in constant contention with powerful institutions and multinational conglomerates. Activists are frequently targeted and sometimes pay the highest price for their efforts. A particularly dark episode in 1985 resulted in the death of Portuguese photographer Fernando Pereira who was aboard the organisation's iconic Rainbow Warrior boat when it was blown up by the French secret service.
- Climate Coalition will take to the streets of Brussels in October
- ‘This is a wake-up call’: One in three tree species worldwide at risk of extinction
Morgan described the event as a wake-up call as to "how far governments were prepared to go" and, consequently, is "very careful" to protect activists in precarious locations such as Brazil, Indonesia, and China.
But aside from taking direct action on the ground where nature is put in peril by exploitative activity, Greenpeace also takes the fight to courts of justice, leading to landmark rulings that have put an end to many polluting practices, such as blocking new coal power stations in the UK or forcing Shell to cut CO2 emissions by 45%. Morgan affirms that the organisation will increasingly be using judicial muscle to effect climate justice.
A return to normality
In the wake of the pandemic, governments the world around have been eager to boost economies by bringing back tourism and getting the workforce going again - with generally scant regard for the environmental impact this could have. Whilst the pandemic lead to a c.5.6% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions, the environment has taken a back seat in the rush to resuscitate ailing economies.
"I am profoundly worried by what I see at the moment; governments are acting as if we had returned to the 80s," Morgan deplored in reference to the enthusiasm displayed for recommencing global trade and travel, much to the detriment of biomes in many regions.
Rainbow Warrior sunk off New Zealand, 1987. © Greenpeace / Brian Latham
Certainly, the pervasive attitude among politicians and citizens alike is that we must first deal with the pandemic before we can turn our attention to the environment - as if the two were unlinked entities. Echoing this concern, 220 medical journals recently published an editorial warning that "Despite the legitimate concern about Covid-19, we cannot wait for the end of the pandemic to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
The sentiment was amplified by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said in a press release that "The Covid-19 pandemic will end but there is no vaccine for the climate crisis."
To this end, Greenpeace remains focused on the future rather than dwelling on the past. When questioned about the NGO's next 50 years, Morgan struck a jovial tone: "I suppose the aim is that Greenpeace doesn't have to exist any longer!"
But until the world massively changes its habits of consumption, Greenpeace will remain - as German Chancellor Angela Merkel put it - "Persistent, combative, and unshakeable."


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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT PLEASE READ: IS#APD2016-02 Community Recidivism and Crime Reduction Services DEADLINE EXTENSION
It was brought to our attention that people had a hard time finding SFAPD’s physical location:850 Bryant Street, Room 200, San Francisco CA 94103
The solicitation document referenced only SFAPD’s mailing address:880 Bryant Street, Room 200 San Francisco CA 94103
We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. To repair this oversight we are extending the deadline to submit Responses until Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at noon.
SFAPD will receive Response packets until Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at 12:00pm PT.
Agencies planning to hand-deliver Responses should do so at:850 Bryant Street, Room 200, San Francisco CA 94103
Responses can still be submitted via mail to880 Bryant Street, Room 200 San Francisco CA 94103
Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have regarding this announcement.
THE SAN FRANCISCO ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT RELEASES QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
IS#APD2016-02 Community Recidivism and Crime Prevetion Services Questions and Answers document can be found here.
THE SAN FRANCISCO ADULT PROBATION DEPARTMENT RELEASED A SOLICITATION FOR COMMUNITY RECIDIVISM AND CRIME REDUCTION SERVICES
The Adult Probation Department is seeking non-profit organizations to provide community recidivism and crime reduction services for its clients and other justice involved San Francisco residents.
The State of California Board of State and Community Corrections (“BSCC”) created the recidivism reduction fund grants, a one-time funding opportunity, to support California counties in funding innovative services aimed at reducing crime and recidivism in our communities. Services must be designed to enable persons to whom the services are provided to refrain from engaging in crime, reconnect with their family members, and contribute to their communities.
SFAPD invites responses from qualified Community Recidivism and Crime Prevention Services Providers to deliver services in the following areas:
1. Community Circles,
2. Emergency Housing Vouchers,
3. Mentoring Program,
4. Prosocial Activities,
5. Reentry Welcome Home and Community Appreciation Events Coordination Program, and
6. Women Educational Achievement Program.
Respondents may submit responses for one or more service areas.
To access the solicitation (posted on 11/21/16) follow this link IS#APD 2016-02
Responses are due on
12/19/2016 12/21/2016 at 12:00pm PT.
For more information contact:Verónica Martínez Principal Administrative Analyst Adult Probation Department email@example.com

domain: law


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PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Investors, government officials and company executives met Thursday in Fort Lauderdale for a Cuba Investment Forum to talk about finance, telecommunications, tourism, energy and infrastructure.
One of the participating CEO's, Steve Marshall of Travelucion.com, made a special detour to speak with the Call Christina team on what he calls the Do's and Don'ts of traveling to Cuba.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Marshall has lived in Cuba for 11 years.
"It is such a unique environment," he said.
His company Travelucion Media is an online travel and digital media marketing company. Marshall said they specialize in travel marketing, online booking solutions and electronic reservations for international visitors to Cuba.
WEB EXTRA: The do's of Cuban travel with Steve Marshall
Driving: Refrain from driving in Cuba. If a tourist gets into a serious car accident, Marhsall said the Cuban authorities are likely to prevent that person from leaving the country until the case is resolved in court (which can take months) -- compelling that person to run up a longer than expected, and pricier stay in Cuba.
How you can prevent this: Hire a local driver with his own car, or hire a driver if you plan on renting a car.
"I would recommend a driver to drive you around the biggest cities, especially Havana," Marshall said.
Tip: Don't be afraid to negotiate pricing with a driver before proceeding. With the tourist influx, prices for taxi transportation have risen significantly. Where one could previously hire a driver for as little as $30 USD for the entire day, it now costs that amount to go from one part of Havana to another.
Romance: Tourists, especially men, should beware that they could be sought after by locals for "quickie romances," with the hope of getting married and leaving Cuba for the U.S.
Souvenirs & Cigars: Travelers are allowed to bring back up to $400 USD worth of merchandise from Cuba. That includes up to $100 in cigars and rum purchases.
Warning: For U.S. travelers buying smokes in the black market (from an unofficial Cuban Cigar shop), U.S. Customs has imposed a two-box limit, meaning they will confiscate anything over that limit.
Marshall also recommended buying cigars in a store rather than on the street to avoid counterfeit cigars.
Luggage: To a $2 per pound overage fee, your luggage must be less than 44 pounds when traveling to the island.
How to prevent this: Only pack what you really need during your stay in Cuba.
Toiletries: Marhsall recommends stocking up on drug store items. Items commonly sold in drug store chains are not easily found in Cuba to include deodorant, shampoo, aspirin and even sunscreen.
Most importantly, Marshall says to "go with an open mind... Cuba has beautiful people, very open, and 90 percent of what you will take away from Cuba will be your experience with the Cuban people."
Marshall's firm, with 432 Cuba-themed websites dedicated to directing web viewers to his Cuba travel booking platform, was recently bought by Canadian investment firm Cuba Ventures Corp., whose shares are now being traded on the Canadian TSX Stock Exchange.
Travelucion is competing with online competitors like Airbnb and Booking.com (a subsidiary of Priceline) for American bookings to Cuba.


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Golf club fight leaves man in critical condition and four arrested in Upminster
- Credit: Archant
A alleged fight at an Upminister golf club left one man in critical condition and four arrested.
The altercation took place at the Top Meadow Golf Club in Fen Lane, on Saturday night (December 7) just before midnight.
Four men were arrested and their ages ranged from mid 20s to late 50s.
London Ambulance Service took the injured man, believed to be in his 30s, to hospital where he is in critical condition.
The Met police said: "Four men - aged 24, 39, 50 and 58 - have been arrested at the location on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.
They have been taken into police custody." Enquiries are ongoing. Any witnesses should call police on 101 quoting reference Cad 8238/07Dec.


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A well-known and beloved name in the world of film, Sam Elliott is one Hollywood star that everyone just loves. Whether it’s his sultry speaking voice or his outrageous acting abilities, there’s something everyone loves about the now 74-year-old, accomplished actor. However, he hasn’t had it easy all his life. Hell, he didn’t even get nominated for his first Oscar until 2019 for A Star is Born. The man deserves much more!
He tends to be tight-lipped about his past and making it big in Hollywood, but he has finally opened up about his struggles to getting there, and beyond that.
The start of Sam Elliott’s dream and career
Elliott had dreams of being a Hollywood actor since he was young. He first starred in the stageplay Guys and Dolls, for which he earned great critical acclaim in the local press. Despite this success, his father never had high hopes for his son’s dream of acting. His dad would soon die in 1966 just as Elliott was finishing up college.
This tragedy made Elliott consider his entire plan, but he would soon pursue his dream and move out to Los Angeles, CA. “I think on some levels that was either hard on me or made me more focused in my resolve to have a career,” Elliott says, reflecting on the death of his father.
Elliott worked in construction just to be able to make ends meet while he still wasn’t receiving any offers for gigs in the area. He eventually got a job working on the house of an assistant director who would then introduce him to higher-ups at Universal Pictures. This would jumpstart his Hollywood career.
He would make his very first feature-film appearance in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The leading lady on set, Katharine Ross, would eventually become his girlfriend and wife, but they actually never met during the production of Butch Cassidy. Elliott would soon go on to add some more TV credits to his resume, including a role in Mission: Impossible.
Elliott soon got his big breakthrough role in the 1976 movie Lifeguard. This movie would raise his status in Hollywood and he would eventually land a role in 1978’s The Legacy, where he would officially meet and work alongside with his future wife, Katharine Ross. Even though Katharine was married at the time, her love for Elliott was undeniable, and she had to make a choice.
She soon divorced her husband in 1979 and she and Elliott got married in 1984. The two have been together since!
Read onto the NEXT page to learn about when Sam Elliott’s career really took off!

domain: celebrity


During his days in the gospel harmony group the Soul Stirrers, Sam Cooke found himself sharing a bill with a group from Ohio called the Womack Brothers, with a dynamic lead singer named Bobby Womack. Cooke was convinced Womack and his group had the potential to become stars, and when he launched his own record label, SAR Records, he signed them to a contract. However, the act soon made some major changes -- they left behind gospel music to sing secular R&B, and they changed their name to the Valentinos. The Valentinos scored an R&B hit with their first release, an upbeat number called "Lookin' for a Love," and another single, "It's All Over Now," was climbing the charts when the Rolling Stones covered the tune, leaving the Valentinos' version in the dust. When Sam Cooke was murdered in 1964, SAR went out of business and the Valentinos subsequently broke up, while Womack went on to a long and multifaceted solo career. Lookin' for a Love: The Complete SAR Recordings is a collection that brings together the complete catalog of the Valentinos' years with SAR, as well as four songs from their gospel days as the Womack Brothers and seven unreleased tracks. For Bobby Womack fans, this is a fascinating glimpse into the early days of his career, and the consistent strength of the songs and performances make this a must for anyone with a taste for R&B vocal acts of the '60s.
AllMusic Review by Mark Deming


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Non-communicable diseases in antiretroviral therapy recipients in Kagera Tanzania: a cross-sectional study
Mgaywa Gilbert Mjungu Damas Magafu, Kazuhiko Moji, Ehimario Uche Igumbor, Naoko Shimizu Magafu, Michael Mwandri, Julius Chacha Mwita, Dereje Habte, Godfrey Mutashambara Rwegerera, Masahiro Hashizume
Received: 13 May 2013 - Accepted: 04 Jul 2013 - Published: 06 Nov 2013
Domain: Public Health
Keywords: Non-communicable diseases, HIV/AIDS, highly active antiretroviral therapy, health-related quality of life, Tanzania
©Mgaywa Gilbert Mjungu Damas Magafu et al. Pan African Medical Journal (ISSN: 1937-8688). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Mgaywa Gilbert Mjungu Damas Magafu et al. Non-communicable diseases in antiretroviral therapy recipients in Kagera Tanzania: a cross-sectional study. Pan African Medical Journal. 2013;16:84. [doi: 10.11604/pamj.2013.16.84.2831]
Available online at: https://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/content/article/16/84/full
Non-communicable diseases in antiretroviral therapy recipients in Kagera Tanzania: a cross-sectional study
Non-communicable diseases in antiretroviral therapy recipients in Kagera Tanzania
Mgaywa Gilbert Mjungu Damas Magafu1,&, Kazuhiko Moji2, Ehimario Uche Igumbor3, Naoko Shimizu Magafu4, Michael Mwandri1, Julius Chacha Mwita1, Dereje Habte1, Godfrey Mutashambara Rwegerera1, Masahiro Hashizume5
1University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana, 2Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan, 3School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa, 4Japan Overseas Christian Medical Co-operative Services, C/o Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tabora, Private Bag, Tabora, Tanzania, 5Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan
Mgaywa Gilbert Mjungu Damas Magafu, Department of Public Health, University of Botswana, Private Bag 00713, Gaborone, Botswana
Introduction: The aim of this study was to describe the extent of self-reported non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) recipients in Kagera region in Tanzania and their effect on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study was conducted 2 years after HAART administration was started in Kagera region.
Methods: The SF-36 questionnaire was used to collect the HRQOL data of 329 HAART recipients. Questions on the NCDs, socio-demographic characteristics and treatment information were validated and added to the SF-36. Bivariate analyses involving socio-demographic characteristics and SF-36 scores of the recipients were performed. Multiple logistic regression was employed to compute adjusted odds ratios for different explanatory variables on physical functioning and mental health scores.
Results: Respondents who reported having 1 or more NCDs were 57.8% of all the respondents. Arthritis was the commonest NCD (57.8%). Respondents with the NCDs were more likely to have HRQOL scores below the mean of the general Tanzanian population. The population attributable fraction (PAF) for the NCDs on physical functioning was 0.28 and on mental health was 0.22.
Conclusion: Self-reported NCDs were prevalent among the HAART recipients in Kagera region. They accounted for 28% of the physical functioning scores and 22% of the mental health scores that were below the mean of the general Tanzanian population. Therefore, the integration of NCD care is important in the management of HIV/AIDS.
In Tanzania, the administration of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to eligible recipients started in 2004 with the establishment of HIV/AIDS care and treatment centres (CTCs) in selected regions . The aim of the HIV/AIDS care and treatment programme is to provide comprehensive and quality, continuing care and treatment to eligible recipients in order to improve their longevity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) . Kagera Regional Hospital started administering HAART in 2005 . A study conducted 2 years after HAART administration was commenced at the hospital showed that the HRQOL of the HAART recipients was comparable in some aspects to that of the general Tanzanian population .
Although antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) do not cure HIV/AIDS, they have incredibly reduced the rates of mortality and morbidity, improved the quality of life, revitalised communities and transformed the perception of HIV/AIDS from a deadly disease to a manageable chronic illness [5-10]. The life expectancy of HAART recipients has increased [5,11], thus, like any other aging population, the recipients begin to suffer from an increased occurrence of chronic diseases including NCDs . This phenomenon may represent a sort of an epidemiological transition whereby infectious diseases overlap with NCDs. Inflammation by HIV, HAART effect, opportunistic infections or their treatment, and traditional risk factors like obesity are among the factors which have been cited for the high prevalence of NCDs in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) [6,7,12,]. Although the prevalence of NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa is high and is projected to continue increasing [13,14], the prevalence and trends of NCDs in the general population and PLWHA in Kagera region had not been studied at the time of this study. The aim of this study was to describe self-reported NCDs among HAART recipients in Kagera and to examine how the diseases affect the recipients' HRQOL. Results from this study may guide health policy-makers and clinicians in making decisions on how to best manage both HIV/AIDS and the NCDs.
Study design, setting and population
This was a cross-sectional study comprising HAART recipients aged 18 years and above at the CTC of the Kagera Regional Hospital in Tanzania conducted in 2007. The hospital is situated in Bukoba town in north-western Tanzania . All study participants had been on HAART for at least 6 months.
Sample size computation
At data collection, the CTC had 1,521 HAART recipients. After applying the exclusion criteria of the study (age less than 18 years, time on therapy less than 6 months and pregnancy), 892 recipients remained and served as the sampling frame. The sample size was calculated using StatCalc within Epi Info version 3.4.3 (CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA). The expected frequency of the factor under study, namely the prevalence of NCDs, was unknown thus was assumed to be 50%, which gave the largest sample. The sample size was calculated in such a way that the expected frequency of NCDs lay within 5 points of the presumed frequency, that is, 50±5%. Therefore, the worst acceptable result was set within the range 45-55%. At 95% confidence interval (CI), the sample size was calculated to be 269. However, in anticipation of some non-response, 22% of the calculated sample size (60 participants) was added giving a total sample size of 329 recipients. None of the study HAART recipients selected to participate in this study refused.
Simple random sampling method was employed. First a unique number was assigned to each of the HAART recipients in the sampling frame. A table of random numbers was used to randomly select the HAART recipients, one by one from a sampling frame of 892, until the required sample size (329) was obtained. Trained interviewers met the randomly selected HAART recipients when they attended the CTC and requested them to participate in the study. After obtaining their informed consent, the selected recipients were interviewed.
Data collection and instrument
Data on HRQOL were collected in face-to-face interviews using the Swahili version of the SF-36 questionnaire. The SF-36 has internal consistency and strong psychometric properties and has been validated for use in more than 40 languages [15,16] including Swahili, the national language of Tanzania . It has 8 multi-item scales that assess respondents' physical functioning, role limitation due to physical health problems, bodily pain, general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role limitation due to emotional health problems and mental health . Apart from the 8 scales of the SF-36, questions on socio-demographic information, NCDs or their sequelae like cerebro-vascular accidents, self-reported adherence to ARVs and perceived untoward effects of HAART were added to the questionnaire. An NCD was defined as a disease or medical condition that was not transmissible among people (i.e. non-infectious)  that had been diagnosed by a medical doctor in the past. All chronic but infectious diseases were excluded. Peptic ulcers were included because their causation was considered to be multifactorial. The NCDs were self-reported. Kagera Regional Hospital was the only place where HAART services were available for the whole region at the time of the study. Patients' NCD records were kept at the different hospitals and health centres, scattered in the region, where the patients came from. Thus, it was practically impossible to confirm reported NCDs by checking the records. The question on NCDs consisted of a list of well-known NCDs and an "other, specify" option for NCDs that were not on the list.
Adherence was recorded, and later in the analysis stage categorised, as perfect when recipients reported that they had taken 100% of all the prescribed ARV doses in the past 1 week before they were interviewed and near-perfect when ≥95% but <100% of all prescribed doses were reported to have been taken . The remainder were classified as non-adherent. For the perceived untoward effects of HAART, recipients were asked whether they have had bad symptoms or conditions in the past one month thought to be caused by HAART. A pilot study was conducted to validate the questions on the presence or absence of NCDs and the other questions that were added to the SF-36. Treatment information, the first and the latest available CD4+ cell counts were retrieved from the patients' records. The time duration between the 2 cell counts was also recorded. A pilot study was conducted before data collection to validate the questions that were added to the SF-36.
This study was first approved by the Medical Research Coordinating Committee (MRCC) of the National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania. Evidence of MRCC's ethical clearance was then presented to the Kagera Region Health Services. In the field, the nature of the study and other items in the informed consent form and the participant information sheet were explained to the prospective study participants by the interviewers. Participants were asked to sign (or thumbprint) the consent form when it was established that they had understood the nature of the research and had given their consent voluntarily.
Data handling and cleaning
Data were entered separately in MS Excel spreadsheet by 2 people. The 2 datasets were compared and discrepancies were corrected. The data were then imported into Stata SE 11 for Windows (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA) and the data were checked and cleaned using codebook and frequency tabulations.
Scoring of the SF-36
The SF-36 item scales should be scored so that the higher the score the better the health state . To meet this criterion, items of the SF-36 that required recoding were recalibrated. After item recoding, scale scores were computed by summing across items in the same scale to give raw scale scores. The score was a simple algebraic sum of the responses for all the items in the scale . In the next step, the raw scores were transformed into a 0-100 scale that was used in the analysis.
Dichotomous variables were sex (male/female), religion (Christian/Muslim), NCDs (yes/no), reported side effects of HAART (yes/no), perfect or near-perfect adherence to ARVs (yes/no) and CD4+ cell increase over time (yes/no). The CD4+ cell change over time was derived from the difference between the last CD4+ cell measurement and the first one divided by the time span in months between the 2 counts. The results fell into 3 categories: decrease, no change and increase. An increase was classified as "yes" and no change or decrease was classified as "no"for the variable. The other variables namely marital status, level of education, income level per month and employment had more than 2 categories. The 8 scale scores of the SF-36 questionnaire were also dichotomised. The cut-off point for dichotomisation for each of the scale scores was the respective mean scale scores of the general Tanzanian population . Those who scored under the mean for the respective scale for the general population were categorised as "below" and those who scored equal to or above the mean of the general population were classified as "above".
Frequency tables for categorical variables like sex and summary statistics for quantitative variables like age were made. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were later performed. The explanatory variables entered in the logistic regression equation were those which were stated in the literature to be associated with the HRQOL of the HAART recipients [20-24,] or those which were statistically significant in the bivariate analysis. The variables were NCDs, CD4+ cell count change, HAART adverse effects, adherence to ARVs, gender, age, educational level and income level per month. The outcome variables, tested separately, were physical functioning and mental health. Physical functioning scale scores represented the physical health of the HAART recipients while mental health scale scores represented their mental health.
Categories for the explanatory variables were as follows: NCDs (yes/no), HAART side effects (yes/no), adherence to ARVs (perfect or near-perfect/not), CD4+ cell change (yes/no), sex (male/female), age-group in years (≤24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64 or ≥65), education level of the respondent (no formal education, primary education or post-primary education) and income level per month in Tanzania shillings (TZS) (<100,000; 100,000-300,000; or >300,000). Except for age-group, education level and income per month, all the variables entered in the equations were dichotomous. The non-dichotomous variables were entered in the model in the form of indicator contrasts. The number of variables entered in the model was less than 10% of the events (number of participants scoring less than the mean for the general population), which is usually recommended . Before running the backward stepwise procedure that was used to select the variables to be included in the final model, collinearity of the variables was tested and found to be acceptable. The logistic regression procedure was based on the global likelihood ratio test. The significance level for variable entry into the model was set at 0.05 and that for removal from the model was set at 0.10. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was employed to check the goodness-of-fit of the model . The population attributable fraction (PAF) for the NCDs, which represents the item scale scores that were below the mean of the general population as a result of the presence of the NCDs, was computed directly using the statistical software used for this analysis i.e. STATA SE 11 for Windows.
The study comprised 329 participants (Table 1). The mean (standard deviation (SD)) age of the study participants was 40.9 (8.7) years. Females (n = 217; 66.0%) made up two-thirds of the study sample. About 43% (n = 141) of the study participants were widows/widowers and 33.1% (n = 109) of the study sample were married. The majority of the study participants were primary school leavers (n = 240; 73.0%). The median income for the study sample was 60,000 (range 0-600,000) TZS per month (US$1 ≈ TZS1,300 in 2007). More than three-quarters of the participants (n = 260; 79.6%) earned below TZS 100,000 per month. The majority of the participants (n = 270; 82.1%) were on stavudine, lamivudine and nevirapine combination therapy and the rest (n = 59; 17.9%) were on a zidovudine, lamivudine and efavirenz combination regimen. However, at the time of the study, less than 1% of the recipients had switched between the 2 treatments a couple of times.
Self-reported NCDs among the HAART recipients
Self-reported NCDs were common among study participants. Those who reported having at least 1 NCD were 190 out of 329 (57.8%). All the 190 participants who reported having NCDs had either arthritis only or arthritis with some other NCD(s). Thus, arthritis was the commonest NCD. In all the participants, the arthritis was not infective and had existed for at least 3 months. The other NCDs, expressed as a percentage of the whole sample (N = 329), were peptic ulcer disease 38 (11.6%), hypertension 18 (5.5%), bronchial asthma 11 (3.3%), cerebrovascular accidents 9 (2.7%), heart diseases 6 (1.8%), diabetes mellitus 4 (1.2%), epilepsy 2 (0.6%), and cancer 1 (0.3%). The "other" group comprised less frequent conditions that mainly included non-specific chronic symptoms and signs pointing to undiagnosed underlying diseases. As a group, these "other" conditions were 13 (4.0%). The question on NCDs allowed multiple responses. The total responses for all NCDs were 292. As a percentage of the total NCD responses, arthritis accounted for 190 (65.1%), peptic ulcer disease 38 (13.0%), hypertension 18 (6.2%), bronchial asthma 11 (3.8%), cerebrovascular accidents 9 (3.1%), heart diseases 6 (2.1%), diabetes mellitus 4 (1.4%), epilepsy 2 (0.7%) and cancer 1 (0.3%). The "other" group of NCDs accounted for 13 (4.5%).
Association between socio-demographic characteristics and SF-36 scores of the HAART recipients
Table 2 presents the association between the HAART recipients' socio-demographic characteristics and their HRQOL. Recipients within the age bracket 35-44 years had a significantly higher mean score for general health perceptions than those in the age group 45-54 years by 8.12 points (p = 0.021). The mean score for role-physical item of the HAART recipients with post-primary education was higher than the mean score of those with primary education only by 18.5 points (p = 0.002). The rest of the socio-demographic characteristics were not significantly associated with HRQOL scores of HAART recipients.
Impact of NCDs on HRQOL
The PAF for NCDs on physical functioning scale scores was 0.28. The results of the final logistic regression model for physical functioning item score as the outcome variable are presented in Table 3. CD4+ cell count change over time was found to be an interaction factor for the relationship between the NCDs and physical functioning scores of the HAART recipients. In other words, the effect of the NCDs on physical functioning was different in recipients who had an increase in CD4+ cells over time compared with recipients who had no increase in CD4+ cells. Recipients with NCDs and a CD4+ cell increase had a 12.3-fold higher likelihood of having a physical functioning mean score that was below the mean for the general population. On the other hand, in HAART recipients with no CD4+ cell increase, the relationship between the presence of NCDs and the mean physical functioning score was not statistically significant.
The PAF for NCDs on mental health scale scores was 0.22. The results of the final logistic regression model with mental health item scale scores as the outcome variable are shown in Table 4. Recipients who had NCDs had a 3.4 times higher risk of scoring less than the general population's mean for the mental health item scale scores (p = 0.005). The relationship between each of the explanatory variables: HAART side effects, adherence to ARVs, CD4+ cell count change, and the outcome variable mental health scores of HAART recipients was not significant.
Summary of the findings
This study revealed high prevalence of self-reported NCDs among PLWHA on HAART at the Kagera Regional Hospital in Tanzania. The results also showed that NCDs were associated with the low HRQOL of the HAART recipients. The PAFs for NCDs on physical functioning and mental health scale scores were 0.28 and 0.22, respectively. In other words, 28% of the physical functioning scores and 22% of the mental health scores that were below the mean for the general Tanzanian population could have been improved if all HAART recipients at the Kagera Regional Hospital had no NCDs or had NCDs that were well controlled.
Findings in the context of previous studies
In a different study conducted at the hospital, it was found that the health transition (a comparison of the current health status to the health status in the previous year) of the HAART recipients was favourable, with more than 88% reporting better health status than in the previous 1 year . The favourable health transition that was found demonstrates the usefulness of HAART despite the negative effects of the NCDs.
Other researchers have also found NCDs to be a risk factor for low HRQOL in HAART recipients. Co-morbidity, in general, has been found to influence HRQOL outcomes in HAART recipients [12,23,27, 28]. In the present study, 57.8% of all the study participants reported having at least 1 NCD. It was also found that the effect of the NCDs on physical functioning was different in participants who recorded a CD4+ cell increase compared with those who recorded no increase. In participants who had the CD4+ cell increase; those with NCDs were 12.3 times more likely to have a physical functioning mean score that was less than the score of the general population. In participants who had no CD4+ cell increase, the NCDs did not affect their physical functioning mean score. A possible explanation for this might be that the degree of immunodeficiency in participants who had no increase in the CD4+ cell count was too high to show any significant gain in physical functioning from the absence of the NCDs. It was also found that the HAART recipients who had NCDs had a 3.4-fold higher likelihood of having a mental health score that was below the mean for the general population.
Katusiime and Kambungu  studied the prevalence of NCDs among HIV-infected patients in Uganda and found that 27.3% had hypertension and 6.5% had diabetes mellitus. The percentages are higher than what was found in this study, which may be explained by the fact that the HIV-infected patients studied in Uganda were all aged 60 years and above. Chu et al  found that the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus in HIV-infected adults in Bronx New York ranged from 13 to 48%. The self-reported prevalence of hypertension (5.5%) and diabetes mellitus (1.2%) in the present study were lower than those found by Chu et al. These differences may be explained by the differences in the prevalence of NCDs in the general population where the studies were conducted.
Limitations and future research
This study had some limitations. The SF-36 health survey does not measure quality of life in totality and is not HIV-specific. Comparison of the prevalence of NCDs in the study population to that in the general population would have been very informative. However, the prevalence of NCDs in the general population in study area has not been described. Further, the cross-sectional design employed does not provide evidence of the direction of association because it fails to distinguish which preceded the other between the explanatory and outcome variables. Future research should use HIV-specific HRQOL measurements. However, these need to be validated first before use on the target population. Whenever resources allow, a longitudinal approach should be employed.
Self-reported NCDs were prevalent among HAART recipients in Kagera and were associated with low HRQOL in the HAART recipients. This finding has important health care implications. It calls for a holistic and collaborative approach to the care and treatment of PLWHA as NCDs varied widely and required expertise cutting across many different specialties. The control of the NCDs would considerably improve the HRQOL of the HAART recipients. Health care workers who attend to PLWHA at the CTCs should be trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions like arthritis, peptic ulcer disease, hypertension, bronchial asthma, cerebrovascular disease, heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Refresher courses that cover the management of the common NCDs that are encountered in the HIV/AIDS field are recommended.
The authors declare no competing interests.
Mgaywa Gilbert Mjungu Damas Magafu conceived the study, participated in and led every stage of the study from conception to manuscript drafting, reviewing and submission. Kazuhiko Moji, Ehimario Uche Igumbor and Naoko Shimizu Magafu contributed to the study proposal writing, data collection, analysis and manuscript writing. Dereje Habte, Michael Mwandri and Julius Chacha Mwita contributed to data collection, analysis, interpretation and manuscript writing. Godfrey Mutashambara Rwegerera and Masahiro Hashizume contributed to data analysis, interpretation and manuscript writing. All authors contributed with critical comments to the drafts of the manuscript. The final version of the manuscript was read and approved by all authors.
We thank all the HAART recipients at the Kagera Regional Hospital who participated in this study. We also thank Gaston Kakungu, Itros Sanga, Judith Kimasha, Levi Lupondije and Wayne Goode for their useful contribution during data collection.
Table 1: The distribution of the study sample characteristics (N = 329)
Table 2: The relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of HAART recipients and their mean SF-36 scale scores
Table 3: Multiple logistic regression model results for the association between NCDs and physical functioning item score of HAART recipients (N = 329)
Table 4: Multiple logistic regression model for the association between NCDs and mental health item score of HAART recipients (N = 329) adjusted for HAART side effects, adherence to anti-retroviral drugs and CD4+ cell count change
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domain: medical


text:
Get started on your next refashion project with this amazing list of DIY overalls on the cheap. You don’t really need to spend anything to have new clothes, just this list, some skills and you’ll be good to go!
As a crafter, we always love to try new DIY projects. Since it is already summer, it’s time to get outside and have fun! Whether you’re up for some dirty gardening or just want to chill out under the sun, there’s always an overall that will fit any occasion. We’ve compiled some DIY Overalls on the cheap for you to choose from.
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This could be your cute custome on a summer party! Find the full tutorial here.
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If you can’t find the style you want in the store, then, personalize it. Find the full tutorial here.
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Who would not love the comfy look of this DIY overall dress? Get the full instructions here.
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look so beautiful and stylish, inst it? Learn how to make it here.
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If you love a transformation, why not try doing vintage? Learn how to make it here?
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Imagine what your imagination can do? A beautiful overall! Find the full instructions here.
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please enjoy these Affordable DIY Overalls Ideas and give us any feedback.

domain: design


text:
Bradley and Rochelle’s Engagement Photos
Having engagement photos taken before your wedding day is a great way to get to know your photographer a little better. It is also a great way to grow more comfortable in front of the camera, learn how to forget that it is there, and live in the moment. Rochelle and Bradley are getting married in November at Osteria in Casuarina. They chose me to capture all the special moments that make up their big day. This is just a preview of the beautiful photos they create! Honestly, I can not wait until their wedding. They have booked such an amazing team of suppliers, including the lovely girls at Ivy and Bleu. Enjoy looking through just a snippet of their engagement photos!
If this is your first visit to my website, welcome! Have a look around! If you are looking for a wedding photographer, please click here for more information on my/our services. To all my current brides, feel free to contact me if you would like to plan your engagement shoot.

domain: artistic


The province is reporting nine deaths from COVID-19 as well as a total of 8,650 positive PCR tests for the month of July.
Nova Scotia released the monthly statistics on Monday.
The data showed hospitalizations and positive test results were up compared to June but the number of affected people who died was down.
Six of the nine deaths were people aged 70 and older and three were in a long-term care facility, according to the monthly report posted online.
The report also said those over the age of 70 are 14 times more likely to need to be hospitalized and the likelihood of death is 166 times higher than people under the age of 50.
Those who have not been vaccinated were hospitalized at nearly four times the rate and died more than three times the rate as those with three or more doses.
Graphs of the data in the report showed a minor uptick in a curve of positive cases and hospitalizations but the number of deaths remained level. The numbers are still far from the peak of the wave that hit in March into April.
The report also cautions that there may be a lag in the reporting of deaths.
Since March 1, Nova Scotia has seen 70,440 positive PCR tests, 1,136 hospitalizations and 214 deaths.


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Program Trains Veterans for Future in FarmingFebruary 28, 2017 | :
by Bobbie O'Brien
A growing number of veterans are looking to agriculture for their next career and entrepreneurial opportunity.
It’s what brought dozens of veterans and active duty military recently to the parking lot of the Hillsborough County Agricultural Extension Service in Seffner. Shortly after sunrise, they boarded a bus for the Military Farm Tour sponsored by the county’s economic development department and the extension service.

domain: agronomy


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Fertilizer Inflation Likely to Persist into Spring Planting
December 1, 2021
- Growers and retail input suppliers face one of the worst inflationary environments in decades, driven by a continued parabolic rise in fertilizer prices. Nitrogen production shocks, tight global supplies, rising natural gas input costs, and steady demand are pushing up prices.
- While the situation will eventually correct itself, our analysis suggests that high fertilizer costs will persist into the spring 2022 planting season at minimum. We base this conclusion in part on a recent farmer survey and university study, both of which place the odds of high prices persisting at 70% or above.
- Farm supply cooperatives appear to be better managing risk today compared to 2008-09, when a sudden drop in fertilizer prices forced some cooperatives to write down fertilizer inventory. In an environment of volatile crop and natural gas prices, the key, of course, is for retailers to match selling prices to the farmer with rising wholesale costs.
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domain: news


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Why did you want to climb Mt. Everest?
– Because it’s there.
This is the famous question and answer between the journalist and the British climber, George Mallory.
The relationship between human and mountains has always been close. For example in Japan, people in the past used to climb mountains to approach to and worship gods because we believe gods live in everywhere in nature due to the idea of 神道(Shintoism).
I heard that in 7th to 8th century, nobles enjoyed climbing for having a date. We can read their poems of love which were sang up to mountains.
In this day and age, the meaning of climbing has changed a little. A few years ago, the word “山ガール(Yama-girls)” became a buzzword in Japan. “Yama-girls” means girls or women who love climbing mountains and wear fashionable mountain clothings. So some people enjoy climbing for entertainment and style.
The first mountain I climbed was Mt. Kura-dake in Kikuchi city in 2018. Actually, it was my first article here!
I guess it wasn’t a real climbing because my friends and I parked the car near the top and hiked just for 30 minutes but the view at the top was just so amazing and unforgettable.
Today, I’d like to share with you Mt. Taromaru（太郎丸岳） and Mt. Jiromaru（次郎丸岳） in Kamiamakusa city（上天草市）. Both mountains are classified as lower mountains but it is achievable to climb both. Let’s see how it was to climb both mountains and what is waiting onto the top.
- 1 Mt. Jiromaru（次郎丸岳） and Mt. Taromaru（太郎丸岳） in Kamiamakusa city（上天草市）, Kumamoto
- 1.1 What’s famous in Kamiamakusa city(上天草市)?
- 1.2 Climbing Mt. Taromaru（太郎丸岳） and Mt. Jiromaru（次郎丸岳）.
- 1.3 Climb Mt. Taromaru and Mt. Jiromaru and feel the great nature at most!
- 1.4 Information
- 1.5 共有:
Mt. Jiromaru（次郎丸岳） and Mt. Taromaru（太郎丸岳） in Kamiamakusa city（上天草市）, Kumamoto
What’s famous in Kamiamakusa city(上天草市)?
First, let’s learn a little bit about Kamiamakusa city（上天草市）.
Kamiamakusa city locates in the eastern parts of Amakusa islands. The attractive part of Amakusa is that you can see both seas and mountains all together. Also, there are many small islands on the sea which makes the scenery more pretty.
Except for the lovely scenery, Kamiamakusa is famous for fresh seafood. Kamiamakusa is a fishing town which is surrounded by Shimabara Bay and Yatsushiro Sea. They get good quality of red snapper, prawns, octopus, conger eel, etc. There are many seafood restaurants which offer you lovely 寿司(sushi), 刺身丼(Sashimi-don, means seasoned sashimi rice bowl), 天ぷら(tempura), etc.
Also, you can see pearl farming and this scenery symbolizes Amakusa area. There is a road called パールライン(Pearl Line) which connects main islands in Amakusa. Perl Line is considered to be the Best 100 scenic roads in Japan and from Oyano-town to Matsushima-town in Kamiamakusa, you will drive across several bridges and see open panoramic scenery.
Climbing Mt. Taromaru（太郎丸岳） and Mt. Jiromaru（次郎丸岳）.
Mt. Jiromaru and Mt. Taromaru locate in Kamiamakusa city. Both mountains are acknowledged as one of the best 100 mountains in Kyushu and loved by many climbers. The hight of both mountains are rather lower but it is said that these mountains are for intermediate to advanced climbers.(Actually,I knew it later…)
Story about two-brother mountains, Mt. Taromaru（太郎丸岳） and Mt.Jiromaru（次郎丸岳）.
The name “Jiro” and “Taro” are popular Japanese name for men(they sound a little old-fashioned, though). There is an interesting story about both mountains.
Once upon a time, these were two brother-mountains which were very close and got along very well. The elder brother was Mt. Taromaru and the younger one was Mt. Jiromaru and Mt. Taromaru was taller than his younger brother.
One day, Mt. Taromaru excitedly said to his younger brother that “Mt. Jiromaru, today we have another stunning sunset, don’t we?”. Mt. Jiromaru went, “You are lucky, brother. You can see that beautiful sunset everyday. I haven’t seen because you are always taller than me.”. Then the elder brother said “Why haven’t you tell me so? Ok, let’s change our positions.”. As Mt. Taromaru started to move, his peak broke down a little and in the end it became shorter than his younger brother. Since then, Mt. Jiromaru can see the beautiful sunset everyday and appreciates his elder brother. Now, Mt.Taromaru is 281m high and Mt. Jiromaru is 397m high.
Mt. Jiromaru（次郎丸岳） ~ Real Breathtaking Experience, Roar on Lion Rock(ライオン岩)!~
Now, let’s see how our climbing was one by one.
My friend and I are still early birds so we left Kumamoto City at 6am and arrived at the parking lot before 8am.
Just in front of the parking space, you will see these cute Totoros. It’s free to park there. After changing shoes, we started climbing at 8am.
From the starting point, we walked through residential area. At some points, you will see these handmade dolls and boards to show which way to go so just follow them.
It was February 2nd and unusually warmer. The temperature sometimes went up to 15 degrees! Many spring flowers such as 梅(Ume, means plum blossom) had misunderstood spring had come and bloomed already.
めじろ(Mejiro, means White-eye bird) came to plum blossoms and drank nectar of flowers.
Before climbing Mt. Jiromaru and Mt. Taromaru, we asked some people who have already climbed these mountains and they said it’s not difficult to climb them. It’s rather easy. So we judged it would be so easy like hiking.
After walking for a while, we found these bamboo sticks. We always wanted to have climbing sticks so we borrowed one each. It really worked afterwards so if you don’t have yours, take one here. The sign says after using it, please take it back there.
⬆ This is the branch point between Mt. Jiromaru and Mt. Taromaru. From the starting point to this branch point, it took about 30 minutes. My friend heard that it would be more difficult to climb Mt. Jiromaru so we had decided to go to Mt. Jiromaru first.
As we moved forward, we faced some difficult points with many rocks. It turned out to be unexpected rock climbing! There are ropes so just grab it and move forward.
You should go through these gaps! I often got stuck because of my big backpack….
Just before the top, you will see this last boss, an enormous rock(It’s too big to capture the whole rock in a picture!)!! I’m sure you will be confused. Even though I had heard about the rock, when I saw it, I just couldn’t help but laughing because it exceeded my expectation so much! What you can do is to grab a rope and just climb up! To be honest, it wasn’t difficult as it looks. It’s rather easy than other rock parts!
The scenery from the top of the rock is so panoramic!
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that clear on that day but still, we could see the ocean, small islands and mountains, which is the symbolic view of Amakusa.
After a while, you will reach to the top of Mt. Jiromaru. I was shocked to know that the hight of Mt. Jiromaru is just 397m!! Because of all the rocks and steepness, we felt it was much higher or I should say we wished it was higher so that we could have more sense of achievement….
What is the most famous about Mt. Jiromaru is this “ライオン岩(Lion Rock)”.
Near the top of Mt. Jiromaru, you will see this お地蔵さん(Jizo statue). Go through the small path of left side of Jizo statue and you will see this Lion Rock.
If you climb with someone else, what you can do is you stand on Lion Rock and the other take picture from the top of the mountain. This is very photogenic. When you see this photo for the first time, I’m sure you will think “Oh no, it’s so dangerous! But actually, the Lion rock is not that narrow and if you don’t go to the very edge, and of course if you take very good care, it will be fine. (My friend posted the photo on Facebook and she’d got so many comments saying “あぶない😱！(Dangerous!)”)
I’m not that afraid of hight but when I stood on Lion Rock and looked down, my feet trembled a little.
On the way to the top, we met an elderly couple. They said they came from Fukuoka and often go climbing together. Isn’t it so nice to be together and share joy and excitement after we get older? We should be healthy both mentally and physically if we want to be like them. Especially, the husband was so friendly. He talked to us all the time and made us laugh all the time. Meeting and interacting with new people is another pleasure of climbing.
Mt. Taromaru（太郎丸岳）~ It’s not a piece of a cake!! Another challenging rock climbing!~
After taking some rest at Mt. Jiromaru, we headed to the branch point.
We were worried how to go down all the rocks we climbed but thanks to the ropes and the bamboo stick, we could manage them. For this huge rock, just grab a rope and go down like her!
We came back to the branch point. We had already climbed the difficult one and Mt. Taromaru is smaller than Mt. Jiromaru so we kind of expected that it would be just a piece of cake.
After the branch point, we walked along the path to Mt. Taromaru and it was easy to walk. We walked flat path with many farn plants. But gradually, it had got rocky and steep. What made it more difficult was that there was no rope! You can’t rely on ropes but only you. That was the time we appreciated the bamboo stick at most.
After a while, we again met the elderly couple on the way and we started to climbing together.
We reached to the top! Again, I was shocked to know that the hight of Mt. Taromaru is just 281m!
Actually, on the day we climbed, there was a trekking event organized by Kamiamakusa city, starting at 10am. When we arrived at the top of Mt. Taromaru, Kamiamakusa city workers had already arrived and waited participants. We all talked for a while and one of the city workers asked the elderly couple why they climb mountains. The wife replied “Only a person who climbs can understand.”.
When I heard this, I learned that this is not about words, but something you feel by yourself. The noise, smell, the amount of sunlights and shadows, the weather, whom I am with, like everything that creates the moment is once-in-a-lifetime encounter that should be cherished. I witnessed something new every time I climb. It’s a real treat in life and no need to explain it.
We came back to the parking lot at 11:30 so that means it took almost 3 and a half hours to going up and going down(plus, we spent talking on the top of the mountains for a while!).
You will see this sign behind Totoros saying “お疲れさまでした(Otsukare-sama deshita)” which means good work.
We said goodbye to the lovely couple.
Climb Mt. Taromaru and Mt. Jiromaru and feel the great nature at most!
What is waiting for you after climbing is not only the sense of achievement but also the good onsen and fresh seafood.
We visited “スパ・タラソ天草(Spa Thalasso Amakusa)” to have onsen with nice view and have lovely seafood lunch. I will share about Spa Thalasso Amakusa in the next article that is coming soon.
Spring is just around the corner and it will be a comfortable weather for climbing. Luckily, there are many mountains in Kumamoto, from the difficult ones to the easy ones. You can arrange climbing with onsen and lunch and it’ll be a nice day trip or a half day trip. Climbing is a great way to feel and see the changes of seasons. Climb Mt. Taromaru and Mt. Jiromaru and cherish once-in-a-lifetime moment at most!

domain: geography


VSMPO passed Rolls Royce’s "ultrasonic" audit
16.10.2017 — News
Representatives of Rolls Royce performed a compliance audit of ultrasonic monitoring systems in one of the certified ScanMaster units operating at VSMPO.
They also checked and assessed the performance of another four ScanMaster units for certification of the new ultrasonic inspection section at shop No. 22/2. The units had already been inspected by Safran and Pratt & Whitney representatives.
As RusBusinessNews has been informed by the Press Service of the VSMPO-Avisma Corporation, the Rolls Royce representatives and VSMPO engineers discussed programs for new disk codes planned for 2018.
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Objective: Our aim was to assess the effects of sexual activity during pregnancy on the prognosis of labor.
Methods: It was a prospective cohort study of labor comparing 72 women declaring unprotected vaginal sexual intercourse after 37 weeks of pregnancy consecutively recruited to 72 women claiming no sexual contact after 37 weeks of pregnancy also consecutively recruited.
Results: The sexually active group at term were significantly involved in more frequent heterosexual intercourse after 28 weeks pregnancy and before term (RR = 37.8; CI = 19.8-515.4). Women sexually active were significantly admitted during the active phase of labor (RR = 2.4; IC = 1.6-5.3), with the fetal head at station 0 and more (RR = 1.5; CI = 1.3-5.2). They significantly had a shorter active phase (RR = 1.7; CI = 1.5-3.7) and a shorter second stage (RR = 1.5; CI = 1.2-3.3). They significantly had a normal pattern of labor (RR = 2.1; CI = 1.2-5.3), a higher rate of spontaneous deliveries (RR = 2.1; CI = 1.5-4.5), a lower rate of caesarean sections (RR = 0.46; CI = 0.1-0.8) and needed less oxytocin usage before expulsion (RR = 0.5; CI = 0.2-0.7).
Conclusion: Sexual activity during pregnancy improves the prognosis of labor in Cameroonian women. In the absence of contraindications, consented unprotected heterosexual intercourse should be promoted in pregnant women.
Keywords: Cameroon; labor; pregnancy; prognosis; sexual activity; vaginal sexual intercourse.

domain: health


text:
Bewildering Stories welcomes...
Romney S. Humphrey
Romney has had considerable success in writing scripts for television and theater. One of his TV pilots has won the National Parents’ Choice award.
“The Northwest Corner Pool” could hardly be made into a play for screen, stage or radio. Rather, it does what prose does best: bring the reader into the minds of the characters. The hero, Sammy Casper, is not a very likeable character, not at first; he’s self-important and bossy. But he does his neighbors an important favor by preserving the tranquillity of their tightly knit society. By the end of the story, the reader can at least come to understand Sammy and appreciate the respect he deserves.
Romney S. Humphrey’s bio sketch can be found here.
Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Romney. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!
Copyright © 2013 by Bewildering Stories

domain: literature


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SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Springdale diagnostics company gets emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 antibody test.
NOWDiagnostics‘ finger-prick test checks for antibodies in blood and can deliver results in 15 minutes.
The presence of antibodies most likely means a person was exposed to COVID-19.
If someone shows signs of antibodies, doctors say plasma could potentially help patients suffering from the virus.
The Food and Drug Administration says the company can now test at pharmacies, clinics and hospital emergency rooms.
Beth Cobb, COO of NOWDiagnostics said, “Why wouldn’t you want to know if you had antibodies to this terrible virus? If you want to know if you can go to the local nursing home and help take care of your grandparent. If you want to know if it’s safe to walk into a public building. If you want to know if you’re going to be bringing any harm to your family. Yeah, it’s useful to know.”
NOWDiagnostics says it’s excited to make this test available to the community, and they’ve already started distributing the tests.


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February 12, 2016 - 8:41 AM
OKANAGAN - If an outdoor date is in your plans this Valentine’s Day, Mother Nature may not have your back this year.
Environment Canada is calling for high of 4 to 6 Celsius in Vernon and Kelowna today, Feb. 12, and tomorrow, but temperatures are expected to warm up to 9 C for Valentine’s Day on Sunday. In Penticton a high of 7 C is expected today and tomorrow, followed by a high of 9 C for Valentine’s Day. Overnight lows are expected to range from 1 C to 4 C throughout the region.
Seasonal normal temperatures range from a high of 3 C to a low of -4 C for the entire Okanagan.
Rain is expected to fall today, up to 10 mm throughout the valley, with cloudy skies and a chance of rain or flurries expected overnight Saturday. Cloudy skies and a chance of showers is expected Sunday as well.
If the ski hills are you part of your date plans expect highs of 0 C to -1 C at both Big White and Silver Star this weekend, along with periods of snow. For backcountry adventurers, you can expect a low to moderate risk of avalanche throughout the region for much of the weekend, according to Avalanche Canada forecasts.
As of Friday morning, Drive B.C. is reporting slushy or slippery sections and fog on many highways in the Southern Interior, along with frost heaves along Highway 1 towards the Alberta border and water pooling through the Shuswap and North Okanagan regions.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at firstname.lastname@example.org or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email email@example.com or call 250-718-2724.
News from © InfoTel News Ltd, 2016


text:
You can feel this lead...
June 24, 2013
You can feel this lead wearing out as you use it, which is something people who
appreciate natural graphite will love about this lead. It has this natural feel
and texture of graphite with no synthetic additions, yet it smudges very little
(but hey, is there any pencil that doesn't), I mean, next to none. Has the best
qualities of graphite lead and best ones of the synthetic ones (little
smudging). Recommend definitely!
3 people found this helpful

domain: chemistry


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RANSON — A bouncy house, inflatable golf and snow cones awaited guests of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department at the county’s first National Night Out Against Crime event on Tuesday.
Jefferson County Sheriff Tom Hansen had an important goal for the event, which is held around the country the first Tuesday in August.
“People can come to our event and enjoy themselves,” Hansen said. “We want to show the community that we’re not the enemy.”
Warren Royce, assistant fire chief with Blue Ridge Mountain Volunteer Fire Company, served burgers and hot dogs on the grill for event attendees. Royce’s favorite part of the job is an easy choice.
“It’s the people,” Royce said. “Serving the community makes it all worth it.”
K-9 Skye served as a large attraction for the event as the newest dog to help the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. Brett Staubs runs and trains Bayou with Off the Grid K-9.
“Bayou has been on missing-person rescue missions,” Staubs said. “The newest K-9 has been a great help.”
The Jefferson County Animal Welfare Society also brought animals. A cage of kittens sat next to a dog named Ace.
“The best part of the job is helping the animals but also serving the community,” Maria Simmons, with the JCAWS, said.
Police cars of all kinds were out for people to look out. A tan vehicle for special response and rescue stood 10 feet above the attendees.
“This has been a great event to put together,” Hansen said. “We look forward to helping this community every day.”


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Hit-Boy has made waves crash at maximum volume for years now. Amid being crowned countless GRAMMY wins alongside Nas for their joint album series King’s Disease, the prolific producer-rapper is finally letting his range shine in the limelight.
Staying afloat with his new album SURF OR DROWN, Hit-Boy recruits a trove of legends to accompany him on his first solo effort since 2020. Released on Friday (March 24), Alchemist, Nas, James Fauntleroy, Curren$y, DOM KENNEDY and more lend bars to the 22-track LP, which features a B-side of instrumentals. Hit shared “The Tide” with Nas on Wednesday (March 22), seeing the tandem rap bar-for-bar in preparation of King’s Disease 4.
Hit confirmed the record in an interview with Rap Radar’s Elliot Wilson on Twitter Spaces on March 16, initially announcing SURF OR DROWN in a conversation with Home Grown Media Group. “Some of the vibes on there I feel like people are gonna rock with,” he said. “It’s not all soul chops and shit… it’s modern sounds, it’s everything. It’s a world to come into.”
“In different interviews and stuff I’ve been doing, I’ve been talking about how I went through some real stuff and I had to really figure out my place back in the game and just understand my personal power in this shit… I could’ve drowned in this shit, so it’s like, Surf or Drown.”Hit-Boy on ‘SURF OR DROWN’ to Elliot Wilson
“They thought they knew my sound, I leveled up, I’m highly blessed,” Hit tears off on the head-turning “Slipping Into Darkness” with Alchemist, displaying both producers’ poignant talent in the booth with a pair of silky smooth verses. “Hit-Boy over an Alchemist beat, Alchemist over a Hit-Boy beat,” and it’s a bucket from the parking lot — dropping jaws of those unaware of Al and Hit’s lyrical capabilities. Along with Al and Nas, tracks with DOM KENNEDY (“CORSA)”, Curren$y (“Tony Fontana III”) and Avelino (“2 Certified”) were available to stream ahead of the album.
The Surf Club label boss has been on an absolute tear since 2020. Not only earning multiple “Producer Of The Year” honors, SURF OR DROWN serves as Hit-Boy’s first solo album since The Chauncey Hollis Project (2020). This will be his second LP of the year following Victims & Villains with R&B legend Musiq Soulchild.
Previously tapping in with Big Sean (What You Expect), Benny The Butcher (Burden Of Proof) and others, Hit is eyeing another joint project with the Griselda mainstay later this year — tentatively titled Everybody Can’t Go — as well as the fourth installment of King’s Disease. Until then, Hit-Boy is surfing the waters that keep him on top on SURF OR DROWN.
This story will be updated.
Check out “SURF OR DROWN” below!


Alfa Romeo enthusiasts around the world can finally mark their calendars as the Italian brand has officially announced the release date for its next high-performance model. The much-awaited supercar will be unveiled on August 30th, during the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix, making it a momentous occasion for both racing and automotive enthusiasts alike.
“After a long period of anticipation, we are thrilled to announce the official release date for our new high-performance model,” stated Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO of Alfa Romeo. “This project is a dream come true, inspired by an ambitious team that wanted to achieve something unique. We can’t wait to unveil it to the world.”
After months of speculation and rumors, Alfa Romeo has finally revealed the launch date of its new supercar, which is expected to set a new benchmark for the brand. In conjunction with this announcement, the Italian manufacturer has released a captivating teaser image of the upcoming model, which prominently displays the August 30th release date.
“The chosen date aligns perfectly with the prestigious Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, adding to the excitement surrounding the unveiling,” said Imparato. “We wanted to make this a truly special moment for Alfa Romeo enthusiasts and motorsport fans alike.”
The automotive press has already begun speculating about the details of the highly anticipated supercar. It is widely believed that the new model might bear the name “6C” and draw inspiration from the iconic T33 Stradale from the 1960s. Rumors suggest that the supercar could feature a powerful V6 engine, promising an exhilarating driving experience.
“We have aimed to create a vehicle that pays homage to our brand’s heritage while pushing the boundaries of performance and design,” explained Imparato. “The new supercar represents the culmination of our efforts to deliver something truly exceptional.”
Over a year ago, Jean-Philippe Imparato announced the brand’s plans to introduce an exclusive sports car, filling the void left by the 8C Competizione, which ceased production 13 years ago. With this announcement, Alfa Romeo has also shared a teaser image, providing a glimpse of what the mysterious hypercar might look like. It is widely believed that this forthcoming model will serve as a farewell to the era of combustion engines at Alfa Romeo, marking a significant transition for the brand.
“I am delighted to see our vision of a new sports car becoming a reality,” said Imparato. “The upcoming supercar is a testament to Alfa Romeo’s commitment to pushing boundaries and capturing the essence of Italian automotive excellence.”
Earlier this year, Alfa Romeo released another enigmatic image, fueling further speculation within the automotive community. Upon close examination, observers noticed distinct shapes that resembled both an ‘e’ and a ‘6C.’ This has led many to believe that the upcoming supercar will indeed be named the 6C. The possibility of this nomenclature has gained traction and is being regarded as a concrete option.
“The 6C nameplate holds tremendous significance for Alfa Romeo enthusiasts, and it would be a fitting tribute to our legacy,” stated Imparato. “However, we are excited to reveal all the details during the official unveiling.”


HOVVDY - HEAVY LIFTER VINYL (LTD. ED. GREEN)
LIMITED EDITION GREEN VINYL
Release Date: 18th October 2019
The third album from the slow-core indie-rocker duo of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor who create intimate, imaginative downtempo rock music fused with indie-pop sensibilities. Hot off the heels of their second album, Cranberry, from last year, Heavy Lifter sees them expanding their sound and being more playful with electronic usage for catchier results!
For Fans Of: (Sandy) Alex G, Strange Ranger, Long Beard, Frankie Cosmos
"Charlie Martin and Will Taylor met at a baseball game while on tour drumming for different bands. Back home in Austin, the two Texas natives discovered both held batches of compatible songs, intended for solo projects. They merged as Hovvdy instead. Penned separately, the duo’s first-ever songwriting efforts coalesce seamlessly on debut LP Taster. To this day, Charlie and Will create like satellites on the same orbit, combining bedroom recordings into a singular worn-in sound. Their downtempo rock found an audience in the Austin and New Orleans scenes, elevated by support from small indie Sports Day Records. Brooklyn label Double Double Whammy re-released Taster in 2017, followed by Cranberry in 2018. The sophomore work solidified the group’s sturdy guitar strums and rhythmic instincts, enveloped in nostalgic glow. Third LP Heavy Lifter finds new dimensions in the Hovvdy soundscape. For Heavy Lifter, the duo worked with producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist Ben Littlejohn. Throughout fall 2018, the team built out the album in makeshift home studios around Texas. Both singers’ voices cut through more decisively than ever, carried by vivid storytelling and production eccentricities. Familiar fuzz maintains the warmth of past work, but Heavy Lifter is never muffled. Clear-cut characters and scenes emerge in the 13 tracks. Antsy love song “1999” wanders around a small town, while bright pop piece “Mr. Lee” retells a lonely day in reverent detail. Lo-fi Daniel Johnston moment “TellmeI’masinger” empathetically enters an artistic perspective, unwound lyrically as: “Tell me I’m a singer.” Memories inform present decision-making throughout the album. Two tracks dive into family legacies, “Pixie” admitting “outside my mind/ is where I’m gonna be/ not what i had hoped at 14.” “Sudbury” recounts childhood major league dreams: “front yard catch, you got a plan/ to be a baseball star/ Texas Ranger shortstop.” Breaking from the confines of guitarbased slowcore, pop and hip-hop influences expand Hovvdy’s established framework. Propulsive, straightforward hooks usher in autotuned tweaks, chugging beats and genre exploration. By pulling apart slightly, Charlie and Will step into new spaces on Heavy Lifter. Always in sync, it’s a balanced effort."


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VIDEO: Runtown – OH OH OH MP4 DOWNLOAD
VIDEO: Runtown – OH OH OH, Soundgod music boss, Runtown unveils the official music video of his latest new song titled ”OH OH OH”.
Recall that Runtown few weeks ago released the official music video of No Permission, which featured South African popular rapper, Nasty C.
The Energy crooner has long along being teasing the Video of OH OH OH immediately after releasing Unleash with the hash tag #AreYouGonaDance.
Watch & Download Below: Video: Runtown – OH OH OH