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- True to size.
Unexpected textures, finishes and color combinations refresh the look of a handcrafted Italian low-top that's strategically distressed for a cool, old-favorite look right out of the box. Loopy cotton lining under the tongue feels super soft against your skin, and the well-padded collar and memory-foam footbed cradle your foot in comfort with every step.
- Slip-on style with knotted laces
- Removable memory-foam-cushioned footbed
- Herringbone treads inset with 'You Can Surf Later' detail
- Leather or genuine calf hair (Italy) upper/textile lining/synthetic sole
- Made in Italy
- Salon Shoes
- Item #5505558


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The Reese's Senior Bowl took place on Saturday in Mobile, Alabama — a chance for NFL front office personnel and coaches to get a front row seat to watch some of the top prospects in this year's draft.
After practices all week and the game on Saturday — in which the South beat the North 16-14 — here are 7 players who stood out.
The Senior Bowl has long been considered a pre-draft event at which prospects will only ever have something to gain.
After a full week of team practices, and the North and South teams coming together for a game Saturday afternoon, there are a number of players who have helped do just that, bolstering their stocks looking ahead to April.
|Davis Webb, QB, Cal|
The former Texas Tech and Cal quarterback earned MVP honors after completing 11 of 16 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown.
|Matthew Dayes, RB, NC State|
Like Hunt, Dayes had a big day at the running back position, rushing for 66 yards and a touchdown. He tallied a game-high 9.4 yards per run on his seven carries.
|Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina|
Jones had a monster afternoon with six catches for 68 yards — and that doesn't include the two touchdown catches which were eventually called back.
Peter Casey USA TODAY Sports
|Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M|
Reynolds was Webb's favorite target all afternoon, catching six balls for 96 yards and one touchdown.
|Derek Rivers DE/OLB, Youngstown State|
Rivers — a small school defender from Youngstown State — had a big game, which included a sack in the third quarter.
|Duke Riley, LB, LSU|
The LSU linebacker was all over the field, finishing with seven tackles (including four solo) for the South squad.

domain: news


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Swiss Re Strategic Council
Meetings of the Swiss Re Strategic Council explore emerging issues and provide strategic insights, advice and recommendations on the global economic, political, regulatory and societal environment. Their insights are complementary to the work of Swiss Re Institute.
The Swiss Re Strategic Council typically meets twice a year. The meetings are chaired by Swiss Re's Group Chief Investment Officer Guido Fürer and are attended by Swiss Re's Group Chief Executive Officer Christian Mumenthaler as well as other members of Swiss Re's executive management. Members of the Board of Directors of Swiss Re Ltd may join such meetings as guests.
The Swiss Re Strategic Council is managed by Catherine Burger, Head Foresight & Advisors, Swiss Re Institute.

domain: economics


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Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1913
Roles Represented in DAHR: Musical group
|Company||Matrix No.||Size||First Recording Date||Title||Primary Performer||Description||Role||Audio|
|Columbia||38584||10-in.||1/22/1913||Egy, kto harom negy||Slavish Orchestra||Orchestra||Musical group|
|Columbia||38585||10-in.||1/22/1913||Elmegyek a templom mellet||Slavish Orchestra||Orchestra||Musical group|
|Columbia||38619||10-in.||2/6/1913||Slavish melodies||Slavish Orchestra||Orchestra||Musical group|
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Slavish Orchestra," accessed January 19, 2022, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/344140.
Slavish Orchestra. (2022). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/344140.
"Slavish Orchestra." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2022. Web. 19 January 2022.
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On July 11, Song Zhiping, Chairman and Party Secretary of China National Building Materials Group held talks with Yin Li, Deputy Secretary of Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and Governor, in Chengdu and exchanged views on Group's future development in Sichuan.
Song Zhiping said that Sichuan had unique natural and beautiful environment, and advantages in location and resource, which was an ideal investment place for central enterprises. Sichuan is an important investment province of China National Building Materials Group, covering cement, gypsum board, glass fiber, new houses, TFT glass, cast refractory materials, equipment manufacturing and other fields. For a long time, the Sichuan provincial government had provided strong support and help for the development of China National Building Materials Group. He said that in the face of "new normal" of China's economy, China National Building Materials Group on the one hand intensified efforts to promote the structural adjustment, transformation and upgrading of traditional infrastructure industry such as cement, glass; on the other hand, vigorously promoted the business development of new building materials, new houses, new energy materials and manufacturing services. In the future, China National Building Materials Group will play its own advantages in promoting the rapid development of green town, solar and other business, and actively play a role in making contribution to the economic and social development in Sichuan.
Yin Li expressed gratitude to China National Building Materials Group for its contribution to the economic development of Sichuan. He said that Sichuan is an important province in western China, and has abundant natural resources, and its population and economy are in the top. At present, Sichuan is in the strategic period of west development, and infrastructure and other construction had expanded the demand for building materials industry. At the same time, Sichuan has a competitive edge in scientific research, has advantages in location, talent, industry, creates good government service environment. He hopes that China National Building Materials Group can combine Sichuan local characteristics and folk characteristics, play an important role in urbanization, choose to build green town demonstration and then promote in the province.
During the period, Song Zhiping and his party also met with Tang Liangzhi, Secretary of Chengdu Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, and Cao Jianglin, General Manager of the Group also attended the talks. The two sides exchanged in depth about the development of Chengdu Business Group. Chengdu is an important economic center in the west and center of opening to the outside world. CNBM will promote the structural adjustment of the local building materials industry and increase the support for the development of new industries in Sichuan. Chengdu governments at all levels will actively promote the work and improve Public service level, assist CNBM to carry out business in Sichuan, achieve mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.
Sun Lishi, Director of the Board of Directors of China National Building Materials Group, Zhou Guoping, Chief Economist and General Legal Counsel, Guang Zhaoyu, Secretary of the Board of Directors and Assistant of General Manager, Peng Shou, Party Secretary and General Manager of Triumph Science & Technology Co., LTD, Zhang Li ,Vice President and Secretary of the Board of Directors of China National Building Material Company Limited; Luo Qiang, Secretary-General of Sichuan Provincial People's Government, Chen Guanghao, Director of Sichuan Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau; Wang Bo, Member of Chengdu Municipal Committee and Secretary-General, Gou Zhengli, Vice Mayor of the Municipal Government attended the relevant talks.

domain: politics


Steering & Suspension with Dirk Fuchs
ZF/TRW chassis systems are present in every second car on our planet. This shows the large OE business what TRW is representing. During this class you will get an in depth look into TRW chassis technology on a Ford F150, starting with the foundations of chassis dynamics and different axle systems like MacPherson and Multi-link suspension systems.
The participant will understand why the count of control arms is increasing in today’s vehicles like the Ford F150, and why low friction ball joint generation is so important for servicing current vehicles.
Electro-mechanical steering systems was the first step to autonomous driving and vehicles like the Ford F150 is equipped with this system.
The Top Light Duty Diesel Problems and Solutions with Ryan Kooiman
Compared to the mid-90s, diesel vehicles have made a serious comeback. The increase in popularity is largely the result of a steady string of advancements and improvements to the diesel engine. New engine designs, noise- and vibration-damping technologies, and improvements like electronic engine control have spawned a new generation of engines that are more powerful and 30-35% more fuel efficient than similar-size gasoline engines, all while running quieter and smoother than diesel engines of the past. Cold-weather starting has been improved. Noise levels are down. Reliability has been improved. Tail pipe emissions are down. Most importantly, horsepower and torque are up significantly! Many of today’s diesel engines that come as an option in the medium-duty trucks are now advertising over 800ft-lbs of torque. Those numbers were unheard of 20 years ago.
Building a Business Culture that Employees Embrace with Bill Haas
The future of your business depends on having people to perform the work and serve the customer. Are you up for the challenge of providing a culture that employees are looking for?
With the right culture, talented people have a desire to stay. Gain an understanding of the characteristics and values employees are looking for. Learn the seven questions employees ask themselves when evaluating their job satisfaction. Influence employee’s attitude towards their work when you provide an environment and culture that includes effective management, empowerment, recognition, and a balance of challenges and opportunity.
Have a culture that defines your competitive advantage.
Developing Leadership Traits for Success with Bill Haas
Didn’t think you were the leader? If you are getting kicked from behind, you must be out front. Stop expending your energy on avoiding being the leader. Accept the fact that people are depending on you to provide direction, vision and purpose.
When leaders fail, people quit. Implement effective leadership strategies and improve the opportunities for your team to excel. A strategic approach creates alignment between individual or team objectives and values. Take away strategies for creating a culture, empowering your people, and providing positive influence.
7 Habits of Highly Successful Service Advisors with Bill Haas
There are no secrets to what makes a person successful in their career. A career as a service advisor does not have to be frustrating or unrewarding. Learn and implement the seven habits of highly successful service advisors and you are assured a rewarding career to be celebrated.
- Define your top priorities and achieve the results you want
- Learn to be more productive
- Eliminate behavior that distracts and defeats you
- Develop strong relationships based on mutual trust
- Prepare to deal with difficult situations
Dynamic Duo: Scope & Scanner Diagnostics with John Forro
All technicians realize the importance of their scan tools and lab scopes when diagnosing various computer control issues. This exclusively unique course will show the technician how to maximize the data they retrieve with their scan tool to allow them a seamless transition when attaching their scopes to the circuitry for in-depth diagnostics. While this course does cover some scan tool and lab scope overview, the real value to the technician is the understanding of the PID data obtained, the common Silver Bullet style tips pertaining to the PID data, and the lab scope tips and tricks supplied to diagnose the vehicle quicker and more efficiently! Several systems will be discussed, not just the ECM.


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Multiscale Modeling and Model Reduction Workshop
A two-day workshop on Multiscale Modeling and Model Reduction was organized jointly by the RWTH Profile Area Computational Science & Engineering (CompSE) and AICES. It was chaired by AICES PIs Prof. Stefanie Reese and Prof. Marek Behr. Ca. 30 young researchers from German and Dutch universities working in the fields of solid and fluid mechanics took part in lively discussions and a full program of scientific talks. The event was held at the new Innside Hotel by Melia in Aachen.


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Martin Blaney covers Germany for Screen.
- Tel: (49) 30 318 063 91
- E-mail: email@example.com
EXCLUSIVE: The trial of the detained Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov is expected “not before the end of July”, according to his cousin Natalja Kaplan.
Festival gets five-year commitment from regional government.
Veteran Bulgarian actor Ivaylo Hristov’s third feature film as director, the coming-of-age tale Losers, won the Golden St. George Prize for best film on Friday at the 37th edition of the Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF), which ran from June 19-26.
- Silvestrov's 'The Ice Hole' wins Screen's first Moscow prize
- Schipper's 'Victoria' victorious at German Lolas
- Creative Europe set for 8% budget boost
- New funds boost German, French film industries
- Digital Single Market on MPAA agenda
- Ukraine bans 'Under Electric Clouds'
- 'Call Me Marianna' wins four in Krakow


APPLE VALLEY, Calif. (VVNG.com) — The producers of LIVE PD, a popular TV show premiered a new series called WANTED Thursday night on A&E.
The live series followed several wanted suspects including triple murder suspect, Phillip Williamson, who’s been on the run for nearly two months since he killed 35-year-old Brandi Jones on August 30th.
The 37-year-old suspect is also believed to be responsible for the murders of Jason Culberson, 43, and Melissa Graetz 37, found dead inside their home in Hesperia on September 3rd, officials said.
Phillip is 6’1″, 210 lbs. with tattoos on his forearms and legs. Investigators believe he may have dramatically changed his appearance in recent weeks.
Williams is wanted for three counts of murder, robbery, and arson.
The host of LIVE PD Nation, Tom Morris Jr., asked his audience to take a good look at Williamson to get him off the streets before he kills somebody else. A female guest commentator said Williams is one of the worst of the worst right now.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective David Carpenter with the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department at 900-387-3589.
Williamson remains outstanding and is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to immediately call 911.


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POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A stolen vehicle was involved in a rollover crash Friday evening along I-4 in Polk County, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash happened at about 5:30 p.m. on I-4 east near mile-marker 57, deputies said.
The sheriff’s office said the vehicle was stolen.
No serious injuries were reported, and the driver was taken into custody, deputies said.
The driver’s name and charges were not expected to be released until Saturday.


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Scotland fail to spark as rivals inflict more misery
Scotland 1 Portugal 2
The one game Scotland might have expected to win in Group D instead resulted in a loss to Portugal in Rotterdam’s Sparta Stadion last night. It was a desperately disappointing outcome after Anna Signeul’s side dominated the opening quarter.
The Scots then conceded a dreadful goal and Portugal, who came into the tournament as the lowest ranked team having scraped past Romania in a play-off, found a confidence that had been missing earlier. Although Scotland found an equaliser in the second half, Portugal were ultimately worthy of their win.
As expected the former Spartans striker Lana Clelland, who was leading scorer in Serie A with Tavagnacco last season, came in to lead the attack instead of the injured Jane Ross.
Signeul made two other changes:


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With an entry into the Asian sub-genre, Konami's China Mystery online slot is based primarily around giving players solid, straightforward gameplay. The graphics are fairly basic, though they aren't bad at all, and it's really the balance pay table and interesting approach to bonus features that makes the experience for players here. If you're looking for a straightforward game with a pretty low volatility that still gives you opportunities to wind up as a sizable winner, then this is a title that you will probably gravitate towards. However, if you prefer high-volatility gameplay, then you might want to try a different option instead.
Format and Layout
As is the case with most video slots, this game pays from left to right only with five reels and three rows of symbols. There are 30 paylines, and players have the ability to choose to bet between one coin per payline and 50 coins per payline for a pretty massive betting range of 30 to 1,500 coins per spin. The available coin sizes start at $0.01, and that means the minimum bet size of $0.30 per turn will fit easily within the bankroll of anyone who wants to try out this particular slot.
There is a symbol of a woman wearing a traditional Chinese hat, and she has different Chinese symbols to her left and right on a bright, purple background. This is the wild symbol, and it shows up on the second, third, fourth and fifth reels only. Because she's nowhere to be found on the first reel, she doesn't have a specific set of payouts for herself. However, she's pretty important anyway because she substitutes for every symbol in the entire game, including the bonus symbol that we will take a look at next. This makes her particularly valuable.
Bonus Gold Emblem Symbols
You'll notice a number of circular gold emblems on the reels that have a square space in the center of them. This is the bonus symbol, but it also acts as a regular paying symbol. Moreover, it's one of only two symbols in the entire game that pay for two of a kind or more, so it's easy to see how important it is to the overall gameplay. Since the wild substitutes for this symbol as well, it's even easier to his the bonus feature.
Five of a kind of this symbol is worth a solid 100x win. You can pick up 20x for four as well. Three of a kind earns 5x, and two of a kind pays 2x of this bonus symbol. It's also important to point out that this is not a scatter symbol.
Free Spins and the Balance of Fortune
Three, four or five of the golden bonus symbol on an activated payline will give you eight, 10 or 15 free turns, respectively. When the feature begins, however, you'll have a choice between taking your free spins or using the Balance of Fortune, which will give you a random instant payout. On average, this payout will be larger in exchange for giving up more free spins. The payouts during the free spins are all given a 2x multiplier, and you can re-trigger the feature to add more free turns to your total.
If you re-trigger the feature and have 20 or more free spins remaining, then you can click the icon for the Balance of Fortune and convert all of those free turns into an instant win any time you want. Otherwise, you have to play out your free spins mode.
There's a golden Chinese symbol on a red background that pays 1,000x for five, which is the top payout in the game. Five of the golden turtle is worth 500x, and you can earn 250x for five of a kind of the purple pot or the red lamp. Aside from that, the A and K symbols give you 150x for five, and five of the Q, J, 10 and 9 symbols are each worth 100x. The pay table is balanced overall, and this contributes to the smooth gameplay and low volatility.
The China Mystery video slot by Konami doesn't have the best graphics in the world, and the gameplay is fairly straightforward with a low-volatility style of play. However, the interplay between the wild, the bonus symbol and the Balance of Fortune concept as an alternative to the free spins is somewhat interesting, and it offers a much different approach to what is basically a standardized formula of scatter symbols leading to free spins with multipliers. This game will not appeal to all players, but it's not a complete flop either.

domain: game


Good Poll for Long Thompson
An Indianapolis Star poll shows Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels holding a narrow lead against Democrat Jill Long Thompson, 46-42. That's in contrast to other polls ...
An Indianapolis Star poll shows Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels holding a narrow lead against Democrat Jill Long Thompson, 46-42. That's in contrast to other polls suggesting a much healthier lead for the incumbent.
The poll suggests a good deal of ticket-splitting among both Ds and Rs, with both gubernatorial candidates getting roughly a fifth of the votes of the other party's presidential nominee.
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The Week in Public Finance: D.C. Interference, Let's Make a Deal and Urban Poverty2 days ago
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Twenty-one police members, including an in-charge of Baharchhara Police Investigation Centre, have been closed following the death of a retired army major from police gunshots at a check-post in Cox's Bazar's Teknaf upazila on Friday.
Liakat Ali, in-charge of Baharchhara Police Investigation Centre, and 20 other police members were closed to Cox's Bazar Police Line today in this connection, Deputy Inspector General of Chattogram Range of Police Khandaker Golam Faruque told our Cox's Bazar correspondent.
Retired Major Sinha Md Rashed was killed in police firing at Baharchhara police check-post on Friday night.
Zakir Hossain, additional deputy inspector general (operation and crime) of Chattogram Range of Police, is now in Cox's Bazar to get firsthand report in this regard.
The ADIG and ABM Masud Hossain, superintendent of police in Cox's Bazar, have already visited the spot to investigate the incident.
To conduct a fair investigation into the incident, the home ministry yesterday formed a probe body headed by Additional District Magistrate of Cox's Bazar District Administration Md Shahjahan Ali, according to a ministry circular.
Anadditional police super nominated by superintendent of police in Cox's Bazar, and a representative nominated by the GOC of the 10 Infantry Division of Army and Cox's Bazar Area Commander have been made members of the committee.


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Originally published as a cover feature in Pride Life magazine.
Thirty years after Like A Virgin turned her into a global star, Madonna is still setting tongues wagging, flashbulbs popping and cash tills ringing – and yet, seven years since her last internationally chart-topping hit, her place at the top of pop’s ladder looks a good deal less secure.
This spring, with the release of her thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart, the 56 year-old is once again gearing up to claim centre stage as a relevant pop artist, whose glory days are far from over. It’s a game which almost all of her contemporaries have long since given up, and yet Madonna’s determination seems as fierce as ever. It’s a determination which has fuelled one of the most remarkable success stories of modern times.
In contrast to the remote, quasi-regal position she now holds, safely sequestered behind superstardom’s velvet ropes, Madonna’s roots were grounded in club culture. Emerging from the cutting-edge Manhattan scene of the early Eighties, she scaled the dance charts before setting her sights on the Top Forty, using her club-savvy instincts to shape her sound and style.
It was a smart opening move, but this limited world was never going to contain Madonna for long. Doubtless mindful of the short shelf-life of most club-based acts, she wasted no time in trading dance chart credibility for mass pop appeal. Chic’s Nile Rodgers might have been her new producer, but Like A Virgin stepped firmly away from funkiness, shedding the egalitarianism of the dancefloor in favour of the nakedly ambitious individualism of the Reagan-Thatcher era. Madonna now wanted to be a star. She didn’t care who knew it, and she knew exactly how to get there. Material Girl, the album’s second hit, said it all: ironic and arch on one level, disarmingly sincere on another.
By the time of her third album, the staggeringly successful True Blue, any lingering traces of subversion had been snuffed out. The dream had been fulfilled. She was the stadium-filling darling of suburban Middle America, whose songs had ceased to say anything much beyond “where’s the party?” Granted, Papa Don’t Preach tackled the controversial subject of an unplanned pregnancy, but not in a way that would have disturbed a conservative mindset.
It still wasn’t enough. With commercial success now in the bag, Madonna re-booted her mission and embarked on a new journey: from ephemeral pop star to mature artist. Like A Prayer marked a thrilling re-invention, which seemed to expand the scope of what pop could achieve. Like the very best pop albums – the Thrillers, the Sgt. Peppers – it embraced a rich variety of genres, moods and themes, mixing the playful with the provocative, the sacred with the profane, and attracting the attention of heavyweight cultural commentators in the process. Madonna hadn’t been cool since her first and best movie, Desperately Seeking Susan. Suddenly, academics were falling over themselves to study her, high-end couturiers were clamouring to clothe her, and the world in general was starting to take her very seriously indeed.
From 1989 to 1992, Madonna ruled pop. The Immaculate Collection cherry-picked and subtly remixed her back catalogue, showcasing the gems and ditching the duds. To this day, it remains her biggest selling record. The Blonde Ambition tour scaled new heights of artistry and spectacle. Vogue conquered every dancefloor on the planet, its accompanying video oozing style and class. A fly-on-the-wall documentary, In Bed With Madonna, offered unprecedented levels of access to her private life, simultaneously bulldozing her mystique and building her brand. The Like A Prayer video drew accusations of blasphemy, the Justify My Love video was decried as soft-core pornography, and yet Madonna thrived on controversy, always ready with an eloquent defence. To most of us, it seemed as if she could do no wrong.
This period came to an abrupt end in October 1992, with the simultaneous release of Erotica (the single and the album) and Sex (the eye-popping coffee-table book). For many observers, Madonna had already pushed successfully at sexual boundaries – most recently with Justify My Love – and so it now felt as if she was boxing herself into a rather coarse and charmless corner. But for all this knee-jerk outrage (fuelled further by the teasing misdirection of some of its song titles: Why’s It So Hard, Deeper and Deeper, Secret Garden) the Erotica album turned out to be a surprisingly understated affair. More stylistically cohesive than its predecessor, it stands up well to the test of time.
Two years later, Madonna struck back. “Screw you, haters” songs might be commonplace these days, but with its defiant refusal to repent, Human Nature mapped out new territory. (“You punished me for telling you my fantasies, I’m breaking all the rules I didn’t make.”) Its parent album, Bedtime Stories, remains an under-appreciated piece of work. Warm, sensual and seductive, it supplied a ready-made soundtrack to countless nocturnal encounters. If you were ever invited back to a stranger’s room in the mid-Nineties, you would almost certainly have heard Bedtime Stories.
By Madonna’s standards, this was a lower-key release, paving the way for an extended break from the treadmill of pop. However, the singing lessons which she took for her screen portrayal of Eva Perón – the fulfilment of another long-held desire – stood her in good stead for the next reincarnation. Released in March 1998, Ray Of Light felt like an artistic rebirth, re-casting the go-getting sexual adventuress as a spiritually questing earth mother. Vocally, she adopted a fuller, more expressive tone, which matched the richness of William Orbit’s sumptuous, intricate arrangements. Lyrically, she offered her most personal collection of songs to date, openly questioning her former set of values, and striving for a deeper personal fulfilment. It was a triumphant comeback, selling more copies worldwide than Erotica and Bedtime Stories combined.
The winning streak continued with Music, an album whose mastery of diverse turn-of-the-millennium pop styles felt almost effortless. Perhaps uniquely for a pop star, Madonna had entered a second “imperial phase” (to use Neil Tennant’s memorable term), a full ten years after first peaking with Vogue. This renewed flush of globe-straddling success made what came next all the more shocking.
American Life was not an easy listen. Over jarring, jagged, minimal electronics, Madonna spat out her cynicism, rage, disillusionment and pain. The album’s mood was confrontational and claustrophobic, the gospel-tinged balladry of Nothing Fails its only moment of respite. You could admire the boldness of its execution, but it remained a difficult album to love.
If American Life had opened a window on Madonna’s darker side, then Confessions on a Dance Floor represented a move back into the light. With the assistance of producer Stuart Price, the erstwhile clubland queen reclaimed her crown, reminding us of one of her core strengths: the power to make us get down and boogie. Sequenced like a non-stop mixtape, with no drippy love songs to kill the buzz, the album felt both classic and contemporary: acknowledging Madonna’s pedigree, while placing her firmly in the here and now. For her long-standing gay audience, this was manna from heaven – but with many of her original gay fans now approaching clubbing retirement age, for how much longer could she rely on them to keep up?
Faced with the choice of either gracefully accepting her “heritage act” status, or of continuing to pitch herself as relevant to contemporary pop trends, Madonna opted for the latter. Equally significantly, as her marriage to Guy Ritchie began to crumble and her love affair with the UK began to wane, she turned back to the opposite side of the Atlantic for inspiration.
The result was Hard Candy, a collaboration with three major forces in R&B-slanted pop: Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams. For the first time, Madonna was chasing established stars, rather than giving a leg up to emerging talents. The album was efficient enough, giving her a massive international hit with 4 Minutes, but it was hard to shake off the suspicion that she was beginning to follow trends, rather than setting them.
The suspicion was compounded by MDNA, a half-hearted mish-mash of semi-digested dance-pop styles – EDM and dubstep among them – which is already starting to sound dated. With worldwide sales of around 4 million, Hard Candy had been the lowest selling studio album of Madonna’s career; four years later, MDMA managed to halve that figure. Too trend-driven to retain an older audience, and too out-of-touch to win a younger one, it fell between demographic stools.
A more satisfactory balance has been struck on the latest album, Rebel Heart. As its title implies, Madonna’s outspoken and romantic sides are equally accommodated, from Holy Water’s shrill “bitch, get off my pole!” to Inside Out’s tender “let me solve your mysteries”. There’s less desperate bandwagon-chasing this time around; instead, the songs are sturdier, and the singing comes from a more honest place. She may never again enjoy a period of absolute global rule, but as a tireless striver, dogged survivor and unrepentant provocateur, Madonna still has no equal.
Madonna in the 1980s.
HIT: Like A Prayer – the song which elevated Madonna from “pop star” to “artist”.
MISS: Causing A Commotion – a pale, trite attempt to recapture the glories of Into The Groove.
Madonna in the 1990s.
HIT: Take A Bow – if Bedtime Stories was one long seduction, this deceptively sweet-sounding kiss-off was the bitter sting in its tail.
MISS: Little Star – a sickly lullaby to baby Lourdes, which tells her to “never forget who you are” – as if such a thing were possible?
Madonna in the 2000s.
HIT: Hung Up – boosted by a killer Abba riff, it re-crowned her as queen of the dancefloor.
MISS: Die Another Day – given the chance to craft a classic Bond theme, she flunked it with this jagged, jarring hodge-podge.
Madonna in the 2010s.
HIT: Joan Of Arc – sounding more emotionally engaged than she has done in years, Madonna gives us a rare glimpse of her vulnerable side.
MISS: Superstar – a clod-hopping, lyrically inane rip of I Gotta Feeling, which already felt two years too late.
Originally published in Pride Life magazine.
Over thirty-five years after the music industry tried to declare it dead, disco remains the genre that refuses to go away. Take this year, for instance. There are new releases from Chic and Giorgio Moroder, two of disco’s greatest practitioners. The early work of Grace Jones is being reappraised, thanks to a comprehensive boxed set, The Disco Years. Jimi Somerville, arguably the first big-selling artist to revive the genre in the first place, has returned to disco with his latest album, Homage. To the delight of the crate-digging cognoscenti, the legendary French disco producer Cerrone is making his Glastonbury debut. At the Berlin Film Festival, a radically revised director’s cut of Studio 54 wowed the critics. Meanwhile, Seventies-inspired looks have been a major story in many of this year’s spring/summer fashion collections. Once derided by rock fans for its superficiality, and sniggered at by style snobs for its excess, disco has been enjoying the last laugh ever since.
The movement’s roots stretch back to east coast America in the early Seventies, and an unlikely collision between seemingly disconnected underground scenes. Emerging from decades of oppression, and now openly striving for both personal and political liberation, a new generation of gay men were finding salvation every weekend on the dance floor, as documented by writers such as Andrew Holleran (Dancer from the Dance) and Edmund White (States of Desire). Elsewhere in the same urban centres, a similar new mood of confidence and optimism was re-shaping black culture, soundtracked by a smoother, more luxuriant take on soul music that found its perfect vehicle in the richly orchestrated Philadelphia sound (and equally eager audiences in working class Italian-American and Latino communities). Add the lingering influences of post-psychedelic drug culture into the mix, sprinkle with bohemians, fashionistas, artists, dealers, hookers, slumming high-lifers and hustling low-lifers, and you have a unique melting pot that would soon bubble over from the underground to the mainstream.
By the time that the Saturday Night Fever phenomenon had repackaged disco culture for the masses (an unlikely development, given the gritty, glamour-puncturing nature of the film itself), there were dance clubs in every town in the Western world, where dolled-up suburbanites shimmied to the Bee Gees, entirely unaware of the subcultures which had spawned their weekend rituals. Disco had become big business, and record companies and radio stations fuelled the glut. Rock superstars, showbiz legends and new wave upstarts alike jumped on the bandwagon, with results ranging from the sublime (Blondie’s Heart Of Glass, The Rolling Stones’ Miss You) to the ridiculous (Rod Stewart’s Da Ya Think I’m Sexy, the unspeakable horror of Ethel Merman’s Disco Album).
A backlash had become inevitable, and nowhere did it strike more sharply than in disco’s homeland, the USA. In July 1979, just as the music was reaching its highest commercial peak, a “Disco Demolition Night” in a Chicago baseball stadium, where piles of disco records were literally exploded on the pitch, turned into a riot, making national headlines and coining a new slogan: “disco sucks”. Chastened by the wrath of the rock fans, the American music industry beat a hasty retreat. The Knack’s My Sharona replaced Chic’s Good Times at the top of the Billboard chart, and by the autumn of that year, “disco” had become a dirty word. Collars, lapels and trouser legs all shrank, bouffants were trimmed and shirt buttons were re-fastened over chests, as the Eighties loomed into view.
Over here in Europe, where nobody quite got the “disco sucks” memo, the genre was permitted a more graceful decline. The melting pot fragmented once again, as smaller scenes re-grouped. A dedicated soul/funk crowd continued to carry the torch for the cooler, less hyped-up end of the spectrum, while disco’s zingier, sparklier side became more expressly linked with gay dancefloors, re-emerging a couple of years later as hi-NRG. Meanwhile, Shalamar, Kool and the Gang and Odyssey all enjoyed respectable hit-making careers, regardless of whether anyone called them “disco” or not, and continental summer holidays continued to be soundtracked by the brash and breezy strains of Euro-disco.
Other legacies were also brewing. In one corner, there was hip hop: disco’s bastard offspring, quietly biding its time. In another, even tinier corner, a group of black and gay Chicago DJs were keeping the faith, preparing the way for the house music explosion – or “disco’s revenge”, as some commentators wisely put it.
There were wider and equally enduring legacies, too. Disco had introduced us to the art of seamless beat-mixing, and the pleasures of dancing until dawn in a darkened room, whether chemically assisted or not. And it had given the world a new breed of performer: the glamorous dance diva, defiantly masking her pain, and giving a soulful voice to our joys and sorrows, our dreams and our desires. The genre itself might have dipped in and out of style over the years (although we never seem to be more than a few years away from its next revival), but most of its key elements – dressing to impress on a Saturday night, the communal ritual of the dance floor, the craft of the DJ, door policies, velvet ropes, lasers, smoke machines, and that biggest totem of them all, the hallowed mirror ball – will probably always be with us.
TEN ALL-TIME DISCO CLASSICS
Boogie Oogie Oogie – A Taste Of Honey
Don’t Leave Me This Way – Thelma Houston
Everybody Dance – Chic
Never Can Say Goodbye – Gloria Gaynor
On The Radio – Donna Summer
Shame – Evelyn “Champagne” King
The Boss – Diana Ross
Turn The Beat Around – Vicki Sue Robinson
Vertigo/Relight My Fire – Dan Hartman
You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Sylvester
TEN DISCO CRATE-DIGGERS’ CULT CUTS
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (The Garage Version) – Inner Life
Change – Zulema
Dancer – Gino Soccio
Haven’t You Heard – Patrice Rushen
I Know You, I Live You – Chaka Khan
Law Of The Land – The Temptations
Souveniers – Voyage
Take Off – Harlow
Tell You (Today) – Loose Joints
The Hills Of Katmandu – Tantra
Originally published in Pride Life magazine.
From synthpop to soul, Mike Atkinson picks some of the hottest talent you’ll be hearing a lot more of this year.
The latest in a long line of synthpop duos, stretching all the way back to Soft Cell and Yazoo, April Towers have a knack for constructing sturdily chugging, instantly danceable songs which surge into soaring, hooky choruses. Rhythmically similar to New Order, melodically reminiscent of OMD and vocally akin to Depeche Mode, they take classic influences and embellish them with a contemporary twist, placing them alongside the likes of Hot Chip and Hurts. Having made their live debut just over a year ago, long-time friends Charles Burley and Alexander Noble have already released two singles this year: the elegantly remorseful Arcadia and the insistently throbbing No Corruption.
For fans of: New Order, OMD, Hurts.
Comprised of twin sisters Paris and Amber Strother and their friend Anita Bias, the always-to-be-capitalised KING (no relation to the mid-Eighties hitmakers!) specialise in classic neo-soul, adorned with rich three-part harmonies. There’s a smooth sophistication to their music which bears comparison with Erykah Badu and Jill Scott in their Nineties heyday – and indeed, Badu herself has already lent them her support. Following last year’s well-received single Mister Chameleon, a wry take on “fair-weather love”, the trio are preparing to release their self-written and self-produced debut album, We Are KING. As performers, they are imbued with a graceful warmth and an easy charm that makes light of their musical prowess.
For fans of: Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Angie Stone.
Blessed with a voice of exceptional purity and clarity, with a singer-songwriter’s emotional sincerity and a jazz performer’s subtlety of tone, Laura Groves has remained a well-kept secret for too long. This could all change soon, with a new EP, Committed Language, and some high-profile support sets with Elbow, which have been arranged at the band’s specific request. This is delicate, intimate and contemplative music, skilfully arranged but delightfully unshowy. Originally from Bradford, Laura first performed as Blue Roses, before moving to London and working under her own name. Her fascination with the blurred boundaries between dreams and reality informs much of her work, lending it an other-worldly quality.
For fans of: Joni Mitchell, Donald Fagen, Kate Bush.
Channelling the energy of vintage funk (Parliament, Stevie Wonder, Prince) and filtering it through “a cement-coloured North of England lens”, Mancunian singer and multi-instrumentalist Julie Campbell, aka LoneLady, is back after a four-year break with her second album, Hinterland. Recorded at home on an 8-track cassette recorder, with production completed in a remote vintage analogue studio in Michigan, the nervy post-punk influences of her earlier work are still there, but they’re now sweetened with a more dance-infused approach; recent single Groove It Out explores similar territory to La Roux’s most recent work, while Bunkerpop chugs along like a distant cousin of the Eurythmics evergreen, Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves.
For fans of: La Roux, St. Vincent, Imogen Heap.
Already basking in critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, the debut album from Nashville’s Natalie Prass could end up as one of this year’s stealthy word-of-mouth successes. It’s a break-up record at heart, but delivered with a swooning sweetness that masks much of the underlying pain. “Where do you go, when the only home that you know is with a stranger?” she asks on the opening track (My Baby Don’t Understand Me), concluding that “our love is a long goodbye”. Widely compared to Dusty In Memphis, the music harks back to classic country-soul, sung with captivating tenderness and orchestrated with Hollywood strings and Muscle Shoals horns.
For fans of: Dusty Springfield, Laura Marling, Feist.
Raised in semi-rural North Las Vegas, Shamir Bailey started his musical journey with acoustic country and folk music, before making a late teenage detour into punk rock. Now aged 20, he is beginning to make his name as a pop performer, drawing on dance, funk and rap influences, and creating something characterful and unique. Inspired equally by Nina Simone, Joanna Newsom and The Slits, his intentionally androgynous vocals are showcased on If It Wasn’t True, a funky Prince-goes-house jam, while on On The Regular, his most recent release, playful rap sits on top of bouncy, fresh-faced, sugar-rush pop. It’s not all madcap hyperactivity, though; Shamir can also work a lovelorn lament, with yearning conviction.
For fans of: Prince, Jungle, Azealia Banks.
Originally published in Pride Life magazine.
A few years ago, Indiana found herself with an upright piano, left for storage by her sister. Undeterred by lack of training, she taught herself to play, uploading home-made clips to YouTube. A moody, stripped down cover of Joe Goddard’s club hit Gabriel attracted the attention of its composer, John Beck, and the pair started collaborating. In April 2012, the singer made her live début, gaining instant acclaim for her emotionally charged brand of leftfield electronic pop.
Just over a year later, Indiana performed David Bowie’s Heroes in front of the Queen, in Radio One’s Live Lounge. Since the song contained the potentially treasonous line “I will be Queen”, its lyrics needed prior vetting – to “Queen-proof it”, as she puts it.
“First of all, her people said: we’re going to make her change the words. Then they spoke to the Queen, and she said: no, it’s fine, just don’t look at me. The thing is, I was so conscious not to look at her, that my eyes were darting round the room, and they hit her a couple of times. So I did actually look at her when I sang the line!”
Earlier this year, Indiana charted with Solo Dancing, whose video was stuffed with visual puns for more intimate types of solo activity. (Beans were flicked, chains were yanked, cats were stroked: you get the picture.) “I go dancing by myself, I go dancing with no one else”, she sang, over a steadily throbbing synth pulse.
“The song is about empowerment”, she says. “It can be a metaphor for anything: to be comfortable in your own skin, and to be able to do something on your own.” For a gay audience, the song could be taken more literally; after all, many of us are no strangers to lone-wolfing it on the dancefloor. “I’d love to have the confidence to go out dancing on my own”, she admits. “I think that whoever’s got the balls to do that, has got the biggest balls!”
No stranger to the gay scene herself, Indiana was introduced to the bars and clubs of Brighton by her late uncle. “He was also a music producer. And on his deathbed, he said to my sister, who was into music – singing, piano lessons, gigging, writing, everything – ‘you’d better watch her, because she’s going to be nipping on your heels’. I didn’t even realise I wanted to be a musician then. So he always knew that I had something in me.”
In the video for current single Heart On Fire, Indiana stars alongside Charlie Bewley, best known for playing the vampire Demetri in the Twilight Saga series. (“He’s the director’s friend, so I got him for a steal.”) As the story unfolds, we see her “acting like a sweet girl, whereas I am in fact a powerful woman in a powerful position”. By the end of the video, she is revealed as an undercover drug enforcement officer, who has persuaded Bewley to set up his dealer friend in a sting operation. The theme of the story – that all is not what it seems – is explored further on Indiana’s début album, No Romeo.
“On the surface, the songs could be interpreted as love songs or just pop songs, but if you delve a little deeper, each one has a meaning that’s more sinister. Each time I write, I always have to have, for some reason, a sinister take on everything.”
Unlike Shakespeare’s Romeo, who finds true love but is ultimately destroyed by it, Indiana finds only tainted love, and yet she survives. Even at her most vengeful – “all your sons and daughters will be broken, from now on and ever more”, she pledges on Never Born, the opening track – you sense an underlying vulnerability, and even in her most vulnerable moments, her core strength never fully deserts her. On Bound, she uses S&M imagery to trace a journey from submission to dominance (“this isn’t love, this is dangerous”), while on the album’s title track, she spurns the whole idea of romantic love: “I don’t need no Romeo… it’s not enough, it’s alright, but I’m sleeping on my own tonight”.
A happily settled mother of two in real life, Indiana warns against interpreting her songs too literally. “They’re not all necessarily about relationships”, she suggests. “I like to tell stories, but I do draw on experiences and refer to them in songs.” In conversation, she is cheerful, straightforward, and quick to laugh, but any suggestion that “Indiana” is an invented persona is firmly rebuffed.
“I don’t feel I have to step into any shoes. I create songs to say things I never would, but I am Indiana. My mum says I have an interview voice. She says I sound more sensible, whereas in my own environment, I am a whirlwind of things going on inside my head. My dark side is channelled into my music, and I’m thankful that I have my music, so that I’m not out on killing sprees!”
Originally published in Pride Life magazine.
It’s a long way from the Welsh valleys to the streets of Brooklyn, but for Rod Thomas, the Neath-born purveyor of electronic pop who performs as Bright Light Bright Light, New York already feels like a natural home. “I moved over there in March 2013”, he tells me, “because I was working on my second album, and wanted a different stimulus. I’m a firm believer that the world around you and the people you interact with have a big impact on your outlook, so I thought it was a good idea to try living somewhere new.”
The album’s title, Life Is Easy, suggests a new-found contentment, but given New York’s reputation as a tough, competitive city, perhaps it shouldn’t be taken at face value. “No, my life is not easy”, Rod admits. “It’s a tongue in cheek statement. It partly refers to the idea that everyone dreams of the grass being greener somewhere else. If you go away and have an amazing time, part of that is escaping things you need to deal with, and part is being caught up in the magic and charm of being somewhere exciting and new.”
“But also, life is kind of easy”, he continues. “If you want to enjoy life, you really can. There are people with such horrendous circumstances across the world, who really make the most of life, while so much of our modern culture is based on reaching for something new, not being happy with your lot, improving, upgrading. But you can meet so many wonderful characters in your day to day life, who can change the way you look at the world.”
“There was nothing easy about moving to New York. I worked harder than I’ve ever worked in my life over the last year. It’s a hard place, but it suits me. People work hard, but they also play hard, which is how I approach my life. They make sure that when they’re not working, they enjoy this wonderful city that they have, to make it worth working that hard.”
This newly optimistic mood is reflected in the album’s subject matter, described as “a snapshot of my last year and a half”. Rod credits much of this to the friends he has made in New York, who have “brought me back from a place where I felt exhausted, and at a bit at a loss, to a place where I feel positive and excited again. The album is about taking back control, and getting to a point where I can see life for all of the wonderful things it has to offer, rather than being caught up in a slightly British mindset of moaning.”
Del Marquis from the Scissor Sisters, one of Rod’s closest friends, is heavily involved with the album, and on its lead single, I Wish We Were Leaving, another friend supplies guest vocals: Sir Elton John, who has since invited Bright Light Bright Light to support him on tour during June and July. “I wouldn’t have asked him to do it, if we weren’t friends”, says Rod. “It means more than just having a ‘featured artist’ – because what does that add, unless they mean something to the track?”
Inspired by the ending of a real-life relationship, the song examines the situation from both sides, focussing on forgiveness and acceptance, rather than the self-pity and blame of so many break-up songs. “It’s not bitter”, he agrees. “The relationship hasn’t worked out, but you don’t hate them for it. You want to hold on to what you like about them.”
The video adds poignancy to Rod’s lyrics, being filmed in one of his ex-boyfriend’s favourite restaurants. The location was suggested by the video’s directors, who had no idea of its significance when pitching the storyline. “It was a real shock”, he admits. “So I thought: well, that’s fine, I’ll go along with the treatment!”
Although Rod is an openly gay performer, and the song is undeniably about the break-up of a gay relationship, the drama is re-enacted for the video by a heterosexual couple, and there are no gender-specific lyrical references. “I thought it was quite nice to show a connection between a man and a woman”, he says, “because some people would presume I’d never think about heterosexual relationships. It’s important to see life from every perspective, which is what my whole album is about. It’s about friendships, family, and relationships: straight and gay.”
On his previous single, In Your Care, Rod tackles a theme which many gay listeners can relate to, especially those who have left home to forge a new identity elsewhere. “I’m an only child, so I feel guilty when I leave my family behind. It’s important that people back home don’t see it as a snub. The song tries to get across what is sometimes hard to say: I do think about you all the time, and you are in my thoughts. It’s a direct song to my parents.”
“I find it hard to perform In Your Care live, and I nearly cry every time I sing it. I never thought it would affect me quite so much, because I’ve sung so many songs about people who have broken my heart, and it’s never got to me on stage. But that song does, and I’m pleased, because it’s about something very real.”
“Not many gay artists have written songs about their families specifically, and I just felt: fuck it, this is probably the biggest issue that anyone I know has got with their sexuality, especially if their family are religious, or from a small town. I wanted to do something as a gay artist that wasn’t just about sex or love. It’s a different type of love. Yes, I go on stage in fucking chenille jumpsuits or whatever, but I also can be quite boring. I like to go home and have a cup of tea with my gran, because I love her very much, and I never see her, or my mother and father. Gay people very clearly have families, and it’s important that people recognise that.”
Originally published in Pride Life magazine.
Lacing her icy synth-pop with a grinding alt-rock crunch, Indiana built steady support for her music in 2013; even the Queen got to witness her in action, at Radio One’s Live Lounge. Lyrically, she explores the darker, more dysfunctional aspects of relationships; you’d never guess she was a happily settled mother of two, but Indiana thrives on such contrasts. “I’m in possession of a smoking gun, and I wanna hurt you just for fun”, she threatens, with a performance style that switches from doe-eyed vulnerability to steely fury in the blink of an eye. Mess with her at your peril.
Uniquely for a dance-based collective, Clean Bandit started out as a string quartet at Cambridge University, making them light on urban credentials, but strong on musical prowess. Strings are still central to their sound, which is peppered with naggingly familiar classical quotes, adding melodic sweetness to the electronic thump. They charted briefly, with the endearingly daft Mozart’s House, but they’ve been shaking off the novelty tag since then, with tracks such as the reflective Dust Clears and the uplifting diva-house of No Place I’d Rather Be. Like Basement Jaxx before them, their anything-goes musical stance is a joy to behold.
Formed just over a year ago, Amber Run have made remarkable progress for such a young band. Their fourth and fifth gigs were at the Reading and Leeds festivals – a baptism of fire, if ever there was one – and for their sixth show, they were backed by a 14-piece orchestra. Now signed to RCA Victor, the five lads have dropped out of their final years at university, to concentrate full-time on their music, described as “anthemic rock mixed with cinematic post-rock”. With songs as strong as Noah, Heaven and Spark, they could well be one of next summer’s festival favourites.
Having topped the singles chart with her guest vocal on Rudimental’s Waiting All Night, Ella Eyre is looking to match the solo success of John Newman, another Rudimental collaborator. A fierce and passionate performer on stage, the 19 year-old Brit School graduate has harnessed the same raw energy for Deeper, her début EP. Musically, the new material builds on Rudimental’s template, fusing classic soul/funk stylings with more dance-based elements, but it’s Ella’s husky, bluesy delivery that holds your attention throughout. A punchier, more powerful sound is promised for her forthcoming début album – but even now, she’s hardly short on clout.
Unlike our other four picks, Sleaford Mods are unlikely to taste major commercial success in 2014 – they’re far too sweary, for starters – but their heroically uncompromising approach deserves a wider audience. Backed by Andrew Hearn’s minimal low-fi electronics, Jason Williamson spits surreal venom and scathing fury in an earthy East Midlands rasp, as if Arthur Seaton, the anti-hero of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, had been weaned on John Cooper Clarke and The Fall. “Boris Johnson and The Cheeky Girls shut down the underground!” he rages – and, if only for a moment, you find yourself punching the air in agreement.

domain: artistic


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A quesadilla with sweet potatoes, kasha pilaf and feta cheese inside a corn tortilla? These are the kinds of concoctions one makes when it’s time to clean out leftovers in the fridge before a trip.
And we’re leaving for Italy tomorrow, so it’s down to the wire….
That day or so before a trip–when you don’t want to shop for more and you hate to throw away the leftovers–calls for some creative cooking. One of my better solutions to this dilemma is just my old standby, which can be served for breakfast, lunch or supper: vegetable frittata with roast potatoes.
It’s hard to believe you can make something as delicious as roast potatoes so simply just from what you’re likely to have in your cupboard.
For the two of us, I slice three or four small-medium Yukon Gold potatoes and half an onion, mix them with about a tablespoon and a half of olive oil in a bowl till everything has a light coating of oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and spread them on a cookie sheet. In a 375 or 400 degree oven, it’ll take about half an hour (without much attention, perhaps turning them after about 20 minutes) till they’re as golden and crispy as you like ’em.
Then there’s the frittata: the perfect vehicle for leftovers. You can take nearly any combination of cooked or sauteed vegetables (caramelized onions, mushrooms, red pepper, tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, chard, potatoes, roast cauliflower, etc.), cheese (chevre, feta, gruyere, cheddar, parmesan, etc.) fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme, etc.), even grains (rice, bulgur, kasha?) and bind them with egg for a satisfying meal.
Just take your cooked vegetables, grated or crumbled cheese (if you like) and any other ingredients you want and mix them with beaten eggs in a bowl or large measuring cup. For the two of us I use the equivalent of two eggs (one whole egg and two egg whites, because I’m cutting down on the cholesterol) and an 8-inch cast iron pan. Put a scant teaspoon of butter or oil in the pan till it sizzles and pour in the egg-veggie-etc. mixture, on medium heat. When the bottom of the frittata is set, put the pan in the oven (alongside your nearly finished roast potatoes) until the top is barely set. Remove, cut into quarters and turn onto plates with the golden bottom side up.

domain: food


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Best Ramen Denver 2010 - Den Deli - CLOSED
Den Deli pimps bobas and hijikki, a lovely miso soup and a Japanese French dip, sushi and spicy shrimp and udon, soba and, above all, ramen. It arrives in a smoldering bowl of chicken broth, lightly seasoned, and you slurp the noodles with deliberate abandon, making as much noise as possible as they slip through your lips. The noodles drift with bean sprouts, slivers of green onions, wilted bok choy and the Deli's version of tamago, usually a sweet omelet with soy that, in this case, is a soft-boiled egg with a bright yolk that weeps streams of wet gold into the lush broth. And there, lurking below the mound of vegetables and garnishes, are slices of pork belly, our favorite food in the culinary solar system.


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If you want to draw your own train, this simple tutorial will guide you through each step. Just recreate the lines/shapes pictured in each step until you reach the end of the instructions. Then, add your own colors and details to make it unique.
1. Start by drawing an upside-down U shape.
2. Close the shape off by drawing a straight line across the bottom.
3. Draw two slanted lines off the bottom of the shape and connect them with a straight line. This will be the front of the train.
4. On the bottom right corner of your drawing, add a line for the bottom of the train.
5. Complete the shape of the train by drawing the back and top (Step 6)
6. Now you have the outer shape of the train.
7. Begin drawing the windows by drawing an L lying on its side, with the top of the letter stretching to the back of the train.
8. Now, add a small curve from the corner of the L to the bottom of the train.
9. It’s time to finish the windows. Draw a rectangle-like shape that is larger at the front of the train and gets smaller near the end.
10. Add lines to create windows. And two lines at the bottom of the front of the train that kind of look like a mouth.
11. Don’t forget about the two front windows! And add a circle “nose” on the front of the train.
12. Add two straight lines from the “nose” to the “mouth.
13. Now, add more lines for detail above the “mouth.”
14. Do the same on the other side.
15. And color in your masterpiece!

domain: hobby


You usually see them fluttering, perching, or hopping about in the city. They often hang out in your backyard. And if you pay close enough attention, you will hear them constantly singing in the background. But how well do you know the feathered residents of Brussels?
Birds are among the most numerous and most visible of the wildlife population of the Brussels-Capital Region. Close to 200 thousand birds of 238 different species have been observed in the region, according to Natagora, a non-government organization that has been monitoring the avian population of Brussels since 1992.
Europe is home to more than 500 wild bird species. In 2009, the European Union adopted the Birds Directive calling on member states to designate Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for the conservation of wild birds and their habitats.
In Brussels, there are three protected bird areas: the Sonian Forest, the marshes of Jette and Ganshoren, and Uccle’s domaine of protected zones. But wild birds are becoming more and more comfortable with busy city life.
“If you open your eyes, you will see that there is wildlife everywhere in the city. Not just birds, but also mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Animals are becoming more adaptable to human beings. Human civilizations mean food supply. They need to be adaptable in order to survive,” says Alain Paquet, ornithologist and director of Natagora’s bird monitoring program.
Since they’re here to stay droppings and all, we might as well get to know our city’s winged inhabitants a little better. On International Wildlife Day, we present the most active birds of Brussels.
Blackbirds (Merle noir/Merel)
“Blackbird singing in the dead of night,” so goes the Beatles hit song. Perhaps no other bird has been the subject of many cultural and literal references, and with good reason. This bird species is known to produce some of the most beautiful bird songs.
Compared to other birds with black plumage, the blackbird has a yellow beak and yellow rings around its eyes. The females are darker brown in color. Blackbirds are at home both in urban and remote settings.
Compared to blackbirds, crows are larger and black all over with occasional greyish feathers. Their beak and legs are also stouter.
If they look shrewd to you, that’s because apparently they are. Studies have shown that these excellent scavengers are among the brightest animals in the world. They have exhibited an ability to use tools to acquire food.
“They are also very keen observers. Crows watch their fellow birds to get a sense of whether they are well fed or not. And then they will follow these well-fed birds to see where they get their food supply,” says Alain Paquet.
These cute, little, chubby birds are the ones that usually hog the bird feeders installed in the backyard. And they certainly can acrobat their way around a bird feeder better than other types of birds.
In Brussels, chickadees or tits are either blue or dark grey with a yellow belly. These lively birds are quite comfortable loafing around in populated areas and public places.
With their lovely orange breasts, robins are easy to spot and a sight to behold. And with their sweet voice, they are also a delight to the ear.
Robins are typically heard singing in the evening or at dawn especially during winter when they declare their territories through sounds.
What is most interesting about robins is their ability to nest practically anywhere that offers shelter, including unusual places like mail boxes, flower pots, watering cans, and unused machines.
European magpies (Pie Bavarde/Ekster)
Another frequent garden caller, magpies can easily be identified by their white belly and long tail. They also have a wingspan of up to 60 centimeters.
But don’t be fooled by their graceful appearance. These predators are known to savage smaller types of birds like chickadees, robins, and blackbirds, and feed on their chicks and eggs.
Like the crows, magpies are also known to be extremely intelligent. They are the only bird species in the list of animals that have passed the mirror self-recognition test.
These small birds with brown and grey feathers are among the earliest and most audible tweeters in your neighborhood.
Two types of sparrows can be found in Brussels. The tree sparrow lives mostly in wooded areas while the house sparrow is a city dweller that nests on the roof of buildings and houses.
According to Natagora, 95 percent of sparrows in Brussels have disappeared in recent years. One of the reasons is the renovation and modernization of architecture in the city.
“New, modern houses and buildings in Brussels no longer have crevices and hollow areas where sparrows can build their nests. These are the only dwelling places for house sparrows. They don’t nest in parks or forests,“ explains Alain.
Other causes are air pollution and the removal of shrubs in the city. Sparrows feed their young with aeroplankton insects which are disappearing slowly because of dirty air while shrubs are vital to the social lives of sparrows.
Several initiatives have been undertaken to revive the sparrow population of Brussels. In Saint-Gilles, a citizens’ collective is actively campaigning for the protection of these native birds of Belgium.
Black swifts (Martinet Noir/Gierzwaluw)
You will rarely see them on land. But if you look up, you just might catch sight of them. Black swifts spend most of their lives in flight.
These birds have sooty grey feathers and long, sickle-shaped wings. They nest in high-altitude places and usually live on top of buildings in Brussels.
Dunnocks (Accenteur Mouchet/Heggenmus)
Probably the smallest of the bird species in Brussels, dunnocks resemble house sparrows but their brown feathers are streaked. They also have a more pointed beak.
Dunnocks are the ordinary-looking birds often seen foraging on the ground for food. But don’t underestimate them. They may look somewhat dull and meek in appearance, but these birds can be fierce when it comes to protecting their territory.
Oh the bird that most people love…. to hate. Much as we might want to exclude them, pigeons are undeniably the most pervasive birds in Brussels, and almost everywhere else.
Pigeons are as opportunistic and adaptable as crows but not as smart. They can survive almost anywhere because they are not so picky about what they eat. Even garbage is a potential banquet for them.
There are three kinds of pigeons in Brussels. There’s the wooden pigeon which normally nests on tree branches, the stock dove which lives in tree holes, and the rock pigeons which are scattered all over the city and usually present in busy places like the Grand Place and Place Flagey.
These members of the parrot family are among the most charismatic and colorful birds you will encounter in the parks of Brussels. But they are also quite controversial.
Parakeets are currently the most numerous exotic bird species in Europe. These tropical birds may have multiplied in European cities from escaped or released pet parakeets.
Their growing population has caused alarm in recent years. Parakeets are perceived to be a potential threat to indigenous birds and to local biodiversity.
“It’s exactly the safe reflex some people have towards the issue of human migration. There’s a sort of bio-xenophobia because they fear that exotic birds might steal the habitat and food supply of native birds,” says Alain.
But how much of a menace are these parakeets? “In Brussels and all of Belgium, so far we haven’t seen any ecological impact brought on by exotic birds,” says Alain. “These fears are not justified scientifically.”
How to make your home more bird-friendly
To support the bird population of Brussels, Alain recommends placing potted plants in your apartment terrace to attract insects which birds count on for food. If you have a garden, leave about 20 percent of the grass uncut and grow nectar-producing flowers to encourage insect population. Leave some shrubs to provide shelter for birds.
To feed them, Alain recommends sunflower seeds or seed mixtures, corn kernels, peanuts, and bird feeders. Avoid serving them breadcrumbs and other kitchen scraps which can do birds more harm than good. Alain reminds us to feed animals not for our amusement but for their survival.
If you want to participate in the bird monitoring initiative in Brussels, you can log onto to Natagora’s wildlife observation website and share your sightings.


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Popular Ghanaian-Nigerian actress, Juliet Ibrahim is known popularly as “JuJu” recently caused mixed reactions on her Instagram page after she shared with her 6.6 million followers a video showing her flawless skin.
Sharing this video, she said, “Having some fun on my trip in Dubai” while she vibes to “Insane” by Nigerian singer, Mayorkun.
Check out the screenshot extracted from the video she posted below:-
(Photos Credit: @Juliet Ibrahim Instagram Page)
Looking at the video, she was seen wearing a bump short with a crop top while she decided to wear a sunshade as she danced softly to a song with a smile on her face. A lot of celebrities and her fans could not resist the urge to react to her video, some of them called her “beautiful, charming, hot, adorable” and some other cute names.
Apart from being an outstanding actress, Juliet Ibrahim is known as a fashion freak who knows the right outfit to rock for a particular event. She is also known as an industrious woman who put all her best in everything she lay her hands on.

domain: celebrity


While building my new NAS, I came across the question how to install a fileserver based on Samba on FreeBSD. Here’s how…
In Part 1 of this series I already explained my goals building a new NAS. In this post I show how I assembled the hardware in order to ensure reliance and redundancy.
FreeBSD is the ideal system to use when building a server. It’s reliable and rock-solid and it’s file system ZFS not only offers anything you would expect from a file system but is also easy to set up and to maintain. This is why I chose it to power my NAS. In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series I already described my intentions and the hardware assembly. Now it’s time to bring it to life.
In Part 3 of this series I described how to install FreeBSD and set it up properly. Now that the base system setup is complete, we can start providing services…
forked-daapd allows you to set up an iTunes Media server that hosts all music, podcasts and audiobooks and shows
up in iTunes like a shared library. While other
daapd implementations don’t work anymore with the current iTunes
While building my new NAS, I came across the question how to provide a Time Machine backup solution for my OS X clients.
As I run OS X on all my machines I want to back up all data to my NAS.
netatalk allows to create file shares for OS X
to provide a simple solution for system backups.
After a long while I finally decided to build a new NAS / home server for my various needs. Though there are many solutions available, I chose to build one on my own as I want as much flexibility as possible. So I set out to buy all components needed for the system with upgradability and budget in mind.
FreeBSD is shipped with sendmail as the default MTA, which is configured to local delivery on a vanilla installation. Therefore many people don’t even recognize one of FreeBSDs great features for system administrators: FreeBSD sends system status emails through periodic(8)…
I have used Caddy for a while now on FreeBSD. But though it lacks a working init script, I decided to write one on my own. Here’s the result, description below:
It’s more than likely that your email provider of choice, especially the ones that offer mail services free of charge, will not support receiving email to custom domain names like, in my case, davd.net. Running your own mail server would solve this problem but running a fully featured mail stack including POP, IMAP, Sieve filters et cetera requires a fairly powerful machine. Additionally, if not configured properly, there’s big potential for abuse, e.g. spam.
As an alternative, it’s possible to just run a MTA which redirects all incoming email to an external mail server. This can be ran on almost any machine, even on a low-budget computer like the Raspberry Pi or a cheap virtual server.
During the last few months I managed to automate many recurring tasks on my NAS. One good example for those task is updating my podcast archive. I tried to accomplish this using a lightweight shell script which, running as a cronjob, would hold my podcast archive up to date and notify me about new episodes via push notifications.
Often the question arises why one should prefer FreeBSD over any arbitrary GNU/Linux distribution, that is more widely spread and additionally offers commercial support. Though I have mostly positive experiences using Linux, there are many reasons why I would always choose FreeBSD for setting up a server.


The Eagles are turning out to be quite the unhospitable hosts.
Columbia has won its three games in the Columbia-Freeburg Boys Christmas Basketball Tournament by an average of 32 points thus far, as Freeburg was the latest victim falling 64-34 in the Gold Bracket semifinals Tuesday night.
“Our athleticism and speed and pressure are going to wear on you,” said Columbia coach Mark Sandstrom. “In all 10 of our wins this season we’ve had a run at some point in time to decide the game.
“Hopefully we can have one of those big runs again tomorrow night against Triad.”
The Eagles will take on Triad in the championship game Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Knights were 55-43 winners over Civic Memorial in the other semifinal.
“Triad has a very good player in Noah Moss, he’s already scored 1,000 points in his career,” Sandstrom said. “We have to know exactly where he is on the floor, we can’t give him anything easy tomorrow night.”
It didn’t take long for the Eagles to jump out in front of Freeburg.
The Midgets got a bucket by Will Berger to open the game, but Columbia would score 12 unanswered points to build a 10-point lead with two minutes left to play in the first frame.
The Eagles pushed that lead to 20 points following Ryan Gudeman’s 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to play in the first half, and a layup by Jonathon Holmes at the halftime buzzer gave Columbia a 40-18 lead at the intermission.
“Ryan, Jordan (Holmes) and Jon will tell you they were all a step slow last night and I know all three of those guys are big-time competitors, so they were ready to go tonight,” said Sandstrom.
Gudeman led all players with 25 points, all coming in the first three quarters. Jonathan Holmes added 12 points for the Eagles as Drew Huebner had 10.
“Gudeman almost outscored Freeburg tonight, I think he was down 2 at the end of the third quarter,” Sandstrom said. “Ryan had it going tonight and his teammates were able to find him.
“Our guys will be jazzed up, gassed up and ready to go tomorrow night,” the coach added. “I’ve got six seniors in the locker room that not only want to win back-to-back championships, they want to do it on their home floor.”
In the other Gold semifinal, Triad went 6-6 from the free throw line in the final 1:17 to hold off Civic-Memorial 55-43. The Knights led by as many as 15 points in the final frame before the Eagles went on a 12-3 run late in the game to get as close as six points. Noah Moss led Triad with 21 points, which included a 6-7 effort from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Beau Barbour added 14 points for the Bulldogs. David Lane ended with 11 points to pace Civic-Memorial.
Freeburg will take on Civic-Memorial in the third place game at 5:30 p.m.
Alton-Marquette knocked off Sparta 66-42 in the first Silver semifinal of the day. Shandon Boone paced the Explorers with 21 points, as Ben Sebacher added 13 points and Reagan Snider 12. The Bulldogs got 13 points apiece from Devin Brown and Bryan Lowery.
Waterloo used a 23-7 advantage in the fourth quarter to come from behind and beat Piasa-Southwestern 48-45 in the Silver semifinal. Griffin Lenhardt and Ben Huels combined for 21 of the Bulldogs’ 23 fourth-quarter points, as the two led the team in scoring with 18 and 11 points, respectively. Collin Baumgartner paced the Birds with 19 points.
Sparta and Piasa will battle for seventh place at 2 p.m. as Waterloo and Marquette will square off for fifth place at 4 p.m.
Lebanon knocked off Lovejoy 62-32 in Bronze action. Noah Reinneck led four players in double figures for the Greyhounds with 14 points. Derrick Guthrie added 12 points, Isaac Jones chipped in with 11 points and Logan Schieppe 10.
In the other Bronze semifinal, Valmeyer defeated Dupo 61-42. Owen Miller paced the Pirates with 22 points, as Vaughn Larsen scored 12 points. Austin Francis led Dupo with 21 points.
Dupo and Lovejoy will battle for 11th place at 11 a.m. Wednesday as Lebanon and Valmeyer will play for ninth at 12:30 p.m.


Having shown tremendous fire and focus in settings from quartet to big band to wind ensemble, alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón partners with the Spektral Quartet for a bona-fide chamber-music outing. Drawing on folkloric forms and traditions from the countryside of his native Puerto Rico (not unlike his 2005 jazz quartet effort Jíbaro), Zenón embodies an under-recognized hybridizing impulse within classical music that goes back centuries. While string quartet played a role on his 2008 album, Awake, Yo Soy la Tradición departs from jazz instrumentation altogether, relying solely on the haunting, beautiful blend of strings with the composer’s fleet and lyrical alto. The music is staggeringly ambitious, steeped in modern classical language and logic yet bearing the rhythmic imprint of jazz. There is room built in for the leader’s improvising horn, but the highly complex written material requires him to function as a fifth quartet member, nailing deft unison passages and close contrapuntal details with an unperturbed grace.


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Understanding Auto Insurance Coverage
Auto Insurance Application: Driver(s) Information Application Supplement:
Understanding the Terms in Your Automobile Insurance Policy
Brunswick Companies understands that an informed consumer is better able to make educated choices. As a result, we're providing you with "plain english" explanations of the terminology used by auto insurance carriers in the policies we offer.
Indicates coverage for physical damage to a vehicle. Physical damage coverage includes both "collision" and "comprehensive" coverage.
Collision coverage provides protection if you hit something with your car, or if your car is overturned.
Comprehensive coverage, also known as "other than collision," provides protection when something other than a collision causes physical damage to a vehicle. For example, if your car is damaged due to fire, hail, a tree falling, vandalism, a rock hitting your windshield, or if your car is stolen.
Refers to coverage for liabilities that arise from motor vehicle accidents. It typically protects an insured person while operating his or her own car or someone else's with permission. This coverage is intended to pay a third party for damages, either bodily injury or property damage (such as damage to the other party's vehicle or other tangible property), caused by the insured driver.
Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist Coverage
This coverage generally applies to the insured driver when he or she is involved in a collision with a motorist who has no vehicle liability coverage or who has insufficient liability coverage to pay for the injuries or property damage caused.
No-Fault / PIP / Medical Payments Coverage
"No Fault" insurance pays for some types of expenses that arise from bodily injury for certain losses without regard to legal liability or fault. Depending on the state, no-fault coverage may help the insured pay for things such as medical treatment or funeral expenses.
A number of states require drivers to maintain no-fault automobile insurance to cover bodily injury resulting from automobile accidents. Some states refer to this as Personal Injury Protection (PIP).

domain: finance


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9ct White Gold 0.70ct Blue Topaz and 0.10ct Diamond Ring
Set in 9ct white gold, we have this beautiful emerald cut blue topaz showstopper, with round brilliant cut stones surrounding it for extra sparkle. This ring is perfect to wear on its own or stacked with another band for the ultimate ring stack.
Ring Size: O
Stone: Blue Topaz and Diamond
Blue Topaz Carat: 0.70ct
Diamond Carat: 0.10ct
Diamond Colour: J/K
Diamond Clarity: I1
Material: 9ct White Gold
Free shipping on orders £50+. Orders placed before 2pm will be dispatched same day*.
You can return an item to us for either exchange or refund within 14 days of receiving it.
Please see our Returns page for more information
*This excludes custom made or personalised pieces including all rings within the ring builder which are made to order

domain: design


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Mexico’s healthcare system has been making significant strides in recent years, with orthopedic surgery being one of the areas that has seen considerable growth and development. Orthopedic surgeons in Mexico offer a wide range of services, from joint replacement and sports medicine to spine surgery and pediatric orthopedics. This growth can be attributed to several factors, including access to advanced technology, highly skilled professionals, and affordable pricing.
Mexican orthopedic surgeons have access to state-of-the-art technology and equipment, enabling them to perform complex procedures with high success rates. Many hospitals and clinics in Mexico are equipped with cutting-edge facilities, such as modern operating rooms, diagnostic imaging equipment, and rehabilitation centers. This ensures that patients receive comprehensive care throughout their treatment journey.
In this article, we will explore the top 10 orthopedic surgeons in Mexico, highlighting their expertise and achievements.
Table of Contents
Dr. Pedro Castillo is a distinguished orthopedic surgeon with an extensive background in joint surgery and sports medicine. Based in Cancun, Mexico, he is associated with Sports Medicine Systems.
Dr. Castillo earned his medical degree and went on to pursue a postgraduate degree in Orthopedics and Traumatology, making him a highly proficient specialist in this domain.
Dr. Castillo’s expertise encompasses arthroscopic surgery for the knee, shoulder, and small joints, in addition to addressing sports-related injuries.
Dr. Linette Gómez Espinoza is a board-certified Traumatologist and Orthopedist, highly specialized in joint replacement, knee surgery, and arthroscopy. She currently provides her expert services in Tijuana and Ensenada, Baja California. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Dr. Espinoza has an impressive set of credentials. She completed her education at the Autonomous University of Baja California, Mexicali campus (UABC) and further honed her skills at the Lomas Verdes Traumatology Hospital in the State of Mexico. Additionally, she has the endorsement of LaSalle University, testifying to her proficiency in the field of orthopedics.
Dr. Jesús Raúl Arjona Alcocer is a distinguished orthopedics and joint traumatology specialist, certified by the CMOT A.C., the premier authority in Mexico for training specialists. Having performed over 3,000 procedures, Dr. Alcocer is also certified by the Mexican Council of Orthopedics and Traumatology A.C., the highest authority in Mexico, ensuring that specialists maintain their skills and expertise.
Dr. Jesus is an active member of ISAKOS, the International Society for Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Sports Medicine.
Dr. Juan Antonio Bustamante is a highly qualified orthopedic surgeon based in Mexicali, Mexico, practicing at the Family Hospital. A graduate of Universidad Autónoma de Mexico in 1983, he completed his residency in Orthopedics and Traumatology at Hospital Español of Mexico. Additionally, Dr. Bustamante held a Fellowship in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy at Hughston Sport Medicine Hospital in Columbus, Georgia, USA.
A prolific author, Dr. Bustamante has contributed to several publications, including “Absceso del los Pasos en Ninos,” which he co-authored and was published in Bol Med Hospital Infant, Mex.
Dr. Gustavo Ramirez is an outstanding choice for top-notch service and care in the field of Orthopedic Surgery. Providing exceptional treatments at his clinic in Jalisco, Mexico, Dr. Ramirez has an impressive professional development background. He has worked with the Mexican Social Security Institute and has been in charge of the Traumatic Spine and Hip Module at the General Hospital of Zone 45 during the morning shift. Dr. Ramirez has also been associated with Orthoplus, an Orthopedics and Traumatology Group, and has demonstrated a commitment to integrity throughout his career.
Dr. Juan Carlos Alvarez Garnier is a reputable orthopedic surgeon based in Mexicali, Mexico. With years of experience and expertise in the field, Dr. Garnier has earned a reputation for providing high-quality care to patients experiencing a wide range of musculoskeletal issues.
As an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Garnier specializes in diagnosing and treating various conditions affecting the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. His expertise covers an array of orthopedic treatments, from minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures to complex joint replacement surgeries, ensuring that his patients receive the best treatment.
Dr. Jose Manuel Hernandez is dedicated to offering the highest quality medical care with warmth and compassion in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, supported by the professionalism of his medical staff to ensure patient satisfaction. The foundation of his practice is built on the principle of personalized attention.
Boasting over 10 years of experience in private practice, Dr. José Manuel Hernández has become an expert in addressing extremity injuries. He is well-versed in treating acute or chronic injuries involving cartilage, meniscus, ligaments, tendons, fractures, and sprains.
Dr. Gerardo Mangino is a highly experienced and accomplished orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement procedures. In 2004, he traveled to the United States for a fellowship in total hip and knee replacement, as well as knee arthroscopy, at Elkhart General Hospital and Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center of Northern Indiana in Elkhart, Indiana. During this time, he worked alongside Dr. Mark Klaassen.
In 2005, Dr. Mangino completed a second fellowship in hip and knee replacement at Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital in New Albany, Ohio, where he worked with renowned surgeons.
Dr. Victor is a dedicated medical professional who earned his medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit. He later pursued a Master’s degree in Medical and Surgical Emergencies from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara. It was during this stage of his professional career that Dr. Victor developed a passion for regenerative medicine, prompting him to further his education in this innovative and promising field.
Upon completing his instructor certification in Hyperbaric Medicine, Dr. Victor was granted a research position at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara.
Dr. Jose Antonio Arce is a certified specialist in Orthopedics and Traumatology, having demonstrated his expertise in the field.
His certifications come from the reputable Mexican Council of Orthopedics and Traumatology, which is responsible for ensuring high standards of skill and knowledge among orthopedic professionals in Mexico.
Dr. Arce’s extensive experience and qualifications make him a reliable choice for patients seeking expert care in orthopedics and traumatology.
Top 5 Reasons to choose Orthopedic Surgery in Mexico
Choosing orthopedic surgery in Mexico offers several benefits for patients seeking high-quality care at an affordable price. Here are some of the main reasons to consider Mexico for your orthopedic surgery:
High-quality care at affordable prices: One of the primary reasons patients choose orthopedic surgery in Mexico is the cost savings. The cost of orthopedic procedures in Mexico is significantly lower than in countries like the United States or Canada, without compromising the quality of care. This makes it an attractive option for patients seeking excellent care at a more affordable price.
Skilled and experienced surgeons: Mexico is home to numerous highly skilled and experienced orthopedic surgeons. Many of these surgeons have trained or completed fellowships in the United States or other top medical institutions worldwide, ensuring that they are well-equipped to handle a wide range of orthopedic issues and perform complex surgeries.
State-of-the-art facilities: Medical facilities in Mexico, particularly in major cities, are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and modern infrastructure. These hospitals and clinics adhere to international standards and are accredited by reputable organizations, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care.
Accessible and convenient travel: Mexico’s proximity to the United States and Canada makes it a convenient destination for orthopedic surgery. With many direct flights to major cities in Mexico, patients can easily access high-quality orthopedic care without the need for long-distance travel. Additionally, Mexico’s diverse and vibrant culture makes it an appealing destination for medical tourists seeking to combine their treatment with a memorable vacation.
Personalized care and attention: Orthopedic surgeons in Mexico are known for their personalized approach to patient care. They take the time to thoroughly discuss each patient’s needs, concerns, and goals, ensuring that they receive the best possible treatment plan tailored to their individual circumstances. This level of attention and care often results in high patient satisfaction and successful outcomes.
Don’t wait any longer to get the orthopedic care you need! Experience world-class treatment, personalized care, and significant cost savings by choosing orthopedic surgery in Mexico. Schedule a consultation with a top orthopedic surgeon today and take the first step towards a healthier, pain-free life. Contact us now to learn more and book your appointment!

domain: medical


The Mortgage Professor
A Dose of Negativity Could Help Balance Out the Hype
Bad mortgage selection has become a major problem with the explosion in the volume of complicated interest-only mortgages and option adjustable-rate mortgages. These instruments have often been marketed deceptively to borrowers who don't understand them and are not prepared for the risks.
Last week, I discussed one proposed solution: making lenders liable for the suitability of all mortgages, including interest-only and option ARMs. I concluded that this idea would not work mainly because the responsibility would have to be delegated to loan officers and mortgage brokers. These loan providers mainly sell loans, which is inconsistent with responsibility for enforcing a suitability rule.
A second approach to preventing bad mortgage selection, one that has been advanced by federal regulators, is to impose a new set of disclosure requirements on lenders. Instead of amending existing requirements, which is badly needed, it would simply add the new requirements to the pile. The rationale for that is the need to get something out fast.
Although the five federal agencies that regulate lenders have developed a set of suggested disclosures, lenders are free to develop their own. Realistically, however, all or almost all lenders will adopt the suggestions because that is their best protection against liability.
The suggestions include descriptions of interest-only and option ARMs and several illustrative tables. They are actually quite good, but their only impact would be to raise lender costs. I doubt that they would save a single borrower from folly.
Most borrowers largely ignore existing disclosures, and the new disclosures would simply be added to the pile. Borrowers ignore disclosures because too many hit them at one time, much of the material is useless garbage and few borrowers can extract the useful nuggets from the garbage. So all the warnings get short shrift, which would also be the fate of the new disclosures.
Unless, that is, there is someone directly involved in the process who tells the borrower, "Read this one before you sign on; it is truly important."
But there isn't! The loan providers with whom borrowers deal have a financial incentive to do just the opposite. They sell interest-only and option ARMs. Expecting them to promote disclosures that will raise questions and perhaps thwart a deal is like expecting an automobile salesman to call attention to low gas mileage or poor collision performance. The regulators blind themselves to this reality by constantly referring to disclosures being provided by "institutions."
In refinance deals particularly, loan providers are not going to do anything more than the law requires. In dealing with a home purchaser, they can often afford to be neutral because the borrower who doesn't take one instrument will take another. But in the refinance market, interest-only and option ARMs are usually sold as a way of reducing payments. If disclosures pointing up risks and future costs make the payment reduction less attractive, the result may be no deal.
Given the way mortgages are sold, a new disclosure added to the morass of existing disclosures can be effective only if it hits mortgage shoppers between the eyes and cannot be swept aside by loan officers and mortgage brokers.
I propose the following very simple rule: Whenever a shopper is quoted a monthly payment, he or she must also be shown the highest monthly payment possible on that loan and the month when it would be reached, assuming the borrower always makes the minimum payment allowed.
This rule focuses on the primary motivation for taking interest-only and option ARMs: the lower initial payment. Showing what can happen to the payment forces borrowers to acknowledge that the loans have a downside that should be considered. The rule would put borrowers on their guard, which is what a disclosure rule is designed to do.
Based on experience, I suspect that lender and broker trade groups would find this proposal unacceptable -- because it emphasizes the negative. They believe that mandatory disclosures should be "balanced," showing the good news as well as the bad.
But potential borrowers are besieged with good news; they hear about the possibility of "borrowing $150,000 for just $500 a month" from TV, radio, newspapers, the Internet and their loan providers. To be effective, mandatory disclosure has to be negative so that it is a corrective to an onslaught of hype.
Jack Guttentag is professor of finance emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He can be contacted through his Web site, http:/
Copyright 2007, Jack Guttentag
Distributed by Inman News Features


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Can Maas work outside cities – Darren Shirley CEO CBT
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has the potential to transform the way we travel. Cities such as Helsinki, Birmingham and Vienna, among others, are actively preparing for the coming revolution.
But what does MaaS mean for places away from the urban limelight? What do they stand to benefit? Fill in your details below to read the full article.