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The Phantom Menace - Labor's Defence Review a blast from the past
by Jake Lynch
By the mid-1970s, the old Soviet Union was in a state of advanced decay, its systems degraded to the point where keeping up with the West had faded to a distant dream. So, good news then, taking the pressure off military budgets and freeing up resources for social spending? Well, not for everyone. In Washington, CIA appraisals of the receding threat from Moscow were brushed aside by a team convened on the orders of President Gerald Ford - keen to prove, perhaps, that he really could walk and chew gum at the same time - to pore over the same field reports and raw data, and second-guess the assessments drawn up by the Agency's top analysts.
Team B, as it was known, reached some startling conclusions. No evidence could be found to support the long-held fear that the Soviets had developed an acoustic system for detecting US nuclear submarines. so they must have developed an undetectable, non-acoustic one instead. Soviet air defences were in tip-top condition, the team decided; based on the unimpeachable evidence of boasts in an official Russian training manual.
The parallels echo down the decades. Back then, the US was facing a crisis of military legitimacy, triggered by the Watergate scandal that brought Ford to office to replace the disgraced Richard Nixon and by defeat in Vietnam. (Pub quiz question - who was the only US President since World War II not to send his troops into battle? Jimmy Carter, who succeeded Ford in 1976). Thirty years later, an unpopular 'war on terrorism' has seen allies peeling off from both Iraq and Afghanistan, and makes a full-frontal assault on Iran a politically unsaleable proposition beyond a few deep red states in the American South and mid-West.
In both periods the world was, in some important respects, becoming safer, with the era of détente and the sclerosis of the Communist system bringing an end to the Cold War into view and being matched, in recent times, by a dramatic fall in the number of hot wars. The Human Security Project at Simon Fraser University, Canada puts the decrease at 40% between 1994 and 2005. And - now as then - this important fact is being ignored. Team B started a Washington ginger group to spread their message, called The Committee on the Present Danger. One of its most prominent supporters in politics was then Governor Ronald Reagan, who later came to the White House with a huge re-armament program. Today, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's annual survey of global military spending reveals that, as the number of armed conflicts - and the number of deaths - have gone steadily down, the total cost of arms has remorselessly risen, up over the same period by 37%, over and above inflation.
Here in Australia, Labor reached office committed, come what may, to increasing the military budget by three percent a year in real terms, the centrepiece of the proposed Defence White Paper. Ministers have also launched a public consultation exercise, giving the appearance, at least, of being willing to listen. But who really has the ear of decision-makers in Canberra? The decision to pre-empt any consideration from first principles, of Australia's real needs, bears the imprimatur of insiders such as Professor Ross Babbage, a former senior 'defence' official and arms dealer, and now a member of the advisory committee on the White Paper, whose paranoid ramblings include the recent gem that Australia needs a force at its disposal capable of 'ripping the arm off' an invading 'major Asian power'.
This is a non-sequitur. Our Asian neighbours are distinguished by their long record of building up militaries entirely unsuited for any excursion over their own borders; indeed their very notoriety comes from the rather conspicuous fact that they face no real external threat, so their only function is internal repression. Think Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Burma. As far as Australia is concerned they are (h)armless. Prof Babbage imagines an invasion from China, or even India. This is where the 'Team B' mentality might be dangerous, since paranoia tends to be catching. When the Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, told the National Press Club (as he did on July 30) about the 'increasingly uncertain strategic environment' Australia faces, you know he's been Babbaged.
Then there's the government's choice of chairperson for the panel conducting the public consultations, Stephen Loosley, who comes to the job fresh from his appointment as - guess what - yet another arms dealer, in his case on the board of Thales. Company bigwig Paul McClintock promised shareholders that the new recruit would help Thales Australia to 'continue to grow and deliver on its strategies'. Which, given that its chief growth strategy is to inveigle the Commonwealth into buying ever more expensive toys it doesn't need, might be thought to amount to a conflict of interests. Not in the whacky world of Australian politics, apparently.
What would Ministers hear, if they could cut through the miasma? Opinion polling carried out last year for the new US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney turned up some interesting findings. Three-quarters of Australians believe that participation in the so-called 'global war on terrorism' has made them less safe, not more. They were split right down the middle on continuing Australia's troop presence in Afghanistan - an argument seldom aired in the media or official political debate, not because it is not going on, but because it suits the two main party leaderships in Canberra to ignore it. And fully 48% were in favour of Australia following an 'independent foreign policy' to replace the 'when Washington says jump, ask how high?' mentality of the Howard years.
Up to now, this has been a matter of blithe unconcern to 'defence' chiefs, who continue to purchase equipment and organise joint training exercises based on the doctrine of 'interoperability' with the United States. Even the multibillion dollar order for the obsolescent 'Super Hornet' fighter, pushed through under Brendan Nelson, was first off, then put swiftly back on again, apparently to avoid offending the Boeing corporation, a company which is, to all intents and purposes, a creature of the US government.
We should ask the question, what is the scenario, for which we are preparing? Which country are we practising to invade? Last year's 'Operation Talisman Sabre', the joint exercise involving 7,500 Diggers and as many as 20,000 visiting American troops, marked the debut of a new training installation in remote northern Queensland. It's a collection of painted containers and suchlike, arranged so as to resemble an urban environment. The Defence website called it a 'culturally non-specific' mock town, but soldiers taking part apparently dubbed the big building in the middle, 'The Mosque'.
Policy under Labor is in danger of veering away from both public opinion, about the continuing military alliance with Washington, and the evidence about a world that is actually getting safer, not more dangerous. There are continuing conflicts, including some in our region, but they are best met with a stronger commitment to human rights and dialogue. Notable examples include West Papua, where Indonesian police recently shot and killed a demonstrator at a non-violent rally marking UN World Indigenous Peoples Day, and the Philippines, where a declaration of 'all-out war' on the Communist rebels, the New People's Army, has given a green light to elements in the armed forces to carry out hundreds of unsolved drive-by shootings.
If political will and application are needed to engage with these issues - perhaps through encouraging the recent ASEAN dialogue on human rights - what of the military themselves, the brave and dedicated men and women of the Australian Defence Force? They need to be reassured that we, the wider Australian community, prize and respect their skill in peacekeeping. Savings from decisions not to buy redundant kit for fighting phantom enemies could be ploughed in to a redoubling of our efforts in this direction, starting perhaps with Darfur, a conflict whose human cost has shocked us scarcely more than the ineffectual efforts at the UN to muster a decent-sized detachment of blue-helmeted troops to offer basic protection to its long-suffering people. Such missions bring special challenges, requiring expertise to mesh and harmonise military efforts with those in humanitarian work and peacebuilding, and Labor has already taken the commendable step of committing itself to a new Asia-Pacific Centre for Civil-Military Cooperation. The brainchild of Colonel Mike Kelly, the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, in whose Eden-Monaro electorate the centre will be sited, it is intended to 'streamline coordination between security, economic, emergency management, institution-building and non-government organisations to help avoid continuing instability and revolving-door military deployments'.
Some creative thinking is going on, then, and it needs to be encouraged and expanded. Question is, how? What are we going to do about it? We could, once again, look to the past for inspiration. The Reagan Administration had an abrupt change of course in the early 1980s, well before the advent of Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow, in response to the powerful Nuclear Freeze Movement in the US. In a few short months, it fielded the biggest ever demonstration in New York's Central Park, and won 36 out of 39 referendums in eight states. Media and politicians alike were unable to ignore it, and Reagan was forced to disavow his Administration's own policy and declare a nuclear war 'unwinnable'. A ban on space weapons, proposals for a 'zero option' on nukes in Europe, and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, all followed, including a cut in the Pentagon's budget.
Today, we can pressure local politicians to add a referendum question to the ballot in every council and state election - do you want federal defence spending to add 3% a year in real terms, or keep pace with inflation, or reduce by 3% a year? The principle that we should, at least, take a long hard look at what we actually need, before endorsing further spending, is familiar to countless Australians from running their own households in these days of inflationary pressures. It's time for some evidence-based policy-making.Source: Australian Options


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Recovery | Hope Gardens | Partnership Housing | Neighborhood Redevelopment Program |Rheingold Renaissance Development
By Adam J. Schwartz
There was hardly a building put up in Bushwick between the late 1920's and the late 1970's. All that changed in 1977.
Over the next thirty years, as the Bushwick II Urban Renewal Plan was carried out, an ambitious series of developments sprung up. These include Hope Gardens, Partnership Housing, Neighborhood Redevelopment Program and the Rheingold Rennaissance Development.
Together, they replaced a large percentage of the homes destroyed by fires and abandonment and recreated the community lost in the flames.
Hope Gardens
by Adam J. Schwartz
Hope Gardens was a success of 1970's planning and design that emerged from the stark failure of 1960's urban renewal. The housing project
began in 1971 when an entire block was cleared for a multi-tower housing project and school that was never completed due to a bankruptcy scandal. The block remained empty for a decade.
During that time, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), Elliot Yablon and David Feingold from the Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) and Community Board 4 (CB4) took over the project and created a compromise plan. Instead of four mega tower superblocks, there would only be one tower for senior citizens and many blocks of two story residential buildings.
The project, Hope Gardens, represented a dramatic shift in public housing design.
"It is still the most successful housing project ever built in New York
Father John Powis
In interview 3/21/07
|"Hope Gardens is place for real community: It was just the right size to create a sense of family and communityall the kids knew each other and would play together."
Anna Gonzalez
Community Board 4 Chairperson
In interview 3/24/07
|"It was the last major public housing project built in the US. But it ended on this great last gasp, a huge number of houses built the right
Martin Gottlieb
Associate Editor, The New York Times
Former Staff Reporter, Daily News
In interview April 2, 2007
Partnership Housing
by Adam J. Schwartz
The Housing Partnership Development Corporation (HPDC) is a non-profit intermediary organization that brings together the New York City
government and the business community to build affordable housing across the city.
In Bushwick, another aim of the group, also known as the New York Housing Partnership (NYHP) was to remake the community by filling in the empty lots on the missing tooth blocks that dominated landscape.
The two family homes, known as Partnership Housing, were a great success and during the 1990s, became the dominant form of residential development across Bushwick.
Through the HPDC, housing ownership has been made possible for local working class families. This program renewed the neighborhood feel on many blocks in Bushwick.
"Public housing was not the whole answer to Bushwick. Eventually, you need someone that owns the property that wants to be here and invest in the community."
Elliot Yablon Former director, Neighborhood Preservation Office Department of Housing Preservation and Development In interview 4/3/07
|"In the 1980sbanks were not giving loans because on some of these streets there was nothing built, so there was no value to compare it against."
Orlando Marin Senior Project Manager with Bluestone Organization Former Director of Design and Construction with HPDC
In interview 4/10/07
|"Those empty lots! They couldnt sell, they wouldnt sell. Not for a dollar!"
Nadine Whitted
District Manager for Community Board 4
In interview 4/5/07
STUDENT VOICES - Rheingold Gardens
"The Bluestone Organization [and other builders] under the Housing Partnership created housing for people who were desperately in need, because Bushwick wasn't always a nice place to live. It used to have few housing options, and now people were being given new houses they could live in. Fortunately, Bushwick now has recovered from its worst days and now has made a change for the good."
Jaleesa Jordan and Shannon
Anderson Academy of Urban Planning
The Neighborhood Redevelopment Program
By Adam J. Schwartz
In wake of the fire war of the 1970's, there was a large amount of abandoned housing or repossessed property (for non-payment of taxes). Until 1993, these properties had been taken into the care of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)s Property Management Offices.
The sheer volume of these "In Remediation", or "In-Rem" properties meant that many became lost in the system and fell into disrepair.
(See "In-Rem" map)
Mayor Giuliani, with the local support of then city councilperson Martin Malave Dilan, helped to take the city out of the landlord business. Through the Neighborhood Redevelopment Program (NRP) and the Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Program (NEP), the city transferred ownership to responsible non-profit organizations and private individuals in the community.
Ridgewood Bushwick, having proved itself in its partnership with HPD, was the biggest recipient of NRP housing. Under the NEP, responsible private landlords gained access to a large number of properties in Bushwick.
Together, these two programs were a vital link in the transition from public to private development in Bushwick and in the city at large.
"HPD was at one point the citys biggest landlord, and perhaps its biggest slumlord."
State Senator Martin Malave Dilan
in interview 3/15/07
|"Before Giuliani, there were 12 property management offices in the city taking care of "In Rem" properties. Now there is only one."
Ann Marie Mierez
Former Director, Property Management Offices
Department of Housing Preservation and Development
In interview 4/10/07
|"The NEP and NRP were a turning point for Bushwick, as it gave a second chance to all these rundown buildings, putting them into more responsible hands."
Angela Battaglia
Director of Housing Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Care Council (RBSCC)
In interview 4/21/07
The Rheingold Renaissance Development
By Adam J. Schwartz
The decline of the local brewing industry had a profound impact on the Bushwick community. When the breweries were demolished, they left behind polluted brownfield lots. The Rheingold site was the largest of these, 6.7 acres in total.
Starting in 2000, the Housing Partnership Development Corporation (HPDC), Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Care Council (RBSCC), and the Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) came together with international brownfield experts to re-envision this scarred landscape. The Rheingold Renaissance Initiative transformed the polluted site with new streets, sewer lines and a mix of commercial and residential zoning. It stands out as the first large-scale brownfield remediation in the city, as well as the first substantial use of green roof technology in the city.
STUDENT VOICES - Bushwick Breweries
"At one point there were 121 beer breweries in Bushwick. As time went by, the brewing industry fell into decline. By 1976, the last brewery closed. Bushwick changed in many ways due to the closing of many breweries. The negative effects of brewers shutting down was that it led to many people losing jobs, stores lost sales, and businesses were shut down. The positive affect of breweries closing down is that if they didn't, Bushwick wouldnt be what it is today."
Megan Pagan, Itamar Adames, and Tamarra Lawrence
The Academy of Urban Planning
"The battle was: how do we get control of the Rheingold site? There was a garbage dump planned for the site, because the City did not think it could be remediated."
Vito Lopez
New York State Assemblyman Founder,
Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Care Council
In interview 3/4/07
|"It was a long and drawn out struggle to get control of the site. It took 25 years, in fact. So once we had it, we wanted to do it right."
Victor Robles
Clerk of the City Court
Formerly City Councilperson for Bushwick
In interview 3/12/07

subset: commoncrawl


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An Irish trad musician has covered Michael Jackson's hit 'Thriller' with nine fiddles using an Acapella app.
Niall Murphy has been a trad player for the past 17 years and regularly experiments with different styles including bluegrass, country, and pop.
He has toured with bluegrass legend Dan Tyminski (guitarist with Alison Krauss and Union Station and singer of Avicci's 'Hey Brother') which inspired him to try different techniques. He currently plays with Cara Dillon and Breaking Trad.
"Micheal Jackson is one of my favourite singers and arrangers," he says.
"Before starting to record, I arranged the piece for nine fiddles. Some tracks are melody, some are plucked bass lines, some are replicating the brass section and using a fiddle technique called 'the chop' I replicated the percussion sound.
"When it all played together I was surprised at the outcome. It mightn't be exactly like his own version but the idea is there I think, I hope!"
Niall hopes to show people how versatile the fiddle can be and he has posted several videos to YouTube showcasing its possibilities.
Sources: Independent – By Aoife Kelly | All Things Michael


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This article was updated on October 1, 2015.
Colonial Forge at Augustine is on Courthouse Road (Route 630) approximately 2 miles west of Interstate 95 exit 140 (Stafford). The master planned subdivision next to Colonial Forge High School, will have 538 homes when the last phase of construction is completed. These homes include villas, townhouses, and single-family homes built by Augustine Homes, Beazer Homes, and Drees Homes. The monthly homeowners association dues for Colonial Forge at Augustine are $85 for single-family homes, $107 for town homes, and $65 for villas with $145 condominium fees.
Embrey Mill Master Planned Community
The pictures here are the first set of model homes available at Embrey Mill subdivision in Stafford County. We have an extensive collection of photographs for the initial series of Embrey Mill homes. Click here to review the interiors of the homes presented below.
Embrey Mill subdivision in Stafford County. This master planned community is between Garrisonville (Route 610) & Stafford (Route 630). When completed this 831 acre development will have 1, 827 homes. The first phase will have 472 homes. Amenities will include 4 parks with athletic fields, 10 miles of walking trails, tennis & athletic courts, and the Embrey House community center. The Embrey House has a pool, fitness facility and locker rooms, community cafe, outdoor patio, and community administrative offices. A concierge service at the community center is available for residents of Embrey Mill.
Embrey Mill development plans also include a community… Continue reading
Fredericksburg Area Real Estate News
June has been a busy month for real estate headlines in Fredericksburg and surrounding jurisdictions. These are a few of the highlights:
Rappahannock Region Housing Statistics
May 2013 housing news for Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford showed 5 year records for every almost every reporting category. Statistics provided by the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. indicated sales volume hit a 5 year high median sales price of $249,900 (9.6% increase from May 2012). The total sales volume ($119.5M) increased 23.4% since May 2012. This is the highest volume since July 2007. The available inventory of homes for May 2013 was 3.3 months. Six months is considered a even basis for buyers versus sellers. NOTE: With interest rates rising we are seeing a shift with more listings and fewer buyers. We believe this is the beginning of changing local and… Continue reading
New Stafford Courthouse Interchange Plans Unveiled – The News Desk
Public Meeting News and Links (Courthouse Road Expansion and Interstate 95 Interchange).
Public Meeting Brochure – September 29, 2015 (Courthouse Road Expansion Project) Estimated costs: $35,966,920.
Public Meeting Brochure – September 29. 2015 (Interstate 95 and Route 630 Interchange Project) Estimated costs: $149,462,063.
We attended the Courthouse Road interchange reconstruction public meeting at Colonial Forge High School. The plans were preliminary as the project is still in the planning phase. The issues which created the most concern are listed below.
(1) The plan requires eminent domain of several businesses, including McDonald's near the current Interstate 95 exchange with Courthouse Road (Route 630) to make space for one of two new commuter lots. The current commuter lot will be razed for highway construction, and the commuter lots on Courthouse Road, and Austin Ridge Drive will add… Continue reading


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John F. Abbott family
I have some information. John F. Abbott and Adelia Adams had three daughters: Nellie, b. 1889, Md. (the John F. Abbotts were primarily from NJ ending in CA and OR - this Maryland temp.), Marion, b. 1897, and Millicent, b. 1899.
Only Millicent married as far as I can see and the only info I have -m. Cedric D. Sthelen b. 1898. In the 1930 census, they had one son Roger - Pasadena, CA. b. 1928.
I would like very much to contact Roger's family, if anyone knows of Roger Sthelen, please let me know - he is the only known relative of that family that I know of, but he may have later brothers and sisters.
and thanks to Unknown for the family information.
Thank you


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"There is no passion to be found playing small and settling for a life that's less than the one your capable of living."-Denzel Washington
This is madness.
Nairobi's streets at 2:30 in the morning are grim. Huge piles of garbage line the streets. The smell of raw sewage is truly foul. Small piles of trash burn in the middle of each intersection, and give the city's eerie darkness a post-apocalyptic type feel.
Most of the dangling street lamps don't work and with the exception of the light that's coming from the dim headlights of the taxi I'm riding in, it's pitch black out there.
Just a few days ago the Somalian based terrorist group Al-Shabaab gunned down 147 unarmed students at Garissa University College and the statement they released after the attack won't stop cycling through my head.
Kenyan cities will run red with blood.
I'm in one of those cities – a suburb of Nairobi called Eastleigh. Its nickname is "Little Mogadishu" as it's inhabited mostly by Somali immigrants. Since 2012 this neighborhood has experienced several attacks linked to Al-Shabaab. Most of the buildings that surround our taxi are crumbling, some looking bomb-blasted. One attack blew up a bus like the one I'm about to get on – the grenade blast killed six people in 2014. There are only a handful of people walking the streets at this hour. They look as tough as you'd expect.
The taxi driver I've hired, who assured me he knew where the bus station was, can't find any of the streets he's looking for.
He slows the car without looking at me, and then pulls it over and rolls the window down. A stranger emerges from the shadows. This is exactly how Western tourists end up on the news.
The driver asks him a question in Swahili – directions, I surmise. No joy. They both look confused.
This is probably the most dangerous thing I could be doing with my time here. Crime in Nairobi has been on the rise so much lately that its nickname is "Nairobbery". I heard a terrible story at the last hotel I stayed at: the day before I arrived a man around my age was waiting for a taxi on the street corner and a car full of masked men pulled along side him. They forced him to the ground at gunpoint and stole everything, right down to his passport and the clothes on his back.
To my relief, off we go again. A few minutes later, still no bus station . . . so my driver pulls over and we repeat the same hair-raising process. It feels like a matter of time before we're car-jacked.
A homeless man helps us out, pointing down the street and counting up from zero. He's telling us it's the tenth street on the left. Driving away, the driver regains his confidence and tries his best to reassure me, "It's very safe, nothing to worry about." We both know he is lying.
We count the streets out loud as we pass. We have to – there are no street signs.
Tenth street. Left turn.
At the end of the block I see a long white bus. My blood pressure spikes. This is it – we've arrived, I was almost hoping we wouldn't. Our car creeps around huge potholes.
"Moyale Liner," says the side of the bus.
This bus, the one that I am supposed to board in thirty minutes, has to pass through the part of Northern Kenya that has recently become a known target for Al-Shabaab. And as they showed the world again early this week, they are ruthless and they often target buses just like this one. They cross the Somali-Kenyan border to kill civilians. That's the pattern.
As we pull even closer, I see the bus appears to be riddled with bullet holes. My taxi driver pulls along side the bus. I wish we were good friends. I wish he could tell me a funny story or reassure me that all this is routine, no sweat. Unfortunately, the only thing he has to say is how much I owe him.
"I'll be right back, wait here", I say.
I leave my bags in the taxi so I can inspect the bus a little closer. The "bullet holes" are stickers of oddly-shaped stars. It's an appalling choice of decal, considering where this bus is headed.
I circle the vehicle, looking for someone in charge. There's a group of Ethiopians wrapped in blankets drinking camel-milk tea. By their side, a homeless teenage boy sleeps on the sidewalk. He is using newspapers as blankets and his lone shoe is his pillow.
"Does anyone work here?"
No one blinks. No one responds to my question. No one seems to care.
I run back to the taxi and ask the driver if he can wait for me, or if I can wait inside the taxi with him. He points to his watch and says, "I have to be at the airport to pick someone up in a few minutes, sorry, but I must leave right now." I offer him more money to stay, but he has to go. He hands me my duffel bag through the window.
As he pulls away I watch his taillights soften and disappear into the wasteland like night.
Behind me, someone appears in the doorway of bus. He's a dark man with a long black beard; his once white t-shirt and tan cargo pants are filthy. He waves over the group of Ethiopians that were drinking tea a minute ago and begins collecting their tickets. I walk over and ask him, "Is this bus safe, do you think it will make it to Moyale without being attacked? I heard that the bus has two armed guards on it, is that true?"
He can't understand a word I say, and neither can anyone else – everyone here only speaks Arabic. He shrugs his shoulders.
Kenyan cities will run red with blood.
People push past me to board the bus. No one is smiling, no one is cheerful, and no one looks like they are going to enjoy the long road ahead. It's a nerve jangling fifteen-hour bus ride to the border, and from what I've been told a good portion of that is on unpaved roads.
I need to collect my thoughts. But I'm out of time. The man collecting tickets has zero patience for me and he motions for my ticket. I pull it out of my pocket and look at it, it says boarding time, 3:00 AM – the same time that's on my watch.
There isn't going to be some miraculous sign this time – I'm going to have to figure this one out on my own.
The man collecting tickets officially loses his patience with me and angrily waves his hands for mine. Decision time.
Inside, I'm at war with myself.
Soul: Ok, you ready? Its time for you to hand over your ticket. No decision to be made. We're doing this.
Mind: Are you insane? Do you want to die? Let's just go back to the hotel and go back to bed, and work something else out in the morning.
Body: I couldn't hand it over even if I wanted to; my arms are frozen in fear. Although if we decided to go find a taxi, I reckon I'd be up for a walk…
Soul: Guys! Seriously? Come on. You already know that we can't go back. You already know that since we've decided to keep moving. Or are you forgetting that decision? Where's that sense of incredible purpose you were bragging to yourself about a few days ago? Enough. Get moving.
My hand shakes as I hand over my ticket. My duffel bag is immediately dropped into an empty potato sack and then tied shut with a rope. The man mumbles, "Dusty road". (He does know English!)
Before I step on, I rest my hand on the windshield and say a quiet prayer.
Please let everyone on this bus arrive in Moyale safely. Please get us there in one piece. And please don't let my journey end like this.
And then I step on board the bus – and my fate is sealed.


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I am sure there are things you didn't know your juicer could do. If you are someone who loves juices and smoothie shops, then you will most certainly enjoy owning a juicer. However, there are those who have bought the juicer who have had the novelty wear off after only a short time has elapsed, but who still utilized it to make juices from particular fruits that are available in specific seasons and yet others who used it to make their usual healthy juices as a part of their healthy regimen.
Once you have purchased a juicer, there are ways in which you can ensure that it does not become just one more appliance that will take up space in your kitchen and/or cabinet. In order to do this, you will need to make using it become a habit and after a little while you will realize that it is not something you want to live without. With this appliance you can mix up juices that are not only healthy and good for you, but that also tastes wonderful as well.
One good idea for you to use your juicer often is to keep it on the counter and always keeping it clean as well. If you are always using your juicer then it will not seem as if it is just another appliance cluttering your kitchen counter top. In keeping your juicer clean at all times, you should ensure that it is washed right after being used. When this is done, sugars and pulps will not dry up on the parts of the juicer and thereby rendering it more difficult to clean. A clean juicer will be an even greater incentive for you to use it more often.
Among the things you didn't know your juicer could do is that it is able to make more than just delicious and very healthy juices. In fact, it can make sorbets, popsicles and even ice cubes. In addition, it can also mix up gourmet cocktails, create marinades, as well as make different types of soups.
If you are an owner of a juicer, you should consider giving these juicer recipes a go. To make carrot ginger soup that will be enough for two persons, you will need two cups fresh carrot juice that you will press with fresh ginger. That will be in addition to a half cup of plain yogurt, as well as chives for garnishing.
When making your carrot ginger soup you should make a combination of your yogurt and your carrot juice that has been pressed with ginger. The mixture should then be placed in the refrigerator to chill and then it can be served with your freshly chopped chives as garnish.


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Lean manufacturing
E&T looks at whole system lean transformations.
Lean manufacturing at its best leads to a total reshaping of the purpose, systems and culture of an organisation. There is a fundamental transformation, and the benefits are measured in two-fold and three-fold improvements, not in mere percentage points. However the challenge is to achieve what can be called whole systems transformations for specific manufacturing businesses given their unique circumstances, and with their different processes, structures and rhythms.
It is immediately apparent simply by walking into a factory when a whole systems transformation has been achieved. It can be seen and felt. The place is tidy, the processes efficient, there are no piles of work-in-progress, and the people are empowered and have a renewed purpose and culture. There is simply a buzz in the air. Why does this not happen every time, given lean's impressive range of tools?
One reason is that lean does not apply fully to every manufacturing organisation. This is especially so in those enterprises operating outside of lean's original home ground of automotive, electronics and consumer goods. In areas like pharmaceuticals, chemicals, aerospace, defence, process industry, food, capital goods and engineering projects the tool set is a partial fit and its logic is stretched. Many companies find it difficult to apply the full set of principles and tools, and the amount they can do is not enough to trigger a whole systems transformation.
In others, the enthusiasm of external consultants and management for quick cost-savings has led organisations to apply lean in a piecemeal, tool-based way. The aim becomes 'doing lean' rather than creating the paradigm shift. This is a false economy, choosing quick wins this year over embarking on a more difficult journey to secure the long-term.
It is clear when a whole systems' transformation has not occurred. You will have experienced walking into a factory and finding that there is still something tantalisingly missing. The whole thing is like an un-tuned engine. The teams themselves work well enough, but the people do not express much job satisfaction or confidence. There has not been a radical change in purpose and culture. The benefits are patchy and unreliable, and no one believes that, if you put your foot on the pedal, this vehicle would accelerate smoothly away!
Patchy or Whole Transformation?
Lean's original cultural origins from the East assumed an holistic view of being a manufacturing organisation. Simon Thane, director of Tricordant, says. "Process streamlining, reducing changeover times, quality control, process capability, kanban and smoothing the material flow were the things people did together to become a greater team and a sustainable company. The ever-distant goals of right-first-time, just-in-time, zero-defect and batch-of-one production were inspirations to excellence. This cultural change was enabled by transforming production lines into cellular teams, supervisors and foremen into team leaders, and even the task of tidying-up into adopting the right attitudes of the five 'S's."
Process mapping, streamlining, de-bottlenecking, use of SPC (statistical process control) and six sigma, balanced scorecard measures, pull systems, poke yoke, SMED (single minute exchange of dies), TPM (total productive maintenance), kaizen, team-building; all look attractive, and are relatively quick and easy to apply individually in isolation. There is, however, a great danger of falling into a superficial and component-level application of lean tools when the goal is a fundamental transformation in performance. Their application may be transformational but in some circumstances they may only provide transitory, localised improvement, with the effect on the whole system being minor, or even negative due to unforeseen interaction between initiatives. The motivational costs of an un-whole, patchy approach to change are possibly more significant than the failure to achieve significant cost savings as they inoculate the staff against attempting further change.
Thane's conclusion, after 13 years at the sharp end in factory management and then five years as a consultant studying this field, is that the piecemeal application of specific lean tools and techniques in a Western culture isn't always enough to effect a fundamental transformation in purpose, culture and the significant step-up in performance that manufacturing needs to stay world class. The tool set needs to be enhanced and the perspective widened. Thane believes that, "Organisations must seek wholeness as well as leanness."
What is Wholeness?
How can we get a whole systems' view of an organisation? "We have found it useful to draw parallels between the human body, its fitness and its health, and an organisation's structures and their ability to perform well," Thane says. "We know that human beings are fit, healthy and respond to the stresses of their changing environment when their complex systems and sub-systems work well together and are in balance. The primary organs (heart, lungs, brain, eyes), the connective systems (blood, nervous and lymphatic systems) and the supportive components (bones and muscles), must each be healthy and whole and interact with the other parts in a balanced way. The whole body maintains this balance through feedback loops run by the nervous and endocrine systems. A person's mental state, aims, lifestyle and attitudes are key to their health as well. People use a medical language to describe how the parts of the body interact to create the functions and behaviour of the body as a whole."
"Similarly, manufacturing organisations seeking to become fit and healthy and meet the changing demands put upon them need to recognise that they are complex, integrated, social and technical systems. To be healthy, their sub-systems, their primary working units (lines, cells, production departments and front-line teams), their connective systems (HR, finance and IT systems), as well as their other supportive component parts (reception, stores, building facilities and utility services) each need to be healthy and interact with all the other parts in a balanced and healthy way. The performance measurement, evaluation and communication systems should provide feedback loops to control their functions. The culture, strategy and values of an organisation are key as well. Managers and staff need a whole systems' language to describe how all these parts inter-connect and align to create success for the organisation as a whole."
Achieving Wholeness
The Tricord model (fig 1) developed by Simon Thane and his colleagues at Tricordant provides a language and way of mapping this healthy balance. The Tricord applies to the organisation as a whole, as well as to each of its sub-units. "It is the alignment of the three outer dimensions of the Tricord, acting in balance around the central core that creates the whole and healthy organisational unit," Thane explains. "When one part of the Tricord is incomplete or unaligned then an organisation will tend to be dysfunctional, under-producing, cost-adding, de-motivated and incapable. If all dimensions are present and aligned with each other, then the organisation will be whole, productive, vibrant, capable, competitive and successful. The model therefore provides a diagnostic tool for assessing wholeness."
Using the Tricord helps a business check that each organisational unit has a clear 'Identity', that it knows who it is, where it comes from and what makes it unique. This comes out of its history, cultural rituals and accumulated knowledge.
You can then check that each unit has an appropriate set of current objectives and knows what it wants to achieve. This 'Concept' includes a strategy and detailed plan to realise its purpose interpreted in current times and for the current market. It provides a clear vision and an effective set of values and ethics that are key to the organisation's culture, whether this is written down or not.
The plan then needs to be delivered on the ground. This is done by the organisation through capable processes that are 'Embodied' in technology, equipment, procedures, rules and policies. More critically, the Concept is embodied through people working as teams using these processes and technology, or, in other words, all this is an integrated socio-technical system.
"The organisation is brought alive by the energy and spirit of its people," Thane says. "They come to identify with the company and to be passionate about its purpose. Work groups are transformed into teams. Managers act as leaders. The organisational unit is thus inspired."
"This pattern of tricordant wholeness needs to be true at every level of the organisation; the company as a whole, its sub-systems – divisions, sites, functions – and its sub-sub-systems – shop-floor lines and cells, and front-line departments and teams – down to the design of individual jobs. The model can be used to check that the right work is done at the right level, and that the units at all levels align and work together as a whole organisation.
"Such a whole systems approach can be used by a multi-disciplined team drawn from across the organisation. Once trained they can identify the gaps and 'red arrows' or points of friction and cost in the whole system and then create solutions to remove these barriers. The tools enable them to ensure that each element of work is done in the right place. It enables value-adding jobs to be designed, which motivate and enable people to use their full capacity. People can then work in motivated teams. These teams can be logically grouped into the right sections, divisions and business units. We call this transforming a business from being discordant (fig 2) to being tricordant."
Transforming by Wholeness as well as Leanness
The Toyota Production System was able to achieve whole systems-level transformational change in its original sectors. Its kitbag of tools was developed in this manufacturing context and there enabled staff to map process flows, eliminate waste, improve process capability and release team-based continuous improvement. It was very successful for Toyota and many other manufacturers in similar industries. Applied in full the cumulative effect of applying all the principles and tools was to create a groundbreaking shift in thinking, which redefined purpose for staff and changed culture.
"Achieving such a paradigm shift, involving all domains of the Tricord in parallel, was the core transformation which made lean really different when it worked in full and released the maximum value of the approach," Thane says. "However, lean does not provide all of the answers all of the time. As one gets further away from this heartland so fewer of the tools apply and many apply less fully. A subset of tools applied in a component fashion has a much-reduced chance of triggering the key transformation in purpose, systems and culture.
"By using a whole systems approach each organisation can reach a solution for its unique circumstances. Some parts of the solution may well borrow tools from lean, others parts will borrow from elsewhere, and others may need new thinking and innovation. How they all knit together into a particular pattern will be unique for each organisation."
Developing this organisational understanding comes from a deeper appreciation of how the parts make up the whole. With that understanding a manufacturing organisation can, according to Thane, achieve an initial 10% to 30% improvement across a range of key performance measures and set itself on the path to a 'whole systems' transformation and a healthier and longer life.
More information about The Tricord Model can be found at www.tricordant.com


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The Cleveland Cavaliers can put up points but now is not the time to flex that muscle. Instead the Cavs are focusing on the defensive end because defense wins championships. After dropping Game 1 in overtime Cleveland bounced back to grab a victory in overtime of Game 2.
As I wrote after Game 1, LeBron James needed to be more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan. The Warriors wanted LeBron to score a lot of points without getting his teammates involved. In Game 1 LeBron had six assists which is a decent number. Three of those led to three pointers which were not enough. As a team the Cavs had 19 assists which is a good number but LeBron has to produce more open three pointers. The bench scored 9 points and LeBron was tired at the end.
In Game 2 Cleveland had 14 assists but 11 of those came from LeBron. Five of those LeBron assists led to three pointers including a three pointer by Iman Shumpert which happened to be the only basket the Cavaliers scored in overtime. LeBron's usage rate went from 47.4% to 39.5% however his assist percentage went from 38.3% to 66.5%.
He was able to get easy baskets for Timofey Mozgov just like he did in Game 1. This time around he set up James Jones, a guy who only took one shot in game 1. Jones scored eight points in game 2 including a pair of three pointers and a dribble pull-up. At one point they even posted Jones up against Steph Curry. The Cavs bench scored 21 points and they were all needed.
Cleveland played Game 2 like Memphis or Chicago. They beat the Warriors on the boards 55-45, they slowed the game down and they made it ugly. According to Elias Sports, Cavaliers shot 32.6% from the field, lowest by any team in an NBA Finals road win in the shot-clock era. Cleveland held the Warriors to 39% shooting and 22% shooting from beyond the arc. Steph Curry missed a Finals record 13 three pointers. Cleveland outscored the Warriors from beyond the arc 27-24.
The road ahead is still tough for the Cavaliers but they proved they could beat Golden State. Maybe Curry does not have another horrible shooting game or maybe Klay Thompson doesn't go off for 34 points or maybe J.R. Smith knocks down eight three pointers again. There are so many things that can happen in this series. This is just one game and the Cavaliers were able to hold on and win.
Cleveland has to continue winning the battle on the boards. Timofey Mozgov was able to draw eight fouls in total. Three of those came when he was getting an offensive rebound. Tristan Thompson was able to draw two fouls going for offensive rebounds. Those two combined for nine offensive rebounds and the Warriors had 10 as a team.
It remains to be seen if the Cavaliers can come out with the same energy and aggression at home. They shot 40 free throws in Game 2, 30 of them coming from LeBron James and Timofey Mozgov. Golden State is still the favorite and adjustments have to be made by both teams.
Two games, two overtimes I hope Game 3 is just as exciting.


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Recently I heard this story about a pig and a cow.
"Why is it," said the rich man to his minister, "that people call me stingy? Everyone knows that when I die, I'm leaving everything to the church."
"Let me tell you a fable about the pig and the cow," said the pastor. And he proceeded to tell this story.
The pig was unpopular, while the cow was beloved. This puzzled the pig. "People speak warmly of your gentle nature and your cuddly eyes," the pig said to the cow. "They think you're generous because each day you give them milk and cream. But what about me? I give them everything I have. I give bacon and ham. They even pickle my feet! Yet, not one likes me. Why is that?" asked the pig.
The cow said, "Perhaps it is because I give while I'm still living."
That little story reminded me of a biblical financial paradox that can be found in Proverbs 11:24-25
"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself."
Is Solomon saying that the more we give the more we are blessed, and if we are generous we will prosper, and if we are stingy we will see poverty? In a word, yes. This is what he is saying. But we must understand this is God's economy and not Man's economy. Let's look a little deeper into this paradox.
Being generous not only provides for others but it also does a good job in getting our attention off ourselves. This leads to humility. Read the parable of the Wedding Feast (Luke 14:7-14) to follow the path of being generous leading to humility, leading to blessings, and ultimately resulting in rewards being received in eterinty. Luke 14:14.
When God knows that He can trust us to be a conduit to bless others with riches, we are already prospering simply knowing that God trusts us. This is an immediate blessing that we receive by being generous.
But the key to understanding this paradox is found in Luke 16:10-13. Jesus says if we are faithful stewards with our money, we will receive true spiritual blessings.
One of the basic principles of being a faithful steward in God's economy is being generous. Jesus is saying without generosity we will not receive true spiritual blessing. And without true spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1) we cannot become spiritually mature. Being generous is one of the traits of a Christian by reflecting the overwhelming generosity of Christ in giving up His life at Calvary.
If we look at the early church we discover the community around them recognized believers by their generosity.
Randy Alcorn said, "If Christ is not Lord over our money and possessions, then He is not our Lord." An easy way to see if He is Lord over our possessions is to look at our generosity.
The parable In Matthew 25 teaches that we are each given an allotment of talents (money, time, and abilities) and we are expected to develop those talents and then generously give back to the Master. Anything other than this is cursed!
Randy Alcorn goes on to say, "I have never seen a mature Christian who was also not a mature steward. Giving is a part of growing!"
So as we become more generous, God entrusts us with spiritual blessings, which are true riches. These spiritual riches may be realized in this life as spiritual maturity, or in eternity as indicated in Luke 14.
But the key to the paradox in Proverbs 11:24-25 as well as many of the other biblical financial paradoxes is to view God's economy with an eternal perspective. When we are generous with our money God will bless us with spiritual riches and thus as Proverbs 11:25 says, a generous man will prosper!
So the next time you look at a cow and wonder why she looks so loved in comparison to the unpopular pig, remember Proverbs 11:24-25. The path to prosperity in God's economy is through generosity.


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London, England (CNN) -- A Canadian graduate student has found the only known printed copy of Haiti's Declaration of Independence, tucked away in Britain's National Archives, researchers said. Duke University student Julia Gaffield found the eight-page pamphlet, dated January 1, 1804, while researching Haiti's early independence, Duke said in a statement Thursday. The discovery sheds light on the early history of Haiti and the relations it had with its Caribbean neighbors at the time, Gaffield and Duke Professor Deborah Jenson said.
Gaffield is researching early 19th-century Haiti for her doctoral dissertation in history, Duke said. She did research in France, Haiti and Jamaica, where she saw a handwritten copy of the declaration in the papers of Jamaica's governor at the time, George Nugent.
It indicated there was a printed version somewhere, but it wasn't enclosed.
In late January, Gaffield went to London for research at the National Archives, where she found the printed declaration.
"I wasn't specifically looking for it, but I had an eye out for it because I knew it was missing," Gaffield said. "We figured there was an original somewhere, but didn't know if it still existed."
The declaration had not been misplaced and had been in the archives for a long time, Gaffield said. The period had simply not been studied in detail, and Gaffield said she figures people who saw the document before probably didn't realize what they had.
Gaffield said she was thrilled by the discovery, but had to wait until the end of the day to notify her advisers at Duke, in North Carolina.
"The archives are not the place to make a big scene," she said.
Haiti's declaration is only the second of its kind in the world, the first being the U.S. Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and others, Duke said.
The pamphlet, written in French, has three distinct parts, the National Archives said. The first two pages are titled "Liberte ou La Mort," which translates to "Freedom or Death," in which the generals of the Haitian army sign their names to an oath swearing to renounce forever the French yoke or die rather than live under its domination.
Next, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the general-in-chief, addresses the citizens of Haiti in an impassioned defense of independence and the destiny of the nation.
On the final page, Haitian army generals proclaim Dessalines governor-general for life and swear to obey without question laws issued under his authority.
"To bring this document to light in Haiti's darkest hour may be seen as a symbol of renewal and rejuvenation, helping Haiti rebuild its national spirit following the recent earthquake," said Ian Wilson, president of the International Council on Archives. "Julia's achievement in recognizing the significance of this printed document deserves high recognition."
Oliver Morley, the acting chief executive of the National Archives, said they were pleased to play a role in the discovery.
"It's incredible that the long search for this important document should finally end at the National Archives," Morley said. "This declaration sent to the British government by Haiti's first independent leader is of great historical importance to both Haiti and the British people, and provides unique insight into the first successful slave rebellion of modern times."
Jenson, a professor of French studies at Duke who has researched the U.S. publication of Haiti's independence documents, said the discovery also shows Haiti had a fully functional printing apparatus at every moment of the new nation's independence.
Researchers had looked for the printed declaration before, without success, said Laurent Dubois, a Duke professor of French studies and history and one of Gaffield's advisers.
In 1952, Haiti asked intellectual Edmond Mangones to find an original or printed copy so it could be displayed for the nation's 150th anniversary, Dubois said. Mangones searched in many archives in Haiti and elsewhere before writing with exasperation that all his searching had been "in vain," Dubois said.
"It is really beyond belief," Mangones said at the time, "that not even a copy of the original printed version has been found in France, or in England, or in the United States."
Gaffield's discovery, Dubois said, "has finally changed that."
Documents from Haiti's early history have not been well preserved and are scattered in various places, said Dubois, who is working with other historians to rehabilitate Haiti's archives after the January 12 earthquake.
Dubois and Gaffield consulted Patrick Tardieu, a noted Haitian archivist at Brown University, to confirm the document's authenticity.
"I was so happy to find out it was true," Tardieu said. "It is an important document, and its discovery is important news for Haiti's scholarly community and more broadly for the people of Haiti."
Gaffield said she hopes the discovery will remind historians, Haitians and the world about the early history of the only country in the Western Hemisphere where slaves successfully revolted to gain national independence.
"The Haitian Revolution was of immense consequence to Jamaica and other colonies in the Caribbean, as well as to the United States," Gaffield said. "This find is further evidence that there was contact and negotiations going on between them. Haiti was not isolated after independence and it played a complicated role in a world based on colonialism and slavery."
Continue Reading
Editor's note: Peniel E. Joseph, a Haitian-American, teaches history at Tufts University. His latest book is "Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama." Patrick Sylvain is a Haitian language and culture instructor at Brown University and a language coach at Harvard. His latest bilingual poetry collection is "Love, Lust & Loss."
(CNN) -- Haiti's emergence as the first free black republic, forged against the backdrop of Caribbean and North American slavery, is pivotal to today's discussions of citizenship, democracy, and freedom.
Now, 206 years after its declaration of independence, Haiti's dire poverty, the earthquake and its massive death toll have triggered yet another global "first," one with potentially major geopolitical consequences.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently visited Haiti, the first French president to set foot on Haitian soil. His historic trip recalled long-standing colonial wounds, even as he graciously offered much-needed economic assistance to a ravaged Port-au-Prince. The visit also offered a glimpse of the Caribbean republic's paradoxical relationship with its former colonial master.
A country once known as the "Pearl of the Antilles," Haiti 's downfall was not of its own making. Its tragic poverty stems from a brutal history of colonial subjugation, one that caused an unexpected and globally shattering revolution that toppled the colonial rule of France, an imperial power that Alexander Hamilton had dreamed of dismantling in the Americas.
Haiti's war of independence, from 1791 to 1803, was won through a combination of bravado and a political self-determination embodied in the bracing personality and ingenuity of Toussaint L'Ouverture. Toussaint was helped by U.S. President John Adams, who saw in him a temporary ally in the quasi-war against France, from 1798 to 1801.
The young United States sought to muster its strength through naval expansion and indirectly curtail France's power in the Caribbean. In 1799, the United States lifted the embargo against Haiti (Saint-Domingue) by providing it with arms, food supplies and naval intelligence that aided Toussaint's war against the pro-French elites.
But positive U.S. policies toward Haiti and the political gains orchestrated by Toussaint L'Ouverture under the Adams administration were dramatically reversed under Thomas Jefferson. He supported the punishing French blockade of Haiti and allowed the French naval power to rise under the leadership of Napoleon, which culminated in the arrest and deportation of Toussaint to France.
The French blockage and closing of U.S. ports to Haiti stunted the embryonic republic's economic growth. France demanded reparations from Haiti of 150 million francs -- about $21 billion in today's money. This forced debt crippled Haiti's economy and took 122 years to repay.
So, on the one hand, President Sarkozy's visit to Haiti initiated a new chapter between that country and France. Indeed, according to Sarkozy, "Haiti must set the conditions for a national consensus on which to base a national project. Haiti for the Haitians."
In a very real sense, Sarkozy's visit offered a glimpse of a more promising future for Haiti, one marked by cooperation with former colonial rulers, in which prosperity replaces endemic poverty.
Haiti's proud and resilient citizens, who have endured a seemingly endless series of setbacks since independence in 1804, remain hopeful that Sarkozy's visit ushers in a long-overdue political alliance with France. But they are also aware that the nations' contentious history cannot be repaired by a single visit from a French president.
Although global observers may interpret French promises of economic aid to Haiti as a gesture of goodwill to the earthquake-stricken nation, Haitians will take a more complex view.
Some observers may also interpret France's assistance as just another in a long line of handouts, but students of Haitian history know better. That assistance has been paid for many times over in the blood of countless unknown Haitians who toiled and died under French rule.
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© Haiti Legacy Project 2018


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Signez notre Manisfeste ! Etant que premier réseau professionnel féminin français, multiculturel et multisectoriel, nous vous proposons de signer le manifeste, reflet de notre volonté et énergie à faire évoluer la cause des femmes.Read more
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Clinton Has Clear Backing From Middle-Class Voters
Bill Clinton is dominating the critical clash for the center.
For all the talk about energizing political bases or ideological commitments, pollsters Peter Hart, a Democrat, and Robert Teeter, a Republican, pinpoint the determining factor in a presidential election as control of the middle.
"It is middle-income voters, those who are in...


text: Ok first of all, this isn't a recording problem, this is a playback problem. I run Modern Warfare 2 at around 150+fps and when i record with fraps it goes down to about 90 and it isn't bad. What's messed up is that when i play back the movie, it looks like i had litterally 1 fps wile playing. Im not saying that it was choppy and ran rough, i mean that it literally looked like 1 screen shot, a second later an other screenshot. I have recorded about 5 different things and they are all teh same. Can someone help me please?


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This is one of those books that I just can't make up my mind about. I think I liked it, but there were times while reading where I wondered where it was going.
The novel is mainly told through the point of view of Ginger, a forty odd year old recovering alcoholic, and Velvet, eleven years old at the start of the novel. Ginger lives in upstate New York with her husband Paul. A second marriage for him, she feels like an outsider in a community that still includes his ex-wife and daughter. Ginger herself has been unable to have children. Paul refuses to consider adoption, but eventually agrees to a middle ground and suggests that they host an inner-city kid for a couple of weeks in the summer. That kid is Velvet. The story seems inevitable: Ginger will become too involved. And that is sort of what happens, though there are depths to this story that make it more than a one note tale.
The mare of the title is a horse at the barn near Ginger's house. She takes Velvet there for horse riding lessons and it turns out that the girl has talent. The mare, Fugly Girl (renamed Fierce Girl by Velvet), has been abused and is volatile, but over time Velvet learns how to earn her trust. Again, a bit of a cheesy metaphor, but I think Gaitskill just about gets away with it. Ginger goes against Velvet's mother's wishes and lets Velvet ride even when her mother says that it's too dangerous, even paying out ridiculous amounts of money for bareback riding lessons, which she hides from Paul. I wanted more to come from this – Ginger is basically obsessed by the midpoint of the book and willing to do anything to help Velvet, trying to convince her mother to move the family out of Brooklyn, getting her school teachers to call with updates, but there are never any consequences to her ongoing deceptions.
Ginger and Velvet narrate alternating chapters, chapters which are sometimes as short as a paragraph, barely ever longer than three or four pages. Occasionally another voice comes in, Paul, or Velvet's mother Silvia, but rarely. I was surprised to find that this technique worked for me. As a reader, it was useful to get two sides of an argument. Velvet often lied to others but would be more honest in her own narration. It was also a neat trick at times when events were occurring outside of their sphere, meaning that we could jump into other locations and see through someone else's eyes.
On to the characters themselves. I found Ginger a little irritating and I struggled to see her and Paul as a real couple. They were always on opposite sides, and although his few chapters did help to see that there had been love there once, I wondered how it had faded so quickly when they hadn't been married for that long. Velvet was a more interesting character, and had real development as she grew from the young eleven year old at the beginning, to a streetwise thirteen year old. The scenes between her and Silvia were devastating, Silvia just wanting her daughter to not make the same mistakes but seemingly unable to explain herself. At times this also became frustrating. Because Silvia doesn't speak English I could understand the gap between her and Ginger but I didn't get why she couldn't just speak to her own kid. She seemed unable to have a conversation with Velvet that didn't involve shouting, and towards the end that just seemed odd.
This was a good enough book but I wanted the stakes to be higher. I feel like Gaitskill offered us a glimpse of disaster (and the characters all seemed to be aiming straight for it) but then closed the door as though she thought we couldn't handle it.


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Introducing My Friend Robot!: See inside the must-have STEM book with the award-winning author
Like many small children, my three-year-old daughter has a big imagination. She excels at thinking outside the box. For instance, playing with her dolls includes pretending to fix the robots my scientist husband works with – and then putting them to bed with her dollies!
Thinking outside the box and promoting imagination and innovation are some of the goals of STEM learning (science, technology, engineering and math). STEM is all about combining ideas and skills that are as different as dolls and robots to come up with something new! It's a popular topic right now among kids, educators, and caregivers. So when we at Barefoot Books were looking for a subject for our next singalong, I took my inspiration — like so many authors before me — from my daily life!
It's my pleasure to introduce you to our upcoming singalong My Friend Robot! It's about a girl who loves robots — but also about so much more. Let's peel back some of the layers together!
We're always looking for new topics and subjects to cover in our books, so we packed My Friend Robot! with STEM concepts for kids to learn. This book teaches these topics by following a project step by step — building a treehouse with a robot!
The book covers:
Simple machines: The robot and children use one of each of the six simple machines to build the treehouse together.
Carpentry: As the treehouse comes together, readers are introduced to different tools, safety equipment and the critical skill of following instructions in a sequence.
Programming: When the singalong ends, kids can dive deep into six pages of educational notes to learn more about simple machines, robotics and programming. It even includes a fun game that teaches basic programming principles without a computer!
But if I've learned anything from being surrounded by robots, it's this — there's more to robotics than gears and sensors and code. My husband studies how robots and humans can work as a team, which inspired us to bring a social-emotional angle to the story as well. I wanted to explore what the robot can teach the children, and in turn what the children can teach the robot. So My Friend Robot! can also start conversations about:
Independence: Our clever main character builds her robot herself, and comes up with the idea to build a treehouse with her friends. We hope this book empowers children to imagine their own projects. Caregivers and educators can ask: What would you build with a robot friend?
Community: Kids and grown-ups alike will be inspired by this diverse group of neighborhood kids collaborating on a treehouse that they can all share.
Teamwork: The robot helps the children by sharing what it is good at, like using tools and building, and then the kids get a chance to help the robot by sharing what they're good at, like…
Empathy: When the puppy is nervous about climbing up in the treehouse, the children teach the robot how to empathize with the worried puppy and comfort him.
Who would have thought that a picture book about a robot could be a tool for teaching so many different topics? That's what you get from carefully crafted, high-quality picture books like the ones we make here at Barefoot Books. It has been such a pleasure to work on this book both as author and editor, to create something that will inspire children like my daughter to innovative, out-of-the-box thinking!
But there is so much more to this amazing project than what I've told you here! Stay tuned to learn more about My Friend Robot!, including its fun illustrations, music, and animation, as we count down to the book's release this autumn. I can't wait to tell you all about it! In the meantime, visit our website to learn more about this exciting new book and discover more of our fun STEM stories!
About the Author
Kate DePalma
Senior Editor, Barefoot Books
Author, My Friend Robot! (as Sunny Scribens)
As Senior Editor at Barefoot Books, Kate DePalma has helped develop dozens of picture books. She co-authored The Barefoot Book of Children, which has won four awards, including the Nautilus GOLD Award and Foreword INDIES Silver Award for Juvenile Nonfiction. She holds an M.A. in Classics from the University of Texas and is also a published poet and scholar.
Join the conversation! Add your comments below.


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After over 20 years, and the loss of a complete set of 1st edition rulebooks, I am playing Dungeons and Dragons again.
Category Archives: Gaming
Dishonored and Dismay
I've been playing (and finished) Dishonored 2 for the last several days. I played low-chaos as Emily Kaldwin, which I really enjoyed. It also has a mode called New Game +, where once you finish a play through, you can start a second game and carry over all your skills from the first play through. So I started a second game as Corvo Attano, this time as high-chaos.
On the dismay front, I epoxied all the potentiometers into the GLaDOS controller, at which point I found that there is something electrically wrong with them. I have no idea what the deal is, but I will probably end up having to reprint the whole d@mn thing if I want to use the controller.
Which means I may find another way to control GLaDOS instead.
The hardest game ever…
So I've started playing Europa Universalis 4. I am pretty sure it is the hardest game ever. If you look on YouTube, there are beginner guides that span 70+ videos.


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Cocktail Hour: The Show
Chautauqua Auditorium
900 Baseline Rd.
Boulder, CO 80302
Chautauqua Auditorium
900 Baseline Rd.
Boulder, CO 80302
Iconic cocktails are heading off the menu and onto the stage in this drink-saluting production. Created and choreographed by Marilyn Klaus, each number features a different cocktail and its culture, such as the "Rum Runner," where dancers promenade through Puerto Rico and samba in Brazil. This ballet with a twist will leave you thirsty for more.
- Category:
- Performing Arts
- Date:
- Jun 23, 2017 7:30 p.m.
- Cost:
- $30


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Teacher Feature: John Stevens on 21st Century Education
At Knewton, we have a lot to learn from teachers. Our goal is to create technology that helps them create more effective lessons and help teachers better support students. We're always interested in hearing about teachers' perspectives on the future of education and educational technology. Below we're sharing some recent insights we've heard from teachers across the country. Teacher: John Stevens Location: Upland, CA Grades: High school Subject: Mathematics/Engineering Website: fishing4tech.com There's a lot of… Read more


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Set Information
The Avacyn Restored TCG set features 244 black-bordered cards, including randomly inserted premium versions of all cards in the set. The Avacyn Restored set is available in booster packs, intro packs, and fat packs. Although it's the third set of the Innistrad block, the Avacyn Restored set will be a large set. This means that Innistrad Block Constructed will be composed of all three sets, but Avacyn Restored will be drafted by itself. Sealed events will use six Avacyn Restored booster packs.
Set Name: Avacyn Restored
Block: Set 3 of 3 in the Innistrad block
Number of Cards: 244


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Status: Closed
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first NJ.com user to add photos or videos of Mid City Garage
Mid City Garage is located at 78 E 21st St, Bayonne, NJ. This business specializes in Auto Repair & Service.


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South Africans are as soon as more reminded of dangers of being uncovered to Ultraviolet radiation (UV) as a major cause of pores and skin cancer.
Getting a great evening's sleep helps restore and repair your physique. So going to bed on the similar time every night time and getting the correct quantity of rest can improve how you're feeling. The new Bedtime tab within the Clock app helps you identify a target bedtime and wake time, and likewise helps you to visualize your sleep patterns. It then feeds the data into Well being — together with data from your third-party sleep apps — so you may get right into a healthier sleep routine.
Spinal Decompression—This methodology makes use of technology to enlarge the area between the discs by slowly separating the back bones. You go to the physician's workplace for between 20 and 30 sessions, throughout which you might … Read More


text: Our vision Expand Zacchaeus 2000 Trust (Z2K) believes that no one should have to live in poverty. All Londoners contribute to the capital's value and diversity, and all Londoners deserve to live safely and securely as members of our community. We work to tackle the root causes of poverty across London and address its impacts on individuals, families and the wider society.


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Robert and Xochitl had agreed never to bring work home, yet she turned away from his embrace to take a call from a never mentioned colleague. Against the surge of his emotion she had once euphemistically termed impatience, Robert heard their bedroom door become locked. On the following day, the solace of their love was shattered when her car plunged over the cliff into the Tujunga Canyon in northeast Los Angeles.
Knowing in his heart it's not a suicide, Robert sets out to investigate what he believes is her murder. When an agent of Homeland Security confronts him about files deleted from her computer, he is assured of being on the right track and further examines her unpublished research in Genetic Anthropology. He suspects it may have exposed a threat to the recent resurgence of political interest in manned spaceflights to the moon.
In a book of poems kept in her desk, marks that Xochitl had made on its pages leads him to believe it contains allegorical clues to her death. As if spiritually guided on a cross-country journey, Robert unravels the love story of Curt, an astronaut, and his wife Claudia.
In the backdrop of the Cold-War in 1960s space exploration, Curt sets his life to duty and commitment, but is betrayed by the poems he wrote to Claudia. To safeguard his forbidden passion, Curt and Claudia weave a cocoon of silence that metamorphosis into devastating international consequences.
Robert must decide to honor Curt's truth, or claim revenge on Xochitl's murder.


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text: Messina to Caltanissetta trains might be a good value for money solution: travelling in Italy by train is often rather cheap and faster than taking a bus indeed Trains leave from Messina Centrale and arrive at Caltanissetta Centrale every about 2 hours on average. If travelling with Trenitalia, you need to know the Messina to Caltanissetta train schedule: the first train leaves at 05:00, while the last ride is at 16:20. A Messina to Caltanissetta train cost about 11.0 €. But how long is the train ride from Messina to Caltanissetta? Your journey takes about 4 hours on average. Thanks to Trenitalia, offers, you can save on your trip from Messina to Caltanissetta and find low cost tickets starting from 11 €!


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Saturday, May 12, 2018
Reichen Farm is Number 50
Posted by Julie at 10:02 AM No comments:
# 49 is From an Heirloom Quilt
Posted by Julie at 9:46 AM No comments:
Monday, April 2, 2018
More Blocks Have Found Homes!
|Flatland Farm barn with Field Corn block.
#39 has moved to the front of the barn!It's on the Krause farm, at 34560 SW Johnson School Road, Cornelius.
Posted by Julie at 9:30 AM No comments:
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Five More Make 45 Blocks on the Trail
|Tweet Sanctuary is the name for this fun block at the Unger Place (10300 NW Gordon Road, Cornelius). The site features cedar trees and lots of birds, so the red-winged blackbird feels at home here.
|AB Farms, home of Bill and Addy Hesse, 11920 SW River Road, Hillsboro, is the site of this stunning Lone Star Variation block. They have a history with Texas and have family there, so a Lone Star seemed the perfect block for them.
Posted by Julie at 9:06 AM No comments:
Monday, July 31, 2017
Now There are Forty!
|Close up of the Corn and Beans Block.
Posted by Julie at 2:51 PM 1 comment:
Thursday, July 13, 2017
The Haag Farm
Posted by Julie at 2:31 PM No comments:
Monday, July 3, 2017
July 3, and Two New Blocks Go Up!
Posted by Julie at 4:05 PM No comments:
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Producing Bass Lines with SUBSTANCE TUTORiAL-SYNTHiC4TE23 October 2016
Producing Bass Lines with SUBSTANCE TUTORiAL
SYNTHiC4TE | Oct 23 2016 | 340 MB
SUBSTANCE new bass synth virtual instrument, and production wiz Larry Holcombe takes you on a video tutorial journey into SUBSTANCE, using it to create bass sounds and lines for a wide variety of genres! Larry starts off by showing your the finer nuances of creating Wobble House and Electro bass sounds and lines using Substance's powerful features and effects. House and Nu Disco bass tones and parts are broken down, followed by how to make the incredibly popular Trap and 808 style productions and lines that are charting big today. Moving on you'll see how to create killer Dubstep and lead sounds, analog Techno sequences and even big, cinematic bass sounds and parts perfect for picture, soundtracks and more!
See the individual tutorial descriptions below for more info. If you have SUBSTANCE and are into EDM or just want to see what you can do with this awesome synth, checkout "Producing Bass Lines with Output SUBSTANCE" now.
INFO/DEMO: http://redi.se/3f9p
Producing Bass Lines with SUBSTANCE TUTORiAL-SYNTHiC4TE
Next Post ► Sylenth1 v22.214.171.124 Bundle UPDATED 10.2016 WiN »
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Choose the Right Automatic Transmission Fluid for Your Transmission Automatic transmissions use a special type of oil called Automatic Transmission Fluid, or ATF. This fluid has a number of duties in the transmission, including lubrication, cooling and clutch application. ATF even provides the connection between the engine and transmission through a hydraulic coupling called a […]
Redding California | Transmission Flush | Pro-Trans
Transmission Flush Saves! Say Yes!
Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, and whether you purchased a rebuilt or new transmission, replacing the tranny assembly can cost more than $3,500. That's equal to a fun family vacation (not in Paris okay?) at Shasta Lake or that killer fishing trip you had planned. The good news is that maintenance is as easy as changing the fluid or doing a transmission flush, and that alone will drastically increase the life of your auto's transmission under normal, lite duty, everyday driving conditions. Pro-Trans is a transmission shop located in Redding, California and we service and repair automatics, manuals, foreign and domestic daily.


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Join Us
This Forum aims to educate and elevate the importance of the Western Hemisphere to U.S. policymakers, practitioners, the press and the general public on the relevant transnational threats in the region. Exploring the growing influence of extra-regional actors, such as Russia, China, and Iran, as well as the convergence of criminal and terrorist networks in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Forum features some of the top experts, scholars, and policymakers from throughout the Americas. Please join us for the premier forum on the Western Hemisphere for the U.S. national security community.
Congressional staff and active duty military receive free registration to our forum, and full-time students are eligible to receive 50% discount on registration. To receive these discounts please email firstname.lastname@example.com and request a one-time promotional code.
Date & Time
November 16, 2017
8:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m.
Top of the Hill Conference Center
1 Constitution Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20002
Get Directions


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Rik Mayall called himself the "People's Poet" on the iconic '80s comedy series The Young Ones. But the funnyman employed a wordsmith more revered by actual people to pen the lines of "Noble England."
Just days after Mayall's fatal heart attack after a morning jog, fans have purchased his four-year-old Shakespeare soccer anthem in massive numbers just in time for the World Cup. The campaign has strangely shot the comedian high into the British song charts. Official Charts Company reports that "thanks to a social media campaign, the previously forgotten track entered Wednesday's midweeks at Number 38." The next day, the song "surged a further 27 places to Number 11, and according to latest sales data has broken through the Top 10 barrier to land at Number 8 this morning, based on sales up to midnight last night." The outfit dubs it "feasible" that "Noble England" could hit number one.
Mayall has used comedy to branch off into other areas in the past. In addition to scoring a number-one single with his fellow "Young Ones" and faux-hero Cliff Richard in 1986 with a redo of "Living Doll," Mayall more than a decade ago dressed up as Hitler in an effort to persuade his fellow Brits to keep the pound and not adopt "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein euro."
Set to the backdrop of a droning drunken football chant, "Noble England" relies on lines from Henry V to inspire the king's six-centuries-later subjects. The star of The Young Ones, Bottom, The New Statesman, and other iconic British television comedies released the song to public indifference during the lead up to the 2010 World Cup. Mayall, with an assist from Shakespeare, tells the athletes readying for pseudo-battle on the pitch: "Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood/Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage."
It surely beats that high-strung poseur radical the People's Poet: "Pollution, all around. Sometimes up, sometimes down. But always around. Pollution are you coming to my town?"


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Discover Anders 2015
Discover Anders 2015 is in the books! On June 23 – 24, we welcomed 36 students into the office for our annual two-day summer leadership program. These 36 students represented 12 different universities including: SEMO, UMSL, Dayton, Mizzou, MSU, SLU, Truman, SIUC, SIUE, Central Methodist, Rockhurst, and Indiana University. They also represented our largest group of participants to date, reflecting the continued growth of the firm. Our internship program continues to expand and we wanted our number of Discover Anders participants to reflect this growth.
This year the two-day program kicked off with a welcome greeting from our Managing Partner, Robert Minkler, Jr. He addressed the opportunities available for incoming students to make an impact at Anders and invited them to contact him with anything they may need throughout their collegiate career. We continued to include our staple session, Identify Your Individual Brand, led by Chief Marketing Officer, Donna Erbs. Many were surprised that they identified with a different brand than they expected. Students always come away learning something new about themselves and how they interact with others.
New to the program this year was incorporating a tour of The Fabulous Fox Theater. Many participants are from the St. Louis area, but had not toured the theater before. It was a nice chance for students to do something fun that was non-accounting related. We continued our afternoon by volunteering at KidSmart. Our time at KidSmart during last year's program was such a success; we wanted to bring our 2015 group back. Many Anders employees are involved in charities and extremely dedicated to the community. We felt it was critical to expose the students to this aspect of life at Anders by including a community service project. We wrapped up the day with networking and dinner at Ballpark Village, exposing the students to some of the advantages of working in Downtown St. Louis.
On Day 2, students interviewed for future internship opportunities with one member of our tax department and one member of our audit team. They also engaged in roundtable discussions learning more about Anders different service lines.
Discover Anders is always one of our favorite recruiting events of the year. We had 52 Anders employees participate in the two-day program helping give office tours, network during dinner, and participate in roundtable discussions. We are thankful for their enthusiasm and interest in recruiting the next class of interns. To date, we have extended 21 internship offers for spring and summer 2016 internships. Anders has an extremely bright future and we look forward to this program continuing to reflect the opportunities available for students.
All the students at KidSmart for the Service Learning Project


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Most Illinois consumers may believe that if they are paying on the "important" debts such as car loans, mortgages and student loans that their credit score will remain good. Unfortunately, not paying those credit card bills can actually hurt a credit score more than not paying the mortgage. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy on your credit report may even be more beneficial in the long run.
Foreclosure-related sales are up in Illinois
As the year draws to a close and many are anticipating the expiration of several homeowner friendly tax breaks, there appears to be an increase in shorts sales and other foreclosure-related sales in Illinois. The third quarter saw an increase in foreclosure-related sales of 39 percent. More and more homeowners with delinquent mortgages are turning to shorts sales and foreclosure to get out of their home.
More Short Sales as Expiration of Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act Looms
A short sale is one way to deal with mortgage and home foreclosure problems. For distressed homeowners, it's simply another option that may or may not be recommended. It depends on the situation.
Illinois debt relief: Couple didn't have credit card for 6 years
There are many families in Illinois that are drowning in a river of debt. Through no fault of their own, they are struggling just to make ends meet from month to month with no debt relief in sight. One couple was in this same position about six years ago, and didn't have a credit card while they were getting out of debt.
Illinois Chapter 11: Hostess given permission to wind down
Many in Illinois may already be aware that a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge has given Hostess permission to wind down its business and begin selling the company's assets. However, the baker's union would like the court to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee to oversee the selling of the company's assets and the wind down process. The union, which has been on strike, does not trust Hostess management to properly conduct the liquidation.
Student Loan Debt Hits 'Serious Delinquency' Rate
Jill Schlesinger for CBS News asks a good question: Is student loan debt the new subprime mess in our country?


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1422O - Efficacy and safety of a two drug-combination regimen for cancer-related cachexia in the clinical practice
|01 October 2012
|ESMO Congress 2012
|Supportive and palliative care
| Supportive Care
|Clelia Madeddu
C. Madeddu1, M. Dessi'1, F. Panzone1, R. Serpe1, G. Antoni2
AbstractBackground and aims
To test the safety and efficacy of a two-drug combination (including nutraceuticals, i.e. antioxidants) with carnitine + celecoxib for the treatment of cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome (CACS) in the clinical practice. Primary endpoints: safety, increase of lean body mass (LBM) and improvement of quality of life. Secondary endpoints: increase of physical performance (tested by grip strength and 6-min walk test, 6MWT) and decrease of inflammation (assessed by serum levels of IL-6 and Glasgow prognostic score, GPS).Patients and methods
Outpatients with advanced cancer at different sites with CACS (i.e. loss of body weight >5% of the pre-illness or ideal weight in the last 3 months) were eligible to receive: L-carnitine 4 g/day + Celecoxib 300 mg/day. All patients received as basic treatment polyphenols 300 mg/day, lipoic acid 300 mg/day, carbocysteine 2.7 g/day, Vitamin E, A, C, all orally. Treatment duration was 4 months.Results
From June 2011 to April 2012, 50 patients with advanced cancer (all stage IV) at different sites were enrolled: 40 completed the treatment and were evaluable (mean age 63.8 ± 9.6, range 32-81 years). Results showed a significant increase of LBM (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and by L3 computed tomography) from baseline as well as physical performance assessed by 6MWT. Quality of life (assessed by EORTC-QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D) also improved significantly. ECOG PS and GPS decreased significantly. The treatment was safe, no grade 3–4 toxicities occurred and no patient had to discontinue the treatment due to severe adverse events.Conclusions
The results of the present study confirm the efficacy and safety of the two-drug combination regimen previously shown in a randomized clinical trial (Madeddu et al, Clinical Nutrition 31:176-182, 2012). Therefore, this simple, feasible, effective, safe, with favorable cost-benefit profile, two-drug approach could be suggested in the clinical practice as a treatment for CACS.Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.