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Real Voices interview: Dr Adrian North
Meet Adrian, a music psychologist based in Edinburgh
For many of us, listening to music is a big part of our lives and identity. Dr Adrian North, a music psychologist, studies music from the listener's point of view. He tells Chrissie Giles a little about his work.
(This interview was conducted in 2009. In the autumn of 2017, we checked to make sure its careers advice was still accurate and updated the essential subjects and salary guide sections.)
What do you do?
I'm a music psychologist and Director of Psychology at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.
How did you first get into music?
I started playing the guitar at age ten and still play now, although I am absolutely terrible! A career as a musician was never a possibility.
What part does music play in your life?
While lots of music psychologists study the process of making music, I examine the listener's point of view. One thing I'm exploring at the moment are the possible negative effects of rap and heavy rock music on young people. I also research the use of music in commercial environments such as restaurants and shops, which is a multimillion-dollar worldwide industry. My research means that I have become sensitised to the music that we hear around us, and I've realised how prevalent music is in our everyday lives. Also, I'm sure I'll be monitoring what my son listens to when he's older!
Who has been the greatest musical influence on you?
It has to be the Beatles: clearly the best band in the world! They have wonderful melodies combined with wonderful musicianship and wonderful lyrics. There's also the cultural aspects: they were at the forefront of the change that showed pop music could be art.
Why do we have music?
It's clear that people use music as a badge of identity, but they also use it as a medicine – dosing themselves throughout the day to get what they want from a situation. Just think of the kind of music used in gyms.
iPods and other technology are changing the way we use music. When I was doing my A levels I'd walk around college with a bag full of cassettes, which still only covered a tiny proportion of my music collection. Now, people can take their entire collections with them. For many young people today, listening to music is a much more throwaway experience. There will be times when you really get into the music, but sometimes it's just sonic wallpaper, on in the background.
What's your desert island disc?
It has to be the Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour', the most tuneful of the lot.
Salary guide (2017)
Postdoctoral researcher: £25,000–£35,000 (Prospects).
Essential subjects (2017)
To study psychology at university you'll need three A levels, with some universities asking for biology (Which? University).


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Thank you very much, Jim! I always appreciate your advice and have benefited a lot from it. I have a relatively nice tax situation in Hong Kong - no capital gains, dividend or interest income taxes (more specifically, individual income taxes are only imposed on explicitly earned income). I therefore try to pay attention to taxes to other countries while investing. Singapore is an option I have not considered much while investing in dividend stocks and is something I should probably explore. I have a few Brazil stocks (BSBR, VALE) but never managed to understand the dividend taxation in my Ameritrade account. Most of the dividend seems to be taxedat 15% but some part is left untaxed. I never got around to figuring it out as the amounts involved are quite small. I have used the put writing strategy (inspired by your posts but probably implemented in a different manner) but usually do so close to ATM - deep ITM would indeed essentially be owning the stock. How often would you roll over the puts? (I now use interactive brokers for my options.)
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My Linked In Card Mobile Web App
The My Linked In Card™ mobile web app creates a digital business card based on the mobile user's public account information on LinkedIn.
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text:
Katrina Pierson shrugs off 2012 anti-gay remarks: It was my job to say that
At the 2016 Republican National Convention, Donald Trump declared himself to be a friend of the LGBT community, in spite of the party's medieval platform, which forbade same-sex relationships, endorsed "conversion therapy" and vowed to amend the U.S. Constitution so that marriage is defined as being between one man and one woman.
Trump surrogate Katrina Pierson has become ubiquitous on the airwaves as the campaign's national spokesperson, for better or worse.
On Wednesday, BuzzFeed's Dominic Holden unearthed a series of tweets from 2012 that might give us a truer picture of the Trump campaign's view of LGBT Americans.
"Gay is not normal, accept that," she said at one point.
"Further, she argued that if a same-sex couple got married in a church, it still would not be marriage," Holden wrote, "and questioned where the US Constitution addressed marriage equality."
When Holden reached out to Pierson via email, she replied, "It's a long reach to go back to 2012 to try to create a new hit piece and call it relevant. You'll also find that as a grassroots volunteer for multiple campaigns, it's quite common that Twitter is a platform to promote/defend the policies and values of the candidates at the time. Many times, it's about engaging trolls which can lead to humorous and sarcastic banter."
Her argument is, essentially, that the views she espouses online are not her own, but those of whoever she's working for.
"I'm sure you'll also find that the positions/values of the candidates are not necessarily a sole reflection of the individual promoting or supporting said candidate," she contnued. "Therefore, there is nothing to square."


text:
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A police operation in the Longformacus area on Monday saw land and property searched as part of ongoing efforts to tackle wildlife crime.
Police Scotland confirmed that searches were carried out under warrant and a number of items were recovered for further examination.
The search team was supported by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Birds and other experts.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Inquiries are ongoing, and officers would urge anyone with information regarding wildlife crime to contact us on 101, always dialling 999 if a crime is ongoing, or report information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111."
The search comes days after the Raeshaw Estate near Heriot had its licence to control wild birds revoked by Scottish Natural Heritage.
Police are now investigating to establish whether any offences have been committed on the 8,000-acre Borders estate.
Scottish Natural Heritage imposed a general licence restriction on the estate in 2015 on the basis of Police Scotland evidence that appeared to show that wildlife crimes had taken place, and a compliance check this month claimed to have found multiple breaches of conditions of an individual licence.


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/ Fantasy Romance / The Evil Consort Above An Evil King
Fantasy Romance 21 chs / week This is the average realized release rate over the past 30 days. The translator's schedule is 20 chs / week. 2,523 Chapters 55M Views
Author: Mu DanfengMore
4.5 (4,113 ratings)
In a modern world, a professional assassin was murdered by her beloved and found herself revived in an ancient world as a general's daughter with a weak physique. She was engaged to a prince, but because she did not have a nice appearance, her fiancé and sister attempted to kill her. Although she had to struggle to survive, there were also those who unconditionally loves her that supported her in her time of need.
How does she intend to adapt and survive in such a foreign and hostile world? Follow Gu Xijiu on her journey to discover her one true love!
Please switch to the pop-up to complete the payment.
Complete the daily and EXP missions, as well as every week's reading missions to obtain EXP and SS as rewards.Learn more about the rules 1. You can obtain the corresponding EXP and Bonus SS as rewards by completing daily missions and EXP missions, as well as weekly reading missions. 2. The obtained EXP can raise your user level. 3. Bonus SS can be used to unlock chapters, gift authors, etc. They are effective for 30 days. 4. Daily Tasks and corresponding rewards renew daily at 00:00 UTC+8. Don't forget to claim your rewards in time. 5. Weekly Reading Missions refer to the time you spend reading novels and comics on Webnovel every week. 6. The weekly reading time is calculated while your device is connected to the Internet. This might result in a delay of several minutes.
Read on the app and claim your rewards!
Read anywhere, anytime


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As part of the movement toward sustainable production of greenhouse crops, many growers are looking for non-chemical alternatives to control plant height and size. Fortunately, there are numerous options available. These options include genetic selection, planning and graphical tracking, environmental manipulation of light quality and air temperature, cultural manipulation of irrigation and mineral nutrition and mechanical control.
Genetic Selection
When trying to control plant size, the first step is to select naturally compact or dwarf cultivars. Many breeding companies are constantly introducing new cultivars of popular genera and species with a more compact growth habit (Figure 1). This benefits growers by providing them with plant material that can be finished at a smaller size than their standard-sized counterparts.
Planning & Graphical Tracking
After selecting the proper genetics for production, the next step in controlling crop height is to put your pen to the paper (or finger to the keyboard!) and put together production schedules. Putting together an accurate schedule will get your plants out the door when they are the right size and minimize any chance of holding your crop too long.
Successful scheduling includes providing the proper conditions to get a crop flowering by the target sales date, such as proper temperature set points or photoperiods. For example, if you are growing bedding plants that flower in response to long days (LD) under short days (SD), you will delay flowering and have to take extra steps to control the size of these plants (Figure 2). In a similar scenario with temperature, if you are trying to get your New Guinea impatiens in flower but have your greenhouse running cooler than 65°F, you'll be delaying flower development.
Once your production schedule is put together, keep an eye on how crop height is progressing through the use of graphical tracking. Graphical tracking is popular for potted crops such as poinsettias and lilies, though this technique can be used with virtually any crop. After growing a crop for a few years you'll have an idea of the pattern and timing of growth and can use this knowledge, along with a computer spreadsheet and a final target height, to produce the right-sized crop.
Environmental Control
Stem elongation is strongly influenced by light quality. Specifically, it is the ratio of red (R) to far-red (FR) light (R:FR) that influences elongation. When plants are grown under a low R:FR light ratio, elongation is greater compared to plants grown under a high R:FR light ratio.
So what would create an environment with increased far-red light? The first is tightly spaced plants. Because leaves preferentially absorb red light, light under the canopy has a lower R:FR light ratio due to the absorption of red light by the canopy. For example, the R:FR ratio of direct sunlight is approximately 1.1, whereas the R:FR light ratio under a leaf is around 0.15. This is why floriculture crops on close spacing stretch more (Figure 3). Increasing container spacing will allow more red light to penetrate the canopy, increase the R:FR light ratio and reduce stem elongation.
In addition to light quality, you can control plant height by manipulating greenhouse air temperature. Stem elongation is strongly influenced by the difference (DIF) between the day air temperature (DT) and night air temperature (NT). This is represented as: DIF = DT – NT. For instance when the DT is higher than the NT, DIF is positive. If the DT and NT are the same, DIF is zero. If the NT is warmer than the DT, DIF is negative.
As DIF is more positive (a larger difference between DT and NT), stem elongation increases (Figure 4). As DIF decreases toward zero or becomes negative, stem elongation is suppressed. Running a higher NT than DT can be a very effective means of suppressing elongation. Increased heating at night to achieve a negative DIF can also be expensive.
There is an alternative, yet effective, strategy using the difference between DT and NT. This method is called DIP, DROP or Cold Shock. You can DROP or DIP your air temperature by running a constant DT and NT for most of the day. Then, about 30 to 60 minutes before sunrise, DROP your air temperature by 5 to 10°F for up to four hours. This will create a negative DIF without drastically increasing your nighttime heating and allow you to take advantage of the naturally warmer afternoons. Because the majority of stem elongation occurs during the morning, dropping your air temperature early can be very effective in reducing elongation.
Cultural Techniques
One cultural strategy to keep plant size in checks to decrease overall fertilization. By not applying maximum concentrations of fertilizer, you can avoid excessive growth and stem elongation. However, you can take a more targeted approach by reducing nitrogen (N) or phosphorous (P).
While reducing N fertilization will suppress overall growth, this must be done cautiously because N deficiency appears as yellowing leaves. This can produce crops that are visually "unhealthy" and less appealing to consumers. Fertilizing with low P is a viable alternative. Two of the main symptoms of early phosphorous deficiency include reduced height and deep-colored foliage. One drawback of using P deficiency is bedding plants finished from plugs where P starvation was used may flower a few days later.
Another method of height control for many plants is to impose a very mild water stress or grow crops on the drier side throughout the production cycle. These methods are not easy and are best employed by an experienced grower, as allowing too much water stress can ultimately result in unmarketable crops. With certain crops, such as celosia, water stress can cause premature flowering, resulting in plants with color but not up to size.
In addition to environmental and cultural height control options, there are also a few mechanical methods to reduce stem elongation. Pinching or shearing is a fairly common practice in many greenhouses, depending on the crop (Figure 5). Pinching does reduce plant height, although it is primarily used to promote branching and produce a more "full" plant. While the shorter height may be a benefit of pinching, it can be a labor-intensive process and not produce the best height control compared to other options.
When plants experience movement from coming into physical contact with something, stem elongation can be suppressed. Brushing is a technique in which a bar, rope or cloth is gently run across the canopy of a crop. Recently, one Danish pot rose producer found it was able to completely replace paclobutrazol sprays with daily brushing to achieve the height control needed for its 4-inch crop. Brushing should be used carefully, as certain crops may be more susceptible to mechanical damage as a result of brushing.
Integrated Height Management
Hopefully, some of the options presented here will prove to be useful alternatives to chemical height control. Remember to test these techniques on a limited basis before implementing them in your entire production facility or on every crop you produce. The methods described here are additional tools for your height control toolbox, along with chemical PGRs.
We feel that in addition to chemical PGRs, the use of proper plant selection, scheduling and graphical tracking, and managing your greenhouse environment and cultural inputs, you can approach plant height with an integrated height management (IHM) approach. This idea is similar to integrated pest management (IPM), which encourages using several methods for pest prevention and control strategies to manage pest problems. By integrating some of the height control strategies we've reviewed here with traditional chemical control, you can approach height control in a more sustainable manner.


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Old SAGA Book Bargains! Be quick!
SAGA II is on the way early next year so we're having to make a bit of space here at Beast Towers. As a result, all SAGA books except SAGA Aetius & Arthur are half-price-ish on the web-site. Stocks are limited so get a move on.
The Viking Age under SAGA II will be served by an ace new all-in-one supplement which is due at the same time as the new Rulebook. In this, there are all new battle boards for the Viking Age factions, and, although we heartily recommend you use these, the existing ones will still work - there may be some small anomalies but nothing you can't easily resolve.
Remember, all your figures will still be usable under SAGA II. We're not mad


text: Nice-looking Elaina just can't live without making her husband Kade sweat. And this babe knows that no thing drives Kade up a wall faster than seeing his diminutive wife get treated life the cum-hungry wench she's. This afternoon, Elaina wishes Kade to sit down, to watch and learn, as that babe does her whorish superlatively wonderful with another guy. One time her twat is trickling with a load of cum, it's time for Kade to have to work!


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OXFORD — The Mississippi Supreme Court has declined to hear more appeals in a pre-need funeral services contracts dispute between two Oxford funeral homes. The Supreme Court ruled last fall there was nothing improper about pre-need funeral services contracts written by Waller Funeral Home that forbid their transfer to another provider. The court denied motions from both funeral homes to ...Read More »
Tag Archives: pre-need
Cemetery owner gets four years for mishandling trusts
BOONEVILLE — Cemetery owner Wayne Hight of Booneville has been sentenced to serve four years in prison for failing to properly fund pre-need burial trusts. Assistant District Attorney Richard Bowen tells The Daily Corinthian reports Hight also was ordered to pay restitution of more than $500,000. Bowen said Hight, 74, pleaded guilty Friday in Alcorn County Circuit Court to two ...Read More »
Cemetery owner indicted; accused of mishandling pre-need funds
TUPELO — Cemetery owner Wayne Hight of Corinth has been indicted, according to a news release from Lee County District Attorney Trent Kelly and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. Hight has been indicted for failing to fund at least 85 percent of funds received for funeral services and merchandise as required by state law and misapplying or converting pre-need funds. ...Read More »
SoS orders funeral home to cease and desist
VICKSBURG — Williams Funeral Home in Vicksburg has been notified to cease and desist from selling funeral pre-need goods and services to the public and to pay $13,000 in fines to the State of Mississippi in a final order issued by Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. In 2008, Williams was ordered to cease and desist from selling pre-need merchandise and ...Read More »
Judge places two cemeteries in receivership
PRENTISS COUNTY — Prentiss County Chancellor John Hatcher signed an order Tuesday placing Oaklawn Memorial Park of Booneville and Forrest Memorial Park of Corinth under receivership. Both cemeteries are owned and operated by Wayne Hight of Corinth. "Both cemeteries currently have zero dollars in their trust accounts. The Secretary of State's Office cannot allow a cemetery with over a half-million ...Read More »
Funeral home under scrutiny
NATCHEZ — Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says he is hopeful that new pre-need legislation will help prevent similar problems as currently seen at the George F. West Funeral Home in Natchez. Owned by Theodore West, the Secretary of State's Office found the George F. West Funeral Home is not registered to sell pre-need contracts, and examiners with the office ...Read More »


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Director of Marvel's upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn, recently confirmed that his pal Nathan Fillion had filmed a cameo for the film. Naturally, this sent the internet running with theories and rumors of who nerd-king Fillion could be playing in the movie. The early favorite was Nova (aka Richard Rider), a big figure in the cosmic Marvel history. This was quickly shot down by Gunn - but that's the only possibility that's been confirmed as off the table.
So let's get theorizing - who is Fillion playing?
James Gunn has already straight up denied that Fillion will be playing Nova, flat-out saying those rumors are completely untrue. However, with the spoiler culture we live in, it's become the norm for directors of big-time nerd properties to lie about who or what will appear in movies (flashbacks of JJ Abrams saying Khan wouldn't be in Star Trek Into Darkness). The character is one people expect to make a cameo appearance, and who better to bring that character to life than the modern day nerd king, Nathan Fillion?
One of the original Guardians of the Galaxy - a soldier who's exactly 11 times stronger and denser than humans. It would allow the film to acknowledge the series' history while not really committing too strongly to it in any way. Also, they could make a joke about how dumb the name Charlie-27 is.
We know that Peter Quill was born on Earth, but his parentage lies beyond our planet. His father was the prince of the Spartoi Empire and a key figure in, uh, Marvel space politics. He meets his grown son years later - which might be something that they save for a post-credits sequence here? It seems like they're playing up Peter's questions about his origins, so it would be appropriate.
If there's any character more perfectly suited to Nathan Fillion's strength, we haven't heard of it. Starfox (yes, that's the character's name - put aside the knowledge that this would lead to an infinite number of Starfox/Barrel Roll memes) is the brother of Thanos, the Mad Titan, and uber-villain of the Marvel movie universe. More importantly, he's a Nathan Fillion-esque suave carefree womanizing bro, so it'll be an easy fit for all parties involved.
Plus, SO MANY STARFOX MEMES.
Captain Hammer's a superhero - not technically in the Marvel-verse, but why not? Joss Whedon is the godfather of the MCU, maybe all Whedon-stuff is retroactively canon now. It's been years since we saw Captain Hammer make terrible references to his dick - I think America's ready for more.
I mean, Stan Lee is 91 years old. He can't keep filming these Marvel cameos forever, right? Maybe Nathan Fillion is stepping in and playing a younger version of Stan Lee to cameo in Marvel movies from now on.
Nathan Fillion's just great. Why does he need to be PLAYING someone? Why can't he just be himself? Nathan Fillion, Hollywood actor, now lost in space - and comes into contact with the ol' Guardians of the Galaxy. Would he think Rocket's just a regular raccoon? Would he recognize Peter Quill from Parks & Rec?
Actually, he'd probably just tweet a bunch.


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We offer English tutoring to grades K-12 in Vancouver, North Vancouver and West Vancouver.
English and communication skills are crucial in all students' academic and future career life. As students advance to higher grades, they are expected to read challenging texts to infer meaning, draw conclusions and relate one passage to another. The majority of secondary and post-secondary standardized tests, such as LSAT, SAT, ACT, MCAT, DAT and GRE, have reading and writing components to assess students' mastery of the English language. Creating a solid foundation in reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge and writing skills are critical to ensure a successful academic career.
Grade 1 English Tutoring
In their first-grade reading and writing courses, students learn to read simple rhymes, stories and non-fiction books. Depending on their training prior to starting first grade, students may read below, at or above their grade level. Teachers help students listen for sounds in words and "invent" their spelling while they are exploring the written language.
At BASIRI Tutoring, we explore the English language with our grade 1 students so that they gain confidence in their written and oral skills. Our tutors introduce students to simple writing prompts and spelling drills to create a strong foundation in the student's language learning.
Grade 2 English Tutoring
By second grade, most students can read and write at a basic level. Teachers focus their curriculum on encouraging students to become more fluent readers and teaching them to compose basic sentences and short narratives while practicing their handwriting.
At BASIRI Tutoring, our grade 2 English tutors help students read rapidly and accurately. We also help students become better story writers by practicing writing about an event or a character and using different viewpoints. BASIRI tutors focus on teaching students the correct spelling for words and helping them learn through spelling drills.
Grade 3 English Tutoring
In grade 3 reading and writing classes, students work with more complex texts and assignments. They write reports, fiction stories or personal narratives. A strong foundation is crucial to guarantee success for students in third grade and above.
At BASIRI Tutoring, our tutors work with students to solidify their spelling, reading comprehension and writing skills. We introduce spelling tests and more complex writing prompts to ensure success for our students.
Grade 4 English Tutoring
In grade 4, there is a great emphasis on reading as students become more sophisticated readers. Teachers introduce a variety of genres, such as myths and legends, fantasy and adventure, fiction and non-fiction to allow students to explore a variety of texts.
In grade 4 reading and writing, our tutors work with students to ensure a strong reading comprehension. Reading fluently is important, but sometimes students read without fully understanding the content. BASIRI tutors improve students' reading comprehension by ensuring that they can successfully demonstrate understanding of the material. Expanding students' vocabulary is a big focus for tutors at this stage.
Grade 5 English Tutoring
Fifth graders read a lot in a variety of subject areas. In grade 5, students learn to analyze characters, plots and settings and explore ideas related to the text they read. They prepare and present projects, write more complex pieces and independently proofread their work.
In grade 5 reading and writing tutorials, BASIRI tutors help students find their voices as writers. We encourage our students to include personal elements in their writing to bring their work to life and creatively express their ideas. We continue building on students' vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension to ensure a well-rounded approach to improving reading and writing skills.
Grade 6 English Tutoring
Reading comprehension and writing elements come together in grade six as students put all their learned skills to use. Students read a variety of genres and put more of their thoughts on paper. Some students will struggle in grade 6 if they lack the focus, motivation and basic skills.
BASIRI tutors ensure that students successfully meet the increasing expectations in their reading and writing courses. English and communications skills are crucial both inside and outside of the classroom.
Grade 7 English Tutoring
The grade 7 English curriculum builds on the previous years but with a higher expectation in reading comprehension and writing. To prepare students for high school, they read longer passages, interpret the author's ideas and reach conclusions via thoughtful analysis.
BASIRI tutors help students improve their English skills through practicing reading comprehension, expanding their vocabulary and analyzing text to extract relevant information. The individual attention students receive from their tutors fosters a fun and supportive learning environment.
Grade 8 English Tutoring
In grade 8, students read challenging texts in their English classes and infer meaning to draw conclusions and relate one passage to another.
As students advance to higher grades, many read less material independently, outside of the classroom, especially if their schedule is filled with extracurricular activities. It is important to set aside a regular reading schedule to become successful English students. At BASIRI Tutoring, our tutors help students practice their reading and writing skills in a fun and supportive environment.
Grade 9 English Tutoring
In grade 9, students read challenging texts in their English classes and infer meaning, to draw conclusions, and to relate one passage to another.
As students advance to higher grades, many read less material independently, outside of the classroom, especially if their schedule is filled with extracurricular activities. It is important to set aside a regular reading schedule to become successful English students. At BASIRI Tutoring, our tutors help students practice their reading and writing skills in a fun and supportive environment.
Grade 10-12 English Tutoring
As students progress through grades 10-12, the teaching materials become increasingly sophisticated, and there is more expectation placed on students' quality and complexity of work. Students work with a variety of genres and themes from Canadian and world literature. Students are challenged to think critically about the content and reflect on and analyze the material. BASIRI tutors use a test-based approach to tutoring to enhance their students' English skills and ensure they gain a stronger knowledge of the English language prior to high school graduation.


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It is not really surprising given the nature of our constituencies but, when we received the recent press release from the BOSS Federation about the shortlist for their 2017 Awards, it was great to see so many Stationers and firms linked with Stationers on the list of shortlisted entries.
Congratulations to Liveryman Darren Lloyd of United who are shortlisted for the Dealer Excellence Award (t/o over £5m), to Lead Associate Simon Drakeford and Liveryman Tim Crabtree for Office Power's nomination for the E-Business Award, to Corporate Members, Spicers, Nectere and VOW (part of Corporate Member EVO) for being shortlisted for the Initiative of the Year, and to Liveryman Paul Phelan for The Pilot Pen Company's nomination in the New Product of the Year - Consumer category shortlist. In the New Product of the year - Business category, Durable, whose MD is Freeman Sean Starkey, is shortlisted and they are shortlisted again in the Sustainable Leadership category. Liveryman Ian Buckley is nominated for Professional of the Year and his Company, Corporate Member Prima Software is nominated for Service Provider of the Year while Corporate Member Nectere is nominated for Publication of the year.
Congratulations to them all and good luck for the Awards Evening itself which will take place on Thursday, 30 November 2017 at the Tower Guoman Hotel, London.
You can read the full press release here.


text:
|CyberKnife rhizotomy for facetogenic back pain: a pilot study.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 18081475 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
|OBJECT: By targeting the medial branches of the dorsal rami, radiofrequency ablation and facet joint injections can provide temporary amelioration of facet joint-producing (or facetogenic) back pain. The authors used CyberKnife radiosurgery to denervate affected facet joints with the goal of obtaining a less invasive yet more thorough and durable antinociceptive rhizotomy. METHODS: Patients with refractory low-back pain, in whom symptoms are temporarily resolved by facet joint injections, were eligible. The patients were required to exhibit positron emission tomography-positive findings at the affected levels. Radiosurgical rhizotomy, targeting the facet joint, was performed in a single session with a marginal prescription dose of 40 Gy and a maximal dose of 60 Gy. RESULTS: Seven facet joints in 5 patients with presumptive facetogenic back pain underwent CyberKnife lesioning. The median follow-up was 9.8 months (range 3-16 months). The mean planning target volume was 1.7 cm(3) (range 0.9-2.7 cm(3)). A dose of 40 Gy was prescribed to a mean isodose line of 79% (range 75-80%). Within 1 month of radiosurgery, improvement in pain was observed in 3 of the 5 patients with durable responses at 16, 12, and 6 months, respectively, of follow-up. Two patients, after 12 and 3 months of follow-up, have neither improved nor worsened. No patient has experienced acute or late-onset toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that CyberKnife radiosurgery could be a safe, effective, and non-invasive alternative to radiofrequency ablation for managing facetogenic back pain. No patient suffered recurrent symptoms after radiosurgery. It is not yet known whether pain relief due to such lesions will be more durable than that produced by alternative procedures. A larger series of patients with long-term follow-up is ongoing.
|Gordon Li; Chirag Patil; John R Adler; Shivanand P Lad; Scott G Soltys; Iris C Gibbs; Laurie Tupper; Maxwell Boakye
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Publication Detail:
|Type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal Detail:
|Title: Neurosurgical focus Volume: 23 ISSN: 1092-0684 ISO Abbreviation: Neurosurg Focus Publication Date: 2007
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2007-12-17 Completed Date: 2008-02-05 Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 100896471 Medline TA: Neurosurg Focus Country: United States
Other Details:
|Languages: eng Pagination: E2 Citation Subset: IM
|Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. firstname.lastname@example.com
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|APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex
|MeSH Terms
Aged, 80 and over
Back Pain / pathology, surgery*
Follow-Up Studies
Middle Aged
Pilot Projects
Radiosurgery / methods*
Rhizotomy / methods*
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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text:
Kendall Jenner has become the latest victim of yet another celebrity burglary case. Kim Kardashian is still experiencing trauma of her terrifying ordeal last year in Paris and now her younger sister has to experience the same thing as well. The scary even was definitely not easy for Mrs. West, and now another member of their family is currently experiencing it.
Kendall Jenner became the second burglary victim from the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Fans sometimes think that celebrities owe them their fame and fortune. While some are just satisfied seeing their idols wave back at them, some feel that they deserve more than that and take things to another level.
Police believe that this is not just a random burglary or a fan wanting to take something from the 21-year-old Victoria's Secret model. Since there was no evidence of a force entry and the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star had a party at her house on Wednesday night, police believe that there is a high chance that the Kendall Jenner Hollywood Hills home burglary was a result of an inside job. Despite the shocking revelation, the model does not agree that one of her guests would be the culprit.
The Kendall Jenner Hollywood Hills home burglary may have happened earlier on March 15, Wednesday, but E! News reported that the "KUWTK" star did not realize the she was robbed until after 1 a.m. Gigi Hadid'a BFF arrived at her house at 8 p.m. but discovered the whole unfortunate situation when she finally headed back to her bedroom on Thursday morning.
The model quickly called police to tell them what happened and that's when the Kendall Jenner Hollywood Hills home burglary investigation took place. A $200,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from the star. Authorities conducted a search of the property and confirmed that the suspect or suspects were no longer there.
See Now: Eminem Album: 2 Chainz Confirms Collaboration With the King of Hip Hop; Adele, Imagine Dragons, Nicki Minaj Included?
© 2018 Celebeat.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.


text:
A colleague asked me the other day if I would put together a short piece for students about the purpose and value of blogging. I am thinking about this....
Her reason for asking is that blogging is increasingly being used as an assessment tool for certain learning programmes and in one way I guess I should applaud this as an alternative to marking long reports and essays!!
On another level I find it rather sad that we are in danger of turning something that should be learner driven - and for the purpose of enabling learning - into something that is a performance: no doubt with assessment criteria to judge it by..... *sigh*
So why blog? I can only really talk from my own experience here: I have been blogging for a couple of years - at first I created what amounted to an on line journal that only I could read. Then I created this blog so that I could share what I thought were interesting ideas and links with my students, unrestricted by the VLE and the delays and expense involved in getting web developers to amend learning materials.
Later, other colleagues started to read and comment on my blog when I ventured to share the url on my Twitter profile and with various learning communities I have joined. I welcome the comments and feedback I sometimes get, but I still essentially do this for myself and my students.
I find blogging a way of collecting together some of my random reading and learning from the week(s) past and shaping it into something approximating my current understanding. The point is it is a work in progress; reflection-in-action (Schon); an expression of what I am currently learning and how I am making sense of it.
Here's an analogy (I use analogies a lot in my learning and teaching!): alongside my day job, for some reason now obscure even to myself, I am learning Spanish. I read novels in Spanish, dictionary in hand. I read grammar texts and exercise books. I listen to podcasts and BBC audio programmes. There is plenty of content available. However, the real learning comes from conversation (and correspondence) with other people: preferably native Spanish speaking ones, but other learners too, as I practise the formulations learned on paper and test how they stack up in real life. Can I be understood in writing and speaking the language? My Spanish teacher engages me in conversation: as she says, this is the natural way children learn to speak - by listening and copying, practising and hearing forms repeated back to them.
For me blogging is like practising a new language. I read or hear something in the news or via Twitter, or some new experience at work causes me to stop and think about what I am doing. Feedback from others is useful, but maybe the difference between this and learning Spanish is that here I am mainly trying to arrive at some sort of understanding of myself.
Blogging gives me a pause for some sense-making out of a busy week torn between absorbing and producing.
I guess the point about using blogs in education is not that they are an alternative to assessment, but that they can be a) a dialogue with oneself about ongoing learning and b) potentially - a way of developing a conversation with a guide or mentor about that learning. If tutors are prepared to enter into that dialogue, reflect back what they are hearing, ask stimulating questions, and model good sense-making behaviours themselves, then the learner can grow through their blogging and learn more still.
As the quote above says: its not educational content that is the scarce resource, its the educators who make time to have these sense-making conversations.
Finally - another snippet from my random absorption of content: a report I overheard on the radio that said teachers who themselves write regularly are better at teaching children to be good writers. So yes, lets persuade learners to blog but lets persuade the educators to do so too!!
source: The Open Ed Tech Summit Report 2008. Open University of Catalonia, Barcelona.
Friday, 19 June 2009
Why blogging makes sense
Posted by jane@salsabaile at 07:59
Labels: blog, communication, elearning, learning styles, reflection, Schon, web2.0
2 comments:
- AnonymousSaturday, 03 October, 2009
An interesting read!! Because I'm new to this from a work perspective I am concentrating on how and what and probably should just get on with it, and watch what happens?ReplyDelete
Lynne Murray
I'd tend to agree, though if you are wanting to blog for work purposes it is important to consider your audience and your own digital identity. I certainly am more considered in my postings since my department started to link to this blog when marketing programmes. The Corporate market is different again from addressing students....the beauty of it is, though, you can delete and amend posts and change the branding and style as much as you like! Thanks for your comment.ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
One of the most worrisome characteristics of Eagles front office in the last couple of years has been its seeming reluctance to hand out early contract extensions to their young players.
Now, there have been extenuating circumstances. For starters, the drafting has been poor overall, so there haven't been many players since 2008 that have been worth extending. Additionally, the collective bargaining agreement drama delayed some contract talks.
However, the Eagles now have three young offensive stars who are/should have been prime candidates for extensions. DeSean Jackson, obviously, is the most urgent name. He's scheduled to be a free agent in just a few weeks and the team and Jackson's' people are reportedly far apart in negotiations. Perhaps Jackson has been asking for a salary that's too high, but in any case this could be a failure the Eagles front office hasn't seen since Jeremiah Trotter left after the 2001 season.
On the flip side, Jeremy Maclin still has two years on his deal, so it's not quite an emergency for him. If the Eagles are still operating with the same principles they did a few years back, though, he would be a prime candidate for a below-market value extension this offseason.
The middle case is LeSean McCoy, the Eagles All-Pro running back, who is about to enter the final year of his rookie contract. An extension with McCoy has to happen as soon as possible, lest the Eagles risk another DeSean situation. If an extension is worked out, we may be able to write off that problem as one special to, if not created by, Jackson.
Besides, McCoy has said publicly that he doesn't want to end up like DeSean:
"Let me be honest with you, I never want to be in that situation," McCoy said. "Everybody's situation is different. [An extension] would be a blessing if that happened because I don't want to go anywhere else or play anywhere else. I love it here. I'm a Pennsylvania guy – from high school to college to here."
(Read what you will into McCoy twice firing and and re-hiring Drew Rosenhaus during the season.)
Still, the Eagles have already hurt themselves by failing to lock up McCoy a year ago. Back in October, I wrote about what that potential contract could look like. Here, again, are the most recent running back deals:
2011 - Chris Johnson (25): 6 years, $55 million, $30 million guaranteed
2011 - Adrian Peterson (26): 7 years, $96 million, $36 million guaranteed
2011 - Frank Gore (28): 4 years, $26 million, $14 million guaranteed
2011 - DeAngelo Williams (28): 5 years, $43 million, $21 million guaranteed
2010 - Jamaal Charles (24): 6 years, $28 million, $10 million guaranteed
2009 - Maurice Jones-Drew (24): 5 years, $31 million, $18 million guaranteed
2008 - Steven Jackson (25): 6 years, $45 million, $21 million guaranteed
2008 - Michael Turner (26): 6 years, $35 million, $15 million guaranteed
At the time I suggested McCoy's production put him in line for a similar deal to the one signed by Jamaal Charles, who had comparable stats through his first three seasons. However, McCoy's monster 2011 dwarfs Charles's top production so far. That one year still doesn't get him up to Peterson-Johnson stratosphere, but I'd be surprised if isn't looking more at the Jones-Drew range.
A complicating factor is the pending free agency status of Ray Rice and Matt Forte. Both young, complete running backs are likely candidates for long-term extensions in the coming weeks. The Eagles and McCoy may choose to wait until the running back market is set by those players before getting serious about negotiations.
It's not ideal, given the opportunity the Eagles had to lock him up at a lower rate, but as long as a contract extension happens this offseason I don't think any fans will complain.


text:
Stop buying recycled lists of leads and fumbling around with email marketing tools.
Start imagining what it would mean to always have a full pipeline of qualified opportunities.
Put your Business Development on Auto-pilot
Why are you paying for tools to search for your own prospects?
RAINCLOUD identifies your Ideal Customer Profile AND new areas of prospect potential then builds validated and targeted lists specifically for your business.
Why are you paying for tools to send emails to those prospects?
RAINCLOUD nurtures your leads through custom, personalized emails that convert 5x better than those cliched and boring templates you're paying for from someone else.
It's time for a metaphor...
The Wrong way to build a house
- Decide to build a home. ALRIGHT!
- Go to the hardware store and buy materials. Wait, what?
- Ask some friends to help. They just look at you funny.
- Futz around trying to build a house. This was a bad idea.
- Celebrate small victories and stare at your neighbors' finished houses.
The RIGHT way to build a house
- Decide to build a home. Alright!
- Find an experienced homebuilder. After all, they know what they're doing.
- Work with the homebuilder. Pick out the light fixtures, leave the framing to the pros.
- Homebuilder builds your home. You do something else. Vacation. Grocery store. Whatever.
- Move into the house of your dreams. Plan your housewarming party yet?
The Wrong way to build your sales pipeline
- Decide you need more leads and sales opportunities! ALRIGHT!
- Go to the internet and buy recycled lead-lists, prospect databases, and marketing automation tools. Oh boy...here we go....
- Hire people for your marketing department. You thought they'd work for free?
- Futz around trying to fill your pipeline when you should be building your business. Ugh.
- Celebrate small victories. Ignore your competitors doing better than you.
The RIGHT way to build your sales pipeline
- Decide you need more leads and sales opportunities! ALRIGHT!
- Call RAINCLOUD and get an experienced team. Relax, we've got you covered.
- Work with your Account Manager. Get the deals that make sense for your company.
- RAINCLOUD fills your pipeline with qualified opportunities. You focus on building your business.
- Crush your quota, dominate the market, be the envy of your industry. Should have done this sooner, right?


text: As many of you know, last Friday we selected a handful of testers to participate in our pre-alpha testing. The goal of this test was to determine if the game play introduced in Europe In Ruins would be fun. The players created companies based on set resource amounts. These companies were then put into the game for our testers to play with using the Europe In Ruins modifications and victory condition. ...Read More


text:
Jimmy Parrish Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Research benefit: 7 p.m. 7 Bar & Grill, 3130 S. Soncy Road. No Cover. 806-358-2222.
The Brock McGuire Band: 7:30 p.m. Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall at West Texas A&M University. Tickets $10 adults, $5 children, free for WT students, faculty and staff; $20 for first three rows. 806-651-2840.
Smoking Rabbit: 8 p.m. Crush Wine Bar and Deli, 701 S. Polk St. No cover. 806-418-2011.
Old Tascosa Cycling Club ride: 6:30 p.m. Gander Mountain, 10300 W. Interstate 40. 806-223-8328 or www.oldtascosacycling.com.
Public meetings
Potter County Commissioners Court: 9 a.m. Room 106, Potter County Courthouse, 500 S. Fillmore St. Commissioners will consider awarding a contract for road materials and amending the county's smoking policy.
Amarillo Planning and Zoning Commission: 3 p.m. Commission Chambers, third floor, City Hall, 509 S.E. Seventh Ave. Commissioners will consider rezoning a tract near Ellen Hope St. and Perry Ave. from agricultural to residential, a proposed plat of 15 acres of River Falls near Farm-to-Market Road 1151 and Wild Horse Trail and other requests for zoning and plat approval. Commissioners will hold a work session at 2:45 in Room 206, City Hall.
Randall County Commissioners Court: 9 a.m. Suite 305, Finance Building, 501 16th St., Canyon. Commissioners will discuss and approve Saddleback Ranches Unit No. 2, a suburban subdivision of 35 acres in the vicinity of Bushland. They will also hear the annual financial report.
Amarillo City Commission: 3 p.m. Commission Chambers, third floor, City Hall, 509 S.E. Seventh Ave. Commissioners will have a final public hearing and vote on renewing the teen curfew. Commissioners will hold a work session at 1:30 p.m. in Room 303, City Hall.


text:
Copy and Paste between domains
Qubes fully supports secure copy and paste operation between domains. In order to copy a clipboard from domain A to domain B, follow those steps:
- Click on the application window in domain A where you have selected text for copying. Then use the app-specific hot-key (or menu option) to copy this into domain's local clipboard (in other words: do the copy operation as usual, in most cases by pressing Ctrl-C).
- Then (when the app in domain A is still in focus) press Ctrl-Shift-C magic hot-key. This will tell Qubes that we want to select this domain's clipboard for global copy between domains.
- Now select the destination app, running in domain B, and press Ctrl-Shift-V, another magic hot-key that will tell Qubes to make the clipboard marked in the previous step available to apps running in domain B. This step is necessary because it ensures that only domain B will get access to the clipboard copied from domain A, and not any other domain that might be running in the system.
- Now, in the destination app use the app-specific key combination (usually Ctrl-V) for pasting the clipboard.
Note that the global clipboard will be cleared after step #3, to prevent accidental leakage to another domain, if the user accidentally pressed Ctrl-Shift-V later.
This 4-step process might look complex, but after some little practice it really is very easy and fast. At the same time it provides the user with full control over who has access to the clipboard.
Note that only simple plain text copy/paste is supported between AppVMs. This is discussed in a bit more detail in this message.
On Copy/Paste Security
The scheme is secure because it doesn't allow other VMs to steal the content of the clipboard. However, one should keep in mind that performing a copy and paste operation from less trusted to more trusted domain can always be potentially insecure, because the data that we insert might potentially try to exploit some hypothetical bug in the destination VM (e.g. the seemingly innocent link that we copy from untrusted domain, might turn out to be, in fact, a large buffer of junk that, when pasted into the destination VM's word processor could exploit a hypothetical bug in the undo buffer). This is a general problem and applies to any data transfer between less trusted to more trusted domains. It even applies to copying files between physically separate machines (air-gapped) systems. So, you should always copy clipboard and data only from more trusted to less trusted domains.
See also this article for more information on this topic, and some ideas of how we might solve this problem in some future version of Qubes.
And this message from qubes-devel.
Copy/Paste between dom0 and other domains
See "Copying from (and to) dom0".
Clipboard automatic policy enforcement
The Qubes clipboard RPC policy is configurable in:
You may wish to configure this policy in order to prevent user error. For example, if you are certain that you never wish to paste into your "vault" AppVM (and it is highly recommended that you do not), then you should edit the policy as follows:
@anyvm vault deny
@anyvm @anyvm ask
Shortcut Configuration
The copy/paste shortcuts are configurable in:
VMs need to be restarted in order for changes in
/etc/qubes/guid.conf to take effect.


text:
ÉPURE Launches Luxury Summer Afternoon Tea
ÉPURE, the glamorously chic French restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, is celebrating weekends with a dedicated afternoon tea set which presents contemporary French flavours at their finest.
Served either in the 17th Century restaurant designed to mimic Louis XIV's "hunting lodge," or out on the elegant garden terrace framed by the stunning panorama of Victoria Harbour, the ÉPURE afternoon tea indulgence can be enjoyed every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday from 3pm – 6pm.
Using the freshest seasonal ingredients from France, Chef Nicolas Boutin and his team have designed over a dozen delicacies including classic delights such as Scone nature & orange and Macarons du jour, a hand-picked selection of daily macarons. Delectable savouries include Caviar & citron, Petit pain au homard, a lobster black truffle sandwich, as well as Le foie gras, duck foie gras with cranberries & gingerbread. Delightful, carefully crafted sweets including the l'Opera truffe, a truffle scented almond biscuit with ganache and Madagascar vanilla butter cream, Delice framboise pistache, a pistachio & raspberry sponge cake with mousse, and thé matcha & chocolat noir, a green tea cream with a crispy layer of 66% caraibe dark chocolate, are also not-to-be-missed.
The brand new ÉPURE Luxury Summer Afternoon Tea (HKD398 per person) provides one glass of fresh orange juice. For those who want to relax and enjoy a bit of bubbly, the addition of a free-flow Frédéric Lornet Crémant du Jura Rosé (supplement of HK$238) or Billecart-Salmon Brut NV(supplement of HKD238) is available.
ÉPURE's Luxury Summer Afternoon Tea includes:
caviar & citron
caviar, cream & lemon financier
black truffle & cheese on petit sandwich
petit pain au homard
lobster & black truffle petit sandwich
le saumon fumé
salmon, light fresh cheese, capers & lemon purée on petit sandwich
le végétale
mille crêpes cake, baby spinach, cream cheese & bell pepper
le thon
tuna, spiced tomato sauce, black olive purée & basil cream on petit sandwich
le foie gras
duck foie gras, cranberries & gingerbread
l'Opera truffe
almond biscuit & ganache truffle scented, Madagascar vanilla butter cream
delice framboise & pistache
pistachio & raspberry sponge cake & mousse
thé matcha & chocolat noir
crispy layer of 66% caraibe dark chocolate & green tea cream
le baisé à la fraise
strawberry & lime zest panna cotta
sésame mange toi
black sesame baby choux & white chocolate
macarons du jour
selection of daily macaron
scone nature & orange
original scone & orange scone
HKD398 per person
Includes a glass of L'oranger


text:
How To Keep Your Loved One With You All The Time?
Birth and death are something that is common to every human being on the earth. As a human, all we can do is to enjoy our life with our closed ones that is it; rather we cannot rewrite our birth date or death date at any cost. This is the reason why we cannot take it lightly when someone close to us passed away. People want to make the memories of their beloved ones even after they are buried in the ground. Before some years, people were constructing heritages or masterpieces in the memory of the lost ones, but now the trend has been changed. Now, the ashes of the human are used to make diamonds – did you know that? If not, read the article further. As you all know that, diamonds are made from carbons and the same happens in case of human ashes, yes human ashes are all about carbons. Making a fine jewelry from the ashes of your loved one is something that has no comparison at all. Rather letting the ashes go waste, you can send the ashes to the company that is making ashes to diamonds. By making the ashes into diamonds, you can keep your loved with you all the time.
Myths about cremated precious stones
Ahead knowing the green burial in Hong Kong, you should know something about the cremated diamonds. Having some knowledge on, the cremated diamonds will let you know whether or not ashes to diamonds are a good option.
The natural diamonds are extracted from the underground and formulated with the high temperature, whereas the cremated diamonds are extracted from the ashes of the human. The cremated ashes will be sent to the laboratory which contains high pressure and controlled temperature surface.
No extra additives or other resources will be used to make the cremated diamonds rather the buried ashes. It is still possible to create a clear, high clarity, reliable and creditworthy diamonds without using any extra sources.
Nine possible sizes of diamonds are there to choose from. As far as clarity is concerned, 80% clarity can be expected. Many different cuts are possible, but the recommended cut is the full round.
The color of the cremated diamond will range from light blue to dark blue. The color will be varied according to the configuration of the ashes.
The high end ashes diamond cost will vary according to the cut, size and thickness of the diamond you request. Laboratory experts will let you know what size and thickness are possible with the ashes you have given.


text:
Okay. In my defense, it is not for lack of trying. I have curled up with literature's favorite repressed love story several times. In theory, it should be my favorite kind of book: spunky heroine, spunky authoress, social intrigue, and most importantly, British people riding British tropes like little trope show ponies. And yet... and yet.
For years, I have been able to hold up my end in an Austen conversation through sheer osmosis, even inherited a bit of the Darcy inspired swoon that is so common among young women of a certain age, but have been haunted by the nagging reality. I have never read a Jane Austen novel. As someone who can read a couple of books in a day if she tries, I sometimes feel as if I don't have an excuse to read a book that I don't have interest in if it is canon. There's almost a sense of responsibility to yourself, to better understand common influences. Everyone wants to feel well read and culturally in tune. Sometimes, when something that resonates with so many people doesn't strike a chord in you, it can make you feel a little broken. And so I have nursed the sore of my Austen free reading record for a very long time indeed. With this winter sowing its brain death seeds in every New Englanders' cup of tea by February, I decided that there was no better way to fight the slump of the season than by taking on a reading challenge. And, I reasoned with myself, what could possibly be more challenging than Austen?
I knew I couldn't read Pride and Prejudice. If I failed to complete it yet again, I might never recover and even the over-arching cultural charm of the work might fall short of reviving my interest. I've seen the movie for Sense and Sensibility and love it because Emma Thompson and, just in case I despised the book, I steered clear so as not to ruin a favored film. And so I chose Emma, the only major work that I was completely and utterly unfamiliar with. As a bonus, someone dear in my life often refers to me as "Miss Emma Wodehouse" and I figured I might as well use this challenge as an opportunity to get to the bottom of that comparison (by the way, I can see it now).
It was rough.
I made excuses to avoid it.
I watched an entire season of Criminal Minds.
I decided I was behind on my aimless internet reading and took admirable steps to repair that.
And when I pulled myself over that finish line and everyone and their best friends got married, I looked back on the entire week that it took me to read my first Austen novel and realized
I didn't hate it.
While I may not have converted into a Jane Austen fan by any stretch of the imagination, I am glad that I undertook this because I now completely understand why people adore her works. I realized it was never a matter of quality, but a question of taste. I don't read romance novels. Unless there is a love interest standing in the way of my taut non-romantic conflict, I don't really want to read about it. In high school, I would reach the romance portion of a YA novel and roll my eyes, flipping past all of the quivering, sideways glances, and sighing. I love romantic films and, for whatever reason, that medium resonates with me, but I've never had much of a desire for my literature to be served hot, if you know what I'm saying. That being said, Austen will probably never be what excites me about coming home from a long day of work. But at least I now know why she provides just that for so many people.
Jane Austen totally gets it. I imagine her sitting on the edge of the activity in the parlor and simply watching. She was so very clearly a great student of the strange ways of the human heart in every kind of relationship, daughter-father, woman-man, woman-woman, and every nuanced sort of interaction in between. I felt an enormous intimacy while reading Emma, watching unbiased character sketches play out in just the way as people always do, of any class or creed, petty and generous and dear and conniving in turn, all in the same heart. Austen understood the power of a single word or the pain that can come from an off-handed sort of gesture. She understood what drives us to wound or to interpret our way to being wounded. Reading her dialogue, I simmered a little in my crock-pot of literary elitist jealousy. The dialogue was so alive and believable, that I felt as if it was overheard. Austen had the rare ability to know which words needed to be left out to say the most and writers spend their entire lives without even realizing that that is a lesson they need to learn. But Austen does not need me to defend her or even to go on about what made her so special. With or without my patronage, she has gently walked into so many hearts throughout history and whispered them love and hope and healing. My taste or opinion cannot do the slightest bit to change how darn wonderful that is. All I can do is bow my head to her prevailing charm and gentle wit and scuttle back to my museum of quirky wonders.
"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart."
~ Jane Austen's "Emma"
So true, Jane. So true.


text:
Here, most people don't see the difference. Vulnerability is weakness. It means you're going to get hurt. Period.
Relationship getting tough? Guard your heart. Think you might get hurt? Guard your heart. Taking a risk? Guard your heart. I'm not always sure what people mean when they say this, but to me it comes across as "Steel yourself," or "Don't get emotionally invested." Basically, don't be vulnerable.
Now, I'm a really sensitive person, and my work only intensifies this. I've been the "sentimental" poet among poets, the mentor who becomes everyone's mama, and the missionary who can't open a newspaper without crying over diseased children in Uganda. I am always emotionally invested in what I'm doing, even if I know I'll end up hurt. As you may imagine, I get told to "guard my heart" a lot.
But let me just say once and for all: I will not.
Though the term "guard your heart" is from the Bible, we've twisted its meaning. In Proverbs 4, Solomon instructs his son to shun evil and press towards righteousness and wisdom. He tells his son to "guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." He then goes on to talk about corruption, adultery, and violence—things that break down relationships and destroy hearts. Solomon urges his son to reject these things, and to guard even his heart (his deepest thoughts and feelings) from turning towards these kinds of sin.
I think it's no coincidence that the character Solomon elevates—that of truthfulness, faithfulness, and peace—requires vulnerability. When we choose truth over corruption, we lay everything on the table. When we choose faithfulness over adultery, we brave the waters of intimacy with our spouses. When we choose peace over violence, we run the risk of having to lay down our weapons first or, scarier yet, forgive first.
If we look to Jesus as the example for our hearts, I think it's clear how guarded they should be: not at all. Jesus had such love and compassion for the world that he died for it. Laid down everything he had. Before he did that, he told us to love God and to love one another.
I assume he meant wholeheartedly.
The problem is, we'll never hear those things if we don't admit to being human, lost, and hurt. And we'll never have the kinds of relationships or lives we want either.
If I had taken the "guard your heart" advice, I never would have moved to Kosovo, married Sam, or started a writing career. All of these things require huge amounts of vulnerability. I can't even go to the store without exposing my weaknesses—lack of language and cultural understanding are forever with me. And you should see me after I post a blog, pacing around our apartment, waiting for that one zinger comment. But on the flip side, it brings me so much joy and fulfillment to live here, with my love, doing what I love.
And even if I have to cry over people and cry over my own shortcomings for the rest of my life, I'm pretty okay with that. Because vulnerability has been the best gift, leading me into intimacy and trust, shaking away pride and fear. It's helped me to heal others, and it's allowed them to heal me. It's increased everything: the grief and the joy.
But most importantly, the joy.
Don't miss it, friends. Keep those hearts open.
With love (and crying and all sorts of sentimentality),


text:
The Church Year
Time is a gift of God's creation. People order time in various ways, often based on the rhythms of nature. The church organises time by the church year. It tells the story of God who is beyond time, acting in history – above all, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Anglican Tradition follows the ancient observance of the liturgical year in the keeping of seasons. The church year is built around two fixed feasts: Christmas and Easter.
The church year begins in Advent, which is around the end of November or the beginning of December every year. The word "Advent" means beginning. The first Sunday of Advent is four Sundays before 25 December. As a season, Advent is a time of preparation and penitence. We prepare for the upcoming celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ as we look back to the promises leading up to Jesus' first coming and prepare for His second coming
On 25 December the twelve day season of Christmas begins and we celebrate the incredible gift and mystery of God in the flesh.
Twelve days later, on 6 January, the season of Epiphany begins. Epiphany remembers the "revealing" of Jesus to the world with the coming of the Wise Men and the baptism of Jesus.
The end of Epiphany is determined by the beginning of Lent, which is determined by the date fixed for Easter. Easter is determined by the Jewish lunar calendar, and is always the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. After backing up forty days, not including Sundays, the date of Ash Wednesday is determined and hence the end of Epiphany.
With Ash Wednesday, the forty days of Lent begins. Historically, Lent developed as a season of preparation for those who were either coming to the Christian faith (to be baptised on Easter) or needed to be restored in their faith. For the lapsed, it was a season of penitence, of coming clean, of getting right with God. That season of penitence was eventually extended not just to the lapsed, but to everyone.
At the end of Lent, we enter into Holy Week, from Palm Sunday through the first Easter celebrations. Holy Week was originally an all-night observance for new converts that was slowly spread over the course of several days. During Holy Week, we remember the last days of Jesus' earthly life and the events that surround the death and resurrection of Jesus. With the end of Lent comes the beginning of Easter, a fifty day season of celebration.
Fifty days after Easter, we come to the Feast of Pentecost, remembering the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church and the mission which spread from the upper room and changed the world! In the Church Year, this is known as "ordinary time." The long season of Pentecost finally comes to a close with the celebration of Christ the King, focusing on the revelation of Jesus as the King of the Universe when He comes again. It brings the Church Year to a close as we again move into Advent, looking back to the promise of Jesus' first coming as we prepare ourselves for His coming again as the King of all.
Principal and Lesser Festivals of the Church Year
The Principal Festivals of the Church Year are the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas) and the Epiphany of Our Lord; Ash Wednesday and the days of Holy Week; the Three days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Resurrection of Our Lord, the Sundays of Easter; the Ascension of Our Lord, and the Day of Pentecost; and the Holy Trinity.
Lesser festivals are additional days when we celebrate the life of Christ, the witness of those who accompanied and testified to him, and the acts of God in the church. Commemorations illuminate various aspects of the church's life and mission through the lives of women and men who have followed Christ in succeeding generations.
All Sundays of the year are festivals of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a profound sense, Sunday – the first day and the weekly celebration of the day of resurrection – is the primary Christian festival.
The "propers" are scripture readings and other texts that are appointed for seasons of the church year as well as principal and lesser festivals and commemorations. The propers also include the Collect for the day. Many Christian churches unite around a three-year (Year A, B or C) set of Bible readings, the Revised Common Lectionary. From Advent 2009 to Christ the King Sunday in 2010 we are currently in year C. See the Lectionary of The Church in Wales to see how the propers and colours of the seasons are appointed.
The Church in Wales has no officially authorised scheme of liturgical colours. The colours that are shown in the Lectionary reflect the most widespread current practice. Liturgical colours are traditional except that white is commended throughout the Epiphany season, violet before Lent. On Maundy Thursday and at lesser weekday commemorations the suggested colour applies only to the Eucharist.
The use of colours to differentiate liturgical seasons became a common practice in the Western church in about the fourth century. At first, usage varied but by the Twelfth Century Pope Innocent III had systemised the use of five colours; Violet, White, Black, Red and Green.
The Lutheran and Anglican churches that emerged from the Reformation retained
the traditional colours. To these have been added Blue and Gold, colours that
were used in some Western rites before the Twelfth Century.
These are the festival colours of celebration. They are used at Christmas and Easter, on many of the greatest saint's days (except when red is considered more suitable) and on all occasions of great significance to individual Christian people such as Baptism, Confirmation, Weddings or ordinations.
Red is used in three main ways. First, to denote a saint who has died for the faith (the colour of blood spilt in the name of Christ). Second, red is associated with
the Holy Spirit (i.e. Whitsun), the Disciples' description of the flames of
Pentecost must undoubtedly be the origin of this. Third, red is used in association with the spilling of Jesus' own blood for us and is often now the colour used on Good Friday. In some churches, rich and elaborate red vestments are used for Martyrs and the Holy Spirit and plain red for Good Friday and Passiontide.
Purple is used as a sombre colour at times of reflection and preparation. Advent (before Christmas) and Lent (before Easter) are two such times. Purple is also the colour associated most with funerals and prayer for the departed. It is used in preference to black. Black (choir dress) is also worn at services where the Eucharist is not celebrated.
Green reminds us of our mission to spread the Gospel and grow the Church. Green is suitable for occasions like Harvest Thanksgiving but it is used on other occasions in the year when one of the other colours is inappropriate.
Blue has come to be associated with Mary. Whenever she is depicted in stained
glass, in statues or paintings, she usually is shown in a blue dress. This use of colour is part of the Catholic principle of using all our faculties in our worship. What we see about us can speak just as loudly to our hearts and minds as the words we use. Some churches use blue during Advent.
More information about seasons and colours
Advent is a season of spiritual preparation for the celebration of the birth and reign
of Christ. Expectation rather than personal penitence is the central theme of the season. Advent is a preparation for, rather than a celebration of, Christmas. Royal Purple symbolising the sovereignty of Christ is normally the liturgical colour but Blue is also occasionally used to distinguish the season from Lent. As the colour of the
sky, Blue symbolises Christ the source of day. As the colour honouring Mary, Blue
also reminds us that during Advent the church waits with Mary for the birth of Jesus.
The readings for Christmas and the following twelve days, culminating in Epiphany, invite the church to reflect on the Incarnation of God as a human being. God enters human history and identifies fully with the human condition. The traditional colours of the season are White or Gold, symbolizing joy in the light of day and celebration.
The traditions of Lent are derived from the time when the church prepared candidates, or "catechumens," for their baptism into the Body of Christ. It eventually became a
season of preparation for the whole congregation. Self-examination, study, fasting,
prayer and works of love are disciplines historically associated with Lent.
Conversion – literally, the "turning around" – is the theme of Lent. The forty days
of Lent correspond to the forty-day temptation of Jesus in the wilderness and the
forty-year journey of Israel from slavery to a new community.
On Ash Wednesday, ashes are placed on the foreheads of the congregation as a
symbol that we have come from dust and one day will return to dust. With this reminder of life's fragility begins a spiritual quest that continues until the Easter Vigil, when the entire congregation joins in a reaffirmation of their baptismal vows. Most of this time of preparation is symbolized by the colour Violet, though the season is
bracketed by the mourning Black of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. As an alternative to Violet, some churches have begun to use brown, beige or grey
a reminder of "sackcloth" to reflect the season's mood of penitence and simplicity.
Holy Week
During Holy Week, the congregation follows the footsteps of Jesus from his entry
into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, through the Last Supper of Maundy Thursday
to his death on the Cross on Good Friday. Red, the colour of blood and therefore
of martyrs, is the traditional colour for Palm or Passion Sunday and the next
three days of Holy Week. On Maundy Thursday, White or Gold symbolizes the church's rejoicing in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But at the end of the Maundy Thursday celebration, the mood changes abruptly. All decorations are removed and the Holy Table is stripped bare. The church becomes as empty as a tomb. On Good Friday, either Black or Red is customary, although the use of no colour at all is also appropriate. The Red of Holy Week is sometimes a deeper red than the brighter scarlet colour
associated with Pentecost.
Easter and Pentecost
Jesus has been raised from the dead. The heavenly messenger invites the mourners to
see the empty tomb and then go and tell the disciples that the Crucified One is
alive! The season from Easter to Pentecost is also called the Great Fifty Days, a tradition inspired by the Jewish season of fifty days between Passover and Shavuot – the feast celebrating the giving of the Torah to Moses. The liturgical colour for this season is celebratory White or Gold. When the season ends, on Whit Sunday, White is
replaced with Red. This colour reminds the congregation of fire – the symbol of the
Holy Spirit.
The first Sunday after Pentecost celebrates the Trinity, and the colour
again is White or Gold.
The Season after Pentecost
This longest season of the liturgical year is called " OrdinaryTime" and the tradition is use the colour green. It reminds us of our mission to spread the Gospel and to grow the Church.
Other Holy Days and observances
White or Gold is the colour for All Saints Day on November 1st and is also an alternative to Green on the last Sunday after Pentecost. During other observances, the tradition is to use Red on commemorations of martyrs
and other saints. As the colour of the Holy Spirit, it is appropriate for ordinations.
The colours of Christmas, White or Gold, are also customary on other feast days
that celebrate the Incarnation or Resurrection of Christ (Holy Name, Baptism,
Presentation, Annunciation, Visitation, Ascension and Transfiguration).
Black was the traditional colour for funerals for centuries, but in the past fifty
years many liturgical churches have preferred to use White or Gold—the colours
of Easter and therefore of the hope of the Resurrection.


text:
As winter is approaching fast, I'm starting to turn to my comfort foods for dinner. This includes corn bread. As I really started to look through one of my Paula Deen's cookbooks, I came across her recipe for Herb Corn Bread. I couldn't leave this recipe to be just another recipe in a cookbook. I had to try it. It combines a lot of the dried herbs I use in my soups and compliments it nicely. I had to add baking powder to replace the use of self-rising flour and add guar gum to act as the binder. The original recipe is in The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook (ISBN 13: 978-0-375-75111-0), page 102. Enjoy.
Serves 9
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1/4 cup Gluten Free Flour Mix
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp guar gum
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp celery seed
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk (or soy milk if you're lactose intolerant)
6 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine eggs, milk and butter. Add to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9-inch square pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.


text:
Burden of Tricuspid Regurgitation in Patients Diagnosed in the Community Setting
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Author + information
- Received May 14, 2018
- Revision received June 7, 2018
- Accepted June 7, 2018
- Published online January 16, 2019.
Article Versions
- previous version (August 15, 2018 - 11:00).
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Author Information
- Yan Topilsky, MDa,∗ (topilskyyan{at}gmail.com),
- Simon Maltais, MDb,
- Jose Medina Inojosa, MDc,
- Didem Oguz, MDc,
- Hector Michelena, MDc,
- Joseph Maalouf, MDc,
- Douglas W. Mahoney, MScd and
- Maurice Enriquez-Sarano, MDc
- aDivision of Cardiovascular Diseases Tel Aviv Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- bDivision of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mayo College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- cDivision of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine, Mayo College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- dDepartment of Health Science Research, Mayo College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- ↵∗Address for correspondence:
Dr. Yan Topilsky, Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine, Tel Aviv Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Graphical abstract
Objectives This study sought to analyze patients with tricuspid regurgitation (TR) diagnosed in the community setting (Olmsted County) by Doppler echocardiography to define the prevalence, characteristics, and implications of clinically significant (greater or equal to moderate) TR.
Background The prevalence, cause distribution, and significance of TR are mostly unknown.
Methods All adult residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, who underwent clinically indicated Doppler echocardiography between 1990 and 2000 were evaluated for presence of greater or equal to moderate TR. The characteristics and outcome of TR carriers was then analyzed.
Results During the study period, 417 community residents were diagnosed with greater or equal to moderate TR corresponding to an U.S. age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of 0.55% with 95% confidence interval (0.50 to 0.60). TR adjusted prevalence was higher in women (p < 0.01) and strongly linked to age (p < 0.0001). Isolated TR (without significant comorbidities, structural left valve disease, pulmonary hypertension, or overt cardiac cause) represented 8.1% of patients with greater or equal to moderate TR. Isolated TR adjusted for age, sex, ejection fraction, atrial fibrillation, and Charlson comorbidity index independently predicted higher mortality (adjusted risk ratio: 1.68; 95% confidence interval: 1.04 to 2.60; p = 0.03) for qualitative definition. Mortality in patients with greater or equal to moderate isolated TR was higher than in the matched cases with trivial TR (p = 0.0014; matching for age, sex, atrial fibrillation, ejection fraction, comorbidity index). Only 2.6% of patients ever had tricuspid valve surgery during follow-up.
Conclusions Clinically significant (greater or equal to moderate) TR is common in community residents diagnosed by Doppler echocardiography and increases with age. Isolated TR is associated with excess mortality, thus TR represents an important public health problem.
Maurice Enriquez-Sarano has received a research grant from Edwards. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.
- Received May 14, 2018.
- Revision received June 7, 2018.
- Accepted June 7, 2018.
- 2019 American College of Cardiology Foundation
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