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We all sometimes get an urge of "getting lost in an unknown place" just for engaging in an adventure. We hope to see the unseen and experience some thrill. But if you take a look at some really miserable and spine-chilling real-life castaway stories, you may never again wish to "get lost."
1. Poon Lim – The Chinese sailor who miraculously survived alone on a wooden raft in the South Atlantic for one hundred thirty-three days. He survived by catching sea birds, drinking bird's blood, and killing and eating sharks.
During the World War II, Poon Lim was serving as a second steward on the British armed merchant ship SS Benlomond, which was sailing from Cape Town to Surinam. On November 23, 1942, the German submarine U-172 attacked the ship with two torpedoes. The ship sank leaving behind only six survivors including Poon Lim. After around two hours of swimming in the water, Lim caught hold of an eight-foot square wooden raft and sailed away on it. The raft had a stock of some biscuits, a forty-liter jug of water, a flashlight, and some other stuff which would help Lim survive for a few days. The depleting stock made him search for other options like fishing, catching rainwater, etc. Once, a large storm spoiled all his fish stock. He had to catch a bird and drink its blood to stay alive. He also caught a shark and drank its blood too. He encountered a lot of miseries before finally landing on an island and being rescued by Brazilian fishermen. Poon Lim was awarded the British Empire Medal by King George VI, and his story was put in manuals of survival techniques by the Royal Navy.(source)
2. Robertson family – Dougal Robertson and his family were castaways for thirty-eight days with no experience and only the barest of necessities. With four children, the family survived on rain water, turtles, dorado dolphin, flying fish, and turtle blood.
Dougal Robertson was a Scottish sailor in the British Merchant Navy. After retiring from the Navy, he worked as a dairy farmer. On January 27, 1971, he set out on a voyage from Falmouth, England to the Galapagos Islands with his family on his schooner Lucette. After approximately fifteen months, on June 15, 1972, their schooner was attacked by a pod of killer whales who punctured numerous holes in the boat making it sink. The family had to sail on an inflatable raft which could be used only for a fortnight. They then moved to a three-meter-long dinghy with the meager essentials that they still possessed. They survived on rainwater, turtle meat and blood, dorado dolphin, and flying fish. They stored dried meat and water for later consumption. The Japanese fishing trawler Tokamaru finally spotted them and rescued them after being castaways for thirty-eight days.(1,2)
3. Alexander Selkirk – He was Scottish navy officer who lived as a castaway for four years on an uninhabited island in South Pacific Ocean. He endured a great deal of loneliness and misery throughout his stay on the island. He encountered deadly sea lions, was attacked by rats, had to eat spiny lobsters, and much more during his castaway period.
Alexander Selkirk was an impulsive, young Royal navy officer and joined expeditions during the War of the Spanish Succession. In September 1704, in one such voyage led by William Dampier, the crew stopped on an island located in the uninhabited Juan Fernandez archipelago off the coast of Chile for replenishing their stocks. Alexander identified flaws in the vessel and decided to stay on the island worried about the risks of sailing on a flawed vessel. He was left with some accessories like a knife, cooking pot, clothes, and a Bible. Initially, he had to eat things like spiny lobsters. He regretted his decision of abandoning the vessel. The island was full of sea lions and rats making it difficult for him to live. He survived on meat and milk of feral goats, wild turnips, dried pepper, berries, etc. He was injured a few times during his stay. He found some solace by reading the Bible. After four years, he was rescued by a privateering ship commanded by the same William Dampier.(source)
4. Ada Blackjack – She was the lone survivor of the 1921 Wrangel Island Expedition. Just twenty-three years old and completely naïve, she was forced by circumstances to join the expedition as a seamstress. Out of the five-member team, she was the only one to survive the extreme freezing conditions, hopelessly low food supply, and other dangers of the island.
Ada Blackjack lived a somewhat tragic life. Her husband died due to drowning, only one of her three children could survive, and he too, unfortunately, had to be left in an orphanage because of their poverty. On 15th Sept 1921, she joined an expedition planned by Vilhjalmur Stefansson to claim the Wrangel Island for Canada. Ada joined them as a cook and seamstress. She was unskilled, timid and was very scared of guns and polar bears. Soon, the harsh climatic conditions and the extreme scarcity of food made three men leave the island in search of help. Her only companion died after a few days leaving her alone on the island. She fought all the adverse conditions and survived until she was rescued by a former colleague of Stefansson, Harold Noice. She was acknowledged as the "female Robinson Crusoe."(1,2)
5. Yamamoto Otokichi – He was a crew member of a rice transporting ship which experienced a plethora of hardships like storms, a typhoon, broken steering, and a shortage of food. The crew members began to die, and the once fourteen-member crew dwindled to a mere three men.
On the morning of November 12, 1832, Yamamoto Otokichi sailed on the Hojunmaru as a crew member, transporting rice to Edo. Within a day of sailing, they experienced a heavy storm and typhoon which blew off the steering and almost capsized the boat. The crew had to cut off the mast to maintain the balance of the ship. Though they survived the storm, sailing on a ship without a mast and steering became a huge challenge. They had a very limited food and water supply which soon dwindled away to nothing. They were lost in the Pacific Ocean and just drifting along with the currents. They drank boiled sea water, cooked rice with sake and tried to survive, but in vain. Soon all the crew members, except three, died of starvation and depression. The ship started reeking off the stench of the dead bodies, and they had to be thrown overboard. Otokichi had to throw his elder brother's body in the ocean. In the December of 1833, They soon landed on the shore of Cape Alava in the Oregon Territory and were captured by the Makah Native Americans.(1,2)
6. Jose Salvador Alvarenga – The first person to survive for thirteen months on a small fishing boat in the Pacific Ocean. He and his boatmate survived on raw fish, turtle meat and blood, small birds, sharks, rainwater and even their own urine for those thirteen months.
A fisherman by profession, he set out in his fishing boat with a co-worker from the coast of Mexico on November 17, 2012. Very soon after they set out, they were hit by a storm that lasted for five days, and they lost their way. They did not have any kind of equipment with them to maneuver the boat, and it began drifting on the currents. After finishing the available food stock, they had to hunt and eat fish, turtles, jellyfish, and seabirds. They had to depend on rainwater, turtle blood, or their own urine for quenching their thirst. After four months, his co-worker died of starvation since he gave up eating raw food. He claimed to have kept track of days by counting moon phases. He finally reached the Marshall Islands, where he was rescued by the locals.(source)
7. Narcisse Pelletier – A French cabin boy whose ship voyage encountered numerous complications and the crew had to land on an island. Narcisse underwent a lot of hardships like drinking urine and seawater for survival before being rescued by an Aboriginal family.
In August 1857, when Narcisse Pelletier was a fourteen-year-old, he set out from Marseilles as a cabin boy on the Saint-Paul which was carrying wine for Bombay. The ship then went to Hong Kong to pick up many Chinese laborers and transport them to Australian goldfields. To refill the depleting necessities, the ship stopped at a small island. While in search of water, some men were attacked and killed. Pelletier was hit by a rock and attacked by men from a nearby island, but he and some members managed to escape the attack and boarded a longboat. They again faced scarcity of food and had to eat seabirds, drink seawater, and even their urine. Pelletier was later rescued in a very weak state by an Aboriginal family.(source)
8. Nakahama Manjiro – A fisherman by profession, he was once aboard a ship with his four friends when the ship wrecked on the island of Torishima. Rescued by an American ship, they reached Honolulu. Due to Japan's then law of isolation, none of them could return to Japan and Manjiro decided to continue with the ship crew and managed to reach the United States.
In 1841, when Manjiro was fourteen years old, he went fishing with his four friends, and their boat was beached on Torishima Island. They were rescued by an American ship and ended up in Honolulu. It was at that time when Manjiro decided to stay on the ship and was taken to the United States by Captain Whitfield. He studied English for survival and managed to get aboard the whaler Franklin which was set to go to back to Honolulu. Manjiro again met his four friends, however, none of them were able to go to Japan because Japan had an isolation policy under which leaving the country was a punishable offense. A few years later, Manjiro and two of the friends decided to go back to Japan. When they reached Okinawa, however, they were immediately arrested. After investigating and questioning them, they were released, and Manjiro was appointed a minor official.(source)
9. Philip Ashton – He was a fisherman from Massachusetts who was abducted by pirates. Though he managed to escape the pirates' captivity, he remained a castaway for sixteen months on an island and had to survive in extremely hot climate infested with insects and alligators.
In June 1722 ,Philip Ashton had set out fishing near the coast of Shelburne, Nova Scotia when pirates caught him. While under the captivity of pirates, Ashton behaved like a total rebel and did not cooperate with the pirates, so was often threatened. When the pirates landed on Roatan Island, Ashton managed to escape and hid in the jungle full of insects and alligators. He even weathered the extremely hot climate. He met one more castaway who disappeared after a few days leaving behind some equipment that Ashton could use to kill and eat tortoises and crayfish. He was finally rescued after sixteen months by a ship from Massachusetts.(source)
10. Juana Maria – She was a native American and the last surviving member of her tribe, the Nicoleno. She lived by herself for eighteen years on San Nicolas island which was part of the archipelago of the Channel Islands off the California coast. After many unsuccessful attempts, the Santa Barbara Mission finally found her.
The tribe of Nicolenos lived on the San Nicolas Island which was once attacked by Kodiak natives from Alaska. This attack resulted in the slaughter of most of the Nicoleno males and captivity of the women. In 1830s after the Kodiaks left the island, there were only about a hundred Nicolenos left, and many of them abandoned the island soon after. In 1835, the Santa Barbara Mission arranged an operation to rescue the remaining islanders and bring them to the mainland. They sent ships to relocate the islanders, and according to a story, only one member of the tribe was left behind because she was in search of her infant and could not reach the rescue boat in time. She was Juana Maria. She had to spend the next eighteen years alone on the island. She lived in a cave to hide from more attacks so could not be easily found in spite of many attempts by the Santa Barbara Mission. Finally, in 1853, she was found by the Mission, and she arrived on the mainland.(1,2)


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Mushroom Marinara Ravioli
This ravioli is stuffed with a savory blend of mushrooms and herbs. Wonton wrappers make a simple substitute for fresh pasta, but feel free to use fresh pasta dough from the store or make your own. The final dish is served with a simple, rich tomato sauce and more sautéed mushrooms.view Recipe

subset: commoncrawl


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Generic Chloramphenicol
Chloramphenicol is an amphenicol-class antibiotic used to treat serious bacterial infections. Due to its severe side effects, it's used only in rare cases when other antibiotics can't help.
Chloramphenicol mainly prescribed to treat ear and eye infections, for example, conjunctivitis. In rare cases, when other antibiotics cannot be used, Chloramphenicol is used intravenously or as capsules to treat serious bacterial infections, such as cholera, meningitis or plague.
Chloramphenicol comes to market as an eye ointment or eye drops, there are also ear drops, capsules, powder for solution and injections. The administration depends on the percentage of Chloramphenicol containing in the eye or ear drops. Chloramphenicol is sold under the brand name Chloromycetin but can also be ordered as a generic equivalent.
It's very important to remember that Chloramphenicol must be used only in such cases when other antibiotics can't help. Furthermore, Chloramphenicol cannot be used to treat virus infections, like flu or cold. It's recommended to monitor blood levels of the medication and blood cell levels every two days during the treatment.
Buy generic Chloramphenicol antibiotics
From: 37.99$
ChloromycetinFrom: 37.99$


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by Therese M. Heeg
Gallup just released their State of the American Workplace report. The report highlights findings from Gallup's ongoing study of the American workplace from 2010 through 2012. This latest report provides insights into what leaders can do to improve employee engagement and performance in their companies.
Magic Happens
In my work as an executive coach, I partner with leaders to help them use this research to improve trust and teamwork in their work units. I believe there is a magic formula to employee engagement and commitment. It starts with the leader.
When my clients intentionally and consistently follow the following three steps, they see improved morale, increased retention, and better results:
- Communicate expectations and follow through with timely feedback – both positive and constructive.
- Hold regular meetings and huddles while also connecting one-on-one via brief conversations with each employee.
- Look for the good, recognize individuals and celebrate successes.
When these steps are taken, Magic Happens – Trust and collaboration improve, employees and leaders enjoy coming to work, and turnover is reduced.
One technique that can bring all of this together to create major impact on employee engagement is called Focused Rounding.
Focused Rounding to Build Trust, Engagement and Commitment
"Rounding for Outcomes" was introduced as a leadership best practice to the Healthcare Industry by the Studer Group in the book Hardwiring Excellence, by Quint Studer. Some might say that the precursor to this more structured approach was described as Management by Walking Around (MBWA) which dates back to the 1970s and is discussed in the book In Search of Excellence, by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. Today, rounding is becoming an approach that is used across industries.
Definition of Focused Rounding
Focused rounding is an intentional approach to building employee commitment through one-on-one communication between leaders and individual employees. It is a proven technique to help leader's take meaningful action in response to 360 surveys and employee engagement data as well as to help drive culture change. Focused Rounding takes just a few minutes, yet its impact is profound.
Why does it matter?
- One of the biggest risks of conducting surveys is the lack of meaningful follow up.
- Focused Rounding shows employees their voice matters; it builds trust in the survey process and it creates a bridge between the survey data and daily work.
- Focused Rounding can also be used to engage employees in co-creating a culture of recognition, trust, or safety – whichever aligns with your organization.
Best Practices for Focused Rounding
Marshall Goldsmith, author, thought leader and executive coach, has generously shared his process called Feedforward with people around the world on his website and on Youtube. The Focused Rounding process described below incorporates his approach. Feedforward is essentially a way for leaders to gather input on future practice versus getting suggestions for how to fix their past mistakes.
By using Feedforward, leaders can dramatically improve the quality of communication in their organizations. The result is a much more dynamic, much more open organization—one whose employees focus on the promise of the future rather than the mistakes of the past. (See more detail at Try Feedforward instead of Feedback) or watch a video at Marshall Goldsmith You tube)
The LifeWorks Focused Rounding Model
Step 1 Gathering Feedback and Drafting Goals
The leader receives feedback from an employee engagement survey or a 360 survey. S/he then works with the next level leader and/or a coach to write a leadership development goal. The coach helps the leader become familiar with the process of Feedforward. The leader emails the team and thanks them for their input and lets them know he or she will share themes at an upcoming meeting.
Step 2 Engaging the Team
At the team meeting, the leader thanks the team for the input, shares themes and then states one or two goals that he or she will focus on improving. This may be something like "I want to be a better listener." Then, the team is introduced to the concept of Focused Rounding as a next step. After the meeting, the leader sends the description of the Feedforward process.
Step 3 The Rounding Sessions
- As the leader prepares to meet 1-1 with team members, it is important to give them a heads up about timing to reduce uncertainty and to ensure they are ready to participate.
- During these rounding sessions, the leader should not sit across a desk. It is best to find a quiet place where both parties can be comfortable.
- It is important for leaders to listen to employees without interrupting or responding. This is not the time to engage in a conversation about the employee input.
- Instead, leaders can use the rounding time as an opportunity to take notes and say thank you.
Step 5 Follow Up
Once notes are compiled and the leader has identified some new strategies to try, it is important to share with the team. It is also important for the leader to gather input on a regular basis to ensure the new behaviors stick and to show commitment to his/her development. (Tips for this can be found in the article and video called Leadership is a contact sport by Marshall Goldsmith.)
Aligning Rounding with Your Goals to Grow Leaders and Teams
Focused Rounding can be used to grow leaders as well as teams. When considering which questions to ask during rounding, leaders should align the conversations with key drivers that they are working on either individually or as a team or organization.
Besides working well as a follow up strategy to 360 surveys or employee engagement surveys, it can also be used to firm up employee commitment to key strategic priorities.
For example, one of the areas that most organizations fall short on is regular recognition. There are questions that can be used to not only help the leader get input on what he or she can do to create a culture of recognition, but also to engage employees in sharing ownership of this effort. This takes focused rounding to the next level as a lever to shift culture.
Please contact me for more information on how to shift culture or to get sample questions to use with your team or organization at www.coachheeg.com.


text: South Korean shipbuilders are paying large royalties on a core foreign technology for manufacturing liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, causing a big reduction in their earnings, The Korea Times reports. To build LNG carriers, most South Korean and foreign shipbuilders currently use a membrane containment system developed by Gaz Transport & Technigaz of France, a key technology for freezing and storing gas in tanks for transport. South Korean shipbuilders' profit margin amounts to about 10 percent of a carrier's order price, of which nearly 5 percent is paid to the French company in royalties, according to the report. The nation's shipbuilders charge an average $200 million for each LNG carrier. The nation's top three shipbuilders - Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, and Samsung Heavy Industries - currently have an order backlog of about 100 LNG carriers. Given the royalty payment ratio, the three shipbuilders will have to pay the French company about $1 billion in the future, which will cut deeply into their earnings; usually 5 to 10 percent of the order price. Source: The Korea Times


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EA Sports and the Winnipeg Jets New Jersey
July 27, 2011 Leave a comment
Following the announcement that the video game NHL 12 from EA Sports will be released on September 13, 2011, several screen captures and video previews of the game have been floating around the internet.
Some of these screen captures, like the one below, depict the Winnipeg Jets wearing a jersey that includes the new Jets logo. However, it also shows a jersey that includes Red in the color scheme. Mark Chipman specifically said on Fan 590 radio that there would be no Red on the uniform, other than the Maple Leaf in the logo.
The Jets made an official statement of denial with respect to an image of a set of concept jerseys that surfaced over the weekend. With fans snapping up apparel seemingly as fast as stores can stock it, there is no doubt that the demand for the new Jets jersey is huge. Excessive demand and anticipation throughout the fanbase is apparent and they are understandably anxious to get a glimpse of the real thing.
Per previous reports, the unveiling of the new jerseys is not officially expected until September. With that, Director of Communications, Scott Brown, said it best in the Winnipeg Free Press:
"I suppose we're in for a good month of this"
While there is yet to be an official statement confirming that these EA Sports NHL 12 Jerseys are not the new Winnnipeg Jets jerseys, this would not be the first time that EA Sports was associated with a jersey "leak".
Prior to the release of the RBK Edge jerseys for the NHL's 2007-08 season, EA Sports reported that the new RBK Edge jerseys for all 30 NHL teams would be included in the NHL 08 video game. A 'code' was posted on the RBK Hockey website and could be entered in the "Rbk Edge" tab under the "My NHL 08" menu to unlock the new jerseys.
If these are the new Jets jerseys, what do you think?
Image via Twitter: JBird


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PIP Triad is ready to take on faster and louder projects! Marcus Woolard of Mebane, North Carolina has joined our Production Team as the triad's go-to Sign Guy.
Specializing in motorcycle and vehicle wraps, Marcus has nearly 20 years experience working with wide-format print and installation. Subcontracted since 1995, Marcus has built an impressive portfolio of motor bike and NASCAR graphics, including installations for Bill Davis, Joe Gibbs and Michael Waltrip.
Marcus looks forward to expanding his craft here at PIP Triad and we couldn't be happier about new opportunities his talent will bring to our team. Two wheels, four wheels, six wheels, even 18 wheels… PIP Triad's capabilities are expanding once again!


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Lucy Leaning Ladder
Earn $25 back in rewards* for every $250 spent with your Pottery Barn Credit Card.Learn More
- Overview
A perfect solution for smaller spaces, our Lucy Entryway Collection has endless style. It combines whitewashed wood and metal in a slender profile that layers easily with any furnishings. The basket and four hooks are removable so you can design your own convenient storage for keys, hats, cell phones and anything else you need to grab on the go.
- Constructed of natural mango wood and powder coated steel.
- Mounting hardware included; hardware is anchor and screw.
- Simple assembly required.
- Imported.
- Dimensions & Care
- Overall: 20.5" wide x 14.5" deep x 76" high
- Hooks (4): 4.25" wide x 2" high
- Distance between rungs: 18"
- Weight: 20 pounds.
- Wipe with a soft, dry cloth.
- Shipping & Returns
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3-5 business days.
Next Day Delivery and Processing
We can arrange for next day delivery to most destinations within the contiguous 48 states, for an extra charge of $26.00 per address. If we receive your order by 6pm PT Monday through Friday, you'll receive your order the next business day; orders placed on Friday after 6pm PT through Sunday will arrive on Tuesday. Note: Next Day Delivery service is not available for some oversized items, White Glove Delivery, out of stock items, personalized items or for items shipped directly from the manufacturer.
View the complete Shipping and Delivery Information page.
You can return eligible item(s) within 30 days of receiving an order or 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery items for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required. Monogrammed items and Made to Order furniture or rugs are not eligible for returns. Review the full list of ineligible items and our refund policy below before starting the process.
Easy Ways to Return:
- Stores - You can return most non-furniture items to your local Pottery Barn store for free.
- Bring to UPS Location (under 70 lbs) – See our full Easy Returns Policy to start the process.
Ineligible Items
Items non-eligible for returns or exchanges:
- Monogrammed items
- Mattresses
- Gift cards
- Made to Order items, including custom rugs and furniture
- Final sale items (with prices ending in $.X7 or $.X9)
- Items damaged through normal wear and tear
Questions? See our full Easy Returns Policy.


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As I have said before, I am not really a Turkey fan, but these Turkey tacos came close to making me one!
Turkey Tacos|This Is Why I'm Full
We bought fancy tortillas for these, instead of our usual 80 tortillas for $3 we splurged and paid $3 for 10 tortillas, and what a difference! They were delicious! Not to mention much better for you than the average tortilla (not that I put much stock into what people say is good and bad for you, that list changes too often for me to keep track!) Anyway, so here is my delicious Turkey taco recipe! Stay tuned, in the not too distant future the Hubby and I are planning on trying (and probably failing at first) to make our own tortillas!!
Let us know what you think of these Turkey Tacos and comment below with any questions/suggestions! Be sure and sign up for our Newsletter where we will be posting and sending out recipes we are going to make and giving you the opportunity to give us suggestions for what we should make next! Enjoy!
Print Recipe
|Prep Time
|4 -6
|5 minutes
|Cook Time
|15 minutes
Turkey Tacos
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 10-12 whole corn or flour tortillas which ever you prefer
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Tapatio
- 1 tsp Taco seasoning
- Add the Turkey, Salsa, Garlic, Tapatio, and taco seasoning to a medium sized skillet
- Simmer on medium heat until Turkey is cooked
- Cook on high heat for a few minutes to reduce to liquid in the pan
- Heat tortillas however you like (in a pan with butter is always a good choice!)
- Serve roughly 2 tbsp of your Turkey onto each tortilla
- Top with whatever you like! As you can see we went with Guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes~
- Enjoy!


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Farm Practices
With less than 2 percent of the U.S. population involved in farming today, many people don't have the opportunity to visit a dairy farm.
Add the fact that most people are three or four generations removed from the farm, and you find a pretty big information gap. The information below will help you bridge that agricultural gap and learn more about the farm practices that take place every day on dairy farms here in Florida, and all around the country.
Cow Care
Treating animals with respect and compassion is part of every dairy farmer's heritage. Simply put, no dairy farmer can succeed without healthy and content cows.
Dairy Quality
Milk is among the most highly regulated foods in the country. Maintaining milk's freshness and quality is a job that starts at the farm and continues through processing.
Environmental Safeguards
There's an old saying about farmers being the first environmentalists. Caring for the land, water and air remains a daily commitment by dairy farmers. Most dairy farmers make their home at the farm, giving them even more incentive to be a good neighbor and protect natural resources.
Modern Technology
Farmers have a vested interest in protecting wetlands, eco-diversity and other natural resources. For centuries, they've used traditional methods such as crop rotation and mulching to preserve the fertility of the land. Today, dairy farmers have even more options at their disposal to help reduce their environmental footprint.
Safekeeping Farms
The dairy industry works hand-in-hand with government agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others to safeguard the nation's milk supply.
Making the Grade
Environmental practices on all dairy farms are tightly regulated by both federal and state agencies. While requirements vary from state to state, dairy farmers strive to meet these standards consistently. In fact, many farmers go beyond what is asked of them.


text: Main Content Senate Bill 0177 (2019) rss? friendly link printer friendly Friendly Link: http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2019-SB-0177 Sponsors Jim Ananich (district 27)Kevin Daley (click name to see bills sponsored by that person) Categories Animals: other; State agencies (existing): agriculture and rural development; Animals; other; reference to animal industry act in Michigan aquaculture act; modify citations. Amends secs. 6 & 8 of 1996 PA 199 (MCL 286.876 & 286.878). Bill Documents Bill Document Formatting Information [x] The following bill formatting applies to the 2019-2020 session:- New language in an amendatory bill will be shown in BOLD AND UPPERCASE.- Language to be removed will be stricken.- Amendments made by the House will be blue with square brackets, such as: [House amended text].- Amendments made by the Senate will be red with double greater/lesser than symbols, such as: <<Senate amended text>>. (gray icons indicate that the action did not occur or that the document is not available) Documents Senate Introduced Bill Introduced bills appear as they were introduced and reflect no subsequent amendments or changes. As Passed by the Senate As Passed by the Senate is the bill, as introduced, that includes any adopted Senate amendments. As Passed by the House As Passed by the House is the bill, as received from the Senate, that includes any adopted House amendments. Senate Enrolled Bill Enrolled bill is the version passed in identical form by both houses of the Legislature. Bill Analysis History (House actions in lowercase, Senate actions in UPPERCASE) Date JournalAction 3/7/2019SJ 24 Pg. 207INTRODUCED BY SENATOR JIM ANANICH 3/7/2019SJ 24 Pg. 207REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE


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Build Your Own Basket
$10.00 $4.99
PURCHASE A BASKET THEN PROCEED TO SELECT THE ITEMS DESIRED. You can fill your basket with any products, any scents and the sizes desired. Please note your order cannot be processed for a basket alone if additional items are not selected.
Your basket can also include Gift Cards - You will be taken to another page to purchase of gift cards The basket will include all information for using the eGift Card.


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Wholesale Men's Shoes Loafer Slip On Plain Toe Dress Boots NFR2
Product Details
Wholesale Men's Shoes Loafer Slip On Plain Toe Dress Boots NFR2
Looking for footwear suited for frigid weather? These trendy, stylish and always chic boots we've got will be on the top of your wish list! Make a living but keep the trend living, is all the words that every working or adventurous guys should live by.
- Made from quality and finest materials to guarantee you total customer satisfaction
- Features a plain design and unadorned vamp
- Simple looking clean and unassuming
- They can be worn fashionably sans-socks or with socks but better be black. Just try it!
- Quality soles for longer usage
- A general everyday wear
- Stylish outside to keep you trendy while working
- This come in 12 pairs


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Home > GUTTERING AND DOWNPIPES > FloPlast Half Round Gutter and Round Downpipes
Brand: FloPlast
4mm x 30mm Stainless Steel Self Tapping Pan Head Screws - approx 100.
These No.8 x 1 1/4" (4mm x 30mm) Stainless Steel Self Tapping Pan Head Screws are for use when fixing the Gutter and Downpipe Brackets. These are ideal for use in coastal areas where normal screws may suffer from salt corrosion.
works perfect with the gutter brackets and stainless too
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Red Rawl Plugs for 3mm - 5mm screws (No.6 - No.10) - box of 100£1.99SELECT COLOUR
Small Hinged Screw Caps - for 3mm (No.6) & 4mm (No.8) screws - 100 approx£4.49SELECT COLOUR
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20th January!
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*excludes delivery charges
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*Purchase Of Handles Required (Sold Separately)
The internal configuration of the Bertazzoni 36" bottom mount refrigerator is designed for maximum flexibility. The storage capacity is 14 cubic feet of refrigerator volume and 3.7 cubic feet of FlexMode. The FlexMode Refrigerator-Freezer allow to switch bottom compartment between freezer and refrigerator with one touch. Interior LED lighting on top and sides provide optimized interior illumination on all levels with minimal energy consumption. Integrated water filter connected to water line ensures regular production of ice cubes of customizable size.
Products and packaging are 99% recyclable.
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I know most people consider women who read relationship self-help books pathetic and needlessly desperate. I must admit that I had very few expectations when I picked up Sherry Argov's Why Men Love Bitches.
I certainly was not expecting what I eventually found out. Needless to say, I didn't know this book was a national bestseller, I embarrassingly found out after I began bragging to a few colleagues about the book. Perhaps not knowing about the book gave me a clearer lens to review the book.
From the onset, I really thought the book would be more in favor of women. I thought the book would give us women, the recipe for why men cheat. After I began reading the first couple of pages, that was not the case. In essence, Argov chronicled her interactions with men and her observations of others' relationships with men to create a list of 100 attraction principles that essentially women should follow if they wanted to keep a man.
The book advocates that while it may all be well and good to act nice to men, your nice girl demeanor does not guarantee that you will keep a man. In Argov's mind, men love women who are assertive, self-assured, empowered, fearless and independent. Argov redefined the age old derogatory word bitch by asserting that a bitch maintains her independence, doesn't pursue men, is mysterious, leaves a man wanting more, has a sense of humor, maintains self-control, and values herself highly. The book seeks to transform the generous, over-considerate woman, who Argov dubs the doormat into the high demand dream girl aka the Bitch.
To be honest, there were points in the book where I had to question my actions in previous relationships with men. From time to time, the book will have you tossing your head saying, "Oh that's why it never worked out with him," or "That's why he never asked me on a second date."
I can't imagine which woman would have the most terrifying time reading this book, the woman who's been a relationship with her boyfriend for three years who is just beginning to understand why the relationship is stagnant or the single woman who found the answers to why she can't find the one. I would imagine the single woman may feel a loss of hope.
I would like to go on a limb here and say that Argov was not trying to step on anyone's toes or terrify anyone when she wrote this book. I think she wanted to empower women to think about how they were killing their relationships. In essence, men love bitches and women need to be bitches to get a man.
I feel so horrible writing that women need to be bitches as I don't subscribe to the notion that a woman must be submissive to a man and I've learnt the hard way that no one likes the uptight, you'll never be good enough for me woman. Luckily the bitch that the book encourages us to become is nothing like the traditional bitch. Instead, the dream girl bitch is right in the middle of the nice girl and over the zealous sharp-tongued woman.
Between my feelings of disbelief, awe and laughter I've pulled out the top 15 reasons from the book that helps to explain why men love bitches. Here are some of my personal favorites.
Essentially men love women who understand that:
Attraction principle 6:
It is your attitude about yourself that a man will adopt.
Attraction principle 9:
If the choice is between her dignity and having a relationship, the bitch will prioritize her dignity above all else. 100. The most attractive quality of all is dignity.
Attraction principle 10:
When a woman doesn't give in easily and doesn't appear docile or submissive, it becomes more stimulating to obtain her.
Attraction principle 15:
Whenever a woman requires too many things from a man, he'll resent it. Let him give what he wants to give freely; then observe who he is.
Attraction principle 21 and 26:
-If a man has to wait before he sleeps with a woman, he'll not only perceive her as more beautiful, he'll also take him time to appreciate who she is.
-Bad habits are easier to form than good ones, because good habits require conscious effort. Waiting encourages this effort.
Attraction principle 39:
Men don't respond to words. They respond to no contact.
Attraction principle 41:
Men respect women who communicate in a succinct way, because it's the language men use to talk to one another.
Attraction principle 45:
A woman looks more secure in a man's eyes when he can't pull her away from her life, because she is content with her life.
Attraction principle 52 and 59:
-When you nag, he tunes you out. But when you speak with your actions, he pays attention.
-When you nag, you become the problem, and he deals with it by tuning you out. But when you don't nag, he deals with the problem.
Attraction principle 73 and 77:
Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself or speak your mind. It will not only earn his respect, in some cases it will even turn him on. 77. You have to show that you won't accept mistreatment. Then you will keep his respect.
Attraction principle 76:
He'll never respect you as being able to hold your own unless you can stand on your own two feet financially.
Attraction principle 80:
The ability to choose how you want to live, and the ability to choose how you want to be treated are the two things that give you more power than any material object ever will.
Attraction principle 83:
Regardless of how pretty a woman is, looks alone will not sustain his respect. Appearance may pull him in, but it is your independence that will keep him turned on.
Attraction principle 97 and 98:
-A "yes" woman who gives too much sends the impression that she believes in the man more than she believes in herself. Men view this as weakness not kindness.
-Be an independent thinker at all times, and ignore anyone who attempts to define you in a limiting way.
Attraction principle 99:
Truly powerful people don't explain why they want respect. They simply don't engage someone who doesn't give it to them.
I'm conflicted between a few of the principles as to what's the real reason why men love bitches. If you've read the book already you'd notice that I haven't included any principles about sexual intimacy.
I've chosen the points in a way that encourage women to be self-assured, in all honesty, a man genuinely loves a woman who transcends beyond physical beauty, material objects, and sex. A man loves a woman who has a life of her own and really doesn't rely on his presence for her existence.


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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia demanded Turkey do more to tackle militants in Syria's Idlib province and fulfil promises it made as part of a deal with Moscow last year, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
Turkey and Russia, the Syrian government's principal foreign ally, brokered a deal in September to create a demilitarised zone in the northwest Idlib region that would be evacuated of all heavy weapons and jihadist fighters.
The deal helped avert a government assault on the area, the last major bastion of opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.
Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Zakharova said the situation there was rapidly deteriorating and that militant fighters were trying to seize control of the entire de-escalation zone.
"Given the extremely difficult situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone, we expect our Turkish partners to activate their efforts to ultimately turn the tide and to fully carry out the obligations they took upon themselves...," Zakharova was quoted as saying by the foreign ministry.
The comments came with Russian President Vladimir Putin due to meet the leaders of Turkey and Iran next week at a summit in the southern Russian city of Sochi where they are expected to discuss Syria.
Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Andrew Osborn


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A recent LA Times article titled "Our film and video history is threatened by the rise of streaming video, I say it's not.
I'm not sure if this is a question of preservation and access or nostalgia. Physical media is ever changing, ultimately rendering current archival technology obsolete. No one can preserve everything. Should everything be preserved?
VHS granted access to the masses (and was the original peer-to-peer piracy platform) at the cost of absolute terrible initial quality and constant degrading video fidelity. I dare say people who miss that medium are simply nostalgic for some transformative period in their lives and are seeking, actively or passively, some evocative reminder of times deemed the good ole days, like a song that's only a favorite because it happened to be playing when you had your first kiss.
Films that warrant an audience will find an audience, they always have and barring utter physical destruction that will continue. Peer-to-peer sharing, streaming, digital archives and die hard film enthusiast will find a way to make these films available to any and all who are interested, even if it's on VHS.


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20 days in stunning places. Surrounded by amazing people. Connecting with exceptional mentors & entrepreneurs.
Can we get an Amen?
Let's face it - life is more fun when you break out from routine. You'd like to travel more, but you can't take on a full vacation.
Fortunately, the digital economy is ushering us into an era where people can work and live anywhere! This is where we come in. 4 times a year we travel to exceptional places where we learn, grow, and discover - together.
Vacations are limited - workcations are endless.
Here's to adventure!
How does it work?
1. Read about our trips
2. Let's chat
3. Book your seat
Things to expect from trips
Unique travel destinations
As a community we seek unique experiences and to do that we source local knowledge and collaborate with local organizers.
A comfortable stay
This is not your typical "nomad gone minimalistic" kind of group. Although we seek unique destinations, we're not compromising with a comfortable stay. Instead, we try to stay in comfortable Airbnb's and have people stay close to each other.
There is no compromising on wifi - the co-working places we secure must have super fast internet connection or it is a no-go.
Mentors & Community
Collectively we are fortunate to be connected to some amazing mentors who all have their unique background, skillsets and vast networks. By joining a retreats, our mentors become your mentors. You also gain access to a truly unique community of global entrepreneurs that will exist even after you leave.
During your stay, there is likely to be workshops relevant for people working in the digital economy and for people looking for personal growth.
Truly there is no way you can travel 20 days, soaked in exotic culture, colliding with upbeat, positive, world traveling entrepreneurs, exploring a stunningly beautiful area - without it making your brainwaves smile.
Who is this for?
We come from different places - some have regular jobs, and some work remotely - some are parts of a companies' team, but most join as individuals. What connects us is that we work digitally, we love sharing travel experiences with other brilliant people, and we love to grow personally as much as professionally. Every group is unique, but typically most of us are curious, eager, upbeat, adventurous and open. Sharing is a big part of a community like this - either our experience, knowledge, thoughts, and beliefs - we give, without necessarily the expectations of getting anything back.
Is this a business?
No. Although we do charge a entrance fee, this is just to cover administrative costs. We are a community, not a lifestyle business. We've chosen this approach because 1) it attracts the right people, 2) We're not in it for the money and 3) booking an Airbnb, securing a local SIM card and booking flights is not that hard.


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The military personnel of a country are responsible for safeguarding it. The government compensates them well and also takes care of them after retirement by providing pension. But they have families and needs just like ordinary people and there are times when they need that extra cash.
They can of course take care of unforeseen expenses by overdrawing their account but chances are that they have already done that and the fees charged by banks are very high. There may arise situations when they have issued checks for payment and have realized too late that they have insufficient funds in the account. If funds are not arranged for immediately, the checks will bounce inviting hefty fees and even legal hassles. A military payday loan is the best option in such situations.
A payday loan which is issued to military personal to be repaid within 14 days or the next payday in a lump sum or in installments over successive paydays is called a military payday loan.
A military payday loan has a unique feature which other normal payday loans do not have – strict regulation by the government. The government does not want its military personnel to be exploited by unscrupulous payday lenders who left to themselves would charge very high fees for military payday loans. The government regulates not only the fees which include interest and processing charges but also the loan amount ceiling and the terms of a military payday loan. It does not want the people of the military to get embroiled in debt. So borrowing a military payday loan is a tad difficult compared to other payday loans especially if the amount is large.
A military payday loan is to be taken only in an emergency. It is the last resort when there is urgent need for money. It is not to be considered as a regular source of money.


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Our pastor, Bryan Laue, loves to share the simple, clear message of God's love. His sermons and his life do not reflect a complex and confusing gospel but rather a gospel that can be easily understood by all. His desire is to encourage you with the assurance that Jesus Christ is our friend and savior, and that you can surrender you life to Him with joy and peace.
Pastor Bryan is an inquisitive student of God's word and seeks daily to understand better what it means to be a "servant of Christ Jesus" (Romans 1:1). He enjoys working with young people on the campus of Upper Columbia Academy and has a heart for evangelism and discipling.
As a pastor and a Bible teacher, Pastor Bryan leads a busy schedule. In addition to pastoral and teaching responsibilities, he and his wife, April, are raising two very energetic boys and an adventurous girl. While kids, school and work keeps them on the go, they still take time to be with family and enjoy activities like camping, hiking, traveling and backpacking.
Early Life
Pastor Bryan grew up in Texas and attended both private and public schools near San Antonio. He loves the outdoors and was actively involved in Pathfinders and served as Pathfinder Director during his senior year in high school. Bryan also worked at several summer camps throughout most of his high school and college years.
Bryan attended Southwestern Adventist University in Texas. Following his freshman year, he spent a year as a student missionary in the country of Peru in South America. It was there that he accepted the call from God t
o enter pastoral ministry. In 2003 he graduated from Southwestern Adventist University with a degree in theology.
After graduating from Southwestern, Bryan spent seven months training lay pastors and working with Adventist Frontier Missions in Papua New Guinea.
April and Bryan met while working at a summer camp in Southern California. They dated for three years and were married in June of 2004. April has finished her BS in dietetics. Bryan and April presently have three children, son Levi, daughter Sydney and son Issac.
Pastoral Experience
After returning from the mission field, Bryan pastored in southern Louisiana before attending the se
minary at Andrews University and earning a masters of divinity degree. After receiving his Master's of Divinity from Andrews in 2008, Bryan and April moved to West Monroe, Louisiana where Bryan served the as the pastor of the Westlakes a
nd Jonesboro churches for four years. During this time, Bryan was ordained to the gospel ministry and served on the conference evangelism and executive committee.
After ministering in Louisiana, Bryan and April moved to Pennsylvania to serve as pastor of the Gettysburg and Hanover churches for four and half years. During his time there he began working on his doctorate through Andrews University. His focus is on the areas of apologetics and faith development among young adults.
It was while working in Pennsylvania that God called Bryan and his family to be the pastor here at the Upper Columbia Academy Church.While here, Bryan's duties include pastoral care and leadership for our congregation, as well as involvement with teaching a freshmen, sophomore and junior Bible class at the academy.


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Children's Books
New Adult Readers Recommended Book List
A Long Walk to Water
When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. See also When My Name was Keoko by Park. (also eBook)
Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood
Astonished to learn that the father she never knew is actually Bollywood's biggest celebrity, Abby travels to Mumbai to meet her father and struggles with cultural differences, the challenges of her identity, and her changing sense of self.
Because of Winn-Dixie
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie. (also audiobook, eAudio, 2005 movie)
Benny and Omar
Twelve-year-old Benny, a fanatic for the sport of hurling, moves to Tunisia, North Africa, when his father is transferred and has a hard time adjusting to the new land until he meets Omar.
Boys Without Names
Eleven-year-old Gopal and his family leave their rural Indian village for life with his uncle in Mumbai, but when they arrive his father goes missing and Gopal ends up locked in a sweatshop from which there is no escape. See also Blue Jasmine by Sheth.
Bud, Not Buddy
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids. (also audiobook, eBook)
Counting by 7s
Twelve-year-old genius and outsider Willow Chance must figure out how to connect with other people and find a surrogate family for herself after her parents are killed in a car accident. (also audiobook)
Esperanza Rising
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression. (also audiobook)
When a new, white student nicknamed "The Jesus Boy" joins her sixth grade class in the winter of 1971, Frannie's growing friendship with him makes her start to see some things in a new light.
Guys Write for Guys Read
Divided into such areas as Sports, Thrillers, Funny Business and Other Worlds, these anthologies are filled with great stories for guys of any age.
Describes the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, particularly as it affects Sachi, who becomes one of the Hiroshima Maidens. (also eAudio)
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site. (also audiobook, eAudio, eBook, 2006 movie.)
How Tia Lola Came to Visit Stay
Although ten-year-old Miguel is at first embarrassed by his colorful aunt, Tia Lola, when she comes to Vermont from the Dominican Republic to stay with his family, he learns to love her.
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
In 1947, a Chinese girl comes to Brooklyn where she becomes Americanized at school, in her apartment building, and by her love for baseball.
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
To the constant disappointment of his mother and teacher, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his perscription medicine wears off and he starts acting wired. (also audiobook)
Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories about Growing Up Scieszka
How did Jon Scieszka get so funny? He grew up as one of six brothers with Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, and jokes told at family dinner.
Little House in the Big Woods
A year in the life of two young girls growing up on the Wisconsin frontier. (also audiobook, television series.)
Child genius, Matilda, applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security. (also audiobook, eAudio, 2005 movie)
My Side of the Mountain
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.
One Crazy Summer
In 1968, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive in California to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp. (also audiobook, eAudio)
Out of My Mind
Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time. (also audiobook, eAudio)
Red Ridin' in the Hood: And Other Cuentos
A collection of well-known tales, retold from a Hispanic American perspective.
Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.
Sarah, Plain and Tall
When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay. (also audiobook, eBook, 2002 movie.)
One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled inner-city into a productive and beautiful garden, and in doing so, the gardeners are themselves transformed. (also audiobook)
The Breadwinner
Because the Taliban rulers of Kabul, Afghanistan, impose strict limitations on women's freedom and behavior, eleven-year-old Parvana must disguise herself as a boy so that her family can survive after her father's arrest.
Tuck Everlasting
A family accidentally stumbles upon a spring with water endowing them with the gift of eternal life. Seventy years later, a young girl discovers them and learns their secret. (also on audiobook, 2002 movie)
Walk Two Moons
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left. (also audiobook)


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Having been involved in our community, I have worked hard for positive changes. I have spent my time serving on non-profit boards within the arts community, domestic violence advocacy, animal welfare advocacy, scholarship fund organizations, neighborhood associations and in our childrens' school. Now, its time for me to take the next step.
My family and I are pleased to announce my intent for candidacy for the Texas House of Representatives in District 28. I want to represent the citizens of Katy, Cinco Ranch, Fulshear, Simonton, Orchard, Aliana and all the areas in between.
I have been watching the state cut funding to our public schools and see programs like Head Start almost eliminated. I have seen our classrooms become more and more crowded. I have watched as this state refused federal funding to expand Texas' Medicaid program, which would provide healthcare to more pregnant women, low income children and those with disabilities. I have seen women's rights, voting rights, the LGBT community and immigrants come under attack.
However, in order to make these changes, I need to launch an aggressive campaign. My opponent is a 6 time incumbent who has run unopposed for the last 3 terms. A doctor by trade, I have watched him vote against the Medicaid expansion 3 days after an interview lauding it's benefits during the 2015 session. I have seen the same man propose $2.4 Billion in Medicaid cuts in the 2017 session.
For me to be successful and affect positive change in our state, it will require grassroots efforts, and I can't do it alone. Brochures, yard signs, flyers, advertising, a website, social media and community events. That's why I'm turning to people who know me best, who know my heart and know that all I want to do is make this state better for all of those who live here. To educate our kids properly. To ensure women, children and the disabled have access to the medical care they need. To honor the promises this state made to our veterans with the Hazlewood Act.
Thank you for your encouragement and your support.
Meghan Scoggins
Candidate for TX House of Representatives- District 28


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Sea Dragons
Thank you! We will contact you when the item is available.
Your order will ship on or around the release date
6/1/07 School Library Journal
Simple sentences in large print are combined with bright, colorful underwater photographs in these easy readers. Starting with a brief explanation, such as "Sea dragons are a kind of fish," information is provided on where these creatures are found ("Most seals live along the ocean shore"); specific body parts ("A stingray has eyes on the top of its body"); how they protect themselves ("Sea anemones hide clown fish from other fish"); and what they eat ("A stingray eats fish, worms, shrimp, and clams"). The books include a reference to FactSurfer.com. On most pages, more than three fourths of the page is covered with an eye-catching photo; some pictures are full spreads. These titles help to introduce the marine world to the very young in a pleasant yet educational manner. For more information, try Miriam Gross's The Sea Dragon and The Stingray (both Rosen, 2006), which also have great photos. Doe Boyle's Coral Reef Hideaway: The Story of the Clown Anemonefish (1995) and Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld's Seal Pup Grows Up (1994, both Soundprints) are both kid-appealing standbys with true-to-life illustrations and information in a story format.
RELATED SUBJECTS: Ocean Habitats , Fish and Marine Life , Animal Camouflage
Sea Dragons
Library Binding


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From an article The Washington Examiner' (h/t Greenie Watch):
"New science curriculum standards for United States schools, expected to be unveiled this week, include an increased emphasis on man-made climate change from kindergarten through 12th grade. Climate change is already a part of many schools' science curriculum, but the new guidelines significantly expand the topic and are expected to be adopted by 41 states.
The Next Generation Science Standards teach that "Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth's mean surface temperature ('global warming')," according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute."
But, thank goodness, the journalist writing this, a Michal Conger, is no dupe like so many of her profession in this area. She notes the recent reservations about including climate in UK curricula for under-14s, and goes on to write:
"What the Times fails to note is that man-made global warming is hardly a consensus theory among scientists. Several new studies show the earth hasn't gotten any warmer in at least the last decade.
"It's a shame that American school kids are being taught claims of certitude on an isse that continues to unravel before our eyes," Marc Morano, communications director for Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, told The Washington Examiner.
The U.K. newspaper The Daily Telegraph, German magazine Der Spiegel, and The Economist have all recently acknowledged the evidence suggesting global warming isn't the catastrophe climate change advocates want school children to think it is."
It seems these new curriculum standards are not compulsory, but they may well be adopted by dozens of States. I wonder if some of the children themselves might deal with them, as per Ian Plimer's vision of highly-informed pupils asking difficult questions? (posts about Plimer's book on this site are here, here, here and here). Then the teachers, that most docile of professions as far as the content of their work is concerned, might start asking questions themselves. Such as, 'Why should we push propaganda in our classes that even the children can see through?', or even, 'I wonder what harm we are doing to the young by presenting them with this ill-founded, poisonous, and destructive world-view?'


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GRATITUDE – warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; very thankful.
Welcome to the Blog Party! This week's topic is Gratitude. This means we are looking for everything and anything on the topic! Tips and tools for encouraging gratitude, gratitude games, lists… old favorites or one of the latest posts, literally Everything and Anything on the topic are all welcome. I'm going to start things off by sharing three posts I think speak beautifully on this topic.
This has been a remarkable week of Gratitude if you missed anything I would also highly recommend a peek back in the week's posts!
Here are my Saturday finds. Check them out and add your own finds in the linky below. Remember NEW and OLD posts by you and others are welcome, just tell us when you are sharing someone else's work!
- I'm So Grateful, I Survived. – powerful and poignant recollection from June Collins "Would daylight never come? I hate the nights. They drag on endlessly in dark silence."
- Cultivating Gratitude – via Happylan "When the little (and big!) stresses of everyday life start to come at me, it is easy to lose sight of one important fact; have so much to be grateful for."
- 9 New Ways to Practice Gratitude -by Molly Mahar "So how do you practice gratitude, outside of the nightly gratitude journal or blessings list? Here are some new ideas!"
Here are the ground rules for this party:
- Share NEW and OLD posts on the topic. This is your chance to share your favorite posts. If they fit the topic and you think we could benefit it doesn't matter when you wrote it. Wisdom is timeless!
- If you don't have a full post to share, consider leaving a comment sharing something for which you are grateful!
- Share your's and other's posts! Ran across a timely tidbit? Let us hear about it too! When sharing someone else's posts please designate this by putting an *asterisk before the listing and please say submitted by using your name or blog name.
- Have Fun! I hope to make this party a fun and valuable addition to your weekly blog hopping.
Note:If you don't have a blog to share, photos, ETSY collections and essays are most welcome. Let me know if you need help linking them up!
I look forward to visiting all the treasures YOU add to the collection!
Outrageous Joy,
P.S. Next week we will be "Speaking of Moxie" and looking for posts and places that will foster this Bliss Habit!
MOXIE – The ability to face difficulty with spirit and courage; vigor; verve; pep.


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Dr. David Lamb appointed Chief of Othopaedics at University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro
Dr. David Lamb has been appointed Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. Dr. Lamb took over from another POA physician, Dr. Gutowski who had been Chief since 2001. Dr. Lamb has been an attending physician specializing in Spine Surgery at Princeton since 1997. Dr. Lamb received his medical degree…Read more.
- Posted on: Oct 17 2014
- Leave a reponse


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In early 1974, Dr. Henry Kissinger while having drinks with a fellow German expatriate, got to talking about the content of the Nixon tapes, future of the Republican Party and cloning while having cocktails in a D.C. lounge of a hotel.
The two German men agonized over the future of their adopted land. If not Nixon than who could lead their party and nation into the future? Both men agreed that there was nobody as intelligent and suited for the political arena quite like Richard Nixon. Since the days of the Red Scare, Ike and unbridled American growth and prosperity, the Republican Party had floundered. Advanced minds had to ensure the survival of America as it should be and as the Republicans had made it.
"Vat vood eet mean ethically to clone someone? To allow someone to leeve twice een a sense… Vat do you think, herr Doctor?"
"Ethics? There ees no such thing as ethics, mein doctor. There ees thee thin veil of the appearance of somezing acceptable and palatable for zee common everyday slob who seets een front of a television and allows a talking head like Valter Conkrite to steer their emotions and sentiments… So een short, mein doctor… Fuck vat the people might think. This ees for their own goods. Intelligent people run the voorld. Intelligent people make things happen."
So it was that the genetic physiologist who was content making duplicate sheep, set out to find a good candidate to house the seed of Richard Nixon. The woman they found was a tall woman who was interested in having a baby for the sum of $100,000.00 knowing that she would not keep the child. The baby was born in Yorba Linda, California, in a very rudimentary building that was in an industrial park next to small factories that made plastic toys for adult pleasure and duped super 8 adult films, the second coming of Richard Nixon had taken place. Baby Nixon was born healthy and whole and was taken across country to live with a rich Republican fund-raiser whose wife's seed could find no purchase. The couple lovingly raised the homely boy as their own for a good six months before a horrible gun accident killed the couple in their own living room.
"I told you that I do not want fire arms in this house with the baby around. Everyday you read about people who get killed inadvertently by a loaded gun."
"If I told you once, I told you a million times; the communists are hopped up and roaming the streets of D.C., do you want one of them to kill us and rob us? The communists have not been the same ever since getting the right to vote and the death of Martin Luther King."
"You are a silly man. Why call the coloreds, communists? That's your code word that nobody can figure out? I want these guns out today."
And with that, the gun discharged and put a hole in her husband's forehead and out the base of his spine the size a golf ball. She was so grief-stricken by what she did that she immediately turned the gun on herself. The Mrs.'s gay coiffure who came to the house weekly to do her hair, entered the house to find the baby playing on the floor alone, not far from two pools of blood. The hairstylist thought about what to do and decided that the thing to do was put on a pair of rubber gloves, collect all evidence of a child living in the home and take the child to raise as his own with his communist partner. Once again, fuck ethics.
The seed of Richard Nixon grew up with the name Martin John Lipshultz-Jefferson. He was named after Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and then took the last name of his white and Jewish father and of his other black dad.
Young Martin John was bright and a talented piano player but aspired to be a lawyer and wanted to serve the people. Martin John applied to Duke University, received a degree in law, met a Quaker woman, bought a dog and named it Checkers and before long, Martin John was a promising congressman from Orange County California. It was in a D.C. hotel that Dr. Henry Kissinger and the infamous physiologist met the congressman and greeted him like proud parents. The only two people in the entire world who knew that knew that Martin John Lipshultz-Jefferson was in fact the second coming of Richard Nixon. Dr. Kissinger took Martin John's hands in his own like a proud father and spoke softly and prophetically.
"Vee need you to run for president in 2016. Vee need you to resolve issues Weeth China and end thee vaars we have no business fighting. Thees man who ees running these country into the ground ees nothing but a criminal… Are you up to zee task of being president, son?"
"It's so strange that you ask. I have wanted to be president ever since my two fathers signed me up for a pottery class. I can remember making clay pots on a wheel for my two father's gift for Father's Day and suddenly thought about being the president one day. It was during the impeachment hearings of President Clinton… It was at that moment in time that I decided I needed to one day be president. I listened to the president's lies as a thirteen year old boy during the hearings and I told myself that people have to know that their president is honest. Well I can tell you the People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got…"
And with that, the two German men began to cry tears of happiness. They hugged each other and hugged the young congressman who had at just that moment decided to launch his campaign for the presidency of the United States of America where all men are created equal… and some are created from DNA of other men. Amen.


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YOLO Colours is one of 20 finalists in 2017 Sage Small Business Awards with 702.
YOLO Colours represents a range of high-quality, plastic rotomoulded products, for composting, outdoor and garden needs, explains founder Lisa De Speville.
The first product developed under the company was the YOLO Compost Tumbler, made for families that are conscious of their green footprint.
We want to do better in our households, we don't want to just throw everything out in the trash.— Lisa De Speville, Director of YOLO Colours
The YOLO Compost Tumbler is an odour-free and efficient way to reduce your contribution to landfill by composting your organic kitchen waste.
Whether, homes have a large garden, small garden or no garden at all, De Speville says their product will work.
Take a listen to this business story and visit the 702 SBA website for more:


text:
A mid-19th century lava cameo bracelet, circa 1870 © 2002-2009 Bonhams 1793 Ltd.,
The six cameos, produced in different coloured lava, carved to depict portraits of Renaissance artists, to include Raphael, Giotto di Bondone, Antonio Correggio and Salvator Rosa, their names in Italian engraved on the back of each cameo, one metal connecting link deficient, length 16.5cm., cased. Estimate: £500 - 700
Bonhams. Jewellery, 10 Feb 2010. Knightsbridge www.bonhams.com


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Friday, March 20, 2009
After losing my faith, I began to see life not as a place to be good, but as a place offering nothing valuable but pleasure. If I had an ambitious personality or a strong need for money, I might have seen achievement or economic success as the goal to live for. But for me, a life of simple comfort was the best you could do. Instead of respecting some principle, it made sense to me for the atheist to follow his personality, even if his personality sucked.
Of course, it's not rational to be a short-term pleasure seeker, because if you were in every way, your life would quickly be ruined. But I could never convince myself to be a perfect long-term hedonist. The psychology of "take it easy" was too powerful. It would be easy to argue that much of my train of thought described above was not rational; much of it, indeed, was driven by the interaction between thinking and personality.
But was this experience limited to just me? I have been called an oddball more than once, I assure you.
The Longitudinal Study of Violence Against Women asked male college students how much they agreed with, "I often do whatever brings me pleasure here and now, even at the cost of some distant goal." Answers ranged from 1 for "strongly disagree" to 4 for "strongly agree." Students were also asked how much influence religion has on them.
Mean instant gratification score by influence of religion
None 2.17
Some 2.09
Fair amount 1.93
Great deal 1.56
The difference between the "nones" and the "great deals" is two-thirds of a standard deviation. Looks like I'm not alone.
To the extent that outlook and values matter, I can think of few things more valuable than a culture of self-discipline. But the plot thickens: the other one that immediately popped into my head was devotion to the pursuit of truth, a commitment I think atheists can make a strong claim to.
2 comments:
The Audacious Epigone pointed at Charles Murray's recent (superb) essay which encapsulates this problem of a hedonistic lifestyle in this memorable section:ReplyDelete
"That mentality goes something like this: Human beings are a collection of chemicals that activate and, after a period of time, deactivate. The purpose of life is to while away the intervening time as pleasantly as possible.
If that's the purpose of life, then work is not a vocation, but something that interferes with the higher good of leisure. If that's the purpose of life, why have a child, when children are so much trouble—and, after all, what good are they, really? If that's the purpose of life, why spend it worrying about neighbors? If that's the purpose of life, what could possibly be the attraction of a religion that says otherwise?"
I saw a high school soccer player wearing a practice shirt that read "Discipline is freedom". Probably the coolest piece of clothing I've seen in a decade.ReplyDelete
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Pied Beauty
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Glory be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trades, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spáre, strange;
Whatever is fickle, frecklèd (who knows how?)
With swíft, slów; sweet, sóur; adázzle, dím;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is pást change:
Práise hím.
Michael Graves recites Pied Beauty
The poet William Butler Yeats referred to himself as "the last romantic", and while I know he meant that in the broader sense of his company with Keats, I also know he must have winked as he said it. Romance is a popular topic, but it's a cheap drink these days. The beating heart of romance is beauty, and like Yeats wrote elsewhere in his poem Adam's Curse, we "must labor to be beautiful."
When God made the world it was "very good" but sin's scar runs deep. We scratch and claw at the earth to make it yield fruit and every effort of man to reclaim paradise is an imperfect, losing battle. We all share the poet's agony of at once answering the call of God's image wherein we were created, yet struggle to see true beauty through the darkened glass behind which we are imprisoned.
In Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me, Karen Swallow Prior says this:
This is what Hopkins' poem "Pied Beauty" is about. And what it is, too. Not only does its content celebrate the beauty of "all things counter" and "strange," but the form of the poem itself is irregular, from the new words Hopkins creates out of strange combinations ("fathers-forth") to his invented pattern of sound using "sprung rhythm," to the very structure of the poem. The structure mimics a sonnet, but then breaks all the rules of the form, none more dramatically than the abrupt, foreshortened end of the poem with the two sudden words of finality, "Praise him." Praise him, the poems asks—no, commands—for the awkward things: the fickle, the freckled, the big teeth, the three-legged dogs, the girls that act like boys, and those that are "Pretty Plus." There is, the poem reminds us, a certain kind of beauty that arises only from imperfection—or pain.By the time I read Hopkins' poem for the first time, I had long outgrown writing horse poems, I'd grown into my barrel belly and big teeth, and witnessed the fading of my freckles. I had become a teacher and become surer of myself. I could celebrate knowingly with the poet all things spare and strange because I had overcome feeling so myself, mostly. I had come to see that poetry was not a means of escape, but rather an art of reconciliation. For poetry is made in the discovery of resemblances. It seeks likenesses, even amidst the strangeness of differences. Perhaps this is what Hopkins knew, and feared enough to burn.
How is the power of the strange different from the power of beauty? How is it the same?
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Dig Deeper
Literature, Liturgy & The Arts
Gerard Manley Hopkins
by Terry Glaspey
Preview of Literary Life's Summer Book
Who would ever have guessed that a quiet, bookish priest who never saw his poems published during his lifetime would be lauded today as one of the great innovators in the history of poetry? At his death in 1889, Gerard Manley Hopkins left behind a collection of poems that celebrate the glory of God in nature, ponder the darkness and confusion of life, and wrestle with his relationship to God. These faith-filled poems were so ahead of their time, their meter so odd and eccentric, that it took many years before his accomplishments were fully appreciated and embraced.
On first reading, many of Hopkins's poems might strike the reader as obscure and obtuse, just a little too erudite for their own good. But when revisited, they reveal profound and universal spiritual insights communicated in a unique off-kilter style, which necessitate a bit of patience and contemplation for their fullness to be grasped. Hopkins unfailingly finds fresh and startling ways of expressing himself as, for example, in this hyphen-laden description of Jesus from one of his poems: "The heaven-flung, heart-fleshed, maiden-furled / Miracle-in-Mary-of-flame, / Mid-numbered He in three of the thunder-throne!"1 Each rhythmic phrase reveals an important truth about Jesus, as they gather and rise in a trinitarian crescendo of praise.
Hopkins's poems need to be read aloud to be fully appreciated, for he wrote with his ear, concerned with the way the words rhyme and chime in their breathless building upon each other, and using hyphens to join neighboring thoughts together. Syntax is ruptured, words are inverted and invented, and distinct patterns of sound are created. He called his rhythmic patterns "sprung rhythm."
Hopkins's theological conviction that each and every thing has its own particular qualities that make it unique led him to his conception of "inscape." To understand the "inscape" of an object is to understand the purposes for which God created that particular object, to see the grandeur and splendor within it. So, in many of his poems, he sought to disclose the inscape he perceived in the created world. In "Pied Beauty," for example, he writes with ecstatic joy and urgency:
Glory be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.
Gerard Manley Hopkins was born in England in 1844 into an Anglican family that valued music, poetry, and painting. His father was an amateur poet, and Hopkins wrote his first poem at age ten. An excellent student, he won a scholarship to Oxford, where he distinguished himself as an outstanding scholar in the classics. At age twenty-one he underwent a moral and spiritual crisis from which he emerged as a confirmed Catholic, received into the church by the famous theologian John Henry Newman. Two years later he decided to join the Jesuit order, and in a fit of pious self-denial burned all of the poetry he had written up until that point. (He later referred to this impulsive act as "the slaughter of the innocents.") At this point in time he believed that writing poetry would be a distraction from his spiritual focus, and so he determined that he would not write any more poetry unless requested to do so by his superiors in the Jesuit order.
For the next seven years Hopkins did not compose a single poem, surely a painful sacrifice for one who so loved words. Then a tragedy that made news all over the world provided an unexpected opportunity. An ocean liner carrying a group of nuns fleeing religious persecution went down in a storm, and all aboard drowned. The rector of the college where Hopkins was studying asked him to write something about the tragic incident, and the result was a long poem called "The Wreck of the Deutschland." The verse that came spilling out from him perhaps shows the effect of bottling up his talent for so long. The poem was as turbulent as the event he was commemorating—a passionate meditation on the mystery of God's ways, written in a rhythmic style that plunges forward with an unexpected meter that ignores standard grammatical rules while revealing his intense emotional reaction to the event. With this poem, Hopkins had found a poetic voice that was uniquely his own. When submitted for publication it was accepted, though never published. But now that the poetic door had been reopened, he began to compose verse again, and would for the remainder of his life.
After his ordination in 1877, Hopkins served in pastoral and teaching positions for the remainder of his short life in London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Oxford, Lancashire, and finally Dublin. He was never much of a success either as a priest or as a teacher, as his style of communication was too erudite and elliptical for popular consumption, but he was loved and admired for his gentle spirit, his humor, and his holiness. Throughout these assignments, he struggled with persistent health issues and was prone to periods of deep depression, so he used his poems as a way to explore his own spiritual and emotional battles. These poems have been labeled as his "Terrible Sonnets," filled as they are with questions, fears, and an awareness of his own fragility and failure.
When he was assigned to move to Dublin and teach classics, Hopkins again wrestled with the feeling that he was a failure and that no one really understood him. His health was in fragile state, and the cold, damp climate took its toll; when he contracted typhoid fever it made short work of him. As he lay on his deathbed, though, after receiving the sacraments, he spoke his last words as a final testimony to his life, murmuring, "I am happy, so happy." It was not until twenty-nine years after his death that his poems finally saw the light of day when they were prepared for publication in 1918 by his friend and fellow poet Robert Bridges in a volume titled simply Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Hopkins saw the sacred presence all about him, and in many of his poems he celebrated the ways that nature itself gushed about God's glory. In his poem "God's Grandeur," he wrote of a world that remains fresh and infused with the Spirit despite its neglect and abuse by generations of human beings:
The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell; the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent world broods
With warm breast and ah! bright wings.
In other poems, however, it is his honesty about the seeming absence of God that fuels the verse, especially in his later "Terrible Sonnets." When, in fits of discouragement and depression, Hopkins could not sense God's presence, he explored the terror of being left to his own devices and ached over his failures—including the fact that his poetry largely went unread. "All my undertakings miscarry," he wrote in his journal.4 In such a state he felt the strong temptation toward despair, but would not ultimately surrender to it, declaring in one poem, "Not, I'll not, carrion comfort, / Despair, not feast on thee."5 But sometimes, feeling alone and abandoned, and smarting from the perception he had been neglected by God, he wrote poems that reflected the intense lover's quarrel he had with the Lord. Such wrestling brought great pain—agony—but it also earned a hard-won comfort that God loved him enough to purge him of his sin and make him new.
Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote his poems for a small audience—himself and his God. He could never have imagined that he would be so widely read, or that his poetic innovations would influence so many later poets. In his own eyes, he was a failure—as a priest, as a teacher, as a poet, even as a human being. But perhaps he would have agreed that it doesn't really matter how one appears in one's own eyes but only how one appears in the eyes of God. Though we might lose faith in him, he does not lose faith in us. He will not leave us alone in the deadness of our sin, for as Hopkins reminds us, God is always ready to "easter in us."
Terry Glaspey, 75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know: The Fascinating Stories behind Great Works of Art, Literature, Music, and Film (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2015).
Karen Swallow Prior
Karen Swallow Prior is Professor of English at Liberty University and an award-winning teacher. She is a contributing writer for The Atlantic.com and for Christianity Today, where she blogs frequently at Her.meneutics. Her writing has appeared in Relevant, Think Christian, and Salvo. She is a Research Fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, a member of INK: A Creative Collective, and a member of the Faith Advisory Council of the Humane Society of the United States.
Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me
Booked draws on classics like Great Expectations, delights such as Charlotte's Web, the poetry of Hopkins and Donne, and more. This thoughtful, straight-up memoir will be pure pleasure for book-lovers, teachers, and anyone who has struggled to find a way to articulate the inexpressible through a love of story.


text:
A new study suggests that there may be an effective alternative to medication for the treatment of depression: probiotic bacteria found in yogurt.
Researchers found that Lactobacillus - "friendly" bacteria present in live-cultured yogurt - reversed depressive-like behavior in mice by altering their gut microbiome, the population of microorganisms that reside in the intestines.
The study authors - from the University of Virginia School of Medicine - believe it is possible that the probiotic could do the same for humans.
"The big hope for this kind of research is that we won't need to bother with complex drugs and side effects when we can just play with the microbiome," says lead researcher Alban Gaultier, Ph.D., of the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia at Virginia.
"It would be magical just to change your diet, to change the bacteria you take, and fix your health - and your mood," he adds.
An increasing number of studies have indicated that the gut microbiome plays a significant role in mental health. Research published in 2014, for example, found that probiotics - which boost the abundance of friendly gut bacteria - reduced anxiety and stress in adults.
Low Lactobacillus levels led to depression-like symptoms in mice
For this latest study - published in the journal Scientific Reports - Gaultier and team sought to determine if and how the gut microbiome plays a role in depression.
First, the researchers analyzed the gut microbiome of mice before and after they were exposed to stress. "When you're stressed, you increase your chance of being depressed, and that's been known for a long, long time," notes Gaultier.
The team found that stress led to the loss of Lactobacillus in the rodents' guts, and this led to the onset of depression-like symptoms.
Further investigation revealed that levels of Lactobacillus in the gut influence levels of a blood metabolite called kynurenine, which previous studies have associated with the development of depression.
In this study, when Lactobacillus levels in the mice were decreased, levels of kynurenine increased, and this led to the development of depression-like symptoms.
"This is the most consistent change we've seen across different experiments and different settings we call microbiome profiles," says study co-author Ioana Marin, also of the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia. "This is a consistent change. We see Lactobacillus levels correlate directly with the behavior of these mice."
Lactobacillus supplementation reversed depression-like symptoms
Next, the researchers supplemented the diets of the stressed mice with a strain of Lactobacillus called Lactobacillus reuteri for 3 weeks.
Not only were the rodents' Lactobacillus levels replenished as a result, but their depression-like symptoms were also reversed.
These findings indicate that including Lactobacillus in the diet has the potential to treat depression by increasing kynurenine levels, though the researchers caution that much more research is needed to confirm this theory.
"There has been some work in humans and quite a bit in animal models talking about how this metabolite, kynurenine, can influence behavior," notes Marin. "It's something produced with inflammation that we know is connected with depression. But the question still remains: How? How does this molecule affect the brain? What are the processes? This is the road we want to take."
In the meantime, the researchers say that there is no harm in patients with depression including yogurt in their diet. However, they stress that these individuals should not discontinue any medications without talking to their doctors.
Learn how a probiotic could help to ease symptoms of hay fever.


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We were on scene within thirty minutes, and were quickly escorted by boat to the platform.
As we got close, we could see the structure was being used by Brandt's cormorants as a nesting site - there were about twenty or so empty nests - rounded, shallow mounds of seaweed and grasses, covered in a thick layer guano.
Sadly, we found both birds were dead.
We discovered something really interesting, though. The birds' legs were tangled in fishing line, but the line was part of the material used to construct their nest!
After cutting the bodies free and removing the remainder of exposed line, we cut tangles of fishing line from nests within reach.
How sad - the parents can't tell the difference between soft, spongy clumps of seaweed or grasses and wads of errant fishing line.
|A wad of fishing line mistaken for a clump of dried sea grass.