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Medical use of cannabinoids – analysis of Brazilian authorities' position
This is an Insight article, written by a selected partner as part of IAM's co-published content. Read more on Insight
The medical use of cannabidiol – one of several cannabinoids found in plants belonging to the cannabis genus – has increased significantly over the past two decades.
The medical use of cannabidiol – one of several cannabinoids found in plants belonging to the cannabis genus – has increased significantly over the past two decades. However, the use of cannabis derivatives dates back 2,700 years. A shaman grave from an ancient race that lived in the Gobi Desert was found in the Xinjiang-Uighur autonomous region of China, containing approximately 1 kilogram of cannabis which may have been used for medical purposes such as pain relief. This may be the oldest and most well-documented use of cannabis derivatives for therapeutic purposes.
Cannabidiol is known for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic and chemopreventive activities. Different from tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – another cannabinoid present in cannabis which has psychoactive properties – cannabidiol does not seem to provide the hallucinogenic effects of THC, but rather has a neuroprotective effect on some areas of the brain. Even so, pharmaceutical products containing THC are allowed in some countries, provided that a certain amount of this compound is not exceeded. There is some research proving that cannabidiol reduces THC side effects and that a combination of these two cannabinoids provides a synergistic effect, which means that the combination produces an effect that is greater than their individual effects. Therefore, the effects of such a combination can have a positive impact on the treatment of patients suffering from a number of diseases (eg, cancer).
Every year, new studies prove that cannabinoid compounds are potentially effective against several disorders (eg, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and autism) and their effect over other diseases is being consistently researched worldwide. Even the use of cannabinoids in children is being researched in order to treat epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric disorders, but extra care must be taken to avoid the risk of addiction and other side effects.
Most developed countries, particularly in Europe and North America, authorised the therapeutic use of cannabis sativa derivatives many years ago. Some have already authorised recreational use, which corresponds to use for personal amusement, limited to a certain amount per year. Illustrative examples of how this issue is handled by local governments will be discussed in this chapter, with particular emphasis on patent rights.
North America: US case
In the United States, eight jurisdictions allow cannabis for recreational and medical use. Exclusive medical use is allowed in most states, although they do not follow the same rules. Curiously enough, according to US federal law, the use – whether recreational or medical – and possession of cannabis are prohibited. This occurs because states have the right to their own state law, which may deviate from federal law in some aspects. On the other hand, the US Patent and Trademark Office appears to have no rule against the patentability of cannabis-derived products and processes, and patentees are free to protect the results of their research related to the plant and its derivatives without any legal restriction in terms of patent law, although local patent attorneys believe that the fact that the drug is considered illegal by federal law would impact the enforcement of cannabis-related patents. To add more fuel to the fire, despite the fact that the Drug Enforcement Administration classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug (which means that it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse), the US government created controversy as a result of US Patent 6,630,507 (granted on October 7 2013), assigned to "the United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services". This patent refers to a method of treating diseases caused by oxidative stress (eg, ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases), comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a cannabinoid – preferably cannabidiol – to a subject in need thereof. No lawsuits have been filed on this matter thus far, but it is likely that this will change in the near future, raising the debate on how a court litigation involving a cannabis-related patent should be decided (namely whether based on federal or on state law).
European case
Medical use of cannabis products is allowed in several European countries (including Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy and Spain), but each country has the right to its own legislation to rule on its therapeutic use. There are some rules common to all European countries, such as the prohibition on smoking cannabinoids for medical purposes. Cannabis products are usually sold in Europe as capsules, mouth sprays or dried flowers for vaporisation. One of the most popular products – Sativex (available from GVV Pharmaceuticals) – has been approved in more than 20 European countries to treat spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis and contains a combination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol. In respect of legal prohibitions in terms of patent protection, European legislation differs from US patent law, since the European Patent Convention (Article 53(a)) establishes that European patents will not be granted to inventions whose commercial exploitation would be contrary to ordre public or morality. Consequently, even if granted by the European Patent Office, it seems that patents granted to products or processes related to cannabis would not be easily enforced or could even be nullified based on Article 53(a) of the European Patent Convention.
South America: Brazilian case
South American countries have also legalised cannabis for either medical or recreational use (or both). Uruguay has the most flexible rules in South America when it comes to legal use of the cannabis plant, where three types of use are legal:
- medical;
- recreational;
- and industrial.
In Brazil, although it has been proved that cannabidiol, to some extent, does not provide the psychoactive effects attributed to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the use of any cannabis sativa derivatives remains controversial. Before 2015 the only way to obtain government authorisation to import cannabidiol derivatives for therapeutic purposes was by filing a court action and proving the need for this type of treatment, which also had to be supported by a clinical report from a renowned Brazilian medical institution. In 2015 the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) issued guidelines (RDC 17/2015) defining the procedures and criteria to import cannabidiol-based products on an exceptional basis for the personal therapeutic use of individuals, provided that the patient is registered at ANVISA and there is a prescription made by a qualified professional. According to these guidelines, importation is made on an exceptional basis, which shows that the authorisation is not easily obtained and may take some time. It is also possible to obtain authorisation to cultivate cannabis sativa for individual medicinal use, but such authorisation must be obtained by filing a request to a criminal judge. In other words, there is no administrative procedure to cultivate cannabis in Brazil other than by taking legal measures.
In 2017 ANVISA finally announced that rules to regularise cultivation of cannabis for research and medicinal production should be published in 2018. This is probably due to the increased number of court actions being filed before Brazilian courts requesting permission to cultivate cannabis for individual use, since approximately 3,000 Brazilian patients treat diseases by using cannabis derivatives and this number keeps growing every year. One important step that demonstrates the government's goodwill to simplify local rules is the granting of registration to Mevatyl, a combination of THC and cannabidiol to treat moderate to severe spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis. Mevatyl, registered in the name of Beaufour Ipsen Farmacêutica, is the Brazilian medicine corresponding to Sativex and is the first cannabis-derived product registered by ANVISA. Before Mevatyl, the registration of cannabidiol-based products in Brazil, for pharmaceutical or any other use, was prohibited. After the successful registration of Mevatyl, it is believed that many other pharmaceutical companies will be encouraged to apply for registration of other similar products with the aim of commercialising cannabis-derived products in Brazil as soon as allowed by ANVISA.
The position adopted by the Brazilian Patent Office (BPO) is more restrictive than that of the regulatory agency and it appears that no changes will be implemented in the near future. Any patent application that mentions cannabis sativa derivatives, even if not specifically claimed, will be rejected by the BPO due to Article 18(I) of the Industrial Property Law, which establishes that everything that is "contrary to moral, good habits and public security, order and health" will be regarded as non-patentable subject matter. Moreover, even if by any chance the BPO did not take into consideration the citation of cannabis in patent applications, Article 229-C of the Industrial Property Law would lead to the same outcome - namely, the permanent rejection of the patent application. This article establishes that "the grant of patents for pharmaceutical products and processes shall depend upon the prior approval from the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA)". Thus, the submission of all patent applications related to pharmaceutical products and processes to ANVISA is mandatory, since without ANVISA's prior approval a patent will not be granted in Brazil. ANVISA's procedure was simplified in 2017, compared to previous prosecution in which ANVISA had the right to analyse patentability requirements along with public health issues. The current procedure limits ANVISA to analysing health issues and the only way to obtain prior consent denied by ANVISA is to file an application comprising one or more substances which are prohibited in Brazil. As the cannabis sativa plant and its derivatives are included on ANVISA's list of prohibited substances, it is easy to conclude that ANVISA denies prior approval to all applications that mention the cannabis sativa plant and its derivatives, even if the citation is made only in the specification.
In view of the present scenario, it is possible to infer that the legalisation of cannabis in Brazil is a matter of prohibition regarding regulatory aspects, and in terms of the protection of patent rights. Such a strict position puts innovative companies in a 'danger zone', since their patent applications will not be allowed in Brazil unless the therapeutic use of cannabis sativa is recognised and legalised. Nevertheless, if this legal prohibition suddenly ends and the government decides to regularise medical use of cannabis, it may be too late for a number of patent applications that have already been rejected by the BPO or that have never been filed due to the BPO's strict position. As a result, many investments in the research and development of cannabidiol-based medicine would be lost and innovators' achievements would be in the public domain, a fact that can discourage pharmaceutical companies to invest in the Brazilian market, resulting in harm to patients.
Montaury Pimenta, Machado & Vieira de Mello
Avenida Almirante Barroso, 139, 7º andar, Centro
Rio de Janeiro - RJ 20.031-005
Tel +55 21 2524 0510
Fax +55 21 2240 1524
Gabriela Salerno is a partner in Montaury Pimenta, Machado & Vieira de Mello's patent department. She graduated with a BSc in chemical engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She advises her clients on a wide range of technical issues regarding patent prosecution, particularly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields. She is the current chairman of the Biotechnology Committee of the Brazilian Association of Intellectual Property. Ms Salerno has a background in innovation management and coordinating projects relating to competitive intelligence.


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Most pug owners are familiar with an adorable face like this looking up at them any time they are enjoying a meal or snack. The closer you get to finishing your dish, the more desperate your pug seems to become… even if they've just eaten a bowl full of their own food moments ago. It can be so hard to say no to those big brown eyes!
Photo by Christopher Michel

subset: commoncrawl


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Examination of Witnesses (Questions 47-59)
MR DAVID FURSDON and MR NICK WAY
47. Now we have the Country Land and Business Association. Mr David Fursdon, Vice President, and Mr Nick Way, Director of Policy and Advisory Services, welcome to the Committee. I will just repeat what you have no doubt been told ad infinitum. We are not inviting you to decorate a Christmas tree with all the things you wish the Department would do, but is the Department well founded? Is the concept right? Does it know what it is doing and, if it knows what it is doing, is it able to do it with the machinery and equipment it has got? That is the thrust of what this inquiry is about. Can I start by perhaps asking the question I have just asked of your predecessors? If we were two years down the road as opposed to now, what would be the three criteria you would publish to judge whether DEFRA was useful?
(Mr Fursdon) Shall I start by saying first that I would like to see that there were opportunities for rural businesses to be profitable and that I would include agriculture in that list. That first and foremost would enable a lot of other things to be delivered, such as landscape and environmental effects. I would say that an opportunity for profitable activity within the rural sector would be my first.
(Mr Way) I would put forward as the first of the other two a development in DEFRA's approach to implementing EU legislation which at the moment is very much through the regulatory role. We note that the Environment Agency is looking at more incentive and advice based methods to achieve its pollution prevention and control objectives. We are interested in that and by two years' time we would like to see progress having been made so that action taken by businesses, including farmers, in agreement with the Environment Agency achieves those ends with less need for costly regulation. The third one would be clear signs of increased influence from DEFRA on the policies of other Whitehall departments, in particular in the delivery of rural service standards, the access to services in rural areas.
48. The Department, when it was set up of course, there was a big old fight because the word "agriculture" did not appear and a compromise was found by putting the word "food" in. Do you think that is symptomatic of something and, if so, what is it? In your submission you say that there is no sign of vision as to the importance that profitable farming plays in a thriving countryside, so you are implying that it is rather more than finding a sort of nifty acronym for what it is saying about government priorities and that that is a mistake, like the chap who turns up at a wedding without a tie.
(Mr Fursdon) From our point of view the Ministry was obviously seen as a champion of farming. Whether or not it was all the time that is how it was seen. As such, through the original Ministry it was very difficult to get objective analysis of what was being done because it was almost as if you could see where it was coming from. A number of us have had to diversify into other activities in rural areas and we needed recognition that there was a department that also had a rural remit to parallel what was happening in rural areas and the sorts of concerns that people had. From my point of view, yes, the lack of a title is not a specific problem but in making that move there is a danger that the actual farming aspects are not being given a high enough priority.
49. Can I ask finally the question that again I asked the previous witnesses, which is, to what extent do you think that down the pyramid, or the bit of the iceberg underneath the water, things have changed? Are people competent? I am sorry to ask such a brutal question, but are they competent? Is there major need for re-training? Are there middle management problems in the Department?
(Mr Fursdon) It comes back to the first answer I gave you about priority. One of our concerns is that there is sometimes a lack of understanding of what is involved at the front line, a practical understanding of how businesses have to operate and the things they have to cope with. A number of comments have been made about secondments and that sort of thing. I feel sometimes that there is a lack of understanding of quite what decisions you have to take if you are trying to run a business, in other words how to balance the decisions you have to make. I have experience in the south west and in general the feeling has been that there is a great deal of goodwill to try and help but sometimes a lack of understanding of the practicalities that face a farmer or a rural businessman on a day to day basis.
(Mr Way) The officials who came to DEFRA came principally from MAFF and DETR and on the MAFF side in particular came with a considerable knowledge of the workings of an interventionist agricultural policy, and on the DETR side with particular experience either from the Countryside Directorate or from environmental pollution prevention and control. What we are asking DEFRA to develop now is a coherent rural policy within the rural affairs part of its remit. In order to do that we see that there are certain essential elements that must be present if the rural area is to be successful. One of those would be agriculture but others would be other land based businesses and conservation and the provision of rural services. To us the policies for each of those are inter-linked in that they have effects on the others. What we have yet to see in DEFRA, as you say, as it works down the pyramid, is a comprehension which I think must come out of contact with outsiders and local contact of the nature of those inter-relationships and why, for example, farming is important, not only for producing food but for being the basis of stewardship, etc. If an objective is set only for faming in terms of productivity and the real price of food in the shops then another objective of farming, to provide enough capacity to provide stewardship and indeed employment in rural areas, may be lost.
Mr Mitchell
50. But you also indicate the fact that food manufacture and the food service industry will move offshore unless British agriculture remains profitable. To what extent is that just rhetorical rural monte and to what extent is it based on evidence?
(Mr Fursdon) We were quite careful about how we worded that comment. We feel that it is a gamble. We do not have evidence that this will definitely happen but we feel that the consequences of it would be so damaging that it is a risk that is probably not worth taking and we are not sure that it would be very many governments that would take the risk of losing that.
(Mr Way) I would put in one example, I think, and one contentious example to come. The one example is what is going to happen in the dairy sector where we have seen increased imports of semi-processed and processed products, and the other one perhaps in the future is what is happening in our egg production industry where the government may be taking a decision to put the industry on a different footing in terms of regulation from much of the rest of Europe. Certainly the egg production industry have voiced their concerns that sourcing of materials from outside the UK will be followed by, at least initially, the semi-processed stage of production of egg products.
51. That is because of economics; it is not especially regulation. In the main this is a threat you are conjuring up to frighten government on the grounds that the farmers cannot roll up the ground and leave with it but the manufacturing side can. There is no need to help the farmers particularly because they are stuck, but the manufacturers are a different proposition.
(Mr Way) What we are saying is that whilst there is still a worldwide (at least amongst the developed world) system of agricultural production support, and we have made recommendations over the years as to how that might change, so long as that is there, one consideration or one factor in the profitability of British agriculture will be the extent to which government supports UK agriculture compared with how other developed countries support their agriculture and amongst those other developed countries we have certainly seen a desire to maintain that support partly because of their fear that food manufacturing would disappear. The fear that we have is not only our own.
52. That is true, but the main threat to profitability in agriculture, as in food production, is the exchange rate, not regulation.
(Mr Way) We would cite both as the biggest threats to profitability.
53. The main one?
(Mr Way) We would put the exchange rate top.
54. I want to go on to that because you are saying in terms of regulation that the department's vision needs to be adjusted to achieve policy objectives in a non-regulatory fashion, and particularly under Kyoto the implementation of European legislation on environmental protection, conservation of landscape and biodiversity can be best achieved by non-regulatory methods or broad stewardship. First, you do accept those objectives, do you?
(Mr Way) Yes.
55. So you think that a stewardship scheme is the best way of achieving them rather than direct regulation, but of course those regulations would also apply, wherever they come in here, on a European basis, so that is no inducement to fiddle our way through it here, whereas it has been imposed on other European countries. We cannot opt out in other words. I am saying we will have to do our own thing.
(Mr Fursdon) the regulatory approach is sometimes not European-wide. To take one example from hedgerow legislation, which was introduced in order to preserve hedges, which I think we would all want to see, the problem with it is that it does not always do the trick because in practice you will see that there is legislation, however you try and word it, that tries to protect hedges, but in practice hedges require maintenance and what happens is that the sheep start to run the hedge down and they run it down a bit more and at no stage has the farmer done anything wrong but there is a slow decline in the value of that bit of the environment. If, however, you look at the other end of the scale, I stayed in a farm bed-and-breakfast last week with somebody who was the tenant farmer who had completely been converted to the whole idea of environmental stewardship. He was in the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, he was proud of what he was doing, he was taking people who were staying in bed-and-breakfast on guided walks across his farm, and the whole idea and approach was a very different one from the sort of approach you get when faced with regulation and the sort of bristling that you get with people saying, "Well, okay, I am not allowed to do it but I am certainly not going to put myself out". You just accept the regulation. There is a whole educational concept which we would be in favour of about involving people in this way of dealing with regulations.
56. Nobody is against stewardship, nobody is against co-operation. They are good things. The basic problem is whether you can achieve the objectives in terms of Kyoto and in terms of environmental protection without intervention and without regulation. In dealing with hedges you are getting, if you will forgive me, the trimmings. That is comparatively a minor matter. The basic issues can only be forwarded by regulation and your objective is really a kind of laissez-faire economic objection to regulation rather than a statement that the objectives could be achieved without regulation.
(Mr Way) Can I put some more flesh on the bones because we have put our heads above the parapet on this one? There already is legislation about pollution prevention and control. We are not proposing to replace that. Indeed, agriculture is strictly regulated in this regard. When we talk about Kyoto and conservation and stewardship and so on, we are talking about how to achieve government objectives to enhance and maintain the environmental quality of landscape and biodiversity. On Kyoto, for example, we produced last year a document which attempted to relate the impact of climate change to the rural economy and to provide some ways in which active players in the rural economy could mitigate climate change and provide some benefit to the wider public. We put forward three in particular. One, agri-environment in terms of soil management practices, we believe could be a practical way to improve the carbon balance of farming and carbon in the soil. Secondly, on water management and indeed flood management, we have proposed that washland agreements between land managers and public authorities are a better way forward to organise emergency storage of water in case of flood to protect cities and others than an approach which is directed entirely by the Environment Agency. Thirdly, we talked about carbon sequestration in trees. A lot more work needs to be done on this but we do believe, and we are doing quite a lot ourselves, that trees offer, so long as they are properly managed, a way forward for carbon sequestration. These are a way of achieving government objectives, not by saying, "Thou shalt not", but by guiding the way in which people behave. We have seen a development of this approach in SSSIs and positive management agreements, which we support, and now we are seeing the Environment Agency developing their approach to actually meeting existing regulation. At the risk of boring you, may I mention one example which I think shows what we are talking about and has happened in practice? Before Sweden and Finland joined the European Union they already had in place a more developed agri-environment system than we had and this has enabled them to meet the terms of the Nitrate Directive without having to take further regulatory action. That is a good example of how positive schemes can meet objectives of regulation, as you put it.
57. That is interesting. So you say you would like European regulation to work in that direction?
(Mr Way) Absolutely, and we would like it Europe-wide.
58. Fine. Is there an incompatibility between having DEFRA commit itself at one and the same time to ensuring that agriculture is profitable, objective one, and that the rural economy is competitive? Are these two objectives compatible?
(Mr Way) In our view they are not only compatible but necessary. We do not see agriculture as being divorced from the rest of the rural economy. We see it as needing to be integrated within the rural economy. This means that agriculture will have to provide more than just food in the future. It also means that some farming businesses, as we have already seen, will have to provide more than agriculture to survive but we think that there are complementarities there and not conflicts, so that one side benefits the other. We see agriculture as a backdrop for rural tourism and for inward investment, not as in conflict with those two. There are cases where it has been in conflict but in future we want to see it working together with the aims of tourism and we do see it as being an incentive to inward investment. We have seen that in the way that businesses like to set up in rural areas. That is where employees like to work in many cases.
(Mr Fursdon) I think there is a danger that unless there is some benefit built into the system for the environmental activities carried out by farmers you could end up with a situation where, if you are asking agriculture to be entirely competitive on a world market, it is unrealistic to expect it to do so and maintain and deliver the environmental benefits that everybody wants. That is the concern.
Mr Todd
59. You gave a couple of examples earlier of industries that might be moving offshore. I can see your point on egg production. In dairying the dairy sector regularly exceeds its quotas. There is no evidence of a fall in supply, I think, within our farming economy. Presumably therefore you are concerned about the downstream activities which must be affected by a combination of two factors. One is the exchange rate, as Austin has rightly pointed out, and the other is simply the competence of our processing sector to take up market opportunities.
(Mr Way) I suppose we are surprisedperhaps we should not bethat so many milk production businesses are continuing at, in many cases, 13p a litre.


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For Immediate Release
April 6, 2015
Technology Expert Mike Parks To Deliver Napa Keynote Speech
Anyone who doesn't think technology is rapidly changing needs only to think back to the 1990's when the only thing a cell phone could do was make or take a call. And anyone who doesn't think data matters isn't keeping up with its roll in setting the future of the self storage industry. The good news for those attending the California Self Storage Association's 3rd Annual West Coast Self Storage Owner's Conference May 13-15 in Napa is that the event's keynote speaker, Mike Parks, is an expert in both technology and data.
Parks, the Chief Deliver Officer of Systems in Motion, will be delivering a presentation titled "How Technology and Data Will Change the Storage Industry Over the Next Five Years" on Thursday, May 14 at the Westin Verasa Hotel, site of the CSSA gathering. Parks will provide valuable insight into strategic role data will play in the self storage business as the industry shifts to a digital customer acquisition model.
Today and tomorrow's technology will be very data driven and will likely rely on standards that are not yet available in the industry. Parks will explain how important these standards are and who should be creating them. He will touch upon the importance of data ownership and access, as well as the importance of sharing data among different systems.
"I am excited to get the opportunity to learn from Mike Parks at the CSSA Napa workshop," said Robert Chiti, President and CEO of OpenTech Alliance, Inc. "His insight into data ownership and access will be very valuable to self storage operators and vendors alike. Renting self storage units online is the next big shift to hit the self storage industry, but experts like Mike have seen this same shift in other industries years ago. I greatly look forward to his speech."
Previous to his role with Systems in Motion, Inc., Parks served as the Chief Information Officer of NorthPoint Communications Group, Inc. He also has worked as the Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo Bank where he headed the bank-wide integration efforts for the merger of Norwest and Wells Fargo. Parks previously served as Senior Vice President with SABRE Decision Technologies, a unit of AMR Corporation. And he also held a number of senior management positions with American Airlines, most recently as Vice President of Information Systems.
Not only is the West Coast Self Storage Owner's Conference one of the most popular events on the CSSA calendar thanks to its locale (Napa is hard to beat) but also because of the top-notch quality of its speakers.
"We love putting this event together because we know our members enjoy coming to Napa," said Erin King, Executive Director of the CSSA. "But we also know they want interesting and informative presentations, so bringing in speakers like Mike Parks is crucial to achieving that goal. We feel sure attendees will come away from Mr. Parks' speech enlightened and more prepared for the future."
To attend the 3rd Annual CSSA West Coast Self Storage Owner's Conference get your registration forms from the CSSA on its website (www.californiaselfstorage.org) or call 909-912-1962. Please make sure that you book through the CSSA room block by contacting the hotel directly at 1-888-627-7169. Registration cost: $200 for Owner members / $650 Vendor Member. Non-members pay the price of admission plus appropriate membership costs.
California Self Storage Association
5325 Elkhorn Blvd., #283
Sacramento, CA 95842
P: 888-CSSA-207 or 888-277-2207
EMAIL: firstname.lastname@example.com
Whether you're an Owner, Operator or Vendor we have a membership that is right for you.
Become a Member


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Every house tells a story
History as selling point: More real-estate agents are playing up a home's past
They had heard of the soft sell, but when David Brooks and his wife, Maureen Killian, went house-hunting on Cape Cod 18 months ago, they encountered a nonchalance on the part of professional home sellers that astonished them.
One agent, in shorts and sandals, lazily unfurled a property description that still makes Mr. Brooks laugh. "It's a cape on the Cape," Brooks remembers the agent saying. "Three bedrooms, like everything else around here."
The New Jersey couple shuffled through that house and several others, sizing up each one as a prospective summer getaway to which they could eventually retire. Tedium began to set in.
Then they met Diana Flink. Ms. Flink was the listing agent on a four-bedroom house in Harwich, Mass. Born in England and with a background in professional theater, Flink displayed a rather different approach to sales.
"I started peppering her with questions," recalls Brooks. "And she put her hand up and just said: 'All in due time. Let me present it to you as it ought to be presented.' " Flink waltzed them around, pointing out the various room shapes, weaving in stories about the home's builder and first occupant. Her stylish presentation was laced with color. Flink showed them the "hidy hole," for example, where the builder's daughter once hid her diary from a nosy brother.
"I didn't think I wanted a lot of backstory," Brooks says. "But it was pretty effective. In my mind a house speaks for itself, but she just put it in its absolute best light." The couple bought the house.
Storytelling - long a factor in many forms of selling - appears to be gaining as a tactic for getting an edge in the crowded field of residential real estate sales. Story-based home selling is most common toward the upper end of the price spectrum, a very active segment. (Coldwell Banker recently reported luxury-home sales up 23 percent in 2003 over the previous year, to $23.3 billion.) And it takes predictable regional twists: In southern California, for example, anecdotal links to celebrities are prized. But signs of real estate agents and private sellers trying some form of the practice appear at most levels and in every major region of the United States - with some in the business now making formal presentations of a home's story an integral part of the sell.
Forget "home staging," where firms swoop in, redecorate, and put some potpourri on the stove to boil. Forget "undecorating" to give prospective buyers a blank slate. And forget boilerplate bed-and-bath counts. As another home-selling season revs up for its run toward a late-summer peak, the sales may be in the tales. And even a midsize suburban tract house can have the makings of a good yarn.
"It's always possible," says Stan Barron, a real estate broker in Austin, Texas, who spends seven to 10 days researching a house before compiling an illustrated report to present to prospective buyers.
"That's the nice thing about marketing houses, as opposed to toothpaste," says Mr. Barron, a self-proclaimed fan of the David Ogilvy school of advertising, where stories add mystique. "There's almost always some little angle you can come up with. I'm looking for that story appeal from Day 1."
Some brokers eye angles with narrow appeal. Alisann Smookler, a broker with Keller Williams Southwest Realty in Scottsdale, Ariz., is now listing a traditional adobe house in nearby Fountain Hills. [Editor's note: The original version failed to state the full name of the realty.]
"This home is owned by a nationally known psychic," Ms. Smookler says, "so I took the bold move of marketing it as such, knowing this may deter some people from even walking into it."
In the weeks since she altered her ad copy to include some background about the home's "character and personality," she says, showings have increased 50 percent over the previous ad, which simply listed amenities.
More often, however, the sell is about a home's place in local or national history. At The Pinehills, a development in Plymouth, Mass., planners work with local historians in using tales of its early native and Colonial inhabitants to lure buyers.
Other examples are urban. Edna Gravenhorst is cofounder of 3 Nosey Broads, a St. Louis company that conducts research for builders who want to avoid harming historic homes and real estate agencies that hope to sell them. With rising frequency, Ms. Gravenhorst has been called in to compile histories and present them to prospective buyers. "Once you have this wonderful history book about the house, it's a great tool for the agents to use during an open house," she says.
Sellers don't always know what they have, or how to capitalize on it. Barron cites a home outside Austin that he recently sold. Scattered around its 25 acres were Civil War-era log cabins that the owners had discovered and restored.
Barron probed the owners about the cabins as he helped them prepare for the sale. They said, offhandedly, that a book had been written by the daughter of an early owner of the land. They had the only copy.
"It was a really touching story that told, in her own words - and I think people wrote more effectively in those days - this fascinating story about what it was like in the late 1800s living on the property," he says. "And I realized reading it that she was describing the same setting we saw today."
That story, he says, became the theme of a full-page ad he later wrote. "I was selling the nostalgia of that property."
"That's what you've got to sell, the nostalgia," says Blanche Evans, associate editor of Realty Times, an online real estate news service. "Otherwise it's just another old house. Any time you can tell a good story, that's going to 'romance' a property better than just the facts."
Home-seekers often appreciate being given a chance to make an emotional connection with a property, sellers say.
Also, today's buyers want to be educated, Ms. Evans notes. "The older housing inventory gets, the more important storytelling is going to be. We're suggesting that agents collect as much information as they can about the past of the home. I think the more information an agent can deliver, the more reassuring that is to the buyer."
Furnishing historical context can be a deal sealer. Last year, retirees James and Julia Dougherty headed up to Maine from Larchmont, N.Y., in search of a new home. Finding something storied was not a goal.
Like Brooks and Ms. Killian, they trudged through a series of houses that weren't quite right. Back home, using the Internet, Mr. Dougherty came across a 1775 house in Bowdoin that had belonged to the same family - the McKeens - since the early 1800s.
A broker took them to the place, a little Colonial nestled among Federals, and they met listing agent Tina Ellsworth. To Ms. Ellsworth, the property was more than a house.
"She was in direct contact with the three remaining members of the McKeen family," Ms. Dougherty recalls. "She was totally into the history."
The couple loved the long windows with their original glass. And though Dougherty sees a lot of work ahead before the house is livable, she's certain this house is the one - and that Ellsworth's sales approach was key. "It was the history," she says, "that got us."


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Dharma preaches that the purpose of human birth is God-realisation. The religious scriptures therefore impart guidance on how to undertake spiritual practice so as to be able to get closer to God in every incident of life, right from birth till death. Sanskars should be performed to get closer to God in the sixteen rituals in life from conception to marriage. These sanskars later help in improving spiritual practice.
Sanatan Dharma first narrated the theory of evolution. As per Sanatan Dharma, after taking birth in eighty-four lakh species, one gets a human birth. Darwin's theory of evolution reflects the same principle; but as per his theory, human birth is the peak of evolution. As per the Sankhyashastra (Science of numerology), human birth is an important step in evolution; because all other living beings do not have the freedom of thought and action. Humans have freedom of thought and action. As per Sankhyashastra, nature evolves all living beings step-by-step and ultimately takes them to Supreme God. As per Nature's principle, each individual undergoes ups and downs and finally reaches Supreme God. Humans will have to take lakhs of births if they follow nature in this manner; but due to the individual's freedom of thought and action, if he has proper direction and determination, he can get liberated in this birth itself.
Apart from the present birth, every individual has gone through many human births. At the time of death, the subtle-body leaves the gross body with the mind, and the gross body dies. At the time of a new birth, it acquires a new human body. In each birth, the mind evolves slowly.
1. Despite experiences from many births, why does every human have to again learn how to walk and talk ?
Many times, the interval between two births can be as vast as 500 to 1000 years. Not being in a habit of staying within a body for many years, the mind forgets the regulations of the body.
Even if the interval between two births is short, due to the new body, the mind takes time to adjust to the new brain, new blood vessels and to the movement of muscles in the body. Similarly, time is required for the thoughts to get expressed into words by using the brain and blood vessels through the voice box and other muscles.
2. Sanskar and the advancement of science
If an individual lives in a jungle right from the time of his birth and never comes into contact with humans, he will never be able to speak. A child learns to speak by listening to other people around him and understanding the emotions expressed through language. Furthermore, his language may have been different in the previous birth. It is obvious that his mind will take its own time to get accustomed to the new language. Even if it is the same language as in the previous birth, the dialects keep changing. For instance, there is a great difference between Marathi language spoken 600 years ago and the one spoken today.
Even if the mind is same, it is dependent on the body since it is related to the systems governed by the body; for example, till one reaches the stage of youth his sexual desire remains unexpressed. The mind manifests in the functioning of the brain and body, and hence, depending on the actions and skills of the body, the thoughts and skills are more widely expressed.
Due to advancement of science, especially in past one hundred years, there is a lot of change in equipments, techniques and facilities. If a man who died 600 years ago is reborn today, he might feel as if he is in heaven when he witnesses the technological marvels such as television, computers etc. He will have to get educated to become familiar with the working of these gadgets. Though Spirituality is a complete science in itself and has remained unchanged, the technological inventions will be very useful in comprehending spiritual science. In addition, while studying Spirituality, the examples will have to be taken from the modern times instead of those from the earlier times.
3. With the new body, the mind also needs to be trained to act accordingly
If the members of the family where a child is born use filthy language while communicating with each other, the child will also learn to speak the same language. If he takes birth in a family where chanting of God's Name, devotional songs, singing of hymns etc. go on daily, he will be habituated to chanting, and will imbibe good sanskar.
With this, the education and sanskars of the previous birth will be of help in this birth as well. For example, if an individual was a master musician in the previous birth, he will be able to make exceptional progress in learning music in a short time in the present birth. If an individual was spiritually evolved in his previous birth, he will be naturally inclined towards Spirituality in this birth. Adi Shankaracharya used to teach Vedas and explain their meanings from the age of eight. Bhagawan Shrikrushṇa says in the Shrimadbhagwadgeeta –
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते ।
– Shrimadbhagwadgeeta, Adhyaya 6, Shloka 41
A Yogi (Spiritually evolved individual) who has not reached the state of self-realization in the present birth takes rebirth in the house of a sattvik (Sattva-predominant) or a wealthy individual. Normally, most Saints are born in families that have spiritual inclination.
An individual addicted to alcohol or cigarettes in the previous birth will take birth in a family where its members are addicted to alcohol or cigarettes. Conversely, a sattvik individual will take birth in a family where the environment is sattvik. Hence, if we want our children to be good, we must have a sattvik diet, habits and conduct and be sattvik in our thoughts and attitude.
Reference : Sanatan Sanstha's Holy text 'Sixteen Sanskars' and 'How to inculcate good sanskars in children ?'


text:
Round 1
1. Kansas City (2-14) - Geno Smith, quarterback, West Virginia - For the first time in a couple years, their is a genuine battle for who will be the number one pick in the draft. About eight weeks ago, Smith appeared to have this spot locked up. However, the 6-foot-3, 215 pound quarterback struggle mightily in the last four or five games of the season, highlighted by an awful performance vs. Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl. However, with theChiefs desperate need for a quarterback, I believe that after a flirtation with prospects likeDamontre Moore and Bjoern Werner, they will decide to take the potential franchise quarterback. The Chiefs could also use a wide receiver, pass rusher, and cornerback.
2. Jacksonville (2-14) - Damontre Moore, 4-3 defensive end, Texas A&M - The Jaguars, who could use a quarterback, two pass rushers, a cornerback, and some interior defensive line help, are in an interesting spot here. Unlike last year, their is simply no quarterback worthy of this pick. So, the Jaguars will be in a spot to improve their dreadful pass rush, by selecting either Moore, Werner, Lotulelei, or Jones. I have Moore as the highest of the four prospects and also as the best pure pass rusher of the four so I have him mocked their. Much like with the Chiefs pick, their is a lot of uncertainty around this selection and I am sure it will change a lot as we get closer to April's draft.
3. Oakland (4-12) - Star Lotulelei, defensive tackle, Utah - This is actually the easiest of the first three choices because the Raiders biggest need is by far a pass rushing defensive tackle. They could also use a pair of outside linebackers, a cornerback or two and a safety. Simply put, they could really use help all over the defense as well as on the offensive line. With Lotulelei, the Raiders are getting a freakish athlete for a man that is over 320 pounds. Star uses his hands very well and is going to be capable of making a huge impact right away.
4. Philadelphia (4-12) - Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle, Texas A&M - The Eagles have a number of needs this year, including tackle, cornerback, linebacker, and possibly quarterback. Luckily for them, the best player available also fills their biggest need as Joeckel could immediately come in and protect Vick or Foles' blindside (he would likely play right tackle if Vick was the QB). Joeckel excels in both pass blocking and run blocking and has all of the tools looked for in an elite offensive tackle prospect. He did an unbelievable job protecting the Heisman Trophy winner's blindside and kept possible top ten pick, Jake Matthews, playing right tackle.
5. Detroit (4-12) - Bjoern Werner, 4-3 defensive end, Florida State - The Lions need to improve their defense on all three levels along with trying to improve their offensive line. Their biggest need is at defensive end, where they lack a guy who demands double teams or even simply attention from the tight ends. Werner, who I have rated above Jarvis Jones, is a tenacious player who uses his hands in a violent fashion. He rarely, if ever, gives up on plays and he has good strength. He is not going to wow you with his athleticism but he will wow you with his production.
6. Cleveland (5-11) - Jarvis Jones, 3-4 outside linebacker, 4-3 defensive end, Georgia - Jones is a versatile prospect who is often mis-evaluated. Many say Jones is a freak pass rusher who struggles against the run but those people could not be more wrong. Jones, while being a good to borderline elite pass rushing prospect, really thrives in run support. He is the best run support outside linebacker to come along in a while. He engages blockers well and uses his hands to fight off of them. He also has shown great vision of the field, and multiple times in the SEC Championship game, I saw him go from one side of the field to the other to make a tackle. He has some concerns over a severe back injury from early in his college days that could drop his stock after the combine if his back does not check out.
7. Arizona (5-11) - Jake Matthews, offensive tackle, Texas A&M - The Cardinals could desperately use a quarterback but I don't think any QB will succeed in Arizona until they improve their offensive line. With a lot of quality round two quarterback prospects, I believe that the Cardinals are best off using this pick to select Jake Matthews if he declares. Matthews did an unbelievable job at right tackle this year for the Aggies and reminds me a lot of former college right tackle turned NFL left tackle Tyron Smith, who played right tackle because of Matt Kalil. Matthews does not have a weakness in his game and would instantly be a huge upgrade over either of the Cardinals tackles.
8. Buffalo (6-10) - Ryan Nassib, quarterback, Syracuse - This pick really just makes too much sense for me. Nassib played and thrived for new Bills coach Doug Marrone at Syracuse and possesses all the traits needed to thrive in the Bills new offensive system, which will be installed by new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who was Nassib's OC at Syracuse. Nassib is currently projected to go somewhere between 20 and 35 but I believe he will see his stock rise to the point where he becomes the number two quarterback in the draft. He has all the tools to be a great quarterback and should be an instant upgrade over Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Bills could also use a cornerback or three, an inside linebacker, and a wide receiver.
9. New York Jets (6-10) - Barkevious Mingo, 3-4 outside linebacker, LSU - The Jets are in desperate need of play makers on offense but none are worthy of this pick. They could also use a quarterback to develop behind Sanchez for a year before they can release him, but again, none are worthy of this pick. Their final major need is a pass rushing outside linebacker to replace their aging, slow, outside linebackers. Mingo had a mostly disappointing season but had a monster bowl game and with his combination of athleticism, work ethic, and a huge bowl game, he should be a at worst a top 15 pick.
10. Tennessee (6-10) - Dee Milliner, cornerback, Alabama - Tennessee has one of the best corners in the NFL in Jason McCourty but in today's NFL, you can never have enough quality corners. Milliner is easily the best player available and would be an instant upgrade at the Titan's number two corner spot. The Titans could also use a guard, defensive end, and defensive tackle but Milliner is far and away the best player on the board. Milliner did an unbelievable job in the National Championship game covering the 6-foot-6 tight end Tyler Eifert and showed that he can be very physical when needed.
11. San Diego (7-9) - Chance Warmack, offensive guard, Alabama - Chance Warmack single handidly destroyed Manti Te'o's draft stock, bullying him all game long in the BCS title game. Warmack is incredible strong and is the best run blocking guard prospect in decades. However, he is not comparable to DeCastro or Zeitler from last year as a pass blocker but only falls behind them slightly. It is typical for guards to fall but with the Chargers huge need for offensive line help, I don't see Warmack falling past this pick. The Chargers could also use an outside linebacker, cornerback, offensive tackle, and possible a defensive end.
12. Miami (7-9) - Dion Jordan, 3-4 outside linebacker, Oregon - Dion Jordan, at 6-foot-7, 245 pounds, is a freak athlete but he is very raw as both a pass rusher and run defender. He has, however, shown the ability to be great in coverage and that is probably his strong suit as of now. At this point in his career, he can't really play the run but it is not because of a lack of effort. With proper coaching, he could become a real stud across from Cameron Wake.
13. Tampa Bay (7-9) - Johnathan Banks, cornerback, Mississippi State - The Bucs last year passed on Morris Claiborne to select a safety in Mark Barron. This year, however, they will need to use this selection on a cornerback. The Bucs need at least two corners for next year, if not three or four. They probably have the worst cornerbacks in the NFL. Banks is a stud and thrives in man press coverage, which Schiano played a lot of in college at Rutgers.
14. Carolina (7-9) - Sheldon Richardson, 4-3 defensive tackle, Missouri - The Panthers last year believed that defensive tackle was not a big need but they were wrong. Their interior defensive line was awful and teams ran right up the gut all year. This year, they have to address DT early and Richardson is a great fit for their scheme. He has great quickness and is very strong. He also possesses some good pass rushing ability as well.
15. New Orleans (7-9) - Jonathan Hankins, 4-3 nose tackle, Ohio State - The Saints run defense was awful this year, as was their pass defense. They could use help at all three levels and Hankins is the best player available. He fits better as a 4-3 nose tackle than 3-4 nose tackle which works for the Saints, since they play a 4-3 scheme. Hankins is a great run stuffer and has shown some pass rushing ability in his career.
16. St. Louis (7-8-1) - Keenan Allen, wide receiver, California - The Rams have a few needs, including guard, receiver, safety, and possibly linebacker as well. The top player on the board is Keenan Allen and he also happens to be the top receiver in the draft. He is not going to wow you with measureables or forty times but he excels in all the traits of being an actual receiver. He is an unbelievable route runner, has great hands, and can make the tough grabs. He is a willing blocker and has shown the ability to do just about everything needed.
17. Pittsburgh (8-8) - Jesse Williams, 3-4 nose tackle, 3-4 defensive end, Alabama - TheSteelers are in an interesting situation here with a number of good prospects on the board. The options include Manti Te'o, Matt Elam, Giovani Bernard, and Taylor Lewan. I believe Jesse Williams is the best player available and he could come in an work in a tandem withSteve McLendon at nose tackle while also rotating out to defensive end when needed. He is a true three down player and provides pass rushing ability while also being awesome against the run. The Steelers would also be in a possible spot to trade down here.
18. Dallas (8-8) - Matt Elam, safety, Florida - Dallas got their cornerback last year in Claiborne and now they are a safety away from having a good secondary. Elam is the top safety in this year's class and can do everything. He can come up and support the run, cover slot receivers, and play center field. His stock is soaring now after a monster bowl game vs. Louisville and he could rise all the way up to the top 15.
19. New York Giants (9-7) - Ezekiel Ansah, 4-3 defensive end, BYU - The Giants loves taking athletes with their first round pick and Ansah is the best athlete available. It also helps that he would fill a need with Osi Umenyiora probably departing. Ansah is raw but he has shown some significant improvement in the past year. He now seems to have a couple solid pass rushing moves and he could have a big impact if he is coached properly.
20. Chicago (10-6) - Lane Johnson, offensive tackle, Oklahoma - Johnson's stock is surging right now after a series of five or six awesome games to end the season, including a great bowl performance against star Texas A&M defensive end Damontre Moore. With Taylor Lewan returning to school, Johnson becomes the third best tackle prospect in this class and a likely top 25 pick. His status as a first round prospect is all but cemented and I could see him rising even further.
21. Cincinnati (10-6) - Giovani Bernard, running back, North Carolina - The Bengals have all the major pieces in place to be a championship caliber team other than an elite running back. Bernard, who has incredible quickness, great vision, and runs with good power, would give them exactly that. He is also one of the top players on the board. The Bengals could also use a corner, linebacker, and defensive end but none of the players at those positions fit here.
22. St. Louis - from Washington (10-6) - Barrett Jones, center, offensive guard, Alabama- The Rams got themselves a number one receiver earlier and now they need to get Bradford some protection. Bradford has one more year most likely to prove he is not a bust and if that is going to happen, he needs to have some time to throw. Jones had a great game in the Championship Game and should see his stock rise because of it. Whether he plays guard or center in the NFL does not really matter since he is equally good at both.
23. Minnesota (10-6) - Terrance Williams, wide receiver, Baylor - The Vikings passing offense was dreadful once Percy Harvin got injured and it is because they don't have another game breaking receiver. Williams is one of the more productive receivers in the draft and he will give the Vikings a great pairing for Harvin. He has good speed and size and great hands. His route running is solid as well and he is a willing blocker, although he was not asked to block much at Baylor.
24. Indianapolis (11-5) - Eddie Lacy, running back, Alabama - The Colts offense was one of the best in the league this year, but they often asked Luck to do to much, mostly because they had no quality running backs. Lacy, who had a huge end to the season, runs with incredible power and has a nasty spin move. His stock is soaring and he should be a late first round pick now. He would be the missing piece to making the Colts offense a top five offense.
25. Seattle (11-5) - Kevin Minter, inside linebacker, LSU - Seattle is in a position to pick the best player available and that is inside linebacker Kevin Minter. Minter, who is a good but not great athlete, has awesome instincts and is built best to be a strongside 3-4 inside linebacker. He is awesome in run support, good in pass coverage, and provides a little bit of a pass rush to go along with that. He had 18 tackles in his bowl game and his stock is on the way up right now.
26. Green Bay (11-5) - Eric Fisher, offensive tackle, Central Michigan - The only thing holding Aaron Rodgers back is his horrible offensive line. Fisher is a first round prospect with big upside. He thrives in pass protection but needs to add some strength to become a better run blocker. This is a good fit for him because the Packers don't pass much. His stock is a little low right now but it could surge if he does well in the senior bowl.
27. Houston (12-4) - Alec Ogletree, inside linebacker, Georgia - The Texans are like theSeahawks and they can afford to take the best player available. Ogletree, who is a freak athlete, projects as a weakside 3-4 inside linebacker and the Texans could actually use an upgrade their. Ogletree thrives when playing in space and he is a capable pass rusher. He can also be used as a great weapon in pass coverage, lined up man to man on most of the tight ends in the NFL.
28. Denver (13-3) - Joseph Randle, running back, Oklahoma State - The Broncos have a great offense but they could use an elite running back. Along with a running back, the Broncos could use a defensive tackle and a cornerback. Randle has great explosiveness and great vision. He runs hard and never gives up on a run. He could be a great NFL back and fits well in the Broncos wide open scheme.
29. Baltimore* (10-6) - Manti Te'o, inside linebacker, Notre Dame - With Ray Lewis set to retire, it is time for the Ravens to find his replacement and Te'o is a great fit. While not being a great athlete and coming off a dreadful performance in the National Championship game, Te'o is a leader with great instincts and is a great pass defender. He has seven interceptions on the year and some of them were very tough catches. He should be a starter right away for the Ravens.
30. San Francisco* (11-4-1) - Tony Jefferson, safety, Oklahoma - If the 49ers have one weakness, it is at safety and even so, their safeties are not bad. However, Tony Jefferson would likely provide an upgrade at free safety. Jefferson is a big time hitter who is also a great ball hawk. He thrives when playing center field but can also play some man coverage on slot receivers.
31. New England* (12-4) - Sam Montgomery, 4-3 defensive end, LSU - Montgomery is a star athlete but needs a lot of fine tuning. He has poor technique but is solid in run support. With proper coaching, he could become just the type of versatile weapon that the Patriotsloves.
32. Atlanta* (13-3) - Tyler Eifert, tight end, Notre Dame - Legendary tight end Tony Gonzalez is nearing the end of his career and the Falcons need a replacement. Eifert is the top tight end in the draft and he could be just that guy. At 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, he has elite size and is also a good athlete. He is a quality receiver but he is not known for his blocking.


text:
Art Alternatives
Classic Studio Easel
Regular price $250.00 Sale price
Unit price
Constructed of hand-finished beechwood, this classic studio easel features a stable H-frame design and adjustable incline and height controls. Accommodates canvases up to 50", and includes a shelf for supplies. The height adjusts from 69.5"-96" and the base measures 21.5" square. Weighs 15 lbs. and folds flat for easy storage. Assembly required. Instructions are included.


text:
Lyrics: Jesse Fuller
Music: Jesse Fuller
Once upon a time there was an engineerNotes
Drove a locomotive both far and near
Accompanied by a monkey who would sit on a stool
Watching everything the engineer would move
One day the engineer wanted a bite to eat
He left the monkey sitting on the driver's seat
The monkey pulled the throttle, locomotive jumped the gun
Doing ninety miles an hour down the mainline run
Big locomotive right on time
Big locomotive coming down the line
Big locomotive number ninety nine
Left the engineer with a worried mind
The engineer called up the despatcher on the phone
Tell him all about his locomotive was gone
Get on the wire, switch operator to right
'Cause the monkey's got the mainline sewed up tight
Switch operator got the message in time
Said there's a northbound limit[ed] on the same mainline (note 1)
Open up the switch, I'm gonna let it through the hole
'Cause the monkey's got the locomotive under control
"In railroading, a "Limited" Is a high-priority passenger train that makes only a limited number of stops, (What most people today call, incorrectly, an "Express,") Passing up the less important stations. It has right-of-way priority over trains of lesser classification. Such lesser trains, typically freights or local passenger trains, are shunted onto a siding or passing track and made to wait so the Limited can make time without having to stop along the way to allow another train to pass. Because of its prestige, a Limited gets the best rolling stock and senior crew personnel.That seems definitive, and I note that Randy Jackson's Roots of the Grateful Dead site lists the lyrics as "north bound limited". Nonetheless, it does sounds to me as if Bob Weir (and indeed Jesse Fuller) both in fact sing "limit".
"So as used in the song, the monkey ends up taking priority away from, and humiliating, the "Northbound Limited," As the switch operator has to shunt the limited aside, forcing it to stop, sit and wait to prevent a head-on collision.
"Limited" Is a formal term used by railroads, not slang. Examples you can easily Google would be the famous "Twentieth Century Limited" or "The Broadway Limited." Amtrak currently has numerous examples as well, such as "The Capital Limited," which runs between Chicago and Washington D.C., with only a few stops in major cities along the way."
|Grateful Dead and Related Recordings
|Jul 1964
|Mother Mcree's Uptown Jug Champions
|26 Dec 1969
|Dave's Picks Volume 43
|2 Jan 1970
|Dave's Picks Volume 30
|31 Dec 1970
|Download Series: A Night At The Family Dog
|10 Oct 1980
|The Warfield, San Francisco, CA 10/9/80 & 10/10/80
|27 Oct 1980
|23 Oct 1980
|Reckoning (note 2)
|Other Dead-related Recordings
|Recorded By
|Dead Songs Vol 2
|Barton Hills Choir
|Dead Air
|TheFront Porch


text:
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We get it! Sometimes customers may order the wrong size, wrong colour, or may even have purchased without consulting thier significant other. Because of this, Bedzy will happily accept a change of mind return within 7 days after the item is delivered to you.
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More information on our returns policy can be found here: Bedzy Return & Refund Policy
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Last night my children and I were lying on the full size bed in their room and they begged me to tell them a story – something that really happened to me. I was lying looking up at Sophie's bunk bed so I remembered one: "One time in the bus, we were driving somewhere. Billy and I were on the top bunk bed. There were three bunk beds: Grandma and Grandpa's, mine, then Billy's. We were in the top one. Billy fell off and hit his head. He split the skin of his head open and we had to drive to a hospital and get him stitches."
They liked that story and talked about it a bit (Nels has had stitches, too). They asked for another story. I was still thinking about my brother so I told them: "One time when we were pretty young we were up at the Mason Lake cabin. Billy and I were in the water. I caught a snake that was swimming, and I gave it to him, and it bit him."
Sophie said, "Why does all the bad luck happen to Uncle Billy?"
Nels said, "Tell us another story."
Now I was on a roll. "One time when we lived in California we were having a picnic with family,"* I told them, "and Billy was about to take a bite of a chip. And just as he put it to his mouth a grasshopper jumped on the chip and Billy bit the bug in half."
Nels asks solemnly, "Was the grasshopper white, or green, or pink?"
Sophie says, with authority, "It was green." And I think she was right.
* I neglected to mention to my children that all the grownups were stoned or sloppy or both.


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Everything You Need To Know About Personal Boundaries
Unfortunately, we aren't born with instruction manuals or have a go to book we can open, when we hit technical difficulties. For many of us, Personal Boundaries (PB) are leaned because we discover we really need them. Healthy ones can be pretty tricky to master, especially if you've never been taught.
There are different types of personal boundaries, but the psychological ones are what we use most in relationships. They are basically like an imaginary line, which either prevents or allows entrance, to cause us personal harm. Not many people realize there are 4 different varieties; rigid, porous, non-existent and healthy. It's helpful to know which type you have and how to make some adjustment.
Often referred to as "having a wall up", people with these boundaries find relationships difficult. They won't allow anything to flow in or out, like having a blocked filter.
People of this type have a penetrable boundary. Others are able to push through it at will; however, boundaries are set for themselves; like how much they choose to share. Regardless of this, they allow themselves to be hijacked and can suffer the consequences of others. If you've ever let someone make you fell guilty, you may have a porous personal boundary.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, to rigid boundaries, non-existent types are equally as harmful to a person. There is no filter of what comes in and what goes out. Therefore, the imaginary line is completely absent. Without a filter, they can offer too much personal information about themselves; which can lead to others taking advantage of them. Plus, they often lack the capacity to say no. This can be a dangerous combination.
Described by Psychotherapist Joyce Marter, LCPC, as the "midway between Diva and Doormat", healthy boundaries are the key to fulfilling relationships. It's much like a dual doorway which lets others in to take a peek at who we really are and allows us access to get to know others. The difference between this and unhealthy types, is the filter. Careful screening of what goes through the filter, is achieved.
How to adjust your Personal Boundaries
Luckily, personal boundaries are adaptable. The first step is recognising which type you have. Only after acknowledging this, can it be altered. Secondly, achieving a healthy PB, is relative to how far from healthy it is. For example, if you have a non-existent PB, you have some way to go. Less, if its porous or rigid.
The third step, to achieving a healthy balance, is to clearly define the boundaries you want to set. This works with all un-healthy types. If it's too rigid, boundaries need to be relaxed. Working out what can be divulged and accepted is the key. If porous; applying the boundaries set for themselves, to those around them, is effective. These people understand personal boundaries, but loved ones can sneak past them.
What will be most significant with non-existent PB, will be shifting from the comfort zone to a zone which is unfamiliar. PB develop over time, therefore, change will take place slowly. Identify opportunities which cause less discomfort and set boundaries; working toward more uncomfortable situations, as time passes. Practice, time and a gradual exposure to change is the easiest, most effective way to achieve a health balance.
By Kim Chartres
Our bloggers come from all over the world to share their experience and expertise in the topics that matter to women. Whether it's the latest health and fitness fads, parenting advice and a little fashion lust, these bloggers know what they're talking about.


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About Us
As experts in solution development and vehicle tracking we founded UniteGPS in 2014. Using state of- the-art technology we developed Crosswalk K-12 which is now being used by more than 50 school districts across the United States. We also developed a solution for transit called Town Transit. In 2018, School District of Osceola County awarded a contract to UniteGPS to become our largest client with 250+ vehicles and assets. We understand that everyday people like bus drivers, managers, and teachers are often underpaid. That is why our philosophy supports high quality solutions at low prices that leave more funds on the table for people talent. You won't find UniteGPS at expensive conferences, we solve problems by developing at the direction of knowledgable customers rather than expensive consultants. UniteGPS does not assign any money to advertising. Our business grows when satisfied customers tell their friends and colleagues. Our clients will often call us to ask for help solving problems. We listen and develop new reports and features. Once the new report or feature is blessed by our client we release it in production for all clients – no charge. For example, one of our Crosswalk K-12 clients requested that we add an online field trip request workflow feature. As a result of their request, all clients now have this feature available in their account. UniteGPS is continuously enhancing our Crosswalk K-12 solution with ideas driven by our school district customers. This approach delivers a solution that is tailored to the needs of school districts. The UniteGPS team that serves your organization are the same people who designed, developed and work with all UniteGPS clients. We are the people who know the solution from the ground up and are personally invested in delivering a solution that exceeds customer expectations. We know all our customers by name. We do our best to understand the roles of each client's team members and to work with each of these individuals in a way that brings value through the use of our solution. When you call our references we invite you to ask about how we serve all types of users such as leadership, transportation management, dispatching, drivers, or maintenance. And of course any of your team members who call for support will receive personalized service. These are just a few of the reasons you should consider UniteGPS for your transportation solution.


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After years of horizontal development, AeroLogic's shareholders have given their go-ahead for a vertical advancement. This is evidenced by the fleet growth and re-alignment of the carrier's network.
3S (IATA code) has always been a somewhat special cargo airline, differentiating itself from its peers, having no sales staff on its payroll, nor marketing people or communications personnel. All the Leipzig, Germany-headquartered carrier does, is concentrate on the basics: Flying shipments from airport to airport. The "rest" is taken care of by other players. This hatch opening and closing business model has proven to be extremely cost-effective and beneficial for AeroLogic's two shareholders, Deutsche Post AG and Lufthansa Cargo (50/50 percent).
Fleet growth
Now, however, things are moving further ahead, seen by the increase of cargo capacity. Until recently, the fleet consisted of eight leased Boeing 777 freighters but was lately increased by two former LATAM Cargo Triple Sevens provided by lessors GECAS and Wells Fargo respectively, making it ten units altogether flying in the yellow and light grey AeroLogic livery. And this, people close to the carrier are convinced, is not the end of the line. AeroLogic Managing Director Joe Moser indirectly confirms this estimation: "we see ourselves very well positioned for further fleet growth."
New deal
The capacity sharing agreement, inked by DHL parent Deutsche Post and LH Cargo ten years ago, guaranteed DP daughter DHL Express the full utilization of the eight Triple Seven freighter's cargo decks from Mondays to Fridays while LH Cargo secured the aircraft's capacity on weekends for flying their own products.
Now, however, the two additional B777Fs are exempt from this co-sharing deal, giving DHL Express unlimited capacity access at all times.
This modification of conditions is explained by airline MD Cpt. Joe Moser: "Firstly, express volumes at our main hub Leipzig-Halle Airport are constantly increasing as they are in Hong Kong or Shanghai, to name just a few destinations served by us, explaining the upping of our fleet. The second reason is, that parcels and packages are meanwhile flown every single day within DHL's global network, including weekends," he says. A change in express transportation, requiring sufficient capacity provision for DHL demand seven days a week.
Indispensable link
Having said this, AeroLogic's fleet growth is a strong signal indicating that a new phase has begun for the freight carrier, aiming at capacity increase and network expansion. "We are an important production platform for our two shareholders, making us an indispensable link in their supply chains," states Mr. Moser who had a leading role within LTU but joined AeroLogic when the former leisure carrier was taken over by Air Berlin in 2007. His co-MD Wolfgang Raebiger, a former LH Cargo executive, adds to this that "3S operates extremely punctually, is focused on performance, with the entire team having a high demand for perfection."
Own pilot recruiting program
This has a lot to do with their pilot recruiting approach. For securing
sufficient applicants, the carrier runs a pilot training program in close cooperation with a flight academy based in Essen, Germany. "What we do is, we support the most promising trainees,
offering them to participate in our AeroLogic Flight Academy (ALFA) program, however, without guaranteeing them a subsequent full or part-time employment after they have obtained a pilot
license." This recruiting strategy, Moser emphasizes, has fully paid off, strengthening the team spirit within the pilot corps, fostering a high level of identification with the airline.
In total, AeroLogic employs 266 pilots, with 70 additional cockpit crew having joined the company as result of the fleet enlargement.
Swapping routes
Flights between central Europe and the Far East (HKG, PVG) and Southeast Asia (SIN, BKK) remain the core focus of the freight airline. They were facilitated through an air traffic accord signed by Russia and Germany, giving AeroLogic the status as a dedicated carrier by Moscow's Aviation Authority. The government agreement eases obtaining permission to overfly Russian territory on sectors between Europe and East Asia.
Fairly new is that AeroLogic swapped routes to and from the Americas with Lufthansa Cargo, concerning Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles, U.S. destinations serviced by LH Cargo's own freighter fleet meanwhile. Conversely, 3S added Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina to its network, operating two frequencies on weekends from and to Frankfurt Airport on behalf of its shareholder LH Cargo.
Flights to DHL's America hub in Cincinnati remain unaffected by this traffic swap. CVG continues to be a cornerstone within AeroLogic's global DHL network, including Trans Pacific flights linking Hong Kong and Cincinnati, Ohio once a week.
Heiner Siegmund


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Friday, September 6, 2013
Finding JoMo
Now, I know that this type of situation usually calls for a complete rethinking of what I'm doing with my training and racing, but I don't think that is warranted and here's why.
During the rest of my long run, I realized I have two choices: I can keep moving forward and put in the work to try to achieve my ambitious goal, or I can stop trying. It is impossible to know how I will perform on any given day. So many things have to line up to have a great performance. What I know for sure is how I will perform if I stop trying. I won't have a chance.
I spent the next day looking through my training logs leading up to my two best marathon performances in 2009 and 2010. I was fearless back then and willing to push the limits of my body and mind. I had a singular focus on my goal and didn't let myself give in. I looked back at the workouts I did and was a bit surprised at how hard I worked each week. I was doing so much and really pushing the boundaries of overtraining and injury. I did not experience either before these races, but I came close. THAT is where you have to be willing to put yourself to achieve great things.
I tried to remember how I felt during those training blocks. I was tired. I ran on tired legs all the time. I had to push myself to get out the door, but I got out the door every day. I did my core and strength training. I rolled my legs out regularly. I gave up alcohol. I pushed myself hard. I had some crappy workouts along the way. I stopped for "water breaks" during almost every marathon paced run, but I did not let that smash my confidence. I was magically able to hold that pace during the marathon.
I then contrasted that with the way I've been thinking about my training and racing lately and had to admit that I've become somewhat of a wimp. When did that happen? Over the last couple of years, I have lost that fearlessness and drive in my running. Sometimes, I wake up and feel a little bit off and put off my workout. Maybe my legs are too heavy from strength training. I convince myself that I'm going to feel awful during my workout and either postpone or don't do it. What happened to the runner that never missed a workout?
She's still here. She just got lost when she got injured. I was lucky for the first 5 years of my running career because I was never injured. I was able to train consistently and got fast very quickly as a result. Then, in 2010, I got injured and kept getting injured and lost my confidence in my body. Fear and pain became my constant running companions. They stood by my side the entire time I was injured and helped me lose faith in my ability to push myself. Even after the pain went away, the fear remained.So, during that long run last weekend, in the midday heat, I asked myself: what am I afraid of now? I am not afraid of putting my goals out there and failing. I am not afraid of working hard and feeling pain. I am not afraid of losing, and I am not afraid of winning. The only thing I am afraid of is giving up.
I feel like something in me shifted this week: a sort of culmination of the events of these last couple of months. If I had spectacular races all summer, I wouldn't have come to this realization and might still be approaching my training with trepidation. Instead, I added a bit more work to my schedule this week and went after it like I did back in 2009 and 2010.
I didn't worry about whether I was doing too much on Tuesday, and might jeopardize my 10 mile race on Sunday. Add in a short, fast fartlek on Thursday to keep the legs fresh? Why not? Besides, Sunday's race is not my goal. The marathon in just under 14 weeks is my goal. This race is a stepping stone but not a validation of who I am as an athlete or what I'm capable of. I will have good and bad races and I can handle both with equal amounts of grace.
I feel like I found my JoMo, which is kind of like MoJo, but better. It is also a 100% natural joint nutrition supplement recommended by orthopedic surgeons and olympians for fast acting, maximum strength joint relief and the first name of the leader of Kenya during the 1960s and 70s.
Finally. Game. On.
4 comments:
- AnonymousSeptember 7, 2013 at 1:21 AM
Don't you love it when deep, clarifying thoughts come to you during a run? I find it such a refreshing change from worrying about whether my shorts are too short and why people don't clean up their dog's poop.ReplyDelete
And it is so true that you cannot (and should not) race your best when you're in the middle of training for a big goal. You won't have that extra gear every single time. Hard to remember this when your brain is telling you that you should PR every time. I'm running a race tomorrow (5 or 10k, not sure yet) and will most likely be totally frustrated that i'm so "slow" even though this is totally not a goal race at all. I'm already trying to minimize my frustration by weighing whether I will feel worse with a 22 min 5k or a 46 min 10k.
Why is this comment about me?Replies
Ah, yes, well I know why that comment is about you. Because you aren't keeping your blog up to date so it's the only way we have any idea what's going on with you! No pressure.Delete
Too true about the brain and the PR. It's silly really. It is not physically possible to PR every time we race, forever, yet somewhere in our reptile brain we hold out hope that we can. We then get disappointed when we don't. I'm sure your race is done, but I hope that you are satisfied with what you run. I'm starting to develop alternate goals for races like negative splitting the race, pushing as hard as I can the last 400m or not going out below a certain time for the first mile. It takes some of the pressure off the "time goal." I call it feeding the reptile. If you distract it with a tasty fly over here, it seems to forget about the time goal over there. Try it!
- AnonymousSeptember 8, 2013 at 1:39 PM
Hmm, interesting. I sometimes try to do that but the reptile is rarely fooled for long. At the latest, when I look at the results list and see all the people who are faster than me, the reptile belches and goes "that fly wasn't very tasty. You suck."Delete
The race was fine, actually. My shorts were definitely too short.
You're right, self-based blather is really better suited for one's own blog...
I remember that Jaymee: she was a hard-assed no-fear mofo of a runner. Go her, and go you!ReplyDelete


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October is next month and you know what that means. HALLOWEEN! As the tradition lives on, the annual parade is set and ready to spook any fans of horror and the things that go bump in the night.
The Lexington Parks & Recreation brings the community of Lexington the annual Halloween Festival and Parade. This year, the parade is held on Sunday, October 27 beginning at 4 pm (October 28 if there is rain).
The night begins at the Wicked Wonders Market and Halloween Variety show in the Courthouse Plaza. There, people can find food and beverage vendors ready to fill all the ghouls and monsters bellies.
The actual parade begins to make its way down Main Street at 6:30 pm and will feature all sorts of characters, floats, artists, and entertainers.
There is something new coming to the parade this year, The Monster Mash-Up Flash Mob. Along with the Thriller re-enactment (which is still happening), the mash-up is open to all skill levels and those who want to participate.
Registration for either of these (can only be part of one) is between September 18 through October 19. Rehearsals will be held at Artworks at the Carver School.
For a complete events schedule, click here.
Subscribe to the Ace e-dition for Lexington news, arts, culture, food, and entertainment news delivered to your inbox.
Call today to advertise in Ace, 859.225.4889


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Factors to Consider When Choosing a Roofing Contractor
There are many elements that you ought to think about when looking for a roofing contractor. Hiring the first roofing contractor that you find is not a good step. Hire a local roofing contractor so that it can be convenient for you to interview the professionals. Picking a roofing contractor that is based in another town might be costly for you and hence ensure that you focus on local service providers. That means that different states require that roofing contractors have licenses for the states that they work in. You should not rush through your research process and instead make sure that you take your time so that you can avoid being disappointed. The professionals that will hesitate to give you the information that you want indicates that they are not professionals. Ensure that you avoid the roofing contractors that are not licensed since that shows that they are not professionals.
You ought not to be afraid to ask for references from the various roofing contractors that you will find. That indicates that it is important that you contact the former clients and ask if they were treated professionally and whether the prices were affordable. In addition, you should determine the experience level of your potential roofing contractors as that will determine the quality of roofing services that you will receive. Ensure that you measure the skills of the service providers so that you can determine whether they are a good choice for you. While a majority of roofing contractors will state that they are insured, it is important that you confirm that their insurance is valid. There are numerous roofing contractors and hence you can be confident that you will find the right one for you. That indicates that you should not make your choices based only on the factor of cost alone.
The service providers that are inexpensive might add extra costs in the future and therefore, it is important that you find a professional that is affordable. Another consideration is the reputation of the roofing contractor that you want to hire. The roofing contractors that have numerous complaints are not good choices for you. It can be frustrating to choose a roofing contractor that has poor communication skills because he will not pick your calls on time. Therefore, measure the level of communication of your potential service providers and avoid the ones that will reply to your messages on time. In case you rush through your research process then you are likely to choose the wrong roofing contractor that will disappoint you. Therefore, make sure that you interview your prospective service providers and choose the ones that have well organized offices and efficient equipment as that shows that they will complete the project on time.
Finding Similarities Between Roofing and Life


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The ultimate accessory for your BIG day! These comfy flip flops with rose gold bride charm detail can be used whilst getting ready, your honeymoon and after you big day as a pleasant reminder! Matching pairs available for the rest of your bridal party!
These ballet rose glitter flip flops have a glamorous twist on the original Brazilian slim model. The delicate strap comes full of glitter, for extra sparkle.
Comfortable, durable and water resistant, these flip flops have a rubber sole, with rice grain pattern on the inner sole and a brick pattern on the outer sole. They also have the feature of being non-slip, heat resistant and lightweight!
The material of this charm is copper plated, approx size 15mm x 10mm.
And don't forget, all of our Havaianas come gift wrapped in our exclusive I Do Fancy boxes!
Buying your item as a gift? You can add a gift message to you order for just £1.99.


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Continuing with the idea of September being a new start for many (new school year, renewed focus, jumpstart the coming year), I thought it would be fun to share some simple, yet clever ideas to make the most of this month.
- Jazz up your morning breakfast with these healthy "breakfast bowl" ideas – get recipes here
2. Have you heard of "bullet journaling"? My husband turned me onto this relatively new method of planning/organizing/journaling after seeing an article in the WSJ. And, I must admit to being intrigued. I have gone back and forth between paper and digital and have a few tools I try to use each day, so this simplified version is something I am considering. You can learn more about it here!3. Plan a Fall gathering before the crush of the holidays is upon us. Take inspiration from this gorgeous, outdoor fete created by designer, Jenni Kayne, Le Catch and Jessica De Ruiter. Recipes and addtional photos here!
Just as students are beginning a new year and learning new things….perhaps we can, too!
images: goop, bullet journal, rip + tan (photography by katrina dickson)