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You talk to yourself more than anyone else in this world. Every single day you have an on going conversation with yourself - and you had better be saying the right things. It's all too common place, for many people, to be extremely hard on themselves in their everyday thoughts. In fact, most people are harder on themselves then they ever would be on someone they love.
But shouldn't you love yourself? If you wouldn't talk to a loved one the way you talk to yourself in your own head - why do it yourself?
Many people suffer from some form of anxiety, depression, or general high stress levels - they're just afraid to speak up about it. We're constantly, every single minute of the day, bombarded my images, media, news, social media, work, travel, family obligations, social events, and more. We're always connected to each other through our various forms of media, we never really get a break - yet a growing number of people (even with all this "connectivity") are feeling more, and more ... alone.
We're almost genetically the same as our primitive ancestors, and other forms of primates, yet we live in a highly advanced and complicated technological world. Our stressors are not the same as our primitive ancestors - yet we still have the same hardware. We're trying to operate in a strange new world using primitive "monkey brains".
This sort of thing leads to various forms of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression lead to a lack of motivation, poor thoughts, a lack of activity, and can severely impact your well being and zest for normal life.
This may sound a lot like you, or you may know someone who this describes exactly, and if it does - there is a way to help cope with these feelings ... Mindful Meditation.
It's Just As Important To Take Care Of Mind, As It Is Your Body
Most people know by now how important it is to take care of your body. If you read my blog then I'm sure you're already taking part in some form of physical fitness routine and watching what food you put into your body.
But, what you might not be doing is taking care of your mind - training your mental fitness.
The mind and body go together, they're a team, and they both need to be taken care of equally. In order to train the mind to run well, and in turn allow the body to perform at it's highest level, you must meditate.
I know meditation sounds boring, especially if you an "always on the go" kind of guy/gal, but the busier you are - the more you most likely need to meditate. We need time to alone, time to reconnect with our inner self, time to learn how to be here in the present, and learn how to not be fearful of the future or regretful of the past - mindful meditation helps train you to do just that.
Mindful meditation also helps with negative thoughts, depression, anxiety, stress, mental clarity, sleep patterns, and more. It's like a daily tune up and check in with your body and mind - it's the maintenance.
Feeling depressed? Meditate.
Feeling anxious? Meditate.
Feeling tired? Meditate.
Feeling sad? Meditate.
Stressed the fuck out? Meditate.
How To Start Meditating
It's not difficult to get started, you don't need a fancy place to do it, you just need yourself and a little time each day. Follow these steps to get started ...
1.) Sit in a comfortable chair, upright but not stiff. You can also lay down if sitting isn't comfortable.
2.) Gaze off into the near distance, but don't focus on anything in particular
3.) Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth and allow your belly to expand as you breath
4.) After a few breaths, gently close your eyes while you continue to breath
5.) Slowly, as your breathing, scan your body and take note of any tension in the body, how your feet feel on the floor, how your hands feel in your lap, and where you feel your body is resting most of its weight.
6.) Begin to take note of any sounds happening around you, don't seek them out, allow the sounds to come to you and recognize them - be sure that you're still breathing.
7.) Allow your attention to return to your breath and begin to count your breaths (1 *inhale, 2* exhale ...) all the way to a count of 10 breaths. Then repeat from 1 through 10.
8.) Don't worry if your mind wanders off, it might happen, if it does you'll return your attention to your breathing and continue counting where you left off.
9.) Repeat this for as many minutes as you like.
10.) When you're almost ready to finish up, allow your mind to run free and do whatever it likes for 1 minute. Don't fight it, if it wants to think - let it think.
11.) Open your eyes gently and take note of how you feel, relax for a few seconds or minutes.
I guarantee you'll feel much better after a quick session (5-10 mins) than you did before you started.
Taking It Beyond Mindful Mediation
My ebook "The Ronin Method" teaches you a form of moving mediation through the workout program I designed for the book. It also goes into detail on mindful mediation, and how to combine it with this unique form of moving mediation I like to call "The Ronin Workout".
If you're living a busy life, and need a way to train your body and mind for longevity, sustainability, and over all well being - "The Ronin Method" might be the answer for you.
- Tim


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Chips Product Overview Amphus is currently offering three product families - PC Card Host Adapters, Serial Communication Controllers and System-On-A-Chip (SOC) devices. These products are no longer offered and supported by their OPM (Original Product Manufacturers). Amphus guarantees these new parts are identical (pin-compatible and function equivalent) to the original parts so customers can feel safe to continue production of their existing products. With Amphus, customers who are already using these parts can prolong their product life without incurring the expenses of obsolescing or redesigning their products instantly. There is no need to re-qualify these parts since the same silicon foundries and processes by the OPM will be used. Furthermore, customers will continue to enjoy the same kind of quality support from us. We are totally committed to work with all major semicondutor manufacturers to bring more legacy products into our product portfolio for the benefits of our customers.
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subset: commoncrawl


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The Story of Elton John's 1975 Suicide Attempt
With a new album, Rock of the Westies, on the way, a pair of sold-out shows at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium and a week in that city named in his honor, the end of October 1975 should have been celebratory for Elton John.
Instead, the trappings of fame caught up with him, and he tried to escape it all with a suicide attempt.
"As friends and family lounged by the pool at Elton's Benedict Canyon home, [John] appeared in a terrycloth robe and announced, 'I have taken 85 Valiums. I shall die within the hour,'" Elizabeth Rosenthal wrote in His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John. "He threw himself into the water, then struggled to come to the surface. [Guitarist] Caleb Quaye later remembered the arrival of an emergency medical team to pump the pianist's stomach."
"It was stress," John said in 2010. "I'd been working nonstop for five years. But it was typical me. There was no way I was going to kill myself doing that. And, of course, my grandmother came out with the perfect line: 'I suppose we've all got to go home now.'
"And then two days later I was playing Dodger Stadium, and Cary Grant was there, and it was one of the best days of my professional life, and I pulled it off. I've got that resilient thing inside me. But I wasn't a happy bunny."
A large part of it, he admitted, was that the lavish lifestyle -- with all the drugs and alcohol and flamboyant outfits -- of the Elton Hercules John persona he had created was light years removed from the shy suburban London boy known as Reginald Kenneth Dwight.
"I would only know how to be 'Elton,'" he said. "I wouldn't know how to live offstage. There was no balance in my life. ... The self-loathing I had, walking around the house, not bathing for three or four days, staying up watching pornography all the time, drinking a bottle of scotch a day. And I was bulimic as well, so I wouldn't eat for three days, then gorge on six bacon sandwiches and a pint of ice cream and throw it up. And then have a shower and start the whole procedure all over again. There was no self-respect there whatsoever. It was just fucking horrible. You look back and think, How on earth could I have done that? But I did.'
In an eerie coincidence, John had a hit earlier in the year -- his seventh consecutive Top 10 and 10th consecutive single to reach at least gold status -- with "Someone Saved My Life Tonight." Bernie Taupin's lyrics were reportedly inspired by another suicide attempt by John, in 1968, when he was a struggling songwriter and unhappily engaged. Taupin, John and his fiancee were all living together in an apartment in East London at the time.
Listen to Elton John's 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight'
"Bernie walked in on Elton trying to commit suicide when he was about to marry a woman named Linda Woodrow," David Buckley wrote in Elton: The Biography. "Elton had stuck his head in the oven. But Bernie couldn't stop laughing. Elton had set the gas on low with all the windows open. What's more, he was resting his head on a pillow."
The "someone" and "sugar bear" referenced in the song's lyrics are believed to be Long John Baldry, the singer in John's early band Bluesology who convinced John to break off the engagement and focus on his music career.


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Youth Connect 5 – St Helens, Carmel College, 15th June – 10th July
15/06/2017 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Cowley International College
Hard Lane St Helens
As parents, we develop our own approaches to nurturing, caring for and developing our children as they grow from babies through to young adults. But sometimes situations arise in life – either at home or at school – that may bring some challenges for you and your child to deal with.
Being able to deal with these challenges, and helping your child manage life when it gets tough will make them stronger and improve their chances of being able to bounce back when things are stacked against them.
There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach, but Youth Connect 5 will teach you the skills you can then draw upon to both build your own resilience, but most importantly your child's.
The overall aim is to promote resilience (resilient families, ways to cope and support)
- Understanding children and young people's mental health
- Understanding wellbeing
- Understanding why we feel the way we do (emotions)
- Life skills problem-solving


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These requirements became effective on June 1, 2014.
To see the requirements with the changes highlighted, Click here.
To see the previous requirements, Click here.
- Project COPE
Do a, b, or c.- Complete and teach courses.
- Complete a BSA Project COPE course including both low and high initiatives. (Project COPE stands for Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience and is an outdoor course available through most BSA local councils. It usually involves a weekend of team building using group initiative games and low and high ropes course obstacles. This is an excellent crew activity.)
- After you have personally been through a COPE course, help run at least two other COPE courses.
- Attend the BSA's National Camping school and successfully complete the COPE director's course.
- Complete a hands-on outdoor education course through a college or university of at least 80 hours.
- Complete and teach courses.
Checklist for use in working on these requirements: | Format | |
Word Format | PDF Format |
Source: Venturing Awards and Requirements
(34784 - SKU 618767) and


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The debate over whether the federal government can or should provide child care for working parents has been going on for years. Turns out, though, we already did it back during World War II, when America needed women in the workforce. Sally Herships and Darian Woods from The Indicator on what we learned, if anything, from this grand experiment.
DARIAN WOODS, BYLINE: The birth of Rosie the Riveter, women in the workplace, represented a pretty big cultural shift for the United States. Here's a clip from a government-sponsored training film from the time.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Women scare me - at least, they do in a factory.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Well, maybe the women are scared, too, Joe. Let's see. Most of them are working on their first industrial job, Joe.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: It's a totally unfamiliar world.
SALLY HERSHIPS, BYLINE: It was a strange, new world. Seven million women had entered the workforce, which created a problem. If no one was home, who was going to take care of the kids? So Congress set aside tens of millions of dollars to cover a child care program. In today's money, that's about $1.2 billion. So the idea did not go over so well.
CHRIS HERBST: Even in the face of this war, there was a lot of opposition to running this child care program.
WOODS: Chris Herbst researches public policy and child care at Arizona State University.
HERBST: And a lot of the opposition, interestingly enough, came from the parents themselves.
WOODS: Chris says you have to understand that the shifts in these wartime factories, they could be 12 hours long, seven days a week. That's a long time to have a kid in day care. So some moms and dads were skeptical. Businessowners, of course, were strongly in favor of the child care program.
HERBST: It's hard to make tanks and battleships without workers.
WOODS: So in 1942, the first federally subsidized war nursery opened in New Haven, Conn.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: On their way to work, parents left their hopefuls at one of the nursery schools. The 50-cent daily fee included mid-morning and afternoon nourishment, as well as a hot, balanced lunch.
HERSHIPS: It was perceived as a high-quality program. But its history has kind of disappeared over time. Chris himself only heard about it randomly one day mentioned in a news story.
HERBST: I wrote a whole dissertation on child care. I read what I thought was the history of child care policy in this country. I had never heard of this. And so I literally dropped everything I was doing to learn everything I could about this program.
WOODS: Chris says that for women, the outcome was positive immediately. And for the hundreds of thousands of kids who were in the day care program, it had this really big impact down the road.
HERBST: Outcome after outcome after outcome, they did better than their counterparts who did not participate in the program. They were more likely to be employed. They were more likely to be employed full-time. Their earnings were higher. They were less likely to receive cash assistance. And they appeared to be in better health as well.
HERSHIPS: But it was expensive. And the program was always supposed to be just a temporary fix.
HERBST: When the war ended, all funding for the child care program would also end. And, in fact, that's what happened.
HERSHIPS: But 80 years later, some of those war nursery buildings are still there, and so is this debate to what extent the federal government should pay for daycare.
Sally Herships.
WOODS: Darian Woods, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF GIANTS' "ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Marilyn Bennett
For the best Pilates Mat company, call Cara McGrath Pilates.
To find the best Pilates Mat company, click here for Cara McGrath Pilates. 3032.shtml
A cancer diet needs particular emphasis on the following vitamins.
Vitamin A
Role: as an anti-oxidant and important for healing.
Natural sources: green and yellow fruits and vegetables, organic animal liver but be careful, a non-organically raised animal's liver could be full of chemicals!
Beta-carotene – very important in a cancer diet – from carrots in particular, is converted to Vitamin A by the liver, and is a far safer way to get a really good boost of this vitamin, with no dangers of overdosing.
Vitamin B Complex
Role: particularly important to the health of nerves and the production of energy.
Natural sources are chicken, eggs, brewer's yeast, whole grains, leafy green vegetables, fish.
Vitamin B17 – almost unheard of, but critical in a cancer diet.
B17 interacts with the very large amounts of beta-glucosidase in cancer cells to produce hydrogen cyanide and benzaldehyde. These two poisons combine into an extremely deadly poison that targets cancer cells. The reason that it doesn't target healthy cells is that although they have small quantities of beta-glucosidase, they also contain rodonase, a substance that cancer cells do not have, that breaks the poison down into compounds that actually assist the bodies immune system!
Natural sources are flaxseed oil, brown rice, brewer's yeast, lentils, macadamia nuts, pecans, raspberries, strawberries, walnuts, watercress and yams.
Vitamin C
Role: Antioxidant needed to assist over 300 metabolic functions of the body.
Natural sources are citrus fruits, most yellow or red fruits and vegetables, leafy green vegetables.
The body cannot store this very essential nutrient so we need to ingest it daily. As it is not stored it cannot be overdosed.
A word of warning though – do not take Vitamin C supplements at the same time as aspirin – the combination is very irritant to the stomach lining. Also it taking a supplement, look for a buffered form which is digested over a longer period of time and far less irritant. Also avoid chewable tablets – the acidity is not good for the teeth!
Vitamin E, again crucial in a cancer diet.
Role: Antioxidant, used in circulation and tissue repair.
Natural sources include coldpressed vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains. Brown rice, eggs, kelp, oatmeal and sweet potatoes are also good sources.
Just a note – the body needs zinc to maintain levels of Vitamin E in the blood, also take iron supplements at a different time from Vitamin E as some forms of iron will destroy Vitamin E.
As always a diet that draws from all food groups, fruit, vegetable, meat, fish, chicken, grains, nuts, seeds and oils, all eaten as close to the way nature made them is the best cancer diet possible.


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Message: What are you Americans doing here?
In the South China Sea, U.S. planes overfly, and U.S. warships sail inside, the territorial limits of islets claimed by Beijing.
In South Korea, U.S. forces conduct annual military exercises as warnings to a North Korea that is testing nuclear warheads and long-range missiles that can reach the United States.
U.S. warships based in Bahrain confront Iranian subs and missile boats in the Gulf. In January, a U.S. Navy skiff ran aground on an Iranian island. Iran let the 10 U.S. sailors go within 24 hours.
But bellicose demands for U.S. retaliation had already begun.
Yet, in each of these regions, it is not U.S. vital interests that are threatened, but the interests of allies who will not man up to their own defense duties, preferring to lay them off on Uncle Sam.
And America is beginning to buckle under the weight of its global obligations.
And as we have no claim to rocks or reefs in the South China Sea—Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines do—why is this our quarrel?
If these rocks and reefs are so vital they are worth risking a military clash with China, why not, instead, impose tariffs on Chinese goods? Let U.S. companies and consumers pay the price of battling Beijing, rather than U.S. soldiers, sailors and airmen.
Let South Korea and Japan build up their forces to deal with the North, and put Beijing on notice: If China will not halt Kim Jong Un's nuclear weapons program, South Korea and Japan will build their own nuclear deterrents. Half a century ago, Britain and France did.
Why must we forever deter and, if need be, fight North Korea?
And why is the defense of the Baltic republics and East Europe our responsibility, 5,000 miles away, not Germany's, whose economy is far larger than that of Russia?
Even during the darkest days of the Cold War, U.S. presidents refused to take military action in Hungary, Czechoslovakia or Poland.
When Moscow intervened there, the U.S. did nothing. When did the independence of Eastern Europe become so vital an interest that we would now risk war with a nuclear-armed Russia to ensure it?
Under Article 5 of NATO, an attack upon any of 28 allied nations is to be regarded as an attack upon all.
But is this the kind of blank check we should give Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who, a few months back, ordered a Russian fighter plane that crossed into Turkish territory for 15 seconds be shot down?
Do we really want to leave to this erratic autocrat the ability to drag us into a war with Russia?
When Neville Chamberlain in 1939 handed a war guarantee to a junta of Polish colonels, who also had an exaggerated opinion of their own military power and prowess, how did that work out for the Brits?
America should not write off the Baltic Republics or Eastern Europe. But we should rule out any U.S.-Russian war in Eastern Europe and restrict a U.S. response to Russian actions there to the economic and diplomatic. For the one certain loser of a U.S.-Russian conflict in Eastern Europe—would be Eastern Europe.
As for Iran, the U.S. intelligence community, in 2007 and 2011, declared with high confidence that it had no nuclear weapons program.
Since the Iran nuclear treaty was signed, 98 percent of Iran's enriched uranium has been shipped out of the country; no more 20 percent enriched uranium is being produced; the Arak reactor that could have produced plutonium has been scuttled and reconfigured; and nuclear inspectors are crawling all over every facility.
Talk of Iran having a secret nuclear-bomb program and testing intercontinental missiles comes, unsurprisingly, from the same folks who assured us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
The goal is the same: Stampede America into fighting another war, far away, against a nation they want to see smashed.
Since the end of the Cold War in 1991, this country has been steadily bled and slowly bankrupted. We are now as overextended as was the British Empire in the 1940s.
And like that empire, we, too, are being challenged by nations that seek to enlarge their place in the sun—a resurrected Russia, China, Iran. And we are being bedeviled by fanatics who want us out of their part of the world, which they wish to remake according to the visions of their own faiths and ideologies.
Time for a reappraisal of all of the war guarantees this nation has issued since the beginning of the Cold War, to determine which, if any, still serve U.S. national interests in 2016. Alliances, after all, are the transmission belts of war.
This is not isolationism. It is putting our country first, and staying out of other people's wars. It used to be called patriotism.
Patrick J. Buchanan needs no introduction to VDARE.COM readers; his books State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America, and Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025? are available from Amazon.com. Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of the new book "The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority


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This premium m-ATX case is specially created for you by Enermax. Every single piece is the outcome of extensive handcraft. Put together for you out of sandblasted aluminium and tempered glass. Despite its compact chassis, you can install liquid cooling solutions and high-end graphics cards for a powerful gaming machine. The frameless side window gives an open view of your hardware. With the limited edition of STEELWING you already hold a collector's item in hands today.
The entire body is put together from solid aluminium for an elegant design and perfect cooling performance.
The dark-tinted side panel is made out of 3mm thick tempered glass. The frameless design guarantees a free view of your stylish hardware.
The semi-open design with seven stacked aluminium plates lets the air pass through the case easily to cool down the hardware.
Two USB 3.0 ports, with up to 5 Gbit/s data transfer rate, in the front ensure easy connection of external HDDs and peripherals.
STEELWING supports high-end mainboards with micro-ATX and mini-ITX form factors.
Supports coolers with 120mm radiator in the front for best cooling performance within limited space. To cool powerful graphics cards inverting the airflow from inside to outside can help to increase the cooling performance.
Meshed panels ensure a good airflow throughout the case and provide optimised system cooling.
The case accommodates up to three data storage devices (1x 2.5", 2x 3.5" HDD/SSD) and allows flexible management of large data.
One 2.5″ and one 3,5″ data storage device can be mounted on the bottom HDD cage, one more 3.5″ devices can be stored behind the front fan.
Enough space for high-end graphics cards with up to 290mm length.
The case supports CPU coolers up to 80mm in height.
Upgrade your system by using suitable Enermax REVOLUTION SFX power supply and advanced liquid cooler AQUAFUSION 120 to get the best performing and space-saving products for micro-ATX or mini-ITX gaming rigs.
General | ||
Color | Dynamic Red | Acid Green |
Material | Aluminium, tempered glass | |
Dimensions | 387 x 176 x 300mm | |
Cooling | ||
Front Fan Slots | 1 x 120mm Red LED fan (preinstalled) | 1 x 120mm Green LED fan (preinstalled) |
Front Radiator | 120mm radiator (optional) | |
Installation Slots | ||
Front Drive Bays | 1 x 3.5″ HDD | |
Bottom Drive Bays | 1 x 3.5″ HDD/SSD, 1x 2,5″ HDD/SSD | |
Expansion Slots | 3 x | |
I/O Panel |
2 x USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1×1)*, HD Audio |
Maximum Compatibility | ||
Graphics Card Length | 290mm | |
CPU Cooler Height | 80mm | |
PSU Size | Standard SFX Type | |
Motherboards | micro ATX, mini ITX |
Dealer Information | ||
Product Dimensions | 387 x 1176 x 300mm | 140 x 150 x 86mm |
Product Weight | 3.8kg | 3.8kg |
Product Box Dimensions | 490 x 360 x 390mm | 490 x 360 x 390mm |
Product Box Gross Weight | 5.5kg | 5.5kg |
EAN-Code | 4713157722171 | 4713157722423 |


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Arthur Melo joins Liverpool from Juventus
Arthur Melo, a 26-year-old midfielder from Brazil, has officially been loaned to Liverpool by Juventus. Melo will join the club during an injury crisis which forced them to search for a player in his position. After moving from Barcelona to Juventus in 2020, Melo has played 63 times for the Italian club. In the early hours of Thursday, Liverpool approached the Brazil international about a medical on Merseyside.
Despite Jurgen Klopp's claims after Wednesday's win over Newcastle that a midfielder would not be arriving, Henderson's hamstring injury prompted the late move for Arthur. On Friday, Henderson will undergo a scan. There are concerns the Liverpool captain may be out until the international break this month, which means he would miss Premier League games against Everton, Wolves and Chelsea, Champions League group matches against Napoli and Ajax and possibly England's final games before the World Cup.
Despite the Premier League club's unlikely exercise of the option to buy Arthur permanently for €37.5m, Liverpool's deal for Arthur will cost €4.5m for the season and includes an option to buy the midfielder permanently for €3.5m. This leaves the door open for Borussia Dortmund to sign Jude Bellingham next summer as its main midfield target. There is good reason for Liverpool to hope that their strong Brazilian contingent of Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, as well as their goalkeeping coach Claudio Taffarel, will help Arthur settle in quickly. The move is "a dream come true," Arthur said. The ideas and visions we shared were a good match, so I'm sure it was the right decision. My motivation is high and I'm really happy."


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Monday, April 5, 2010
In a season in which the Canadiens were supposed to be a lottery team in the opinions of many experts because no team could expect to be decent in the first year after such a massive team overhaul, the fact that they're almost certainly in the top eight in the conference is pretty impressive. Add the significant number of injuries they've overcome this season into the equation and making the playoffs is an even greater achievement. The question is, in a team game, can you pick a single guy who's more responsible for it than the others?
Just about every guy currently on the roster has played some kind of role in helping the team get to where it is right now. From Tom Pyatt's nice goal to help put Buffalo away the other night to Price's stand-on-his-head wins in the very first two games of the season, they've all helped. But, of course, in the long haul of a season a few individuals will help more often and more spectacularly than the rest of their teammates.
The way I see it, the top three candidates for Habs' MVP are Jaro Halak, Tomas Plekanec and...drumroll please...Josh Gorges.
Halak's obvious. He's stolen more points than all the other Habs have managed to do together. He's the only goalie in the league to be unbeaten in games in which he's faced forty or more shots. His numbers, which place him in the top ten in all NHL goalie categories, top-three in save percentage, would have him in Vezina territory if he had started ten more games. Shutouts in his last two starts and kudos as the NHL's first star of the week, in a week in which his team needed him more than ever, serve only to solidify his case as the team's MVP. If Hart voters looked at the Habs and chose Halak, there could be little argument. Except...
Tomas Plekanec. The little guy, who's been harder on himself than anyone else could ever be, has taken his thirty-nine points from last season and nearly doubled them this year. He's been killing the first minute of every penalty and playing on the first minute of every PP. When the team needs reliability on the ice, Plekanec is out there. When it needs clutch goals, he's out there too, with his four game-winning goals, including two in OT. He can score, with 20+ goals to his credit for the fourth year in a row. More importantly, he makes the players around him better. Some of the passes he's made to his linemates for big goals are just as important as the ones he's scored himself. He's also found some consistency this year. He may not score in every game, but it's rare for him to go two or three games without a point this season. The Habs' offence, with all the injuries, hasn't been much to write home about, but without Plekanec, you'd burn the letter before you sent it.
Then there's my dark horse for Habs' MVP. Josh Gorges. The man is the Timex watch of NHL hockey players. If there was anyone who takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' it's him. One of the only two Habs...with Plekanec...to play every game this season, Gorges is a testament to the hearty western Canadian constitution. He's been crushed by forecheckers on icing calls, hit in the face with elbows and sticks and struck in the back of the head by a slapper that was hard enough to leave the writing on the puck permanently imprinted in his helmet. He grinds in the corners against guys much bigger than he is and most times comes out with the puck. He's not afraid of anyone and he'll go to the wall for every man on his team. There's no mystery about why he's the guy out there when there's a one-goal lead to protect in a vital game. In a recent analysis of the best defensive defencemen in the league, Gorges was ranked fifth overall. But the thing I admire most about him is that, in a room of vastly different personalities, it seems as though every person on his team respects and likes him. That's not an easy thing to accomplish.
So, there you have it. Those guys are my top-three picks for Habs MVP. If I had to pick a winner, I'd be hard-pressed. But I think, in the end, I'd have to go with Halak, if only because when I think of the team without any of those three, I think it would be worse off without Halak than it would be without the other two. Whether the Habs' MVP would be good enough to win the Hart when competing against the other 29 team MVPs is still up for debate. When you think about the Caps without Ovechkin or the Sabres without Miller, you see how important individuals are to some teams. Maybe it's to the Habs' credit that they remain afloat better than other teams without the solo contributions of a single player. That doesn't mean, though, that Halak...or Plekanec or Gorges...isn't as important to the Habs as the official Hart candidates are to theirs.
Which Hab would be your pick, if you were voting for the Hart?
14 comments:
Well, since you're asking, I would go with Plekanec. I just think his absence would leave the biggest hole.
If Halak went out, you would not lose too much going to Price (I know, cue the Price/Halak arguments) because he is still good, just not quite outer-worldly good as Halak has been.
Gorges is solid in an understated kind of way and sometimes I think we elevate these folks to higher status because of their unsung heroism (bit of an irony there when you think about it). Besides, Markov is our most valuable defenseman. Without him and with Georges we are barely above being a .500 team.
Plekanec put the team on his back in the first half of the season. Without his fantastic play over the first 35 games, this team would have beeen another 5-6 games under .500 when Markov got back. Might have been too much to overcome. And although his play has dropped off a little, he still makes the second line go and when it's humming it's our first line. He does not complain, seems to be widely respected on the team and does everything asked of him and more.
While we are it, I would nominate SK as our most improved player. I think he is on track to be something pretty special... if he breaks out like we hope, he could be a fabulous number 7 forward. And he started the season about half way off the team. - April 5, 2010 at 8:22 AM
- Kyle Roussel said...
Up until this weekend, I would have flipped a coin between Halak and Plekanec and been happy with the result. But after a weekend in which Halak showed that 1 goal in support *is* in fact enough goal support, he has pulled ahead in that race for me, probably for the rest of the year.
Friday's game vs the Flyers encapsulates this whole situation. Plekanec, the runner up in my mind now, scores the one and only goal. You could argue that it was the biggest goal scored by a Habs this season. 2 nights before that game, Price had turned in a stellar performance, but lost. Many people stood and said that Price would have had to be perfect in order to save his team, who could not score to save their lives. And they'd be right. Back in Philly, and they threw Halak under the bus in an even worse manner than they did against Carolina. Except Halak, with the help of lady luck turns in one of, if not his best performance as a Hab. He slams the door. He makes that one goal stand up. This is not a knock on Price. He's been very good this year. Halak has been magical. Yes, he's benefitted from goal support far ahead of what Price has enjoyed, but there have also been 5 instances in which Halak only needed 1 goal to deliver the win.
After the Flyers game, I asked this same question on twitter. The man who scored the winner vs the man who kept the Flyers off the board at the most important of junctures. The response was fairly evenly split, with probably a slight edge to Plekanec.
Either way, I don't really mind. Plekanec has been Mr. Everything for the Canadiens this year. But as you correctly point out JT, Halak has stolen a ton of points this year. Without those stolen points the Canadiens would be mingling with the Leafs in the basement, and that is as close to a fact as it gets.
Besides, I'd rather my team MVP be a restricted free agent vs an unregisrticted free agent! - April 5, 2010 at 8:26 AM
- Kyle Roussel said...
I forgot to touch on Gorges. In my mind, he has not quite been as good as you do this season. I fully acknowledge his guts, his heart and the respect his mates have for him. I've enjoyed watching him play with guys like Hal Gill, having to make up for his slow foot speed time and time again. He has a limited amount of talent, but he makes it work, and I would hate to lose him when his contract comes up for renewal. While he's somewhere down on my list of MVPs, I have gone on record as saying that he's right near the top of my list of guys who should be in the running to wear the C. To me, Gionta, Cammalleri and Markov are the 3 obvious choices. But Gorges could bump either Markov or Cammalleri for me, and I would not bat an eyelash.
- April 5, 2010 at 8:31 AM
I think my choice would have to be Gorges.....he really is the Timex d man ..
- April 5, 2010 at 9:33 AM
Without Halak, the Habs would have participated in the Taylor Hall/Tyler Seguin derby.
- April 5, 2010 at 10:00 AM
As a fellow Newfoundlander, please give me your thoughts on Michael Ryder
- April 5, 2010 at 10:30 AM
I thoroughly enjoy your insightful and candid comments, a far cry from the media "experts".
On the Hart choice, it has to be Halak.
Thanks again for your blog.
I'm "HabsFansince49" on HIO - April 5, 2010 at 10:30 AM
- J.T. said...
@anon (the last one): What about Ryder? He's a guy with the uncanny ability to unload a deadly wrister with great accuracy, IF he has the inclination to get himself into scoring position. I think the more money he makes reduces that inclination proportionately.
- April 5, 2010 at 10:33 AM
Thanks for the great read,I feel the same as you do about our team and I do think we can do allright in the playoffs.
- April 5, 2010 at 10:33 AM
- Dave said...
I agree with your thoughts on Ryder. I spent a day in Bonavista two years ago (he was with the Habs) and I get the feeling the money was too much for him, or to put it another way, why bother?
- April 5, 2010 at 10:52 AM
Halak gets the Hart without question.
You know you have a chance to win every time he takes the ice. Without the "one more save" attitude he brings to the ice we would be having a totally different discussion.
My only hope for the Habs this year is that Halak gets the respect he deserves from the media, fans and the coaching staff. Especially the coaching staff because I truly believe that he can carry this team on his back through a round or two of play-off hockey.
HH - April 5, 2010 at 11:50 AM
Halak -- all the way.
- April 5, 2010 at 12:35 PM
I never liked the fact that goalies can be considered for MVP, but given the rules as they exist, I also have to vote for Halak because he is the most important player to this team given how many shots they have allowed per game and how many goals they score per game. They are 26th overall in shots allowed per game and 24th in goals scored per game. That combination should have them out of the playoffs if it were not for great goaltending.
- April 5, 2010 at 1:56 PM
- Patrick said...
The Habs don't win consistently without Markov, and no one, absolutely no one can replace him with efficiency.
I'd say Markov, even if he was sidelined for most of the season. - April 6, 2010 at 4:25 AM


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Associate Creative Director Sam Gierasimczuk Joins Vitamin
CHICAGO—Design-driven production studio Vitamin expands its roster with the addition of Associate Creative Director Sam Gierasimczuk. Sam, whose background includes work as a designer, animator and technical director, will work with Vitamin Creative Director Danny DelPurgatorio in overseeing the studios array of projects. Gierasimczuk will assume a hands-on role in design and production as well as supervising the work of other members of the creative team.
"Vitamin's model has always been that collaboration, both internal and external, is the key to our success. Sam is such a creative individual, we're really excited to see how he can help us to push our boundaries." says DelPurgatorio.
"We have been fans of Sam's work for a long time and are thrilled to have this opportunity to bring him on board," said Vitamin Senior Producer Larissa Shames. "Sam is a really talented designer with the technical skills to back it up. He's a great addition to the team."
Sam arrives from the design boutique Leviathan where he served as Creative Director. His work there included a number of innovative projects involving projection mapping, among them an acclaimed installation for the band Amon Tobin and its Isam Tour. He also completed design and animation projects for Scion, Intel, Callaway Golf and Kelly Blue Book.
Previously, Sam served three years as Associate Creative Director with Lift Motion Design. A graduate of Columbia College, Chicago, Sam began his career with the information design firm Zagnoli McEvoy Foley.
Sam is excited to work with the Vitamin team and eager for the opportunity to contribute to broad-based, world-class projects. "I am very impressed with the variety of work that Vitamin attracts," he notes. "I look forward to the opportunity to take part in such a wide gamut of projects. My interests range from film titles and branding packages to music videos and commercials, so it'll be fun to play in this world with Vitamin. "
"We are all very excited to have Sam on board. His knowledge is extensive and his enthusiasm is inspiring. We all look forward to the creative madness that will ensue," concludes Vitamin Creative Director Danny DelPurgatorio.
Vitamin is located at 232 East Ohio Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611. For more information, call 312.664.6683 or visit www.vitaminpictures.tv


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From our kitchen I could hear the diesel engine roar and the chassis squeak as the school bus rounded the bend of the otherwise quiet street leading to our corner. Monday through Friday during the school year, these familiar sounds were my cue to spring into action – to get the back door not only unlocked but also opened because Sam would be charging through that entryway within 30 predictable seconds, making a mad dash for the bathroom. An absolute run-like-your-life-depended-upon-it sprint because he hadn't used a restroom since he left for school eight hours earlier.
And so it was for our child, as he began to transition from female to male in 7th grade. A difficult age for any kid, let alone one whose mind and biology did not match. The more masculine his appearance became, the more difficult it was for him to relieve himself at school. The girl's restroom, while corresponding with his biology, was a torture chamber of verbal abuse, as the occupants would scream at his mere presence. Even those that understood would hang their bystander heads and divert sympathetic gazes, leaving Sam feeling alone and vulnerable as he tried to make his way to a stall. And the threat of physical abuse kept Sam from even trying to use the boy's restroom, which is where he truly belonged.
When we finally understood the extent of the harassment he was enduring, we approached the school looking for help. The proposed solution was for Sam to use the nurse's bathroom, a common remedy offered by many schools across the nation, that never truly meets these kid's needs. In a building with three floors, having only one option in a less-than-central location, is a logistical nightmare – especially when students are expected to use the restroom during their 5 minute passing time between classes. But even more troubling was that using the nurse's restroom was stigmatizing in and of itself. As soon as his fellow classmates began to notice him using the special bathroom, the under-the-breath comments, stares and giggles became more than he could bare. For Sam, 7th grade marked the year that he began to experience chronic bladder infections, just because he couldn't relieve himself at school.
To go or not to go…that is the daily question for my transgender child and thousands of kids like him all over the country. The simple act of relieving themselves in the public restroom of their school – a basic bodily function and need is the source of stress, confusion, violence, endless meetings and arguments by adults and even lawsuits, just because these students identify with the gender that is opposite of their biology.
With so many important issues to focus our time and energy on as a society, worrying about who is using which bathroom seems like a colossal waste of precious resources. Especially when that worry is based on ignorance. So the next time you hear about a controversy surrounding a transgender child using a school restroom, and believe me you will, please try to imagine how uncomfortable it would be if you were not able to use the restroom of the gender to which you identified. Really think about it. Now, suppose you had to worry about your physical well being in a public area that everyone else considers safe. Envision conditioning yourself to not drink liquids all day to the point of dehydration so as to reduce the need to 'go.' And if none of that manages to open your heart and mind then I would ask you to please consider this: how would you feel if this was happening to your child?


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Saint Barnabas the New Confessor
Vojislav Nastić was born in Gary, Indiana, on January 31, 1914 into a family of Serbian emigrants. His father and mother were Atanasije and Zorka Nastić. When Vojislav was a child, his parents returned to their homeland. Vojislav attended high school in Sarajevo, graduating in 1933. He continued his education at the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Belgrade, graduating in 1937. After graduating he taught as a catechist in two high schools in Sarajevo.
In 1940, Vojislav took monastic vows in Mileševa Monastery, receiving the name Varnava. Varnava was ordained Hierodeacon by Metropolitan Petar of Dabar-Bosna.
Deacon Varnava remained in Sarajevo during World War II. Croatian fascists, however, tried to force him to join a fascist creation called the "Croatian Orthodox Church" that they had organized to subvert the Serbian population in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dn. Varnava categorically refused this. Soon he had to leave Sarajevo in order to save his life.
After war he was ordained a Hieromonk and raised to the rank of Protosyngellos by Bishop Nektarije of Zvornik and Tuzla. In its first regular session, the Holy Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church elected Fr. Varnava auxiliary bishop to the Serbian Patriarch with the title of Bishop of Hvosno, with the responsibility of administering the Diocese of Dabar-Bosna. He was consecrated by Patriarch Gavrilo, Bp. Nektarije, and Bp. Vikentije of Zletovo and Strumica on May 20, 1947.
In his new position Bishop Varnava began openly criticizing the new communist regime for mistreating the church. He was soon arrested and sentenced to twenty years in prison. He was accused of being an American spy with one of the charges being that he was teaching his sister English, so she could be used as a spy for the Americans.
Bp. Varnava was subjected to torture, lack of food, and was kept in the most isolated wing of the prison. But Bp. Varnava remained calm. Every day he sang the troparia and other hymns. The communist Government even arranged an accident in order to get rid of him in which he broke his leg. Although the communist secret police, OZNA, did not allow doctors to provide him any medical help, he recovered. He was released after the accident to house arrest in the Gomionica Monastery in the Diocese of Banja Luka until his release in 1960.
He died on November 12, 1964, in circumstances that led some historians to believe that he was poisoned by OZNA. In 2005, during the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Bp. Varnava was canonized and his name was added to the list of other saints of the Serbian people and of Orthodox Christian faith.


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Ecclesiastes 12
Let your mind be turned to your Maker in the days of your strength, while the evil days come not, and the years are far away when you will say, I have no pleasure in them;
While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, are not dark, and the clouds come not back after the rain;
In the day when the keepers of the house are shaking for fear, and the strong men are bent down, and the women who were crushing the grain are at rest because their number is small, and those looking out of the windows are unable to see;
When the doors are shut in the street, and the sound of the crushing is low, and the voice of the bird is soft, and the daughters of music will be made low;
And he is in fear of that which is high, and danger is in the road, and the tree is white with flower, and the least thing is a weight, and desire is at an end, because man goes to his last resting-place, and those who are sorrowing are in the streets;
Before ever the silver cord is cut, or the vessel of gold is broken, or the pot is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the water-hole;
And the dust goes back to the earth as it was, and the spirit goes back to God who gave it.
All things are to no purpose, says the Preacher, all is to no purpose.
And because the Preacher was wise he still gave the people knowledge; searching out, testing, and putting in order a great number of wise sayings.
The Preacher made search for words which were pleasing, but his writing was in words upright and true.
The words of the wise are pointed, and sayings grouped together are like nails fixed with a hammer; they are given by one guide.
And further, my son, take note of this: of the making of books there is no end, and much learning is a weariness to the flesh.
This is the last word. All has been said. Have fear of God and keep his laws; because this is right for every man.
God will be judge of every work, with every secret thing, good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12
Bible in Basic English
Bible Hub


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This past weekend, the IEET hosted the world's first conference dedicated to the topic of nonhuman animal personhood. Energized by the NhRP's recent initiative to have captive chimpanzees legally recognized as persons and not property, the event brought together legal experts, scientists, philosophers, and futurists from around the world. Here's a recap.
Called Personhood Beyond the Human, the event was co-sponsored by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, the Yale Technology and Ethics Working Group, and the Yale Animal Ethics Group. The conference was held at Yale University from December 6 to 8. The Nonhuman Rights Project was an official endorser, and several of its members attended and spoke at the conference, including the group's founder, Steven Wise.
Law Informed by Science
And indeed, the NhRP was the big hit of the conference. While the group failed in its first attempt to secure human-equivalent protections for several chimpanzees, the NhRP considers this the beginning of what will most assuredly be a long and difficult process.
During his talk at the Yale conference, Wise described how virtually all human societies have denied other-than-human animals the right to bodily liberty — a concept known as habeas corpus in legal circles. "By virtue of this," declared Wise, "we've put animals into an ever-lasting jail." His hope is for legal transubstantiation — the moving of animals from 'thinghood' to personhood.
Wise, when speaking to the judges last week, presented two primary legal arguments supported by common law language, namely the notion that certain animals have capacities, like autonomy, that qualify them for the right to liberty and that they should subsequently be seen as equal under the law. The NhRP is only arguing for negative rights; it's strictly a matter of protecting these animals from undue harm while respecting their autonomy.
"I don't agree that with rights come responsibilities," said Wise. "Animals do not have a 'claim right' and cannot enter into a contract." He compared their situation to those of children or the severely disabled. "Children have lots of rights," he noted, "but without the responsibilities."
Wise is pressing the case now because the science, law, and zeitgeist are finally in place to support it. Fascinatingly, while all judges dismissed the suits, one encouraged Wise to carry on with the work saying, "What a great argument. You lose!"
To support the case for animal autonomy, Wise was accompanied by his science advisor, Lori Marino. She held up a stack of papers the size of a phone book containing affidavits from numerous scientists — all used as evidence to support the claim that chimpanzees have critical capacities required for legal personhood designation, including the sense of self, awareness of others, mental time travel, and complex problem solving. Marino stressed that the NhRP isn't biased towards chimps, it's just that the evidence rests with the "lowest hanging fruit," and that "we've got to go where the evidence is."
Sentience and Suffering
Wesleyan University's Lori Gruen also spoke at the conference.
"To be consistent and fair, we ought to extend our concern towards others with similar capacities," she told the Yale audience. "But there can't be scientific proof that personhood exists in great apes, because that's a concept that's normative." Instead, Gruen said it's more important they have the capacity to suffer than any other special ability or trait.
Somewhat similarly, animal rights activist Karen Davis argued that most criteria-based arguments reduce our conceptions of animals. She also complained about the tendency to compare animal capacities to children or disabled humans.
"You do not compare the incompetent capacities of one species with the competent capacities of another species," she said. "It is neither logical or just, it demeans them in many possible ways." A hen, she said, has the mind of being a competent mother. "There is absolutely no comparison to a human child."
Like Gruen, Cal State's Robert C. Jones agreed that sentience matters — especially the capacity for pain.
Saskia Stucki, who came to Yale from the University of Basel in Switzerland, said, "Sentience is probably a good delineator of animal personhood as it implies a certain degree of vulnerability."
Bioethicist Peter Singer kickstarted the conference with his keynote address on Friday.
Likewise, keynote speaker Peter Singer — the founder of the modern animal rights movement — noted that, "Animals are an end unto themselves because their suffering matters." Like so many other speakers this past weekend, Singer dismantled notions of human exceptionalism. Animals are simply not for us to use and abuse.
Andrew Fenton from Cal State gave a provocative talk in which he addressed the issue of animal experimentation. Taking inspiration from pediatric ethics, he made the fascinating claim that animals can express dissent.
"Pressure is mounting to recognize the demands made by captive other-than-human animals on their captors — and demands made by free-living other-than-human animals on conspecifics — in relevantly similar ways to what we see falling under discussions of respect for persons in human bioethics," he noted. Consequently, it's important that we not destroy an animal's ability to dissent to experimentation.
Some speakers presented more difficult criteria for personhood, including Harvard's Wynn Schwartz. Drawing from Goffman's dramaturgical viewpoint, he argued that persons should have the capacity for hedonics, prudence, aesthetics, and ethics. "The life that's observed should tell a story," he said.
The Potential for Machine Persons
Some speakers considered the potential for personhood rights to be ascribed to future machine minds. Indeed, there's already concern that we may harm AI when it first emerges. To that end, Samir Chopra, author of A Legal Theory for Autonomous Artificial Agents, argued that some AI will be deserving of moral and legal consideration.
"By regarding animals as 'not-persons' we are able to continually mistreat and exploit them," he said. The same danger awaits artificial agents, which is why we have to look at personhood as a pragmatic notion.
As for me, I spoke about the consequences of legal nonhuman animal personhood, including potential impacts to our social, political, and legal spheres (full details to come in a future io9 post!).
Finally, futurist and scifi author David Brin closed the conference by making the case for animal uplift. As the most successful intelligent species on the planet, we owe it to the animals to help them "crash through the evolutionary glass ceiling." He says that we shouldn't just assume that animals, in their natural state, are living a kind of ideal existence — a claim that ruffled the feathers of many conference attendees.
The IEET team: George Dvorsky, James Hughes, Kris Notaro
I've organized conferences before, but this was easily the most personal. It was extremely affirming for me to see these topics discussed in such a matter-of-fact and sophisticated way. It was also encouraging to see so many people make the case for personhood outside the usual suspects (i.e. great apes, cetaceans, and elephants).
And as pointed out to me during the conference, and as I made very clear in my talk, we have moved past the first two phases of social reform. We are no longer being laughed at and we are certainly no longer being ignored. We are now truly in the midst of a fight to have legal personhood rights ascribed to nonhuman animals.
Quite appropriately, Steven Wise quoted Winston Churchill when assessing the current situation: "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."


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FRESH: adj original, vivid
HIGH SOCIETY: n the upper classes, especially when fashionable
Too often, the opportunity to make quality, forward thinking music is overlooked when the opportunity to make a profit presents itself. In years prior, critics have announced the imminent death of Hip Hop for reasons such as un-original lyrics, cliche beats and an overall stale image presented by those who are picked to represent the culture. Fresh/High Society are a part of the current movement of next generation artists serving as a respirator to a genre currently on it's last breath.
The 2 members of the group, Balistik The Messiah & Uncle AO, met in 2005 while attending their freshman year at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, New York, and an instant friendship was formed. There was an interest in making good music that served as the common denominator for 2 young men with such different backgrounds; Balistik growing up in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, NY & AO hailing from Roosevelt, Long Island. Over the next few years, they made several songs together and finally decided to form a group while working on a promotional mixtape titled The Cool Table Vol. 1, which was released in April of 2009. Fresh/High Society was born.
HIP HOP: n popular urban youth culture
ART: n The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty
People tend to dismiss Hip Hop as a form of Art because they fail to see the attention to detail and creativity in the lyrics. Fresh/High Society embody both definitions of Hip Hop & Art and therefore are destroying the dividing line between the 2 words. The subject matter of the songs often revolve around the issues that everyday people have to deal with: love/hate relationships, neighborhood life and ambition to better oneself are some of the topics covered, making the music easy to relate to while their unlimited creativity sets them apart from other Hip Hop artists.
They are currently at work on new music and are a force to be reckoned with.
The brand new EP, "(UN)Popular Couture" is available for free download HERE.
The new single Home Sweet Home will be released Tuesday, June 21st on iTunes. The video for Home Sweet Home will be released on YouTube.
Click HERE to purchase "Leave Me Alone" by Fresh/High Society on iTunes.
Fresh/High Society – A&R Power Summit Industry Showcase
8 pm.
Tickets $10.
Sullivan Hall, NYC.


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Welcome to IRISH ROOTS Magazine
Irish Roots magazine is a powerful resource tool for all those wishing to trace their Irish ancestors. Irish Roots is dedicated entirely to helping readers worldwide to successfully connect with their Irish ancestry and heritage. Each quarterly issue is packed with practical and informative articles written by Ireland's leading genealogists.
Irish Roots magazine is published quarterly in December, March, June and September. A subscription costs just:- Ireland €35, UK £35, USA $49, Canada $54, Australia $54 and rest of world €37. All print prices quoted include postage worldwide! Click on the switch currency tab when subscribing to bring up the local currency relevant to you.
Subscribing is easy, there is no need to login or register, simply visit our online store and purchase the current issue, back copies or a subscription in print format. You can also purchase digital copies or digital subscriptions through the 'digital' tab on our website. Please note that digital issues of Irish Roots magazine available through our digital store are available to download to your pc only. To purchase an iPad, iPhone and Android compatible versions, please visit the 'APP' section of our website.
If you prefer to make payment by mail, send payment in your local currency (see the above listed prices), enclose your name and full postal address and we will commence your subscription to include four issues from when you subscribe - including the current issue. Please make cheques in your local currency or postal orders payable to Irish Roots Media Ltd, Blackrock, Blessington, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. This payment option by postal mail is unfortunately only available for the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Ireland and rest of Europe.
Irish Roots magazine is an imperative publication for everyone endeavouring to trace and embrace their Irish ancestry and heritage. We are delighted to continue to strive to assist thousands of our global readers to discover their Irish family history. Get closer to your ancestors with Irish Roots magazine - subscribe today!


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Past blast: Goldin likes to look
During a recent tour of the UVA Art Museum's show, "Excavating New Ground: American Art in the 1970s," curator Andrea Douglas observed that what may be radical and extraordinary in the moment often appears unremarkable in retrospect. And perhaps that's the problem with Nan Goldin's "Scopophilia," currently on view at Second Street Gallery as part of Look3: Festival of the Photograph.
Goldin gained fame in the 1980s for her intimate, no-holds-barred photographs of her New York City friends— cross-dressing, having sex, doing drugs, coping with AIDS, and smoking, always smoking. Perhaps her most celebrated image is a self-portrait of her bruised face following a beating by her then husband. At the time, Goldin's art was raw and transgressive. But viewed through the lens of 2011, saturated with reality TV, "sexting," and internet porn, it all seems rather normal, more noticeable for the camera's being out-of-focus than for its prurient content.
But that is not the point of "Scopophilia," which is a Greek term for an obsessive love of looking, as Goldin explains in her short (though not short enough) film, screening in SSG's Dové Gallery. The project arose from an ecstasy Golden experienced while photographing the paintings and sculptures in the Louvre alone at night.
In her film, Goldin juxtaposes images of classical artwork with her own photographs to highlight that the same gestures, physical traits, and social and sexual relationships perpetually attract the artist's eye. Her accompanying narration of relevant Greek myths about looking, beauty, and pleasure is interesting, but the footage becomes like a laundry list: images of hair, images of water, images of veils, images of men, images of women with women, images of children— you get the picture(s).
Fifteen photographs glimpsed in Goldin's film hang in SSG's main gallery. Several are striking for their painterly compositions, such as "Amanda on my Fortuny, Berlin, 1993," which depicts a peach-skinned nude lying on a couch draped with a silver-patterned orange tapestry. Others seem merely ordinary, including two of couples coupling, which surprise only with their lack of surprise. A third sex scene, "Joana and Aurele Making Out in My Apartment, NYC, 1999," fares better, thanks to the beautiful play of light.
The photographs in "Scopophilia" represent neither new work nor iconic Nan Goldin images; rather they are pictures an assistant salvaged from her archive of slides. As such, they are simply work— perhaps at one time extraordinary, but now without the "extra."
Presented by Look3: Festival of the Photograph, Nan Goldin's exhibtion, "Scopophila" is on view through June 25 at Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. 977-7284.


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CFP: Utopian Passports: Travel, Immigration, and Diaspora in Latin America (1/31/04; journal issue)
Published annually by graduate students of the University of California
Davis, under the auspices of the Hemispheric Institute on the Americas,
_Brújula: revista interdisciplinaria sobre estudios latinoamericanos_ is
an interdisciplinary journal with a focus on Latin American literary
studies. This journal seeks to foster a dialogue between established
academics and a new generation of scholars, while including original
essays from a variety of fields such as anthropology, history, art,
music, linguistics, comparative literature, sociology, and native
American studies. With each issue, _Brújula_ intends to highlight a theme
of relevance in current debates and to create a forum that explores
transnational perspectives to critical approaches.
The third issue of _Brújula_, "Utopian Passports: Travel, Immigration and
Diaspora in Latin America", will explore the diverse cultural
manifestations that travel assumes in Latin America. We will consider
papers that analyze a variety of mediums—textual, photographic, filmic,
musical, etc.–-and the role that they play in the construction of
identities in the region. The editors will consider papers from all time
periods: Pre-colonial to Contemporary.
Topics may include travel, diaspora, or immigration and:
-visual arts
-gender theory
-nation building
-queer theory
-tourism and travel guides
-travel theory
* Please submit your essay with a cover letter that includes a brief (50-
75 word) professional statement (with your name, academic affiliation,
and standing [graduate student, doctoral candidate, assistant professor],
institution, research interests, and/or a few relevant publications) the
title of your paper as well as a 100-word abstract.
*Essays may be written in Spanish, English, or Portuguese. In addition,
for this special issue, bilingual essays written in an indigenous
language will be considered as long as a translation is provided in one
of the aforementioned languages.
*Papers are limited to 15-20 pages, double-spaced, including endnotes and
*Send material via e-mail at: brujula_at_ucdavis.edu. Use Microsoft Word 95
or higher. Or Mail 3.5" formatted disk (IBM or Mac) with document to:
Brújula, Hemispheric Institute on the Americas, University of California,
One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8576.
*We request that essay format follow the conventions of the _MLA Handbook
for Writers of Research Papers_ (5th edition).
*Tables, diagrams, maps, photos, and artwork may be included by
arrangement with editors. Permissions to reproduce such materials will be
the responsibility of the author.
_Brújula_ only accepts original contributions. Translations of articles
or articles already published will not be accepted.
***Manuscripts will not be returned***
From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List
Full Information at
or write Erika Lin: elin_at_english.upenn.edu
Received on Fri Aug 22 2003 - 15:31:46 EDT


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FUMI - www.pursehook.com
~ Devine ~ FUMI Seamless Fashion Cover Up ~ Flawless ~
$ 39.50
Wonderfully elegant and light, our bathing suit cover-ups will "suit" your style! Beautifully crafted using seamless fabric, this flowing design combines both fashion and function.
Be ready for fun in the sun...you will be comfortable, covered and cute!
Conveniently stores in a small zipper pouch that easily fits in any bag or purse. Be ready for quick access to restaurants and bars that require a bit more coverage than only a bathing suit....well aren't you stylish and smart!


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Truck Simulator : Europe
Truck Simulator lets you become a real trucker. Drive Across Europe.
- Updated:
- BundleID:
- com.zuuks.truck.simulator.euro
- Version:
- 1.3.5
- Size:
- Category:
- Simulation
- Required:
- Android
- Rating:
- Publish:
- 2023-10-04
- Price:
- Free
- Developer:
- Zuuks Games
Truck Simulator : Europe
- Some bug fixes have been made.
Truck Simulator Game SCREENSHOT
Truck Simulator Game DESCRIPTION
🚚 Truck Simulator 🚚
The game delivers an unparalleled driving experience which has put it in the spot of the most popular Bus Simulator : Ultimate and Euro Truck Simulator.
Completely realistic missions and Truck Simulator experience are waiting for you.
Run your own business which continues to grow even as you complete your freight deliveries. Become the King of the road by playing Truck Simulator : Europe.
🚚 13 Amazing Trucks (Next Generation Trucks)
🚚 Realistic Interiors
🚚 Realistic truck driving experience
🚚 250+ radio stations
🚚 Highway Toll roads
🚚 Drive Across Europe
🚚 Realistic traffic system
🚚 Impressive Trucks Customization
🚚 Realistic weather
🚚 60+ Challenging level (Explore Amazing Scenarios)
🚚 Drive across country roads , city roads and highways
🚚 Various camera angles (Inner cam, Front cam, outer cam and more)
🚚 Amazing Graphics
🚚 Realistic Truck sound effects
🚚 Achievements and Leaderboards
🚚 Easy controls (Tilt, Buttons or steering wheel)
🚚 More than 25 language support
Completely realistic Truck Simulator.
🛑 Download Truck Simulator : Europe game right now for free. 🛑
– Start your Truck by using Start / Stop button.
– Fasten your seat belts.
– On the right side of your screen, bring the shift to "D" position.
– Control your Truck by using break and acceleration buttons.
– You may choose how to control your Truck on the Settings menu.
– During the night missions, you can turn the headlights on by using Headlights button.
– When your Truck ran out of gas, you can buy gas from the Garage by touching gas button.
– If you follow traffic rules during the game, you will earn more money.
– The faster you complete the mission, more money you will earn.
Attention: Drive safely and follow traffic rules in real life.
For any inquires and opinions please contact us on [email protected].
Official website: https://www.zuuks.com
TikTok : https://email@example.com
Follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSZ5daJft7LuWzSyjdp_8HA
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zuuks.games
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZuuksGames


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Democrats took control of the House of Representatives Tuesday evening, eking out wins in several close races and unseating several Republican incumbents. These are the Republicans who unsuccessfully sought re-election.
1. Mike Coffman, CO-6
2. Carlos Curbelo, FL-26
3. Peter Roskam, IL-6
4. Randy Hultgren, IL-14
5. Rod Blum, IA-1
6. David Young, IA-3
7. Kevin Yoder, KS-03
8. Mike Bishop, MI-08
9. Jason Lewis, MN-2
10. Erik Paulsen, MN-3
11. Leonard Lance, NJ-7
12. Dan Donovan, NY-11
13. John Faso, NY-19
14. Claudia Tenney, NY-22
15. Steve Russell, OK-5
16. Keith Rothfus, PA-17
17. John Culberson, TX-7
18. Pete Sessions, TX-32
19. Scott Taylor, VA-2
20. Dave Brat, VA-7
21. Barbara Comstock, VA-10


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Should Seniors Who Lose Their Job During the Coronavirus Pandemic Claim Social Security Benefits Early?
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment is skyrocketing. Seniors who lose their jobs may be tempted to claim Social Security benefits early, but should they, given the resulting reduction in future benefits? The answer depends on your situation, but you may be able to claim and not sacrifice much in terms of future benefits.
While you can claim Social Security benefits as early as age 62, the better financial decision is usually to wait to take benefits as long as you are able. If you take Social Security between age 62 and your full retirement age, your benefits will be permanently reduced to account for the longer period you will be paid. Individuals who file at age 62 this year will receive 72 percent of their full benefit. On the other hand, if you delay taking retirement beyond your full retirement age, depending on when you were born, your benefit will increase by 6 to 8 percent for every year that you delay, in addition to any cost of living increases. This extra income could be very welcome, especially if you live into your 80s or beyond.
Unfortunately, many seniors who lose their job due to the coronavirus pandemic may find it necessary to apply for benefits early, potentially losing hundreds of thousands in future benefits. Before rushing to apply for early retirement benefits, you should consider all of your options. If you are lucky enough to have substantial savings, it may make sense to spend your savings rather than take benefits early. You may also be able to apply for unemployment benefits to allow you to further delay taking benefits.
If you do not have any savings or unemployment benefits to fall back on, your only option may be to claim benefits. However, if you do claim early and then go back to work, you may have the ability to increase those benefits. If you are able to stop the benefits within 12 months of starting, you can withdraw the application, repay the benefits collected, and then still be eligible for the higher benefit amount at full retirement age or older. It is essentially a one-year interest-free loan.
If you take benefits early but are not able to stop the benefits within 12 months of starting, you can still suspend your benefits in order to earn higher benefits. For example, if you start collecting at age 62 but no longer need the income once you reach your full retirement age, you could suspend benefits until age 70. You won't get a complete do-over, but between your full retirement age and 70 you would earn delayed retirement credits, which would increase your ultimate benefit amount when you collect at age 70.
Whatever you decide, consider all of your options carefully and talk things over with your attorney or financial planner before making any rash decisions.
For a New York Times article about taking benefits early, click here.


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Labradorite Pendant | Abstract Shape | Sterling Silver
Size 30mm x 20mm
Labradorite was first discovered in Labrador in Canada, although it is now found in several other locations throughout the world. It is a feldspar mineral with a pearlescent lustre which creates an appealing shimmer.
PLEASE SELECT CHAIN OPTION FROM DROPDOWN MENU. Rope chains 18" are complimentary, and upgrades to other chains are available, including 30" chains and snake chains. Unsure which chain length you require? Check out our blog for some advice.
Postage: All orders are dispatched within 48 hours with upgrades to next day UK delivery available. International orders sent tracked and signed.
What's Included...
- An eco jewellery box
- Sterling silver polishing cloth
- Care information
- Plastic-free packaging
- Certificate of authenticity/information card
Please note: Every pendant purchase also comes with a free 18" sterling silver chain. If you would like to upgrade to a different style of chain, you will receive 10% off when purchased with a pendant. Our chain collection is here. This upgrade will be sent instead of the complimentary chain.
Read our blog, How to Choose the Perfect Chain for Your Pendant, for advice.
Care Guide
In order to protect your Hepburn & Hughes jewellery and ensure that it always looks as good as new, we advise you to follow these steps.
- Use the cleaning cloth provided to clean and polish your silver. This lint-free cloth is chemically treated to improve the silver's lustre and shine and can be used for light, regular cleanings to remove tarnishing.
- Avoid contact with perfume, skin creams, hairspray and chlorine.
Gift Wrapping
Gift wrapping for all jewellery items is available for an additional charge of £4.50. This includes a Hepburn & Hughes gift bag and a hand-written message of your choice.
Select 'Gift wrap this item' and complete with your message.
Delivery & Returns
UK orders
All orders are dispatched within 1-2 business days.
Royal Mail Tracked48: £2.99 for orders under £60, free for orders over £60.
Upgrade to Next Day Guaranteed delivery (order by 11 am): £6.99
Next Day Guaranteed delivery for Saturdays (order by 11am Friday): £12
International Orders
All orders are sent fully tracked within 1-2 business days.
Delivery schedules are based on Royal Mail guidance and are not guaranteed.
Please note: We do not collect local taxes and import duty on overseas orders – customs charges may be charged to the recipient.
For more information please visit our shipping policy.
Returns are accepted for 30 days from purchase date. Please visit our refund page for more information.


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Royal Lochnagar, Diageo's smallest distillery, goes into the Pinch, Windsor, VAT 69, and Johnnie Walker blends. And I've heard third- or eighth-hand that it's one of the main malt components for Blue Label. So there's a chance that many folks have had it, but not on its own.
I'm not sure if I've ever had a Royal Lochnagar single malt before, so I'm just going to say that this is my first. Though K&L drew rightful criticism for overstating the rarity of independent Lochnagars, indie RLs can be a challenge to find. Whiskybase has 110+ RL indies, but only 10 have been released since 2013. And this Faultline was the only one of those to make it to the US. The only other one I've seen on the shelves is the Dewar Rattray one that BevMo! released 4-5 years ago.
(source) |
Owner: Diageo
Retailer: K&L only
Its color is very pale. The nose starts with a load of ethyl with buttery oak behind it. Give it a couple minutes...and......Floral perfume. Lots of soap. Lots of vanilla. Lemons. A little bit of saltwater. The palate is REALLY hot. A little bitter and soapy. Lots of sticky sugars, flower petals, and vanilla. The finish is heat. Barrel char, vanilla, and woody bitterness.
Okay, that was not what I'd identify as pleasant. I'm going to water it down...
WITH WATER (~46%abv)
The nose is still perfumy, but clearer now. Limes, roses, a hint of malt. Kasugai peach candy, caramel, and confectioner's sugar. Still some ethyl in there. The palate is pretty malty and mild now. Sugary and grassy. Some lime zestiness and a slight farm note. The finish is clearer too. Better bitterness. Lots of woody vanillaness. Perfumy.
As noted above, I received this sample from Smoky Peat. Mr. Peat is more of an optimist about current whiskies than I am......and he gave this whisky one of his two or three lowest scores ever. The reddit review of this Royal Lochnagar is not kinder.
I'm not sure if I've ever written the following: I do not recommend even trying this whisky neatly. Water is a must. While that still doesn't turn it into a great whisky, hydration does cool its crazy heat and washes away the soap. It still seems like a very young malt once it's reduced, which while that is not a bad thing, it may not be to everyone's taste. It's sugary, grassy, and perfumed. It's drinkable at 46%abv, perhaps even more so at 40%. So keep that in mind if you have issues with your bottle once it's opened.


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With great power comes great responsibility. And our responsibility is to offer you the most original Spiderman costumes in the Marvel Universe. Choose the Spiderman costume that you like the most. There are so many versions of Spiderman that you and your friends could form a Spiderman group costume and no one would need to wear the same costume as there is: the original Spiderman costume, the Spiderman Homecoming costume, Black Spiderman, the Iron Spider suit from Infinity War... You will even find Spiderman costumes for girls with Spidergirl suits. There is a Spiderman costume for each member of the family, adults, kids, babies and even for your pet! With these Spiderman suits you will dream that you have great strength and your spidey senses will save you from almost any situation. But make sure you're careful, we don't want you to fall when you jump from roof to roof. Turn into the character we've all dreamed of being. The time has come for you to choose your superhero costume! You and your friends will be able to create your own group of heroes with these The Avengers costumes. If you are going to be Spiderman, you only need to choose the right Spiderman suit: deluxe, classic, morphsuit, spidergirl, muscly, T-Shirt and mask kits...and your group will have to choose between the available Marvel suits. Sharpen up your spidey senses and have fun!
49,99 € Before


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First season of 'Smash' arrives on DVD with UltraViolet
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Critically acclaimed television series "Smash" is coming to DVD with UltraViolet this winter.
Featuring all 15 episodes on a four-disc set, "Smash" follows the story of talented newcomer Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee from "American Idol"), who auditions for a new Broadway musical based on Marilyn Monroe. The only thing standing in her way is Ivy Lynn (Broadway star Megan Hilty), a seasoned theater veteran who is determined to land the part herself and will stop at nothing to realize her own dreams of fame. Bonus features included in the set are deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, featurettes and more.
"Smash: Season One" officially makes its way to retail on Jan. 8, 2013.


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Lorenzo Snow
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Lorenzo Snow (April 3, 1814 – October 10, 1901) was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church) starting in 1898, and lasting until his death. He was the last LDS Church President in the 19th Century.
This article about a religious leader is a stub. You can help Wikiquote by expanding it. |
[edit]- As man now is, God once was:
As God now is, man may be.- Nature of God (see also: God in Mormonism)
- Lund, Gerald N. (February 1982), Is President Lorenzo Snow's oft-repeated statement—"As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be"—accepted as official doctrine by the Church?, "I Have a Question", Ensign
- The time has now come for every Latter-day Saint, who calculates to be prepared for the future and to hold his feet strong upon a proper foundation, to do the will of the Lord and to pay his tithing in full. That is the word of the Lord to you, and it will be the word of the Lord to every settlement throughout the land of Zion. After I leave you and you get to thinking about this, you will see yourselves that the time has come when every man should stand up and pay his tithing in full. The Lord has blessed us and has had mercy upon us in the past; but there are times coming when the Lord requires us to stand up and do that which He has commanded and not leave it any longer. What I say to you in this stake of Zion I will say to every stake of Zion that has been organized. There is no man or woman that now hears what I am saying who will feel satisfied if he or she fails to pay a full tithing.
- Tithing (see also: Tithe) [citation needed]


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Uber is getting into the grocery delivery business, at least in Mexico, Chile, Peru and Canada.
Uber announced on Fridaythat it's adding grocery delivery to its growing list of services, buying a majority stake in a Latin American online grocery provider called Cornershop.
Details of the agreement were not disclosed, but Uber said the deal is expected to be completed early next year.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he plans to bring the grocery delivery service within their own platform, sharing a GIF on Twitter about how to find and use Cornershop on the Uber app.
"Whether it's getting a ride, ordering food from your favorite restaurant, or soon, getting groceries delivered, we want Uber to be the operating system for your everyday life," Khosrowshahi said in the announcement.
Khosrowshahi did not say whether the online grocery service would be expanded to the United States.
The move comes at a time when competition in the online grocery market is revving up. Walmart just yesterday announced a new deal for grocery delivery in Canada with Cornershop, using the Cornershop app.
Earlier this year, Walmart tried to buy Cornershop for $225 million, but Mexican antitrust officials blocked the deal.
As with other large tech companies, Uber has grown far beyond its origins as a ride-hailing service. It already took a step in the food delivery business through Uber Eats, which has proved to be expensive for the company.
Earlier this month, the company launched Uber Works in Chicago, an app that connects gig workers with employers looking for temporary staff. Uber also has invested in electric scooters, shipping and aerial ridesharing with helicopters, which is still in the works.
Uber continues to expand despite struggling to make a profit. Uber's contractor-based business model is also under pressure from a California law passed in September, that would force drivers to be classified as employees.
Len Sherman, an adjunct professor of business at Columbia Business School, said the announcement is yet another example of Uber trying to find new ways to engage customers despite having what he said is a broken business model.
Sherman said Uber should fix its core business — ridesharing — before expanding.
Once Uber acquires Cornershop, the grocery service will maintain its leadership and report to a board with majority Uber representation.
Cornershop was founded in 2015 and delivers groceries in Chile, Mexico, Peru and Canada. Oskar Hjertonsson, founder and CEO of Cornershop, said he hopes to bring the service to more markets around the world.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Are you looking for CPAP Machine on rent in Delhi .You may have heard of a CPAP machine if you or a loved one has sleep apnea. A CPAP machine is medical equipment that makes it easier for patients with sleep apnea to breathe while they are sleeping. It operates by supplying a constant flow of air pressure through a mask put over the mouth or nose.
Purchase a CPAP machine on rent in Delhi. The majority of medical professionals, hospitals, and patients greatly value this device. We provide our valued clients with top-notch medical and healthcare services at reasonable prices. Think little right now. Get in touch with us today to take advantage of our first-rate healthcare services delivered right to your home.
The cost of a CPAP machine, however, might be high. Fortunately, there are organizations that provide CPAP Machine on rent. CPAP machine is a fantastic choice for people who just need the equipment temporarily or for people who want to check it out before making a purchase. Here are five reasons to rent a CPAP machine and respiratory equipment.
1. High-quality equipment: it is available from Bharat Respiratory Solutions. These CPAP machines are reliable and comfortable to use. To keep their equipment in top shape, they perform routine upkeep and cleaning.
2. Reasonably Priced: Renting a CPAP machine can be expensive, but Bharat Respiratory Solutions provides reasonably priced options that are accessible to the majority of individuals. In order to make renting a CPAP machine easier to afford, they also provide various payment alternatives.
3. Exceptional Customer Service: If you have any questions regarding the rental procedure or the equipment itself, our team of experienced and helpful customer service specialists at Bharat Respiratory Solutions is here to help. They are committed to making sure that every consumer has a positive experience.
4. Convenient Rental Process: CPAP machine on rent is simple and convenient with Bharat Respiratory Solutions. From the convenience of your home, you may browse their online inventory of machines, select the one that best suits your needs, and complete the rental procedure.
5. Quick Delivery: Company provides prompt and dependable delivery so you can use your machine as soon as possible. They are aware of how crucial it is for you to get your CPAP machine as soon as possible.
Remember, it's crucial to speak with a medical expert or respiratory therapist to decide on the best course of action for your unique sleep apnea needs.
A CPAP machine filters and compresses the oxygen that is introduced into your mask through a tube. Your tongue, uvula, and soft mouth are kept from protruding too far into your airway by the continual airflow. Your overall quality of sleep is improved by controlling your breathing.
A CPAP machine continually breathes pressurized air into your mouth and nose while you sleep. By keeping your airways open, this enables you to breathe normally.
A steady and unchecked airflow is maintained by the continuous flow of air, which helps to minimize breathing disruptions and improve sleep quality.
The effects of CPAP therapy will probably start to take effect as soon as you begin using it. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the optimum benefit of therapy is typically felt after two weeks or so. After two to four weeks, if you're still feeling sleepy, you should talk to a sleep specialist about the potential underlying causes of your chronic daytime sleepiness.
You can measure their conditions in the comfort of your own house with the aid of medical equipment provided by a lone healthcare device service provider. Additionally, we provide Buy CPAP Machine on rent in Delhi so that any person or patient can benefit from our top-notch services. Looking to hire medical equipment at a reasonable price? Place your orders for the higher-quality CPAP machine with confidence.
How long is a CPAP machine available for rental?
Depending on your needs and the policies of the rental company, the rental period may change. While some service providers only offer rentals for a week or a month, others could provide rentals for extended periods of time. It is essential to ask the rental company about their rental policies.
Can you rent a CPAP machine while travelling?
Yes, a lot of rental companies sell portable, lightweight CPAP units that are ideal for vacation. These devices are built with characteristics that make them convenient for travel, such as adaptability to different power sources and different voltages.
Do insurance policies cover the renting of CPAP machines?
Your insurance plan's coverage and policy determine this. While other insurance plans can require you to meet specific requirements, some insurance policies might pay all or part of the rental cost. To find out the specifics of your insurance's CPAP machine on rent coverage, get in touch with your provider.


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Ever since returning from Barcelona, I have been slightly obsessed with peta zeta, or as we say in English, pop rocks. It's Oriol Balaguer's fault. When we were in Spain, one of the must-visit places on my wife S's itinerary was Balaguer's boutique. She's been slightly obsessed with this genius chocolatier ever since a pastry chef friend gave her Balaguer's cookbook as a present some years back. Balaguer's Barcelona boutique is a very small, chic corner space, located in the middle of a wealthy residential neighborhood. (It is also just around the corner from the showroom of Tresserra, an amazing Spanish furniture brand I am currently in love with but cannot afford — and probably won't be able to for decades to come.)
As you can imagine, we tried many of Balaguer's chocolates and even some of his pastries. Everything was delicious, but one thing in particular blew me away — his pop rock filled chocolate truffles. These were simply fabulous, not just because they were made with the very best chocolate but because they were fun. Really fun. I hadn't eaten pop rocks in years. In fact, I wasn't even aware that these effervescent candies were still being made.
Pop rocks, for those of you who have never had them (and I was amazed to discover that one of my colleagues and a close friend were among those unfortunate few), is a carbonated candy that releases carbon dioxide when popped into one's mouth. The candy pops and sizzles on the tongue, which makes your whole mouth tingle in the most delightful way. One of the most amusing facts about this candy is that for some strange reason, back when it was really popular, some freaks started spreading a rumour that if you ate pop rocks and drank Coke at the same time, your stomach would explode. Obviously, this isn't true, but countless kids did try and test the theory for themselves.
The Balaguer peta zeta truffles were so outstanding that the day before departing Barcelona, S and I went back to the boutique in order to purchase several boxes, for ourselves and a few friends. Of course, these lasted only a week or two. Since then, I have been sporadically doing research of how we home-chefs can play with pop rocks in our own desserts.
The first thing I had to do, of course, was get my hands on some pop rocks. Thank the gods for eBay. A couple clicks and within a week, a carton of 36 packets of pop rocks (half of them strawberry flavoured and the other half watermelon) was delivered to my door. As you might imagine, there aren't a whole lot of interesting recipes out there. Most of them were the "sprinkle your pop rocks on your finished dessert" variety, which to me seems like a bit of a culinary cop-out. Then I found Heston Blumenthal's "popping-candy chocolate cake", a chocolate mousse cake built over a hazlenut and pop rock base. The recipe seemed promising and relatively easy to make.
The pop rocks are mixed into melted milk chocolate. This in turn is mixed into a hazelnut paste and pressed into the bottom of a ring mould (Heston suggests making one cake using a 12cm ring mould but S and I used 9cm moulds and discovered that his recipe provides enough to make 3 smaller cakes). This becomes the base of the cake. From the pictures, you can tell that we really should have made the base quite a bit thinner (but hey, this was our first attempt).
The mousse was rich and tasty. Very delicious in fact. But when chilled, it became dense and a little too heavy for our tastes. S and I have decided that if and when we make another popping-candy cake, we'll use a light gelatin-based mousse a la Hidemi Sugino (i.e. a Japanese style mousse cake).
That said, the cake was fun to make and even more fun to eat. We ate one, gave one to our colleagues, and another to a friend (the one who had never had pop rocks before). I have 26 packets of pop rocks left so I plan on experimenting a little more. Here's the recipe in case some of you can get your hands on some pop rocks and want to try the recipe also.
Heston Blumenthal's popping-candy chocolate cake
For the popping-candy base
85g whole hazelnuts
40g milk chocolate
2 tsp mixed spice
100g popping candy
For the chocolate mousse
350g dark chocolate
400ml double cream
Pinch of salt
For the chocolate glaze
20g chocolate (same type as for the mousse)
120ml water
8 whole coffee beans
Couple of pinches of salt
30g cocoa powder
70g unrefined golden caster sugar
To make the base, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas Mark 4 and roast the hazelnuts for about 10 minutes until lightly coloured. Blend to a paste in a food processor, then set aside. Melt the milk chocolate in a bain-marie (a large basin over a saucepan of simmering shallow water — take care that the water does not touch the basin) and stir in the ginger spice and popping candy. Next, fold in the hazelnut purée. Place the 12 cm ring mould on a serving dish and gently press in the base mixture to a depth of about 1cm. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until hard.
To make the mousse, chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a metal bowl. Bring 150ml of the cream to the boil in a small saucepan. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir extremely gently until all the chocolate has melted, watching carefully to ensure it doesn't take on a granular texture. Add the salt to taste. Once the chocolate cream has cooled to room temperature, lightly whip the remaining 250ml cream to soft peaks, but do not overwhip. Fold into the chocolate mix. Pour over the base in the ring mould and place in the fridge to set for two hours.
To make the glaze, chop up the chocolate and set aside. Place the water, coffee beans and salt in a pan, whisk in the cocoa powder, then set over a medium heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, put the sugar in a small pan and melt over a medium heat. Unrefined sugar will caramelise quickly, so keep an eye on it; when it does, pour over the coffee and cocoa mix — stand back, as it will bubble and spit. Beat in the chopped chocolate and, when melted, pass through a fine sieve. When cool, but still liquid, pour over the mousse to your preferred depth and return the cake to the fridge to set.
To serve, run a hot knife around the inside of the ring before removing the cake. When slicing it, again make sure the blade of the knife is nice and hot.
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!


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Jack White's new 'supergroup' The Dead Weather have an album call Horehound due for release on 16 June. But that isn't stopping them from recording more music.
"We still feel very much in the creative mode," guitarist Dean Fertita (whose other gig is playing in Queens Of The Stone Age) told Billboard. "We don't feel like we're ready to stop. I think we're going to try to maybe get a jump on.
"I don't know if it'll be a second record or singles to release throughout the year or stuff like that. There are a few things floating around, and there will be more soon, too."
Covers and originals
The Dead Weather recently cut covers of You Just Can't Win by Them and Outside by The Downliner Set. In addition, there are a couple of unfinished original songs from the Horehound sessions that the band might complete before they hit the road to support the album.
Fertita says tour plans for the group - which also includes The Kills' Alison Mosshart and bassist Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, The Greenhornes) - are "being formed right now." Most likely, the band will be playing by mid-June in the US and Europe.
"We know June through August we'll be doing a lot. We plan to keep going through the fall and possibly beyond. We just aren't sure. Everybody's got so much stuff going on, we're just trying to fill every open spot we can."
This past week, The Dead Weather played their first 'official' show at New York City's Bowery Ballroom. Check out the video below of the group performing Hang You From The Heavens, the first single from Horehound.