text:
You would think, wouldn't you, that the man who created such heartrendingly sympathetic children as Oliver Twist, Pip, Tiny Tim and poor Little Nell would be a stupendous father. Well, the Charles Dickens who emerges from Robert Gottlieb's Great Expectations, a compulsively readable if occasionally repetitive account of what happened to the great writer's brood of seven sons and three daughters, is not so wonderful.
Daddy Dearest welcomed each new addition to his family with bemused delight — if a tendency to blame the rapid proliferation on his wife Catherine. Dickens was an attentive father, strict but playful with his children when they were young — and much revered and loved by them. But soon after his boys were in long pants — around age 5 — he was busily mapping their careers, often overseas, with an eye to relieving himself of the burden of supporting them as soon as possible. Worse, he was already expressing disappointment, to both them and the world, that they "lacked not only his genius but his compulsion to work," his self-confidence and his "rigor and discipline."
Great Expectations joins an avalanche of publications marking the bicentennial of Dickens' Feb. 7, 1812, birth, including Claire Tomalin's absorbing investigative biography, Charles Dickens: A Life, and Christopher Hitchens' final Vanity Fair essay, "Charles Dickens's Inner Child." What Gottlieb's book adds to this profusion is an accessible, sharply focused and opinionated portrait of what the "magical" but dominating father wrought at home. As in his previous book, Lives and Letters, the former editor-in-chief of Knopf and The New Yorker brings an enticingly light touch to his scholarship, resulting in a book that reads like haute literary gossip.
Gottlieb wisely highlights two great dividing lines in the lives of Dickens' offspring: their parents' separation in 1858 and their father's death in 1870. The first occurred when Dickens, with the ruthlessness of a king, banished his corpulent, exhausted and, he claimed, dull and lethargic wife of 22 years, "packing her off to her own establishment (with a generous settlement) and removing her children from her." Gottlieb does not hide his outrage at Dickens' "odious behavior," which was spurred, he believes, by a sort of midlife crisis and infatuation with the young actress Ellen Ternan, with whom he possibly had an illegitimate 11th child who died in infancy. The repercussions of the Dickens' nasty separation included social ostracism for their two surviving daughters and an added urgency to disperse all those distracting, needy sons, exiling five of them to the far ends of the Earth in search of opportunities.
How disappointing were the children? Gottlieb cherry-picks lively quotes from Dickens' letters in which he complains of "having brought up the largest family ever known with the smallest disposition to do anything for themselves." Several of the sons who were sent as teens to join the Navy, the Indian Army, the Canadian Mounties or to manage sheep stations in Australia, lived and died in debt. Gambling, liquor and congenital heart ailments contributed to their early demise.
The two sons who were allowed to remain in England and were given a chance to discover their own vocations — literary editor and lawyer — led the happiest, most successful lives. Dickens' favorite daughter, Kate, also achieved success, as a child portraitist. This leads Gottlieb to wonder how the others might have fared had they been kept at home and given "time to develop at their own speed" — which of course reflects contemporary American child-rearing philosophy. Gottlieb doesn't fully acknowledge that Dickens' decisions regarding his sons' education (including boarding school at age 7) and career options were hardly uncommon in Victorian England.
As for Dickens' greater sympathy for his fictional children than for his actual offspring, Gottlieb offers a plausible, if much simplified, explanation: "All his tragic child victims are stand-ins" for Dickens himself as a boy. In other words, Dickens' "rage and self-pity over what he saw as his harrowing childhood" — and his pride at having overcome it without help from anyone — left him with little empathy for the travails of his own relatively fortunate children. Yet, as Gottlieb makes clear in this book that raises intriguing questions about parental pressures and expectations, Dickens' progeny remained devoted to him and his legacy throughout their lives.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Penegra is an oral therapy for impotence containing Sildenafil Citrate, similar active ingredient as in its branded version. Manufactured by Zydus Cadila Penegra meets the strictest guidelines set by the World Health Organisation. Except for the packaging color and price there isn't any major difference between Penegra and its brand equivalent.
Penegra is taken orally.
Penegra should be taken forty five minutes before the sexual activity.
Penegra works along with sexual stimulation.
Take the medicine as prescribed by your doctor.
If you miss a dose of Penegra, skip the missed dose and go back to the regular dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.
Store Penegra at 77 degrees F (25 degrees C), in a tightly closed container. Brief storage at temperatures between 59 and 86 degrees F (15 and 30 degrees C) is permitted. Store away from heat, moisture, and light. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep Penegra out of the reach of children and away from pets.
Active Ingredient: Sildenafil Citrate

subset: commoncrawl


text:
FLM704 Flame Decal
These self adhesive vinyl graphic decals are available as a single decal or in opposing pairs (see size options). They can be installed on any smooth surface including cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, helmets, skateboards, etc.
Select a Size/Cost: Use the drop down menu to select a size for your flame decal. You can select to purchase on single flame or a pair of flames. The pairs are mirrored pairs for installation on both sides of your vehicle.
Select a Color: These flame decals are available in the solid colors shown in the drop down menu. In additional to the standard flame colors, you can choose a specialty color from the menu (These are extra cost options as shown).
Shadow/Outline or Secondary Color: In addition to the single color decals, you can choose to outline, shadow or make a certain portion of the decal a second color. The extra cost associated with each is shown. Please use the text box to explain what portion of the design should be made in the second color.
Color Fading Colors: If you want this flame decal to fade from one color to another color, click here.
Select a Quantity: Choose a quantity for your decals. Remember, you can select a single or a pair of decals. If you want a mirrored pair, select a pair from the size option and select a quantity of one.
NOTICE: All of our products are custom made to order, therefore there are NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES on any orders. Measure your vehicle and choose the proper size and color combination for your application. Please read the REFUND/EXCHANGE policy before ordering.


text:
A locally owned company, A-B Properties has been providing leasing solutions for successful companies on Florida's First Coast since 1960.
A-B's diversified portfolio provides businesses an exceptional selection of locations, sizes, and types of lease space from which to choose. Combined with the employees who diligently work to provide you with the quality service and attention deserved, it's easy to see why A-B is considered one of this area's most respected leasing specialist.
When next considering your leasing needs, whether for office, flex, warehouse or retail space, let A-B Properties, Inc. introduce you to the well maintained properties we own/manage throughout the First Coast area.
For more information call: 904-786-3220 or email: firstname.lastname@example.com |


text:
Prince Rupert FRP Panels & Wall Protection
We specialize in the sales, installation and service of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) panels and wall protection materials through Prince Rupert and British Columbia.
Wall Protection Panels
FRP Panels
Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic Panels, (FRP Panels), are flexible composite panels constructed from a polymer matrix and reinforced with fiberglass. Where durability, strength, impact resistance & sanitation are key requirements, FRP Panels check all these boxes (and more). FRP Panels are a cost-effective "wall covering" & "wall protection" solution compared to other wall covering systems out there due to their relatively low cost, availability, and ease of installation. FRP Panels are scratch & impact resistant; they are extremely easy to clean; and are impervious to mold & mildew. As a result of these properties, FRP Panels tend to be the wall protection solution required/specified by the various health authorities & architects throughout North America.
FRP OptionsOther Wall Protection Panels
In addition to FRP, we also offer a wide assortment of wall protection panels including FRL Panels, PVC Liner Panels, Acrovyn, Korogard & Stainless Steel wall panels.
Wall Protection OptionsPrince Rupert Wall Protection Experts
We are happy to work with you on your project. Specifying the proper FRP product, as well as adhesive will help to make sure it lasts for years to come. Installations only take one day, and we receive standard FRP panels usually within 2-3 days from the order date. We understand every day matters in your construction schedule, and with that in mind, we can accomodate expedited orders, installation timeframes, and even off-hour installations.
Prince Rupert Wall Protection Projects
The below projects showcase our recent wall protection installations across Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Should you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to inquire with our staff.
FRP offers different classes based on flame spread ratings and smoke spread ratings.
General Contractors Corner
Are you quoting a new project that specifies FRP or Wall Protection? If so, get in touch with our expert team of installers for a detailed quotation based on your tender documents or project specifications.
- Class A & Class C Panels Available
- Popular Colours In-Stock for Competative Pricing
- Experienced & Professional Team of Installers
- Knowledgeable Sales Team to Suggest Best Materials for your Budget & Application


text:
Remarks delivered at Humboldt University
Berlin, Germany, June 23, 2010I believe that misconceptions play a large role in shaping history, and the euro crisis is a case in point.
Let me start my analysis with the previous crisis, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. In the week following September 15, 2008, global financial markets actually broke down and by the end of the week they had to be put on artificial life support. The life support consisted of substituting sovereign credit—backed by the financial resources of the state—for the credit of financial institutions that had ceased to be acceptable to counterparties.
As Mervyn King of the Bank of England explained, the authorities had to do in the short term the exact opposite of what was needed in the long term: they had to pump in a lot of credit, to replace the credit that had disappeared, and thereby reinforce the excess credit and leverage that had caused the crisis in the first place. Only in the longer term, when the crisis had subsided, could they drain the credit and reestablish macroeconomic balance.
This required a delicate two-phase maneuver—just as when a car is skidding, first you have to turn it in the direction of the skid and only when you have regained control can you correct course. The first phase of the maneuver was successfully accomplished—a collapse has been averted. But the underlying causes have not been removed and they surfaced again when the financial markets started questioning the creditworthiness of sovereign debt. That is when the euro took center stage because of a structural weakness in its constitution. But we are dealing with a worldwide phenomenon, so the current situation is a direct consequence of the crash of 2008. The second phase of the maneuver—getting the economy on a new, better course—is running into difficulties.
The situation is eerily reminiscent of the 1930s. Doubts about sovereign credit are forcing reductions in budget deficits at a time when the banking system and the economy may not be strong enough to do without fiscal and monetary stimulus. Keynes taught us that budget deficits are essential for countercyclical policies in times of deflation, yet governments everywhere feel compelled to reduce them under pressure from the financial markets. Coming at a time when the Chinese authorities have also put on the brakes, this is liable to push the global economy into a slowdown or possibly a double dip. Europe, which weathered the first phase of the financial crisis relatively well, is now in the forefront of causing the downward pressure because of the problems connected with the common currency.
The euro was an incomplete currency to start with. In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty established a monetary union without a political union. The euro boasts a common central bank but it lacks a common treasury. It is exactly that sovereign backing that financial markets are now questioning and that is missing from the design. That is why the euro has become the focal point of the current crisis.
Member countries share a common currency, but when it comes to sovereign credit they are on their own. This fact was obscured until recently by the willingness of the European Central Bank (ECB) to accept the sovereign debt of all member countries on equal terms at its discount window. This allowed the member countries to borrow at practically the same interest rate as Germany, and the banks were happy to earn a few extra pennies on supposedly risk-free assets by loading up their balance sheets with the government debt of the weaker countries. These positions now endanger the creditworthiness of the European banking system. For instance, European banks hold nearly a trillion euros of Spanish debt, of which half is held by German and French banks. It can be seen that the European sovereign debt crisis is intricately interconnected with a European bank crisis.
How did this connection arise?
The introduction of the euro in 1999 brought about a radical narrowing of interest rate differentials. This in turn generated real estate bubbles in countries like Spain, Greece, and Ireland. Instead of the convergence prescribed by the Maastricht Treaty, these countries grew faster and developed trade deficits within the eurozone, while Germany reigned in its labor costs, became more competitive, and developed a chronic trade surplus. To make matters worse, some of these countries, most notably Greece, ran budget deficits that exceeded the limits set by the Maastricht Treaty. But the discount facility of the European Central Bank allowed them to continue borrowing at practically the same rates as Germany, relieving them of any pressure to correct their excesses.
The first clear reminder that the euro does not have a common treasury came after the bankruptcy of Lehman. The finance ministers of the European Union promised that no other financial institution of systemic importance would be allowed to default. But Germany opposed a joint Europe-wide guarantee; each country had to take care of its own banks.
At first, the financial markets were so impressed by the promise of the EU finance ministers that they hardly noticed the difference. Capital fled from the countries that were not in a position to offer similar guarantees, but the differences in interest rates on government debt within the eurozone remained minimal. That was when the countries of Eastern Europe, notably Hungary and the Baltic States, got into difficulties and had to be rescued.
It is only this year that financial markets started to worry about the accumulation of sovereign debt within the eurozone. Greece became the center of attention when the newly elected government revealed that the previous government had lied and the deficit for 2009 was much larger than indicated.
Interest rate differentials started to widen but the European authorities were slow to react because the member countries held radically different views. Germany, which had been traumatized by two episodes of runaway inflation, was allergic to any buildup of inflationary pressures; France and other countries were more willing to show their solidarity. Since Germany was heading for elections, it was unwilling to act, but nothing could be done without Germany. So the Greek crisis festered and spread. When the authorities finally got their act together they had to offer a much larger rescue package than would have been necessary if they had acted earlier.
In the meantime, the crisis spread to the other deficit countries, and in order to reassure the markets the authorities felt obliged to put together a €750 billion European Financial Stabilization Fund, with €500 billion from the member states and €250 billion from the IMF.
But the markets are not reassured because the term sheet of the Fund, i.e., the conditions under which it operates, was dictated by Germany. The Fund is guaranteed not jointly but only severally, so that the weaker countries will in fact be guaranteeing a portion of their own debt. The Fund will be raised by selling bonds to the market and charging a fee on top. It is difficult to see how these bonds will merit an AAA-rating.
Even more troubling is the fact that Germany is not only insisting on strict fiscal discipline for weaker countries but is also reducing its own fiscal deficit. When all countries are reducing deficits at a time of high unemployment they set in motion a downward deflationary spiral. Reductions in employment, tax receipts, and exports reinforce each other, ensuring that the targets will not be met and further reductions will be required. And even if budgetary targets were met, it is difficult to see how the weaker countries could regain their competitiveness and start growing again because, in the absence of exchange rate depreciation, the adjustment process would require reductions in wages and prices, producing deflation.
To some extent a continued decline in the value of the euro may mitigate the deflation. But as long as there is no growth, the relative weight of the debt will continue to grow. This is true not only for the national debt but also for the commercial loans held by banks. This will make the banks even more reluctant to lend, compounding the downward pressures.
The euro is a patently flawed construct, which its architects knew at the time of its creation. They expected its defects to be corrected, if and when they became acute, by the same process that brought the European Union into existence.
The European Union was built by a process of piecemeal social engineering: indeed it is probably the most successful feat of social engineering in history. The architects recognized that perfection is unattainable. They set limited objectives and firm deadlines. They mobilized the political will for a small step forward, knowing full well that when it was accomplished its inadequacy would become apparent and require further steps. That is how the six-nation Coal and Steel Community was gradually developed into the European Union, step by step.
Germany used to be at the heart of the process. German statesmen used to assert that Germany has no independent foreign policy, only a European policy. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany's leaders realized that unification was possible only in the context of a united Europe and they were willing to make considerable sacrifices to secure European acceptance. When it came to bargaining they were willing to contribute a little more to the pot and take a little less than the others, thereby facilitating agreement. But those days are over. Germany doesn't feel so rich anymore and doesn't want to continue serving as the deep pocket for the rest of Europe. This change in attitudes is understandable but it did bring the process of integration to a screeching halt.
Germany now wants to treat the Maastricht Treaty as the scripture that has to be obeyed without any modifications. This is not understandable, because it is in conflict with the incremental method by which the European Union was built. Something has gone fundamentally wrong in Germany's attitude toward the European Union.
Let me first analyze the defects of the euro and then examine Germany's attitude. The biggest deficiency in the euro, the absence of a common fiscal policy, is well known. But there is another defect that has received less recognition: a false belief in the stability of financial markets. As I have tried to explain in my writings, the crash of 2008 conclusively demonstrated that financial markets do not necessarily tend toward equilibrium; they are just as likely to produce bubbles. I don't want to repeat my arguments here because you can find them in my lectures, which have recently been published.1
All I need to do is remind you that the introduction of the euro created its own bubble in the countries whose borrowing costs were greatly reduced. Greece abused the privilege by cheating, but Spain didn't. Spain followed sound macroeconomic policies, maintained its sovereign debt level below the European average, and exercised exemplary supervision over its banking system. Yet it enjoyed a tremendous real estate boom that has turned into a bust resulting in 20 percent unemployment. Now it has to rescue the savings banks, called cajas, and the municipalities. And the entire European banking system is weighed down by bad debts and needs to be recapitalized. The design of the euro did not take this possibility into account.
Another structural flaw in the euro is that it guards only against the danger of inflation and ignores the possibility of deflation. In this respect the task assigned to the European Central Bank is asymmetric. This is due to Germany's fear of inflation. When Germany agreed to substitute the euro for the Deutschmark it insisted on strong safeguards to maintain the value of the currency. The Maastricht Treaty contained a clause that expressly prohibited bailouts and that ban has been reaffirmed by the German constitutional court. It is this clause that has made the current situation so difficult to deal with.
And this brings me to the gravest defect in the euro's design: it does not allow for error. It expects member states to abide by the Maastricht criteria—which state that the budget deficit must not exceed 3 percent and total government debt 60 percent of GDP—without establishing an adequate enforcement mechanism. And now that several countries are far away from the Maastricht criteria, there is neither an adjustment mechanism nor an exit mechanism. Now these countries are expected to return to the Maastricht criteria even if such a move sets in motion a deflationary spiral. This is in direct conflict with the lessons learned from the Great Depression of the 1930s, and is liable to push Europe into a period of prolonged stagnation or worse. That will, in turn, generate discontent and social unrest. It is difficult to predict how the anger and frustration will express itself.
The wide range of possibilities will weigh heavily on the financial markets. They will have to discount the prospects of deflation and inflation, default and disintegration. Financial markets dislike uncertainty. Meanwhile, xenophobic and nationalistic extremism are already on the rise in countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy. In a worst-case scenario, such political trends could undermine democracy and paralyze or even destroy the European Union.
If that were to happen, Germany would have to bear a major share of the responsibility because as the strongest and most creditworthy country it calls the shots. By insisting on pro-cyclical policies, Germany is endangering the European Union. I realize that this is a grave accusation but I am afraid it is justified.
To be sure, Germany cannot be blamed for wanting a strong currency and a balanced budget. But it can be blamed for imposing its predilection on other countries that have different needs and preferences—like Procrustes, who forced other people to lie in his bed and stretched them or cut off their legs to make them fit. The Procrustes bed being inflicted on the eurozone is called deflation.
Unfortunately Germany does not realize what it is doing. It has no desire to impose its will on Europe; all it wants to do is to maintain its competitiveness and avoid becoming the deep pocket for the rest of Europe. But as the strongest and most creditworthy country, it is in the driver's seat. As a result Germany objectively determines the financial and macroeconomic policies of the eurozone without being subjectively aware of it. When all the member countries try to be like Germany they are bound to send the eurozone into a deflationary spiral. That is the effect of the policies pursued by Germany and—since Germany is in the driver's seat—these are the policies imposed on the eurozone.
The German public does not understand why it should be blamed for the troubles of the eurozone. After all, it is the most successful economy in Europe, fully capable of competing in world markets. The troubles of the eurozone feel like a burden weighing Germany down. It is difficult to see what would change this perception because the troubles of the eurozone are depressing the euro and, being the most competitive of the countries in the eurozone, Germany benefits the most. As a result Germany is likely to feel the least pain of all the member states.
The error in the German attitude can best be brought home by engaging in a thought experiment. The most ardent instigators of that attitude would prefer that Germany leave the euro rather than modify its position. Let us consider where that would lead.
The Deutschmark would go through the roof and the euro would fall through the floor. This would indeed help the adjustment process of the other countries but Germany would find out how painful it can be to have an overvalued currency. Its trade balance would turn negative and there would be widespread unemployment. German banks would suffer severe exchange rate losses and require large injections of public funds. But the government would find it politically more acceptable to rescue German banks than Greece or Spain. And there would be other compensations: pensioners could retire to Spain and live like kings, helping Spanish real estate to recover.
Let me emphasize that this scenario is totally hypothetical because it is extremely unlikely that Germany would be allowed to leave the euro and to do so in a friendly manner. Germany's exit would be destabilizing financially, economically, and above all politically. The collapse of the single market would be difficult to avoid. The purpose of this thought experiment is to convince Germany to change its ways without going through the actual experience that its current policies hold in store.
What would be the right policy for Germany to pursue? It cannot be expected to underwrite other countries' deficits indefinitely. So some tightening of fiscal policies is inevitable. But some way has to be found to allow the countries in crisis to grow their way out of their difficulties. The countries concerned have to do most of the heavy lifting by introducing structural reforms but they do need some outside help to allow them to stimulate their economies. By cutting its budget deficit and resisting a rise in wages to compensate for the decline in the purchasing power of the euro, Germany is actually making it more difficult for the other countries to regain competitiveness.
So what should Germany do? It needs to recognize three guiding principles.
First, the current crisis is more a banking crisis than a fiscal one. The continental European banking system was never properly cleansed after the crash of 2008. Bad assets have not been marked-to-market—i.e., valued according to current market price— but are being held to maturity. When markets started to doubt the creditworthiness of sovereign debt, it was really the solvency of the banking system that was brought into question because the banks were loaded with the bonds of the weaker countries and these are now selling below par—the price at which they were issued. The banks have difficulties in obtaining short-term financing. The interbank market—i.e., for borrowing and lending between banks—and the commercial paper market have dried up and banks have turned to the ECB both for short-term financing and for depositing their excess cash. They are in no position to buy government bonds. That is the main reason why risk premiums on government bonds have widened, setting up a vicious circle.
The crisis has now forced the authorities to disclose the results of their stress tests of banks, which assess the extent to which their resources are sufficient to meet their obligations. We cannot judge how serious the situation is until the results are published, presumably before the end of July. It is clear however that the banks are greatly overleveraged and need to be recapitalized on a compulsory basis. That ought to be the first task of the European Financial Stabilization Fund, and it will go a long way to clear the air. It may be seen, for instance, that Spain does not have a fiscal crisis at all. Recent market moves point in that direction. Germany's role may also be seen in a very different light if, in recapitalizing its –Landesbanken, it becomes a bigger user of the stabilization fund than contributor to it.
Second, a tightening of fiscal policy must be offset by a loosening of monetary policy. Specifically, the ECB could buy Spanish treasury bills, an action that would significantly reduce the punitive interest rates, set by the German-inspired European Financial Stabilization Fund, that Spain now must pay on its bonds. This would allow Spain to meet its budget reduction targets with less pain. But that is not possible without a change of heart by Germany.
Third, this is the time to put idle resources to work by investing in education and infrastructure. For instance, Europe needs a better gas pipeline system, and the connection between Spain and France is one of the bottlenecks. The European Investment Bank ought to be able to find other investment opportunities as well, such as expanding broadband coverage or creating a smart electricity grid.
It is impossible to be more concrete at the moment but there are grounds for optimism. When the solvency situation of the banks has been clarified and they have been properly recapitalized, it should be possible to devise a growth strategy for Europe. And when the European economy has regained its balance the time will be ripe to correct the structural deficiencies of the euro. Make no mistake about it: the fact that the Maastricht criteria were so flagrantly violated shows that the euro does have deficiencies that need to be corrected.
As I said at the beginning, what is needed is a delicate, two-phase maneuver, similar to the one the authorities undertook after the failure of Lehman Brothers. First help Europe to grow its way out of its difficulties and then revise and strengthen the structure of the euro. This cannot be done without German leadership. I hope Germany will once again live up to the responsibilities. After all, it has done so in the past.
Germany went into the G-20 meeting in Toronto on June 26–27 largely isolated. Before the meeting, President Obama publicly pleaded with Angela Merkel to change her policies. At the meeting the tables were turned. Canada's Stephen Harper as the host and David Cameron, the newly elected Conservative prime minister of the UK, lined up behind Merkel, leaving Obama isolated. Supporting Merkel's approach, the G-20 endorsed a halving of budget deficits by 2013 as the target. This has extended the threat of a deflationary spiral to the global economy, making the experience of the 1930s even more relevant than it was when I gave much of the preceding text as a speech at Humboldt University.
The political leaders claim to take their cue from the financial markets but they are misreading the signals. Sovereign risk premiums have widened in Europe because of the situation of the banks; but yields on the government bonds of the US, Japan, and Germany are at or near all-time lows, yield curves are flattening, and commodity prices are declining—all foreshadowing deflation. Equity markets have also come under pressure but that is because of the lack of clear leadership. The range of uncertainties is unusually wide: markets need to discount inflation, default, and disintegration, all at the same time. No wonder that equity prices are falling.
The world's leaders urgently need to learn that they have to lead markets and not seek to follow them. Of course, they also need to get their policies right and forge a consensus—a difficult trifecta. Right now the G-20 nations are converging around the wrong policy.


text:
Growing up, one could have fancied the concept of slots. As kids, all we could see were the dazzling lights and the shiny numbers that are going to stream in either direction. Eventually, once we understood things, might have been normal to get hooked onto slot machines and enjoy will be being offered. In fact, you might eagerly look to get away via mundane life and appreciate some truly amazing free casino slot machine. Luckily, thanks to technology, you appreciate a fine game of slots now without really having to see a casino. Introduce myself to online casino spots!
Next, the all around costs involved are most things really can't ignored. In fact, an issue arrival of free casino slots on the internet, this may became a surprisingly cost effective option. You should able effortlessly play a sleuth of different games without having to spend a handsome profit out of the pocket. Effectively, you get the chance to save a lot of money additionally the be that will play your favorite slots ultimately comforts of your home. May well be a big benifit of playing at home; whenever you won't get intimidated attempt and something else out could possibly not have tried ahead of.
Another means of online casino temptation is which are giving their players a far lower amount income to wager in their casino quests. A lot of players grab this sort of of offers, specially with those low rollers shooter. online casino are giving off this type of offers supply their players a more and more to gamble in their gambling house online.
And what's great about online casino s is their casino poker bonuses. Caribbean Gold casino is giving off $150 with regards to the Sign Up Bonus. Along with bonuses as possible avail when playing in Caribbean Gold Casino.
Baccarat is mostly a negative expectation game (the same as craps, roulette, and other). This world of retail the odds always favor the coop. By always, I mean that there is not any known procedure of play anyone place the chances in favor of the participant mathematically. Folks only performed with perfect blackjack card counting (which is why of course they do not allow you win a lot).
When you discover the urge of gambling, it far better ask spouse and children or friends to accompany you and play at a low-risk gaming. Don't gamble alone because when without a doubt emotionally, nobody will be there to be able to and pull you from game. Or, you could get rid on the urge of gambling in the mean time by spending the time with loved ones or friends on your favorite shows and any community activity at your neighborhood.
The 154 room hotel in Varca beach at Zuri White Sands Resort attracts male gamblers by throngs in the evening. 꽁머니 has slot machines, derby games and American live dealer roulette. Chances Casino is tucked away from a 53 room boutique hotel located at Dona Paula beach. Much slower the take a look at the breathtaking Vainguinim Valley. A free buffet table is covered for gamblers to dine away while playing. Dress code a massive smart casuals and you need to even live entertainment on many days. Games available over here are slot machines, Blackjack, American Roulette and Mini Baccarat.
It's not too important realize what form of gambler an individual might be. But for some people, impact them handle their gambling lives. Gambling is a casino game. Play it am i right. Enjoy it the way it end up being enjoy. Because, once upon a time in the internet gambling people's lives has updated.


text:
The WordPress Store Finder
Did you know that nearly 45% of revenue stays in local stores? Use this as an advantage and add a store locator your product pages. With our WordPress Store Locator Plugin you can give your Customers the opportunity to buy your products in a local store! Show the store locator on your product page or embed it on a dealer locator page and increase your sales!


text:
We're now over a week into the conflict in Ukraine. And already, the human cost has been enormous. But many organizations are stepping up to help.
GALINA DROZDOVSCHI: There are eight Salvation Army churches in Ukraine now. And all of them are actively involved in their work with refugees. We have more than 20 people every day in this shelter.
That's Galina Drozdovschi. She is the divisional director for women's ministries for the Salvation Army. She says what people need right now are the bare essentials - food, water, a place to sleep. Expectant mothers are particularly vulnerable in this moment.
DROZDOVSCHI: I received a message that 22 babies were born in the subway. They are in dire need of baby food, diapers and hygiene items. Many women give birth prematurely because of the stress.
MARTIN: But war isn't just about resources. As we just heard, it's exhausting both mentally and emotionally. And for that, Drozdovschi has turned to her faith.
DROZDOVSCHI: Fasting and prayer, reading the Bible is very empowering. You know, I found an image on the internet where a young girl was depicted. It was a image of Ukraine. And she said, we have no one to rely on except for God alone. That has become my motto.
MARTÍNEZ: In Kyiv alone, officials say as many as 15,000 people have taken refuge in the subway system to escape the bombing and artillery fire on the capital.
MARTIN: So that's what we're learning about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine right now. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
Here is one I designed back then that I recreated for a tutorial. I wanted to share it because it's quite easy, yet still looks amazing! I've never seen anything like it...enjoy!
For this zipper: I know they have double zippers, but they go the other way so you will have to make it like i did. I had a 22 inch one (you can get these at any fabric store). I needed another side so I pried the little stoppers off the end and pulled another zip through...so now it's double sided. All I had was a black zipper, but they have some cool colors (neon pink, mint, corals, etc).
You can use an old tshirt, it doesn't matter what size. Cut the neck ribbing and shoulder/sleeve seams as shown here. You will probably have to cut the sleeves to fit with the length of the zipper or adjust the zipper length if you don't want to finish the sleeves again. You can also cut sleeves off of mens tshirt and it usually fits about right...
If you use fabric: I used a light jersey cotton with a nice drape. I cut 2 pieces of fabric at 22 inches wide (as wide as the zipper). If you want to finish the edges add a 1/4 inch seam allowance. It is 40 inches long to add a cinched waist.
If the fabric is light, I would suggest ironing interfacing to the edges so it wont wave from the zipper.
Sew (front and back) right sides together starting at either end.
Sew the side seams if you used your own fabric. Then cinch the waist like I did here. This will give the shirt some shape.


text:
Handango™, the world's leading provider of smartphone content, hosted their seventh annual partner summit in San Diego last week. At the summit they announced their Developer of the Year awards and awarded Concrete Software the prestigous award for Palm OS.
Concrete Software develops software on most mobile platforms including Palm OS, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and many Java feature phone platforms. Handango's leadership in the smartphone market and Concrete Software's leadership in building innovative software has made the partnership a successful one.
"Handango congratulates the winners of the 2007 Handango Champion awards! We could not maintain our current level of success without the hard work and creativity from partners such as Concrete Software," said Monica Hamilton, vice president of content at Handango. "Concrete Software's products have been recognized as a favorites among customers and industry experts, and we are pleased to offer their content in our catalog."


text:
The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit health advocacy organization, says you should be concerned about pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, but not so concerned that you stop eating these foods.
That's the mixed message delivered in the eighth edition of EWG's annual Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce released today.
The guide begins by telling readers to "eat your fruits and vegetables." Then it offers a detailed list of every pesticide found along the produce aisle, as well as reminders that "some pesticides pose health dangers to people."
So what's a consumer to do?
Look beyond the fearful rhetoric, says Joseph Schwarcz, director of the Office for Science and Society at McGill University in Montreal.
Take apples, Schwarcz says. They occupy the top spot on EWG's "dirty dozen" list of the most contaminated fruits and vegetables (followed by celery and red peppers). The group notes that nearly all apples contain detectable levels of pesticide residues.
But it's a mistake to "equate the presence of a chemical with the presence of risk," Schwarcz says. "Where is the evidence that these trace residues are dangerous?"
There just isn't much there, he says.
And a look at the government database EWG used to compile the guide doesn't turn up anything very alarming, he adds.
The database, maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, shows that just 1 of 744 apple samples it tested had a pesticide residue level higher than the government limit. And most were far below the permissible level.
Results were similar for fruits and vegetables in baby foods, which were tested by the USDA for the first time this year.
The agency found traces of pesticide residues in baby foods containing green beans and pears. But the amounts were extremely small, and no baby food samples exceeded permissible levels of pesticides.
Despite the USDA results, the EWG shopper's guide urges consumers to buy organic fruits and vegetables, which generally have lower levels of pesticides, but are not necessarily pesticide-free, as we've reported before.
By eating organic products, consumers can lower their exposure to pesticides, the guide says.
That's a much more general and modest claim than the group made back in 2010, when it said consumers could reduce pesticide exposure by 80 percent if they avoided conventionally grown products on the "dirty dozen" list.
A 2011 study by two food scientists from the University of California, Davis found that swapping organics for conventional produce wouldn't make people any healthier.
The study, published in the Journal of Toxicology, also stated: "Our findings do not indicate that substituting organic forms of the 'Dirty Dozen' commodities for conventional forms will lead to any measurable consumer health benefit."
Regardless, says Alex Formuzis of the Environmental Working Group, "the people who consult our list are people who are committed to eating fruits and veggies, and would like to do so while reducing their pesticide intake." The guide gives them a way to "arm themselves with the information they need," he says.
EWG and the scientists do agree on one thing: No one should stop eating fruits and vegetables because of fears about pesticides.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
The collapse of oil prices worldwide has hit many oil-exporting economies hard. Here in Canada, Alberta has been hit particularly hard. A recent CBC post illustrating a Facebook post
which went viral underlines the issue.
An oilpatch worker's widely shared social media post accuses Justin Trudeau of ignoring Alberta's economic pain and pleads for help during the economic slump.
Since Lloydminster's Ken Cundliffe posted the letter on Jan. 10, it has been shared thousands of times.
"Since you will not acknowledge what the low oil prices have done to our own people, I will," wrote Cundliffe, an operator with Husky Oil. "It's hard to say in words how scared and desperate people are becoming."
The letter paints a dire picture of layoffs and unemployment insurance running out for many, alongside a jump in theft and suicide rates.
"Alberta has not taken an equalization payment for over 50 years and has done more than its fair share in supporting the East in that time. Now that the Alberta economy is struggling due to low oil prices, why do you refuse to acknowledge the problem?" he wrote, questioning why the Liberal government has given away "BILLIONS of Canadian taxpayer dollars to other countries."
"Please start helping our own people through these tough times," the letter urged.
Some might disagree with the angst, but the scale of the collapse is real. Jason Markusoff's article in MacLean's, "The death of the Alberta dream", outlines the scale of Alberta's issues.
the great oil rout of 2014-15 seemed, at least at first, to be following a similar pattern to other busts. Some big oil sands projects get delayed, rig and well activity shrivels and Employment Insurance rolls spike, leading to knock-on effects: Calgary towers thin out, the real estate market softens, and cuts spread to everything from shops to restaurants. Yet past plunges were reliably followed by a bungee-like snap back in growth, as oil prices regained their upward momentum. It's a pattern a generation of Albertans has come to expect, after the 1998 Asian financial crisis, the 9/11 terrorism shock and the 2008 financial crisis.
But the broad optimism of early 2015 has gradually given way to dread. This feels more like the awful 1980s, with no swift recovery to come—not in a world glutted by oil, as Saudi Arabia battles to squeeze out higher-cost producers like Russia and the United States. Before Christmas 2014, as prices thudded from above US$100 per barrel to below US$60 for the first time since the Great Recession, oilpatch observers wondered how soon US$80 oil would return. Instead, the OPEC cartel's decision to keep pumping, and the surprising resilience of U.S. producers, have pushed oil down to below US$40.
Energy companies are preparing for a grim 2016. Analysts predict budgets will get slashed further, and that more energy firms may have to cut staff, having already laid off thousands. Ongoing oil sands construction projects will continue to wind down with little to replace them, hitting both the residential and commercial real estate sectors hard. For instance, in nearly one-sixth of all the office space in downtown Calgary, the fluorescent lights now shine on empty cubicles, and it's forecast to get worse. Reports of the symptoms pop up almost daily: more insolvencies, more business for moving trucks and repo crews, even a noticeable uptick in suicides. The Calgary Stampede itself has been forced to lay off staff, as its offseason event bookings dried up. In November, the Alberta unemployment rate came within one-tenth of a percentage point of the national average, the closest it's been since 1989. Those trend lines are expected to cross over next year, making it more clear to Canadian job-seekers that the Alberta dream is in decline.
The rest of the country isn't immune from those ominous grinding sounds coming from Canada's longtime economic engine. Canadian GDP dipped into recession territory in the first half of 2015 on the oil shock, and though the country managed a rebound in the third quarter, Alberta's troubles—as well as slumps in other oil-rich provinces like Saskatchewan and Newfoundland—have left a gaping wound. The energy sector had long driven Canada's trade surplus, papering over weakness elsewhere while soaking up large numbers of unemployed and underemployed people from regions like the Maritimes and hard-hit southwestern Ontario. Many economists predict a gradual rebound, but nothing head and shoulders above national growth rates, as had been typical for Alberta. "Average growth" is an unfamiliar term in Alberta, and will take some getting used to.
But even average growth seems a ways off, as troubles keep filtering through the province. In Alberta's southeast, Medicine Hat drew international acclaim in the spring of 2015 after it became the first city in Canada to eliminate homelessness, having pursued an ambitious five-year agenda to put people into subsidized housing within 10 days of them landing in emergency shelters. After so much progress, Medicine Hat's Salvation Army shelter is back to averaging 17 clients a night, up about one-third since 2014—too many to promptly find them all affordable housing. Local demand for donated clothing and household items also rose by more than a quarter over the last year, says manager Murray Jaster. But donations slumped too, and he had to reduce staff. When he's out along the Trans-Canada Highway that dissects Medicine Hat, Jaster has noticed more hitchhikers than he's seen in years—people looking to take the long road home, or perhaps to wherever in Canada the jobs may be. "Man, we're a have-not province all of a sudden," Jaster says. "Who can believe it? I can't."
As Toronto Star writer Antonia Zerbiasias noted in her "Ottawa's focus on Alberta oilsands is killing manufacturing jobs in Eastern Canada, economists say", many of these returning migrants won't find jobs at home. The high Canadian dollar of previous years, sustained by high oil prices, may have inflicted Dutch disease on the Canadian industrial sector.
In his report, Coulombe and his co-researchers determined that our petro-currency was responsible for 42 per cent of job losses between 2002 and 2007. That translates to at least 140,000 manufacturing jobs gone as a direct result of the oilsands development.
It didn't get any better after that. Our manufactured exports dropped another 12.6 per cent between the second quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2011.
If Dutch Disease is allowed to spread, Coulombe and other economists warn, Canada's ailing manufacturing sector will face still more job losses, while consumers, farmers and non-oil producing industries will feel increasing pain through inflation and gas prices at the pump.
The long-unprofitable oilsands, which require the expensive and water-intense extraction of tarry bitumen, suddenly became economically feasible.
That increased oilsands development boosted crude exports. By 2006, oil became our biggest export, displacing autos and auto parts. The loonie surged against the weakening U.S. dollar. That made our manufactured exports — long dependent on a low Canadian dollar — more expensive. And that cost factory workers jobs.
Over the past year, alarm bells have been sounding.
As noted by the CBC in relation to the Atlantic Canadian province of Nova Scotia, the returned workers have nothing to look forward to but lower incomes and higher levels of unemployment. Some local companies have taken advantage of the returnees to alleviate worker shortages, but this cannot be a general solution.
What next? I, personally, am not sure I want to know.


text:
To Rob's ex-girlfriend: I hate you a lot but also want to be your friend…
Dear Rob's "great love story for 3 years,"
Hi. My name is UnintendedChoice and I run a blog obsessing about your ex-boyf, Rob Pattinson, with my friend theMoonisDown.
I read an interview done with Rob today and in it he mentions being in love two times (he's also said before he has never been in love, so I'm confused and assume it ended pretty badly with you- but we'll get to that) He says this about you:
Yes. I fell in love only two times in my life. I had a great love story for 3 years. (source)
Wow. You were a great love story, huh? I'm really really interested in getting to know you, and I know the LTR (letters to Rob) fanbase will be as well. Can I ask you a few questions? I think it will help us become better friends (or mortal enemies- we'll see how it goes)
- Explain (in detail please) what it was like to kiss Robert. Please provide pictures, if you can, and crop yourself out.
- Were you the one to take Robert's flower? Please explain, in detail, what it was like (maybe not the first time, but after a month or so) Please provide pictures, if you can, and crop yourself out.
- What does his hair feel like?
- Are you a "girl of character" and did he write you love letters? (I hear that's what he likes and likes to do) Could I read some of those letters, if you still have them?
- Now, on to your break-up. What happened? Who dumped who? If you were the culprit, I bet you feel really bad now that he's the hottest thing around, huh? Or did he break up with you because you screamed at him a lot in your relationship? Do you sleep with a picture of the two of you under your pillow? I do. I would if I were you.
- Do you guys still talk? If so, can you tell him "hey" for me and ask where the freak he's been since 12/22? Thanks, girl, I feel us connecting already.
- What do you look like? Let me guess (I'm pretty sure I know his type) You're about 5'5″, 115lbs (on a good day) with short brownish/reddish hair that's cut into a cute 20's bob. You're probably in your early-mid 20's with deep brown eyes. I bet you're American too, right? Did you guys meet when you studied abroad or something? Or did you randomly meet up when you were traveling in London? Tell me exactly what bar you met at and where you loved hanging out with him and his mates. (What? No, I don't have a trip to London planned..yet)
- Can you clarify the confusion for us? We've heard Rob say he's never been in love, but then we just read this interview about his 'great love story for 3 years.' Did you hurt him so badly that he doesn't admit to the press that you even existed? And he just slipped up or was caught in a vunerable moment when he mentioned you? Please provide us with some clarity.
Well, I have a ton more questions, but I think these are enough to get us started. Let me know about those pics- they would help alot in, um, trying to understand your relationship with Rob better.
I really feel like we're gonna connect well. I'm excited about our budding friendship. Maybe you could fly out to LA and I'll meet you and theMoonisDown there and we can shop! Oh, one other thing, can I have Rob's cell #? I, uh, just wanna text him, um, congrats on, uh, New Moon starting soon and tell him that the rumor about Vanessa Hudgens joining the cast as Leah is not true. I know he's been worried. Thanks, love!
UnintendedChoice xo


text:
Tuesday 5 July 2011
On mouth-filled speech
'This morning I tried simultaneously to brush my teeth and talk. I tried saying, 'I don't know,' and the listener managed to understand my muffled 'words'. Actually, they could be thought less of words and more as pulsated approximations of words, three throbs with the first one neutral, the second a bit higher, and the third ending on a lilt. Since the words 'I don't know' are used so often in English, it wasn't difficult for my listener to guess what I meant. And that got me thinking, how much does this sort of 'speech'—hummed, or pulsated approximations of real words— factor into the English language, as well as others? I imagine that for any language, the most common words and phrases would, even if intonated in such a 'muddy' manner, still be understood because of their familiarity and frequency of use. Is this sort of speech ever used for histrionic or comic effect? Or have any authors ever exploited it for inventive literary purposes?'
This is an area which, in phonetics, would fall under the heading of paralinguistics - though I have to say mouth-filled speech isn't one of the categories recognized when Quirk and I first studied vocal effects back in the 60s. It just didn't turn up in the corpus - unsurprising, really, as 'Don't talk with your mouth full' is a (?universal) pragmatic prohibition that we learn from our parents at around age 3, and the recordings of relatively formal situations we were using then simply didn't present the relevant situations. The surreptitious recording of bathroom or dining-room speech wasn't a top priority at the time.
It's more than just politeness that's at stake. There is a risk of choking. And unintelligibility. But etiquette is a dominant factor. Some people, if asked a question at exactly the point where they have taken a mouthful on board, simply refuse to speak until they have swallowed, which can produce an awkward silence in the conversation (though the mouth-filled one will usually use facial expression or hand gesture to explain what's happening). Listeners understand the problem if they've been brought up in that way. (I muse over my parenthesis above. Is it etiquette in all languages? It is in all the language situations I've experienced.)
Despite the lack of examples in corpora, mouth-filled speech is really rather common. I suspect most people do it, from time to time, in informal eating situations, when they feel the urgent need to make a point. And eating is only one of the relevant situations. Other examples, in addition to speaking while brushing the teeth, are
- speaking while holding a writing implement in the mouth (while the hands are otherwise engaged), as I've often seen in business meetings
- speaking (or trying to) when the dentist, just having filled your mouth with implements, asks you if you had a nice holiday
- and relatedly, speaking after having had your gums filled with anaesthetic
- speaking with pins in the mouth, while sewing
- speaking with a pipe or cigarette in the mouth
- speaking with a hand or finger in the mouth, sucking it better after a hurt
- speaking with ill-fitting false teeth
- little (and sometimes not-so-little) children, sometimes try to speak while keeping a dummy (pacifier) in the mouth
- speaking with a decorative item in the mouth, such as a pierced tongue
- for boxers, speaking with a gum-shield
- in old-style elocution, speaking with a pebble in the mouth to improve one's pronunciation - a technique supposedly used by Demosthenes to overcome a stammer
- more dramatically, movies regularly show us someone trying to speak with a gag in the mouth
- or talking while someone else is in their mouth, as with a passionate kissing scene.
These situations are common enough to have made me role-play mouth-filled speech in listening comprehension exercises, when I used to do some EFL teaching in summer schools. Solo, I hasten to add, in view of the last example.
Linguists are well aware of the importance of avoiding situations where something interferes with natural speech production. Field linguists watch out for any physical limitations in their informants - it would be unwise, for example, to rely greatly on the phonology produced by an aged speaker who had lost all his teeth. And some of the semiotic transcriptions of body behaviour from the 1960s include symbols for such effects as 'speaking through clenched teeth', 'speaking while licking one's lips', and 'speaking with mouth pursed'. However, these are just general markers. I don't know of any phonetic descriptions at the level of the segment.
Do authors do it? I haven't come across any. They seem to leave the effect to the reader's imagination. Here's J. M. Barrie in A Widow in Thrums (Chapter 3):
' "Ye daur to speak aboot openin' the door, an' you sic a mess!" cried Jess, with pins in her mouth.'
The character has that accent throughout; no special effort is made to represent the effect of the pin-holding. Here's George Eliot, in Scenes of Clerical Life (Chapter 1):
' "So," said Mr. Pilgrim, with his mouth only half empty of muffin, "you had a row in Shepperton Church last Sunday." '
That sentence would certainly have sounded differently. And even Charles Dickens, so good at depicting the idiosyncrasies in an individual's speech, leaves this effect to the reader, as in Nicholas Nickleby (Chapter 5):
' "This is the way we inculcate strength of mind, Mr Nickleby," said the schoolmaster, turning to Nicholas, and speaking with his mouth very full of beef and toast.'
A rare example of an author trying to represent the segmental phonetics of mouth-filled speech is Anna Pickard in The Guardian (27 April 2006) which begins:
' "Fankky, i's ow-wajus. I fine i' affo-uuti owajus. Va figiss ... hangom, suwee, nee to swa-oh." Frankly, it's outrageous...'
And she goes on:
'And what, I ask, is so wrong with talking with your mouth full? In an age where multitasking is a marketable skill, surely the ability to eat and keep up your end of the conversation at the same time should be positively commended. '
She specifies three benefits:
'Time management There simply isn't time in the day to set aside a separate amount for eating and for talking. By combining the two activities, an incredible amount of time can be saved. Also, none of your companions will ever need to ask what you had for lunch again. They will know, because they can see.
Portion control The process of eating while talking can do wonders for the figure. Anatomically speaking, the act of sucking in air for the talking while holding food in the oratory position should, in theory, bring more air into the food, thus inflating it, and making you feel more full (if slightly gassy). While this hasn't been scientifically proven as far as I know, speaking as a university graduate, it certainly sounds like a convincing theory. My degree is in dramaturgy.
Characterfulness By the simple act of talking while eating, you can easily ensure that you will be memorable to everyone you meet. While what you were saying might have been otherwise forgettable, no one will ever forget you if you gave them a good eyeful of bolognese while you were saying it.'
It's nice to have the opportunity of resurrecting this piece from the journalistic past.
If readers of this post have come across any other examples of mouth-filled speech, especially in literature and in languages other than English, I'd love to know of them, as I'm sure would my correspondent.
31 comments:
Working in an office filled with Koreans in Seoul, I often hear "mouth-filled" speech around the office. Eating and toothbrushing seem to be the most common times, but I seem to remember it happening at others. My own Korean has progressed to the point that I often have some small idea of what is going one when they're speaking clearly, but "mouth-filled" speech is completely beyond me. I can lip read Korean better than I can understand "mouth-filled" speech. I absolutely marvel at their ability to understand and respond appropriately, which they always seem to do. I imagine that in addition to the paralinguistic features, the influence of vowels is quite important, as consonants always seem to pretty well disappear.
- 5 July 2011 at 13:25
- Q. Pheevr said...
Well, there's this bit from Douglas Adams's Mostly Harmless:
They munched for a bit.
'It's quite good in fact,' said Ford. 'What's the meat in it?'
'Perfectly Normal Beast.'
'Not come across that one. So, the question is,' Ford continued, 'who is the bird really doing it for? What's the real game here?'
'Mmm,' ate Arthur. - 5 July 2011 at 14:48
- Robert said...
There's a particularly useful example of this in the fourth Harry Potter novel (I think), where a the speech of a character with a mouthful of food is represented phonetically. This gives readers an indication of how the name 'Hermione' is meant to be pronounced ("er-my-oh-nee"), as apparently JK Rowling received many requests for clarification on the matter...
- 6 July 2011 at 08:28
There are a few examples in the Harry Potter series of books, all of them involving Ron Weasley. My favourite is from Order of the Phoenix, where we have Ron asking, 'Ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?' through a mouthful of roast potatoes. (How can it know the school's in danger if it's a hat?)
- 6 July 2011 at 19:05
- Jude Gibbons said...
In the example sent in by your correspondent it seems the familiarity of the sentence "I don't know" was key in the listener being able to understand it. How would this apply in languages that rely on tones (e.g. Cantonese): does this make them more or less intelligible when the speaker has their mouth full? Would that also apply to Korean as the previous commenter mentioned?
Mouth-filled speech is also affected by what is in your mouth: with food in your mouth you will probably try to keep your tongue still, whereas if you are holding a pen between your lips your tongue is more free to move but the lips less so.
I found it interesting on reading your example of Anna Pickard's that I couldn't understand what it said until I replicated it myself out loud. I've had a similar experience trying to read a word in handwriting which only became clear when I copied it out.
Not really mouth-filled speech, but other examples of "hummed, or pulsated approximations of real words" are the noises made by the teacher in the Charlie Brown cartoons, or the Clangers' speech (bringing to mind the story about how the scripts were written in English before being recorded as Clanger-speak, and how Oliver Postgate got told off by the BBC for using the word 'bloody' even though it wouldn't be distinguishable as such in the final recording). - 6 July 2011 at 19:38
- DC said...
Interesting... As for the question of tone, I'd've thought that this wouldn't be affected. Tone (and intonation) is primarily a function of vocal cord vibration, and in much the same way as the stress pattern is retained I'd expect pitch movement to be retained too. Other prosodic features would vary, though. Speech rate, in particular would likely be slower. And other paralinguistic features would probably be absent.
- 7 July 2011 at 08:00
- A Mitton said...
I've been reading Harry Potter and have come across mouth-filled speech often (usually in Ron). However, she also makes a point to phonetically spell out other English dialects, or accents. Hagrid, for example, has an accent throughout all seven books, and in the fourth the characters from foreign schools also have accents written phonetically. Perhaps writers who spend the time to phonetically spell out accents for their readers are also more inclined to phonetically spell mouth-filled speech? Just a thought.
- 7 July 2011 at 19:56
Terry Pratchett's Discworld gargoyles also have permanently mouth-filled speech (as their mouths are drainpipes...). I can't seem to find an accurate transcription of how Pratchett writes them online though.
(He also tends to write accents phonetically). - 8 July 2011 at 15:03
- Sabi said...
i witnessed an interview once, where a surgeon had his breathing-protection on. one couldn't understand a word and most of the journalists believed the patient (a german tv-star)has passed away. luckily she didn't...
- 12 July 2011 at 16:45
In Sourcery, p.21 UK paperback, Pratchett gives a gargoyle's speech as: 'A Ourcerer is umming! Eee orr ife!' (A Sourcerer is coming! Flee for your life!')
- 19 July 2011 at 09:18
- Stan said...
Daniel Everett, in Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes, writes that "hum speech" is one of five communication channels in the Pirahã language. It's often used by mothers talking to their children, and it's also used for privacy (like our whispering) and "to talk when one's mouth is full".
- 24 July 2011 at 13:56
- John Cowan said...
Grass's Local Anaesthetic has a good deal of mouth-filled speech, as the protagonist is getting extensive dental work throughout the book.
And here's a bit from Dorothy L. Sayers's story "In The Teeth Of The Evidence:
"Ah—ow—oo—oo—uh—ihi—ih?" inquired Wimsey naturally enough.
"How do I come into it?" said Mr. Lamplough [Wimsey's dentist], who from long experience was expert in the interpretation of mumblings. - 29 July 2011 at 18:52
- DC said...
Wonderful example! Thanks.
- 1 August 2011 at 10:56
- DC said...
An d I've just come across this one, in 'The House at Pooh Corner' by A A Milne:
But Tigger said nothing because his
mouth was full of haycorns....
After a long munching noise he said:
"Ee-ers o i a-ors."
And when Pooh and Piglet said "What?" he said "Skoos ee," and went outside for a moment.
When he came back he said firmly:
"Tiggers don't like haycorns." - 6 August 2011 at 13:44
Another example, though not mouth-filled (from Alan Bradley's "A red herring without mustard", p. 210):
I made the motion of pulling a zipper across my lips.
"Oon ewdge?"
"Sorry, dear. I don't know what you're saying."
I unfastened the zipper.
"Who else?..." - 7 August 2011 at 19:30
- DC said...
- 7 August 2011 at 19:35
- Hyeladzira Ali Balami said...
"Highly enlightening," with nothing @ all in my mouth, save my teeth & tongue! -- Hyeladzira Ali Balami,Nigeria
- 15 September 2011 at 04:23
- Stan said...
I just came across an example in Hilary Mantel's 2005 novel Beyond Black:
'Mandy—' Alison began.
Mandy waved a hand. 'Nugh about it,' she said, her mouth full of muesli. 'Id nig. Nobbel self.'
'But I do blame myself,' Al insisted. - 18 June 2017 at 09:38
- DC said...
Lovely example. Thanks.
- 18 June 2017 at 11:43
- Stan said...
An extended example from Jeff Lindsay's crime novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter:
Vince took a big bite of cinnamon roll. His lips gleamed with frosting as he slowly chewed. 'Mmmpp,' he said, and swallowed. 'Are we feeling left out?'
'If we means Deborah, yes we are,' I said. 'I told her I'd take a look at the file for her.'
'Wulf,' he said, mouth full of pastry, 'merf pluddy uh bud is nime.'
'Forgive me, master,' I said. 'Your language is strange to me.'
He chewed and swallowed. 'I said, at least there's plenty of blood this time. But you're still a wallflower. Bradley got the call for this one.'
'Can I see the file?'
He took a bite. 'Ee waf awife—'
'Very true, I'm sure. And in English?'
Vince swallowed. 'I said, he was still alive when his leg came off.'
'Human beings are so resilient, aren't they?'
Vince stuck the whole pastry in his mouth and picked up the file, holding it out to me and taking a large bite of the roll at the same time. I grabbed the folder.
'I've got to go,' I said. 'Before you try to talk again.' - 25 October 2017 at 17:59
- DC said...
Beautiful example. Thank you!
- 26 October 2017 at 08:59
- Stan said...
This one is a little different. The narrator, Harrison, is an 11-year-old boy who has emigrated from Ghana to England. His older sister Lydia's friend, Miquita, is teaching him how to kiss, under Lydia's supervision. He doesn't like Miquita, but he wants to be ready for when his girlfriend wants a kiss:
Then she kissed me right on the lips. It was quite soft. It was even not too bad until I felt her tongue go in.
Me: 'Nnngggtngg, yudiingsaanythnnngabouutnng!'
Miquita stopped. I got my breath back.
Miquita: 'What was that?'
Me: 'You didn't say anything about tongues!'
Miquita: 'But everyone likes the tongue. You gotta learn the best way or there's no point. Just go with it.'
Her lips kept sucking, her breath kept blowing hot up my nose. I couldn't even stop it. I don't even like cherry. My belly felt sick like the sea.
Me: 'Stoppih! Lyda, helllpe! Gehhheroff!'
Lydia: 'He's had enough. He keeps holding his breath.' - 14 January 2018 at 09:48
- DC said...
Another good one. Many thanks. And, for information: soutce is Stephen Kelman, Pigeon English.
- 14 January 2018 at 10:03
- Stan said...
Oh yes, I don't know how I forgot to name the book! I just finished reading it.
- 14 January 2018 at 10:06
- DC said...
Amazing how much interest this topic has attracted. I've used it as an interlude in my Sounds Appealing, and I get comments about it more than about anything else!
- 14 January 2018 at 10:10
- Stan said...
That's interesting. I suppose it's a kind of linguistic game or challenge for writers. Ever since I became aware of it as a phenomenon or category (thanks to this post), I've been intrigued by the different forms it can take: the many things that can be in a speaker's mouth, and the various ways authors convey the muddled words.
I look forward to reading Sounds Appealing sometime. - 14 January 2018 at 10:29
- Stan said...
The latest example I saw appears in the graphic novel Saga, written by Brian K. Vaughan and drawn by Fiona Staples. Delicate readers should look away now. A few pages into volume 1, Alana has just given birth, and her partner, Marko, is biting the umbilical cord (the couple are on the run and cannot avail of proper facilities). The dialogue is in speech bubbles, rendered below in quotation marks:
Alana: 'Marko! What the hell are you doing?!'
Marko: 'Cuhhing thu mbilical?'
Alana: 'You have a sword! You are wearing a sword!'
Marko: [lifting his head for a moment] 'I made a vow, Alana. I'm a father now, not a soldier, and that blade is never again leaving its scabbard. [biting again] Rnnf. Wasn't expecting... this much gristle.' - 1 March 2018 at 16:13
- Stan said...
Ali Smith's novel How to Be Both has a possible example of this. George visits her mother in hospital, and her mother's speech is impaired. There's no mention of tubes in her mouth, but it seems possible given the context; in any case the result is close enough to offer here:
George had seen her contorted in the hospital bed. Her skin had changed colour and was covered in weals. She could hardly speak. What she did say, in the last part of whatever was happening to her and before they put George outside the door to wait in the corridor, was that she was a book, I'm an open book, she said. Though it was also equally possible that what she'd said was that she was an unopen book.
I a a u opn ook. - 14 April 2018 at 11:51
- DC said...
Another nice example. Thank you.
- 14 April 2018 at 11:59
- Stan said...
Here's a brief example from White Teeth by Zadie Smith:
'Joyce, Marcus,' appealed Joshua, looking for an external judgement. 'Tell him.'
Marcus popped a great wedge of cheese in his mouth and shrugged his shoulders. 'I'm afwaid Miyat's oar mu'rer's jurishdicshun.'
['Miyat' is Millat, another character.] - 14 May 2018 at 17:51
- DC said...
Lovely. Thank you again.
- 14 May 2018 at 21:42


text:
Today is a very special day for a technology that has become the eponym for most DNA-based identifications. Reason enough to devote a blog post on its birthday:
On June 26th, 1974, a 10-pack of Juicy Fruit Gum was scanned for its Universal Product Code (UPC) at a food store in Troy, Ohio.
Forty years later, the barcode is printed or embedded on trillions of products and other things worldwide. Furthermore, it is available in dozens of modern formats.
The number of applications of barcodes is actually growing faster than ever. In the past five years, it's been given a boost by the emergence of smartphones equipped with digital cameras that - with the right app - can be used as barcode scanners. More recently, faster processors have arrived that can read thousands of alphanumeric characters on a single imprint, which can be smaller than a postage stamp.
In the past eight years, barcodes have become so varied and complex that optical imagers can read QR codes or matrix barcodes to learn not only the identity and price of a product but also very specific information including the serial number of a precise product. It is now possible to track down a particular machine part's identification to learn through a connected database when, where and how it was created or who inspected it - all of which can prove essential in accident investigations or recalls.
Today barcodes are so commonplace that we take them for granted. We load a boarding pass barcode onto a smartphone display that's read at the gate. Everything we buy is scanned at the cashier and the technology enabled big stores to install self-serve cash registers where customers scan their own groceries. Nurses check in patients and re-check them several times for surgical procedures or other treatments by scanning barcodes on their wrists that are compared to barcodes on their charts. Pharmacists track medicines, while warehouse workers and courier drivers use handheld scanners to track goods and packages at lightning speed. A utility worker scans a meter connected to a customer's history, while a mechanic can research a car part's history and so on.
IBM engineer George Laurer, invented what became the UPC barcode first used on that pack of gum in 1974. However it took quite some time and various standards groups involving members from multiple companies and governments to get the movement started and then to later review a steady stream of alterations and innovations.
The roots of barcodes go back much further. A U.S. patent was granted in 1934 for a card sorter device that was able to read a simple code consisting of four bars printed on paper. The printed bars were read by photoelectric cells. The goal was to automate the payment of utility bills, with the primitive four bar barcode printed on a postcard sent to each customer then later read when the payment was made.
The development of the barcode was a revolution. There is nothing I can think of that had a greater impact on facilitating commerce around the world than the UPC barcode. Happy birthday!


text:
Doc McGhee Says Kiss Farewell Tour Is the End 'For Gene and Paul'
Longtime Kiss manager Doc McGhee said the band's farewell tour was definitely the end for Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley – leaving room for the possibility of future band activity.
Last year it was announced that Kiss would play the final date of their End of the Road tour on July 17, 2021, in New York City. However, the group is one of several that have performed farewell tours in the past only to change its mind and return to action.
Asked in an episode of Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon whether Kiss might tour beyond the announced date, McGhee said, "I doubt things will ever change, but shit happens all the time. But from what we believe, today, this is the end of the road. Certainly for Gene and Paul."
However, he added, "Will there be things of Kiss – movies, Broadway shows, whatever? Everybody's talking about 'em. It's not happened yet. As far as a touring base, as far as going out and doing shows, no. There's not going to be any tours with Gene and Paul. In essence, that's the end of the road for Gene and Paul for sure."
Doc McGhee Addresses Kiss' Future
The band recently announced that it will release Kisstory, a "definitive" documentary about the band, this fall. A Kiss biopic is also scheduled for release in the summer of 2021.
Simmons and Stanley are the only remaining original members of the band, though guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer have both served longer than originals Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. In 2018, McGhee argued that Kiss could continue with no original members.
"Is there a next generation of Superman? No, there's just fucking Superman," he said. "There's been six of them, [but still] it's Superman. As long as these kids walk out there and they have that makeup and they have that attitude and they have a great fucking visual show ... that's what Kiss is. Kiss is a way of life."
The following year, Stanley, who'd voiced support for the idea on a number of occasions, said he wasn't "sure about the idea of Kiss coming to an end. We've built something that's so iconic, and I think it transcends any of the members, so I can certainly see me not being there. There was a time where people said it had to be the four of us, and those people are already 50 percent wrong."
In a recent interview with Modern Drummer, Singer said he doesn't "know what the future is going to hold for me. So, I like to keep myself open-minded for the possibility that I might end up doing something completely out of left field."
Speaking to Tass (via Blabbermouth), Thayer -- who produced many of Kiss' long-form home-video and book projects before taking an onstage role with the group -- seemed open to having his role evolve in a new manner. "I am younger than the other guys," he said. "Maybe I will still be involved with Kiss in a different way."
Kiss are currently touring North America with Van Halen singer David Lee Roth opening. Last year, they announced that their final-ever concert will take place at an as-yet-unnamed venue in their hometown. Their 10th-annual Kiss Kruise will set sail Oct. 30 - Nov. 4. Former guitarist Bruce Kulick will once again be part of the festivities, alongside Fozzy, Ratt and Queensryche.


text:
This engagement provides professional basic setup, training, and support for Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, Business Edition.
Dynamics 365 for Financials helps small and mid-sized businesses make ordering, selling, invoicing, and reporting easier.
This financial management solution will consolidate multiple systems into a single, connected application to save your employees time and help you get a complete picture of your business.
Designed to work seamlessly with Office 365 and Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Financials encourages users to start small by using only apps that they need and expanding as their business requirements change.
This SmartStart package includes professional services for a basic product tour, basic setup, basic data migration, basic training and end-user go-live support.
Day 1
Focuses on the project kick-off and system configuration.
Day 2
Focuses on the creation of up to two companies and Power BI Dynamics 365 Content Pack setup.
Day 3
Focuses on training and go-live support.


text:
Updated May 5, 2021 at 6:43 PM ET
President Biden threw his support behind a World Trade Organization proposal on Wednesday to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, clearing a hurdle for vaccine-strapped countries to manufacture their own vaccines even though the patents are privately held.
"This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures," U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai said in a statement. "The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines."
The pace of vaccinating against COVID-19 in the U.S. is slowing down. In some places, there are more vaccine doses than people who want them.
Meanwhile, India is now the epicenter of the pandemic, and just 2% of its population is fully vaccinated.
The WTO is considering a proposal to address that inequity, as India, South Africa and over 100 other nations advocate to waive IP rights for COVID-19 vaccines and medications, which could let manufacturers in other countries make their own.
The consequences of not passing the waiver are "staggering," Mustaqeem de Gama, South Africa's World Trade Organization counselor, told NPR — "not only on the level of the loss of human lives but also on the economic level."
"We believe that intellectual property rights constitute a very substantial barrier to ensure equitable access," he said. "We believe that if we could have a limited, targeted waiver to ensure that we can ramp up production in various parts of the world, we would go a long way to ensure that we address not only the prevention but also the treatment of COVID-19."
Previous to Wednesday's announcement, the U.S. was among several other wealthy nations — including the U.K., Canada and Japan — that resisted WTO negotiations about the proposal.
In response to the administration's support, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a drug industry trade group, expressed strong opposition and argued that the move represents a break in long-standing U.S. policy over medical patents amid global inequities.
"In the midst of a deadly pandemic, the Biden Administration has taken an unprecedented step that will undermine our global response to the pandemic and compromise safety," a statement from PhRMA reads. "This decision will sow confusion between public and private partners, further weaken already strained supply chains and foster the proliferation of counterfeit vaccines."
The trade group added that the decision will compromise U.S. job creation and the country's place as a leader in biomedical innovation.
The battle mirrors the one during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, when drug companies warred with global health officials who sought to produce generic treatments. Drugmakers eventually retreated after former South African President Nelson Mandela accused the companies of using patents to profit from his country's health crisis.
The HIV crisis gave way to a precedent in relaxing patent restrictions: In 2001, the WTO added the Doha Declaration to its Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement to allow low-income nations to import and develop generic versions of patented medicines.
The head of the World Health Organization praised the Biden administration's intent to lift the proprietary limits on COVID-19 vaccines.
"This is a monumental moment in the fight against #COVID19," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter. "The commitment by @POTUS Joe Biden & @USTradeRep @AmbassadorTai to support the waiver of IP protections on vaccines is a powerful example of leadership to address global health challenges."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
"Unfinished Business" is the tale of three hard working guys who are trying to catch a break embarking on what should be a routine business trip out of state who end up thousands of miles from home, in Germany, where everything that can go wrong does so with spectacularly hilarious results. At first Dan is convinced that the deal is done and heads to Portland, Oregon, confident that it's in the bag. But once there, he discovers that his old employers, represented by his former boss at Dynamic Systems, the formidable wheeler-dealer Chuck Fortnoy (Miller) are about to steal it from under his nose.
Dan, Mike and Tim must head to Berlin to try and save the day, and they arrive in a bustling city hosting a G8 conference and a sex fetish festival with hardly a vacant room left in town. Each of them is about to experience a series of life changing adventures – and setbacks – on a business trip they'll never forget.
Franco admits that he was a little nervous at the prospect of starring opposite Vaughn – one of his comedy heroes - who plays his boss desperately trying to secure a deal that will keep his struggling company afloat. "It's always intimidating at first to work with someone that you've admired for so long," he says. "I didn't want to be the person in the scene to slow everything down, but what I quickly realised, working with someone as funny as Vince, is that no matter what I say, no matter how dumb the joke is, Vince will take that dumb joke of mine and turn it into gold.
The odds may be stacked against Dan, Tim and Mike, but together they find a bond that proves to be unbreakable. "I think with all three of these guys, they are down on their luck but they never feel bad for themselves. They're fighting as hard as they can, against all odds," says Franco.
For young Mike Pancake – an innocent abroad who has never ventured more than a few miles from his home before – being on the road with the two older, more experienced men gives him the confidence to explore, in every sense of the word. A virgin before he left the States, he proves to be very popular with some of the women he meets in the exotically Bohemian Berlin. "Yeah, that's a big part of Mike's journey, and he's very successful," Franco laughs. "Much more so than you might expect from a character who's never even been out of his home town.
"He ends up sleeping with multiple women, and I think what they're attracted to is what we're talking about: his sincerity and his sweetness. His sexual journey is an entire movie within itself. He's not only losing his virginity, but he's trying to do it in a way that would even be risqué for a character in 50 Shades of Grey."
"Unfinished Business" is rated R-16 by the local censors board (MTRCB) and will open nationwide in cinemas this March 5 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.
Like this post? Subscribe to Manila Life by Email
Like Manila Life on Facebook to be updated.


text:
Heather Lowe
Meet the Artist
About the Artist
Heather Lowe's artwork is concerned with perception, following the tradition of Optical Art. She was born in Santa Monica, attended SAMO High, SMCC, City College of San Francisco, and UC Santa Cruz where she studied many art techniques such as etching, Chinese Brush Painting, figure drawing, and sculpture. She began exhibiting her optical paintings through L.A. Artcore in Los Angeles and continued exhibiting her paintings for fifteen years. Lowe then discovered stereo photography which led her to lenticular media. Lenticulars allow a viewer to see a changing, moving image from different perspectives. She has worked with lenticulars for over fifteen years creating flip, morph, animation and 3-D effects and continues to explore new ways to employ this medium to her art.
Her artwork has been exhibited widely, including the Annenberg Beach House Gallery, the Neutra Institute Gallery, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, bG Gallery and a recent solo exhibit in Monaco. Heather Lowe currently resides in Los Angeles, and works at her studio, B1, Keystone Art Space.
Her full resume can be seen on her website and her current work on instagram @hl5hl5.


text:
From Harper Teen...
Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father's ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he's good at his job. And he enjoys it.
Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve.
Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons' oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.
Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.
Author Note:
Sweet Temptation will encompass the entire trilogy in a condensed version, beginning with Kai's life before he met Anna, and taking readers through the epilogue of Sweet Reckoning. Sweet Temptation is a companion novel, not meant to be a stand alone story. It will definitely be a richer experience for those who have read the original trilogy.


text:
What You Need to Know about Chronic Wasting Disease in Mississippi Deer
On February 9, 2018, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks reported that a 4-year-old white-tailed deer buck in Issaquena County, Mississippi, had tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). We compiled this fact sheet to answer frequently asked questions about this serious issue, which could have long-term implications for Mississippi hunters, wildlife managers, and people who love the outdoor life.
What Is CWD?
CWD is a contagious and fatal neurological disease that affects deer, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose, and caribou. It causes a spongy degeneration of the brain of an infected animal. It also causes the animal to lose weight, which is why CWD is called a "wasting" disease.
CWD also causes the infected animal to behave in unusual ways, such as not being afraid of people. Eventually, the infected animal will lose control of its bodily functions and die soon after. CWD is always fatal.
CWD is one of a group of related diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). These diseases also include scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (also known as "mad cow" disease) in cattle, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which affects people.
In the United States, CWD was first recognized in captive mule deer in Colorado in 1967, but it was not understood to be a TSE until the 1970s.
How Is CWD Transmitted?
It is not completely clear how CWD is transmitted. The infectious agent, a type of protein called a prion, may be passed in urine, feces, or saliva. The incubation period—the time between the infection and the development of the disease—appears to be about 16 months. It is unknown at which point the infected animal begins shedding the CWD agent, which allows the infection to spread to other animals.
The CWD agent is known to be very resistant to the environment, so it can be transmitted directly, from one animal to another, or indirectly, from a contaminated surface, such as a deer feeder, to another animal.
What is known is that the movement of live animals is one of the greatest risk factors in spreading the disease from one population to another or from one geographic area to another.
How Will a Ban on Feeding Deer Help?
Feeding deer won't cause the disease, of course, but it causes the animals to concentrate their populations around the feed source. Bringing a large number of animals together increases the possibility that the disease will spread. If just one CWD-infected animal comes to a feeder, the chance that the disease will spread to other deer is far greater than if those deer were browsing normally in the wild.
As of February 15, 2018, all deer feeding is banned in six Mississippi counties: Claiborne, Hines, Issaquena, Sharkey, Warren, and Yazoo.
What Are the Visible Symptoms of CWD?
The most consistent and obvious symptom is weight loss. The deer looks like it is literally wasting away. CWD-affected deer will continue to eat, but the amount they consume decreases. Other signs are excessive drinking and urination, which occur in late stages of the disease.
Behavior changes are also noticeable. An infected animal will drool, lower its head, walk in repetitive patterns, have a blank facial expression, and even grind its teeth.
How Is CWD Detected?
The changes in physical appearance and behavior are good indications, but to officially diagnose CWD, a postmortem tissue sample is needed for laboratory testing. There is currently no reliable test that can be performed on a live animal.
Can People Catch CWD?
So far, it has not been proven that CWD poses a risk to people. There has never been a reported case of a human contracting the disease from a deer or from infected deer meat. However, public-health professionals recommend that people avoid any exposure to CWD.
Is It Safe to Eat Venison from Mississippi Deer?
In general, yes, it is safe to eat venison. However, people should not eat meat from deer known or suspected to be infected with CWD. Hunters and others in the six-county area of the feeding ban should handle venison with extreme care.
When field-dressing an animal or butchering the carcass, wear rubber or latex gloves and debone the meat. Do not saw through the bones, and don't cut through the skull or spinal cord. Don't handle or consume brain, spleen, lymph, or spinal tissue because the CWD agent accumulates in these tissues.
As always, wash your hands and instruments thoroughly after field-dressing the animal or deboning the meat.
If you have your venison processed, request that the meat from your deer be processed separately and not mixed with meat from other deer.
What Does CWD Mean for the Future of Deer and Deer Hunting?
The impact of CWD on populations of deer and elk is not fully understood. Computer modeling suggests that, over time, the deer herd will be reduced because fewer deer will survive. CWD has already caused changes in the way wild deer and elk populations are managed in other states. And, ultimately, concerns about the risk to human health could cause hunters to be less confident about hunting in CWD-affected areas.
Publication 3199 (POD-02-24)
By Bronson Strickland, PhD, Extension Professor, Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service is working to ensure all web content is accessible to all users. If you need assistance accessing any of our content, please email the webteam or call 662-325-2262.


text:
Inspired by Roma.
Smart design, very compact and easy to use. Its size is perfect to hold 12 cards, several bills and even some coins in the back pocket.
Premium Napa leather, soft touch and natural dyes that do not pollute the environment. The resin-based finish on its edges guarantees its durability.
Double weave; threads that combine with the leather on both sides.
Reinforced elastic band. Specifically designed in a tightly interwoven chain-structure for greater reliability and longevity.
Pokerwork engraved seal, at over 124°C/255°F, following secular craftsmanship tradition.
Money Clip allows you to carry any bill of any currency available worldwide (dollars, euros, pounds, pesos, etc.).
Free shipping! Free Shipping Worldwide from €60. If you are in Spain you will receive your double 00 in 48-72 hours. If you are outside of Spain, we will send it to you by certified mail and you will have it within 8-10 days.
Packaging: They come in black and silver or brown and gold cardboard box.
Measures: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.4 cm
Out of stock


text:
The unique scallop on the toe features a unique twist to your classic black heels.
There's nothing more DIVINE than our open toe vintage inspired heels. Take it back to a night full of dancing in the roaring 20's with these velvet dainty heels.
These color block Mary Jane inspired heels will reinvent vintage - to - modern for you. Following Coco Chanel's footsteps with a colorful toe and elegant color ways.
These retro closed toe patent leather heels were made for your unique style. The double strap cage upper takes you back to a time you didn't know your vintage soul lived in.
My oh my, did we get lucky! The perfect gold heels are staring right at you with our TRISTAN mary jane heels. Don't sleep on these beauties (we can make a sleeping beauty joke, right?).
Hey there shoe lover! Sign up to our mailing list and be the first to know about new arrivals, sales & promos