text:
LOS ANGELES ISSUE 398 Apr 2013
Debra Sugerman Los Angeles Portrait & Animal Photographers
dear mr. president (trailer)
Video provided by: Debra Sugerman
Visit the Showcase/Spotlights to see more
dear mr. president (trailer)
BROKEN TRAILER from Debra Sugerman on Vimeo.
broken (trailer)
Video provided by: Debra Sugerman
Visit the Showcase/Spotlights to see more
broken (trailer)
Debra Sugerman began taking photographs at age 12. Like most artists, she tested many disciplines before returning to her first love, realising her potential and establishing a career as a non-commercial fine art image-maker.
Her work has found its way to small commercial niches as well as gallery exhibits and private collections. Honing her skills specifically in image-making, Debra's filmmaking has risen in a parallel effort. After a number of years working behind the scenes on large and small budget feature films, she found it a natural process to move into directing and creative producing. Debra currently has two documentary productions to her name.
Flowing easily between jobs and unafraid of a challenge, she is capable of handling large or micro budgets. As a visual artist her singular vision translates well from concept to end result. Her early training as location manager taught her a lot about producing; coupled with her unique physical vision, this makes Debra an exceptional filmmaker.
Tag your comment using @productionparadise to share with us!


text:
Jonathan and Yvette Boatwright, co-owners of Realty Austin, have instilled in their company a culture of giving. Together with their agents, they are truly helping Austin Habitat to fulfill our mission of building homes, communities and hope.
Last year, Realty Austin and their agents raised over $65,000 and partnered with Austin Habitat to build a home for Carmen Toungate. After working alongside the future homeowner for eight weeks sharing blood, sweat, and sometimes tears, their passion to help others achieve their dreams is now stronger than ever. This year, Realty Austin will again match contributions from their agents to collectively raise $75,000 to build another home. This year, Realty Austin will be building a home for the Beriji Family. Read more about the Beriji's here.
Austin Habitat is grateful to Realty Austin for their leadership and support of affordable homeownership opportunities in Austin!
© Austin Habitat for Humanity privacy policy | email preferences
Offices: 500 W Ben White Blvd, Austin TX 78704
Mailing: 500 W Ben White Blvd, Austin TX 78704
Phone: 512-472-8788 | ReStore: 512-478-2165

subset: commoncrawl


text:
So they are your new girlfriend or boyfriend, and you found out they have a gag account but he/she don't know you are also on gag.
would you stay or leave gag?
- stay in G@GVote A
- deactivate account and hope they never find outVote B
- secretly troll them 😈😈😈Vote C
Most Helpful Girl
My boyfriend is on G@G actually. He's @Need4Speed. I talked him into making an account. :)20|20|0
Thanks for MHO. :)
Most Helpful Guy
Nope I'd stay. It may even be a good thing in a sense, because they can learn more about me. I don't (as far as I know) have any big secrets or anything like that on here. I tell people what I honestly think, give them a reason why, and I talk to friends on here.
It may be slightly embarrassing at first, but as girlfriend, I don't mind them figuring out anything I say on here. It is what it is. They can accept me and for who I am or they can not, which means they'll probably leave me-- but that leads to a different road 😅10|10|0
you know.. I read that "but as girlfriend" like you're the girlfriend.
- Show AllShow Less
You better. I hope you have nightmares about it. 😈
@Kay211 Well I had a nightmare over it.
I hope you're happy 😑


text:
This post may contain affiliate links from our advertising partners, such as American Express. Read my Advertiser Disclosure policy here. Additionally, some of the offers on this page may no longer be available through Deals We Like.
Last week I wrote about the many more American Express syncing promotions that were added to the Facebook "Link, Like, Love" app. There were a slew added with some of the more notable ones being Costco, California Pizza Kitchen, The Container Store, and One Kings Lane. There are many others, but those seem to be the most popular and universal.
After I posted the initial list, I noticed some other decent merchants were added to the list:
- American Apparel: Spend $125, get $25 back (expires 11/23) – this is valid for online purchases only
- SkyAuction.com: Spend $100, get $50 back (expires 12/4)
- BaubleBar.com: Spend $50, get $10 back (expires 3/1/13) – you can also register for this promotion via Twitter instead by tweeting #AmexBaubleBarOffer
- Peachy Airport Parking: Spend $25, get $5 back (expires 1/5/13) – this is for airport parking in Atlanta which is typically only $7.99/day
Thus far, I've gone all in with Costco purchasing $100 gift cards online with my 6 different American Express credit cards. The first one I did last week already posted with the statement credit, but the other 5 still have the charge as a pending transaction, so be patient with this one, it seems to be taking longer than normal. When I am in the suburbs over Thanksgiving, I will probably have a field day at California Pizza Kitchen as well purchasing gift cards in store as it is a favorite lunch location for my mom.
To learn more about these American Express statement credit promotions, read this prior "Free Money 101" blog post. You can also check out a compiled list of the current American Express sync promotions on this blog page.
You can sync your American Express credit card to Facebook here.


text:
Question: Green Thumb Inc produces and sells home and garden tools and equipment
Green Thumb Inc. produces and sells home and garden tools and equipment. A lawnmower has a total cost of $140 per units of which $110 is product cost and $30 is selling and administrative expenses. In addition, the total cost of $140 is made up of $125 variable cost and $15 fixed cost. The desired profit is $14 per unit. Determine the markup percentage on variable cost.
View Solution:
View Solution:
Answer to relevant QuestionsNova Corp. produces and sells lighting fixtures. An entry light has a total cost of $50 per unit of which $36 is product cost and $14 is selling and administrative expenses. In addition, the total cost of $50 is made up of ...The condensed product-line income statement for Country Ceramics Company for the current year is as follows:Fixed costs are 15% of the cost of goods sold and 28% of the selling and administrative expenses. Country Ceramics ...Oregon Lumber Company incurs a cost of $465 per hundred board feet in processing certain "rough-cut" lumber, which it sells for $625 per hundred board feet. An alternative is to produce a "finished cut" at a total ...Toyota Motor Corporation uses target costing. Assume that Toyota marketing personnel estimate that the competitive selling price for the Camry in the upcoming model year will need to be $34,000. Assume further that the ...Cleopatra Cosmetics Company is planning a one-month campaign for May to promote sales of one of its two cosmetics products. A total of $110,000 has been budgeted for advertising, contests, redeemable coupons, and other ...
Post your question


text:
- Small-cap public companies have suffered from a lack of capital formation. This has inhibited job creation, innovation and investment opportunities stemming from startups and small companies.
- The core problem in the capital formation issue is the lack of trading liquidity in many publicly-traded small-cap companies. Existing market structure rules have made it challenging for meaningful institutional investor ownership, the primary source of trading liquidity.
- This problem adversely impacts individual investors as they comprise the vast majority of ownership in small-cap stocks. Studies have shown that stocks achieve greater valuations with the presence of institutional investment.
- A pilot program, as outlined in the ECF Task Force report, will provide for a realistic way to enable capital to start flowing to the small-cap market while balancing the needs of investor protection and promoting capital formation.
- A viable pilot program offers a fair process to test a market structure will have a positive impact on the US economy, individual investors, institutional investors and small companies.
Equity Capital Formation (ECF) Task Force co-chairs, Scott Kupor, Managing Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and Jeffrey M. Solomon, CEO of Cowen and Company, expressed encouragement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Small Cap Liquidity Act (H.R. 3448), sponsored by Congressman Sean Duffy (R-WI). "Yesterday's passage of the Small Cap Liquidity Act by the U.S. House of Representatives is evidence of growing support for meaningful market structure reform to help small-cap companies grow and thrive, as they are an important segment of our nation's economy," said Mr. Kupor and Mr. Solomon. As discussed in the report, " From the On-Ramp to the Freeway: Refueling Job Creation and Growth by Reconnecting Investors with Small-Cap Companies," the ECF Task Force concluded that increasing tick sizes from 1 cent to 5 cents and limiting trading increments is a surgical fix to the market structure challenges facing the small-cap market. Mr. Kupor and Mr. Solomon continued, "The findings of the ECF Task Force, combined with passage of legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, provide the Securities and Exchange Commission with clear bipartisan signals of encouragement to design a meaningful pilot program for small-cap companies on market structure reform. We urge the Commission to consider a program, as suggested in the ECF Task Force's report, which provides clear and effective guidelines for implementation and realistic measurements of success and failure while ensuring investor protection. A pilot trading program would allow a fair process to test market structure and would only include the small-cap market, which represents approximately 2% of total equity trading volume in the U.S." Key points from the ECF Task Force include:


text:
Mark Shuttleworth Announces uTouch Framework
Open source gesture suite lands in Ubuntu 10.10.
Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth today announced the uTouch gesture suite that will make its first appearance in the 10.10.10 build of Ubuntu. The code is published under GPLv3 and LGPLv3.
"There's no reason why anyone else can't ship them as well," Shuttleworth said. "There's nothing in there proprietary to Canonical," he added.
Shuttleworth explained that UTouch goes beyond standard touch frameworks by allowing users to chain a series of gestures into a sophisticated series of commands known as "gesture sentences."
The window manager in Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition will fully support the UTouch framework and thereby gesture sentences.
"Netbooks with multitouch will be able to switch applications, potentially switch tabs within the application you're using or, using gestures," Shuttleworth told Linux Pro.
Combining uTouch with Unity, Ubuntu's retooled desktop environment, optimized for netbooks and tablets is a logical choice, but developers will have to first create applications that take advantage of uTouch. Updating from Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.04 to 10.10 will automatically include UTouch and Unity. Shuttleworth said that Canonical will include at least one application that has a rich touch interface.
"We're announcing the pieces now because we think developers will want to get working on their own apps," Shuttleworth said.
Shuttleworth expects preinstalled uTouch-compatible devices to coincide with Ubuntu 10.10. Ubuntu 10.10 won't be available until October.
Issue 202/2017
Buy this issue as a PDF
LibreOffice 5.4 Released
Comes with improved support for Microsoft Office file formats.
Red Hat to Drop Support for Btrfs
The company is building their own storage solution called Stratis.
Reinvent your network with DevOps tools and techniques:
Opportunities and Risks: Containers for DevOps
Automated Builds Using CentOS 7 and Kickstart
Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana – The ELK stack
Are you ready for DevOps? Try your luck with the beta version of Linux Professional Institute's new DevOps exam.
Kolab Now Integrates Collabora Online
Kolab Now subscribers now have access to Collabora Online.
Endless OS, a Distribution Without Internet
A new version of Endless OS has been released.
GitHub Announces Open Source Friday Program
They encourage people to take time out and work on open source projects on Friday.
System76 Announces Their Own Distro, Pop!_OS
Pop!_OS is based on Ubuntu and uses the Gnome stack.
Linus Torvalds Talks About His Motivation
He never tires of working on the Linux kernel.
Debian 9 Stretches Its Wings
The new release of Debian has a very strong focus on security.
Trojan Turns Raspberry Pi into a Cryptocurrency Mining Device
Two trojans in the wild are targeting Linux machines.


text:
Exclusive: 'Big Time Rush' Star Tanya Chisholm Chats About the BTR Boys & the KCAs
Big Time Rush, a comedy about a group of Minnesota hockey players who head to LA to fufill their dreams of making it in the music biz, is easily one of the hottest show's on Nickelodeon. Celebuzz sat down for an exclusive interview with one of its stars!
Tanya Chisholm plays level-headed assistant Kelly… More »


text:
Samsung Receives Bomb Scare After Bin Laden's Death
Shortly after the main news stations had reported on the death of Bin Laden, Samsung Electronics received a bomb threat. The threat was made to the main branch of Samsung (pictured top) in Seoul, Korea. Interestingly enough, the Canadian division of Samsung also received a similar threat. The threat to Samsung in Korea also threatened other targets around Seoul. The targets listed in the the threat were embassies of Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria and Egypt. All the embassies immediately raised security according to reports.
Samsung had alerted authorities and 50 members of the special police force were dispatched to Samsungs Headquarters to determine whether the threat was real. Out of all the threats given, none were made against the United States which is strange given the fact that it was a United States mission that killed Osama Bin Laden.
This can be interpreted in one of two ways, Al-Qaeda is scared of the United States or Al-Qaeda is planning something much bigger than a few tiny threats, and the threats served as a mere distraction. Although I am sure Osama Bin Laden's death sparked much outrage amongst followers, I am hoping that they are not planning vengeance against the United States, a nation already hated by many from the Iraq wars.
Photo Courtesy of Droidicus
Photo Courtesy of USEmbassyofNewZealand


text:
CALGARY, Alberta, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Canadian Oil Sands Ltd , the biggest shareholder in the Syncrude project, on Thursday reported a third-quarter net loss, mainly due to unrealized foreign exchange losses on U.S. dollar-denominated debt.
Canadian Oil Sands posted a loss of C$174 million ($132.22 million), or 36 Canadian cents per share.
That was below the average analyst expectation of a loss of 22 Canadian cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
COS realized a synthetic crude oil selling price of C$60.20 per barrel compared with C$102.58 per barrel in the same 2014 quarter.
Cash flow from operations, a key indicator of the company's ability to pay for new projects and drilling, fell to C$82 million, compared to C$302 million in the same quarter of 2014, largely reflecting the lower synthetic crude price.
The company is resisting a hostile takeover bid from Suncor Energy, Canada's largest oil and gas producer, and said in a statement on Thursday that the offer was "wholly inadequate," and "entirely opportunistic." ($1 = 1.3160 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Nia Williams, editing by G Crosse)


text:
Giroux scores twice as Flyers top CanadiensNov 25, 2011 - 11:57 PM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Claude Giroux scored a pair of goals, helping the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1.
Jakub Voracek had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who have won two in a row since a two-game skid. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves.
Petteri Nokelainen scored his first goal of the season for the Canadiens, who failed to build off Wednesday's 4-3 shootout win over Carolina.
Carey Price turned aside 33-of-36 shots in defeat.
"I think he is a tremendous player," Montreal head coach Jacques Martin said of Giroux. "I think he keeps getting better year after year. Now he has become a leader on this team."
Nokelainen scored his first goal in a Montreal uniform with 1:46 left in the first period when he gathered the puck in the slot and beat Bobrovsky with a wrister.
Giroux got the Flyers going at the 13:11 mark of the middle stanza. Off a right circle faceoff, the puck went over to the left side where Matt Carle dumped it behind the net. The disc caromed off the back boards and bounced to the right for Giroux, who banked it in off of Price.
With 2:15 left, Voracek rocketed a one-timer past Price from the left circle.
Giroux made it a 3-1 game with 5.9 seconds remaining. Braydon Coburn's shot from the right point set up a rebound. Giroux's one-timer from the left circle was too much for Price to handle.
"Yeah, he's a good goalie," Giroux said. "He's having a good season too. So, it was important for us to shoot as many pucks as we could. I'm not sure if three of them were on rebounds. So when you have a good, hot goalie you have to shoot from everywhere."
Game Notes
Montreal slammed Philly, 5-1, when the clubs met for the first time in 2011-12 at the Bell Centre on October 26...Canadiens defenseman Jaroslav Spacek (upper body) and forward Scott Gomez (lower body) missed the game...The Flyers were without forward Jaromir Jagr (groin) and defenseman Chris Pronger (illness)...Flyers defenseman Andreas Lilja suffered an ankle injury. He is expected to miss six weeks.
Nov 25 5:27 PM
End of 2nd
Nov 25 4:35 PM
- Philadelphia Goal - Claude Giroux (13), from Braydon Coburn at 19:54.
Canadiens 1, Flyers 3 2nd - 0:06Nov 25 4:35 PM
- Philadelphia Goal - Jakub Voracek (4), at 17:45.
Canadiens 1, Flyers 2 2nd - 2:15Nov 25 4:30 PM
- 52
rootsRUWTbot Added 21 roots
Canadiens 1, Flyers 2 2nd - 2:15Nov 25 4:30 PM
- Philadelphia Goal - Claude Giroux (12), at 13:11.
Canadiens 1, Flyers 1 2nd - 6:49Nov 25 4:22 PM
- 31
rootsRUWTbot Added 10 roots
Canadiens 1, Flyers 0 2nd - 9:44Nov 25 4:15 PM
- 21
rootsRUWTbot Added 10 roots
Canadiens 1, Flyers 0 2nd - 18:45Nov 25 4:00 PM
End of 1st
Nov 25 3:41 PM
- Montreal Goal - Petteri Nokelainen, at 18:14.
Canadiens 1, Flyers 0 1st - 1:46Nov 25 3:38 PM
1st Period - 20:00
Nov 25 3:08 PM
- 11
rootsRUWTbot Added 11 roots
Canadiens vs. FlyersJun 24 6:02 AM
Related News
- NHL Note - Montreal Canadiens Markov, Andrei Jul 27
- Canadiens part ways with D Markov Jul 27
- NHL Note - Montreal Canadiens Streit, Mark Jul 25
- US quarterfinal spot in doubt at worlds after Germany defeat May 15
- 'The Goldbergs' creator talks love affair with Flyers May 10
- Canadiens sign forward Artturi Lehkonen to 3-year contract May 8
- McDavid among finalists for Calder Trophy as NHL top rookie May 2
- Flyers F Schenn suspended for 3 games for charging Apr 26
- Capitals' Orpik could be difference-maker vs. Penguins Apr 26
- Flyers finish another empty season without Stanley Cup Apr 25
- Capitals set for rare postseason rematch against Penguins Apr 25
- NHL Playoff Capsules Apr 24


text:
Saint Etienne
- Overview
- Biography
- Songs
- Browse by Format
- Browse by Genres
- Similar Artists
|Electronic & Ambient Holiday & Seasonal Pop / Rock
|electronic pop indie pop female vocalists indie british electronica seen live britpop dance
|1990s 2000s
|allmusic BBC Music page discography discography discogs last.fm lyrics myspace official homepage other databases other databases social network social network songkick wikidata wikipedia youtube
By far the most dextrous of those bands cursed with the indie dance label in the mid-90s, and one of the few to maintain genuine support in both camps and to then carry on making interesting music into the new millennium.
Pete Wiggs (15 May 1966, Reigate, Surrey, England) and music journalist Bob Stanley (b. 25 December 1964, Horsham, Sussex, England) grew up together in Croydon, Surrey, England. In the early 80s, the pair began to experiment with party tapes, but did not make any serious inroads into the music business until forming Saint Etienne in 1988, taking their name from the renowned French football team. Relocating to Camden in north London, the pair recruited Moira Lambert of Faith Over Reason for a reggae-inflected cover version of Neil Youngs Only Love Can Break Your Heart. Issued in May 1990 on the aspiring Heavenly Records label, the single fared well in the nightclubs and surfaced on a magazine...
- MatchSaint Etienne
- 36%Pet Shop Boys
- 33%Electronic
- 32%Annie
- 30%Bananarama
- 29%Tracey Thorn


text:
You are always on my mindCategory: Photo frames >Romantic
Create free frame online "You are always on my mind" to easy add romantic feelings to favorite photos in a wink.
From disk
From web
|Sorry, but image you have uploaded is too large and caused system to work slowly. Please upload image less than 10Mb.


text:
Sensor Technology Ltd. was founded in 1983 in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. For over 30 years we have been designing and manufacturing piezoelectric ceramic materials, acoustic transducers, and hydrophones all at one facility.
Our expertise is in custom products. Any of the items listed on this site can be modified to meet your requirements. We have the design capability to turn your specifications into a prototype and the production facility to turn your prototype into a high volume product.
Our goal is quality. We provide high quality components for mission critical systems.
Sensor Technology Ltd. regularly services a wide number of industries including Security & Defense, Energy, Fisheries and Marine Industries. We have customers working in leak detection, megasonic cleaning, medical imaging and non-destructive testing (NDT). We also provide highly specialized transducers for unique applications involving high temperatures, high pressures and/or other harsh environments.
Defense applications present enormous challenges, combining both cutting edge technologies and unparalleled quality requirements. They demand reliability, accuracy and repeatability. We are proud of our accomplishments in the security and defense industry. We have earned the trust of our clients and hold long standing relationships with defense contractors, naval research groups and navies around the globe. Some of the planet's most advanced detection, ranging and navigation systems rely on our products.
We provide piezoelectric ceramics and acoustic sensors for defense applications including:
The search for oil and gas is pushing seismic exploration into increasingly challenging locations. The complexity of seismic arrays is growing to meet the challenge. The sensors they rely on are vital to the success of a seismic survey. Whether your challenge is building a seabed acquisition system that must survive the crushing pressure of the deep, or designing an advanced towed array streamer that will reveal what lies buried beneath the seafloor, we understand how critical the performance of each and every sensor in your system is.
Over the last 30+ years we have delivered more than one million hydrophones to customers building a wide range of seismic systems. We understand the challenges. Our knowledge and experience will help you push the boundaries and deliver next generation performance.
Our products are used in a large number of oil & gas applications including:
Fishery departments and fish conservation organizations world-wide depend on the accuracy of their detection equipment to provide reliable study findings. Fishing crews rely on the same accuracy to position their nets and monitor their catch. Modern fishing systems are critical for maximizing catch while minimizing adverse environmental impact.
The most sophisticated trawl and purse seine systems in the world are built with Sensor Technology Ltd. transducers and hydrophones. And our piezoelectric ceramics have helped revolutionize the process of fish tagging, propelling conservation efforts forward.
Some common applications of our components within the fisheries industry include:
Our piezoelectric ceramics and custom acoustic transducers are used to create highly reliable systems. They are employed in oceans around the globe for a wide variety of marine applications. Our components range from the simple (e.g. a single ceramic pulse/echo transducer), to the complex (e.g. a hard shaded 8-channel hydrophone), to the remarkable (e.g. a 160 channel transducer packing more than 24 channels per square inch).
Our custom acoustic transducers, hydrophones and piezoelectric ceramics are commonly used in the following underwater applications:
R&D is a cornerstone of Sensor Technology Ltd. Esoteric research in places such as the Mir space station, the Antarctic or the deepest sea floor (we've been to all three) gives us unique insights. Industry-focused development projects help us get more performance out of our products. The knowledge gleaned from R&D combined with decades of practical experience provide a foundation for everything we do, from designing a custom transducer to improving our production methods. R&D keeps us advancing.


text: That Giant Withering Sound… By admin on August 7, 2007 in Blog, Uncategorized isn't the stockmarket, it's the Baby Einstein bubble deflating: Parents hoping to raise baby Einsteins by using infant educational videos are actually creating baby Homer Simpsons, according to a new study released today. From the LA Times. Share this:ShareEmailPrintTwitterFacebookReddit


text:
This Just In: Shooting a Dog at a Dog Park is Apparently Not a Crime in Harris County
Facebook screenshot
A Harris County grand jury has declined to indict a man who shot and killed a dog at a Clear Lake-area dog park in January, KPRC is reporting.
Joseph Potts, 27, was charged with felony animal cruelty in March. Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson told KPRC that, "Although this is a setback in this particular case, we are going to aggressively prosecute cruelty to animal charges, and this does not make it open season on dogs in dog parks."
But based on what witnesses told investigators (and The Houston Press) it actually seems like "open season" is precisely the message the grand jury sent in its decision not to indict.
The 6'7", 230 pound Potts, who was at the park with his wife and two dogs, told the responding Harris County Sheriff's Officer January 25 that the dog was acting aggressively, and he shot it three times out of fear for his and his wife's safety, as well as his dogs'.
According to the Sheriff's Office report:
"Mr. Potts stated he had entered into the dog park with his wife and two dogs. Mr. Potts advised while inside the dog park his wife had one of their dogs on the leash and he was throwing a ball with his other dog. Mr. Potts said that a Pit Bull type dog approached his dog and began to get aggressive. Mr. Potts said he was not able to get the dog to leave them alone and stated that the dog became more and more aggressive as time passed until the dogs were growling and beginning to fight. Mr. Potts said he attempted to get the dog off of his dog by kicking at it. Mr. Potts said he kicked the dog away but again it kept coming at him and his dog. Mr. Potts stated he began to fear for the safety of his dogs, his wife and himself. Mr. Potts then drew his handgun, striking him three times. Mr. Potts said he never saw anyone attempting to get the dog away from him and said at that point he was in fear of being injured by the dog. Mr. Potts said he was sorry, stated he didn't want to harm the dog but felt he had no choice."
Upcoming Events
Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
TicketsSun., Oct. 8, 7:30pm
Houston Texans vs. Cleveland Browns
TicketsSun., Oct. 15, 12:00pm
Monster Jam
TicketsSat., Oct. 21, 7:00pm
Rice Owls Football vs. LA Tech
TicketsSat., Oct. 28, 2:30pm
Veterinary records showed that the dog, a Staffordshire terrier named Diesel, "was in shock, had a collapsed lung, chest trauma, radial ulnar fracture, and the dog could not stand up or use his rear limbs at all. Due to the serious bodily injury suffered by the dog, poor prognosis, and pain, the dog was euthanized," according to a Harris County Sheriff's Officer's affidavit.
The investigator's affidavit also includes statements from witnesses who say that they did not witness Diesel acting aggressively. Potts' wife, Jennifer, told the investigator that "Diesel was snarling and sniping at their dogs, but never made contact with their dogs and did not bite her. Mrs. Potts said she was afraid of being bitten," the affidavit states.
Another witness told the Press that Jennifer Potts was approximately 15-20 yards away from her husband and Diesel at the time and was never in danger.
That witness also alleged that what he told the responding deputy was not what wound up in the deputy's report: The deputy had reported that this witness was "20 to 30 yards away" from Potts and the dogs, but the witness told us that he told the deputy he was 8 feet away.
"I had a perfect view," that witness told us. "I stood there at a perfect zero-degree angle, straight ahead. Everything was right in front of me."
As we reported in January, the witness told us that Diesel and Potts' German shepherd were play-wrestling, "and [Potts] kicks the dog and tells it to fuck off. And at that moment, the dog whimpered...and then [Potts'] dog comes and reinitiates to play....And at that moment, [Potts] pulls out his gun, takes aim. One bullet. Pow. And then the dog cries. Re-aims the gun." Potts fired two more rounds.
The witness alleged that Potts didn't hesitate, and added, "He had no remorse. He held his gun in the air as my wife asked [what did you do]? And he said, 'What do you think I just did? These are real fucking bullets.'"
Another witness told us in January that she was only a few feet away from the shooting, but that when she tried to tell an officer what she saw, the officer only told her that Potts had a right to carry a gun.
She told us: "I tried to explain, like — kids are coming to the park. Nobody's life was in danger. He put everyone's life in danger...and the cop, he was like, 'I'm not going to talk to you.'"
The woman said she was still shaken up by the shooting, and said that she felt Potts endangered everyone in the park by firing his weapon.
"He had no right to put us in this situation," she said.
The woman said that after the shots were fired, "The owner said, 'Is it a real bullet?' And [Potts] said, 'What do you think? Of course I'm going to put [a] real fucking bullet in my gun."
On a Facebook page in Diesel's memory, the dogs' owners recently posted, "It is with a heavy heart to inform all that we received a no bill from grand jury... Thank you for all the love and outstanding support."
Get the ICYMI: Today's Top Stories Newsletter Our daily newsletter delivers quick clicks to keep you in the know
Catch up on the day's news and stay informed with our daily digest of the most popular news, music, food and arts stories in Houston, delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday.
Recommended for You
Powered by SailThru
Upcoming Events
Rice Owls Football vs. FIU
TicketsSat., Sep. 23, 6:30pm
Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans
TicketsSun., Oct. 1, 12:00pm
Battle of the Piney Woods: SFA vs. SHSU
TicketsSat., Oct. 7, 1:00pm
Rice Owls Football vs. Army West Point
TicketsSat., Oct. 7, 5:30pm
Sponsor Content


text: (studxstud) It's not easy being beautiful. The envy, the jealousy, the vicious rumors spread by your close friend. That's life for young Simonéa. While everyone thinks that Simonéa is some wild dick dyke, the reality is that she is just shy and lonely. Can Simonéa confess her love to her classmate, Jaelyn, or will her best friend Alani steal her away? It's a bittersweet drama of growing up and fitting in that will satisfy readers everywhere, I believe.


text:
The perfect gift for any gamer girl, this necklace features charms made in the shape of Pacman and ghost in silver! Super cute! Matching rings and earrings available in our store!
Size: The Pacman and ghost charms measures 1 cm tall and hangs on a 16 inch long chain.
Material: Silver Plated Brass
Handling time:
Please allow two to three business days for us to process your order!
Shipping Cost: Shipping is FREE worldwide! No coupon code needed!
Optional: Upgrade your shipping to express shipping with tracking for an additional $3.99 at checkout!


text: Every now and then, I like to write about a Wall Street institution or practice that stinks, preferably on ice. This time I'm not doing that. The subject of this article hasn't quite risen to that level. To truly stink, there must be some pretense of adding value. No one can reasonably make that claim about corporate auditors.Oh, you think I exaggerate? Then consider for a moment a legal case that is a veritable Vesuvius of precedent in auditor-land, but has drawn little media attention as it has slogged its way through the court system of New York. Shareholders of AIG ( AIG) are suing the insurer's auditors at PricewaterhouseCoopers, claiming the auditors failed to detect fraud at AIG. New York's Court of Appeals took up this case the other day. PricewaterhouseCoopers traveled up to Albany to put forth a legal doctrine called in pari delicto, meaning "mutual fault." In other words, PricewaterhouseCoopers is free of liability because AIG did the deed. So tough luck for AIG shareholders, lawsuit-wise, the auditors claim. Yes, I know, it's funny. A good laugh is definitely therapeutic, though it's less amusing when you consider that a lower court, apparently on solid legal grounds, actually cited that daft Latin nonsense in tossing the shareholders' suit out of court. It has been used successfully by auditors to defend their nonfeasance in the past, most recently by Grant Thornton in staving off claims from Refco shareholders. Now, I'm not a lawyer so I wouldn't pretend to understand the kind of legal mindset at work here. I agree that, if not overturned, it means that auditors will be handed a "get out of jail free" card when they fail to detect fraud, as a shareholder lawyer put it. But let's put the legal mumbo-jumbo aside and address the underlying issue. It's reached the point, especially if "I don't gotta do nuthin" (as in pari delicto can be colloquially translated) is allowed to stand, that auditors simply have no reason to exist. Public companies might as well fire their high-priced auditors and buy fancy rubber stamps with "auditor" written on them. They'd save a lot of money, and the proceeds can be donated to Haitian relief. If it was just the AIG and Refco cases I wouldn't be so vehement about this. It's just that you can't toss a dart at a double-entry ledger book nowadays without hitting a company that is playing fast and loose with its accounting, with no interference from its auditors.


text:
Enjoy our Easter Holiday Tours to Egypt & Jordan, one of our Easter Tour Packages 2013, which will let you discover Cairo, Luxor and the area of Jordan. You will relax at the beach of Sharm el Sheikh during your tour and enjoy the Red Sea.
Get the chance to book our Egypt cheap package and enjoy your holiday by your own budget. You will discover a lot of ancient places, which you will never forget. Choose your Egypt Budget Tour and visit cities like Cairo, Luxor and Aswan where you will find a lot of culturally and historical sightseeing. Feel connected with the old civilizations and get the opportunity for many beautiful pictures.
Enjoy with Sunrays Tours the unforgettable Egypt & Jordan Tour Package and visit the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings and travel to Petra to discover the area of Jordan and spend relaxing time in Aqaba.
Enjoy wide range of Egypt Day tours and Excursions in Egypt during your Holiday in Egypt. We offer you wide range of Trips and Excursions to all regions in Egypt according to your Holiday stay. We offer Cairo Excursions, Luxor Excursions, Aswan Excursions, Sharm El Sheikh Excursions, Hurghada Excursions and much more...
Tours From Hurghada, Luxor from Hurghada, Cairo from Hurghada,Private guided tours from Hurghada to Giza pyramids, Cairo, Luxor & Abu Simbel.
Enjoy Egypt Shore Excursions with Sunray Tours from Europe cruises to explore the city sights of Giza and Cairo, Ancient Alexandria Egypt, day trips and shore excursions from Alexandria Port, Alexandria Port to Giza Pyramids, Step Pyramids of Sakkara, day tours to Cairo from Europe cruises ducking at the Egyptian ports of call with professional tour guides and deluxe vehicle from the Port of Alexandria , Egypt port trips includes everything from pick up to drop off at the same location.
Cheap Travel to Egypt with Sunray Tours Egypt, we offer wide range of shore excursions, Nile cruise, day trips, vacations tour packages and much more, check out now.
Spend a Fascinating Holiday in Egypt from a wide range of Egypt Tour Packages as we offer Classical Tours in Egypt, Egypt Honeymoon Tours, Egypt Christmas Holidays and more
Enjoy our Egypt Sightseeing Tours & Day Trips, Things to do in Egypt, Private Family Tours, Private Tour Guide, Sightseeing to the most famous Sites in Egypt.
Hurghada Excursions& DayTours
Hurghada all Inclusive Tours
Enjoy our Egypt Shore Excursions and Egypt Quick Trips From your Cruise stop at any Egyptian Port such as Alexandria Port, Safaga Port, Sokhna Port, Port Said Port
Dreaming of Adventure Holiday in Egypt? Try our wide range of Egypt Desert Safari Holidays and Egypt Desert Holiday Tours, check it now for more
Try one of our Egypt Nile Cruises, to discover the ancient wonders of Egypt. A Cruise on the River Nile is truly an unforgettable experience, Check our Nile Cruises now
Enjoy our Egypt and Beyond Tours and Middle East Travel Packages, Egypt and Beyond to Jordan, Morocco, Turkey and Israel, Check it out now for more


text:
|Page (1) of 1 - 12/01/11
|email article
|print page
Calif lawmakers give up taxpayer-financed vehiclesCalifornia Legislature ends nation's only program that gave lawmakers taxpayer-funded vehicles
Page: 1
Related Keywords:Lawmakers Vehicles, State legislature, Government and politics, Legislature, State governments
Source:Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.. All Rights Reserved


text:
Management Q&A
1. What is the place of CFBL in the AEFE network?
Collège Français Bilingue de Londres is a private independent school under English law. When the school was set up, its Board of trustees signed a contract with the Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Etranger (AEFE), a French public institution working under the aegis of the French Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, which oversees a network of more than 400 schools worldwide.
Being part of the AEFE network, CFBL follows the French Education nationale curriculum (this process is called "homologation").
There are three types of partnership contracts French schools abroad can establish with the AEFE:
− Schools directly managed by the AEFE (called "EGD schools"), such as the Lycée Charles de Gaulle in London, which report directly to the AEFE - unlike state schools in France which work under the Ministère de l'Education nationale. There are 74 EGD in the AEFE network.
− Conventionnés schools, such as CFBL currently, are separate private legal entities. The 'convention' status relates mostly to the appointment of a Headteacher by the AEFE (to which he or she reports – and who is remunerated by the AEFE; and to the 'secondment' of a number of French qualified teachers to the school. 156 schools worldwide have this type of contract with the AEFE.
− Accredited schools (or "partner schools") which are private autonomous schools which follow the French Education nationale curriculum. There are 264 such schools. The AEFE supports such schools with training, educational know-how and, in some cases, career advice for pupils.
2. Why will CFBL be changing its AEFE status on 1st September 2017?
On 12 April 2016, the Board of Trustees decided to evolve its relationship with the AEFE, and as from 1st September 2017, CFBL will be joining the 264 strong AEFE partner schools network.
This decision was motivated by the necessity to increase the autonomy of CFBL management, allowing greater flexibility to adapt to local conditions, and ensuring the School's sustainability. The objective of the Board remains the excellence in its education for all its pupils.
The evolution of AEFE status will not impact the education successfully delivered by the School: CFBL will continue to be accredited by the Education nationale (homologué).
As a member of the AEFE network of accredited schools, CFBL will continue to benefit from a number of AEFE services, notably in terms of training and educational know-how. It will continue to be inspected by the Education nationale and by Ofsted.
3. What is the significance of « homologation »?
The « homologation » is the process whereby the Ministère de l'Education nationale recognises, abroad, a school's compliance with the French curriculum. It is seen as a "quality label". The homologation enables French nationals who attend accredited schools, regardless of their AEFE status, to benefit from means tested bursaries awarded by the AEFE.
4. What is the legal structure and current governance of CFBL?
The School is owned by Collège Français Bilingue de Londres ltd. An English private company limited by guarantee, registered with the Charity Commission (number 1027932). Its Board, chaired by Mr Rémi Bourrette, comprises of an equal number of parents (proposed by the School Parents' association) ("Parent trustees") and individuals proposed by the Chambre de Commerce Française de Grande-Bretagne ("CCFGB trustees").
The Board of trustees is responsible for the overall governance of the School (including compliance with Department for Education regulations) and its financial management. Working with, and at the initiative of the Headteacher, the Board also takes part in defining the School's educational objectives and the School's project.
Under a 'convention' agreement with the AEFE, the Headteacher (and thus the AEFE) is in charge of the education services and of its administration.
The French teachers (and the Headteacher), who are supplied to the School, work under the authority of the French Embassy's Cultural Services, working jointly with the AEFE, which manages the AEFE personnel supplied to CFBL.
Other teachers and members of personnel are employed by the School on a local contract but report to the Headteacher ('convention').
5. Is CFBL truely bilingual ?
A school is defined as being bilingual when 30% of its education is delivered in a different language. In CFBL's primary section (GSM to CM2) lessons are taught 50% in French and 50% in English. This parity no longer exists in the secondary section (6 ème to 3eme). However, some subjects are taught in English. Depending on the options selected by pupils, they represent between 30 and 40% of the total volume of lessons.
6. How is CFBL funded?
What financial support is offered by the French state? The creation of CFBL would not have been possible without the initial support of the KT Educational Charitable Trust (KTECT), previously known as French Education Property Trust, which put in place the financial and legal structure of CFBL. KECT obtained bank loans of £21m in 2009 and fundraised £4m. FEPT also donated £503,957.93 of equipment to CFBL in 2011.
In its present structure, CFBL is now mostly financed by school fees. CFBL contributes 69% towards the salaries of AEFE teachers who are seconded to the school. At present, CFBL has 15 full time AEFE teachers.
CFBL can also benefit from AEFE subsidies for school equipment. When it was set up, CFBL received a subsidy of approx. £400,000 from the AEFE and a further £82,000 in 2013.
Schools directly managed by the AEFE and conventionnés schools are required to pay a stipend to the AEFE based on 6% of school fees. This 6% is included in school fees. For partner schools, this contribution is reduced to 2% of school fees.
7. How are school fees determined?
School fees are fixed by the Board, taking into account the projected budgets. Parent trustees participate in the Board's discussion on budgets and any increase in school fees in order to achieve a consensus at Board level. However, they cannot vote on fees to avoid any conflict of interest.
As a charity, CFBL is a non profit-making entity. The level of fees decided by the Board is not set to make a profit but to balance budgets and to ensure the health of the School's finances. Any surplus is set aside as part of reserves for the School's future needs.
8. What is the forecast on future fee increases?
The level of fees is closely linked to the costs of running the School. Fees are the school's principal source of income.
Operating costs, are primarily made up of salaries and rent, plus other operating costs such as equipment, electricity, maintenance, gas, etc. Although the School endeavours to control costs, it needs to reward its employees taking into account factors such as inflation, years of service and the need to maintain the level of staffing required for the good operation of the school.
Increases in rent are easy to anticipate because they are indexed to inflation over the next 25 year life of the School's lease. This annual indexation compares favourably to rent increases in the London property market. Nevertheless, additional costs can arise such as maintenance, building improvements or the need for new equipment.
For these reasons, it is impossible to forecast increases in school fees in the medium term with any accuracy. The alternative would be to estimate a very uncertain amount which, naturally, the school refuses to do.
We are fully aware of the financial difficulties some pupils' families experience and we are strongly committed to limiting increases in costs, insofar as that does not prejudice pupils or staff safety, the wellbeing of pupils and the quality of education. The financial sustainability and control of the evolution of school fees remain constant priorities for the Board and the School management.
9. What help is available to families in financial difficulty?
CFBL being accredited by the Education nationale, its pupils - if they have at least one French parent - can apply for a means tested bursary with the French Consulate in London. A link is provided on CFBL's website. You can consult it here: http://www.cfbl.org.uk/en/admissions/financial-aid
CFBL can also agree, on application and when possible, to the payment of school fees by instalments although it is not authorised to accept instalments over more than 10 monthly periods.
10. Who is the School's contact regarding school fees?
If you need further information or if you experience difficulties in the payment of school fees, you can contact Mr Tony O'Grady, CFBL's Finance and Administrative Manager, who works closely with the Board.
The Board only can decide the general policy on school fees.
11. How does CFBL foresee its future?
CFBL intends to pursue its educational offer, improving its individual support of pupils and continuing to innovate. Bilingualism, the teaching of foreign languages and its extracurricular offer will continue to be its trademark. Pupils who so wish can take the international option of the Brevet at the end of 3ème for which the school has received Education nationale accreditation.
CFBL will remain a medium size school because its maximum capacity cannot exceed 700 pupils.
12. What is FECT? What is its relationship with the French Embassy?
A not-for-profit entity (French Education Charitable Trust), holding no assets, is in charge of identifying new projects working with the think-tank "Plan Ecole".
Its trustees are Arnaud Vaissié, Jean-Pierre Mustier and Richard Fairbairn as well as three Embassy members: the Ministre Conseillé , the Conseiller Culturel and the Conseiller Culturel Adjoint.
Being a not-for-profit entity, the rent charged by KTECT covers only the loan raised for the project, at no profit for KTECT.
The cost of the acquisition and renovation of the Holmes Road building was financed by bank loans, donations from commercial entities and a donation from the French Embassy Trust.
13. What is the « Charte des établissements français de Londres »?
The "Charter" agreed between French schools in London is a code of good conduct under which schools accredited with the Education nationale ("homologuées") regulate the transfer of pupils between each other. It enables pupils to continue their French education in London until the end of their schooling (terminale). CFBL, and the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, are obligated to give priority to pupils who apply to transfer from such schools (subject to their admission policy and availability of places) over other pupils arriving from France or other countries.
However, under the Charter, pupils must pursue their studies in the school they initially attend until the end of the programme of studies offered by that school: this means that while parents are free to choose the first school which their child will attend, they cannot transfer their child to another homologuée school until the child has completed the programme of studies offered by the first school unless they obtain the consent of the head teachers of both schools and the consent of the Conseiller Culturel Adjoint.
14. How does the priorities of admission work?
CFBL's Admission Policy is published on the School's website. FEPT has provided to CFBL on non-profit terms the land and buildings occupied by the School. Under the terms of its lease with FEPT, CFBL is required to give priority of admission to a pool of pupils (not exceeding 30% of the total school roll) who are children of company or organisation employees named by FEPT satisfying the school's admissions criteria. The nominated children are likely to be children of employees of companies who have assisted FEPT financially in the funding of this project.
A list of companies or organisations designated by KETCT each year is available for inspection at the registered office of CFBL by appointment only (contacting firstname.lastname@example.com)
An Admissions Committee, chaired by the Headteacher, manages pupils' admission.
15. What is the Plan Ecole?
The Plan Ecole is a vast exchange forum coordinated by the French Embassy in London. It aims to assist all members of the French education community in planning for changes in the French school network in London. Public meetings make proposals which are then decided upon by the "Comité de Pilotage" chaired by the Ambassador. The creation of CFBL emanates from this forum.


text:
Want Cable? Get Xfinity TV in Northville, MI
Northville residents have more ways to watch TV and save money thanks to Xfinity packages from Comcast providing a variety of everyone's favorite channels. Xfinity TV delivers high-definition digital cable and options such as On Demand and DVR technology to fit your schedule.
If you're like most Americans, you watch approximately 35 hours of TV each week. Fortunately, Xfinity TV in Northville, MI makes each hour the best possible. Sports fans get more with the local Northville channels in the Xfinity lineup. Xfinity TV specials bring you all your favorite channels so you always have the television shows and movies you love.


text:
Home / TV Shows with 'Golden Brooks'
Show details
Lethal Weapon FOX
Hollywood Divas TV One
Girlfriends The CW
You have to be logged in to use this functionality. LoginRegister
Looks like something went completely wrong! But don't worry - it can happen to the best of us, - and it just happened to you. Please try again later or contact us.


text:
FriendsFest by Comedy Central UK
Fans of US sitcom Friends descened on east London's Old Truman Brewery in September to peruse an installation inspired by the show.
Ticketholders could take a walk through Monica's apartment, as well as snap photographs of themselves in front of the fountain from the opening credits, the Central Perk coffee shop and its iconic orange couch, and Joey and Chandler's living room. There were even opportunities for attendees to have their hair styled in the 'Rachel' do.
A similar experience by Australian streaming service Stan visited Sydney's Hyde Park in October.
Twin Peaks' birthday celebrations
Events company Lemonade and Laughing Gas devised The Owls Are Not What They Seem, an immersive experience centered around Twin Peaks in August. The event showcased characters and sets, and guests were treated to a three-course meal by Blanch & Shock Food Design, inspired by the program.
The experience sought to celebrate 25 years since the first episode was broadcast, as well as generate excitement around the program's return in 2017.
The Big Brother experience
Chillisauce introduced the ongoing Big Brother Live experience in October, offering members of the public the chance to hire the space for parties, private meetings and team-building days comprising up to 200 people.
Four packages are available for interested individuals depending on the size and type of their event. Activities include 21 Seconds To Go, where participants have just 21 seconds to find a podium and perform a dance, and an assault course known as Fast and Furious.
The Great British Bake Off Live
The Great British Bake Off teamed up with Media 10 event The Cake & Bake Show to deliver a live version of the program in London and Edinburgh in October, and Manchester in November.
Fans of the show had the chance to meet contestants from former series' as well as those from the 2015 installment. Individuals including John Whaite, Jo Wheatley and Brendan Lynch offered baking tips and recipes, and viewers were invited to bring their masterpieces in for the stars to try.
(Image: @SeinfeldTV)
Hulu's Seinfeld: The Apartment
To celebrate its acquisition of the Seinfeld back catalogue, online video service Hulu re-created Jerry Seinfeld's apartment in New York.
Open from 24-28 June, the interactive fan experience was complete with a memorabilia gallery, props and scripts. Visitors could also take part in famous scenes from the 1990s program.
One to watch: Theme Traders' Breaking Mad experience
While it is yet to take place, if Theme Traders' Breaking Bad event for industry professionals in January is anything to go by, Breaking Mad is set to deliver an experience to remember.
The event production company's SecretParty TT division has teamed up with Shout About London to devise the immersive event, which is to take place over eight days, from 1-3 and 7-11 December.
Taking place at The Old Truman Brewery in east London, each two-and-a-half hour experience will see guests experience key elements of the program's world, and bartenders will be creating cocktails that reflect the theme.
Comment below to let us know what you think.
For more in-depth and print-only features, showcases and interviews with world-leading brands, don't miss the next issue of Event magazine by subscribing here.


text:
The Black Market is a feature in League of War. Alliance Members can invest Cash into acquiring a number of in-game perks.
Currently, there are seven perks available to the player:
- H.E. Ammo: Increases damage for Infantry units by 10%.
- H.E.I.A.P: Increases health for Infantry units by 10%.
- Ablative Plating: Increases armor for Tank units by 10%.
- Bulletproof Windshields: Increases Base Armor for Air units by 10%.
- Liquid Nitrogen: Increases supply output by 10%.
- T.O.W. Missiles: Increases attack for Air units by 10%.
- Optic Relay Couplings: Decreases recharge for all units by 10%.


text:
A Clinical Guide to Pediatric Weight Management and Obesity, 1st Edition
Mental Health Issues
There is a complex relationship between obesity and psychological morbidity.
Psychological conditions can (a) predict later obesity, (b) be consequences of obesity (c) be associated with obesity, and (d) affect obesity treatment. This is not surprising, considering the intricacies of energy regulation, which depends on the ability to regulate eating behavior, hunger, affective states, and interactions with the nutritional environment as well as maintain a balance between physical activity and inactivity, all factors that are vulnerable when mental and social health is impaired (Fig. 13.1).
In childhood, factors such as poverty, social stress, and parental neglect have been found to predict adult body mass index (BMI) (1). These social factors also correlate
with child psychopathology. In a longitudinal study, childhood depression was correlated with an increased adult BMI even though there was no difference in childhood BMI between those children who were depressed and nondepressed controls (2). Lissau and Sorensen (2) suggest that parental neglect may cause a psychological state that affects energy balance by either altering behavior that causes overeating and physical inactivity or altering hormonal balance that influences fat storage. It is known that the physiologic reaction to stress is to increase cortisol production, which alters glucose homeostasis, and this may affect eating behavior at the level of the central nervous system in an attempt to reverse stress-induced effects (3).
FIG. 13.1. The complex relationship between obesity and psychosocial morbidity.
Depression has clearly been shown to precede the development of obesity.
In a longitudinal study of adolescents in New Zealand, depression in girls in late adolescence conferred a twofold risk of obesity at age 26 years. The risk of adult obesity was also related to the number of episodes of depression these girls experienced. These relationships were not found in boys or in girls in early adolescence (4). In another study of 7th- to 12th-grade adolescents, depressed mood predicted follow-up obesity 1 year later. In contrast, baseline obesity did not predict follow-up depression (5).
Dysregulated eating behavior may also be a risk factor for obesity. In a study of adolescent girls surveyed yearly over 4 years, self-reported dietary restraint, radical weight control behaviors, depressive symptoms, and perceived parental obesity predicated obesity onset. Of interest in this study is that the consumption of high-fat food, binge eating, and exercise frequency were not predictive of later obesity (6). Dysregulated eating may also be a symptom of family stress and/or parental physical or psychological illness.
A negative or low self-concept may predispose children and adolescents to obesity.
In a Canadian population study of adolescents, girls and young adolescents who had a weak self-concept had an increased incidence of depression when studied longitudinally. Low self-concept also predicted physical inactivity among boys and obesity among both boys and girls. Self-esteem was lower among girls than boys (7).
Obese children and adolescents can develop psychosocial morbidity, which includes the following:
- Depression
- Low self-esteem
- Poor school and social functioning
- Social isolation
In a study of 7th- to 12th-grade adolescents, younger but not older, overweight and obese adolescents ages 12 to 14 had an increased rate of depression, low self-esteem, and poor school and social functioning. Overweight and obese adolescents of all ages had worse self-reported health and functional limitations (8). Overweight adolescents were more likely to be socially isolated than normal weight peers and to have fewer friends. Behaviors not uncommonly seen in obese adolescents, such as increased television viewing and lower sports and club participation, were found to contribute to social isolation in both overweight and normal weight teens (9). One third of obese children and adolescents who sought treatment at an obesity clinic self-reported difficulties with social function and low self-esteem as well as with internalizing symptoms (10).
Overweight and obesity carry social consequences, which are often linked to psychological morbidity.
Women who had been overweight at ages 16 to 24 in follow-up 7 years later had completed fewer years of school, were less likely to be married, had lower household incomes, and had higher rates of household poverty than the women who had not been overweight, independent of their baseline socioeconomic status and aptitude test scores. Men who had been overweight were less likely to be married (11).
Obesity is also a risk factor for bullying from peers. Associations have been found between BMI and peer victimization, such as withdrawing friendship, spreading rumors or lies, name-calling, teasing, and peer aggression—hitting, kicking or pushing in girls, and verbal bullying in boys. In contrast, obese boys and girls in the older age groups (15 to 16 years) were more likely to perpetrate bullying than normal weight peers (12).
Overall quality of life is often compromised in children and adolescents who are obese.
The likelihood of having impaired health-related quality of life is 5.5 times greater in obese children and adolescents than in normal weight peers.
Obese children reported lower health-related quality of life scores in all domains—physical, psychosocial, emotional, social, and school functioning—than normal weight children and adolescents. Parents of obese children scored them even lower in these domains (13).
Children diagnosed with depression, bipolar disease, and anxiety disorders may be at increased risk for developing obesity. (14). A review of the literature to determine
the association of mood disorders and obesity found that children and adolescents with major depression are at risk for developing overweight. Patients with bipolar disease may have higher than average rates of overweight, obesity, and abdominal obesity (14).
In consequence, an increased incidence of psychological comorbidity may be found in children and families who seek treatment for obesity.
In a study from Turkey of children and adolescents in obesity clinic, about 40% of patients were found to have an anxiety disorder. There was no correlation between the degree of obesity in the child or parents and the frequency of psychiatric disorders. When compared with children with type 1 diabetes, obese children had higher internalized and externalized score and poorer social skills (15).
Patterns of obesity are also associated with specific mental health problems and point to the importance of a longitudinal understanding of the weight gain trajectory. In a longitudinal study of children and adolescents in Appalachia, four weight gain trajectories were identified: normal weight following the standard growth curves, obesity developing in childhood that resolved in adolescence, obesity developing in adolescence, and obesity that developed in childhood and continued through adolescence (chronic obesity). These obesity trajectories were associated with the risk of psychological morbidity. Children who were chronically obese, comprising 15% of the study population, had a greater incidence of oppositional defiant disorder in both girls and boys and a significantly greater rate of depression in boys compared with normal weight boys. Interestingly, there was no difference among the children with various obesity trajectories in gender, family structure, parenting style, family history of mental illness, drug abuse, crime, or traumatic events. Both chronic obesity and childhood obesity were associated with having less educated parents and low family income (16).
Obese children and adolescents are a heterogeneous population with respect to psychological morbidity.
In a study of an obesity clinic population, children who were depressed had a lower self-esteem than children who were not depressed. As depression increased, self-esteem decreased. Depressed children had increased anxiety and had more perceived behavior problems, such as increased frequency of punishment and difficulty in obeying orders, than nondepressed obese patients. Children in the depressed group also had fewer interests in school and thought their physical appearance was not acceptable. Depression in this group of obese patients did not correlate with age, race, sex, Tanner stage, socioeconomic status, or BMI (17).
Specific eating behaviors may be associated with psychological morbidity. Binge eating is not uncommon in patients with obesity. Adolescents in an obesity treatment program with binge eating had higher levels of depression and anxiety than did adolescents with no binge eating symptoms, as well as lower levels of self-esteem and body-esteem (18). In a group of overweight children (6–10 years) who were not in treatment, one third experienced episodes of loss of control over eating. These children weighed more and had greater body fat than children who did not experience loss of control. They were more likely to be depressed and anxious and had increased body dissatisfaction than children without loss of control. Among these children 5.3% met the criteria for binge eating disorder. These episodes were sporadic and contextual and involved usual foods (19).
Attention deficit disorder (ADD) has been identified as an obesity-related comorbidity. In obese adults in a weight treatment program, the prevalence of ADD was 27.4% and increased to 42.6% in patients with a BMI greater than 40 (20).
In a hospital-based obesity treatment program, more than one half (57.7%) of the obese patients suffered from comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the authors speculate that "the characteristic difficulty in regulation found in ADHD may be a risk factor for the development of abnormal eating behaviors leading to obesity" and the authors suggested that "obese children should be screened routinely for ADHD" (21).
Impact on Therapy
Coexisting psychological conditions, such as stress and depression, can affect food choices and may interfere with behavior change toward a healthier diet. Sweet, energy-dense, high-fat foods can improve mood and mitigate some of the effects of stress and in vulnerable individuals can be self-reinforcing choices (22).
Intervention and therapy for obesity focuses on family-based lifestyle intervention, and children and parents who suffer from depression, anxiety, bipolar illness, and ADD have additional obstacles to overcome in implementing treatment. In a study of children and adolescents in an obesity treatment program, 55% of patients withdrew from treatment. They were more likely to be Medicaid recipients, black, older, and self-report greater depressive symptomatology and lower self-concept (23). In adults, mean weight loss in obese patients with ADD was about one half of those who did not have ADD. Obese adult patients with ADD had more clinic visits and longer treatment duration (20).
Family function can affect treatment, and attention should be paid not only to the child's and adolescent's psychosocial difficulties but also to those of the family. In a study of obese children and adolescents, 41% of children's mothers and 56% of
adolescents' mothers reported clinically significant psychological distress. The child's and adolescent's reports of psychological difficulties were strongly associated with the mother's level of psychological distress and/or family socioeconomic status (24).
Family Factors Can also be Somewhat Protective
Family connectedness, parental expectations, and moderate levels of parental monitoring seemed to reduce unhealthy behavior and psychosocial distress (25). Psychosocial factors in obese children and families are common and can be predictive, associated, and/or consequences of obesity. It is important to identify both psychosocial risks and resilience in children, adolescents, and their families so that treatment can be instituted and implementation of lifestyle change can be successful.
Initial Presentation
GR is a 15-year-old African American boy who comes for a "check-up" because his parents are worried about his decreased energy. Two months ago, his parents had taken him to a psychiatrist, and he was diagnosed with depression and was prescribed fluoxetine (Prozac). His mother is overweight and has recently been diagnosed with diabetes; she has begun insulin therapy, and she says this has really upset GR. His weight at this examination is 106.2 kg (>95th percentile) and his height is 174.8 cm (75th percentile), with a BMI of 35.6 (>95th percentile). Blood pressure is 125/70 mm Hg (<90th percentile). His mother and father are both obese, as are his two older brothers, whose BMIs range from 28 to 35. His family history is positive for diabetes in a paternal grandmother as well as in his mother. Hypertension is a problem for all the great aunts and uncles on his father's side of the family, and his maternal grandfather has cardiovascular disease. One of his brothers has been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder; his maternal grandmother has obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression.
You review his diet history and discover that he is skipping breakfast (no time to eat), buying a school lunch, and eating one to two portions of dinner. He is drinking "a lot" of soda and juice between meals and is snacking at night. He is busy with extracurricular activities, which include the school newspaper and yearbook but is not playing any sports and is watching the television or using the computer "all the time" when he is at home. His parents are concerned about his behavior and report that GR frequently argues with them, daydreams, and demands a lot of attention. He seems to be jealous of his brothers, has low self-esteem, and can be very stubborn. His school performance is declining, and he has recently been put on academic probation. When you ask about homework, GR says he is "not doing any."
He has been getting headaches, and his parents have taken him to a neurologist. His headaches are stress headaches, but his parents are wondering if he has visual integration problems. He has asthma and uses an inhaler as needed. Physical examination
reveals that he is a Tanner 5 and has abdominal striae. You acknowledge the parents' concerns about GR's behavior and fatigue and raise the issue of his weight. You decide to order laboratory tests, and you work out a time to see the family in 2 weeks to discuss the results and begin working on a plan for GR.
Two Weeks Later
Two weeks later GR and his mother return, and you review his laboratory studies, which show an elevated fasting total cholesterol of 195 mg/dL. His fasting glucose was normal at 86 mg/dL and his insulin was normal at 14 µU/mL. His thyroid studies and liver enzymes were also within normal limits. You discuss the fact that medically GR is at risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes based on the family history and that his weight has a direct impact on his risk. This worries GR, especially because his mother already has diabetes. His risk for cardiovascular disease is very much on his mother's mind because his maternal grandfather was just diagnosed with heart failure.
You review the multiple factors that may be influencing GR's weight gain, which include a positive family history of obesity. His parents clearly feel that his inactivity is a major factor in his weight gain, and they are concerned about his lack of energy. They do not really see diet as a problem; GR notes that the fluoxetine has helped him feel less hungry and decrease his night-time eating. You note that depression can be associated with weight gain but also discuss that his decline in school performance, trouble finishing homework, and difficulty with concentration may mean that he also has ADD, especially in light of the positive family history. You suggest that ongoing counseling would be helpful. GR's mother agrees to discuss this with his psychiatrist.
You point out that lack of timed meals and snacks and dysregulated eating work against weight loss. Time management becomes an issue as it relates to the balance between homework, inactivity, and activity and the need for a schedule. As you, GR, and his mother begin to discuss structure and planning meal times, menus, and physical activity, his mother says she thinks she has trouble providing structure because she may have ADD herself; you encourage her to explore this diagnosis.
You work with GR and his mother to set the first goal as weight stabilization using family-based change to institute small changes in nutrition, activity, and inactivity and to remove obstacles to behavior change. The family will set standard meal times and GR will try to have three meals and one after school snack daily. GR agrees, as long as he can still order a school lunch. They will also eliminate calorie-containing juice and soda from the home (an additional benefit for the mother, who has diabetes). He will try to work with a study schedule to finish homework and create opportunities for activity and agrees to begin walking 15 minutes daily. Neither he nor his mother could see any way to limit television or computer time.
You are also continuing to address his other medical follow-up by having him keep diet records to track fat intake to monitor his elevated cholesterol. You arrange a follow-up appointment in 1 month.
One Month Later
One month later the family has canceled the appointment because of the death of the maternal grandfather. On the phone, mom reports that GR initially followed his diet changes and walking program, but this was disrupted by the loss of his grandfather and his family's distress. She notes that GR did see his psychiatrist for evaluation of possible ADD; the diagnosis was made, and he was started on Adderall XR and was still taking his fluoxetine.
Two Months Later
GR returns 1 month later. His weight is 100.4 kg, a decrease of 5.8 kg, and his BMI is 33.4, a decrease of 2.2. His waist measurement is down by 2 in. He reports that he has cut back "drastically" on regular soda consumption; he is trying to make better choices when he eats at restaurants and is trying to find a safe place to walk (his mother is concerned about the neighborhood). He reports that his mood is stable and he is still in counseling. You congratulate GR on his progress and ask if he can continue the changes he has made. You also give him some information on increasing the fiber in his diet and encourage him to try to limit his television/computer time by 1 hour per day. You also spend some time discussing his grief at his grandfather's death.
Follow-up Visits
GR misses his next appointment because of the school's concerns about his missed days, but his mother calls and reports that his medications have been changed to methylphenidate (Concerta), dexmethylphenidate (Focalin), and bupropion (Wellbutrin). She reports that school continues to be stressful, but his mood has improved and his interest in school and activities has increased.
Sixteen weeks after his initial visit, GR returns to the office. He has lost a total of 17.8 lb, and his BMI is 32.3, a decrease of 3.3. His cholesterol is now 184 mg/dL. He plans to increase his walking and continue the changes he has made in his eating schedule and food choices.
You have him check in with a nutritionist to continue support for his nutritional decision making and arrange to see him in 2 months.
- Lissau I, Sorensen TIA. Parental neglect during childhood and increased risk of obesity in young adulthood. Lancet.1994;343:324–327.
- Pine DS, Goldstein RB, Wolk S, Wessman MM. The association between childhood depression and adulthood body mass index.Pediatrics.2001;107:1049–1056.
- Dallman MF, Pecoraro N, Akana SF, La Fleur SE, Gomez F, Houshyar H, Bell ME, Bhatnagar S, Laugero L, Manalo S. Chronic stress and obesity; a new view of "comfort food". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.2003;100(20):11696–11701.
- Richardson LP, Davis R, Poulton R, McCauley E, Moffitt TE, Caspi A, Connell F. A longitudinal evaluation of adolescent depression and adult obesity. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.2003;157:739–745.
- Goodman E, Whitaker RC. A prospective study of the role of depression in the development and persistence of adolescent obesity.Pediatrics.2002;110:497–504.
- Stice E, Presnell K, Shaw H, Rohde P. Psychological and behavioral risk factors for obesity onset in adolescent girls: a prospective study. J Consult Clin Psychol.2005;73:195–202.
- Park J. Adolescent self-concept and health into adulthood. Health Rep.2003;14(Suppl):41–52.
- Swallen KC, Reither EN, Haas SA, Meier AM. Overweight, obesity and health–related quality of life among adolescents: the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Pediatrics.2005;115: 340–347.
- Strauss RS, Pollack HA. Social marginalization of overweight children. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.2003;157:746–752.
- Zeller MN, Saelens BE, Roehrig H, Kirk S, Daniels SR. Psychological adjustment of obese youth presenting for weight management treatment. Obes Res.2004;12:1576–1586.
- Gortmaker SL, Must A, Perrin JM, Sobol AM, Dietz WH. Social and economic consequences of overweight in adolescence and young adulthood. N Engl J Med.1993;329:1008–1012.
- Janssen I, Craig WM, Boyce WF, Pickett W. Associations between overweight and obesity with bullying behaviors in school aged children. Pediatrics.2004;113:1187–1194.
- Schwimmer JB, Burwinkle T, Varni JW. Health-related quality of life of severely obese children and adolescents. JAMA.2003;289(14):1813–1819.
- McElroy SL, Kotwal R, Malhotra S, Nelson EB, Keck PE, Nemeroff CB. Are mood disorder and obesity related? A review for the mental health professional. J Clin Psychiatry.2004;45:634–651.
- Erermis S, Cetin N, Tamar M, Bukusoglu N, Akdeniz F, Goksen D. Is obesity a risk factor for psychopathology among adolescents.Pediatr Int.2004;46:296–301.
- Mustillo S, Worthman C, Erkanli A, Keeler G, Angold A, Costello EJ. Obesity and psychiatric disorder; developmental trajectories.Pediatrics.2003;111:851–859.
- Sheslow D, Hassink S, Wallace W, DeLancey E. The relationship between self-esteem and depression in obese children. Ann N Y Acad Sci.1993;699:289–291.
- Isnard P, Michel G, Frelut ML, Vila G, Falissard B, Naja W, Navarro J, Mouren-Simeoni MC. Binge eating and psychopathology in severely obese adolescents. Int J Eating Disord.2003;34:235–243.
- Morgan CM, Yanovski SZ, Nguyen TT, McDuffie J, Sebring NG, Jorge MR, Keil M, Yanovski JA. Loss of control over eating, adiposity, and psychopathology in overweight children. Int J Eating Disord.2002;31:430–431.
- Altfas JR. Prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder among adults in obesity treatment. BMC Psychiatry.2002;13,2:9.
- Agranat-Meged AN, Deitcher C, Goldzweig G, Leibenson L, Stein M, Galili-Weisstub E. Childhood obesity and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders: a newly described comorbidity in obese hospitalized children. Int J Eating Disord.2005;37:357–359.
- Leigh Gibson E. Emotional influences on food choice; Sensory, physiological and psychological pathways. Physiol Behav.2006;89(1):53–61.
- Zeller M, Kirk S, Clator R, Khoury P, Grieme J, Santangelo M, Daniels S. Predictors of attrition from a pediatric weight management program. J Pediatr.2004;144:466–470.
- Zeller MN, Saelens BE, Roehrig H, Kirk S, Daniels SR. Psychological adjustment of obese youth presenting for weight management treatment. Obes Res.2004;12:1576–1586.
- Mellin AE, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, Ireland M, Resnick MD. Unhealthy behaviors and psychosocial difficulties among overweight adolescents: the potential impact of familial factors. J Adolesc Health.2002;31:145–153.


text:
If you would like to make a donation in honor of John Bender, please visit the website of our non-profit organization, Ripple Community Inc.
lecommunityinc. org/donate
We are a Christ-Centered, Community-Focused Church that seeks to have a ripple effect in our community by sharing Christ's love through acts of kindness and cultivating healthy relationships.
RIPPLE gatherings focus on moving toward Jesus as our center, and the Bible helps us discover practical and surprising ways to do this. We are a Jesus centered, community invested, diverse, and caring group of people of all ages, and we look forward to meeting you.


text:
Each month, Rated People connects over 50,000 homeowners with quality tradesmen - simply enter your job details in the form above to get started.
We'll match your job to the relevant tradesmen in your area - those interested will pay to see your contact details and call you to quote.
As each tradesman expresses interest in quoting on your job, we'll send you their profile and ratings to help you choose the right one for you.
After the work is complete, return to the site and rate your tradesman based on their quality of work, reliability and value for money.
Tree Surgeon
Added 19/02/2017
2 holly trees and a rowan tree reduced in height
Tree Surgeon
Added 01/04/2015
I have several trees in my garden all ranging from about 6-8 meters at a guess. A couple are...
Managing your job is easier with the Rated People Homes App, download it today.


text:
The cutting season: Female Genital Mutilation and the UK
Over the school holidays hundreds of British girls are taken abroad to undergo a procedure that is internationally recognised as a violation of their human rights. Alice Onwordi reports
I met Aisha at an oh-so-trendy café in London's Warren Street. She's confident and she's studying for a PhD at Bristol University. Unlike me she blended in with the cool customers in this bohemian meeting spot. The story she told scared me. It was about an abuse that happened when she was a child. If my parents had had the money to take me to Nigeria when I was small, it probably would have happened to me.
Now 28, Aisha was born in Somalia and came to Britain when she was four. The family settled in Cardiff. When she was seven, her mother went back to Somalia as she was expecting a baby and wanted her extended family to support her during the birth. She took Aisha with her. While in Somalia, Aisha's grandmother thought that it was time for her to be "closed". This is a term for female genital mutilation (FGM), the practice of removing the clitoris and many of the outer parts of the vagina. Aisha was told she was going to become a woman.
"It was something I was looking forward to," she told me. "I bought the dress and the jewels. I even chose the biscuits. Then, a woman I had never seen turned up at the door wearing a black burqa which covered her completely. I thought she was scary. I stood behind my mother. My mum told me I had to wash so that I could purify myself. I ran out of the door. I must have run for miles. I spotted a male relative and I was about to tell him I was going to be cut. I felt someone grabbing me. It was my mother. She said, 'I can't believe you are telling a man this.'"
The squeamish might want to skip what happened next. What Aisha endured was type III genital mutilation, the least common but most painful and invasive type. According to Comfort Momoh, a midwife at the African Well Woman clinic in Waltham Forest, east London, this type of FGM is mainly practised in the Horn of Africa. A piece of glass or a razor is used to hack away the clitoris and the inner and outer labia. It is usually done by an old woman, often one with poor eyesight. If the mother pays a bit extra, a clean razor is used. It is usually done without anaesthetic on a fully conscious, usually screaming girl who is being held down by three or four women. After the cutting, thorns and silk are used to stitch the two parts of the vulva together. The girl's legs are then tied together and they are left like that for two to four weeks. The whole cutting process lasts for about an hour. In time, scar tissue will form around the stitches, leaving a small hole the size of a match head for the passage of urine and menstrual blood.
Aisha was spared some of the initial agony, because her mother asked that she be given anaesthetic – "The excisor [cutter] complained," she recalled, "because the anaesthetic cost her more and she did not have to bring it for the other girls she cut" – but that soon wore off. "All I remember was waking up that night in pain. My legs had been bound together in four places, from my ankles to my thighs. They had used Dettol to wash me – I can't stand that smell ever since."
"I had to take a pee so they loosened one of the bounds around my legs," she continued. "It was so painful, as if there was glass broken inside me. For the next few days, I refused to go to the toilet but my mother kept nagging at me." Aisha thinks this is what led to years of urinary problems. "When I returned to Cardiff, I told the teacher my bum had been cut. She said, 'That's nice.' She saw it as part of our culture." When she was 11, she had an operation in Cardiff to "reverse" the FGM – a procedure that involves removing the stitching but which cannot, of course, restore the missing flesh. As horrifying as Aisha's story is, she is hardly unique. Although no one is able to keep accurate figures about this largely hidden activity, according to some estimates as many as 20,000 British girls have been taken abroad for FGM. The most popular time for it to happen is over the school summer holidays, so that there is enough time for the physical wounds to heal. To those in the know this is called "the cutting season".
All women in my family were cut like this. If my parents had stayed in Nigeria and not moved to Britain, it would have happened to me. Some members of my extended family still support it. It is a practice that still takes place in many African countries – the World Health Organisation estimate the total world population that has suffered FGM is between 100 and 140 million – something that is starkly illustrated by the instruction sheet given out to midwives at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London: if a woman is Black African and from any of the relevant countries the midwife is to ask if she has undergone FGM. Relevant countries are Benin; Burkino Faso; Cameroon; Chad; Central African Republic; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea Bissau; Ivory Coast; Liberia; Mali; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Sudan; Somalia; Kenya; Tanzania; Uganda; Yemen. (Incidentally, this list is conservative; it could have also included some Asian countries where FGM is practised, such as Kurdistan.)
Comfort Momoh confirms that health complications are frequent. "Reversal" operations can help, but convincing patients to undergo another surgery can be difficult, and even then "this won't necessarily stop them going abroad to be closed again".
Physical damage aside there is the mental trauma. "Many women," Momoh told me, "develop a phobia about touching the vulva area because they were told they must not look at themselves there or touch their private parts." Sex and childbirth, understandably, can be both physically and psychically excruciating.
Leyla Hussein, an anti-FGM campaigner with the charity Daughters of Eve, who suffered FGM when her family took her back to Somalia, says that, though she has had counselling in this country to try to come to terms with her trauma, provision of such care is often not seen as an essential service. She continues to be contacted by women desperately in need of advice and support with nowhere to go.
What justifications can there be for such a practice? Whenever I have had arguments with women about FGM, the fall-back for my opponents is "But in our culture…" I asked Aisha to tell me what cultural justifications she was given. "The vagina represents virginity, the honour of your family and the community," she said. "It is not to provide sexual pleasure for yourself but for your husband. A 'closed' woman is a clean woman." In these cultures it is essential for a bride to be a virgin (it does not matter how many women the groom has slept with) and FGM acts like a chastity belt. With such a small opening, women are too frightened to have sex, and their value is preserved intact. On getting married, some women here have reversal operations. Other more traditional women want the husband, quite literally, to break them in.
Such beliefs are deeply embedded in many countries, both Christian and Islamic. Some Muslim scholars argue that it is an Islamic obligation, known as a sunnah. There is an Islamic hadith or saying that is sometimes used to justify it that states "a woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. Muhammad said to her, 'Do not cut too severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband.'" Naana Otoo-Oyertey of the anti-FGM group Forward told me that she has met a religious leader from a big mosque in Birmingham who argued that FGM is a religious obligation, and surveys of women in London and Bristol who have undergone FGM show that many of them saw it as a sunnah. Many other Muslims disagree, pointing out that none of the Prophet's daughters suffered the procedure. Arguing against the practice at a recent conference, Professor Gamal Solaiman of the Muslim College in London said that "the hadith is disputed as to its authority. It is a weak hadith and cannot constitute a source of law."
Reinforcing the "traditional" arguments in favour of FGM are what you might call the postmodern justifications, which claim that fighting against the practice is a form of cultural imperialism. Dr Fuambai Ahmadu, associate professor in the University of Chicago's Department of Comparative Human Development, is an African-American woman with Sierra Leonean roots. As an adult she went to Sierra Leone, voluntarily, to undergo female circumcision. According to the New York Times, Ahmadu "has argued that the critics of the procedure exaggerate the medical dangers, misunderstand the effect on sexual pleasure, and mistakenly view the removal of parts of the clitoris as a practice that oppresses women. She has lamented that her Westernised 'feminist sisters insist on denying us this critical aspect of becoming a woman in accordance with our unique and powerful cultural heritage'." In an article for the Sierra Leone online newspaper The Patriotic Vanguard in 2008, she wrote, "More and more African women have come to see and define themselves through these media lenses as 'mutilated', with utter disregard for differences in cultural, social and historical contexts."
Of course arguments like these are disputed daily, by victims of this barbaric procedure and their supporters, but you have to be very brave to speak out against FGM in your own community. Leyla Hussein has had death threats – she now has to carry a personal alarm and has a panic button at home. Another activist, Salimata Knight, who lives in Croydon, told me: "Sometimes, I am at a station and African people start pointing at me. There are parties and gatherings I do not go to. I have been ostracised."
This fear of a social backlash helps to control dissent and to reinforce the way in which the procedure itself silences women. Ten years ago, a friend of mine told me her daughter was going to Nigeria with her dad. My friend had to stay in London to look after her newly born son. I was suspicious: why was it so important to go then, when a year later or over Christmas they could all go together? I did not want to lose her as a friend, so I kept quiet, much to my regret. When her daughter returned to London, she was subdued and less confident. The once outspoken little girl now only spoke when spoken to. While in Nigeria she had "become a woman".
FGM has been explicitly outlawed in Britain since 2004. The Female Genital Mutilation Act made it an offence to perform, or aid anyone else in performing, genital mutilation in the UK, and to aid anyone performing mutilation on a British national overseas. It is punishable by 14 years in jail, but no one has yet been convicted. In London, allegations of FGM are dealt with by the Metropolitan Police child protection teams, with advice and support provided by three officers working on a dedicated FGM unit, Project Azure. While some have argued that police in Britain lack the resources for tackling FGM, Detective Sergeant Vicky Washington, who runs Project Azure, believes that it is the silence around the issue that has hindered efforts to secure convictions. "I wouldn't say we're under-resourced," she explains. "Any allegations we receive are investigated, and we do our utmost to secure a charge, but the main problem is that it's a hidden crime, it's a taboo subject within families and practising communities. Often the children are from loving, caring families, and the parents think they are doing the right thing, as do the extended family and members of the community. We don't have enough people coming forward."
Shockingly, there is strong anecdotal evidence that FGM takes place in the UK, and that it might even be on the increase. Naana Otoo-Oyertey has received reports of a nurse in London who cuts girls. The police were unable to trace the mobile phone number she was given. Comfort Momoh was told of a woman who cuts in Forest Gate, east London. Jackie Mathers, a nurse in Bristol, told the Observer, "We have intelligence that with the credit crunch, cutters are being paid to come here and do large numbers of children. It's cheaper than families taking flights to other countries." One woman told her about circumcision "parties" where many girls are cut at once.
Leyla Hussein, who has worked with the Metropolitan Police on FGM, confirmed this, telling me that often a cutter will go on a tour of Europe, visiting many cities. Hussein knows of Somali girls who have come to the UK from Sweden and Denmark because it is considered "a soft touch".
Other countries have adopted a far more robust approach. In France, where there are no laws on FGM specifically, there have been over 100 convictions under child protection legislation. According to Salimata Knight, who used to live in France, schoolchildren are given letters at school to hand to their parents, warning them that FGM is against the law, and Naana Otoo-Oyertey confirms that France operates a system of compulsory inspection. "If a parent does not attend with her daughter," she told me, "it is deemed that the child may be at risk."
Detective Sergeant Washington believes such measures are unlikely to be introduced in the UK, where the law gives children the right to make their own decisions about submitting to medical examination, and says that the 2004 legislation goes far enough, having closed previous loopholes that prevented the prosecution of anyone taking a child abroad for FGM. The problem, in her view, is not the law but rather the lack of public awareness about the issue. To combat this, Project Azure are involved in educational projects around London, having recently produced a DVD in partnership with the children's charity Kids Task Force, which they hope to see used in schools across the city, as well as in the rest of the UK. The project has also worked with staff at Heathrow airport and St Pancras International station to raise awareness about the number of girls being taken abroad during the school holidays.
It is to be hoped such efforts to raise awareness are successful, because clearly we are a long way from having an open and frank discussion about FGM in the UK. In my own experience healthcare professionals tend to adopt a kid-glove approach to the issue, offering answers that are tentative and couched in the language of cultural sensitivity when they are pressed on the subject. Such delicacy does no service to the girls who are traumatised. Although charities such as Daughters of Eve speak to the NSPCC and other child protection groups, it is still not seen by enough people as child abuse. My fear is that someone will be writing an article just like this in 20 years' time. Despite the best efforts of the anti-FGM advocacy programmes, only the fear of the law will break the cycle. Otherwise the touring cutters will be at work for many years to come.
You can learn more about the fight to stop FGM at the websites of Daughters of Eve and Forward, and download the educational video produced by Project Azure at the Kids Task Force website