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The journey of Ascension is often perplexing, an endless series of shifts, reversals and abrupt changes of direction. In other blogs I've compared it with a stock market graph—gradual gains over an extended period interspersed with calamitous crashes as we experience breakdowns and breakthroughs.
In the midst of this seemingly trackless waste, how does one find a consistent path? When I am jagging this way and that, buffeted by the winds of Ascension, how do I set a steady course? The answer is by seeking balance.
A pendulum
The world of polarity (3D) is a world of extremes. The world of unity (5D) is a world where theses polarities have been neutralised and brought into balance. (If you're uncertain about this, please read What are 3D and 5D anyway?)
The 3D world that most people currently live in can be characterised as a pendulum swinging from side to side. This manifests in the rise and fall of politicians and political parties, sports teams and stars, in the financial affairs of nations and individuals.
People, parties and ideas surge out of nowhere, gathering a following as they express some form of polarised view. This is it—the next big thing—until an opposite groundswell forms and the next big thing becomes the last big thing. The pendulum begins another swing from one pole to its opposite.
You can see this principle at work in any area of life. Take dieting, for example. How many times have we heard there is a new diet, THE diet to end all diets? And how often has this diet, after a rush of acceptance and endorsement, been discredited or simply fallen by the way?
Stop seeing the fads
To shift from a 3D to a 5D perspective, stop seeing the fads—diets, politicians, whatever—and see the underlying pendulum. It swings back and forth. That's what pendulums do. People are mesmerised by its movement, the drama and sense of newness that each change of swing brings.
We have all been mesmerised—even paralysed—by the pendulum's swing. It's fascinating, compelling, like the eyes of the cobra that freeze its prey. Stop being prey to the drama and the dazzle of 3D.
We have all been mesmerised—even paralysed—by the pendulum's swing. It's fascinating, compelling, like the eyes of the cobra that freeze its prey. Stop being prey to the drama and the dazzle of 3D. When you're caught in the eddies of life, wondering which way to turn, turn towards balance.
Ask yourself: what action, internal or external, can I take right now that will lead me towards balance? It may be a direct action—changing your diet, for example, or ending a toxic relationship. Or it may be an inner decision, like a commitment to change a polarised belief. Your life—and your Ascension journey—is unique. Only you can know what constitutes balance in your life.
Ascension leads you beyond the hurly-burly of polarised existence into the still waters of balance and unity. When you are uncertain how to choose, choose balance. Only then will the pendulum cease its age-old swing.


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Pink Baby Shower Invitations, Save 40%
There are three ways to save on this Ballet Shoes & Locket Girls Pink: coupons, special offers, and normal discounts that you can use right now.
You can save up to 40% on your set of pink baby shower invitations without special offers or coupon codes. Here is how:
- Get 15% off invitation orders of 25 or more
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About this Pink Baby Shower Invitation
Cute pink invitations for girls – Beautiful elegant romantic pink girly invitations for girls with a pretty digital image of a cute silver heart shaped locket, pink satin ribbon and bow and adorable pink baby ballet shoes with pretty bows and diamonds on a pale pink faux texture background. Beautiful modern invites with a vintage feel. Please note: All invitations on Zazzle have flat printed images. If you need any assistance customizing your product please contact me through my store and I will be happy to help. AJ GRAPHICS MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS FLASH PANEL
Find more invitations like this Ballet Shoes & Locket Girls Pink.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Concetto Labs is the destination where you can hire dedicated Developers who would work passionately for your firm while utilizing their best skills and experience.
Backbone js is a platform which allows development of interactive and user-friendly applications in a well-structured manner. Backbone js development uses the MVP architecture and the traditional JavaScript platform for building rich applications. Backbone js can be used to develop Front-end applications which are lightweight and responsive.
At Concetto Labs, we understand the business requirements of our clients and provide consultation along with development for applications. Hire backbone js programmer from Concetto Labs and you get the most enthusiastic and efficient workforce! Using the architecture and framework of backbone js, our developers design the applications which help in boosting business. The easy integration of API's, consultation, event binding and support services of our developers are par excellence. We are dedicated to providing all our customers with high-quality services and competitive application development. From mobile/web application development to gaming solutions, our programmers are well versed with multiple backbone js development options!
At Concetto Labs we make sure that all our clients are satisfied with the development services. We believe in delivering the most powerful and competitive services and thus, if you need to hire backbone js developer India, look nowhere than Concetto Labs, where your search for best developers ends!
Hire Backbone JS
Concetto Labs have provided us with a tremendous amount of help. Their competence in various IT fields led to a positive outcome while facing different challenges. More...
Let's talk about your project.


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Kiddy Phoenixfix 3 Car Seat - Onyx Black
The Kiddy Phoenixfix 3 Car Seat has been further optimized, improved regarding safety, and equipped with additional functions.
Out of stock
Also available in:
The Kiddy Phoenixfix 3 Car Seat has been further optimized, improved regarding safety, and equipped with additional functions. The Phoenixfix 3 also meets the latest norm, ECE-R44/04 (Supplement 9). The improved side impact protection increases the safety of the child. The seat can be used directly after an infant car seat such as the Kiddy Evoluna i-Size. The new impact shield system from Kiddy and an addition seat cushion for smaller children (9 - 11 kg) provide perfect protection. This car seat grows with your child and adapts perfectly in height to their size. It can be used from approx. 9 months (9 kg) up to 4 years (18 kg).
Product Features:
- Group 1 forward facing car seat
- Height-adjustable headrest - Adapts to childs size in height
- Eye Level Indicator - Allows correct adjustment of headrest
- Adjustable leg rest Adapts to the childs size
- Removable seat cushion - More safety & better seating positions
- Improved side impact protection - Energy-absorbing material in the sensitive head and shoulder area
- Shock absorber - Absorbs energy acting on the 3-point vehicle seat belt
- Impact shield - In case of crash the special shape allows the upper body to flex over the impact shield and reduces neck forces
- Improved k-fix+ system - Seat can be fixed to Isofix system in the vehicle
- 3D mesh on impact shield - net-like material on the back side for better air circulation
- Recline function - Seat angle matches vehicle seat angle
Dimensions: 60 x 53 x 45cm (at its smallest)
Write Your Own Review


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North Carolina
State Radon Office Contact
The trained experts listed below have demonstrated their knowledge and capability by passing a national competency exam. Each is required to complete regular continuing education classes, submit proof of satisfactory proficiency demonstrations, follow a rigorous quality assurance plan and adhere to a strict code of ethics. The National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) serves as the credentialing division of AARST.
The EPA and your state health department strongly recommend that ALL home buyers and owners have their home tested for indoor radon.


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This chemist turned beauty enthusiast has always been obsessed with beauty and products.
I remember spending countless hours watching makeup tutorials on YouTube and testing out makeup on my family and friends. I was so obsessed with seeing the results. The summer before starting my second year of college, I decided to spend the summer taking professional makeup classes. I also attended the MAC academy in Los Angeles. That following semester, I started working as a freelance makeup artist on my college campus for fashion organizations and modeling groups. Between studying and pursuing my Biology & Chemistry(minor), I was determined to keep pursuing makeup and perfecting it. I love doing makeup, but products were very limited in Statesboro. I would order makeup online but buying new makeup online was a headache, I couldn't test it out, check consistency or see the products true colors. One day I started researching natural cosmetic formulations and began developing my own lipstick and eye shadow colors. After mixing and matching ingredients, testing products, and creating colors. I was motivated to launch, a natural and affordable makeup line for college students called ABA cosmetics.
After graduating from college with my B.A.&B.S., I knew working in the pharmaceutical industry was not my niche. I felt being a research pharmacist was not my life's passion. I knew I wanted to heal people but I wasn't sure of my direction. With a lot of thought and unyielding faith, I decided to venture back into the beauty industry.
I believe "God delayed my desire to be a healer in the medical field to become a healer of women"
After going back and forth with about my decision, i was having a conversation with my best friend and we were talking about this article I was reading about eyelash extensions. After talking about getting them, she suggested that I should learn how to do it. I was like HUH? She thought I would be good at it because of my attention to detail with makeup. At that time, it wasn't a popular trend in Atlanta, and trying classes were non-existent. I found a trainer in Colorado and took a 3-day lash course to become a certified lash artist. After the first day of the class, I was instantly in love. A year after receiving my lash certification, I was so eager to learn more about the beauty industry and the science behind products and skin. I enrolled in the Elaine Sterling Institution of Esthetics to pursue my license in aesthetic studies.
Over the next two year, I worked with different lash brands and earned several lash certifications with Lash Blvd, Borboleta Beauty, Lash Makers ,Bella Lash and Flawless Lashes. I traveled the world attending numerous conferences, lash trainings and contributed to several beauty vlogging platforms.
After 4 years of practicing esthetics, lashing and traveling, I struggled with finding my balance because I was a beauty chemist at heart. I love the art behind creating products and fostering results. I began taking herbology and organic cosmetic science courses. I was fascinated with how our natural resources could be used to preserve youth. When I would travel, and see women in other countries with beautiful skin, I would always ask them what their secret were and majority of the time, it was a natural resource that they incorporated into their food or applied topically to their skin. I believe women in the United States are accustom to fast and convenient result . We forget the idea of what we feed our bodies inside and out is a direct connection of how we look and feel. There is also a stigma with being "selfish", we as women should feel safe in prioritizing our beauty essentials. We shouldn't feel guilty or think that taking care of our beauty basics are secondary or an added luxury. Our beauty health is a necessity especially what we put on our skin, hair and in our bodies and when we look good we feel better.
This very notion inspired me to create a solution that merged my loves of beauty trends and science together. I envisioned a beautiful and chic environment that catered to beauty-forward women who invests in their beauty health. I believed that every women need personalized care that addressed their individual beauty concerns and lifestyle wants. With this idea, I created Face +Eye +Body Beauty, that help women find their beauty identity of looking beautiful, feeling happy and living healthy.


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Rescue Pals Swim To Me Puppy
Rescue Pals Swim To Me Puppy
This adorable puppy is ready to swim with your child. Made of rigid plastic and jointed arms and legs this toy can either swim in water or walk on solid ground. Requiring 3 AA batteries to work this pet will be the favorite of your little one. Modeled after a golden retriever it is instantly lovable, with it's goggles, towel and personality galore. Included with your swim to me puppy is an adoption certificate which can be filled out online.
This adorable stray is just looking for a forever home, the directions include to place the puppy entirely under water and allow him to fill up with water- this will ensure he swims better. His doggy paddle is effective on land or in the water. This Rescue Pals puppy needs care, just like a real dog. He must be dried off entirely before being kenneled, if he stays wet it will effect his performance at a later play date.
Rescue Pals Swim To Me Puppy is recommended for children 5 years and up this toy is a great addition to any bath tub. The average review of this toy is 3 out of 5 stars mainly because of the noise it makes. While it is age appropriate for a 4-5 year old, it isn't as appropriate for ages above 10. The batteries do tend to run out quickly, be sure to secure the waterproof lid over the battery cover.
Product dimensions : 33 x 18 x 30.7 cm ; 259 g
This adorable swim to me puppy will be on every child's wish list this Christmas season.
October 4, 2009
Filed under christmas toys, rescue pals swim to me puppy
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|Barbie Puppy Swimming School Barbie Puppy Swimming School /* Unit: barbie-puppy-swim-school */ Summer is here and Barbie...
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Farm biosecurity practices are now even more accessible with the new back-pocket friendly Farm Biosecurity for Livestock Producers brochure. The easy to use on-farm brochure has been developed by AHA grazing industries under the Farm Biosecurity program and includes biosecurity tips from a range of producers.
Duncan Rowland, Executive Manager Biosecurity Services at AHA, said that the handy brochure will assist producers to develop practical, easy to implement workable practices to protect their investments.
"Industry wanted the biosecurity manual in a more easily readable format with case studies that can assist the producer on the farm", he said. "It's a snapshot of practices that provide the big hits regarding protection.
"The producer case studies emphasise that biosecurity really is everyone's responsibility and often this means working together with fellow producers. It is an investment to protect their investments and future."
Simple and effective measures can help protect properties and livestock from disease, pests and weeds. The five key management areas identified in the brochure are farm outputs, farm inputs, people, vehicles and equipment, production practices and ferals, pests and weeds.


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Who knew it was this easy? well, plenty of people, anyway, the Dancing Diaries are now available in podcast form, so the feed here
and enjoy these and future dancing adventures. The latest episode, on the Friday Downtown Stomp at Cat's Corner (i.e. Swing dancing, w00t!) is 11 minutes of motion inspiring fun. Or so says I.


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IMG_9523, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.
Chanel, one of our cats, enjoying her breakfast. I had just cleaned the feeding area so had to take a photo. It stayed clean about two seconds, because cats seem to be unable to eat without spreading the food all over the place. Usually some ends up in the water dish too.


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We relate to our clients, carrier partners and staff according to the principles of Biblical integrity.
- Proverbs 22:11 — A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
- Proverbs 11:3 — The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.


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Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a novel and promising treatment modality for treatment of Barrett's esophagus (BE) with high-grade dysplasia or early carcinoma. RFA can be used as a single-modality therapy for flat-type mucosa or as a supplementary therapy after endoscopic resection of visible abnormalities. The treatment protocol consists of initial circumferential ablation using a balloon-based electrode, followed by focal ablation of residual Barrett's epithelium. RFA is less frequently associated with stenosis and buried glandular mucosa as are other ablation techniques and has shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of patients with BE and early neoplasia. In this article, the technical background, current clinical experience, and future prospects of RFA are evaluated.
Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a premalignant condition in which the normal squamous cell lining of the esophagus is replaced by columnar epithelium containing specialized intestinal metaplasia (IM), defined by the presence of goblet cells. The most important risk factor for BE is chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). BE is found in approximately 10% of patients undergoing endoscopy for chronic GERD symptoms and therefore it is hypothesized that the transition from squamous mucosa into mucus-secreting columnar epithelium is an adaptation of esophageal mucosa caused by the erosive effect of the refluxate. Via a gradual process from no dysplasia to low-grade (LGD) and high-grade dysplasia (HGD), BE can develop into adenocarcinoma. The estimated annual incidence of adenocarcinoma in BE is 0.5%. When esophageal cancer enters a symptomatic stage, disease is usually locally advanced and has a poor prognosis with a 5-year survival of approximately 20%. For patients with HGD or early cancer, previously surgical resection was the gold standard. Surgical esophagectomy is, however, associated with a mortality rate of 3% to 5% and serious complications occur in 40% to 50% of patients. In the subset of patients with "early neoplasia", defined as HGD or intramucosal cancer, lymph node involvement is rare: 0% for HGD and up to 2% for intramucosal cancer. As a result, endoscopic treatment of early neoplastic lesions is a viable alternative to surgery for these patients.
Endoscopic treatment modalities
Endoscopic treatment comprises endoscopic resection (ER) and endoscopic ablation techniques. The most important advantage of ER above ablation therapy is that ER results in a resection specimen for histopathological assessment, contributing to optimal staging and patient selection. Although ER is a safe and effective treatment modality, with 5-year disease-specific survival of 95%, metachronous lesions arising in the residual BE segment can be found after ER in 30% of patients.
To eliminate the malignant potential after ER, eradication of the residual BE epithelium is advocated. To accomplish this, treatment protocols combining ER and ablation therapy have been developed. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using amino levulinic acid (ALA) or porfimer sodium (Ps) and argon plasma coagulation (APC) are ablation techniques that have been administered for this purpose, but both techniques have disappointingly high rates of recurrent early neoplasia and residual IM. In both PDT and APC, ablation depth is not controlled and may vary, resulting in residual BE that still carries preexistent oncogenetic abnormalities. Sometimes residual BE glands become hidden underneath neosquamous epithelium (ie, "buried Barrett's glands"), and some fear that these may progress to dysplasia or cancer without being detected endoscopically. Another complication from porfimer sodium (Ps-PDT) and APC is a high stenosis rate, which may be a result of submucosal scarring owing to uncontrolled ablation depth. Finally, Ps-PDT is associated with significant photosensitivity for a period of up to 6 weeks after treatment.
An alternative to ablation therapy is the complete removal of the BE by radical endoscopic resection (RER), generally performed in multiple treatment sessions. Small-sized single-center studies have reported low recurrence rates of early neoplasia after RER varying from 0% to 9% after up to 28 months of follow-up, and newly formed squamous epithelium after RER has been shown free of oncogenetic abnormalities. However, symptomatic stenosis develops in up to 56% of patients, requiring multiple dilations sessions.
The latest treatment modality for complete removal of BE is radiofrequency ablation (RFA). This novel ablation technique has shown excellent results for selected patients with nondysplastic BE, LGD, and HGD with or without prior ER with a follow-up of almost 2 years. Regarding the safety and efficacy profile, RFA compares favorably to other ablation techniques such as PDT and APC.
Radiofrequency ablation: the HALO system
The HALO system (BÂRRX Medical, Sunnyvale, CA) ( Fig. 1 ) for RFA is designed to control tissue penetration depth of the RF energy of 0.5 mm, thereby realizing a uniform ablation depth that is operator independent, owing to the use of bipolar electrodes and the automated delivery of a preset amount of RF energy. The HALO system consists of a circumferential and a focal ablation device for stepwise ablation of the BE epithelium. For larger areas of BE, circumferential ablation is performed using the HALO 360 -device, a balloon-based catheter with spindle-shaped electrodes covering a length of 3 mm. The HALO 360 -balloon is available in several diameters: 18, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34 mm. Ablation using the HALO 360 -balloon is performed with an energy density of 12 J/cm 2 and 40 Watt/cm 2 . For focal ablation of residual BE epithelium, the endoscope-mounted HALO 90 -device is developed. The HALO 90 -device is equipped with an articulating surface containing an electrode array (13 mm wide × 20 mm long) to target small areas of BE with an energy density of 15 J/cm 2 and a power of 40 W/cm 2 .
Radiofrequency ablation: the HALO system
The HALO system (BÂRRX Medical, Sunnyvale, CA) ( Fig. 1 ) for RFA is designed to control tissue penetration depth of the RF energy of 0.5 mm, thereby realizing a uniform ablation depth that is operator independent, owing to the use of bipolar electrodes and the automated delivery of a preset amount of RF energy. The HALO system consists of a circumferential and a focal ablation device for stepwise ablation of the BE epithelium. For larger areas of BE, circumferential ablation is performed using the HALO 360 -device, a balloon-based catheter with spindle-shaped electrodes covering a length of 3 mm. The HALO 360 -balloon is available in several diameters: 18, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34 mm. Ablation using the HALO 360 -balloon is performed with an energy density of 12 J/cm 2 and 40 Watt/cm 2 . For focal ablation of residual BE epithelium, the endoscope-mounted HALO 90 -device is developed. The HALO 90 -device is equipped with an articulating surface containing an electrode array (13 mm wide × 20 mm long) to target small areas of BE with an energy density of 15 J/cm 2 and a power of 40 W/cm 2 .
Patient selection for endoscopic management of early neoplasia
To correctly select the subgroup of patients suitable for RFA treatment, a thorough work-up and staging protocol is mandatory. In general, patients with early neoplasia in BE are considered potential candidates for endoscopic treatment when the lesion is limited in size (<2 cm), there are no signs of deep submucosal invasion, and no suspicious lymph nodes are found on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). The tumor characteristics are of importance in staging, as the risk for lymph node involvement increases with increasing infiltration depth, poor differentiation grade, and lymphatic/vascular-invasive tumor growth.
Imaging endoscopy
Optimal endoscopic treatment of patients with early BE neoplasia starts with at least one high-resolution endoscopy by an experienced endoscopist. During inspection, visible abnormalities are classified according to the Paris classification. The Prague-CM-classification is used to describe the BE segment, including the length of the circumferential segment (C), and the maximal extent of the BE segment (M). Subsequently, targeted biopsies are obtained from visible abnormalities, followed by four-quadrant biopsies of every 1 to 2 cm of the BE segment (Seattle protocol).
Staging procedures: endoscopic ultrasound and computerized tomography
Patients with early neoplasia in BE generally undergo EUS for T and N staging, which is superior to computerized tomography (CT) scanning. EUS has a high negative predictive value (>95%) for local lymph node involvement and for tumor infiltration in the deeper layers of the esophageal wall (≥T2). In case of suspicious lymph nodes, fine-needle aspiration (FNA) may be performed to exclude malignant disease. The accuracy of EUS in differentiating mucosal from submucosal invasion is, however, relatively poor and EUS does not perform better than simple endoscopic inspection of the lesion by an experienced endoscopist. In addition, the high negative predictive value for local lymph node involvement may simply reflect the low prevalence of positive lymph nodes in these lesions. Recent studies have therefore questioned the value of EUS in the work-up of early BE neoplasia. Many centers still perform a thoracic and abdominal CT scan for patients with early BE cancer to exclude distant metastases. This is however controversial, as the distant metastases are virtually absent T1 lesions and thus rarely change the TNM stage.
Endoscopic resection
ER is the most important tool for accurate assessment of invasion depth and other histologic tumor characteristics (differentiation grade, lymphatic invasion). ER therefore serves both a diagnostic as well as therapeutic purpose. Diagnostic in the sense that it correctly identifies patients with submucosal invasion, poor differentiation grade, and/or lymphatic invasion; therapeutic in the sense that it allows removal of all visible (ie, nonflat mucosa) lesions thus rendering the remaining BE segment flat and thereby suitable for RFA. The two most widely used techniques are the ER-cap technique and the Multi Band Mucosectomy (MBM) technique; both are safe and effective for "en bloc" as well as "piecemeal" resections.
Histopathological assessment
For the histopathological evaluation of biopsies or resection specimens, the revised Vienna classification is used. After ER, patients are suitable candidates for further endoscopic management, if the resection specimen shows negative vertical resection margins, no submucosal tumor infiltration, well- or moderate tumor differentiation (G1-G2), and no lymphatic/vascular invasion. Because early BE neoplasia is not frequently encountered by community pathologists, it is imperative that the histopathological evaluation is performed by a pathologist with experience in this field.
Work-up for radiofrequency ablation
Before RFA, all carcinoma has to be completely removed and the epithelium should be endoscopically flat. This is required because the HALO electrodes for RFA are designed to perform controlled superficial ablation of 0.5 mm and are unlikely to be effective for neoplasia in thickened mucosa. Most RFA studies have excluded patients with invasive cancer at baseline and biopsies should therefore be taken from the residual BE segment after ER. Also, in most studies, an additional endoscopy was performed 4 to 6 weeks after the ER session to exclude visible abnormalities and to obtain four quadrant biopsies from the BE segment to rule out invasive cancer. At that time, however, the edges of the ER scar may be slightly elevated because of reactive changes, which may be misinterpreted as visible abnormalities. The most optimal time to exclude the presence of residual visible abnormalities and to obtain biopsies from the residual BE is thus immediately after the ER in the same session.
When the mucosa is flat and biopsies contain no invasive cancer, the patient is scheduled for an RFA session 6 to 8 weeks after ER.
Performing circumferential ablation: use of the HALO 360 -device
RFA procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis using conscious sedation. At the initial ablation session, the extent of the BE segment determines if the patient will be treated with the HALO 360 -balloon or with the focal HALO 90 -device. When the circumferential BE segment is smaller than 2 cm in length, or consists only of tongues and/or islands smaller than 2 cm, the patient can be primarily treated with focal ablation. Most frequently, patients initially require circumferential ablation, which involves the following steps:
- (1)
Inspection and recording of esophageal landmarks
Before ablation, the esophagus is inspected to confirm the flat aspect of the mucosa, to exclude the presence of esophagitis, and to record the esophageal landmarks according to the Prague CM classification. After inspection, the esophagus wall is sprayed with 20 mL of acetylcysteine (1%, watery solution) to remove excessive mucus, followed by flushing with plain water.
- (2)
Sizing procedure ( Fig. 2 ).
Subsequently, the esophageal inner diameter (EID) is measured, to select an appropriate ablation balloon, allowing for optimal contact between electrode and esophageal wall without applying too much pressure. A 4-cm long noncompliant sizing balloon-catheter is connected to the generator with an interposed air filter. After calibration, the sizing balloon is inserted over a 0.035-in guide wire (Amplatz extra stiff, Cook Endoscopy, Limerick, Ireland), omitting lubricant jelly for introduction, exclusively using water. Sizing is performed for every centimeter of the BE segment, starting 5 cm above the most proximal extent of the BE, using the centimeter scale on the catheter shaft for reference (discordant to the centimeter scale of the endoscope). For sizing, the balloon is automatically inflated to 4 psi (0.28 atm) after pressing a foot switch, and automatically deflated after measurement. The mean EID over 4 cm is then calculated with a pressure-volume algorithm and displayed on the generator. When a strong increase in the measured EID indicates that the sizing balloon has reached the hiatal hernia or stomach, the sizing balloon is removed, leaving the guide wire in place.
- (3)
Selection of the appropriate ablation balloon:
The smallest measured EID defines the appropriate balloon diameter. For patients without prior ER, the recommended balloon diameter is the one closest to the smallest measurement (eg, if the smallest EID is 24 mm, a 25-mm ablation balloon is chosen; if the EID is 23 mm, the 22-mm ablation balloon is appropriate). For patients with a prior ER or stenosis, a balloon that is two sizes smaller than the smallest measurement has to be selected, to reduce the risk for laceration (eg, if the smallest EID is 26 mm, a 22-mm ablation balloon should be used). When a suitable ablation balloon size has been selected, the ablation balloon catheter is inserted over the guide wire followed by introduction of the endoscope alongside for visualization of the ablation procedure.
- (4)
First ablation pass ( Fig. 3 ).
For ablation with the HAL0 360 -device, the surface is treated with two energy deliveries of 12 J/cm 2 with cleaning of the ablation zone in between ablation passes, referred to as the "double" regimen. Ablation is performed from proximal to distal starting 1 cm above the most proximal extent of the BE segment, allowing for a maximal overlap of 0.5 to 1.0 cm. Before ablation, the endoscope and ablation catheter are fixed to the bite block to avoid dislocation of the balloon by inflation. After inflation of the ablation balloon, as initiated by the endoscopist using the foot switch, suctioning is applied for optimal contact between electrode and epithelium. Next, the endoscopist starts the ablation, resulting in RF energy delivery and automatic deflation of the balloon. Ablation renders the BE epithelium white, which helps in identifying the subsequent BE zone when advancing the deflated ablation balloon distally. After ablation of the complete BE segment, the ablation balloon, guide wire, and endoscope are removed simultaneously.
- (5)
Cleaning procedure:
After the first ablation pass, the coagulum is cleaned off the ablation surface and the balloon electrode before the second ablation pass. Cleaning in between the ablation passes has been shown to increase the efficacy of the initial ablation session from 90% to 95%. Debris is gently pushed off the ablated area using the rim of the small flexible cap (eg, HALO cap; BÂRRX Medical or Olympus zoom cap, MB0-046; Olympus, Tokyo, Japan), mounted on the tip of the endoscope, followed by forcefully spraying with plain water using a spraying catheter (eg, Olympus PV-5-1; Olympus) and a high-pressure pistol (eg, Alliance; Boston Scientific, Limerick, Ireland). Cleaning of the balloon electrode is performed outside the patient using plain water and a gauze, being careful to wipe "with the grain" of the electrode array.
- (6)
Second ablation pass:
After the cleaning procedure, the guide wire and ablation balloon are reinserted followed by the endoscope, as before, and a second ablation pass is performed from proximal to distal, resulting in a brownish discoloration of the previously ablated BE epithelium.
Performing focal ablation: use of the HALO 90 -device
Two to 3 months after initial ablation, upper endoscopy with narrow band imaging (NBI) is performed to assess BE regression. Patients with a residual circumferential BE segment with a length of more than 2 cm and/or multiple isles or tongues are subjected to a second circumferential ablation session. In case the circumferential extent of residual BE is less than 2 cm in length, and/or there is an irregular gastroesophageal junction, and/or tongues and islands are smaller than 2 cm in size, this can be treated with the HAL0 90 -device for focal ablation. The focal ablation procedure is performed as follows:
- (1)
Inspection and recording of esophageal landmarks:
Again the esophagus is inspected to confirm the flat aspect of the mucosa and to exclude the presence of esophagitis. Additionally, the presence of a Zenker's diverticulum has to be excluded because this may complicate the introduction of the HAL0 90 -device. After recording of the esophageal landmarks, the esophagus wall is sprayed with acetylcysteine (1%) and flushed with plain water.
- (2)
Introduction of the HALO 90 -catheter ( Fig. 4 ).
The HALO 90 -catheter is attached to the distal end of the endoscope, and the electrode cap placed at the 12 o'clock position in the endoscopic field of view. The HALO 90 -device is inserted without using lubricant jelly but only water to facilitate introduction. After advancing the HAL0 90 -electrode surface over the tongue, the top of the electrode is deflected downwards when the laryngeal cavity is visualized, to allow the electrode to pass behind the arytenoids. Subsequently, the patient is asked to swallow and the catheter is gently advanced. When introduction of the HALO 90 -device is difficult, a biopsy forceps or the spraying catheter can be used to guide the instrument into the esophagus. With the endoscope in the hypopharynx, the forceps is advanced under direct view dorsal to the arytenoids deep into the esophagus. The endoscope is angled down so that the leading edge of the HALO 90 -device can slide over the forceps while the endoscope is gently advanced. Other techniques for difficult intubations include Savary dilation (45 Fr) followed by leaving the guide wire in place to facilitate passage of the HALO 90 -device.
- (3)
First ablation pass ( Fig. 5 ).


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By Phipps and Pritchard
Thursday, January 25, 2018
How unkind, not to say unknowledgeable (and certainly disrespectful to the Burke family) when someone in a crowded room announces that McCartneys are sponsoring "a Burke Trophy" "ha ha" "and they would win it hands down!!" – by the time that individual had received the "Ian Hislop" treatment from me, the "Burke" was truly on the other foot!
Of course what this un-educated "rat-conteur" was trying, most unsuccessfully to gibe was that "ours truly" have been given the opportunity at the Royal Three Counties Show this year to sponsor the most prestigious event in the beef cattle industry, the FA Cup, Grand Slam, Super 12, Grand National equivalent – THE R.A.S.E. BURKE TROPHY.
This Trophy was originally presented annually at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh (once the Flag Ship of British Farming) from 1951 to 2009 when the show closed. Since then it has been awarded at major shows around the country and this year the Royal Three Counties Show has secured the coveted award.
The competition is for the Best Pair of Beef Cattle (a bull and a female) and is selected from each beef breed that has classes at the show.
Not only will there be some classy cattle on show but the judge who will have the ultimate selection also has plenty of class! Mrs Kay Adam from Forfar, Scotland comes from a very strong dynasty of cattle breeders north of the border.
Our very own Chairman John Uffold will, along with the Society's President Dame Janet Trotter DBE., HML, (a new suit ordered John ! ! ) be dishing out the silverware with "yours truly" coming "off the bench" with my McCartneys hat (a bowler of course) and my Three Counties Deputy Chief Beef Steward position sneaking in for the "snaps".
All joking apart we as a firm are thrilled to have been invited to sponsor this fantastic award at what must be one of the most highly regarded shows in the country. The "hard yards" over many years to secure "Official Auctioneer" status for eight cattle breed societies (and 14 sheep breed societies) has been (as all the PR men say) challenging but to be involved in this side of the industry and then be able to have a major involvement in the culmination of THE competition of all competitions is truly exciting.
Now the "Ahh" bit – you may have seen photographs in the press recently or even on our website with a rather handsome man holding the Burke Trophy on its arrival at the Malvern Showground (me for the short sighted!) – The last, and only time, I have ever held the Trophy was in 1981 when the Longhorn cattle pair won the Burke Trophy at the Royal show – at that time I was a (very) young Auctioneer and also Secretary of The Longhorn Cattle Society – not a bad photograph then of a fresh faced boy but not as good at the night that followed! ! ! ! If this year follows suit we won't be taking any wise cracks from people in a crowded room (read bar!)
Clive Roads - Partner, Auctioneer, Agricultural Department Chairman


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Defensive Shooting Skills
Grand Rapids, MI 49515
I have been involved in shooting and reloading since I was a kid. I grew up just South of Kansas City Missouri and came to Michigan to fill in as a Private Investigator where I met my wife the second day I was here. I have been in Michigan for 16 years and married for 15 wonderful years to my wife and we have been Blessed with an 12 year old daughter. As for my past experience I have worked as a Fugitive Recovery Agent across the country. I have been a Licensed Private Investigator in 10 states and I am currently serving as Client Services Director for a Non for Profit Organization Defender Rescue, which preforms Human Trafficking Education, Investigations and Rescue. I have also owned and been a partner in two security companies and specialized in setting up church security.
Current member of NRA, MCRGO, IDPA, USCCA, USPSA, Steel Challenge and Blind Squirrel Shooting Team.
I am currently an NRA and MCRGO Certified Instructor. Classes I teach are the NRA Personal Protection In The Home, Personal Protection Outside The Home, Refuse To Be A Victim and the MCRGO CPL Certification Course.
I also am currently and NRA Recruiter to help insure our 2nd Amendment Rights.
I believe it is the responsibility of the individual to make sure His / Her family is safe and that we have the God given Right to do so. I also fully believe that it is the individuals responsibility to make sure all firearms are handled and stored safely.
Chris - NRA Instructor
Chris Hollis at one time was the youngest NRA instructor in the state of Michigan. Chris has been teaching NRA classes, and Military classes for small arms, as well as developing custom since 2005.
With 8 years in the Marine Corps infantry. A combat tour to Iraq and dozens of state and local shooting matches, Chris has always been an asset to any students in his class. With his experience in multi gun, IDPA, USPSA, NRA High-power, F class, along with other local shooting sports. Chris has also been a guest video instructor for the USCCA, and has done training videos as well as private instruction for private security groups.
Chris is currently serving in the Michigan Army National Guard and manages a local real estate company. He is also the founder of Team Hollis, Hollis flags and regularly assists local and US based security companies.


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Stop Alejandro's Deportation!
This petition had 13,597 supporters
My name is Alejandro Lopez Angeles (A#200-204-571) and I would like to tell you about myself and my family. I am 28 years old and I am from Veracruz, Mexico. I've been living in Concord NC since June 2005. I started my family in the United States when I got married in August 2009. My wife and I have a 6-year-old daughter Kaylee, a 3-year-old daughter Alyssa, and a 4-month old baby Joan. I am the head of my household. I work 7 days a week to support my family, to give them a better life.
In January of 2012, while I was driving through a neighborhood looking for a job site, I was stopped by a police officer. He said that someone in the neighborhood had seen us driving around and thought we were suspicious. I was then arrested for driving without a license. Though the officer had told my sister that he was going to let me go, he changed his mind and arrested me that morning. I spent 4 days in jail and was put into deportation proceedings. We hired an immigration attorney who never asked us to collect any evidence, or to gather any documents for our case. I was then forced to take Voluntary Departure so that I could have more time with my family. I was then granted a stay of removal, and have been able to stay with my family for the last 3 years. On May 25th, 2017, I have to check in again with ICE.
I believe that my case should be a low priority for deportation. I have no criminal history, I have three U.S. citizen children, my wife has been granted DACA, and I am not a danger to this country. Please stop my deportation and allow me to stay with my family.
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Closer look at War Machine and Black Panther from 2016's Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: Civil War plot picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.
Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Chadwick Boseman, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Brühl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, and Martin Freeman, Captain America: Civil War is set to be released on May 6th, 2016.
What do you think ?
Are you excited or disappointed?
Sound off below
More as it breaks!


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Google has denied allegations that it deliberately sabotaged Microsoft Edge performance in YouTube.
Google may have already started using its browser dominance to disadvantage its competitors. That's no kind of good sign, even if you prefer Chrome to any other browser.
Microsoft has changed its tune on the warnings it wanted to introduce when users installed Chrome or Firefox. It won't be warning users when the new update drops, though it may give such warnings in the future.
Mozilla's report on the internet's state of health is available — and it's anything but happy.
Mozilla is looking to shield users from Facebook's snooping and score some good will at the same time.
Mozilla is pausing its advertising relationship with Facebook because, in its words, Mozilla wants what's "good for the web and for people." That's a subtle yet effective burn, Mozilla.
Mozilla has announced it intends to refile a lawsuit against the FCC's move to rescind net neutrality protections.
Open source software turned 20 yesterday. Few software concepts can claim to have influenced the world so much.
Firefox Quantum launched a few months ago and impressed us with its performance and capabilities. Now FF 58 is here to smooth off a few rough edges and add some performance improvements of its own.
Mozilla teamed up with Mr. Robot to build an add on that stealth-installed itself, then changed how web pages looked when accessed. What could possibly go wrong?
Firefox Quantum is the best browser I've used in years.
Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.
We strongly encourage you to read our updated PRIVACY POLICY and COOKIE POLICY.


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Bring a shovel and come help the Junior Forest Wardens plant fruit trees/shrubs at the Medicine Hat Food Bank Community Garden. We will also learn about contouring and swales to collect water. This is open to anyone in the community interested in volunteering their time and learning more about the permaculture principles of contouring and swales.
This event is happening Monday, May 29th at 6pm.


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Start Your Church's Journey
Sign up for a demo of VOMO
Who should fill out this form?
Any decision-maker at the church interested in learning more about VOMO.
What to expect
Fill out the form and we'll contact you. We'll pair you up with one of our VOMO experts who will take you on a tour of the site. You'll get a complete, behind-the-scenes look at our platform and hear answers to all your questions.


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Redhook's Revenge (DOS)
Developed by
Critic Score
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
User Score
5 point score based on user ratings.
Not an American user?
DescriptionRedhook's Revenge is a pirate-based board game and trivia. Choose a pirate captain and then play against two other human or computer controlled players. Then roll the dice and travel the designed number of spaces over the seaways. The objective is to reach the home port with as much booty as possible, the player with the most wins. In addition to this however, each player has a complete inventory of items. Food and water is required to sail properly without penalty, maps can be used to hunt for buried treasure, bales for repairs, spare canvas, a compass... a variety of items with different effects.
As you travel around the seas of the Caribbean, some squares will bring about good fortune and additional supplies, other times it will be bad luck and the occasional case of scurvy. When you land on a spot that is near a town or on the position as another player; there's the option to engage in cannon-to-cannon combat with the target. Successful combat (determined by dice rolls) will net you additional booty (as well as the spot), unsuccessful combat comes with penalties and repairs on your ship.
The game is full of trivia multiple choice questions on pirate books, movies, and actors as well as facts on the geography and history of the Caribbean.
Promo Images
There are no promo images for this game
Part of the Following Group
User Reviews
|Damn, this is a great game!
|Tomer Gabel (4646)
Critic Reviews
|Abandonia Reloaded
|Jun 07, 2006
|4 out of 5
|Sep 02, 2013
|3 out of 5
There are currently no topics for this game.
TriviaThis game may now be downloaded for free from the developer's website:
"We currently allow people to download the DOS games we developed in the 1990s from our website for free. However, we still retain the copyrights and intellectual property rights for these games. They cannot be re-sold or distributed without express permission from ImagiSOFT."
Related Web Sites
- Crapshoot (A short, humorous review on PC Gamer)
- Redhook's Revenge (The official homepage.)
MAT (194944) added Redhook's Revenge (DOS) on Mar 10, 2000


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February Support and Outreach Focus
Each quarter, we will focus on a single outreach/charity that needs the help of a community and a nation. We will have February's Outreach Focus in place very soon!
Don't Let Congress Cut Off The Lifelines of Our Communities
The "Jobs For America Now" organization is pushing to keep congress from letting unemployment benefits expire for many unemployed Americans. According to their website, if an extension cannot be put in place, benefits for so many are set to expire February 28th!! PLEASE visit their website, and let's help them raise the noise that it will take to get Washington to WAKE UP!! Families still need to eat!
Black Bear Arts on Facebook


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Vive la Lutte Libre
Extreme wrestling and the theatre of Quebec nationalism
It's Monday night in Laval. Outside Bar Le Skratch, a half-hour drive from Montreal, goggles and surgical masks are being handed out to people waiting to get in. A sheet of paper taped to the door flutters in the cold wind, like an inscription on the gates of Hell. "The Internet Wrestling Syndicate (IWS) will not be held responsible for any injuries sustained while watching the event. Such injuries include: cuts and minor lacerations, bruising, broken bones, trophy shots to the gonads, burns due to fire, burns due to electricity, and, last but not least, heart attacks."
That's outside the ring. What will happen in the ring is another matter. It's "Fans Bring The Weapons" night, and the audience is brandishing a crude arsenal of homemade weapons for the wrestlers to use. Calling themselves "soldiers," these fans are hungry for blood—and the modern Quebec wrestling scene will soon give them what they want.
Founded in 1998, the IWS attracts thousands of fans with the sheer insanity of its live performances. To use the federation's own words, it is "the only truly innovative, sexually appealing and realistically violent show in the country." A unique triangulation indeed.
Inside the bar, the excitement mounts. Aficionados compare objects of destruction: cheese graters, panes of glass, baseball bats wrapped in barbed wire and even razor blade–coated bottles full of vinegar and salt. The most impressive of all, though, is a twelve-foot cross made out of neon light tubes covered in thumbtacks and mousetraps.
"What we do is very extreme," explains the federation's owner and president, PCP Crazy Fucking Manny. "The IWS is for hardcore fans who want to watch the ring literally explode. We have explosives attached to the ropes, barbed-wire matches, neon tubes getting smashed in wrestlers' faces, thumbtacks on the ring mat. We have pyro going off, roaring crowds and babes doing hot oil wrestling at halftime. We give fans an 18+ show other federations just can't do. People who don't like WWE [World Wrestling Entertainment] like us."[1]
Hardcore Ninjaz
Barely Legal
Because there is no athletic commission in Quebec regulating hardcore wrestling, it's the only place in North America where the IWS can exist.
The last time this sort of violent entertainment surfaced here was in 1996, when the International Fighting Championships (IFC) held no-holds-barred cage matches in Kahnawake. Following numerous arrests that made national headlines, the provincial government, ever at the vanguard, passed groundbreaking legislation fully legalizing this type of combat in 1998.[2]
Whether the wrestling activities of Manny and his hordes will have similar ramifications on the judiciary system remains to be seen. For now, the IWS is enjoying widespread underground notoriety. Groups of violence lovers (most of them barely legal themselves) make the pilgrimage to IWS shows from all over the United States, Ontario and Quebec, and countless more log on to the federation's weekly Web casts. Relative newcomers like the Hardcore Ninjaz, two young brothers who started out doing moves like the Japanese Nutcracker and the Pearl Harbor at wild shows in their Fabreville backyard, have, thanks to the IWS, become high-flying celebrities on the suburban wrestling circuit.
Even aging wrestlers have joined the league to taste some of their former glory. As one half of The Quebecers, Pierre-Carl Ouellet won the WWF tag-team championship belt three times in the early 1990s. "IWS is number one right now," says Ouellet.[3] "And if one of the Ninjaz does a moonsault from the second rope and lands on a bunch of girls in the second row, there won't be any lawsuits. Why? Because the audience here just knows how it works. Wrestling is really, really a part of Québécois culture."
While Canada has always produced its share of world-class wrestlers—the Hart brothers, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Killer Kowalski—Quebec has been a breeding ground for the craziest ones of all. This province's long and illustrious wrestling history is studded with legends like Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon, André the Giant, Gilles "The Fish" Poisson and Tom Pouce (a little person notorious for fighting bears in the ring).
"When I was young, wrestling was on TV every Sunday morning at eleven," recalls Ouellet, now thirty-five. "It was church or Sur Le Matelas, and 95 percent of kids chose wrestling. We grew up with it. Local heroes like Dino Bravo and Rick Martel have always been part of the culture here."
Historically, the motifs of wrestling have resonated throughout Quebec society, in labour struggles, linguistic struggles, religious struggles and even the struggles to digest casse-croûte poutines. The French word for "struggle" is actually the exact same as the word for "wrestling": lutte. La lutte souverainiste is how politicians refer to the separatist movement. This homonymous overlap typifies the symbiotic relationship between wrestling and Quebec independence.
Sex Exxxpress
Catholic Blood
Wrestling venues themselves serve as signifiers—matches often take place in church basements. Churches have traditionally been sites of conflict for Quebecers: one of the early battles in the war for sovereignty was over the right to attend church in French. The fact that bloody wrestling matches are now staged in these spaces reflects an even larger cultural phenomenon: a plunging rate of church attendance in a province that once prided itself on its piety. As the priest in Denys Arcand's recent film, Les Invasions barbares, says, "And at a very precise moment—in 1966, in fact—the churches emptied out suddenly, in just a few months. A very strange phenomenon, that no one was ever able to explain."
The modernizations brought about by the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s have affected Quebec more significantly than its failed attempts to separate from Canada. French is now a necessary language for business and the linguistic river down which both anglophone and immigrant children flow into schools and, later, the job market. Although Quebec has not become its own country, the reality is that, socially, it has become increasingly distinct.
This is, after all, a strange and mysterious place. How else to explain this province's unlikely fascination with country and western music and with all things medieval?
"The audience acts differently in Quebec, but I don't know why," shrugs Ouellet. After considering it for a moment, he adds, "I guess going to a wrestling show makes people live the emotions that they've kept inside them all week."
The Green Phantom
Penetrating Insights
A little-seen film from 1971 entitled Continuons le combat sheds more light on the role wrestling plays in Quebec society. The first film by renowned filmmaker Pierre Falardeau (who went on to make Elvis Gratton and the controversial Octobre), it consists of images of Quebec wrestlers accompanied by the director's sociological voice-over. The film views wrestling as a ritual that helps spectators come to grips with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. "If we let ourselves be penetrated by wrestling," says Falardeau, "we will see that wrestling is trying to speak to us about Québécois society."
The October Crisis[4] was in the air when Falardeau conceived his documentary, and the opening scenes of the film are highly charged: protesters in the streets chant "SOS FLQ! Continuons le combat!"
Intellectuals like Falardeau believed that wrestling was a symbol of their people's struggle. "Wrestling is a ritual," narrates Falardeau, meditating over images of entranced fans in smoke-filled arenas. "Rituals bring us into the world of symbolism . . . They make us understand things at once—that is their power."
Continuons le combat insinuates that Quebecers' disappointments at not achieving independence are avenged through the melodrama of wrestling. The spectacle offers separatists a taste of victory, a glimmer of freedom, as a subsumed bloodlust finally bursts to the surface. "In life," explains Falardeau, "French Canadians are heroes; in wrestling, we are the champions. The world champions." Not only can the neon cross of subservience be smashed, it can be smashed in the face of the oppressors. Now that it's covered in thumbtacks and mousetraps, all the better.
Falardeau seems to conclude that wrestling is a dissipation of valuable political energy, and thus a hindrance to the fight for emancipation.[5]
But is it?
Commisionner Joseph Fitzmorris
Welcome Back, FLQ
Over the past year, some "hardcore separatist wrestling" developments have had repercussions that transcend the boundaries of mere pastime. Calling themselves the Syndicat de Lutte Internet (SLI), wrestlers Damian and Le Viking, alongside their coach Fred La Merveille, have become a main draw at IWS events.
"It all started in January 2003," explains Damian. "We were fighting racist matches as [a tag-team called] the Angry Aryans, where we would fight black guys like Face of Death. After one match Manny decided we needed a new gimmick. He told us to get on the mic and say, 'Look, we don't hate blacks, and we don't hate Jews. That was just what the IWS wanted us to say. Who we really hate the most
is English Quebecers!' So I went on and I said I hate anglophones, and the crowed freaked out. When we got on the mic in French, it was the first time the French people in the audience were able to get involved."
"It's literally insane," says PCP Crazy Fucking Manny. "Since January, tons and tons of French fans have been pouring into our shows. We started out as an English fed, but now we're half and half. The pro-Quebec crowd is going up against the pro-English crowd. Half the crowd will sing that song they sing on St. Jean Baptiste day, and the other half will sing 'O Canada.' I've never seen anything like that. They aren't fighting, but the flags are waving. It's the most successful gimmick since Gorgeous George first came out of the closet."
"It turns out that there were a bunch of FLQ members in the crowd," recalls Damian. "After the show, they told us to remember what René Lévesque said, and that we needed to say it on the mic. It was pretty weird that people would take it so seriously, but a lot of them did. They took it way more seriously than the Aryan thing because they knew that was just a gimmick. Even though we said, 'Come on, it's just a show, have fun and calm down,' some of these French people really believed what we were saying. I thought it was a good gimmick, but I never realized it would become so huge."
What came next was beyond anyone's expectations.
People started spray-painting FLQ slogans on the sides of buildings after matches and posting the photos on the IWS chat board. This past October, several IWS fans were among a group of seven young men arrested in Baie d'Urfé, an anglophone suburb of Montreal. After taking a chainsaw to the town hall's flagpole, the suspects were apprehended and discovered to be in possession of homemade pipe bombs.
The men claimed to be linked to convicted FLQ founder Raymond Villeneuve. Now the leader of the Mouvement de libération nationale du Québec, a group that has threatened bloodshed should Quebec ever be partitioned, the sixty-year-old Villeneuve has denied any involvement in the Baie d'Urfé events. In interviews after the arrests, however, he suggested that, as the dream of a sovereign Quebec slips further into the realm of the unreal, the struggle for independence will become more violent.[6] "There is no limit," Villeneuve stated. "The Algerians, the Palestinians, they kill themselves because they are occupied."
"So two of our fans spent a month in jail for their FLQ activities," says Damian. "They'll be at our next show. Their friends sent me emails saying I need to get on the mic to 'help the prisoners of war.' Sometimes they take it really seriously. English people just boo me—it's nothing fancy like the French."
"People just love it," gushes Manny. "When the Liberals ousted the Parti Québécois by winning the elections, the SLI got in the ring and started crying, 'It's a sad day in Quebec.' People were chanting 'Restons fort' ['Remain strong,' the PQ's slogan] like crazy. It's great that we can do this all in fun. Sure, some guys are spray-painting 'FLQ' on the sides of buildings, but it's just a joke."
Although some might counter that there are no jokes in the subconscious, the story resonates eerily with Falardeau's Continuons le combat. (None of the IWS fighters interviewed had ever seen, or even heard of, the documentary.) Adding to the oddness is the fact that a new wrestling federation has appeared calling itself the FLQ—the Fédération Lutte Québécoise, or, as its tagline puts it, "La Fédération qui dérange au Québec!"
"The IWS is mainly an English fed," says Pierre-Carl Ouellet. "And even though some people chant 'En français, en français,' they don't really care whether it's in English or French."
Redheaded Mexican Arabs
Perhaps another reason fans accept the IWS is its multiculturalism. Greek, African, First Nations, Middle Eastern: the IWS ranks are as diverse as the average Montreal classroom. One of the federation's stars is El Generico, a nineteen-year-old redheaded Arab who fights as a masked Mexican.[7]
Quebec has changed in the past thirty years, and wrestling has changed right along with it. Ever since then-premier Jacques Parizeau blamed the separatist defeat in the 1995 referendum on the "ethnic vote," it's been clear that there are more than just maudits anglais and francophones pures- laines living here. Parizeau's ill-advised comments showed how out of step he was with the new Quebec: in trying to draw on the old tradition of demonizing minorities, he became an instant fossil.
"Wrestling used to be quite racist in Quebec," says Sunny War Cloud, a Native veteran of the circuit who wrestled around the world during the 1980s and today fights with the IWS. Although Sunny claims that he himself was not a victim of this xenophobia, he also concedes that he wasn't able to wrestle very often in Quebec and was forced to make a living in other territories. "There was no room for me here, so I needed to go elsewhere. Germany, Japan, South Africa."[8]
"In the eighties, people were more racist in general," suggests Manny. "Hulk Hogan used to battle 'savage jungle monsters'—black men with tribal face paint and spears. Society changed and we aren't racist anymore. Wrestling just went with the flow."
The New Violence
In old-school wrestling, the story was all-important, with good guys ("babyfaces") going against bad guys ("heels"). Fans cheered for their babyface heroes and spewed vitriol against the heels, who were often visible minorities.
Fans in Quebec now worship violence above all else, as IWS shows like "Praise the Violence" testify. Instead of a fear of strangers being played out, wrestling today is a glorification of how current affairs are out of control. "People still boo the bad guy and cheer the good guy," explains Manny, "but if a match is insane they cheer for both. Even if somebody is a heel and gets the living shit kicked out of him, the audience will stand up and applaud and give them respect. They appreciate the violence much more than the good guy/bad guy thing."
This new breed of wrestling has come a long way from Sunday morning fun for the whole family. Now it is adults-only shows held at night in dumpy bars and clubs like Le Skratch, Wally's Pub or Le Medley. Gone are the days when four thousand people turned out every Monday night at the Paul Sauvé arena and fifteen thousand people attended monthly WWF shows at the Montreal Forum. The WWE only comes to Montreal twice a year now, and there are never any Quebec wrestlers in the championship bouts anymore.
Dozens of smaller federations have rushed in to fill the vacuum, providing excessive do-it-yourself alternatives for fans tired of an increasingly corporate WWE's clichés.
Cuyon County, just across the border in Ontario, is Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) territory. At Cuyon's annual fair, beyond the cotton candy and the Ferris wheel, the headline event in the ragtag ring is midget wrestling: the Infernal Colonel vs. Funny Boy. Explains UWA co-booker Mark Andrews, "Midgets are what people want to see." These diminutive fighters are also, on occasion, pitted against children, as in a recent match between the 244-pound thirteen-year-old Mad Max and the 113-pound adult Little Broken.
Other regional treats include humans battling live bears, or performances by very young fighters, such as eight-year-old "Bone Crusher" or ten-year-old Cédric Rougeau, the fourth generation of an illustrious Quebec wrestling family.[9]
Particularly harrowing is a new phenomenon called bum fighting. It consists of homeless people fighting each other and getting beaten up by skinheads, as well as being subjected to degradations such as "milkings" (in which an unidentified liquid gets poured over their heads). Last year Montreal entrepreneur Adam Guerbuez released a bum fighting video called Crazypricks Disturbing the Peace. Although their Web site was subsequently shut down, Guerbuez and his associates allegedly sold thousands of copies of the video.
This sort of maverick outsider aesthetic may be shockingly amoral, but it is proof that not everything has evolved in this now multicultural scene. Certain forms of discrimination still fester in wrestling entertainment. Quebec may have been the first place in Canada where women had access to legal abortions, but the role of women in wrestling remains one of sexual objectification, from pornographic hot oil shows to erotic grappling.[10] Midgets don't exactly relish the gig. And shouldn't there be some sort of legislation regarding drugged bears being forced into matches in church basements?
Kiddie Porn
"A lot of kids think they can make it big by hurting themselves," says fifteen-year-old James McGee, who, along with partner Mike "Ice" Daponte, also fifteen, has been in backyard wrestling since he was eight years old. Using mattresses and rope to build wrestling rings in their backyards, preteens stage amateur shows for tiny audiences consisting of their hockey buddies and a few appalled grown-ups (perhaps even a friendly neighbourhood pederast or two). These demented performances are often far more painful than anything ever attempted by "professional" television wrestlers, as the Best of Backyard Wrestling video series amply demonstrates ("I'm horrified" was Oprah's reaction).
Why are suburban kids creating training camps in their own backyards and jumping off their roofs onto flaming trampolines? For the adrenalin rush? Celebrity? A glimpse of God? "We did it because our goal is to become professional wrestlers," says McGee.
Once teens like McGee and Daponte tire of the broken bones, they either quit wrestling or start training regularly (at places like Jacques Rougeau's wrestling school, located in a flea market on Highway 401). Training involves lots of practice matches and bumping drills, like the "full blast," in which the wrestlers jump up as high as they can, kick their legs out and throw themselves down back-first—thirty-five times in a row.
Manny runs a school as well. Doubling as the production office for Internet porn company Wild Rose Productions[11] during daylight hours, the IWS training academy is a porthole into another dimension. Seeing scrawny fifteen-year-old kids get piledriven by four-hundred-pound men in spandex is strange enough; seeing it while dozens of televisions stream porn in the background is literally dizzying.
The kids, however, seem to be enjoying their wrestling classes. "To us IWS is better than WWE—you can quote me on that," says McGee, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"All our followers have the same attitude as the fed: fuck authority," says Manny. "They come see us because they're getting the real deal. We go all the way. It's not us versus the other feds in Quebec—it's us versus the world."
Reality Hurts
It's this messianic fervour that compels the wrestlers to endure so much pain in the ring. They aren't doing it for the money—can you really attach a dollar figure to having all your hair ripped out in three fistfuls or being pummelled by an overweight assailant with a staple gun? They're doing it because they believe.
"We love the pain," says Manny. "When you have all the fans screaming and you know it's coming, you don't even feel it. You have such an adrenalin rush that you're able to ignore it. You just keep going."
At a recent match, an IWS wrestler was set on fire. "We had four fire extinguishers on him within seconds, but I imagine that was pretty painful for him. We played it up like he got burned to a crisp, but it still must have hurt."
IWS wrestlers like the Ninjaz, Sex Exxxpress, Beef Wellington and "The Natural" Big Steve Royds have had their share of stitches, major cuts, dislocated shoulders, concussions and run-of-the-mill lacerations. "It just goes to show that it's real," continues Manny, himself missing two front teeth from the time IWS Commissioner Fitzmorris hit him in the face with a chair. "No matter how many people think it's fake, you can't fake concussions, you can't fake your teeth flying into the crowd and you can't fake thumbtacks being stuck in your skin. My back is like a railroad map of scars."
Whether people even care if it's fake or not, they are turning out in droves to see these shows. As Roland Barthes explains in his essay on wrestling in Mythologies, "what matters is not what [the public] thinks but what it sees."
It's hard to say whether wrestling will be able to regain its status as the opiate du jour of the Quebec masses. Although the separatist hope seems to have dimmed, this province's history has proven that the pipe dream can become the pipe bomb. Quebecers certainly appreciate the entertainment value of fighting, but do they still believe that their unique society is worth fighting for—worth dying for?
Through Broken Glass, Darkly
Backstage at Bar Le Skratch, the wrestlers nurse their many wounds, discussing the evening's highlights.
"I'm always gonna love 'Fans Bring the Weapons' night," says Beef Wellington, shaking his head. "Seeing a grown man whipping a TV at another man's head is really crazy."
"When you get hit with something like that, you bleed like crazy," affirms four-hundred-pound Dru Onyx, who recently won the IWS Move of the Week for a spinning DDT face-first into thumbtacks.
"I got choke-bombed onto a table with seventy light tubes and everything just shattered," laughs Manny. "My back was pissing blood. Thank you, fans! The creativity when these soldiers bring in weapons is amazing. It's six hundred people holding their weapons with pride. It's just totally barbaric."
At one point, "The Natural" Big Steve Royds started beating a fan with one of the weapons that the fan had brought. "Don't throw things in the ring," he warns. "It can have dire consequences."
During one of the first ever IWS matches, an errant flying Slush Puppy nearly paralyzed Sex Exxxpress. "He was stretchered out," reminisces Manny. "There was blood everywhere. We were in total shock because we thought he was dead. As soon as we left the show, reality hit us."
The ritualistic relationship between knowing it's a game and pretending it's not has been turned on its head by the IWS. Ultimately, Manny's enterprise is proof that the real revolution is not political—it's cultural. Hardcore wrestling is just another way Quebec maintains its distinct identity despite the tidal waves of homogenization on all sides.
In fact, this magical province seems to be getting stranger and stranger.
"We're not going to stop," concludes Manny. "No matter how many people tell me this is a bullshit dream, we're going to keep on giving the fans what they want: complete craziness."
Inside the bar, dust from smashed light tubes hangs in the smoky air as "Fans Bring The Weapons" night draws to an end. The neon cross, its irradiant symbolism neutered, has been reduced to a few shards and some floating, invisible particles.
1 Thanks to what is now called World Wrestling Entertainment, pro wrestling has achieved massive popularity over the past two decades. Better known under its previous moniker, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Vince McMahon's $350-million-per-year operation was forced to change its name in 2002 after the World Wildlife Federation won a protracted legal case concerning the use of the initials "WWF."
2 The IFC rules have since become the official rules for no-holds-barred fighting in Quebec. Some holds are now banned, and disqualification occurs after any combination of three fouls, including violations such as biting, eye gouging, groin techniques and fish hooking of the mouth. Since the sport's acceptance as a legitimate form of entertainment, IFC events have been witnessed by millions of viewers the world over on the federation's television network. (The IFC's first major video release was a bestseller in the United States, reaching #17 on Billboard's Recreational Sports Video chart.) The IFC is the first native-owned company in the international sports television industry and is linked to a First Nations casino-consulting business called CalHolding Inc. The "special services" section of CalHolding's Web site explains that, alongside the IFC, the company offers covert surveillance (with "identification of suspicious activity"), negotiating services for tribes, and VIP protection services, with a staff that includes a graduate of "FBI Hostage Rescue School [and] US Secret Service VIP Protection School."
3 "I've been in love with this business since I was twelve years old," says Ouellet about his start as a wrestler. "Like every Canadian, my dream was to play hockey. But at the age of twelve, I got shot by accident with a pellet gun in my right eye while playing cowboys and Indians, so the hockey dream fell apart. We actually weren't using pellets, we were using pick-up sticks. I was hiding behind the counter and my friend got me right in the eye. I pulled the stick out and the blood came out big time. Right then I decided to become a wrestler. At the age of sixteen I was in the ring; by the age of nineteen, I was on the road all over the country."
4 Compared to the brutality in places like the Basque region and Northern Ireland, the struggle for independence in Quebec has been a quiet affair. Feelings of impotent rage that, in other societies, have led to death and carnage, here have been suppressed—with one exception: in October of 1970, a radical cell called the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) kidnapped the British trade commissioner, James Cross, and the Quebec labour minister, Pierre Laporte. Previously, the FLQ had been responsible for over two hundred bombings as well as numerous bank robberies. As a result of the kidnappings, then prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act and brought in the Canadian army, sealing off all bridges to the island of Montreal. Cross was eventually freed, but Laporte's strangled body was found in the trunk of a car at the St. Hubert Airport parking lot.
5 IWS wrestler Damian agrees that wrestling is therapeutic for the audience: "A lot of people have always gone to shows just to say bad things to the bad guys. They come to cheer for the heroes, and they scream at bad people because it's a défoulement [letting off steam]. It's like healing, you know? It finally feels good to say all the bad things that build up inside of you. You get bad news during the day, and you go to the wrestling match to lay all your bullshit, all your frustrations on the wrestlers, and then you don't feel bad anymore. You feel good after the match."
6 Villeneuve has been predicting this moment since at least 1997, when he told the Montreal Mirror, "It's true that I said 'Canadians, go home.' And it's true that I said that partition leads to war, confrontation and bloodbath. And it's true that last year I said that if Quebec ever found itself in a particular situation—though I admit that I never adequately defined what that situation would be, which is all for the better—I said we'd burn their homes, their cars and their stores with Molotov cocktails. Molotov cocktails are wonderful, extraordinary instruments. They do more damage than a tank, and they're easier to transport from place to place. And there's not an army in the world that can stop the widespread sale of gasoline."
7 Here, like elsewhere in North America, ironic racism has become a way of showing friendship and camaraderie. Wrestlers affectionately call each other "nigga" or "French pig." "I like being insulted," explains Damian. "'Fag' is a common word that people scream out. When I fought in . . . the Angry Aryans, people used to call me a 'fucking Jew.' Now they call me a 'fucking frog,' but I like that. It's part of the business. If you don't like it, you don't like wrestling. It's funny racial jokes, but not in a bad way. Our audience is mature enough to understand that it's a game."
8 While hospitalized for a year ("J'ai stoppé for one year parce que j'avais des problèmes de cocaïne" is how he puts it), Sunny War Cloud missed his chance to wrestle in the WWF. "If I wasn't sick in the hospital with my cocaine problem, I would've been in the WWF—but they took Tatanka instead. Tatanka is a copy of me." Drug abuse is rampant in wrestling. One promoter from Two Mountains interviewed for this story said that Jake "The Snake" Roberts' 2001 contract stipulated that crack be provided immediately upon his crossing the Quebec-US border.
9 Cédric's father, Jacques "The Mountie" Rougeau, won numerous championship bouts in the WWF and, with Pierre-Carl Ouellet, made up the tag team The Quebecers. Cédric's great-uncle, Jean "Johnny" Rougeau, also a pro wrestler, at one point worked as a bodyguard for Parti Québécois leader René Lévesque.
10 Self-described "erotic wrestler" Geneviève Fleury charges clients two hundred dollars an hour to grapple in a ring in her apartment. Fleury uses "acrobatic maneuvers to make you submit" and everything else in her repertoire to otherwise "fulfill your wrestling needs": "The goal of this one is to show you that I can dominate you easily with my strength and body to make you submit . . . I could start with a head scissor, or I could lift you and carry you." As Fleury puts it, "The man who enjoys sado-maso in general appreciates this type of wrestling."
11 That Danny Cox, the proprietor of Wild Rose Productions, also co-owns the IWS is, as one fan site puts it, "the worst kept secret in Canada." Local Internet porn stars like Elsa Bangz and "President" Seska work overtime during between-match hot oil performances.


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I'll lay down a quick post today. Tomorrow Im driving to Chicago to attend the CABDA show. This show has been going on way before I started selling bikes, then disappeared for some years. Now back bigger and better than ever. It's a nice alternative to Interbike.
And so much easier to go to. Less than a three hour drive and in the middle of February. Its been a long time since i drove to Chicago but with my job before the bike store I did it weekly. I had not planned on going with the move this week but Im so far ahead of things that Im giving everyone the day off tomorrow. The new stores carpet is getting cleaned anyway so it needs to dry a bit before we get back to it.
Last nite a bunch for friends ( and their kids) started hanging the slatewall. We are almost ready to move! While its going to get a little quiet for the next few days it will be nuts starting Friday afternoon thru Sunday nite. Not much sleep next weekend. Im looking forward to firing up the phones and computers on Monday morn. Im both excited and crazy nervous. Pretty stressed. Im looking forward to getting the bike shop up and running and then turning my attention to coffee.
Its crazy how much I like bikes and coffee and now they're both my livelihood. 11 years ago if you told me I'd be doing this stuff I would have laughed out loud. Or LOL as you kids say.
I might try and post a little Friday but dont count on it. Other wise Monday I'll have a lot of pictures.


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February 2018 Bingo Dinner
Come join us for a fun night of social fun. Our kitchen will be preparing homemade german sausage and sauerkraut, Kratofel (German potatoes), sauer brautten (sweet and sauerkraut red cabbage), and Sees's Koughen for dessert. We will have door prizes and 15 games of blockbuster bingo.


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The Health Center at Western Wisconsin Health is open to the general public and outfitted and staffed to accommodate any fitness stage or plan. What are common interview questions that may have tough answers? How must you costume? This article will provide some useful info that can assist you put together for your interview for the healthcare discipline. HCV isn't transmitted by way of casual contact, respiratory droplets, sharing food, kissing, or by way of mosquito bites. In the occasion that you've got this pores and skin illness do not worry, it's simpler disposing of whiteheads with the utilization of normal staying calms. They've been demonstrated deductively as the perfect and tried and true form of prescription for skin get away or zits.
People reside shorter lives and have increased incidences of diseases than different countries that have socialized drugs. We have the very best infant mortality price within the developed world, with Detroit's rate larger than El Salvador's. There Alpha lemon juice helps to remove dead skin cells, which hydroxide acid and kind new cells. As a result, the pores and skin becomes lighter spots. Lemon can be a natural bleach to lighten spots.
You'll create a massage with the intention to keep away from ache in neck. The therapeutic massage should be very mild throughout the first couple of days as it might reaches towards the more serious condition. Maybe you would possibly even resolve to delay until the acute section on the damage has past. Massage will assist you to maneuver fluid round since this may occasionally help with the intention to keep away from scar tissue. After the primary few days, therapeutic massage might assist work out tension and knots within your muscles.
Training follows the egalitarian Nordic methodology. Which means that all individuals are equal and have the same civil, social, economic and political rights. Tuition is free for youngsters who attend school on a full-time basis. When a toddler reaches the age of 7, he or she is required by law to attend faculty for a minimum of 9 years. At main and secondary colleges, children are given free meals.
Thanks for sharing your expertise – Even within the UK I collect there are these in mental health care who actually consider in the Recovery Mannequin and those who pay lip service however do not actually get it. I agree with what you say about character dysfunction – labelling folks might typically be convenient for the medics but it surely isn't always helpful to these labelled – better to assist folks get 'properly' fairly than stigmatising them with an unhelpful label!


text: How true are these words; "character is who you are under pressure, not who you are when everthing is fine"very true i wold say. pressure can bring out the best or the worst of us it depends on the kind of person we are,its brings out our true nature and shows the world what we are made of…..this should get you think of questions like, how am i like when am under pressure? how do i react under pressure? ask yourself and others close to you about these and be true to yourself and make ammendments. The key here is staying focus under pressure


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The Whole World Was Watching
Visited the De Menil collection in Houston which is housed in a beautiful Renzo Piano building and also the beautiful Rothko Chapel which the De Menils commissioned bringing together Rothko and the architect Philip Johnson.
Amongst the many highlights was a wonderful show of civil rights era photographs which runs until September 25.
As described by the Menil Collection – "The Whole World is Watching" was a phrase adopted by radical and leftist political groups in the 1960s to aggregate change, including anti-Vietnam war demonstrators, and student activists, like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. With the advent of television and the new ubiquity of printed media in everyday life, live broadcasts and the immediate dissemination of shocking images were playing a powerful role. The media was helping to finally shed light on violence, and racial injustice, and the American people could no longer turn their backs. The photographers in the show were involved with showing the world both the struggle, and victories of those fighting for civil rights. As photographers and artists, their work is not only important photojournalistic documentation. It is also extraordinary works of art, in themselves. With complex formal compositions and masterful plays with light and framing, they are indelible statements.


text: Top seven British near misses at Wimbledon Live Tennis Staff in Wimbledon 26 Jun 2018Top seven British near-misses at WimbledonFeatures Andy Murray, Tim Henman, Jo Konta, Virginia Wade and Roger Taylor 0 share Share Tweet Email Share RedditAndy Murray Before Andy Murray became the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936 with his triumph in 2013 (and again in 2016), and Virginia Wade secured the silverware in 1977, home hopes at the All England Club experienced several crushing moments - we take a look back at seven near misses for British players at The Championships!Watch and bet on tennis live from Wimbledon at bet365 > live streaming > tennis (geo restrictions apply; funded account required or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to qualify).1. 2017 - Johanna Konta lost to Venus Williams 6-4 6-2Becoming the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since Virginia Wade in 1978, Konta set The Championships alight with multiple thrilling victories on her way to the final four, including a 10-8 in the third win over Donna Vekic and three-set wins over Caroline Garcia and second seed Simona Halep. But Venus Williams proved too strong in the semis as Konta succumbed in straight sets before Garbine Muguruza went on to win the title.2. 2012 - Wimbledon final: Andy Murray lost to Roger Federer 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 4-6When Murray clinched the first set of last year's final, British fans dared to dream. Could this finally be the moment that Murray achieved his destiny? As it was, he was unable to capitalise on his early advantage and Federer edged a tight second set. And once the roof closed, the momentum swung heavily in Federer's favour. The Swiss is a superb indoor player and he was simply too strong in the final two sets to crush Murray's dreams. 3. 2009 - Wimbledon semi-final: Andy Murray lost to Andy RoddickMurray was heavy favourite heading into this match after beating Roddick on a number of occasions including Wimbledon 2006. The American was thought to be washed up but at Wimbledon 2009 he enjoyed one more moment in the spotlight, serving superbly and playing aggressive tennis throughout the fortnight. Murray usually likes a target but Roddick gave him few chances and edged home in four. 4. 2002 - Wimbledon semi-final: Tim Henman lost to Lleyton HewittIf Henman had managed to win, he would almost certainly have gone on to beat a very nervous David Nalbandian in the final but against his nemesis Hewitt, he didn't really come close. Hewitt has always relished facing serve-volleyers and Henman's delivery just didn't have enough juice as the Aussie took full advantage.5. 2001 - Wimbledon semi-final: Tim Henman lost to Goran IvanisevicThe now legendary match which was played over three days thanks to persistent rain. If Henman had been able to finish the job on day one when leading by two sets to one he would surely have prevailed to face Pat Rafter in the semi-finals. But Ivanisevic was able to regroup and he served like a dream in the final two sets before completing his Wimbledon fairytale on Magic Monday.6. 1978 - Virginia Wade lost to Chris Evert 8-6 6-2Seeded fourth at The Championships as she attempted to defend her title from the previous year, Wade was in terrific form heading into her semi-final showdown with top seed Chris Evert of the USA, dropping just one set en route to the final four. However, after an extremely tight first set, Wade couldn't keep up with Evert in the second as the American ultimately ran away with the contest. To this day, Wade was the last British woman to win Wimbledon (1977).7. 1973 - Wimbledon semi-final: Roger Taylor lost to Jan Kodes 9-8, 7-9, 7-5, 4-6, 5-7 Kodes went on to win Wimbledon 1973 but Taylor came oh so close in a dramatic final set which finished in the gathering gloom on a rain-interrupted day. Taylor led 5-4 in the fifth but with the Centre Court turf wet and skiddy, Kodes' gritty tennis proved more effective and he reeled off the final three games.


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huntingospray, BA (Hons) History, Open University... (part two)
The official photos have arrived!
Here's one of Sarah clutching her fake scroll (!):
And a rather lovely one of me, Sarah, and Sarah's mum Rita:
Those, and the other twelve that were taken, came on a rather useful pen drive thingy, although there also printed versions of a couple (which may well be the two I've just posted) in white cardboard frames. We're going to get a proper frame for the one of Sarah alone, and in the meantime it's standing on the shelf next to mine from my graduation day (only about 15 years apart!). We are quite properly The Two Degrees. One more and we can form a pop group.


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Curried Chick Pea Buns
About once a week, Dr. Dani has to travel to a clinic in another county to see patients. The drive apparently happens lunch time (luckily for her, as otherwise she might not get lunch), so I strive to give her something for lunch that she can eat while driving. I decided last week to make a whole wheat bun filled with cooked chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and kale. I have to confess that the amount of filling was more than what I got in my bun dough, so the leftover filling (there wasn't a huge amount) went in the freezer and will likely be used in a wrap later when I'm home alone and searching for something to eat.
The Dough
1/4 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon of sugar or honey
1 Tablespoon of instant yeast
Let this hang out until it's foamy (about ten minutes). Then, stir in 3 cups of White Whole Wheat Flour and 2 Tablespoons of Vital Wheat Gluten.
Stir together 1 cup warm water, 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir this into the flour mixture and knead on a lightly floured board (or even in the mixing bowl) until the dough is fairly smooth and isn't sticking to your hands. Let rise for 1.5-2 hours.
Note: I add oil and sugar because I find with a whole wheat bread that it helps the bread stay soft. Without those ingredients, the bread will taste fine, but I find the crust a bit abrasive on the roof of the mouth. It is your call. You could also leave the vital wheat gluten out. I put it in to help give the whole grain flour a bit more elasticity since you want a dough forgiving enough to stretch around the filling.
The Filling
1 cup diced onion
3 cups diced sweet potato (I peeled mine because they were a bit gnarly. You decide).
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced ginger root
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced. (I had a red and a green).
4 cups chopped kale
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 Tablespoons of no chicken broth powder
1 Tablespoon of Garam Masala seasoning
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons lime or lemon juice
Start with the onion and sweet potato in a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Cook until the sweet potato has begun to brown and is fairly tender. Stir in garlic, peppers, and ginger and let cook for a minute or two then add chickpeas and kale, stirring to mix. Mix the spices and liquid ingredients in the water (or throw them in the pan briefly to toast and revitalize them) and put all in the pan. Stir until the kale is tender and the liquid has cooked down. The mixture should be moist enough to hold together, but it should not be wet or soupy. Allow the mixture to cool in the refrigerator while the bread rises.
To stuff the buns, punch the dough down and divide into 12 equal portions. Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten a dough ball and shape into a circle. Put 2-3 Tablespoons of the chilled chickpea mixture in the center and start pinching the sides together, wrapping up the dough. Twist the ends together and place seam side down on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Keep going until all 12 buns are stuffed.
Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise for 45 minutes or longer. You can spray with a bit of nonstick spray before baking them off in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. The bottoms should be golden.
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Angel lives in Camden, Arkansas where she writes stuff and sometimes sends it out to other people to read. She used to grade papers, but not anymore. Check out her main site to see what she's up to lately.
November 2017