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The Temptation of Jesus.* 1a Filled with the holy Spirit,* Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert 2for forty days,* to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.b 3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." 4Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"c 5Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. 6The devil said to him, "I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish.d 7All this will be yours, if you worship me." 8Jesus said to him in reply, "It is written:
'You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.'"e
9* Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10for it is written:
'He will command his angels concerning you,
to guard you,'f
'With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"g
12Jesus said to him in reply, "It also says, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"h 13* When the devil had finished every temptation,i he departed from him for a time.
The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry. 14j Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread* throughout the whole region.k 15He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
The Rejection at Nazareth.* l 16He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom* into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read 17and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
18"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,*
because he has anointed me
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
19and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
20Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. 21He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."* 22And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?"n 23He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'"* 24And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25* Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land.o 26* It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephathp in the land of Sidon. 27Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."q 28When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. 29They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. 30But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
The Cure of a Demoniac. 31* Jesus then went down to Capernaum,r a town of Galilee.s He taught them on the sabbath, 32and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority.t 33In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,u and he cried out in a loud voice, 34"Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?* I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"v 35Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. 36They were all amazed and said to one another, "What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." 37And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
The Cure of Simon's Mother-in-Law. 38w After he left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.* Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. 39He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them.
Other Healings.x 40At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. 41* And demons also came out from many, shouting, "You are the Son of God."y But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Leaves Capernaum.z 42* At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. 43But he said to them, "To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent."a 44And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.*
* [4:1–13] See note on Mt 4:1–11.
* [4:1] Filled with the holy Spirit: as a result of the descent of the Spirit upon him at his baptism (Lk 3:21–22), Jesus is now equipped to overcome the devil. Just as the Spirit is prominent at this early stage of Jesus' ministry (Lk 4:1, 14, 18), so too it will be at the beginning of the period of the church in Acts (Acts 1:4; 2:4, 17).
* [4:2] For forty days: the mention of forty days recalls the forty years of the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites during the Exodus (Dt 8:2).
* [4:9] To Jerusalem: the Lucan order of the temptations concludes on the parapet of the temple in Jerusalem, the city of destiny in Luke-Acts. It is in Jerusalem that Jesus will ultimately face his destiny (Lk 9:51; 13:33).
* [4:13] For a time: the devil's opportune time will occur before the passion and death of Jesus (Lk 22:3, 31–32, 53).
* [4:14] News of him spread: a Lucan theme; see Lk 4:37; 5:15; 7:17.
* [4:16–30] Luke has transposed to the beginning of Jesus' ministry an incident from his Marcan source, which situated it near the end of the Galilean ministry (Mk 6:1–6a). In doing so, Luke turns the initial admiration (Lk 4:22) and subsequent rejection of Jesus (Lk 4:28–29) into a foreshadowing of the whole future ministry of Jesus. Moreover, the rejection of Jesus in his own hometown hints at the greater rejection of him by Israel (Acts 13:46).
* [4:16] According to his custom: Jesus' practice of regularly attending synagogue is carried on by the early Christians' practice of meeting in the temple (Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:12).
* [4:18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me: see note on Lk 3:21–22. As this incident develops, Jesus is portrayed as a prophet whose ministry is compared to that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Prophetic anointings are known in first-century Palestinian Judaism from the Qumran literature that speaks of prophets as God's anointed ones. To bring glad tidings to the poor: more than any other gospel writer Luke is concerned with Jesus' attitude toward the economically and socially poor (see Lk 6:20, 24; 12:16–21; 14:12–14; 16:19–26; 19:8). At times, the poor in Luke's gospel are associated with the downtrodden, the oppressed and afflicted, the forgotten and the neglected (Lk 4:18; 6:20–22; 7:22; 14:12–14), and it is they who accept Jesus' message of salvation.
* [4:21] Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing: this sermon inaugurates the time of fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Luke presents the ministry of Jesus as fulfilling Old Testament hopes and expectations (Lk 7:22); for Luke, even Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection are done in fulfillment of the scriptures (Lk 24:25–27, 44–46; Acts 3:18).
* [4:23] The things that we heard were done in Capernaum: Luke's source for this incident reveals an awareness of an earlier ministry of Jesus in Capernaum that Luke has not yet made use of because of his transposition of this Nazareth episode to the beginning of Jesus' Galilean ministry. It is possible that by use of the future tense you will quote me…, Jesus is being portrayed as a prophet.
* [4:25–26] The references to Elijah and Elisha serve several purposes in this episode: they emphasize Luke's portrait of Jesus as a prophet like Elijah and Elisha; they help to explain why the initial admiration of the people turns to rejection; and they provide the scriptural justification for the future Christian mission to the Gentiles.
* [4:26] A widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon: like Naaman the Syrian in Lk 4:27, a non-Israelite becomes the object of the prophet's ministry.
* [4:31–44] The next several incidents in Jesus' ministry take place in Capernaum and are based on Luke's source, Mk 1:21–39. To the previous portrait of Jesus as prophet (Lk 4:16–30) they now add a presentation of him as teacher (Lk 4:31–32), exorcist (Lk 4:32–37, 41), healer (Lk 4:38–40), and proclaimer of God's kingdom (Lk 4:43).
* [4:34] What have you to do with us?: see note on Jn 2:4. Have you come to destroy us?: the question reflects the current belief that before the day of the Lord control over humanity would be wrested from the evil spirits, evil destroyed, and God's authority over humanity reestablished. The synoptic gospel tradition presents Jesus carrying out this task.
* [4:38] The house of Simon: because of Luke's arrangement of material, the reader has not yet been introduced to Simon (cf. Mk 1:16–18, 29–31). Situated as it is before the call of Simon (Lk 5:1–11), it helps the reader to understand Simon's eagerness to do what Jesus says (Lk 5:5) and to follow him (Lk 5:11).
* [4:41] They knew that he was the Messiah: that is, the Christ (see note on Lk 2:11).
* [4:42] They tried to prevent him from leaving them: the reaction of these strangers in Capernaum is presented in contrast to the reactions of those in his hometown who rejected him (Lk 4:28–30).
* [4:44] In the synagogues of Judea: instead of Judea, which is the best reading of the manuscript tradition, the Byzantine text tradition and other manuscripts read "Galilee," a reading that harmonizes Luke with Mt 4:23 and Mk 1:39. Up to this point Luke has spoken only of a ministry of Jesus in Galilee. Luke may be using Judea to refer to the land of Israel, the territory of the Jews, and not to a specific portion of it.
a. [4:1–13] Mt 4:1–11; Mk 1:12–13.
h. [4:12] Dt 6:16; 1 Cor 10:9.
i. [4:13] 22:3; Jn 13:2, 27; Heb 4:15.
j. [4:14–15] Mt 4:12–17; Mk 1:14–15.
l. [4:16–30] Mt 13:53–58; Mk 6:1–6.
o. [4:25] 1 Kgs 17:1–7; 18:1; Jas 5:17.
p. [4:26] 1 Kgs 17:9.
u. [4:33–34] 8:28; Mt 8:29; Mk 1:23–24; 5:7.
w. [4:38–39] Mt 8:14–15; Mk 1:29–31.
x. [4:40–41] Mt 8:16; Mk 1:32–34.
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If you have any questions about the Rivals Amateur Series, please DM @Menace13#1313 on Discord.
We will be running this out of the Rivals of Aether Academy Discord. If you're not in there, you may be DQed at any time.
Basic rules:
North America only. Low-mid level players only. Official NA RAS Banlist.
3 stocks, 8 minutes.
Best of 3 until top 8. Top 8 is best of 5.
DSR: A player cannot counterpick to a stage that they have already won on.
A DQ or ban can be given to anyone for being too slow to complete their matches.
After signing up, you must check in on Challonge during the 30 minute period before the tournament begins. If you do not check in, you will be automatically removed from the bracket when the tournament begins.
Low-mid level players only. Seeding is based on statistics if you've entered before, or guesswork if you haven't.
Official NA RAS Banlist. If you are on this list, and you enter an RAS event on your main, you will be disqualified and potentially face punishments, including but not limited to bans from other Academy tournaments or the Academy itself. Smurfs and/or secondaries from players on this list are 100% prohibited and will result in an indefinite ban from all Academy tournaments and a minimum of a 1-month ban from the Academy. This rule will never be circumvented for anybody. If you have any questions or concerns about this list, please DM @Menace13#1313 BEFORE entering any RAS event.
Rights are reserved for a TO to play you before, during, or after the tournament to see if you are actually low-mid level. This will generally be applied if I've never heard of you or you're coming back from a break. Declining this challenge may result in a DQ.
Connection issues will all need to be played out unless there is video proof of SERIOUS, HUGE ping spiking. After the tournament the TO staff may vet the people who had reported connections and potentially bar them from future events.

subset: commoncrawl


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Birthday Picture in Warm Colors I – SOLD
ca. 1970
31.75" x 31.5"
Works on Paper, silkscreen AP I/XVI
31.75" x 31.5"
Works on Paper, silkscreen AP I/XVI
Signed and titled lower right
About the Artist
(1900 - 1985)
Herbert Bayer (1900-1985) was born in Austria, where he entered into an apprenticeship under the architect and designer, Georg Smidthammer, with whom Bayer learned drawing, painting, and architectural drafting, inspired by nature and without formal knowledge of art history. In 1920, Bayer discovered the theoretical writings of the artist Vassily Kandinsky, as well as Walter Gropius' 1919 Bauhaus manifesto, in which Gropius declared the necessity for a return to crafts as a source of true creativity and inspiration. Bayer traveled to Weimar to meet Gropius in October of 1921 and was immediately accepted into the Bauhaus. There, he was deeply influenced by the instruction of Kandinsky, Johannes Itten and Paul Klee.In 1928 Bayer moved to Berlin together with several members of the Bauhaus staff including Gropius, Moholy-Nagy and Marcel Breuer. He found work as a freelance graphic designer, particularly with German Vogue, under its art director Agha. When the latter returned to Paris, Bayer joined the staff full time, and also worked increasingly with Dorland, the magazine's principal advertising agency. It was in the period from 1928 to his emigration to America in 1938 that he developed his unique vision as an artist, combining a strongly modernist aesthetic sense with a rare ability to convey meaning clearly and directly. This seamless combination of art, craft and design mark Bayer as true prophet of Bauhaus theories.
Bayer followed Gropius to America in 1938, and set his breadth of skills to work later that year in designing the landmark Bauhaus 1918-1928 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Bayer flourished in New York as a designer and architect, but it was his meeting with the industrialist Walter Paepcke in 1946 that allowed him to harness his concepts of 'total design' to the postwar boom. Paepcke was developing Aspen as a cultural and intellectual destination, and found in Bayer the perfect collaborator. Bayer was designer, educator and indeed architect for Paepcke's Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies (later The Aspen Institute), which promulgated the very Bauhaus project to encourage cooperation between art and industry and the role of the arts in society. From 1965 he fulfilled a similar role in advising Robert O. Anderson, chairman of the Atlantic Richfield Company.
His work is represented in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, New York, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Bauhaus-Archiv, Berlin, Schubladen Museum, Bern, Switzerland, Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany, Museum of Modern Art, Mexico City.
In August 2019 The Aspen Institute announced a major donation by Stewart and Lynda Resnick for the creation of the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies. This will allow the Institute to showcase and exhibit its Bayer works, grow its collection, borrow from major cultural institutions, and create new exhibitions that will educate the public about Bayer's remarkable legacy. The center opened in the spring of 2022.
Download Full Biography


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How Do Cataracts Affect Our Vision?
In the US alone, nearly 20.5 million adults over the age of 40 and half of seniors 80 and older have cataracts.
Considering how common this eye condition is, we want all of our patients to know what cataracts are, their symptoms, and that they are treatable.
What Are Cataracts?
A cataract is a cloudy clump of proteins that forms in the lens of the eye and prevents light from reaching your retinas like it normally would. Having cataracts is like having frosted windows installed in the lenses of our eyes. All of the normal eye anatomy is still there and still works, but vision is dimmed or even fully obscured by the cataracts. Cataracts are so common, in fact, that they are the number one cause of blindness worldwide.
[iframe https://www.youtube.com/embed/eMHnvEguhoE?rel=0&end=80 620 349]
Common Symptoms
When cataracts first begin to form, they may only take up a small area of the lenses in the eyes, and vision isn't noticeably affected. Over time, however, a person with cataracts may begin to experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Clouded, blurred, or dim vision
- Increasing difficulty with vision at night
- Sensitivity to light and glare
- Seeing a halo effect around lights
- Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescription
- Fading or yellowing of the colors you see
- Double vision in a single eye
Old Age Isn't The Only Cause
Advanced age is the most common risk factor for cataracts, but more and more people are getting cataracts beginning at age 40, and our susceptibility to developing them may be increased by any of the following factors:
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- UV radiation
- High blood pressure
- Previous eye injury or inflammation
- Previous eye surgery
- Obesity
- Family history
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Prolonged corticosteroid medication use
The Good News About Cataracts
Stronger glasses or contact lens prescriptions can only help with cataracts up to a point. Luckily, with one short surgery per eye, an eye surgeon can easily remove cataracts and restore the patient's clear vision! Cataract surgery is so low-risk, simple, and routine that it is actually performed more frequently than any other surgery, at a rate of three million surgeries per year just in the US!
We're Here To Help
Have you or someone you love been experiencing any of the symptoms of cataracts recently—or, worse, do you know of someone who may have been suffering them in silence for an extended period? If so, schedule an appointment with us so that we can discuss the next steps to get you or your loved one back on the path to healthy, cloud-free eyesight!


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There's more to successful marketing than sharing your product or service with an audience and hoping they bite. There's more than just announcing the brand, posting a few blog articles and sending your sales representatives out to do cold calls. In fact, the goal behind marketing goes much deeper. The driving force responsible should be brand storytelling.
Stories have an immense power to transform a brand's presence and identity. Look at legendary brands like Disney, Coca-Cola and Apple, and what do they have in common? An incredible story that propelled them forward and impacted the world. Every brand has a story, including yours. The key is to dig in and figure out how to share it. Take a look at how to successfully tell your brand's story.
Define your purpose.
Before you tell others your story, you have to discover it for yourself first. Sure, you might know how the business started, but have you ever actually thought through the story? Take time to define the purpose of the brand. Get a team together and walk through how the business was founded, what its intentions were and how it has grown over time. Once you define the core purpose of the brand, the other facets of the story will fall into place.
Incorporate personality.
Every brand has a unique personality which sets it apart from competition and catches consumer attention. Your brand story is more than just marketing; it should incorporate the entire persona you want to be known for. This means that as you expand the story, consider the people who participate, create and develop the brand's personality. You're not writing a biography; you're writing a novel with a full plot, character development and climax.
Keep it simple.
Of course, you don't want the novel to get too complicated. Otherwise, you might lose customers' attention. Keep the brand's story simple: beginning, middle and end. Most companies follow the same storyline: problem, solution, success. For instance, explain the problem you wanted to solve, describe how you solved it and share about the success this created. Then, close with a continuation of how the brand hopes to grow.
Connect with customers.
At the core, your brand's story isn't really about the company. Even though it shares the business beginnings, the true goal of the story is to connect with customers. For this reason, share your story in a way that tells customers you relate to them, understand them and have things in common with them. When you connect with customers, you reach the true power of storytelling: establishing trust.
Establish trust.
The best brand stories build a profound trust with their clients. They let customers into the "behind the scenes" of the company and create a sense of confidence with them. In fact, stories are an influential tool in human communication. When humans read a story, they can literally feel an experience and synchronize their minds with the story's subject. By sharing your brand story with customers, you establish a status of trust and encourage customers to do the same.
Marketing means more than just selling a product. It involves creating, sharing and connecting with others through powerful storytelling. Keep these tips in mind as you develop your brand's story and share it successfully with others.


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1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel which they had made.
9 And the children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.
10 And they set up for themselves images and groves on every high hill, and under every green tree:
11 And there they burnt incense on all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
12 For they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, Ye shall not do this thing.
13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
14 Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.
15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
20 And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.
22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;
23 Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria to this day.
24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in its cities.
25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
26 Wherefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.
29 Yet, every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they dwelt.
30 And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they feared the LORD, and made to themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
34 To this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35 With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
36 But the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an out-stretched arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.
37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.
38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.
39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40 Yet they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
41 So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they to this day.


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Images tagged "lake"
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Hi Miko,
I don't have your current email address and I couldn't find it anywhere. Also, you weren't on MSN when I was writing this, so this was the best way I had to contact you. You're not home for the long weekend, are you? I figure you're probably not, but if you are, we're trying to put some stuff together. Let me know at email@example.com .
I hate sharpening pencils too.
hi dear,
i see you are living it up in zambia, and yay for updating blog! i would e-mail you also, but i don't know which one you use. shoot me a line at saba.khan at gmail. stay safe :)
On the topic of African roads, if you haven't read it already, you should read "The road to hell is unpaved: Trucking in Cameroon"
(If you don't have your economist login, let me know and I'll email you the article)
That article was great. Thanks
Keep up the stories they are soo interesting!!! SHure its different, but man what an awesome experience….be careful not to eat too many moldy products!
BTW do you eat alot of sorghum now instead of oats???
STay safe and get yourself into a little international trouble!!!
Chrissy!!P.S Gimme a shout when you get back, if I'm around a little whistler perhaps!
I have yet to try sorghum, but I did explore the market and asked for some. Nobody had any. I would like to try sorghum and cassava because I've never even seen it.
I have been eating maize-meal porridge in the mornings. It's just like an African cream-of-wheat. -
Really??? No Sorghum….weird…. I would have thought that they be rampid in that…. BTW I might be on my way to Africa myself…I am in the mists of applying for an internship in S.Africa….it wouldn't be until september…but you always know fuller that if you are in the area you can crash on my couch…:p
P.s Apparently there is this fruit called Iobaga that comes from somewhere in AFRICA…one of the most painful and powerful hallucinagens known to man…they use it to try and cure heroine addicts!
Tell me if you see it :p
Chrissy -
It sounds like you are experiencing peace.
Your images of children running and waving after your car make me smile bigger than you know.
Thank you for your updates, I'm glad you survived your time out in the African bush.
Love E.
How did your time in the bush go!?
Hey Mike…
Fletcher here..Hope all is well..BTW strikes mean less supply of commodities in question..therefore higher profits for the co`s other mines in the long term….surprising the stock market is more rational than one would guess.
Give me a ring when you get back to Vancouver..
Hope to see you soon Vancouver misses you and me to!
Chrissy -
Yup Mike that's pretty much Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam) in a nutshell. As an expat I wouldn't walk around Dar by myself too much. Have fun in Arusha. It's a neat place
Dar was a crap hole. I'm in Nairobi now which is known to be worse but actually I love it. Everyone has been amazingly nice, and we even walked the streets at night in the neighbourhood the Lonely Planet advises against without troubles.
Mike! I never realized you were such a technocrat… blogging since '05 even! I'll have to read through your blog some time.. uh.. not at work. Yeah…
lol hey Ian. Did you google me up?
Ah, Cecil Rhodes, eh?
I was recently reminded of a fantastic quotation from the man, thanks to a book I'm reading at the moment (about a village cricket side that toured the world). It was: "Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life."
I mean…
Bad luck on the scholarship application, though, old chap.
Hopefully catch up soon.
Too bad about Rhodes, it seemed Cecil was your man…
I guess it wasnt in the stars.
Hey, Im moving to Toronto for two years in May, up in yo hometown! Hey-hey.
Good luck with your final term at school, Mike. Sweet, beautiful freedom is whispering your name.
Dude, you got Straylia day wrong.
It is bigger out East, with people holding BBQs and listening to the Hottest 100.
In Perth as far as I can tell the CUBs all head to Kings Park to camp out all day waiting for the fireworks, as if they have never seen exploding gunpowder before.
Fuller! Loved the detailed description of your hooligan encounters in the 'burbs. Had me grinning thinking of your polite, yet subtly sarcastic replies. Keep up the stories!
ps. Also the hood/reef pictures are wonderful.
Thanks Jana!
Dave what do you mean I got it wrong? -
I find that when cultures are somewhat similar (ie; Chinese and Malay are closer than Indian and Canadian) they do a lot to guard the differences they do have.
Also, I have been on many escalators in my life and I still do that when I board one.
Hey you're right. It's like US and Canadian; we proudly defend the differences between our cultures. Or when I meet ESL foreigners in Perth I make sure they know I'm not Australian.
Removing shoes is definitely the more sensible custom.
I have an whole blog about removing shoes in homes: Shoes Off at the Door, Please You might like to take a look.
Mike, be nice to the locals, 75 cents is a lot for them and nothing for you.
Speaking of horns, trucks from West Bengal (they're usually very colourful) have equally colourful horns… these may be the ditties that you speak of. It's typical of that state apparently.
Soph, I don't need to be reminded of that. I'm exceedingly polite and respectful to people, but sometimes we're so overwhelmed by annoying touts we need to have some fun to balance things out.
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Was it Flury's the swank pastry shop in Calcutta? How did you like the city? Was it as I described it to you (did I describe it to you?)
As for the customer service…it's just as bad in Europe… so now you know how I feel as a 'coloured person' being served in a white man's town.
Yes it was Flury's! (Where the cashier was on his mobile)
I loved Kolkata. Favourite big city, especially compared with Delhi *shudder*.
You described Kolkata as 'sheer chaos' so I expected disorganized anarchic nonsense.
But I found it chilled out, with lots of culture (modern art, live music), good restaurants, markets, and bearable touts. -
It does have a thriving art scene, this is true… and apparently some wild parties, but this is not anything I would know.
Well, I'm glad you liked it! Surprised… but glad.
It was specially registered at a forum to tell to you thanks for the help in this question how I can thank you?
G'day, mate. Mate actually rhymes with Mike :D
Not in Canadia
All these East Asian countries (well, not all) are light years ahead with their transport and communications technology, it's ridiculous. That we still do not have high speed trains in N. America is crazy – they're magic baby!
Ah, we can only dream of such technologies… or move to civilized countries!
If you really dig bioluminescence, you need to have another try at scuba diving. There's nothing quite like being completely consumed by glowing bugs. :)
Have you experienced any of the trailing weather from typhoon Megi?
– Megan
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Dan that sounds incredible.
Megan, your typhoon just barely missed us, as it turned northwards. Some rains in central Vietnam cut off the highway and railway right after we passed through, and apparently the temples of Bagan were ravaged by rain a few days before we arrived. Lucky!
I searched my name for family pics and came across your work, excellent photos, your name is pretty cool too :p
Hey thanks. Scary we actually have a bunch more in common than just our names.
No photos of Vientiane? Did you make it to any of the places on the map? We were very happy to get out of Vang Vieng. My brother and his friend drank for the kids for a day and then we left. A couple of days later a 19 year old boy from Melbourne (and a friend of my brother) died on the river. Only 2 weeks after the last Aussie death.
I didn't find anything photogenic in Vientiane. I just hung out with cool expats and couchsurfers. And scarfed delicious French cuisine.
How did your bro know the guy who died and how did he die? I really hope it wasn't the friend your bro was traveling with!!!
P.S. Good job finding my blog! And what map do you mean?
This comment has been removed by the author.
P.P.S. Thanks for the advice on Saoban. I bought some nice things there. And the movie night was full so I never made it out for the film.
It wasn't the friend my brother was traveling with but another guy from Melbourne that he knew. They were both pretty upset though.
Glad you had a good time in VT even if there was nothing to take photos of. Pity you didn't go to the movie… they never really book out because people don't turn up.
The map = the annotated map in your dodgy looking Lonely Planet! -
The trouble with Lao-Lao…
Crikey, almost another statistic!
Hey Michael, great to hear from you. I have more travel pictures – also from the elephant farm – on Facebook. How can I find you there?
Look up Michael Fuller in Perth, or tell me your full name and I'll find you!
that boat I was on… one of them just sank. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28826352
stop sinking boats. – boat-owners association.
that boat I was on… one of them just sank. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28826352
UPDATE: Prana has kindly donated to me a new pair of Stretch Zion pants. The adventure continues for another decade!
love the map, especially how it shows your different modes of transport! now I'm wondering if you wrote about your passenger ship journey to yiching…
Very informative. An enjoyable read. Thank you for sharing
Wow Mike! Your pics are beautiful! Your website has a lovely glossy magazine look. Good luck on your adventure :)
I don't think you are crazy. I know that you are crazy and I love you for it. Sounds sweet man! Have fun.
Hi Mike – Dean from Cosmos here.
I admire your bravery – well done mate!!
Look forward to hearing some more from your adventures – don't forget to post on Linkedin
Cheers, Deano
Congrats! Mike
Most of us dont eventually escape the rat race till retirement, then again most of us dont wheel our balls around in a wheel barrow like yourself. Good luck mate, I wish you all the very best.
John Bostock -
wow Michael! I just realised who you were when I saw the post. :) This is a fantastic story. I love your photos as well, they are really exceptional. Im going to be following all your ideas on how to improve mine. Best, Sarah
Does Liz keep a blog at least?
:-) -
Ok Mikey, time to come home:
https://www.woodsdreamjob.com/JobDetails/ -
Good info….in my little travels of the world the greatest barrier was broken when I travelled with children…..go figure….children have a universal connection without barriers and so as an adult you get to come along…everyone is friendly, smiling and helpful…was such an eyeopener.
I really like my Scrubba bag for laundry. It doubles as a dry sack/stuff sack/dirty laundry bag. Takes about 5-10 mins to do the washing itself. Then comes the wringing and hang drying part.
http://www.mec.ca/product/5036-920/scrubba-wash-bag-ii/?q=scrubbaI also been carrying a reusable shopping bag. I bought one on a whim in Sweden but was surprised how much I used it. I tend to lug a sack of food around with me on a trip. Sometimes you just need to pack up your bag ASAP. Sometimes you don't want what they are serving on the train, bus, road side stall. I love street food but sometimes the fare is inadvisable. I also always take the motion sickness bags from the airlines. They are plastic lined so you can either carry food in it, or use it as intended on windy bus ride through treacherous mountain roads.
I'll look into liquid bandage. Sounds good for cuts from snorkelling/scuba diving too.
What's funny is I think I have a brown pair of prAna pants like those… with buttons that let you turn them into capris. I love them too.
Ah yes,
The 21st century struggle of gloat, privilege and courage. I've come across many travelers who have expressed their (un)Unique experiences within the spectrum of these three words. Traveling the world today is easier than it has ever been historically. We compete for place amongst our peers solely to define ourselves and choices. Many people feel the need to call out the 'braggers' and separate themselves from others who might seem too proud of their adventures. We're all on this banana pancake trail together. My two cents is that it's important to remember that even the gloaters are right in their justification to experience the world. I really do think it takes a lot of courage to walk out the door and away from the familiar. Regardless of weather or not one is articulate enough to explain what truly drives them to the far reaches of the globe. Cheers to the poor immigrants who climb aboard the leaky boat with no compass. I'm out there on the horizon with you.
I most definitely used the wrong weather*. Regardless of whether or not you noticed. :)
Mike, did I ever mention this to you?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Wand+of+Narcissus -
Well, my answer to your question is Vietnam, but it comes with a complex answer as to why it was so significant to me. I've decided it's way too wordy for this little space (mainly because I've not managed to understand my thoughts on it exactly). However, I have two questions which relates to it; can you describe the difference between being a traveller and tourist? And why do we dislike being called the latter but happily describe others as it?
Just a thought. -
[…] I've just quit (a job I loved) to focus on travel photography, story-telling, and sharing advice. I launched the ONE Project to […]
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[…] Favorite beach: Long Beach, Haida Gwaii, because it led me back from Rose Spit on the best solo hike of my life. […]
Loving the Taj Mahal shot!
I can't wait to get my old hard drive out of Los Angeles. I've got a great one of the Lincoln Monument in Washington D.C. if I can remember correctly. I'd love to share it with you! GREAT WORK!
I've used many of these tactics myself and find it to be pretty effective in most cases. However, there are times when I want to go shopping and must engage with said 'trinket mob' (i.e. picking up some souvenirs for the folks back home). The moment you engage with one merchant in a market it's no holds barred for the rest. The most important thing for me to remember is to remain lighthearted, calm. When I choose to enter the bullpen I try and make it a game. I keep a smile on my face and always enter a haggle using humor, not frustration (or disgust), when settling on a price. Another trick I learned is to buy something early even if you don't like it all that much. This gives me an item to hold up to other touts, expressing to them that my shopping is done for the day. Have you ever deployed these other solutions? I'm with you though. I find it best to simply keep my streetlight doused.
Oooh – I never thought of combining the head shake with a slow blink. That's firm.
One of the things I learned while living in Vietnam was to say "No thank you, I already have one" in Vietnamese. (I experienced the mobs of girls in Sa Pa,too!) And when the tout suggests another item, reuse the phrase again and again until the encounter turns into a comical and lighthearted exchange. When I moved to Cambodia, I made sure to have key phrases in Khmer ready to go in an instant, including the one above. I even had the opportunity to use it when a tuktuk driver suggested that he could be my boyfriend!
'Track pants'? – Mike – those are called tracky dacks! (an example of both rhyming slang and the tendency to put 'y' or 'ie' on the end of words)
Not sure if this is just a Queensland thing, but how about 'pineapples' for $50 notes?
Thanks for the list.
Ha, I enjoyed this Mike, my fave was your description of our use of the term "piss"… so so true.
I'd like to make two variations though: you're correct about the definition of "spewin", however it's still used to say vomiting, it just depends on the context of it's use; if there's a sharp smell coming from the dunny, you can assume someone's been spewin or has "thrown up their guts".
The other thing I'd dispute is that only some Aussies are bogans, I'm more inclined to think that all Australian's are bogans, it's just the degrees of bogan which differentiates each of the class groups… you don't usually have to dig too deep to find someones inner bogan, yep even you Mike, it happened as you accepted that citizenship beer in hand.
I've never used or heard "pineapple", "lobster" and "blue swimmer" to describe money, but I'll endeavour to adopt this immediately! Although I'll swap swimmer for manna otherwise no one will understand me! So what do I call the hundred note and the fiver? Perhaps just the latter, I never see a hundge anyway.
Good article mate. -
Yea, good information….how did you get so smart so young?
Your photos are with educational stories for children and people.Every one of your photos has be interesting story(the right time recorded),fantastic job.
Nice list and break-down Mike. Real honky-dory mate.
About the 'carton of beer'; its just 'carton'.
e.g, Instead of:
"On your drive past the liquor shop on your way around to my barbeque this afternoon would you mind purchase a 24 box of beer for me please?"Its:
"Grab me a carton could ya".
Disclaimer: 'Carton' may or may not become 'carton of piss', on a day where one feels most unusually expressive (or, perhaps counter-intuitively given the association: thirsty).p.s. Just for good measure I should point out that I think you Aussies pinched a few of these from us Kiwis (unlike the rugby ball, which you can't seem to get your hands on… I thought you'd like that one.)
(e.g. 'toggs' perhaps? Oh, not to mention 'boot' (of your car of course), and most controversially over the ages, the delicious 'pavlova'; covered with kiwi-fruit slices, naturally… ;)
Oh but at least you invented the under-arm rolling bowl huh (in cricket). Nice one.
Sorry, had to chuck that last one in as you refuse to buy our apples and I do miss good kiwi Braeburns.. -
[…] travel moment: Getting arrested in China (and narrowly missing a subsequent terrorist […]
awesome post Mike! I am in the process of setting up a travel coaching business with the intention of pushing people out of their comfort zone into challenging travel situations in order for them to grow and develop mentally & emotionally which your article articulately illustrates :) I'll share your article with my new clients! Hope you're well!!
Love this post, Mike. I really, really want to go there!
In regards to banks that don't charge heaps for international withdrawals, the American bank USAA does a great job for travelers from the United States. No fees for foreign ATM withdrawals and their international conversion rate is laughably low. The company is also quick to respond when your card goes on walk-about (as they sometimes do) while you're abroad. Double win!
Great work, Mike! Not too many people have delved into the world of Ladas as much as you have. I'm looking forward to more of your essays about Central Asia.
Great post! I lived in Central Asia for a couple years, and I grew to appreciate the Lada. They were a nice break from the ubiquitous Daewoos. My favorite was the Lada Niva.
I also look forward to reading more of your work on Central Asia!
I love this! I've been wanting to visit for awhile, but I had no idea how, exactly, Haida Gwaii achieved its protected status.
Also, I really want to see old growth trees in the wild now :p
No matter what grade of hotel that I stay in, I always put a rubber Door Stop under the room exterior door. I travel alone so even during the daytime when in my room, I do not want any surprise visitors. In a zip plastic medium size baggy I have 8 rubber bands, 4 large, 4 medium,. 8 paper clips.. 4 large 4 medium,.. 3 yards fine cotton cord, 3 yards medium cotton cord..6 safety pins..1 roll scotch tape.. 2 ball point pens.. In India, I travel with a metal chain with a padlock on the trains.
[…] I've just quit (a job I loved) to focus on travel photography, story-telling, and sharing advice. I launched the ONE Project to […]
Fuller, always an entertaining read. Very funny. Keep on trukin!
Haha brilliant story – seems you've got the best out of Kyrgyzstan :)
"If you're carrying that assumption in your luggage, sadly, you'll never give the world a chance to change your mind." – YES!
And my hat vote: Bottom right!
I enjoy reading and viewing your travels. Marion has been keeping me informed. Happy Holidays and safe travels always.
Wow! It's impossible to pick a favourite. So many sets of glittering eyes and wise smile crinkles. Great work, Fuller.
My first response: Whoa. Places like this still exist?! I want to go!
Also: There isn't a caption on the arial photo of what look like giant bee hives (maybe kilns or tombs?). What's that one about?
Great work as always, dude!
Hey Mike, was it difficult to reach the place? I heard the public transport doesn't even go to Moynaq…
Utility cordelette is a good one!
I use (almost) the same block categories. If I can't separate them with stuff sacks, I layer them: dirty laundry at the bottom, infrequent in the middle, and frequent near the top, with rain jacket at the very top.
Also, in my family we refer to the act of packing and unpacking as 'farkling'. My father coined the term, known for taking as long as 45 minutes to farkle before setting off on the next leg of a trip. Perhaps if he employed your block method and used more stuff sacks, he'd farkle less.
Mike, your photos and words are so educational in a heartwarming and personable way…just so enjoyable! Thank you for sharing them.
Well hello there Mike – I came across your website via NikonRumors (what a place!) and I'm more than pleasantly surprised! I loved everything about this article and the humour peppered and sprinkled throughout your website. I'm a persnickety old bastard that doesn't laugh much but I was laughing out loud reading. Thank you kindly for that. I'm looking forward to hearing more from you.
Ohhhh, man. Ula's story is so terribly sad. We're a fortunate bunch to be able to travel the world on a whim. Great work as always, Mike!
Fabulous and funny stories!!! I am always very curious about the people from this region of the world, a melting pot between Europe and Asia!!
By the way, do you know the fabulous work of this photographer from Uzbekistan?
http://www.ravshaniya.com/Of course, this guy probably is working professionally for an elite of the country, but the people have the same charm, mystery and beauty has in your photos!…
very cool photos ;)
I read a short article here:
on interesting fact about Kyrgyzstan and found myself wondering what the people in general looked like
Your portraits were exactly what I was looking for. Truly beautiful people! Thank you! -
I love grassland and vallies under the mountains. You have an intriguing picture of the simple lodge that make me feel peaceful. Thanks !
Thank you for sharing with us your ideas about taking photos. There are a lot of people who take photos and forget about them right away. But do you the best way to remember a place we have been to is recording videos instead of taking only photos?
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this post! It is the little changes that will make the most significant changes.
Thanks a lot for sharing! -
I'm Indonesian and I must say that I'm impressed by your knowledge of Indonesia.. Tho not all of your definition is accurate, I still appreciate this <3
I appreciate your work, thanks for all the interesting blog posts.
Once again great photos…was starting to wonder where you were at. Camped in a van from Canada to Mexico several times….lovely scenery and so many little nooks and crannies to park a van making it ultra affordable and so interesting. Have fun. Love that shot of you up on the top of that spire.
Nice shoot
I will be wait the next photo -
These photos are gorgeous, and your description of the country has made it one of my number one fantasy travel destinations. I found the site when I searched Kyrgyz people in google images, curious about what they looked like, and the photo of the man holding his beautiful twin girls was the first to capture my attention, so I clicked and found this incredible photo essay- it's truly remarkable how affectionately you've captured these beautiful faces with your lens. Thank you!
what is the hardest part of living in Zambia?
Love this!
Beautiful photos as always xx Weirdly, the stand out for me was the leaky tent pic :)
Waiting in suspense for next instalment.
Enjoy . xxx -
Wonderful read and amazing photos, as always, dear! Lots of love from your proud Mom
Hey Mike
What a joy to read on my trek home …..and the captions in your photos ….safe travels
Phil KT
Michael, you never cease to amaze me! You are gifted in so many areas.
Have fun, be safe.
Louise. -
Loved the amazing photos and your informative and entertaining commentary….as usual!
Yes, your mother is right, so informative, entertaining commentary and amazing photos. I really enjoy your posts….always dreamed of going to Russia, nice to see the reality. And your girlfriend looks like a sweetheart and lots of fun. I look forward to your next post.
Hey Mike Louisa here from kiting back in 2014 Cervantes weekends away with the crew. I am not in touch with any of them anymore. Still kiting heaps tho!
I am reading your articles with joy. Your style of writing is funny and easy. Thanks for describing the details of this awesome world in that way. Looking forward seeing more of your work.
Congrats on the dream job and dream girl!!! You deserve it!
I very much enjoyed this post. Loved the scenery.. However, still not adding Russia to my list of places to visit!
Happy you are safely home… -
I find you finally. I must speak with Anna.
Hi Mike, Another fabulous post. Your pictures are incredible, a lot like Canada with the lakes and trees but the architecture not so much. Those buildings are amazing. So much history there. Canada's history is of course only a century or so and much of that especially out west is going down. Sad but some call it progress especially if you like chopping trees and pouring cement.
I too have a travel list and your pictures are fulfilling my desire to see Russia.
Although I only had to go to Mexico in my early twenties to meet up with a hard drinking, vein bursting macho man that had his plane ready to take me from my friends and fly me to the moon. Your story brought back that memory and I can say thank heavens we got away.
So my theory is there are mean people everywhere, we gotta be on guard, and my first rule now is no alcohol cause it always seems to be the fuel for aggressive behaviour.
More story telling and more pictures. Thanks Mike for another great post. -
Hilarious and entertaining as per usual, Fuller! Thanks for sharing your experiences far from the beaten path!
Yes, I agree thank you. I enjoy all of your musings. I am glad that you have survived all of these wonderful travels.
Thanks Mike – entertaining blog. Reminded me of this https://www.economist.com/gulliver/2015/09/02/the-worlds-most-unfriendly-cities
"Russia has to be governed two ways, as a poor country and as a rich one, because it is both. More than 19 million people, or 13 percent of the population, have incomes below the official subsistence minimum of about $150 a month. That's extreme poverty by developed-world standards.
On the other hand, Russia's resource wealth is enormous; it doesn't just have the world's biggest natural gas reserves, but also Europe's biggest population of internet users and higher academic performance scores than half the developed world."
Leonid BershidskyStory and pictures great as usual. But a country that somehow just terrifies me. But then again, you know I am not the adventurous type!
Wow, awesome photos, fabulous stories and you two are humorous. Love your face shots. That architecture is something else. Thanks for the journey.
how much is the car collection?
Thank you for this great information!
I wanted to ask if at this border any passport can pass or only Chinese-Russian once?
Can you do the other way to enter China there too?
I'm dreaming to make a trip with my car from Romania > Ukraine > Russia > china, if it even possible :)
Thanks again!
Happy New Year from John & Gina Perth WA
that's cool photography. how to take picture like that?
welcome, nice information. thanks banget lah ya pokoknya
Glad you've kept busy and entertained. Love the love. Stay classy Melbourne.
Hey Mike….absolutely loved this !!!!!! it's amazing how we can still find a lot of things to do while being "locked down" ..keep going, we will all get there soon! :-)
Loved reading about and seeing your lockdown adventures and yay for venturing further from today on. Love from Freo <3
Great pictures Micheal!
We have a niece living in Melbourne, she told us the same thing, they are pretty strict there, but it seems to work, not a lot of new cases……!Hopefully you can travel soon again!
Stay safe! -
I need more of that.
Thanks for the great articles.Haida Gwaii – a no brainer for me to go to this beautiful place.
Once the world settles down.I retired in Sept. Much needed reflection time now.
Take care


text:
Not too long ago I came across some poached eggs on toast with chipotle mayonnaise, bacon and avocado on Cookin Canuck which was great because it reminded me that it had been far too long since I had last made these tasty little breakfast sandwiches. Normally I would serve these sandwiches in English muffins but they are particularly messy with the egg yolk and avocado spilling out all over so I really liked the idea of serving them open-faced so that you could eat them with a knife and a fork! This really is a magical combination of flavours with the salty bacon, the spicy hot chipotle mayo, the cool and creamy avocado and you of course cannot go wrong topping it all off with a runny egg yolk! This truly is a breakfast to look forward to waking up to!
One of the things that I like about these sandwiches is that there are a lot of variations that you can do and I spent all of last week playing around with them. Although the poached eggs are definitely healthier, when you have some bacon grease on hand anyways, frying the eggs in a bit of the bacon grease adds a ton of flavour! In another variation of the sandwich, I like to replace the bacon with cheese that I sprinkle onto the egg while it fries and then I add a bit more to the sandwich as well. When I serve these sandwiches in English muffins I sometime like to mash the avocado and mix in some creamy mayonnaise which is an awesome combination that works well, though it makes the sandwich slightly messier. There are so many ways to enjoy these delectable breakfast sandwiches!
Poached Egg on Toast with Chipotle Mayonnaise, Bacon and Avocado
Open faced bacon, avocado and poached egg sandwich with creamy chipotle lime mayonnaise.
- 4 eggs
- 4 slices bread, lightly toasted (I used multigrain)
- 1/4 cup chipotle lime mayo (see below)
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 8 slices bacon, cooked
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.
- Crack an egg into a bowl, swirl the water in the pot and pour the egg from the bowl into the water and repeat for another egg.
- Let the eggs cook until the whites are set but the yolks are not, about 2-3 minutes and fish them out.
- Repeat for the remaining 2 eggs.
- Assemble sandwiches and enjoy.
Chipotle Lime Mayo
Spicy hot and smoky chipotle peppers mixed with creamy mayo and a hint of lime.
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce or to taste, chopped
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
- 1/2 lime, juice
- Mix everything.
Avocado BLT with Fried Egg And Chipotle Mayo
Breakfast Reuben Sandwich
Morel Mushroom and Asparagus Eggs Benedict
Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg
Thanksgiving Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict
Peameal Bacon Breakfast Sandwich with Maple Caramelized Onions and a Fried Egg
Roasted Portobello Mushroom with Poached Egg in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Smoked Salmon Asparagus Quinoa Cake Eggs Benedict
Breakfast Chorizo Quesadilla Topped with a Fried Egg
Avocado Breakfast Pizza with Fried Egg
Bacon Jam Chicken Club Sandwich with Avocado and Chipotle Mayo
Bacon Guacamole Deviled Eggs
Eggs Benedict with Bacon, Avodaise (Avocado Hollandaise) and Harissa
Crispy Smashed Potato Pancakes with Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Bacon and Eggs
Avocado Toast with Fried Egg
Esquites (Mexican Corn Salad) Avocado Toast
Heirloom Tomato Avocado Toast With Balsamic Drizzle
Tomato and Goat Cheese Avocado Toast with Balsamic Glaze


text:
Weight | N/A |
Peanut Butter English Bulldog T-Shirt
Original price was: $29.99.$19.99Current price is: $19.99.
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• 100% ringspun cotton
• 4.5 oz/y² (153 g/m²)
• Pre-shrunk
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Quarter-turned to avoid crease down the center


text:
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text:
We've provided answers to a number of commonly asked dental questions. If you have a question that is not addressed here, please call us at (818) 832-6000. We look forward to resolving all of your dental concerns.
A: While bad breath might be a symptom of some other disorder, it most likely stems from dental decay and periodontitis. Periodontitis is a disease affecting gums and bone that support the teeth, and it results from inadequate tooth brushing and flossing. In this disease, the irritated gums pull away from the teeth and form pockets between the teeth and the gums. These pockets fill with bacteria which give off a foul odor.
Patients with bad breath need a complete dental evaluation. If gum disease and/or dental decay are diagnosed, it can be treated readily. The patient will no longer have an infection in his or her mouth, and he or she will no longer have the embarrassment of bad breath.
A: Cosmetic bonding is an affordable, quick and painless way to repair many cosmetic flaws or injuries, including:
- Gaps in teeth
- Spots or stains
- Chipped teeth
Dental bonding sculpts individual teeth without requiring removal of any tooth structure. This technique bonds a composite material that looks, acts and feels like the real thing, to an existing tooth. This procedure usually doesn't require the use of an anesthetic; is relatively quick to apply; gives an immediate result and is less expensive than veneers.
A: Bleaching is a safe, effective and relatively easy means of producing a whiter smile. We offer several options for whitening your teeth.
- In-office bleaching- A bleaching solution is applied to your teeth and is activated by heat and light. This in-office procedure typically lasts 30 minutes to one hour and significantly whitens teeth after only one visit. Although stubborn stains may require another visit, results generally last for years and can be maximized with regular dental hygiene.
- At-home bleaching- During a visit to your dentist, you will be given a whitening gel and fitted with a custom-made whitening tray. Once you return home, you apply the gel to the tray and wear it for two to three hours per day for two or three weeks.
Even with today's advanced whitening techniques, not everyone's teeth will whiten with the same results. During the visit with your dentist, your situation will be carefully evaluated and you will be advised accordingly.
A: Porcelain veneers are often used for the same reasons as bonding; to lighten stains, close gaps and even alter crooked or malformed teeth. You can change the shape, color and length of your teeth using veneers. They are thin, durable shells designed to cover the front of the tooth. They are typically made of porcelain and are extremely durable, stain resistant, natural-looking and easy to maintain.
Veneers are custom-fitted to your teeth by removing a small amount of enamel and bonding the veneer to your teeth using a safe, high tech polymer resin. You can expect veneers to stay bright and strong for many years by performing good oral hygiene.
A: Teeth are often restored using silver or composite fillings. However, when too much of a tooth's structure is removed to support a filling, a crown or "cap" may be needed. A crown may be needed to:
- Restore a tooth when it is unable to support a large filling
- Attach bridges
- Protect a weak tooth from fracturing or restore fractured teeth
- Cover badly shaped or discolored teeth
- Cover dental implants
A crown essentially covers a tooth to restore it to its natural shape and size. This permanent covering fits over your original tooth to strengthen or improve the appearance of the tooth. Fitting a crown generally requires at least two visits to the dentist's office.
A: Until recently, dentists used an inexpensive silver and mercury amalgam to fill and seal cavities. Because silver fillings do not bond to a tooth, a chamber must be cut into the tooth that is larger than the exterior. This "undercut" keeps the filling in the tooth. Because a larger amount of the original tooth must be removed, these types of fillings often weaken teeth.
Recent innovations now allow us to replace old silver fillings with composite or porcelain fillings that are stronger, safer and more natural looking. Unlike silver fillings, composite fillings bond to the tooth and provide more protection from fracturing. The quartz-like material is layered into the tooth and hardened with highly intense visible light. The final surface is shaped and polished to match the tooth, making it virtually invisible to the naked eye. Say goodbye to "metal mouth" and hello to a beautiful new smile.
A: Know the proper first aid for saving a loose or dislocated tooth. If the tooth is loose, even extremely so, but is still attached in any way, leave it in place; do not remove it. If it is out of its socket completely and unattached, but still in the victim's mouth, it is best to have the person hold it there, if possible, until a dentist can attempt re-implantation. If it is out of the mouth, do not let it dry out. Handle it as little as possible.
Do not attempt to disinfect the tooth, or scrub it, or remove any tissue attached to it. If it is recovered from the ground or other soiled area, rinse it off in lukewarm water. Preserve it in milk until a dentist is available. If milk is not available, lukewarm water will suffice.
Time out of the socket is critical in the long-term success of re-implantation. After 30 minutes, the success potential begins to decline. However, re-implantation is still possible after several hours, so the attempt can still be made even if the tooth has been out for a long period.
A: More seniors today have retained their own teeth, avoiding the trauma of removable dentures. Many are on medications creating dryness of the mouth as a side effect. Without the natural benefit of saliva to decrease bacterial action, we see an increase of cavities on the root surfaces of these patients. Anyone on a medication causing a dry mouth effect should be encouraged to see their dentist for regular dental cleanings and topical fluoride rinses.
A: Gum disease, or more correctly called "periodontal disease", is a bacterial infection in the gums and supporting structures of the teeth. It is characterized by gum tissue that is red, puffy, and bleeds easily when touched with a toothbrush, floss or dental instrument.
Advanced periodontal disease destroys the bone supporting the teeth, causing eventual tooth loss. The treatment is more involved at these stages, usually consisting of a special cleaning with anesthesia and sometimes gum surgery. Periodontal disease can go on for years without pain and without detection unless specific examination procedures are performed. Effective prevention and treatment is available, but the damage caused as the disease progresses is irreversible. Early detection and treatment is critical to prevent tooth loss and disfigurement.
A: The loss of just a single tooth can set a course that can destroy an entire mouth. Teeth will drift and tip into a space that is created by missing teeth. When you lose a tooth, a dental implant may be needed to replace the tooth root and crown. Dental implants are simply "anchors" that permanently support replacement teeth. They are secure and durable and can be cleaned and cared for much like your natural teeth.
The procedure requires a titanium root be fitted into your jaw to replace the lost tooth's root. Once the implant is anchored into the bone, the bone around the implant requires six weeks to six months of healing. Once the bone has healed, a support post and replacement tooth is anchored onto the implant.
A: When a tooth is missing, the resulting gap will allow nearby teeth to tilt or drift from their normal position, and the teeth above the gap will move downward. Aside from the obvious cosmetic problem, the changed positions of these teeth can lead to severe bite problems causing jaw pain and headaches.
Missing teeth should be replaced to keep other teeth in their normal position. This can be done by means of a fixed bridge or a dental implant. Both of these treatments offer a good functional and cosmetic result.
A: Tooth decay occurs when bacteria in dental plaque damages the enamel of your teeth, leaving a hole or cavity. Any part of a tooth can decay, from the roots below the gum line to the chewing surface. If plaque bacteria reach and damage the pulp, the tooth will likely die, because the pulp contains nerves and blood vessels that supply the tooth. Tooth decay can occur due to a number of issues, including poor brushing and flossing habits, diets rich in sugar, the presence of risk factors such as smoking and lack of fluoride in the water supply.


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It can be difficult to make space in your home or garage for unused appliances. But because new appliances are expensive, many people prefer to hold on to old ones for hand-me-downs, vacation homes, or back-ups. A self storage rental can be a convenient, affordable solution — short-term or long-term. However, if you don't properly prepare your appliances for remote storage, you may return to find useless, moldy boxes. Below is some useful advice for secure appliance storage.
If you have additional questions or concerns regarding appliance storage, remember that your self storage facility manager may be a great source of information and guidance.
Run a final cycle
Consider running an empty clothes washer and dishwasher through a complete wash cycle using either a cup of bleach or white vinegar instead of detergent prior to placing in self storage.
Drain liquid
Empty any water from hoses, holding tanks, plastic tubing and other internal components. This will help prevent freezing and mildew.
Clean the interior
Scrub and dry the interior completely — especially in refrigerators, dishwashers and ovens. Food and sugar remnants can attract bugs, even in interior storage units. In refrigerators, clean and dry the defrost pan — you'll find it underneath or behind the refrigerator. In water-using appliances, wipe the rubber cushion seal around the perimeter of the door. Mildew tends to collect in this area.
Treat for insects
Insects that infest food are found almost everywhere. To prevent an infestation, be sure to spray your clean appliance for bugs.
Clean the exterior
Any motor-driven appliance will have an intake area (lint filter, tube or grid). be sure to clean this vent. A vacuum may do the trick, but if the opening is greasy, you might use an old toothbrush.
Remove glass and protect finish
If your appliance has glass shelves or fragile parts, remove them and transport them separately. Appliances with finishes that can scratch or dent should be wrapped in blankets or bubble wrap. Refrigerators should be transported upright.
Secure with tape
Use a strong tape to hold the appliance door closed. Even though the tape should only stay in place during the move, you may want to choose a type that won't leave residue (such as blue painters tape). Once in storage, remove the tape and prop the appliance's door open to prevent mildew.
Choose a suitable storage unit
If you are storing your appliances in a region that experiences high temperatures, low temperatures, wide temperature swings, or high humidity, you may want to consider a climate controlled storage unit. Because climate control temps are kept constant, the mechanical/electronic parts of your appliances are better protected from rust and fissures.
Load last
If you're moving more household items into your self storage unit, put the large appliances on the truck last. This way, they will be the first to come off the truck. Refrigerators should be transported upright.
Unload first
By placing appliances in the back of your storage unit, you'll have easier access to smaller items that you retrieve more frequently.
Turn the power off
The large majority of storage facilities will not offer electricity outlets in your storage unit. But if yours does have power, do not use it. Leave your appliance off for the duration of the rental.
Protect fragile parts
If you store appliance parts separately (glass panels, shelves, etc.) remember to mark them as fragile and avoid stacking or leaning heavy items on them.
Prop open the door
Find a way to keep the appliance's door ajar for the duration of the storage rental. This will help deter mildew.
Avoid unwanted odors
Place an open box of baking soda in stored appliances.
Conserve space
Although some storage and moving companies advise against stowing items inside your appliances, careful preparation will offer additional storage space. A clean, dry, open appliance is a good spot to store lighter items, including fragile things. Do not jam-pack your appliance with heavy items, like books.
Cover and protect
Use a breathable material such as a tarp or sheet to shield your appliance from dirt, dust or accidental scratches.
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If your health insurer pays too much for a claim, you might think that would be a good kind of problem. But it could turn out to be more of a headache than a windfall.
Just ask Lisa Dowden, who had gastric bypass surgery three years ago. In September, the 51-year-old lawyer got a bill from her insurer claiming she owed more than $9,100 because it had overpaid for the services of the surgeon who assisted on her operation.
Dowden is in this predicament because she went to someone outsider the usual network for her surgery. The insurer sent payments directly to her, a common practice in cases where the insurer doesn't have a contract with a doctor or hospital. Dowden signed the checks over to the surgeon without cashing them.
But the health plan says in those circumstances it's obligated to try to recover the overpayment from a plan member rather than a provider because the plan member is the one who received the checks and in the end is responsible for the provider charges.
Dowden is challenging the bill. "How am I supposed to know if they overpaid?" she asks. "None of this was in my control."
An overpayment can happen for many reasons, from coding errors to instance when a patient receives a service that's not covered under the plan.
As for doctors, they come in for their share of overpayment trouble too, although the situation may be improving. In 2011, nearly 20 percent of paid medical claims from private health insurers had errors, according to the American Medical Association.
Insurers work hard to get it right, says Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group. "There are hundreds of millions of claims filed each year, and health plans have gotten quite good at developing systems that flag things that need attention," she says. "They've also gotten quite good at automating transactions."
Working with insurers, the AMA says it reduced the error rate to 9.5 percent in 2012, saving the health care system $8 billion in unnecessary administrative work.
Copyright 2023 Kaiser Health News. To see more, visit Kaiser Health News.


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Fixed Income for Retirement
After working for decades as a pediatrician in a small rural town, Patricia was ready to retire.
Patricia: I bought some stock a number of years ago and overall this was a good investment for me. However, I was uncertain about leaving my savings in the market where I knew it could go up or down.
I was also looking for security for my retirement years. Ideally, I wanted to know that I would have the income I needed and that it would not change with the markets.
Patricia talked to a friend who had found a good choice. Her friend had set up a gift annuity with her favorite charity. Patricia thought that perhaps a gift annuity would be helpful for her.
Patricia: I called and asked about a gift annuity. I was very pleased to discover that I would receive a good payout based on my age. Plus, there would be a charitable tax deduction and part of the income would be tax free.
I transferred my stock for a charitable gift annuity. I was delighted with the fixed payment I received. I avoided part of the capital gains tax and my CPA was pleased that my charitable deduction will save taxes this year. With my tax savings and increased income, I plan to spend more on my grandchildren this year!
*Please note: The name and image above is representative of a typical donor and may or may not be an actual donor to our organization. Since your gift annuity benefits may be different, you may want to click here to view a color example of your benefits.


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Maddox Smart Check VELCRO® Brand Fastening Shirt
This product is eligible for VAT exemption
You will be asked to fill in your details at checkout if you add the VAT exempt price to cart. Otherwise, continue shopping as normal with the VAT included price.
As per HMRC wording, "people with a disability, chronic or terminal illness" can be VAT exempt. Chronically sick means that you have an illness that is likely to last a long time and disabled means substantially and permanently handicapped by illness or injury.
VAT exemption does not apply to a frail elderly person who is otherwise able-bodied or any person who is temporarily disabled or incapacitated, such as with a broken limb.
Items must not be purchased for the general use of other able-bodied persons, they have to be for the own 'personal and domestic use' of the disabled individual.
This men's smart long sleeve shirt is perfect for a smart-casual look. The shirt features touch close fastenings for ease of dressing in place of buttons. Match with a pair of our easy-dress trousers.
- 100% Cotton
- VELCRO® brand fastenings discretely hidden behind buttons
- Casual collar and rounded chest pocket
- Box pleat back with hanger loop
- Length approx: 29" (74cm) - Too long? Enquire about our alterations service
- Machine washable - recommended at 40 degrees
- Easy care fabric - cool iron if required.
- BUY & TRY. If not right for you, return on us for free!
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With St Patrick's Day coming up I have been planning my menu and the main course almost always has to be corned beef; it's just so easy to make, it's always tasty and there there are so many different ways to make it! A slow cooker or crock-pot makes cooking corned beef a sinch, you simply put the corned beef into the slow cooker in the morning and then at night you pull it out and it's ready to go. Of course you can change things up by changing what else goes into the slow cooker with the corned beef like the liquid that it is cooked in. Sure you could just use water, but why not add some flavour by using another liquid? This year I was dead set to combine another St Pat's Day favourite, Guinness, an Irish stout, with my corned beef and the first step was to cook the corned beef in Guinness in the slow cooker to infuse it with it's flavour throughout the day long slow cooking. I certainly couldn't let all of that Guinness go to waste after the corned beef was done cooking in it, I mean not only was it Guinness but now there was also all of those tasty corned beef juices mixed in! The solution was easy and while I let the corned beef rest before slicing into it I turned the Guinness and corned beef juices into a tasty glaze by adding some brown sugar, grainy mustard and Worcestershire sauce and then simmering to reduce and thicken it into a glaze. Once the glaze was ready, finishing the corned beef is as easy as removing the layer of fat, glazing and then baking until the glaze is a bubbling and caramelizing and good! With this Guinness glazed slow cooker corned beef, this years St Patrick's Day is going to be one of the tastiest yet!
Feel free to throw your veggies into the slow cooker to cook with the corned beef but if you would prefer that they not taste like Guinness you can make them separately, which is the way I went.
Just look at that amazingly addictive and tasty Guinness glaze!
Guinness Glazed Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Corned beef slow cooked in Guinness and served in a tasty Guinness glaze.
- 1 4 pound corned beef in pickling liquid and spices
- 1 bottle/can (12+ ounces) Guinness or other Irish stout
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- Place the corned beef along with the pickling spices, onion and garlic in a slow cooker/crock-pot with the fat layer on top, pour in the Guinness and cook on low until fork tender, about 8-10 hours.
- Set the corned beef aside, strain the solids from the Guinness and juices, place the liquid into a large sauce pan, add the brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, bring to a boil reduce the heat and simmer to reduce by half, about 10 minutes.
- Cut the fat layer from the corned beef, glaze with the Guinness glaze and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until the glaze starts bubbling, about 10-15 minutes.
Reuben Sandwich
Breakfast Reuben Sandwich
Reuben Quiche
Reuben Dip
Reuben Quesadillas
Reuben Soup
Corned Beef Poutine with Guinness Gravy
Corned Beef Hash
Reuben Cauliflower Corned Beef Hash
Kimchi Reuben Sandwich
Corned Beef, Cabbage and Kimchi Burrito
Corned Beef Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Guinness Caramelized Onions
Corned Beef Cuban Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza
Apricot Glazed Corned Beef
Honey and Mustard Glazed Corned Beef
The Perfect Roast Beef
Mushroom Crusted Prime Rib Roast
Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes) with Bangers in a Guinness Mushroom and Onion Gravy
Slow Cooker Balsamic Glazed Roast Beef
Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup
Perfect Eye of Round Roast Beef


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Deloitte Legal Guide to Cross-Border Secured Transactions has been saved
Deloitte Legal Guide to Cross-Border Secured Transactions
In a globalized world, many companies engage daily in cross-border commercial transactions. The Deloitte Legal Guide to Secured Transactions includes country-specific information provided by local lawyers and is intended to be a useful tool for creditors and security providers tackling complex issues relevant to cross-border secured transactions.
Executive summary
In a globalized world, many companies engage daily in cross-border commercial transactions. This requires dealings to be structured in a manner that suitably manages risk. As this is commonly achieved via security agreements, familiarity with the specifics of cross-border taking and enforcing of security in various jurisdictions can help companies safely conduct businesses outside their home countries.
To do this, companies need current, easy-to-use information relative to secured transactions in the jurisdictions where they do business. As a result, the Deloitte Legal Guide to Secured Transactions was produced by legal practices of the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited member firms from 27 jurisdictions* across Europe, South America and South-East Asia. It was prepared based on research carried out during 2012-2013 in each of these jurisdictions, and includes country-specific information provided by local lawyers.
Topics covered for each jurisdiction include:
· Types of security available
· Types of assets subject to security
· Types of obligations that may be secured
· Validity, publicity and other perfection requirements
· Costs of set up and publicity of security
· Timing for publicity/ perfection requirements
· Rights acquired by the secured creditor
· Governing law issues
· Legal concerns when taking security
· Enforcement issues: court involvement, timing,
· Challenges and cancellation risks
· Secured creditor's position in insolvency
Also included are highlights and recommendations from the drafters, followed by detailed information for each of the jurisdictions surveyed.
"Deloitte Legal" means the legal practices of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited member firm affiliates that provide legal services. For legal and regulatory reasons, not all member firms provide legal services.


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When Anna George moved to Jersey City in 2007 to join her fiancé, Chris, who had moved to Hudson County two years prior, she assumed that his friends would inevitably become hers and the two would have an active social life. While that assumption eventually proved to be true, George said it took a while for her to create a circle of friends of her own, independent of her relationship.
"Because Chris had already been here for a while, he already had friends at work," George said. "He had guys who he played basketball with on the weekends. When I moved, I wasn't working right away. So, I didn't have work friends like he did. And a lot of his guy friends didn't have girlfriends. I found it a little hard meeting people and making friends at first."
Having moved here from Upper Darby, Pa., and about 32 at the time, George said she was often socially isolated.
"I wasn't lonely," she says of that time. "But I was bored and didn't have my own crew of activity buddies to do things with."
On the advice of her sister, George, a lover of art galleries and museums back in Philadelphia, visited the website www.MeetUp.com in search of others in Hudson County with similar interests. She said she was immediately plugged into a network of art lovers who were soon telling her about interesting gallery shows and exhibits in New York and northern New Jersey. More important, she soon found herself with invitations to have coffee, dinner, and brunch with others who shared her interests.
'What they say is true. Once you get out of school, you really don't meet as many people as you did in college.' – Emma Smartt
15.17 million members and counting
MeetUp.com describes itself as a network of local groups that allows people to find like-minded folks where they live who share their interests. But unlike online social media networks, meet-up members—as the name implies—actually meet in person, and simply use the Internet and social media to facilitate their group activities.
According to the company, www.MeetUp.com has 15.17 million individual members who have joined 139,740 groups in 196 countries. To get involved and start meeting new friends, people need only to visit the MeetUp.com website and type in their location or zip code to see a list of groups that exist in the area.
Don't see a group for, say, lovers of hairless cats? Simply form one and start meeting others who share this, um, interesting passion.
The site has become a resource for thousands of people who want to hike, bike, dine, exercise, or just gossip with others in their area who want to do the same activities. In the New York metro area alone, there are meet-up groups dedicated to salsa dancing, Ducati motorcycle owners, acoustic guitarists, wine lovers, techies (there are a bunch of those), professional Latinos, "upscale Indians," Jews who love the outdoors, Catholics looking for "fellowship," atheists, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender twentysomethings. The list goes on.
There's a group called "Jersey City Food-Loving Lesbians" that has 201 members. The group description says, "Do you live in Jersey City and find yourself wondering, where are all the lesbians? Hoboken, I'm talking about you too! I thought there would be no better way to get us together than with food."
There's a group for lovers of improvisation. A meet-up group dedicated to "hedonism" claims to have 1,846 hedonists as members. And lest anyone think these groups are all based in New York City, au contraire. There's the popular Hoboken Social Sandbox, the Jersey City Moms Meetup, and the Paulus Hook Mom's Group, also in Jersey City.
(Sadly, there was no group for single Jersey City-based African Americans in print media who love art, wine, pasta, and hand sanitizer. But give us time…)
'Don't want to ride by myself'
"I started coming after my son left for college," said Bayonne resident Cheryl Kasdan, who joined a meet-up group of cyclists a couple of years ago. "My husband and I bike together sometimes. But he's starting to have problems with his knees. So, he prefers to walk for his exercise now. I still want to bike. And I can bike more than he can right now. Now that I have more time to do it, since my son is in school, I want to ride as much as I can. This kind of gives me a way to do that when I don't want to ride by myself."
Another cycling enthusiast, Joey Cintrone, said he joined the group after his doctor told him he needed to lose a little weight. Cintrone, a resident of Hoboken, said his two closest friends play racquetball, "which I hate." Other friends work out in gyms, which, he said, "I also hate."
With his enthusiasm for physical activity apparently limited to the bike, Cintrone said he joined the cycling group because, "Without the social part of it, I know I wouldn't do it as much as I need to."
He estimates he has lost more than 35 pounds within the last year.
Emma Smartt, who divides her time between her place in Brooklyn and her boyfriend's apartment in West New York, said she has often used www.MeetUp.com as a resource.
"I've met a lot of people that way," said Smartt, including Anna George. The two have since become good friends.
"You know, what they say is really true," said Smartt. "Once you get out of school, you really don't meet as many people as you did in college or grad school. I don't feel like I have much in common with people I work with. They're older. They have kids in high school and they live in the suburbs. They seem to talk about their investments and their cholesterol a lot. Finding people through these meet-up groups is cool because it helps weed out people you know you probably can't talk to."
"Your coworkers are probably saying the same thing about you," George said to Smartt. "Wouldn't it be funny if there was a meet-up group for suburbanites with high school-age kids who want to talk about their cholesterol? I'll bet one exists."
If such a group exists, the Reporter couldn't find it. But just give them time.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at email@example.com.


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STONE PARK, Ill. – A convent of nuns in suburban Chicago has filed a lawsuit against a neighbor, a strip club they say plays throbbing music while the nuns try to pray.
The Sisters of St. Charles named Club Allure Chicago and the village of Stone Park in their lawsuit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court. They claim the club violates Illinois zoning laws, which require a 1,000-foot buffer between adult entertainment facilities and places of worship.
The sisters' property in Melrose Park includes three chapels. The strip club opened in the neighboring village of Stone Park in September.
The sisters have seen "public violence, drunkenness and litter, including . empty whiskey and beer bottles, discarded contraceptive packages and products and even used condoms," according to the lawsuit, which also mentions the "pulsating and rhythmic staccato-beat noise and flashing neon and or strobe lights" that disturb the nuns.
"Our sisters' sacred space has been invaded," Sister Noemia Silva told the Chicago Sun-Times. "At night now they hear the music when they're praying. That's uncalled for."
The nuns have a right to pray and work peacefully without interference, said attorney Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based public interest law firm representing the convent.
Stone Park Village Attorney Dean Krone said the village has acted legally and reasonably. Club representatives said they aren't a nuisance to the nuns and the lawsuit's claims aren't backed up by police reports.
While the Bible says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," the manager of the club said the nuns are not being very neighborly.
"We spent an awful lot of money to make sure that this kind of thing would not occur," Club Allure manager Robert Itzkow told WMAQ-TV. "The whole thing is just a question of `we don't like you; you don't conform to our religious beliefs."'
Itzkow said the club's dancers "aren't monsters. They're daughters; they're mothers, and some of them are Catholics too."
The village of Melrose Park and three of its residents joined the nuns in the lawsuit.
"We are violated," neighbor Patricia Zito told WMAQ-TV. "We have a new generation of young families who should not put up with this."


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The Princeton University Glee Club, which performs a repertoire of sacred and secular choral music from the Renaissance to the present day, allows students with a wide range of nationalities, majors and skills to participate in a shared passion — singing.
"At a place like Princeton, where the academic standards are so high and the students work so hard, I think Glee Club is especially important because it's a special opportunity to just feel, to live and breathe music," said Gabriel Crouch, director of Princeton's Glee Club and Chamber Choir since 2010.
Princeton's Glee Club performs in a broad array of musical styles, such as 17th-century German romantic songs, madrigals, and American and international folk songs. In a video about the Glee Club, 89 students gathered one warm April afternoon to rehearse "Sednalo e Djore Dos," a Bulgarian folk song that tells the story of an outgoing girl trying to get the attention of a shy boy.
The club's members come from a variety of backgrounds and academic interests. The group provides them with opportunities to work with professional soloists and orchestras and to travel internationally every other year.
"I don't think there's really any better place to sing in a choir than here at Princeton," said member Nathaniel Fleming, who is the Class of 2012 valedictorian. "A lot of our concerts together have been unforgettable experiences."
The club has inspired devotion not only by current undergraduate students but also among its many alumni. Emily Sung, of the Class of 2011, returns for every rehearsal and has become assistant conductor. "I always learn something new at every rehearsal — not just one thing, but many, many new things," she said. "The amount of experience Gabriel brings to teaching and music really shows."
Crouch, who is a senior lecturer in Princeton's Department of Music and associate director of the Program in Musical Performance, began his musical career as an 8-year-old in the choir of Westminster Abbey, where he performed a solo at the wedding of Great Britain's Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. While teaching students at Princeton is his current focus, he continues to perform and conduct around the world.