text:
Publications Search
This publications portal is a repository of all IOM migration health publications from 2006 to present where IOM was a primary contributor.
Publications include peer-reviewed scientific papers, technical reports, training guides/manuals, policy briefs/discussion papers, factsheets, newsletters, research reviews, conference and poster presentations. These are categorized by topic, author, country/region covered as well as by year, language, and type of publication. The map reflects the countries covered by the publications.
To browse or search: simply use the filter options on the left-hand side. Alternatively, you can enter keyword/s in the search box. Selecting a specific publication will lead to a 'download' link or link to the website where the document is housed. Here is the step-by-step guide for your reference.
Regional Migration and Health Strategy for Southwestern Islands of the Indian Ocean Launched
IOM Mauritius
Life is Better (Georgian)
Lela Sturua, Darejan (Jana) Javakhishvili
Nepal Develops National Migration Health Policy
IOM Nepal
Assistência às vítimas de tráfico de pessoas: Guia para profissionais da saúde
IOM, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
IOM Norway Training Focuses on Mental Health, Well-being of Migrants
IOM Norway
Healthy migrants in healthy communities: promoting and delivering quality health care for migrants and host communities (IOM Migration Health Division Information Sheet)
Papua New Guinea | NFIs, WASH, Emergency Preparedness and Conflict Management | 31 Oct 2017
IOM Papua New Guinea
Migration of Health Workers
What do I need to know about Vaccines?
Migration Health in the Sustainable Development Goals


text:
Better View: Gunplay Getting Jumped By G-Unit + Throwing Punches At Mike Knox (2nd Camera Angle)
WSHH just received more footage of Gunplay altercation at the BET Awards from another witness & what really went down.. Few days later Mike Knox confirmed he has Gunplay's chain on radio with Q. Deezy
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A fight broke out at the last Sunland Park council meeting, postponing the process of finding a suitable mayor.
Some people won't let this sculpture in Tempe be.
The trial of former APD officer Levi Chavez is delayed for at least a year.
Ted Nugent takes more dying boys and girls on last fishing trips than anyone else.
This bee's nectar is your tears.
Albuquerque Public Access Television meeting this Monday May seventh at City Hall.
The New York Times was able to claim a staggering 73 percent increase in circulation since last March. Here's the why.
Here's a Gretsch guitar catalogue from 1961.
Arizona Governor signs bill that would cut off any funding to Planned Parenthood and other health providers who perform abortions.
One can't expect the Olympics in London to go on without a Falkland Islands flap.
Fifty hottest female inmates, the webpage.
"If an act is designed to arouse or the result is arousal, than it's adult entertainment."
Japan took the last of its fifty nuclear reactors offline.
Connecticut passed a medical marijuana bill.
On this day in 1943 Michael Palin was born.


text:
Over the next several weeks, we're going to look at several different positions (I can't yet promise all) to identify the best players wearing each jersey number at each position. If this goes as planned, we'll then compile a list of the best player wearing each jersey number in the league.
If you have quibbles, or want to add someone I forgot, leave a comment and we'll update this post. And please have patience – this is a big job.
We started this project with wide receivers in this post and then with tight ends in this post. Now we move to quarterbacks, who wear numbers between 1 and 19.
1 – None – Sorry Warren Moon and Jeff George, but no significant quarterback in the NFL is currently wearing No. 1.
2 – Matt Ryan, Falcons – Two young quarterbacks wear No. 2, and Ryan, who is the future of the franchise in Atlanta, is an easy choice over JaMarcus Russell, who apparently cannot be the future of the franchise in Oakland. Other notable 2s: Brian St. Pierre, Cardinals; Chris Simms, Broncos, Sage Rosenfels, Vikings
3 – Derek Anderson, Browns – Anderson is no good and is having an even worse year, but he's the only quarterback who has seen the field this season that wears No. 3, so he wins this by default. But you can go ahead and expect Anderson to lose to a kicker or punter in the final jersey number comparison. Other notable 3: Matt Moore, Panthers
4 – Brett Favre, Vikings – There's no question that Favre is not only the most significant No. 4 currently playing now; he may be the best No. 4 in the history of the league. Part of that is that 4 was never a popular number before Favre, and part of it is of course Favre's longevity and production. Other notable 4: Kevin Kolb, Eagles
5 – Donovan McNabb, Eagles – When McNabb first started wearing No. 5, it seemed like a bit of a novelty for a quarterback. But now this is a popular number. Still, McNabb remains the standard-bearer, both for his current play and his long and storied career. But it'll be interesting to see how long McNabb can hold off up-and-coming Joe Flacco to keep the claim on 5. Other notable 5s: Kerry Collins, Titans; Trent Edwards, Bills, Josh Freeman, Buccaneers; Bruce Gradkowski, Raiders
6 – Jay Cutler, Bears – Cutler narrowly wins this number's honors over rookie Mark Sanchez, simply because Cutler has a little longer pedigree. At the end of the year or next year, the decision could be different. Other notable 6: Pat White, Dolphins
7 – Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers – Big Ben wears 7 in honor of John Elway, one of the greatest 7s of all time. Now Roethlisberger is writing his legacy at the number with two Super Bowl titles very early in his career. The fact that Big Ben seems to be emerging as a passer is a sign that his career may actually be starting an upswing just now. Other notable 7s: Matt Cassel, Chiefs; Chad Henne, Dolphins; Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers; Matt Leinart, Cardinals; Tarvaris Jackson, Vikings; Michael Vick, Eagles
8 – Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks – This was a tough call. Matt Schaub of the Texans is having by far a better year than Hasselbeck, but Hasselbeck has a much better career at this point. So we'll side with experience over the present, knowing full well that we might want to flip the tables on this number very soon. Other notable 8s: Kyle Orton, Broncos; David Carr, Giants; Brian Hoyer, Patriots
9 – Drew Brees, Saints – Brees may be for the early 2010s what Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were for most of this decade. He's at the top of his game, piling up numbers with great accuracy and providing great leadership to boot. And if he can get a Super Bowl ring this year, his status will only grow. As good as Dallas' Tony Romo, Cincinnati's Carson Palmer, and Jacksonville's David Garrard are, they aren't in Brees' league. Other notable 9: Matthew Stafford, Lions
10 – Eli Manning, Giants – Manning isn't a perfect quarterback, but he's good and he's won his share of games and then some. That's enough to earn him the 10 spot over declining players like Marc Bulger of St. Louis and Chad Pennington of Miami. Other notable 10s: Matt Flynn, Packers; Brady Quinn, Browns; Vince Young, Titans; Troy Smith, Ravens
11 – Daunte Culpepper, Lions – There are no current star quarterbacks wearing 11, so we'll give this honor to a former star in Culpepper who has started a couple of games this year. Other notable 11s: Josh Johnson, Buccaneers; Alex Smith, 49ers; Mark Brunell, Saints; Kellen Clemens, Jets
12 – Tom Brady, Patriots – It's an easy call to give the honors at 12 to Brady, who's already got the resume of an all-time great. Plus, Brady continues to perform at the highest of levels. He remains the real deal. Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers is a good quarterback, but he's outside Brady's echelon. Other notable 12s: Brodie Croyle, Chiefs; Kyle Boller, Rams; Josh McCown, Panthers; Jim Sorgi, Colts
13 – Kurt Warner, Cardinals – This is another easy call, as Warner is playing at a high level 10 years after he burst on the scene in St. Louis. His career has been a little up and down, but at his best there are few better than Warner. Other notable 13: Shaun Hill, 49ers
14 – Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills – Fitzpatrick isn't great, but he's the only QB wearing 14 who has even played this year. Dan Fouts must be ashamed.
15 – Seneca Wallace, Seahawks – This is another slow number, as Wallace and Washington backup Todd Collins are the only quarterbacks wearing 15. We almost gave this to Tim Tebow in advance, but we'll stick with NFL players for now.
16 – Charlie Batch, Steelers – At least we had a choice at 16 between Batch, the former Lions starter who's now Big Ben's backup, and Tyler Thigpen, who had some good games in K.C. last year before going to the Dolphins via trade this year.
17 – Philip Rivers, Chargers – Rivers isn't on the Brees-Manning-Brady level, but he may be the best of the next batch of quarterbacks. He's productive and continuing to grow as a leader and late-game threat. Other notable 17s: Jason Campbell, Redskins; Jake Delhomme, Panthers
18 – Peyton Manning, Colts – There's no question here that Manning is by far the best 18 not only at quarterback but at any position in the league. No player is doing more to elevate his team this season than Manning, who is carrying his team to the top of the pack once again.
19 – NONE – No quarterbacks are wearing 19 this year either. Apparently young QBs need to see more Johnny Unitas highlights.


text:
Click image to enlarge
Stocks posted a 0.8% loss in the first quarter of 2018, following a +6.6% gain in the fourth quarter of 2017, a +4.5% gain in the third quarter, a +3.1% gain in the second quarter and a +6.1% gain in the first quarter.
This three-month performance chart is a snapshot of characteristics investors in large U.S. companies preferred in the first quarter.
It's good to know but not very influential in a strategic approach.
In this three-month period, small growth companies were clearly winners, hinting at the gradually growing appetite for risk since the economy climbed back from the financial crisis nine years ago.
Eight of the 10 sectors in the Standard & Poor's 500 index suffered a loss in the first quarter of 2018.
Only tech and consumer discretionary gained in value. These were the top two performing sectors last quarter, as well.
Since the bull market began March 9, 2009, the shares of large U.S. companies beat foreign stock markets quarter after quarter, as the U.S. led the world out of a deep recession. Portfolios diversified outside of the U.S. underperformed and some investors bemoaned investing in foreign shares. Last quarter and this one, too, however, foreign indexes beat the S&P 500 stock index. The precepts of modern portfolio theory were proven true. But it took patience. In moments of strategic consequence for investors throughout financial history, humans behave fearfully instead of rationally and based on facts. This is an important way a real financial professional adds value.
Crude oil topped all asset classes in the first quarter of 2018, with an +8.5% total return. This followed a fourth quarter 2017 return of +16%, and a third-quarter 2017 return of 10%.
Stocks gained a robust +14% in the 12 months through March 31, 2018, despite February's -10.2% correction.
The market melted up in January 2018, on euphoria following the December 22, 2017 passage of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. With valuations stretched, the market became vulnerable to bad news.
Stocks sold off in February, first on a booming January jobs report that stirred inflation jitters and then in March on the President's bellicose trade war talk.
For the 12 months ended March 31, 2018, shares of large growth companies continued to lead.
Investors' appetite for risk gradually increased in 2017 and 2018, as fundamentals strengthened in the U.S. and abroad.
Large-cap growth, led by the "FAANG" stocks (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google), which had huge runs in 2015, took a breather in 2016, and resumed their ascent in 2017 and 2018.
For the 12 months ended March 31, 2018, the technology sector was again the standout. The laggards for the period — telecom, consumer staples, energy, and utilities — are considered more defensive. This is a sign of a gradual shift in sentiment toward riskier assets, a subtle and slow change in investor behavior that is expected to occur in a cycle of economic expansion. It does not mean the cycle is coming to an end, but is something to monitor.
What a difference a year makes! Twelve months ago — at the end of the first quarter of 2017 — the No. sector was telecommunications service companies. Just a year later, for the 12 months through March 31, 2018, telecom was the worst performing of the 10 Standard & Poor's industry groups.
The same kind of about face was occurred in financials. They were the laggards in the 12 months ended March 31, 2017, but the leaders of the most recent 12-month period through March 2018.
Investor preferences for sectors, styles and asset classes are fleeting and unpredictable. Managing this risk requires rebalancing. For example, rebalancing on March 31. 2017 would have meant lightening up proportionately on the most-appreciated types of assets for the year and buying more in assets that lagged. The exact amount of each asset is established based on a strategic financial plan informed by your personal preferences, age, specific circumstances.
Click image to enlarge
In the 12 months ended March 31, 2018, foreign regional stock markets outperformed those in the U.S. A global economic expansion gained momentum, and a weaker U.S. dollar helped boost performance of foreign markets relative to U.S. equities.
European bourses in the 12 months ended March 31, 2017 badly lagged the U.S. and the rest of the world's major equities markets, but the next 12 months were No. 2 on this list. Big shifts in leadership from year to year must be brought back into equilibrium to keep your portfolio aligned with your risk tolerance. Rebalancing is a discipline that requires careful attention, at least annually. It's a service we provide. It's not rocket science, but with retirement assets shifting to IRAs and job-mobility trending higher for many years, rebalancing is more important and more difficult.
Crude oil and non-U.S. stocks were the best-performing asset classes in the 12 months ended March 31, 2018. Global growth picked up, continuing a pattern in recent months of playing catch up to the U.S. Note how U.S. stocks also posted outstanding results. Synchronicity of U.S. and global growth adds a new dimension not present in this economic cycle until recent months. Stock markets surged.
After trading sideways for nearly two years in 2015 and 2016 — hitting two frightening dips along the way — the stock market broke out after the November 2016 election. The S&P 500 peaked in early February, then declined in an orderly correction over eight trading days, slightly exceeding the 10% mark that officially made it a footnote in the financial history of the United States.
Over the five years through March 31, 2018, the S&P 500 total return index including dividends gained +87%, compared with a gain of +68% for the oft-quoted S&P 500 price-only index — the 19% difference from reinvesting dividends
This is the second-longest bull market in modern U.S. history and is closing in on July 2019, when it will break the record to become the longest expansion in modern-day U.S.A. Economic fundamentals as the second quarter of 2018 began were very strong by historical standards. However, the chances for a bear market correction of at least 20% increases as the bull market grows older.
None of the fundamental conditions that have signaled bear markets in the past are present as the second quarter of 2018 got under way. Historically, restrictive Federal Reserve policy, slowing signs of growth, stock market overvaluation, or irrationally exuberant valuations for stocks, are not evident. In the past, these fundamentals have preceded bear markets and recessions. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results, but the facts are plain sense.
Large-cap growth stocks were in first place for the five years ended March 31, 2018, largely propelled by a rally in the technology sector in 2017 and 2018.
The five year returns of the 10 Standard & Poor's sectors show the outsized performance of tech shares, which gained 156%. Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google, because of their earnings growth, were bid up in price. Conversely, for the five years ended March 31, 2018, the lagging sectors were mainly those where earnings growth lagged the growth sectors of the economy.
Financials' strong five-year performance reflected a steady recovery from the deep losses they suffered in the 2008 global financial crisis.
The energy and material sectors, of course, got slammed by the collapse in crude oil and most other commodity prices. The price of crude oil, while up over 100% from its early 2016 bottom of $26 per barrel, was still only half of its peak price of 2014 of $114 per barrel.
For the five years ended March 31, 2018, what stands out is how the U.S. indexes – small- and large-cap – outperformed rest-of-world by a substantial margin even after the surge in non-U.S. markets that occurred after the first quarter of 2017.
The S&P 500 index's total return of +87% in the five years through March 31, 2018, was more than double the +40% return on the S&P Global ex-U.S. stock market's return of +40%. The U.S. economy snapped back after the severe global recession stronger than other economies, large and small. The broadening of the U.S.-led recovery synchronized growth in foreign economies with the U.S. expansion for the first time in years, and this has boosted returns of portfolios diversified broadly across the globe.
However, the five years were not good for crude oil and other commodities. Crude oil prices plunged in 2016 because new drilling technology enables the U.S.to produce enough oil to increase supply and keep prices lower. A strong U.S. dollar, low rate of inflation, and ample supply made commodities money-losers over the five years.
Ten years ago, the economy was bleak.
The U.S. was in a recession. The subprime mortgage crisis was undermining Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Countrywide Financial, AIG, and other major financial institutions; General Motors looked like it might go out of business.
Then, in a story for the ages, the nation came back from the financial crisis and led the world out of The Great Recession.
Over the last 10 years, a dollar invested in America's 500 largest public companies grew to two dollars and forty eight cents.
From the stock market's low point on March 9, 2009, a dollar grew four and three-quarter times in value, to four dollars and seventy two cents – a 372% return!
For the past decade, what makes America exceptional among all nations has been unfolding in plain sight.
Yet, as clear as American exceptionalism has been for the last 10 years, it's always difficult to recognize it in real-time, when it is happening, or that it might be happening right now.
Stocks gained a robust 14% in the 12 months through March 31, 2018, but there was a 10.2% correction in early February.
Stocks sold off – first on a booming January jobs report that stirred inflation jitters and then in March on the President's bellicose trade war talk.
Volatility is up and stocks posted a loss of eight tenths of 1% for the first quarter of 2018.
On April 8, this story about cracks forming in global growth appeared in The Wall Street Journal, warning that we're on the verge of a long period of weakness.
But key economic facts went unseen by the nation's leading financial newspaper – facts in plain sight beyond the volatility and stormy headlines of recent weeks.
The 58 economists surveyed in early March by The Wall Street Journal hiked their forecast for growth.
In February, they had predicted average quarterly growth of 2.7% for the five quarters through the first quarter of 2019, but upped it in March to 2.9%.
The average growth rate of the U.S. since the expansion started in March 2009 is 2.2%, so the expected growth rate is a 35% improvement over the long-term trend.
The recent release of the U.S. leading economic indicators for March showed remarkable strength, continuing to surge past the highest point of the last expansion.
This key forward-looking composite of 10 indicators points to solid growth for the rest of 2018.
The article in the nation's most respected financial daily shows the human penchant for missing what's happening around us, how our brains are wired to be so focused on immediate threats that we cannot fathom getting beyond them.
Despite the frightening headlines lately, increased market volatility, and weak returns on stocks in the first quarter, very strong economic fundamentals remain in place.
We're here to help you stay focused on what's important in managing your money for the long run.
Click image to enlarge
Securities offered through First Allied Securities, Inc., A Registered Broker/Dealer, Member: FINRA / SIPC.Advisory services are offered through First Allied Advisory Services, Inc., A Registered Investment Adviser.
This site is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security which may be referenced herein. We suggest that you consult with your financial or tax advisor with regard to your individual situation. This site has been published in the United States for resident of the United States. Persons mentioned in this site may only transact business in states in which they have been properly registered or are exempt from registration.
Privacy Policy | ADV


text:
Silicon Valley PowerHome mainHome Menu
Our Story
Silicon Valley Power—Proudly serving Santa Clara for more than 100 years
Download a PDF version of the timeline.
It all began on July 23, 1896, when the creation of a municipal electric utility was authorized by order of the Santa Clara Board of Town Trustees. The Town of Santa Clara went to work creating a lighting plant consisting of forty-six 2,000-candlepower direct current lamps and a small dynamo (or electric generator). At the end of October 1896, the electric utility formally entered into service.
By 1903, the Town was outgrowing its system and invested $5,000 to convert from direct current to alternating current—today's industry standard. This switch led to the abandonment of the small generation plant. Instead, wholesale power was purchased from the United Gas and Electric Company of San Jose and, for the next sixty-two years, the utility purchased all its electric power from privately-owned utilities.
In 1965, Silicon Valley began its launch into the high-tech era. After receiving an allocation of power from the Federal Central Valley Project, the utility began to diversify its resources. The City of Santa Clara became a charter member of the newly formed Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) on June 12, 1968.
Throughout the following years, Santa Clara and the NCPA worked on behalf of several municipal electric utilities in Northern California. Together they gained access to wholesale transmission markets and jointly developed cost-effective electric generation resources to meet the growing demand for electricity.
Things changed once again in 1980 when Santa Clara launched its 6-megawatt (MW), Cogen No. 1 power plant, making it a generating utility for the first time in seventy-three years. In 1983, the 110-megawatt NCPA Geothermal Project entered into service with Santa Clara as a lead partner, holding a 55% participation share. Santa Clara, through NCPA, was among the first municipalities in the United States to own and operate a plant of this nature. Today, the City of Santa Clara's municipal electric utility owns, operates and participates in more than 831 MW of electric generating resources and serves a peak load of approximately 470 MW.
The name Silicon Valley Power (SVP) came into being in March 1998. The name change was in recognition of the vital role the utility plays in serving a growing community of innovation and technology, as SVP powers some of the world's largest world-class high-tech companies.
SVP currently provides over 40 percent of Santa Clara's electricity from carbon free renewable resources. In addition to using green energy from large-scale wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric projects outside of the area, SVP employs innovative ways to locally produce electricity by capturing and burning methane gas from a closed city landfill and using power from solar generating systems on city-owned garages and vacant, unusable land.
With growing demand for clean, efficient, and affordable energy, SVP launched the Santa Clara Green Power Program in 2007 to provide customers the option for using 100 percent renewable energy for their homes and businesses.
In March 2013, Silicon Valley Power became the first electric utility in the U.S. to provide free citywide outdoor Internet access for all inhabitants and visitors. The service was made possible by adding a free, separate public Wi-Fi access channel to the SVP MeterConnect® wireless network that will carry highly encrypted utility data to the utility when advanced meters are installed starting in 2014. In just six months, the SVP MeterConnect network was serving over 6,000 daily Wi-Fi users.
Today, as the City looks toward the future, SVP continually prepares for the new and ever changing competitive electricity market by further streamlining its operation. SVP participates in new technologies such as fiber optic networks, citywide Wi-Fi, advanced metering, digital substation controls, fuel cells, and server virtualization, working to enhance the value our customers receive from municipal ownership of their electric utility.
An electric trolley car passes under an electric arc lamp at the intersection of Franklin and Main streets in Santa Clara. This photograph, taken circa 1900, and has been reproduced from a "penny post card." (Photograph from the City of Santa Clara historical collection.)
John J. Montgomery (on right), pioneer aviator and member of the Santa Clara College faculty, conducts electric experiments in the school's science laboratory with Fr. Richard Bell, SJ, circa 1903. (Photograph courtesy of archives, Santa Clara University.)


text:
Food is an important part of Chinese culture, and Chinese cuisine holds many symbolic meanings.
Chinese dishes are often eaten around celebratory occasions. Many believe eating certain dishes during festivals such as the Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival or Dragon Boat Festival is considered auspicious. However more often than not, people of Chinese heritage eat certain dishes over and over again most days, and these dishes are equally important in Chinese culture.
Chinese food is not something I eat every day. But Chinese cuisine is one of my favourite cuisines. I find it fun replicating traditional Chinese recipes at home. It's a treat when I get to eat at a low-key Chinese restaurant with family and friends on a casual weekend.
No matter the occasion, most Chinese dishes are symbolic of traditions and lessons learnt from the past. There are many variations of Chinese cuisine, ranging from Shanghai cuisine to Hainanese cuisine to Sichuan cuisine and so much more. Notably there are common ingredients within each cuisine. Here are six such symbolic Chinese dishes eaten around the world for breakfast, lunch and dinner on an average day.
1. Rice and noodles
Rice and noodles are regarded as firm staples in Chinese cuisine and accompany most everyday Chinese meals. A bowl of white rice is usually served alongside other dishes when it comes to Chinese dining. Rice has a long history in China. Initially around 1100BC, aristocrats in the Zhou dynasty were the ones who were able to afford rice. Later on everyone relied on it for food as it's easy to cook and store, practical to eat every other day. Today rice is one of China's top commodities; China relies on rice production to sustain its economy (interestingly importing rice for the first time from the US recently, probably to meet local demand), is responsible for about 30% of global rice production, and eats more than twice as much rice as Japan. To put it simply, rice is a way of life in Chinese culture.
While rice is mostly cultivated in the south of China, noodles are cultivated more easily in the north as that's where wheat grains thrive due to climatic differences. Like rice, noodles have fed China for thousands of year and are a most economical energy, cereal food. While rice symbolises wealth and abundance, noodles symbolises longevity and long life.
Time and time again I've heard my folks and extended Chinese Malaysian family say they feel weird if they don't eat rice or noodles after a day or two. Whenever we go out for Chinese dinner and don't feel like eating white rice, my folks normally order fried rice instead as it is…rice. Call me a bad Asian but I have no problem not eating rice every day and have gone weeks without eating rice. That said, yangzhou fried rice (扬州炒饭) is one of the dishes I like to cook and eat, just like how I like making instant Maggi noodles for weekend breakfast.
2. Chicken
There are endless Chinese chicken recipes, many of which have been adapted to suit local palates around the world. While steamed yellow-skinned chicken is a popular dish during celebratory occasions (with chicken head, feet and tail symbolising unity and togetherness), chicken is common in Chinese stir-frys too. Oyster sauce chicken with bok choy, Malaysian mango chicken and cashew nut chicken were some dishes I remember my mum cooked when I was younger.
A lot of the time many Chinese are fond of eating chicken head and chicken feet for their gritty texture. This is in contrast with chicken breast which some Chinese reckon is 'the meat of fools', tasting like wood and nowhere near as enjoyable as eating meat with bones. Personally chicken breast is my favourite meat. Thick and smooth is just my preference.
On a side note, apart from chicken, duck is notoriously popular in Chinese cuisine. Duck (Peking duck) is historically an iconic dish in Chinese culture, prepared for royalty and later served to everyone else like rice. Not surprisingly China produces around 83% of duck meat production in the Asian region. In general, duck is more expensive than chicken as it's the rarer of the two birds and not found in all parts of the world.
3. Dates and sesame seeds
Some Chinese dishes are sweeter than others. The Chinese date fruit, also known as the red date or jujube, and goji berries are often used in Chinese herbal soups, steamed chicken and teas. Dark red and orange in colour and high in vitamin B and C, a handful of these preserved dried fruits make any Chinese dish a touch sweeter (occasionally sour depending on season) and is believed to bring physical warmth to the body. In recent times jujubes and goji berries have been touted as antioxidant superfoods helping to regulate stress, sleep cycles and suppress cancerous cells.
At times a Chinese dish might come with subtle crunch along with the sweetness. Sesame seeds are commonly sprinkled over poultry dishes such as sesame oil chicken, fried chicken and sweet and sour pork (always debatably a true classic Chinese dish…).
4. Dumplings
Chinese dumplings are one of the most important and all time favourite foods in Chinese culture. A staple around the Chinese New Year, dumplings are also popular during yum cha and family gatherings. There are many kinds of Chinese dumplings; the jiǎozi (饺子), xiǎo long bāo (小笼包), shēng jiān bāo (生煎), xiā jiǎo/hā gáau (虾饺) and shāo mài/sīu máai (烧卖) are just a few of them.
As I wrote in Why Many Chinese Like Eating Dumplings, dumplings are dishes for sharing and represent wealth and togetherness. Interestingly enough, when it comes to eating dumplings many seem content to just eat dumplings and more dumplings, no need for rice of noodles. At least that is the case when I eat dumplings with my Chinese friends in Australia – just eat dumplings and no other dishes. Dumplings really are just that good by themselves and it's easy to feel stuffed from eating more and more dumplings.
5. Green leafy vegetables
There's almost always a vegetable dish when it comes to having a Chinese meal. Bok choy/Chinese celery (xiǎo bái cài, 小白菜), gai lan/Chinese broccoli (jiè làn, 芥蘭), water spinach and bamboo shoots are some popular greens in Chinese cooking. Probably the most well-known one is the bok choy. Native to China and first cultivated along the yellow Yangtze River Delta, it is nicknamed 'soup spoon' for its large leaves that are shaped like a spoon. Chinese immigrants brought bok choy to Australia during the 1850s Gold Rush and it was brought to North America in the 1880s with its seeds were sold in English-language seed catalogues.
In general, raw and uncooked vegetables aren't eaten too often among the Chinese. Good sanitation has been a problem in China for a long time, and food here is preferably cooked over heat to minimise bacteria. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, uncooked and 'cold' food may not be optimal for digestion. Personally I like my vegetables cooked hot and over the years have learnt vegetables are one of the fastest foods to cook. If I come home from work, have the house to myself for the evening and am feeling lazy, boiling some bok choi or Chinese broccoli for five minutes along with some fresh meat makes for a meal right away. Quick and easy for a hungry girl. Not to mention washing up is easy too.
6. Tofu
Traditionally tofu symbolises death in Chinese culture. This is because most tofu is white (at least on the inside) and the colour white is synonymous with death – and so sometimes isn't served during festivals. That said, some have suggested eating tofu sounds like eating a mouthful of 'fú' (福) or good fortune. In everyday Chinese cooking, tofu is cooked with soups and in stir fries, made into yam rings and simmered in hotpots. Made out of soybeans, milk and coagulents, there are many varieties of tofu such as beancurd, silken tofu, dehydrated tofu, pickled tofu and stinky tofu. One of the most popular tofu dishes is the Sichuan mapo tofu which is beancurd in red chilli and bean oil.
Rumour has it tofu is associated with sexual harassment. There is this story out of Chang'an in China where a husband and wife duo ran a tofu restaurant. The husband made tofu at night while the wife ran the shop in the day. The wife was said to have good looks as a result of of eating tofu (supposedly keeps the skin nice and smooth) and men patronised the shop to 'eat tofu' – flirt with her.
* * *
Certain Chinese cuisine is spicier than others. Think Sichuan and Hunan cooking out of the Sichuan and Hunan provinces south of China where the climate is relatively cool. In general, many Chinese eat spicy and don't mind spicy food at all. China currently produces around 28 million tons of chilli, which is 46% of the world's total chillis. These days if you go to a Chinese restaurant, more than likely you'll come across a spicy Chinese dish on the menu or chilli condiments on the table like chilli flakes or chilli oil.
Growing up Chinese Australian, my Chinese parents forbade me to eat spicy dishes until I was about 15. They argued eating spicy foods at a young age damages brain cells (can't find research to prove this). Well by the time I started eating spicy food as an adult my tongue couldn't tolerate it. Eating a bowl of curry noodles never fails to hurt my tongue and stomach a fair bit, and I've chugged glass after glass of milk to ease the fire on my tongue and stomach. Even eating 'white and western' kind of spicy levels in Australia is too much for me and so all you chilli lovers out there, yes you can call me a wuss.
Notably, Chinese meals are often centred about the notion of balance and the yin and yang philosophy. That is, in a given Chinese meal there usually is a balance of flavour (sweet, salty, sour, bitter), balance of 'hot and cold' foods and a mix of starch, meat and vegetable dishes and maybe even a soup dish so as to encompass as many nutrients and food groups as possible. As such some might argue Chinese food is healthier than other kinds of food. On one hand, eating a wide variety of foods is favourable so you get all the vitamins your body needs. But on the other hand, eat big portions of Chinese dishes and Chinese dishes that are greasy, that leads to calorie consumption overload.
Today Chinese food is found all over the world. In Australia, it's not hard to find Chinese food in the capital cities. Here in Melbourne it's not hard to find more than a few Chinese restaurants in the city and in the towns with a high Asian demographic – quite easy to eat at a different Chinese meal at a different Chinese restaurant every night (and so easy to get broke eating this way). The question of whether Australia's Chinese food is more on the authentic side or more geared towards a Western palate is a question to ponder. But that's another story for another day.
Do you like Chinese cuisine?


text:
In a 12-week trial of 50 treatment-seeking cannabis users, those who took gabapentin used less cannabis, experienced fewer withdrawal symptoms such as sleeplessness, and scored higher on tests of attention, impulse-control, and other cognitive skills, compared to patients who received a placebo. If these results are confirmed by ongoing larger trials, gabapentin could become the first FDA-approved pharmaceutical treatment for cannabis dependence.
"A lot of other drugs have been tested for their ability to decrease cannabis use and withdrawal, but this is the first to show these key effects in a controlled treatment study," said Barbara J. Mason, the Pearson Family Chair and Co-Director of the Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research at Scripps Research. "The other nice thing about gabapentin is that it is already widely prescribed, so its safety is less likely to be an issue."
Mason led the new gabapentin study, recently published online ahead of print by the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
Stress Circuits
Addiction researchers have long known that recreational drugs hook users by disrupting the normal tuning of their brains' reward and motivation circuitry. But as scientists at Scripps Research and other institutions have shown in animal studies, cannabis withdrawal after prolonged heavy use also leads to the long-term activation of basic stress circuits. "In human cannabis users who try to quit, this stress response is reflected in reports of drug craving, sleep disturbances, anxiety, irritability, and dysphoria, any one of which can motivate a person to return to using, because cannabis will quiet these symptoms," said Mason.
A 2008 study by Pearson Center Co-Director George Koob and his colleagues found that gabapentin, an FDA-approved anticonvulsant drug that resembles the neurotransmitter GABA, can quiet this withdrawal-related activation in stress circuitry in alcohol-dependent rats. That finding motivated Mason to set up a pilot trial of gabapentin in cannabis-dependent individuals, whose withdrawal syndrome features a similar over-activation of stress circuits.
She and her colleagues recruited cannabis users with local newspaper and web ads headlined: "Smoking too much pot? We want to help you stop." "We needed only 50 subjects, but we quickly got more than 700 queries from cannabis users who were eager to quit," Mason said. "Some people deny that cannabis can be addictive, but surveys show that between 16 and 25 percent of substance use treatment admissions around the world every year involve people with primary cannabis dependence."
Twice as Many Abstinent from Cannabis Use
The trial was based at Mason's laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute. Half of the 50 recruits were randomly assigned to take 1,200 mg/day of gabapentin; the rest were given identical-looking placebo capsules. Over 12 weeks, Mason and her colleagues, including a medical team from the nearby Scripps Clinic, monitored the subjects with tests. Using standard behavioral therapy techniques, they also counseled the patients to stay off cannabis.
The subjects' self-reports and more objective urine tests revealed that gabapentin, compared to placebo, significantly reduced their continuing cannabis use. "Urine metabolite readings indicate about twice as many of the gabapentin subjects had no new cannabis use during the entire study, and, in the last four weeks of the study, all of the gabapentin subjects who completed the study stayed abstinent," Mason said.
Gabapentin also clearly reduced the reported symptoms of withdrawal such as sleep disturbances, drug cravings, and dysphoria. And even though gabapentin normally is thought of as a brain-quieting drug that can cause sleepiness as a side effect, there was some evidence that it sharpened cognition among the cannabis users. Seven gabapentin and ten placebo patients sat for tests of attention, impulse-control, and other executive functions just before the start of the trial and at week four. While the placebo patients tended to score lower after four weeks of attempted abstinence, the gabapentin patients generally scored higher.
Help Resisting Cravings
Addiction researchers now recognize that one of the effects of repeated drug use is the weakening of executive functions—which can happen through the over-activation of reward circuitry as well as by withdrawal-related stress. "That weakening of self-control-related circuits makes it even harder for people to resist drug cravings when they're trying to quit, but gabapentin may help restore those circuits, by reducing stress and enabling patients to sleep better, so that they function better while awake," Mason said.
She is now conducting a larger, confirmatory study of gabapentin in cannabis users, as well as a new study of a novel drug that targets the same stress circuitry.
"People in the treatment community have told me that they're eager for these trial results to come out, because until now nothing has been shown to work against both relapse and withdrawal symptoms," Mason said.
The other co-authors of "A Proof-of-Concept Randomized Controlled Study of Gabapentin: Effects on Cannabis Use, Withdrawal and Executive Function Deficits in Cannabis-Dependent Adults" were Rebecca Crean, Vivian Goodell, Susan Quello, and Kimberly Buffkins of The Scripps Research Institute's Pearson Center; John M Light, formerly of the Pearson Center and now at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene, Oregon; and Farhad Shadan, Mark Kyle, Murali Adusumalli, Adnan Begovic, and Santosh Rao, of the Scripps Green Hospital and Clinics in La Jolla, California. For more information, see http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/npp201214a.html#abs
The gabapentin trial and its larger follow-up trial have been supported by funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
About The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute is one of the world's largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. Over the past decades, Scripps Research has developed a lengthy track record of major contributions to science and health, including laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. The institute employs about 3,000 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists—including three Nobel laureates—work toward their next discoveries. The institute's graduate program, which awards Ph.D. degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. For more information, see www.scripps.edu.
# # #
For information:
Office of Communications
Tel: 858-784-8134
Fax: 858-784-8136


text:
It's July 4, y'all, the day we celebrate the creation of these (wonderful) United States of American in 1776 with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and I'm back blogging with a vengeance!
I'm not going to pretend the U.S. doesn't have some pretty great things going for it; if you check out the kind of overt oppression happening the last few months in Libya, Syria, and Yemen, I think all of us citizens of the U S of A can all be thankful to live where we do.
But, if you know me or have read my blog in the past, you know I like to get critical. And I figure what better day than this one, a day we think with inflated egos just how great and awesome we are, to look a little deeper at some of the ways I think we're getting it wrong:
Economic Disparity: If you ask me, this is from where all the problems stem. We're a country where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and with a system where those with money are in power or paying to get their friends into power (see below), the cycle will continue. A few infographics (Inequality, Stupid; 15 Facts) and this amazing article, "Who Rules America," tell the story pretty well, but the basic idea is that the top 1% of Americans has as much money and wealth as the bottom 90%, a group that itself is fairly stratified. Thus, the $1 you and I might spend on a meal means Oprah gets to spend $90. Does that seem right to you?
"Free" Speech: In the past few years, the Supreme Court has basically determined that the right to free speech means the right to as much speech as you're willing and able to pay for. This means that should I run for office, I can choose to forgo getting in bed with corporations and wealthy individuals and stay true to my ideals, but if someone else is well-financed, they can pretty much drown out me and my voice. Basically, free speech doesn't mean equal amounts of speech, and in this game, if you have money, you win and get to make the rules that help you get more money, though this has been true for awhile, it's just become even moreso as of late.
Health Care: I'm guessing I don't have to inform you that we still don't have universal health care. Yes, there was a bill passed that requires everyone to purchase health care, I'm aware, but universal health care this is not. Instead, what this does is create an even a larger pool of participants for private insurance companies to reap more money and profits from the estimated 50+ million without insurance. And with Medicare and Medicaid on the ropes, those who would lose such benefits would now also be required to "buy" insurance, again putting money in the hands of private companies. Why is health care not something we feel is a human right, afforded to everyone, like a high school education?
Education: While we're on the topic of universal rights, can we discuss the horrific state of the education system of this country? In Chicago, the high school graduation rate in 2010 was only 56% (an improvement from 1999's 47%, but still a travesty). Big cities across the country have similar stories. A lot of this, again, comes back to money. With all the states of which I'm aware using property taxes to fund education, this means more money is spent on education in wealthy areas than poor areas. And if you have money and don't like your school system, you either move or simply send your kids to a private school. If we truly valued education the way we give it lip service, we'd fund it as such.
Competitive Eating: If anything is representative of the excess that has become this country, it's the event held on Coney Island each July 4: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. This year's winner, Joey Chestnut, ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes (and of course the 20 or so other contestants ate a lot, too). Yet there are still families heading to soup kitchens and food pantries because they have nothing to eat. What drives something like this? Well, this year's event was (again) broadcast live on ESPN, with Pepto-Bismol as a top sponsor. I'm going to guess advertising money.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. I don't have time today to write about issues of housing, transportation, Social Security, unemployment, prisons and criminal (in)justice, war and foreign policy, and many others — I want to enjoy my day off, too!
But as we celebrate today and in days to come, let's not be complacent with the current ways of our country. We still live in a democracy, which means power to the people if we choose to claim it.
I leave you with a great op-art piece with a humorous look at our nation's not-always-so-pleasant-looking history: Like It or Unfriend It
(The title of this blog post is meant to be read as an adjective followed by a noun. The second "American," the noun, is meant to signify that I, being someone living in the U.S., would colloquially be called an American. In the first word, the adjective, I am affirming my belief that to act in an American way is to challenge the status quo and to work to make a better country for everyone — EVERYONE — and that's what I believe I try to do, and hopefully this blog is just one such example.)
(Oh, and why not a throwback to a post I wrote in September 2007, too: economic oppression)


text:
"The bitch is back! Although I should note, that I say that all the time, whether it's appropriate or not."
That's what Elton John said last night in his monologue on "Saturday Night Live" for his stint as both host and musical guest. With the help of some surprise guest stars, John, who is primarily known more for his music than acting, showcased his comedic talents very ably and confidently.
For instance, John as himself confronted a very combative and surly Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (Fred Armisen and Bill Hader) about the type of music he should play at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. It was amusing to hear John hurl an insult at the Queen of England, albeit a fake one. ("She must be the only queen who wears Ann Taylor."). Later during that sketch, John performs a very punkish rock song with the Queen on drums and Philip on electric guitar.
U.S. & World
In another sketch, the Rocket Man presided over a Knights of the Realm roundtable of British celebrities--Richard Branson, Bono, Ian McKellen, Ringo Starr and Michael Caine (played by guest Tom Hanks)—as they deal with a dragon on the loose. The skit took a jab at the troubled "Spider-Man" musical that Bono is affilliated with, while John referenced the successful theatrical production of "The Lion King," which John wrote the music for the movie version.
As for the other skits, John played a co-host of the cinema talk show, "The Silver Screen," whose guest was "Sucker Punch"'s Vanessa Hudgens (Nasim Pedrad). He also portrayed Bruce, a flamboyantly-dressed cowboy in the Old West who arrives at a saloon riding a unicorn. In the show's opening sketch, he played Francis Lynn March, a dashing singer-pianist on "The Lawrence Welk Show" who is upstaged by creepy backing singer Doonese (Kristen Wiig).
During the musical segments, John performed two soulful numbers, "Monkey Suit" and "Hey Ahab," with recent Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leon Russell—both of them collaborated on last year's album "The Union."
On the "SNL" Digital Short, Tom Hanks pitches a horrible idea of a musical about space to Lorne Michaels, called "Laser Cats." John played the evil character Droz , whose cats emit lasers from their mouths.
One of the corniest sketches of the night was ESPN's coverage of a ladies shot put event that featured Hanks as a sideline reporter and guest Carmelo Anthony in drag as shot-putter Carmela St. Knix. (Also making a return to the show was Will Forte as one of the co-anchors on the broadcast). Nearly all of the lines in that skit referenced the event's sponsor, KY Jelly.
For Weekend Update, guests included an upbeat Moaamar Khaddafy (Armsien); zookeeper Barry Lewis, who caught the escaped Bronx Zoo cobra, only to lose it again; and Nicolas Cage (Adam Samberg) and another special guest, the real Jake Gyllenhaal--Cage laments about why he wasn't in Gyllenhaal's latest movie "Source Code."
Next week's "SNL" will feature Helen Mirren and rock band Foo Fighters.
Sources: Hulu.com, SNL broadcast April 2, 2011


text:
Companies / Kelantan
Hardware Shop
Verified Created in 2019
View address and direction.
TamuHQ - Hotel PMS
Syarikat Ismail Trading is on Carihal
No items found
Carihal - Muslim marts and services directory
Best Muslim Products, Companies, Services and More at Carihal.
Our Android app
Download Now
How to install?
Contact Us
© 2020. All rights reserved.


text:
Sunday Sport
The Sunday Sport and her sister publication, the Daily Sport, are regarded as the UK's leading intellectual journals, using a framework of analysis, debate and challenge to stimulate learned citizens with the capability to consider alternative philosophies. By a happy coincidence, the two periodicals are also renowned for the personal adverts, a forum to allow like-minded literati to meet and share hypotheses on the great imponderable questions of existence. As such, they may be considered as catering to a readership almost entirely dissimilar to that of the Daily Mail, with the only resemblance being a faint contempt for members of society deemed to be ineligible to join their demographic.
Both the Daily Sport and the Sunday Sport have become notorious for their thought-provoking headlines concerning pressing issues of the day. Typical themes include the existence of a deity, the decline of educational standards and the perfect size for really, really big breasts.
Some commentators have commented on the decline in standards of the Sunday Sport, but acknowledge the need to pursue a populist agenda in order to attract new readers during the weekend, when minds may be at their most receptive following a period of rest.
To fully understand the impact that both the Sunday Sport and Daily Sport have had in raising standards throughout society, it is important to establish the historical and cultural framework within which they operate.
Initially founded in 1973 as a weekly pamphlet called Ye Sporte, primitive printing techniques prevented the fledgling publication from achieving the size of audience craved by advertisers. However, the importance of the ideas was recognised by the underground intellectual community, with copies eagerly shared between argument-hungry free-thinkers. During this time, Ye Sporte was written by a small group of intelligentsia, with logistical support from an unknown firm of accountants.
It took one man with the vision to identify the great hunger for debate; this man was Derek Sullyvane. In 1977, he put money behind the publishers and quickly developed the current layout that has become so familiar to literally hundreds of people, incorporating colour and clear directions to areas of interest within the issue.
This financial freedom allowed the editorial team to offer a range of different viewpoints within each issue, as well as offering opportunities (for those learned enough to take best advantage of them) to spread wisdom beyond the confines of the printed word, through lectureships and courses of seminars. The most well known of these, the annual "Education For The Masses" lecture series, was established in 1981 and rivals only the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in terms of talks you'd love to hear but end up being distracted by a repeat of some James Bond movie on ITV.
Critical acceptance, if not commercial success, resulted in Ye Sporte becoming known as the Daily Sport, with a dedicated Sunday version being developed in 1987. At present, the circulation is estimated to be in the region of 3,552 issues per day (of which 9 are purchased at full price).
Cultural Context[edit]
The stated aims of both the Sunday Sport and the Daily Sport is to "encourage individual growth and societal progression through the development of critical faculties in contemporary thought."
Some on the editorial staff have been known to paraphrase this as "think harder, plebs!" although this has never been confirmed or denied by the proprietors.
Both publications encourage readers to interact and share their ideas. Personal adverts are carried in each issue to allow meetings between the learned; in particular, adverts from hot babes are encouraged, as it is felt they have the most to offer to the readership in terms of intellectual challenge.
The Sunday Sport, in particular, has gained a reputation for carrying stories that would be less attractive to the so-called mainstream publications. While the editorial team justify this in terms of needing to get straight to the issues that should be on the lips of the learned classes, although such headlines as "Face Of Jesus In My Fish Finger" or "Aliens Stole My Buttocks" are often considered hard for the casual reader to understand.
Perhaps the largest recent controversy was in 1995, when the Sunday Sport published claims that noted intellectual Lord Lucan had hosted a small discussion group, at which the prospect of living on a London bus on the moon was the topic. This turned out to be inaccurate - the topic had, in actual fact, been about living in a World War II bomber on Mars. The subsequent legal action was resolved with the Sunday Sport being forced to make an undisclosed settlement, an admission of fault and undertakings that Lord Lucan's affairs would no longer be the topic of headline news (which, inadvertently, contributed to rumours of the Lord's disappearance).
Both the Daily Sport and the Sunday Sport have refused to align themselves with traditional measures of circulation, claiming that the proper discussion of radical ideas should not be subject to such petty measures as the number of copies sold.
However, the annual Sunday Sport Pondering Symposia are used for market research purposes, with the 2006 survey showing that the typical reader is aged between 16 and 85, is either male or female and enjoys hobbies such as breathing, eating or sleeping. Interestingly, 1.46% of the surveyed population indicated that their favourite part of the Sunday Sport was where it gets used to line their litter tray.
As with any other publication, the Sunday Sport and the Daily Sport rely on advertising. Typical adverts are seen for the Stannah Stairlift, memorial plates, The Innovations Catalogue, car insurance and prostitutes. This is not because the readership has any interest in the products - these adverts are just everywhere.
Uniquely, the Sunday Sport encourages advertising from its readers, with especially learned individuals offering their thoughts or requesting an informal meet-up. Although a casual review might suggest that the postings are largely concerned with penis size, sexual conquests, massage parlours or a predilection for "anonymous, seriously naughty sex", this is a misunderstanding - the learned readership have their own code which only they can understand. For example:
|Proper, like
|KINKY BARMAID wants to experiment with strangers for naughty sex
|I would like to discuss Hobbesian philosophy
|THAI PALACE 5 Sexy Thai Ladies Join U In The Hydro Bath
|Mixed discussion group to consider Catholic duality
|STAINES ~Lets Play~ Delicious Girls For All Tastes
|The Cartesian Principle is a metaphor of the Renaissance
|LUTON Shaven
|Informal gathering to establish socialist principles
|YORK SexyXmasTreats
|Looking to establish new political party to advance notional wisdom
|I WILL do you til you cum, Aberdeen/anywhere
|Physical sciences lecture series, speakers wanted
|GGOW Kisses+Cuddles
|Learned lady sought to help build the master race
|Studies of Anglo-Aryan principle & correction of Aryan theory
Naturally, all contact details have been removed to spare embarassment.
Present Day[edit]
As with any sub-section of society that shows overt differences to the accepted norm, the Sunday Sport and Daily Sport, as well as their readership, have attracted both natural curiosity and overt suspicion.
Internet Presence[edit]
The Sunday Sport has no website, preferring to use hard copy print. A number of spoof websites were established (for instance, the well constructed "pretentiouswankers.com" or the satirical "never-get-a-shag.org") but were subsequently closed by very eloquently formed arguments about antidisestablishmentarianism.
Broadcast Media[edit]
For a period in late 2005, a number of readers collaborated to broadcast their discussions on a hospital radio station. After only five minutes, the broadcast was terminated when a significant number of patients began to debate the logic of epistolean commentary when applied to the works of Ovid.
References in Popular Culture[edit]
The Sunday Sport is referred to as "The Sunday Spurt" in satirical magazine Private Eye, which produces an occasional critique of some of the more avant-garde thinking. Recent targets have included:
- Non-platonic solids and their impact on Russian politics
- The desired structure for the dystopian novel
- Breeding strategies to develop innate seven-dimension perception
The highly regarded web comic "Sexless Nerds" features a character, Belinda, who has subscribed to the Sunday Sport through a tax-efficient investment shell trust. Ironically, this character engages in far more sexual activity than the remainder of the line-up.
Radiohead included a track on their 2001 album "Kids, eh?" with the title "Basil Is A Bit Simple", which makes references to a recent edition of the Sunday Sport, but dismisses the contents as being examples of naive thinking.
Celebrity Readers[edit]
Although few figures in the (British) public eye will admit to even reading the Sunday Sport or the Daily Sport, there are a number who have come out of the closet, as it were:
- Jeremy Clarkson
- Noel Edmonds
- Gerald Durrell
- Carol Vorderman
- Magnus Magnusson
Editorial Team[edit]
Nobody you've ever heard of, even if you read the damn thing every week. Just imagine a whole load of Jeremys, Genevieves, Bertrams and Jemimas.
See also[edit]
http://www.sundaysport.co.uk - An unfortunate example of domain squatting
http://www.nationalenquirer.com - A thematically related US publication
heat - An affiliated magazine, designed to involve the younger reader in civilised conversation


text:
|The Mall
Now, it seems, you can have it all. One-stop lifetime shopping from baby clothes, to wedding supplies, to tax services, and funeral arrangements.
Earlier this year, a California funeral home, Forest Lawn Memorial Parks & Mortuaries, http://www.forestlawn.com began placing kiosks in 4 southern California malls.
|Mall Shopping
The cart kiosks are low key, featuring urns, some with themes, to entice folks to stop and talk to the advanced planning representative that staffs the cart. Literature and brochures are also available and may be taken home and perused.
While at first the idea seems a tad unconventional, it's really just another way ofreaching out to those who might want to pre-plan for death but can't bring themselves to go to the funeral home or a cemetery.
But Forest Lawn is not the first funeral home to open a mall kiosk about death. An Indianapolis, Indiana funeral home, Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Centers partnered with two Indianapolis area Simon Malls beginning in 2004 to provide unmanned kiosks to market their cremation services.
|Flanner & Buchanan Kiosk
It proved to be very successful, not only in assisting people in making pre-need decisions but also in placing several sets of cremains in area cemeteries.
Cremation is now the fastest growing service for funeral homes, and having the ability to feature urns, photos of eco-green cemeteries, and cremation jewelry at a mall kiosk is an excellent strategy. It seems that most consumers view cremation as an alternative to a funeral. They don't understand that a funeral service can still be held, and the cremated remains can also be placed in a cemetery plot.
Today, not only are funeral homes stepping out and becoming more visible, they are also starting to engage potential customers online through social media. Since the recession of 2009, funeral homes have seen a decline in the use of their services.
|2013 Hearse
|1960 Hearse
Not too surprising since the average cost of a "traditional" funeral has gone up about 940% in almost 50 years. According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) http://nfda.org, the cost of an adult funeral in 1960 was $708. In 2009 (the last year figures were available) the cost was $6,560. Add the price of the cemetery vault ($1,195) and a funeral will now run around $7,700.
|Donate to Science
|New England Burials at Sea
Consumers are now looking for alternative methods to the traditional 'burying their dead.' Cremation is just one of these options, along with burial at sea and donating your body to science.
And the cost of cremation is a relative bargain compared to a traditional funeral and burial. The average cost of a direct cremation (no service) is between $700 and $1,000, and that covers the cremation, urn, death certificate and taxes. Adding a funeral service, graveside service, or cemetery plot will cost extra, so plan accordingly.
In 1960 only 3.56% of those who died were cremated. As of 2011, 42% had chosen this alternative. That's more than double the rate of cremations in 1995, and the Cremation Association of North America http://www.cremationassociation.org predicts that by 2050, over half (51.12%) of those who die will be cremated.
|Mall Food Court
While it may seem a bit morbid or morose to some, it is just another opportunity for each of us to consider what we want to happen to our remains after death and provides a way for that conversation to begin; even if it is at the mall, over an Auntie Ann's pretzel, – it's still a beginning.
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end…"
How prophetic.
~ Joy


text:
Several U.S. Senators have been extremely critical of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, a possible nominee for Secretary of State.
(By the way, Susan Rice has some interesting Maine ties.)
These critics complain that Rice used the approved, unclassified talking points when talking about the attacks on Americans at Benghazi, Libya.
Now, if Rice had used classified information that had not been cleared for release, that would have been highly inappropriate, and the same senators very well may have attacked her for that reason.
Also, CIA officials have testified that the picture of events was hazy at first. When they were clearer about the connection to terrorism, they didn't want their knowledge to be public, as not to tip off the attackers about what they knew. They believed that not letting the attackers in on U.S. intelligence conclusions would better enable them to capture the attackers and prevent future violence against Americans and U.S. allies.
In any case, one surprise to national observers is the reaction of Senator Susan Collins, who appears to have shifted toward the critical perspective of Senators McCain and Graham.
Odder still is Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who said on Wednesday, "I continue to be troubled by the fact that the U.N. ambassador decided to play what was essentially a political role at the height of the contentious presidential election campaign by agreeing to go on the Sunday shows to present the administration's position." Imagine that! A senior administration official presenting her administration's position!
"What troubles me so much," Collins went on, "is that the Benghazi attack in many ways echoes the attacks on [two U.S. embassies in Africa] in 1998 when Susan Rice was head of the African region for our State Department." . . .
I don't recall anyone blaming Rice for those attacks at the time, nor anyone blaming, say, the assistant secretary of state for Middle East affairs when terrorists blew up the U.S. Marine base in Lebanon in 1983.
This is where sheer hypocrisy enters the picture. In 2005, when President Bush nominatedCondoleezza Rice as secretary of state, many Democrats hammered her for making misleading remarks about Saddam Hussein's supposed possession of weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. Bear in mind that Rice had been Bush's national security adviser, front and center during the WMD hype, not a peripheral figure like U.N. ambassador. Yet who stood up for that Rice most fervently in the Senate? Lindsey Graham and John McCain.
Those critiques from Senator Collins do seem rather odd, as does her touting of another possible nominee for Secretary of State, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.
If Kerry was appointed, this would open up his senate seat, possibly enabling a Republican to win it in a special election.
The entire set of responses involve a push-back to President Obama, who convincingly won re-election. (Besides the substantial electoral college win, in the still not fully completed count, Romney has 47.4% of the vote and Obama 50.9%.)
Politically, criticizing Rice is clearly a good move for Senator Graham, who is not trusted by the tea party elements in his home state of South Carolina, where he will be on the ballot in 2014.
While Collins has been very well-liked in Maine, in part because she has been seen as somewhat independent from her party, this reputation could be undermined if her actions look too partisan and political.


text:
MONTREAL — I didn't travel far — just a couple of hundred kilometres north of Montreal to a remote house in the woods, with a screened-in porch and a view of a lake in the distance.
But I visited dozens of places during my week away: My passport was the pile of books I'd packed, and piled on the white wicker coffee table.
I inhabited the universe of real-estate agent Hildy Good, protagonist of Ann Leary's new novel, The Good House: Good lives alone in a small town on Boston's north shore in which everyone has secrets. And she drinks too much.
I spent time by the ocean in Maine with Olive Kitteridge, a prickly retired schoolteacher and the person for whom Elizabeth Strout's collection of beautifully crafted linked short stories is named. I started out quite disliking Olive — she's opinionated, judgmental and ill-tempered; actually, she reminded me of myself in ways — but Strout found ways to show me why I shouldn't be so dismissive.
And I was in Chicago with Esther Lustig, the protagonist of Miriam Karmel's debut novel Being Esther, as the 80-something widow reflected on how she had used her time here on this Earth and on her disappointments. I felt myself stiffen, along with Esther, each time her daughter turned up, rushed and remote and patronizing.
I believe we see parts of ourselves in other people's stories — the selves we wish we were, the selves we are happy we are not, the selves we worry we are, reluctant as we may be to acknowledge it, even to ourselves. As the British writer William Hazlitt observed: "Books let us into their souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own."
The writer and director Nora Ephron used the word rapture to describe the state she attained while reading Michael Chabon's novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. That's how much she loved the book, as she observed in an essay in I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman (Alfred A. Knopf, 2006).
"I was transported into its world," she wrote. "I was reminded of all sorts of things in my own life. I was in anguish over the fate of its characters. I felt alive, and engaged, and positively brilliant, bursting with ideas, brimming with memories of other books I've loved."
Patricia Shackelford, a Kansas City-based writer and blogger (mrsblandings.blogspot.com) who has the deftest, most delightful way with words, lamented in a July 11 post that her boys aren't reading more during their summer vacation, that they spend so much of their free time with television and electronic games.
"What I did during the summer when I was a kid was read," she recalled in the post. "Inside, in the air conditioning. Lots. Oh, I watched my fair share of Gilligan's Island reruns and ate my weight in nacho cheese-flavoured Doritos, but mostly, I read. And I realized that is what I want them to do. Read."
I could picture her there, in the air conditioning. But here's the thing: Can you make a person want to read? Can you make a reader of someone?
Yes, you can, says Andrea Borod. She reads three or four books a week, usually two at the same time. When we spoke, she was reading Lost in the Meritocracy, a memoir by Walter Kirn, author of Up in the Air, and Alif the Unseen, a novel by G. Willow Wilson. She counts among her favourite authors George Eliot, Jonathan Safran Foer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mordecai Richler, Carol Shields and Alice Munro.
Borod, 33, teaches English, creative writing and other subjects to high school students at Montreal's Lower Canada College. She also runs successful lunchtime book talks in which students gather and discuss a book they read on their own; the students can nominate titles, as well. Works discussed recently include The Shadow of the Wind, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and City of Thieves. Think of it as a book club — only without the name.
"They like to be challenged. We get into really interesting conversations."
Borod believes that, in teaching young people, it is important to keep context in mind — George Orwell's 1984, for instance, "is an interesting book but, without an understanding of the political backstory, it is meaningless," she said — and that the way in which a book is taught can make or break a student's experience. "A lot comes down to the teacher."
"My goal is to get people reading — to get people loving books and to associate that with feeling smart and having more to say," she told me. "I think that once a person becomes a reader, that person is a reader for life."
Evidently, she's doing something right. The book talks are successful, for one, and she described a parent calling her to say: "My son is sitting in his hockey gear reading a book — and I have never seen that happen."
Recently, Borod created a new platform to encourage people to read — a website called The Book Dumpling (bookdumpling.com). Among other things, it provides personalized book recommendations intended to connect people with books. She was already the go-to person for friends and family wanting to know what to read next, and then for students. So recommending books in a venue that puts her in touch with a broader population seemed like a natural step.
The Book Dumpling, launched in May, has welcomed 8,000 visitors so far. About 600 have responded to the survey on the site that recreates the conversation Borod would have with them if they were face to face: She would ask them to name a couple of books they had recommend that others read — and to name a couple they'd never recommend. Their replies give her enough information about their preferences and their dislikes to suggest books she's confident they'll like.
She doesn't let her personal taste be her sole guide. "I don't recommend only books that I love," she said. She might read a book she doesn't like especially, "but I know who will."
Borod is currently providing recommendations to about 300 people — and says that almost all indicate that they're satisfied with her suggestions. She is particularly gratified, she said, when a reader who reports having loved a book is someone who has had "a fractured experience with reading" in the past.
There is no charge to use The Book Dumpling and, for now at least, there are no plans to try to have the site generate income. For her, it's a passion project, one she has undertaken simply "to be a good citizen."
"Reading has just brought so much to my life," Borod said. "I cannot imagine my life without reading. That's part of what I want to share with other people."
Twitter: susanschwartz


text:
Robert Bales turned his back on civilian life as a financial adviser in Ohio and signed up for the military after the Sept 2001 terror attacks on the US.
He was a popular combat veteran, twice injured in Iraq, described by a former platoon leader as "one of the best soldiers I ever worked with" and who prided himself on identifying "the bad guys from non-combatants".
Now, though, he has been identified as the US soldier accused of last Sunday's massacre of 16 Afghan villagers, nine of them children, in a predawn shooting and stabbing rampage.
The atrocity has plunged US-Afghan relations to a new low, prompting "Death to America" protests in Afghanistan, and fresh calls for the timetable for the 2014 withdrawal of American and British forces to be accelerated.
As a commander and trained sniper in a front line US infantry unit, Sgt Bales was no stranger to combat and the stress it can produce in those who wage it. He had witnessed the bloodiest of the fighting in Iraq in the years after the 2003 invasion, earning the praise of his superiors, and was decorated a dozen times during three tours of duty there.
Then in 2010, towards the end of his third deployment, he suffered a minor traumatic brain injury after the vehicle in which he was travelling rolled over. And last year to his disappointment he was passed over for promotion, adding to money worries back home.
But for Sgt Bales, 38, and his wife Karilyn, there seemed at least one reason for optimism on the horizon. They understood he had served his final tour in a war zone, and that they and their two young children would soon move to a non-combat posting.
Instead, he was sent back to the front last December, this time to Afghanistan. The consequences were more dreadful than could have been imagined.
What emerged this weekend is a morality story for a nation whose army has been at war for a decade, and at the centre of it is a soldier who, despite an impressive military record, also had a recent history of trauma, grievances and financial pressures.
For court records show another side to the character of a man who was described by stunned neighbours as a loving father and husband and "life of the party". In 2002, he underwent an anger management assessment after he was charged with assault. And in 2008, witnesses said that he smelled of alcohol after he crashed his car and ran off into nearby woods.
At home in Washington state, his wife was struggling with the finances as she raised Quincy, four, and Bobby, three. Only this month, they put their home up for sale as they had fallen behind with their mortgage payments.
Sgt Bales, 38, a member of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, was flown back on Friday evening to the military's highest-security prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where investigators will pore over his military evaluations, mental and physical health records and computer logs as they draw up charges against him.
An unnamed official briefed US media that Sgt Bales buckled under a combination of work stress, marital strains and alcohol, saying that he had been drinking in violation of military rules.
But the shocking incident raises alarming questions about his emotional and mental stability, and whether he had slipped through the net of care at one of America's biggest bases and the pressures of repeat deployments to combat zones.
John Browne, his lawyer, dismissed reports of domestic problems as "hogwash" but said Sgt Bales had experienced post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his deployments and had his head injury in Iraq.
He also had seen one of his fellow soldiers lose his leg in an explosion hours before he allegedly committed the massacre.
Sgt Bales and his wife lived at Lake Tapps in Washington state, about a 20-minute drive east of his base at Lewis-McChord near Tacoma in the Pacific North West.
Home there was a modest two-story beige wood-frame house with a small front porch beneath tall fir and cedar evergreens in a neighbourhood popular with military families.
But three days before the shooting in Afghanistan, Mrs Bales contacted Philip Rodocker, an estate agent, to say that she wanted to sell their house. The property was listed for $229,000, about a $50,000 loss on what the family paid for it in 2005 and less than they owed the bank."She told me she was behind in payments," Mr. Rodocker said. "She said he was on his fourth tour and (the house) was getting kind of old and they needed to stabilise their finances."
The house "looked like it had been really, really neglected," he added.
Mrs Bales and her children were moved into accommodation on the army base last week, to protect her from the inevitable media scrutiny as well as the danger of revenge attacks. Boxes, toys, a sledge and a barbecue grill were piled on the front porch this weekend, collected by Mrs Bales as she prepared for the move.
"We are completely in shock," said Kassie Holland, 27, a next-door neighbour. "They seemed very happy, he was the life of the party and great with the kids. I can't see how this can have happened."
His commanders also evidently had no doubts about his capabilities. Staff sergeants are the backbone of a fighting unit, providing support to their officers and bolstering morale of the troops. And to qualify as a sniper – a position that all but guarantees a close acquaintanceship with killing – he also underwent and passed routine psychological screening assessments.
Sgt Bales offered his own insights on the war in Iraq after he fought in a battle in the city of Najaf in 2007 in which 250 enemy fighters died, in clashes described by some participants as "apocalyptic."
"I've never been more proud to be a part of this unit than that day," he said afterwards in a testimony collected for a military training college. "We discriminated between the bad guys and the non-combatants and then afterward we ended up helping the people that three or four hours before were trying to kill us.
"I think that's the real difference between being an American as opposed to being a bad guy, someone who puts his family in harm's way like that."
Speaking of the intensity of the battle, he added that "the cool part about this was World War II-style. You dug in. Guys were out there digging a fighting position in the ground."
That vivid account is evidently one that the US military would prefer the public no longer to read. The link to the website that carried it was removed last week, but the article was still available in other archives.
Comrades have been quick to come to the support of the soldier they had known before Sunday. Capt Chris Alexander, his platoon leader in Iraq, said in an interview on Friday night that the sergeant "saved many a life" by never letting down his guard during patrols.
"Bales is still, hands down, one of the best soldiers I ever worked with," he said. "There has to be very severe [post-traumatic stress disorder] involved in this. I just don't want him seen as some psychopath, because he is not."
But public records show two brushes with the law after he moved to Washington. He was ordered by a judge in 2002 to undergo anger-management counselling for an alleged assault on a girlfriend in a hotel. And in 2008, he was arrested after he drove his car off a road and into a tree, then fled the scene. Witnesses told police that he was bleeding, disoriented and smelled of alcohol, but he was not charged with drunk driving.
He was deployed three times to Iraq: between 2003 and 2004 as anti-US resistance erupted; for 15 months between June 2006 and September 2007, at the height of the brutal civil war and the beginning of what became known as the surge; and for a year from August 2009. As well as the head injury in that final tour, his lawyer said that he had also lost part of his foot in a separate incident.
The massacre has focused attention on the care and vetting given to soldiers who have gone through multiple tours and, in Sgt Bales' case, suffered a brain injury on deployment.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord has come under scrutiny because of a string of problems. Most notably, rogue soldiers from another Stryker brigade formed a "kill unit" and murdered three Afghan civilians in 2010, and the Army recently opened an investigation into complaints that diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder were being changed or dismissed by the base's medical centre.
Some veteran groups have argued that the base, which is home to 40,000 soldiers, is unable to handle the pressures of repeated deployments. In 2010, Sgt Bales was among 18,000 personnel who returned there from war zones over just a few weeks. Commanders however insisted on Friday that facilities at Lewis-McChord were not overwhelmed.
Why Sgt Bales snapped in the early hours of last Sunday remain unclear for now; officials say he appears to have only vague recollections of the incident.
But as he stands suspected of perhaps the worst single atrocity committed by a US serviceman in the last decade of foreign wars, a recent US military press release about a simulated Afghan "hearts and minds" operations in California's Mojave desert has a chilling poignancy.
"How's the security affecting your family?" Sgt Bales asked a "village elder" relaxing outside his home. "Much better than yesterday," the man replies the man.
The release goes on to state that Sgt Bales' company had successfully secured the village to rebuild relations with local population. In the words of his commander, "it represents the finest of everything the Army presents."
Nobody, it seems, envisaged that Sgt Bales might ever come to represent anything else.


text:
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
The Kindness of Bike People -- A Typewriter Tale
Jolene (@mujozen) from Eugene, Oregon is someone I know only through Twitter. and she suggested I check out the Goodwill store. When I reported back that the Seattle Goodwill only had electric typewriters, she replied that she had an old Royal typewriter that I could have, but I'd need to find some way of getting the typewriter from Eugene. Again, I asked on Twitter, this time looking for someone who might be headed from Eugene to the Seattle area. This time my friend Madi (@familyride) replies that her friend Elisabeth (@epsnider) is visiting family in Eugene and could maybe help out. Elisabeth, who I don't know at all, immediately replies that sure, she'd be happy to pick up the typewriter but she'll be camping down in Oregon for a while so would it be OK if I wait a bit for the typewriter. Of course this is OK. People I barely know or don't know at all are getting me a typewriter.
And this is the point of this little story. There are great people in the world. Jolene, Madi and Elisabeth all went out of their way to extend some kindness towards me. Jolene told me she may tap me at some point in the future for some bike repair or advice and Madi says her kindness was "nothing". Elisabeth at least lets me buy her and her kids something at a Seattle coffee shop. Kindness is never nothing. I owe all these three women more than I can repay, but I'll try. Jolene said she'd only pass her typewriter on to "a real writer." I'll do what I can to earn her trust.
Last week was the great typewriter hand off. I rode my bike from Issaquah to Seattle. Christine's pal the heron was keeping watch at the Bellevue Slough.
I noticed some new art in the I-90 bike tunnel.
I checked out the parking squid's new location by the Seattle waterfront.
I walked my bike across the Ballard Locks.
Elisabeth and I met up at Firehouse Coffee in Ballard. I think she was as excited as I was.
I got my first look at the machine I'd come to think of as "The Royal Baby."
Elisabeth and her kids waved goodbye as I loaded the typewriter onto my bike.
On the way home I stopped off for a visit with my friend Chris Cameron at Rosebud Custom Bicycle Builds. Chris is quite possibly the most meticulous mechanic in Seattle and he loves what he does, so we always have plenty to chat about. He sees the typewriter on the back of my bike and asks about it.
"Can you still get ribbons?"
"Amazon," I replied.
"Of course. But why a typewriter?"
"Great American novel. Something to be said to pounding words straight to paper."
"I get it. What's the novel?"
I gave him my jacket blurb, "He's a hyper-intelligent, telepathic raccoon. She's a homeless bike mechanic. Together they fight crime."
"Oh man, you gotta write that."
"I know," I replied, "Hence, the typewriter."
"One more thing..." Chris said.
"Yeah?" I said.
"Put me in the book."
"I'll see what I can do.'
Chris also gave me one of his very nifty Rosebud bike shirts. The image on it shows Eddy Merckx working on his bike.
It was a beautiful day for riding.
In August in the Pacific Northwest, bike fuel grows right alongside the trail.
As if the day hadn't already given me enough, I found a roll of electrical tape on the roadside.
There are a lot of great people out in the world and a lot of great places to ride. Get out there and enjoy it.
Right now, I've got some typing to do.
By the way, the typewriter works great, except for the backspace key. I think that's OK, it's like the machine is telling me to push onward.
Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA
10 comments:
- Johann Rissik said...
Lovely story, Kent. And twitter being used for communication with real people to deliver tangible results.
Now get typing...:)
- Jim said...
Good luck with the novel!
Just saw this and chuckled at seeing two bike bloggers musing about biking and typewriters on the same day. It's been years (if ever) that the subjects have intertwined.
- St Andrews Biker said...
I really enjoyed the read!!! Great Story and truly fantastic photos! Keep up the bloggering!!!
- Betty said...
Great story! I have a 1932 Royal typewriter myself so I know how persnickety they can be. If the key sticks try a drop of sewing machine oil in the joint. I dip a needle in the bottle and carefully apply it. Then let it sit for a few minutes and wipe off the excess. Try the key again, if it still sticks repeat and wiggle gently while it soaks in. Then wipe clean. Good Luck!
- Chris said...
I live a few blocks from the site of the Royal typewriter factory, which sadly burned down in 1992, here in Hartford, CT. Actually, I'm halfway between that and the Pope factory, where Columbia and Hartford bicycles were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. My typewriter is an Underwood, also made in Hartford. Bike Walk Connecticut's office is in the old Underwood factory, which still stands. Bike/typewriter connections abound!
- MzunguEriki said...
Great read.
Waiting for the novel.
- Lisa said...
The social virtual to in person connection is always heartening. So is the kindness.
- Philip said...
I had a friend with an old Range Rover (the Wild Kingdom kind) that lacked a reverse gear. He told everyone that was "just how the British did it - Ever Onward!"
- Richard said...
Great story Kent.
I'd love a typewriter - my brothers and I used to play around on a huge ancient one of my Mum's when we were kids.
I was overjoyed this week to see that my 5 year old daughter's classroom also has one which they can play around on - so glad that education's not just about the technology! :-)
- Sally said...
I saw the story unfold on Twitter. I've never met you Kent but have found your bike & book tweets and advice to be spot on and much appreciated. Plus I used to live in Issaquah. And I know Elizabeth--she married a childhood friend of my son. And then I met Jolene recently in person (I live near Eugene and somehow came across her on twitter through a RT by someone) and when she started to talk about a typewriter, I said, "Oh, YOU'RE the one who gave the typewriter to Kent." Small, kind bike world.


text:
VIDEO DOWNLOAD - Harley Race Shoot Interview
This interview was conductedwithformer 7-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race. Harley talks about all of his world title reigns including great stories about Dusty Rhodes, Terry & Dory Funk, The Briscos, Ric Flair & tons of other wrestling legends.
Harley also discusses all of the different territories he has wrestled in throughout the world including St. Louis, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Mid-Atlantic and every other territory that virtually ever existed.
Hear a great story on how Harley confronted Hulk Hogan in the early days at a show in Kansas City when the WWF was taking over all of the territories, including his own.
This legend also talks about his tours of Japan working for All Japan Pro Wrestling. Hear if he liked his stay in the WWF as the King of Wrestling, and what his opinion of Vince McMahon is now.
Hear all of the stories about when he was in the WCW as the manager of Vader. Relive the night when Cactus Jack received the concussion from Vader plus also hear Harleys take on the Sid-Arn Anderson stabbing incident.
Harley also views his opinions about the state of pro wrestling today. Also featured are some incredible matches from the past that will leave you believing that Harley Race was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time! .
ThisDVD was digitally remasteredby Highspots. The original interview was not conducted by Highspots.
Average Customer Review: Not yet rated
Write an online review and share your thoughts with others.


text:
Spiced tortilla
Nutrition and extra info
- Vegetarian
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal327
- fat17g
- saturates4g
- carbs27g
- sugars5g
- fibre3g
- protein19g
- salt0.69g
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil is made from pressing sunflower seeds and extracting the oil. It's usually…
- 1 onion, sliced
Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and shredded
- 2 tsp curry spice (we used coriander, cumin and turmeric)
- 300g cherry tomato
- 500g cooked potato, sliced
The world's favourite root vegetable, the potato comes in innumerable varieties. A member of…
- bunch coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
- 8 eggs, beaten
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the onion and half the chilli for 5 mins until softened. Tip in the spices, fry for 1 min more, then add the cherry tomatoes, potatoes and coriander stalks to the pan. Season the eggs well, pour over the top of the veg and leave to cook gently for 8-10 mins until almost set.
Heat the grill and flash the tortilla underneath for 1-2 mins until the top is set. Scatter the coriander leaves and remaining chilli over the top, slice into wedges and serve with a green salad.
Recipe Tip
Tip - leftover lunchesLeftover tortilla makes a great lunchbox filler. Just cool in wedges, then chill overnight before packing into a container.


text:
Whether it's extending a small kitchen into a magnificent kitchen dining room, adding a play room or simply creating a new environment for the family to relax, a Glass Houses glass extension will change the way you live.
Working exclusively in the finest timber, all Glass Houses conservatories, orangeries, swimming pool enclosures sunrooms and roof lanterns are hand crafted using modern and traditional methods with every component made to exact dimensions. Traditional or contemporary, small or large, designers at Glass Houses work with their customers to ensure that their new glass extension integrates perfectly with their home blending with the style and period of the property.
A complete project managed service is offered at Glass Houses taking care of every detail from obtaining planning permission if necessary, (listed building application where required), applying for building regulations, digging the foundations to applying the final coat of paint. The main trades are part of the team so each phase of construction can be closely controlled and scheduled.
Glass Houses have a passion for period architecture, fine quality and detail as illustrated in the galleries on the web site.


text:
Dec. 24, 2008 - Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Zoloft are effective treatments for childhood anxiety disorders -- but the combination works best, a government-funded study shows.
Anxiety disorders and social phobias limit the lives of at least one in 10 children. Yet up to half of these kids aren't helped by short-term treatment with psychotherapy alone or medications alone.
That's why Johns Hopkins researcher John T. Walkup, MD, and colleagues led a multi-institution, government-funded study to see whether combination treatment would help.
The researchers enrolled 488 children and teens age 7 to 17 years. All suffered separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or social phobia.
There were four different treatment groups:
- 76 kids got inactive placebo pills.
- 133 kids got Zoloft alone -- beginning with 25 milligrams per day and adjusted up to 200 milligrams per day within eight weeks, including eight 30- to 60-minute sessions to rate treatment response and adverse events.
- 139 kids got CBT alone -- 14 one-hour sessions based on the Coping Cat program.
- 140 kids got combination treatment with CBT and Zoloft.
After 12 weeks:
- 24% of the kids in the placebo group were "very much" or "much" improved.
- 55% of the kids in the Zoloft group were "very much" or "much" improved.
- 60% of the kids in the CBT group were "very much" or "much" improved.
- 81% of the kids in the CBT/Zoloft combination group were "very much" or "much" improved.
Walkup and colleagues conclude that all three of the active treatments -- CBT, Zoloft, or the combination -- are effective short-term treatments for kids with anxiety disorders.
"Among these effective therapies, combination therapy provides the best chance for a positive outcome," they conclude.
Zoloft treatment worked the fastest, with rapid initial improvement but little additional improvement after eight weeks of treatment. CBT took eight to 12 weeks to work.
Most kids with anxiety disorders don't get diagnosed or treated, notes an editorial by Graham J. Emslie, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
That's too bad, he says, because research now shows that untreated childhood anxiety persists into adulthood.
"This trial answers the most compelling question about the treatment of anxiety disorders: Treatment is indicated," Emslie states.
Zoloft is an SSRI antidepressant. Like other members of its class, the drug has been linked to suicidal thoughts in children and adults. But in the Walkup study, there were no more suicidal thoughts in kids taking Zoloft than in kids taking placebo pills.
However, kids taking Zoloft reported more insomnia, fatigue, sedation, and restlessness than kids in the CBT group.
Zoloft is made by Pfizer. Pfizer provided the Zoloft and placebo pills used in the study, but did not provide other support for the study and was not involved in the design or implementation of the study. Walkup and colleagues report receiving various fees and research support from various pharmaceutical companies.
The study findings, and the Emslie editorial, appear in the Dec. 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.