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Friday Tea Tastings – 45 minute programs featuring tea tastings or tea pairings.
Purchase tickets in advance . Tastings are limited to 15-20 people and have an additional fee. All are $15.00 each. Except the Teapot Cake Decorating.
9:15– 10:15 Bedazzled and Bejeweled Tea Infusers –
10:30 – The Spectrum of Tea Tasting: Taiwanese Oolongs (This event is sold out.)
12:00 TEA TASTING – Tea 101 (This event is sold out.)
1:30 – Tea and Honey Pairing Tasting (This event is sold out.)
3:00 – Sushi and Japanese Teas (This event is sold out.)
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Teapot Cake Decorating Workshop: "I'm a Little Teapot Sweet and Rosy!" (This event is sold out.)
Create a unique and personal treasure as you design your very own one-of-a-kind tea infuser during this craft session. Choose your favorite style of stainless steel infuser to adorn and decorate. Each participant will design and assemble a fun and funky tea strainer using a variety of beads, trinkets and treasures firmly secured with artist wire and findings. Our instructor, Patti Van Brederode, with her degree in Art Education, has a great gift for providing clear instructions. Creative and talented, Patti brings an artist's eye to the classroom. All supplies are included. We will fill your cups with a morning blend for you to enjoy while you create.
10:30 – The Spectrum of Tea Tasting: Taiwanese Oolongs (This event is sold out.)
Dr. Sally Wei, a certified Tea Sommelier from the UK Tea Academy, London, England happily embraces two tea cultures, having been trained in Taiwan and England. She joins us from California to present this Taiwanese Oolong Tea Tasting session. Taiwan is proud of its famous Oolong Tea as well as many other lesser well known teas: Do you know - Why are "Pao Chong" teas wrapped in paper? How many "rollings" does Alisan High Mountain tea require? Why Taiwan's black teas grow near Sun Moon Lake? Learn the answers to these questions and more as you taste the most beloved teas of the most mountainous country in Asia and learn why they are so treasured by the Taiwanese people. Dr. Wei is a tea instructor at Finley Community Center, City of Santa Rosa, CA, a tea instructor for Tzu Chi Foundation, San Jose, CA, and has been a presenter at tea festivals in the USA and abroad. We are pleased to welcome her to the PA Tea Festival!
12:00 TEA TASTING – Tea 101 (This event is sold out.)
This class will focus on tea (Camellia sinensis) and the many categories of tea that are produced from this single plant that yields a full range of tastes to experience. The amazing complexities and variations in the wide variety of tea can all be attributed to the individual plant species Camellia sinensis. With different production techniques, the range of flavors produced include white, green both Chinese (pan fried) & Japanese (steamed) styles, oolong, black and puerh teas. Such diversity from one single plant! Karen Donnelly, Tea & Herbal Association of Canada Certified Tea Sommelier and owner of Greenhalgh Tea will walk you through the different processing methods and a tasting of these five tea types. A discussion on caffeine myths and fact, health benefits, and the difference between tea and tisanes (herbals) will round out the session.
1:30 – Tea and Honey Pairing Tasting (This event is sold out.)
The combination of quality tea and flavored honey can offer a fantastically complex and flavorful pairing to create the ultimate taste sensation! Discover a range of honey flavors at this tea and honey pairing hosted by Lori Stahl of BeeBees All Naturals. With three different teas to sample, Lori will provide a variety of flavored honey to add to each tea. You will be able to compare and contrast the flavor notes found in the honey and decide which pairing is your favorite. From light and fresh tasting teas, to the bold aromas of black tea, the flavors of the tea and honey should complement and enhance each other without being overwhelming. You will be charmed with Lori's enthusiasm for honey, tea, and nature at this entertaining tasting session.
3:00 – Sushi and Japanese Teas (This event is sold out.)
We have a powerhouse of instructors for this unique tasting of Japanese Green Teas and hand crafted Sushi. Sushi can be a detailed and complex style of food, however with the right understanding of a hand full of basic techniques, anyone can become their own sushi chef at home! Owner Nate Baer of Mechanicsburg based RETRO SUSHI loves to teach the basics of making sushi and is extremely creative in sushi combinations. He will provide some sushi prepared in advance to sample but will also create and demonstrate sushi making during class for you to see how easy it is. Mike Raab, Specialty Tea Institute Certified Tea Instructor and owner of Tea For All in New Jersey will properly brew a variety of Japanese Teas for you to pair, taste and contrast with the sushi in this informative, creative and entertaining class.
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Teapot Cake Decorating Workshop: "I'm a Little Teapot Sweet and Rosy!" (This event is sold out.)
Decorate a charming teapot cake under the guided instruction of the staff at Jubilee Cake Studio. No cake decorating experience necessary! All the supplies, utensils, and guidance needed to "decorate-it-yourself" are provided. Learn to work with fondant, from covering your base cake, to crafting a handle and spout and turning it into a pretty little teapot. Once you've crafted the teapot, instructions are provided to create pretty pink roses and easily stamped leaves to adorn the cake. Easy-to-follow instructions are provided with each step. Register early for this creative workshop and get ready to decorate! Note: Class is held at the Jubilee Cake Studio, 6 West Allen Street, in downtown Mechanicsburg where they tout 'We bake. You Decorate.'. There is a large parking lot conveniently located across from the studio. A bright pink cake box is provided to safely transport your cake home. The cake will last 5 days (unless you eat it before then!). Please register one person per each cake.. Outside food, cake, drinks, etc. are not permitted in the workshop. $28.00


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Kenyans want action against Waititu over Kiambu budget
Wednesday March 18 2020
Reports of wanton theft of public resources in Kiambu County continue to draw mixed reactions from leaders and ordinary Kenyans, with the majority expressing their displeasure with the plunder going on in counties.
This follows the unearthing by the Senate County Public Accounts and Investment Committee on Thursday of questionable spending of almost Sh2 billion by Governor Ferdinand Waititu's government on fictitious and laughable projects, some of which fall under the national government,.
The report by Auditor-General Edward Ouko showed that the county allocated Sh973 million for coordination of State House functions, Sh58 million for the South Sudan peace process, and Sh804 million for free primary education.
All these functions fall under the national government.
And while Mr Waititu disowned the report, he has come under fire, both online and offline, as Kenyans condemned what they termed as "brazen theft of public resources" in Kiambu County.
While some ridiculed the Punjab University graduate, others called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to arrest the governor.
Thika Town MP Patrick Wainaina said President Kenyatta, the DCI and the EACC should intervene and save Kiambu.
"DCI, DPP, EACC, Uhuru Kenyatta .... If u don't act today, Kiambu will lose (Sh)7 million this Friday, another (Sh)7 million on Saturday....etc. A total of 2.2 billion every year, 11 billion by 2022! Got the picture? The season of handcuffs must officially begin! (sic)," he posted on his Facebook page.
Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi described the questionable expenditure as "a conduit for theft and plunder" of the county resources and successfully requested the Senate committee to order a special audit on the county accounts, including the controversial Kaa sober programme.
The senator also rubbished claims that he and nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura, who hails from the county, were behind the messy figures with the aim of "cornering" Governor Waititu, saying the documents were prepared by the Auditor-General based of the documents prepared by the county.
Kiambu Woman Rep Gathoni Wa Muchomba, who accused Mr Waititu of running a corrupt administration, read mischief in the governor's position that he was not aware of the controversial items, yet the audit report has been in his office since February.
According to Ms Wa Muchomba, excuses about the controversial expenses are just hot air.
She said it was part of the governor's plot to divert public attention from phony imprests, ballooning wage bill and the Kaa sober programme which highlights possible theft of money running into millions of shillings.
"Waititu knows exactly where those figures came from and you might be surprised that he was the one who fixed them," Ms Wa Muchomba said.
"Waititu is trying to hide his own problem to create an uproar to (so as) to divert attention from the issues that are really contentious touching of graft."
She said Mr Waititu should make public cash statements of the county to reveal how much was collected, how it was withdrawn and how it was spent.
"This is a game between the auditor-general and the county of Kiambu to introduce funny figures in the budget line so that they can divert our attention from the real issues," she said as she backed the senator's calls that Kiambu accounts be audited afresh.
"They wanted to create that kind of an uproar so that we forget about the burning issues."
She also accused the Kiambu County Assembly of failing in its oversight role, saying MCAs went to bed with the executive a long time ago.
Three months after the report was published, she said, no single MCA has come out to raise the issue, meaning that they have not read it.
Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina said the ongoing theft of resources in counties will land some leaders in jail.
"Only in Kenya do some politicians believe in being immortal. The stealing and corruption in the two levels of government… my good lord... 80 percent of them will end up in jail," said Mr Kina.
City lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi tweeted, "Is it true that the Kiambu County budget has an expenditure line for Sh250 million for those who went to Haj in Mecca?"
Lawyer Steve Ogola mocked the Kiambu County boss as an "honest leader".
"We should be glad Governor Waititu did not camouflage county expenditures, a rare case of honest theft."
But some Kenyans believe Mr Waititu could be innocent.
University of Nairobi lecturer Edward Kisiang'ani, for instance, defended the governor, saying even if he wanted to steal, he would have not have been so stupid to include national government functions in his budgetary allocations.
"I don't believe Kiambu Governor Waititu endorsed a budget for State House, South Sudan and retired presidents. He is not a fool. The report presented to Senate must be a deliberate narrative in financial comedy. Senate should verify reports before adopting them for discussion.
"Even if Kiambu Governor Waititu wanted to embezzle public funds he would not be foolish enough to bring in State House, South Sudan and former Presidents. Besides budget making, approval and execution are elaborate processes which involve more people and institutions (other) than the governor."
Ikinu Ward Rep Stanley Wanjiku believes the executive and Mr Ouko's office cooked up the figures to try and cover up irregularities.
"If monies were looted through irregular expenditure, which was done outside the Ifmis (Integrated Financial Management Information System), when doing the balance, they cooked the figures so that they can hoodwink the people of Kiambu.
"The county and Auditor-General are at the centre of the mess because the report which they prepared does not even reflect the true picture of what has happened in Kiambu," Mr Wanjiku said.

subset: commoncrawl


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I asked the editors of Nephilim Magazine via Twitter why they chose the name, and they provided another good reason for it. "According to legend," replied the editors, "the Nephilim are the beings that taught mankind art, science, and magic." That's quite appropriate for a magazine featuring contemporary art and photography!
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.


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UConn's Kia Nurse has put international competition on notice with Team Canada
Recommended Video:
Kia Nurse's college teammate and reigning national player of the year Breanna Stewart seemed to be in as much shock as the rest of the basketball universe at the events of that mid-July game in Toronto.
Nurse, the youngest member of the Canadian national team, put together an offensive show that coach Lisa Thomaidis said "was an amazing performance, especially on that stage and against that opponent."
Nurse's 33-point masterpiece powered Canada to an 81-73 win over the United States and a gold medal at the Pan Am Games.
Stewart and UConn teammate Moriah Jefferson were the headliners on a U.S. team consisting of collegiate stars from some of the nation's most prestigious programs. Stewart greeted Nurse in the postgame handshake line with a hug and then said, "really, you picked today to do that?"
"That was funny," Nurse said. "I started laughing and said, 'obviously, Stewie, I have no idea what happened.'"
What happened is Nurse had a few extra hours to prepare for the game and learned that she plays her best when she doesn't act like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself every single day and I realize if I don't put a lot of pressure on myself, if I relax a little, I will do fine," Nurse said.
"We had a long time after shootaround. I just sat down and tried not to overthink the game too much. So when it was time to think about basketball, that is what I did. My mindset going into the game was relaxed, pretty chill and kind of just go with the flow."
In the pecking order of the sports landscape in Canada, the women's national basketball team isn't exactly near the top. Despite the game not being televised in Canada as it was in the U.S., Nurse's name was trending on Twitter. She received more congratulatory calls, text messages and emails than she could count and was the athlete chosen to carry the Canadian flag at the Pan Am Games' closing ceremonies.
"That was such an incredible experience," Nurse said. "I was so honored to be able to do that and to come out to the roar of the crowd from however many thousands of people that it was, that was just surreal and it was so cool."
Nurse won't turn 20 until Feb. 22, but she already has been a key member of a Canadian team which finished a surprising fifth at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, won a national title at UConn and played a starring role in a rare win for Canada over the U.S. in an international competition.
"It hits me sometimes, but it's more of a 'whoa, this is really happening and I still have so many years to go,'" Nurse said. "It is incredible and I am really excited to see what the future holds."
Her short-term future will include another chance to steal the show in front of the adoring Canadian public as the Olympic qualifying FIBA Americas began on Sunday in Edmonton.
Thomaidis said that as groundbreaking as winning the Pan Am title was, the FIBA Americas event is what they have been working and building toward.
Four years ago Canada reached the semifinals before losing a two-point contest to Argentina. Brazil would win the tournament to earn an automatic berth into the Olympics. Canada had one last chance to earn an Olympic spot at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Turkey in 2012. After losing to Croatia in the quarterfinals, Canada needed to beat Argentina and Japan to secure the final spot.
Nurse and her Canadian teammates would love to take all the drama out of the qualifying process this time around.
"That has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember, so if that would happen and I could play in the Olympics, that would be incredible," Nurse said.
The U.S. already clinched an Olympic berth by winning the FIBA World Championship for Women and won't be in the tournament. Canada opens with Puerto Rico, which features Meriden's Damika Martinez. Chile, Cuba and the Dominican Republic join Puerto Rico and Canada in Group A while Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands are in Group B.
Coming off her best scoring game as a member of the Canadian senior national title, plenty of people are curious how Nurse will follow up her scintillating effort in the Pan Am Games.
"The expectation is obviously there," Nurse said. "You are obviously not going to have a 33-point game every single game, but if I can have a good game on the offensive end and defensive end, I will be happy."


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He has 5 million to invest. What would you tell him?
Out of the blue, unexpected as it usually happens...I got a call. From an old, old friend. He needs help. Basic problem: Brother with five million to invest, and has invented/created a game. And wants to either FRANCHISE IT or run huge tournaments.
He called me because he knew I once consulted on such things, mainly in the role of the antagonist, asking the questions MOST don't want to hear, you know, the REALITY type stuff. Like who wants it and why?
Or, where do customers come from? All that reality based jazz that new inventors or idea people want so badly to ignore.
I've spoken with scores of inventors who have told me, EVERYONE will want this. HA! Reason I love the shark tank, REALITY.
So Barry has 5 million to invest in his game, which he says EVERYONE will want to play.
First red flag for me. His game, without giving too much a way, is a THROWING, tossing, target type game. Think bowling, horseshoes, skittles, bocce, corn hole (bean bag tosses and frisbee golf.
It can be competitive, or played for score. Take bowling, everyone knows what it is. You could compete in a weekend tournament, from single elimination to round robins, pay an entry fee and play for the pot. It could be one to one competition, or number of games rolled and cumulative score.
So, what Barry is thinking. Lots of space available. He has a plan which needs about 10,000 square feet. About the size of a small Rite-Aid or small grocery store, like a mom and pop grocery (IGA).
Anyhow, in this 10,000 square feet he can put 50 alleys (space needed for game about 3x20 feet. Think short shuffle board type area. And he wants a bar (which I advised against) and/or a food thing.
So, I have given it some thought. IF any of you have any ideas, let me know via email you have some thoughts, don't yet tell me, and maybe we can help the guy and who knows, get in on the ground floor of something.
MY advice so far: TEST CONCEPT. He needs a working prototype, and so some of his dough has to go to making the games, then manufacturing them.
All things he thinks will be easy. I suggested he lease a vacant bldg, get insurance, and run a tournament for a month, to see if it draws people in. Also I think he should check into FOOD TRUCKS, to see if they are allowed on the location, or some sort of kiosk like at Fairs to put inside or have outside.
He needs to have people playing the game. Find it fun, challenging, and competitive, but also needs to PROTECT IT. Some of it can be Trademarked, or Copyrighted, other more advanced notions need mechanical devices, which could be Patent protected, albeit, all this adds TIME to the plan.
He has two versions, one more like a course, think golf or frisbee golf or minature golf, and inside, I think he would need walls or nets to keep the "ball" in it's own fairway... OR, instead of a course, it can be done in lanes or alleys, or set up in rows.
I told Barry, half of his money should be put back for promotion. He squealed at that idea. But, it is just my advice.
TEST the concept, get proof there is a demand. PROTECT it best you can, be first to market with a PLAN TO SCALE IT UP RAPIDLY.
He is thinking franchise, another TIME strategy. I think POP UP tournaments, which he controls, and maybe offers games to players, with a MASTERS tournament set up once a year to hold the championship.
It isn't often I have to put my mind on ideas where people have 5 million bux burning a hole in their pocket, and with something, I am unfamiliar with.
Although, interesting enough, just recently I had a convo about CORN HOLE, (yea go ahead, make all the jokes you want), which has become a pretty popular game here in the middle. Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Mich. seem to be the centers of the corn hole world.
Interesting to give thought to bigger ideas, now and then.
PS https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/18/corn...g-leagues.html
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Enter the Medusa 5.1 series; a piggyback headphone line from Speed Link that looks to expand on the already high-quality gaming and home-use headphones by adding in 5.1 surround into a user's headgear. The company has been doing amazing work on gaming audio solutions for quite some time, but the 5.1 series has brought Speed Link new life, as competitive gamers all around the world are dropping serious cash for some of the hottest gaming headphones around. So naturally with gaming forums and competition-goers jumping on the Medusa bandwagon, we had to grab a few units for ourselves to see what the big deal was. And it's a big deal indeed.
As the first of two product reviews, we've taken the Medusa 5.1 ProGamer Edition V2 for a run through here in the IGN LA offices. These little babies retail for just under $120 on the official Medusa website, and come packed with everything you'll need for comfortable, high-end PC gaming or discreet home audio. The ProGamer Edition V2 is the smaller of two hot items right now (the other being the Medusa 5.1 Home Edition), and is designed almost entirely for gaming usage, while the other mixes in more home accessories. Included in the pack are a pair of Medusa headphones complete with built in amplifier and audio control on the cord, as well as the traditional 5.1 line in cables (for the computer inept, those are the multi-colored plugs that go into the back of your PC sound card). Also included along the main cable is a USB plug used entirely for power should you want to supply the phones via your gaming PC or laptop - great for portable gaming, we might add - and also a USB-to-AC adapter that allows that same cable to branch off to a conventional wall socket plug. The entire package comes in a padded zip case about the size of a common lunch box, and has an extra zip pocket to fit a few CD's or the included RCA cables (in case you're doing some makeshift home viewing with the headset) along with partitioned headgear and cable slots.
As far as the general look and feel of the product, Medusa has gone with some pretty solid materials, making for a great value for a unit just over the $100 mark. The headset is relatively light, housing some heavy-duty plastic and padded ear cushions that are amazingly comfortable. We used the gear for a six hour gaming session - we don't mess around here - and they still felt perfect at the end of the night. The headset comes equipped with a positional wire boom microphone off the left ear, and can be swiveled into place easily. The cable moves extremely easily, though it does leave us with a bit of a long-term concern, as it could eventually become far looser. From what we've used it for (and from comments across the net), the microphone seems to hold up just fine. If nothing else be forewarned; the microphone will move extremely easily to the touch. Everything from the headphones themselves to the cable, head padding, ear cushions, and case feel great, though we should note that actually controlling the module attached to the cable is a bit on the light side, feeling almost hollow. This is great on one hand, as the controller is light and doesn't get in the way, but it's a bit odd to the touch, as you expect a bit more bulk to the controller when picking it up. It's a small oddity, and nothing overly-major as far as we're concerned.
What really matters though, is how the gear works when in serious gaming situations, right? After all, if they look good at the expense of sounding good there's little use for them. It just so happens Medusa knows what it's doing, as the 5.1 headset currently stands as the best gaming headset we've used. Each ear is equipped with four speakers - front, mid, and rear channels, as well as a sub woofer - and the sound quality is top notch. When hooking the unit up to Counter Strike Source (an obvious favorite around these parts) we were amazed at the bass power in the phones, as deagle shots and AK-47 mags actually startled us when firing off a few rounds, blasting some serious audio directly into our ears. After some mixing within Source's audio setup screen, and a few quick twists of the master audio and bass/treble dials on the Medusa cord controller, we were good to go.
Aside from the authenticity of audio feedback, having 5.1 surround piped directly to your ears is another huge advantage when gaming competitively. Using the Medusa set (once again in Counter Strike, of course) we were able to hear approaching enemies, pinpoint the direction of firefights using the front, back, and mid speakers in each ear, and actually use audio to our advantage in a huge way. It's amazing how much of an edge you can have when you hear exact positions of enemies, can tell exactly where a planted bomb is based on audio fade from ear to ear, and listen to players sneaking around in a floor above or below you. As one of our LAN-mates so eloquently put it, "It's like having an unfair advantage", and we tend to agree.
As for the overall strength of the unit, the quality of the microphone is also higher than any gaming headset we've used extensively, and the combination of clarity and comfort is something truly impressive. It took a bit of tweaking at the beginning, but once we got the headphones calibrated to our liking the experience was better than any we've had (outside of full 5.1 surround in a home theater setup, of course), and now that we've used them we won't be trading our headsets out anytime soon.
As an added note, it's a whole new experience using a high-quality headset when gaming, so if this is your first big personal audio purchase we can reassure you it's a great way to drop some cash into a gaming rig. Keep in mind, however, that Medusa uses your existing sound card to bring audio to you, so different cards will yield different results. The better your card, the better audio you'll have to work with, and you'll of course need 5.1 output to make full use of the headset. After personally using a Plantronics headset during LanFest 2006 (a $80 unit with an on-board sound card, which was perfect for my situation after my rig's sound card failed during tournament time) I was amazed to feel the difference between dropping just $40 more on Medusa over my current gaming solution. Obviously 5.1 is going to sound better than a set of stereo headphones lacking dual subs, but for that $40 increase Medusa has a better fit, is a much higher quality unit, and sounds phenomenal. Stack Medusa up against something like the more mainstream Razer Barracuda headset, and I'd still go with Medusa any day of the week.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to PC gaming gear it can be amazingly easy to drop a ton of cash into a rig simply to get the right look, feel, and performance out of it. In the case of gaming headsets the gap widens significantly, as players can use anything from a bare-bones $20 headset to top-of-the-line gear that hits nearly the $200 mark commonly. From our experience, Medusa is the perfect blend of performance and value, mixing strong 5.1 audio with a comfortable design, portable packing, and varying power solutions atop a high-quality microphone and speaker setup. The performance of the headset will be determined by your current sound card as well though, so while we didn't have any issues setting it up and getting amazing sound quality off the bat, weaker cards may be pushed to the limit. Technology is ever-changing, so while we can't promise Medusa is going to be the end-all, be-all audio solution for PC gaming for years to come, it's certainly the best unit we've used, and we'll continue using them until the industry gives us reason not to. As far as the total package goes, the Medusa 5.1 line is our headset of choice, and we fully recommend this product to anyone looking for a great mix of audio quality, portability, and value.


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I have long had my doubts as to Darwinian Evolution, which has increasingly struck me as a religion dressed up in scientific rags. Thus I find this fascinating:
In a recent essay published in the Claremont Review of Books, Gelernter wrote, "Darwin has failed," and insisted that scientists move past Darwin and his theories altogether.
Gelernter, who has been a proponent of Darwinism since childhood, argued that the longstanding theory of evolution simply doesn't give a thorough enough explanation of, perhaps, the most important component of modern science: the actual origin of species.
According to the essay, titled "Giving up Darwin," the Cambrian explosion, as well as modern discoveries in molecular biology, have dashed Darwin's theories of evolution as he understood it to occur.
Go here to read the rest.


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1 ½ lbs. pork pieces
2 lbs. cooking apples
1 lb. onions
1 tbsp. brown sugar
¼ pt. stock or water
¼ pt. cream
seasoned flour
butter or bacon fat for frying
Chop meat and onion into rough pieces. Melt the fat or butter and gently fry onion until tender. Remove from pan. Toss the meat in seasoned flour and brown quickly in hot fat.
Place onions, meat, stock and sugar in a pot and simmer, covered for 1 ½ hours. Peel, core and chop apples. Add to pot. Continue cooking until apples are just cooked but not too mushy. Add cream and heat through. Do not boil. Correct seasoning and serve.


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If you've invested in the Samsung GALAXY Note II then you know you've got one of the most powerful smartphones around – but just how powerful are we talking?
With so many handsets on the market at the moment, it's easy to get lost in talk of CPUs, RAM and a plethora of other names and oft-confusing acronyms that don't really give you the full story.
However, thanks to the Exynos chip powering the GALAXY Note II, you can be assured that you're getting the most effective power with the least strain on that battery – and longer-lasting smartphones are what we all want, right?
The first reason for this is, unlike most other manufacturers, Samsung designs and creates its own chips for use in its top of the range smartphones – which obviously includes the GALAXY Note II.
By being vertically integrated, Samsung is able to deliver maximum power efficiency to your device while maintaining the ultra-sleek design and low power drain you'll become used to as you use your Note II.
But it's while working with the GALAXY Note II that you'll really appreciate what quad core means – four separate central processing units (CPUs) working in tandem to deliver power when you need it the most.
If you've used an older, single core smartphone you'll know what we're talking about: websites take that much longer to load despite you having a super fast connection. Video captured looks grainy and out of focus, and gaming on the go feels like you're using a handheld console from yesteryear.
However, the Note II's Exynos system on chip (SoC) means that it's got four times as many cores to call on – so if extra grunt is needed to stream video online or be able to boot up the camera in no time at all and capture smooth 1080p Full HD video, the Samsung GALAXY Note II can do all that and more.
It doesn't stop there though – while there are other quad core smartphones out there, none have the multi-tasking prowess on offer from the GALAXY Note II. It's expansive screen lends itself perfectly to being able to have more information available to you than ever before, which means you can run two apps in tandem – once again, the Exynos chip at the core of the device is the reason this can happen so seamlessly.
Imagine trying to watch a video then keep it playing while you browse the web on an older smartphone – chances are you may see smoke pouring out of the headphone socket, as it's low-power chip tries to keep up!
But the Note II can cleverly manage its four CPUs to delegate power where it's needed – so it can sense the slightest pressure from the S Pen on one side of the screen while you take notes from the internet on the other. Or perhaps you want to watch a full HD video from YouTube while downloading that spreadsheet from your boss? Again, you've got the power that means you can not only do these tasks, but can do so seamlessly with no waiting.
You'll see that your Note II will never let you down when swiping through home pages, browsing the menus or opening and closing apps, and that's because your Note II is imbued with a market-leading 2GB of RAM – without which the Exynos chip wouldn't be able to deliver such stunning performance.
If you're not familiar with RAM, it stands for Random Access Memory, and is tasked with helping process the commands sent out by the Exynos CPU. And as you can imagine, more RAM means a faster phone, which is why your Note II delivers such cutting edge speeds.
The other great feature of the Exynos core for your GALAXY Note II is the advanced power management. You might be thinking that with all this great power comes great power drain, but you couldn't be further from the truth.
In fact, by allocating each of these cores separate tasks when using apps (or calling on them all at once for higher-power functions) the strain on the battery is eased immensely – so when your phone is sitting there on standby it's not using up tons of that precious juice, and means you can keep going for longer with all the advanced features and functionality on offer.
Your Samsung GALAXY Note II is one of the more powerful devices on the market, thanks to advanced power management, a chip designed for the Samsung's top of the range devices and four cores delivering you the grunt when you need it most.
So be it web browsing, speedy photography, video streaming, playing games or multitasking on the go, you can be sure your Note II is the ultimate handset to give you the power you need.
Also check out on Your Mobile Life:
VIDEO: A Beginner's Guide to the Samsung GALAXY Note II
Best Photography Apps for the GALAXY Note II
Enjoying the Oscars on your GALAXY Note II
Become a legendary music producer with the Note II


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VOGP Music of survival
Photo: Dorian Šilec Petek
Photo: Urška Lukovnjak
Photo: Urška Lukovnjak
Photo: Dorian Šilec Petek
Photo: Dorian Šilec Petek
Premiere: 2. 3. 2018 at 8. p. m., Union Hall, Maribor
They survived due to three things – their faith in God, sunrises and sunsets, and the transcendental singing of the women's vocal orchestra.
The project highlights the idea of hope, religion and beauty resounding through the music of the women's choir in outrageous moments of violence, in unexpected drama in the middle of a tropical forest. The programme includes works that were sung in the Japanese war camp in Sumatra during WW2 – arrangements by the internees Margaret Dryburgh and Norah Chambers who used pieces of paper they found to write down music from memory by J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, J. Brahms, L. van Beethoven, A. Dvořák, F. Chopin, M. Ravel and others. These works were secretly performed by the women's vocal orchestra of the Palembang camp in Indonesia. This time they will be performed by a large choir consisting of the Concert Choir Carmina Slovenica who are joined by former members of the Carmina Slovenica Choir, and the Rotovž Women's Choir.
VOGP is a testimony of women's capacity to survive, of their persistence, solidarity and creativity. It is a memoir of an extraordinary legacy of determination and strength in unimaginably terrifying conditions of this and all other war camps up to the present day.
VOGP sets music into a self-reflecting frame: it presents its own representation, through its own impact it inquires what in music has such a soothing effect and is so socially vital that always takes control in the middle of the worst kind of suffering. Music of this Asian orchestra is a reflection of the complex relationship between music and trauma, and is reminiscent of other cases when music became the universal symbol in suffering and the last resort in hopelessness, or it was abused to cause suffering that is even more profound, as in the case of internees marching to music in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp (Germany), the Goldov ensemble in Treblinka camp (Poland), the prison orchestra in the Auschwitz camp (Germany), concerts in the Drancy camp (France), puppet theatre with women's a cappella group in the Kaiserwald camp (Latvia), choirs and an orchestra in the Westerbork camp (the Netherlands), and last but not least, musicians playing on the sinking Titanic. Music is on the side of the weak therefore VOGP invites us to contemplate, and is a reminder of the significance of music, i.e. art, in a society.
Production: Carmina Slovenica


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- Clinically proven to help re-grow hair
- Revitalizes hair follicles
- 5-percent Minoxidil topical solution
- New, easy-to-use applicator
- 3 Month Supply
Rogaine Hair Regrowth Treatment contains the only FDA-approved topical ingredient clinically proven to regrow hair in men and women. If you're among the estimated 50 million men in the U.S. experiencing hereditary hair thinning, you can fight back with Rogaine. This package contains: Three – 60 mL (2 fl oz) bottles of Men's Rogaine Extra Strength (three month supply) One child-resistant dropper applicator Information booklet on how to use and obtain best results.
Price: $60.38


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Entry via upvc entrance door with obscure double glazed panel into:
11' 7" x 10' 10" (3.52m x 3.30m) Double glazed leaded effect window to the front. Feature fireplace. Radiator. Thermostat control. Wood laminate floor covering. Coving to ceiling. Archway to:
9' 6" x 9' 4" (2.90m x 2.84m) Fitted with a range of base and eye level units with work surface space incorporating a one and a half bowl sink and drainer unit with mixer tap over. Built in oven and hob. Space and plumbing for a washing machine. Wood laminate flooring. Radiator. Understairs storage cupboard housing consumer unit. Door to inner lobby. Double glazed door overlooking rear garden. Stairs rising to first floor.
Upvc door with obscure double glazed side panels. Wood laminate flooring. Door to:
With suite to comprise panel bath with shower over, pedestal wash hand basin, low flush w.c. Radiator. Fully tiled walls. Tied floor. Obscure double glazed window to the side.
Double glazed window to the side. Doors off to bedrooms.
12' 8" x 10' (3.86m x 3.04m) Double glazed leaded effect window to the front. Radiator. Coving to ceiling.
9' 6" x 8' 11" (2.90m x 2.72m) Double glazed window to the rear. Radiator. Coving to ceiling. Access to loft space. Built in cupboard housing a new boiler.
Mainly laid to gravel. Brick retaining wall. Shared pathway leading to entrance door. Side access leading to rear garden.
A courtyard style garden.
A single garage with bespoke security doors.
For further information or to view this property, contact:Spencer Blake
Two Bedroom End Of Terrace
Double Glazing
Gas Central Heating
Open Plan Living
Courtyard Garden
Village Location
Energy Efficiency Rating D


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Rhythmic gymnastics is one of the novelties of the extracurricular sports activities at Coruña British School for the current academic year, which is taught two days a week – on Mondays and Wednesdays – for students between Y1 and Y4.
In this sport activity children will learn to dominate different gymnastic styles such as the ribbon, rope, hoop or ball. In all of them they will develop their body, increase their resistance and improve their coordination. We will also promote the spirit of perseverance, working as a team and consistency.
Would you like to sign up?


text: Show off your powerful Oregon spirit when you sport this Mascot Bar long sleeve tee. Featuring an arched school name above the team name and wordmark printed across the chest this team-colored tee is great way to express your passion for the Ducks any day of the week. It also features ?€œDucks?€ lettering along left sleeve for an added display of your unwavering team pride. Throw on this tee to let your fellow Oregon fans know your fanaticism really sets the bar!


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Pete Hines of Bethesda says Fallout: New Vegas is an all-new experience set in the bright lights and busy streets of a thriving city that will take "hundreds of hours" to completely explore.
Fallout games generally follow a familiar pattern: After beginning life inside a Vault, players emerge to forge their destinies in the blasted wasteland and change the world forever. In Fallout: New Vegas, however, things will be a bit different: This time around, we'll begin the game as hardened surface dwellers and Vegas, unlike the rest of the world, looks like a pretty happening place to live.
Set a few years after the events of Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas will be a "self-contained story" with no connection to its predecessor. After being shot and left for dead in a shallow grave in the desert, players will be dug out by a robot and taken to a local doctor to recover. "Unlike the previous Fallouts, where you start in a vault and you are a vault dweller, this one starts with a curveball," Hines, the vice president of marketing at Bethesda, told USA Today.
"You were a courier, and you were obviously carrying something that somebody wanted," he explained. "Part of the story is finding out what you had and what they took."
Fallout: New Vegas will offer "a brand new, fresh experience that has a familiar feel of Fallout, but otherwise it's an entirely new game and a new look, with Joshua trees and tumbleweeds and blue skies," Hines said. "Vegas is up and running. It is not a ghost town. It still exists and thrives. There are casinos, and you can go down onto the Strip. It will have a very different feel from that standpoint."
It's also apparently going to be pretty meaty game, comparable in size to the Washington, D.C. setting of Fallout 3. "It is a massive game world that will take you hundreds of hours to explore every nook and cranny," Hines said.
Fallout: New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment and is currently scheduled for release in fall 2010 on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.


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A group of schoolgirls is to trek on ponies from North Yorkshire to Cumbria to mark the 65th anniversary of the school's evacuation during the Second World War.
In 1940, Fyling Hall School was evacuated to Inglewood Bank, near Penrith. The pupils travelled by bus, but due to wartime rationing there was no petrol to allow the transportation of animals so the school's ponies were trekked across.
On Monday four girls from the school at Robin Hood's Bay will re-create the journey, covering 120 miles over the Pennines in a six-day journey, led by riding mistress Wendy Bulmer.
They will be more organised than the members of the 1940 trek, who were forced to hunt for accommodation, and once sneaked the ponies into a churchyard, without permission, risking the wrath of the vicar.
The pony trekkers will be sent on their way by actor Ian Carmichael, who appears in television programme The Royal.
The riders are being sponsored to raise money for an all-weather pitch for the school and will also be making a contribution to the British Legion.


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Volusia County heroin ring dismantled in 'Operation Geronimo'
DELTONA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A 7-month joint investigation into heroin trafficking in Volusia County culminated in a series of arrests and drug seizures Tuesday.
The accused ringleaders and several members of the organization, which authorities say operated primarily in the Deltona and Orange City areas, were locked up Tuesday morning, facing charges ranging from conspiracy to traffic heroin to solicitation to deliver a controlled substance.
The accused ringleaders, 42-year-old Sergio Perez and 27-year-old Melanie Cunningham, both of Deltona, had each been arrested recently – together, after a late-night traffic stop last week in Orange City.
Deputies said the traffic stop revealed Cunningham was in possession of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, Suboxone, cannabis and cannabis oil. Perez was also charged with possession of cannabis oil and booked into jail, where he remained held without bond Tuesday on several probation violations related to burglary and grand theft, and where he received his new charges Tuesday.
Cunningham had bailed out of jail since that arrest, but was back in there again Tuesday on her new charges.
Detectives also identified the organization's source of supply, which they identify as 44-year-old Roberto Segarra-Garcia, of St. Cloud, who was already in custody Tuesday.
Agents with the Volusia Bureau of Investigation, Deltona Narcotics Enforcement Team and VCSO Major Case Unit conducted the extensive undercover investigation.


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Rhythm! Discovery Center is the creative vision of the Percussive Arts Society. Described as "the world's first fully-interactive drum and percussion museum," Rhythm! Discovery Center takes an innovative approach to experiencing the universality of rhythm and percussion. We spoke with Joshua Simonds, Executive Director of the Percussive Arts Society and Rhythm! Discovery Center, to learn more about this unique institution in Indianapolis.
Program Type: Technology
This week we look at musical innovation and hear from Kate Nordstrum, the Executive Producer of Special Projects for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Through her desire to offer a wider stage for experimental musical expression, she and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra have created a program called Liquid Music.
Classical Music Indy now brings you free weekly listening playlists through Spotify.
Happy Birthday Brahms and Tchaikovsky Playlist
The thought of Johannes Brahms and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky blowing out birthday candles on the same day is enough to make some people's heads explode. If you love classical music, it's hard to imagine them doing anything together.
Yet these two composers had a great deal in common–starting, believe it or not, with their reverence for music of an earlier time. Brahms demonstrated that in the finale of his Symphony No. 4, which is based on a Bach chorale. The counterpart to that is Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 4, his loving tribute to Mozart, which concludes with a theme that Mozart himself borrowed from Gluck. The unrequited love that Tatiana pours out in her Letter Scene, from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, is balanced nicely by the conflicted feelings in Von Ewiger Liebe, Brahms's setting of an expression of love in the face of potential shame.
Tchaikovsky and Brahms were also dismissed, now and then, for a certain less-than-adventurous, perhaps even academic, approach to music. Yet the Academic Festival Overture, by Brahms, concludes with a drinking song. And the Slavonic March, by Tchaikovsky, quotes Slavic folk music.
There are more surprising parallels to discover in the lives and works of these composers. All you have to do is listen–and enjoy!
To listen to the full playlist, sign up for a free Spotify account.
NOTE Magazine Spring 2020 Issue Launches! Indianapolis has a robust classical music scene, worthy of being treasured as one of our city's defining assets. NOTE takes a deeper look into classical festivals local and on a national scale. Purchase NOTE Fo …


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"Running fast is my passion,
fashion my challenge for the future"
Being a bit shy Merlene Ottey is not a person storming into a crowd of journalists telling them everything they want to know. But a lot of journalists has the impression that when she is giving interviews, she is always very careful to give answers with a meaning. Below you can find quotes from different interviews given by Merlene Ottey.
Merlene Ottey during one of many interviews
after having received Slovenian citizenship
(8 May 2002):
"I am very happy to have found a new home in Europe. I have been living in Europe for more than 10 years and decided that Slovenia is the right place for me in the future. This is a small place like Jamaica and I like the lifestyle here. I am honored to be a citizen of this country but will never forget my Jamaican origin. The complete procedure of acquiring citizenship was done with lots of good will, recommendation and help from several organizations and individuals."
after being acquitted of all drug charges by an IAAF Arbitration Panel (3 July
"I am very relieved and happy about this ruling. It confirms my innocence once again. It has been a difficult and emotionally draining time for me. However, I have been training well in preparation for the Olympic Games in Sydney and I am looking forward to my first competition. I would like to thank my defense team and all the people around the world and at home in Jamaica who have supported me during this difficult time."
Srdjan Djordevic on Merlene
Ottey's image after her acquittal (4 July 2000):
"After building an image for 20 years the damage that has been done in the past year is irreparable".
on the BBC One Show "Onside" (3 May 2000):
"I am going to keep on training and hoping I will have the opportunity to be in Sydney".
"I have decided that this year will be my last year and hopefully I will get the chance to have this dream come true to run in Sydney and then retire".
On the fact that IAAF has not yet set a date for the
hearing at the IAAF Arbitration Panel:
"I think if they really want to hurt me they could wait until the (Olympic) 100 metres is finished. But they could give me a date as early as next week. I am hoping I will get one soon and my attorney is pushing for an early date".
at the Nebraska's 25th Anniversary of Women's Athletics Celebration (30 April
"Nebraska taught me self-esteem, determination, honesty and the will to fight. Because of my time in Nebraska, whenever I faced tough tests over the years I was able to keep on fighting. Nothing is too strong or too hard for me to overcome".
Ottey after being acquitted of all doping charges by JAAA (13 November
"I am very relieved and happy about this ruling that confirms my innocence. It has been a difficult time for me and I am looking forward to competing again. I would like to thank my defense team and all the people around the world and here in Jamaica that have supported me during the last three months."
Merlene on continuing her career in 1998:
"Es macht weiterhin so viel Spaß, daß ich nicht aufhören kann. Ich brauche diese Atmosphäre. Und ich bin auch noch zu jung für die Rente."
Merlene Ottey after the World Championships in Athens 1997:
"Ich bin sicher auch im nächsten Jahr noch einmal dabei. Es gibt so viele Leute, die mich unterstützen. Sie können mich zwar nicht zum Sieg tragen, aber ich möchte sie noch nicht missen."
Ottey on the 3 minute standing ovation in Stuttgart 1993
after winning the 200 metre gold:
"I believe it was because I was the one always there, always trying, always doing my best. I wouldn't quit" (having lost to Gail Devers by 0.001 seconds in the World Championship 100 metre final, Ottey took the 200 metre title to be acclaimed with the longest standing ovation anybody could recall).
Ottey on running against Eastern bloc athletes in the Eighties:
"When the Wall came down, I felt a lot better. It made me look at some of my bronze medals and wonder what they were really worth."
Back to Merlene Ottey Tribute


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I know you want to make lasting changes to peoples lives. Helping them achieve the life they want to be living. To do that you need to consistently attract more clients with less effort.
The problem is you don't know how to connect in the right way with your clients. You're feeling frustrated that your marketing dollars and time are being wasted and your message isn't being heard.
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And really, attracting more clients shouldn't be this hard.
I understand what that feels like and so found a way to help wellness practitioners, like you, share their message in the right way. A way that takes less effort, attracts more clients and grows your business into a wellness legacy.


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Please visit The Deli's full web charts organized by genre and region.
"Mean Spirit" is featured on Gold, Flour and Salt, the debut album from Missing Earth. Coming out from the menacing darkness, with a celestial tone, the track accelerates into the wide-open. There's a strange familiarity that provides a lonely disconnect. It appears to move one further away, exploring one's own mind, while severing ties in the process.
Philadelphia New Bands With Buzz


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Wegmans Food Markets Issues Allergen Alert on Undeclared Milk in Wegmans Neptune Salad Sold in Six Wegmans Stores Only
Wegmans Food Markets is recalling Wegmans Neptune Salad (UPC begins with 20108831), sold in random-weight packages, in the seafood department at six NY and NJ Wegmans stores on May 16 through May 21, 2019 because the product contains milk not declared on the label. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
The recalled product was sold only at these six Wegmans locations (Neptune Salad sold at other Wegmans locations was not affected by the recall):
Bridgewater and Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Lyell Avenue and Calkins Road in Rochester, NY
John Glenn Blvd. in Syracuse, NY
Military Rd. in Niagara Falls, NY
The recalled product was packaged in clear plastic containers with a label that states Wegmans Neptune Salad , and Use or Freeze By dates of 5/16 through 5/24, imprinted on the upper left side of the label.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
Wegmans placed automated phone calls to customers who purchased the recalled product using their Shoppers Club card.
The recall was initiated after an employee discovered that some packages were labeled incorrectly at these stores. People who have an allergy or sensitivity to milk should notconsume the product and should return it to Wegmans for a full refund.
Consumer Contact:
Wegmans Consumer Affairs
(855) 934-3663
Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm, EST
Media Contact:
Jo Natale


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Come underground with the band as they record tracks in the Subway Gallery ~ FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER 2009
|The band THE MUSICAL DIFFERENCES, with the support of Strummerville, will be recording as part of the ILLUSION exhibition at he Subway Gallery. For a single day they'll be turning this pedestrian subway/art gallery into a recording studio to write and record a track or two. Come down and sing, see the art, enjoy the exhibition, meet some like-minded people and even do some busking in the subway. The gallery is open from 11 and the recording will probably start around 4pm.
TOM BEARD, CRISPIN CHETWYND, EMMA CHITTY, LIBITA CLAYTON, LAURIE MACPHERSON, GEORGINA MASCOLO, R.G. McHARG III, NINA ROYLE, SHORVON &HUNTER, BEN WEBB.
Download THE MUSICAL DIFFERENCES cover of Peter Tosh's 'I am that I am' from the band's Strummerville profile:
|SUBWAY GALLERY open monday to saturday 11am – 7pm
Kiosk 1 Pedestrian Subway Edgware Rd / Harrow Rd London W2 1DX
07811 286503 ~~ firstname.lastname@example.com ~~ http://www.subwaygallery.com
Zone 1 Edgware Road tube buses 188.8.131.52.184.108.40.206.22.214.171.1244.436


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WATERLOO, Ontario, Sept. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aterica Inc., a consumer-focused digital health company, today announces the general availability of Veta™ Smart Case & App – the first-ever comprehensive anaphylaxis and food allergy support system for individuals and their families. Veta provides increased security, freedom, and confidence for everyone involved by surrounding individuals living with anaphylaxis with their network of connected Veta Smart Case-enabled epinephrine auto-injectors and with their support circle of family, friends, and caregivers connected through Veta App.
Veta includes Veta Smart Cases which replace stock epinephrine auto-injector cases and incorporate electronics and sensors to monitor the proximity, presence and removal, temperature, and expiry of auto-injectors. Veta Smart Cases connect via Bluetooth® to Veta App (available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android mobile devices), which then connects through a cloud-enabled infrastructure to share real-time status and alerts with the user's support circle. This infrastructure provides a variety of connected benefits for those carrying epinephrine auto-injectors, as well as family and friends in their support circle.
Approximately 40 million people have a serious, potentially anaphylactic allergy to food, bee stings, and latex in the U.S. alone. Avoiding allergen triggers is complex and daily vigilance is difficult, but Veta introduces a number of critical support features, including the following:
"Veta is an easy-to-use, yet sophisticated and secure, anaphylaxis management system that provides rapid notifications during an allergic reaction as well as ongoing monitoring of auto-injectors," said Alex Leyn, CEO of Aterica. "We're pleased to announce that Veta is now available for purchase. With Veta Smart Case & App, individuals and families living with anaphylaxis have an extra layer of protection in life-threatening situations, along with reassurance in their daily lives."
Currently, Veta Smart Case is compatible with EPIPEN®, EPIPEN JR® and Mylan's authorized generics to EPIPEN® auto-injectors. Veta is available for purchase in Two Pack ($169 USD) and One Pack ($129 USD) formats at www.aterica.com/shop, select CVS pharmacies, and on Amazon.com by the end of calendar Q3 2018.
About Aterica Inc.
Aterica Inc. is a consumer-focused digital health company that develops health measurement, monitoring, and diagnostic products to enable individuals to proactively manage their health on their own terms. Aterica's technical team is comprised of professionals from many disciplines, including biochemistry, mechanical and electrical engineering, industrial design, medicine, and cloud and mobile software.
Aterica has created Veta, a comprehensive anaphylaxis and food allergy support system. Veta includes hardware and cloud-connected mobile software components that help individuals and their families living with anaphylaxis practice good self-management practices and supports them and their loved ones in the event of an allergic reaction.
To find out more about Aterica and Veta, visit www.aterica.com.
Media Contact
Lauren Cozza
Uproar PR
+1.321.236.0102 x233
Corporate Contract
Mike Fisher
VP, Marketing & Business Development
+1.226.476.1390 x205
Aterica Inc.
Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
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NOTE 1: This entire blog post chronicles certain moments between November 12, 2017 and about November 24, 2017.
NOTE 2: Some of the material featured in this blog post may not be pleasant to my audience. You are reading at your own risk.
My First Hospital Procedure
This sets up the story. It began at a time when my grandmother passed away on November 4, 2017. In preparing for funeral services, I had to do some clothes shopping. I began feeling funny the Thursday I went clothes shopping. The day after was my grandmother's funeral. I began to feel a bit more uncomfortable. I began to note my scrotum enlarged and felt some kind of funny feeling in my groin. It almost felt like I had a baseball dangling. Some guys have an enlarged scrotum in much worse ways. There was even a show by a guy whose enlarged scrotum was large and weighed about 130 lbs.! I went to get some examination from an emergency care clinic, and I was told to get an ultrasound. So we went to another emergency care clinic to where I got my ultrasound done. Turns out, I had a condition that required me to go to a hospital. I then was loaded up into the back of an ambulance to a hospital.
What happened next almost seemed like a comedy of errors. The ambulance people were unable to get some advice from some of the doctors and nurses about what room I am supposed to be in or how to get there. Once I finally did arrive into my hospital room, I ended up arriving in my hospital room at about 4:40 PM Central Time as I saw the second half of the Houston Texans play at the Los Angeles Rams on the TV. As I was feeling horrible that I needed hospital support, I began to feel depressed and worried this condition was this bad. However, this medical condition wasn't as bad as my Texans getting destroyed in the 2nd half by the Rams after trailing 9-7 at Halftime. As if a single emergency care clinic could only do so much to treat whatever condition I had. To be reminded that I am loved and that there was loving concern, my mother [finally] found the hospital I was in. Since I was basically going to be in the hospital for some time, I basically needed to get adjusted to time in the hospital- including being fed. Initially, it took some time before I eventually got to be part of some meal plan. I was put on a regular diet, so it was okay for me to have almost any food I wanted offered by the hospital. Most of the diet plans instituted are for people who can't eat solid foods, have diabetes, etc. It was going to be some long time to be away from home, so I had to get adjusted to being in a hospital room while also learning the channel lineup on the TV.
Then came Monday, November 13, 2017. For the first time I can remember in my life, I was away from home by being in a hospital room. This was a time when I would be examined to find out just what is going on with me. Most of the real action took place that Monday night. Even before then, my mother came up to the hospital to check on me. She was off due to bereavement in my grandmother's passing. She even got to watch some TV. I had to be mindful that I don't want my mother to miss one of her favorite shows- "Judge Judy." So I made sure I had it on FOX 26 here in Houston so she can see "Judge Judy." Usually 7:00 PM Central Time on Monday night usually means I'm watching pro wrestling. But on this Monday, I had to go get another ultrasound and some extra diagnostic work. After having my diagnostic work done, I was carted back into my hospital room. My brother would arrive at the hospital a bit later to see me and see how I was doing. I was later told that I had some kind of abscess in my groin that required surgery to remove. Not sure if it was some ingrown hair or something. Around 11:30 PM that Monday night, surgeons arrived to take me to the surgery section of the hospital to operate on my groin area. I was given the stuff to where I would be put to sleep and not feel as much pain during the surgery process. I was returned to my hospital room still in my hospital bed. The good thing was that the abscess was removed.
Now the process of post-surgery work was to begin along with all of the recovery work.
My First Hospital Procedure: Post-Operation
After experiencing surgery, I was basically drowning in antibiotics just to treat the infection this abscess produced after my surgery. I was still ordering meals just to say nourished, but I was really beginning to miss home. However, I couldn't be too depressed or homesick because I was in a place of healing. I was still mostly a mess regardless. This abscess triggered some kind of infection that led to me feeling so bad in my groin area and my scrotum enlarged. So this began a process of being strapped to an IV Unit and having to have antibiotics streamed into my body. I also had to have my other daily medicines to be taken care of in addition to my antibiotics. I have had high blood pressure, and I was even prescribed Pepcid AC to help in the healing process. This meant seeing the nurses poking needles into me just to get strapped in. If I wasn't getting accustomed to the different nurses already, I would be. Some of the different nurses and personnel mostly ranged from nurses and physicians to those who simply checked in to do inventory. That even included some housekeepers and those who wanted to do quick surveys.
The Healing Process.At times after the surgery, I had to have dressing in my wound to try to recover. This usually meant having gauze with some kind of solution get stuffed into my wound to help aid in limiting the blood and to try to naturally recover. The nurses would come in to change my dressing and even change up the linens on my hospital bed. I even felt the pain as the dressing was changed. One point, changing the dressing felt like ripping up jeans by the seams. It hurt like crazy! It also doesn't help having so many hairs down there that just makes the pain feel worse.
I had to make sure that I had the IV Unit was disconnected if I had to use the bathroom or take a shower. At this point, it was all about trying to get this infection treated. My mother still would come to the hospital if she was able to each day. She even called the hospital room each morning and each evening. Anything to not feel like crap or feel alone helped me to feel better each day while I was in the hospital. My mother would even would console me and kiss me before she left my hospital room as I was trying to recover. All the while, I did get to enjoy a lot of shows I didn't usually get since my parents dropped Dish Network and went to Sling. Mostly, stuff like ESPN. There were moments where I was feeling awkward trying to get up. I had to be careful getting up and walking around. In addition to walking around, I had to wear these yellow socks that were good so that I didn't slip and slide trying to walk around. I was able to use the bathroom and sit on the toilet. I felt to bad trying to use the toilet at times. The nurses even warned me to be careful and take my time getting up out of my bed. At times, I even used a urinal for when I have to urinate just to be safe and not have to use the bathroom in my hospital room. I feared often times the dressing would come out or get wet as I was trying to use the toilet or the shower. Speaking of showering, I had some kind of plastic wrap around the IV unit needle to make sure that it doesn't get wet as I showered. I had to also be careful not to wash the groin area too much to where I could possibly spread the infection. Everything went pretty okay.
Missing Home and Its Comforts.One other way I was missing home was because I was unable to sleep on my own comfortably without having being checked on my nurses. It would probably be about 11:00 PM trying to sleep, until having to be checked on at about 3:00 AM or 4:00 AM. At times, nurses would come in to check my vitals. So I would have some nurses draw blood from me at times. I even had my blood pressure checked at these vital times. A bit later in my hospitalization, I sometimes used a respirator to make sure my lungs were still functional and that I could breathe properly.
I waited until about 7:00 AM usually to order breakfast and even brush my teeth. Brushing my teeth meant using supplied toothpaste and brush, and I also used mouthwash. I usually would just watch the morning news and maybe some SportsCenter. The food I ordered for breakfast arrived mostly in at least 45 minutes. Unlike a lot of my days at home, I welcomed the sunlight into my hospital room. I also just got to see cars drive by looking out the window. The room service people were very kind to call me if I wanted to request meals now or for later. I mostly follow the recommended times of day to schedule my meal plan for each day. Usually, these were my times of requesting meals:
• BREAKFAST: around 7:00 AM
• LUNCH: around 11:30 AM or 12:30 PM
• DINNER: around 5:00 or thereafter
I was missing home while also wondering when this infection would finally die down. Instead, I was watching a lot of shows like Dish Nation, The Chew, Harry, and (I'm afraid to admit) Judge Judy. My mother still would come to the hospital if she could just to see me in the afternoons. Since I was in the hospital, it also meant I got to enjoy watching college football- which I am a big fan of. I almost felt a bit spoiled with all of this trying to make sure I remained entertained and not think so much about when I'm going to eventually be discharged. I sometimes had to have some kind of snack when the room service dining was done for the day. So it meant I had to have something to keep me fed to avoid being hungry. That something? Snickers bars. The moment I felt hungry at night, I would eat a Snickers bar to stay fed. Since Snickers talks about "you not being you when you're hungry," I began to admit Snickers really does fill you up just enough to justify this slogan.
Discharge.Speaking of being discharged, I just wanted the moment to tell my mother that I'll be finally discharged. Just when I get my hopes up that I can return home, I get held up some extra time. There was one point where I was starting to feel depressed that I am being held up for longer rather than return home and get back to things like blogging and making content online. I even felt like I needed to tell my social media profiles that I have been in the hospital for at least a week.
One of the worst feelings was missing out on being at home with my family on Thanksgiving. So that meant I had to make my own Thanksgiving dinner. I went ahead and ordered as lunch: a roast turkey breast, cornbread stuffing, and a Sprite. I don't have cranberry sauce or anything. It was basically my Thanksgiving. Good news around Thanksgiving was that I was beginning to feel much better and didn't have to have antibiotics streamed into me so often. I went from injected antibiotics to oral antibiotics in my recovery. All the while I was still held up as it was mostly because of a high white blood cell count. That really was part of the reason why I stayed in the hospital for a number of days. I wouldn't get discharged until it went down.
Then on about November 24, 2017 (Black Friday of 2017); I got the word from physicians that I would be discharged on Black Friday. I immediately told my mother that I was ready to be discharged. I wouldn't leave the hospital until I got some extra medical supplies to help treat the wound in my right groin area where the surgery to my abscess took place. After being in a hospital bed for so long, I was finally taken into a wheelchair ready to go home, but not without getting some prescribed material from a pharmacy. Even though my hospital wardrobe was mostly medical gowns, my cute yellow socks, and sometimes some medical mesh underwear; it felt great to wear actual clothes again prior to my official discharge. I knew I could slowly return to going back to normal when I got into my mother's car and saw a Porsche Panamera right in front of me. I then started seeing more interesting cars going from the hospital to the pharmacy. Since I was a little hungry, I went to Burger King to get a chicken club sandwich. That would be my meal going home from the hospital.
I have felt a lot better returning home. Just had to make sure to get up every now and then and walk around just to stay fresh. I even checked all of my social media profiles and the various online communities I was a part of to let everyone know how I was doing. It also made me want to make some online stuff already since my time in the hospital. I actually planned on doing this blog post about my hospital procedure long ago, but I never completed it and released it until now.
Though it was a long time returning home, it felt good to return back to normal while also being free of this abscess and its infection. Now on to some stories from my time in the hospital not related to the surgery. That is the next section.
My First Hospital Procedure: Other Thoughts and Moments
This section of this blog post relates to certain non-hospital related material. Mostly thoughts and other moments. Here are some extra notes as well as some lighthearted material:
• The first thing I was thinking was that the confusion early on was just sad. My mother even felt disappointed that one of the nurses was writing something down on a napkin, mostly feeling a lack of professionalism.
• When I was watching the Houston Texans game at the Los Angeles Rams, the Texans were down 9-7. As the Texans were getting hammered by the Rams, I almost felt like the whole 2017 team needed more therapy than I needed. The 2017 NFL season was a lost cause for the Texans anyways with all the injuries. It was just painful to watch- despite myself being in pain before getting the surgery.
• The remote to the TV had an extra speaker to it so I could hear what I was watching in mono sound. It was cool to me because it meant I could specifically hear certain things and details than I would miss with stereo sound.
• I got to communicate with some of the hospital staff quite well. One of the cool ones was this guy who was a Star Wars fan as well as a gamer. We had some chats about gaming and stuff at one point. It is always great when you get to come across people who can relate to or get along with. Sadly, his nose was broken late in my time at the hospital. So I had to hope he would be alright. I also did my impression to him of the sound bit as sports commentator Joe Buck announced the Houston Astros winning the 2017 World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Great guy.
• At one point, I joked to a housekeeper that I needed prayer to get this pain out of my system. What she did later surprised me and made me respect her- she said a prayer to me. We held hands while she provided this seemingly impromptu prayer to me. She was very nice. And so when she would come in to do housekeeping, it was great.
• Housekeeping wasn't entirely good though. There were about three times me and my mother would request the bathroom toilet get cleaned, and it finally was cleaned about a day later by a housekeeper.
• About three different times, I noted helicopters flying onto the helipad of the hospital to bring over patients in their hospital bed. I even was able to get out of my hospital bed to see one patient come into the hospital from the helicopter.
• Some of the nurses were helpful and encouraging. Not to say they all weren't though. There was a point where I was feeling depressed that I was being held over for longer than I was. One of those nurses was able to help me regain my happiness and calm down.
• Almost every nurse was helpful, but one seemed very confused. In order to draw blood while hooked into an IV unit, most of the work was done to my left arm. One nurse started drawing blood to my right arm and even to my right wrist. It felt even more awkward trying to rest and even move about with the IV unit drawing from my right arm as opposed to my left. I think she even was trying to tape up my groin wound strangely. I was... squeamish at best.
• I have been in the hospital for a total of 12 days. But really, since I was discharged after 4:40 PM on that Friday, it was *officially* 13 days I been in the hospital, and it was about 4:40 PM on a Sunday that I made it into my hospital room.
• One of the things I did before returning to my content producing online was devote my newest blog, "John's Life Space" in loving memory of my grandmother. That blog features my discussion of life issues and offer advice to help others. You can visit JLS later in this post if you are interested.
There is one more bit of lighthearted material I have to share, and warrants its own section. So go to the next section!
My First Hospital Procedure: Food
This requires its own section. As much I hated being cooped up in a hospital bed and being drenched in antibiotics to battle an infection, one thing was great for me being in the hospital- the food was bomb! I had to get all set up and everything for my first day. I was on a regular diet, so almost anything I ordered was fair game. There was a service called "At Your Request Room Service Dining" from a company called Sodexo, which I didn't know was a French company. People could request meals at different times of day. You could even have (for example) breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast. I checked off the different food items I tried out while in the hospital. What you will see here is all the different food items I tried out. So here goes...
--- Breakfast Items ---
• Juices and Fruits:
apple juice, orange juice
• Morning Fare:
Cholesterol Free Scrambled Eggs, Buttermilk Pancakes, Buttermilk Biscuit and Country Gravy
• Create Your Own:
Breakfast Sandwich
• Beverages:
--- Lunch-Dinner ---
• American Comforts:
Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken Breast, Macaroni and Cheese, Roast Turkey Breast, White Fish (choice of Salmon or White Fish)
• South of the Border
Grilled Quesadilla - Chicken
• Grill Favorites
Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich, Chicken Tenders
• From the Garden:
Side Salad - Creamy Cole Slaw
• Specialty Sandwich and Wraps
Spicy Ham and Swiss Flatbread Melt (delicious! Old World style flat breat filled with smoked ham, Swiss cheese, plum tomato, and spicy brown mustard. The "spicy" comes from this sandwich having jalepeños in it, which I found out one time I ordered it), Wraps: BLT, Grilled Chicken Caesar
• Accompaniments:
steamed broccoli, seasonal vegetables, cornbread stuffing, French fries, Macaroni and Cheese
• Desserts:
Baked apple crisp, Cookies: chocolate chip
--- Mindful by Sodexo ---
• Clear Liquid:
Juices: apple, Carbonated: Sprite
• Full Liquid:
Juices: Orange
Because I would be unable to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family back at home, I basically made my own Thanksgiving meal. So what I did was order roast turkey breast with some cornbread stuffing. I was mostly feeling better before eventually being discharged from the hospital the day after Thanksgiving. Some of the food and drink items were healthy choices. I didn't mark which ones were the healthy choices.
I admit I was a bit spoiled by being on a Regular Diet and trying out these various food and drink items. My mother even joked that the hospital food was making it tough for me to get discharged from the hospital! But what else do you expect when you got some good eats? The hospital food was bomb, mates! :D
Now with that lighthearted material out of the way, I learned some serious things about this experience in the hospital. That will be the final section of this blog post.
My First Hospital Procedure: Lessons Learned and Final Thoughts
There are some important takeaways from this experience.
Lesson Learned: I Am Loved.Some time as I was able to return to being on social media, I received an overwhelming amount of comments from my Facebook friends and family. People noticed I haven't been around for some time since my time in the hospital. I was so pleased so many people commented to me in my return home. Prior to discussing my hospital experience, I received many comments when I mentioned my grandmother passing away. So many people offered their condolences to me in the wake of my grandmother passing away. Usually, the only real time I get so much comments from my Facebook friends is usually when it is my birthday. I was pleased that so many people missed me and that I was so respected.
I didn't need people to assure me that I mean something in their lives. However, it was nice to know that people do care about me and do regard me in such a positive light. Even people who usually don't react to my posts or communicate with me offered their love. You mean something to people. For me to get so many positive and heartwarming comments just made me feel special and loved. Again- I didn't need any proof that I am loved and that people actually read my stuff, but I was pleased to know my presence in this world is a great one and that I mean so much to various people.
One thing I do not take for granted is love among my family. Just the fact my mother would call me almost every morning and almost every evening while also coming up to the hospital shows I have a loving and supportive family. It also meant I never should feel alone or unloved regardless of what conditions I face. This was a reassuring feeling.
Lesson Learned: Psychology of Hospitalization.Being cooped up in a hospital is a terrible feeling. You are away from home and others. Remember, though- the hospital is a place of healing. There are people who have injuries or certain medical conditions that prevent them from living life comfortably and free. So when you hear of people who have only so long to live, it becomes depressing because you know you have only so long to enjoy what life you have. Therefore, it is great when individuals do their part to help people in hospitals by offering happiness and hope.
I mentioned at one point feeling depressed that I was in the hospital for an extended period time. There was nothing I can do about it because I was still being taken care of to get back to normal health. I ended up feeling great I could return to doing what I love and living my life again instead of being attached to an IV unit or needing surgery to remove some abscess and treat its impending infection. If you have the chance to uplift the spirits of people in hospitals, do what you can to help people feel better.
Salutes I'd Like to Share.I take nothing for granted. I want to say I am thankful to have a loving family whom are concerned with me. Most people have families and famiiy members who can't stand each other. I am thankful to have a loving and caring mother as well as love from my brother and some of my other family members. I am pleased so many people have shown concern for me as I was away for so long. Even people on Facebook who normally don't communicate with me shown their concern either when my grandmother passed away or when I was in the hospital for almost two weeks. Most of all, I want to thank all of the hospital personnel and all of the nurses and physicians who helped me to recover from this surgery and the horrible infection to my groin area.
I now feel mostly normal again. I couldn't have felt happier and healthier had it not been for the loving support of family and friends, and also for the nurses and physicians who helped me to feel better. I am eternally thankful and grateful for all of the loving support in getting my life back to normal.
Final Thoughts.As terrible as it is to have had this infection, what had to be done had to be done so I could return to living life normally. While I had to deal with the passing of my grandmother, life happens. This all was part of a 2017 that meant a lot happening to me in my life- dental work to remove a tooth and a cyst, Hurricane Harvey, my grandmother's passing, and being hospitalized. This has been a rough 2017 to say the least. Yet still, I counted my blessings and remained positive. Getting love and respect from my family and friends in trying times is enough to encourage me to remain strong and keep doing what I love. And for that, I am truly grateful.
That is the conclusion of this blog post. I say this often to my sincere and loyal audience, but I really mean it here:
Thank all of you for your loving support. I love all of you.
And also thank you for reading this blog post! Take care and be well.
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Winnipeg-based vocalist set for summer showcase in Italy before conquering Canada
By: Holly Harris
"I feel like there's been this pressure building in this bottle and the cork has popped — I'm surfing on some crazy wave — and I don't want to get off," Kirsch says.
One of Sarah Kirsch's grandest tattoos is that of a large tree with proud branches stretching outwards towards her arms while roots dig deep down her lower back. It's an apt metaphor for her flourishing musical career, as well as her adopted hometown, where the 30-year-old singer discovered her own artistic voice.
"It's there to remind me that I can grow roots wherever I choose," the Cranbrook, B.C.-born musician says over coffee at an Exchange District café. "I hadn't had a home base for so long until I came to Winnipeg. When I arrived here it meant that I could finally become the human being that I wanted to be."
Kirsch took top prize at the 37th Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition held at Brandon University in May 2014.
It also meant Kirsch could nurture her own creative vision to become one of the city's most exciting, wholly authentic singers. And her bold performances of contemporary art songs are getting her increasingly noticed both locally and nationally with that all-important momentum that seems to know no bounds.
Her most recent accomplishments include winning second prize in the 2014 Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg's – WMC McLellan Competition this past April. She was also featured during the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's 2014 New Music Festival, Cluster New Music + Integrated Arts Festival, and in the Groundswell and Canzona music series.
The versatile soprano next appears at the WSO's Music at the Millennium noon-hour series on July 1 when she will perform music by Schubert, Barber, Debussy, John Greer and Joni Mitchell with accompanist Chris Kayler.
One of her growing legions of fans is WSO artistic operations associate James Manishen, who first heard Kirsch sing during the 2012 WMC McLellan Competition while he served as a jury member.
"Sarah is a born communicator in addition to being a brilliant soprano soloist," he states. "Her ability to get under the skin of everything she sings and make it alive for the listener is remarkable. You hear many voices when Sarah takes on vocal roles, and you come away excited and elevated from the experience."
The biggest feather in her musical cap, so far, is taking top prize at the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition held in Brandon in May. Her significant prize package includes a three-week residency at Italy's Casalmaggiore International Music Festival from July 7-27, as well as a four-week Canadian tour in November and a cash prize of $15,000.
"We were in complete disbelief," Kirsch says of the shock of hearing her name called with Kayler's as the grand prize winner following two gruelling performance rounds. "Being able to tour and do what I love is surreal. It's been very emotional for me."
A self-professed "gypsy," the Calgary-raised singer first arrived here in 2008 with her then-partner after completing a music degree at the University of Colorado in 2005. Filled with intense self-doubt, and disillusioned about fitting into cookie-cutter classical modes, the rugged individualist cold-called University of Manitoba music professor Mel Braun for advice.
Braun immediately saw a diamond in the rough. He encouraged her to apply to the University of Manitoba's Desautels Faculty of Music, where she began her ongoing studies with him, later graduating with a master's degree in vocal performance in 2012. Kirsch credits the popular vocal coach with saving her musical life, and helping her rediscover her voice.
"Mel let me believe I could be whatever singer that I needed to be," she says through tears. "He changed my trajectory and he changed my life."
The relationship between teacher and student is often profound. Braun likewise sings praises for his protégé, calling her a "fearless musical adventurer."
"It's been a real pleasure to see Sarah grow into the deeply centred performer and communicator she is today," he says. "When she sings, she seems to speak for the composers. She also has a huge heart and an infectious joy which always lights up her audiences."
Braun is also keenly aware of the many doors that will open during her fall tour with stops including Toronto, Calgary, Kingston, Brandon and Winnipeg, among others.
"My hope is that national exposure not only brings her many other performing opportunities, but that it also helps her to continue building on the network of composers and collaborators that could sustain her career for a long time," he says.
"In the meantime, she and her audiences are going to have a blast!"
As Kirsch is poised to take on the world one note at a time — including premièring Michael Matthews' Solò queda el desert with L'Orchestre de Chambre de Montréal and performing Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor at the American University of Beirut next season — she clearly knows she cuts a striking figure.
One can't help but notice her newly dyed lavender cropped hair, or the large, scary-looking skull emblazoned on her chest. The latter pays tribute to a late Canadian poet/family friend she calls Manny, who displayed the same image and played a key role in Kirsch's life by encouraging her to blaze her own artistic path.
"I'm not trying to shock people, these are just reminders to fortify my identity and clarity of vision," Kirsch says of her colourful body art that might raise eyebrows in certain circles.
When asked about future dreams, the passionate artist doesn't miss a beat. "I want to be a limitless singer," she says, adding that she plans to remain in the city for the near future. "I want to challenge people to think things that they wouldn't normally think. I want to introduce people to new ideas, or help them resonate with old ideas. I want to make people feel something."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 25, 2014


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The Professional Pilots Union (PPU) has today sought leave to appeal the High Court injunction against their industrial action.
The PPU were planning a series of strikes starting in the Christmas and New Year period and stretching into March in support of its claim for recognition by Virgin Atlantic.
Virgin Atlantic maintained they would only deal with their preferred union, BALPA, and were granted an 11th hour injunction by the High Court preventing the strikes on December 20th.
In submitting the leave to appeal the court's decision, lawyers for the PPU, Towns Needham Solicitors , say that the ruling has far reaching effect for the airline industry, and describe it as a landmark case.
Alex Barley, solicitor and Director at Towns Needham, said: "We are confident that the ruling can be successfully challenged, and as an indication of that we are conducting the appeal on a no win, no fee basis.
"As it stands, the precedent set by the court's decision will have far-reaching effects on any similar actions by airline unions in the future, and Towns Needham are happy to support the PPU in this case."
Since the injunction was granted the PPU - who represent a third of VA's pilots -, have held talks with VA at ACAS HQ in London with a view to reaching agreement on recognition and the union playing a full part in negotiations over the company's review of pilot's terms and conditions.
Spokesmen for the PPU, former Red Arrows and Virgin pilot Steve Johnson, said that despite the lodging of the appeal the union is hopeful that VA will want a resolution without referring to the courts.
"It is our hope that these talks achieve our ambition within a reasonable timeframe, and that the outcome of the appeal will prove to be academic.
"Litigation is very expensive – VA fielded an 11-strong team of lawyers to secure their injunction, but a resolution to what we see as a reasonable demand to be recognised can be obtained for free simply by talking to us."
The statements presented to the court as part of the injunction hearing are in the public domain, but to assist you we have placed the full suite of court documents on our website at this link:https://members.theppu.co.uk/court-files/


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Perisher 2018 Season Wrap – Epic Comes To Mind…
Mountainwatch | Photo Journal
Perisher is known to toss the word 'Epic' around a fair bit… But this season was admittedly epic, one of the best in recent memory if we're honest. Indeed, if not for last year, it surely would have amounted to THE best season in recent memory!
From consistent storms and a distinct lack of rain, to back-to-back-to-back sunshine and extended spring skiing, 2018 had it all.
In what proved to be excellent foreshadowing, Perisher saw 80cm fall across the resort at the beginning of the season on June 11, which allowed the resort to open all four resort areas, despite dealing with wind drifts in the metres…
The result was undeniably the best early season skiing since 2000!
Things only improved come July with consistent snowfalls keeping the cover in tip-top shape.
A further 45cms fell over the weekend of July 7-8 with more regular top-ups in the latter half of the month as noted by Reggae Elliss in his 2018 Season Wrap with, "10cms falling on July 18, 25cms on July 20/21, 15 and 20cms on July 24. Once again there were strong winds with the snowfalls which blew in a lot of snow and the cold temps ensured good snow quality."
This is when the Perisher Terrain Parks crew – who unsurprisingly just this week won the SIA (Snowsports Industry Australia) annual award for the best parks… again – really kicked into gear.
In fact, Perisher's base peaked at whopping 2.2 metres, allowing them to call for an extended season.
Here's hoping next year is just as exciting, and with work already underway on the NEW Leichhardt Quad Chairlift coming for 2019, it could well be.
The 2019 Epic Australia Pass is on sale now and connects Perisher with Whistler Blackcomb, Hakuba Valley Japan and the Best of the U.S. – 28 mountain resorts in four countries.


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Free & Reduced Priced Meals
Application for the 2019-20 School Year
The online application only takes a few minutes. Families without access to the internet may utilize computers located at their school, at a Family Connections Center, at public libraries, or they may contact Nutrition Services at (425) 456-4507 for assistance. Nutrition Services has designated a computer in their office for the purpose of assisting families during normal business hours (7:00am – 3:30pm).
If your student qualifies for free or reduced price meals, they may be eligible for discounted fees or other services. Complete Part 5 of the online application (Sharing Information) to give permission to Nutrition Services to share school meal eligibility information with other school programs. If you need financial assistance with school fees, contact your office staff/cashier to let them know you are in need of assistance with specific items so discounts can be applied.
Parents will be notified by mail when the application has been processed. Applications are typically processed within 10 days. Please send money or a meal to school with your student until they are approved. Families are responsible for any charges incurred.
Downloadable Forms
Completing the online application is the fastest method to qualify your student for school meal benefits. If you choose, you may print and mail an application to Nutrition Services at 12037 NE 5th Street, Bellevue, WA 98005.
The School Meal Benefit application and the Consent to Share School Meal Eligibility form is available in the following languages:
Note: Please disregard the date on the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese applications. While they reference 2016-17, USDA has authorized for these forms to continue to be used as a courtesy to families.
Looking for additional languages? USDA provides applications for school meal benefits in nearly 50 languages. Foreign language applications can be downloaded from the USDA website.
Returning Students
Returning students maintain their prior year's free or reduced eligibility for the first 30 school days, or until a new application is processed. If a returning student does not have a new application processed by Oct. 16, 2019, they will automatically be transferred to a paid account on the next school day. Families are responsible for any charges incurred.
Please notify Nutrition Services if a returning student has a newly enrolled sibling so that we may extend the 30 school day eligibility to the new student. Families will still need to complete a new application to avoid any unnecessary charges.


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Penélope Cruz Sánchez (Spanish pronunciation: [peˈnelope kruθ ˈsantʃeθ]; born April 28, 1974) is a Spanish actress and model. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón (1992), to critical acclaim. Her subsequent roles in the 1990s and 2000s included Open Your Eyes (1997), The Hi-Lo Country(1999), The Girl of Your Dreams (2000) and Woman on Top (2000). Cruz achieved recognition for her lead roles in the 2001 filmsVanilla Sky and Blow.
Age in 2013: 39 (28 April 1974)
Height in Meters: 1.68m
Height in Centimeters: 168cm
Height in Feet: 5 Feet 6 Inches
Weight in Kilograms: 54kg
Weight in Pounds: 118lbs
Body Measurement and Size: 34-27-35
Bra Size: 34C
Eye Color: Dark Brown