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Natural Support for Joint Pain
This blog does not intend to provide diagnosis...
In this article:
- Movement Is Key
- Go Mediterranean
- Supplements to Stay Supple
- Experiment with Essential Oils
- Give Pain the Rub
If you suffer from joint pain you're not alone. According to a National Health Interview Survey over a 30-day period, 30 percent of adults experienced pain, aching or stiffness in or around a joint. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 54.4 million American adults—about 15 percent of the population—suffer from arthritis, the inflammation of one or more joints.
Joints, the physical point of connection between bones, provide support and generally facilitate movement. There are 360 joints in the body, most of which are movable. When healthy, bones within a joint glide smoothly past each other because their surfaces are covered with a smooth layer of cartilage and a membrane that secretes a lubricating liquid called synovial fluid.
Dysfunction and pain occur when either synovial fluid doesn't secrete properly or the cartilage covering bones deteriorates. Damage can happen suddenly or gradually and may be caused by diseases or injury. The pain and swelling can be acute or chronic and range from mild to severe.
Osteoarthritis, the deterioration of the cartilage that covers the ends of the bones (especially in the knees and hips) that frequently occurs as a natural part of aging, is the most common cause of joint pain. Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the membranes that secrete synovial fluid, is another common cause of joint pain along with gout, lupus and fibromyalgia.
While your first line of defense may be over-the-counter pain medication (ibuprofen, acetaminophen or aspirin), such products can have serious side effects, like kidney damage. Fortunately, there are numerous natural ways to reduce inflammation and alleviate the discomfort caused by joint pain.
Movement Is Key
While you may feel like avoiding movement, don't. Working out triggers the release of joint-lubricating synovial fluid. Low-impact exercise and stretching help improve range of motion and increase energy and mobility. Weightlifting strengthens muscles so they can better support your joints. Mind-body practices such as gentle yoga, qigong or tai chi can boost strength, energy and flexibility.
Go Mediterranean
If the cause of your pain is rheumatoid arthritis, eating an anti-inflammatory or Mediterranean diet may help reduce your symptoms while improving heart health and reducing cancer risk. This type of diet entails eating antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables; beans; whole grains like brown rice and quinoa (which have been shown to lower C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation); and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids such as fatty fish, chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts. Using olive oil and cutting back on processed carbohydrates, saturated fats and trans fats can also reduce inflammation.
You can also take an antioxidant and/or an omega-3 fatty acid (look for one high in DHA) supplement and consume more flavonoids, chemical compounds found in soy products, green tea and broccoli.
In addition, if you are overweight, losing weight can reduce the stress on your joints, which can decrease future damage as well as daily pain, especially in your hips, knees and feet.
Supplements to Stay Supple
While studies are mixed, some research has shown that taking collagen, the main structural protein of connective tissue found in bone and cartilage may help decrease pain, making it easier to move, bend and increase flexibility. A recent meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine identified collagen as a supplement "demonstrating clinically important effects for pain reduction in the medium term."
Glucosamine and chondroitin, components of normal cartilage, may also help reduce pain. An exploratory study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested that "The combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may be effective in the subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe knee pain."
Herbs and spices that may reduce joint pain include Boswellia and turmeric. Traditional medicine in Asia and Africa, Boswellia is believed to help treat chronic inflammatory conditions. Some research has shown that it works by stopping the formation of inflammatory molecules called leukotrienes. Used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat arthritis, turmeric contains an anti-inflammatory chemical called curcumin that modifies immune-system responses.
Experiment with Essential Oils
Used for thousands of years to reduce joint pain and stiffness, essential oils are rich in nutrients that can help soothe pain and reduce inflammation. Good ones to use alone or in combination for pain relief include lavender, peppermint, thyme, orange, ginger, frankincense, myrrh, clove, rosemary and turmeric. To use them simply dilute with a carrier oil such as coconut or jojoba and massage onto the skin, or add 10–15 drops of oil to your bathwater.
Give Pain the Rub
There are several types of topical natural remedies that can help reduce pain. Look for homeopathic creams that contain ingredients such as arnica or calendula, or try salves that contain capsaicin. Found in chili peppers, capsaicin naturally helps to block pain signals in the body.
- Accessed February 13th,19 https://www.rheumatology.org/Learning-Center/Statistics/Prevalence-Statistics
- Accessed February 13th,19 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
- Jordan KP, Kadam UT, Hayward R, et al. Annual consultation prevalence of regional musculoskeletal problems in primary care: an observational study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2010;11:144.
- Liu X, Machado GC, Eyles JP, et al. Dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 2018;52:167–175.
- Clegg DO, Reda DJ, Harris CL, et al. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006;354(8):795–808.
- Grover AO, Samson SE. Benefits of antioxidant supplements for knee osteoarthritis: rationale and reality. Nutrition Journal 201615:1. doi.org/10.1186/s12937-015-0115-z


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Many origin of life researchers have for decades argued that the early earth must have had a "reducing" atmosphere, meaning that it had very little oxygen. This argument has no direct evidence to support it other than the knowledge that oxygen destroys the delicate molecules that comprise cells today. If the first living cells evolved, they would have needed an atmosphere with little or no oxygen. But new research supports the idea that the earth's surface was always oxygenated, as would be expected if biblical history is true.
Oxidized metals in rock chemicals often appear red, like oxidized iron (rust). Ancient rocks called "red beds" indicate that some of the lowermost sedimentary strata were deposited in the presence of oxygen.1 Now, red rocks buried in Australia are also challenging evolution's accepted timescale for the development of life.2
Geologists at The Pennsylvania State University drilled into the deep rocks for pristine samples. They knew that if the rocks from that depth were red and crystallized as a whole unit, then they must have formed in the presence of oxygen.
That is exactly what they found.
So, these geologists have painstakingly ruled out the absence of oxygen from earth's atmosphere at the time these ancient rocks were formed.
The creation-flood model predicts the presence of oxygen from the very beginning, which is supported by this research in Australia. Based on the worldwide water cataclysm recorded in Genesis, evidence might also be found in some locations of prior extreme heat, which would have resulted from the cataclysmic breaking up of the great deep,3 as well as from the accelerated nuclear decay that must have occurred.4 Consistent with this, Penn State researchers found that these particular rocks "could only happen if the deep ocean contained oxygen and the iron rich fluids came into contact at high temperatures."2
The results from these rocks have even more implications: "To have this amount of oxygen, the Earth must have had oxygen producing organisms like cyanobacteria actively producing it, placing these organisms much earlier in Earth's history than previously thought."2 Now, the evolutionary story must be amended yet again. This stands in stark contrast to the biblical record, which came from God Himself and remains changeless.
No rocks have yet been discovered—not even deep down—that have an oxygen-free composition. The earth's crust apparently was always under an oxygenated atmosphere, which can only be maintained by living things. Perhaps life was specially placed on earth at its very beginning—like these rocks indicate and Genesis teaches.
- "The existence of early red beds, sea and groundwater sulphate, oxidized terrestrial and sea-floor weathering crusts, and the distribution of ferric iron in sedimentary rocks are geological observations and inferences compatible with the biological and planetary predictions. It is suggested that from the time of the earliest dated rocks at 3.7 [billion years] ago, Earth had an oxygenic atmosphere." Clemney, H. and N. Badham. 1982. Oxygen in the Precambrian atmosphere: An evaluation of the geological evidence. Geology. 10 (3): 141.
- Deep sea rocks point to early oxygen on earth. The Pennsylvania State University press release, March 24, 2009, reporting research published in Hoashi, M. et al. 2009. Primary haematite formation in an oxygenated sea 3.46 billion years ago. Nature Geoscience. 2 (4): 301-306.
- Genesis 7:11. See Austin, S. A. et al. 1994. Catastrophic Plate Tectonics: A Global Flood Model of Earth History. Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Creationism. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, 609-621.
- Humphreys, D. R. et al. 2003. Helium Diffusion Rates Support Accelerated Nuclear Decay. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Creationism. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, 175-195.
Photo Credit: Hiroshi Ohmoto/Yumiko Watanabe
* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.
Article posted on April 8, 2009.

subset: commoncrawl


text: LEE & LOW BOOKS is an independent children's book publisher specializing in diversity. Our motto, "about everyone, for everyone," is as urgent today as it was when we started in 1991. It is our goal to meet the need for stories that all children can identify with and enjoy. The right book can foster empathy, dispel stereotypes, prompt discussion about race and ethnicity, and inspire children to imagine not only a world that includes them, but also a world where they are the heroes of their own stories. LEE & LOW BOOKS is committed to meeting the needs of educators by providing award-winning, diverse books for today's classrooms, along with resources educators need to make meaningful use of each book. Educators may sign up for our monthly e-newsletter at leeandlow.com to learn more or discover the latest teaching materials on LEE & LOW's The Open Book blog at blog.leeandlow.com


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Along my journey to veganism, I have been moved by number of animal teachers.
One of the dearest of these friends was a goat named Mariolana. She was part of a group of about 16 goats that, through a work exchange program, I found myself herding in the Italian countryside.
It was fall and the forest was rich with chestnuts. One of the jobs I was given was to watch over the goats as they ate wild chestnuts in the countryside… unless of course they got away from me and then they feasted on the neighbor's cabbage patch as well.
I developed a special relationship with Mariolana. She taught me less about what it meant to be a goat and more about what it meant to be an individual. She had a brown and black coat, with two slit ears from pulling her ear tags out. I would often find her rectangular pupils scanning the forest floor and then me…
"What do you have to offer?" she seemed to be asking.
When I told my Italian host that Mariolana was my favorite, she warned me that, that fall would probably be Mariolana's last. It was true that she was getting up in years, but her end would come by knifepoint, not by nature.
I was told she had struggled with her last pregnancy and had eventually lost her kid. My host said she did not want her to "suffer" through another winter so she was planning to have her butchered before she died on her own. A natural death would cause the blood to pool in her tissue, making it "unpalatable."
My host had made it clear even before my arrival that some animals would die or be sold so she could afford to keep the rest… but I didn't understand that reality until I was part of it.
Each dairy goat and cow, each hen and rooster, had unwittingly been bred as part of a business deal. They were "paying their way" in life with children, milk and eggs… but when their bodies or souls ran dry, they were made to pay with their own lives.
I hated the idea of Mariolana's death at any time, but the thought of her meeting the butcher clawed at me. I decided I would do the best I knew how to (then), to keep her alive.
Every time we went out into the forest I searched out particularly plump chestnuts and stuck them in my pocket and then when Mariolana got close to me I fed them to her. Her rectangle eyes would bulge with anticipation as I dug into my pockets and picked out chestnuts the size of my palm. She chomped eagerly on them, quickly learning that my friendship tasted good.
Because she was older and independent, sometimes when the rest of the herd charged ahead of us up the hill, she and I would end up alone together; Mariolana diligently seeking out chestnuts on her own and I plying her with more as we climbed the hill.
Then breeding season came upon us. There were two males in the herd, but only the largest male got the ladies. The only thing the younger male seemed to get was his head stuck in the fence. The rest of the herd were females, every mother among them still being milked from her last pregnancy. All of the goats who were old enough were expected to bear kids for the first time or again that season. Most of their progeny would be sold, although a few would be kept to "replace" the older members of the herd.
Mariolana made it through this time. But sadly the herd did shrink by one. Melissa, a young female, hanged herself. At night when we had left the barn, her collar caught on the milking rack and in her struggle to free herself she suffocated. The morning they found her I was, thankfully, sick in bed. Our host buried the majority of her body with a backhoe, but not before cutting off Melissa's legs to give them to her dogs. The next day on my trek to the cow shed one of the farm dogs ran by with a small hoof hanging from his mouth.
As the mating season continued, my hosts asked me to keep an eye out for which goats were ovulating and if they had mated that day. I did this and one day Mariolana swished her tail in the characteristic way of an ovulating goat. Although it was unclear whether her body could bear it, getting pregnant was her only stay of execution; it was her only hope to unknowingly "pay" for another six months of life. When I told my host that I was pretty sure Mariolana became pregnant the day I saw her tail swish, she told me it was unlikely… but we would see.
Sure enough though, after mating season was over, the vet came and confirmed that, against all odds, Mariolana had conceived what would most likely be her last child. Because she had struggled so much with her pregnancy the year before, it was unclear what this would mean for her, but both Mariolana and I knew she was still full of life. If only her child birthing years were over and she could simply be…
Eventually the goats got into the neighbor's cabbage patch one too many times and my host thought it was a good time for me to move on. Little did I know then that my time herding goats had launched me on a path to veganism and creating a world in which I would not be warned against caring for my fellow animals, but encouraged to do so.
I'm sad to say I do not know if Mariolana made it through that winter, as I could not bear to write and ask. Whether she died on her own or was killed, I wonder how many years were taken from her through the continued weight of birth, milking and loss that she bore throughout her life.
When I get the chance to visit with a goat now and again, I often see Mariolana reflected in their eyes. I remember feeding her chestnuts and praying that somehow my love and the extra chestnuts would save her. But in the end it couldn't… Only helping my Italian host to see Mariolana as a sentient, unique being whose body was her own, would have.
I now live my life as a vegan educator for her and for the billions of animals who are being used and discarded, who pay the price for our lust for milk, eggs, and flesh with their children, with the wear on their bodies and finally, with their lives.
Related Stories:
A Hen's Relationship with her Eggs
Bruno: A New Perspective on Happy Cows
What is Pain to a Fish?


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Give Feedback Event
Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it's released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.
Occurs during a drag operation.
event System::Windows::Forms::GiveFeedbackEventHandler ^ GiveFeedback;
public event System.Windows.Forms.GiveFeedbackEventHandler GiveFeedback;
public event System.Windows.Forms.GiveFeedbackEventHandler? GiveFeedback;
member this.GiveFeedback : System.Windows.Forms.GiveFeedbackEventHandler
Public Custom Event GiveFeedback As GiveFeedbackEventHandler
Event Type
The following code example demonstrates a drag-and-drop operation between two ListBox controls. The example calls the DoDragDrop method when the drag action starts. The drag action starts if the mouse has moved more than SystemInformation.DragSize from the mouse location during the MouseDown event. The IndexFromPoint method is used to determine the index of the item to drag during the
MouseDown event.
The example also demonstrates using custom cursors for the drag-and-drop operation. The example requires that two cursor files,
3dwarro.cur and
3dwno.cur, exist in the application directory, for the custom drag and no-drop cursors, respectively. The custom cursors will be used if the
UseCustomCursorsCheck CheckBox is checked. The custom cursors are set in the GiveFeedback event handler.
The keyboard state is evaluated in the DragOver event handler for the right
ListBox, to determine what the drag operation will be based on state of the SHIFT, CTRL, ALT, or CTRL+ALT keys. The location in the
ListBox where the drop would occur is also determined during the
DragOver event. If the data to drop is not a
String, then the DragEventArgs.Effect is set to
None in DragDropEffects. Finally, the status of the drop is displayed in the
DropLocationLabel Label.
The data to drop for the right
ListBox is determined in the DragDrop event handler and the
String value is added at the appropriate place in the
ListBox. If the drag operation moves outside the bounds of the form, then the drag-and-drop operation is canceled in the QueryContinueDrag event handler.
This code excerpt demonstrates using the GiveFeedback event. See the DoDragDrop method for the complete code example.
void ListDragSource_GiveFeedback( Object^ /*sender*/, System::Windows::Forms::GiveFeedbackEventArgs^ e )
// Use custom cursors if the check box is checked.
if ( UseCustomCursorsCheck->Checked )
// Sets the custom cursor based upon the effect.
e->UseDefaultCursors = false;
if ( (e->Effect & DragDropEffects::Move) == DragDropEffects::Move )
::Cursor::Current = MyNormalCursor;
::Cursor::Current = MyNoDropCursor;
private void ListDragSource_GiveFeedback(object sender, GiveFeedbackEventArgs e)
// Use custom cursors if the check box is checked.
if (UseCustomCursorsCheck.Checked)
// Sets the custom cursor based upon the effect.
e.UseDefaultCursors = false;
if ((e.Effect & DragDropEffects.Move) == DragDropEffects.Move)
Cursor.Current = MyNormalCursor;
Cursor.Current = MyNoDropCursor;
Private Sub ListDragSource_GiveFeedback(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As GiveFeedbackEventArgs) Handles ListDragSource.GiveFeedback
' Use custom cursors if the check box is checked.
If (UseCustomCursorsCheck.Checked) Then
' Set the custom cursor based upon the effect.
e.UseDefaultCursors = False
If ((e.Effect And DragDropEffects.Move) = DragDropEffects.Move) Then
Cursor.Current = MyNormalCursor
Cursor.Current = MyNoDropCursor
End If
End If
End Sub
The GiveFeedback event is raised when a drag-and-drop operation is started. With the GiveFeedback event, the source of a drag event can modify the appearance of the mouse pointer in order to give the user visual feedback during a drag-and-drop operation.
The following describes how and when events related to drag-and-drop operations are raised.
The DoDragDrop method determines the control under the current cursor location. It then checks to see if the control is a valid drop target.
If the control is a valid drop target, the GiveFeedback event is raised with the drag-and-drop effect specified. For a list of drag-and-drop effects, see the DragDropEffects enumeration.
Changes in the mouse cursor position, keyboard state, and mouse button state are tracked.
If the user moves out of a window, the DragLeave event is raised.
If the mouse enters another control, the DragEnter for that control is raised.
If the mouse moves but stays within the same control, the DragOver event is raised.
If there is a change in the keyboard or mouse button state, the QueryContinueDrag event is raised and determines whether to continue the drag, to drop the data, or to cancel the operation based on the value of the Action property of the event's QueryContinueDragEventArgs.
If the value of DragAction is
Continue, the DragOver event is raised to continue the operation and the GiveFeedback event is raised with the new effect so appropriate visual feedback can be set. For a list of valid drop effects, see the DragDropEffects enumeration.
The DragOver and GiveFeedback events are paired so that as the mouse moves across the drop target, the user is given the most up-to-date feedback on the mouse's position.
If the value of DragAction is
Drop, the drop effect value is returned to the source, so the source application can perform the appropriate operation on the source data; for example, cut the data if the operation was a move.
If the value of DragAction is
Cancel, the DragLeave event is raised.
For more information about handling events, see Handling and Raising Events.


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TechRadar Verdict
- +
Interesting design
- +
Good screen
- +
Docking system
- -
Touchscreen not very sensitive
- -
Some software quirks
- -
Standard netbook performance
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
This highly innovative netbook/tablet hybrid is easy to criticise, but the Inspiron Duo offers a glimpse at the future of personal computing.
Those that can look past its undeniable quirks may find a device that changes the way they use a computer.
The idea is that you buy the device with a dock. This acts as a hub for the netbook and converts it into an alarm clock and photo frame, while also charging it.
The dock comes with JBL-branded speakers, which are decent enough, but won't challenge a home hi-fi system.
When you're out and about with the device you have the choice of either netbook or tablet mode.
Switching between them, by flipping the panel horizontally and then closing the lid, is intuitive and the mechanism feels sturdy enough to survive rigorous use.
Firstly, the device impresses in netbook mode. The 1366 x 768-pixel resolution is sharp inside the 10.1-inch screen, while the spacious keyboard provides a great typing experience, despite a bit of flexibility. Those who want to edit and type in word documents will have no problem using the device for hours on end.
Performance is standard fare for a netbook and, while office applications run fine, more resource-intensive programs and multi-tasking causes serious lag.
Battery life: 215 minutes
MobileMark 2007: 60
3DMark 2003: 642
In terms of connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi is great for wireless networking to a home router, for example, but the lack of an Ethernet port (even though the dock features one) and video out does seem an omission. It means that those who like to view content on their TV, for example, simply don't have the option.
In tablet mode you're introduced to Dell's 'Stage' touch software, which gives you quick access to your music, videos and photos, among other things.
It sits over the Windows 7 interface and, although intuitive, features a few quirks that make it sometimes confusing. You can't travel back through some menus, for example.
Flawed touchscreen
The touchscreen isn't as accurate as we would have liked either, which can be frustrating, but once you get used to it, browsing the web and selecting music is surprisingly quick and easy – and offers a much more intuitive experience than in netbook mode.
The Inspiron Duo is also pretty heavy.
Portability-wise the device is no problem to carry around, but the 215-minute battery life is a little disappointing.
There's no doubt the Inspiron Duo is flawed by a few issues, but we thoroughly bought into Dell's vision of combining the netbook and tablet, and flipping between the two to carry out different tasks is intuitive and fun.
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By Rhys Wood


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31mm Rolex Datejust Pink Mother Of Pearl
This Rolex has undergone a thorough inspection of functionality, accuracy and water resistance required to meet our standards. This watch will be sold with a one year warranty.
- Age 1998
- Model 78240
- AvailabilityIn Stock
Interested in this item?
If you are interested in this item, then give us a call on 020 7929 0100 to arrange a viewing, or you can simply pop into our boutique situated on the impressive Royal Exchange building in the centre of London's financial district.


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Backblaze is an easy-to-use online backup service, offering unlimited backup space from as little as $3.96 a month.
You don't have to spend an age deciding what you'd like to back up, as the program will decide for you (all your data, essentially). And you don't have to schedule backups to run at a particular time, as Backblaze runs continuously in the background. First it backs up everything it's chosen, then it'll automatically detect and back up new or modified files as they appear.
While this makes for very simple operation, you can take more control over Backblaze's operations, if you prefer. You can specify which drives to back up; exclude particular folders and file types from the backup; encrypt your backups for extra security; specify when Backblaze can back up your files; and even configure a "throttle" setting which defines how great a share Backblaze can take of your internet bandwidth.
And if disaster strikes then you can restore any file or set of files directly from the Backblaze website. Or, in a real emergency, you can have files sent to you on DVD or a USB hard drive, though this will unsurprisingly require you to part with some cash (prices start from $99).
The regular service is reasonably priced, though. Normally you'll pay only $5 a month for unlimited online storage space, but buy a full year and you'll get a $10 discount, cutting the bill to $50.
An easy-to-use online backup tool that also provides plenty of configurability if you need it


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The popular note-taking service Evernote has announced today that it has acquired popular iPad note- taking app Penultimate. Penultimate will remain a separate app, but will gain many features including closer sync integration with Evernote and search capabilities. The creator of Penultimate, Ben Zotto will be joining the Evernote team.
These two note-taking apps have very complimentary features. Penultimate is one of the best handwriting apps for the iPad, offering smooth inking and great palm rejection. Evernote has expanded from a desktop application for taking, storing, and searching notes, onto most major mobile platforms, giving you searchable access to all of your notes nearly everywhere.
Penultimate already has the ability to sync notes to Evernote, which brings a host of features — Evernote runs Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on your handwritten notes in the background, making them searchable. However, each note must be uploaded individually, and changes cannot be made to the note uploaded to Evernote, only the original in Penultimate.
Having continuous sync or adding OCR directly to Penultimate would only make the app more appealing. Ben Zotto has also mentioned on the Penultimate blog that with this partnership, Penultimate will finally be coming to other devices. One of Evernote's strongest points is that it's available on every major mobile platform, and it would be great to see Penultimate also available on a similar variety of devices.
Evernote does have a drawing extension called Skitch, which runs as a separate app, but will then import drawings into Evernote notes. But it's not really a great solution for taking pages of handwritten notes. Evernote says on their blog that Ben will lead the effort to bring handwriting and digital ink functionality into other Evernote products and platforms.
Right now, the only way to get handwritten notes directly into Evernote is through the desktop application on Windows. And even then, you have to choose between handwriting and text, there is no mixing, unlike Microsoft's OneNote or iPad apps like Noteshelf.
Evernote's team has been working on handwriting recognition since the days of the Apple Newton, and Evernote's OCR has worked well for me for making handwriting searchable. You can already take other kinds of notes in Evernote's mobile apps, like pictures, audio notes, and rich text notes with check boxes and bullet points. Adding Penultimate quality ink directly in the Evernote app would be a huge bonus.


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Wal-Mart's warning that stores are starting to experience a slowdown raises question on its impact on its vast network of suppliers.
On Thursday, the nation's largest retailer said the payroll tax hike and delay in income tax refunds had hurt sales in the last two weeks of January. February sales were also impacted.
Some experts say Wal-Mart (WMT) suppliers should be worried.
"Soft months set up ripple effects through the supply chain," said David Hyatt, a professor of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas' Sam M. Walton College of Business. "When such a big player has a soft month, it has a big effect on the whole system."
For now, Wal-Mart sought to calm its network. Its chief financial officer Charles Holley said the stores have not yet changed any orders with suppliers.
Related: Wal-Mart's double whammy pressures stock
Retail experts are expecting February to be a softer month across the board, since Americans have recently been slammed with higher costs while also taking home less pay.
The price of gasoline has also increased more that 13% in the last month alone, and most of the country's 160 million workers are seeing smaller paychecks since the payroll tax cuts expired last month.
Workers earning the national average salary of $41,000 are receiving about $60 less each month.
John Lawrence, an analyst at Stephens Inc., said Wal-Mart's customer base -- low-end to mid-scale shoppers -- is tapped out.
"This really eats away at discretionary spending, so people aren't going out and buying the TVs or the pair of jeans," he said. "There is no question that that stuff backs up in the supply chain."
Wal-Mart is better equipped at handling this sort of issue, said Kevin Sterneckert, vice president of research on the consumer value chain at Gartner. He said Wal-Mart's suppliers use a system that allows them to check in real time how their items are selling in each store.
"If there was a slowdown in a certain item or category, vendors know long before Wal-Mart would respond in the supply chain and change an order," he said. "If there is a softer period for particular merchandise, vendors are fully aware and can respond quickly by adjusting production."
Sterneckert said this system kept Wal-Mart from having a huge amount of overstock even during the depths of the recession.
Related: Wal-Mart, the $200 billion grocer
But just because suppliers can quickly adjust to changing demand doesn't mean they won't be hurt by it.
"It is very difficult for suppliers to adjust," said the University of Arkansas' Hyatt. "Their numbers get off. It messes with inventories. All this turbulence makes it hard for planning."


text:
"Tribadism" has historically been used as a definition for lesbian sex. As of late the term now refers to a scissoring sexual position in which two women stimulate one another.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Word of the Gay: "Tribadism"
Posted by Queers United at 12:00 AM
Labels: lesbian sexuality, scissoring, tribad, tribades, tribadism, word of the gay
2 comments:
Haha...My partner and I are so guilty of this. :-)
- April 28, 2009 at 10:08 AM
- Matt said...
Actually thats not entirely true. "Scissoring" is only one type of Tribadism where the girls 'bump uglies' by intertwining their legs like to open pairs of scissors. There are many more Tribadism positions such as missionary, cowgirl, doggy style, students and standing. Therefore, saying the scissoring is synonymous with tribadism is misleading.
- April 29, 2009 at 8:08 PM
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text:
From Van Jones to Valerie Jarrett, the Obama has made a series of politically extreme personnel appointments that it has since come to regret. Its latest hire bids fair to continue the pattern. President Obama has appointed an "anti-Semitism czar," Hannah Rosenthal, who appears singularly unqualified for the job. Her first target of criticism has not been an anti-Semitic exponent or event. Rather, it is Israel's Jewish ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, who has drawn her ire for the offense of disparaging a liberal group with which Rosenthal has been affiliated.
Not surprisingly for a liberal-Democratic administration, Rosenthal has a liberal-Democratic background. She worked for the Department of Health and Human Services during the Clinton administration, and in 1992 and 1996 was a leader of the Wisconsin Clinton-Gore campaigns. From 2000 to 2005 she was executive director of the liberal Jewish Council for Public Affairs. More recently she's been on the advisory council of the ostensibly "pro-Israel, pro-peace" J Street and JStreetPAC.
Ideally, it shouldn't matter. Isn't "to monitor and combat anti-Semitism"—from the "anti-Semitism czar's" official job title—a bipartisan concern for Jews and a consensus concern for all decent people? Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Some Jews define themselves highly invidiously in opposition to other Jews. Rosenthal appears to be one of them.
As the Jewish Press noted in an editorial,
"Speaking several years ago on the sharp increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe after the outbreak of the Second Intifada, [Rosenthal] said:
"'I'll tell you point-blank; I have two grown daughters, and I didn't think that my kids were going to have to deal with the same anti-Semitism that I did as the daughter of Holocaust survivors. It's a scary time, with people losing the ability to differentiate between a Jew, any Jew, and what's going on in Israel.'"
As Michael Goldfarb observes,
"Parse that quote and it's pretty clear what Rosenthal is saying—the Israelis have it coming, but the rest of the world needs to distinguish between the good progressive Jews who are not living on Palestinian land and the Israeli Jews who are committing daily atrocities in the name of colonialism and occupation."
To that must be added Rosenthal's affiliation, in itself, with J Street. Indeed, the Obama administration likes J Street and sent National Security Adviser James Jones to give the keynote address at its October conference. That doesn't change the fact that J Street has taken strange positions such as favoring the staging of the anti-Semitic play Seven Jewish Children and the (abortive) appointment of the anti-Israeli diplomat Chas Freeman as chairman of the National Intelligence Council.
Or as Israeli ambassador Michael Oren recently put it, J Street is "a unique problem in that it not only opposes one policy of one Israeli government, it opposes all policies of all Israeli governments…." As Oren went on to note, that has included criticizing Israel's campaign in Gaza last winter, calling to include Hamas in peace talks, failing to reject the Goldstone report, and opposing sanctions on Iran.
And it is Hannah Rosenthal's recent criticism of Oren's remarks that has prompted a storm of anger and protest from Israeli and U.S. officials as well as American Jewish leaders.
Last week Rosenthal told Israel's left-wing daily Haaretz that Oren's statements against J Street were "most unfortunate" and that Oren, who declined J Street's invitation to speak at its October conference, "would have learned a lot" by participating.
In response, Haaretz reports in a subsequent article, "Senior Israeli officials told their American colleagues that it was unacceptable for an administration official to publicly criticize Israel's ambassador over his relationship with Jewish organizations."
For its part, "the White House asked the State Department to issue a clarification notice." And "Alan Solow, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and a confidant of…Obama issued a condemnation of Rosenthal's remarks, casting doubt over her ability to fulfill her responsibilities as an opponent of anti-Semitism."
While the complaints rightly focus on the inappropriateness of the anti-Semitism czar's criticism of the Israeli ambassador, there is much else in Rosenthal's quoted remarks to Haaretz that calls into question her suitability for her new post.
As when—apparently also in connection to Oren's declining to address J Street—she "said she opposes blurring the lines between anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel. 'It is not 1939,' she said. 'We have the state of Israel. We have laws in countries that are holding people accountable.'" This appears oddly inane, since Oren has never accused J Street of anti-Semitism.
Or when she says:
"We need to have as many people coming together to try and put an end to this crisis, the matzav [i.e., Israel's ongoing conflict with some of its neighbors] cannot continue—it's unacceptable and that's why I always paid my membership to AIPAC, but I have always paid my membership to Americans for Peace Now—because they all need to be supported and they all need to be at the table."
"I lived in Israel in 1973 in the bomb shelters. I don't want my kids or my grandchildren to have to ever come visit their homeland and to live in a bomb shelter—that is what I mean when I say the matzav…. Sometimes I wonder what it does to the psyche of people and children to know that they have to know where the nearest bomb shelter is—that's not okay. As a peace loving person and as a Jew who wants my kids to feel comfortable here—I think that's what I mean that the matzav cannot continue."
It's peculiarly muddled, but she seems to be saying that everyone should be open to, and ultimately embrace, a liberal-dovish view of Israel's conflict with some of its neighbors, because then the conflict would go away. Finding the situation "unacceptable," not wanting children to live near bomb shelters or even be exposed to them on a visit, is somehow connected to ending the conflict. In other words, it's Jews—bad Jews like Oren, or the Israeli government—who are responsible for keeping it going.
For the anti-Semitism czar, the enemy of the Jews or at least of Israel is not the anti-Semites, the violent attackers of Israel, but the Jews themselves – or at least the bad ones who don't embrace J Street's outlook and even find it objectionable.
That means Rosenthal lacks exactly what she ought to have: a clear, reality-attuned grasp of the actual, grim situation of Jew-and Israel-hatred in today's world. And it means the Obama administration has failed to make a wise choice even for the seemingly nonpartisan task of "monitoring and combating anti-Semitism." Instead, it has appointed a left-wing partisan who promotes the liberal delusions that help anti-Semitism thrive.


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Indian-origin technology executives Jayshree Ullal and Neerja Sethi have made it to the Forbes list of America's 60 richest self-made women, with 21-year-old reality TV star and entrepreneur Kylie Jenner the youngest to be featured in the power list.
Ullal is ranked 18th in the list of 60 self-made women, having a net worth of 1.3 billion dollars while Sethi is ranked 21st with a net worth of a billion dollars.
"America's top female entrepreneurs have shattered ceilings and scaled new heights, creating companies and building fortunes in everything from genetic testing to aerospace. Increasingly these self-made starters are tapping social media to cement their brands and build businesses ever more quickly. That in turn has helped the nation's most successful women become richer than ever before," Forbes said.
Born in London and raised in India, Ullal, 57, has been president and CEO of Arista Networks, a computer networking firm, since 2008.
The publicly-traded company recorded revenues of USD 1.6 billion in 2017. Forbes said Ullal owns about five per cent of Arista's stock, some of which is earmarked for her two children, niece and nephew.
Sethi, 63, is the vice president of IT consulting and outsourcing company Syntel, a company she cofounded with her husband Bharat Desai in 1980 in their apartment in Troy, Michigan.
Starting out with an initial investment of just USD 2,000, they pulled in a mere USD 30,000 in first-year sales. Syntel racked up USD 924 million in 2017 revenues and has 23,000 employees, 80 per cent of whom are in India, Forbes said.
The combined net worth of the 60 women on the list is a record USD 71 billion, 15 per cent more than in 2017. The minimum net worth to make Forbes' fourth annual ranking of these top women jumped 23 per cent to a record USD 320 million.
Twenty-four of these women are billionaires, another record, up from 18 last year. Seven newcomers joined the ranks, including four Instagram-savvy makeup moguls.
The richest of these new faces is billionaire Anastasia Soare, whose cosmetics company Anastasia Beverly Hills, best known for beautifying eyebrows, now has more than 17 million followers on Instagram.
The youngest is Jenner, who turns 21 in August. Half-sister of Kim Kardashian West, who is also on the list for the first time, Jenner has leveraged her massive social media following (110 million followers on Instagram) to build a USD 900 million cosmetics fortune in less than three years.
"That makes her worth more than twice as much as her more famous sister," Forbes said.
Taking the number one spot is Diane Hendricks, a Wisconsin billionaire who owns ABC Supply, one of the largest wholesale distributors of roofing, siding and windows in America.
The vast majority of list members hail from California -- 27 altogether. Although 17 list members made their fortunes in fashion and retail, 13 including Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg built fortunes in technology, while 10 including Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift made it in media and entertainment, Forbes said.
The list also includes immigrants who have achieved success and created wealth not only for themselves but for their employees too.
Fourteen of the top 60 women entrepreneurs were born outside of the US, including Eren Ozmen, the majority owner of aerospace and defence business Sierra Nevada Corp who is now gambling hundreds of millions to take on Elon Musk and others in space.
Ozmen arrived from Turkey in her 20s and held down several part-time jobs while attending business school, selling homemade baklava at a bakery and even working as a night janitor at Sierra Nevada, years before she and her husband bought it.


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Hold on to Your BB Guns! A Christmas Story Opens in Boston
The holidays have officially arrived in Boston! A Christmas Story begins performances at the Citi Wang Theatre on November 20. The musical based on the classic holiday movie will play through December 8.
A Christmas Story is the tale of Ralphie, a boy who has only one wish for Christmas: a Red Ryder BB gun. As Ralphie tries to make his Christmas dream come true, he encounters a cranky department store Santa, a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole, pink bunny pajamas and a kooky leg lamp.
The show stars Dan Lauria as Jean Shepherd, John Bolton as Old Man, Erin Dilly as Mother, Jake Lucas as Ralphie and Caroline O'Connor as Miss Shields.
A Christmas Story features a score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, with a book by Joseph Robinette. The production has scenic design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Elizabeth Hope Clancy and lighting design by Howell Binkley. The musical is directed by John Rando.
Don't shoot your eye out; get tickets to A Christmas Story today.


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After a UK exec spilled the beans, Microsoft officially announced that it will be releasing a tool to allow phones running its Windows Phone 7 software to sync some content with Apple Macintosh computers. The official announcement lacked the promise of a tweet made earlier by the exec that Microsoft was preparing a full-blown version of its Zune software for the Mac.
The Zune software is needed to sync information and media from WP7 phones and a computer. However, Microsoft only makes a PC version of the application. Without some means to sync the phones with Apple products, there would be a strong incentive for Mac owners to shun WP7. When you have as small a share of the mobile market as Microsoft has, it's probably not a good idea to turn you back on any potential customers.
In its official statement on the WP7-Mac connection, the company said, "Later in 2010 Microsoft will make a public beta available of a tool that allows Windows Phone 7 to sync select content with Mac computers."
That statement is more narrowly construed than an earlier tweet by Microsoft UK's head of Windows Phone marketing Oded Ran, which was subsequently removed from Twitter. "ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm glad to confirm that Mac users would be able to use Zune on their Macs to sync with #WP7," Ran tweeted. "More details soon."
Phones based on WP7 are the first to deliver an iTunes-like experience to Windows users. All media, photos, music and videos can be synchronized between the Zune software and the phone. In addition, Zune Pass, a subscription service that allows subscribers to listen to from 8 million to 10 million songs on demand, will be available to WP7 users in some countries when the phones reach the shelves outside the United States October 21.
If Microsoft made a full-fledged version of its Zune software available on the Mac, it would give Mac owners who bought WP7 phones the kind of experience they'd get with an iPhone, plus a subscription music service, which doesn't exist at Apple's iTunes store. Moreover, the move could win some converts for Microsoft's Zune media player, which has a pathetic 2 percent market share compared with Apple's iPod line which has over 70 percent of the pie.
Microsoft's announcement of "a tool" for syncing WP7 and Macs, though, pretty much tosses a wet blanket on that pipe dream.


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LOS ANGELES, CA – Rumors are circulating about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt nearly splitting up. The argument stemmed from Jolie wanting to adopt Bat Boy!
News broke over the weekend that Brad and Angeline nearly broke up. Unconfirmed sources were reported in a British paper saying that the two nearly split due to a massive argument. Most experts believed the argument revolved around Pitt's new beard. However Weekly World News reporters have discovered the real cause of their argument: Bat Boy!
Back in 2008, Angelina Jolie attempted to adopt America's Favorite Mutant. However Bat Boy broke free and escaped, scratching Pitt's face in the process. Thankfully for Pitt his face has a $3 million insurance policy, which adequately covered the cost of a band aid. Despite her initial failed attempt, Angelina wanted to try again to adopt the precocious mutant.
An anonymous source who works at the Brangelina household says that Angelina confronted Brad after hearing a news report about Bat Boy being sighted at a local mall. Pitt vehemently refused, fearing such an action might endanger his precious face. They began a fight which lasted for two days and nearly dissolved their marriage. Even their many children who can't speak English could tell this was serious.
The two finally reconciled, agreeing that Angelina could adopt an entire Haitian village and Brad could grow his beard another inch and a half. Petit Port-a-Michele in northern Haiti will now be known as Petit Port-a-Angelina in exchange for a sizable donation made by Jolie. Also all residents of the town can now list Angelina Jolie as their legal guardian.
Bat Boy, thankfully, was unharmed by the entire ordeal. In fact he had heard nothing of it until reporters tried to reach him for comment. In response he simply offered to share some mosquitoes he had been eating.


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KOHLER, Wis. – For Cristie Kerr, it certainly didn't look like the start of a bogey-free day when she hooked her first tee shot into the water.
But Kerr recovered to make par, then went on to shoot a 3-under 69 to grab a share of the first-round lead at the U.S. Women's Open on Thursday, along with fellow Americans Brittany Lincicome and Lizette Salas.
"That proved to myself I was there," Kerr said. "In a way it was good that happened. I said to myself, 'No, I'm not letting it go this way today.'"
And if a few more birdie putt opportunities fell, Kerr would be in even better shape for a shot at her second Open title.
Third-ranked Ai Miyazato, the Japanese star coming off a victory Sunday in the LPGA Tour event in Arkansas, was a stroke back along with 17-year-old Lexi Thompson, Jennie Lee and Beatriz Recari. Seven players — including No. 5 Na Yeon Choi and No. 6 Suzann Pettersen — shot 71 in the nearly 100-degree heat and high humidity that turned Blackwolf Run, a challenging 6,944-yard course in central Wisconsin, into a boiler.
Defending champion So Yeon Ryu finished with a 74. Se Ri Pak, who won the Open at Blackwolf Run in 1998, shot a 72.
Top-ranked Yani Tseng shot a 74. She would become the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam with a victory this weekend.
Michelle Wie also opened with a 74, and second-ranked Stacy Lewis shot 77.
Cheyenne Woods, Tiger Woods' niece, had a 75.
Kerr is a 14-time winner on the LPGA tour and the 2007 Open winner. But she was winless in 2011 after winning at least one tournament in each of the previous seven years.
Kerr, who birdied three of her first seven holes, feels a different level of energy at the Open.
"This is where I want to perform," she said. "This is the stage I want to perform on."
The long-hitting Lincicome has five career LPGA tour wins, including a major win in the 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Going into this week, breaking par didn't seem possible at Blackwolf Run.
"Obviously today shooting 3 under I have to kind of rethink my strategy, and obviously under par is very doable," Lincicome said. "If you can keep it in the fairway, hit it in the right spot on the green and I made a couple long putts today, which was nice."
Beyond the challenges posed by the course's layout, plus the heat and humidity, players also had to stay focused during rounds that took as long as six hours to complete.
"Maybe just the heat, and it was slowing a few people down," Thompson said.
Several players said the heat affected their concentration.
"You're not thinking 100 percent clearly all the time," said Paula Creamer, the 2010 winner who had a 73.
Meena Lee, in the group at 71, acknowledged that the heat was getting to her.
"It was just too hot for me," Lee said, through a translator.
Perhaps the most surprising story of the day was Salas, the 22-year-old daughter of Mexican immigrants from Azusa, Calif., a city with a history of gang issues outside Los Angeles. With help from her family, she used golf to earn a scholarship to USC — and now, a spot on the LPGA Tour and a share of the Open lead.
With her family on hand to cheer her on this week, Salas sees her play as a tribute to her parents.
"My dad still works long hours out on the golf course, my mom also," Salas said. "So this is just my way of repaying them for all their sacrifice and all their work they've done for me."
Salas began playing at age 7 thanks in large part of her father, Ramon, who is the head mechanic at a golf course and offered to do odd jobs for a local pro if he was willing to teach Salas how to play.
"He didn't have that much money to pay for lessons because they're really expensive," Salas said. "I didn't have golf shoes. I didn't know how to dress, nothing like that. They worked out a deal where my dad did handyman favors for them. My dad fixed cars on the side, and that's how I got started. Just been swinging ever since. Haven't stopped."
As Salas began playing in tournaments, she and her father would drive long distances and sleep in the car to save money. Even now that Salas is a professional, the family still sometimes travels the country in its high-mileage 2006 Toyota Tacoma.
"We like that truck," Salas said. "It's red and it has 'USC dad' on it. I think it has over 90,000 miles on it. We've had some great memories, laughed and shed tears in that truck. And I often slept in it. It's been a good, it's been a fun adventure, and just going to keep going and making more experiences."
Salas' hard work, and the sacrifices her family made, paid off when she earned her spot on the LPGA Tour by winning a nine-way, three-hole playoff for the final qualifying spot.
"My dad is like, 'It's OK, it's OK.' But my mom is like, 'No, no, no, no. You're going to go out there and you're going to get that card,'" Salas said. "And just birdie, birdie, birdie. That 18-footer on the last hole, I knew where I stood. I knew I had to make it. It was probably the slowest putt of my life, but it was great. All the emotions of all the hard work we've done as a family and all the sacrifice my dad has done and my mom. It was just a great moment for us."


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*** Professional Competency for ionizing radiation with international verification ***
- World Network of dosimetric laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency / World Health Organization
- European Group of dosimetric laboratories – EURADOS
- European network for continuous monitoring of radiation in the air – EURDEP
- Network radiometric laboratories of International Atomic Energy Agency – ALMERA
Realisation of activities and programs in the field of radiation safety:
- Automated monitoring of the dose of ionizing radiation in the air;
- Monitoring the content of radioactive elements in the environment in the Republic of North Macedonia
- Personal Dosimetry of persons working at ionizing radiation;
- Assessment of the risk of radiation exposure in workplaces with sources of ionizing radiation;
- Calibration of instruments for detection of ionizing radiation in the Republic of North Macedonia;
- Quality control of the x-ray machines in medical diagnostics
- Assessment of the level of radiation exposure of the population;
- Training for Radiation Protection and Security
- Dosimetric measurements on border crossings as a measure to prevent the proliferation of nuclear and radioactive materials in the Republic of North Macedonia
International cooperation
- Implementation, coordination and participation of experts in the projects of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, IAEA, Vienna.
- Cooperation with the Research Centre of the European Commission, JRC Center, Ispra, Italy
- Membership in the expert group of NATO, Brussels.
Accredited by the Accreditation Institute of RM implemented quality system – ISO 17025
Measurements and traceability according to ISOIEC 62 387, ISO 9696, ISO 9697, ISO 18589, ISO 10703, IAEA RSG 1.1, IAEA RSG 1.3


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A quirky confection that is as sweet as it is strange, It's Okay serves up an oddball-flavored 3-in-1 love package exploring romance, friendship and family, with a big dose of dysfunction and dramaland psychiatry on the side.
Show is not always big on the logic nor on the medical accuracy, but its characters and relationships are consistently delivered with heart and nuance, helping us to buy into and believe in its world, no matter how surreal things sometimes get.
Excellent performances by our leads as well as many of the secondary characters, together with some very sparky OTP chemistry, help to sweeten the deal.
At its heart, It's Okay's charm is that it's an imperfect show peopled by imperfect characters, to appeal to an imperfect audience.
To be honest, I liked It's Okay significantly more than the last Noh Hee Kyung drama I watched, last year's melo offering That Winter The Wind Blows.
While That Winter began by sweeping me away with its intriguing narrative, then eventually bemusing me with its inexplicable loss of logic, It's Okay began by bemusing me, before eventually drawing me in with its heart.
If I had to pick between the two, I'd say It's Okay picked the better trajectory.
It's Okay might just take the grand prize for the show with the oddest opening episode that I've seen to date.
I mean, it's almost surreal, it's so weird. We open with an apparent psycho being released from prison. Amid cheers from other inmates, Hero Psycho takes off his shirt and gyrates in triumph while prison officers walk on without batting an eye. Weird.
Then we go to a pool party that almost smells sleazy, there're so many writhing scantily-clad bodies. And then before we know it, we get stabbing, and brotherhood.
The weirdness continues to permeate the episode, with
crazy mentally-unstable people running around amid spurts of random-feeling violence, topped off with a precipice near-disaster experience.
It all contributes to making this show feel odd, weird and quite surreal, like this is perhaps not a real world.
Yet, at the same time, the show also displays some rom-com elements, like the leads getting on each other's nerves at first sight, and then going through An Event together that throws them into close proximity, all while lit by a gloriously warm Spring palette.
It's a very strange, puzzling kind of tone that the show presents in its opening episode.
I.. basically didn't understand a thing about what was going on. But I'm glad that I was intrigued enough to keep going, coz It's Okay does have enough positives in it to make me feel like this was a worthy watch.
Ultimately, It's Okay is a drama that simply refuses to be categorized. And whether one finds this pretentious or refreshing really depends on how forgiving one is, as a viewer.
One thing that I think most viewers would agree with, though, is that It's Okay is a show that isn't exactly comfortable to watch.
I think part of the discomfort with this show, is that it doesn't fit any easy label. It's not quite a rom-com, nor is it a straight-up romance, comedy, or melo.
As we watch it, there's a part of the seasoned drama-watching brain that is likely to determinedly spin, trying on labels and then discarding them, only to try them on again and discard them again.
And that, in the end, is one of the drama's charms. It defies labels on purpose, and encourages us to do the same.
There is a lot of psychiatry in this drama world.
Although I don't know much about psychiatry myself and therefore can't make an informed pronouncement on it, it's not hard to tell that a lot of the psychiatry in this drama world is
nonsense quack doctoring.. extremely simplified.
The psychiatry in this world often feels as Mickey Mouse-ish as the law practiced in I Hear Your Voice. Basically, if you can't look past it, you just won't be able to enjoy the show.
I don't necessarily believe in all the psychiatry this show dishes out, if dramaland's previous levels of accuracy with medical, law or [insert any-other-profession] are anything to go by.
But the important thing is, these characters believe in the psychiatry of this drama, and I can believe that they believe it.
While watching this show, your Psychiatry Blinders will need to be big, and you'll use 'em often, and sometimes (oftentimes?) you might feel the need to roll your eyes at the ridiculousness of all its psychiatric posturing, but the emotional payoff is worth it.
Well, I think it's worth it, at any rate.
Excellent performances by our leads
Both Jo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin are excellent as our leads. Both deliver natural, believable performances, each with enough nuance to make their characters pop, and with enough heart to make their characters feel real and honest, without ever feeling like they're going OTT or trying too hard.
If anything, I found both of their performances restrained and fairly understated, which I liked.
From the throwaway moments to the complex, difficult scenes, both of our leads put in committed deliveries that not only impressed me, but engaged my heart.
Here, I'd just like to highlight some of the scenes where Jo In Sung &/or Gong Hyo Jin blew me away with their performances.
1. Hae Soo's breakdown in the stairwell
In episode 2, when Hae Soo finds out that her boyfriend Choi Ho (Do Sang Woo) has been cheating on her, she breaks down in the stairwell, rejecting his attempts to apologize and smooth things over.
Gong Hyo Jin's performance in this scene basically blew me away.
It's so real and so powerful that I felt like I could feel every facet of Hae Soo's emotions; first, the overwhelming disbelief and grief, spilling out raw and unbidden, given momentary free rein, until it's all forcibly tamped down by the side of her that wants to remain in control.
The scene is short, but Gong Hyo Jin delivered so well that I believed every second of Hae Soo's outburst, and felt her pain in dimension and detail. So natural, and so well done.
2. Jae Yeol's steps towards the proposal
In episode 11, I loved how Jae Yeol's steps towards his proposal to Hae Soo are so nicely mapped out.
We can almost trace the path, from moment to moment, towards his realization and decision; from when he's sorry to see Hae Soo leave his apartment, to how he seems to relish the signs of her having been there, to how he chases after her, not wanting her to leave.
As Jae Yeol surveys the traces in his apartment that Hae Soo has left behind, we can see the loving emotions and wistful, lingering thoughts towards her written so clearly on his face. And Jo In Sung plays it all so wonderfully and effortlessly that it's quite mesmerizing.
3. Hae Soo's confession to Jae Yeol
At the beginning of episode 14, Hae Soo finally confesses to Jae Yeol the secret that she's been carrying, of how, back in high school, she'd selfishly pushed her mother (Kim Mi Kyung) towards Ahjusshi Kim for financial support, so that she could go to medical school.
It's an emotionally charged moment, but it's the moments after Hae Soo's confession that really moved me.
Hae Soo cries in Jae Yeol arms, and Jae Yeol simply holds her and tells her, "I love you."
I found Jae Yeol's quiet continued acceptance of Hae Soo very moving, and I love the silent beat as they hold each other in those moments; her pain, and his empathy, communicated so fully with so few words.
4. Jae Yeol in hospital
In episode 14, Jae Yeol is essentially ambushed into the hospital, and it's a difficult time for both him and Hae Soo. The entire episode is full of moving performances from both Jo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin.
In particular, Jo In Sung is heartbreakingly good in the closing scene, where, as a patient drugged up in a hospital, he feels helpless and confused.
The way Jae Yeol looks at Hae Soo, Jo In Sung communicates so fully what Jae Yeol is feeling. He feels helpless, embarrassed, ashamed, confused, overwhelmed, sad, desperate, hesitant, and so reluctant to hurt Hae Soo or say the wrong thing.
As the scene closes, Hae Soo asks Jae Yeol not to call after her as she leaves, so that she will be able to come to him again. Jae Yeol, drugged and not in full control of his physical functions, whispers her name brokenly as she closes the door, "Hae Soo-ya.." as tears brim in his eyes.
Oof. Tears. In my eyes.
5. Jae Yeol with Kang Woo
Overall, I found Jae Yeol's scenes with Kang Woo (Do Kyung Soo / D.O.) consistently excellent. Especially in the scenes where we see that Kang Woo isn't really there, and that involve Jo In Sung acting alone, like this scene from episode 4.
We really believe that Jae Yeol believes that Kang Woo is real, even though we know that Kang Woo isn't real.
Kudos to Jo In Sung for playing Jae Yeol's hallucinations so convincingly, yet without making him come across as a crazy person.
Instead, he makes Jae Yeol come across as earnest and a little broken, beneath the confident, somewhat eccentric veneer. He makes Jae Yeol feel real, and perhaps even more importantly, empathetic. Really, really well done.
OTP Chemistry
I really enjoyed our OTP, both in terms of how they're written as a pair of characters, as well as the chemistry that Jo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin share, in bringing Jae Yeol's and Hae Soo's relationship to life.
As a pair of characters, Jae Yeol and Hae Soo are like kindred spirits, in a sense. They both have issues – and quite a few of 'em, too – and they're each therefore better able to understand the weird quirks of the other.
It's only on hindsight that I am able to fully appreciate the bathtub poster of this show. It puts across the message so well: "I can meet you in your place of weirdness; I will meet you in your place of weirdness; I can even love you there."
At its core, Jae Yeol's and Hae Soo's love story is about two damaged individuals who may not be able to help heal each other, but who are willing to accept each other, damage, baggage and all, and there's something rather beautiful about that.
Chemistry-wise, there's something very.. well, organic about the way our OTP interacts.
The way Jo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin appear so comfortable in close proximity of each other; the way the air between them can sizzle and spark with a single gaze; the way they touch each other, so comfortably and unabashedly.
It all comes together in a wonderfully believable and engaging manner.
Here, I'd like to give the admiring spotlight to some of my favorite OTP moments.
1. Water Kiss
The water kiss at the end of episode 5 is early-ish evidence of their sizzling chemistry.
Just as Jae Yeol and Hae Soo are about to head away from the lake back to the car to continue their drive back into the city, Jae Yeol tosses Hae Soo into the water for some spontaneous splashy fun.
As our not-yet-a-couple splash and laugh, there's this Moment, when Jae Yeol's gaze fixes appreciatively on Hae Soo, as she laughingly protests at his playful splashing.
Next thing she knows, Jae Yeol's long strides have moved him close to her from across the water, and in one fluid movement, he takes her face in his hands and kisses her.
After a moment, a startled Hae Soo pulls away, and the kiss is broken momentarily. But it isn't long before their lips meet again, and this time, as if almost unconsciously, his hand closes in to the small of her back, and her hands rise to hold his face.
Without logic or thought to hold them back, our OTP cleaves together, lost in the moment. The kiss feels unhurried, natural & unabashed, and is very sparky indeed.
2. Hae Soo cleans Jae Yeol's wounds
In episode 6, after Jae Yeol's fight with Kang Woo's father, Hae Soo finds a bruised and cut-up Jae Yeol in his bathroom and proceeds to clean his wounds.
There is just so much tenderness in this scene, as she tends to him. All her prickliness is faded away in the moment, and only compassion and tenderness remain.
I love how gently she touches his face. I love, too, how he quietly reaches for her hand.
So much is communicated wordlessly; Hae Soo's concern and compassion for Jae Yeol; Jae Yeol's gratitude for her concern, and the comfort he takes from her presence. All expressed and understood, through the touch of their hands.
So good.
3. Silent Embrace
In episode 7, after Jae Yeol misses his appointment with Hae Soo and gets stabbed & beaten up by his brother Jae Bum (Yang Ik Joon), he finally meets Hae Soo at the park.
The moment Hae Soo sets eyes on the injured Jae Yeol, she wordlessly embraces him to herself, and pats his shoulder comfortingly without a word.
Jae Yeol actually begins to put up a brave front, saying carelessly that he isn't even that hurt. But in the face of Hae Soo's gentle embrace, Jae Yeol's initial brave smile gives way, and his face crumples a little, as he allows the tears and sadness to finally surface.
It's such a sweet, tender moment, and so much acceptance and compassion is communicated, at a deeper and more profound level than the words that embellish the surface.
On a related tangent, although I honestly think that the show glossed over Hae Soo's phobia of intimacy in a ridiculously simplistic manner, I really enjoyed seeing her be affectionate and loving toward Jae Yeol.
The way she regularly reaches for him, kisses him and touches him feels so honest and so real, that I'm willing to shut off the "but she's recovering from a serious intimacy phobia!" protests from my logical side.
The Housemates' Dynamic
Another thing that I found appealing in this show, is the dynamic among the housemates in the "house of crazies."
They aren't always normal nor logical, but their acceptance and loyalty make up for it in spades.
Throughout the drama, we get to witness this bunch of people living together, hanging out, and basically going about their admittedly quirky and oddball daily lives.
What's weird is, although it often feels like not a lot happens with these people, the small beats of closeness that we witness them sharing totally add up.
Characters go from giving one another defiant scowls to sharing happy smiles and triumphant fist bumps, sometimes without a whole lot of explanation.
Yet, the cumulative effect of their small moments of loyalty makes it all feel natural and not so weird after all. It's amazing and cool and weird all at once, and quite appealingly so.
Honestly, what makes the "household of crazies" so charming really isn't the fact that they're crazy per se. Rather, it's the relaxed, accepting dynamic of their relationships with one another, in spite of the crazies each of them brings, that endears them to us.
They bicker, holler and get peeved with one another almost on a daily basis, but at the heart of it, there's a lot of acceptance in spite of each of their hang-ups and problems.
Particularly since they literally have some crazy about them, and therefore find less acceptance than usual from other people outside the house, I believe the acceptance that they find in one another is why this house feels like such a sanctuary for them all.
Both Dong Min (Sung Dong Il) and Soo Kwang (Lee Kwang Soo) are pretty great characters in their own right.
Dong Min
Dong Min is quirky and huffy, and is grumpy almost as a general rule, but he's also got a very reassuring, caring air about him, which I really like.
He ends up being very involved in helping Jae Bum and Jae Yeol, and by extension, everyone else, and I really liked the father figure sort of role that he filled for everyone.
When I think about it, all the key characters that Dong Min helps – Hae Soo, Jae Yeol, Jae Bum and Soo Kwang – all don't have fathers that they can turn to. I love that Dong Min readily and simply takes them all under his grumpy, gruff, caring wing, and helps 'em all.
Soo Kwang
There are a number of pretty great moments in the show involving Soo Kwang, but hands-down, my favorite of the lot is in episode 13, when Soo Kwang learns that Jae Yeol is suffering from a psychiatric condition.
I love, love, LOVE that Soo Kwang's response to learning that Jae Yeol is sick is not to pity him, or avoid him, but to love him. That is so, so sweet.
I love that Soo Kwang puts his own life literally on hold, and takes the time to good-and-proper get in Jae Yeol's face, even when Jae Yeol is actively avoiding everyone. He prepares breakfast for Jae Yeol, makes him eat, and forces him to take a break from his writing.
Most significantly of all, Soo Kwang finds a way to share his view and understanding of psychiatric patients, and how they're just suffering from a few broken or misplaced pieces, and are mostly normal, whole people. Notably, this is all before Jae Yeol even knows that he's sick.
I love that Soo Kwang sows the seeds of understanding in a completely surreptitious manner, yet manages to be so matter-of-fact, off-handed and loving about it, at the same time.
Soo Kwang's care and love for a reluctant and reclusive Jae Yeol, expressed in so many small-ish beats this episode, results in some awesome you-have-no-choice bromance, and is just one very endearing cumulative package of sweet.
Love. It.
So Nyeo as a character
To be honest, I didn't really care for So Nyeo (Lee Sung Kyung) as a character.
I dunno. So Nyeo just rubbed me the wrong way, all series long.
From the moment she appeared, I just found her character presumptuous and rude, and was peeved when she landed a job at the coffeeshop, coz that meant she was going to be appearing in episodes on a regular basis.
So Nyeo's flippant, manipulative and self-centered ways annoyed me, but nothing about her annoyed me more than her habit of blatantly using Soo Kwang, while toying with his feelings. Bleargh.
It's true that later in the series, So Nyeo accepts Soo Kwang, Tourette's and all, and it's one of the nicest things she does all series long.
Still, because the characterization around her character had been broad-stroked and clunky, So Nyeo's niceness struck me as sudden and unconvincing, and I never got on board with her character.
As you can tell, I'm not a fan of the character, and would've been perfectly happy if she'd been omitted from the story altogether.
Hae Soo's Contrary Streak
Much as I like Hae Soo as our female lead, there's something about her which did annoy me, and that's her contrary streak. Sometimes, it almost felt like she was being disagreeable on purpose, which I didn't like so much.
For one thing, Hae Soo has a hot temper and a lot of pride.
From early on in the show, we see that Hae Soo has a habit of getting very worked up, sometimes over stuff that's not very big at all. Her pride also prevents her from backing down easily, and just as that wears out the people around her, it also wears me out as a viewer.
Hae Soo's contrary streak rears its heads on a regular basis, and dances on the boundary between endearing and annoying.
Here are a handful of examples where I found her contrary streak more annoying than endearing:
1. The fact that as a doctor, Hae Soo regularly tells her patients that their will to treat their ailments is a big piece of their recovery puzzle, yet consistently, stubbornly lacks that very will to treat her own issues.
2. Hae Soo being all contrary on the plane with Jae Yeol, refusing to rest and stay quiet so that he'd be able to work like they'd agreed. She keeps talking while he tries to write, and is basically all kinds of inconsiderate. Worse, she plays the victim card when he gets annoyed.
Taking into account the fact that Hae Soo is fiercely protective of her own professional rights, I find it extremely insensitive and annoying that she doesn't respect the same boundaries that I'm so sure she would've demanded had the roles been reversed.
3. Hae Soo has an annoying habit of asking her housemates for their opinions on how Jae Yeol treats her. It's trying to create a majority-against-one sort of victory, which is really unfair. Every time she did this, I felt she was being unreasonable.
Not gonna lie; there were times while watching this drama that I found Hae Soo downright unlikable.
Yet, she is more giving than she first appears, which is Hae Soo's saving grace as a character. After all, she even contacts and meets the annoying So Nyeo, just because Soo Kwang asked for a favor.
All the Drive-By Psychiatry
I mentioned earlier in this review that there's a lot of dramaland psychiatry in this show. I so was not kidding.
On the one hand, there is a lot of dramaland psychiatry already practiced by and on a number of our primary characters. Just like Hae Soo's fear of intimacy is conveniently glossed over, Soo Kwang's growth as a charcter, is, again, a result of over-simplifying his condition.
It's a big enough suspension of disbelief, to choose to close both eyes and just accept these conveniently simplified problems, like a fairy godmother – or, more accurately in this case, writer-nim – waved a wand and made it all go away.
What made the dramaland psychiatry even harder to ignore, was all the drive-by psychiatry that we tended to get, all drama long.
Each episode, almost without fail, there's someone who needs help, and our motley crew is always right there to bring the psychiatric terms and the oversimplified, smug quack doctoring, before sending them along their merry way.
Added to the primary psychiatric issues already in play, this just tipped the psychiatry balance into too-much territory.
Many times, these side arcs also tended to feel forced, like they were shoehorned in there to fulfill a quota. What made these feel even more forced, was the fact that these side characters were often played by less experienced actors.
During the more demanding emotional beats, their inexperience was at its most glaring.
To put it bluntly, I could have done with a lot less drive-by psychiatry, thank you very much. Maybe cut the cases by about half, and have those played by more experienced actors doing cameos. I think that would've helped a lot.
Sometimes it's just too dysfunctional
As much as I appreciate the drama's efforts to demonstrate to us that dysfunction isn't something to be afraid of, there were distinct times when I felt like things were just a little too dysfunctional for my viewing comfort.
Jae Yeol's family relationships
One of the biggies in this category is Jae Yeol's family relationships.
By episode 7, we have a pretty clear sense of just how dysfunctional Jae Yeol's relationship is with Jae Bum.
Not only do we know that Jae Bum has a habit of stabbing Jae Yeol every time he's allowed out of jail, we see that Jae Yeol repeatedly lets his brother stab him and does nothing to avoid or stop him.
In fact, in episode 7, when Jae Bum is caught beating up Jae Yeol and is about to have the cops called on him, it's Jae Yeol that pleads with everyone not to call the police, while Jae Bum clings to him like a little kid.
There's a twisted kind of logic to Jae Yeol's family's understanding of one another. Even Mom (Cha Hwa Yun) agrees that Jae Bum isn't as bad as everyone else thinks he is.
And Jae Yeol points out more than once how Jae Bum would've used more dangerous weapons and stabbed him in more critical places if he were truly dangerous.
It's very, very weird, and extremely dysfunctional, to say the least. More dysfunctional than I'm generally prepared to accept as a viewer.
Dong Min's "Sexy Friendship" with Young Jin
Dong Min's relationship with his ex-wife Young Jin (Jin Kyung) is another biggie for me.
To put it bluntly, I found it weird and unhealthy for them to keep hanging out in the same circles and to keep having that darn divorce anniversary party every year (I mean, who does that, right?), and for her to keep holding a torch for him, and keep angling to spend alone time with him, all while he's already married to a new wife.
This alone was enough to make me feel their relationship was strange and dysfunctional.
But to me, that wasn't even the worst of it.
In episode 10, Dong Min and Young Jin finally confront the elephant in the room, about their unresolved feelings for each other.
Dong Min says to Young Jin, and I quote:
"I… really do love you very much. You know that? … There is… something that I've learned… through loving you. And that is, the fact that the sexiest kind of relationship in this world… is true friendship between a man and a woman.
I really want to hold you right now, but I'm not going to. The sexy friendship that we've shared for more than 20 years now… We can't let it become something tawdry just because of a momentary physical desire."
This whole spiel makes me very uncomfortable, to be honest. I can buy the idea that Dong Min tells Young Jin as a friend that he loves her a lot.
But to have him tell her how he'd really like to hold her, but won't, just gives me a case of the squicks.
I mean, Dong Min is married, albeit to a perennially absent wife. It's just not appropriate, nor is it respectful to his wife, for him to say to another woman that he'd like to hold her.
This arc didn't sit well with me, and I do wish that they'd taken this in a different direction.
Dysfunction as a motif
Throughout the show, dysfunction is presented as a motif.
One of the ways this manifests itself, is in the way scenes featuring weird or dysfunctional behavior is often backed by light-hearted, jolly music. This has the effect of giving the scene a surreal sort of flavor, not unlike the epic golf course battle in History of the Salaryman.
Considering how much dysfunction is served as a main course in this drama, this purposely jarring effect is employed on more occasions than I felt necessary.
One of the most jarring instances of this device is in episode 6, when Jae Yeol fights vehemently with Kang Woo's father, as the light-hearted music plays in the background.
This device creates a surreal, sometimes almost dissonant effect, and I know that some viewers were annoyed by this discordance.
I think what the show is trying to show us, is that we all have issues, and that dysfunction is really quite normal.
The psychiatric conditions in the show are just to magnify the experience, but really, all of us have issues to work through, even though they aren't psychiatric issues.
And the light-hearted music is trying to communicate to us that it's not doom and gloom, but that life is something to experience lightly.
Or something like that.
To be honest, I didn't think the show had a very strong ending. If you look at it with even a slightly critical lens, the logic of the entire ending pretty much falls apart.
First of all, it's conveniently simple how everything gets solved. Jae Bum's and Jae Yeol's relationship, magically smoothed over with an apology and a beating.
Jae Bum's and Mom's relationship, suddenly improved by time spent together, leading to some context-shifting at the riverside memory.
Jae Yeol's hallucinations of Kang Woo, looking to be solved with one good long look at Kang Woo, and a sending-off gift of foot washing plus new shoes.
One moment Jae Yeol's breaking up with Hae Soo coz he will never be cured and he doesn't want to subject her to worrying about him for life.
The next thing we know, he's on the road to recovery coz Hae Soo says he needs to determine for himself that Kang Woo is fake, and he does, the moment she asks him to.
Y'know, I'm pretty sure if this was the solution, that the other doctors tending to Jae Yeol could've asked him to look long and hard at Kang Woo, before Hae Soo did so.
At a symbolic level, though, Jae Yeol's farewell to Kang Woo works. It represents Jae Yeol coming to terms with all that Kang Woo represents, and a releasing and letting go of the past, and an accompanying moving on, into the future.
Hae Soo once again being involved in Jae Yeol's recovery goes against what we've been told with regard to disciplinary board and all, but I suppose this is where feels win out over logic.
Jae Yeol letting Hae Soo go looks like noble idiocy, but in this case, I don't think it is. It's more of allowing the person you love to live the life they want to, giving space and freedom for the one you love, to grow and mature and find their way.
Jae Yeol lets Hae Soo go without any guarantees, and does it with a determinedly open hand, trusting – mostly hoping – that even as she spreads her wings, that she will find her way back to him again, in her journey of growth.
The mock indifferent reception the boys give to Hae Soo is cliched and not very believable at all, but I appreciate the sentiment, that Jae Yeol's been thinking of Hae Soo so much, that he feels like he's been seeing her all this time.
I actually rather like the matter-of-fact way that we're told that Jae Yeol and Hae Soo are married. It feels like it was such a natural thing to happen, that we don't even need to see how it worked out.
Although, I do think that the show glossed over Mom's disapproval way too much. From being so against the union, how did Mom come around to love Jae Yeol with such acceptance? That would've been worth touching on, even if only in passing.
Practically everything after this point in the episode, from the discovery of the pregnancy, to the hosing down in the garden, to the bickering in the living room with everyone and their partners, to the tomato-fight showdown, to the final scene involving Jae Yeol's radio spot and fan encounter, feels a little too contrived and cliched, and a touch forced, even.
But I get that it's meant as fanservice, in the interest of a happy ending. Plus, both Jo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin put in heartfelt, warm deliveries, and that definitely helps to sweeten the deal.
Towards the end of the show, Jae Yeol says to his listeners, "Remember that there was never a moment you were alone."
That's one of this drama's themes. That you're not alone, and it's ok not to be perfect. That there is worth in everyone, even in the most broken people.
In the end, this is a show that dances to its own rhythm, and does so unabashedly. Sometimes it's quirky. Sometimes it's touching. Sometimes it's just plain weird. And Show doesn't care.
In that sense, I like how it walks its talk. It tells us as viewers that it's ok to be different, and it's ok to be imperfect, and it's ok to live life proudly in spite of it all. And I feel like that's exactly what Show is doing.
In being unapologetic for its own missteps and weirdness, and sticking to its beliefs with determination, despite not always making a lot of sense, it's literally showing us how it's done. And I kinda hafta admire that.
Sweet and strange. Mostly in a good way.
You can check out this show on Viki here. It's also available on Kocowa here.
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Loretto, KY (June 30, 2010) – Maker's Mark is once again bringing innovation to the Bourbon industry with today's release of the company's first ever new Bourbon, Maker's 46. In celebration, Maker's Mark President Bill Samuels, Jr., continuing in the tradition his father began, hand-dipped and sealed ceremonial bottles of Maker's 46™ Bourbon in the brand's iconic red wax with Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear at the historic Maker's Mark Distillery.
Maker's 46 is a handcrafted, full-bodied Bourbon whisky that starts off as original Maker's Mark. The transformation into Maker's 46 begins when fully matured Maker's Mark is emptied from the barrel so that 10 seared French oak staves can be affixed to the sides. Then, Maker's Mark, which is made with red winter wheat for a smooth taste, is put back in the barrel and aged for several more months, allowing the natural caramel, vanilla and spice flavors released by the staves to enhance the end product.
"This new expression is a breakthrough in the contemporary craft of bourbon," stated Mr. Samuels. "We have used innovative techniques never before employed by the Bourbon industry to create a full-bodied bourbon without any bitterness."
The creation of Maker's 46 was a collaborative effort between Bill Samuels, Maker's Mark Master Distiller Kevin Smith, and Barrel Maker and
"Wood Chef" Brad Boswell of Independent Stave Company. Samuels and Smith started with a clear idea of how they wanted the new bourbon to taste – full-bodied without any bitterness – and turned to Boswell to help develop the recipe. They knew this would be no easy task, if it could be done at all.
After much experimenting, Boswell decided to try a searing technique on French oak staves that had never been used before to make bourbon. He delicately seared the staves just enough so that the caramel and vanilla flavors from it were released and only a small amount of tannin, which adds bitterness, came out of the wood. The name Maker's 46 comes from the profile number Boswell assigned to this winning "wood recipe."
Samuels notes, "Over the years whisky consumers' palates have moved toward bigger and bolder flavors. So, I wanted to craft a contemporary interpretation of Maker's Mark that matched with current tastes, but didn't want to mess up what my father had created or disenfranchise any of our loyal fans."
Kevin Smith adds, "Maker's 46 is spicier and has a more intense aroma than Maker's Mark. It has rich caramel and vanilla flavors, and even at 94 proof it's soft enough to hold on the tongue. You can drink it on its own or mix it into a cocktail."
Initial reactions from Bourbon experts to Maker's 46 have been positive. Malt Advocate Publisher and Editor, John Hansell has noted in his review, "The French Oak staves in '46' add firm, complex, dry spices (lead by warming cinnamon, followed by nutmeg and clove)…which dovetails well with Maker's trademark layered sweetness."
Additionally, Charles K. Cowdery, Editor-in-Chief of The Bourbon Country Reader – a publication dedicated exclusively to American whiskey – says, "Compared to standard Maker's, there is less citrus and more fudge. It is very, very good." Jose Garces, Owner of Garces Restaurant Group and Food Network Iron Chef, has also reviewed the Bourbon and states, "… I really enjoy its fruit-forward notes with flavors of vanilla and caramel lingering from the aging process. The finish is extraordinarily smooth and the flavor pleasantly stayed on my palate."
Only 25,000 cases of Maker's 46 will be shipped by the distillery this year, making bottles of this first batch a rare commodity. The new Kentucky straight bourbon whisky will be sold in 750ml bottles and retail for approximately $10 more than Maker's Mark (prices vary state to state).
For more information about Maker's 46 and Maker's Mark, go to www.makersmark.com (must be 21 years of age or older), or visit Maker's Mark on Twitter and Facebook.


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Viewing the Crown of Thorns at Notre Dame
Gargoyles. The rose window. Victor Hugo's hunchback. Flying buttresses. These are just a few of the countless reasons why Parisians and visitors to the City of Light visit and fall in love with Notre Dame de Paris, the stunning gothic cathedral that often is included with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe as iconic symbols of Paris. But for Catholics, indeed for all Christians, the church also is host to one of the most important relics in all of Christendom—the Crown of Thorns, allegedly worn by Jesus during his crucifixion. And visitors to the cathedral can see this most holy of artifacts all day on Good Friday. Continue Reading →


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Looking for the Language of Red
Even in its hardcover form, Terry Tempest Williams' new book, Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert, is small enough to fit easily into your backpack, the one you might carry if you happened to be taking a trip through, say, the redrock country of southern Utah. The book's size is no accident. A collection of essays, topo-maps, newspaper clippings, journal entries, and congressional testimony, Red is like a pocket guide for the wilderness activist with a poetic bent. It's a compelling meditation on the burnished deserts of Utah, where Williams lives and writes. Beyond that, it's a useful resource. The appendix includes the text of the "Redrock Wilderness Act of 2001," and phone numbers for such conservation groups as Great Old Broads for Wilderness.
Despite the hue of the book's title, Williams' prose in Red can tend towards the purple. But what makes the book so satisfying is that as Williams juxtaposes her musings on the erotic nature of the desert with excerpts from the police blotter in a small town newspaper, she allows the language of each text to enrich the others. Never before have I read the findings of a congressional bill with such rapture. Legislation rings with poetry, and a private moment in a steep canyon is a moving testament to the importance of wilderness preservation. Ultimately, Red is an attempt to reconcile the divided West, through what Williams calls "the language of Red." She writes, "There is danger with red. Red is rage is hot, too hot to touch ... But to see red over time is to understand its capacity to transform. White horses in our valley eventually turn red." If our region's battles over land use are usually fought in the political arena, fueled by angry rhetoric and accusation, then Williams' book offers a tantalizing alternative. Red looks for a common language that might bring Westerners together on a personal level, through their passion for the land.


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We are thrilled to announce our Freshers' 2018 line-up – it's set to be our biggest and best Freshers yet!
Freshers' Week kicks off with our Welcome Festivals (Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 September, £12 per night), featuring Chris Stark from BBC Radio 1 Adrian Murphy and Retrojam. This is the perfect chance to party with your new flatmates and say one HUGE hello to thousands of Freshers'!
Then every night from Monday 24 to Friday 28 September our Union will transform into the only place to be this Freshers'. Tickets are ONLY £5 per night and give you access … Read the rest


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