text:
Background "Life-ending acts without explicit patient request," as identified in robust international studies, are central in current debates on physician-assisted dying. Despite their contentiousness, little attention has been paid to their actual characteristics and to what extent they truly represent nonvoluntary termination of life.
Methods We analyzed the 66 cases of life-ending acts without explicit patient request identified in a large-scale survey of physicians certifying a representative sample of deaths (n = 6927) in Flanders, Belgium, in 2007. The characteristics we studied included physicians' labelling of the act, treatment course and doses used, and patient involvement in the decision.
Results In most cases (87.9%), physicians labelled their acts in terms of symptom treatment rather than in terms of ending life. By comparing drug combinations and doses of opioids used, we found that the life-ending acts were similar to intensified pain and symptom treatment and were distinct from euthanasia. In 45 cases, there was at least 1 characteristic inconsistent with the common understanding of the practice: either patients had previously expressed a wish for ending life (16/66, 24.4%), physicians reported that the administered doses had not been higher than necessary to relieve suffering (22/66, 33.3%), or both (7/66, 10.6%).
Interpretation Most of the cases we studied did not fit the label of "nonvoluntary life-ending" for at least 1 of the following reasons: the drugs were administered with a focus on symptom control; a hastened death was highly unlikely; or the act was taken in accordance with the patient's previously expressed wishes. Thus, we recommend a more nuanced view of life-ending acts without explicit patient request in the debate on physician-assisted dying.
Few issues in medical academia are as ethically pertinent and emotionally charged as assisted dying and its legal regulation. Observers worldwide are closely scrutinizing developments in Belgium and the Netherlands, where euthanasia (defined in legal and scientific terms as lethal drug administration at the explicit request of the patient) and assisted suicide have been regulated since 2002 and where, among other research, repeated population-based surveys monitor developments and inform the ongoing debate.1–7 These surveys report prevalence and characteristics of end-of-life practices. These practices include a wide array of acts potentially influencing time of death in addition to euthanasia, such as the administration of drugs with the explicit intention to hasten death without the patient's explicit request, or "life-ending acts without explicit patient request."
These acts are often understood as physician-initiated nonvoluntary or involuntary termination of life. They feature prominently in debates over assisted dying and are regarded as an indicator of the ineffectiveness of safeguards for legal euthanasia and a slippery slope to undesirable practices.8,9 Studies have found that although the legalization of assisted death was followed by a reduction in the occurrence of these acts, it did not put an end to the practice.6,7 In addition, although these acts occur in nonpermissive countries,2,10–12 their rate in Belgium remains higher than elsewhere.2,4–6,10–12
Little attention has been paid to the characteristics of cases in which life has been ended without explicit patient request. A previous publication comparing cases of euthanasia and life-ending acts without explicit patient request in Belgium identified important differences in terms of decision-making and drugs used. Life-ending acts without explicit patient request predominantly involved the use of opioids, which are rarely used in euthanasia, and life-shortening was often estimated at less than 24 hours by physicians.5 These findings raised questions about whether these acts are truly equivalent to nonvoluntary termination of life. With several countries including Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom bringing the debate over assisted death to legislative levels, in-depth analysis of the practices surrounding these acts is of immediate relevance.
Our aim is to revisit in detail the cases in which these acts were identified in a representative mail survey of physicians certifying 6927 deaths in Belgium in 200713 to determine to what extent these cases represent nonvoluntary termination of life. We examined the relevant survey data on the terms physicians used to denote their acts, the characteristics of drugs and doses used, and the patients' involvement in decision-making.
Study design
In 2007, we conducted a large-scale death certificate survey in Flanders, the semiautonomous northern half of Belgium with a population of about 6 million people and 55 000 deaths per year. Between June and November, we drew a sample of 6927 deaths from the Flemish Agency for Care and Health, with disproportionate stratification into 4 strata based on cause of death and the corresponding likelihood of an end-of-life decision potentially hastening death. This stratification was used to capture more cases with end-of-life decisions for statistical power: we sampled 100% of deaths with euthanasia designated as cause of death on the death certificate (in free text or classified as Z41 using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision), 50% of malignancy deaths (ICD-10 code C), 25% of deaths classified with ICD-10 codes E,F,G,J,K or N, and 12.5% of deaths with any other cause of death.
We sent a 5-page questionnaire on end-of-life decisions and practices to the certifying physicians, along with a letter explaining the study, with a maximum of 3 reminders and a nonresponse questionnaire in case no response was received. Response was regarded as implicit consent to participate. The study protocol and rigorous mailing procedure involving a lawyer as intermediary between physicians and researchers guaranteed total anonymity for participating physicians and their patients and was approved by the Ethical Review Boards of the University Hospitals of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and Ghent University, and endorsed by the Belgian Medical Disciplinary Board and the Belgian Federal Privacy Commission. Information from the death certificates on sex, age, place of death and cause of death was encoded by the Agency for Care and Health to preclude any identification of patients or physicians. The survey methods have been detailed in a protocol paper.13
The questionnaire was extensively validated in previous studies in Belgium and other European countries,1–7 and again for the present study. We identified cases of "life-ending acts without explicit request" as in previous studies:1–7,11,12 an affirmative response to the question "Was the death the consequence of the use of drugs prescribed, supplied or administered by you or another physician with the explicit intention of hastening the end of life or of enabling the patient to end their own life?" and a negative response to the question "Was the decision made after an explicit request by the patient?" Additional questions (Appendix 1, www.cmajopen.ca/content/2/4/E262/suppl/DC1) dealt with the drugs and doses used for the act, characteristics of treatment in the patient's final days, whether the patient had at some point expressed a wish for life to be ended (implicitly or explicitly, but not as a formal euthanasia request), and the term that best described the act according to the physicians themselves (we presented a list of predetermined options with one open category of "other").
Data collection
We performed a detailed case-by-case review of physician-reported characteristics of drug treatment and patient involvement. To determine whether the opioid doses were higher than necessary to relieve symptoms, we used the judgment of the physician completing the survey. We defined low-dose benzodiazepines as any dose of lorazepam less than or equal to 2.5 mg, diazepam less than or equal to 20 mg (or no dose indicated) or midazolam less than or equal to 2 mg. We defined high-dose benzodiazepines as more than 2.5 mg lorazepam or more than 2 mg (or no dose indicated) midazolam. We classified high-dose benzodiazepines, propofol and barbiturates as "strong sedatives." We determined that a patient did not have a life-ending act if he or she had received opioid doses no higher than necessary for symptom control and only low-dose benzodiazepines. We determined that a patient had a life-ending act performed if he or she received opioid doses higher than necessary for symptom control, with or without strong sedatives. For unknown drug doses, we ascribed a lethal potential to short-acting midazolam, but not to diazepam because of its long and delayed action.
Statistical analysis
We chose not to weight cases for the disproportionate stratification and nonresponse, because our aim was to describe the raw cases captured in the survey and not to present them as representative for all deaths via life-ending act without explicit patient request, and a comparison of analyses using unweighted and weighted data showed no significant differences (Appendix 2, www.cmajopen.ca/content/2/4/E262/suppl/DC1). We used χ2 to determine the significance (p < 0.05) of differences between end-of-life practices. We used SPSS 22.0 to perform all analyses.
We received responses for 3623 of the 6927 deaths sampled, for a response rate of 58.4%. From these responses, we identified 66 cases of life-ending acts without explicit patient request (Table 1). The nonresponse survey identified 725 cases for which a response was not possible (physician was unable to identify the patient or unable to retrieve the patient file; treating physician could not be reached).
We identified the terms best describing the acts according to the reporting physicians. The options "palliative sedation" (68.2%) and "symptom treatment" (19.7%) were selected most often, whereas "compassionate life-ending" was chosen in 6.1% of cases (Table 2). "Euthanasia" was never selected.
We compared cases of life-ending acts without explicit patient request with cases of euthanasia and the intensified alleviation of pain or symptoms (taking into account possible life-shortening) with respect to the drugs and opioid doses administered in the patient's final 24 hours (Table 3). Data for doses was missing for many cases; however, we did find significant differences between life-ending acts without explicit patient request and euthanasia in terms of drugs used. Drugs other than opioids were used more often in euthanasia than in life-ending acts without explicit patient request (59.7% v. 6.1%, p < 0.001; Table 3). When opioids were used in euthanasia, the dose was generally higher than that used in the life-ending acts without explicit patient request (p = 0.04; Table 3). We found no significant differences between life-ending acts without explicit patient request and intensified alleviation of pain and other symptoms in terms of the combinations of drugs used (p = 0.2) or doses (p = 0.9) (Table 3). In both practices, opioids were used in more than 90% of cases (Table 3).
Of the 66 cases we identified, the doses of opioids administered in 29 cases (43.9%) were reported by the attending physician to be no higher than necessary to relieve symptoms, with or without low-dose benzodiazepines (Table 4). In another 15 cases (22.7%), opioids were administered in doses reportedly higher than necessary to relieve symptoms (Table 4). In 20 cases (30.3%), the patients were given strong sedatives (Table 4). In 23 cases (34.8%), patients had explicitly or implicitly expressed a wish for life-ending at some point (Table 4). In 45 cases (68.2%), the act had at least 1 characteristic that is inconsistent with the common understanding of the practice of life-ending acts without explicit patient request: either physicians administered doses that were no higher than necessary for symptom control (n = 22 patients among those who had not expressed a wish to end life), patients had expressed a wish to end their life (n = 16 patients among those who received drugs not normally used as part of mainstream palliative care) or both (n = 7) (Table 4).
In most cases, physicians reporting life-ending acts without explicit patient request did not label their acts in terms of life-ending, but rather in terms of symptom treatment. A comparison of drug combinations and opioid doses used showed these acts to be similar to intensified pain and symptom treatment and significantly distinct from euthanasia. Finally, in 68.1% of cases, the physician did not perform a life-ending act without request, either because they did not administer medication in a dose that was higher than necessary for symptom control, or because the patient had expressed a wish to end their life, or both.
This study elaborates on the results of previous studies5,18,19 that have shown that the medications provided in life-ending acts without explicit patient request are significantly different from those provided in euthanasia and similar to those provided in standard palliative care. In addition, the terminology used by physicians suggests that their focus was not on hastening death, and other studies have presented similar results.18–21 Finally, the use of stable or slowly increasing doses of opioids no higher than necessary for symptom control makes it unlikely that death was actually hastened in many cases. Several previous studies have reported that even high-dose opioids are most often ineffective at hastening death, especially when doses are proportionate to the severity of a patient's symptoms.14,22–29
How can the contradiction between intention and act be explained? Many physicians continue to believe that opioids hasten death at even moderate doses and feel that adequate symptom treatment would concomitantly hasten the patient's death (if only by a small amount of time).5,30 Furthermore, a physicians' interpretation of "explicit intention" may be subjective or semantic — they may have meant "partial intention" or hope that the patient would pass on quickly and comfortably. Previous studies have already put forward this idea and the idea that some medical cultures may be more inclined to admitting so than others.31,32
Although the perception of these acts as the nonvoluntary termination of life is mitigated by our results, some ethical ambiguities remain inherent to the practice. Although the chosen treatment course often entailed no ill effects (i.e., comfort was in all likelihood achieved without hastening death, which is standard practice and preferable to forgoing effective treatment) and patients dying in discomfort, an explicit intent to hasten death in the absence of the patient's request is in itself objectionable, regardless of the outcome. In addition, amid active debate on the proper balance between respecting autonomy and paternalism in medicine,33 whether an implicit or explicit wish to end life, supposing it is regarded as a sufficient exertion of autonomy, can be acted upon is not straightforward. Such a wish cannot be ascribed the same legal weight as a formal request for euthanasia, but some physicians may see it as an important indication, in the absence of others, of the patient's preferences.
Strengths and limitations
We used robust source data obtained with rigorous methods that guaranteed anonymity and produced a reasonable response rate despite the medicolegal sensitivity of the subject.6,13 However, we cannot exclude some degree of nonresponse bias. Desirability biases in the source data are possible; despite strict anonymity, some physicians may not have reported life-ending acts without explicit patient request in the survey. Only the physicians' perspectives were studied. In addition, surveys are inevitably reductionist, and cannot fully capture the complexity and diversity of clinical cases and doctor–patient interactions at the end of life. Providing an options list for the term that best described physicians' acts may have introduced bias, though there was the possibility of a free text answer. Finally, we cannot exclude the possibility of poor recall in physicians' reporting, particularly of drugs and doses where missing data may have biased the results.
Conclusions and recommendations for research, practice and policy
Our analysis challenges the perception that life-ending acts without explicit patient request are equivalent to nonvoluntary termination of life. Many of the acts identified in our survey were either in accordance with a patient's wish to die (albeit not in the form of a legally prescribed euthanasia request) or without actual life-terminating effect. A more nuanced view of these acts is warranted in the debate over assisted death.
Our findings further suggest that physicians might benefit from education on standards of decision-making and the effects of high-dose opioids in terms of life-shortening potential. Such knowledge would contribute to achieving both ethically coherent and clinically effective end-of-life practice.
To better understand the wishes of patients regarding assisted death and the responses of physicians to these wishes, we propose complementary research as part of prospective studies on advance care planning. To explore the considerations and motivations of all stakeholders, and to better distinguish life-ending acts without explicit patient request from uncontroversial practices, in-depth interviews with physicians, nurses, patients and relatives are worthwhile.18 Cross-national vignette studies on end-of-life practices should help establish whether clinical situations and end-of-life treatments are interpreted or labelled differently across countries and medical cultures.
Supplemental information
For reviewer comments and the original submission of this manuscript, please see www.cmajopen.ca/content/2/4/E262/suppl/DC1
The authors thank the Flemish Agency for Care and Health and Wim De Brock for their participation in the organization of data collection; Geert Pousset for his part in collecting the data; the Belgian Medical Disciplinary Board for recommending the study; and the anonymous physicians who participated in the survey.
Competing interests: James Downar is cochair of the Physician's Advisory Committee for Dying with DIgnity, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the legalization of assisted death.
Contributors: Jan Bernheim, Kenneth Chambaere and Luc Deliens conceived and designed the study. Kenneth Chambaere and Luc Deliens acquired the data. Kenneth Chambaere, Jan Bernheim and James Downar analyzed the data. All of the authors interpreted the data. Kenneth Chambaere and Jan Bernheim drafted the article. All of the authors made critical revisions for intellectual content, approved the final version submitted for publication, and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to its accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Funding: This study was funded by the Agency for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology — Flanders (IWT Vlaanderen — grant no. IWT050158). The funding agreement ensured the authors' independence in designing the study, interpreting the data, and writing and publishing the report. Kenneth Chambaere is a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Research Foundation — Flanders (FWO).
- © 2014 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors


text:
The Week on Wall Street
Stocks slipped as the technology sector remained under pressure and a mid-week announcement by the Federal Reserve failed to inspire investors.
Between 1969-1970, football league associations saw significant changes starting with the New York Jets, who became the first American Football League to win the Superbowl, and the NFL recognized the Superbowl Title as a result. Soon after, the two associations officially merged, creating a 26-team league.
In 1970, ABC Network acquired airing rights for the first Monday Night Football broadcast on September 21, 1970, which forever changed the presentation with a three-man announcing booth. Today it is a cultural staple.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.03%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.64%. The Nasdaq Composite index dropped 0.56% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, rose 0.75%.
Technology Pulls Stocks Lower
As has been the case in recent weeks, technology stocks led the market higher, then lower in an otherwise turbulent week of trading.
Merger and acquisition activity announced at the start of the week generated a rush back into technology stocks, sparking a rebound from the previous week's drop.
Stocks continued to advance until Wednesday when investors began to digest comments from the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee meeting. The Fed delivered a message that coupled assurances of continued low rates with concerns about the health of the economic recovery.
The Fed Stays the Course
In the last Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting before the November election, the Fed signaled that interest rates would not see an increase "until labor market conditions have reached levels consistent with the committee's assessments of maximum employment and inflation has risen to 2% and is on track to moderately exceed 2% for some time."
Most Fed officials do not see this happening until 2023. While the Fed maintained its view on the importance of fiscal stimulus to help American workers and businesses, it did improve its outlook for unemployment in its latest economic outlook. The Fed expects unemployment averages of 7-8% in the final three months of the year, down from its June prediction of 9-10%.
In some instances, fraudsters misuse the name of a real registered investment professional or firm to give their schemes the appearance of legitimacy. An investor alert previously issued by FINRA describes how imposter schemes rely on a tactic known as source credibility—building credibility by claiming to be registered and employed by a reputable firm. A few key examples of red flags for you as an investor to look out for:
• Conflicting registration information.
• Inability to verify an association with a firm.
• Differing product details.
• Request to wire funds overseas.
Tips for Spotting and Avoiding Imposter Scams
Ask and Check. Before making any investment decision, ask about any individuals you are dealing with, any financial institutions represented, and any investment products you consider. You can check information about investment professionals on BrokerCheck, a free online tool provided by FINRA, to obtain information on brokers, investment advisers, and registered investment firms.
Pay attention to inconsistencies. Starting with the information at hand, you can use the main contact number for the investment firm you were in contact with and compare the information you find on BrokerCheck.
Be skeptical. In times of volatility, scammers may try to lure an investor into considering investments by offering lower but more stable returns. Investors should also take caution if an investment requires a high minimum deposit, such as $200,000 or more, and should independently verify low-risk claims, FDIC insurance coverage, and no penalties for early withdrawals.
Take caution. In any situation involving you to wire funds to an account located outside
the U.S. or to a third-party U.S. based account with a different name from the financial institution on the marketing materials. Continue with caution if you only interact with an individual through email or other online channels, if they refuse to meet in person or through video chat, or if they can't be reached by directly contacting the financial institution.
Conduct independent research. Take time to do your research, using regulatory tools rather than links the promoter provides, and watch for fraudulent flags. Fraudsters often spoof legitimate companies using similar-looking websites with similarly spelled web addresses and similar-sounding names. Look for inconsistencies between their pitch and what can be validated online.
Consider calling the financial institution. Using a telephone number found somewhere other than the suspect website helps determine the legitimacy or the investment professional. And even if the seller and the investment are registered, discuss your decision first with a family member, investment professional, lawyer, or accountant.
If you are suspicious about the information you receive from an individual or firm soliciting your business, contact your financial advisor or another regulator such as FINRA before sending any personal or financial information.
As always, please contact my office with any questions or concerns about your financial situation.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Best of Boston
Best Chocolatier
Beacon Hill Chocolates
The truffle display alone, filled with row upon row of beautiful, handcrafted chocolates from the best confectioners in the world, is well worth the trip [...] read more»
2011 Best Chocolatier
L.A. Burdick
Between British import Hotel Chocolat hitting Newbury and New York's Max Brenner setting up shop on Boylston, the city's chocoholics are on a high. But [...] read more»
2010 Best Chocolatier
Beacon Hill Chocolates
How does this local master of all things chocolat—which last year left its Pinckney Street location for bigger digs on Charles Street—continue to win our [...] read more»
2009 Best Chocolatier
Beacon Hill Chocolates
As Boston's artisanal confectioners trend toward ever-weirder flavor combinations (poblano pepper truffles, bonbons oozing with olive oil), Beacon Hill Chocolates has us falling back in [...] read more»
2008 Best Chocolatier
Chocolee Chocolates
With her jewel-like bonbons (exhibits A and B: dark chocolate filled with white chocolate and Chambord, and wafer-thin Viennese almond bark), Lee Napoli has brought [...] read more»
2007 Best Chocolatier
Choco Choco House
Sweet tooths won't be able to resist the convention-defying ingredients in Aliya Wali's artistic confections, among them goat cheese, edible flowers, plum wine, Hawaiian sea [...] read more»
2002 Best Chocolatier
Serenade Chocolatier
Brookline Village
Witness the alchemy firsthand: Confections at Serenade, Brookline Village's intimate chocolatier, are prepared before customers' eyes using smooth, buttery Callebaut direct from Belgium. It's a [...] read more»
1999 Best Chocolatier
L.A. Burdick
The first retail outlet for the New Hampshire-based artisan who makes bonbons for New York's most chichi restaurants, this is an adult chocoholic's nirvana. Our [...] read more»
1998 Best Chocolatier
Ever wonder why the church once outlawed chocolate as too sensual? Airlifted weekly from the little chocolate gnomes in Zurich, delectable with the finest cream, [...] read more»
1995 Best Chocolatier
Prides Crossing Confections
This confectioner, which started as the tiny store along Route 127, is the source for delicious chocolates, made on the premises. The barks are great, [...] read more»


text:
The Run Down Under/Gettin' Giggy with Shadowrun - Thursday, March 2nd, 2006
Montana Role-Playing Calendar
March 2nd, 2006, 6:15pm - 11:15pm
Keith's Apartment
217 W. Koch St.
Bozeman, MT 59715
Larger map and driving directions
The building is on the corner of Koch and Third. The apartment is at the top of the stairs.
When her doctor said she was all right to go, Michelle checked herself out of the hospital and headed home. On the way, she called Giggy to let him know she was out and to find out what the plan was. Giggy let her know that they were still in Adelaide waiting for Timmy's friend Jonah to get well enough for the trip back to Sydney. She told Giggy that she would join them there, as she had nothing she currently needed to take care of in Sydney.
The next morning, before she took off for Adelaide, Timmy called her. He wanted her to check to see if she could find him any explosives to replace what he had used on the way over to Adelaide. Michelle called Fixer, and mechanic friend of hers who had been able to pull through with things like this from time to time, only to find out that he didn't have any. She did, however, find out that he had a phone number in Adelaide that they could call to look for some. Michelle called Timmy to let him know.
Timmy called the number, and got an answering system.
"Hi, my name's Timmy," he started, "and I got your number from a friend who got your number from Fixer in Sydney. I was looking to get 5 k's of number four. If you can help out, ring me back."
Rainbow picked up his van from the body shop in Adelaide. Hoping that the fact that it was now blue would lessen their chances of being associated with an assault on a Lone Star cop... At least they hadn't been nailed for that yet.
Giggy and Rainbow started working out details for getting to India to find out what was on that chip Giggy had found in Alice almost a year before...
The next day, Timmy got a call back from Fixer's contact.
"This Timmy?" he asked.
"Yeah," Timmy replied. "You got anything for me?"
"It seems to be a bit dry on explosives currently," the guy replied. "Anything else you might need?"
"Well, what about detonators?"
"How many?"
"Those I have in stock," the voice replied. "Do you know where Rundel park is?"
"Yeah, been there once or twice."
"Good. Meet me by the old ice rink at midnight."
Timmy headed over to Rundel park to pass the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening...
That evening Michelle rolled into town. She got a room at the same hotel as everyone else, and started working with Giggy and Rainbow on ideas about the India trip.
At about 11:55 that night, Timmy heard the distinctive sound of a gun cocking, and felt the muzzle pressed against the base of his skull. Timmy slowly moved his hands away from his body and began to raise them.
"Are you Timmy?" a familiar voice asked.
"Are you a cop?" the voice asked.
"No..." Timmy replied.
"You got cred?"
"Yeah, in my pocket," Timmy replied, slowly moving his hand into his pocket and pulling out a credstick.
A hand ostensibly attached to the voice took the credstick from Timmy's hand and Timmy heard the familiar sound of a stick reader verifying a stick. Then the stick was put back in his hand and a package dropped on the wall beside him.
"Nice doing business with you," the voice said, and was gone.
Timmy returned to the hotel, took the package up to his room and then proceeded to the bar.
The next morning Giggy, Rainbow and Michelle went over to Elizabeth's clinic to see Jonah. They were stopped at the entry, which was through a mechanic's shop, by one of Elizabeth's toughs, who didn't recognize Michelle. He got Elizabeth to come up and she went ahead and escorted them in to see Jonah. Jonah was still on a respirator, but was frequently conscious. Elizabeth was confident that though his healing got off to a rocky start and had taken longer than expected, that he was now healing nicely and should be ready for travel in a week, or maybe a little more.
By the end of the week, Timmy received a call from Jonah, to let him know that he was ready to go, and to thank them for staying on waiting for him. Timmy let everyone know, and they all got ready to go. Michelle got into her car while the rest got into Rainbow's van and they went over to Elizabeth's clinic and picked up Jonah.
Jonah was wearing a fiberglass chest cast to keep him from putting undue strain on any of his stitches and to reduce risk of getting his thoroughly scrambled innards from getting any worse, but with a little help from Giggy and Timmy he was able to get into the van. They drove out of Adelaide and after about half a day's driving, Timmy turned to Jonah.
"So," Timmy started, "about payment..."
"Dude," Jonah replied, "I didn't you get the 15k I sent?"
"Yeah," Giggy replied, "but this actually cots a bit more than that."
"Jonah, buddy," Timmy interjected, "these guys are professionals. They're used to being paid a little better than that, so where's the money?"
"Timmy, man, where do you think I'm gonna get money?"
"Jonah, look," Timmy said, "these guys are not going to take this casually. Giggy here spent 2,000 paying a gang to steak a car for him because the guy selling it wouldn't take 900 when Giggy offered it."
"Yeah, there's Michelle's hospital costs, she took a bullet for you, ya know," Giggy elaborated, "mileage, hotel fees, incidental expenses..."
"And don't forget I had to get the van painted - twice," Rainbow interrupted.
"Plus the two FBI agents that were trying to track down your body. Rainbow had to take those out for you," Giggy continued, "I'd say about another 25,000.
"We want you to write an I.O.U. out for us, and leave us with some blood so if you don't decide to pay, we can track you down and get it from you, or track you down and take it out of your hide."
"You're kidding, right?" Jonah asked.
"No, they're not," Timmy confirmed.
"Here's a pad and here's a pen - I know you can write, you were writing notes when you were in the hospital," Giggy offered.
"OK. Look. There's no need for all that. I can pay you 25,000 when we get to Sydney."
"No. You'll write the I.O.U. and sign it, and give us the tissue sample, then you can get it back when you pay us."
"Seriously, guys, I'll pay you as soon as we get to Sydney."
"I don't care when you pay us," Giggy said, popping a round out of one of his clips. "This is flechette. Not much good against armor, but you don't seem to have armor on your face." Giggy put the round back in his clip, and the clip back in his gun. "Now, write the I.O.U. and give us some blood."
"OK. I'll write you a stupid note, but since I can give you the money as soon as we get to Sydney, there's no need for the blood, OK?"
Giggy turned and thumped Jonah solid in the front of his chest cast. The crackle of the cast fracturing was loud in the relatively small cabin of the van. "No," Giggy said, "write the I.O.U. and give us a sample, and quit arguing about it."
Jonah took a rattling gasp and lost consciousness.
When Jonah regained consciousness a short time later, Giggy again handed him the not pad and told him to sign and to give them a sample.
"Please," Jonah said between shallow gasps, "I'll pay you as soon as we get to Sydney. You can even come with me."
"Not good enough," Rainbow said. "Michelle, find a place to park and wait for us," he continued over the radio.
Rainbow turned off the road and drove through the fence that marked the right-of-way and headed off cross country.
"Where are we going?" Jonah asked between rasping breaths.
"We don't want to dump a body on the main highway," Rainbow replied.
"What? No," Jonah rasped.
Giggy took out a roll of duct tape and put a piece over his mouth before he could finish whatever he was gong to say.
"Oh, drek. Stop the car," Buckwheat said, "we're being followed."
Rainbow stopped the van. "I don't see anyone," he said.
The watcher following them was so weak that it took Buckwheat almost no time and even less effort to destroy it. "Well, that's taken care of," he said, returning to his body almost instantaneously.
"Well, head back to the road, Rainbow," Giggy said. "They might know we were here.
"It looks like someone bought you some more time," Giggy continued turning toward Jonah.
They returned to the road, and Rainbow drove on for another 45 minutes. Michelle pulled out behind them when she saw them go past. When Rainbow again drove off the road and out into some pasture, she pulled off the side of the road to wait.
A few minutes later a patrol officer pulled over behind Michelle's Eurocar. The officer walked up to her car and tapped on the window with a gloved knuckle.
Michelle rolled down the window and set her phone down with her other hand. She looked up to the officer. "Can I help you, officer?" she asked him.
"Ma'am, this is an emergency parking only freeway," he said.
"Yes, officer," Michelle started. "I got a call and didn't want to cause an accident," she continued, pointing to the phone she had put down on the seat beside her.
"All right," the officer said, "wrap it up quickly and tell them you can call them back from the next authorized parking area."
"Yes, officer, I will."
He returned to his car, turned off his lights and pulled back onto the highway. Apparently, he had not noticed the downed fence a couple of kilometers back.
Michelle waited a couple of minutes, and then pulled back onto the highway to look for the next authorized pull-off...
Meanwhile, Rainbow drove off cross country. Giggy and Timmy had duct taped Jonah's arms and legs, making him even more helpless than he was before.
"Now, are you going to write an I.O.U. and give us a sample, or are we going to drop you in the wilderness?" Giggy asked.
"Ow!" Jonah screamed when Giggy ripped the tape off of his mouth unceremoniously. "I'll pay you. I'll pay you, OK? Just get me to Sydney and I can pay you!" Jonah cried.
"Wrong answer," Giggy said, slapping the tape back over Jonah's mouth.
Giggy took out a sliver of flechette from an old shell he had broken open, and used the sharp edge to slice open Jonah's arm. Jonah screamed through the duct tape over his mouth, and passed out again. Giggy collected some of the blood on the note pad, but quite a bit dripped on Jonah's and Giggy's clothing, and some dripped on the floor of the van.
After finding a nice ravine a couple of kilometers off the road, Rainbow stopped.
Giggy and Timmy got out of the car and took Jonah with them. Timmy had taken some of Rainbow's C-IV, and had been molding it into the cracks in Jonah's chest cast.
"Look," Giggy said, "we'll give you one last chance."
"We don't want to hear anything about 'I'll pay you in Sydney,'" Rainbow said.
Giggy ripped the tape off of Jonah's mouth.
"Ow! you bastards!" Jonah shouted through rasping breath.
"Wrong answer again," Rainbow said as Giggy taped his mouth again and pushed him to the ground.
Timmy, Rainbow, and Giggy got back into the van. When they were about a kilometer away, Timmy hit the detonator. He had used enough explosive that they could see the explosion from where they were.
When they got to Sydney, they went straight to the Hippogryph. Giggy ordered drinks and introduced Timmy to Rodriguez at the door, and Andrew behind the bar.
A few minutes after they arrived, a little Japanese girl came up to Buckwheat and said, "Excuse me, sir."
Buckwheat looked down at her, "Yes."
"Sama-san would like to speak with your and your friends."
"Very well," Buckwheat said getting up. "May we just head back there, or do you need to show up the way?"
"Either way is fine," the little girl said.
"Thank you," Buckwheat responded, waving to Giggy and Michelle, who followed, attracting Timmy and Rainbow respectively.
Shortly after they were all in the back room, Mr. Sama came in. Giggy had his head on the table, but the others were all standing. Mr. Sama looked them over once and then took his customary set at the end of the table.
"There is a flight arriving at 7:15pm this Thursday," Mr. Sama said. "On it will be a crate. You will collect this crate and deliver it to Mr. Michael Johnson in New Castle. Mr. Johnson will be expecting you before 9:00am on Friday.
"The parcel is approximately 1mX.75mX.5m, and can be collected at the airline cargo terminal.
"To expedite your collection of the package at the air port, Mr. Johnson has provided two IDs which somewhat match Buckwheat-san and Michelle-san. These IDs should pass quick confirmation, but will not survive much scrutiny. You should insure that they do not come under much scrutiny." Mr. Sama slid two envelopes down the table.
"On successful delivery of the package, Mr. Johnson will pay you 50k plus gratuity.
"That will be all." Mr. Sama got up and left the room.
Now we'll just have to wait to see what happens next week...
Game Details:
- Game: The Run Down Under/Gettin' Giggy with Shadowrun
- System(s): Shadowrun (2nd Edition)
- Contact: Keith Seyffarth
- Number of current players: 7
- Number of players wanted: 6
- Login or register to be able to receive email notifications about The Run Down Under/Gettin' Giggy with Shadowrun
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The industrial intelligentization, featuring displacement of human being with robotics, will reduce product costs in an unprecedented way and eliminate China's competitive export advantages gained through huge low-cost labor.
The 9/11 attacks represented a direct challenge to the global unipolar system which appeared after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. As a result, terrorism became the primary threat to international security and counterterrorism replaced, at least for the moment, diplomatic wrangling between major powers at the core of international politics. The two wars conducted in the name of counter-terrorism, the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, consumed American national strength fast, putting an end to America's Cold War victory dividend and straining the previously solid and capable unipolar system.
The US experienced economic recessions in the last three quarters of 2001, as the economy lacked a technology revolution to drive it. Financial oligarchs in the US intensified capital operations, which further hollowed out the real economy and fueled a glut of financial derivatives, ultimately leading to the 2008 financial crisis. The financial crisis dealt a heavy blow to the American economy and exacerbated its debt crisis, thus seriously undermining America internationally.
When the international financial crisis occurred, the world economy had been suffering without a new industrial and technological revolution to drive development. Against this backdrop, major countries and groups hoped to create external forces for economic growth by establishing new mechanisms for integration. To this end, the Obama administration worked to develop the TPP in the Asia Pacific and TITP across the Atlantic. While China put forward the Belt and Road initiatives in September 2013, the EU sped up its plans in Eastern Europe, and Russia formulated the Eurasian Economic Union roadmap, resulting in fierce clashes of geo-economic interests and, ultimately, the Ukraine crisis.
During the Obama presidency, the global governance system became looser. America's strategic center of gravity shifted eastward from Europe and other hotspots to the Asia Pacific. This shift, plus the withdrawal of troops from Iraq in 2011 and from Afghanistan in 2014, brought the focus of international politics back from counter terrorism to strategic competition between great powers.
This shift shows that Russia and former Soviet countries are no longer foremost on America's international agenda. US-China relations have taken the place of US-Russia relations as the world's most important bilateral relationship.
China's reform and opening up started in the late 1970s and placed it on a road to urbanization and industrialization. As the process began with the rural population (80% of all Chinese), plus the fact that China then enjoyed the second-mover advantage of drawing upon industrial technologies from advanced countries, it enabled the Chinese economy to grow at a high speed for a long period. Additionally, as the industrialization process has been dominated by the government, large excess production capacity has accumulated. The difficulty was compounded by what looked like an emerging middle income trap, forcing the Chinese government to at least partially abandon its policy of keeping a low profile, and to forcefully promote the Belt and Road initiative.
The policy, subjectively designed to transfer excess capacity and produce more stimulus for trade, objectively causes a reshaping of international trade patterns. It has brought about some challenges. On the one hand, while the question of trade balance (or the lack of it) causes a trade war between the US and China, competition between the two appears in all fields of global trade. On the other, traditional spheres of influence of countries along the belt and road have been affected, changing their China policy. For example, India's policy towards China is now more hostile and Russia has not taken part in two fairly influential four-country meetings in Central Asia and Afghanistan involving China.
Globalization has deepened the international division of labor. The US dollar's traditional advantages since WWII shaped America's position as the financial center of the world economy and fueled lopsided expansion of the financial rentiers in American society and the hollowing-out of the real economy. As a result, the wealth gap between employees in the financial sector and the large number of people in the productive industries, where jobs disappear constantly, has increased. This not only led to the 'occupy Wall Street' movement but also contributed to Trump's unexpected victory in the presidential election, populism thus becoming a leading ideology in American society. On the other side of the Atlantic, this was seen in the Brexit referendum. Populist anti-globalization waves have become common. As such, China, which has benefited a lot from globalization, now faces a worsening international environment.
Looking into the future, the biggest challenge for China lies with the accelerated industrial intelligentization in countries at the highest end of industrial technologies such as the US and Japan. The industrial intelligentization, featuring displacement of human being with robotics, will reduce product costs in an unprecedented way and eliminate China's competitive export advantages gained through huge low-cost labor. As men of vision have already pointed out, while a fierce trade war between China and the US gradually starts, industrial technological competition is at the center of China-US competition.
There is another danger. China has taken great effort and borne great cost to develop infrastructure in countries along the Belt and Road. If it does not offer competitive goods for these markets, what China has done may well become a 'wedding gown' for others: countries with intelligentized industries will corner the markets with better and cheaper goods.


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WordPress deploys forced security update for dangerous bug in popular plugin
The WordPress security team has taken a rare step last week and used a lesser-known internal capability to forcibly push a security update for a popular plugin.
Also: Best web hosting services
WordPress sites running the Loginizer plugin were forcibly updated this week to Loginizer version 1.6.4.
This version contained a security fix for a dangerous SQL injection bug that could have allowed hackers to take over WordPress sites running older versions of the Loginizer plugin.
Loginizer is one of today's most popular WordPress plugins, with an installbase of over one million sites.
The plugin provides security enhancements for the WordPress login page. According to its official description, Loginizer can blacklist or whitelist IP address from accessing the WordPress login page, can add support for two-factor authentication, or can add simple CAPTCHAs to block automated login attempts, among many other features.
SQL injection discovered in Loginizer
This week, security researcher Slavco Mihajloski disclosed a severe vulnerability in the Loginizer plugin.
According to a description provided by the WPScan WordPress vulnerability database, the security bug resides in Loginizer's brute-force protection mechanism, enabled by default for all sites where Loginizer is installed.
To exploit this bug, an attacker can try to log into a WordPress site using a malformed WordPress username in which they can include SQL statements.
When the authentication fails, the Loginizer plugin will record this failed attempt in the WordPress site's database, along with the failed username.
But as Slavco and WPScan explain, the plugin doesn't sanitize the username and leaves the SQL statements intact, allowing remote attackers to run code against the WordPress database — in what security researchers refer to as an unauthenticated SQL injection attack.
"It allows any unauthenticated attacker to completely compromise a WordPress website," Ryan Dewhurst, Founder & CEO of WPScan, told ZDNet in an email today.
Dewhurst also pointed out that Mihajloski provided a simple proof-of-concept script in a detailed write-up published earlier today.
"This allows anyone with some basic command-line skills to completely compromise a WordPress website," Dewhurst said.
Forced plugin update receives public backlash
The bug is one of the worst security issues discovered in WordPress plugins in recent years, and it's why the WordPress security team appears to have decided to forcibly push the Loginizer 1.6.4 patch to all affected sites.
Dewhurst told ZDNet that this "forced plugin update" feature has been present in the WordPress codebase since v3.7, released in 2013; however, it has used very rarely.
"A vulnerability I myself discovered in the popular Yoast SEO WordPress plugin back in 2015 was forcibly updated. Although, the one I discovered was not nearly as dangerous as the one discovered within the Loginizer WordPress plugin," Dewhurst said.
"I'm not aware of any other [cases of forced plugin updates], but it is very likely that there have been others," the WPScan founder added.
But there's a reason why the WordPress security team doesn't use this feature for all plugin vulnerabilities and uses this only for the bad bugs.
As soon as the Loginizer 1.6.4 patch started reaching WordPress sites last week, users started complaining on the plugin's forum on the WordPress.org repository.
"Loginizer has been updated from 1.6.3 to 1.6.4 automatically although I had NOT activated this new WordPress option. How is it possible?," asked one disgruntled user.
"I have the same question too. It has happened on 3 websites I look after of which none of them have been set to auto update," said another.
Similar negative feedback was also seen back in 2015 when Dewhurst first saw the plugin forced update feature being deployed by the WordPress team.
Dewhurst believes the feature isn't more broadly used because the WordPress team fears the "risks of pushing a broken patch to so many users."
WordPress core developer Samuel Wood said this week the feature was used "many times" but did not provide details about other instances where it was used. In 2015, another WordPress developer said the plugin forced update feature was used only five times since it launched in 2013, confirming that this feature is only used for the critical bugs only, those impacting millions of sites, and not just any plugin vulnerability.
Updated on October 22: The Loginizer developer said today that the security patch reached 89% of all sites with the help of the forced-update triggered by the WordPress security team.


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Anti theft, waterproof, business backpack in high quality polyester, cut and wear resistant. Including a password security lock, a reflective band and an accessory for trolley fitting. Anti theft pocket at the back for valuable objects. Inside compartment with USB output for powerbank connection -not included-. Including micro USB cable of 1 meter lenght for total comfort in charging any mobile device. Earphone output and strap pocket with easy access for transport card and other frequently used documents. Total opening 180º for an easy access. 2 padded, inside, independent, compartments for laptops up to 15 inches and tablets up to 10 inches. Wide range of inside and outside pockets. Shoulder and back straps with ergonomic padding.
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The AGAIN Project
A campaign to collect lovingly preworn Coral Marie pieces for repair, transformation and resale.
Coral Marie pieces are designed for your lifestyle ~ they are meant to be loved and worn endlessly.
We love hearing from you as you wear our pieces through all of your real life moments. While this is the hope and the goal, we know that life is full of surprises. If you find yourself in a new season of life that doesn't fit with your clothing anymore, we are here to dress the YOU that is right now.
With our newest venture, The AGAIN Project, we're inviting our customers to send us their worn Coral Marie pieces so that we can find them a new life.
While we take measured steps to be a zero-waste business, there is always room for improvement. With the AGAIN Project, we are taking on another layer of commitment to sustainability in the fashion industry.
Pieces that are in great condition will be resold in our shop at a reduced price point. Pieces that we receive with damage will be repaired or transformed into something new. As a thank you for supporting our zero-waste mission, we will send you a shop credit that you can apply to your next Coral Marie purchase. Shop credit amounts will be determined based on the condition of preworn pieces at the sole discretion of our team.
- Clear out your worn and loved Coral Marie pieces that you don't wear anymore.
- Package and ship your Coral Marie pieces to us at:
Coral Marie
4367 State Route 681 N.
Albany, OH 45710
- Once we receive your worn Coral Marie pieces, we will evaluate them to determine what can be resold or transformed.
- As a thank you for participating, we will send you a shop credit via email. This code will be usable for purchases made online or in the shop. Just enter the code you receive via email at checkout or mention it in store.
We wash, steam, press, mend and transform pieces we receive as needed.
By participating in The AGAIN Collection, you are helping us with our zero-waste mission while also connecting people to clothing designed for their lifestyle.
Want to shop the AGAIN Collection?
Shop the AGAIN Collection online


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Defining bioidentical hormones for menopause-related symptoms
Main Article Content
Hormone Replacement Therapy, Menopause, Dissent and Disputes
In the last decade, the use of bioidentical hormones (BHs) to treat menopause-related symptoms has become increasingly popular. However, the many different definitions of BHs have led to a great deal of confusion often making it difficult for health care providers to discuss this area with patients.
Objective: The purpose of this paper was to produce a concise definition of bioidentical hormones, based on a review of the literature.
Methods: Searches, using systematic review methodology, were conducted from inception to June 2010 in PubMed, EMBASE, IPA, The Journal of International Compounding and the Internet to identify definitions of bioidentical hormones. There were no restrictions on type, date or language of publication. Included papers/website included those that contained a definition of BHs. Definitions were extracted, similarities and differences summarized, and these were then examined to produce a concise definition.
Results: Sixty-three definitions were found. Based on the analysis of similarities and differences, the following definition, comprised of three components (term being defined; category to which term belongs; distinctive characteristics of term) was produced: "Bioidentical hormones are chemical substances that are identical in molecular structure to human hormones."
Conclusions: This definition clearly and concisely explains the meaning of BHs which should lead to a common understanding of the term and limit confusion among health care providers, the general public and the scientific community.
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6. Shepherd JE, Bopp J. Pharmacy-based care for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. J Am Pharm Assoc. (Wash) 2002;42(5):700,711-712.
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31. Mahmud K. Natural hormone therapy for menopause. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2010;26(2):81-85.
32. Burrell BA. The replacement of the replacement in menopause: hormone therapy, controversies, truth and risk. Nurs Inq. 2009;16(3):212-222.
33. Kuehn BM. FDA warns claims for pharmacy-made "bio-identical" hormones are misleading. JAMA. 2008;299(5):512.
34. Ribot C, Tremollieres F. Hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women: all the treatments are not the same. Gynecol Obstet Fertil. 2007;35(5):388-397.
35. Curcio JJ, Wollner DA, Schmidt JW, Kim LS. Is Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Safer than Traditional Hormone Replacement Therapy?: A Critical Appraisal of Cardiovascular Risks in Menopausal Women. Treat Endocrinol. 2006;5(6):367-374.
36. Wright JV. Bio-identical steroid hormone replacement: selected observations from 23 years of clinical and laboratory practice. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2005;1057:506-524.
37. Francisco L. Is bio-identical hormone therapy fact or fairy tale? Nurse Pract. 2003;28(7 Pt 1):39,44.
38. Watt PJ, Hughes RB, Rettew LB, Adams R. A holistic programmatic approach to natural hormone replacement. Fam Community Health. 2003;26(1):53-63.
39. Panay N, Fenton A. Bioidentical hormones: What is all the hype about. Climacteric. 2010;13(1):1-3.
40. Menopause medicine: The bottom line on bioidentical hormone therapy. Geriatrics. 2008;63(9):28-29.
41. Collins JJ, Ahlgrimm M. Hormone therapy it's time for a second opinion. Int J Pharm Compd. 2008;12(2):122-127.
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47. Bioidentical hormones. The bottom line on compounded hormones. Mayo Clin Womens Healthsource. 2005;9(9):1-2.
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53. Wepfer ST. Science behind bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Part 1. Indian Journal of Natural Products. 2001;5(6):462-464.
54. ReedKane D. Natural hormone replacement therapy: what it is and what consumers really want. Indian Journal of Natural Products. 2001;5(5):332-333.
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Then join a course
Since 2010, ArtistWorks mandolin instructor Mike Marshall has directed the Acoustic Music Seminar program at the Savannah Music Festival. Each year young talented string players audition to play in the enemble-focused educational program. It's a great opportunity for these young students to work with seasoned musicians and gain experience playing on stage. Check out the performance video from the finale concert, these kids have some serious chops!
"It's like no other camp experience I have ever been involved with. These are the top kids in the country getting to meet each other, play together and work under the guidance of some of the top players in the world. Each player brings in their own compositions and must lead an ensemble. I mix and match the players based on the style of the tune being presented. The week ends with a performance the last night of the festival in a beautiful concert hall. It is a dream experience for all involved (students AND faculty).
Nothing like it exists in the country today for the young Americana musician. I wish I would have had this kind of opportunity when I was that age." - Mike Marshall
Click here to learn more about this year's performers.


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When to send a message – Part II?
March 23, 2006
Over the years, there has been much debate about when the best time is to send an e-mail to supporters. The current standard is that Monday-Thursday are the best days to send a message. But, according to a recent study, that theory is just plain wrong.
The "eNonprofit Benchmark" study found that open rates are pretty constant from Monday through Friday. It also found that Thursday and Fridays tend to have a higher percentage of click-throughs. Click-throughs are when supporters click on a link in an e-mail.
This data shows that when you send a message is not as important as many of us once thought. I, for one, would always try to stay away from sending e-mails out on Fridays. It now appears that the end of the week is actually a good time to send out e-mails because the study showed that percentage of people that took action from an e-mail actually increased at the end of the week.
I would speculate that this shift has occurred because more people are now using e-mail for personal use and have Internet access at home. As use of high-speed Internet continues to increase, I expect that we will see an even greater level of Internet use at home.
The study also found that time-of-day or message length had no impact on click-through rates. But it did find that geographic and interest area targeting significantly increased the effectiveness of the e-mail. This sort of targeting is important for a few reasons:
- Prevents list burnout
Targeting e-mails to individuals' interest can help decrease the number of silent e-mails sent. This will prevent people from ignoring future e-mail messages. - Demonstrates local impact
Creating a local impact angle can be an effective way to show that your cause does affect them. When I was at the University, we had a database that showed how many students, alumni, and staff lived in each legislative district. This helped show the community and legislators that we had an impact in their area. Taking this to the next level by identifying anecdotal stories will make an even larger impact.
It will be important to explore ways to segment your audience into their specific interests. In the coming years there is going to be an even greater expectation that you are talking directly to the needs, wants and interests of your audience. Because, if you don't provide it all they have to do is go to Google and they can find it.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
The Planning and Zoning Board monitors and oversees the effectiveness of the Comprehensive Plan. The Board holds public hearings twice monthly to hear all matters pertaining to development within the City and makes recommendations to the City Council. The meetings are telecast live on Channel 20. The 7 members serve 3-year terms.
6500 Building6500 N Congress AvenueBoca Raton, FL 33487
6:00 p.m.1st and 3rd Thursday of the month
Meeting Schedule
Contact the Board


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You're busy. I get that! So am I.
It's hard to find time to shop, prep and cook, but processed "convenience" foods are a killer and eating out of bags and boxes is the fastest way to get fat and come down with some nasty ravaging disease.
So if you have to have someone make your food for you, here are my top 7 meal delivery services (and none of them are paying me for any endorsements). You will have to do some cooking, but the instructions are easy and they are engineered so cooking time usually takes 30 minutes or less.
The great part is the meals taste great, the recipes are done for you, and the shopping, prepping, measuring, etc. are all taken off your plate, which saves a TON of time!
- Hello Fresh uses fresh, sustainable ingredients, offers over 20 recipe choices each week, caters to Paleo, Primal, Low Carb, and Keto people, and you can skip or cancel anytime.
- Green Chef is organic and sustainable, with flexible plans, offering Paleo, Keto, and plant-based if you are so inclined.
- Sun Basket is also organic and sustainable, offers 18 recipe choices each week, with flexible plans, ranging from Paleo to Keto, gluten-free, and family options.
- KETO frozen, formerly known as Keto Fridge, is a meal delivery service that makes it easier than ever to follow the ketogenic diet. They offer frozen options on a rotating menu of fully prepared meals, sides, snacks, and bars, which can be heated, plated, and enjoyed with little to no effort. Unlike other services, you don't need to subscribe. Instead, simply log in and select your meals, sides and snacks each week. They require a minimum purchase of at least $69 per delivery, so you will be ordering multiple days at a time, but they are frozen so that works just fine.
- Factor 75 offers gluten-free, ketogenic, or paleo options. Meals feature grass-fed and pasture-raised meat and are free from refined sugars and genetically modified ingredients. Each subscription includes a 20-minute consultation with a registered dietitian, and monthly coaching packages are also available for an additional fee.
And if you don't even have enough time for the 30 minutes of cooking (usually less) these meals require and want someone to come to your house to do literally everything in your kitchen (including clean up after), then you should hire Laura Taylor and her crew from Honest to Goodness Personal Chef Services. She ROCKS but is only in the Seattle and Eastside areas of Washington State. However, if you want to bring her (or one of her crew) with you to exotic parts of the world, she might be willing to make an exception in some cases. 😉


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Photo by Clint Adair on Unsplash. This article is originally published on dev.to on 19 Feb 2020.
In this series of articles, We've walked through overviews of Data Structures such as Linked List, Stack, Queue, Binary Search Tree, Binary Heap, and Hash Table. We also considered which one can be suitable to store vocabulary data as an example, and found Hash Table is the most sensible in the situation so far.
(Here is the course where I learned all these algorithms and data structures: JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Masterclass by Colt Steele - Udemy)
The data is used for my Chrome Extension project, and it structured like this at the moment:
// Result of console.log(MainData)
arbitrary: { category: "Book1", definition: "based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.", tag: ["adj"]};
interpretation: { category: "Machine Learning", definition: "the action of explaining the meaning of something", tag:["noun"]};
intuitive: { category: "Book2", definition: "using or based on what one feels to be true even without conscious reasoning; instinctive", tag: ["adj"]};
precision: { category: "Machine Learning", definition: "the quality, condition, or fact of being exact and acurate", tag: ["noun"]};
Each vocabulary is a unique string, so that we used the word as index. In this structure, deleting/editing/inserting costs time complexity of O(1).
However, what if we implement Graph to the data instead of Hash Table? Does it cost as cheap as it is now, or help improve the function anyhow? In this article, we are going to study them.
Firstly, What is Graph?
Graph is a very common, widely used data structure. All Graphs always have two types of elements -- vertices and edges, and these make our Graph unique.
As we see in the image above, vertices are the same as nodes which is a box that stores data into. edges are connections that connect vertices.
Two types of Graphs
There are two types of Graphs -- Directed Graph and Undirected Graph. For example, we can explain Instagram or Twitter relationship as Directed Graph, because there are directions between the relationship. When you follow someone, you make a connection to be able to see their content on your timeline, but they don't see your content as long as they don't follow you back -- to create a directed edge towards you.
Unlike Directed Graph, Undirected graph is used if directions don't need to be represented such as Facebook relationship. When you create an edge(accepting friend request), both you and the friend will be able to see each other's content automatically. Therefore there is no need to represent the direction.
Weighted/Unweighted Graph
One more useful thing about the Graph is that we can assign a **value** as its **weight/distance** on each edge. We call these Graphs **Weighted Graph**.For example, if we decided to plot flight connections, we can use a Weighted Graph. We can assign a number to the edge between the connected airport, so that we can express the distance between them.
How do we implement a Graph with JavaScript?
There are several different ways to implement it, such as Adjacency Matrix, Incidence Matrix, etc. Today we are going to look at one of the most common ways -- Adjacency List.
To represent an Adjacency list with JavaScript, we can use a key-value pair Hash Table. Each key-value pair describes the set of neighbors of a vertex in the graph.
Storing Graphs with Adjacency List
Let's say we want to express flight connections with a Graph. Using a Hash Table to plot it, we can store the name of airports as keys. We can nest another Hash Table inside their value, and use destination as the key and distance/ (or cost) of the flight as the value.
Basic Implementation
Adding Vertex and Edge
So now, let's dive into coding! Firstly, we are going to create WeightGraph class to initialize a new object.
class WeightedGraph {
constructor() {
this.adjacencyList = {};
addVertex() {
addEdge() {
removeEdge() {
removeVertex() {
Dijkstra() {
Then, implement addVertex method for creating vertex without any connection, and addEdge method for creating an undirected edge between two vertices.
constructor() {
this.adjacencyList = {};
addVertex(name) {
if (!this.adjacencyList[name]) {
this.adjacencyList[name] = {};
addEdge(vert1, vert2, weight) {
this.adjacencyList[vert1][vert2] = weight;
this.adjacencyList[vert2][vert1] = weight;
If we wanted directed edges with this addEdge method, we just need to remove the last line this.adjacencyList[vert2][vert1] = duration;
The adjacency list and each vertex are all Hash tables, so that adding vertex/edges take time complexity of O(1).
Removing Edge and Vertex
In an Undirected Graph, an edge is assigned from two sides of vertices. Therefore if we want to remove a single edge completely, we need to delete them from both sides.
removeEdge(v1,v2) {
delete this.adjacencyList[v1][v2];
delete this.adjacencyList[v2][v1];
When we remove a vertex from our Graph, we want to make sure to delete edges that are connected to the removed vertex. We can use our removeEdge function to do this.
removeVertex(vert) {
for (let i in this.adjacencyList[vert]) {
this.removeEdge(vert, i);
delete this.adjacencyList[vert];
Removing edge takes O(1) constant time. However, removing vertex takes O(|E|) which means it is subject to the length of its edges.
Traversal (Visiting Each Vertex)
Now we are going to create functions to traverse a graph. Our objective is to visit all the vertices one by one, but in Graph traversal, it may require to visit some vertices more than once. To revisit vertices as infrequently as possible, it is necessary to keep a record of which vertices have already been visited.
There are basically two algorithms for traversing a graph -- Depth-First Search and Breadth-First Search.
Depth-First Search
With DFS(shorthand for Depth-First Search), we visit the neighbor(child) vertex before visiting sibling vertex. So if we place the starting vertex on the top of the graph, we go towards straight to the bottom of the graph.
DFS(target) {
const result = [];
const visited = {};
const helper = (vert) => {
if (!vert) return null;
visited[vert] = true;
for (let neighbor in this.adjacencyList[vert]) {
if (!visited[neighbor]) {
return helper(neighbor)
return result;
We have recursion in the helper function. If a neighbor of the target is not in the visited list, visit the neighbor and assign it as the target. Do the same to its neighbor and keep doing the same until there are no neighbors left to be added to the visited list.
Breadth-First Search
With BFS(Breadth-First Search), we visit the sibling vertex before visiting neighbor(child) vertex. So if we are starting from the vertex on the top of the graph, we first go through all the neighbors of the starting vertex.
BFS(start) {
const queue = [start];
const result = [];
const visited = {};
while(queue.length) {
let current = queue.shift();
visited[current] = true;
for (let neighbor in this.adjacencyList[current]) {
if (!visited[neighbor]) {
visited[neighbor] = true;
return result;
While using the same visited list as DFS, we also keep a record of where to visit the next in 'queue' array.
Finding the Shortest Path(Dijkstra Algorithm)
We will come across many occasions that we want to find out the shortest path from one to another in a graph.
Let's say we created an online travel agency, and we have a graph of cities with our special priced flights between those cities. What we want is to offer users the cheapest route from their city to their desired destination. However, without any function to calculate the cheapest route, we need to manually extract all the possible routes and compare each other -- which would be time-consuming and hurt our neck.
Dijkstra's Algorithm is the way Edsger W. Dijkstra conceived to solve this problem 64 years ago.
How Dijkstra's Algorithm Works
We will need three storage to keep track of the main information:
- A list of all the airports, and its total cost from starting airport.
- A list that tells you which route has the total cheapest cost so far -- and this also tells you which airport we should visit next.
- A list of all the airports, and the record of which airport we previously visited to reach the airport.
Basically that's all we need to keep a record of, and all of them are updated as we go through the algorithm.
Let's say we are going to find the cheapest route from Dublin to Alice Springs. So we can assign flight costs as the weight of edges.
And we plot it with our Graph.
// console.log
AbuDhabi: {
Brisbane: 1296,
Melbourne: 1285
AliceSprings: {
Brisbane: 457,
Melbourne: 480,
Perth: 563,
Sydney: 401
Brisbane: {
AbuDhabi: 1296,
HongKong: 518
Sydney: {
AliceSprings: 401,
Dubai: 1312,
Doha: 1612,
HongKong: 510
We don't know any information to assign the lists yet, except the total cost of Dublin to Dublin which is zero. And the rest of the airports, we are going to assign Infinity
so that whenever we discover new costs, it will be cheaper than the initialization.
Now we can assign List2 which tells you the route that has the cheapest cost -- because we assigned zero to the route Dublin to Dublin, which is the cheapest so far.
Initiallization in code
Now let's initialize these lists on code. Firstly, we'll create our Priority Queue class for organizing the List2 -- The list that tells you which route has the total cheapest cost at the moment.
class PriorityQueue {
this.values = [];
enqueue(val, priority) {
this.values.push({val, priority});
dequeue() {
return this.values.shift();
sort() {
this.values.sort((a, b) => a.priority - b.priority);
The lowest number assigned in priority
will come to the beginning of the queue.
Next, we create Dijkstra's algorithm function that accepts starting vertex and the last stop vertex.
Dijkstras(start, finish) {
// List1
const costFromStartTo = {};
// List2
const checkList = new PriorityQueue();
// List3
const prev = {};
let current;
let result = [];
for (let vert in this.adjacencyList) {
while (checkList.values.length) {
Inside, we create three lists to keep records on.
- List1 is to keep all the vertices with numbers that represent its total cost from starting vertex. We name it
. - List2 is the priority queue we implemented earlier. we call it
-- because this queue tells you which vertex needs to be checked next. - List3 is a list of all the vertices that keep the record of which vertex was previously visited to discover its current cost. So that we call it
and result
will be used inside while loop later on.
Inside for loop, we'll fill the lists with zero and Infinity which is all we know about the starting point and the rest of the vertices.
let current;
let result = [];
for (let vert in this.adjacencyList) {
if (vert === start) {
costFromStartTo[vert] = 0;
checkList.enqueue(vert, 0);
} else {
costFromStartTo[vert] = Infinity;
prev[vert] = null;
If we run Dijkstras("Dublin", "AliceSprings");
now, all the lists should be filled like this:
Calculate to update `costFromStartTo` list
What basically we want to do is, keep calculating to update costFromStartTo
list. As we already calculated the cost from the start to the same start, we can look at the vertices that are neighbors to the starting vertex. Now we can calculate their total cost from the starting vertex.
To do this on code:
for (let vert in this.adjacencyList) {
while (checkList.values.length) {
current = checkList.dequeue().val;
for (let neighbor in this.adjacencyList[current]) {
We choose to check vertices that are neighbors to the vertex that currently holds the cheapest total cost.
To find out a vertex with the cheapest total cost, we can simply look at the first vertex in the checkList
. At the same time, we can remove it from the list, so the vertex won't be visited again as long as it won't be updated with a new cheaper route.
Then, we can loop over each connected vertex and update the three lists as we calculate each cost.
while (checkList.values.length) {
current = checkList.dequeue().val;
for (let neighbor in this.adjacencyList[current]) {
let costToNeighbor = costFromStartTo[current] + this.adjacencyList[current][neighbor];
if (costToNeighbor < costFromStartTo[neighbor]) {
costFromStartTo[neighbor] = costToNeighbor;
prev[neighbor] = current;
checkList.enqueue(neighbor, costToNeighbor);
We add up the cost from start to the current vertex, and the individual cost from the current vertex to the neighbor. If the sum is cheaper than the current cost on the list costFromStartTo
for the neighbor, we update the list with the sum.
We also update prev[neighbor] = current
to remember which route was the cheapest to get the neighbor.
At this point, we also need to add the neighbor to the CheckList
. After assigning all the neighbors in the CheckList
, you know which neighbor is at the moment cheapest. And it also means it holds the highest possibility to get to the last stop at the moment.
Now, we just need to loop over this procedure until we hit the last stop at the beginning of the priority queue visitedList
while (checkList.values.length) {
current = checkList.dequeue().val;
if (current === finish) {
// Done
while (prev[current]) {
current = prev[current];
else {
for (let neighbor in this.adjacencyList[current]) {
let costToNeighbor = costFromStartTo[current] + this.adjacencyList[current][neighbor];
if (costToNeighbor < costFromStartTo[neighbor]) {
costFromStartTo[neighbor] = costToNeighbor;
prev[neighbor] = current;
checkList.enqueue(neighbor, costToNeighbor);
return result.concat(current).reverse();
When we extract the last stop from the checkList, we can stop all the procedure -- so we create if statement to finish the loop, and wrap the procedure to update the list with else statement.
In the end, we reverse the result list and return it.
If we want to represent complicated connections between data, Graph can be a suitable Data Structure for us. In other words, we don't need to use Graph if there is no connection between nodes to influence decision making. Therefore, going back to the first question -- Do we want to implement Graph to organize a vocabulary list? Probably the best is to stick with a simple Hash Table, because we don't present certain connections between vocabularies.
Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment if you have any thoughts, or ideas to improve the code, I would be so grateful to hear from you. :)
JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Masterclass by Colt Steele - Udemy


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Finlay and Sons no 917, Beaufort Street, Inglewood WA 6052, Phone 0431 899 658.
So Many Levels of Enjoyment … Finlay and Sons no 917 is a cosy, funky little cafe. It is located directly opposite the Clock Tower on Beaufort Street.
We were welcomed with a smile and told to sit anywhere. Water and menus arrived shortly afterwards. Staff were on their toes. The decor includes distressed walls, tables and some pieces of furniture. Finlay & Sons no 917 has a nice cosy vibe. It's an old building but it looks very modern. The kitchen is open and they have a coffee hatch for people who just want coffee.
It's not often I'm presented with a breakfast menu and can't decide straight away what to have. Not eating red meat always limits options. But this menu had some very interesting choices. And, some good combinations.
Personally, we decided we chose the best options. Goats curd with toasted baguette and roasted mushrooms for me. And for Xena, the waffles with mascarpone and caramelised bananas. Both plates looked amazing and then we started to eat. The goats curd came with spinach and an aioli smear. There were little bursts of flavour with every bite. The bread was exceptional. And, there was some very good quality salt going on in there somewhere. Great dish.
The waffles were light and fluffy but Xena insisted they tasted like doughnuts. But in a very good way. To me, they just tasted very very good. The mascarpone blended well but the star was the caramelised bananas. A decadent, delicious combination. Enjoyed both dishes and the atmosphere very much. A new favourite.
We ordered coffee and a hot chocolate. Both were very well presented. Although the cappuccino art was a little blurry (I'll live). Good strong coffee with a great Crema. Xena was presented with marshmallows for the hot chocolate. Win Win.
Such a pleasant Brunch. Thoroughly enjoyable. The service continued to be great for our entire stay. Even though the place was absolutely bustling, the staff kept up. They're doing it well.


text:
This is a Notable Operational milestone.
This was a single place 25 foot (7.6 m) diameter coaxial rotor helicopter having an enclosed tube and fabric fuselage, powered by a single 100 hp (75 kW) Continental C-100 engine. The prototype did not, originally, have an eclosed fuselage.
Source: "Helicopters, Inc./Bendix Helicopter, Inc. Bendix Model K", Pete Noell, AHS 2018 VTOL History Calendar - June


text:
Black and White Halloween Pirate Clip Art Image - black and white outline of a little boy dressed as a pirate.
- To use for a print or scrapbooking project, email etc. - right click the clip art image and select "save as" to save to your computer.
- If you need help saving or using images please visit the Help Section for frequently asked questions and tutorials.


text:
Experience the 1000 year old tradition of the Morning Prayer Ceremony with more than 20 monks reciting the sutra, which sounds like a grand spiritual orchestra!
More than 20 monks are learning, practicing and training at the Hasedera at all times.For the Morning Prayer, more than 20 monks line up at the prayer terrace and recite the sutra and give thanks to everything on Earth. It's a deeply moving experience and the chants by more than 20 monks sounds like a grand spiritual orchestra. At the worship hall the monks bow down to the sun and mountain.
Hasedera is considered a vortex spot since it's the home of The Statue of the Eleven Faced Kannon (or the Goddess of Mercy) which is a national treasure and the biggest wooden statue in Japan. By touching the feet and praying to The Statue of the Eleven Faced Kannon is said to grant your wish. This special hall which houses the Kannon is only opened to the public twice a year.
Hasedera is also famous for it's staircase and their beautiful flowers.
There are 399 stone steps to the temple. Pilgrims who visit the temple believe that when walking the staircase, it helps get rid of the 108 illusions that they believe lead to all human suffering.
The Hasedera Temple is famous for it's beautiful flowers surrounding the grounds. In the spring, more than 700 Chinese peonies are in full bloom which surrounds the staircase. In early April, cherry blossoms become full bloom. And in the fall, the beautiful fall foliage is breathtaking.
The temple was first built in 686 and dedicated to Emperor Temmu. In 727 the temple was expanded by order of the Emperor Shomu and The Statue of the Eleven Faced Kannon was placed. The temple has been burned down and rebuilt as many as 10 times since the 10th century.
Duration | Duration of the Hasedera Morning Ceremony/Devotional Exercise Experience is about 40-60 minutes. |
Date and Time of Experience | All year long but the time varies. From April 1st to September 30th (Summertime) starts from 6:30am. From October 1st to March 31st (Wintertime) starts from 7am. *January 1st is closed. |
Minimum Number of Participants | This experience requires at least 5 or more participants. (Less than 20) |
Transportation | Pick-up and drop-off available (Additional Fee Required) |
Additional Notes | Please dress respectfully. (No mini-skirts or shorts) Please refrain from eating or drinking at the temple. Please refrain from taking any photographs within the temple or of monks. Please refrain from talking within the temple. It is very important to maintain a quiet atmosphere. |
Remarks | Availability and Price Upon Request |
*Click to enlarge the photo.
*These images are for illustration purposes only.
Contact | Terakoya of Japan[Contact: Yoshida] |
Address | 1-5-26 Imai-cho , Kashihara city , Nara |
firstname.lastname@example.com |
Guidance of Kashihara City and nearby hotels and B&B's also available.


text:
I have been asked why I refer to our Creator as God/dess or Him/Her. I believe in duality… creation exists of both the masculine and feminine. One balances out the other. The yin and yang.
In every living body we have two brains - the thinking one, housed in the scull, and the feeling one, living in our chest called the heart. To me, the thinking brain represents the masculine, and the feeling brain- the feminine aspect of our very own creation. Although they are two separate entities, they reside within one temple, the body. I know the gut is known as the 3rd brain, however it's becomes all too complicated when we are speaking about the masculine and the feminine energies!
Within me, I know I am two distinct parts- one houses my story, you may call this part the Jen you know, and the other is my God/dess self. That is the part in which connects me directly to the Father/mother within. If I truly connect to this source, by emptying myself of my story, it is then I come home to my place of peace and harmony. When in this space, I can then reconnect to the supreme source, whom I have found not to be a male sitting on a throne with a long white beard, rather one infinite supreme light containing both a god and his goddess, Shekinah.
During one of my many conversations with a being we may call God, I asked the question whether 'He' was a male. My answer was I could call Him Mother/Father if I preferred, for He was both of those things.
My father told me one day when I asked him if he had met God? He said he had met the Infinite Supreme Light. Within that light it was like he was looking at two separate entities bound into one. A masculine and a feminine. He told me it was too complicated for a mere human to understand, and one day I would fully comprehend it all.
So for now, until I do fully know the whole story, I'll continue to use both the masculine and feminine when I speak about one whom I know loves us so unconditionally there is no right or wrong- all is perfect in His/Her eyes!
I pray this makes some sense. My skull brain has been a bit scattered lately! Thank goodness my heart brain has stepped in to run this battered old ship!
In gratitude and love eternally for this love, for this is the greatest love of all... and it's right inside of me! xxx


text: The saying "show me your friends and I will show you your future" rings true for how we live our lives "show me your dreams and I will show you your PATH" also rings true. Successful people no matter what industry they are in have clear dreams and goals and know exactly where they are headed. This doesn't mean that they will not have bumps in the road, but it does mean that they will have a plan on how to deal with them. Everyone should take time to dream of the life they see for themselves and once the dreams are clearly defined they should go through a goal setting process to each dream. It is not our human nature to set a clear plan for how we want our lives to turn out even if we are able to dream. Planning forces us to look forward to where we are going which can be scary for most people. However remember all successful people have a map that takes them in the direction of their dreams!


text:
At Westcoast Marine, we offer a free diagnostic report and a trailer inspection on all annual services. Book in for yours today! Click here.
Types of inspections
- Check condition of exhaust manifolds and risers
- Check and replace necessary hose clamps
- Check condition of belt and idler pulleys
- Internal anode inspections
- Safety checks including steering, controls, gauges, battery, fuel system and bilge pumps
- Thermostat and relief valve test