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Journal of the South African Veterinary Association
versão On-line ISSN 2224-9435
versão impressa ISSN 1019-9128
J. S. Afr. Vet. Assoc. vol.81 no.2 Pretoria Jan. 2010
Questionnaire survey on urban and peri-urban livestock farming practices and disease control in Kisumu municipality, Kenya
J M KagiraI,*; P W N KanyariII
ITrypanosomiasis Research Centre, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box 362, Kikuyu, Kenya
IIDepartment of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, PO box 29053, Kabete via Nairobi, Kenya
To characterise the urban livestock keeping practices and constraints in Kisumu municipality, Kenya, a questionnaire survey was carried out. Thirty-four contact farmers were interviewed on general farm characteristics and production constraints. The farming activities were categorised as either livestock only (41 %), or mixed crops and livestock (59 %). The surveyed farmers kept mainly cattle (100 %), chickens (82 %) and goats (74 %). Most (94 %) of the farmers had kept livestock for prolonged periods mainly for income generation (97 %) and domestic consumption (59 %). These data show that livestock keeping was popular and could be harnessed to increase food security, although the farmers kept mainly low-producing indigenous cattle (98 %) which were grazed on unutilised land. The main production constraints mentioned by farmers included diseases (100 %), poor fertility (68 %) and lack of feed (56 %). The diseases varied with species of ruminants and included lumpy skin disease (71 %), diarrhoea (65 %) and helminthosis (62 %). The source of advice on management and treatment of the livestock was almost equally from private and government veterinary personnel. To improve livestock productivity, it is recommended that key stakeholders address the constraints mentioned in this study and in particular that the occurrence of diseases should be investigated with a view to developing sustainable control strategies.
Keywords: constraints, diseases, Kisumu, Kenya, livestock, production, urban farming.
The poverty rate as well as undernourishment is increasing in most sub-Saharan African countries16. It is expected that by the year 2015, about half of the African population will be living in urban centres and poverty will have increasingly moved from rural to urban areas14,16,17. With the declining purchasing power in the urban areas, many urban households have responded with diversification of income sources, the most notable one being urban agriculture2. Rapid expansion of urban farming has been noted in cities such as Dar es Salaam, where there was an increase from 18 % of the families engaged in agriculture in 1967 to 67 % in 1991, of which 74 % kept livestock6.
In most cities, the development of urban livestock production is unplanned and in densely populated neighbourhoods. There is a growing concern that it is creating health and environmental hazards17,18. Therefore, urban livestock keeping is often declared illegal, although enforcement of this has not been successful7. The local by-laws frequently date back over 100 years (Kisumu municipality by-laws on livestock were last reviewed in 1907) and forbid all agricultural activity within the boundaries of urban centres7. In spite of the illegality, urban livestock keeping is usually tolerated as long as it does not become a nuisance. Indeed, in some urban cities, for example Dar es Salaam and Kampala, authorities are encouraging the practice of Urban Agriculture (UA) in order to raise food-supply levels4,6. The purpose of the current study was to characterise the urban livestock keeping practices and constraints in Kisumu municipality, Kenya. Such information is important in assessing the needs of the farmers, the importance of livestock in improving the household and urban livelihoods, and also to inform policy.
Study area
Kisumu, the 3rd-largest city in Kenya, is a regional capital and an administrative, commercial and industrial centre for the Lake Victoria basin. The population of the Municipality rose from 32 431 in 1969 to 322 734 in 199912,13. Currently, the population is estimated at 500 000 people with a growth rate of 2.8 % per annum. About 60 % of Kisumu's population lives in slums and a further 60 % of the population residing in the municipality are involved in some form of urban agriculture and livestock keeping17,18. In fact, almost 80 % of Kisumu's municipal land area is rural in nature7.
Selection of study sites and farms
Field visits were undertaken between July and August 2007. The study sites and farms were purposively selected in collaboration with the government extension and administration officers. The visited sites were headed by a village/ ward chairperson and were selected on the basis of having a higher concentration of livestock keeping in urban and peri-urban areas. These sites included Nyamasaria, Nyalenda, Obunga, Manyatta, Mamboleo and Otonglo, located in Chiga, Nyalenda, Kanyakwar, Manyatta and Kolando sub-locations respectively. The Nyalenda, Obunga and Manyatta sites were within urban areas while Nyamasaria, Mamboleo and Otonglo were in a peri-urban area of Kisumu city. Nyalenda and Obunga were densely populated and are mainly regarded as slums18. At each study site, the farmers were randomly selected from a list prepared from the previous vaccination campaigns by the veterinary office in Kisumu. Of 150 listed farmers, 40 were randomly selected, of whom 34 were interviewed as the others were not available.
Questionnaire survey
A structured questionnaire was prepared and pre-tested before administration to the selected households. The questionnaire addressed the following: demography, size of land and ownership, livestock kept on the farm, production system, management practices, milk production, production constraints and common diseases at farm level. The questionnaire was administered to the household head or any other mature person (if the household head was not available) using the Kiswahili language, which is common in the area. For farmers who were unable to understand Kiswahili, the questionnaire was administered in the dholuo language by one of the extension officers.
Data entry and analysis
The responses to the questionnaires were entered into a computer spreadsheet, Microsft Excel® (Microsoft Corporation, USA) followed by descriptive analysis undertaken using Statview® Version 5.0.1 (SAS Institute Inc., 1995-1998, Cary, NC, USA).
Origin of households sampled and their characteristics
A total of 34 farmers were interviewed in the following sub-locations: Nyalenda (18 %), Obunga (32 %), Korando (15 %), Manyatta (9 %), Wathorego (9 %), Nyamasaria (18 %) (see Fig. 1). Most of the livestock farmers were from Obunga where there are large open areas of pastures. Male-headed households (79 %) were more common than those headed by females (21 %). The mean age of the farmers was 57.7 years (range = 35-83), with the majority (85 %) being more than 45 years old. The mean household size was 9.3 (range = 1-28) persons, with the majority of the homesteads having a size ranging from 1-12 persons. The level of education of the household head (HH) ranged from none (15 %), lower primary (21 %), upper primary (35 %), secondary (24 %) and tertiary level (9 %).
The farming activities involving the HH were categorised as either livestock (41 %), or both crops and livestock (59 %). The HH also involved themselves with other activities including shop/kiosk selling (18 %), livestock trading (12 %), building houses (masonry and carpentry) (15 %), fishing (6 %), formal employment (15 %). Eleven household heads (32 %) did not engage in other enterprises and were purely involved in livestock keeping. All the land was privately owned and in the majority of cases (56 %) the farm size (plot or allotment size) was less than an acre. Those whose farm size ranged between 1 and 2 acres were 9/34 (26 %), while 6/34 (18 %) farmers had a farm size of more than 6 acres. The targeted farmers were those keeping mainly cattle but in descending order the number of livestock kept by the farmers included cattle, chicken, goats, ducks, sheep and pigs (Table 1). Most (98 %) of the cattle were of the indigenous type, with farmers indicating that the exotic animals (2 %, Holstein and Ayreshire breeds) were capital-and labour-intensive and therefore undesirable to keep.
Most (94 %) of the farmers had been keeping livestock on their farms for a period of more than 5 years. The reasons for keeping the livestock (cattle, sheep and goats) included: source of income (97 %), domestic consumption (59 %) and cultural considerations (funerals, dowry etc.) (29 %). Cattle and small ruminants were mainly owned by the male spouse (97 %). The ownership of pigs was by the male spouse (67 %) and son (33 %), while that of poultry was by both the male (59 %) and female (41 %) spouse.
Most farmers (94 %) grazed their ruminants in the free open spaces in the municipality. These open spaces included unutilised government/municipal lands, roadsides, undeveloped private lands (mainly plots) and rubbish dumping sites. A small proportion (6 %) of farmers undertook zero-grazing where exotic animals were kept in stalls and fed on fodders and commercial feeds. The reasons given by farmers for the preference for a specific farming system included increased productivity (68 %), availability (27 %) and reduction in disease challenge (6 %). The source of labour for grazing and milking the cattle was mainly hired help (76 %) rather than family members (24 %). Housing (night boma for ruminants) that was surrounded by timber was provided by 76 % of the farmers (Table 2). Only the zero-grazing shed had concrete floors, while the rest of the night-bomas had floors of natural earth. The majority (59 %) of the farmers did not supplement their ruminants with feeds other than natural grazing (Table 2). The rest of the farmers supplemented the animals with left-overs from the markets (18 %), brewers waste (machicha in Kiswahili), commercial feed (9 %) and self-grown Napier grass (6 %). The water sources for the livestock included local rivers (59 %), local wells (41 %), tap water (35 %), floodwater/pans (18 %) and lake water (12 %) (Table 2).
In total, 33 farmers were milking their animals, and primarily used the milk for domestic consumption (91 %). The average volume of milk produced per cow per day was 2.7ℓ, while the average volume of milk consumed at household level was 2ℓ (range = 0.3-5ℓ). Seventeen (50 %) farmers sold milk to hotels and neighbours. The mean selling price milk was US$ 0.4 per litre (range = 0.14-0.6) and the average quantity sold was 10.1ℓ (range = 0.6-56) daily.
Constraints to livestock production
In descending order, the production constraints mentioned by farmers included: diseases (100 %), poor fertility/ low genetic potential (68 %), lack of feed (56 %),conflict with local authorities and neighbours (53 %), inadequate veterinary services (41 %), stock theft (18 %), lack of water (9 %) and lack of labour (3 %). Most of the farmers obtained replacement cattle either from other farmers (79 %) or local markets (21 %). The purchased cattle were walked to and from the local markets, which were close to the farms (510 km). The marketing constraints were categorised as: low prices (35 %), inadequate markets (32 %) and presence of middle men (29 %) who often dictated the prices to the farmers. Other marketing constraints included lack of credit (9 %) and poor infrastructure (3 %).
The farmers mentioned that the most common diseases in cattle were lumpy skin disease (LSD) (71 % of the farmers), diarrhoea (65 %), helminthosis (62 %), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) (32 %), and respiratory conditions (32 %) (Table 3). The farmers identified these diseases using either local names or by clinical signs, whose real name was interpreted by veterinary extension officers. The disease vectors which were mentioned by farmers included tsetse flies (12 %) and ticks (24 %).
Twenty-five (25) farmers were keeping small ruminants. The main diseases included diarrhoea (68 %), intestinal worms/flukes (64 %), unthriftiness (referred to as 'thin-shoats disease' by the farmers) (20 %), respiratory conditions manifesting as coughing and pneumonia (20 %), heartwater (16 %) and sudden death (12 %). Other conditions that were mentioned by the farmers included wounds (8 %), footrot (8 %), abortion (4 %), FMD (4 %) and impaction of stomach by polythene bags (4 %).
Only 3 pig farmers were interviewed in the study, owing to the decimation of the pig population by a recent (November 2006 - February 2007) African swine fever epidemic in Kisumu municipality and neighbouring districts9. The common diseases mentioned by farmers were African swine fever (100 %), respiratory distress manifesting mainly as coughing (100 %), mange (67 %), worms (33 %), diarrhoea (33 %) and FMD (33 %). The farmers mentioned that the most common diseases in chickens were Newcastle disease (100 % of the farmers) and respiratory distress, which mainly manifested as coughing (40 %).
The farmers sought advice on management and treatment of the livestock from private veterinarians (56 %), government veterinary officers (50 %) and Agroveterinary shops (6 %). The distance to the nearest veterinary services was categorised as 3-5 km (91 % of the farmers) and less than 2 km (9 %). Twenty-seven percent (27 %) treated the animals on their own, mainly using stock remedies sourced from chemists and Agro-veterinary shops. Fifteen percent (15 %) used unidentified ethno-veterinary products. Sixteen (47 %) farmers were able to describe the cost of treatment for their livestock. The mean cost of treatment per year for these 16 farmers was US$ 31.2 (range: 0-171.4).
Kisumu city experiences exceptionally high food poverty (53 %), which is defined as the percentage of the population that is unable to afford or have reasonable access to food which provides a healthy diet3, 17. In Kenya, other cities and towns that have lower food poverty include Nairobi (8 %), Mombasa (30 %) and Nakuru (30 %)17. Most of the food consumed in Kisumu city comes from neighbouring provinces, which is in contrast to other cities in Africa (e.g. Dar es Salaam and Nairobi) where urban and peri-urban agriculture has contributed to urban food security17. In contrast to peri-urban areas where land sizes are larger, the majority of the urban farmers, especially in slums, had small land sizes (plots) and some claimed to be 'squatters', which could complicate planning interventions. This is similar to a study undertaken in Kumasi city in Ghana, where 85 % of the livestock enterprises were on small plot-sized parcels of land11. The majority (94 %) of the farmers in the current study grazed their animals in open land spaces, especially government and municipal lands. The presence of unfenced open land often serves as encouragement for urban livestock keeping. Grazing of livestock by the roadsides and in rubbish dumps is not only a nuisance, but also poses a risk of transmission of zoonotic diseases.
As in other African societies, most of the families in the current study were male-headed6,8. In the current study, most farmers were more than 45 years old and had been keeping livestock for a period of more than 5 years. The majority of the farmers had an educational level ranging from lower primary to tertiary, which might make it easier to educate them on improved livestock production. The types of animals kept by the farmers included ruminants, pigs, chicken, ducks, dogs and cats. A similar range of animals has been reported in other urban studies6,8. Ownership of the animals was mainly due to their economic value and the results of this study are similar to others in Africa where men mainly owned cattle, sheep and goats, while women mainly owned the backyard poultry6,11.
Most of the farmers kept indigenous cattle, which is in contrast to Nairobi and Nakuru in Kenya, where small-scale dairy farming with exotic breeds (mainly Holstein and Ayreshire) is common5. In other African cities like Maseru in Lesotho, 94 urban producers contributed 40 % of the city's overallmilk production2. In the current study, only 6 % of the farmers undertook zero-grazing, and this lack of intensive farming could be associated with lack of farmer education and transfer of technology. Exotic livestock is also severely affected by diseases which could deter farmers from keeping them11.On the other hand, indigenous livestock are often hardy and require low inputs10,11,15. Several market constraints could also be hindering livestock trading, including low prices and the presence of middlemen. As suggested elsewhere, it would be important to determine the feasibility of micro-financing programmes in reducing poverty amongst the local people17.
The main constraints to livestock production were animal diseases, poor fertility, lack of feed, conflict with local authorities and inadequate veterinary services. These constraints have been cited by other studies conducted in cities in developing countries11,17. Since the area is tropical, animals in Kisumu city are bound to suffer from a variety of parasitic diseases. The poor fertility can be addressed through better management and crossbreeding with improved breeds. Conflicts with local authorities and inhabitants are a common problem amongst livestock farmers in the cities5. This arises from the fact that livestock keeping in the cities is illegal, although the government veterinary officers nevertheless attend to livestock when they are sick, in accordance with the control of notifiable and transboundary diseases.
Farmers indicated that the main diseases affecting cattle are LSD, diarrhoea, helminthosis, FMD and respiratory conditions. The LSD response was probably influenced by recollection of a recent outbreak of LSD in the area (Dr Makori, pers. comm. 2008). The local veterinarians indicated that LSD and FMD are endemic in the area and the spread of these diseases through illegal animal movements to local markets and abattoirs was suspected. The consumption of rubbish predisposes to sub-lethal poisoning and bacterial infections such as salmonellosis, all of which may lead to the reported diarrhoea. The farmers indicated that the main diseases affecting sheep and goats included diarrhoea, worms/flukes, unthriftiness and respiratory conditions. The high frequency (64-68 %) of farmers who indicated diarrhoea, helminthosis as well as unthriftiness ('thin sheep and goat disease') shows that the diseases should be further investigated.
The farmers interviewed mainly relied on both private (56 %) and government veterinary officers (50 %) for advice and treatment. In Kumasi, Ghana, 39 % of livestock keepers reported that they used the government veterinary service for animal health problems but they also carried out many treatments themselves11.Inthe current study, most of the extension service providers were located at a distance of 3-5 km from each farm and thus farmers would be able to walk to their premises and seek their services. This scenario is in contrast to that in Busia in rural Kenya, where farmers have to walk long distances to reach the veterinary services2. The extension services in Kenya were privatised in late 1980s as part of the World Bank structural adjustment programmes10. This led to a negative impact on veterinary service extension as most resource-poor farmers were unable to pay for the services of either government or private veterinarians10. With the high level of poverty amongst the urban livestock farmers (average income in people living in slums in Kisumu is US$30-40 per month17), free or subsidised veterinary extension services could improve the control of major livestock diseases and thus improve food supply in the cities.
This work was funded by Lake Victoria Research Initiative (VICRES). The authors are grateful tfor technical assistance provided, Mary Wambui of the Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Nairobi. Field logistics were provided by personnel of the Kisumu District Veterinary office, for which the authors are most grateful.
1. Bett B, Machila N, Gathura P B, McDermott J J, Eisler M C 2004 Characterization of shops selling veterinary medicines in a tsetse-infested area of Kenya. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 63: 29-38 [ Links ]
2. Greenhow T 1994 Urban agriculture: can planners make a difference? CFP Series Report 12, International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada [ Links ]
3. Greer J, Thorbecke E 2002 A methodology for measuring food poverty applied to Kenya. Journal of Development Economics 24: 59-74 [ Links ]
4. Ishagi N, Ossiya S, Aliguma L, Aisu C 2002 Urban and peri-urban livestock keeping among the poor in Kampala City. Ibaren Konsultants, Kampala, Uganda [ Links ]
5. Ishani Z, Gathuru P K, Lamba D 2002 Scoping study of urban and peri-urban poor livestock keepers in Nairobi. Mazingira Institute, Nairobi, Kenya [ Links ]
6. Lupala A 2002 Scoping study on urban and peri-urban livestock keepers in Dar es Salaam City. University College of Lands and Architectural Studies, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania [ Links ]
7. Mireri C, Atekyereza P, Kyessi A, Mushi N 2007 Environmental risks of urban agriculture in the Lake Victoria drainage basin: a case of Kisumu municipality, Kenya. Habitat International 31: 375-386 [ Links ]
8. Nugent R 2000 The impact of urban agriculture on the household and local economies, In Bakker N, Dubbeling M, Gündel S., Sabel-Koschella U, de Zeeuw H (eds). Growing cities, growing food. Deutsche Stiftung für Entwicklung, Eurasburg: 76-97 [ Links ]
9. OIE/WAHID 2007 ASF outbreak in Kenya. WAHID interface, OIE World Animal Health Database. Online at: http://www.oie.int/wahis/ (accessed March 2009) [ Links ]
10. Oruko L O, Upton M, McLeod A 2000 Restructuring of animal health services in Kenya: constraints, prospects and options. Development Policy Review 18: 123-138 [ Links ]
11. Poynter G 2001 Findings into a survey of urban livestock in Kumasi Ghana. Msc thesis, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK [ Links ]
12. Republic of Kenya 2001 Population and housing census, 1999. Government Printer, Nairobi [ Links ]
13. Republic of Kenya 2004 Kisumu municipality strategic plan. Kisumu Municipal Council, Kisumu [ Links ]
14. Satterthwaite D 1997 Urban poverty: reconsidering its scale and nature. Background paper for the series of workshops on poverty reduction in urban areas organized by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). IIED, UK [ Links ]
15. Touré Fall S, Cisse I 2000 Urban livestock systems in the Niayes zone in Senegal. Urban Agriculture Magazine 1: 17-19 [ Links ]
16. UN 2007 Millenium development goals of United Nations. Online at: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ (accessed March 2009) [ Links ]
17. UNDP 1996 Urban agriculture, food, jobs and sustainable cities. United Nations Development Programme, New York [ Links ]
18. UNDP 2005 Situation analysis of informal settlements in Kisumu. Cities without slums sub-regional programme for eastern and southern Africa. Kenya slum upgrading programme. United Nations Development Programme, New York [ Links ]
Received: July 2008.
Accepted: April 2010.
* Author for correspondence. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Blogini kertoo kasvivärjäyksestä ja sienivärjäyksestä.
This blog is about dyeing with plants and mushrooms.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Now in my garden Nyt puutarhassa
Dyeplants from my garden: above japanese indigo and below on the left woad from last year, which I already harvested once and which now seems ready for second harvest. On the right there are chinese woad plants planted this summer, their leaves are more bluish.
Last year I grew annual japanese grass (Arthraxon hispidus) which flowered and had self seeded. It grows now in the path next to woad bed.
Among the japanese grass, there was a nice blue flower Anchusa officinalis, which is relative to a dyeplant Anchusa tinctoria. I only grow these because they are pretty and bees and other insects love them.
Woad seeds were ripe and I harvested them, From one plant I got enough seeds for at least couple of years.
Madder is flowering
Flowers in Dyer's Broom (Genista tinctoria) are starting to open, soon they are ready for dyeing.
And dahlias are flowering.
Soon my first goldenrods are flowering and ready for harvest, these are nameless early garden cultivar.
Our native goldenrods are already in full bloom and waiting to be harvested.
Tansy is flowering.
And so is knapweed
And couple of photos from other plants from my garden: Lavatera thuringiaca flowers now.
And already colors of the end of the summer.
9 comments:
not only pretty plants, but also full of dyeing possibilities.what more can you ask for?ReplyDelete
I enjoyed your flower garden in pictures - how much more you must enjoy it in reality!ReplyDelete
Do you use the knapweed for dyeing? What color do you get from it?ReplyDelete
I love all the information you share with us on your blog.
Thanks Neki and Ladka, I really like my flowers, even if there are too many weeds among them.. they just don't show in the pictures:)ReplyDelete
Kathy, knapweed contains luteolin like weld (among other dyestuffs), and it gives quite lightfast yellow, and I like it because it is so common here, easy to get. I have written about dyeing with it in August 2009, if you look at the archives.
Sigh. So lovely! Almost makes me wish I had more room for *my* garden - except that I can barely keep up with it now. :)ReplyDelete
Kiitos kuvista! Kyllä virkisti, aivan kuin olisin ollut vieressä!ReplyDelete
Leena, I so love your flower garden. It is like walking through a fairy tale.ReplyDelete
I love my garden, too, even though it is too big, and at the same time every year I need more room for dye plants.. but how can I give up any of my flowers! I can't.
What a lush looking garden and full of dye and soul potential! Thank you for sharingReplyDelete


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Stakeholders should enter the Herbert C. Hoover Building at the 14th Street entrance between Pennsylvania Ave. and Constitution Ave. NTIA is expecting hundreds of stakeholders to attend the meeting. Stakeholders may encounter delays at the building's security checkpoint and are advised to arrive at least 30 minutes early. Stakeholders will be escorted from the security checkpoint to the auditorium.
The Department of Commerce auditorium is a historic room with a limited number of power outlets for attendee use. Wifi Internet access is not available in this venue, and unfortunately cellular coverage may also be limited inside the auditorium.
Due to security requirements and to facilitate entry to the Department of Commerce building, U.S. nationals must present a valid, government-issued photo identification upon arrival. Foreign nationals must contact John Verdi at (202) 482–8238 or email@example.com at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting in order to provide the necessary clearance information, and must present a valid, government-issued photo identification upon arrival.


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At the onset of 2019 I embarked on a project that I ended up calling Field Notes From a Lost Year. Each week (or so) I sketched botanical specimens from life in pen and watercolor. I identified each specimen by both common and Latin names, noted the weather on the day I sketched, and added interesting notations about the plant's native or invasive status, whether it was poisonous, etc. Sometimes I added sketches of birds, insects or mammals I had seen that week. Each page notes the longitude and latitude where the sketch subjects were found (usually Albemarle County, Virginia, but sometimes Hancock and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a highway in Ohio, the Chicago Botanic Gardens, or Northampton, Massachusetts). Importantly, in addition to the sketches, I included short quotations from the week's climate-related news from a wide variety of sources. I hoped that juxtaposing my intense meditative sketches with mostly grim, but sometimes hopeful news about climate change would make it easier, and more poignant to recognize the gorgeous diversity of what we could lose if action isn't taken immediately.
The original sketches are gathered in a spiral bound Bee Paper notebook; my son forbids me to break up the notebook and sell the originals. So I've made limited edition giclée prints on archival, acid-free bamboo paper. The photography and printing was done at Stubblefield Photo Lab in Charlottesville, VA. All images are copyright 2020 by Suzanne Crane–please do not reproduce without permission. The images on the website each have a small watermark on them to discourage copying.
Unframed limited edition (of 200) prints are $50 each.
Dec 19-25 includes sketches of a great blue heron, spleenwort, and Tartarian aster (dried in the field).


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Beware Stephen Barrett & His Quackwatch
Some of the links, below, became broken and I've had to re-gather some information as Mr. Barrett has done his best to wipe out his history. If links become broken again, I have provided PDF screen captures of the data.
[Note: This is a re-post from an old blog, originally posted on February 27, 2010. I think it's worth sharing because I find this man to be dangerous. He's a liar and a bully and, I'm shining the light on him.]
This guy, Stephen Barrett…he'd have you believe that he is the foremost expert in all things quackery. To him, anything other than mainstream-AMA-backed medicine is useless.
Although he is free to present his opinion, much like the rest of us out here blogging (me, included), do not be fooled by the 'M.D.' at the end of his name. I think he even wrote his own biography on Wikipedia. However, that being expressed, he has gotten himself into quite a bit of trouble in the courts for repeatedly suing people and claiming he was a 'retired psychiatrist'. Carlos F. Negrete of Negrete Law and Health Freedom Law, attorney for Tedd Koren, D.C., got the awful truth out of Mr. Barrett…
At trial, under a heated cross-examination by Negrete, Barrett conceded that he was not a Medical Board Certified psychiatrist because he had failed the certification exam. This was a major revelation since Barrett had provided supposed "expert testimony" as a psychiatrist and had testified in numerous court cases. Barrett also had said that he was a "legal expert" even though he had no formal legal training.
That cross-examination (screen capture PDF) took place in 2005 in Allentown, PA…Mr. Barrett's longtime residence (he was born in New York City in 1933). In 2007, a higher court in Pennsylvania backed up the lower court's decision to dismiss his frivolous lawsuit (original screen capture PDF) (updated screen capture PDF). It was at that point he decided to relocate to Chapel Hill, NC. Perhaps Allentown folks got tired of his crap? I find it amusing that he decided to move to an area that is a hotbed of the very alternative medicine he rails against. The Triangle of North Carolina (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) contains a plethora of natural, homeopathic and holistic practitioners. I'm pretty sure he didn't move to the area to get warm fuzzies from the locals. I think he saw an opportunity to make money harassing and ambulance-chasing gifted healers. He does have legal bills he needs cover.
A Patrick Pontillo operated a now-defunct website (screen capture PDF) on chemical sensitivities (a subject that I know something about). He maintains an additional, similar website, Blue Marble Album. He has an extensive history on Mr. Barrett.
Tim Bolen has his own history of Barrett (screen capture PDF & Web Archived Page) from his website and wrote an article on the Doctor's Data vs Barrett case. Judging by this posted 2016 legal decision, the case was nearly a stalemate but, Barrett's National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) dissolved after the lawsuit began and Quackwatch dissolved before the case came to trial…even though the website is still active and full of hysterical mainstream medical nonsense. "Googling" this case (I really, really dislike that term but, it is, now, part of our language…for better or worse…) will return links stating that the case was "settled, amicably, out of court". Translation: Both parties were tired of fighting after six years. A lawsuit of this size and scope costs money…and time. And, Stephen Barrett is in his 80s. The briefing notes clearly state that both parties were free to re-file and start new court proceedings. That means…more money and more time.
Additional information:
Steven C. Eisen's Commentary: The Tedd Koren Case (Bolen Report)
King Bio Victory/NCAHF, Inc. Loss (Humantics Foundation)
California Appeals Court Bludgeons Quackbusters (Quackpot Watch/Web Archive)
How The Attack On Alternative Medicine Started (Quackpot Watch/Web Archive)
Stephen Barrett: AMA Shill (Whale)
Be very careful when you read this man's so-called "facts". He is no expert. He merely has an opinion and he has tried to beat people over the head with it. Believing that this man is a seasoned doctor with many, many practicing years of experience would be as ridiculous as believing that I am an experienced journalist. I am not and would never claim to be.


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- Paintings
- >
- Haitian Painting By Belgarde
Haitian Painting By Belgarde
per item
Haitian Painting, MADE IN HAITI By Belgarde - 16''w x 12''h
All paintings are on canvas and are not framed. Your canvas painting will be rolled up and shipped in a cardboard tube.
Haitian art is a complex tradition, reflecting African roots with strong Indigenous Amejguirican and European aesthetic and religious influences. It is an important representation of Haitian culture and history.
Let's show the world the beauty of The Real Haiti!
1 available


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BeachFleischman CPAs is an Arizona-based firm. We can serve clients remotely throughout New Hampshire and we're ready to assist you in your international tax needs. The international tax environment is an area of continued scrutiny and
Inbound and Outbound Activities
Outbound international activities:
- U.S. corporations expanding operations overseas, via a foreign subsidiary or branch
- U.S. individuals doing business or investing abroad
- Outbound cross-border transactions; income tax treaty interpretation
Inbound international activities:
- Foreigners coming to the U.S. to invest in U.S. businesses, U.S real estate, or U.S. securities
- Foreign corporations coming to the U.S. to expand operations, via U.S. subsidiary or branch to the foreign entity
How we help
- Assisting clients with structuring cross-border transactions in the most tax-efficient manner.
- Assist foreigners that come to the U.S. to conduct business or invest in U.S. assets.
- Addressing the complexities with the different tax forms that are to be filed when doing business abroad or when certain assets are held abroad.
Our International Tax Services
International Tax Structuring
We team up with foreign attorneys and accountants to come up with the best possible structure considering tax issues in both countries. In Mexico, we have an extensive network of legal and accounting contacts in different parts of the country with different areas of expertise, aside from LEA.
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A foreign corporation will fall under the Passive Foreign Investment Company rules if it meets either the Income test or the Asset Test. Due to these definitions, almost every foreign mutual fund will meet these requirements and will fall under the Passive Foreign Investment Company regime. When opening foreign securities accounts, it's important to know what type of investments will be made and whether they may be considered PFICs.
Foreign Interest in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA)
We have extensive knowledge in navigating the requirements FIRPTA. Our international tax team has helped foreign investors with countless transactions subject to FIRPTA for sales of real estate both in New Hampshire and nationally.
Mexico/U.S. Cross-Border Tax
We work with many U.S. companies and individuals that do business overseas, primarily Mexico and other Latin American countries. We team up with advisors in the foreign countries to provide the best possible support. We represent many Mexican families doing business in the U.S., many which include family members that are dual citizens of the U.S. and Mexico, that are obligated to fully comply with tax obligations that apply to residents of both countries.
Now that there is certainty as to the preferential taxation of qualified dividends, IC-DISC continues to be a great incentive for U.S. companies with significant export activity.
Transfer Pricing
With the increased emphasis on transfer pricing regulations worldwide, companies face an increasing risk of audit by both the IRS and tax authorities throughout the world. Through our Leading Edge Alliance network, our international tax professionals can review your organization's intercompany transactions to ensure you are complying with transfer pricing regulations in the U.S. and abroad.
Voluntary Disclosure Initiative
We assist U.S. citizens that have not been in full compliance with reporting offshore activity and have experience in getting them through the VDI program.
New Hampshire Exports and Jobs
New Hampshire's Top 5 Export Markets
New Hampshire's Goods Exports to the World
New Hampshire exported $5.8 billion in goods to the world in 2019.
New Hampshire's Top Goods Export Sectors
Exports from New Hampshire Metropolitan Areas
|Metro Area
|2018 Goods Export Value
|Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
|Manchester-Nashua, NH
New Hampshire Employment
|Jobs Supported by Goods Exports in 2016
|Jobs Supported by FDI in 2017
*Share of state exports unavailable for MSAs that cross state lines.
Source: Office of Trade and Economic Analysis, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.
Who are we?
BeachFleischman PLLC was formed in 1990, and has grown to be one of the largest locally-owned CPA firms in Arizona and a "Top 200" largest CPA firm in the United States. The firm serves private enterprises, not-for-profit organizations, and entrepreneurs in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and provides a wide range of accounting, assurance, tax, and advisory services.
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Contact our International Tax Team
BeachFleischman CPAs is an Arizona-based firm providing international tax services remotely to individuals and businesses in Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire (NH) and throughout the United States. If you are interested in learning more about how BeachFleischman's tax professionals can assist you, please fill out the submission form below and you will receive a prompt response.


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Wolf Hunting Update [AUDIO]
The Montana wolf hunting season is in its final two weeks.
The Montana legislature rushed through HB 73 last week enabling wolf hunters to take up to three wolves and lowers the cost of a nonresident wolf hunting license from $350 to just $50.
Governor Steve Bullock signed the bill last Wednesday.
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim says as of Friday, hunters have taken 116 wolves, while trappers had harvested 84 for a total of 200.
The wolf hunting and trapping season will officially come to a close on February 28th at sunset.
FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim


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Five Fun Free Family Things To Do This Weekend
FIVE FUN FREE FAMILY THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND!!! March 7, 8 & 9, 2014
5) First Friday Lancaster, tonight (Fri. Mar 7) from 5-9pm in Downtown Lancaster, celebrating the arts, music and community in Lancaster every First Friday. More Info: lancasterarts.com
4) Quilt Preview at MCC Material Resources Center tonight and tomorrow Fri & Sat March 7-8) at the MCC Material Resources Center, West Trout Run Road in Ephrata. View 100 quilts on display that will be sold at the Pennsylvania Relief Sale in Harrisburg on April 4 & 5. Quilt fabric, patterns, books and vintage items will be available for purchase benefiting Mennonite Central Committee. More INfo: 717-733-2847
3) Toronto based, Sweet Sorrows (Sammy Horner and wife Kylie) will be in concert Sunday (March 9th) at 7pm at East Petersburg Mennonite Church in Lancaster. Free event, a love offering will be taken. More info: eastpetemc.org
2) Build with LEGO free-style bricks, Architecture Series Models, simple Technic models and play with an electric train tonight, (Fri. Mar 7) from 6:30-8:30PM at Hammel Associates, East Grant St. in Lancaster. More than 15,000 bricks, plates and specialty pieces. More Info: (717) 393-3713
1) Cabin Fever, tomorrow (Sat Mar 8) 11am-2pm – Moore's Chapel UMC in Elkton, MD. Cabin Fever brings together more than two dozen non-profit, outdoors-minded organizations from three states. Zoos, Parks, Nature Centers, Therapeutic Horseback and more. Admission and every activity, craft or demonstration offered is free. More Info: mooreschapel.org


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Google's Android Conquers Almost 50 Percent Of Smartphone Market
Google's Android platform has taken almost 50 percent of the global smartphone market, dominating in the Asia-Pacific region, research firm Canalys said on Monday.
Android, which Google acquired in 2005 and launched on phones in 2008, is used by almost all the major phone makers including HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung.
It was the number one platform in 35 of the 56 countries Canalys tracks, resulting in a market share of 48 percent, the research firm said.
By comparison, Apple, which shipped 20.3 million iPhones, is a distant second with a market share of 19 percent but it overtook ailing Finnish handset maker Nokia as the world's largest individual smartphone vendor.
Samsung also overtook Nokia but Canalys said the South Korean handset maker could have done better.
"Samsung has failed to fully capitalize on Nokia's weakened state around the world, as the Finnish company rides out a challenging transitional period," Canalys analyst Chris Jones said.
"It's the best placed vendor to grow at Nokia's expense, taking advantage of its global scale and channel reach, but it hasn't yet done enough to capitalize on this, particularly in emerging markets."
Samsung, which sells Android smartphones as well as its own branded devices, shipped some 17 million devices, a rise of 421 percent versus a year ago.
Android's success however comes with a headache for Google and its vendors.
Its Android mobile software has attracted a lawsuit from Oracle, while handset makers using the software have also been sued by both Apple and Microsoft, which claims an existing, perpetual license to Nortel patents.
Microsoft, whose own presence in the smartphone market is a mere 1 percent, receives money from deals reached with some Android handset makers but is pressing for more.
Last month, Apple, Microsoft and Blackberry maker RIM teamed up with three other companies to outbid Google at an auction for Nortel's wireless patents, which could result in big licensing fees for Google.
That move may run into legal obstacles.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting people familiar with the matter, reported that the U.S. Department of Justice is intensifying an investigation into whether Apple, Microsoft and Research in Motion could use the recently acquired trove of patents to unfairly hobble competing smartphones using Google's Android software.
Unfazed by its failure to acquire the Nortel patents, Google, which has been hampered by a lack of intellectual property in wireless telephony, is said to have held talks about buying U.S. wireless chip technology company InterDigital to boost its patent portfolio.
InterDigital, which has a market value of $3.11 billion and 2010 revenues of $395 million, said earlier this week its board was evaluating strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company or of its patents.
Reporting by Nicola Leske; Editing by David Cowell)
© Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. All rights reserved.
US, India Raise Concerns Over Chinese Research Ship's Potential Visit To Sri Lanka
World Bank Chief Pledges To Reform 'Dysfunctional' Development Lender
India's Foreign Minister Hits Back At Canada, Slams 'Organized Crime, Violence, Extremism' In The Country
US Says Amazon Running Illegal Monopoly In Online Retail
EU Tells Apple Chief To 'Open Up' To Rivals
Rich Nations, China Must Accelerate Race To Net Zero: IEA
Countries With Influence Are Resisting Change In A World Of 'Double Standards': Indian Minister
'Are We Safe?' Mixed Emotions For Venezuelan Migrants Reaching The US
Taiwan Should Aspire To Make Itself 'Indigestible' To China, Says Expert
Hi, Robot: Machines Take Over At China's Asian Games
Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinians In West Bank Raid: Ministry


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By Tina Rosenberg on The New York Times
June 19, 2015 7:00 AM
"Elle is a mess. She's actually talented, attractive and good at her job, but she feels like a fraud — convinced that today's the day she'll flunk a test, lose a job, mess up a relationship. Her colleague Moody also sabotages himself. He's a hardworking, nice person, but loses friends because he's grumpy, oversensitive and gets angry for no reason.
If you suffer from depression or anxiety as Elle and Moody do, spending time with them could help. They are characters in a free online program of cognitive behavioral therapy called MoodGYM, which leads users through quizzes and exercises — therapy without the therapist.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a commonly used treatment for depression, anxiety and other conditions. With it, the therapist doesn't ask you about your mother — or look at the past at all.
Instead, a cognitive behavioral therapist aims to give patients the skills to manage their moods by helping them identify unhelpful thoughts like "I'm worthless," "I'll always fail" or "people will always let me down." Patients learn to analyze them and replace them with constructive thoughts that are more accurate or precise. For example, a patient could replace "I fail at everything" with "I succeed at things when I'm motivated and I try hard." That new thought in turn changes feelings and behaviors.
The success of cognitive behavioral therapy is well known; many people consider it the most effective therapy for depression. What is not widely known, at least in the United States, is that you don't need a therapist to do it. Scores of studies have found that online C.B.T. works as well as conventional face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy – as long a there is occasional human support or coaching. "For common mental disorders like anxiety and depression, there is no evidence Internet-based treatment is less effective than face-to-face therapy," said Pim Cuijpers, professor of clinical psychology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and a leading researcher on computer C.B.T.
MoodGYM, the pioneer, was developed by Australian psychologists in 2001. Now there are several similar programs in wide use and with good evidence behind them (and lots of junk programs that are completely ineffective).
MoodGYM and its kin are important because untreated mental illness is a huge global problem. Depression is the leading cause of disability for women worldwide, and the second-leading cause for men. If medical care is hard to come by in much of the world — in rural Indiana as well as rural India — mental health care is often impossible to get. In the United States, at least half of major depression goes untreated, and in very poor countries the figure is close to 100 percent.
Why don't people get treated? Many don't know they have a treatable disease, or don't believe that treatment will help them. Some know they have a problem, but the stigma of mental illness keeps them from facing it and seeking help.
Online therapy can't do much about those barriers. But it can help people who stay sick because there are no therapists nearby, who fear being judged or embarrassed in therapy, who can't take time off from work, or for whom the cost of treatment is too high. It allows people to carry therapy around in their pockets, use it at 2 a.m., and pay nothing or nearly nothing.
In the late 1990s, Helen Christensen, a mental health researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, and her colleague Kathleen Griffiths worked with local designers to create MoodGYM, which was adopted by Australia's national health system six years ago. Christensen is now the chief scientist at the mood-disorder research Black Dog Institute (named after Winston Churchill's famous term for his own depression), where she researches and designs more online programs. Among these are BiteBack for teenagers and MyCompass, which aims to treat anxiety, stress and depression in mature adults (MoodGYM is pitched younger, although older people use it, too). MyCompass is designed in small chunks, "something you can do at the bus stop on your mobile phone," said Christensen. Both are available to anyone with a computer worldwide.
MoodGYM was controversial when it first came out. "People did feel threatened," said Christensen. "They said it's unethical, harmful – you're doing damage and you don't know it. Or you're stopping people from getting the real help they need."
But MoodGYM has been widely successful, without the predicted consequences. About 100,000 Australians use it each year, as do people in 200 countries.
Australia is ground zero, but other online cognitive behavioral therapy programs are also widely used in the Netherlands, Sweden and Britain. In 2007, the British National Health Service began covering a program called FearFighter for phobias and anxiety, and another program, Beating the Blues, for depression. Both can be used for no cost through participating National Health Service doctors, or bought to use alone. Beating the Blues costs the equivalent of $237. FearFighter is $154, or $313 if you want telephone support from clinicians.
In a medical setting, most doctors use online therapy in what's called a stepped model. Patients with mild to moderate problems start with the computer program, checking in every so often with a therapist or case manager. Those who don't get better are then treated face to face by a therapist and, if that doesn't work, by a specialist. (Patients with very serious issues start with in-person therapy.)
Online therapy is effective against an astonishing variety of disorders. A Swedish survey of studies found that online C.B.T. has been tested for 25 different ones. It was most effective for depression, anxiety disorders, severe health anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, female sexual dysfunction, eating disorders, cannabis use and pathological gambling. "Comparison to conventional C.B.T. showed that [online] C.B.T. produces equivalent effects," the researchers concluded.
Cuijpers said there were fewer studies of online therapy to treat insomnia, pain and alcohol abuse, but what's been done has shown good effects. (Last week the Upshot published one contributor's story of his success using online C.B.T. for insomnia.)
MoodGYM, like some other programs, can be completely self-guided. People who use these programs alone tend to see a small but significant effect — the program helps, but not as much as the same program with occasional human contact. That could be check-ins with a therapist, but it doesn't have to be. The human could be a case manager or possibly a peer. Encouragement and support are what count, not expertise.
The main reason self-guided C.B.T. doesn't work as well is that people tend to stop using it. The human touch encourages people to stick with it. One study of adolescents found that almost 60 percent of users stopped MoodGYM after the first module when they were working unsupported on their own. When the same program was used with monitoring and support, only 10 percent stopped.
"Well, it's called Mood Gym," said Marcia Valenstein, a psychiatrist at the University of Michigan Medical School who is researching online C.B.T. with peer support among veterans at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System. "Even the gym gym people are enthusiastic and go for a day or so — and then they stop."
Michigan is one of the few places in America working with cognitive behavioral therapy online. Others are Kaiser Permanente in Oakland and the University of Pittsburgh. (The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is a co-owner of the American version of Beating the Blues.)
Why so few? One possible reason for America's resistance is that doctors fear lawsuits; what if a patient whom a doctor starts with an online program commits a mass murder? (Perhaps wide access to online therapy plus gun control would be a good plan.)
Also, the American medical system likes to have testing done in the United States before it takes something seriously. The extensive research with Australian, British, Swedish and Dutch patients might not be persuasive here.
Perhaps most important is the lack of an influential champion. Ideas don't spread by themselves. And just as important would be bringing online C.B.T. to the attention of the World Health Organization. Poor countries are where it's needed most.
The reception for online cognitive behavioral therapy isn't uniformly warm — and the dissenters are not just therapists worried about being put out of business (if only untreated depression were that scarce a commodity). One big issue is that someone seriously ill might waste time tootling around with an online program, not realizing he needs more help. Or he might use a program that isn't right for him. It's safer, of course, if a therapist sees the patient and then prescribes online therapy. That's an efficient use of therapists — but it still requires a therapist, and that negates some of online C.B.T.'s advantages.
Over all, the benefits of online cognitive behavioral therapy are persuasive. It allows people who could not otherwise get therapy to get it — and can help psychotherapists and specialists focus on more complex cases. It saves money for patients and health systems. And the online clinic never closes. When you can't sleep for worry and it's 3 a.m., your therapist is there for you
Customization is another benefit. Bruce L. Rollman, an internist who is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is studying an online program that uses cognitive behavioral therapy to treat depression in a range of cases, even as he employs face-to-face therapy in research with heart patients — a group in which depression is common. Depression can kill in many ways. One is by keeping you from dealing with other illnesses; people who are depressed are less likely to take their meds and do their exercises. So one way to treat heart disease is to treat any accompanying depression. "And if you apply depression treatment to high-cost patients, you are much more likely to save money," said Rollman.
Ricardo Muñoz, a professor of clinical psychology at Palo Alto University, sees online C.B.T. as a tool for preventing depression. "We know that if a person develops a major depressive episode, the likelihood of another one goes to 50 percent, up from 17 percent," he said. "After that, the likelihood of another goes to 70 and then 90 percent. Obviously, we need to be preventing the first one."
Face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches people skills they can use to improve their mood, is well-suited for prevention of depression. But the health insurance system is not. No one will pay for face-to-face therapy for someone who doesn't yet have a disorder. There is a clear need here for the online version.
Why stop there? Muñoz envisions translating and adapting the basic therapy to tailor it to different syndromes, co-illnesses and languages: a Swahili-speaking kidney dialysis patient with depression could get exactly the right program. "I dream of systematically filling in a grid in which columns are health issues (smoking, depression, anxiety, obesity, pain, alcohol and other substance abuse and so on) and the rows are languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, etc.)," he wrote in an email. "This is totally within our ability to do right now. We have the knowledge and the digital tools.""


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Do Yourself a Favor and See Dredd 3D Instead of Taken 2
Taken 2 is where crap becomes unwatchable crap. Its 2008 predecessor was garbage, too, but at least it was well-paced garbage. For a while, Taken 2 is one of those cookie-cutter sequels that goes beat-for-beat with what came before it, a la Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The plot-point repetition alone makes for an over-the-top experience that actually seems to be owning up to its junkiness. It's just too ridiculous.
We get more evidence of how overprotective Liam Neeson's retired CIA agent character Bryan Mills is of his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). We get more signs of how superficially out-of-touch he is (a denim shirt with Western snaps is the new disposable camera). We see another scene of him kickin' it al fresco with his boys. And then, when the inevitable abduction goes down (this time it's in Istanbul), he's once again on the phone with his daughter, spouting a twist on what he said to her last time around: "Listen to me carefully, Kim. Your mother and I are going to be taken..."
And then they are and the film falls into a superhero stupor: Mills simply cannot fail. In an incredibly complicated scene that I'm not sure has any logical foundation, a captive Mills instructs his daughter over the phone to draw a series of circles on a map and use a shoestring as a guide and throw a grenade outside of her hotel window so that he can get a sense of how far away he is from his starting point. As the search goes on, she throws a few more grenades, at which point we must ask ourselves if the three lives in peril are worth the thousands they're putting at risk by using explosives for sound cues. Anyway, it works. After having slipped out of his restraints 15 seconds after his captors leave the room, Mills guides his daughter's run across the roofs of Istanbul directly to the building in which he and his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen, with an infuriatingly unflattering dead-soul black dye job) are being held. Kim throws a gun down the vent that that he just used to send a steam signal, the clip falls out, the bad guys enter. I don't need to give you a spoiler alert to report that he gets his firepower sorted out in the nick of time.
I know, I know: It's a shitty action movie. Let it be that and accept its outlandishness as something that comes with the genre. I would, but the fundamental problem with Taken 2 is its ridiculousness is bogged down with one of the dullest protagonists in recent b-movie memory. Bryan Mills' scraps of idiosyncrasy are clichéd and boring. He's an old fart who snaps into mania when his family is threatened like every other animal on the planet. He's annoying and embarrassing - recall him soliciting advice from the pop star in the first installment - and his movies seem to have no grasp of that.
A few more lessons are predictably lost on the sequel: Kim still hasn't learned to put her cell (Taken 2 never stops iPhoning you) on ring, and the entire family still hasn't learned to stop traveling internationally. Yes, the relatives of the Europeans you killed the last time around are still going to be pissed off when you go back. After all, you have an action movie to manifest.
Taken 2 goes for the mindless action of the '70s and '80s, but it is too restrained and polite to be true exploitation fare. It's somewhere between the Death Wish franchise with its balls cut off, and Hostel 2 with the balls intact. The most badass thing about this movie is that its director's last name is "Megaton." It's a shame that this thing will get infinitely more attention than the weeks-old Dredd 3D has gotten (a paltry $12 million at the domestic box office so far, and counting, but for how much longer?). That movie is superior in every way, hitting deadpan and absurdly gory heights that Taken 2 keeps at a hemisphere's length. Pete Travis's film hits the overdrive button with more conscious precision than any other film this year (Rock of Ages came close in raw camp value). In the '80s, this might have packed theaters and definitely would have won the rest of its inevitably rabid audience over by being played on a loop on premium cable. Now, it struggles to find viewers. I hope that it will at some point, because it feels like a new classic of cinematic excess.
Dredd 3D is morally ambiguous (in hyper-saturated, gorgeously sparkling scenes, it shows you what's so good about the drug that's at the root of its chaos, SLO-MO), features Lena Headey (Game of Thrones' Cersei Lannister) playing Sharon Stone playing a scabby, methed-out drug boss and is the source of the most artful depiction of a body splattering against pavement in the history of cinema. It never runs out of ways to top itself, a tower of hilarity and excitement.
Pushing for a truce near Taken 2's end, Bryan Mills tells his adversary, "I am tired of it all." Yeah, and you feel it in every second of his dull movie. Dredd 3D, meanwhile, barely stops to take a breath - and when it does it's because it's so fucked up, an astonishingly massive garbage truck high on its own fumes.


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Dessert Ten Ways - Book Blitz
Title: Dessert Ten Ways Series: Sexy Ten #1
By: Kariss Stone
Publication Date: April 28, 2017
Genre: Erotica
The best things in life are sweet!
Charlotte Castle couldnât believe her luck, meeting hunky businessman Eric Madison, her sexual equal in every way. Full of creative ideas, he knew exactly how to spice up the sex using desserts, with often interesting results! From Pavlova to Chocolate Mousse, from Sticky Date Pudding to Bombe Alaska, sheâd never look at these desserts the same way again. Sugar rush. Sexual high.
Fun and playful sex with no-strings attached.
The only relationship he wanted.
She understood what sheâd signed up for.
But what if she starts wanting more?
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Dessert Story No 1
âStrawberry Dreamâ
(using strawberries and cream)
His eyes narrowed and sparked with desire as he placed a couple of cream-coated strawberry bits just inside my mound. âNow this is how I like my strawberries and cream.â
I pushed my head back into the soft cushioning, hunger filling me, impatient hips rising. âSuck me now, Eric!â I wriggled, needing his touch.
Dipping his head between my thighs, he swirled his tongue around my pussy lips, before touching my swollen clit, eager tongue colliding with engorged flesh.
Breath hissed out of me. I clenched the edge of the leather sofa with my hands, as my inner muscles tightened with the clawing need to release. Fire licked my body. âOh Eric⦠Ericâ¦â I moaned. How Iâd wanted this. So badly. Only dreamed of being touched like this. And now it was happening.
His tonguing increased, became faster as loud moans escaped my lips. I glanced down. When his head bobbed up, he smiled, and I saw little bits of creamy strawberry on his mouth and nose. Then his head was back between my thighs, as he delved into my hot wetness and twirled with lush flicks of his tongue. Liquid heat ignited inside me. âEricâ¦â I was close, yet holding back to draw out the torture inflicted on me. My fingers gripped the leather couch tighter. I panted as my hips flexed faster into his lapping tongue.
My flesh pulsed as he blew a long, slow stream of hot air into me. My body jerked. His mouth a wicked sin to my senses.
Dessert Story No 3
âSticky Momentsâ
(using ridged dates and caramel fudge)
When she dipped a fresh date into the sauce and caressed my sacs with it, making the gooey mixture mingle with my pubic hair, my balls tightened, my body sung and I succumbed to the erotic power she wielded, knowing I could never stop having sex with this woman.
Withdrawing her mouth, she ordered me to turn around. I loved the fact she was taking charge, promptly doing as I was told so my back was now to her front. I started pulling on my dick, unable to hold back. Breath hissed between my clenched teeth as she worked her special type of magic in my ass.
Looking back and downwards, I watched as she discarded the date sheâd just used, grabbed a fresh one and dipped it into the fudge.
After crouching down on the floor, she parted my ass cheeks and circled the warm fudge-covered date around my back hole, lubricating the area. My breath hitched as the dateâs ridges grazed the puckered skin and sauce warmed the area. I moaned as a gooey finger slipped inside me. Fucking hell!
Dessert Story No. 4
âBanana Excite
(using choc-dipped bananas)
She licked her lips in a provocative tease, a wicked gleam sparking in her eyes before she beckoned me with her sultry smile and come-hither look.
Voyeuristic sex. She clearly didnât care who saw them. My cock grew harder.
After picking up a firm banana from the table next to her, she slowly peeled off the skin, with a what-are-you-waiting-for expression on her face.
Desire arrowed straight to my groin and my hands lowered to my cock where I started jacking myself off, loving watching her, watching me, as twilight silhouetted her luscious curves.
Waiting. Ready. Hungry. Eager. I wanted her more than ever before.
With her gaze locked on me, she dipped the banana in the warm chocolate sauce, maneuvering it all around the bowl until half of it was coated. With her lips curved suggestively, she lifted out the banana, letting the melted sweetness drip down the rest of it.
Wanting her as badly as I needed to breathe, I advanced closer, grabbed the banana from her hand and got down on my knees until my head perfectly aligned with her pussy. First I dipped one finger inside her. Moistness seeped onto it and I rolled my eyes, loving how easily my angel got turned on. As she spread her legs apart, she pushed her hips out to meet me and I slowly eased the half choc-coated banana inside of her, little by little, entranced as her slick flesh expanded with each push I made.
She gripped the balcony fence rail behind her, dipping her head back. âOh yes, Eric...â she whimpered, âjust like thatâ¦â
Dessert Story No. 8
âOnce Liquored, Never Shyâ
(using liqueur-filled chocolates)
Something cold squirted into my pussy. I gasped, jerking in my seat, unable to do so unobtrusively. Eric lifted up the end of the tablecloth in front of me for a moment. The strong smell of peach vodka from inside one of the chocolates hit my nostrils and sent my senses soaring.
He whispered up at me, âI think Iâm going to get drunk on the vapors.â
I chuckled and he placed the tablecloth back down. A few seconds later, his tongue was there, and he was licking and swirling the liqueur in and around my delicate folds.
Oh God... He was so skilled with his tongueâ¦.
At that moment, the waitress came up to me. âEh...you e il signor would likar zee dessert, si?â
âUm... Eee!â I squealed. The guys and girls at the group table immediately turned their heads to look at me, as did the man seated with the woman. Did they suspect something? And would Eric still be this risqué if the restaurant was packed?
âMi Scusi. You are hokay?â the waitress asked.
Oh yes, Iâm just having a guy licking liqueur out of my pussy! âYes, yes Iâm fine.â
Ericâs tonguing got quicker as he centered around my clit, obviously knowing the waitress was right there. My clit throbbed under his expert caress and my mouth went completely dry as desire rippled through me.
I gulped. A fine sheen of sweat broke out on my forehead. âAh... can you give usâ¦â I stopped, gritted my teeth as Eric gave me another wide swirl with his tongue. âAnothâanother...tenâ¦ten minutes?â
The waitress gave me a strange look but nodded and walked away.
I met the gaze of the woman sitting at the table with her husband. The woman winked at me and gave me a this-can-just-be-our-little secret smile. Right then, two of Ericâs fingers went deep inside me and my mind immediately went back to what was happening underneath the table. I sucked in a sharp breath as he circled me while drawing on my clit with his tongue, breathing his hot breath there, suckling me.
Breath hissed between my clenched teeth. Liquid desire pooled further within my pussy. I heard lapping sounds from underneath the table where he was licking me ravenously, making my nerve endings twitter with delight. My sex clenched as he gave me another well-positioned flick with his tongue and I struggled to hold back as he drove me toward a spiral of lust I never wanted to end.
End of book excerpt:
I studied Eric. His shoulders relaxed, his hands unclasped from his lap. Had he thought Iâd bring up the âI love youâ issue again with him? It had crossed my mind. A part of me wanted to, then I remembered what Iâd signed up for with Eric in the beginningâa casual affair and nothing more serious. Maybe in time it could be something more, if I didnât press the issue now.
âAnd Iâve got just the idea for our next sexual adventure,â he added, giving me a devilish grin.
Already? âWow, that was quick.â
âIt will take our sex to a whole different level.â
âReally? In what way?â
He shook his head, his eyes glinting.
âYouâre not going to tell me?â
Now I couldnât walk away, even if I wanted to, not when he piqued my interest like this.
THE END⦠For now.
www.bindarracreekromance.com To find out more about Simone/Kariss and her books please visit: Website (Kariss Stone) â https://www.karissstone.com Facebook (Kariss Stone) â https://www.facebook.com/kariss.stone Website (Simone Angela) â https://simonecooper.wordpress.com
Thrills Ten Places
The Finale Book
âThrills Ten Placesâ © (A âSexy Tenâ erotica novel).
The finale of Eric and Charlotteâs journey to love.
Book # 2 in the âSexy Tenâ series
The follow on book to âDessert Ten Waysâ
Is too much of a good thing wrong?
Intimacy in a grocery store, on the back of a bus, in the surf, a nightclub, a cable car. Just for starters! Eric takes his and Charlotteâs âthrillsâ sex to an all new high.
But Charlotteâs feelings for him grow to the point where a casual affair is no longer enough. Even though she risks losing him, she has to let him know how she feels.
Will Eric overcome his fear of love and commitment or will Charlotte have to walk away from the only man sheâs ever loved?
Thrills Story No. 2
âFruit Igniteâ
(In the back of a small grocery shop)
He circled the banana underneath a breast, popping open a couple of buttons of my shirt in the process. If my hands werenât braced against the shelf behind me, Iâd have slid to the ground. I gripped the edge of the box, watching breathlessly as he pulled my shirttails out from my skirt. His eyes grew darker, his jaw tight.
He eased the banana tip inside the waistband of my skirt, before trailing it down to the sensitive area above my mons and my jaw locked. When he blew softly at the side of my neck at the same time, like feathers were touching my skin, I almost succumbed right then.
âTouch my pussy,â I whispered, lifting my skirt to give him better access.
âMy pleasure.â With the blunt end of the banana he rubbed the crotch of my thong, dipping the tip into the crease, twirling it around. My body tingled as his circling increased.
âOh my God. Ericâ¦â My words were a desperate plea.
âYes, baby, yes.â His raspy voice slid over me like a cool satin slip and I melted into him as easily as chocolate in a hot pan. Thrills raced up my spine. His dark, hungry eyes drew me in further, held me captive, his freshly showered scent invaded my senses. I couldnât get enough of him. When his hard cock pressed into my stomach, I tipped my head back, and let out a breathy sigh, wanting more, needing more. I wished he could have taken me right here and now, hoist me up on top of the fruit trays and do me rough and wild until the whole fruit section was a mess on the concrete floor. Fruit Ignite indeed! And what a fun, glorious mess we would create.
He captured my clit through the thin fabric with the circling banana, as if determined to make me come, regardless of being sprung.
I circled my hips faster into his quickening assault, as his cock twitched against my lower stomach. I had to grab it, reaching my hand inside the waist band of his shorts and underpants, capturing his thickness, rubbing in the drop of pre-cum lingering at his tip.
âOh baby,â he whispered hoarsely as I encircled his shaft and masturbated him. âHarder baby.â
Thrills Story No. 3
âMoving Pleasureâ
(in the back of a bus)
My pussy throbbed with need. Desire ignited inside me like matches lit in quick succession. Oh yes⦠yes⦠Eric, right thereâ¦Oh my god, Eric⦠If the seats werenât covered with fabric, Iâd have slid right off the edge and jammed my knees against the seat in front.
Completely intent on his mission, his fingers not deviating once from their task, he eased another finger inside me to join the first, stirring up more of my juices. My body gave an involuntary little jerk. His eyes didnât flinch as he kept his intense gaze glued to me, his fingers continuing to play sweet music inside me, his other hand making light circles around my inner thigh to add to the overwhelming sensations coursing through my body.
I let out another high-pitched, forced laugh, causing the group of girls four rows in front to turn and look at me for a moment before resuming their conversation.
âUh-uh-uh,â he chided in a murmur as he kissed my earlobe, his fingers still circling inside me. He increased the friction with his fingers so much I had to clench my thighs together.
âRemember what I said?â
I leant into him and whispered in his ear, âYou expect me to pretend like nothingâs happening when youâre doing things like this to me? Do you have any idea how close I am to coming?â
âYes.â His tone was rough. âI can feel it, and itâs driving me wild.â
Thrills Story No. 4
âThe Wet Rush
(in the ocean)
With my back to the ocean and every wave gently breaking behind me, he shoved his cock deeper into me, his eyes dark. Another small, smooth wave, another inch inside, and this time he gave me a sexy grin.
Then he pulled his cock out, and dipped his fingers into my bikini bottom, swirling them inside me like a stirrer in a cocktail.
âHow about this?â he murmured.
âYesâ¦â I uttered breathlessly as he circled me faster. A wave bigger than the others pushed me forward, pushed his fingers deeper into me.
His thumb stroked over my clit and I didnât care if anybody saw me come.
âI want your cock again.â My words a desperate plea.
âYour wish is my command.â
My legs were still wrapped around him, holding him tight. The waves grew choppier, but it made it easier for his cock to slide into me. We rocked together without anybody knowing that we were up to no good.
âOh, Eric,â I rasped, tingly all over as he brought me close to orgasm with his magic fingers.
Thrills Story No. 6
âPassion in the Dark
(in the night-club)
He sucked in a breath between gritted teeth.
Amidst his own arousal, how he was able to finger me I didnât know. My orgasm built under his expert tuition. I parted my legs wider, encouraging him, wanting him to draw out more of my juices. The light was almost here again. I didnât careâ¦
I barely registered the loud music echoing around us. Tucked away in our little dark corner, it was perfect. I attuned myself to nothing except his fingers moving within me, plucking my response like fingers on a harp.
âHarder, faster,â he demanded, matching this order by fingering me faster and harder. âOh yeah, thatâs it, baby. Fuck!â
His cock twitched, thickened. Pulsed. I knew he was holding back.
He pulled out his fingers with my essence glistening on them, and coated my lips, right when the beam smothered us in harsh white light.
The light disappeared again and he lifted my dress, yanked my panties down, leant over my lap and started sucking my exposed clit, his tongue brandishing inside me like a sword in battle. He knew exactly what to do to bring me to the brink.
Breath held, I tossed my head back, squeezing my eyes shut.
Repositioning himself, he rose and whispered in my ear. âWe have about five seconds before the lights hits us. Youâre so close to coming itâs driving me fucking crazy.â
Note from author: Charlotte decides half way through the story that she can finally no longer deny whatâs in her heart. She wants to be more than just Ericâs sexual partnerâ¦
(after the night-club sex session)
So this was it, my inner voice told me as I settled into my chair in a little café on George Street. My heart raced. I was no longer happy with a casual affair and he gave no indication he wanted more with me.
Tonight I would confess my feelings, put my heart on the line and risk him walking away because I wanted more than he could give. Panic settled in my chest like a boulder at the thought he could up and leave without any regrets. But I wouldnât be deterred.
Kateâs pep-talk on the phone the morning after my wild nightclub sex had confirmed my course of action.
Maybe Eric had no idea Iâd fallen for him over the past few months.
âEarth calling Charlotte.â
Ericâs voice snapped me out of my musings. âSorryâwhat?â
âI asked if you wanted some wine with our dinner.â He narrowed curious eyes my way. âIs everything okay?â
âUm, yes, everythingâs fine. And that sounds good. Thank you.â
The conversation over dinner was quiet, mostly about my family and an update on the embezzlement drama. But thereâd been awkwardness too after bouts of uncomfortable silence. Thereâd been forced conversation at other times, even from him. Had he somehow suspected what was bothering me? Our desserts in front of us, I decided Iâd been chicken long enough. My hand shook as I placed my spoon on my plate. âEric, a couple of days ago I said I had to tell you something important.â I paused, waiting for his reaction.
His eyes met mine and he placed the spoonful of chocolate pudding and ice-cream heâd been about to eat back on his plate. âYes?â A hint of wariness sounded in his tone. Did he have any idea what was coming?
I chewed my lower lip, scared of being vulnerable, wondering how heâd react, and knowing this could be the end for us.
He reached out and clasped my hands. âAre you okay?â
My heart thumped in my chest and I removed my hands from his grasp, instead reaching for the serviette and clutching it tightly in my fist. Gaze locked on him, I said, âEric, Iâm in love with you.â My heart stuttered. Fear, uncertainty, and hope hit me all at once. I could no longer deny the blatant truth Iâd buried for so long. I licked my lips, my breathing quickening as I waited for his response. Had I blown it? Would he get up and walk out of my life?
âYouâ¦you love me?â was all he said, his eyes widening. âReally?â
Courage and boldness seeped into me. I owed it to myself to be completely honest with him. âYes. Iâve loved you for a while and I can no longer hide it. You told me you loved me back in that Athens hospital two months ago. I never brought it up again, but now⦠I need to.â
A muscle ticked in his jaw and his grip tightened on his water glass.
âWhile our new sexual adventure is thrilling, I want more.â There was no point shying away from the hard truths. âI donât want us to have a casual relationship. I understand this might scare you away.â My gaze held his. âBut Iâm prepared to risk it, to go for what I want.â
His gaze dropped to the melting ice-cream on his plate.
Was he wondering how to respond?
Optimistic, I waited.
When he cast his gaze back to me, a solemn look appeared on his face. âYou know Iâve never been in a serious relationship before,â he remarked. âI mean Iâve had short term flings, but nothing more serious than that.â
That made sense. You couldnât be sexy like Eric and not have females throwing themselves at you. He didnât strike me as a man who would have to actively go looking for a good time.
I softened my voice when I spoke again. âLove scares you, doesnât it? Thatâs why youâve steered clear of it all these years.â
He pushed his plate away and fell silent.
âBeing in a loving relationship doesnât have to be frightening,â I pointed out, hoping I wouldnât come across like a soapbox preacher. âAnd I know this might be hard for you, because youâve probably never opened up your heart to a woman.â I paused, conviction and determination taking center stage in my heart and mind. âBut I need you to.â
âOr else youâll walk away?â
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Sunday, Jan. 13 — all the top 20 cryptocurrencies are seeing slight to moderate losses in the 24 hours to press time. Bitcoin's (BTC) price has fallen below $3,600 again, according to Coin360 data.
Market visualization from Coin360
At press time, Bitcoin is down over 2 percent on the day, trading at around $3,568. Looking at its weekly chart, the current price is lower than the intra-week high of $4,109 — registered on Jan. 8 — and is also lower than $3,869, which is the value of one bitcoin last Sunday.
Bitcoin 7-day price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap
Ripple (XRP) is down nearly 2 percent on the day, trading at around $0.323 at press time. On the weekly chart, the current price is lower than $0.357, the price at which XRP started the week — and notably lower than $0.380, the midweek high reported on Jan. 2.
Ripple 7-day price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap
Ethereum (ETH) has seen its value decrease by over 6 percent over the last 24 hours. At press time, ETH is trading at around $118, having started the day around $127. On the weekly chart, Ethereum's current value is significantly lower than $153, the price at which the coin started the week.
Ethereum 7-day chart. Source: CoinMarketCap
Among the top 20 cryptocurrencies, the ones experiencing the most notable losses are Tron, which is down over 9 percent, and Bitcoin SV, which is down nearly 8 percent.
The combined market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies — currently equivalent to about $119.6 billion — is lower than $132.3 billion, the value it reported one week ago. The current value is also notably lower than the intra-week high of $138.7 billion reported on Jan. 6.
Total crypto market cap 7-day chart. Source: CoinMarketCap
As Cointelegraph recently reported, Google (Alphabet Inc.) has reportedly blacklisted keywords mentioning Ethereum (ETH) on its advertising platform Google Ads.
Also this week, an analyst recently declared the number of active Bitcoin wallets, many of which have long been dormant, has seen an uptick that could herald major market movements.