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Research Article - (2013) Volume 4, Issue 5
We experimented in natural products a long period of reductionism and simplification to avoid any complexity as a boring and tedious disturb, coupled with countless attempts to adapt plants to the inappropriate role of biofactories of selected substances. However nowadays new approaches are radically changing the natural substances utilizations. Among several others, two factors were determinant: the appearance of a plethora of successful new products and the revival request for Mother Nature's gifts. To be validated the new products are urgently asking for science and technology support. In this paper we will examine some items concerning the analytical aspects of botanicals, using as target the determination of compositions of raw materials and as main tool the HPTLC, High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography, fingerprint approach. Practical examples of HPTLC analyses, derived from applications on market products, are here reported and discussed in order to present an information about the benefits of HPTLC and when it is useful to use it, including limits and crisscross with other analytical tools.
Keywords: HPTLC; Botanicals; Fingerprint; Medicinal plants
XXI started as the century of radical changes: cultural changes marked by global communications, climate changes going to remodel planet biosphere, resource changes due to the end of fuel supply, life changes with the main diseases defeated and expectations for a longer time for life. However, main changes are expected in basic needs that mean food and health for new types of living styles.
The new forms of natural substances utilization consists into a composited galaxy of novel products proposals, first qualified as food supplements, now including nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, medical devices, herbal drug preparations and others, collectively named as botanicals for the plant prevalent origin. Next step, as natural evolution of this trend, will be the fusion of nutritional and health aspects in the multifunctional food [1].
In any useful and safe utilization of the new products, the guarantee of composition must be inferred, that means a classic, typical and exclusive analytical matter. In this case, composition must be referred to complex mixtures and related to the claimed activity, avoiding adulterant addition or changes to improve natural properties.
Initially, composition in food supplements was considered as result of the presence of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, but nowadays it is also due to the presence of "other substances". Other substances are essentially medicinal plant extracts, often also used as foods or spices.
he impact of these products, containing ingredients with nutritional and physiological effects, can be evidenced by the market data. In 2009 the EU market of food supplements is estimated about 10-15 billions of euros [2], with "other substances" accounting for half of this figure. Italy is the leader in "other substances" products with about 1454 millions euros involved and one third of the population regularly consuming food supplements [3], in accordance with a long and current tradition in herbal products. Also regional request plays an important role: in Italy the market is mainly covered by probiotics/ prebiotics and herbal products, whereas UK, Denmark and Finland are great consumers of fish oil, due to the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids products request.
Natural products used in "other substances" products are essentially of plant origins, obtained from raw materials, wild or cultivated, fresh or dried. Extractions, made in several ways allow the separation and purification of natural products, mainly secondary metabolites, from primary metabolites and basic materials, like components of cell wall. Further steps are focused on obtaining forms similar to pharmaceuticals and able to facilitate acceptance, conservation and utilization. Therefore, post harvesting steps mean a lot of technology to change the natural aspect into a product completely different from the starting plant but appealing in order to be considered useful beside the nutritional aspect. The range of these products is very broad and so far any possibility of contamination between natural products was allowed, including the addition of defined quantity of single substances, like berberine or caffeine, to mixtures of plant extracts. The need of validation of botanicals has generated a scientific tendency to develop efficient analytical tools. This paper is focused on the last advances in analytical quality controls of botanicals, in particular on HPTLC applications.
HPTLC is the new analytical tool of XXI century, as the last evolution of planar chromatography [4]. TLC appeared about half a century ago already tailored to separate and visualize organic substances and still remains the immediate, simplest, common, low cost, generally used and useful analytical tool in the laboratory of organic chemistry [5]. The difficulties of TLC to face and solve the problem of complex mixtures are well experienced by analysts and have limited applications, giving space to more reliable and sensitive methods, like HPLC. Furthermore, TLC resulting data can be influenced by several factors: a) as an open system, environmental conditions (temperature, light, fumes, and humidity) are important; b) critical manual steps and interpretation, based on visualization and personal judgement, depend by operator ability.
Any successful evolutionary step is based on the conservation of former basic characters and on their improvement (that means to obtain better results starting from the best of the last acquired) and meanwhile try to transform deficiencies into points of force. Evolution of planar chromatography was achieved in chemical analysis by the transformation and automation of the old TLC into HPTLC. Let's enumerate the most important novelties: a) optimize separation and visualization of constituents, including the minor ones; b) convert the reductionism model, i.e. the knowledge step-by-step = moleculeby- molecule, evident in the sequence extraction/separation/structure elucidation into the opposite holistic approach, where natural complexity is accepted and used to get more and more information; c) obtain the most near picture of the phytocomplex, as the real active principle of the extract. In one word, if so far the target was the separation and identification of one or two particular substances to be used as specific markers, as clearly reported in many monographs of the Pharmacopoeias, now HPTLC allows to give a glance on the Metaboloma [6,7] (Table 1).
|Very good
|Very good
|Very high
|Very high
|Very good
|Very good
|Very low
|In progress
Table 1: Comparison between TLC and HPTLC as analytical tools for chemical determination of botanicals.
HPTLC methodology
Phytochemical analyses based on planar chromatography consist of a sequence of steps including chose of material and conditions, deposition of the sample, separation, detection, and finally data treatment, acquisition and interpretation that are anticipated by metabolites extraction and sample preparation. HPTLC revised and optimized each step.
Material: HPTLC started with the use of more efficient plates and this remained for long time the only character of difference against TLC. Larger superficies of silica gel were obtained by the use of precoated plates with smaller particles (5 μm vs. 15 μm) and this allowed a much better separation and concentration of the spots that appear evidently separated, netted and clean, including a higher sensitivity [8].
Automation: However, for a long time and despite the evident improves, HTPLC remained a niche product, with major cost not compensating the positive changes, up to 2010, that showed a remarkable change since the number of dedicated papers jumped to more than one hundred. It was the effect of the automation that solved most of the aforementioned limits of planar TLC. Instrumentation improvements played a major role in turning conventional TLC into HPTLC with high quality results [4,9]. Thus, manual operations are limited to the preparation of the samples, to the movements of the plate in the sequence of devices, as well as to the use of the proper software in the computer. In HPTLC automation step, each step being computer controlled and performed by a special device that defines also environmental conditions. Therefore, the analysis is totally repeatable and reliable as well as quality and type of the results: a chromatogram performed in Rome can be fully compared with that obtained in Nairobi in the same conditions.
Deposition: Among the points of weakness of TLC, the deficiencies due to the manual deposition: despite the extracautions of the operator, sample application to the plate can not be equalized and often chromatography starts in the deposition point, generating disturbs in the separation process (Figure 1). In HPTLC, each sample is deposited by a syringe of an automated device that allows selecting and controlling form, concentration and type of the starting spots, as well as the proper distances, insuring the same best starting conditions. The improvement is not only a matter of separation and visualization; net spots means the possibility of the efficient comparison of the Rfs with the standards.
Figure 1: Comparison between TLC (left) and HPTLC (right) analyses of Melissa officinalis extracts. Mobile phase: n-hexane, ethylacetate (9:1). Derivatization: Anisaldehyde. Visualization: UV 366. Tracks: 1-3 marketed hydroalcoholic extracts, 4 mixture of essential oil constituents (citral, limonene, myrcene).
Development: Silica gel, by far the most used stationary phase used in planar chromatography, is hygroscopic and always in equilibrium with the humidity of the laboratory atmosphere, that can affects the activity of silica. Also temperature is an important factor in the interaction substances/phases. To obtain repetitive and reliable tracks, plates must be run in controlled conditions, that means in special automated development chambers (surpassing the old tank), saturated with mobile-phase vapour, where extent of mobile-phase migration can make a big difference in reproducibility of results. They may also include sensors to detect the advance of the solvent front, so a plate can be automatically withdrawn and dried at a specific level.
Visualization: A 20 x 10 cm HPTLC plate can contain many samples, up to 72 (usually 20), that can be analyzed side by side in the same conditions, allowing a rapid parallel screening, including also the use of selected standards. Beside the Rf value, the individual character of each spot can observed and recorded, like colour – absent, dark, coloured and fluoreshing - and intensity. After development, the same plate can be visualized in different ways, using lights at different wavelengths, like white light, UV254 and UV366 nm (TLC Visualizer), followed if necessary by particular detection using a derivatization with selected reagents. The final result is that the sample plate can be visualized at least in six different ways. HPTLC analysis of a herbal sample is a set of comprehensive data, based on ordinary visualization at white or visible light, scan in UV at different wavelengths, fluorescence scan, derivatisation with selected reagents, all converted into photo documentation. Albeit it can be considered complicated, often such a wealth of data is the minimum required to compare safely one herbal sample to another. Another consequence of complexity.
The multiple detection can give a lot of information and the visualization can be optimized and stored at the best possibility by the scanning and the acquisition stored into the computer memory. Once in the computer the images of the tracks in different visualizations can be compared with the data-base containing the data and images of plates obtained in other times or in other places. The last point is crucial: the evidence, the most original character of planar chromatography, is exalted and the immediate interpretation of the analysis possible also for a child. Thus, the committent, like a manager or a producer devoid of any chemical knowledge, can discuss directly with the analyst, become satisfied and have the impression to be inside the analysis, trusting much better the results. On the other hand, the total interpretation of the spots in the track is another matter and needs large experience and deep knowledge in phytochemistry and natural products chemistry, and often results must be supported by other analytical techniques.
Sensibility: The best performance of HPTLC consists into the visualization at very low concentrations (up to 2 ppm), that means have conscience of the presence of minor constituents typical of plant extracts, more and more abundant that the main ones and therefore more important in the identification work.
Cost: The cost of HPTLC concerns mainly the initial investment for the devices necessary for the automation, whereas the maintenance expense is very low as well as that for each analysis, and in particular the wasting of solvents is very limited, for instance in comparison with HPLC (acetonitrile dependence is avoided). Furthermore, the mixtures of available and useful solvent systems are enormous and can be easily adapted to the nature of the analysed substances.
Quantization: This is probably the most innovative aspect for planar chromatography. Working so far on the mono or bidimensional feature, TLC suffered the difficulty for getting a quantitative determination, though the intensity of the spot contains evidently this information. HPTLC started from this simple point. Therefore, each track of the planar chromatography can be converted into a sequence of peaks, similarly in HPLC or NMR, whose intensity can be turned into quantity and numbers. Thus the 2D feature is changed into a 3D, using the densitogram method; TLC raised into a Cartesian bidimensional world marked by spots and their Rf values. HPTLC introduced the third dimension with the determination of the quantity that means contents of the substances. For people who used and appreciated TLC all their life, this is a little unexpected miracle, evoked for long time in front of a plate.
Utilization and usefulness: The real force of HPTLC is the correspondence with modernity. HPTLC lives of images. Each image is coupled with a file containing all information concerning the conditions and the devices utilized in the analysis. It is conceivable to expect soon the presence in the web of a reliable data bank of HPTLC fingerprints. Meanwhile, the idea was already realized by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia [10] with the publication of an atlas book collecting the HPTLC fingerprint images of most important Chinese medicinal plants (Figure 2), giving an easy characterization and differentiation of the species. After a short introduction, dedicated to the aim of the book and several technical details, the atlas contains monographies, each reporting images of fingerprints of the plant, certifying also the geographic origin (Figure 3), in order to achieve a validation of marketed plants and strike against the actual dangerous dominating confusion. HPTLC fingerprints have been introduced also in the United States Herbal Pharmacopoeia [11] and times seem to be ready for its introduction in other Pharmacopoeias.
Figure 2: Example of a 3D densitometric chromatograms at 225 nm obtained from HPTLC analysis of commercial extracts of bearberry. Each profile, as sequence of peaks similar to those of HPLC, corresponds to a track where the intensity of the spots can be appreciated and measured in order to obtain a quantification of the separated substances.
Figure 3: The front page of the TLC Atlas of Chinese Crude Drugs edited by the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, totally dedicated to the HPTLC fingerprints of the most important Chinese medicinal plants.
The use of standards: The HPTLC fingerprint based on extract of a species can be confirmed by the comparison with selected standards. In this case, it is possible to use the exact Rf position inside the track of the extract as well the colours typical of the substances. However, in the tracks of the standards, marketed and considered as pure, several additional spots are often evident. This is an ordinary consequence of the high sensitivity of HPTLC: very low quantities of contaminants (for instance not present in the NMR spectrum), are well evidenced by UV light despite the minimum concentrations.
Reliability and robustness: HPTLC main qualities are the simplicity, quickness and comprehensibility. Easy and understandable data in a short time at low cost. However, a validation of the method is also necessary, if results have to be shared. ICH and WHO guidelines afford information about the general recommendation [12-16] that needs to be tailored for HPTLC specificity. So far, generally accepted guidelines for HPTLC validation are absent, although it is obvious that several suggestions and reports are present in the scientific literature. For instance, precision can be achieved by repletion of sample application and measurement of the Rf values or peak area express in term of RSD (relative standard deviation), measuring intraday and interday variation. Several parameters could be considered in robustness, but many are strictly controlled by the devices and probably only concentration levels are necessary. Specificity and peak are probably easier in case of standards since in fingerprints the presence of pure spots is not always achieved. Spiking of tracks with preanalyzed samples and standards is obviously a good method.
This comparison has been already examined in several papers [8]. Nowadays, HPLC remains the current best analytical tool. However, recently a persistent tendency to enhance sensitivity and specialization has complicated the analytical approach. That means high cost, dedicated operator, wonderful but very complicated devices (from the "simple" multidimensional "comprehensive" GC and LC to high performance tandem quadrupole coupled with sophisticated softwares). The main danger comes from specialization: operator uses to set HPLC analysis on a single standard or a class of substances, therefore other compounds are invisible or not detected.
Substantially, the advantages of HPTLC are the simplicity, rapidity and high number of samples throughup that means the possibility of analysing many samples at the same time under the same chromatographic conditions. The main feature is in flexibility and adherence to complexity: HPTLC is able to generate a chromatographic fingerprint in the form of an unique sequence of peaks corresponding to the analyzed sample in its fullness. The aim is obtain resulting fingerprints that can be compared with respect to the number, sequence, position (Rf) and colour of the separated zones, also in reference to a digitalic data bank.
NMR has been proposed as the possible tool in natural products fingerprint and its use reported on foods and medicinal drugs [17-19], including the analysis of adulteration or food supplements spiked with synthetic products, when a single simple HPTLC plate can be sufficient [17-23]. The main problem to face is that also using a spectrometer of high resolution, the possibility of peaks overlapping remains very high. The difficulty is enhanced in the case of comparison of species taxonomically near and in the absence of typical markers. On the contrary, the NMR study remains crucial in the identification of single substances.
The value of fingerprint chromatographic technology has been evidenced by WHO as a reliable strategy for identification and quality evaluation of herbal medicine [15].
The prominence of some analytical tools in the study of specific types of substances is out of discussion. In the case of volatile oils, GC/MS is by far the best method to identify the composition of these very complex mixtures. However, the tendency to obtain automatic identification by simple comparison of MS profile with MS data bank can be origin of misleading. HPTLC fingerprints can be useful in the analysis of aromatic plants, in particular for comparison.
Similar matter for the opposite: the analysis of fixed oils. Several approaches have been recently proposed mainly in food analysis, including the use of high resolution NMR. Sincerely, looking to the NMR spectra of fixed oils of many plants, most of the peaks profile, generating the fingerprint, appears too similar. In total, also the spectra of animal origin are not so different. In other words, the parts of the molecule generating peaks (-CH=CH-CH2-, -CHnOCOR, -CH2-CH2-, -CH3) are usually the same and often only changes in intensities of peaks can be observed. A typical spectrum of a mixture of fatty acids is reported in Figure 4 and consequent assignments are reported in Table 2
Figure 4: For each species reported in the Atlas, several fingerprints are reported, corresponding to extracts from plants of different regions.
|Approximated chemical shift value (δ)
|Approximated chemical shift value (δ)
Table 2: Typical set of signals in a 1H-NMR spectrum of fatty acids.
In HPTLC, due the great sensibility, fingerprints are highly influenced by relevant quantity of fixed oils and other lipids, appearing all together in big spots evident after derivatization. For these reasons, in the comparison with marketed extracts, a defatting treatment can be necessary to evidence other signals (Figure 5). In the analysis of fatty acids and related products LC-MS remains the good choice.
Figure 5: The typical 1H NMR spectrum of a fatty acid of linoleic type (for the assignments of the peaks see Table 2).
Although the use of the right standard is often a solution or at least of great help, the identification of the spots is a frequent and unsolved problem in chromatography. Again, Camag suggests the solution. The recent frontier of HPTLC is the coupling with MS spectrometry. HPTLC/MS consists of an interface device able to separate the selected spot, transfer the silica gel containing the separated substance to the apparatus that make possible the direct MS analysis. Next other hyphenated application could be with NMR, once solved some basic problems, like the necessary minimal concentration of the sample.
Studying complexity
A fingerprint is the individual chromatographic track representing, as near as possible, the mixture of produced organic substances [23]. By the fingerprint approach, it is possible to obtain a proper identification of the plant material, but also determine and assert the limits of the biological changes, without necessary identifying or quantifying a specific compound. In HPTLC tracks of the same species, variations are mainly quantitative, not qualitative. Same plants are more inclined to variability. Variability is an evolution task and a biological resource, but it is difficult to be accepted by pharmacological and clinical trials based on single and defined substances. Limits of variability must be considered and determined for each species and for its marker compounds.
HPTLC fingerprint approach is a product of Metabolomic philosophy, the "study as many small molecules as possible" in an organic system. In our cases the study can be classified as targeted and untargeted (Figure 6). Generally, targeted analyses focus on a specific group of natural products; either a single substance used as marker or considered a reference of special importance, as reported in many monographs of Pharmacopoeias. That often requires extraction metabolites within the group, including if necessary high level of purification and individual identification. In HPTLC the identification can be obtained directly by comparison with standards and quantification by densitometry. In contrast, untargeted metabolomic focuses on the possibility to obtain sufficient data to identify a species, or the effects of biological phenomena like a plant disease or the changes in cultural conditions, or creation of specialized metabolite database useful for comparison, ecc. The target is the metaboloma and each little difference that can be detected. Discrimination, information or predictivity are only faces of the same analytic item.
HPTLC analysis
The analysed extracts were obtained from the market. Detailed information, i.e. producers, production conditions, storage method, etc. can be obtained by directly asking the authors. The dried extracts of marketed products were dissolved in methanol (6 mg/mL). In some cases, also hydroalcoholic extracts of the same plant were obtained in the lab to be used for comparison as standards. Filtered solutions were applied to 60 silica gel glass-backed layers (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) by a Camag Linomat 5 sample applicator with nitrogen flow. The operating conditions were as follows: syringe delivery speed, 10 μL/s; injection volume, 6 μL; band width, 6 mm; distance from bottom, 15 mm. The HPTLC plates were developed using the best solvent mixture in a horizontal chamber (Camag 20x10) saturated with the same mobile phase for 20 min at room temperature. The length of the chromatogram run was 80 mm from the point of application. The layers were developed in a Camag Chromatogram Immersion Device III and later allowed to dry in air for 5 min. Then they were derivatized with the selected solution, including anhysaldehyde or Natural Product Reagent (NPR), using a Camag Automatic Development Chamber ADC 2 and heated at 115°C by a Camag TLC Plate Heater III. All treated plates were allowed to dry in air for 30 min and then inspected under a UV light at 256 or 366 nm or under white light, respectively, at a Camag TLC visualizer.
Variability and analysis
In any technological application, quality is crucial and therefore analytical tools are requested.
Analytical tools must be chosen in accordance to the target and the most advanced available device. In natural products chemistry, like any biological feature, the variability must be accepted and considered normality, being the response to the changes of the abiotic and biotic factors present in the habitat. Largely considered a phenotype aspect, this variability is also a substantial evolutionary advantage, whose causes and mechanisms are still largely unknown, as a consequence of uncertainty of the effective role of secondary metabolism.
By HPTLC is possible to compare side-by-side the molecular content of populations of the same species present in different habitats and times. Check variation within the fingerprints of species of the same genus can also evidence erroneous collection, like in the HPTLC analysis performed on St John's wort, Hypericum perforatum, extracts. The results of the HPTLC analysis can be visualized in Figure 7, following the resulting tracks: 1-4 methanol extracts of aerial parts of flowering plants of Hypericum hyrcinum collected in continental parts (1-3) of Italy and in Sardinia (4); 5-9 methanolic extracts of aerial parts of flowering plants of H. hyrcinum collected in H. perforatum; 10 hypericin coupled with pseudohypericin at lower Rf; 11 iperoside; 12 rutin; 13 quercetin; 14 isoquercetin; 15 chlorogenic acid; 16 luteolin; 17 apigenin. Differences between the tracks of the two Hypericum are evident, including the absence of hypericin and pseudohypericin. Clear also the differences in the tracks of the same species, due to the phenotypic metabolomic response to the habitat condition.
Figure 7: Comparison between Hypercum hyrcinum (tracks 1-4) and H. perforatum (5-9) with selected standards including hypericine (9). Mobile phase: formic acid, water, ethyl acetate (10:5:85). Derivatization: the layers were treated with a solution containing the Natural Product Reagent (NPR) (1 g diphenylborinic acid aminoethylester in 200 mL of ethylacetate), dried in the open air and then dipped into Macrogol reagent (1 g polyethylene glycol 400 in 20 mL of dichloromethane). Visualization: UV254 in the upper plate and at UV366 nm.in the lower plate.
The analysis is important considering that in marketed botanicals defined concentrations of hypericine and hyperforine are requested, a condition that appears against the natural situation and opens the door to post-harvesting adjustments.
Other practical applications are reported in Figure 8. The item was the comparison between extracts obtained with a new apparatus working simply by water pressure using different working times; in this case, obviously time means money. In the analysis, the first two tracks were dedicated to the extracts of artichoke, Cynara scolymus leaves using the apparatus for 12 hours or 21 days: the fingerprints shows a situation practically identical, as confirmed also by the inspections at other wavelengths lights (UV254 and UV366). The same conclusion concerns the last two tracts, reporting the same extraction on sena, Cassia senna, leaves. In the middle, a series of references, and rhein (last track visible at other wavelengths) and extracts of artichoke from the market in tracks 3 and 4: in the extracts obtained by pressure additional spots are visible, testifying the effectiveness and the quality of the new extraction method (Figure 9).
Figure 8: HPTLC analysis of Cynara scolymus and Cassia senna extracts obtained in two different working times (12 hours and 21 days), compared with specific standard. Mobile phase: THF, toluene, formic acid, water (16:8:2:1); Derivatization: Anisaldehyde. Visualization: white light.Tracks: 1,2 extracts of artichoke after 12 hours and 21 days, respectively (differences are minimal), 3,4 extracts of artichoke from the market, 5 cynarine 6 chlorogenic acid, 7 rutin, 8 luteolin, 9,10 extracts of senna after 12 hours and 21 days, respectively (differences are minimal), 11 rhein (not visible in these conditions).
Figure 9: HPTLC of f everfew (tracks 1 methanolic extract and 2 the same extract after defatting treatment) and Mexican feverfew (3-4, with the same treatment) and chamomile (5-6, with the same treatment ,track 7 at lower concentration ), another common adulterant of feverfew. Upper plate is visualized at 366 nm and lower plate at white light. The differences with chamomile are evident, as well as the similarities between the first two species, in accordance with their taxonomic relationship.
Uses of HPTLC
Market of botanical products need rapid, low cost and understandable replays to simple requests. The cost is important since so far, although probably not in the near future, controls are not requested, and therefore they derive from personal voluntary need of validation. The requests are usually very simple and simple must be the answers, like those evidenced in a HPTLC plate.
Is it the right species, I am using? Am I paying a lot of money for the high quality imported species or is an ordinary domestic one? This raw material looks great, but what about the content in active principles? Does the herbal product comply with the claims on its label? Has the herbal products maintained its composition and stability after one year on the shelf? Has post-harvesting procedure affected the quality? In what my product could be marketed against the other similar products?
All these requests concern validation and quality, but the absolute identification of the utilized botanical species is an essential prerequisite. In case of a powdered drug or an extract of two species of the same genus or of two entities taxonomically very near, the methods reported in the Pharmacopoeias practically are without any utilities. In these cases differences in morphology are very few, or limited to few crystals of oxalate and residuals of trichomes, whereas the chemical differences can not be evidenced in any way by the essays or a simple TLC based on one or more marker constituents. However, differences must exist and the HPTLC is able to evidence the presence of few additional spots in very similar fingerprints of taxonomically near entities.
Owing to the growing request of natural products by the global market. Actually, several cases are reported of substitution of the classic medicinal plants present in Pharmacopoeias or in books of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy by similar species, easier to be found, collected and commercialized al lower prices [24]. The importance of HPTLC sensibility is clear in the comparison between feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium L. (= Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Pers.), and the Mexican feverfew, Chrysanthellum indicum Turner (= Chrysanthellum americanum L.). The HPTLC respective tracks show a similar fingerprint, both completely different from that of chamomile, a frequent adulterant of feverfew. The tracks show that in some cases, to optimize the comparison, it is useful to clean the extracts from chlorophylls and other lipids (Figure 7). In the plate reported in Figure 10 tracks 1-5 report fingerprints of marketed products with feverfew reported in label, tracks 6 feverfew extract used as reference, track 7 the same extract after elimination of chlorophylls and other lipids, track 8 Mexican feverfew extract used as reference, 9 the same extract of track 8 after elimination of chlorophylls and other lipids, track 10 rutin. Partenolide, considered the constituent marker, is present as blue colored spot, in a very different concentrations in the analysed products, but absent in Chrysanthellum were several other additional spots are evident. In other words, the two species very similar on the morphological points of view, but clearly differ in chemical composition. The situation is more complicated when we consider the market products based on extracts obtained with different methods as those reported in Figure 4 and where in some cases the quantity of extract is practically minimal.
Figure 10: HPTLC fingerprints of extracts of similar marketed species of feverfews. Mobile phase: toluene:ethylacetate (6:4). Derivatization: Anisaldehyde. Visualization: white light. Comparison between feverfew (tracks 6-7) and Mexican feverfew (8-9) against marketed products (1-5) reporting feverfew in the label.
Analysis of multi ingredients
In several cases a marketed botanical comes from the mixture of several plant extracts. Contamination is probably going to be a distinctive character of this kind of products, but causes a Mont Everest problem for the analyst. Probably, for this reason so far the argument received not sufficient attention considering the importance. In Figure 11 we report a HPTLC approach, where a marketed multi-ingredient product fingerprint was compared to the fingerprint generated from the mixture of the plants reported in the label, in order to check the composition. Considering the possible variations (extraction method, quality of raw material, storage, ecc.) involved, the possibility to obtain a good result resulted high, although inversely proportional to the number of the involved plants.
Figure 11: HPTLC analysis of multi-ingredient food supplement by comparison with extracts of constituent raw material. Mobile phase: AcOEt/CH2Cl2/ CH3COOH/HCOOH/H2O 100:25:10:10:11. Left HPTLC: Derivatization: Absent. Visualization: white light. Right HPTLC: Derivatization: Anhisaldehyde. Visualization: UV 366 nm. Comparison between marketed product labelled as extracts of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi and Urtica dioica (track 1), Arctostaphylos uva-ursi marketed extract (track 2), Urtica dioica marketed extract (track 3), mixture of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi and Urtica dioica extracts (track 4).
Limits, shadows and hopes
The future of HPTLC probably be linked to two main aspects: the uses in validation of new incoming products and its introduction into the regulatory systems. Its current heavily presence in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia [10] and into the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia [11] is promising for further recognition of importance.
Once more, first money. Cost of basic HPTLC device is comparable to that of good HPLC apparatus and lower than a high resolution NMR. In any case, the total set of devices is too expensive for a small/ medium size industry, and public financial supports in universities and research institutions are practically extinguished. Waiting that the request lowers the prices, the only solution to enlarge the use of HPTLC fingerprint is to create regional or national centres for the control of quality, that can assure consumers and producers.
Second, validation. HPTLC, as well as HPLC-DAD, fingerprint have been recognized by World Health Organization as methods to identify a plant or its preparations by a characteristic chromatographic profile where it is not possible to identify a discriminating active principle [16]. However, still a lot of work must be performed, in setting general and singular conditions, in particular in quantitative analysis. So far, several approaches and methods, including the results comparison between laboratories using the same protocol, have been proposed and discussion about the most adapt is open. Most of the methods suffer for complication, needing too time also to obtain the satisfactory calibration curve, in comparison with easy and rapid qualitative results.
Third, efficacy. The newborn planar chromatography seems to have large possibilities of improve, together with the identification of the role of natural products in maintaining health conditions [25]. Dedication and convincement, as well as invention and technology, will be basically necessary. At the beginning it was sufficient the intelligent and pioneer work of a single research worker, like Michael Twsett, to invent chromatography; later it was necessary the alliance between industry and research, like the couple Merck and Egon Stahl, to obtain the efficient TLC plate; nowadays, the new deal of TLC is possible thanks to the efforts of an industry totally dedicated to the improve of planar chromatography and the typical approach of a modern researcher, that means Camag plus Eike Reich. In any case, the revival of planar chromatography is an important analytical reality.


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It can be alarming to find out that you have bed bugs in your Charlotte home. There is something unsettling about bugs that like to hide during the day and come out at night to bite you. But, apart from being super creepy, how bad is it to have bed bugs? Let's take a look.
The worst possible outcome of a bed bug infestation is that you have an allergic reaction to bed bug bites and they trigger a life-threatening condition called anaphylaxis. Fortunately, the chances of this happening are in the vicinity of your chances of winning the lottery. Just keep in mind that it is a possibility and seek immediate medical assistance if you notice symptoms.
This is another low-probability illness that could develop during a bed bug infestation in your Charlotte home. Bed bugs draw blood when they bite. Ongoing bloodletting can lead to a condition called anemia. While this is a potentially life-threatening sickness, it can be treated. If you notice that you're feeling tired or weak, go to your health care professional. Serious symptoms of anemia include shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, cold feet or hands, jaundice, headache, and chest pain. Keep in mind that this is a sickness that can easily be avoided by having your bed bug infestation treated quickly.
Chagas Disease
Your chances of getting Chagas disease from bed bugs may be zero. But you should be aware of research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. It was found that bed bugs have the ability to carry and transmit Chagas disease. There are, however, no real-world cases of Chagas disease being spread by bed bugs. There are two noteworthy reasons why this may be the case.
The bed bugs that bite you are your bed bugs. They don't live outside. They are almost exclusively indoor insects. That means you're not going to get Chagas disease unless someone in your home has it or you're bitten by bed bugs that don't live in your home (or used to live in another location, but now live with you).
Chagas disease is spread when feces from the biting insect enter the bite wounds. This makes it a little more difficult for it to spread. If you wash bed bug bites, you'll reduce the risk even further.
Bed bug bites can be itchy. If you, or your children, scratch the bites, they can become infected. This can be a medical threat, but you're aware of this. You know to treat cuts and bug bites with antibacterial cream. The only issue with bed bug bites is that there might be many of them. It could be difficult to keep up with continually disinfecting the bite wounds.
Sleep Deprivation
If bed bugs keep you up during the night, it can lead to sleep deprivation. Some symptoms of sleep deprivation are minor. Some are serious. Here are just a few:
Mood changes. These can be minor, such as a quick temper. But they can also be major, such as high anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts.
Cognitive reduction. A minor repercussion of cognitive reduction is the inability to study for a test, which can result in a bad grade. A more serious repercussion is getting into a vehicle accident.
Health risks. Over time, you can develop high blood pressure, gain weight, and increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.
It is likely that you'll have your bed bug infestation treated long before you experience major issues with sleep deprivation, but it is important to understand the risk.
Social Stigma
Bed bugs don't just represent a physical danger to you. They can be a danger to your social life. When family and friends find out that you have a bed bug infestation, you'll have a hard time planning birthday parties, Super Bowl parties, backyard cookouts, and other important gatherings. This can lead to isolation. It may also create complications for your kids at school. There are still some people who think that bed bugs are only found in dirty homes. While not true in the least bit, the stigma is still there.
The Solution
When you detect bed bugs in your Charlotte home, contact Go-Forth Pest Control for immediate service. The best solution for bed bugs is to address them quickly. We can do just that. Our team uses the most advanced bed bug strategies in the pest control industry. We'll locate and treat the bed bugs in your home and monitor the success of the treatments to ensure all the bugs have been exterminated. If you have questions, or you'd like to request service, hop onto our contact page and drop us a line. We're standing by to assist you with this important issue.

subset: commoncrawl


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Alcoholics Anonymous
Boulder County 24 hour answering service - 303-682-8032
Boulder County Central Office - 303-447-8201
Colorado Springs 24 hour answering service - 719-573-5020
Denver 24 hour answering service - 303-322-4440
Denver County Central Office - 303-322-5636
Denver Spanish - 303-433-2080
Al-anon-co.org to find meetings
Narcotics Anonymous Denver
303-832-3784 www.na.org
www.nacolorado.org – searchable list of meetings
Stout Street Foundation
303-321-2533 www.stoutstreetfoundation.org
7251 E. 49th Ave. Commerce City, CO 80022
Affordable therapeutic community with residential and outpatient programs
Center for Recovery
303-694-7492 www.centerforrecovery.net
2121 S. Oneida St. #412 Denver, CO 80224
Substance abuse outpatient treatment; Medicaid
Sobriety House
720-381-4337 www.sobrietyhouse.org
121 Acoma St. Denver, CO 80223
12- step based treatment facility for adults with substance abuse issues; residential
The Phoenix Concept (apart of Sobriety House)
provides six months of residential and ongoing outpatient services to men suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental health issues. It is also licensed to offer assisted living.
Colorado Community Church
303-783-3838 Coloradocommunity.org
A Christ-centered 12-step recovery program based on 8 recovery principles and 12 healing steps in an atmosphere of worship, praise and celebration.
Valley Hope
303-467-4080 westpinesrecovery.org
Detoxification; Residential Treatment; Outpatient care; Family Health and Telecare
7108 S Alton Way, Centennial, CO 80112 303-694-3829
22422 Mainstreet, Parker, CO 80138
Exempla West Pines Behavioral Health
Detoxification; Residential Treatment; Intensive Outpatient Care; Aftercare; Psychiatric Care
3400 Lutheran Pkwy Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
303-336-1600 http://www.artstreatment.com/
Addiction Research and Addiction Service (ARTS); Outpatient and Residential (Men's and Women's) Substance Abuse Treatment for Adults, Adolescents, and Families; Childcare; Medication Assisted Treatment; DUI classes and therapy
3738 W. Princeton Circle Denver, CO 80236
Raleigh House
720-891-4657 http://www.theraleighhouse.com/
Holistic substance abuse treatment; works with co-occuring mental health issues such as PTSD and depression, etc
6870 W 52nd AVE STE 103 Arvada, CO 80002
Centennial Peaks
303-673-9990 http://www.centennialpeaks.com/
Detoxification, Inpatient, Intensive Outpatient; Adult and Adolescent and Elderly 65+ services
2255 S 88th St Louisville, CO 80027
Acacia Counseling
DUI/DWAI, Anger Management, Domestic Violence and Relapse Prevention Therapy. Group and individual therapy is available
Denver: 190 E 9th Ave Denver, CO 80203 303-861-9378
Broomfield: 11150 Huron St Suite 100B Northglenn, CO 80234 303-438-9730
North Valley Hospital
303-288-3000 www.drug-rehab-headquarters.com
Substance abuse treatment and detoxification with hospitalization or inpatient care. Seniors or older adults are supported for drug rehab; ASL
8451 Pearl Street, Thornton, CO, 80229
Drug and Alcohol Rehab Headquarters
1-866-720-3784 www.drug-rehab-headquarters.com/colorado
Extensive list of Drug and Alcohol facilities
Center of Hope
303-935-7746 www.centerofhopedenver.org/
Faith-based; Inpatient (male and female) and Outpatient services; DUI classes; Job Readiness and GED courses;
5303 W. Kentucky Ave Lakewood, CO 80226
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
303-293-2220 www.coloradocoalition.org/
Daily recovery, education, and relapse prevention groups; individual counseling; housing assistance; crisis intervention; medication treatment; intensive care management
2111 Champa Street Denver, CO 80205
Denver Health
303-436-6000 www.denverhealth.org
Impatient and Outpatient mental health services (adult and adolescent); psychaitratic emergency services; neuropsycholoigical testing; Addiction Recvoery; Suboxone treatment; Detoxification; Methadone treatment; Pregnant, parenting women treatment
777 Bannock Street Denver, CO 80204
Denver Rescue Mission
303-297-1815 www.denverrescuemission.org
Christian-based program for addressing drug and alcohol abuse as well as other lifestyle rehabilitation programs
6100 Smith Road Denver, CO 80216
The Empowerment Program
303-320-1989 www.empowermentprogram.org
Relapse Prevention group therapy for women
1600 York Street Denver, CO 80206
First Step Counseling
303-840-2636 www.firststepcounseling.org
DUI classes and Substance Abuse therapy
10292 South Progress Way Parker, CO 80134
Harbor Light
720-305-5670 denverharborlight.salvationarmy.org
6 month rehabilitation for men; must have successfully completed a detox program to be eligible; Affilitated with the Salvation Army
2136 Champa St, Denver, CO 80205
Mary's Hope Sober Homes
720-473-7105 maryshopesoberhomes.com/home
Providing housing for those committed to living substance free; 12 sober homes in the Denver metro area; DUI classes;
191 E. Orchard Road #A, Littleton, CO 80121
Mile High Behavioral Health Care
303-825-8113 www.milehighbehavioralhealthcare.org
Recovery services; Women's recovery; Family treatment; Youth and Young adult services; emergency and transitional housing services 303-341-9160 (housing)
Multi Addiction Processing Agency
303-377-2849 treatment-facilities.healthgrove.com
Outpatient substance treatment; Spanish speaking;
2829 E 16th Ave, Denver, CO 80206
North Denver Behavioral Health
303-487-7776 www.serenityeducation.com
Outpatient methadone clinic
7290 Samuel Drive, Suite 110, Denver, CO 80221
Serenity Education and Therapy 303-984-0590
Pre-sentencing; out-of-state clients; DUI and DWUI classes; Level 1 and 2 classes; relapse prevention; affordable alcohol treatment;
303-295-7837 www.step.org
Men's residential recovery program; recovery group, peer support
2029 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205
Hunger Free Colorado
720-382-2920 www.hungerfreecolorado.org
Food assistance, help applying for SNAP/ food stamps; referral to food pantries and free meals, and nutrition information
1801 Williams St Suite 200 Denver, CO 80218
Denver Inner City Parish- Broadway Assistance Center
303-893-4108 www.denverbac.org
1212 Mariposa St Denver, CO 80204
Salvation Army
303-366-7585 www.salvationarmyusa.org
Food Bank - 720-305-4670
802 Quart St. Aurora, CO 80011
Salvation Army- Food Bank, Denver Location - 303-366-7585
2741 N. Federal Denver, CO 80211
Adams County Food Distribution Center
303-286-4193 http://www.adams12.org/node/5492
Food Bank
7111 E. 56th Ave. Commerce City, CO 80022
Crossroads of the Rockies
303-922-8772 www.crossroadsoftherockies.org
Safe place for children, food bank, clothing distribution, kids programs, ESL, Adult programs
2707 W. Mississippi Ave. Denver, CO 80219
Jeffco Action Center
303-237-7704 www.theactioncenterco.org
8755 W. 14th Ave. Lakewood, CO 80215
Sacred Heart House
303-296-6686 www.sacredhearthouse.org
Homeless shelter for mothers and single women, basic needs assistance
2844 Lawrence St. Denver, CO 80205
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
303-293-2217 http://www.coloradocoalition.org
Emergency housing, rental assistance, dental and medical services.
2111 Champa St. Denver, CO 80205
Focus Points Family Resource Center
303-292-0770 www.focuspoints.org
Health services, language classes, GED prep, Children's clinic Thurs 3-5
2501 E. 48th Ave. Denver, CO 80216
Disability Center for Independent Living
Food banks, rental assistance, alcohol and substance abuse assistance
5900 E. 39th Ave. #4 Denver, CO
St. Anthony of Padua Church- Outreach
303-935-2431 saintanthonyofpadua.org
Food Bank
3801 W. Ohio Ave. Denver, CO 80219
Aurora Interchurch Taskforce
303-360-0260 www.aurorainterfaithcommunityservices.org/
Food Bank
1553 Clinton Ave. Aurora, CO 80010
Catholic Charities
303-742-0828 www.ccdenver.org
Food Bank
2525 W. Alameda Ave. Denver, CO 80219
Colorado AIDS Project
303-837-0166 www.denvercap.org
Food Bank and AIDS Assistance
2490 W. 26th Ave. Denver, CO 80211
First Mennonite Church
303-892-1039 www.fmcdenver.org
Assistance with utilities
430 W. 9th Ave. Denver, CO 80204
Good Shepherd- St. Vincent DePaul Society
303-322-7706 www.svdpden.org
Utility assistance for people in the 80206 zip code
2626 E. 7th Ave. Denver, CO 80206
Jewish Family Services of Colorado
Food bank, clothing, shelter, bus tokens, rental assistance, assistance with utilities
3201 S. Tamarac Dr. Denver, CO
Metro Caring
303-860-7200 www.metrocarering.org
Assistance with utilities and food
1100 E. 18th Ave. Denver, CO 80218
Most Precious Blood Church
303-756-3083 www.mpbdenver.org
Emergency assistance, clothing and utility assistance.
2250 S. Harrison St. Denver, CO 80210
Presentation of our Lady Church
303-534-4882 www.presentationdenver.org
Assistance with food, rentals and utilities
665 Irving St. Denver, CO 80204
Redeemed Ones Outreach Ministries
Provides meals and bus tokens for parolees only
1425 Florence St. Aurora, CO 80010
St. Francis Center
303-297-1577 www.sfcdenver.org
Day shelter, showers, mail, storage, and employment office
2323 Curtis St. Denver, CO 80205
St. Veronica Outreach Ministry
720-377-1313 www.ccdenver.org
Utility assistance
4045 Pecos St. Denver, CO 80211
The Crossing/Denver Rescue Mission
303-953-3900 https://www.denverrescuemission.org/location/crossing
Offers clothing, shelter, furniture and bus tokens
6069 E. Smith Rd. Denver, CO 80216
The Empowerment Program
303-320-1989 www.empowermentprogram.org
Women with HIV/AIDS assistance, emergency assistance and transporation
1600 York St. Denver, CO 80205
Adventist Community Services
Food, clothing, shelter, household items, bus tokens
5045 W. 1st. Ave Denver 80219
North Denver Cares Food Pantry
303 466-2115
6900 W 117th Ave, Broomfield, CO 80020
Christ's Body Minsitry
Provides daily meals, a food bank, clothing room, case management, referrals, and a five-bed respite care unit
A Community Outreach
Will provide first full month's rent and security deposit for an apartment or home selected by the family, will help with food, clothing, furniture and household items, and matches each family with a mentoring team to help with support. Must either be a homeless senior (60+) or family with at least one child under 17. Cannot have a felony, willing to submit a background check and drug screening.
6090 Smith Road, Denver, CO
Denver Food Assistance Program
Denver Indian Center
Food bank, rental and utilities assistance, clothing bank, shelter referrals, crisis intervention for Native Americans.
4407 Morrison Rd, Denver, CO 80219
Denver Urban Ministries
Food bank, clothing, furniture, baby supplies, rental and utilities assistance
1717 E. Colfax, Denver 80218
Food Stamps
Denver Central 303-922-9483
Denver East 303-295-7847
Denver North 303-455-1526
The Gathering Place
303-321-4198 https://tgpdenver.org/
Denver's only day shelter for homeless women, and children, survival services, advocacy, meals, showers, laundry, employment services, and referrals
1535 High St, Denver, 80218
Friends of St. Andrew
Food baskets, bus tokens, soup kitchen, diapers for Aurora residents who are homeless
1525 Dallas St Aurora, CO
211-United Way
8am-8pm, shelter, food, physical and mental health, employment, senior services, childcare
Free Financial Coaching
To schedule a coaching session - 720-944-2498
Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV)
303-831-9632 www.ccadv.org
Inspiring Colorado to end domestic violence by providing training to domestic violence shelters; education to the general public; and expert guidane to elected officials and policy makers.
SafeHouse Denver
303-318-9959 www.safehouse-denver.org
Provides emergency shelter, counseling and advocacy services to women, children and youth experiencing domestic violence through 24-hour crisis line, shelter and nonresidential counseling center.
Denver Providence House
303-860-8404; www.providencenetwork.org;
801 Logan St., Denver, CO 80203
Christian life rebuilding program for homeless or near homeless single men with addictions/ substance abuse issues. Joy House- Christian life rebuilding program for women and children survivors of domestic violence. Victory House- Christian affordable housing program for formerly homeless people who have completed a transitional housing program
Jefferson County Family Tree- Women in Crisis
303-420-6752; www.thefamilytree.org/en/domestic-violence-services/106
Services for women & children, victims of domestic violence
Gateway Battered Women's Shelter
303-343-1856; www.gatewayshelter.org
Aurora/Arapahoe County
Littleton The Women's Crisis and Family Outreach Center
303-688-8484; www.thewomenscrisiscenter.org
Denver, Streets Hope
303-433-2712 ; www.streetshope.org
Assistance for women leaving prostitution
Eating Disorder Center of Denver -
866-771-0861; 950 S. Cherry St. # 1010 Denver, CO 80246; www.edcdenver.com
The Eating Disorder Foundation
303-322-3373; 3003 E. 3rd Ave. # 110; www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org
Lakewood Family Tree Gemini
303-235-0630; www.thefamilytree.org; 1629 Simms St., Lakewood, CO 80215
Residential, education, runaway/ homeless youth Day treatment program
Denver Colorado Coalition for the Homeless- Stout Street Clinic
Triage line- 303-293-6512;
303-293-2220; 2100 Broadway, Denver 80205; www.coloradocoalition.org
Caters to the homeless population and offers affordable mental health care, walk-in and appointment mental health evaluations. PRO BONO SERVICES OFFERED
Denver Sacred Heart House
303-296-6686; www.sacredhearthouse.org
Homeless shelter for mothers and single women, 2844 Lawrence St., Denver, CO 80205 basic needs assistance
Denver Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
303-293-2217; www.coloradocoalition.org;
2111 Champa St., Emergency housing motel vouchers, dental and medical services
Denver GA- Homeless Unit
720-944-2031; 1200 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80204
Provides bus tokens and cab vouchers at the discretion of the case manager and help with evictions.
Denver Direct assistance for the homeless
call 2-1-1 for assistance and shelter information call 3-1-1 or visit www.denvergov.org
Denver Human Services
720-944-3666; www.denvergov.org/humanservices/
1200 Federal Blvd. Denver; Eastside- 2855 Tremont Pl. Denver, CO Montbello- 4685 Peoria St. Denver, CO
Homeless General Assistance
720-944-2174; 720-944-2185
Eviction assistance x2170
Rental assistance x2170
Burial assistance x2548
Child support 720-944-2960
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program 720-944-3500
Veterans Services 720-944-3801
Northglenn Cold Weather Care (closed Apr-Oct)
303-847-9072; 10530 Huron St. Northglenn, CO 80234; www.coldweathercare.org
Emergency shelter for single men, women and families
Boulder Shelter for the Homeless
303-442-4646; www.bouldershelter.org
Aurora Comitis Crisis Center
720-975-0155; www.coloradogives.org/ComitisCrisisCenter
2178 Victor St., Aurora, CO 80045 Homeless shelter serving veterans, run-away youth, and homeless families
Brighton Almost Home Inc.
303-659-6199; www.almosthomeonline.org
231 N. Main St. Brighton Shelter, CO 80601; Housing assistance for homeless
Denver Salvation Army Crossroads Shelter
303-298-1028; www.migration.salvationarmy.org/intermountain/crossroads
1901 29th St., Denver, CO 80216; Temporary cold weather shelter for single men
Denver Samaritan House- 303-294-024; 2301 Lawrence St., Denver, CO 80205; www.ccdenver.org/samaritanhouse
Transitional housing/ shelter for families, single men and women
Denver Volunteers of America- Colorado Branch 303-297-0408; www.voacolorado.org
2877 Lawrence St., Denver, CO 80205 Serves a variety of people in need. Programs include meals, shelter and housing for homeless families and youth, senior services, and Head Start programs.
Denver St. Francis Center - 303-297-1576;
2323 Curtis St., Denver, CO 80205 Shelter serving men and women, offering a place to stay during the day when most other shelters are closed.
Denver Voice - 303-539-7226; www.denvervoice.org
999 18th St. # 1440, Denver, CO 80202; Independent nonprofit publication with news, essays poetry and art provided by Denver homeless. The homeless may sell publications to earn money.
Denver Rescue Mission
303-297-1815; www.denverrescuemission.org
Denver Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
303-293-2217 www.coloradocoalition.org
Arvada Colorado Homeless Families
303-420-6634; www.chfrb.org
18-month program with 2-4 bedrooms in 42 units P.O. Box 740130 in various locations. Participants must apply and be Arvada, CO 80006 either in school or working. Single mothers must be at least 21 years of age. Participants must have a sponsor and be able to pay rent based on income. Applications are sent by mail.
Denver Family Homestead
303-623-6514; www.familyhomestead.org
999 Decatur St., Denver, CO 80204; 6- month program with 65 units in various locations. Participants may be single or two parent families with children. Parents must be over 18, have some source of income, working school or both. Case management is required and participants must be looking for permanent housing.
Commerce City ACCESS Housing Inc.
303-289-7078; www.acchouse.org
6978 Colorado Blvd., Commerce City, CO 80022; Helps homeless families regain their independence, achieve self-sufficiency and sustain permanent housing.
Homeless Youth
Denver Colorado Department of Human Services
303-866-7366; 4020 S. Newton St. Denver, CO 80236;
Division of Supportive Housing and Homeless Programs
Denver Urban Peak
303-974-2900; 730 21st St., Denver, CO 80205
Homeless shelter serving youth ages 15-24. Services include street outreach, a 40-bed shelter for youth ages 15 through 20, a daytime drop-in center, supportive housing, education and employment services, case management, life skills courses, behavioral health evaluations and meals.
Denver Bannock Youth Center 720-217-3884 Supportive housing program for homeless youth ages 18-24 2660 Larimer St. provide rental assistance for a period of 18 months, Denver, CO 80205 case management services, to help support them in employment, education, independent living and parenting skills. provides meals, life skill classes, and job searches.
Denver VOA Transitional Housing for Youth and Young Parents
720-217-3884; 455 Bannock St. Denver, CO 80204 Housing program for homeless youth
Denver Warren Village
303-321-2345; 1323 Gilpin St., Denver, CO 80218; www.warrenvillage.org
Helps motivated low-income, previously homeless single parent families move from public assistance to personal and economic self sufficiency through subsidized housing, on-site child care, intensive case management, education and guidance and career development.
Denver Family & Senior Homeless Initiative (Denver Rescue Mission)
303-297-1815; 3501 E. 46th Ave., Denver, CO 80216; www.denverrescuemission.org Program through the Denver Rescue Mission that offers transitional housing, case management and mentoring for families and seniors.
Denver Irving Street
303-934-9501; 601 Irving St., Denver, CO 80219; www.voacolorado.org
Transitional housing for single women
Denver Joshua Station (Mile High Ministries)
720-377-1103; 2330 W. Mulberry St., Denver, CO 80204; www.milehighmin.org/joshua-station
Faith based transitional housing for families that offers short term and an extended stay program.
Denver Colorado Homeless Families
303-420-6634; P.O. Box 740130, Denver, CO 80006 www.chfrb.org
Rentals based on income, must be sponsored, must be working or going to school, 18 month program.
Denver New Genesis
303-881-0953; 1680 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203; www.newgenesis.org
Transitional housing for working men and women, must follow a program and pay a small portion of rent.
Denver Salvation Army Lambuth Family Center
303-477-3758; 2740 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 8021; www.migration.salvationarmy.org/intermountain/lambuth_family_center 1
Transitional housing and food assistance for single and two parent families with children age 17 yrs and younger 1-2 year program, includes individualized plan of case management and self-sufficiency
Commerce City Adams County Housing Authority
303-227-2075; 7190 Colorado Blvd. 6th Floor, Commerce City, CO 80022; www.adamscountyhousing.com
Affordable housing and financial education services
Westminster Growing Home Inc.
303-426-0430; 3489 West 72nd Avenue, #112, Westminster, CO 80030; www.growinghome.org
Transitional housing program serving families
Homeless Services for Single Women/ Women with Children
Denver Brandon Center (Volunteers of America)
303-620-9190; www.voacolorado.org Shelter and domestic violence services for women and children
Denver Center of Hope
303-935-7746; 836 S. Sheridan Blvd., Denver, CO 80226, www.centerofhopedenver.org
24-hour homeless and rehabilitation services for men, women, women with children and youth.
Denver Champa House (Denver Rescue Mission)
303-294-9961; 2544 Champa St., Denver, CO 80205; www.denverrescuemission.org/champahouse
Long-term residential program for single mothers with children 12 and younger
Denver The Delores Project
A safe, comfortable overnight shelter and services for single Address: Confidential adult women who are homeless and have limited resources.
Denver Damen House- A Warren Village Facility
303-433-4280; 52nd and Federal Blvd. Denver, CO 80221
Transitional housing for women and children under 12
Denver Sacred Heart House
303-296-6686; 2844 Lawrence St., Denver, CO 80205; www.sacredhearthouse.org
Shelter and transitional housing program for single women and families.
Denver The Empowerment Program
303-320-1989; 1600 York St.,Denver, CO 80206; www.empowermentprogram.org/
Program for homeless single women, especially those who are involved or have been in the criminal justice system, who work as prostitutes, have a drug addiction and/or have history of trauma and mental illness, and have need of basic services such as housing, employment and education.
Englewood Family Tree- House of Hope
303-762-9525; 3301 S. Grant St., Englewood, CO 80113; www.thefamilytree.org/
90-day shelter for homeless mothers and their children.
Denver Father Ed Judy House (Catholic Charities)
303-866-7641; 4024 S. Newton St. Bldg. K-E, Denver, CO 80236; www.ccdenver.org/fredjudy
Short- term transitional home for homeless, single mothers and their children.
Denver The Gathering Place
303-321-4198; 1535 High St., Denver, CO 80218
Daytime drop-in center for women, children and transgender individuals who are experiencing homelessness and/or poverty
Denver Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
303-293-2220; 2111 Champa Street Denver, CO 80205; http://www.coloradocoalition.org/
Daily recovery, education, and relapse prevention groups; individual counseling; housing assistance; crisis intervention; medication treatment; intensive care management
Colorado Homeless Families
303-420-6634 www.coloradohomelessfamilies.org
Provides transitional housing and the following support services; case management, counseling, educational seminars, support group meetings, food bank, furniture, clothing to homeless families with children.
You Can Begin Again
720-300-0029 www.youcanbeginagain.org
Two year transitional housing program that provides comprehensive outreach and case management for women, 18-25, emancipated from foster care, who are neither pregnant nor parents.
SafeHouse Denver
303-318-9959 www.safehouse-denver.org
Provides emergency shelter, counseling and advocacy services to women, children and youth experiencing domestic violence through 24-hour crisis line, shelter and nonresidential counseling center.
ACCESS Housing
303-289-7078 www.acchouse.org
Help homeless families regain their independence, achieve economic self-sufficiency, and sustain permanent housing.
Denver Rescue Mission
303-297-1815 www.denverrescuemission.org
Helps the needy to become self-sufficient citizens by providing education, free medical/dental services, shelter, food, clothing, long-term rehabilitation and transitional housing.
Hope Communities
303-860-7747 www.hopecommunities.org
Provide affordable housing, and offer services such as one-on-one case management, English as a second language, pre-school, after-school, health care literacy.
Inter-Faith Community Services
303-789-0501 www.ifcs.org
Provides food, clothing, financial assistance, transitional housing, victim assistance, senior, youth, and enrichment programs to low-income families, individuals and senior citizens.
Mercy Housing
303-830-3300 www.mercyhousing.org/mountainplains
Building Homes, Rebuilding Lives. Housing program to develop and manage affordable, program enriched rental housing for low-income families, seniors and people with special needs.
Denver The Center
303- 733-7743; 1301 E. Colfax Ave Denver, CO 80218; firstname.lastname@example.com;
PFLAG (Parents, families and friends of Lesbians and Gays)
Denver PFLAG -303-333-0286; firstname.lastname@example.com
Durango/ Four Corners PFLAG- 970-799-; email@example.com
Evergreen/ Mountain Area PFLAG - 303-674-7951;email@example.com
Fort Collins/ Northern Colorado PFLAG - 970-407-0300; firstname.lastname@example.com; 305 W. Magnolia St. PMB 117 Fort Collins, CO 80521
Grand Junction PFLAG - firstname.lastname@example.com Grand Junction, CO 81502
Littleton/ South Denver PFLAG - 720-536-0853;firstname.lastname@example.com
Pueblo PFLAG- 719-250-9472; firstname.lastname@example.com
Denver LGBTQ Community Anti Violence Program
24-hr hotline 303-852-5094; www.coavp.org
CCASA- Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault
1-877-372-2272 www.ccasa.org
Denver Lesbian Partners of Survivors Support Group
Colorado Gerontological Society - https://www.senioranswers.org/ Phone - Toll Free 855-293-6911 Spanish 855-880-4777
Resources coming soon
Colorado Crisis Services
1-844-493-8255; Text "TALK" to 38255 https://coloradocrisisservices.org
Has several walk-in locations throughout Denver metro.
(1-800-784-2433); Suicide Prevention Hotline Numbers 24/7
(1-800-273-8255); Suicide Prevention Hotline Numbers 24/7
Suicide Prevention Hotline Numbers 24/7
Jefferson Center for Mental Health
Boulder County
Colorado Springs
HEARTBEAT- Suicide Grief Support
Support group for those living with the loss of someone by suicide. See website for list of resources by location
Denver United Way Helpline
Denver HEARTBEAT
(suicide survivors support groups) 303-424-4094
National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
Denver Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program
720-944-3500; 1200 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80204; www.denvergov.org/humanservices
Provides supportive services to help homeless veterans obtain and keep employment
Denver St. Joseph's
303-292-2591: www.ccdenver.org/stjoes
Shelter for homeless male veterans 4626 Pennsylvania St., Denver, CO 80216
VA Homeless Program
303-399-8020 x2056; 1055 Clermont St., Denver, CO 80220
Housing, mental health, drug and alcohol counseling services for veterans
A.C.T.S Resource Center
303-477-0006; 3405 Downing St., Denver, CO 80205; www.denveracts.org
Veterans Reintegration Program, Housing, Meals, Job Search assistance, Transportation, Resident Veteran Phd counselor, life-skills, Legal assistance, Clothing, Food bank, Financial Guidance, Drug/Alcohol Counseling
Denver V.A. Community Resource and Referral Center
303-294-5600; 3030 Downing St., Denver, CO 80205; email@example.com
Access to transitional housing and homeless services, including showers and storage for homeless veterans.
Wheat Ridge Family Tree Back Home Supportive Services for Veteran Families
303-467-2604; 3805 Marshall St., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033; www.thefamilytree.org
Provides case management, information, resources, and limited financial assistance. Programs are voluntary and free of charge, but do have eligibility criteria.
Denver Samaritan House Veteran Program- 303-996-6057; 2301 Lawrence St., Denver, CO; www.ccdenver.org/samaritanhouse
Provides shelter/transitional housing, case management and supportive services around housing and money management.
Denver AnEW (Asian Elderly Wellness)
303-923-2933; 1537 Alton St., Denver, CO 80010
Provides services to elderly Asian Pacific Islanders such as, a behavioral health clinic, primary car clinic, victims assistance, career development, various classes and youth services.
Denver Center for Victims Assistance Hotline
303-894-8000; www.denvervictims.org Spanish: 303-718-8289


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Trilogy Candles
Switch it up with the Woodwick Trilogy Candle, a great way to get a taste of multiple fragrances over time. With Yankee Candle WoodWick, the wick crackles as it burns, adding that extra touch of elegance and atmosphere to any room. The Trilogy Candle has three levels of fragrances, perfect for someone who indulges in their candles over time.
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The new administrative and laboratory building to be constructed in "Zelenograd" SEZ
The new administrative and laboratory building for Moscow Institute Of Applied Nanotechniques will be constructed in "Zelenograd" Special Economic Zone, Moscomstroyinvest press service says.
The approval of allocating a 0,5983 ha land site in Alabushevo and developing of construction plan was made. The approval is issued to Moscow Institute Of Applied Nanotechniques, the applicant, for construction of an administrative and laboratory building.
Today, deployment of sewer and purification facilities for chemical waste as well as power supply facilities deployment is over at the territory of the "Zelenograd" site; construction of a 4-post fire depot, customs terminal and business center with exhibition facilities are under construction. Engineering facilities and main roads are also finished, and investors have come to the site. In the future, construction of innovation business center and a number of infrastructure objects including sports sites, recreation zone, pedestrian and bicycle paths, parkings and a hotel.
About 10 000 new jobs are expected to be created in Zelenograd.


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What I'm Wearing:
Sweater: J.Crew, old (similar, similar – under $50) / Pants: J.Crew / Coat: Oasis, old (similar, similar, similar – under $50)
Purse: Charles Jourdan, old (similar) / Shoes: ASOS (under $50!!) / Earrings: BaubleBar (under $50!!)
Signet Ring: BaubleBar / Bow Ring: Kate Spade, old (similar)
Today, I've teamed up with ShopStyle for their Bloggers Give Campaign with Dress for Success. Dress for Success is an international non-profit organization empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to help women thrive both personally and professionally. As part of the campaign, ShopStyle posed the question: what is your "power outfit" and why?
Well, ladies and gents, this is my power outfit. Sure, it's not your traditional [horrid] Hillary-style pantsuit, but this is the casual look that makes me feel confident. Blue, green, and mint have always been my confidence colors. I know that they bring out my eyes, no matter the shade, and I find myself gravitating towards these looks time and time again. All of my work suits? Blue, green, or mint. All of my gowns (the ones I actually own, at least) are these colors too.
Of course, it helps to have an awesome team behind you. Family first and foremost, coworkers and friends upon whom you can depend, and a group of besties to whom you can go to kvetch, celebrate, or even brainstorm professional ideas.
But not all women have this support group behind them, which is where Dress for Success comes in. For December 8th and 9th (aka today and tomorrow), I will be contributing 10% of sales from Glitter & Spice to Dress for Success… and ShopStyle will match 100% of my contribution. So get shopping, y'all!


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Are you looking for a company that can provide you with Amarillo Fence Replacement? If you are, and you are in the Amarillo area because you have Veteran Home Exteriors to take care of any and all exterior needs for you. Here at Veteran Home Exteriors, we're not just one of most highly rated and reviewed exterior services we are going to provide you with the overall best service and value because what sets us apart here is the fact that we are dedicated to offering you the best product at the best price. People are familiar with us know that we offer products here that other companies just don't. For whatever reason, they want to offer cheaper products they can offer you a better price and they are concentrated more on transactions and improving your bottom line where is here we want to make sure that you're getting the best overall result at the best price and we look at it as serving others. As a probably veteran owned and operated company, we know what it means to serve, and we now want to make sure that we serve the people of Amarillo on any of their exterior needs and provide them the best service and value.
We are can be your top choice for any exterior easy you may have including Amarillo Fence Replacement, as we have recently added fencing to our list of services as well. People come to us because we have great prices, great installation and customer service, and provide great value through better incentives than anybody else to help save you money and every turn, and we also have a simple. Just give us call, and you can set up a free in-home demonstration combined with a free quote at the same time. This allows us to come to show you exactly the high-quality products that we offer brought directly to you, and then at the same time assess the situation on-site to give you an accurate quote. There is no charge for any of this because we make sure that you're getting the most bang for your buck and adding.
From there we are going to be willing to meet or beat anybody else's prices. On something like Amarillo Fence Replacement, if you think that you have a better quote from somebody else to let us know, and we are likely going to build a beat that. In the event that we are unable to we still write you a $100 check choosing us for the installation. With the high-quality installation is done, we also send out a professional cleaning crew to clean up the mess so you don't have to.
We also want to make sure that we provide discounts to fellow military veterans, and also to please, first responders and teachers. We serve those who serve, and we are proud to provide discounts for those of you on the front lines. We also have a lifetime in a warranty in our products, that even window breakage so get touch whenever you need service and would be more than thrilled to oblige.
If you get in touch with us know to hesitate to reach out to 806-803-9060 for more information or to set up your free in-home demonstration quote, and find more information about us first visit our website. You can always check out our website anytime at veteranhomeexterior.com to find all the details about the products that we provide more details about our services including more about us his company, and more at veteranhomeexterior.com.
How Can You Learn More With Amarillo Fence Replacement?
If you are looking for a company that is going to be proud to offer you the highest quality Amarillo Fence Replacement or windows, doors siding in the services and reach out to us here Veteran Home Exteriors. Here, we pride ourselves in making sure that we offer you the best product at the best price, and that is essentially what it boils down to why people consider us the best here in Amarillo. We are one of most highly rated and reviewed, and we are a trusted source for any exterior products and services because not only are we going to offer you the best products, we start to make sure that we have the best prices on these and we also are can be willing to meet or beat anybody else's prices on our products and services as well.
People really appreciate the fact that when they come to us for something like Amarillo Fence Replacement, we have a broken down into a simple process to make sure that they get all the information that they need, and they get high as well as the best products out there on these exterior offerings. There's many people were the only have to do is give us a call anytime at 806-803-9060 and set up their estimate. The process involves providing you with a free in-home demonstration and wall on-site giving you a free estimate as well. We can come directly to you, and show you exactly what our high-quality products are capable of and give you an estimate at the same time at no charge. We can then discuss meeting or beating anybody else's prices if you have a better price anywhere else.
People know that we make the only are we going to provide you the process of the first step that includes the estimate and demonstration for anything including Amarillo Fence Replacement, and then the second step of discussing meeting or beating anybody else price, but the third step of the installation is going to be taken efficient and high quality. People know they can on us to help them by providing financing as well is a real no-brainer because we also offer you a lifetime limited warranty and offer products that also include window breakage.
Not only that, but we are the best because not only are we to provide you with the highest level of service and results, but we also are socially conscious and responsible and get back to several organizations whenever you basis that includes little mended hearts life impact international, and the Ryan Palmer Foundation.
We also provide you with other benefits like discounts for military veterans, first responders and teachers and a professional cleaning crew to take care of all the mess. If these kinds of things that home exterior here in Amarillo the know hesitate to reach out to us anytime. We are the best in what we do here in the community, so get touch whenever you're ready by calling us directly at 806-803-9060. The website whenever is convenient for you at veteranhomeexterior.com for more information if you like to find out more details about who we are, what we can do in the products that we provide.


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He's an arrogant, impulse-driven narcissist who treats women like playthings.
He uses largely inherited money to lead a life of pleasurable excess and self-indulgence.
He talks tough and takes delight in spouting politically incorrect language, because deep down inside he probably is a raunchy, racist, misogynistic white male who basks in his own sense of entitlement.
He thrives on chaos and does outrageous things, as if nothing gives him more pleasure than to shock or unsettle people.
He is reactive and doesn't seem to think anything through, but somehow things manage to work out for him.
Even when he fouls things up royally, there are few consequences to pay; people love him anyway, though he doesn't seem to care about them—this prodigal who seems perpetually on the brink of getting his act together, or not.
And Fox foisted him on us.
I'm talking about FX Channel's irreverent and unflappable Sterling Archer, an animated anti-hero who debuted on 17 September 2009—though, of course, there are uncanny similarities to a real person Fox also helped to elevate in the public consciousness. The difference is that Archer, like his decades-earlier fictional predecessor, Archie Bunker, is able to have it both ways: Some people laugh with him, while others laugh at him. He's the guy you love to hate … or just love.
Archer seems to exist in a non-specific time and place that has a Cold War meets Mosh Pit vibe, and his vulgar reality can easily satisfy a viewer's fantasy. Politics aside, there is something cathartic in watching outrageous behavior that you know you couldn't pull off yourself—whether it's temperament or morality that's holding you back.
In 2011, Entertainment Weekly asked readers to vote for their favorite animated series of all time, and Archer placed tenth, ahead of Scooby-Doo!, The Flintstones, King of the Hill, Adventure Time, and The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, but behind South Park, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and SpongeBob SquarePants. That's probably a fair indicator of the show's appeal. It won't be for everyone, but its fast-paced dialogue, irreverent jokes, and outrageous scenarios make for a laugh-out-loud funny adult show. When I reviewed Season 1 for DVD Town, I called Archer "a curious blend of office humor and James Bond parody, with a little Arrested Development thrown in for good measure." It felt over-the-top and spontaneous, ready to combust.
For the first four seasons, Archer worked with his cohorts out of the New York-based, for-profit independent spy agency ISIS (an acronym used before the Islamic State appropriated it, which here stands for International Secret Intelligence Service). They traded insults, indulged in Bacchanalian extravagances, talked filthy dirty, and shot the living hell out of the bad guys and each other. And all the while, the series' namesake kept on bleeping on. Then in Season 5, perhaps to shed ISIS and avoid any confusion with the headlines, the agency was kicked to the curb and the whole cast went criminal, as in drug cartel criminal. Season 6 brought them back into the spy business and saw Archer become a father, though he was clueless—which well could be his sobriquet. Season 7 saw them functioning as a detective agency, and now in Season 8 the series goes full-blown retro noir.
"No Good Deed" episode (© 2017, FXX Networks. All Rights Reserved.) (IMDB)
Season 8, aka Archer: Dreamland, feels like another complete series reboot, accomplished under the guise of a season-long dream sequence. Archer, left in a coma from the previous season and lying in bed still, re-imagines the gang as the players in a mystery set in what feels like the Los Angeles world of Philip Marlowe, circa 1947. It makes sense that Archer would finally morph into a hard-boiled detective in the noir tradition. He has a dark side, he's tough talking, he's a man of action, he's got a dry/wry sense of humor, he's a bit of a jaded fatalist, and he isn't afraid to tangle with femme fatales. He also has the perfect name for it. Miles Archer, you may recall, was Spade's partner in The Maltese Falcon, and Lew Archer was the name of Ross MacDonald's hard-boiled detective from the early '50s.
The show's visual style is also well suited to the noir tradition, with characters outlined in thick and expressive black lines and rendered only slightly less realistically than the detailed backgrounds. It's been the series' style to complement minimalist animation with fairly lavish backgrounds, and this season the artists go crazy with Art Deco, which lends a visual richness to the production—a feast for the eyes.
All that said, Season 8 doesn't seem to convey the same exhilarating sense of the artists and writers working without a net. It's not as edgy, unpredictable or outrageous as some of the previous seasons, and I think that's because the characters have been constricted a bit by the classic roles they're now relegated to. There are expectations for this genre, and expectations, of course, run counter to the kind of spontaneity that characterized the first seasons of this TV-MA animated series.
Dashiell Hammett once described his detective, Sam Spade, as "a dream man in the sense that he is what most of the private detectives I worked with would have liked to have been, and, in their cockier moments, thought they approached." Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) in Season 8 is the dreamer in this series and also quite like those private detectives. All business, when maybe we want him to be just a little crazier again for old time's sake, he thinks he is more of a tough P.I. than he really is.
Like Spade, Archer tries to find out who killed his partner, and the trail leads through notorious L.A. crime boss "Mother"—played by Archer's mother, the dominating, hard-drinking, caustic former head of ISIS (voiced by Arrested Development's Jessica Walter). Along the way he gets involved with a kidnapping, a jailbreak, a ghostly encounter, robot dogs, and a berserk killer. Part of the fun this season is seeing where the old characters turn up in the metastory, so I won't spoil it by revealing any more except to say that all of the regulars appear: Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler), Cheryl Tunt (Judy Greer), Pam Poovey (Amber Nash), Ray Gillette (Reed), Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell), and Dr. Algernop Krieger (Lucky Yates).
In the end, though, it's hard to become as emotionally invested in what happens to the characters this season because it is, after all, Archer's dream, and we expect he'll wake in time for Season 9 and another reboot. Archer: Dreamland may be a clever homage to classic hard-boiled detective fiction from the '40s, but Archer in Dreamland is not the wild man we've come to love/hate.


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Had a quick morning shoot with student Lethabo this week. Discovered we both use Starbucks as an office when sometime you just need to get out of the house to avoid distractions. Who else heads to their local coffee shop to work? Sometimes I find I am way more productive. I'd like to think it is the strong espresso but in reality I am sure it has more to do with the fact I'm in public and trying to look professional while also having fewer distractions. I wish I was this stylish at university, I am pretty sure I used to head to morning lectures in my pjs as I lived on campus and that was the done thing. Feeling slightly embarrassed by this trip down memory lane but I assure you I was not alone, promise!
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weekly musing from Rosalind Alcazar Photography


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We ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure. II Thess. 1:4
"Tribulations…" such a biblical word. Let's bring it into our everyday lingo. From Roget's Thesaurus, a few synonyms that you very well know, and may even be feeling (and if you're not feeling them now, wait until tomorrow). How about, "affliction… blow… burden … care… cross to bear… difficulty… distress… heartache… sorrow…trouble?" Any of these fit well right now? I assume there is not one of us who is not well acquainted with the list above.
Shocking it is that these above are part of the "will of God." I Peter 1:19 "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator." A chapter later, Peter writes "But may the God of all grace, who called us to eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered awhile, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you." Paul makes an equally incredible declaration in II Cor. 12, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
We are in error to assume this solely applies in time of spiritual persecution. Paul penned this in regard to his "thorn in the flesh." We haven't a hint what that thorn might be. But it likely had nothing to do with a wave of persecution. Do you have a thorn in the flesh at this time in your life, an excruciating pain? Perhaps it is a thorn you think comparatively minor. It is a thorn nevertheless. Often the most painful thorns are actually quite small, and yet the pain is great.
Job experienced the mystery of pain in the hand of God. After bold, but errant counsel and many words from the closest of friends, he realized, that in the end, there were to be things which "I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know." Pain rarely makes sense to us in the day. Occasionally it is understood tomorrow, but it may not be until heaven when clarity is gained. To Job, the result of pain actually became "wonderful!" Pain, hurt, heartache (call it what you want), is a mighty tool in the hand of our wise and loving God. Psalm 119: 67, 71 & 75, reveals what results in God's use of affliction, when we let it.
Three quotes, two from Spurgeon and the latter from Chambers—
As sure as ever God puts his children in the furnace, He will be in the furnace with them.
In shunning a trial, we are seeking to avoid a blessing.
The counterfeit of true spirituality is that produced by creeds. When one has been bereaved the most trying person is the one with a creed who can come with didactic counsel with regard to suffering; but turn to Job where nothing is taught at all, but wonderful expression is given to the real suffering of life, and the mere reading of it brings consolation to a breaking heart.
Our LORD– "despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…surely He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows." He is good, He understands!


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Our commitment to anti-racism
02 July 2020
We will push ourselves harder to drive meaningful change
The Black Lives Matter movement has prompted many of us as individuals – and many organisations – to think harder about how we think and act to tackle racism.
London Youth believes that Black lives matter and we stand in support of and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. As we wrote to our members in June, London Youth will take more active steps to fight against and bridge any gap in racial equity and injustice.
The last four weeks have been humbling. The difficult conversations we've had inside our organisation have demonstrated the passion and pain that many of my colleagues have felt in their lives and in their careers. It is clear that the action we've taken has not made the progress needed.
Having listened to my colleagues in the context of this important movement, I have learned our previous approach is insufficient for what we now know needs to be done and it requires a step change.
We are committed to becoming an anti-racist organisation – and now our work is to understand what we must do to achieve this, and also to sustain it.
Our new approach will be built on the following foundation:
- We have appointed London Youth member and trustee, Charline King, to chair a new group that will drive London Youth to become an anti-racist organisation. Charline will work directly with me and Pauline Daniyan, London Youth Director of Programmes, to further build our approach.
- We will prioritise listening to and learning from the lived experience of our Black colleagues – and also more widely to those from an Asian and minority ethnic background. We will also further educate ourselves on the issues of racism and structural disadvantage.
- We will begin our work by reviewing areas such as recruitment, retention and staff/trustee training and development in our organisation. Our plans will evolve to cover our work with the members and young people we serve.
- We will consider the recommendations of reports such as Home Truths: Undoing racism and delivering real diversity in the charity sector (ACEVO, June 2020), which can guide our long-term action.
- We will hold ourselves accountable by ensuring proper scrutiny of both plans and progress at trustee and staff level. We will also update publicly on the progress we are making.
Our reflection is that we need to push ourselves harder to drive change. More will be done in the weeks ahead as we scope our way forward, involving staff, trustees, young advisors and members.
Racism is endemic in our society and this means we first need to be conscious of and identify how we contribute to perpetuating racism and inequality within our own organisation.
While the urgency and need are clear, there is a lot of work to be done to make change meaningful. What is outlined here is a start – and it must be strengthened and sustained. We will listen and we will learn.
Rosemary Watt-Wyness, Chief Executive


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Back to Profiles
Internship Field: International Relations, Economics
Major: International Relations
Minor: Psychology
Host: Bankgesellschaft Berlin AG, Bereich Firmenkunden
Location: Berlin
Duration: 3 months, Summer 2000
Description: I worked on the possible implementation of a management strategy system that had been developed in the US. I researched in many forms and ended up making several presentations for the company, building upon specific questions they had posed. I also attended bank conferences and observed or read to gain more bank specific knowledge.
Comments: I gained people skills, research and presentation skills, and as the internship progressed the presentations kept getting bigger and more professional. I appreciated especially the personal connections I made and the cultural information with the type of work environment. Lunch discussions made my internship very real and the most helpful culturally, which I really enjoyed and looked forward to. I experienced a Major confidence boost professionally and gained knowledge about banking world in Germany. Being forced to speak and being expected to from the getgo was amazing helpful for my German, and I felt like I improved a lot or was at least a lot less hesitant to try and speak.


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Mel B Has To Give Stephen Belafonte $20,000 A Month In Support
According to TMZ, Mel B and Stephen Belafonte have finally – FINALLY – wrapped up their awful divorce. With all the allegations of spousal abuse surrounding Stephen, you'd think he'd be lucky to leave that marriage without an angry mob of Spice Girls fans chasing him down the street, throwing Buffalo platforms at his head. Instead, Stephen will walk away with $20,000 every month.
Mel B and Stephen were rumored to have settled the details of their divorce in November. They reportedly agreed to share joint legal custody of their 6-year-old daughter Madison, and a judge had signed off on an emergency spousal support payment of $40,000 a month. Their settlement wasn't as settled as it seemed, because just a few months later, Mel B alleged Stephen had made their kids watch ISIS beheading videos, while a friend of hers alleged she solicited him to "get rid of" Stephen. It was like watching some real-life Sopranos on a channel you couldn't flip away from. Although it would appear to be over, for now.
Mel B and Stephen recently wrapped up the financial details of their split. Stephen will get $5,000 a month in child support for Madison, as well as $15,000 a month in spousal support. Mel B will also cut Stephen a check for his lawyers fees, which after 16 months of back-and-forth fighting total $350,000. They will sell their Hollywood Hills home, with each taking away an even 50% of the profits. They're both in the clear when it comes to the restraining orders they took out against each other. Mel B dropped hers back in November. Stephen took out a restraining order against Mel B in June after he heard about the alleged hit out on him, but he's dropped that as well.
Stephen posted a video on Instagram after his visit to court, and he seems pretty happy. He later deleted the video.
Unfortunately, I think Stephen might be naively optimistic about his settlement win. Back when they first started fighting over money, Stephen claimed he needed at least $18,000 a month to maintain his lifestyle, like a ridiculous $750 a month cellphone plan. I think it might only be a matter of time before reality hits him, and he realizes his budget isn't what it used to be. "I was interested in the Gucci flip flops, but sadly I spent all of my allowance for this month on a hot air balloon ride with a live giraffe. So…how much would it cost for two Gucci shopping bags with some holes cut out for my toes."
Pic: Wenn.com


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What is CATALYST?
Catalyst is a 6-week program for qualified foster youth to learn about college life. This year's program will be in person, with a virtual option. Catalyst will be held June 23, 2021 – August 9, 2021 at IUPUI. Please check back often for updated information. In the meantime, join one of the two informational sessions – and bring your questions!
The March 2021 info sessions have passed. New sessions will be coming in the future.
Catalyst 2021 begins August 9, 2021 at IUPUI.
Contact Tiffany Powell
317-917-8940 ext 114 or 317-618-2268