text:
The other day, I heard a really good podcast interview of Tiffany Dufu, the women's leadership guru and powerhouse author of "Drop the Ball." Because Tiffany is, like me, an African American working mom with a Ghanaian husband, I wanted to feel camaraderie. Her message – that modern women should learn to do less and delegate more, to rely on their "village" so that they can focus more energy and attention on achieving their highest visions – was solid. I wanted to support the work that she is doing to help women and girls, so much so that I quickly hopped over to my local bookshop and grabbed the bestseller off the shelf in order to get a closer look. Thumbing through each chapter, I searched desperately for a hook. I wanted badly to relate. But the truth was that in many respects, I couldn't. Continue reading "Coming home"
I've always been the good student.
I went to "gifted and talented" school growing up, was voted "most likely to succeed" in high school, and graduated summa cum laude after four years of university.
I had found my "thing" – academics. I loved school so much that I kept going for a long, long (long, long, long, long) time.
In my early 30s, I graduated with a PhD in Psychology. My husband and four kids attended my graduation ceremony.
So, was I a "success" now? Would the red carpet roll out for me to a world of opportunity and prestige now that I had achieved the highest degree in my field? Would all of my book smarts and all-nighters pay off?
Well…If you know my story, then you know the answer.
Continue reading "Are your "distractions" really your guides?"
So a few months ago, I did an unbelievable thing. I took my own advice (gasp!) and took a step toward recovery from the most popular drug in America: busy-ness. Continue reading "Breaking the Busy-ness Habit"
A child of a Black Panther and an escapee of the Jim Crow South, I grew up steeped in Black pride and an understanding that one of my core duties on this Earth (and requirements for survival) was resistance to an interlocking system of oppression that would love to see me and my kinfolk destroyed, and preferably by our own hand. Continue reading "My activism: Unapologetic Black JOY"
I used to think that work-family "balance" was a goal to strive for, but now I think that balance is probably the worst thing for my brain. Balance implies that I will spread my energy and attention equally across the various demands on my time, gracefully keeping all the plates spinning in sync (or, at least broken into equally tiny, sharp pieces across the kitchen floor). Continue reading "The Creative Quarantine"
Our weekend excursion, every weekend: harvesting on the organic farm where I work during the week. Might sound like an awfully difficult way to handle grocery shopping, or maybe just thinly veiled workaholism, but the kids usually end up having a blast and we always end up with a hearty dinner. Continue reading "18 reasons my kids hang out on a farm"
It's not a large space. It's really not in any way fancy. Hell, it's not usually even clean.
But it is a sacred space. Continue reading "The power of small, sacred spaces"
This year, still reeling from transitions to a new home and the launching of several new work projects, the hubby and I were NOT at all interested in doing that little yearly dance usually accompanying Mother's and Father's Day. Continue reading "Simplifying Father's Day"
Terisa Siagatonu, a Bay Area spoken word artist, recently inspired me to reconsider the often-heard and readily accepted idea that "you have to love yourself before you can love anyone else." Continue reading "Love of Self, Love of Community (aka Chicken and Egg)"
When I was growing up, being a sci-fi geek seemed antithetical to being an urban Black kid. Or so I thought. Thank goodness that in recent years, thousands of melanated folks with a hankering for time travel, humanoid species, dystopian visions and other "out-there" phenomena have leapt out of the closet, blowing the white wash off of the fantasy/sci-fi genre and ushering in an age of Afrofuturism where a kid can be (get this) Black and nerdy at the same time. Lucky punk… Continue reading "10 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels for Kids of Color"
Who has time to read parenting books? Certainly not people with actual babies and children in the house! Sometimes what parents need most is a simple, quick phrase to remind themselves of what is true and real. When you need re-centering, speak these brief phrases aloud or silently. Repeat daily, hourly, and every minute if you need to. The Universe may just respond with a burst of positive energy for you… Continue reading "Mantras for New Parents (and Even the Not-so-New)"
Numerous scientific studies have uncovered the helpful effects of essential oils on pain, anxiety, memory, attention, mood, relaxation, and sleep. Whether inhaled through aromatherapy, applied directly to the skin (with a safe carrier oil), or ingested via tinctures and teas (more common in Europe than in the US), there is mounting evidence that these organic compounds have a positive effect on the human nervous system. Here are a few ways that you can use nature's "smell-goods" to lift your mood and combat daily stress. A few of my favorites… Continue reading "5 Ways to De-Stress with Essential Oils"
Corporate culture talks incessantly about time management and productivity….which is exactly why I have avoided both of these concepts like the plague. As a bona fide free spirit, I run away screaming from anything that smacks of "other people telling me what to do, how much to do, and when to do it." I contend that I am supposed to be late for most things, that daydreaming is a perfectly valid use of the hours between 9 and 5, and that the concept of "working through lunch" should be added to the list of cardinal sins. Continue reading "6 Time Management Tips for Creatives (and Other Folks Who Hate Time Management)"
"Living simply makes loving simple." ~bell hooks
Simple living is all about consciously choosing to live with less material possessions, reduced work time, and sometimes even less technology than the average modern American. How one chooses to design their simple life may look differently for each individual, but the underlying premise is to develop a sense of gratitude and satisfaction for you already have rather than enter the vicious cycle of always seeking more. Continue reading "The Simple Life (Isn't So Simple)"
Maybe I'm weird, but I like conferences. And in the past year, I've been honored to receive invitations to numerous conferences concerning sustainability, permaculture, green living, environmentalism, and nature connection. (Some of my favorite topics!) And yet, over time my enthusiasm for such gatherings have slowly waned. In fact, I think that I'll turn down the next invitation. Why? Simple. I am tired of always being the only person of color in the whole conference. Continue reading "The White-Washing of Sustainability"
Hell if I know. But if so, that's pretty cool, right? I mean, I guess it's probable that natural formations which have been embedded in the Earth for hundreds or thousands of years might have come to embody certain energetic properties based on their unique vibrational frequencies. Minerals, gemstones, and crystals have been used since ancient times by cultures across the world to enhance physical, mental, and spiritual health.
And plus, they're just so purrrty. Continue reading "Do Crystals Really Have Healing Powers?"
Your boss walks in to your performance evaluation with a frown. A waitress gives a snarky response to your question. As you exit a store, a security officer chases after you.
What is your response to each of these situations? To varying degrees, each represents a potential threat or danger to your well-being. Perhaps you'll end up fired, mistreated, in jail, or worse. Or maybe not. The uncertainty about how each situation will work out only adds to the stress you feel.
In such situations, we tend to respond in conditioned ways that are hard-wired into our DNA. Continue reading "Fight, Flight, Freeze, or…Feel"
I love a nice, big city – crowded sidewalks filled with interesting people, cuisine from all over the world, tons of fun things to do, and every kind of neighborhood you can imagine. But at the end of the day, I've learned that nothing restores my sense of inner peace like a walk through the woods, or an afternoon at a quiet beach. Even a few minutes watching the birds at a park can be a healing experience. I find that a quiet morning in the yard can help me to feel more creative, less anxious, and way more centered by the time I get to work. Now science is starting to know why. Continue reading "Get Wild! What Being in Nature Does for You"
As a mom, I've done A LOT of school shopping. I don't mean the autumn ritual of purchasing school supplies. I mean shopping for schools – pouring over promotional materials, combing through websites, asking friends and community members for referrals to their favorite schools, attending open houses and orientations, comparing curriculums and educational philosophies, meeting teachers and principals and students who all claim that their school is the best. But keep in mind – I'm not just a mom of four children. I'm a mom of four Black children, and I'm also a psychologist who is very interested in protecting my little ones from the traumatic experience that school can too often become. Continue reading "Should Black Parents Consider Montessori Schools?"


text:
A caterpillar is bound to the earth until it undergoes its transformation into a free and fluttering butterfly. We use this symbol to represent the change a woman undergoes under the care of Iris Kirby House.
Iris Kirby House wanted a new look and feel to represent the organization, the support offered, and the hope and transformation that women and children experience when they come through the shelter doors. Inspired by a local species of butterfly called the "Silvery Blue" with beautiful blue and lavender tones in its wings, we created a brand to represent the essence of Iris Kirby House.
This icon shows the moment of first flight of a butterfly, wings flapping with new life. The use of colour and transparency conveys movement, flight, and transformation. The logo transforms from purples (symbolizing non-violence against women) to blues (symbolizing freedom, calm & peace). The various shades are used to mimic motion of the fluttering wings in an almost freeze-frame style – this illustrates moving forward but also is a metaphor for this transformative process.
We're thrilled to help illustrate the vision of Iris Kirby House in this new iteration of their brand, website, brochures, and posters.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Colour Affects Us Emotionally, Psychologically and Physically
It has the power to:
- alter apparent body shape, making areas appear larger or smaller
- make a person appear more youthful or mature
- change impressions making a person appear healthy and vibrant or, ill and lethargic
- affect the mood of the wearer and those around them
Discovering your best colours is an essential component to looking your absolute best.
Consultations take approximately 90 minutes and can be combines with style as a full image consultation (180 mins).
- your best range of colours
- how to correctly use your swatch
- how to coordinate your colours to maximize your impact
- which are you best suit, shirt, casual wear and tie colours
- a high quality directional colour swatch containing 60 colours which references to thousands of additional colours
- an accompanying full colour detailed ebook covering everything you need to know
The price varies depending on the location, qualifications, and experience of the consultant.
To complete your new look we suggest that you elect to also have a style consultation for the simple reason that a garment in a great colour, but an unflattering style is just as bad a buy, as a garment in a flattering style and bad colour.
Colour and style consultations can be taken together as a 180 min session.


text:
|A comparison of traditional and conventional agricultural models
craft horticultural production
subsistence agriculture
intensive industrial agriculture mass production agribusiness
|Survival of the local community is the goal.
Risk aversion: don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Provide a constant supply of basic food needs first, then "luxuries."
|Maximization of production and profit based on economic rationality & efficiency.
|A belief that the earth is alive, a more gentle manipulation - by hand.
|The soil is considered to be dead, intensive mechanized tillage with heavy machinery.
|naturally variable rainfall, some irrigation
|natural organic, fallow time, nutrient cycling, polyculture symbiosis
|synthetic petrochemical fertilizer
|Diverse seeds are locally developed. Crossbreeding and diversity for risk aversion requires diverse management practices.
|Mass produced hybrid seeds are imported. Genetic manipulation and uniformity for maximum yields and standardization of management practices.
|natural predators and polyculture resilience
|petrochemical pesticides, genetic manipulation
|hand weeding, polyculture resilience
|petrochemical herbicides, genetic manipulation
|Intimate knowledge of the local ecosystem passed down. Skillful but gentle manipulation of the ecosystem. Very labor intensive work at a variety of tasks.
|Little specific local knowledge wholesale transfer of "technology" devised and diffused from central point - just read the label, mechanization with fossil fuels replaces most human and animal labor
|agroecology: a diverse and complex mixture of plants in balance with the natural environment. resilient, automatically corrects for annual fluctuations, imitation of the environment's flora and fauna makes for a sustainable living system
|conventional monoculture: "food production is treated like an
industrial process in which individual plants assume the role of miniature
the individual plant grows in a sterile, stable environment created with massive artificial inputs and energy
Plant illustrations by Mary Frances Jackson
Gliessman, Stephen, 1998, Agroecology: Ecological Processes in Sustainable Agriculture Chelsea, MI; Sleeping Bear Press


text:
Unfortunately I am not meticulous enough to knit two mitts which are the same size as each other - but they do fit my wrists and one day I will remember to wear them whilst knitting or typing (as a defence against OOS).
So what do you think? Is it worth trying again with something bigger? (I'm thinking no)
Slightly more detail on Ravelry.


text:
Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
For 2017, the IRS, the states and the tax industry joined together to enact new safeguards and take additional actions to combat tax-related identity theft. Many of these safeguards will be invisible to you, but invaluable to our fight against these criminal syndicates. If you prepare your own return with tax software, you will see new log-on standards. Some states also have taken additional steps. Visit the following website for more information: https://www.irs.gov/uac/taxpayer-guide-to-identity-theft


text:
Tag Archives: 1940s
Happy Retro Valentine's Day!
Pull out the red and pink crepe paper streamers, it's Valentine's Day. Do you remember the giant paper cupid cutout and honeycomb paper hearts hanging in your 2nd grade classroom on Valentine's Day? What about those quirky valentines that you … Continue reading


text:
I was at school 40 years ago when the USA Apollo 11 programme managed to put the first man on the moon with less processing power than my mobile phone. I was entranced by the whole adventure and have been fascinated by the space race ever since. I read today in The Church of England Newspaper that astronaut Buzz Aldrin shared Holy Communion in thanks for a safe flight and was inspired to write our verses from Psalm 8 as he stared into the blackness of space from the lunar surface. The following are the only bible verses to be written and left on the moon:
A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise [b]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
Truly awesome!


text:
Blooming with a pretty floral print, Girl. by Band of Outsiders' cotton and wool-blend dress is a sweet feminine style. For a casual-cool spin, team this pale-cream design with metallic loafers and a chain-strapped shoulder bag.
Pale-cream semi-sheer cotton and wool-blendMulticolored floral print, gathered neck, lined at skirtConcealed zip fastening at side80% cotton, 20% wool; lining: 70% cotton, 30% silkHand wash
Product code: 318668 - Need help? Contact us


text:
So much medieval art has been lost since the mid 16th century, here I look at some wonderful visual evidence of a lost rood screen from Norfolk.
Medieval Vestments 1.0 – Albs, Amices and Apparels
This is a first in a series of brief articles on late medieval western liturgical dress and vestments. It is intended to provide a brief introduction to the terminology used to describe medieval vestments, for those who are unfamiliar with them. My intention is to provide a guide that will help fellow art historians describe... Continue Reading →
The Mass in Rogier van der Weyden's Seven Sacraments
Rogier van der Weyden's Seven Sacraments is an extraordinary painting. In this post I explore the depictions of the Mass within and what it might say about the lay experience of the Eucharist in medieval Europe.
'Stayned' and 'peynted' textiles.
Not all medieval church textiles were made of rich and costly materials. This article looks at the stained or painted linen cloths, their use in church context, their production and a few surviving examples.
Myth-busting – the 'Devil's Doors' revisited.
Today I am delighted to be able to share with you a guest post written by my colleague Dr Nicholas Groves, in which he discusses the evidence for the most persistent of Ecclesiological myths, that of the 'Devil's door'. Many medieval doors in churches are blocked up, some of the blocked doors are to the... Continue Reading →
Wax votive offerings
This article explores the form, significance and purpose of a series of wax votive offering discovered in Exeter Cathedral during the Second World War.
"go to the eternal fire, you accursed" – a painted rood beam
Woodeaton in Oxfordshire has a super little medieval church with lots to delight and catch the interest. The walls have the remains of layer upon layer of medieval wallpaintings, including lots of red ochre lining out on the walls of the nave and a delightful St Christopher facing the main south door, just where you... Continue Reading →
Chantries, poor livings and the gift of a lectern
Late medieval gospel lecterns are wonderful things and I have blogged about them and their purpose before. There are quite a number of 15th-century latten lecterns in Norfolk and Suffolk, but the example from Oxborough in Norfolk, dating from the 1480s, is particularly impressive. Not only is it a delightful object visually, with its eagle... Continue Reading →
Burial ground or rubbish dump?
Buckinghamshire is a wealthy and pleasant county in the south east of England, rather too pleasant for churches to be kept open. The day I visited Chearsley, only half of the churches I visited were open - which is not a very good record. Anyway it was a delight to get into this charming little... Continue Reading →


text:
Every four years a city is preparing to coverup a massive dumpster fire with a Band Aid and what better way to celebrate than joining Fanatic Radio. The Olympics begin and Mike, Ben and special guest John Gardner breakdown the drama and hopefuls for the XXXI Olympiad in Rio.
Also Flo is back with so much patriotism, it's coming out our ears as he breaks down the differences in both conventions. College football is also dictating the NCAA and is that a good thing with the new ACC Network deal and the Big XII scrambling as always?
05 August 2016
03 August 2016
B-Flo 360 Podcast - August 3, 2016
We go live again because why not? Only this time, we are joined by a whole cast of characters as we discuss a little Trump and 2016 while also diving into the scintillating sports stories of the day and, of course, the Rio Olympics. And as always, we'll have the ranting and the shoutouts that we all know and love.
That's on the latest edition of the B-Flo 360 Shoutout.
That's on the latest edition of the B-Flo 360 Shoutout.
Posted by Unknown at 1:31:00 PM Labels: MLB, NFL, Olympics, Podcast, Politics Links to this post
02 August 2016
Are the Texas Rangers now the team to beat in the American League?
But after an aggressive series of moves heading into the trade deadline by general manager Jon Daniels, the Rangers are now positioned as perhaps the league favorite to get to the World Series.
Posted by Unknown at 4:15:00 PM Labels: MLB Links to this post
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Whenever the topic of fitness tracker comes up, the Fitbit brand is always mentioned. In fact, it's even becoming a bit of a generic name for a wearable fitness tracker – this is because they are the leader in the market at the time.
As I'm a regular Mi Band Pulse user, I didn't have any plans to go and try the Fitbit until it was gifted to me. As a result, I thought it would be nice to put it through a review.
The Fitbit One is one of their more basic fitness tracker units. The body of the unit is visible through a large window on the front of the package, and is a striking burgundy colour. Some of its abilities include activity and sleep tracking, and it is pictured with its "wear resistant clip" for wearing in a pocket, on a belt or clipped on a bra.
Even though it is one of the more basic units in their lineup, the unit retails for AU$129.95 from Fitbit's own online shop, and can be found on eBay from about AU$95, making it a fairly expensive tracker especially when compared with the Chinese offerings.
The side of the box indicates the compatibility of the device, which includes iPhone 4S or later, iPad (3rd generation) or later and "leading Android devices". Surprisingly, it is also compatible with laptops and desktops running Windows XP or Mac OSX 10.6 or later. A look at the inclusions listed on the other side shows that it includes a wireless sync dongle – essentially a Bluetooth low-energy interface, so people without Bluetooth low-energy capable smartphones can still make use of the Fitbit One.
As promised, within the package is the tracker, the sync dongle with a non-standard USB shroud, a charger lead, wear-resistant clip and a sleep wristband. A single sheet leaflet is also present to tell you how to set-up the device, which involves visiting www.fitbit.com/setup.
The unit is charged through the pads at the back, using a special clip-in cradle. This is similar to many of the other fitness trackers. Before doing anything with the unit, it pays to charge it up at least enough to set it up, so I hooked it up to a USB port to get some juice.
PC-based Setup and Use
When visiting the setup page, you are greeted with two different ways to get started – either you can install and use the mobile app, or you can install the Fitbit Connect software and use the Wireless Sync Dongle. I opted for the latter, because it's a special feature not found in other competitors.
When the dongle was plugged in, it appeared as a USB Human-Interface Device rather than a Bluetooth device. I suspect because this is because the dongle itself has its own "intelligence" and is intended for use with Fitbit trackers only, and by doing this, it doesn't need special drivers to operate with the software.
Setup was fairly straightforward, and is a matter of following the prompts and giving it all the information it wants. Along the way, there are some basic tutorials telling you about the features and how to use them, as well as a need to verify Bluetooth pairing PIN. Once it is setup, the software runs in the background, allowing for syncing automatically or manually.
When using the tracker with the PC, the main interface can be reached from fitbit.com, and is a web-based dashboard.
The dashboard can be customized by removing and rearranging the tiles. It's nice to see a truly "cross-platform" experience, with all the relevant data visible at a glance including steps, weight, sleep, logged exercise, etc. There is a food plan feature to help you lose weight as well as a water/drink logging feature. There is also a friends feature which allows you to compete with other Fitbit users, which can be found either via Facebook connect, or by inviting them by e-mail.
The log tab allows you to access various logging features, as the platform has a food plan and calorie balance system to help you determine whether you are eating enough, or too much. The calorie count seems to take into account the basal metabolic rate, so you can be doing no steps a day and still burn about 1800 calories. There are also tabs for tracking activity (exercise), weight (manually, or in conjunction with the Aria smart-scales) and sleep. The food stats graph appears to require Flash Player plugin, which seems a little old-fashioned.
The community tab allows you to access forums for product support.
The premium tab is where you're exposed to the upsell – namely they want to be more than just a basic tracker and instead get another AU$59.95/year from you to show how your data compares with the other Fitbit users (paid or not). It also unlocks various reports which mine your data for you, as well as a virtual trainer.
The cog allows you to access settings, where you can configure all your details, as well as your alarms, privacy settings and data sharing. A particularly useful feature not available on competing platforms is the ability to export data for your own analysis. This tool is limited to exporting up to 31 days at a time, but it's good to see that your data isn't "trapped" in the platform as it commonly is with its competitors.
When it comes to sharing, where the Mi Fit has a link with Google Fit, it seems that Fitbit has partnered with Microsoft HealthVault, which is something I've not even heard of prior to owning this unit. It also has a linkage with Twitter, which allows Fitbit to automatically tweet your statistics every day. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be any other integrated sharing ability.
Thins don't stop there, as Fitbit also has many e-mails sent to you on events such as low-battery, and weekly statistics. Everything to get you moving, I suppose, but this is also unique to them.
Mobile Application
Of course, the majority of users would probably have a compatible smartphone and desire to use that with their tracker instead for set-up and daily use. The good thing is that once you have been set-up, there's no need to go through the set-up process again. You just have to install the app and sign in with the credentials you created during your original sign-up. Even then, you can still use the web dashboard to check the results, as the sync uses the phone to talk to the Fitbit tracker and upload its results to their servers. If you want to use the Fitbit connect USB dongle, you will have to ensure your phone is not connected to the tracker (i.e. turn off Bluetooth) otherwise the USB dongle can't sync with the dongle.
Anyway, the app itself looks pretty clean and simple at a glance, with the Dashboard being the default screen. By long pressing on the items, you can customize which items are shown. Short-pressing on an item brings up the historical trend information, which allows you to see how you have been doing in the past. You can also expand the graph by tapping on it, which gives you the possibility to see aggregate figures for a time period as given by the bar above.
If that's not enough, by clicking on the steps listed underneath, you can get the daily step trend graph. But if it's a little too small for your liking, you can expand that too. The navigation experience really "goes deep".
It's a very similar story when it comes to sleep logging, where the data is presented as coloured bars, and while higher detail is available, it's not always meaningful.
The displays for food, water, and weight look pretty similar. In the case of food, manual entry and barcode scan is available, although I didn't use it. In the case of water, you can "quick add" standard volumes with a single press, which is a little more convenient, but still too much hassle for me.
Exercise can also be logged, with the type of exercise, and what appears to be GPS logging capability using the GPS within your phone.
Fitbit has their own "friends" system which allows you to compete with others, and improve your score. This is a common feature amongst most fitness trackers.
A little less common is the "gamification" of the fitness process, with badges and trophies you can earn with your fitness progress, and challenges you and friends can work towards.
All of the above mentioned features are accessed via the sidebar menu, which can be bought up using the menu button.
Settings allows you to configure your goals, and your stride length, the latter of which is rarely found in other fitness trackers.
There is also a silent alarms panel to set up to eight alarms. These are updated every time the tracker is synced.
The Devices panel lets you see the status of your devices and their synchronization status. It's also a place where it attempts to upsell the user to another device. The Help menu allows you to view information about the mobile app version and access documentation regarding the app and the tracker.
User Experience
While in use as a step tracker, I felt the One had its merits and disadvantages. One of the best features is the OLED screen, similar to that on the Vidonn X6, which allows for immediate viewing of the tracker's status –
This includes the current time, the next alarm day and time, number of steps, number of floors climbed, distance, calories burnt and a flower indicating the amount of activity within the past three hours. The OLED display also randomly shows motivational messages, known as "Chatter" which can be disabled.
While the OLED display is great, the form factor of the unit is a little on the larger side, hence it is supplied with a clip rather than a wrist-band. When mounted in your pocket, it's much less useful than it otherwise would be.
The One doesn't come with an IP rating in its documentation, only noting that it's sweat-proof. The unit has a physical push button that has a cut-out in the shell, so I suspect the unit isn't going to survive going through the wash very well. This is quite important since the unit is likely to be clipped inside a pants pocket, and could easily be forgotten there.
In fact, because it needs to be clipped whenever changing pants, I have had several instances where I remembered that I didn't move the tracker over to my new pants and lost a few counts as a result.
The step counting was fairly consistent and accurate – within about 10% of the other trackers I was simultaneously wearing. The reason for the differences also proves to be a potential strength. Now that we are approaching the coldness of winter, when going out for a walk, I have a tendency to put my hands in my pockets. A wrist-worn tracker is likely to under-report steps under this circumstance, whereas the clip-on seems to perform just fine. Another scenario where the clip seems better is when carrying a bag or an item, and the wrist is otherwise immobilized. It also can be used unobtrusively, and discreetly. The downside, of course, is that you have to remember to actually clip the unit on.
The unit does have some rather interesting features, such as the steps climbed functionality which isn't duplicated by my other fitness trackers, which detects when going up a certain distance and counts it as a floor.
I didn't have any problems with the silicone clip, which had a tough stainless steel metal clip embedded within it. I can see that after a long period of use, the silicone may tear through and the clip may need to be replaced.
The unit uses a custom charging cable, as with most other trackers, so you have to be careful not to lose on. The site claims the unit is good for a week to two weeks, and my testing seemed to bear that out with the unit lasting 11 days when checked a few times a day with one alarm each day. This is much shorter than the Mi Band Pulse's over 40 days of battery life, and means needing a lot more attention to ensure the unit is periodically charged.
Another downside with the battery is the app's reporting of the status. Only three levels are reported – Fully charged, Medium and Low. As a result, it's about as bad as an old digital camera, as Low really means "get to the charger".
The unit is advertised as a sleep tracker as well, and technically speaking, this is true. However, sleep mode is not timed (as in the Vidonn) nor automatic (as in the Mi Band), instead requiring the user to manually engage it through a long press of the button on the front panel, and disengage it upon waking with the same process. It also requires users take the unit out of the clip and put it into the rather thick velcro wristband which is both uncomfortable and somewhat frustrating to do. This makes its sleep functionality relatively impractical to use – it's just too much hassle, and even if you forego the wristband, it's too easy to forget to turn it on as you get into bed. It's notable that their more expensive models just so happen to not need such hassle.
I also found syncing in the mobile app to be quite slow, and even after the sync completes, the screen does not immediately update with the new figures. It's as if the app uploads the new data, and has to wait for the cloud back-end to process and then show the updated figures. This can take up to a minute, leaving you a little confused as the screen was showing zero steps but sync completed. When actually connected and updated, the screen will update step counts live.
The app doesn't seem to have any integration with other services for sharing progress information. That being said, the app does seem to receive periodic updates, which is good.
The One seems to broadcast itself on Bluetooth low energy continuously, with a name of ONE, which can make it a privacy and tracking concern.
The Fitbit One is one of Fitbit's most basic units. Despite this, it still has a fairly steep retail price compared to the Chinese competitors. It performs reliably, and offers in-addition to the mobile app, a desktop/laptop compatible dongle with software and web-based dashboard functionality. It features a nice OLED display, and also performs floor counting which is unique. The unit's wear resistant clip felt relatively sturdy, and its clip mounting can be an advantage in some cases. The app featured more complete food plan and water logging features, and the web dashboard also offers the possibility to download raw data for further analysis.
Despite this, it also has some drawbacks, including a complicated and frustrating sleep-tracking procedure, a "sweat proof" rating which may not be enough to save it from an accidental wash, slow syncing with the mobile app, very limited sharing options, a limited 11-day battery life, the need to remember to actually wear the unit and continuous Bluetooth low-energy name broadcasts which could be a privacy issue. It also doesn't have any of the bells and whistles of heart rate monitoring, which is becoming a more requested feature.
As a result, while it does what it says on the box (for the most part), it's not particularly good value for a price-conscious consumer, say compared to a Mi Band Pulse. However, if you do intend to take full advantage of the Fitbit platform, including its gamification, friends and Premium features, it's probably a more affordable option.


text:
Monday, January 9, 2012
I really love this new-ish "Birdie" lamp by Foscarini designed by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba. The lamp is quite playful and comes in a floor or table lamp size. I totally want one. Enough said. Check it out here: http://www.palombaserafini.com/works_1_1_1.asp?ID=289&sez=1&az=7#
Posted by What is this blog, you ask? at 6:33 PM
Labels: cool things for your house
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Original Post
He sleeps with the man wife and the congregation cheers
Typical PNC supporters AKA Filth Heads.
The man was simply performing one of his ritual healing.
Who needs religion when we can receive spiritual gratification from sex? The house of God is redefined as the devil's den to take responsibility for sins committed by men and women.
For a moment there I was thinking it was the mufti after reading the title
Religion!! They hide their sins behind it. Scumbags of the earth.
There is a Guyanese imam named Safi who was also caught in Canada.
I think a few people here knows him.


text:
It must be a 'thing' at L'Enclume, but both times Jamie and I asked for our photo to be taken – once at our table and once in the kitchen – L'Enclume staff photobombed us! Which I found hilarious. It's also testament to the fact that it may be a double michelin starred restaurant with impeccable food and service, but the staff don't take themselves too seriously, which I love.
I did wonder when we entered L'Enclume whether the service would be too stuffy as we were immediately fussed over by some serious seeming waiters. It was only as the evening wore on that I realised that these guys were quietly quirky and fun.
We took our seats and were presented with a fancy wax sealed envelope with the menu in. Beautiful branding by the way, oh and the plate was stunning too.
We opened the menu which revealed seventeen courses! None of which made any sense to me – not that that was a problem. But first things first we needed to focus on booze. I sensibly declined the wine flight as I knew that would be bad news for everyone. However Jamie was game, and opted for eight wines matched with eight of the courses. I stayed safe and had a glass of english sparkling wine from Kent which was light and scrumptious.
The food commenced with one of my favourites of the evening: smoked cod roe and parsley served on a pebble with some flatbreads for scooping it off. Fishy, seasidey and delicious – the excess of parsley giving it a very unique flavour. And I loved scraping it off a pebble. My only beef was that the waiter removed the pebble before I scraped all the cod roe off! I was too intimidated by the fine dining atmosphere to complain though.
I won't take you through all the seventeen courses or this could become a very long blog post. However mouthwatering theatrical course after course appeared, each subtle and intriguing and a work of art. The most dramatic course was called 'Humphrey's Pool' on the menu – which obviously tells you nothing. The waiter appeared with a bunsen burner and glass bottle contraption on top – there was a broth in the bottom part and seaweeds and seashells in the top. The broth was magically cooked up involving broth going up and down the bottle. Next it was poured on to a wave shaped plate of seafoods. I'm not quite sure what I was eating but it tasted fine, and that's all that mattered!
Towards the end of the meal we obviously got to the puddings. It's hard to pick a favourite when everything tastes so good – but Holker yoghurt, rhubarb and sorrel did it for me. Not only did it look exquisite with little flowers sprinkled on top, but this was a dynamite flavour – an extremely posh rhubarb crumble with a moussy sweet cheese topping (which I assume was the yoghurt). Divine!
Words are failing me when I try and sum up the evening – it was a very special meal and there many elements at work that made the night sing. The waiters were brilliant and genuinely very friendly – subtle, knowledgeable, polished, but as I discovered with the photobombing – not too polished that they've lost their sense of fun. The setting was charming – it was minimalist but not too minimalist – lots of touches of nature and art thrown gently into the mix with a bit of driftwood here and a shell art work there and delightful hand made asymmetrical crockery. The decor felt contemporary but lovely and tactile and natural too. And obviously the food from start to finish was an adventure – each course surprised us and piqued our curiosity – with each mouthful you were greeted with a new flavour sensation. So L'Enclume thank you – you've nailed it!


text:
Dear new forces,
Due to a countless questions here is our explanation/instructions regarding newcomers @ MetalDays and @ Winter Days of Metal. Since the first MetalDays edition, we are supporting Metal community by adding lot of newcomer bands to our line up. In year 2017, we've taken our support even one step further, with creating another, 3rd stage on MetalDays, "New Forces" stage fully dedicated to you, newcomer bands. We will continue this tradition in a joint venture also at Winter Days of Metal.
For all upcoming Winter Days of Metal and MetalDays festival editions, please follow the link here, that will provide you with detailed information how to apply as newcomer at Winter Days of Metal and MetalDays festival.
Thanks for your support,
Your Winter Days of Metal team


text:
Purim's Violent Side
We cannot have our day of fun on Purim without first reflecting on violence caused toward women, with the Fast of Esther; thus, this Jewish holiday must be seen as a two-day observance that encompasses solemn reflection and unbridled celebration.
Want to enjoy 'Zen' reading - with no ads and just the article? Subscribe todaySubscribe now


text:
Prasad Eye Institute-Hyderabad
V Prasad Eye Institute is a world-class eye hospital, research,
and training centre located in Hyderabad,
India. Its mission is to provide
excellent and equitable eye care
to all in a caring and compassionate
manner. The Institute's six areas
of focus are comprehensive patient
care, sight enhancement and low
vision rehabilitation, community
eye health, clinical research, education
and training programmes, and product
L V Prasad Eye Institute is a comprehensive
eye health facility located in Hyderabad,
India. Founded in October 1986 by eminent
ophthalmologist Dr Gullapalli N Rao, the
Institute has evolved into a world class
organization, with six main areas of focus:
comprehensive patient care, clinical research,
sight enhancement and rehabilitation, community
eye health, education, and product development.
the beginning our focus has been on extending
equitable and efficient eye care to the
underprivileged. The Institute's charter
aims at providing 50 percent of its surgical
services free of cost to the economically
disadvantaged. In collaboration with the
World Health Organization (WHO) and the
International Agency for the Prevention
of Blindness (IAPB), we have designed and
implemented many innovative community eye
health programs. Each day, 200
who cannot afford eye care, receive care
from some of the best eye health professionals,
while hundreds more benefit from LVPEI's
rural affiliates and satellite clinics in
urban slums. The cornerstone of progress
in medical science is research and LVPEI
collaborates with premier institutions globally
in this area. Our research program takes
pride in putting cutting edge technology,
like stem cell transplantation, to clinical
application. We have also developed innovative
applications of lasers to treat corneal
and retinal diseases, while evolving unconventional
approaches to glaucoma treatment and conducting
frontline research into the molecular genetic
basis of eye diseases.
provides treatment and management of all
eye diseases under various subspecialties,
while also offering a complete range of
services through specialised clinics. We
have an exclusive clinic for visually impaired
children, including newborns and infants,
and a full-fledged oncology service.
All our clinical services work closely with
the research departments so that practice
keeps pace with the latest scientific knowledge.
We take pride in putting cutting edge technology,
like stem cell transplantation, to clinical
application. We have developed innovative
applications of lasers to treat corneal
and retinal diseases, evolved unconventional
approaches to glaucoma treatment and conducted
frontline research into the molecular genetic
basis of eye diseases.
hospital is entirely self-sufficient - all
essential diagnostics can be conducted in-house.
A biomedical team ensures that the equipment
is kept in perfect working order at all
International Appeal
V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) is synonymous
with quality eye care in India and across
the world. To a great extent this is due
to a unique combination of world class medical
talent, state-of-the-art medical equipment,
excellent patient care services and the
exceptional ambience of the Institute. According
to one Harvard health management scholar,
"LVPEI embodies excellence, efficiency
and equity". Indeed, this is the only
eye Institute in the world that provides
the most comprehensive coverage of all eye
care services. LVPEI's partnerships with
Bausch and Lomb, Carl-Zeiss and other frontline
global corporations - combined with our
consultants' global exposure and training
- have enabled us to offer our patients
cutting-edge medical techniques and technologies.
Our formidable research constantly feeds
back into clinical application - making
us a much sought after research and training
institute the world over. In fact, the Institute
trains a significant number of international
students every year. Almost two decades
of excellent eye care service delivery has
placed us on par with leading eye research
institutes in the world. We offer the best
of both worlds - high-end services at affordable
Our clinical services cover the entire gamut
of eye care from initial examination to
treatment aCnd management of complex problems.
In addition to regular treatment and surgical
procedures, we also have proven expertise
in the highly sophisticated areas of:
to "Medical Clinic in India"
L V Prasad Eye Institute, Eye Hospital, Eye Institute, Eye Research Center, Eye Training Center, L V Prasad Eye Institute India, Eye Hospital India, Eye Institute India, Eye Research Center India, Eye Training Center India,L V Prasad Eye Institute Hyderabad, Eye Hospital Hyderabad, Eye Institute Hyderabad, Eye Research Center Hyderabad, Eye Training Center Hyderabad, Affordable L V Prasad Eye Institute, Low Cost Eye Hospital, Cost Institute, Affordable Eye Research Center, Low Cost Eye Training Center, Cost L V Prasad Eye Institute India, Affordable Eye Hospital India, Low Cost Eye Institute India, Cost Eye Research Center India, Affordable Eye Training Center India, Low Cost L V Prasad Eye Institute Hyderabad, Cost Eye Hospital Hyderabad, Affordable Eye Institute Hyderabad, Low Cost Eye Research Center Hyderabad, Cost Eye Training Center Hyderabad, Children's Eye Care India, Children's Eye Care Hyderabad, Corneal Transplantation, India, Lasik Treatment India, Cataract Surgery India, Contact Lens India, Laser Refractive Surgery India, Microsurgery of the Retina and Vitreous India, Diabetic Retinopathy India, Eye Plastic Surgery India Info Provided By Tour2india4health.com, Knee Replacement Surgery India


text:
You know, we pray to God a lot when troubles come our way. We trust God to help us during those tough times. But one day I thought of something that is often overlooked. I was having my devotions and prayers when I thought, "God knows what I'm going to pray for before I do speak it."
Isaiah 65:24 says "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." When I thought of that, I prayed for God's help for the things that would happen to me in the future. I haven't prayed like that before, but it gives me the peace that God knows what I'm going to face and that I can ask for His protection before it happens.
Think about it.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Before We Know It
You know, we pray to God a lot when troubles come our way. We trust God to help us during those tough times. But one day I thought of something that is often overlooked. I was having my devotions and prayers when I thought, "God knows what I'm going to pray for before I do speak it."
Posted by Unknown at 9:06 AM 2 comments
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thoughts on 1 Peter
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
full of glory!
~Elizabeth E.
Posted by Our Family at 8:53 AM 1 comments
Saturday, March 13, 2010
What Comes to Your Mind?
~Rachel M.~
Posted by Rachel at 1:10 PM 2 comments
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Christmas Time
Posted by Rachel at 8:28 AM 1 comments
Friday, November 13, 2009
It started today, and if you would like to join or share about it on your blog, feel free to do so. God bless and thank you, Costume Queen, for letting us know about it! :)In celebration of Thanksgiving this year, I would like to start a two-week event. I will be posting at least one thing I am thankful for every day, starting November 13 and ending on Thanksgiving, November 26. If you would like to do the same, please feel free to join me by participating in this event! Here are the guidelines:
1. Copy the picture above and post it on your blog, either on a sidebar or in a post.
2. Link back to Untraveled Path (exact link to this page: http://untraveledpath.blogspot.com/2009/11/14-days-of-thankfulness.html) so that readers of your blog can participate if they wish.
3. Post "thankful for" posts each day. If this is impractical for you, feel free to lower the number (every other day instead of every day, etc.).
I challenge you to think outside the box during this event. You can definitely be thankful for things such as health, family, Jesus Christ's redeeming love, etc. But I want you to also reflect on the "small" things that go by without notice.
You know what I mean: the art class you go to every Thursday that you were able to afford, the one friendly person who always says hi to you, your computer that you are able to use whenever you want.
Your "thank you"s don't necessarily have to be typical, general, or "spiritual." They should be personal, unique.
They can be objects you enjoy using, awesome events that happened, talents you possess, or people you appreciate.
Really think about those things you take for granted, and take the time to say THANK YOU to the Lord for providing them!
Feel free to simply list something you are thankful for every day, or describe the item/event/person as thoroughly as you want.
A list of participants will be posted with their respective blog links. If you've decided to join, please leave a comment with your name and blog URL!
Posted by Rachel at 8:00 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Living Radically For Christ Pt. 1
What does it mean to live a radical life for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Where will it take us? What will we have to give up? What does our Savior authoritatively teach us in how to become one of His disciples? The text is Luke 14 and I will hopefully answer those questions with humility of spirit, because this passage was convicting to me when I read it, and when I listened to a sermon on this particular passage. So bear with me when I try to unpack this passage.
Luke 14:25-33
Now great crowds accompanied Him, and He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple.
In this passage, we have three conditions that Jesus lays out for discipleship and we have two parabolic illustrations that warn us about making a careless decision to follow Christ. However, in this first part, I will thoroughly unpack the first condition of discipleship that Jesus clearly lays straight out for us. The first condition is found in verse 26. If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Ok, I know what some of you are already thinking. Hatred to my own parents, hatred to my own family, hatred to my own children, hatred to my own brothers and sisters. I thought that Jesus told us to love them. Isn't hate the exact opposite of love? Yes, in some sense of the actual truth, those answers are totally correct, but the danger here is watering down what Jesus is trying to say. What I mean is that, with this particular passage, some people try to fudge a little bit by saying, "Is Jesus truly teaching us to literally hate our brother, hate our mother, hate our father, hate our children. Come on, the Bible tells us to honor our parents and love our family. The Bible doesn't tell us to hate them." So because of that, we don't give a second thought to this passage. We turn our blind eye towards this passage and hope that it will go away; even when Jesus is clearly telling us how to be one of His disciples. So, what is Jesus really trying to exposit here?
The Greek word for hate is miseo. This word takes on two different extensions. The first one is to despise or to utterly hate something or someone, and the second extension takes on an entirely different form. The second extension is to love less. The second form makes more sense than the first form in the context of this particular passage, but what or who are we too love more than our parents, brothers, sisters, children. I know you can easily get this answer. Our first and foremost desire should be to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength (Matthew 22:37). Our love towards our parents, brothers, and sisters should be hatred compared to our love for God. That is what Jesus is trying to teach us. Our love for God and for His Word should far exceed any possible iota of love toward our parents. That doesn't mean we discontinue honoring our parents or obeying them. Just the opposite. If we truly love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we will want to obey His commandments, we will want to trust Him daily, and we will want to desire a relationship with Him. With that said, loving and honoring God, first and foremost above all things, will deepen our affections and love for our parents, which in result begins and ends with the first and greatest commandment. Our chief end should be to love the Lord with everything that we have and that is just the beginning of living a radical life for the cause of Christ. End Part 1
Posted by Joshua at 8:46 PM 7 comments
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The Power of Prayer
Yesterday our neighbors and good friends were having an open house in honor of their four oldest children. As the day was approaching, they were working hard to get everything cleaned up around the house and buying food and everything else needed to make a party go well. However, the weather forecast was calling for rain all day. Everyone (our family and theirs) started praying. Saturday morning came. It was raining and stormy all morning. The open house started at 2:00. 1:00. It was so dark and raining so hard you could hardly see out the windows. 1:30, still pouring rain. We looked at the radar and there was still a ton of rain headed straight in our direction. Said it would rain until at least 5:00. 2:00. The rain stopped and the sky cleared up. Not one drop of rain fell for the rest of the afternoon and evening. And try to tell me that wasn't God.
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15).
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).
Don't underestimate the power of prayer!
Posted by Bethany at 5:03 AM 4 comments


text:
FINAL: Red Sox 11 Rockies 4
Its hard for me to get excited about anything right now. Im still mourning the fact that the Bruins were two friggin wins away from winning the Stanley Cup. But Ill be honest, the bitch slap the Red Sox laid on the Rockies last night felt pretty good. I didnt get a pants tent, but I felt a tingle.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Daniel Nava, Jose Iglesias and Dustin Pedroia each had three hits and every single player in the lineup had at least one hit. The 20 hits was the most the Red Sox have had in a game all season. We needed a win like that. We really did.
Follow @MassholeSports
Newer Post
Older Post


text:
By David Boling
Fall is upon us and the opportunities to make the most of Charlotte continues to grow. We are unquestionably a world class city now and this list is just a minor taste of what the Queen City has to offer. Make your plans, buy your tickets, and don't miss a beat!
Charlotte, NC October 2014 Events
Monday, October 5th – History Reads Book Club
The Charlotte Museum of History
Book lovers and history lovers will be thrilled to take part in these regular events and learn about the history of our region. More Information here!
Wednesday, October 8th – Taste of the Mint: October
Enjoy the culinary creations and beverages inside the Mint Museum Uptown and then frolic in a guided tour of the museum itself. More information here!
Friday, October 10th – SlamCharlotte Poetry Slam
Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
This monthly spectacle has a mission to promote poetic growth in the city. Always a great time and one never to be missed. More information here!
Friday and Saturday, October 10th and 11th – Charlotte Symphony: Schubert's "Tragic" Symphony
Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
As you've seen before, The Charlotte Symphony is one of our greatest pleasures and more often than not, appears on our lists. This time you'll be treated to:
Mei-Ann Chen, conducting | Wu Man, pipa
MOZART Overture to The Magic Flute
JIPING Concerto for Pipa and Orchestra
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 4, "Tragic"
More information here!
Saturday, October 11th – 1st Annual South End Hops Festival
Corner of West Carson and South Mint
If you love an abundance of craft beer, live music, and outstanding food the don't miss this! More information here!
Sunday, October 12th – Last Comic Standing
Knight Theater at Levine Cneter for the Arts
NBC is bringing the winners of their Emmy Award nominated series Last Comic Standing to entertain the Queen City. Want to laugh? Get out to the show! More information here!
These are just a few of my personal picks of things to do in Charlotte. For more information on Charlotte events I suggest you check out these great resources.
Charlotte's Got A Lot • Blumenthal Arts • Charlotte Center City
US National Whitewater Center • Tosco Music Party • Carolina Panthers
Charlotte Checkers • Charlotte Hornets • Charlotte Knights
Charlotte Eagles • Charlotte Hounds
David is a guest blogger for LiveUptownNow.com and will be providing content occasionally that we hope you'll find useful and valuable. He grew up in Charlotte, so has intimate knowledge of Charlotte's neighborhoods, restaurants, hot spots, and also hidden gems. When not guest blogging for us, he runs a successful branding and media consulting company.


text:
A while back, I made a ... shall we say ... controversial post about corsets. It made for a good discussion, but I ultimately recognized that as a non-corset-wearer, I'm not the best source of corset information. However, Ashley of Dramatis Personae does, in fact, wear corsets. She agreed to do a guest post, because she is totally amazing and wants to educate everyone who is ooked out at the idea of corsets. Mallory of Miss Malaprop was also a contributing writer. Thanks so much, guys! Here's the post:
Originally I had intended to seek the advice of more experienced corset-makers and wearers when writing this post. But the more I thought about it, the sillier I realized that idea was. Why give experienced and expert opinions to a person who may be looking to buy their first corset ever, or just interested in learning more about this fashion device. So instead I thought that my own experiences would mean more to you, and be more relatable to you, and will hopefully demystify this garment. Many thanks, again, to Kori, for giving me this opportunity.
The first corset I ever wore was god-awful. It was for a production of Much Ado About Nothing, and it couldn't have been more problematic-- the costume designer had me wearing it upside down, so that these spiked pieces were cutting in to my legs as I had to run, jump, and move around with supposed ease. The experience turned me off of corsets quite a bit. Not too long after this, my best friend (the delightful Mallory of Miss Malaprop and Dismantled Designs) bought her first corset. I was intrigued-- it was a garment that accentuated her body beautifully (which I took advantage of many times during the height of my photography days) and she seemed comfortable in it. But I wasn't ready to return to the corset-- I didn't think my style was developed enough yet.
After Hurricane Katrina, I returned to visit New Orleans, where I felt I was ready to acquire my first corset. I went to Trashy Diva, where I tried on many, many styles. This experience was completely invaluable in so many ways, as it really gave me a great idea of what worked best and worst with my figure. At the time, I had a 32" waist, which meant that ideally a 28" corset would be perfect; however, I settled on a 26" blue and black brocade piece by Sue Nice-- the corset looked like it was built especially for my body.
I had the opportunity to really test out the corset on my following trip home, during Mardis Gras. Mind you, during one day, I wore the corset for approximately 12+ hours, sat, ate, ran, jumped, frolicked, walked, bent, danced, rode in the car, and much more in the corset (and heels!). And because the corset was well-built and designed, because it was the right size, it restricted me not much more than wearing a heavy winter coat would (around your middle).
A few months later, I invested in my second corset, a custom built corset by Chantal at House of Worship. This piece was built specifically to my measurements, but with spring steel instead of flat steel (which my Sue Nice corset had). What a difference the change in steel made! Now I felt I had even more flexibility to bed (at my sides) and dance in the piece. At this point, I was hooked. I find several opportunities throughout the year to wear my corsets-- they dress up beautifully, are great pieces for club-wear, and can easily be made business-friendly.
There are people who want to know, "but won't wearing a corset mess up your ribs/organs/body?" Generally, corset-wearing, especially on an irregular basis, will not cause permanent deformation to your body. Your body is very elastic, and in a good fitting corset, will suffer little damage to wear. There are debates as to the effects of tightlacing (restricting your waist very, very small on a 20-22/7 basis), but none of us are to that point yet, are we? As long as your body has finished growing, you'll find the effects of corset wear minimal at most. Most corsetmakers refuse to make corsets for those under 18 or 16, specifically to avoid any chance that there may be a change in the bone and organ development to a growing young adult's body.
Guidelines for Corset Buying and Wearing:
♥ Generally, it's ideal to buy a corset 2-4" smaller than your natural waist. If you have a 30" waist, then typically a 26-28" corset is best for starting out. However, your waist measurement is not the only one to consider-- bust, ribs, and hips, along with the length of belly to ribs and belly to hips all can factor in.
♥ Squish Matters! The above rule can be broken, based on how much "squish" your body has. Heavier set women (with more fat) often can naturally lace themselves beyond the 4" because fat is easily redistributed on your body. If you're more muscular, you'll find that your corset will not constrict you as much.
♥ Plastic is a No-No! Do not ever, ever buy a plastic boned corset. This is where you're asking for bruises and damage! Plastic bends naturally to the body in very unnatural ways. The heat of the corset will cause it to bend in jarring angles, that will most likely drive in to your skin. Steel, typically in spring, spiral, or flat forms, will bend naturally to the curves of your body, making the fit even more customized. Your first time wearing a corset with steel will result in it being "broken in," whereas plastic is mostly likely just going to be "broken."
♥ Typically corsets are made with 3 to 4 layers of fabric, although some fabrics (like leather) may require fewer.
♥ When putting on your corset, I always recommend lacing it halfway up, then stretching and reaching a bit. Then I lace the remainder of the way. This helps prevent "back cleavage" and ensures the corset is wear it is meant to go (that your waist ends at your waist, etc.).
♥ Don't try to cinch yourself down all four inches on your first go! Start out with what feels most comfortable, and gradually tighten it throughout the night. As the corset adapts to your body, and your body to the corset, you'll be able to tighten it up.
And a few resources:
♥ Timeless Trends
♥ Electra Designs: I recommend her economy cinchers, both sites for high quality, low cost corsets (great for first time buyers).
♥ Corsetry and Corsetmakers on Livejournal are excellent resources for information, images, ideas, and more!


text:
Friday, January 11, 2013
Judas refutes Eternal Security (Calvinism)
The force of my argument rests in the fact that it is impossible to be an Apostle if one is not a true believer in the first place. (This causes problems for Reformed church leadership as well.) If the Protestant position were correct, the Bible could only have said Eleven were Apostles, despite the fact it plainly says Jesus chose Twelve (John 6:70). Further, the Bible is very clear that Judas was sent out by Jesus with the other Eleven to perform the same miracles (e.g. cast out demons) and preach the same Gospel (e.g. Mark 6:7-13; Matthew 10:1-4). If that wasn't enough, Acts 1:17 says Judas "was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry," and Acts 1:24-25 records the replacing of Judas by Matthias, when Peter says they need a person to "take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside." Clearly, Judas was considered a genuine Apostle and thus was (originally) saved.
Nearly every time Judas is mentioned, his infamy traces to one thing: his future betrayal of Jesus, not some non-converted status he had the whole time (e.g. John 6:71). It is only in John 13 where we see Satan "entered Judas," indicating Judas consented to the betrayal, but up until then Judas was not possessed by Satan. Next, look what the Scriptures say that turns the heat up even more on the Protestant position. In John 13:18, Jesus quotes an OT prophecy in regards to Judas, "But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.'" To share bread with someone in the Hebrew mindset indicates an intimate relationship; something impossible if Judas was never a believer to begin with. But that's not all, most of us forget to look up the prophecy Jesus is quoting (hat tip to Joe for this), which happens to be Psalm 41:9, which says: "Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me." What a new picture emerges after reading this! Indeed, the idea that Judas was so close to Jesus up until then shows just how serious and enormous the betrayal was, since the worst betrayals are those from the people closest to you. Jesus even calls him 'friend' at the moment of betrayal (Matthew 26:49-50)! This is unthinkable if Judas was never saved to begin with.
9 comments:
- cwdlaw223 said...
Interesting article. Watch out for the claim that Judas wasn't a true believer even though he was an Apostle (which makes no sense whatsoever). Or some claim that the twelve was merely symbolic and Judas wasn't an original Apostle. Wacky interpretations about if one has a system that doesn't quite fit with scripture and history.
- January 11, 2013 at 1:04 PM
- Nick said...
I suppose they could say that Judas was saved in the first place and "merely" fell into sin for a short period when he betrayed the Son of God, but he recovered after the betrayal.
- January 11, 2013 at 2:56 PM
- Vocab Malone said...
Nick argues Judas was truly saved and then lost but when Jesus says he "chose" Judas in John 6:70, he means "selected to be one of the Twelve".
We see this in John 13:18: "I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.'" Here Jesus explicitly places Judas outside the number of the elect.
As Calvin noted, "Should any one confound the term election in the two passages, he will miserably entangle himself; whereas if he distinguish between them, nothing can be plainer (Institutes III, xxiv, 9)."
- January 12, 2013 at 4:22 PM
- Nick said...
The problem with that is that Calvin and the Reformed do not distinguish between being Elect and being Saved. The two are not the same, so Calvin's charge does not apply to my argument.
What still stands, and I don't see any way around it, is that the Reformed position cannot explain how Judas was truly an Apostle.
- January 12, 2013 at 5:22 PM
- Justin Boulmay said...
Interesting post! I've come around to thinking that true believers can fall away from Christ but hadn't considered it from this angle before.
I have a question related to this: can popes fall away from salvation, or are they protected somehow through the apostolic succession they received?
- January 18, 2013 at 7:53 PM
- Nick said...
Hello Justin,
Thanks for your comments.
You asked if Popes can fall away from salvation and still be Pope. The answer is yes, and the reasoning is in the fact there is a distinction between Ecclesial Office and Salvation.
I will try to explain why this is so, but if you are not Catholic it might require you to think about things differently. When someone converts to Christianity, their soul is 'branded' with a permanent mark by God signifying they belong to God as adopted children. But it is not enough to be 'branded' as one of God's adopted children, you must be in relationship with God, by having God dwell in your soul. In Catholicism and Scripture, to be saved means you are currently in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. If you break that relationship through grave sin, you become unsaved but retain your mark of adopted child. This is why the Bible says it is worse to be a fallen away Christian than to have never been Christian to begin with.
A similar thing exists with Offices within the church, you can be 'branded' with the mark of a Bishop, for example. This Office is retained forever, but it is not what makes you saved: being saved still consists in remaining in a relationship with God. So a Bishop could commit grave sin and lose his salvation but not lose his Office. Judas proves this, which is why his successor was not appointed until after Judas was dead. But even Peter lost his salvation when he denied Jesus three times, but that did not mean Peter lost his office of Apostle.
One analogy you can use is that of branches on a tree: a branch is only alive (saved) as long as the tree trunk is providing it food, but if this stops, the branch dies (loses salvation), and yet the branch remains a branch. Thus there is a distinction between branches on the tree (Offices in the church) and being a living or dead branch (saved or spiritually dead Christian).
- January 19, 2013 at 10:11 AM
If this has already been pointed out forgive my oversight. But the article makes a claim off of a false pretense. The Apostles did not become Apostles until after Jesus' resurrection and ascension. During His earthly ministry they were called "disciples". A disciple does not equal being saved, because in John 6 we are shown that many "disciples" walked away because they were never true disciples to begin with.
- September 20, 2013 at 9:34 PM
- Nick said...
I don't know where you got that idea, but I've never heard of it and never seen any proof for this in Scripture. The fact is, the Bible says Jesus appointed the twelve, whom Jesus called "Apostles" in places like Mk 3:14 and Lk 6:12.
Acts 1:25 says Judas threw away his "apostleship," and yet this took place prior to Pentecost.
- October 1, 2013 at 8:27 PM
- Gary said...
Here is my story: I grew up fundamentalist Baptist. I repented of all my sins and accepted Jesus Christ into my heart to be my Lord and Savior at age nine…and again in my early teens…just to be sure. In my early 20's my family moved to another state where we attended a non-denominational, evangelical mega-church (which taught Baptist doctrine) for several years. In my mid to late 20's I stopped going to church because I didn't "feel" God inside me and he didn't seem to listen when I prayed.
I remained unchurched until I was married in my forties. I started attending liberal churches. When we had children, I started looking again at more conservative/fundamentalist churches, something closer to what I had believed as a child and teenager. We joined a conservative, orthodox Lutheran church. I became very involved in the church. I was happy and content in my orthodox Christian belief system. I read the Bible and prayed regularly.
One day I was surfing the internet and came across an atheist's website. He was a former fundamentalist Baptist/evangelical pastor! I was shocked! I started to engage him in conversation, and also tried to bring him back to the Faith, to belief in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
However, this man pointed out to me some very big assumptions in my Christian belief system which I had never thought of, such as:
1. Just because there is evidence for a Creator does not mean that the Creator is the Christian God, Yahweh.
2. Our current Bibles contain thousands of scribe alterations, most of them inconsequential, but a couple of them are shocking. Why did God allow scribes copying the original Scriptures to change, delete, add, or alter his inerrant, Holy, Word?
3. How do we know that the books of the New Testament are the Word of God? Is there a verse that tells us? Did Jesus give us a list? Did Paul?
4. Do we really have any verifiable eyewitness testimony for the Resurrection or is it all hearsay and legend?
5. Modern archaeology proves that the Captivity in Egypt, the Exodus, the forty years in the Sinai, the Conquest of Canaan, and the great kingdoms of David and Solomon are only ancient Hebrew fables.
At first I fought him tooth and nail. I fought him for four months. At the very end I had to admit that there are no verifiable eyewitness accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus in the Bible or anywhere else. All we have are four anonymous first century texts full of discrepancies and contradictions. The only thing I had left to attach my faith to was the testimony of the Apostle Paul: why would a devout Jewish rabbi convert to a religion he so hated unless he really saw a resurrected dead man on the Damascus Road?
But after studying the five Bible passages that discuss Paul's conversion, I had to admit that Paul never says he saw a resurrected body. All Paul says is that he saw a light…and that this event occurred in a "heavenly vision". Visions are not reality...not in the 21st century nor in the 1st.
And as for the improbability that a Jewish rabbi would convert to a hated religion, there is a Muslim cleric in Israel today who not too many years ago was an ardent Zionist Jewish settler and rabbi, intent on ridding the Muslims from Jewish land.
Strange conversions occur. They do not prove that the new religion is true and inerrant.
I was broken-hearted, but I saw my Christian Faith was nothing more than an ancient superstition that had been modified in the first century by Jesus, a good man, but a dead man. There is zero evidence that this first century Jew is alive and the Ruler of the Universe.
- November 6, 2014 at 4:55 PM


text: Todd Kirby wrote: > On 6/5/05, Mike Melanson <mike at multimedia.cx> wrote: > >> Todd Kirby wrote: >> >>> Yeah, that's what my target was. I needed something that could play on >>> even the oldest version of Quicktime Player. I used your excellent >>> description of the rpza format at... >>> >>> http://www.pcisys.net/~melanson/codecs/ >>> >>> ...as a guide. I notice this document not there anymore. If you've >>> moved it, let me know and I'll change my link in the source. >>> >> The document is located @ multimedia.cx. I need to update all of those >> description links. >> > > Here's a patch to update the description links. > Well, this never got applied... Is there more to it now or is it still good?


text:
Target Corp. has $165 million of insurance that could be used to pay claims tied to the massive data breach that affected 70 million customers late last year.
The nation's third-biggest retailer has $100 million in cyber insurance and $65 million in directors and officers liability coverage, according to news reports. Among its insurers are American International Group Inc. and Axis Capital Holdings Ltd .
"In today's age and situation and in the wake of the TGX event, people should have had D&O coverage," said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners LLC, a retail consulting and research firm.
TJX Companies, the parent company of retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, had a massive data breach in 2007. More than 45 million credit and debit cards were stolen from its systems over 18 months, making it at the time the biggest loss of personal data.
Any firm that didn't have coverage before than incident got coverage, says Johnson.
Target has acknowledged it was the target of a cyber attack between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 and data for more than 70 million customers was compromised. The Minneapolis-based retailer has said the customers will have not be liable for any fraud that occurs as a result of the data breach. Target had no comment on insurance coverage.
"I suspect ever since the Target data breach broke, other retailers reviewed their coverage and ramped it up," said Johnson.
-- Sital S. Patel
Follow The Tell on Twitter @thetellblog
Follow Sital @Sital
More on MarketWatch:
Target may be forced to halt buybacks: analyst


text:
Text Size Large SizeMedium SizeSmall Size Color Scheme Black SchemeWhite SchemeGrey SchemePaper Scheme
Angel of Mercy
PREVIOUSLY CALLED "Ashes and Dust" SPOILER WARNING!! DISCLAIMER WARNING (i only own the main character and her family...... mineminemine) A visitor comes to Forks. She's strange and not like the others, but what if something happened between her and Jacob, something that never should have. What if her past was entwined with Edward's? What if that gets between Bella's and Edward's relationship? And what if it starts a war between the vampires and werewolves so big that it might never end?
3. thnks fr th mmrs
Rating 3/5 Word Count 1303 Review this Chapter
"What the hell did you do?" I heard Rosalie shriek from inside the house as I got closer to the front door. All of a sudden I found myself pinned to the ground by a very vicious looking Rose.
"Get off me you bitch. It's none of your business." I threw her into the nearest tree as I said that. Jasper and Edward appeared by Rosalie and restrained her from attacking me again. Alice ran to my side.
"Asthe what happened I had a vision of you entering a meadow and disappearing. That only happens when werewolves are involved." She said it so fast that even with my vampire abilities I could barely understand it.
"You never saw one?"
"They exist?"
" You .... never ..... knew..." It was a statement rather than a question.
"Alice what happened while I was gone?"
" I had a vision but the all of a sudden everything disappeared. That only happens when the dogs are involved. I called everyone right away and we've been trying to come up with a plan to find you. Now it's your turn, spill."
"Why don't we go inside." Jasper still held Rosalie's hands behind her back.
"Why don't you start from the beginning." Carlisle inquired me.
"Well, I thought that since I live here I might as well get to know my surroundings. I decided to go exploring and as I was traveling east, towards Seattle I came across a strange scent. I didn't know what it was so I followed it to the source. That's how I got to the meadow. When I entered there was a human boy there of about 17. As soon as I spotted the boy the smell disappeared."
" What was the boy's name?" Bella looked at me suspiciously.
" Hmm... Jacob Black."
"What happened next?" Carlisle urged me to go on.
"We talked. By the time we were done it was really late and he offered me a ride and asked me if I wanted to spend the night. I agreed to both because it was almost midnight. Besides I told him I lived alone so if he brought me here and there is someone here, well you understand."
" Shit, you're in a mess." Emmet just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
" What are you talking about?"
" I mean, Jacob Black is a werewolf. You're supposed to be mortal enemies."
" How can you be so close to each other. Didn't the scent bother either of you?" Edward asked.
"No, at least not me. It shouldn't have bothered him either."
"Why not?"
" It's my ability. Adaptation. I can blend in with anyone. If I'm surrounded by humans I can change my looks and scent to match that of an average human. It goes for vampires and any other creatures too."
"Very interesting." Carlisle said, " Do you have any other abilities?"
" Yes, I can mimic anyone's ability and increase the effectiveness 10 fold. I can adjust it in any way I want and keep it for future use. My other abilities are mind control and telepathy."
" That's strange because I can also read minds but I can't seem to be able to read yours." Edward had a confused and ticked look on his face.
" Of course you can't, no one with an ability involving the mind will be able to affect me. My brain doesn't work properly."
"No kidding." Rosalie mumbled and received a glare from Edward.
" Why didn't the scent bother you?" Jasper spoke up from the back.
" I don't know, maybe because I've smelled worse." I looked at Rosalie as I said that.
" Well I'm glad you're all right," Carlisle said, " we all are." He gave Rosalie a meaningful look.
(That night.... Bella was sleeping over)
"Edward told me the he couldn't read your mind but can you read mine?" Bella asked, curious as usual.
"Yes, and I must say you obsess over Edward too much, I mean the guy's in your thoughts 24/7."
Bella went bright red when I said that. " I do not!"
"Riiiiight. Whatever. So Alice what's on the agenda for tonight?" I asked.
" Yeah what kind of torture are we receiving?" Bella looked like she was ready to bolt out the door and I was right behind her.
"Relax just a little makeover and that's it. I want Bella to look nice when Edward comes home tonight." Alice replied.
"Does that mean I don't have to participate?" I asked hopeful.
" Yeah right! If I have to go through this, so do you." Bella gave me a very annoyed look.
" Ok, fine but you so owe me."
" Sure, sure."
The makeover wasn't bad. Alice made my makeup very faint because I used my ability to change my skin color to match Bella's. When she was done with both of us she made us wear something nice. Bella wore a soft blue dress because blue looked good on her. Alice made me wear a deep purple dress because she thought that I should look nice too. I didn't really see the point but I had to admit purple is definitely my color.
Finally the boys came home from their short hunting trip and Alice called us down. As we came down all three guys froze in place.
Asthe is hot! Wow if I weren't in love with Rose I would definitely ask her out. I heard Emmet think. Why am I not surprised? Wow...she's amazing, absolutely breathtaking. I was shocked when I heard that come from Jasper. He never thought like that of anyone but Alice. I haven't looked at her because my eyes were on Bella the whole time but when I did my jaw dropped. It was amazing, the way she looked. Deep purple dress, dark brown hair, electric blue eyes.
At that moment all of my memories about her came flooding back. I remembered meeting her for the first time, the way she looked. I remembered the day I proposed........... I remembered the day she disappeared. Just then I realized that she was a vampire then. No wonder she left. As soon as all of my memories were back Alice had a vision.
Asthe and I were in the forest. It was sunny and the light streamed in through the trees.
"Edward please what happened was a long time ago you can't change it." Astheroshe was telling me.
" But can you at least tell me why you left?" I asked.
" We were on Volturi's "most wanted" list. My coven and I couldn't stay in Chicago anymore. It was too risky, you could have been killed!" she answered.
" Why didn't you tell me that you were a vampire?" I asked.
"You wouldn't believe me." She answered, her voice barely audible.
Just then I bent in and kissed her. The vision disappeared and I heard Alice ask in her head, " Edward what happened?"
Everyone realized Alice had a vision and they gathered around us.
" Alice what did you see?" Esme asked worry on her face.
"Nothing to worry about," she replied not giving out anymore information.
"come on tell us," Emmet whined.
"No! I said it's no big deal. Drop it." She answered, acid in her voice. The Alice turned and left.
I looked around the circle and saw that Asthe was looking at the floor and at that moment I realized she saw the vision too.
- Author
- vampire princess
- Rating
1 2 3 4 5
- Reviews
- 82
- Words
- 13187
- Views
- 1
- Published
- 27 Aug 07
- Updated
- 03 May 10
- Status
- In Progress


text:
Movie Quotes - Yoda from Star Wars
Who doesn't know the Jedi Master Yoda? Having to have lived 900 years, the guy is no doubt very wise and there are many things we can learn from the wise master. Let's take a look at some of his teaching and wisdom in the Star Wars movies.
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
In this episode, Qui-Gon Jin discovered Anakin Skywalker amid a political turmoil, and brings him to Yoda. Therefore, many of Yoda's sayings are on Anakin.
"Always two there are, no more, no less: a master and an apprentice."
"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering."
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Set 10 years after the first Episode, Attack of the Clones follows Anakin's rise to the Jedi Council as well as his love for Padmé that would be the fall of Anakin.
"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."
"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is."
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Three years after the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker falls prey to the Sith Lord's lies and makes an enemy of the Jedi and those he loves, concluding his journey to the Dark Side. Yoda had to go into exile after the Jedi Order fell.
"Careful you must be when sensing the future Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side."
"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."
Episode IV: A New Hope
The first Star Wars movie ever, it focuses on Luke and Leia meet each other and where everything connects. Yoda does not appear in this Episode.
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
There are many wise quotes by Yoda in this Episode as the movie follows the long training Luke had with Yoda in Dagobah.
"Great warrior, hmm? Wars not make one great."
"Do, or do not. There is no try."
"Judge me by my size, do you?"
"No! No different. Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned."
"For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is."
"A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defence, never for attack."
"Always in motion is the future."
"Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight."
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
After rescuing Han Solo from the palace of Jabba the Hutt, and helping the Rebels to destroy the Second Death Star, Luke went back to Dagobah to learn more with Yoda. However, the end was near.
"When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good, you will not."
"Twilight is upon me, and soon, night must fall. That is the way of things. The way of the Force."
"Pass on what you have learned."
And of course, the most important quote...
No comments yet.


text:
Two bikers were rescued by Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team after falling in separate incidents over Bank Holiday weekend.
The team from Barnacre near Garstang, sent members to Gisburn Forest, east of Lancaster, on Monday afternoon after a man fell during the difficult section 'Bottoms' while on 'The 8' red route.
Along with the North West Air Ambulance from Barton, the team treated the casualty, who had sustained severe head injuries, before he was stretched to the helicopter which took him to hospital.
The other incident saw the rescue team at Healy Nab near Chorley late in the day on Saturday, April 30 to help an injured 14-year-old.
The boy was treated and then stretched off by the rescue team to an awaiting ambulance after suffering from shoulder pains as a result of his fall.
A total of 30 mountain rescuers, all of who are volunteers, and the rescue team off-road Landrover Ambulances were used during both incidents.


text:
Edgar and Mario
My partner Mario and I, created a survey that collected data about the health and economic opportunities lost due to incarceration in LA jails. A big problem inside jails is the fact that there are inmates who instead of getting help, the doctors in the jail just stabilize it. Also how when inmates are released from jail it is hard for them to not go back to the life they lived that got them in jail in the first place. The question we will solve with this data is how does jail affect the health and economic opportunities of former inmates.How we will solve this essetial question is by doing a survey and using the data we find to answer the question.
In the survey my partner and I made, most rated the medical care received in jail as terrible. According to Zawn Villines, "Jails and prisons are required to provide basic health care for inmates, but the quality of this care varies greatly. Often, prison-based mental health care focuses on stabilizing, rather than treating, inmates. A person experiencing hallucinations or psychosis might get medication to control the most severe symptoms, but people with Anxiety issues,depression, post traumatic stress, and other mental health conditions that don't cause radical changes in behavior may go untreated" (Villines) To me this shows how bad prisons struggle with dealing with inmates who need help with their illness not stabilizing it. The question, then, is how are former inmates' health from Los Angeles County affected by incarceration?
Being incarcerated can bring many problems to the inmate's life besides worrying about their families or children. All that time being locked up can affect their opportunities to get their life together outside of jail. The major problem they face is leaving the jails in general because due to all the time they waisted a lot of money was lost plus they lost skils to communicate with others well, all they gotta do is go out and try to find a job. Jails can affect the health and economic opportunities of an inmate by taking the skills of an inmate by taking the skills of being able to communicate with others with out feeling in danger or threaten, and its hard for them to try and get a normal job because everywhere they go they will check their background, witch it makes it really hard for them to get their life back on track, when they are in jail , they may also loose their job/wages.
Edgar and Mario
The method I chose was a survey. I thought this survey was very informative and productive for the campaign. My results reflect the experiences of people who have been to Los Angeles county jail, not other jails. Doing the survey I read a couple of articles to help me develop questions for the survey. A question asked in the survey was did you ever develop a health problem coming out of jail that you didn't have before entering? The hypothesis I developed was yes and that Hepatitis C was gonna be the most picked answer. Also another question in my survey was did you need medical care while in jail? My hypothesis would be a overwhelming answer of yes.
Health Results
Surprisingly no one chose hepatitis C. In a lot of the articles i read before doing the survey, hepatitis C was the one of the most common Infectious Disease to get while in jail. According to CDC.gov, "After adjusting for under-ascertainment and under-reporting, an estimated 30,500 acute hepatitis c cases occurred in 2014" (Center for Disease Control).My hypothesis of a overwhelming yes answer of in did you need medical care in prison was way off. I received one vote shy of 50%. Reason being was because in a place full of prisoners with big egos i thought that their would be a scuffle or two that would need medical care but i was wrong.The results changed my perspective of how jail can affect someone's health. For example, like a lot of people who went to jail got out of jail developed a drug and mental health illness according to our survey.The trauma developed in jail makes it hard to forget their experience in jail and wasn't treated well. Reason being because it either went untreated or stabilized not helping the person with the illness in the jail. Also don't help the inmate on what to do after jail to help their illness.
Inmates might have lost some great opportunities to increase their economic status while being locked up because they are not able to contact anybody. They can lose work hours or lose their job all together. That can make it really hard for the inmate and his family to pay bills after incarceration because he won't have a job and others are going to reject him from working just because of his history background. ]
The essential question we asked was how does jail affect the health and economic opportunities of former inmates. Our survey asked about the health and economic questions that answered the essential question. For example a question i asked in survey was if you developed a health problem coming out of jail what was it? Options like mental health illness and drug addiction where the most popular. I can imagine is a daily struggle for someone who is trying live a normal life to improve their life after jail. We didn't really get a lot of responses in our survey to really find the issue. What we could have done different was going and getting more people to answer the survey. We could have done more outreach by going and waiting outside Los Angeles Jail and asked newly released people from jail to answer the survey. Final thoughts about doing the survey is that it was a very cool experience and i would recommend it and do it again.
In my opinion this survey was important because it shows how the ex L.A county inmates were affected by their incarceration. What really caught my attention was that a lot of the inmates were released with drug addiction, and high blood pressure. Many were also charged with fees and fines. Without a job their fees would be nearly impossible to pay. All of these things can make it hard for inmates to rebuild their lives. Others are going to look at them as "criminals" and not give them a chance to earn money in a clean way, especially if they had drug addictions that can make them do things that may cause them to go back to the L.A county jails.
Villines, Zawn. "The Effects of Incarceration on Mental Health." GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. Good Therapy, 2013. Web. 09 June 2016.
"Data on common health problems on medical problems" CDC.gov. 2016. Web. 17 May 2016.


text:
Letsmove is a Local Independent Company specialising solely in Residential Lettings & Property Management.
Located in the County Town of Haverfordwest, we offer Quality Rental Accommodation throughout the whole of Pembrokeshire.
We pride ourselves on providing an unrivalled service to both Landlords and Tenants through the Commitment and Inspiration of our Team.
Your Name (required)
Email (required)
Phone (required)
We use cookies and collect data to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We also use cookies to ensure we show you information that is relevant to you. We will not track you unless you click the 'agree' button below.
Cookie Policy »
Privacy Policy »