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We've heard that after the school year ends, many teachers spend time catching up on NSTA Reports articles they didn't have a chance to read thoroughly earlier. To help you make the most of this precious downtime and prepare for the year ahead, here's a selection of 2011–2012 stories we think you'll enjoy reading—or re-reading.
Teach Earth science? "Making Science Excellent From the Start," our October 2011 cover story, looks at the Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MITEP), a National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded teacher preparation program targeted to the state's middle level Earth science teachers, who often lack a college major or full certification in Earth science. MITEP connects them with scientists who can deepen their content knowledge, provides opportunities to collaborate with colleagues, and produces teacher leaders who are ready to instruct their colleagues and present sessions at national and regional geology meetings.
"Making the Most of the NGSS," from our November 2011 issue, discusses A Framework for K–12 Science Education, the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards, and details nine recommendations NSTA's leadership and a team of experts made after they analyzed the final Framework and identified areas needing improvement.
Our January 2012 issue contained these three gems:
- Two initiatives that involve teachers and students in preserving steelhead trout and Chinook salmon on the West Coast and diamondback terrapins on the East Coast are the subject of the cover story, "Hatching Conservation Science." Project-based learning, hands-on biology activities, and student research are key components of both efforts.
- In addition to free and low-cost teacher resources, the nation's 17 Department of Energy National Laboratories offer teachers and students opportunities to experience real-world science during field trips to the labs, workshops, and presentations by scientists. Learn more by reading "Getting to Know the National Laboratories."
- Integrating science with emergency preparedness helps students think scientifically and potentially save lives. Find out how microbiology, chemistry, Earth science, data analysis, technology, history, and language arts play roles in "Preparing Students for Science and Emergencies."
From 2006 to 2010, NSF provided seed funding for Academies for Young Scientists programs, which expose K–12 students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) out-of-school time experiences. How did some of these programs keep going after the funding period ended? Click here: "Academies for Young Scientists Outlast Initial Funding." (from our February 2012 issue)
In our March 2012 cover story, "Exploring STEM Professional Development," representatives from teacher PD programs share their thoughts on what STEM PD really means—and how it can support teachers in their efforts to improve STEM teaching and learning.
Teachers around the country are reaping the benefits of partnering with the military, including classroom visits by science and engineering experts who can inspire students to consider STEM careers, access to cutting-edge technological tools and scientific equipment, and meaningful professional development. "Joining Forces With the Military for STEM," our April 2012 cover story, describes some of these successful partnerships.
Do-it-yourselfers will enjoy our May 2012 cover story "Building Equipment—and Interest—in Science." Discover how teachers who built or refurbished scientific equipment with their students made these projects a special learning experience, as well as a money-saving venture.


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It's one of the biggest cash crops in California, but legal questions make cannabis cultivation a dicey proposition in Oakland.
The city's been investigating plans to construct massive pot farms. Along with Berkeley, Oakland would allow farmers to install large plots to cultivate the plant on under-utilized land near warehouses.
But Oakland City Attorney John Russo is uneasy with the plan. After meeting with federal officials, Russo sent a letter to the city council, warning it that the plans could attract unwanted federal attention.
Although the federal government no longer raids dispensaries that are permitted by the state, it's unclear how pot farms would fare. California requires that all cannabis operations be non-profits.
Those farms would generate much-needed income for California cities. During the last election, voters in ten cities approved plans to tax marijuana, and it's unclear how federal drug officials will respond to that demand.
The city council hasn't backed off of the plan just yet, and has instead requested more information about just how involved the federal government would likely want to be.
The demand for cannabis -- medical and recreational -- isn't likely to ever dry up. In Pinole, where dispensaries are banned, a vacant storefront is suspected to have been a secret pot dispensary. Nearby businesses expressed concern that marijuana users might consume parking spots and cause crime.
Oakland's Pot Plans Worry City's Top Lawyer
It's one of the biggest cash crops in California, but legal questions make cannabis cultivation a dicey proposition in Oakland.

subset: commoncrawl


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Remote Workers MORE Engaged!
Yes, Remote work is the answer to many of our most agreed upon problems. Greater work/life balance, less traffic, less energy cost, a cleaner planet and a more productive work force.
Let's see one of our politicians beat that list by spending less!
The Harvard Business Review recently published a great article that aligns with out experience:
Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged by Scott Edinger
We have the infrastructure almost ubiquitously deployed for a more remote workforce. Now, the market, with a little help, will do the rest. It is a shame we cannot see it for what it is quicker.


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At Eastern Sierra Land Trust, we often talk about our accomplishments in terms of lands, water, and wildlife. And yet, at our core, we're an organization OF the community, FOR the community.
Each member of our Staff and Board of Directors brings unique insights and expertise to the table, and we work collaboratively to ensure that we take into account the many opinions that make our region so wonderfully diverse. By working together, we believe that we can find common ground and develop long-term land use solutions that will benefit all: residents and visitors, ranchers and environmentalists, families and wildlife alike. Together with supporters like you, we're creating a better future for the Eastern Sierra we love.
Are you interested in joining our team at Eastern Sierra Land Trust? Visit our Employment Page to see current staff openings, and contact us today to share your skills and passions with us. We're always looking for energized and committed community members who want to have a hand in advancing local conservation.
Advisory Board
Scott Burns
Lands Committee
Steve Frisch
President – Sierra Business Council
Mary Glenn
Audit Committee
Rusty Gregory
Chairman and CEO – Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
Linda Hess
Attorney at Law
Sandy Hogan
Retired Special Operations Coordinator – Inyo National Forest
Ruth MacFarlane
Development Committee
Paul and Kate Page
Donor Special Events
Pete Pumphrey
Lands Committee
Orrin Sage
Lands Committee
Brian Stange
Finance and Investment Committee


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Find High School Alumni in Nunavut
Choose the city in Nunavut that you went to high school to view the Virtual Yearbook for your school. Joining your Virtual Yearbook for your Nunavut high school will allow you to reconnect with your high school friends. You can also use the search on this page to search for NU alumni from a specific school.


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The Anjana Spa combines the Turkish culture and tradition with a modern concept of wellness.
The two ultra-luxurious Ottoman spas – one for men, one for women – inside the Anjana Spa at the Rixos Bab Al Bahr are the largest spas in Ras Al Khaimah where you can relax and replenish yourself. Whether you have opted for a spa vacation or simply enjoy a respite from the excitement of the resort, Rixos Bab Al Bahr Spa is the ultimate haven of serenity.
Each spa has a secluded private swimming pool area perfect for sunbathing or enjoying a cool water dip. However, the most enchanting area of the spa is undeniably the traditional Turkish Hamams, where you can embark on the time-honoured ritual of a deep cleansing scrub performed beneath the decorative architecture of the hamam's central dome.
Our guests can also enjoy unlimited access to the steam room and sauna, the invigorating ice fountain, and quiet reading and relaxing areas. In addition to the wide range of complimentary facilities, you are also welcome to indulge in a host of pampering wellness therapies, beauty treatments and a beauty salon.
The Anjana Spa enriches traditional Turkish bath rituals by combining them with Far Eastern rituals in a unique manner to treat your body, mind and soul. This is a heaven for relaxation and rejuvenation from whence you will emerge as a new person.
Our goal is to understand what our guests need and offer it with care, elegance and the highest quality of service. The Anjana Spa's ultimate goal is to help each guest to experience their own life enhancement.
The Anjana Spa… Your Space… Your Pace…
Selection of massages including the Balinese massage, Swedish massage, Thai massage and Hot Stone therapy
+971 7244 4400
Service hours:
9:00 – 21:00
*Please note that the spa is open to all guests above the age of 18 years.


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The community for volunteers, advocates and civic leaders
Making discovery of opportunities, reflection, and sharing become catalysts for social impact.
Manage Your Engagement
GivePulse enables you to easily explore where you can make an impact in your local community
Dashboard & Schedule Management
Use your dashboard to view upcoming events and opportunities you have registered. Now you have one single place to manage, review and reflect on your experiences
Manage Impacts
Track and measure your own activity to various different groups and causes. Generate certificates of verified attendance and engagement you have with specific community partners
Reporting & Insights
Review, reflect, manage your volunteer hours in the form of "Social Impacts", and share your experience. You may also review all the reports which are generated about your impact over time.
Become a Group Administrator & Leader
Create your own group and advocate for causes and mission you and your community care about
Register and Review Group Sign-Ups
Register your whole group or team to volunteer and serve for specific events and opportunities. You may also create your own group and events and have complete control over them.
Determine who from your Group Registered
There are many instances where you inform your members to register and they don't. GivePulse helps inform you of who in your group has registered so that it helps better coordinate the logistics of who has or has not registered to events you don't control.
GivePulse Features
Social Impact Profile
Create and oversee your social impact profile. The account that manages your engagement and interest in community issues.
Sharing of Impacts
There are many reasons why you may want to track your engagement. It can be for the Presidential Service Award, for class credit or membership to a greek club. We make it easy for you to centralize it all and inform all stakeholders.
Reflection and Reviews
We put a strong emphasis in reflection. Your feedback in your experiences will help events and opportunities improve over time and enable you to keep a journal of your experiences.
It starts with one volunteer to build an army that will help move the needle and improve the world.


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The Morris Frank branch of the Houston Public Library sits near the intersection of West Bellfort and Fondren, an area that's been ground zero for Katrina evacuees and ensuing problems with violence.
It's a tough environment for a kid or anyone who likes reading, we guess to grow up in, but the city has good news: You're getting a new library!!
Umm, just don't expect many books in it.
Houston Public Library
The library system was planning a renovation of the Frank branch, which has foundation problems. They discovered, unfortunately, that new studies now place the building squarely within the 100-year flood plain.
"We'd either have to lift the building up 18 inches or build a two-foot berm all the way around it, and there wasn't enough money to do that," says Tim Douglass, chief of staff for city council member Anne Clutterbuck.
There wasn't enough money to build a completely new similarly sized branch, so the neighborhood is getting what the Houston Public Library System is calling "an exciting concept" known as "HPL Express."
What's an HPL Express? It's a rented storefront that holds about half the 90,000 items that the Frank branch currently has.
"It'll have all the popular books, it just won't have a plethora of books," Douglass says.
But there'll be plenty of computers, says the HPL's Greg Simpson, and anyone who wants a book that isn't on the shelves can order it and pick it up a couple of days later.
On the one hand, this idea sounds like an innovative way to stretch scarce dollars. On the other hand, it sounds awfully like Metro, which promised light rail to low-income neighborhoods but is now instead offering special buses that kinda, sorta look like trains.
"Could somebody who doesn't know what they're talking about, who doesn't understand the concept, who doesn't see the betterness they're getting, could they complain?" says Douglass. "Maybe, but the alternative is nothing. The alternative is closing the Frank branch completely."
"I think it's just going to be a matter of us educating our customers how to use the facility," Simpson says. "But we're excited about it and think it's going to work great."
Future HPL Expresses including one in the similarly troubled Gulfton neighborhood might offer only a "very small collection" of books. Future sites might be entirely book-free. But those sites will be in addition to existing libraries, not replacing full facilities like the Frank branch.
Ah, what the hell it's not like kids today are reading anyway. Maybe HPL should just set up a Facebook page and be done with it.
Freeze a Yankee
Congressman Gene Green is on a mission. He will not be denied, he will not give up the fight, until that beautiful day when more and more people from Minnesota and Chicago die each year during icy winters.
Well, he probably wouldn't put it that way. What Green wants is for people in the South to get a bigger chunk of the federal cash that goes to protect low-income people from extreme weather.
"Two-thirds of our funding goes to people with cold needs and one-third goes to the South, where more people die from heat-related illnesses than people in the North die from the cold," he says.
The federal program is based on a formula derived during the energy crunch of the 1970s. Unfortunately for Green, it was devised in part by John Dingell, the Detroit congressman who heads the House's energy committee.
Green says things weren't much better when a Texan, Republican Joe Barton, controlled matters. "He was being a statesman that was his argument," Green grouses. "He was saying, 'We don't want to open this up, we have too many other battles in this [overall energy] bill.' I told him I wish he'd be more of a politician and less of a statesman."
Green is getting support for his fight from energy companies, who like the fact that the feds would be subsidizing customers' bills, or providing fans or a/c units that would make for more kilowatts being used. Now they just cut off people who can't pay, and there's no money in that.
"In most of the northern cities they have prohibitions against cutting off power during cold weather. In Texas we don't typically have local officials who have that sensitivity during heat times," Green says.
Still, he figures he's not close to winning this battle. Yet.
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"I think after the 2012 election, we'll have a majority of the members [of Congress] from the South," he says. "We just need one more redistricting."
Better get ready, Chicago.
The Houston Chronicle has jumped into what the kids call the World Wide Web with a vengeance. Reporter blogs, reader blogs, allegedly hilarious videos about life in the Chron cubicles really, its what the Internet was invented for. And now theyve unleashed the really big gun: features reporter Kristin Finan. Finans specialty has been first-person stories about learning how to sky-dive or rock-climb (or, most improbably, how to impersonate a Katrina evacuee at a shelter). Now shes helming Kristin 2 Go, a wacky, unconventional, out-of-control vlog (a video blog, get it?) detailing her daily trips around town. Be sure to check out the introductory rap episode, if you dare. Get to know Kristin on her AlmostMySpace page.


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It`s Common Sense with Heather Staker Transformative Principal 210
Heather Staker is a former Mckenzie Consultant and coauthor of the book Blended Learning: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools.
Download the "Getting Clear on Technology Purchases" guide.
- Senior in High School as a state school board member
- Reasonable and balanced voice that represents the whole.
- Interested and well-versed in innovation
- Clayton Christensen Center for Disruptive Innovation
- It's not just efficiency, it's common sense to give kids information at their pace.
- Agency is so important.
- Disrupting Class
- Actin Academy program for core skills.
- 7 types of blended learning
- What challenges do we still face?
- Schools lead with 1:1 announcements.
- How to address 1:1 issues?
- Lead with a very clear plan for how they use online learning.
- District and vendor level must prevent teachers from having to be the tech wizard.
- Help teachers to reimagine their role.
- Factory model settings do not give teachers the opportunity to do increase the humanity that can be in our schools.
- Mentors and tutors for each child.
- Not getting to deep work?
- Station rotations can prevent this. Not every blended learning model is perfect.
- How to create higher performing classrooms in 7 moves.
- Younger ages, recommended 20 minutes max per day on screens.
- "Certain children" aren't capable, but every child can learn
- It's the adults. We get in our own way.
Are you feeling like you are always behind at school? Do you feel like you need about 2 more hours each day to accomplish everything? Here's how I help principals work manageable hours: Create your ideal week, so that you can leave work at work and enjoy your life!
Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher.
Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.
Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com
Download Paperless Principal.
Transformative Principal on Stitcher
Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey
from Transformative Principal http://transformativeprincipal.org/episode210
via IFTTT


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Alex Wisner is an American who Lives in Chatsworth, California. He is an active participant on the FB page of Philippines Atheist and Agnostic Society, as I too am. I am quoting below one of his comments, with due permission from him, on Atheist activism.He says:
"This is what I am worried about. At some point soon the Church will insult and try to cut off the growth of the Atheist movement in the Philippines. When they lie about Patas, members should be ready to show up the next day at that church with signs. If they accuse Patas of not caring, then you show up with fliers and posters showing the medical mission.
If they demonize the LGBT community, Patas members should be there next day defending them. Respect religion? The moment they lie and misrepresent the gloves are off.
I want Patas to be ready and united. With 10,000 members it should not be hard to assemble 20-50 people at a moments notice."
I remember that some two years before I too had expressed my opinion that atheists have to act with unity on issues facing them. I remember that every member almost unitedly opposed my idea. Now there is one atheist in Indonesian jail for quite some time for saying that there is no god. Militant Islamists are now demanding that he should be beheaded. Should we remain passive or flood the Indonesian government with mails explaining that atheism is a respectful thought system and the time when this was punishable in any way is long past. What should we do?
Views: 190
Indonesia and the Philippines are predominantly Islamic and Catholic respectively.
Atheists should support every effort to repeal anti-atheism law in Indonesia and obtain the release of imprisoned Atheists. The Internet is where effective protest can be made and it would be imperative to contact organisations supporting the cause to ensure appropriate steps are made to bring the issues to the attention of the government.
In the Philippines, Catholic hypocrisy and corruption in government is rampant while there is state circumcision, efforts to deny contraception to the poor and uneducated, and overpopulation which Atheists should be aware and supportive.
Militant Islamism requires an aggressive response and opportunities to take out key players should not be overlooked by Atheists and others proposing militancy and a final solution to the Jihad.
It appears to me that some Islamic countries have to behead several atheists before atheists here become sensitive to the sufferings of other atheists.
Can you refer to specific cases ?
Again, Napoleon, your words inspire me. Powerful, clear, precise, goal oriented! I like what you wrote.
Silence never solved a problem or conflict nor did it ever bring about social change. One person standing alone is dangerous, as you so clearly state; building a coalition of like-minded people begins to build power. There is strength with numbers and based on principles.
Local confrontation is important, and perhaps a world-wide response would help; however, it could make the opposition angry because of outside influence. I don't know the right answer. I do know that silence is not the answer.
As for me, I would gather as many people to join me in a flood of the Indonesian government, including mail from other countries. If we do this often enough, and more join in the confrontation, not to do battle but to claim the right of freedom of thought.
There has to be retribution against those who put the atheist in jail. If he is put to death, there must be some kind of retribution world wide. I wonder why there hasn't been for all those who have been put to death already. Our silence encourages beheadings.
I have little faith in diplomacy, although that would be a preferred response.
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ownership of the site and that this site adheres to Google AdSense
program policies and Terms and Conditions.
3/09/2008 stanleychi 0 Comments
I'm Stanley Chi, a 25-year-old humorist from the Philippines. If you're sosyal, add me to your circles on Google Plus! I'm also on Twitter and Instagram.
Subscribe to my exploits if you want bullies to stop stealing your lunch money! Warning: Do not follow me if you don't want to find yourself a girlfriend.
Chopsticks 2: Kung Fu Mahjong
Chopsticks 3: Hopia Like It
Suplado Tips
Suplado Tips 2
Pogi Points
Men are from QC, Women are from Alabang
Chicken Mami for the Sawi


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In this classic Thai dish you can maximize your nutrition by trading carbohydrate-rich rice noodles for low-glycemic and vitamin-A- rich spaghetti squash. You'll find Thai fish sauce in your local Asian or natural food market, or in the international aisle of most large supermarkets.
Nutritional Analysis: per Serving (1 and 1/3 cups): calories 263, fat 15 g, saturated fat 2 g, cholesterol 131 mg, fiber 1 g, protein 21 g, carbohydrate 14 g, sodium 611 mg
From: The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook, by Mark Hyman, MD. Now Available.
Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Ready In:
In this classic Thai dish you can maximize your nutrition by trading carbohydrate-rich rice noodles for low-glycemic and vitamin-A- rich spaghetti squash. You'll find Thai fish sauce in your local Asian or natural food market, or in the international aisle of most large supermarkets.
- 1 large spaghetti squash halved and seeded
- 1/4 cup peanut oil
- 1 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
- 2 tsp. tamari sauce reduced-sodium, gluten-free
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces skinless chicken breasts roughly chopped
- 4 ounces raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and roughly chopped
- 2 large Carrots peeled and shredded
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts
- 6 whole scallions finely chopped
- 1 whole lime halved
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts chopped, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Brush the cut sides of the squash with 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil. Place the squash,
cut sides down, on a baking sheet and roast for 30–40 minutes. The squash is cooked when a knife easily pierces through the skin and flesh. Let cool, use a fork to shred the flesh into spaghetti-like strands, and set aside.
- In a small bowl stir together the fish sauce, tamari, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large wok or large cast-iron pan over medium-high
heat. Add the egg and cook until scrambled, 30–60 seconds, breaking it up. Transfer to a
plate and reserve.
- Pour another tablespoon of the oil into the wok and stir-fry the garlic until aromatic.
Season the chicken with a little salt and add it to the pan. Stir-fry the chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Push the chicken to the side and add the shrimp in the center of the pan. Stir frequently until the shrimp are pink and firm, about 3 minutes.
- Toss in the carrots and stir-fry them for 1 minute. Transfer the contents of the pan to a platter.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the wok, spread the squash strands out in the pan, and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Flip the pile of strands over and brown them for 2 minutes on the other side.
- Pour the sauce into the wok and add the chicken-shrimp mixture, egg, bean sprouts, and scallions. Gently toss to heat through, and squeeze the juice of one lime half over all. Garnish with the peanuts and serve with the other half lime available for table-side squeezing. Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- Cuisine: International
- Course: Entrée
- Skill Level: Beginner


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Tralee didn't have school this Wednesday, and wouldn't you know it, Jim just happened to be in town at the same time! Jim worked out his schedule so that he could also take the day off, and we decided to play together as a family!
We left for McCall, Idaho after Tralee got out of school on Tuesday. Jim booked us a nice hotel with an indoor swimming pool. We spent the evening swimming, and relaxing in our room. We had the pool all to ourselves as it was "off season" in McCall and it was the middle of the week.
Wednesday morning we ate breakfast at the hotel - it was pretty yummy. The kids and Jim went for another swim, while I stayed in the room to relax and pack. Fun was had by all! After we checked out of the hotel, we drove to Jim's Uncle's property to spend the rest of the day in the great outdoors. The weather was a bit crisp, but the sun was out to play, so it kindly warmed us with its rays throughout the day.
We hiked around and explored, shot Jim's .22, climbed the tree house, attempted to fish but soon realized there were no fish yet this time of year, and roasted hotdogs and s'mores. I also snuck some applesauce and bananas into the mix of campfire food.
Overall, our day was pretty awesome together.
|Jim in his element. A .22 in one hand, and a fishing pole in the other.
|Birds nests galore in and around the tree house! Jim's acting crazy, but what else is new?
|So excited to find birds nests . . . they were from last year and completely empty!
|Look at my manly boy climbing that ladder!
|Crossing the bridge across the water
|Tralee decided to sit and contemplate the wonders of the world on this little spot of the world.
|We spent some time playin' ball as well.
|Warming up my tootsies by the campfire
|Roasting dogs
|Jim and I have an on-going fight over whose roasted marshmallows are better. I like mine charred to a crisp. He likes his perfectly browned.
|Eating s'mores!
We had a wonderful mini vacation!!


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July 25th, 2018
0 comments
July 29 Worship at Hope Church
Hope Church provided us with our first meeting space and we're going to thank them on July 29. THIS SUNDAY!
We'll meet at and worship with Hope Church at 10:00AM that day, with Rev. Jen Adams as the guest preacher and Grace as the coffee hour hosts.
Our 8:15 service will still be at Grace that morning.


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To order click here.
Plants that cause dermatitis - a pictorial guide
This book will help you identify plants that cause skin reactions.
contains full colour images and identification notes of offending
Written by Dr Bruce Tate, a dermatologist at the Contact Dermatitis Clinic, Skin and Cancer Foundation, Victoria and Michèle Adler.
Galápagos Islands Cusco & Machu Picchu Andes to the Amazon Madagascar Reunion/Mauritius
Sitefinity ASP.NET CMS


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John Tranter's 2012 Tapa Page —
Follow the links below:
[ All in pale blue ink: ] [ lower left: appliqué ladybird endpapers in a vertical oblong, smaller white paper appliqué on top of that, smaller 40 cent New Zealand stamp on top of that, bearing a picture of a square stone tower in tulip field, and bearing the legend Seymour Square Gardens, Blenheim ]
a rounded idea of the / characters, plot & setting. / I found that when the oblique / [continued inside appliqué white paper ] visual imag- / ery was / added the / characters / [ stamp ] / and their / relationships / filled out in / my mind. // [ continued on right hand side of page, under double yellow ink horizontal lines: ] the work is / a late / offshoot of / my short / story EGGS / in Crikey! / 1993 / which leads / from Ara- / moana to / the / Caucasus. / /
Cilla McQueen's choice of words ('characters, plot and setting') feels unsettlingly old-fashioned, which is perhaps a measure of how far the University of Auckland has travelled. Is this headlong journey into the future a good thing? Is McQueen's insistence on the older virtues of story-telling a bad thing? If poetry has been around as a vital force for millions of years, isn't an insistence on fashion a betrayal of history?
Links: Cover: Cover Front Inner, Cover: Cover Front,
p.001, p.002, p.003, p.004, p.005, p.006, p.007, p.008, p.009, p.010, p.011, p.012, p.013, p.014, p.015, p.016, p.017, p.018, p.019, p.020, p.021, p.022, p.023, p.024, p.025, p.026, p.027, p.028, p.029, p.030, p.031, p.032, p.033, p.034, p.035, p.036, p.037, p.038, p.039, p.040, p.041, p.042, p.043, p.044, p.045, p.046, p.047, p.048, p.049, p.050, p.051, p.052, p.053, p.054, p.055, p.056, p.057, p.058, p.059, p.060, p.061, p.062, p.063, p.064, p.065, p.066, p.067, p.068, p.069, p.070, p.071, p.072, p.073, p.074, p.075, p.076, p.077, p.078, p.079, p.080, p.081, p.082, p.083, p.084, p.085, p.086, p.087, p.088, p.089, p.090, p.091, p.092, p.093, p.094, p.095, p.096, p.097, p.098, p.099, p.100, p.101, p.102, p.103, p.104, p.105, p.106, p.107, p.108, p.109, p.110,
Cover: Cover Rear Inner, Cover: Cover Rear.
These are scans of pages of a Tapa Notebook, filled out by Australian poet John Tranter for the University of Auckland Library. It recounts his experiences in Auckland in March 2012 at the University's symposium 'Short Takes on Long Poems'. John has published an internet journal with similar material. This Notebook has the advantage of handwriting, doodles, decoupage and lots of colourful New Zealand stamps. Copyright Notice: Please respect the fact that all the material on this site is copyright © and the individual authors 2012 to 2016 et seq. It is made available here without charge for personal study and enjoyment by individuals only. It may not be stored, displayed, published, reproduced, or used for any other purpose.


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Buddy Christ, Cheesecake on a stick, Fairies, falconer, Food on a stick, geeky festivals, guy in a banana suit, Iron Man, Pickles on a stick, pirates, quiche, Renaissance Faire, Renaissance festival, shitty jobs
Late in August, (yes, this post is quite late) we took our little minions to a Renaissance Faire.
The Renaissance faire is an interesting animal, thought by some to be the height of a good time (Huzzah! is the cry of those dressed up in period costumes and spinning happily 'round the maypole). To others it is so intensely geeky that anyone who has ever been, even by accident, on the premises of a renaissance faire, shall stinketh of geek forever. In fact, the only stench more geeky than that of a Renaissance Faire aficionado is that of a Civil War Reenactment guy, or anyone with a metal detector.
'Tis a harsh judgement, indeed.
The husband and I differ in our opinion of the thing, and that's all I shall say, m'lords and ladies.
The dayeth was upon us, and the husband railed his flax-wench of a wife to get ready faster, for late stood the hour (and all the other lords and ladies would be there fi-irst, and we'll have to wait in li-ine). I scoffed at the idea that there would be so many, up so early, just to put on crappy British accents, and eat various foods impaled upon sticks.
Aye, twas a beautiful day indeed, but color me surprised when we got there (around 11am, as I am not to be rushed), and found that everyone, everyones brother, all their friends and family, and Jesus Christ Himself (not a joke— I have pictures) had the same idea.
Traffic came to a stand still miles from the place. I may have to rethink my position on how the public at large feels about fake British accents and stick food.
We waited, waited, and then waited some more. Then, afterwards, when we thought we were done waiting, we found ourselves waiting. It must have been a parking mirage or something.
Just as my bitching was becoming unbearable for everyone, at precisely the same moment when I had come to accept "t'would be anon" before we parked: we parked.
We got out of the car, squinting at the daylight and sniffing at the fresh air like we'd never before consumed such a thing. We put K in her gigantic stroller and began our walk to the faire. It couldn't be very far, we were only in lot 3.
They put the faire on top of a mountain.
No one told me they put the faire on top of a mountain.
Why would you put a faire on top of a mountain? Why would you put anything on top of a mountain, and on purpose, at that?
Are they trying to keep fat people out? Because (besides myself), they weren't doing a very good job. We followed a trail up a steep incline, and Lords and Ladies three times my size were passing my sad, huffing and puffing, ass at twice my speed. It must have been adrenaline, because those speeding fatties were wearing hundreds of pounds of sweaty period costumes. Had I been a betting maiden, I'd have predicted they'd make it steps (from their Moms' basement) not miles, and there'd have been paramedics every quarter of a mile, just in case anyone (me) might have a heart attack.
After our trek up the mountain, me bitching all the way, (are they trying to hide this place? Do they want to keep it a secret? Jesus Christ — no, dude, not you — this place is worse than all of Halloween for putting the girls on display. There are lusty wenches EVERYWHERE. How much farther is it? How much farther is it NOW?)
Eventually we emerged at the top of
Mount Fucking Everest the mountain, to the longest ticket line I had ever seen, and a bunch of port-a-privies. Thank God I peed before we left, because "Whither be the privies" was not on my list of useful renaissance faire phrases. Anyone who's followed my blog knows all about that debacle. J and K needed to use the port-a-privies though, so while the husband took them to pee (because I'd never set foot in that 'maggot pie toad spotted' disaster), I met this guy:
Somehow, I felt he didn't fit in… I couldn't put my finger on it… hmmm… However, I felt immediately that he was a kindred spirit, and soon enough I was proven correct. After he'd kindly consented to the picture above and we'd chatted for a little bit, his girlfriend emerged from the port-a-privvies, all dressed up in long peasant skirt, a thousand pounds of corset and layers of covering, hiding everything except for her ample décolletage.
Immediately, I understood the arrangement.
Banana guy told us that it was pirate weekend.
Ummm… Okay then. I like pirates. Are we talking Johnny Depp Pirates?
While on line for tickets, we stood behind a family of two knights, what appeared to be a wizard, and a woman who was obviously some sort of lusty wench (I saw rather a lot of lusty wenches). The knights (maybe 8 years old) were arguing over whose magical powers had been upgraded the most this past year, while the wench was calling the wizard a "cheeky marmoset".
I don't know what that means. Sounds bad.
Every family is weird in their own way, I suppose. We certainly are, so I put on my tolerant face. Unfortunately, my tolerant face looks a lot like my disbelief/disgust face, so no one was really any better off. Finally, we made it to the front gate.
It was incumbent upon me to make sure the husbands' weapon was peace wrapped. Heh.
We walked in, got our program of events (here you aaaah, m'lady) and hadn't walked thirty feet before I met this guy.
My dearest Lords and Ladies, meet the guy with the shittiest job in the whole world.
This guy wears a full renaissance ensemble in 90 degree, humid, full on August sun, while he loads children on his dragon boat thingie, then manually pushes it (the thing must weigh a zillion pounds) like a swing. He shoves it higher and higher, working entirely against gravity, till one of the children invariably fails a fortitude save, and horks their partially digested quiche on a stick and chocolate covered bacon all over the dragon's interior; I'll let you imagine the physics of the splash. Then he slows the giant thing to a stop, takes the children off one at a time, uses A RAG THAT HE KEEPS IN HIS POCKET to clean the barf from his dragon, and starts again.
This whole experience costs one dollar per child.
J did not puke, of course, since we didn't feed him quiche on a stick in 90 degree heat, with chocolate covered bacon on the side, before we put him on "Uncle Ralph's Dread Dragon of Upchuck".
And happy we were, in the 90 degree heat (and humidity) squashed in with every other lord and lady within a 750 mile radius and enjoying the sights. In fact, I was so enamored that I walked directly into this guy. I had bruises for a week. I said (It came out like word vomit before I could stop it):
"Are you positive that Iron man was also a renaissance man?"
My son was enthralled with this guy. He really thought Iron Man spends his off days at renaissance faires. Just before J was quite rudely shoved away (from what I gather, Faire regulars are quite sensitive regarding their costumes) he asked really loudly if Iron Man got to the faire by jet pack, and if he, J, could try on his outfit.
I still don't know who he was supposed to be, but quite obviously, it was not Iron man.
At two o'clock, the birds of prey show was everyone's choice. EVERYONE. Even Jesus, a disciple AND Mary Magdalene (interestingly, the only woman dressed NOT as a lusty wench) were interested in the falconer.
The show was great, the birds were well trained…Mostly. We were sitting on the opposite side of the birds' flight path, however, there were some not so lucky patrons in the "splash zone" that came out of the show slightly more sticky and white about the head and shoulders than when they went inside. Luckily, Jesus was sitting by us, safely out of range for the falcon's business end. You don't want a shit show with Christ in the way. I don't even know how many Hail Marys and Our Fathers you'd have to do after that mess.
We left the Birds of Prey to do whatever it is that birds of prey do when we're not watching, and found ourselves at a crossroads. We could see a mime down one road (that's never good) while the other road was seemingly mime free. It was a no-brainer, we chose the mime free road. J immediately found the face painting booth, hopped in the wooden (IKEA) chair, and said he wanted to be made into iron man. The face painting guy 'pretendedeth that he did not haveth every single Iron Man movie and comic book at hometh' (in his Mom's basementeth). Instead, J got a sun painted on his face for the low low price of a gajillion dollars. I guess paint was more expensive back then.
Whatever, if it'll help this guy move out of his mom's basement…
Sun in place, and my purse considerably lighter, we strolled past court jesters juggling sticks, (are you sensing a stick theme?) and tons of patchouli. As we wandered about our mime free road, the children were suddenly taken in by glittery sparkly fairies. They might as well have been holding up signs advertising free candy and puppies. Had I known ahead of time how wretchedly annoying fairies are, we'd have taken the mime road. We must have been there for days while this lady played pantomime (almost as bad as actual mime) and rang little bells. She danced around like… Well, like a fairy, and we stood around while our mesmerized children ooooohed and aaaaaahhhed over her. She blew bubbles and sprinkled my children with glitter that somehow morphed to create a glitter paste that dried onto my children's bodies, and I'm still peeling off of their various kibbles and bits at bath time.
Once you make it through either mime or fairy, there is a huge area of picnic tables, and small shops selling their various foods on sticks, as well as my personal favorite, the guy who rolls around a barrel of stick pickles yelling "Piiii-CKLES for sale!!!!", while making various pickle related sexual innuendos. Mmmmm… Stick pickle. The whole area smells like garbage and sweat. Alas, we are hungry, so we wait on the line for stick meat and wench fries. I ordered a chicken pita vegetable thing (on a stick), and it tasted like tzatziki sauce gone bad (mmmm… chunky) poured over yesterday's falcon (the one that did not impress Jesus) and red bell peppers. It was all terrible; everyone was unimpressed by their expensive stick food. All I can say in it's favor is that J did not consume his food before he climbed onto "Gak the magic dragon". Apparently, although there was a scientific and artistic renaissance, a renaissance of the palate was still some years to come. Next time we'll smuggle in some subs by way of gigantic stroller.
It all left me wanting something… sweet. I spotted a lusty wench at a tiny little stand (that I might not have seen if not for my unhealthy obsession with the pickle guy) who was shouting something I simply could not ignore. It was frozen cheesecake that they dip in chocolate (magic shell) and serve… on a stick. It's like a crunchy, creamy, cold, yummy, chocolatey orgasm on a stick. Although, to be honest, most of my orgasms come on a stick. (TMI? Nah.)
And so I will go back to the ren faire, I'll even call it the ren faire (like those who frequent these… Reunions), in order to get more cheesecake on a stick. I'll dress up like a tavern wench, Ill even dance around the maypole, but I will have more cheesecake on a stick.
Oh yes, I will have more cheesecake on a stick.


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Paw Print
Paw Imprints – unique keepsakes of your pet
If you would like a paw print taken of your pet please mention this prior to us carrying out their individual cremation.
The edited image will be emailed to you upon completion. We use inkless wipes to take the unedited paw prints. This way there is no mess involved.
Your pets paw print can be used to create a pendant or key ring if you wish.
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Two different Hastings Raiders legion baseball teams came to play Thursday night as they hosted St. Paul Park for a doubleheader at Veterans Park. The Raiders, with a team made up of players who played on different levels this past high school season, won the first game easily, 10-1, before falling in the second game, 10-4, as the weekend's heat wave rolled in.
Game one blowout
Hastings took advantage of superb pitching in game one by recently graduated Doug Nordine. After a bit of trouble in the first when St. Paul Park was able to scratch across a run, Nordine settled in and batters had no answer for him. Nordine threw a complete game and gave up just that one run on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
The Raiders were scoreless in the bottom of the first but they then brought in runs in four of the next five innings. They scored two in the second on an RBI single by Drew Davis and a sacrifice fly by Cory Wolters, and another in the third off a fielder's choice by Will Lavin. In the fourth, they added three more when Blake Warner walked to bring in a run and Lavin added a two-RBI single. Hastings sealed the game with four runs in the fifth with an RBI single by Davis, a two-RBI triple from Wolters and a sacrifice groundout from Jake Biermaier.
Wolters led the Raiders offensively, going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Lavin also had three RBI while Davis had two on his two hits. Isaac Flynn walked three times and scored twice.
Game two letdown
Game two of the doubleheader saw both teams flip their roles as St. Paul Park quickly jumped on the Raiders and maintained their lead the rest of the game to win, 10-4. Tom Ritt started for Hastings on the mound but struggled with his control. St. Paul Park scored two runs in the top of the first, one in the second and then blew the game wide open as they chased Ritt in the sixth inning to the tune of six runs. Ritt threw 5 ⅔ innings and gave up nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits and five walks while striking out two.
Wolters relieved Ritt but St. Paul Park was still able to score the two runs Ritt left on base. They then scored one more in the top of the seventh. Wolters pitched 1 ⅓ innings and gave up one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Hastings managed to score two runs in the third and two in the fourth but had plenty of other chances over the course of the game as they stranded eight baserunners. Lavin continued his solid hitting with an RBI single in the third, while another runner scored as Flynn reached on a fielder's choice. In the sixth, one run scored on an error for the Raiders while Davis added an RBI double.
Despite some struggles on the mound, Ritt was excellent offensively, going 3-for-4. Lavin also had three hits, an RBI and a run scored. Wolters and Davis each had two hits.
Hastings next plays on Sunday, July 1, at Veterans Park against West St. Paul and then host Northfield for a doubleheader on July 9.


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Work With a Preferred Child Custody Attorney in Grand Rapids, MI
Your children mean everything to you. And the opposing side will try anything to take them from you. Solomon Law will fight for your custody and parenting time rights. We offer a very competitive hourly rate and retainer fee.
We will work together with you as a team, to explore every aspect, every fact, every allegation, which is relevant to your case.
In deciding child custody issues, Michigan law directs the courts to examine the following factors in deciding what is in the best interests of the child:
(a) The love, affection, and other emotional ties existing between the parties involved and the child.
(b) The capacity and disposition of the parties involved to give the child love, affection, and guidance and to continue the education and raising of the child in his or her religion or creed, if any.
(c) The capacity and disposition of the parties involved to provide the child with food, clothing, medical care or other remedial care recognized and permitted under the laws of this state in place of medical care, and other material needs.
(d) The length of time the child has lived in a stable, satisfactory environment, and the desirability of maintaining continuity.
(e) The permanence, as a family unit, of the existing or proposed custodial home or homes.
(f) The moral fitness of the parties involved.
(g) The mental and physical health of the parties involved.
(h) The home, school, and community record of the child.
(i) The reasonable preference of the child, if the court considers the child to be of sufficient age to express preference.
(j) The willingness and ability of each of the parties to facilitate and encourage a close and continuing parent-child relationship between the child and the other parent or the child and the parents.
(k) Domestic violence, regardless of whether the violence was directed against or witnessed by the child.
(l) Any other factor considered by the court to be relevant to a particular child custody dispute.
In deciding parenting time issues, Michigan law directs the courts to examine the following factors in deciding what is in the best interests of the child:
(a) The existence of any special circumstances or needs of the child.
(b) Whether the child is a nursing child less than 6 months of age, or less than 1 year of age if the child receives substantial nutrition through nursing.
(c) The reasonable likelihood of abuse or neglect of the child during parenting time.
(d) The reasonable likelihood of abuse of a parent resulting from the exercise of parenting time.
(e) The inconvenience to, and burdensome impact or effect on, the child of traveling for purposes of parenting time.
(f) Whether a parent can reasonably be expected to exercise parenting time in accordance with the court order.
(g) Whether a parent has frequently failed to exercise reasonable parenting time.
(h) The threatened or actual detention of the child with the intent to retain or conceal the child from the other parent or from a third person who has legal custody. A custodial parent's temporary residence with the child in a domestic violence shelter shall not be construed as evidence of the custodial parent's intent to retain or conceal the child from the other parent.
(i) Any other relevant factors.
Solomon Law will help develop each of these factors, concerning the best interests of the child, so that they are most favorable to your case.
Solomon Law also helps with paternity and grandparent visitation issues.
We accept Child Custody and related cases throughout Michigan. Contact us today!
Photo Credit: The Long Way Home VOL. TEDDY MOOSE via photopin (license)


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Simple often isn't. Spacious interfaces with few controls, artfully placed, may look comforting and inviting (and they often are), but they can also front for a mafia underground of hidden interaction complexity.
I recently heard a respected designer (who shall remain nameless) speaking of what he called an exemplar of simplicity in interface design: the garage door opener. That's the seduction of simple in action, because it isn't simple at all. We all make numerous errors using the garage door opener — moving the door in the wrong direction first, pausing the door accidentally, or hitting the button too many times after the door doesn't respond quickly enough. It's actually a resoundingly bad interface masquerading behind the innocence face of a single, simple button.


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This review will be short and dismissive. The movie under consideration — "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" — is, by contrasts, long and punishing. Its pleasures are so meager, its delight in its own inventions so forced and false, that it becomes almost the perfect opposite of entertainment. To insist otherwise is a variation on the sunk cost fallacy. Since you exchanged money for fun, fun is surely what you must have purchased, and you may cling to that idea in the face of contrary evidence. But trust me on this: This movie would be a rip-off even if someone paid you to see it.
Because, to be honest, it's barely a movie at all. The first installments of the "Pirates" franchise conquered skepticism with exuberance and charm. Somehow, a theme-park ride combined with clever, madcap visuals and Johnny Depp's scapegrace showboating added up to something fresh. But that spirit is long gone. Mr. Depp, as Capt. Jack Sparrow, goes through the motions like a washed-up rock star reprising his greatest hits in a half-empty auditorium. The images are so dark and muddy that you can't see what's going on well enough to know why you don't care. The plot twists, Easter eggs and surprises are either obvious or labored. You can't spoil something that's already thoroughly rotten.
Now and then you get a reminder of why you might have enjoyed the earlier movies. There are a couple of nifty Rube Goldbergian action sequences — one with a bank vault, the other with a guillotine — that recall the berserk inventiveness of Gore Verbinski, the original director. But otherwise, "Dead Men Tell No Tales," directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg from a script by Jeff Nathanson, is a tedious rehash.
Two appealing young people (Kaya Scodelario and Brenton Thwaites) meet on a quest for a mysterious and powerful object. They are joined by Sparrow and pursued by old and new enemies: the British Navy; the greedy pirate Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush); and an army of ghouls led by the spectral Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), known as the butcher of the sea.
This goes on for more than two hours. You are invited to sit through every last name on the lengthy end credits for a teasing extra scene of a couple asleep on linen sheets, a reminder of how you might have better spent the time. It would be a spoiler to identify those bedfellows, but the bigger spoiler is that apparently another sequel is on the way.


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text: The Campaign for Missing and Abused Children is for sites concerned with missing, abused, exploited, sick, disabled, or special needs children, all over the world. These sites use their web pages to publicise the plight of these children and their families and raise awareness to try help them. You will also find information and resources that may be of assistance here.


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The Eliza is a kayak brought to you by Necky Kayak. Read Eliza reviews or submit your own review to share with the paddling community. Check out a few other kayak recommendations below or explore all kayaks to find the perfect one for you!
Read reviews for the Eliza by Necky Kayak as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!
I am in my 80s, over 200lbs and paddle mostly Necky kayaks; from the 22' Nootka Outfitter to the 10'11" Manitou Sport. My experience is in both fresh and salt water; with the mid-coast & Down East waters of Maine being my summer playground. I recently acquired a brand new Elisa (left-over), and used her on both a river camping trip, as well as day paddling along the coast of Maine. She is a fun boat to paddle, and carries a ton of gear. During the entire 3 days of river paddling, I intentionally never used the rudder. The only time she tracked well, was when I was paddling full on, at hull speed. The rest of the weekend was like paddling a 9' boat; she wandered all over the place. However, turning was a dream. We did some class II white water, and she acted like a WW boat. Ocean paddling was very much the same, without using the rudder. In order to go from point to point; the rudder is absolutely necessary (unless you are paddling hard and fast). She paddles well, handles waves easily, and turns on a dime. With the back-band, it's easy to get in & out quickly, by laying on the back deck. I could not get her to roll, but it also could be my issue, not the boat's. If one is looking for a fun, responsive kayak, capable of both flat water, and ocean paddling...in short boat (15'6"), the Elisa is a good choice.
I don't use the rudder unless I am taking pictures and want to be hands free and have some control over where my boat is going while I am lining up a shot. Also, I enjoy occasionally using my Wind Paddle sail and then the rudder is awesome because you can use the sail and use the rudder to "steer" and just enjoy the ride.
I am 5'7" and 140 and 61 years old, and the Eliza is a perfect fit for me. I love the thigh braces and am learning to roll. Recently, on a demo day, one of my small-built male instructors was able to slide right into the cockpit and took it for a spin and could not believe the manuverability he had with my Eliza. He was quite impressed and said he would like one for himself. Other guys wanted to try it and didn't feel they would fit, but they were jealous. I paddled other sea kayaks on demo days, but nothing felt or handled any better than my Eliza. I have taken it on 25-mile river day trips and it holds a lot of gear. It handles well in unexpected river challenges and it has kept me out of trouble. I put my stuff in small dry bags and the Eliza holds a ton of stuff.
I recently bought a Werner Camano paddle and now it is amazing how many miles I can cover without getting tired with my light weight paddle and my Eliza. The seat has gotten some criticism but I love the low seat and the fact that I can recline when practicing a roll and also slide into the seat from the back of the boat. The seat also supports my lower back. It is also easy to enter during a wet entry using a paddle float.
I am still trying to get the hang of loading it and unloading it myself. I have the Thule Glide and Set system and it loads from the back of my vehicle. I could do it if I wasn't afraid of dropping the stern and damaging the rudder, because it sticks out so far in the back. If I use a saw horse to set it on, I can lift the bow and then work my way back to the stern and lift it and slide it on. I love my Eliza and the joy it is giving me!
Eliza is easy to turn and quite stable. I've never capsized (well, not other than when practicing new skills like playing in surf). I'm 5'6", about 150 pounds, and I fit very nicely into the cockpit.
When I was looking for a boat, I wanted something that was small and nimble enough for rivers, but sturdy enough for the ocean. I've taken the boat out into the ocean in Northern Mass, NH and Maine many times now and I was just as comfortable as friends in much larger boats. Many of those friends have fiberglass boats, and I've even been able to keep up with them. I don't generally use the rudder. Having learned to paddle without one, I'm just not in the habit. But it's nice to know it's there if I need it.
I didn't think I'd want to learn to roll, but friends encouraged me to give it a try. I'm still practicing, but I was glad that the Eliza had a low backrest so it didn't interfere.
For a smaller boat, there's lots of storage space. I haven't tried camping but someone probably could.
Reading some of the comments about the quality of construction, I think those complaints are about the composite boat. While light, I find the poly version quite well made.
Initially, I wasn't sure if I liked my purchase, as it does feel less stable getting in and out. (The longest boat I had paddled before this was a 12'4" rec boat), but when I got used to "being one with the boat" and paddled bigger waters, especially in windy or rough conditions, I fell in love. I recently returned from a 4-night kayak camping trip, and was surprised at how much gear I was able to stuff in the Eliza. The trick is to use small drybags so you can take advantage of the narrow spaces at both ends of the boat.
The thing that brings this boat from a 10 to an 8 for me is the backrest. It is very low, and my back does not feel supported at all. Even on short paddles, I miss being able to lean back and relax. Also, I am used to a very wide cockpit because of my experience with rec boats, and I miss being able to pull my legs out and sun them on the top of the boat.
Overall, I have been very happy with my Eliza. It is very maneuverable, and the length and weight are manageable to load and move around for a woman of my stature. I would recommend this boat to other women without hesitation.
The craftsmanship is mediocre. The skeg wire is run right through the middle of the rear bulk head, which is bound to interfere with using it for touring. The front bulk head seams aren't properly sealed for the last foot of the boat's length starting at the bow. In order to see it, you literally need to put your head into the hatch and look. The overlapping unsealed fiberglass edges are bound to either catch the gear that you pack, or start coming apart as a result of pulling the gear out. Finally, the thigh braces foam was coming off on a brand new boat.
The cockpit is designed for women with narrow hips. I'm 5'6" and 135 lbs with average hip width, and my hips barely cleared the cockpit coaming. I paddle in the winter using a drysuit, so I know I wouldn't fit into this boat while wearing bulkier clothing. Also, the cockpit is short, which causes shin scraping when entering and exiting the boat for a person with long legs. The seat lacks hip support, so when you put the boat on edge, your hips shift onto one side. Given the above issues, it is a boat for a petite paddler, not so much a medium sized.
The boat is light, very maneuverable, and tracks well. It is also a few hundred dollars cheaper than other boats of comparable size, like Impex Montauk, P&H Capella 161, or Current Design Willow. Provided you fit into the cockpit and don't mind the chintzy craftsmanship, it can be a nice boat.
The boat is as responsive as a sea kayak can be, and yet cruises efficiently at touring speeds. After doing some analysis of my paddling using GPS, I concluded that the only reason I need to be in a longer boat, is to have enough volume for touring. If there's a headwind, you're not going to hold hullspeed, a shorter boat with good rocker will catch the shorter waves that often occur; and waterline advantages seem to disappear as soon as there is any significant sea running. The full chines carried out toward the ends provide a good carving turn. Eliza's shape is a lot like Nick's boats I think especially the Guillemot Play.
The whole women's specific thing is great for selling boats; this boat fits me, what would a smaller person do? If one is not a boat builder, there are no production choices that are as small or smaller than Eliza. One of the fun things about having this is that if I take any of my smaller friends out, they can be in a boat that fits them better than anything they've ever been in!
I have owned six kayaks and this is the best built production boat, and the hatches don't leak a drop! The cored construction yields a fair and rigid hull. It could have been built lighter, but some durability would have been lost and 46lbs is nice for me. Now if only they built a boat this nice for the smaller paddler!
I found the Eliza pretty comfortable, more so than I expected. I had a hard time keeping up with my "speed-demon" boyfriend, although he is a lot stronger than me and is in a lot better shape.
My second paddle was in a tandem (w/ my 5 year old son) and I hated it. I felt like I was trying to paddle a pontoon boat or something. I'm looking to buy a kayak in the near future and am seriously considering the Eliza.
Overall I think it's a great boat for a reasonable price.
I am a small female paddler: 5'3", 115 lbs, 33 inseam, size 6 feet, torso on the short size of average, hips 35".
A novice kayaker, I own and paddle regularly a FG seakayak at 15'11", 20" beam, 44 lbs, skegged, and a daytouring kayak of Trylon, 13'5", 23.5" beam, 41 lbs, no skeg or rudder. I paddle large and small lakes, Class I and II rivers. My seakayak is capable of Great Lakes paddling and I have brought both kayaks to rolling, bracing and rescue classes.
Overall I was disappointed with the plastic Eliza. Sitting inside was like paddling from the base of a barrel. The hull is quite steep with a triangular peak similar to the nave of a church. I could camp under there when it rains. Rain or shine it would be a windcatcher.
News flash to Necky: a cockpit depth of 12.5" is average, not shallow. Dial down the depth if you really want to fit short torso'd people (male or female).
Too much spacing at the thigh/knee contact points.The cockpit is an admirable 16" wide but there is a lot of room bellying out beneath it. How that would benefit a small to medium paddler mystifies me. The cockpit length of 28.5" sounds good but is compromised by the overly tall height at the nose of the coaming... and as to being "easier to attach or detach a sprayskirt", c'mon Necky. That has a lot more to do with correct skirt/boat fit and paddler technique (again, by either gender).
The seat, comfortable if loose, rises little over the cockpit, which makes it look newbyish and which can inhibit self rescues. The seat pan is wide. Evidently "female paddler" translates as "big hips" which not every woman has. I wonder what prototype paddler models were used.
There is also a lot of plastic material ringing the cockpit w. various holes and snaps, probably for some adjustments which were not immediately apparent to me. To be fair it might all have a purpose. At demo time it looked cluttered and conducive to snagging stuff.
The deck rigging is plain weird. There is no X cross anywhere for really secure storage and the intervals made for skimpy furnishing.
The crosslock hatch covers really amount to a six-way spiderweb of cords which is cluttered and not easy to grasp for removal - why is this better for small hands? My hands are small (ring size 5) and the cords simply cut in between my fingers when I tried them barehanded. Luckily I paddle w. gloves.
About weight... no way is this kayak 49 lbs water ready. It feels like 10% over that, at least. Anyways, why shouldn't any small paddler check out the many other good kayaks out there (which are not woman-specific) which can be had in much more friendly weights. Women usually have less upper body strength than men. In the one category where Necky could've really appealed to small women paddlers of plastic boats under 16 feet, they whiffed.
Let's get her on the water. The Eliza does track decently and moves well thru the water efficiently. I didn't choose to deploy the rudder because I do not use a rudder and wanted to see how well the kayak would edge and turn without it.
The answer, for me, is that the Necky can be edged, decently if somewhat mushily. I demo'd the Current Designs Suka and Rumour the same day - now those are kayaks that carve the water.
Using a plain forward stroke, the plastic Necky is neither outstanding nor deficient in point to point paddling. It is demure, not exciting. Not speedy, but not doggish. I guess some would call her reassuring and trusty. Maybe Necky felt women paddlers would value that higher than other traits.
Neither a pleasure nor a pain - dead average, and average for me won't cut it, no matter how laudable the design intent was nor how generous the offer to donate one percent of sales to fight breast cancer. That is after all not what is under review. I guess I'd rather donate directly to that good cause and buy a kayak I'd really enjoy that fits me a lot better, and that would be around 20% lighter.
There is a composite Necky with a skeg, which is an inch narrower and undoubtedly lighter. Good luck finding a dealer where you can actually demo one. If you would like to buy one blind so you can get it in PINK, hey, it's your money.
About that pink: all color preferences are highly subjective. IMO The pink offered in the plastic Necky is a garish polyester pink that reminds me of the bad cocktails invented by bartenders when they are bored.


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Saturday, March 19 (or Friday, March 18 -- since the night just isn't over)
Let me first start today's travelogue by saying how amazing a time it has been here in Texas. It's 4 a.m. currently (technically, still the night of Friday the 18th, but whatev), and I am writing from our hotel room in North Austin, a couple hours after our first ever showcase at SXSW!!!
Friday started off like any other morning for us, me waking up at like 6 a.m. and everyone else still asleep. So to pass the time, I watched Chappelle Show until everyone woke up and was ready to go at around 11 or 12.
Parking downtown -- and driving, for that matter -- is crazy ridiculous. So after having a Air DuDance party to Britney Spears' song "Toxic," we packed all the equipment in the Fajita and crammed the rest of us in Pedro Neg's and made our way into another day of SXSW madness.
We got the day started with breakfast at some party outside of the downtown area that was serving tasty free tacos and drinks. After hanging out and eating, we rushed back downtown to find some parking spots close to our venue and within walking distance. Long story short, we found neither.
After FINALLY parking and trekking the long hot ass journey from Egypt to Sixth Street, we finally made it and was surprised (but kinda grateful) for a water gun fight that was taking place right in the middle of the street. I, of course, grabbed a water gun and took part (busted caps in some people's asses) for a while, just long enough to cool off in the sun.
Later that day, we saw our bud's Brandon and Nick from My Body Sings Electric and the kid's from Wheelchair Sports Camp and hung out on the corner talking with them for a while. The guys from The Chain Gang of 1974 played a show at a bar called the Thirsty Nickel, so most of us stood inside watching them throw down for their set.
For the band, this was one of the day's when we really didn't stay together much. Julian and Taylor wandered off and saw Miami Horror, Chromeo and some other bands, while Wes, Lawrence, Nick, Michael and I stayed mostly in the same area downtown.
Resale Concert Tickets
The Improvised Shakespeare Company
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019 / 2:00pm @ The Garner Galleria Theatre 1050 13th St. Denver CO 802041050 13th St., Denver CO 80204View more dates and times at this location >
Colorado Symphony Orchestra: Celtic Woman - The Best of Christmas
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019 / 5:00pm @ Boettcher Concert Hall 1245 Champa Street Denver CO 802041245 Champa Street, Denver CO 80204
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019 / 6:00pm @ The Summit Music Hall 1902 Blake St Denver CO 802021902 Blake St, Denver CO 80202
We had a lot of stuff on our plate today regarding networking and meeting people, so time management was definitely an important tip of the day. OFWGKTA was playing like ten minutes walking distance from where we were on Sixth, but even though I rushed over to try and catch them, our time restraints didn't allow for it.
By 8:30 that night, we were all set up at Peckerheads and ready to play. The showcase we were taking part of was the Illegal Pete's Showcase, featuring a ton of other Denver bands including the Epilogues, the Heyday, the Photo Atlas, Take To The Oars, us, the Knew and more.
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By the time we started, even though there was a few delays, the energy in the room was great, the room was packed (and soooo hot), and the crowd was active (which always makes for an amazing set). All in all, It felt incredible playing a show with all our buddies and, most importantly, having such a great time playing our first show in Austin!
All week, various Denverites will be checking in from Austin with travelogues about their trip to SXSW this year. Read the various exploits of Brian Frederick, The Epilogues, A. Tom Collins, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, the Photo Atlas, Air Dubai, Take to the Oars and Wheelchair Sports Camp.
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Aluminum is one of the most used metals in today's society – Aluminium Extruded Profiles in South Africa it can be found across a number of industries, such as construction and commercial, and in a number of applications, such as beverage cans and appliances. When choosing a manufacturer of aluminium extrusion for supplying the metal that you use in your workplace, however, it is important that you carefully consider which one will be best for your needs.
The manufacturer will begin by removing the aluminium from deep within the earth's crust (either as bauxite ore or feldspar). Often, the Bayer's method, Wohler's method or Hall Heroult method is chosen to remove the metal in its molten form. It is then hardened and moulded into whatever shape the manufacturer desires. When the aluminium is extracted from the earth in its solid form, Aluminum Glass Frame Extrusion it will be passed through a number of mechanical processes that are designed to give the metal its desired shape. These processes include: rolling, drawing, forging, spinning, piercing and extrusion.
Regardless of whether aluminium has been found in its molten or solid form, the manufacturer will then pass it through either a hot working or cold working process to prepare it for their customers. When using the hot working process (the most popular of the two), a billet will be heated to a temperature of over 79 degrees Celsius, which will allow the aluminium to be easily distorted and placed into its desired shape.
The reason for the popularity of the hot working process over the cold working one can be fully realized when you compare aluminium extrusion to squeezing toothpaste out of its tube. It is much easier to extrude the metal when it is malleable, meaning that it must have been heated to a certain temperature.
Finally, the aluminium will pass through an extrusion and drawing process that runs almost parallel to each other. This is the final step in the whole extrusion process and is the step that gives the metal its entire shape. Deep drawing, for example, is used give the metal a cup, conical tapered, cylinder and seamless tube shape. For less curved shapes, Window Frame Extrusion the drawing process is skipped.
Once you are satisfied with the processes and methods utilized by a potential manufacturer of aluminium extrusions, you can begin submitting your orders with them. If, after your first delivery, you are still satisfied with the manufacturer based on the promptness of the order being filled and the quality of the aluminium that you receive, you can continue the relationship.
Aluminium Extruded Profiles in South Africa?
Aluminium Extrusion process is undertaken by several companies today which offer extruded products to buyers. The extrusion process is generally utilized in production. It is used to create parts of homogeneous cross-sections and is done by squeezing the material all the way through an outlet under high-pressure. Aluminium extrusions are popular all over the world since the metal is easily available on the earth's crust. Besides, aluminium is widely used in several applications and it has numerous advantages as well.
Companies manufacturing extruded aluminium products offer extruded aluminium profiles, systems and finished products and semi-manufactured components. Enterprises manufacturing aluminium products are generally in search of products that can fulfill the needs of the customers. All through the manufacturing process, manufacturers must give close attention to quality, performance, economy and precision. Aluminium extrusion is generally simple, however, it might turn complex in case the demand of customers for extruded products differ. There is an assortment of aluminium extrusion profiles today in the market and people are keener to get the best product for any particular industry. If you are in the automobile industry and are in need of aluminium extruded products you must look for certain shapes that are just the apt for your industry. A company manufacturing aluminium extruded products manufacture according to the supply orders and are capable in offering all kinds of shapes. These extruded products are fabricated and customized and are unique according to needs.
There are several advantages to aluminium extrusion.
Aluminium is a widely available metal and through constant cross section several parts can be manufactured in the most reasonable way. The process of extrusion allows taking advantage of properties of aluminium and it expands. Thus, this manner indeed versatile as you can manufacture several shapes in just a simple process.
However, you need high-tech machinery for the process and you can produce shape indefinitely without spending a fortune in preparation costs. Hence, the process is totally economical. Roll-forming dies, in case you have heard about them they are costlier than extrusion die.
Aluminium extruded products have longer life than items made from steel or plastic. Besides, extrusion is meant to be the most environmentally friendly and economical solution. Aluminium as a metal even when not compared for its aluminium extrusion profiles and to weight properties. Even though it is light weight it has good strength. Aluminium is used for thermal and electrical conductivity. It is not only affordable it is also flexible in terms of shapes and size. It can adept to high temperatures and are thus preferred as utensils when used for heating water or boiling rice. It is corrosion resistant and can offer you good service over years. If you want you can easily recycle the metal. After steel all over the world aluminium is the most trusted and used metal. It can be fabricated to several shapes right from sheets, geometric shapes, to foils, tube, rod and wire.
So, if you are out there looking for aluminium extrusion profiles you can trust the process with closed eyes.
Aluminum Frame Trade Show Displays
When double glazing first became a popular window choice in the 1960s, most frames were made of aluminum. Aluminum remained the most popular choice for framing double glazing windows through the mid-1980s, when it held over 60% of the market. Since the introduction of PVC window framing, the market share of aluminum framed windows has dropped steadily. As of 2003, less than 17% of windows sold were aluminum framed. There are many reasons for the drop in popularity - and still some good reasons for choosing aluminum over PVC or wood frames.
The early popularity of aluminum was based on price and convenience. Aluminum was far less expensive than wood, the only other choice for window framing in the early years of double glazing. In addition, aluminum is easily extruded in the shapes and lengths needed to frame windows of any shape or size. It's strong, durable and very close to maintenance free.
Aluminum frames do have one significant drawback, however. Aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat and cold. It's such a good conductor, in fact, that in colder temperatures, frost often forms on interior surfaces of the windows close to the aluminum joints. The end result is windows that are significantly less able to conserve heat and energy than those framed in other materials.
PVCu was introduced in the mid-80s as a choice for framing double glazing windows, and immediately began to climb in popularity. When compared with aluminum frames, PVCu was less expensive, and more energy conservative. It can't match the strength of aluminum, however, and there are security concerns with its use. In addition, the introduction of 'thermal breaks' reduces the heat conductivity (measured in U values) of aluminum framed windows significantly. By fitting a less conductive material between the panes of the window as a sort of 'bridge' between the glass, manufacturers can bring the U value of aluminum framed double glazed windows within conservation standards.
The main selling points for aluminum window frames, then, were:
1. Strength - aluminum framed windows are far less prone to warping. The aluminum withstands weather well, needs no painting and forms strong, rigid window frames that will fit for far longer than wood frames.
2. Cost - aluminum frames are far less expensive than wood frames. They are easier to manufacture, and the material is less expensive to begin with. On the other hand, the introduction of PVC has largely negated the advantage of cost. Far lower in price, and with more efficient heating, PVC has become the material of choice for framing double glazing windows.
3. Ease of maintenance - As opposed to wood, which is subject to warping and decay and needs repainting every 3-5 years, aluminum is virtually maintenance free. It never needs painting, doesn't rot or warp, and is rigid and strong enough to bear the load of window lintels with minimal reinforcement.
4. Security - Because of the tight fit possible with aluminum framed double glazed windows, they were - and still are - the choice where security is a paramount concern. It's very difficult to 'pop' an aluminum framed window from its frame if it's properly fitted.


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Californians Against Hate- Who Were The Top 12 Contributors For Prop 8?
Californians Against Hate has researched and named the top 12 financial contributors to the "Yes on Proposition 8" campaign that heavily influenced people in key states to discriminate against and take away the rights of LGBTQ people in America. For those of you who haven't been paying attention, Proposition 8 is an amendment to the Constitution that restricts same-sex couples from marrying. Despite all the efforts and progress which allowed and recognized same-sex couples the right to marry, and despite the many same-sex couples who did get married, Proposition 8 overrides all of those marriages. It is amazing to me that our Country still has such a conservative mindset even after electing President Obama, who views all people as equal no matter their sexual orientation.
The Dishonor Roll names these 12 contributors along with hundreds of other individuals, businesses, organizations and churches that funded hatred and discrimination to stay alive in our Country. The Knights of Columbus made it to the top of the list with donations amounting to $1,425,000. Among the top contributors include the National Organization for Marriage ($1,041,134.80), Focus on the Family($539,643.66), American Family Association ($500,000) and Concerned Women for America ($409,000).
William Bolthouse of the Bolthouse Foundation gave $100,000 towards pro-Proposition 8 campaigns. Their website makes it a point to state that The Bolthouse Foundation is separate from Bolthouse Farms and that all financial contributions made by each are based on the decisions of each entity and do not reflect on the other. So not only do the new owners of Bolthouse Farms disagree with the The Bolthouse Foundation on Proposition 8, but they also give medical benefits to employees with same sex partners and have donated a generous amount of money to LGBTQ organizations. With that said, I can drink my Bolthouse Green Goodness drinks guilt-free!
One thing that seemed to be common among the people who made it onto the Dishonor Roll is that a lot of them are alumna of Brigham Young University. If the sanctity of marriage is so important, why are there not stricter rules for getting a divorce? Or a stricter process to get married? Getting married should be just as hard as getting U.S. Citizenship.
The Dishonor Roll has been a great resources for queer activists who are boycotting and have staged demonstrations against companies such as Hoehn Motors ($25,000), Cinemark Cinemas ($9,999), and A-1 Storage ($693,000) to name a few of the larger contributors. Queer activists are also boycotting many Mormon owned businesses as well. We can still vote with our wallets to show these bigots that we are not backing down on our rights. Hopefully in the next 4 years all of the bigotry will reverse itself. With the leadership of a President who really cares about equality for every human being I believe it can happen.
2 Responses
Thanks for providing this information. It provides a good overview of those who were the top contributors to Proposition 8.
This SO bookmarked


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A former CNN colleague is wheelchair-bound, but doesn't let that stop her from traveling. In fact, she even went tandem sky diving – something I am still trying to get the nerve to do. So as we celebrate National Disabilities Awareness month, let's look at how the travel industry has been changing to accommodate the physically challenged since the 1990 passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
One of the most accessible destinations in the United States is the capital — Washington, D.C. The pedestrian-friendly city has very well-established and well-maintained curb cuts for wheelchairs throughout the tourist areas, a very accessible subway system, and the Smithsonian Museum complex has sign interpreters for the hearing impaired.
Even theme parks like Walt Disney World are becoming more and more accessible to travelers with disabilities. Last year, the first theme park designed specifically for travelers with disabilities opened in San Antonio, Texas. Morgan's Wonderland caters to mental and physically challenged tourists, but has rides and attractions for people of all ability levels. It even has swings that accommodate wheelchairs.
Airports and Amtrak are also more accessible to passengers, and even have web pages with specific information for travelers with disabilities; for example this page from Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport – one of the busiest airports in the world.
Hotels and cruise ships are leading the way with accessibility, with amenities like: room entrances wide enough for wheelchairs, bathrooms accessible to wheelchairs, acceptance of guide dogs, closed captioning on televisions, assisted listening headsets, telecommunication devices (TTD), materials printed in Braille or large text, blinking lights on doors and phones for the hearing impaired, grab bars in tubs/showers, and Braille letters and numbers on doors and elevators.
Here are a few websites that cater to travelers with disabilities:
Got any stories about your experiences as a physically challenged traveler? Please share them with us. And remember: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness." – Mark Twain
Kalin Thomas is Women at Forty's Travel & Leisure Editor. She is also Senior Writer/Photographer for SoulOfAmerica. Before starting her own multimedia company, Kalin spent 17 years at CNN where she won several awards for her work as producer/correspondent for CNN's weekly travel program, CNN TravelNow. She is currently writing a book about her travels. For more information on Kalin, visit www.seetheworldproductions.com.


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The Fold is the online magazine for members of OrigamiUSA. New articles are posted continuously over the two month period of each issue. To contribute to The Fold or for other questions, please see our FAQ.
Videos from the annual NY OrigamiUSA Convention 2011.
A challenge to fold a cat out of a chopstick wrapper during the 2011 OrigamiUSA convention.
H. T. Quyet's fox design sets a new standard for this sly mammal.
Two conundrums concerning the Betsy Ross Five-Pointed Star: the provenance of the Pattern–for-Stars artifact and the surprising incompleteness of fold and one-cut descriptions for making the star.
Diagrams for a loon by Ryan MacDonell
Finishing up the discussion about crease patterns, focusing on audience considerations and the use of crease patterns as a sequenced element.
Diagrams for a Pig Rabbit by Daniel Chang
Diagrams for Ilan Garibi's Pineapple Tessellation that is used in his paper review articles.
Have you ever wondered how printer paper is produced? This article gives a unique insight into how cellulose is transformed into paper at Hadera Paper Mill, Israel.
The fourth installment of a series reviewing types of paper for folding. This article reviews printing paper, probably the most widely available paper out there.
I compare super-thin insect papers from the grand masters of Origamido Studio and the newcomers from Columbus, Ohio: Paper Circle, and their new "O-gami" brand of handmade paper to fold a demanding spider (CP provided as well).
Explore hex pleating further with this long- and variable-length-legged spider design.
Peter Engel's newest book picks up where Origami from Angelfish to Zen in his explorations of pattern, form, and meaning within origami.
The first in a series, analyzing crease patterns. In this article, we take a big picture look at a Werewolf designed by Jacob Rossman.
This article gives some guidelines to follow when recording an instructional video.
The names Maekawa and Kawasaki are known to origamists as great origami creators. But did you know they have Theorems named after them too? And so does the French paper folder Jacques Justin. See what these Theorems are all about. Warning: Math ahead!
Diagrams for a coyote by Julio Eduardo C. T.


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Astral Postcode Lookup
The postcode lookup addition to beat all others
Astral Postcode Lookup works with any postcode field in NAV; when entering a postcode, it allows you to automatically search the internet, using a web service from Royal Mail, to search for and find the relevant address. There is no need to fill in the other fields, once you select the relevant address from the options that appear, the rest of the fields will automatically populate with information.
This extension can be used when adding customers or vendors, filling in shipping or billing addresses, creating contacts or adding any address information in NAV.
Allows you to automatically search the internet, using a web service from Royal Mail, to search for and find relevant addresses.
NAV 2018 comes with its own postcode extension, however, it is based on a free service and the info it gives back is not as accurate as Astral Postcode Lookup. Additionally, it doesn't offer you the ability to amend the address as our extension does, and once amended, it will save the amended, preferred version.
To give you an example:
Entering the postcode, you will be prompted with a message:
By selecting 'Yes' the system will then search for all the addresses related to the postcode and you will be presented with a list of options:
Once the postcode you want is selected, the table is automatically filled out and Astral Postcode Lookup saves the details so that they can be easily reused later.
So simple and straight forward, it reduces time and errors when filling in forms that require address information; and because it is based on the Royal Mail web service, you can always count on it to give accurate and up to date results!
No Time Like the Present!
We make your business our business, our job is to understand your complexities and help you challenge them so that we can implement the right solution for you. That means discovering your current and future wants and needs and creating a bespoke system that works for you! We're here to make sure your business runs better, focusing solely on you, and we have a great team of experts that can help you do just that, this is why the majority of our customers have moved to us from other re-sellers. Thinking about taking the plunge? Get in touch and let us know how we can help you or just let us know if you would like more information on what services we offer.


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Affected By Low Back Pain?
Staring at your computer screen, you realize you need to take a break.
Deciding to get a drink of water, you stand up from your desk and head to the water cooler. While getting up from your desk, the phone that previously sat on your lap drops to the floor.
You bend down to pick it up, when … bang!
Pain in your low back has frozen you in position and you fight to stand back up. You find yourself hunched forward and to the side. Your low back is in spasm and barely lets you do even the tiniest of movements.
After work, you go home, take a shower, and try to relax and get ready for bed. You can't get comfortable and you sleep terrible. The next morning is even worse. Pain killers and muscle relaxers aren't touching it. You go to work and move around a little more and things begin to finally loosen up. A week later you are almost back to normal with only a little bit of pain in the mornings that gets better with a little movement.
You dodged a bullet. Phew.
A couple months go by and things are going great. You go to hunch over a fellow co-workers computer screen and all of a sudden, low back pain strikes again. Same pain — maybe worse this time. You go through the same process and just over a week later things are almost back to normal. But now you're worried. What is going on? Is it a sprain or is it a disc herniation?
While many people are familiar with low back pain and disc herniation, disc herniation or disc bulges account for only one to three percent of all low back pain cases. According to research, half of the patients similar to the one above will be diagnosed as having a sprain/strain – this is wrong!
Internal Disc Derangement, or IDD, is probably something you have never heard from your doctor. Shockingly, this accounts for almost 40 percent of all low back pain sufferers. Far too many times this is misdiagnosed, and mistreated!
Symptoms of IDD include:
- antalgia (forward, hunched posture) with severe pain
- guarded movement with muscle spasm
- worse pain in the morning or with rest
- worsening, multiple previous episodes and relief from symptoms within one to two weeks.
Odds are if you have ever hurt your low back and continue to struggle with pain, even on the rare occasion, this is you. It is important to note that the muscle spasm and guarding is a protective mechanism of the disc to try to prevent further damage to the disc.
If left untreated the right way, IDD can develop into bigger problems, like disc herniation. The muscle spasm and pain is NOT a sprain, and your hips are NOT out of alignment! These are two of the biggest misconceptions with this problem that I see.
So what can you do? With any pain and injury like this, it is best to get evaluated by a doctor that specializes in treating musculoskeletal conditions sooner rather than later. With Internal Disc Derangement, the disc is injured – nothing can reverse time and fix that. Usually, with each incident of pain, symptoms will get worse!
Whether you have been suffering from this condition weeks or months, you will have soft tissue dysfunction, like adhesion, in structures that alter joint mechanics and ncreases stress on the disc. If you are unfamiliar with adhesion, click here for our most recent article discussing it. Adhesion is one of the most common and misdiagnosed conditions in the body that restricts motion and causes pain.
If you have IDD, you must get the surrounding soft tissues fixed to unload the disc to hopefully prevent and reduce future incidences of pain and progressing disc injury! In other words, adhesion must be corrected in order to reduce the likelihood of this problem from returning.
Not fixing this issue will only lead to more problems down the road. As always when symptoms are present, you have two options — ignore it or fix it.
At Thrive Spine and Sport, we are the only full body certified Integrative Diagnosis clinic in the state of Iowa. The Integrative Diagnosis system is a diagnosis and treatment system to gain a clear picture and full diagnosis of what is causing your low back pain. By obtaining a full diagnosis, then applying the correct treatment, resolution for your pain is possible!
Simply fill out the appointment request on this page or call our office at 319-423-0925 to get to the bottom of your pain today! Any questions can be sent to Dr. Cody at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Thanks for reading!