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More than 135,500 cases of cancer a year in the UK could be prevented through lifestyle changes, according to new figures from a Cancer Research UK landmark study published today.
This equates to 37.7% of all cancers diagnosed each year in the UK – rising to 41.5% in Scotland.
The latest figures, calculated from 2015 cancer data, found that smoking remains the biggest preventable cause of cancer despite the continued decline in smoking rates. Tobacco smoke caused around 32,200 cases of cancer in men (17.7% of all male cancer cases) and around 22,000 (12.4%) in women in 2015, according to the research published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Excess weight is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer. Around 22,800 (6.3%) cases of cancer a year are down to being overweight or obese. This amounts to around 13,200 (7.5%) cases of cancer in women and around 9,600 (5.2%) in men.
Obesity causes 13 types of cancer, including bowel, breast, womb and kidney. And the results suggest that more than 1 in 20 cancer cases could be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight.
The third biggest preventable cause of cancer is overexposure to UV radiation from the sun and sunbeds, which causes around 13,600 cases of melanoma skin cancer a year (3.8% of all cancer cases).
Other preventable causes of cancer include drinking alcohol, eating too little fibre (causing around 11,900 and around 11,700 cases respectively, which is 3.3% each) and outdoor air pollution. While air pollution is to blame for around 3,600 lung cancer cases a year (1% of all cancer cases), it still causes far fewer cases of lung cancer than tobacco.
Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: "Leading a healthy life doesn't guarantee that a person won't get cancer, but it can stack the odds in your favour. These figures show that we each can take positive steps to help reduce our individual risk of the disease.
"This research clearly demonstrates the impact of smoking and obesity on cancer risk. Prevention is the most cost-effective way of beating cancer and the UK Government could do much more to help people by making a healthy choice the easy choice."
Professor Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK's prevention expert, said: "These new figures show that the battle to conquer smoking-related cancer is far from over. But the declining numbers of smokers show that prevention strategies are working.
"Obesity is a huge health threat right now, and it will only get worse if nothing is done. The UK Government must build on the successes of smoking prevention to reduce the number of weight-related cancers. Banning junk food TV adverts before the 9pm watershed is an important part of the comprehensive approach needed."
Janet Boak, 55, a grandmother of three from Carlisle, was diagnosed with womb cancer at 51 after she noticed spots of blood four years after her menopause. During surgery to remove two fibroids from her womb, cancer was found. Janet then had a full hysterectomy to remove her womb and cervix. Because the cancer was caught in the earliest stages and hadn't spread, she avoided any further treatment.
Volunteering to take part in some womb cancer research after her treatment, Janet was shocked to find out that the possible contributing factors for womb cancer included being obese and being inactive.
Janet said: "That was me. At almost 20st and wearing up to a size 30, I was huge and most of my weight was around my stomach. I couldn't remember the last time I did any exercise.
"Of course I'd known I needed to lose weight but I hadn't realised just how much I was putting my life at risk."
Janet joined a local slimming group in 2015, changed her diet and started taking exercise.
She said: "The weight gradually fell off and now, over two years on, I've lost more than 6st and wear a size 16. I could barely keep up with my three young grandchildren before but now I'm always running around after them. I even ran Race for Life for Cancer Research UK last year – something I never imagined I would do.
"Getting cancer was terrifying but it was the wake-up call I needed. I don't know what the future holds but at least I know I'm doing all I can to stay healthy and happy."


text: raphael 0 Report post Posted November 21, 2005 Hi, I would like to hear via headphone what I am recording via microphone. I mean SIMULTANEOUSLY - AT THE SAME TIME - HEAR WHILE I SPEAK ...! The reason for that is that I want to learn Spanish. So I need a "language lab"-like software. You can check and learn a lot better, when you hear the sound of your voice "from the outside". If I am recording from let's say a CD I can hear what is being recorded, because my soundcard is playing it. But it is different when recording a voice via mic. --> I think once I am recording something with WavePad I should no longer hear what my soundcard is playing but instead what WavePad is recording (--> change of source for headphone/line out). P.S.: Seeing the graph of the recording simultaneously would also be nice ;-) What do you think? Would be great to hear your comment! Thanks! Raphael Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites

subset: commoncrawl


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Part II: Multiple chemical sensitivity
Here's a health quiz for you.
Do you experience any of the following symptoms? -- Headaches -- Breathing problems -- Short- or long-term memory loss -- Dizziness -- Mental confusion -- Depression -- Chronic fatigue -- Flu-like symptoms -- Skin rashes and sores -- Ear, nose or throat problems -- Muscle weakness and joint pains.
If so, you may be suffering from the serious disease known as multiple chemical sensitivity, orMCS. It's a classic 20th-century ailment--a direct result of the myriad chemical wonders wrought by modern technology.
Or is it? If MCS symptoms leave you a little skeptical, you're not alone. In fact, you're in prestigious company. The American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the Canadian Psychiatric Association, the International Society of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, among other groups, have all refused to accept MCS as a medically valid diagnosis.
Despite this, a relatively small cadre of doctors and researchers--primarily workers in a field know as clinical ecology or environmental medicine--tenaciously maintains that MCS is not only valid, but that it afflicts many--perhaps millions--of Americans. However, the mainstream medical community is critical, sometimes severely so, of the field of environmental medicine, considering it unconventional at best and, at worst, out-right quackery. The specialty of clinical ecology has no official recognition other than by its practitioners, who tend to be medical or osteopathic physicians. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine includes more than 400 members that consider themselves clinical ecologists.
MCS supposedly results from exposure to various chemicals. It is different from conventional toxicity and allergic reactions because symptoms (which can include practically everything in the book) are subjective, self-diagnosed and can result from exposures far too small to cause classic toxic reactions. Not all MCS proponents agree about what causes it, but many theorize that our immune systems are like containers that fill up with chemicals (either through a single massive exposure or by gradual accumulation) until they "overflow," causing immune-system collapse. Once this happens, subsequent exposure to even tiny amounts of chemicals can result in a bewildering variety of debilitating symptoms.
What are these harmful chemicals? The inventory includes practically every substance that isn't "natural." Commonly cited materials include household cleaners, perfumes, pesticides, solvents, smoke, engine exhaust, plastics and fumes from new carpets. However, the list is virtually limitless. And most MCS victims claim that not one or a few but many substances affect them. It is literally impossible to avoid exposure to some of these materials (which, according to MCS sufferers, is exactly the problem).
Often, on their doctors' advice, MCS patients spend lavishly on "chemical-free" or "ecology" houses with unusual materials and extravagant air-filtration systems or, in some cases, pull up stakes and move somewhere remote and presumably more free of man-made chemicals. Other unconventional measures include dietary restrictions and supplements, hormones, portable oxygen, saunas (based on the unfounded belief that you can sweat toxins out of your body) and urine drinking. One woman would "detoxify" her mail on a clothesline for a week before opening it. MCS treatments are expensive, disruptive and often result in severe social isolation of the patient. Support groups are forming and, yes, lawsuits are being filed.
A great deal rests on the legal and medical status of MCS. Ideopathic (literally, "of unknown origin") environmental intolerance, or IEI, is a broader term denoting reaction to any environmental factor. Thus, MCS, presumably caused by chemicals, is a subset of IEI. Unfortunately, sharp divisions exist about how to define it or explain it, much less whether it's "real." In fact, just about the only thing about which everyone does agree is that MCS patients do indeed suffer. The real debate is whether MCS has an organic or a psychological basis.
How can there be so much controversy over a medical condition? Actually, there isn't as much as you'd think. Most of it comes from MCS patients and their doctors (and lawyers). Mainstream science has soundly rejected MCS. The basis for rejection lies in the methodology of those diagnosing and treating MCS, as well as an examination of MCS patients themselves.
Despite clinical ecologists' complaints of an indifferent, even corrupt, medical establishment, it is difficult to deny that MCS is on poor scientific footing: Doctors can't define any diagnostic symptom(s) for MCS; no blood test, laboratory culture or x-ray can tell you if you have it; and no known physiological mechanism explains it. Dr. Ronald E. Gots, of the National Medical Advisory Service, states, "It defies classification as a disease. It has no consistent characteristics, no uniform cause, no objective or measurable features. It exists because a patient believes it does and a doctor validates that belief. It may be the only ailment in existence in which the patient defines both the cause and the manifestations of his own condition." Indeed, studies designed to validate diagnostic tests for MCS instead found that patients reacted similarly to chemicals and placebos when they didn't know which they were receiving (clinical ecologists are critical of these studies, of course).
So what's going on? If doctors agree that MCS patients really do suffer, how do critics explain MCS? MCS patients often complain of the despair of seeking help from a series of physicians (who typically tell them something like, "It's all in your head") and the relief that comes when they finally encounter a doctor that takes them seriously. Of course, such a statement begs an important question. If doctors say no physical problem exists, and you continue to seek other opinions until you find one that says otherwise, haven't you already formed a conclusion about your condition (that is, that it's not in your head)? In this manner, MCS patients effectively create their own diagnosis by rejecting the opinion of some physicians (who often suggest counseling) in favor of others who affirm their pre-conceived beliefs.
We all must admit that physical suffering, especially our own, is difficult to dismiss as "in your head." However, the manifestation of emotional distress as physical symptoms--so-called psychogenic or psychosomatic disorders--is a common, well-documented phenomenon. And that, according to many doctors and psychologists, is what is happening to MCS patients. Not surprisingly, this conclusion offends MCS patients. Also not surprising, according to MCS critics, is that doctors and lawyers that make their living from MCS patients are resistant to the psychosomatic explanation. A telling fact, say critics, is that clinical ecologists almost always diagnose patients that come to them as having MCS. Why don't they ever tell any patients that they don't have MCS?
Does evidence for the psychosomatic explanation exist? Yes. MCS patients have a higher-than-average rate of emotional disorders, including prior to the onset of their MCS symptoms. A study of five chemically sensitive patients by Canadian researchers strongly suggested that all five suffered from something similar, if not identical, to panic disorder. And, although long-term studies are lacking, psychological counseling has produced physical improvements in some MCS sufferers. For example, a Mayo Clinic study found that two MCS patients suffered from "odor-aversion" symptoms and markedly improved with behavioral-medicine treatments.
To be fair, the psychological explanation has only limited research to support it. And evidence to date suggests that not one, but several, psychological causes are at play in this complex condition. The difference is that psychology offers scientifically accepted phenomena to explain MCS, not some yet-to-be-discovered mechanism. Skeptics note that if clinical ecologists were as interested in their patients' well-being as they purport, they would at least be open-minded to a psychological cause of MCS.
This leads to a disturbing aspect of MCS: It may divert patients from care they urgently need. This is illustrated in a recent court case in New York. There, a jury awarded the estate of an MCS patient who committed suicide several hundred thousand dollars after testimony suggested that the patient was probably a paranoid schizophrenic. He believed that "foods were out to get him." However, his doctor, a clinical ecologist who diagnosed the man as having MCS, prescribed a "pure environment" and a specific dietary regime rather than the conventional drug treatments to which schizophrenics often respond.
MCS apologetics counter that many patients' emotional distress results from MCS, rather than causes it. They point to very real physical symptoms and treatments that sometimes seem to succeed, and they reason that the current lack of understanding does not mean MCS isn't real. Even if a clinical explanation of the disease is lacking, they say, it's only a matter of time, if we'd only take MCS seriously and devote adequate resources to solving the problem.
More than a medical issue If the medical debate is complex, the social aspects of MCS are more so. On the one hand, the charge that the scientific establishment is stodgy and slow to accept ideas that threaten conventional wisdom has some merit. On the other hand, environmental medicine is a field with more than its share of people who are, to put it diplomatically, a bit left of center. Other labels given to MCS or related illnesses reveal much more than clinical descriptions. "Twentieth-century disease" and "1990s disease" are two of the loaded terms frequently used to describe MCS.
Whatever causes MCS, its sufferers are the philosophical heirs to a long legacy of technophobia. Whether explicitly stated or merely implied, technophobes feel that their ailments are more than just a medical condition. It's progress--the times we live in. It is, in effect, technology that is doing us in. Every age has had its share of those who not only fear technology but suffer mysterious and complex ailments with no clear cause that they vaguely attribute to something modern. Nineteenth- and early 20th-century medical literature is full of such descriptions. That the alleged offending chemicals were, and are, virtually always "synthetic," "industrial" or "manmade" lays bare the underlying bias.
Present-day practitioners of environmental medicine are more sophisticated, with scientific-sounding theories such as the "olfactory-limbic model" and powerful tools at their disposal such as advanced imaging technology. However, they still have failed to discover a scientifically supportable explanation of MCS.
Legal status of MCS MCS proponents are pushing hard for legal standing as well as medical credibility. Results have been mixed so far, but this, more than medicine, is the true battlefront. Even though legal acknowledgement to a large extent depends on medical credibility (expert medical testimony inevitably plays a major role in MCS court cases), a way to skirt the issue of causation is by defining MCS as a disability rather than a disease. In this regard, MCS proponents have had a degree of success. Several significant judgments in favor of MCS patients, the majority of which are workers'-compensation claims, have been invoked without regard to the underlying cause of MCS.
Seeking protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), some MCS patients have succeeded in convincing courts that MCS is a legitimate medical disability that deserves accommodation. Workplace remedies range from prohibiting perfume to allowing MCS patients to work at home. Other accommodations include choosing the "least toxic" office supplies possible and prior notification anytime someone will be using pesticides, carpet cleaner or any other chemical in the workplace.
Obviously, this is an issue for which experts on both sides of the issue are easy to find. However, an important 1993 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc. makes it easier for courts to bar the testimony of "experts" it does not deem credible. A court may consider, among other criteria, the degree to which a theory is testable, has been subjected to peer review and is accepted by the general scientific community. In effect, the Supreme Court has said that science should settle the matter. As a result, MCS patients may have a much more difficult time in federal court, especially where the issue is liability (and thus dependent on causation), not merely one's personal legal status. For example, the New York State attorney general, citing the Daubert ruling, successfully defended the state against a recent "sick-building" suit filed by multiple plaintiffs.
Of course, applicators also can be the target of personal-injury lawsuits. If this happens, an applicator should involve the manufacturer of the chemical. Not as a defendant (if they aren't already), but as a resource. Manufacturers are experienced at dealing with such legal claims and usually are willing assist with, or at least make the applicator aware of, the strategies and types of information available for a strong defense. This is important because an applicator's attorney may not have the experience and knowledge such lawsuits demand.
Fortunately, most personal-injury MCS suits don't fare well in court. Many such cases are dismissed or dropped by the plaintiffs before they ever come to trial, apparently because plaintiffs discover that most medical and scientific evidence does not support their claim. But the litigation is not likely to abate anytime soon.
Some federal and state agencies accept MCS more readily than courts. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fully recognizes MCS as a valid condition. HUD allows MCS patients protection under housing anti-discrimination statutes and the department even provided $1.2 million for an "Ecology House" in Marin County, Calif. In addition, the Social Security Administration now allows benefits for MCS sufferers that can demonstrate that the disease has incapacitated them.
Recognition by agencies gives "disabled" MCS sufferers leverage to force drastic changes on those around them. In one case, a Virginia woman suffering from MCS sued her housing complex for protection under ADA. She claimed her disability (MCS) entitled her to certain accommodations and that failure to perform them constituted discrimination on the part of the homeowners association. She sought to prevent the use of various products (including house paint and termiticides, among others) on the property, costing the homeowners association thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend its right to, in essence, maintain its own property. Ultimately, the matter was resolved only when the woman moved out.
Does this affect grounds care? MCS clearly is a major issue for business and industry in general. However, although most court cases involve indoor or industrial-workplace exposures, MCS also affects grounds-care professionals in a direct and practical way. A current topic with which most pesticide applicators are familiar is that of prior notification. Eleven states (with a few more pending) currently register "sensitive" individuals. Most of these states require medical verification for inclusion on the registry.
The objective of registering sensitive individuals is to create a system by which they can be notified prior to an application of fertilizer or pesticide (typically 2 or 3 days or up to a week or more in advance) on adjacent properties. Notification of registered, medically certified, sensitive individuals should not amount to an overly burdensome obligation, considering that existing state registries consist of only dozens or hundreds of people. The chance that a property abuts a registrant is fairly low. Thus, many lawn-care organizations and operators do not oppose such registries (though many are reluctant to openly support them because others could construe that as an admission that MCS is valid).
Where the notification registries are open to anyone wishing to be notified, or where any resident nearby (not just abutters) can request notification, the burden becomes heavier. Some states (New York being a prime example) carry it a bit further and propose notification of all abutters, whether they request it or not. To require notification of all abutters before every application, "just in case," is to increase the regulatory burden on lawn-care applicators by many orders of magnitude. Simple math shows you how many pieces of mail are necessary to accomplish this: hundreds each week, thousands per month--a blizzard of paperwork. Rightfully so, lawn-care operators fear and oppose such regulations (which New York currently is considering).
RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) is an organization representing manufacturers of turf and ornamental pesticides. The official RISE position on the subject of notification is that it should (among other things) be restricted to registered individuals who abut treated properties and should not adversely affect integrated-pest-management (IPM) techniques.
This last point--though less obvious than the direct burden of mailing thousands of notices--is an important factor. The burden of notification and the waiting period before an application can proceed eliminates much of the flexibility necessary for effective IPM. You would have to issue notification in advance of every visit to a client to allow you to go ahead and make any necessary applications. But what if a pest problem was moderate and you felt you should wait and see what happens before treating? Would you make another trip to check again later? If so you would have to file another set of notifications, just to ensure that you could treat if it was necessary. Many applicators would be tempted simply to make the application the first time and be done with it. Creating an extra layer of paperwork each time you might need to treat discourages IPM, which requires more flexibility and options, not less. Additionally, when you discover a serious pest or disease problem that needs immediate attention, you could have to wait a week or more to treat--not something your client will be happy about
How far will this go? It's not likely that the legal status of MCS will come into focus any time soon. Without clearer medical evidence, MCS cannot achieve the respectability its proponents seek. However, MCS already occupies enough of the courts' time. Even the Environmental Protection Agency has been sued by some of its own employees who claimed they suffered from MCS as a result of working in a "sick" building (EPA won).
It is possible (though one wouldn't predict it based on what is currently known) that a physical cause will be found for MCS. Conversely, if MCS is psychological in nature, as many suspect, clinical ecologists may actually be hurting their MCS patients--the very people they are trying to help--by diverting them from effective treatment.
Michael Fumento, author of Science Under Siege and a noted critic of MCS, states, "With an army of clinical ecologists raking in the bucks by keeping their patients ill, and with a media that thinks it's doing MCS sufferers a favor eschewing medical science in favor of victims' pre-formed beliefs, all too many sick people remain destined to stay that way forever, trapped in a hell of their own creation."
A slightly less cynical perspective comes from John M. Grohol, a psychologist and editor of Perspectives (a mental-health magazine). Grohol states, "...all the research evidence to date suggests that the cause of these physical problems in most people is psychological....it means that the answer doesn't come in the form of any easy medical treatment or lawsuits....people who suffer from these sometimes-painful physical problems will have to work on a slow recovery with a trained and experienced mental-health professional. This work entails coming to an understanding of what role the illness plays in a person's life....But for many people, it is easier to accept that something is internally out of balance than to accept that...it is more often with their lives than with their bodies."
Whatever we learn in the future, let it be science--and not the legal system--that decides how we regard MCS. Dr. Patricia Rosen, medical director at the Central Texas Poison Center (Temple, Texas), states, "Of great concern is that the legal community has outstripped the medical community in evaluating and dealing with this syndrome. Legal decisions based on other than scientifically documented illness is a sorry reflection on our society...."
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The days of social as an optional marketing channel are over. Now that social has its rightful place at the table, it is vital to understand where in the funnel social efforts should be targeted.
As marketers, we hear about ROI every single day—and social marketers remain anxious about it. To truly understand what ROI means in the social marketing industry, and how social marketers are aligning with consumer preferences, we asked more than 2,000 social marketers how they approach structure, goals and content. We asked about their priorities and what they need to do their best work. Then we cross-referenced their efforts against what consumers actually want.
We found that social is still very much a personal platform. People spend time on social, first and foremost, to interact with family and friends. As brands put together campaigns and messaging, they must remember that they are guests at dinner, not members of the nuclear family: their role in user feeds is delicate, valuable and should be treated with great care.
So how can brands disrupt the user experience in the least intrusive and most relevant way?
Our data shows the answer: with awareness and consideration stage content. Think long-term, not quick fix. Think relationships, not attribution.
This latest and most comprehensive Sprout Social Index shows how marketers should realign and redefine their social strategies and how serving audiences contributes to the bottom line.Sprout-Social-Index-2018
Key Findings
Consumers want brand awareness and consideration stage content from brands on social. But 80% of social marketers are hyper-focused on awareness activities, leaving out the consideration piece of the puzzle.
The social marketer's No. 1 challenge is still ROI. Return on investment is the topconcern for 55% of social marketers. This makes sense for two reasons: They aren'tmeeting the full needs of their social audience with both brand awareness and consideration content; and they're defining ROI incorrectly to begin with.
Where there is alignment: customer service. On the front lines with customers and prospects everyday, an overwhelming majority (88%) of social marketersunderstand the importance of customer service on social; nearly half (45%)of consumer respondents have reached out to a company on social.
Employee advocacy is the new influencer marketing. Social marketers in 2018 see the value in employee advocacy as a cost-effective, scalable alternative to influencer marketing. Seventy-one percent of social marketers use employees as influencers or advocates today or want to in the future, while only 19% of marketers surveyed had the budget for an influencer program. This shift reflects consumer tastes: 61% of consumers said they would be more likely to research a product or service recommended on social by a friend vs. 36% for influencers/celebrities.
Social marketing departments are under-resourced. More than half of social marketers don't have access to all the software they need, and 65% of social marketers indicate needing a dedicated resource for content development.
Facebook remains a dominant force in marketing strategies and consumer behavior. A whopping 97% of social marketers list Facebook as their most used and useful social network, and Instagram blows Snapchat out of the water by social marketer usership and consumer adoption. In fact, 83% of marketers use Instagram and 13% use Snapchat; 51% of consumers use Instagram and 30% use Snapchat.
Source: report


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Personality: Frances K. Scott
Spotlight on chair of The Charmettes' annual prayer brunch
3/30/2018, 11:34 a.m.
Cancer does not discriminate. Age, race, ethnicity and economic background don't matter, Frances K. Scott has learned.
Her mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow. Ms. Scott says it was a shock to her family because "we thought she had a cold when we took her to the doctor."
Her mother lived two years past diagnosis, dying in 1993. Since then, Ms. Scott has been dedicated to educating herself about cancer so that she can inform others. She joined the Richmond Metropolitan Chapter of The Charmettes, Inc. a women's organization committed to improving the quality of life within the Richmond community through advocacy, education, service and support for cancer research.
Ms. Scott is chair of the chapter's annual Women of Faith Praying for a Cure Prayer Brunch slated for Saturday, April 14, at the Fifth Baptist Church Family Life Center. Proceeds from the fundraising event will be used by the chapter to buy wigs for cancer patients, provide mammograms, host community forums, support cancer research efforts and provide support and activities for children and families fighting cancer.
"Cancer is a disease that we believe, through prayer, financial support and research, will be eradicated in our lifetime," says Ms. Scott, a recent retiree who also serves as secretary for The Charmettes chapter. "Nationally, The Charmettes have contributed over $600,000 to the Howard University Cancer Center," she says.
The Charmettes are poised to welcome their 20th chapter this summer at their national convention in Tampa, Fla. The Richmond Metropolitan Chapter, founded in March 1991, is the only Virginia chapter.
Currently, the local chapter has 22 members who work hard to make an impact in the Richmond community. They support and participate in various program sponsored by the American Cancer Society, including the Sisters Network Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk and Community Outreach and the ASK Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic at VCU Medical Center, which provides health care to children with cancer. The Richmond Metropolitan Chapter also organizes several community health forums, some of which target men.
"Sometimes men are the hardest ones to reach with news and information," Ms. Scott says. "We encourage them to go to their regularly scheduled doctors' exams. If there is anything that is not working correctly and you feel something is not right, go to the doctor. Don't be afraid."
To ensure the involvement of the next generation, the Richmond Metropolitan Chapter of The Charmettes established the Junior Charmettes, composed of middle school girls who help distribute pamphlets and other information about the early detection of cancer and preventive measures at shopping centers and various events.
To further their understanding of the mission and goals of the organization, Ms. Scott says, "We take the Junior Charmettes to Howard University to show them the infusion center that was named after one of our founders, Gwendolyn B. Rodgers."
Meet health advocate and this week's Personality, Frances K. Scott:
No. 1 volunteer position today: Chair, Women of Faith Praying For A Cure Prayer Brunch sponsored by the Richmond Metropolitan Chapter of The Charmettes. Also, I serve as secretary for the chapter.


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Obama launches Bureau of Counterterrorism
Joel Gehrke
President Obama's State Department announced, during a press briefing today, the creation of the Bureau of Counterterrorism, which will coordinate with United States entities such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and foreign governments to develop civilian counterterrorism strategies and operations.
"The mission of the new bureau will be to lead the [State] Department in the U.S. Government's effort to counter terrorism abroad and to secure the United States against foreign terrorist threats," Ambassador Dan Benjamin told reporters. "The bureau will lead in supporting U.S. counterterrorism diplomacy and seek to strengthen homeland security, countering violent extremism, and build the capacity of partner nations to deal effectively with terrorism."
The Rest…HERE


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How to Calculate the Subnet IDby Richard Jennings
In computer networking, a subnet is a section of a network that has been partitioned from other subnets, as part of a larger IP network. Subnetting allows a network administrator to logically organize machines and workstations on a network with multiple clients by creating divisions of smaller subnets. The subnet ID identifies the subnetwork that follows the network ID and precedes the host ID, which indentifies users, or clients, of a subnet belonging to a larger network.
Step 1
Open a subnet calculator in a web browser (see Resources).
Step 2
Select the network class and enter the IP address.
Step 3
Select the subnet mask.
Step 4
Select the number of subnet bits and mask bits.
Select the number of subnets and hosts per subnet. The subnet ID is automatically displayed in the "Subnet ID" field.
Photo Credits
- Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images


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"can't-wait-til-night-time." Night Time by Tyler Shemwell. Am i Doing Too Much Or Losing My Touch
Night Time by Tyler Shemwell
...a brilliantly written song about "can't wait until night time comes," with lines like /Riding through the slum/Where i'm from/A place where crack fiends & fat girls love me the most/Some never made it home to take their work clothes off/Afraid they gonna miss something/
-"Real & A Good Time"
STAY BOW-LEGGED & THICK. G-ESTEEM 44-Life
"Respect Ain't Dead"
-Loyalty is Cash
Tyler Shemwell
Tyler Shemwell


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"A fish only discovers its need for water when it is no longer in it. Our own culture is like water to a fish. It sustains us. We live and breathe through it." (Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner. Riding the Waves of Culture. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing, 1997.)
Cultural awareness defined by COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary as someone's understanding of the differences between themselves and people from other countries or other backgrounds, especially differences in attitudes and values.
People see, interpret and evaluate things in a different ways. What is considered an appropriate behavior in one culture is frequently inappropriate in another one.(Stephanie Quappe and Giovanna Cantatore. What is Cultural Awareness, anyway? How do I build it?)
While we can never learn everything about every culture, what we can do is know our own values and how they affect us. We can be determined to go beyond auto-pilot thinking and to question our assumptions. We can approach working across cultures with curiosity and the intent to learn about others. Doing all this helps us to communicate more effectively and to avoid misunderstandings that lead to bad feelings and conflicts. In communities, this translates into greater cohesion. In the workplace, it means higher productivity, creativity, and synergy.
Degrees of Cultural Awareness
As you go through the cycle of adjustment, your awareness of the host country culture naturally increases. This awareness tends to progress through a series of levels, described below.
- Unconscious incompetence
This has also been called the state of blissful ignorance. At this stage, you are unaware of cultural differences. It does not occur to you that you may be making cultural mistakes or that you may be misinterpreting much of the behavior going on around you. You have no reason not to trust your instincts.
2. Conscious incompetence
You now realize that differences exist between the way you and the local people behave, though you understand very little about what these differences are, how numerous they might be, or how deep they might go. You know there's a problem here, but you're not sure about the size of it. You're not so sure of your instincts anymore, and you realize that there are some things you don't understand. You may start to worry about how hard it's going to be to figure these people out.
3. Conscious competence
You know cultural differences exist, you know what some of these differences are, and you try to adjust your own behavior accordingly. It doesn't come naturally yet—you have to make a conscious effort to behave in culturally appropriate ways—but you are much more aware of how your behavior is coming across to the local people. You are in the process of replacing old instincts with new ones. You know now that you will be able to figure these people out if you can remain objective.
4. Unconscious competence
You no longer have to think about what you're doing in order to do the right thing. Culturally appropriate behavior is now second nature to you; you can trust your instincts because they have been reconditioned by the new culture. It takes little effort now for you to be culturally sensitive.*
*This paradigm is based on work by William Howell.
Increasing cultural awareness means to see both the positive and negative aspects of cultural differences. Cultural diversity could be a source of problems, in particular when the organization needs people to think or act in a similar way. Diversity increases the level of complexity and confusion and makes agreement difficult to reach. On the other hand, cultural diversity becomes an advantage when the organization expands its solutions and its sense of identity, and begins to take different approaches to problem solving. Diversity in this case creates valuable new skills and behaviors.


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This video is absolutely fantastic and it definitely will make your day memorable.
A man named John Wells laid a bucket of water and put a camera in there to find out which thirsty creatures are getting a drink.
One can see the desert critters and a couple of other creatures approaching the bucket and quenching their thirst.
John comments about the video: "I was pleasantly surprised during the edit to see that George [the bunny] made an appearance. I know him from all the others rabbits because of the tiny notch in his ear. " He adds, "Note: The swimming bees were saved."
John Wells left New York City to move 'in the middle of nowhere'. He managed to build a modern house powered by solar energy and compost for only $1600.
He may live far from the big city and all that it offers to him, but his lifestyle here sometimes offers him great experiences, so much so that he wouldn't abandon for anything in the world. See the story of the bucket, for example.
The video became viral in no time on Youtube with almost 3 million views in just five days.
Someone commented: "The simplest things can also be the most awesome! It was very relaxing."
We agree completely. That's really great. Look at the video below.
Source : TheFieldLab / YouTube


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So you want to get Rocky Mountain high, but you aren't sure how to navigate the regulations of the legal pot industry. Well, no worries. You can still get high on Colorado's supply. All it takes is some road trippin' and some cash.
If you've got a couple of vacation days to spare, there's an entire industry out there, and it's just waiting for your arrival. It's pretty normal to have a bunch of questions as a legal cannabis newbie -- stuff like where it's cool to smoke, how much you can buy, and where the hell to go are all valid queries that need to be addressed before you can jump into the mellow mood -- and the folks in the Colorado pot industry have taken note. That's where pot tourism, the latest venture to sprout out of cannabis legalization, comes in.
Since Colorado is the only state where you can buy legal recreational weed, the big business of pot tourism has taken off. Everything from cannabis-heavy bakeries and eateries to guided tours and pot-friendly hotels have emerged from the blanket legalization in Colorado.
Considering that out-of-state pot guests comprise nearly half of Colorado's $1 million dollars in daily weed sales, it makes a ridiculous amount of sense to zero in on tourism. There are obviously pot patrons going at it alone, and when the offer of a guided tour and an inside look at the industry are packaged into one convenient block, or a hotel that is 420-friendly is thrown in, it only sweetens the deal.
But considering that pot tourism in Colorado is the first of its kind in our country, that sub-sect of cannabis culture is still working out the kinks, which means finding out the details of what's offered can be a bit overwhelming.
Luckily for you, dear reader, when it comes to cannabis culture -- even cannabis tourism -- we're intrigued. That means we've waded through the pot jungle, and we're ready and able to educate you. Here's everything you need -- where to go, what to do, and what a tour will cost ya -- when it comes to pot tourism.
There is such a thing as a cannabis tour. That said, booking a tour is probably your best bet, but it'll cost ya. Transportation? Check. A safe place to smoke? Check. Seasoned smokers to show you the ways, and explain to you terms like "budtender," while keeping you from overindulging or getting whacked out of your brain on a new strain of indica? Check, check, and check.
Companies like My 420 Tours and Colorado Highlife Tours provide transportation, and more importantly chaperones, to accompany curious tourists on trips to dispensaries and growers. These handy-dandy (legal) potheads provide guidance on the local cannabis laws -- where you can smoke, and where you can't -- and they also give participants a closer look the ins and outs of the legal pot industry in Colorado.
Here's the gist of what will happen on a pot tour. You'll be picked up in a pot-friendly van that comes complete with dark tinted windows, and they'll ferry your high ass around to all of the best pot places, or pot-friendly places, in the area.
The guys at My 420 Tours offers all-inclusive tours, dispensary and grow tours, and cannabis sampler tours. They've even got multi-day tours, if you're so inclined to push your legal pothead limits. They're pretty darn legit, those pothead tours.
Prices run from around $200 to $1,500, depending on just what exactly you're looking for. These dudes even have a sweet ass Valentine's Day tour that includes a "Cooking with Cannabis" class, and an open bar. That bad boy will run you about $325 a person, and there's a pretty good guarantee that your other half will be impressed with your Valentine's skillz.
While each tour charges a different fee -- Colorado Highlife has tours that start at $140 -- and each offers a variation on the "tour" experience, what you can guarantee you'll get is a streamlined foray into Colorado's cannabis industry, and that may be totally worth it.
Cannabis-friendly hotels exist in Colorado. Remember those high-school hotel parties that always busted you smoking herb in the room? Well, you can still get in trouble as an adult for smoking in your hotel room, even in Colorado. Not every hotel in Colorado is going to be down with your ganja habit, and you can't smoke in cannabis shops, or on the street, so unless you've got a super-sweet pothead bestie in Colorado who will let you stay on their couch, you should probably make sure your hotel isn't going to kick your ass for vaping in your room.
Luckily, some innovative hotel owners acknowledge the need for pot tourist rooms, and they're ready and willing to cater to your THC-needs. Take the Extended Stay America -- Lakewood South in Denver, for example. They're cool with it, but they're going to side-eye you if there's excessive smoke. The Historic Melrose Hotel in Grand Junction is cool with you smoking weed on their outside patio, and Cliff House Lodge in Morrison is totally chill with you chillin', inside or out.
There are a ton of other options available, and we'd assume that the more mainstream this cannabis legalization becomes, the less hassle it will be to find a pot-tourist-friendly bed to rest your stoned head.
Tons of websites and magazines are popping up for the cannabis tourist. Weedmaps is your friend, son. If you're looking for the best places to tour, and you're not willing to pony up the cash for some guides, you can always look to Weedmaps to be your pot-beacon. They'll give you the heads up on the locations of dispensaries, and they've even got specials that you can take advantage of while you tour the budding pot industry in Colorado.
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Plenty of other like-minded websites and magazines are surfacing to cater to the non-native weed-seeker, so we'd like to think that with a little help from guides like these, it won't be long before Colorado has solidified their spot as a tourist mecca for something other than skiing.
There are special bars and private clubs that will let you enjoy your cannabis in peace. Yes, much like a bar that serves beer. So, in addition to the tours, websites, magazines, and pot-friendly hotels, Colorado is now catering to the cannabis tourist by way of private clubs, restaurants, and bars that are cool with smoking and vaping. Places like Herman's Hideaway and the private club, Club 64, named in honor of Amendment 64, are happy to host tourist potheads.
Restaurants are getting in on the pot action, too. Restaurants aren't as smoker-friendly in the actual building, but there are some innovative ways that Colorado's chefs are embracing the change. Hapa Sushi, a high-end sushi restaurant, has even debuted a pot-and-dinner pairing menu. They've even taken the time to specify which strain goes best with Pakistani Kush or Purple Rain. How freaking awesome is that place? Awesome enough to set up their dining room to ergonomically reduce paranoia, my friends.
There are a number of other restaurants and bars ready and willing to take care of your stoned ass, but we'll end on that note. Purple Rain and Poke Don at Hapa at 6 p.m.? Can we come too?


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Activist Medora Woods picked up an incredible piece of property on the North Shore of Lake Superior. With a small cabin existing on site, Woods hired Minneapolis architect Sarah Nettleton to completely rebuild it in a way that would reflect her commitment to the environment. The team would dub it The Tofte Project and use it as a means to educate individuals interested in building green. An interactive website was created, addressing each area that contributed to its eco-splendor… I highly recommend getting lost in the site HERE (after you're done reading my little ditty, of course!).
A mere 945 sq ft, the Tofte Project made a substantial effort in minimizing both long and short-term impacts on its site… Over 95% of construction waste was either reused or recycled.
Also, the majority of the cabin's energy needs are met with on-site solar and wind generators, and a ground source heat pump (geothermal). Framing lumber is FSC certified or recycled and its unique roof is made from 75% recycled content while lasting three times longer than an asphalt shingle option.
The interior features pine that is locally sourced and formaldehyde free, low-VOC finishes. Highly efficient appliances are used throughout the kitchen. Also, plenty of strategically placed south facing windows flood the interior with natural daylight while improving ventilation.
All-in-all, an incredible effort on the part of everyone involved… Again, I highly encourage checking out the Tofte Project site for yourself. I'll save you from scrolling back to the top… the link again HERE.


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It's been a busy Monday morning and Friday feels a long way off. What better time than for our regular guest blogger Rachel (we've missed you Rach!) to talk time out and remind you that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. Today, she's all about facilitating that "minimoon". Monday blues? What Monday blues? Go on, get it booked…
Images by Cat Hepple Photography, as previously featured here and here.
Rachel says: I don't know about you but I love an excuse to extend a celebration. Take my birthday for example – of course the main celebration is the day itself but I like to push the partying over at least one weekend, if not two. After all there's the family meal, weekend away with the boyfriend (I hope) and drinks, shopping and spa treatments with friends to squeeze in. And don't even get me started on festive celebrations in our household – they stretch from the very beginning of December right into the new year (though thankfully don't include a turkey curry buffet).
Looking at today's wedding scene, it's clear there are many wedding couples who share my mindset with a growing trend for weekend weddings. After all, why would you confine the celebrations to just one day when you can easily spread it across three with a pre-wedding dinner the ceremony itself and then, of course, a day of present opening, cake eating, champagne quaffing and catching up with family and friends.
But now brides and grooms are taking extending the wedding celebrations a step further by delaying their main honeymoon until later in the year, or even the following year, and taking a minimoon in the meantime instead.
The minimoon was originally born out of the credit crunch when many wedding couples were forced to tighten the purse strings. Research revealed brides and grooms were swapping lavish two-week holidays to long-haul destinations such as the Maldives for shorter holidays closer to home. But as circumstances have continued to change so too have couples' holidaying habits, with many brides and grooms now having the best of both worlds – booking themselves a minimoon for a that much-needed break straight after the wedding and a honeymoon a little later down the line, giving reason for the wedding excitement to live on.
A minimoon usually consists of a relaxing three- to four-day break at a destination not too far away from the wedding location. Some couples might choose a sentimental location such as the first place they went on holiday together or the place they got engaged, while others might just want a destination that provides pure relaxation to unwind following the tense pre-wedding build up. In the UK top choices include rustic retreats, spa breaks and city locations while those flush enough to push the minimoon boundaries are jetting off to romantic European destinations such as Rome, Paris and Venice.
While delaying a honeymoon in favour of a minimoon does effectively spread the celebrations, it has become a big hit among today's wedding couples for many more reasons.
The minimoon is particularly popular with teachers and those with work commitments that can't afford to take large amounts of time off work all in one go. It's also ideal for those asking their guests for contributions towards the honeymoon instead of traditional gifts as they book a holiday suited to the fund following the wedding.
For those who can only handle so much planning at a time, delaying the main honeymoon means there will be more time to organise the holiday after the wedding preparations have taken place. Taking a minimoon in the meantime means couples have that essential break before returning to the daily grind after their wedding day.
A postponed honeymoon also gives brides and grooms who will be stumping up the honeymoon costs themselves longer to save up and book their holiday at a time suited to the best prices and weather conditions.
So while the credit crunch may curbed our Topshop sprees and cocktail drinking, we do have it to thank for the introduction of the minimoon/postponed honeymoon trend which helps keep the post-wedding day blues at bay that bit longer.
What do you think? Will you/ did you take a minimoon? Any hot spot recommendations for our other readers?
All images taken from Alice & Paul's gorgeous Parisian engagement shoot with Cat Hepple Photography. Click here and here to see the full set.
Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 Cat Hepple Photography
This is not a sponsored post
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier


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Greenwich Entertainment
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, a new documentary that looks at the life and career of the celebrated singer before Parkinson's disease forced her retirement, opened wide in theaters last Friday.
Co-directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, the film includes new interviews with Linda Ronstadt and famous friends and collaborators including Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Aaron Neville, Bonnie Raitt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.
"The film really tells the story of her musical journey, which spanned decades," Epstein explains to ABC Radio. "And she conquered rock and folk and country, and then moved on to ballads…standards…opera, Broadway, mariachi."
Friedman notes, "A large part of the story we tell is her venturing into new genres, and her record companies and her management urging her not to do that, telling her it's gonna ruin her career."
Amazingly, these risks usually paid off, as exemplified by the platinum-selling standards albums and traditional Mexican music collection Ronstadt released during the 1980s.
As for what Freidman hopes the film accomplishes, he tells ABC Radio, "I hope viewers will…see a successful pop star who did not care about celebrity or fame or…even success. This was a woman who really cared about art and her music making something beautiful."
The doc includes a dramatic scene showing Ronstadt, her voice in a weakened state, singing a Mexican folk song with family members. Epstein notes that Linda was OK with the segment because she felt it "would be a way to acknowledge that she does have Parkinson's and what her limitations are, but that she is still very engaged and living a full life, and still pursuing all of her passions, which includes music and, most especially, family."
Visit LindaRonstadtMovie.com for more information about the film.
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.


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Text from Catholic Online [annotations by Matthaeus]:
"The 25th child of a wool dyer in northern Italy [good, large Catholic family], St. Catherine started having mystical experiences when she was only 6, seeing guardian angels [how often we forget about our guardian angel] as clearly as the people they protected. She became a Dominican tertiary when she was 16, and continued to have visions of Christ, Mary, and the saints. St. Catherine was one of the most brilliant theological minds of her day, although she never had any formal education [She is one of the four female Doctors of the Church, along with Ss.Teresa of Avila. Therese of Lisieux and Hildegard of Bingen]. She persuaded the Pope to go back to Rome from Avignon, in 1377, and when she died she was endeavoring to heal the Great Western Schism. In 1375 Our Lord give her the Stigmata, which was visible only after her death. Her spiritual director was Blessed Raymond of Capua. St, Catherine's letters, and a treatise called "a dialogue" are considered among the most brilliant writings in the history of the Catholic Church. She died when she was only 33, and her body was found incorrupt in 1430. "
Along with St. Francis of Assisi, she is co-patron of Italy, and on 1 October 1999 St. John Paul II named her as a one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Bridget of Sweden and Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein). She is also invoked for the prevention of fires.
Ora pro nobis.


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In Flashfire by Deborah Cooke, famous illusionist Lorenzo has been denying his true nature for centuries. Born a dragon, Lorenzo turned his back on the Pyr and instead concentrated on caring for his father. Then one night during a performance at his show in Las Vegas, his firestorm ignites and much to his surprise, his mate is paparazzi photographer, Cassie Redmond. Despite what should have been a one night stand to satisfy the firestorm, Lorenzo and Cassie can't stay away from each other. Lorenzo has a huge spectacle planned to fake his death and he wants Cassie to join him in his new life. As the evil Slayers descend on Las Vegas and threaten Cassie, Lorenzo must tap into his dragon side and defend his mate. Will Lorenzo finally join the Pyr? Will Cassie join Lorenzo in his new life?
Like all of the dragons in this series, Lorenzo is 100% pure alpha male. Lorenzo controls his life with an iron fist and his firestorm igniting is nothing more than a distraction. Once he spends more time with Cassie and slowly falls for her, he is determined to protect her no matter what.
Cassie is a huge skeptic. She doubts that Lorenzo is a dragon even when she sees him transform with her own eyes. Cassie questions everything, including their relationship. Eventually she is persuaded by Lorenzo that what they have is real.
Flashfire is the seventh book in the Dragon Fire Series (not a standalone read!). Cooke has done a fantastic job of creating a paranormal world that remains fresh and stands out in the shape shifting genre. Her unique plot lines and interesting characters make this series a must read for any PNR fan.
Title: Flashfire
Author: Deborah Cooke
Category: Paranormal Romance
Source: Checked out from library


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Visiting Jerusalem
Unlike Paris syndrome, which is brought on by rudeness, Jerusalem syndrome involves visitors being overcome by the historic, political and religious importance of the holy city.
Christian, Muslim and Jewish pilgrims flock to Jerusalem each year to be closer to their faith. For many, the trip can be overwhelming and, depending on religion or inclination, can include visits to the sacred sites of the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, among others.
A few visitors become delusional, thinking they are the Messiah or that their presence will bring about the resurrection of Christ. Others will wear clothing as if they were living in biblical times. On average, about 100 tourists are afflicted with the condition each year, with nearly half needing hospitalization. Interestingly, not all of the affected individuals have a history of mental illness. Sometimes people become so delusional that they become violent, preaching a "true religion" and attacking others because they are perceived to be pagans and barbarians [source: Montross].


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budget, coupons, family, financial, harpeth baptist, kingston springs, money, pegram, ramblings of a penny pincher, saving, savings, south cheatham advocate, steward, stewardship
This is almost a necessity when working with your grocery budget. Having a meal plan will allow you to shop specifically on your next trip to the grocery store. It can be as simple or extravagant as you want it to be, but I find that our family enjoys the same style meals on a regular basis. We like to have a pizza night, a fish night, and a Mexican night on a weekly schedule, so I know when I go grocery shopping, I will need to buy items for those nights. This will allow you to avoid 'impulse' spending (and yes, that can happen at the grocery store, especially if you take along your spouse or children)! There are a number of resources out there with meal plan templates, so do a simple Google search to find one that works for you. If all else fails, create your own! Meal planning will allow you to see exactly what you need to buy. Try starting this week's meal plan building on the ingredients and items you have right now. I find that when I don't have a plan for my food (especially refrigerated items), many times things will spoil, which is money down the drain…NOT our goal, right?! Next week we will look at ways to make your food stretch from one grocery trip to the next. Until then, spend wisely!
This and other articles like it can be read weekly in the South Cheatham Advocate Newspaper or online at www.scadvocate.com.
1011 Butterworth Road
Kingston Springs, TN 37082


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Copyright information for UEA staff Copyright information for UEA staff
Copyright will exist in most of the works of art, music, literature or design that you may want to use for research, teaching, exhibition or performance. Your own work may also be subject to copyright and it is important to understand the rights you have as a copyright owner.
As a member of UEA staff you are expected to observe current UK copyright law. These pages are designed to help you establish what is permitted under copyright law and what you can do to ensure copyright in your own and others' work is protected.


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Here at AJ Plumbing & Heating, we understand that gas work can be a dangerous and complicated process.
The safety of our customers is our main priority, and we understand that gas problems need instant attention, and because of this we offer a 24-hour service for all gas work. We also provide affordable and top-quality boiler installation services. You can rely on our staff to visit your home at a time convenient for you and provide you with a suitable solution. In addition to boiler installation, we also offer central heating and power flushing services.
Full central heating
Boiler replacements
System flushouts
Radiators installed/moved
Radiator valves replaced
Landlord Safety Certificates
Fixed price quotes
Gas installers
The Gas Safe Register is the official list of gas engineers who are qualified to work safely and legally on gas appliances. By law, all gas engineers must be on the Gas Safe Register. It replaced CORGI. Only use a Gas Safe registered engineer to fit, fix or service your appliances and always check the engineer's Gas Safe Register ID card.
Landlords are legally responsible for the safety of their tenants. Landlords should make sure maintenance and annual safety checks on gas appliances are carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. For more information and to find and check an engineer go to www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call 0800 408 5500. Better Gas Safe than sorry.
We are based in Buckhurst Hill, we serve Loughton, Woodford and surrounding areas
For boiler installation and
power flushing services call


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Going beyond the physical
so that you can heal
completely with ease.
So great to finally meet you, beautiful!
If you have suffered a physical injury, I will empower you to recover with confidence so you can heal completely, and live a joyful, happy and full life.
I'm Dr. Maya Novak, a Mindful Healing Expert and I'm passionate about helping ladies like you effortlessly bounce back from their traumas.
The day my life shattered…
On the 31st of October 2012, I broke and dislocated my right talus bone while rock climbing.
My girlfriends drove me to the closest medical center. And while I was waiting for the X-rays, I still hoped that it was just a bad sprain and that everything would be ok in two weeks' time.
A few minutes later the news that crushed me came in… I broke my ankle and doctors in the hospital (which was a 3-hour drive away) wanted to see me immediately.
Jerry, my fiance at the time, drove me to Dunedin. When we arrived I was tired, scared, and I was in so much pain that I begged the doctor to put me to sleep for the process of adjusting my ankle to 90 degrees and getting a temp cast on. In the next 4 days, when I was waiting in the hospital for the doctors' decision what to do next, I heard the following:
- "Your ankle will never be the same again."
- "You will have 60, maybe at the most 70% of the flexibility your uninjured ankle has."
- "You will have problems with walking on uneven surfaces for the rest of your life."
- "You might be limping for the rest of your life."
- "Be prepared for arthritis – it's really common with this kind of injuries."
- "There is a possibility of your talus bone dying off so you might need extra operations that could be successful or not."
You've probably heard something similar. I know how you feel – I've been there.
I was shocked! I couldn't believe that the run a week before my accident might have been the last one in my life. I was scared of my unknown future. I had doubts about being capable of recovering completely from my fracture, without any complications.
That means I would never be able to walk on the sandy beach without pain, enjoy rock climbing and hiking for miles with my loved ones, dancing the Argentine tango or salsa or jive or… with my husband, or just running freely as before.
I was so frustrated because my recovery was so slow and I couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel.
After the surgery, I really thought my ankle would be back to normal in 3 months, and there I was – 9+ months into the recovery – and I was still limping, experiencing pain, swelling, lack of flexibility, not to mention all the fear and doubts that came along. I was really worried that the doctors were right! And every day I felt like I was riding an emotional roller-coaster without end.
But I simply didn't want to accept that my life was going to look like this.
That I would never run again, rock climb, walk without pain, go on hikes with loved ones, and move my body like before. I didn't want to accept that my ankle would never feel the same or even get worse.
I know what is going on in your mind and I know how to change this.
As a matter of fact, since my accident:
✔ I completely recovered,
✔ none of the predictions above came true – I proved all of my doctors, physiotherapists, nurses… wrong,
✔ I walk, run and move without any pain (even when wearing high heels),
✔ I have completed 2 long-distance triathlons (the first one 2 years and 4 months after the accident), and
✔ I helped hundreds of people overcome their injuries so they can enjoy their lives again as well.
This experience taught me a lot about myself and because of everything I went through, the experience allows me to help YOU effortlessly bounce back from YOUR injury!
What I do
I help courageous women who physically injured themselves and I empower them to heal their bodies and lives from the inside out with confidence and ease.
This mission chose me and I'm so grateful for the experience. Because of it, I can help you change your recovery as well!
Happy Clients
"The anxiety attacks had control over me and my recovery, and now I feel like my old bubbly self again."
Maya is the biggest blessing! She taught me techniques to cope with anxiety attacks as they were happening. They started decreasing right from the start of our work together. As the anxiety attacks were decreasing, incredibly, the flexibility of my foot and ankle started increasing, so Maya's mindful approach really improved my recovery.
Now I am less fearful and therefore can push myself more, physically. I have been able to enjoy social situations again without feeling anxious before going. I feel more positive and I worry less about what could happen. I have stopped crying daily!
I feel so lucky that I discovered Maya. She turned my life around and I will forever be grateful.
Nicola B.
"I went from being extremely nervous, depressed and tensed to being positive, confident and back on my feet faster than I could imagine."
I was extremely nervous, depressed and tensed constantly after the accident. I realized I needed a different kind of help – and I reached out to Maya. While working with her I began to feel more positive and confident. I felt supported and knowing that she was speaking from experience helped immensely. Slowly one by one she helped me overcome those mental roadblocks and that helped speed up my recovery. I finally felt that I was beginning to take charge of my recovery and I could make a difference to my healing.
My doctor was amazed at my speedy recovery and the range of movement I gained. Maya played such a huge role in it and I'm so grateful for her help.
Anu C.
"I went from being afraid and not believing in myself to full recovery and a 100km bicycle ride."
At the beginning, everything looked easy but soon my feelings started to change – sometimes I was afraid I would always be crippled, then I was angry at myself, and before I started working with Maya I had lots of fears.
Maya helped me to see things differently. With her help I became more positive and present, and started believing in myself. I completed over a 100km bicycle ride while working with her and I'm now able to do everything I was doing before the accident.
Her experience and knowledge have been invaluable to me and Maya's kindness and caring nature have really worked for me. I always felt understood and heard. Working with Maya changed my recovery and life.
Gala J.
Want to know what is even better?
Since I was able to completely recover emotionally, physically, and mentally, I can actually 100% enjoy my life and my marriage. I returned to my old physical activities and I am again able to enjoy rock climbing, running, walking for miles, dancing, diving…
I'm so much more grateful for my body and health, and I can see how this fracture changed my life in the most positive way.
11 random things about me
#1 I always wanted to do triathlons, but I only did my first race after doctors told me I would limp for the rest of my life because of my ankle fracture.
#2 I've jumped out of an airplane 5 times, always with my husband, Jerry (he's done over 7000 skydives), and every one of them was from a different aircraft (3 planes, 2 helicopters).
#3 I believe you can train cats.
#4 I truly believe that everything is possible.
#5 One of my favorite subjects at university was pathology (creepy truth: I loved opening the bodies, exploring them and finding out the cause of death).
#6 The best way to distract me is with a puppy. Or any small, cute dog, for that matter (I have a particular soft spot for whippets and miniature pinschers).
#7 … forget about the dogs – any kind of small, cute animal will do (piglets, kittens, rats, hedgehogs…)
#8 When I was a child I loved carrots so much that one day I ate so many my skin turned orange. My mum, of course, freaked out, thinking it was jaundice.
#9 I love scaring people but hate it when someone else does it to me.
#10 I'm a great snow-angel-person, but I'm pretty much useless on skis – hence the fact we live in the Carribean part of the world.
#11 I believe that gifts should be wrapped because it's just weird to get a gift in a gift bag. Isn't it?
Official Bio
Dr. Maya Novak is a passionate Mindful Healing Expert with over a decade of experience in wellness, fitness, and nutrition. Born and raised in Slovenia, she moved to New Zealand with her husband Jerry in 2012 and after almost 5 years they left and continued their journey to the Carribean part of the world.
Her devotion to helping others and a fracture that should have left her limping for the rest of her life led her to discover her true purpose in life.
Maya is also a writer and has authored several wellness books, including a cookbook entitled 88 Kitchen Tales. Her mentoring programs, including Iron-Built Flexible Ankles, Guided Healing Meditations, Mindful Recovery – Heal From The Inside Out, and many others, have helped hundreds of people around the world.
She's a Certified Health Educator and received extensive training from the Wellness Forum Institute for Health Studies on the effects of food on health and overall wellbeing. Combined with her study of veterinary medicine and experience as a fitness instructor, this creates a comprehensive foundation for her continuous research on how our body functions, but what ties it all together is her personal philosophy of how thoughts influence our reality.
A defining moment in her career was when an ankle fracture threatened to leave her limping for the rest of her life.
Armed with her knowledge, she created a system that allowed her to get back on her feet and go way beyond all doctors' expectations, and today, a large part of Maya's work involves 1-on-1 coaching with people determined to create the best possible recovery for themselves.
Her programs offer personal support in the areas that are crucial to recovery but rarely covered in the course of regular treatment. Things like maintaining a positive mindset and taking proper care of yourself at different stages of recovery, keeping the ego and fear at bay, eating foods that accelerate the healing process and knowing how to approach physical activity after an injury.
When she isn't improving lives, Maya enjoys to travel and relax in saunas and spas. With an artistic side, she also has an avid interest in photography and theater.
- Doctor Of Veterinary Medicine (2002 – 2008)
- Certified Fitness Instructor level I (2009)
- Certified Nutritionist / Certified Health Educator (2016)
Certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, ABNLP (2019-2020)
Certified Practitioner of Time Line Therapy™, TLTA (2019-2020)
- numerous coaching programs for improving my coaching and mentoring skills (2014 – ongoing)


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Nowadays fitness has become the part of daily regimen for every person and no person likes to compromise with his/her fitness goals. But during monsoon, most of the people are not able to stick to their workout regimes. Well, now we have found some fitness tips for you guys that will not only help you stick to your regular workout but will also help in keeping you fit during monsoons.
Also read: Some Amazing Exercises At Home For Toned Arms And Chin
Here is the list of fitness tips that one should follow to remain fit during monsoon:
1. Run in the rain
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Don't worry much about your health as your body is waterproof. Try to run an extra mile in the rain as it makes your metabolism strong and keeps you energized and fit. A fitness tip that one should remember.
2. Remain active being indoor
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If you are not a rain lover than you can still maintain your fitness by indoor workouts. Schedule it as 30-40 minutes routine which includes planks, squats and pushups. And with this, try to include more veggies and fruits to your diet with lean meat and legumes.
Also read: Want To Get Slim? Try Out These 5 Intense Workouts To Lose Over 500 Calories
3. Wear comfortable gears
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Another fitness point to remember. Always try to wear bright colour cool gears that will keep you hydrated and cool during the humid weather.
4. Plan for outdoors
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Take a break from the regular routine life and plan for gateways during monsoon and relax. Plan for a day full of activities with family and friends to stay healthy and fit.
Also read: Make Fitness Fun And Easy Like A Pune-ite!
5. Try Zumba
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Try dancing and Zumba workouts during monsoon if you are planning for indoor workouts.
6. Yoga is the best during monsoon
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This fitness tip is really effective to remain fit during monsoon. Try to practice some simple asanas in this damp weather which will also help you overcome breathing problems.
Also read:8 Harmful Post-Meal Habits You Need To Avoid That Can Wreak Havoc On Your Body
7. Add more vitamins to your diet
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One should always remember this fitness tip for a healthy life. Always include more vitamins in your diet for maintaining energy levels and don't forget to get enough rest.


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I was very fortunate to chair a session with Inga Simpson and Tony Birch at the Sydney Writers Festival.
They both have had books long or short listed for the prestigious Miles Franklin award. Tony's Ghost River is currently longlisted.
It was also shortlisted for two categories in this year's NSW Premier's Awards: the Christina Stead prize for fiction and the newly created Indigenous Prize.
Tony and Inga both know their way around universities, as well as being accomplished fiction writers who take us on secret, sensory journeys with their young characters, particularly into natural 'inbetween' places, around rivers and trees.
I was first aware of Inga's writing when her debut novel, Mr Wigg was shortlisted for the Indies awards. I remember the ripples that her lyrical writing about an elderly man in his orchard caused in the literary community.
The writing in her second novel Nest is also the equivalent of fine slow-cooking with its depiction of Jen's life in a sub-tropical forest but it is utterly captivating and suspenseful at the same time.
Her new novel Where the Trees Were also has evocative descriptions of place – the river and trees.
A group of boys and one girl, Jay, spend their summer holidays before starting high school in the bush, mainly around the river. They find a circle of trees that seem to be out of time and world. Designs are carved into their trunks. Are they a story or code?
The parts of the story about Jay as a girl are told in first person. We also meet her as an adult in Canberra, told in third person.
The indolence of quite an idyllic childhood, although charged with the urgency of adolescence, changes to a harder-edged anticipation and anxiety when a conservationist, (we're not immediately told her name is Jayne) is involved in stealing a carved Indigenous artifact, an arborglyph, a Wiradjuri burial tree.
Tony Birch's writing is assured, direct and unpretentious.
I was very moved by his novel Blood, particularly the strength of character and loving heart of his young part- Aboriginal protagonist, Jesse.
His most recent novel is Ghost River, set in the 1960s where the intersected lives of two adolescent boys and the dispossessed river men play out alongside the Yarra River.
Storytelling and the changes and roils of life are intrinsic to this novel, reflected in Tony's own virtuosic story-telling style which moves from energy and adventure to trouble, pathos and weariness and back again like the river itself.
I wonder how much of his own boyhood Tony has drawn upon to create his lively characters Ren, and particularly Sonny.