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10 Things A Mom Suffering From Anxiety Would Love To Never Hear Again
When I decided I wanted to be a mother, I knew there were certain sacrifices I would not only be willing to make, but would have to make. I knew sleep was going to be a distance dream for the foreseeable future; I knew nights out with friends would be few and far between; I knew body autonomy wouldn't be as easy to own when I was co-sleeping or breastfeeding. One thing I wasn't willing to sacrifice, however, was my mental health. Sadly, there are things a mom suffering form anxiety would love to never hear again because our society has convinced mothers (and everyone else) that being a good mom means you do sacrifice absolutely everything. Yes, mental health and all.
After my son made his way into the world, I found myself suffering from postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety. I had a very traumatic pregnancy, labor and delivery, which resulted in one baby dying 19 weeks into my pregnancy and my labor ending in the birth of a baby that was alive, and the birth of a baby that wasn't. I had a difficult time automatically bonding with my son, for fear that — like his twin — he would die and I would be left with another devastating heartbreak I wouldn't know how to (or be able to) handle. So, in rolled the depression and the horrific anxiety and I was afraid or unwilling to leave the house, I couldn't sleep, I didn't want to eat (even though I was breastfeeding) and I was constantly crying.
I stayed silent for far too long because I was convinced that being a "good mother" meant not needing anything anymore. I had a son now, and he needed me so I shouldn't be the one asking for help or support or anything of the sort. I was so, so wrong. Thankfully, my partner reminded me that being a mother doesn't mean I am no longer a human being with very human needs, and I received the help I so desperately needed and deserved. I started speaking out about postpartum depression and anxiety which, while empowering and fulfilling and beneficial, also left me open to hearing the following things. If we truly care about mothers as much as we claim we do on Mother's Day, we need to support mothers in every aspect of their lives. We need to remind them that motherhood does not mean constant self-sacrifice. Instead, it means constant self-care.
"I Get Worried, Too"
Being "worried" is not the same as suffering from anxiety or postpartum anxiety. Nope. Not even remotely. Everyone gets worried, but not everyone deals with intrusive thoughts and panic attacks and anxiety so severe that it keeps someone from sleeping, eating, and leaving their home.
While I think it's kind that someone wants to understand and show solidarity (if that's really what they're doing, and not just trying to make a conversation about them), it's not helpful to compare two things that are in no way the same.
"Being Anxious Is Just Part Of Parenthood"
Worrying is just part of parenthood. There, I fixed it for you.
I think it's pretty normal to, as a parent, worry about your child. After all, they're a piece of your heart walking outside of your body and we're all acutely aware of all the ways that piece of your heart could be hurt. Suffering from anxiety is not, however, a "normal" part of parenthood, and you shouldn't be suffering in the name of motherhood or as a way to somehow prove you're a good mother who worries and cares about her children.
"Calm Down"
Never, in the history of any language that has ever been written or spoken, has the words "calm down" actually calmed someone down. Nope.
Not only is the phrase "calm down" insensitive, it's essentially an attempt to police someone else's feelings or emotions. Furthermore, if I could calm down, I would calm down. It's not like anyone who is suffering from anxiety chooses to suffer from anxiety. Nope. Not how it works.
"You're Just Overthinking Things"
And the award for most obvious statement of the year goes to...
As someone who suffered from postpartum anxiety for so very, very long, I can tell you that I was well aware that I was "overthinking things." I couldn't turn my brain off from thinking, no matter how hard I tried or how much I wanted to. I would stay up at night, staring at my son to make sure he kept breathing, thinking of all the ways he might be hurt or killed. I'd run through horrifying scenarios anytime I left the house, especially if it meant putting my child in a car, paralyzing myself with fear. Telling me what I already know just isn't helpful, you guys.
"Take A Pill Already"
Saying something insensitive like, "Pop a Xanax," or, "Take your medication," furthers the mental illness stigma. Should someone feel empowered to use medication as a form of treatment? Absolutely. For example, I have to credit depression medication for helping me through postpartum depression, and anti-anxiety medication for helping me through postpartum anxiety.
However, someone's pharmaceutical regiment is none of your business, and simply telling someone to "pop a pill," is like telling someone to "go calm down." Hard pass on both.
"You're Just Looking For Attention"
Yes, because the attention anyone gets (especially a mother, who society automatically assumes doesn't and shouldn't think about herself anymore) from speaking out about a certain mental illness is always, always good.
I don't think there's a single person suffering from anxiety or postpartum anxiety that want that kind of attention. What they want is to not suffer from anxiety.
"Your Problems Aren't Real Problems"
Ah, yes. This is my personal favorite, if I have to be honest. The #FirstWorldProblems people who like to diminish your life experiences by equating them to the experiences of others.
Am I ridiculously lucky to live in a country where I can get mental health treatment if I want and need it? Yes. Do I know that, even in this country, people aren't as lucky and can't receive treatment, and so many people are suffering from more "life and death" situations? You bet. However, that doesn't mean mothers suffering from anxiety or postpartum anxiety should just "suck it up" because people in other countries (and our own country) are suffering, too. Our experiences are not negated by the experiences of others.
"Well, I Had A Friend With Anxiety And She Just Got Over It"
Good for, um, your friend? Everyone is different, and while I definitely wish I could have simply "got over it," I can't.
"A Friend Of A Friend's Sister's Mom Tried [Insert Obscure 'Quick Fix' Here]"
It's always mildly amusing that, when sharing something about your health (mental or physical) so many people become medical professionals. Honestly, I had no idea most internet commenters (and even some of my friends) had medical degrees or attended medical school. It's astounding.
"Are You Going To A Psychologist?"
None of your business.
If you feel comfortable talking about seeing a mental health professional (I do, because I think they're wonderful and I think everyone should see a psychologist) then have at it. However, this is your medical history someone is legitimately asking you, so if you don't feel like divulging, don't. You're under no obligation to tell someone what you're doing to treat your anxiety.


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February 1, 2015
Demons Among Us
In the news we have a "Yeti" in snow blown Boston, scientists develop a "real life teleporting" device and a shadow of a man is "captured" on mars. Then, I am joined by the demon haunted Philip Siracusa and psychic medium Karissa Fleck to talk about the ongoing case of the Horsefly Chronicles. Hell itself, demonic attachment, shadow people and medium-ship are touched upon during this awesome episode of The Odd to Newfoundland Paranormal Podcast!
Check out the book here:

subset: commoncrawl


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Mumbai: Minor domestic help falls to death from Chinchpokli highrise
Family that hired the teenager likely to face charges for child labour; Mumbai police has registered an accidental death report, investigations are currently on
Akhilesh Yadav (13) fell from the 13th floor of the E-wing of Gundecha Garden, a highrise complex in Chinchpokli, yesterday afternoon. Pic/Shadab Khan
A 13-year-old domestic help fell to his death from the 13th floor of a highrise in Chinchpokli on Tuesday evening. The deceased, identified as Akhilesh Yadav (13), was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
The incident took place in the E wing of Gundecha Garden, a highrise complex in Chinchpokli. Yadav used to work in flat no. 1301. On Tuesday afternoon, the security guard heard a loud thud at the basement. He rushed to the site, where he found Yadav lying in a pool of blood. The guard immediately alerted society officials, who reported the matter to the Kalachowky police station. The police reached the spot and rushed the boy to KEM Hospital, where he was declared dead.
However, it is still not known how the accident took place. For now, the Kalachowky police has registered an accidental death report and is investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, questions are being raised over the employment of a minor. Yadav was working for a Gujarati family that lived on the 13th floor. "We are investigating the case and statements of the residents are being recorded," said Hemant Rade, police inspector at Kalachowky police station. When contacted, N Ambika, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 4 said that the family has claimed that Yadav was 18 years old.
"Prima facie he appears to be a minor. We have asked for an opinion from the doctors. If Yadav is found to be a minor, we will definitely register a case against the family for employing a child," Ambika said.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act of 2000: This law made it a crime, punishable with a prison term, for anyone to procure or employ a child in any hazardous employment or in bondage. Article 24 of the Indian Cconstitution prohibits hazardous child labour. Additionally, various laws and the Indian Penal Code, such as the Juvenile Justice (care and protection) of Children Act-2000, and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act-1986 provide a basis in law to identify, prosecute and stop child labour in India.
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Zacatecas State's geopolitically stable environment and Mexico's membership in NAFTA provides a secure operating environment for the Cozamin Mine. The Cozamin mine site is very accessible and the area has excellent infrastructure with roads, power, and water access available at the mine site and services available in the surrounding communities. In addition, the city provides an environment for the employees of the Cozamin Mine to live and raise their families in an area with excellent educational and medical facilities. Zacatecas has a strong mining tradition, dating back hundreds of years, providing the Cozamin Mine with a community both knowledgeable and skilled in mining.
The underground mining method at Cozamin is longhole stoping. Mined ore is brought to surface via either a shaft or two production ramps. The ore is trucked to the crusher and processed through a three stage crushing plant and stored ahead of the grinding circuit, where it is reduced in size and then sent to flotation. The flotation steps involve flotation of copper, followed by zinc and lead. All products go through multiple stages of upgrading (or cleaning) in the flotation circuit ending with a silver-rich copper concentrate, a zinc concentrate and a silver-rich lead concentrate.
Commercial production commenced in September 2006 and Capstone completed exploration, development and initial production at 350,000 tonnes per year (tpy) on time and under budget with an initial three year mine life in reserves. Production at Cozamin was quickly expanded by 120% in the first 12 months with all capital expenditures funded from cash flow generated by the mine, and a further expansion in 2008 saw production rise to 1 million tpy. Production is from the Mala Noche Main Zone and the Mala Noche Footwall Zone (MNFWZ), which is higher in grade, but narrower widths than the Main Zone.
In 2018, an updated Mineral Resource estimate was published based
on ongoing exploration work in the MNFWZ with the goal to further extend mine
life. In addition, Capstone commenced mining in the San Rafael Zinc Zone to
utilize surplus mill capacity and increase by-product revenue.
Click to view a 360 Tour of Cozamin


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If you are looking for a hero Boxi cannot handle, you will be looking forever. Now with SoulStealer as one of his recent dominating heroes, he proves himself capable of anything.
Game: HoN (Heroes of Newerth)
Player: Boxi
Score: 24K/5D/7A
Title: Face Fear
Character: Soulstealer
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Mode: Normal / All Pick
Avatar: Default
Average MMR: 1890
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La Tania & Courchevel, France
Competitive Salary, accommodation, food, ski pass, insurance, ski equipment, uniform & travel to resort
Our Resort Manager is essential to the day-to-day running of our resort operations, working closely with the directors to maintain company standards. First port-of-call for guests during their stay, the Resort Manager is also responsible for managing a team of around 20 (chalet hosts, nannies, ski technicians/drivers) to ensure they have all they need to fulfil their job role.Job Description* Assist company directors to deliver pre-season training courses* Monitor and manage the team performance and rotas, delivering ongoing training and development* Lead weekly staff meeting* Monitor and communicate H&S standards* Ensure chalets are operating in accordance with company standards and procedures* Stock control and distribution, budgets, shopping and supplier liaison* Petty cash transactions and accounting* Organisation of chalet and vehicle maintenance and snow clearing* Ensure chalet equipment levels are maintained* Weekly preparation for guest arrivals, transfers, lift passes, ski hire & childcare alongside Administrator* In-resort guest liaison* Liaison with local resort services eg. tourist office, lift pass office, ski schools
Competencies and experience:
* Proven team management experience, leadership and motivation skills
* Experience in organising and delivering pre-season and ongoing staff training programs preferred
* Familiarity with computer-based administration programs
* Excellent time management and prioritisation, with the ability to work unsupervised
* Travel industry experience – ideally experience of previous ski seasons with a catered chalet company
* Experience in cooking for groups / at dinner parties is essential
* Experience in dealing with the public in a customer service-oriented environment
* Must be a confident driver with a clean license held for more than 2 years* French language skills are an advantage, but not essential
Eligibility: -
* All applicants MUST be over 21 years of age (for insurance purposes) and have held a full EU driving licence for more than two years
* Be resident and working in the UK with an existing permanent NI number and tax record.
* You must be available to have an initial Skype Video call / interview followed by a 2nd stage face-to-face interview.
* You must be able to provide a current CRD / DBS check
* You MUST be available to work for the full length of the contract - with a start date beginning early November and an end date of late April.
Please be aware that this job description is presented only as a guide and the role is not limited to the above description.
Qualifications are not vital, but experience and enthusiasm are essential!


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● UL DLC certificate
● EPISTAR Chip, high CRI
● Mean Well IP65 driver,input voltage 100-277VAC
● No UV or IR in the beam
● Easy to install and operate
● Energy saving, long lifespan
● Light is soft and uniform, safe to eyes
● Instant start, NO flickering, NO humming
● Green and eco-friendly without mercury.
● 3 Years Warranty
Product name: LED Canopy Light
Color temperature: 4000-5700K
CRI: >80Ra
Lumen: 10800-12000LM
Input Power: 120W
Viewing Angle: 120 Degree
Input Voltage: AC100-277V
Frequency Range: 50-60 HZ
Waterproof Rating: IP65
Operating Temperature: -20℃ TO 45 ℃
Operating Humidity: 20%-90% RH
Storage Temperature: -30℃ TO 80 ℃
Storage Humidity: 10%-95% RH
Application: Outdoor
Certification: UL DLC CE RoHS
Warranty Time: 3 Years
LED Brand: EPISTAR
LED Type: 2835, 0.5W
Housing: Aluminum(ADC12)+Ordinary Glass Cover
Housing Color: Brown (Standard Color in SNC
Lightig factory
Outdoor landscape lighting
Building,The hotel,Such as building exterior wall.
● Please turn off power before install or change assembly parts.
● The input voltage and lamps should be matched, after connecting the power line, please make sure the
wiring section is insulated.
● No-professionals, must not install and disassemble the lamps.
If you are interested in our products, please let us know. We will contact you as soon as possible, thank you


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Best Bars In Midtown Manhattan, NY
Enjoy the best vibes and spectacular liquid refreshments at these popular Midtown Bars.
Crimson and Rye - Midtown East
Brought to you by noted chef and restaurateur Charlie Palmer, Crimson and Rye has fast become a favorite of the East Side's trendy after-work crowd. Two of the big reasons for this cocktail lounge's success is the gorgeous,on-point ambiance and the delicious and original craft cocktails being served.
The location has quite an interesting story behind it as well. Crimson and Rye is nestled inside the huge lobby of the Lipstick building. An interesting piece of architecture, the building, which has 34 floors, receives its' name from the edifice's shape and color which resembles a tube of lipstick.
The building's exterior consists of a continuous wall of red ,enameled imperial granite and steel. The entire aesthetic is quite different from the other, somewhat nondescript, office towers that inhabit the neighborhood. Home to the usual corporate suspects, the Lipstick building's claim to fame, (or infamy) is that none other than Bernie Madoff had his offices here for many years.
A horse shoe shaped bar, comfy leather armchairs and soft lighting create an atmosphere that encourages patrons to sit back, relax and stay awhile. Although the hustle and bustle of the New York business world is only a few feet away in the lobby, you feel as if you're a world removed from everything.
The bartenders have a feel for what makes customers happy, besides a good, strong drink. If you're in the mood to talk, they will happily chat with you. But should you and your companion wish to have some alone time, they are down with that vibe,as well. And, the barkeeps are always available to suggest just the right libation to suit your taste and mood.
At first, Charlie Palmer wasn't sure what to call his new lounge. Then it came to him; Crimson (as in lipstick red) and Rye (which is a widely cultivated cereal grass used for making whisky.).
In addition to their unbeatable selection of cocktails, they have over 40 small batch whiskies in stock.
Instead of the usual Saturday night movie and dinner, why not plan to spend some time at Crimson and Rye? From 7:30 pm to 10:30 PM you can enjoy live Jazz music as well as half-priced draught beer and selected wines.
Got the start of the work week Monday blues? Well, there's no better cure than Buck a Shuck night at Crimson and Rye. Join the crew here every Monday evening, from 4 PM until closing, for luscious dollar oysters and half price keg wine and beer.
However, any time that tickles your fancy, feel free to order a cocktail like the signature Lipstick Fizz, a mix of Hayman's gin,house-made Grenadine, lemon juice and a splash of soda.
One of the bar's more out of the box drinks is the Low Land Plum Swizzle, which consists of Scotch, Vermouth and Sherry as well as plum gin and black walnut bitters. The ingredient, though, that will really capture your attention, is crumbled walnuts.
A more straight forward, but no less of a delicious libation, is the Sky and Gold, which is made with Bulldog gin, Amontillado Sherry, pear liquor, Absinthe, lemon juice and Thyme.
In order to be a great after-work spot, one has got to offer some tasty bites besides intoxicating sips. The kitchen here delivers big-time. First of all, the menu is much more varied than what you usually find at a cocktail lounge. And the dishes actually taste good and satisfy.
Selections range from Ahi tuna tacos and Zucchini and Burrata flatbread to pulled pork sliders with Bourbon BBQ sauce.
Besides a bountiful mac and cheese dish, the most popular item would have to be the sausage platter. Three kinds of sausage, (spicy Italian, Merguez and chicken and apple) are accompanied by warm foccacia.
Celebrate the art of the cocktail at Crimson and Rye.
Location and Hours
198 East 54th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 687-6692
Monday to Thursday 4 PM to 1 AM
Friday 4 PM to 2 AM
Saturday 5 PM to 2 AM
Sunday Closed
The Bar Downstairs - Midtown East
Tucked away in the basement of the trendy Andaz 5th Avenue Hotel, The Bar Downstairs is a chic lounge that offers fine wines, a killer craft beer list, premium cocktails and locally-sourced Latin style dishes.
Conviviality is the name of the game at The Bar Downstairs. More than just a hangout for the hotels' guests, this lively, energetic lounge has become the place to be for local neighborhood residents and the corporate crowd.
Upon entering the hotel lobby, just walk over to one of the elevators, take it down one floor to the lower level and follow the signs. The lounge is hidden away, kind of like those old-school speakeasies. But there's nothing illegal going on here. Just fun as well as great food and drink.
An eye-catching hand carved sign on a door lets you know that you've arrived at the right place. A basement location for a bar doesn't sound very sexy. But somehow, this off-beat location works for the Bar Downstairs. For one thing, it's very spacious and stylish. You don't feel as though you're below ground.
There's a way cool vibe going down here and the decor is bright and modern. The hip, young crowd only adds to the vibrant feel. All cocktails are made from small batch liquor and each drink is infused with a carefully chosen array of fresh herbs.
The management has cultivated strong relationships with local vineyards as well as farms and purveyors of meat, fish and cheese. Only the best products make it to your table.
For example, the sardines and shrimp that are used in the kitchen's tapas-style plates come directly from fisherman Steve Connolly, whose day boat runs out of Massachusetts. The pork that is used to make their succulent chorizo comes from Meili Farms in upstate New York.
The bar's most acclaimed cocktail has to be The Airmail, which is made with white rum, honey syrup, lemon juice and champagne. Their cocktail line-up changes with the seasons, as many of the libations depend on seasonal fruits and herbs. But fear not, selected house favorites can always be found on the menu.
Whether you prefer your drink shaken or stirred, The bar Downstairs has the right cocktail for you. The aptly named Poetry In Motion consists of gin, amaro nonino, marmalade, lemon, mint and rose cava. Strawberry juice adds just the right touch of sweetness to From the Ground Up, whose other ingredients include aged rum, fernet branca, lime juice and angostura bitters.
Spiced citrus syrup cadamaro, aquavit and a nice splash of cognac gives a real kick to the Captain In Tow cocktail. For a really different drink, ask your bartender to stir things up with the Kyoto Cannon, which is made with genever, Junmai sake, cocchi americano and pink peppercorn.
As far as the food goes, everything is tasty and extremely well-made but, since this is tapas-style dining, don't expect huge portions.
Two of their most popular dishes are shishito peppers and that tasty and spicy tapas bar standby papas bravas. Be advised that these potatoes are really spicy. Butoh so good!
The heartiest plates are the succulent skirt steak and the seafood paella.
The Hyatt family re-defined what a boutique hotel should be with Andaz at 5th Avenue. Now, they are doing the same with cocktail lounges in The Bar Downstairs.
Location and Hours
485 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
(212) 601-1234
Monday to Saturday 5 PM to 12 AM
Sunday Closed
Lantern's Keep - Midtown West
One of the sexiest and most original cocktail bars in the city, Lantern's Keep is bringing downtown chic to the heart of Midtown Manhattan.
Inspired by the European cocktail salons of the 1920's and 30's, Lantern's keep is a very special place in which to spend an evening with close friends or the one you love. There's a great deal of warmth in the air and it's not just from the elegant vintage fireplace, either.
The decor is absolutely stunning with marble tables, antique chairs and impressionistic paintings that bring a splash of color and vibrant life to the dark walls. The ambiance is decidedly upscale without being intimidating or stuffy. Tucked away in a corner of the bar is a small library whose shelves contain some interesting volumes about the history of mixology as well as memoirs from famous bar keeps throughout history.
Right near Bryant Park, Lantern's Keep is conveniently located. Numerous subways are just down the street and Times Square and the Theater District are only a five minute walk away. If you're going to a show, come in for a pre-theater cocktail and bite to eat.
Lantern Keep's mission is to keep classical bar traditions alive; of expert barkeeps using only the finest ingredients and time-honored techniques to serve unique concoctions with personality and character.
Here, the bartenders are considered to be rock stars and with very good reason. They are the best at their craft. The management even provides biographies of their bar staff on the Lantern's Keep website.
One of the longest tenured bartenders here, Natalia Del Pozo originally hails from Cali, Colombia and grew up in Miami. Having trained under Becky McFalls and the legendary Sasha Petraske at Little Branch, Natalie is also a talented sculptor when she is not behind the bar crafting cocktails.
Another of the bartenders who you really should get to know is Daniel Rutkowski. A world traveler, Daniel spent some time in Taiwan, working as a mixologist and consultant. When he is not shaking and stirring up a storm at Lantern's keep, Daniel plays piano at weddings and various dive bars and clubs in NYC!
But no matter how entertaining or personable a bartender may be, the bottom line is their drinks have to be good. That's really what motivates customers to spend their hard earned dollars at a bar or lounge. Be assured that at Lantern's Keep the drinks not only do not disappoint, they exceed expectations.
Cocktails are mostly priced at $18, which might seem to be a touch more expensive than average. However, you most definitely get what you pay for.
Their cocktail menu is helpfully divided into different categories based on an individual spirit such as gin, rum, tequila, brandy and whiskey. But you won't find any vodka based cocktails here, because this spirit wasn't very popular with speakeasies and cocktail salons in Europe, back in the day.
They also have a special option called keeper's Choice, whereby the customer requests a specific spirit, style or flavor and the bartender gets creative and adds on select ingredients.
The Raspberry Rickey, with gin, fino sherry, lime and raspberry juice and seltzer, is shaken and served tall. Another gin-based delight is the jasmine, which also adds cointreau, campari and lemon juice to the party in your glass.
If rum just happens to be your jam, then you will find a lot to like about the Hotel Nacional which brings pineapple juice, apricot liqueur and lime juice together with aged rum for an unforgettable libation.
The La Reforma is a blend of premium blanco tequila, refreshing pear brandy, lime juice, ginger and a touch of honey.
Shaken and served over crushed ice is the famous brandy cobbler, made with cognac, peach liqueur, lemon, orange and pineapple juice with a hint of mint. The garnish is some succulent fresh berries. How much more refreshing can one get?
Like most bars and lounges, the food menu is all about shareable plates and small bites. But the food makes a tremendous impact on your overall experience here. The white bean and truffle dip with crudites and Rosemary chips is a stand out as are the Umami Oysters and Bison sliders with Gruyere cheese and pickled shallots.
You will also enjoy the marinated lamb tenderloin with red mustard sauce and the chicken liver mousse toast with sunchoke chips.
Location and Hours
The Iroquois Hotel
49 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 453-4287
Monday to Friday 5 PM to 12 AM
Saturday 7 PM to 2 AM
Sunday Closed
Lexington's - Midtown East
With a sophisticated ambiance and world-class cocktails, Lexington's offers a refreshing respite from urban stress and your typical routine. There is nothing bland or boring about this fascinating establishment, which is located in the St. Giles Hotel.
Plush Ottomans, cozy banquettes, flat screen TVs and a spectacular elongated 25 foot bar are just a few of the amenities that you'll find here. The main draw is a throwback old-school billiard room, complete with a vintage billiard table, sofas, cushiony chairs that you can sink into and an actual working fire place! This is the sort of establishment where the kings of cool, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, would have felt right at home.
Start practicing those casual cool selfie poses by the pool table, right now.
Many of the newer cocktail lounges have found a home inside some of the city's premier boutique hotels. That really comes as no surprise. Traditionally, back in the forties and fifties, mixologists preferred to work in hotel bars because of the built-in clientele and the financial resources that the management provided for their bartenders. Experimentation behind the bar was encouraged.
Some of the classic cocktails that are still popular today were created in hotel bars and restaurants. Lexington's has one of the most extensive drink lists in New York with a delicious selection of reds, whites, champagne and port.
Their signature drink is Lexington's Punch. This elixir has everything that you are looking for in a cocktail. The blend of appleton rum, dry curacao, blood orange, pineapple and pomegranate juice, honey syrup and champagne is smooth, revitalizing and refreshing. It's a Broadway show inside a glass!
A traditional sort of sip, the Highlander's base ingredient is single malt scotch together with sweet vermouth and orange bitters.
The bartenders, though, really strut their stuff with the bodacious Shanghai Margarita, which consists of tequila, agave nectar, lime juice and minced ginger. One of their most popular after-work drinks is the soothing Basil Tonic, a marvelous blend of Beefeater gin, muddled basil and mint along with tonic water.
The food menu consists of small plates that are big on taste, with a strong Mediterranean influence.
You will absolutely adore the Moroccan meatballs with toasted pita and yogurt sauce as well as the house-made hummus that is accompanied by a plate of veggies, olives and feta cheese.
The jumbo shrimp cocktail does the job if you're hungry, but it's the Parmesan and truffle fries that take bar bites to another level. Don't leave the premises without pairing up a plate of these scrumptious fries with your wine or cocktail.
Location and Hours
130 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
(212) 592-8844
Monday to Saturday 4 PM to 12 AM
Sunday Closed
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Safeguard your family's health with pediatricians, dentists, orthodontists, and specialists. Take note of those who can help kids with special needs/developmental delays, speech and language difficulties, allergies, and more.
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Could the UK exist without its USA 'ally'?
Discussion in 'Personal' started by oldsomeman, Jul 13, 2019.
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Combining an exquisite village location with superb access to modern facilities, this distinctive scheme merges style and substance, and provides easy living for up and coming families, young professionals, or those with more time on their hands. The Forge is aptly named – the name 'Ballygowan' derives from the Irish for place of the smith. Yet while the village and locale retain their country charm, this is no sleepy rural idyll. Schools and shops, town and city are all within easy reach. At its heart, Ballygowan retains a strong sense of neighbourliness and community. It is a place where people matter, where families can grow and flourish. So welcome to Ballygowan and welcome to The Forge.
It is the attention to detail that sets The Forge apart. By seamlessly blending dressed stone, render and red brick, the development offers a range of house styles, each of which is sympathetic to its environment, and conveys a thoroughly modern edge. These homes reflect an investment in quality, a commitment to craftsmanship and a sympathetic respect for building and landscape. There has been a settlement at Ballygowan for almost three hundred years, yet this busy village still keeps pace with the modern world. With its own supermarket, butcher, green grocer, Post Office, café bistro and news agent, most of the immediate necessities of everyday life are well catered for.
There are spacious public parks on the Belfast Road and in Dixon Park and the more energetic can let off steam at the local football pitch. Ballygowan's churches tend for the spiritual needs of most denominations and local primary schools include Alexander Dixon Primary, St Mary's Primary, Carrickmannon Primary and St Caolan's Primary. Excellent high schools are to be found at Newtownards, Comber, Saintfield, Ballynahinch, Downpatrick and at Knock in south east Belfast. The village also benefits from a first class bus service.
Ballygowan enjoys a singularly convenient location, being about 20 minutes equidistant from Belfast, Newtownards and Ballynahinch. George Best City Airport is 25 minutes away, while the beautiful attractions of Newcastle and the Mourne Mountains can be reached in only 40 minutes. Two superb shopping centres are within easy striking distance. Forestside, in South Belfast, and Ards Shopping Centre is in Newtownards, with around 60 different stores designed to meet every retail need. Golfers have a host of 9 and 18 hole courses to choose from at Temple, Crossgar, Ringdufferin, Rockmount and Mahee Island Golf Clubs all offer their own distinctive challenges.
Why not enjoy a meal of Northern Ireland's finest produce at Balloo House, an elegant nineteenth century coaching house in Balloo village, or refresh yourself with tea and scones at the quaint thatched tearooms in Lisbane!
Schools near The ForgeVIEW SCHOOLS FINDER
Information obtained via the Education Authority website and via Freedom of Information requests. Visit our School Finder page for more information about transfer test grades/scores.
For more information visit The Transfer Tutor (Multi Award Winning App).
Life at The Forge, a breath of fresh air.
The Forge is aptly named - the name 'Ballygowan' derives from the Irish for place of the smith. Yet while the village and locale retain their country charm, this is no sleepy rural idyll. Schools and shops, town and city are within easy reach.
The Forge is accessed via Moss Road off Church Hill within walking distance of Ballygowan Village.
As you would expect from such an outstanding scheme, the comprehensive, modern turnkey specification of The Forge offers the very best in terms of quality products and stylish finishes.


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Source: The Zanesville Daily Courier, Zanesville, Muskingum Co., Ohio
Saturday, May 18, 1878, page 1, cols 3-4
Contributed by Ky Longley
The Early History of Zanesville
For the Courier,
As we are passing down the shady side of life, it is pleasant to call to mind those whose forms were so familiar to the people of Zanesville three score years or more ago. Among the noted men of the early days of the city, was Jacob Houck. Every little urchin knew Jacob Houck. He was one of the pioneers. He arrived in Zanesville in 1806; was a stone and brick mason by trade; was engaged in that department for a number of years after his arrival here. He erected and owned the two-story hewed-log which stood on the site of the present residence of W. M. Shinnick. Frederick Houck, his brother, was engaged in the same department of industry in summer time, and in winter he gave his time and attention to dressing buckskins and manufacturing buckskin pantaloons, vests, and gloves for early settlers. He employed several girls, and kept them busily engaged making gloves.
He lived in a small frame house on Main street, west of the residence of his brother. Jacob Houck, was at that time one of the leading stone and brick-masons in Zanesville. He worked on the old State House, in 1809. He was superintendent of the stone and brick work. He was a very large man physically, and was an inveterate smoker. In those days, when lighting his pipe, on the walls of a building, he could use his sun glass if the sun was shining, as he was so large that it was inconvenient for him to come down and go to the fire-place to procure a light. At that time there were no matches. The people, when they wished to light a fire, resorted to the sin glass, or steel and flint, and punk. In the winter of 1832 or 1833, the lucifer match was invented. The first match used was a piece of tape about six inches long, with one end coated with a combustible matter. These matches were light by drawing the strip of tape through a sand paper. They were put up in bundles, and kept in boxes. Afterwards, small pieces of wood were coated with combustible material, and these matches being so much more convenient the tape matches entirely disappeared and wood matches soon came into general use. A lady informed the writer a few days ago, in a conversation, that she well remembers hearing Mr. Houck tell me about using his sun glass to light his pipe, while upon the walls of the State House. The lady was well acquainted with Mr. Houck and family, and is a connection by marriage. He built the dwelling house of Alexander McLaughlin, in 1811, on the corner of Market and Sixth streets, known afterwards as the Van Horn homestead, and in 1812 built the stone wall around the grounds where the residence of Willis Silliman stood, at the head of Min street, known afterwards as the proper of Dr. Brown.
Thomas Goff was an apprentice to Mr. Houck, and learned the stone and brick-mason business with him. William Goff also worked for him. Mr. Houck built the first pier - under the forks - of the upper bridge, where the toll-house afterwards stood. It was constructed of limestone, taken from the bottom of the river under the site of the present bridge. The outside wall of the pier was four feet thick, and the center was filled with loose stones and dirt. These loose stones were not laid in mortar and grouted, as is done now. This pier was built in 1813. The remaining piers were made of wooden trestles, set in the river and cribbed around with logs, bolted, or spiked together with iron bolds. The vacant space around the trestles was filled in with loose stones, and then the logs and stones were covered over with heavy oak plank, spiked down to the logs. The writer will, at some future time, give the history of this bridge, giving the time when the erection of the first bridge was commenced, name of architect, &c., &c.
Mr. Jacob Houck was the father of three sons and two daughters. His sons died while yet in the prime of life. His son George died in 1808, in his eighteenth year, and was buried on the hill at the head of Main street. His other sons died away from home, or at least one of them did. Mr. Houck weighed at the time of death over three hundred pounds. He died in 1816 of what is now known as Bright's disease. Mrs. Margaret Houck, his wife, died September 1, 1818, in the 59th (?) year of her age. His eldest daughter married William Conwell, and died on Sunday, August 1, 1917, while in the prime of life. Mr. William Conwell after his marriage kept books at Dillon's furnace at the halls of Licking; also sold dry goods on his own account for several years at the Dillon's furnace; afterwards kept store in Zanesville, in Mud Hollow, and died November 21, 1818, in the 39th year of his age. Mr. and Mrs. Conwell were the parents of Mrs. Isaac Campbell, now living in this city.
Mr. Houck's youngest daughter married Capt. John Stanton of Zanesville, and died in 1823 or 1824. John Stanton became Capt. of the Zanesville Artillery, organized in the fall of 1818, by Captain Bliss of the firm of Cleveland and Bliss, silversmiths. On the Fourth of July, 1825, Captain Stanton, in command of the Zanesville Artillery, moved up to Licking Summit to take part in celebrating the completion of the Ohio canal. This was the first military organization in Zanesville after the war of 1812. Col. John Sockman, yet living here, was one of the first members of the organization. He had charge of the six-pounder at the celebration at Licking Summit. The Zanesville Artillery company carried off the honors. They fired faster, and the old cannon roared louder than any other cannon on the grounds. In fact, the firing was distinctly heard on the streets of Zanesville.
Captain Bliss, as heretofore stated, organized the company. William Cassidy, I believe, was the second commander of the Zanesville Artillery, Captain Stanton third, and Asa R. Cassidy, fourth. Capt. Stanton was a strong Whig, and quite a politician; was elected Sheriff of Muskingum county in 1827, and died before the expiration of his term of office. Samuel Parker, the Coroner of the county at the dime, discharged the duties of the Sheriff, for the remainder of Mr. Stanton's term. Capt. Stanton was twice married. His last wife was Miss Susan Dulty.
Mr. Houck's sons and daughters and two sons-in-law, died of consumption. Frederick Houck, the buckskin dresser, a few years after the death of his brother, moved to Kentucky, and after the death of his wife, married a widow lady whom he had courted and loved, when she was yet in her teens. And all these long years she still remembered her first love, and when the Old Ferryman had crossed the river, with the husband of one and the wife of the other, then it was that the happy days of the olden times came tripping one by one into their minds. The rides, the drives, the moonlight walks, the parties they attended in company with each other, the happy days the spent in the green groves, all these wandered back and linger long in the mind of each. And there visits were repeated day after day.
Oh! the happy days of childhood. Can we ever forget them? Will the remembrance of those free and happy days still come tripping oftener and nearer the banks of the river? Can we ever forget the voice, the laugh, the sparkling eyes, the actions of that innocent little girl, into whose ear we first whispered the words of love? Those fairy forms still appear to us; those familiar voices will still continue to ring in our ears. Why they walk unbidden into our presence, talk, and laugh, and sing, and shout, just as they did a quarter of a century ago. Mr. Houck and his first love met and found they had loved each other through all those long years, and they married, and remained upon earth a number of years, in the enjoyment of happiness and contentment.
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In a sense, Jim Bolla considers his fourth season in Manoa really his first.
The Hawaii women's basketball coach set the groundwork for his fast-paced system over his first three years while coaching players initially brought in by former coach Vince Goo and his staff. This season, with just a couple of exceptions, the Rainbow Wahine roster is comprised of players trained under Bolla's watch.
"This is kind of the birth of my team, with players we recruited and solely coached," Bolla said. "All they know is what we've taught them the last three years, and everything we do is up-tempo.
"It's the beginning of what we talked about when I was hired. This is the kind of style we want to play."
The Rainbow Wahine open their season tomorrow against Washington in the opening round of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m., with the tournament opener between Northern Arizona and UC Davis set for 3.
With his system in place, Bolla promises a quicker pace this season, with a guard-oriented offense that won't hesitate to launch shots from the perimeter and full-court pressure on defense.
Among the goals Bolla has set for the team is to make 10 3-pointers per game, which means launching at least 20 attempts.
"I'll stop practice and say, 'Why didn't you shoot it? It's open,' " Bolla said. "We have one general rule with our kids on offense, when you get the ball you're the first option to score.
"We want you to go for it, and we want you to use it within the context of our offense."
The Wahine plan to start a three-guard lineup featuring the Big Island triumvirate of senior Saundra Cariaga and freshmen Leilani Galdones and Keisha Kanekoa. Sophomore Dita Liepkalne is slated to start at forward, with senior Tanya Smith in the post.
"It's going to be a completely different look," said Smith, who teamed with Brittany Grice in the post last year. "It'll be much faster. ... Even though we may lack size, we have a lot of hustle."
Bolla expects to go nine to 10 players deep, with Amy Kotani, Catherine Cho and Shannon Nishi providing depth in the backcourt and 3-point specialist Megan Tinnin helping both at guard and forward. Iwona Zagrobelna, a 6-foot-4 senior, backs up Smith in the post.
While the 6-3 Smith, a first-team preseason All-Western Athletic Conference selection, is a proven producer as Hawaii's leading returning scorer (10.8 points per game) and rebounder (9.2 per game), Bolla said a key tomorrow will be the other four players crashing the boards against a Washington team that features six players 6-2 and taller.
"I'm real happy with our guard play right now," Bolla said. "I think rebounding's going to be a big concern for us, especially against Washington with their big front line. I think our pluses are going to be our team speed and our pressure defense."
Notes: The arena will be cleared at the end of the women's game, then reopened for the men's game between UH and Illinois at 8. ... The Wahine will have more depth in the frontcourt when Tara Hittle joins the team following volleyball season. ... Freshman Katie Wilson and sophomore transfer Allie Patterson will redshirt this season.


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Remove paint from fabric is a fairly easy job if done soon enough.
Flush the solvent indicated as a thinner on the paint container through the stain. If no thinner is indicated, use turpentine. Be careful not to spread the stain. Rinse thoroughly with water and repeat if necessary. Rub the area with bar soap (not a deodorant-type) or a liquid detergent. Rinse again and launder.
This type of cleaning can be used on the following fabrics
Acrylic Fabric, Cotton, Linen,
Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, Spandex
To remove paint from leather and suede gently scrape to remove the excess. Mix a solution of mild soap in lukewarm water. Swish to create a great volume of suds. Apply only the foam with a sponge. Wipe with a clean dry cloth. If any stain remains, try rubbing Tannery Vintage Leather Cleaner & Conditioner, a leather cleaner, into the spot with a clean soft cloth. Allow it to dry. If stain persists, test a dry-cleaning solvent on an inconspicuous place. If safe to use, gingerly apply to the stained area, and allow it to dry. On leather only, follow with Tannery Vintage Leather Cleaner & Conditioner or Fiebing's Saddle Soap.
WARNING: Before making any attempts to remove spot, always test fabric for colorfastness first by applying a small amount of the cleaning solution or chemical on a hidden or unnoticeable area. The tips listed here are not guaranteed to work with every carpet, fabric or upholstered item. When using any chemical or liquid on fabric you should PROCEED WITH CAUTION. If you are unsure as to how your fabric or upholstery might be affected you should call a professional cleaning technician in your area.
back to how to clean upholstery from remove paint from fabric
Laeving fabric paint page back to upholstery supplies guide


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Devynn Rourke is too young to drive. She's also too young to vote or hold a political office.
However, she wasn't too young to join in the yearly PTA Day at the General Assembly. She went along with her father, Robb Rourke, president of Carl Sandburg Middle School PTSA.
They were part of a group comprised of about 50 parents from Fairfax County who went to Richmond to stand up for public education. Several went on the bus sponsored by the Fairfax Council of PTAS; others drove down separately.
Diane Brody, president of the Fairfax Council of PTAs was on the bus; she currently has a child at West Potomac High School.
"It's good for them [senators and delegates] to see our faces. They're always willing to meet with us and seem to be caring," said Brody. One of the bills she wants her representatives to vote against is HB2761, a bill which gives tax credits to business entities for eligible contributions made to eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations (NSFO). Her concern is that this contribution to private schools will further dilute money for public schools. "The integrity of the state depends on the strength of public education," she said.
"My main goal is to improve the lives of the teachers and protect what we've got now," said Brody. While she has been to Richmond before for these types of issues, she said, "Today is different. The PTA has joined with other educational groups (VEA, teacher associations, school boards, principals) — it will give us more visibility."
Most of the other people in the bus were going for the first time. Laura Mattingly took advantage of the bus; she's the PTSA president from Robinson High School. "I'm trying to get the state to live up to its funding obligation. If you meet with the local delegation, they know what you need."
Juan Lopez represented Fairfax Villa Elementary School. He was the PTA president for two years and serves on Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Daniel Domenech's supervisory committee.
"I just want to show support for Northern Virginia and see what's going on," he said.
Maggie Williams is the assistant director for the Fairfax District PTA. With children in Samuel Tucker Elementary School and Francis C. Hammond Middle School, Williams said that she has been an activist since 1995.
"I think that the PTA is a very good voice and can be very strong. I'm pleased that the governor has included block grants — it's important for Alexandria. We need to protect some of our state-funded programs."
Robert Walters, PTA president for Rose Hill Elementary, said, "I'm fighting for our education dollars. I want to rattle the cage of our representatives. They need to know that we need the money."
He went on to say, "All we have is property taxes to pay for things. If we want to do anything, we have to ask the state for permission. We need to have broader tax authority."
Also representing the council on the bus were Dana Cimino, corresponding secretary, and Connie Lorentzen, 2nd vice-president. Cimino, whose children attend Stone Middle School and Westfield High School, said, "I want to be part of the voice."
DIFFERENT PLACES, DIFFERENT IDEAS, yet when they arrived in Richmond, they were one voice representing Fairfax County PTAs. They met up with other PTA groups from across the state for a greeting by Governor Mark Warner. He spoke briefly to the assembled group, saying that he would continue to do what he could for public education.
Afterwards, PTA members listened while various groups presented the bills they were advocating. Among them: HB2433-sales and use tax rate increase; HB1834-scoliosis screening for public school students; HB2594, 95 and 97-all having to do with the availability of health care for every child; SB1100-character education and participation in community service; and HM1755-education sales and use tax exemptions; omnibus extension bill.
The group walked to the General Assembly Building where Chris Schmitt, first vice-president of the Fairfax Council of PTAs, and Lynn Terhar, Fairfax District PTA Director, met the group. Schmitt was moderating the meeting with the legislators.
Only seven out of the 23 elected officials who were invited, came to meet with the group.
Delegate Vincent F. Callahan, Jr. (R-34) came by the meeting room, but missed the group who was late in arriving. In attendance were Senator Patsy Ticer (D-30), Delegate Kris Amundson (D-44); Delegate J. Chapman Petersen (D-37); Delegate Timothy D. Hugo (D-44); Delegate Karen L. Darner (D-49); and Delegate Jeannemarie Devolites (R-35). Delegate Gary A. Reese (R-67) stopdped by the rally which was held later on the Capitol grounds.
THE REPRESENTATIVES were not encouraged.
"It's grim," said Amundson. "There's zero chance for [Jim] Dillard's bill (HB2433) to pass."
Ticer said, "We're suffering terrible setbacks because of the new composition of the legislature. We're struggling on education. We know what it means to have so many things categorically rolled into the formula; we get so little out of the formula up here."
Amundson said the legislature was spending a lot of time on things that don't matter. She also said that HJ658, the constitutional amendment she put forth requesting the appropriation of public funds to Virginia students and parents of Virginia students, was killed in the House Committee on Privileges and Elections; whereas the voucher proposal received nine votes.
"Vouchers will destroy public education. There is no evidence that it improves performance. What shows the biggest single difference is lower class size."
Hugo said that he voted against vouchers and that he's opposed to a reduction in K-12 funding, adding that he applauds the governor for the additional money that was put towards K-12.
Devolites spoke about the work she's been doing to get the formula changed. She would like to see the dollars reapportioned. "Those of us who represent Fairfax County bring this up over and over again, but it's an exercise in futility," she said.
Petersen spoke briefly about HB2025, 26—two bills designed to raise the cigarette tax; this is not a popular item in Richmond and he doesn't expect it to be passed.
THE MEETING WAS OVER, the representatives who had pulled themselves away from their busy schedules returned to the business at hand. PTA members moved onto a rally on the Capitol grounds. There they faced the bitter cold, along with more than 200 other school advocates and listened to members from the various associations speak.
Signs were held high — "United We Stand!" "Every Child, One Voice!" Vote No-HB2761;" Standing Together for Public Education;" PTA For Education and Funding;" and for a short while, they felt that maybe they were making a difference.
On the way home from Richmond, some of the members reflected on the day.
Mattingly said that she wished more of the delegates had come to speak. Rourke, whose daughter woke up in time for the bus ride home, said that he was a little disappointed. "I was expecting so much more," he said. "I hope the right funding for education will be maintained and I hope they will take notice that we were there. If they're not doing the right thing, we'll vote them out."
Brigit Retson, president of Westfield High School PTSA, said, "I'm glad I came, I just wish there was more time."


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Fort Bend tells feds it will help Spanish-speaking voters
Fort Bend accepts vote decree
County will help speakers of Spanish at voting booth
Under pressure from the federal government since 2004, Fort Bend County has agreed to greatly expand the use of Spanish in election materials and voter assistance.
The U.S. Justice Department revealed the agreement in federal court here along with its allegations that the county failed to obey several requirements for multilingual access to election information.
The agency, which has monitored elections in Fort Bend and a few other Texas counties since at least 2004, refused to say what prompted its investigation of the elections. Court documents suggested voter complaints may have triggered the probe, noting that the county has agreed to guard against election workers becoming hostile to Spanish-speaking and Hispanic voters.
The population of Fort Bend, which includes the southwestern tip of Houston, was 22 percent Hispanic as of 2004, according to the Justice Department. The total number of county residents since has topped 500,000.
Fort Bend was among several Texas counties that published its ballots in Spanish. Federal officials said more action was needed to follow voting rights law.
"The (law) requires Fort Bend County to provide meaningful and equal electoral access to its Hispanic citizens who have limited English proficiency," Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said. "I am pleased that Fort Bend County officials have agreed to measures that will protect these important rights and will put in place important electoral safeguards."
County Judge Bob Hebert indicated the county was a reluctant participant in the settlement.
"This was a consent degree negotiated under the threat of a lawsuit," he said.
Technically, the Justice Department did sue the county this week, including the county's settlement in its filing. Fighting the suit would have cost the county $1 million or more, Hebert said.
"It just requires us to do the things we are trying to do every day," he said of the agreement. "We do not acknowledge that we violated the law. They complained we have. We agree that we are obligated to follow the Voting Rights Act in its entirety … but everything we agreed to are things that we thought we were doing."
Ballots in 3 languages
Federal officials tried to get the county to sign in 2006, saying part of its sizable Asian-American population also was underserved at the polls. The county refused, saying the charges were vague. The new settlement makes no mention of Asian Americans.
Urban Texas counties print ballots and related materials in English, Spanish and Vietnamese under the federal law.
Separate from the language issue, Fort Bend County also agreed to make sure provisional ballot applications are available to all voters who asked to vote after stating they were properly registered, even though their names were missing from the county rolls.
The Justice Department drastically increased legal action against U.S. counties over voting rights during the Bush administration, reaching agreements with Waller County in 2008 and Ector County in West Texas in 2005.


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Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright explored the integral role of religion in foreign affairs — both as a positive force for peace and as a contributor to violence around the world — in her keynote address at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs in Gaston Hall on Thursday.
Albright's speech kicked off the celebration, a two-day affair entitled "Rethinking Religion and World Affairs," comprised of panel discussions around the intersection of religious understanding and international affairs.
The symposium reflects the work of the center, which was founded in 2006 by a donation from William R. Berkley partly in response to the 9/11 attacks. According to Vice President for Global Engagement and Berkley Center Director Thomas Banchoff, who introduced Thursday's event, the center believes that a greater emphasis on religion can help academics, policymakers and civil society better understand the violence and hope that arise in response to religion.
"We've sought to address religion's complex role in the world and, over the long term, to advance peace in practice," Banchoff said. "This critical work thrives here at Georgetown … in our mission as a global university committed to the global common good."
University President John J. DeGioia echoed Banchoff after his introduction, lauding the Berkley Center's work as critical to the spirit that animates the university.
"This ethos come[s] alive in our community with our identity as a Catholic and Jesuit institution and in our commitment to genuine dialogue, to the exchange of ideas especially with those different than our own and to the idea that we arrive closer to the truth when we presume the best in one another," DeGioia said.
Through this frame, DeGioia said there was "no one better" to discuss the role of religion in global affairs than Albright, who has been a part of the Georgetown community since 1982 in various professorships and who, in 2006, published "The Mighty and the Almighty," a book that directly confronts the intersection of religion and international affairs.
Albright began her speech by tracing the history of religion in international relations theory, noting that secularism was dominant throughout the Cold War. An emphasis on realism and rational decision making shunned religious warfare as a remnant of the past.
"It's not that religion was forgotten as much as it was compartmentalized," Albright said. "It was personal, not public, and local, not global."
Yet, beginning in the 1970s with the Iranian Revolution, followed by Afghanistan in the 1980s and the Balkans in the 1990s, religion became a resurgent feature of international affairs. This required policymakers to understand religion to comprehend the nuances of foreign policy, according to Albright.
"In today's world, presidents simply must take religion into account when they speak or act in global affairs. The question is how to do this without creating new problems," Albright said. "It's a challenge that a friend of mine has compared to brain surgery: necessary to do but disastrous if you slip up."
To counter the prevailing notion that religion was solely a divisive force, however, Albright emphasized the unifying nature of religion, referencing the work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa, Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II in Poland.
"Religion has always been a globalizing force," Albright said. "The borderless nature of religious faith often makes it easier for leaders to talk to one another, easier for nations to agree on common values and easier for people of vastly different backgrounds to reach a consensus about moral standards. We know from our modern experience that faith can serve as a source of inspiration and healing."
At the crux of Albright's argument was a recognition that religion, like democracy, respected each human being as valuable. She thus condemned terrorism as a perversion of religion for tokenizing the individual.
"Terrorist groups such as al-Qaida and Da'esh see history as a twilight struggle between cultures in which the individual as a disposable pawn. They value not ideas but obedience, leaving no room for any vision but their own," Albright said. "We must do more to defeat those who pour poison into the ears of young people, turning humans into robots."
Part of the fight against these extremist organizations, according to Albright, is promoting unity among religions in place of creating divides. She recognized this as difficult to do in a virulent campaign season, condemning — without explicitly referencing the candidates by name — Donald Trump's proposal to keep Muslims out of the country and Ted Cruz's proposal to patrol Muslim neighborhoods.
"The first rule of public life is to frame a choice," Albright said. "We will win if people believe that the great divide in the world is between those who believe it is okay to murder innocent people and those who think it's wrong. We will be in for a very long struggle if people believe the choice is between the supporters and defenders of Islam. This is exactly the fight Da'esh wants to have."
Albright concluded by stating that the Berkley Center and other nongovernmental institutions were critical to affirming the importance of religion in civil society and opening the space for dialogue.
"We have no greater task than to build bridges of understanding and tolerance before mutual ignorance and insecurity harden into an unbridgeable chasm of hate," Albright said.


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If you want to earn more as a freelancer, you need to sharpen your negotiation techniques. Seriously. When a prospective client makes you an offer, your ability to negotiate the scope of work and your fee can pay off off in two important ways.
First, negotiation techniques can help boost your cash flow. Second, and more significantly, negotiation techniques can help you establish a higher rate for each subsequent piece you write for a client.
Let me share an example with you that went particularly well.
I'd been wooing a potential content marketing client in one of my niche areas. We discussed a project on the phone for a while, and then the editor made me a low-ball offer of $300 per piece. Based on the time it would take me to deliver what we'd discussed, I knew I wouldn't be able to do the work quickly enough for it to be worth my while.
I wanted to work with this client, so I countered the offer by using a couple of key negotiation techniques. The result: I managed to get a contract for $750 per piece — more than double the initial offer.
Want to know how I did it? Use these proven negotiation techniques to get paid more:


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This started in my wearing tradition of a friend asking me something, and me responding by writing a million times too much, including multiple digressions and impractical tangents. However, a lot of my disaster-preparedness strategies are psychological. They developed out of survival of a variety of crises both acute and long-term. I cover things that most purely logistical advice for natural disaster prep don't touch on—but I think at the core of responding to emergencies effectively people need, in advance, psychological skills and mental coping ahead.
In addition to the latest hurricane, many people face sudden and ongoing crises. Inspired by my friend Abbey's masterful post sharing her coping strategies for chronic illness, here are my (always evolving) ways of dealing with disasters both natural and un.
Poverty and Loss Taught Me What I Need to Survive
My disaster planning reflects my survival of a lifetime of traumatic experiences, caring for dying relatives, an ever-evolving approach to emergencies of all kinds, and the experience of falling into poverty and letting go of almost all my belongings.
In selling off and getting rid of home, furniture, belongings (and through survival) I've learned what's necessary to keep my life and keep it worth living. I live in a broken-down (and continually breaking) RV I don't own. I have no insurance for my possessions, only my car—without which I can't get food and treatment, so that is absolutely vital to my survival. It's the prime thing I have to preserve.
I've considered ways to protect my car in storms, where I can store it that might afford more protection than parking outside surrounded by a choking cluster of tall slender easily snapped pine trees. The RV is in a custom-built sturdy shelter that has protected it from falling trees for years. Yet my car is vulnerable. If necessary I can ask someone I know with a garage if I can store it there.
I store in a small portable fire box my vital documents, like original birth certificates, marriage certificate and death certificate for my husband, Social Security Card, my name change documents, emergency cash, and a backup drive of my laptop. Since the fire box lock is broken, if necessary I lash it shut with cords/rope and store it enclosed as possible in case the RV is damaged.
My other vital necessities are my laptop plus an ancient back-up laptop, and my musical instruments. I've digital copies of my most treasured books. My writing is stored in the cloud using Dropbox, as well as scanned copies of aforementioned vital documents, tax returns, financial and health/legal records. If I ever evacuate the RV I would take the firebox, laptops and instruments in my car.
Psychological Preparedness in the Face of Disabling Mental Illness
For me, living with disabling mental illness challenges, the most important preparedness for me in any disaster or emergency is psychological.
These are things I'm always doing, especially since I'm running out of money from a four-year battle for Social Security Disability, in danger of dying of poverty, and continually facing crises and breakdowns I can't afford to fix. I constantly must discern what I can control and prepare for, from what I can't control—such as weather. Then I focus my limited resources and energy on what is within my power.
My most effective response to stress, frustration, powerlessness, helplessness and regular overwhelming psychological decompensation is identifying things that I can do to make 'any positive change.' (This is the motto of the Chicago Recovery Alliance, and at the core of harm reduction methods with which I've overcome multiple addictions.) Identifying things I can do centers around an ongoing practice of writing down what I struggle with. Besides putting in words what overwhelms me, I can search some of these words on Google and find others struggling similarly, read and hear how they cope. I save what resonates for me into a database of articles and reading notes with author names and website links, even if I can't always manage to do what they do with my limitations at the time. Storing information offline preserves things that may vanish from the web, makes my notes more easily searchable, and guards against loss of internet access. I've decades of such files. I also keep notes from electronic books and borrowed library books.
Speaking of library books…
Sanity Through Writing & Dissociation, and the Perils of Hope
Since so much of the trauma I dealt with as a child involved isolation and captivity, I found validation and solace in Michael Scott Moore's book 'The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast.' He writes:
"The stress of captivity had turned my mind into a cauldron of contradictory ideas—frustration, self-hatred, surprising impulses to violence—and nothing but the discipline of composition could lead me out of the soup. When I thought about it like that, I could answer the criticisms, in his voice, that rose in my imagination while I sat alone under the mosquito tent, these nightmarish and unanswerable condemnations from beyond the grave. Writing is impractical, selfish, narcissistic, and soft. Maybe; but I had found pleasure in it as a young man because it could reframe a scrambled mind. Good writing could be a release from narcissism, a declaration of independence, a way to order and furnish the mental prison."
"…hope had become a psychological risk, something worse than a frustrating cycle. It was a breaking wheel, an emotional indulgence with a treacherous downwards slope. It could fuck me up for days. I had to detach myself like a Buddhist from my own desire to be free, the way I had to detach myself during a hunger strike for my profound desire for food. I had to quiet my raging thoughts and quit hoping for any future at all. The discipline was monkish but not large hearted; I just learned to adjust to the shifting currents of indignity with as much quiet loathing as I needed to keep myself sane."
"…mirth came and went on its own. Which told me that human creatures had the power to thrive in foul circumstances precisely because of the consciousness bubbling up from our limpid core."
"…prayer did help me articulate my most self-destructive emotions, so it became a way to balance my brain and remind myself of the forces raging overhead. It let me sort out what was, and wasn't, within my power.
Writing in notebooks had the same effect, and I remembered that the poet Derek Walcott had once compared composition to prayer. 'Any serious attempt to try to do something worthwhile is ritualistic,' he said in an interview. 'If one thinks a poem is coming on—in spite of the noise of the typewriter, or the traffic outside the window, or whatever—you do to make a retreat, a withdrawal into some kind of silence that cuts out everything around you. What you're taking on is not really a renewal of your identity but actually a renewal of your anonymity, so that what's in front of you becomes more important than what you are.'
…'Renewing my anonymity' maintained my sanity. Epictetus meant nothing else when he wrote about removing your self from suffering. 'If you regard yourself as a man and as part of some whole,' Epictetus told his students, 'it is fitting for you now to be sick and now to make a voyage and run risks, and now to be in want, and on occasion to die before your time. Why, then, are you vexed? Would you have someone else be sick of a fever now, someone else go on a voyage, someone else die?'''
I used writing as a child to dissociate from a situation in which I had no agency. I created a Walter Mitty inner landscape. I could navigate and control my experiences in words, in self-exploration, in dreamlike fantasy fiction—and give myself my wishes in fantasy. (This was a strategy I read in 'How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk' during an "I need to reparent myself" phase.)
The dissociative and selective-attention states I developed during abuse, or providing in-home care for my dying husband for months, or during an accident where I had to haul the 300-pound driver out and administer CPR until the paramedics arrived—these states may have been responses to trauma, but I believe they're skills that emergency workers must surely practice. I find myself automatically shutting off awareness of emotions.
When the crisis is over I must release them all (to the distress of those around me) with an intense emotional breakdown sometimes involving my punching bag or cutting off contact with everyone. I delay my flipping out until it is safe to do so. This becomes a problem when the emergency doesn't end and it's never safe—such as my current situation of fighting for Social Security Disability, living in an unsafe unhealthy unstable environment with deteriorating financial and psychological stability. Without surcease and expression, my feelings become septic and add to my psychological instability and overall high arousal state.
In neverending crises like this, writing and music have become necessary ongoing practices for me. They are my pressure release valves, helping dumping some of my gunked-up psychological tanks—much like the weekly maintenance on the RV's wastewater tanks to limit buildup from completely filling them and rendering them unusable. As well as breaking irreplaceably expensive parts the system and causing sewer drain fly infestations. I've become desensitized both to human waste and the ferocity of my emotional buildup, made more intense by the symptoms of my mental illnesses. This is why my computers and musical instruments are as vital to my survival as my car.
Practical Needs: Fortunate Misfortunes
Concerning basic survival supplies, I am fortunate that, because of the age of the plumbing in the RV, I don't have potable water and continually stock up on water, since the first thing everyone does in a crisis is clean out all the stores of water. I'm fortunate that I stock up on canned goods regularly with my food stamps and have a rice cooker donated by a friend.
I'm fortunate that the RV is connected to a back-up generator. I'm fortunate that my disabilities don't leave me vulnerable to death if, say, refrigeration or power fails or I can't get to a hospital because of downed trees all along the eleven-mile two-lane overwhelmingly rural drive to civilization.
Some Psychological Skills I Use
I'm fortunate that I know I have survived many emergencies and disasters and have explored how I did so, and how others have. I'm fortunate I practice coping skills (particularly Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) on an ongoing basis. I'm fortunate that I know for certain what I need to live and continually shore up those things as a way of dealing with the continual existential anxiety of struggling to survive year after year.
I know I can't control nor predict what will hit me day to day (including mercurial weather), nor my ongoing legal battle for Social Security Disability (beyond everything I've done to educate myself, comply with all Social Security's demands promptly, lawyer up until I found the right one for my case and complied equally promptly with him, and solicit the assistance and support of those treating me). So I use mindfulness to turn thoughts of any dreadful fantasies of what could happen toward, "What can I actually, practically do to prepare against that nightmare eventuality?" I assess my resources and limitations, research and ask trusted professionals, and then make any positive change, no matter how small. I cope ahead daily. If the answer is that there is nothing I can do, I turn to skills to help regulate overwhelming emotions and my psychological pressure release valves. I read, write, or play music to combat feelings of powerlessness that might otherwise throw me into paralyzing psychological chaos.
The Habits of Enduring Survival
I live on the edge of a metaphorical black hole. This means a daily striving to push myself beyond the event horizon and not be sucked in and crushed to death by inaction. My inadequately treated disabilities worsen each year. Medicaid rejects my repeated applications on the grounds that Social Security has not deemed me 'disabled' even though I meet the financial threshold for Medicaid eligibility. (One of the worst injustices I face is that benefits meant to support and sustain the disabled are denied to anyone to whom Social Security is currently denying benefits—making other benefit programs even more essential to survival.) It's possible I could die of poverty, physically unable to reach food and necessary care. It gets harder as money and health dwindle in the absence of income, a safe healthy place to live, benefits or safety nets that won't abuse my vulnerability and reveal conditions and expectations beyond my ability and safety.
Yet I persist. I can still write and read and listen to or play music. I can remove my self from suffering and 'renew my anonymity' in my own ritualistic ways. Art is my spiritual practice. It has always been there for me in the most acute as well as lengthy crises. Art is my form of prayer and meditation. Sometimes I can forge meaning and build identity from the smallest inspirations anywhere.
Prolonged Trauma Permanently Crippled as Well as Taught Me
I forged value as well as crisis survival techniques through decades of exhausting, overwhelming, time-consuming work and basic skill-building. These burdens can seem bewildering and unnecessary to those raised in an environment absent of inescapable varied traumatic abuse, control, neglect, invalidation, misuse, and indoctrination.
Despite how it may seem I've 'made lemonade from lemons,' it's crucial to remember that while one can build shelter from rocks that have been hurled at one for years, it does not make a prolonged campaign of rock-throwing legal or acceptable. Also, being hit repeatedly with rocks can cause permanent damage and constant pain that may never heal, even if external signs of injury fade to invisibility.
My disabilities and crisis-coping are invisible—but like gravity and air and time, their reality is constant and their impact profound.
In 'Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror,' Judith Hermann writes:
"People in captivity become adept practitioners of the arts of altered consciousness. Through the practice of dissociation, voluntary thought suppression, minimization, and sometimes outright denial, they learn to alter an unbearable reality."
"During prolonged confinement and isolation, some prisoners are able to develop trance capabilities ordinarily seen only in extremely hypnotizable people, including the ability to form positive and negative hallucinations and to dissociate parts of the personality. …Thinking of the future stirs up such intense yearning and hope that prisoners find it unbearable; they quickly learn that these emotions make them vulnerable to disappointment and that disappointment will make them desperate. They therefore consciously narrow their attention, focusing on extremely limited goals. The future is reduced to a matter of hours or days."
"…recovery, like a marathon, is a test of endurance, requiring long preparation and repetitive practice."
Even before the fourth edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Hermann advocated for and outlined the criteria of a new diagnosis labeled 'Complex PTSD.' Survivors of long-term captivity and abuse they were powerless to stop, particularly children raised in such environments and subsequently maladapting at crucial developmental stages, display persistent treatment-resistant symptoms far above and beyond those with a PTSD diagnosis whose traumas were more singular or short-term. Complex PTSD sufferers display observable profound personality alterations, disordered social functioning and/or avoidance of human contact, failures to adapt to ordinary stress or new situations, numerous physical and psychological dysfunctions such as overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol and malfunctions in the measurable sympathetic nervous system that controls the 'fight or flight' response.
Hermann's proposal, though advocated for and and endorsed by many therapists struggling to treat such patients, failed to be included in the DSM-IV or the more recent DSM-V edition. Why is this important? The DSM is the 'bible' of standard criteria for diagnosing mental disorders. It's relied upon by everyone from clinicians to health insurance and pharmaceutical companies and Social Security. This single book has profound medical, financial, and legal consequences for the enormous percentage of the population living along the spectrum of varying degrees of psychological distress and mental disorders. Adequate research, treatment, support, benefits and rights for the most severe and disabled suffering can fail in large part because of how much this book influences individuals and systems with power.
Though it's not 'canon' as far as the DSM, health care industry, and justice system are concerned, people write about it, make videos about it, and even refer to it by name in conversation.
One of Judith Hermann's final notes on the subject stayed with me the most, and came to mind often as I read Michael Scott Moore's book about his years of captivity. Hermann wrote that naming the syndrome of Complex PTSD
"…is an attempt to learn from survivors, who understand, more profoundly than any investigator, the effects of captivity."


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Using sausage in burgers is a smart shortcut, because the meat is already seasoned. Plus: F&W's Grilling Guide More Great Burgers
How to Make It
In a large skillet, bring 1/4 inch of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until just wilted, about 1 minute; drain and press out as much water as possible. Wipe out the skillet.
In the same skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the garlic and anchovy paste and cook over high heat, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the spinach, season with salt and stir just until coated, about 10 seconds.
Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Using slightly moistened hands, form the sausage meat into four 4-inch patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Brush the burgers with oil and grill over moderate heat until browned and crusty on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip the burgers. Top with the cheese and grill until the burgers are cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer. Spread the pesto on the rolls. Top with the burgers and spinach and serve.


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Sponsored By
Oil & Gas Fracking Giant Chesapeake Energy Files For Bankruptcy ProtectionChesapeake Energy, a global energy powerhouse known in North Texas for its pioneer drilling in the Barnett Shale, has filed for bankruptcy protection.
Chesapeake Energy To Boost Drilling Budget, Rig CountChesapeake Energy Corp. has announced plans to increase its drilling budget and rig count in 2017, saying that confidence is growing in the hard-hit energy market.
Former Chesapeake Energy CEO Dies In Car AccidentFormer Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon died in a car accident on Wednesday morning according to the Oklahoma City police department.
Chesapeake Dials Back Support For City Firework CelebrationsThe fireworks still went off. The parades wound through the streets. The money to pay for it all however, was not as easy to find for some cities this year.
Chesapeake Plaza Goes Up On The MarketFour years after a celebrated move-in, Chesapeake Energy may be moving out of its 20 story tower in west Fort Worth.
Fracking Website Bringing Disclosures Into FocusGas producers in North Texas are now required to publicly disclose the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing, and the amount of water they use to do it.
Barnett Contractors Announce Layoffs After Chesapeake Cuts BackOne day after Chesapeake Energy announced to cut back on its drilling operations, independent contractors report job cuts have already began inside other companies that depend on the Barnett Shale.
Chesapeake Energy Cutting Production In Barnett ShaleWith natural gas positioned as the energy source to power Texas homes for 200 years, Larry Langston expected to get at least a few decades of production out of the gas under his land.
Gates At Fort Worth Natural Gas Facilities Found Opened, Raises Security QuestionsThe day Melissa McDougall told the Fort Worth zoning committee she was concerned about unsecured gas facilities in the city, she expected to find the problem solved. That afternoon, though, friends photographed gates wide open at Chesapeake Energy's Mercado compressor station, she said.
Fort Worth Residents Protest Gas Compressor StationMore than 100 residents voiced concerns to Chesapeake Energy officials about their plan to build the region's largest gas compressor station close to their northeast Fort Worth neighborhoods.
Fort Worth Gas Pipeline Vote Postponed Amid ConcernsResidents are pushing back against Chesapeake Energy's plan to build a massive compressor station off Randol Mills Road to push more natural gas down its pipelines.
Chesapeake Energy Plans Aggressive Move Into Oil


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The Cubs in 2016: So Far, So, So Good
(The Sox aren't so bad themselves.)
For all the statistics baseball fans like to obsess over, there's really only one that matters in any given game: scoring more runs than the other guys.
And after 25 games, the Cubs have been scoring a lot more runs than the other guys. They lead all of baseball with a run differential of +89, well more than double any other team.
2016 Run Differential Leaders, Through 25 Games
According to ESPN, this is "the third best [start] in the modern era and the best since the 1905 New York Giants." The Cubs are tied with the legendary 1939 Yankees, a team that would rack up a +411 run differential on its way to a 106-45 record and a sweep of the Reds in the World Series.
Chicago Cubs Run Differential, 1903-2016
Note: This graph has been updated to reflect the rest of the 2016 season.
It's no surprise that after 25 games the Cubs have their best record since 1906.
Games above .500, 1903-2016
Note: This graph has been updated to reflect the rest of the 2016 season.
Their 19-6 record reflects, depending on how you think about these things, some bad luck. Baseball Prospectus calculates three different versions of what a team's record should be, based on things like underlying statistics and opponent quality; according to those, the Cubs should either be 21-4 or 22-3.
Further statistical craziness: the Cubs have a run differential of +44 in games Jake Arrieta has started, accounting for half of their entire run differential in his six starts: he's allowed four runs (for an ERA of 0.84), and they've scored 40. [Clarification: the run differential includes runs scored by either team after Arrieta was pulled.] Which is part of their bad luck; they'd be better off if they were scoring 8.67 runs a game in John Lackey's starts to support his 4.32 ERA. Then again, they're averaging 7.60 runs in Lackey's starts, so that's OK, too.
The interesting thing to look at going forward is less the pitching than the hitting. It's unlikely that Arrieta, Jason Hammel, and John Lester will finish the season with ERAs under two. They all have strand rates over 90 percent; that will come down, and they will give up more runs.
But as of right now the Cubs have scored 153 runs, tied for the best in baseball with the Cardinals. And it looks like that could be sustainable. Dexter Fowler is playing way over his head, slashing .352/.473/.602 with a .438 batting average on balls in play. Dexter Fowler is not the fifth-best hitter in baseball, no matter what the stats say. Matt Szczur's .367/.441/.600 line is also unlikely to keep up.
On the other hand, there's room for improvement. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .242 with a .206 BABIP. Jason Heyward—historically a slow starter—is hitting .211. Jorge Soler is hitting an abysmal .188, but he's raised his walk rate to 11 percent and dropped his strikeout rate from 30 percent to 21 percent; his BABIP is an extremely low .208.
So even if their pitching regresses to being merely excellent and the couple regulars who are riding what looks like luck fall back to earth, they have a couple slow-starting stars to pick up the slack. And one major change looks to stick: a couple of weeks ago, August Fagerstrom of FanGraphs said the Cubs could have the most disciplined lineup ever—in the post-1961 expansion era—when they had played seven games and walked 13.1 percent of the time.
"It's not expected to stay that high, but it is expected to stay the highest," Fagerstrom wrote. It's now 13.3 percent. Only one regular on the Cubs, Javy Baez, has a walk rate below 10.5 percent, and he's not even an everyday player.
More statistical anomalies: the Cubs are the best baserunning team in the majors per FanGraphs data (10.4 BsR, compared to the second-place Padres at 6.4). I wrote about their walk rate and baserunning improvements last May; some of that can be attributed to the hiring of Joe Maddon. I also pointed out at the beginning of the season how Jason Heyward was a vast improvement on the basepaths over Jorge Soler, whom he was then expected to replace; Heyward has the best BsR score on the Cubs so far this season, and the second-best in the majors.
And they're the best defensive team—with the usual caveats for small sample size and tetchy metrics—by FanGraphs's Defense score (21.4, compared to the Rangers at 14.3) and Baseball Reference's Total Zone Fielding Runs (22 above average, compared to the Nationals at 17). Again, as I've written before, this looks like something that can be attributed in part to Maddon's hiring.
So … the Cubs are really good. You can be really good and really lucky, like the Cardinals were last year, and by cluster luck at least, the Cubs appear to have been pretty lucky too this year. But the Cubs have built a remarkably deep team. They have a good bench; they have a team full of positional flexibility; and their players have, generally speaking, broad skill sets. They'll have to survive changes in luck to keep up their pace as a historically great team, and Cubs fans know from bad luck. But it looks like they've built the team to do it.
And that other team in town? At 19-8, the White Sox happen to have the second-best record in baseball. Together the Cubs and White Sox were a ridiculous 22 games above .500 after 25 games.
Rarely are both teams this good at the same time. How rare? At this point in the season it's happened exactly once, in 1907, the year the Cubs won the first of their only two World Series championships.
Cubs and White Sox, combined games above .500, 1903-2016
Obviously a lot can happen between now and October, but if this keeps up, a rematch of 1906 could very well be in store.
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