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November 16, 2017
News Brief: 2018 International Conference on Family Planning in Kigali, Rwanda
At the fifth International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Kigali, Rwanda, which took place November 12 to 15, 2018, four new research findings were presented. The 2018 ICFP was co-hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, which is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Rwanda.
Conference papers will touch upon a range of issues, including the conference theme of youth empowerment. These findings address family planning and contraception.
Reproductive Coercion in Kenya
Women in the urban settlements of Nairobi, Kenya are expected by their male partners and the wider community to be "constant reproducers" of children, and are apt to experience violence and other forms of coercion if they try to limit their pregnancies, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and Ujamaa Africa.
Reproductive coercion has been studied extensively in the U.S., but, as lead author Shannon Wood, a PhD candidate at the Bloomberg School, notes, "little research has been done in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in high fertility settings, to understand how community and partner norms contribute to such coercion."
The researchers set up focus group discussions in Nairobi's three urban settlements with 19 informants who had experience working with domestic or partner violence in their communities, and 49 female survivors of intimate partner violence.
The discussions showed that community norms in this area, and male partner norms, discourage the limiting of pregnancies.
"The most commonly discussed form of reproductive coercion was men's refusal to allow women to use condoms and other contraceptive methods," Wood says. "When women requested condom use, for example, partners would react by refusing, accusing women of having other partners, threatening them or physically abusing them." Consequently, women often avoided condom requests altogether.
The results indicate that in this high-fertility community, coercive practices regarding condoms and reproductive health are pervasive. Wood and colleagues conclude that future interventions should address, among other things, controlling dynamics over childbearing, sexual risk reduction and other aspects of sexual and reproductive health. The researchers are now conducting a follow-on randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a safety decision aid in reducing intimate partner violence and enhancing safety behaviors and resilience.
The qualitative study, titled "'He tells you your work is to give birth:' Reproductive coercion among informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya," was led by Shannon Wood and principal investigator and associate professor Michele Decker of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, with support from IDEAS42. The research team includes Zaynab Hameeduddin of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sydney Rachel Kennedy and professor Nancy Glass of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and implementation colleagues Ben Asira and Benjamin Omondi of Ujamaa Africa.
Health Insurance for Family Planning in Tanzania
Family planning advocacy by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) Advance Family Planning (AFP) project in Tanzania has prompted the country's largest private health insurer, AAR, to provide coverage for family planning services, according to a report jointly authored by AAR Tanzania and AFP. CCP is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
"Private health insurance is an important avenue for expanding uptake of family planning given the access it provides to the corporate world," says lead author Halima Shariff, AFP country director. "Since they introduced this coverage option, AAR Health Insurance company has seen an increasing number of corporate clientele endorsing family planning coverage for their staff."
Although Tanzanian government health programs offer family planning services free of charge in public facilities, clients accessing these services in private health facilities are required to pay out of pocket. Tanzania's total fertility remains high at about six children per woman and the adoption of contraception has been slow. "Promoting contraceptive use to a significantly higher proportion of couples requires the activation of critical partners such as private health insurers," Shariff says.
AFP and its local partners employed an analysis of the costs of providing women in Tanzania with a full range of short- and long-acting modern contraceptive methods per year to convince AAR management of the savings that could accrue from integrating family planning into their health benefit package and other health-related programs. The evidence persuaded AAR's management to provide family planning coverage starting in their 2016 health benefits package.
AAR's clients have since been able to access modern family planning methods in the company's 263 health facilities in Tanzania. The number of corporations that registered for the package with family planning coverage grew from 35 in 2016 to 119 in March 2018.
"The company expects continued increases in the numbers of corporations enrolling and utilizing the service," Shariff says. "We think AAR has set a trend from which other private health insurers are learning in order to embrace the practice."
The report, titled "Tanzania's Largest Health Insurer Covers Family Planning: An evidence-based advocacy success story," was authored by Halima Shariff, Tabia Massudi, John Ngonyani and James Mlali.
Tracking the Adoption of Contraception in Five African Countries
The use of modern contraceptive techniques is increasing rapidly in some parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Burkina Faso, a trend which potentially offers lessons for regions with slower adoption rates, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) initiative, launched in 2012 at the London Summit on Family Planning, proposes to add 120 million modern contraceptive users in the world's 69 poorest countries by 2020. Bloomberg School Graduate student Qingfeng Li and colleagues examined FP2020 and USAID data to determine how well Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Burkina Faso are progressing towards this goal—not just at national levels but also at sub-national regional levels.
The researchers found that from 2012 to 2017 the prevalence of modern contraceptive use (mCPR) went from 13.5 percent to 21.2 percent in Burkina Faso, 20.5 percent to 25.5 percent in Ethiopia, 14.8 percent to 21.9 percent in Ghana, 40.0 percent to 44.7 percent in Kenya, and 20.8 percent to 27.3 percent in Uganda. Based on the observed country growth rates, they projected that the five countries collectively would contribute 8.1 million additional contraceptive users towards the overall FP2020 goal.
Meeting the FP2020 goal would require average annual growth rates in contraceptive use of more than 1.5 percent. None of the five countries achieved such rates, but Li and colleagues found considerable in-country variation, with some regions showing relatively fast increases in mCPR use. In Ethiopia, for example, the mCPR increased at an annual rate of 1.4 percent in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region; that and two other regions (out of a total of nine in Ethiopia) accounted for 87 percent of increased mCPR users up to 2017.
"The fact that some regions have done so much better than others suggests that there may be ways to improve adoption rates in less-performing regions," Li says.
The study, titled "Potentials of Achieving FP2020 Goals of 120 million Additional Contraceptive Users by 2020," was co-authored by Qingfeng Li, Amy Tsui and Saifuddin Ahmed.
Maternal Care and Postpartum Family Planning in Ethiopia
Better maternal health services could improve the rates of postpartum contraceptive use in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), suggests a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
One of the reasons for high birth rates as well as high infant and maternal mortality in developing countries is the inadequate use of contraception by women who have recently given birth. Although the World Health Organization recommends that women wait at least 24 months after giving birth before becoming pregnant again, studies suggest that about 60 percent of women in low- and middle-income countries don't use effective contraception to prevent pregnancy during this two-year postpartum period.
A team led by the Bloomberg School's Linnea A. Zimmerman, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in Population, Family and Reproductive Health, used data from the Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 Maternal and Newborn Health survey (PMA-MNH) in SNNPR to analyze relationships between maternal health services, including counseling on family planning, and the uptake of contraceptive use.
The analysis, based on interviews with 329 women during and following their pregnancies, showed that fewer than half (47.2 percent) reported receiving any postpartum family planning counseling prior to giving birth, and only 43.1 percent reported using any method of contraception at six months postpartum.
Moreover, women, who during the antenatal period received at least one visit from a skilled health professional—not including Ethiopian government health extension workers (HEWs)—initiated contraceptive use at 1.6 times the rate of women who did not.
"The difference between women who see a skilled antenatal care provider, other than an HEW, at least once in their pregnancy and women who don't suggests that postpartum family planning counseling is not being delivered effectively by HEWs alone," Zimmerman says.
Increased training for postpartum family planning counseling may be needed for HEWs, she adds.
The study, "Do Maternal Care Contacts Improve Postpartum Family Planning? Evidence from a Longitudinal Cohort Study in SNNPR, Ethiopia," was co-authored by Linnea A. Zimmerman, PhD, MPH.
# # #
Media contacts for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Barbara Benham at 410-614-6029 or firstname.lastname@example.com and Christina Cherel at 410-502-8956 or email@example.com.


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SR-Tesseler: a method to segment and quantify localization-based super-resolution microscopy data
Due to the diffraction of light, the resolution of conventional light microscopy is limited as stated by Ernst Abbe in 1873. Localization-based super-resolution techniques are part of the techniques developed to break this diffraction limit and capture images at a higher resolution. They revolutionized the quantification of molecular organization by making it possible to monitor fluorescent probes in living cells close to molecular spatial resolution (a few nanometers). Despite its youth, this breakthrough was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014. However, the analysis of the data acquired with these techniques often involves complex image processing adapted to the specific topology and quality of the image to be analyzed.
In a paper entitled "SR-Tesseler: a method to segment and quantify localization-based super-resolution microscopy data" published Monday 7 of September in Nature Methods, researchers from the IINS in Bordeaux developed a new method packaged as an open-source segmentation software. It allows precise, robust and automatic quantification of protein organization at different scales, from the cellular level down to clusters of a few fluorescent markers. SR-Tesseler is insensitive to cell shape, molecular organization, background and noise, allowing comparing efficiently different biological conditions in a non-biased manner, and perform quantifications on various proteins and cell types. SR-Tesseler software comes with a very simple and intuitive graphical user interface, providing direct visual feedback of the results and is freely available under GPLv3 license.
Florian Levet, Eric Hosy, Adel Kechkar, Corey Butler, Anne Beghin, Daniel Choquet & Jean-Baptiste Sibarita
Florian Levet and Jean-Baptiste Sibarita
More informations can be found here: http://www.iins.u-bordeaux.fr/team-sibarita-SR-Tesseler
Published online: 7 September 2015 http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmeth.3579.html

subset: commoncrawl


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On Thu, 2009-07-02 at 23:53 +0000, Chris Wilson wrote: > Thomas Lord [mailto:email@example.com] wrote: > >I said that web interop using > >TTF/OTF would create a market for entrants who > >use more permissive licenses. > How about we create a market that encourages entrants, whether they want their TTFs copied or not? Please elaborate. Suppose that I am a potential market entrant in waiting. I am willing to try to make a go of things in the market if I can offer my libre fonts in TTF or some OTF extension. That way, if someone spots a copy of my font on the web they can download it and use it with all of their other apps without any hassle of conversion and so forth. I'll make my $ on bespoke font design work, on first-sales of copies, and so forth. I won't command the royalties to which restricted-license vendors are accustomed but if I'm good at this I might well get a premium on my labor hours and bandwidth. The enabling element is a Recommended requirement and IE adoption of TTF/OTF as a web font format. You want to open the door to entrants not interested in TTF/OTF compatibility. It has been repeatedly proposed to add a novel format which, at least as a side effect, supports that as well. You, so far, said "No." but then you seemed to soften that in later messages. So, where do you stand? -tReceived on Friday, 3 July 2009 00:10:14 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Friday, 17 January 2020 22:37:32 UTC


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Dr. James A. Wells D.D.S.
Dr. Wells is a native of Monongah, West Virginia. He attended Fairmont State College between 1989 and 1992 and graduated from West Virginia School of Dentistry in 1996. He furthered his education by participating in an advanced education of general dentistry program at the Physicians Office Center in Morgantown, West Virginia.After moving to Charlotte in 1997, he joined a group practice in which he worked as an associate for 3 years. He opened his office in September 1999 and prides himself on the small town atmosphere he provides to his patients. When not working, Dr. Wells enjoys golfing and watching sports.
Christina – DAII, Office Manager
Christina, one of our Dental Assistants, is a native of Charlotte, has been with us since the office opened. She is also the office manager as well as an assistant. She started her dental career in 1997 and has worked with Dr. Wells since 1998. When not working, she enjoys reading, Zumba and camping with her husband and their two boys, Austin and Lucas. Their 2 shih-poo's, Jack and Eli, love that they get to tag along. She is eager to answer any financial, insurance, or treatment related questions that you may have.
Kim – Financial Coordinator
Kim is our Financial and Treatment coordinator. She handles the financial aspect of your treatment, insurance verification, scheduling, and billing questions. She has been in the dental field since 1980. She has been married to her husband, Steve, for 30 plus years and they have 2 boys, Shane and Kyle. She enjoys spending time with her family and dog, Shuggie, reading and enjoying lake life.
Lauren – Dental Hygienist
Lauren is a Registered Dental Hygienist and graduated in 2009 from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and a minor in Communications. She is an active member of the ADHA and is always gaining knowledge through continuing education courses. She enjoys helping patients feel comfortable during their dental visit and educating them on the importance of oral health care.
Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband Adam, daughter Brielle, and dog Binki. She also loves traveling to West Virginia to see her family and friends and going to West Virginia football games to cheer on the Mountaineers!
Sarah – Dental Assistant
Sarah joined our team in 2014 as a Dental Assistant II in training. She is actively learning and studying to take the National Boards to become a Certified Dental Assistant. She was born and raised in Florida but arrived in Charlotte in 2012 for new beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new places in Charlotte with her son, Jaden and boyfriend Nathan. They enjoy day trips, hiking, and boating on Lake Wylie with their two dogs, "Little Girl"and "Kona". Sarah strives to build relationships with her patients and finds their trust very important and rewarding.
Sandra – Dental Hygienist
Sandra is one of our Registered Dental Hygienists. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2001 and has lived in Charlotte since 2006. She is active with the local dental hygiene association and enjoys going to continuing education classes to better help her patients with their oral health.
Sandra enjoys spending time with her husband Brian and their two daughters, Courtney and Carleigh. She loves going to the beach, reading, and watching her girls at swim meets.
Christina- Dental Assistant
Christina joined our team in January 2017 as one of our Dental Assistants.
When not working Christina enjoys spending time with her fiancé and 2 children and above all, watching her hamster spins in its little ball for hours. She also likes taking short walks at night to either the refrigerator or freezer for midnight snacks. If she wants an even longer walk she will go to the pantry. Oreos are her all time favorite. Oh and she also enjoys her dog Lilly and bon bons and carbs. Lots of carbs! Sooooo close to the Wells 10 we all strive for.


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Broken English Taco Pub Is a Lively Stop in the Loop
There's no shortage of spots to get a cold drink and some tacos to take the edge off. Thing is, you generally couldn't find them in the Loop. Until now: Broken English Taco Pub (75 E. Lake St.) is here, ready to pour you some impressively strong margaritas for all your post-work imbibing needs.
Basically every inch of wall space is covered in murals (including one featuring JC Rivera's Bear Champ), giving the spot from Adolfo Garcia (Son of a Butcher Tavern) and Phil Stefani (Tavern on Rush, Riva Crab House) a festive look. The food and drinks are both reasonably priced, and there's some sidewalk seating available, too. This would make for an ideal stop before or after catching a show at the Chicago Theatre.
Here's what we saw when we stopped by.
Now, Luella's Serves Up Baked Goods, Too
3 days ago
Get Your Grill On
1 week ago
Submit your comment
Comments are moderated. We review them in an effort to remove foul language, commercial messages, abuse, and irrelevancies.


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We create Chinese websites for you to attract customers from China. Chinese websites will greatly improve the conversion on your websites, are absolutely necessary for real estate, higher education, tourism and hospitality industries to attract Chinese customers. It will also enable your websites be indexed by Baidu, China's leading search engine.
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Our Markets
- Desk Top Website
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- Baidu Campaign
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We provide complete services for Chinese website design and development. We can create desktop website as well as mobile website for China market. Those Chinese websites will greatly improve the conversion of Chinese customers.
In additional to creating Chinese websites for you, we also help you run marketing campaign in China to attract web visitors to your websites. We can help you pick the most attractive keywords to deliver your message to non-English-speaking Chinese consumers. We can fit your advertisements into the local mindset so that you are spared the hassle of trying to understand a different culture.
Further, our SEO experts can help your website rank high on a Baidu search, bring orangic search to your websites. You can find our additional Baidu advertising and marketing services at: Glogou Ad Baidu.
Ready to start? CONTACT US NOW


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Journalism at its core is an analog business, even when distributed digitally. It is not about algorithms but people, their communities and stories that affect their daily lives.
Facebook has built a global digital business that lets people relate to their families and communities on a platform with two billion users. But it is not an analog business, instead relying on algorithms and big data to target users and advertisers and to tailor news to certain tastes. It has conned traditional news businesses into allowing it to cherry pick their expensive journalism to provide news feeds that ultimately undermine the viability of those same news businesses.
As with so much of the digital revolution, publishers have walked into a dark alley blindfolded and allowed digital behemoths — including Google, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and YouTube — to rob them of their content. That is not to deny these platforms have expanded the footprint of journalism. Even the practice of reporting has been expanded and improved by database journalism, internet research and the rise of the mobile phone as digital witness, especially in the hands of citizen journalists.
It's just that publishing businesses have been so blinded by technological innovation they have forgotten good journalism is still about talking to people, maintaining sources, cultivating whistleblowers and telling stories that matter. Most big media businesses even seem to have forgotten how to relate to their own customers, despite their constant prattle about the need to be "customer-centric". You doubt me? Just try ringing any metropolitan media company before 10 any morning or after 5 any afternoon and see if you can get a human to answer the phone.
Even now, after Cambridge Analytica, fake news, Russian meddling in the US election on Facebook and public revulsion at what has become an untrustworthy echo chamber reliant on algorithms to make news judgments, traditional publishers are still approaching these platforms the way supplicants might a despotic medieval ruler. An inquiry by the competition regulator set up by Scott Morrison is giving them the chance to fight back.
A read through the 57 submissions to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission platform inquiry, including from Facebook and Google, makes at least two things clear: these two behemoths dominating the advertising market worldwide should be considered in law as publishers and be subject to the same legal, defamation, competition and copyright regulations as all publishers. And both platforms must be made to pay for news they run from traditional media.
News publishers in the noughties, not understanding the digital world, decided to give away their best and most valuable content online because they felt they had to be there. So loyal readers paid for their paper every day while disloyal readers were rewarded with the best content for free online.
People bagged News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch in 2009 when he called time on this and said readers should pay for online news. Now even The Guardian is asking readers to help fund its journalism.
At this paper the introduction of a hard paywall in early 2012 (after a three-month free trial starting in October 2011) has created a pile of revenue big enough to replace most of the employment classified ads lost to disruptive start-ups since 2008 and put the paper back into profit. Yet the advertising that theoretically should have followed that highly engaged, paying, online audience has not proven as lucrative as some expected, a real problem for news sites with porous paywalls.
Some of the submissions to the ACCC outline why this is happening and why it should have been obvious a decade ago to thoughtful managements. Barriers to entry in online news are low and advertising inventory (space for ads) is infinite. Anyone can start a news site or blog and attract advertisers.
Under the old model for journalism, publishers needed to spend a fortune to set up printing plants, buy ink and paper, and establish expensive distribution networks. These high barriers to entry created scarcity, underpinning advertising rates. Same with free-to-air TV spectrum.
Most of the publishers' submissions to the ACCC criticise platforms for stealing content, having excessive market power and opaque use of algorithms to rank publishers' products in search engines. This paper always opposed giving away premium content, but not because we were Luddites. In fact The Australian volunteered in 2011 to be News Australia's first paywalled paper. Why? If your business is news, you have to place a high value on news. It's the same reason we opposed giving Facebook our news for free, but we lost that one.
Now The Wall Street Journal has led the way in abandoning Google's First Click Free model last year. Of course it faded in search results, but so what? Ad yields online are declining but customer revenue is rising. Publishers with hard paywalls should not die in a ditch for a shrinking pile of money — traffic and ads driven by search — that was tiny to start with. Better to focus on online display and native advertising attracted to specific audiences.
This newspaper's new marketing campaign will be based on trust, a theme in newspaper ads around the world as fake news scandals make people reassess what they read online and the risks they take with their personal data.
Yet it is not only readers who are reassessing. Advertisers, too, are starting to wonder if they are getting what they pay for. For 2½ years this newspaper's Media section has been reporting on the failures of new media platforms to measure truthfully the impact and return on investment of their ads, including video. Still, traditional publishers and advertisers feel they have to be represented on new media because that is where reading habits have moved and where news is being consumed and ads seen. And they are right. But not at just any price and not on someone else's platform, building their business at your expense.
As an industry, publishers have spent billions trying to compete in areas way beyond their expertise. Some executives have spoken openly — with no hint they understand how stupid this is — of the need for journalists and ad sales people to become technologists. Well, no. You can't order up a new Google by chief executive decree. Publishers are in the content business, not the tech business.
Mark Day wrote last Monday the "reports of print's death were premature". Hear, hear!
Most of the revenue publishers make still comes from print products, and some publishers are realising those need to be defended. We have seen recent improvements in editorial quality and story breaking at our rival Fairfax Media's The Australian Financial Review and The Sydney Morning Herald in the past 12 months.
The Australian, has not only lifted print cover prices, it also has maintained print sales, kept print display revenue, grown almost $30 million digital subscription revenue, raised its presence in luxury advertising and is read by more people than at any time in its history. Looks like a future to me.
Sure, Facebook and Google are good tools for marketing news stories. Every Monday about 9am when this column is tweeted out on The Australian Media account its traffic spikes. That's good for my ego, and traffic drives revenue, but not the way subscriptions do.
The ACCC inquiry and the credibility problems hitting global platforms are an opportunity for producers of journalism. They need to grab it and insist on fair value for their product. Governments need to apply the same laws and competition policies to the platforms they do to publishers.
But news outlets need to remember they are not in the same business as Google and Facebook. Their best strategy is to refocus on reporting on their communities, wind back the commodification of news in their own products, focus on building consumer revenue in print and digital, and wait for advertisers to realise highly engaged local audiences are valuable and can make the cash register ring.


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Ghoulees in the Coulees
Historic Homestead over 100 years old, illuminated only by the light of the moon and jack-'o-lanterns? Making your way through the woods, guided by more jack-'o-lanterns, not knowing what kind of ghost or goblin may greet you around the next tree? An experience unlike any other – come to Norskedalen for Ghoulees in the Coulees!
Advanced Reservations required – call 608-452-3424 today!
Family Trick or Treat – Thursday
Building on the traditional Pumpkin Walk on the opening night of Ghoulees Weekend, Norskedalen has created a Family Friendly Trick or Treat Night. Led by a tour guide, your family will enjoy a walk through the woods on a pumpkin-lit trail, ending up in the Historic Bekkum Homestead. In the Homestead, your family will be able to trick or treat from a variety of historic buildings and open-air booths. Additional activities such as storytelling may be available too! Come join us for a candy fun-filled evening! Children of all ages are welcome, costumes encouraged!
Norskedalen, Thursday, October 24th * Hike times between 5:30-7:30 pm
$5 per person, $10 after 10/22/18
Please bring a trick or treat bag.
****Advance Reservations Required****
Ghoulees in the Coulees Haunted Hikes
A tour guide will lead your group through a pumpkin-lit wooded trail and various characters will spook your group along the way! This trail will lead to the Historic Bekkum Homestead where several other hidden spooks will continue your fun thrill-filled adventure! Regain some of your wits, enjoy a cup of hot apple cider and gather around the story tellers for chilling ghost stories that will give you goosebumps. Wait…..before you leave don't forget to stop by the Fortune Tellers! Fun for children of ALL ages. Earlier hikes (6-6:30 p.m.) will be less scary for those that would still like to participate but may not want nightmares!
Norskedalen, Friday and Saturday October 25th & 26th
Hike start times from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
$10 per person, $15 after 10/22/18
****Advance Reservations Required****


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I'll be gone until November 14 – but I'll be done-gone-goodies-smax so please no-no-missy-me.
I'll be gone until November 14 – but I'll be done-gone-goodies-smax so please no-no-missy-me.
I flip this country off and flap wings to Dublin to run a marathon I've been busting my ass over for the last 11mos.
After the 'thon I hit some Irish rockspots and leave rumours of my passing before I catch a bird to…?
Maybe Spain? Maybe Holland? Maybe France?
Maybe all the above?
Go sideways to knock wooden shoes and pass the Dutch baby?
En arrière en France, boire le vin?
Baile a España y consiga picante?
Choices. 3 days to figure it out!!
{Less than one day per country?}
Thriving on a diet of intercontinental stress.
been spending entirely too much time at work
not enough time sleeping (or awake) in my real life
lucid living surreality (introrealities?) (exorealities?)
Casading over the edge,
spilling soul salts into the baking dish
forming a pastry best served cold
to the unbreathing.
Palatable on the tongues of zombies
fresh from the warm oven of limbo
rewarmed to revive you.
But your inanimate palsy
is just out of reach
of my power filled hands
kneading … needing


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Why not pop over to my You Tube channel and check out the tutorial for these quick and simple Halloween treat bags.
I'm just loving the polka dot version using Stampin' Up! current A/W 2017 catalogue goodies.
I made the polka dot one with a vellum window by using a stitched shapes oval framelit to cut out the shape and then backing with a speciality vellum but any vellum will do.
The dimensions for all of the bags are the same for the long measurement, 10.5 inches scored at 2, 5, 7 and 10 inches. It's up to you how deep you want the bag and depends on what you want to pop in it and how you want it to close. For the concertina bag I added two inches to allow for the folding.
However deep you want it be sure to add 1.5 inches to the depth to allow for folding over at the bottom.
Have fun making these. I certainly did.
Andrea x


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London Zoo has spent £2.5m on a tropical bird house in a restored Victorian pavilion. A miniature rainforest has been created in the Blackburn Pavilion which will become home to more than 50 species of exotic birds. Star of the show will be tiny Amazilia hummingbirds which the zoo claims are the only ones in the UK. Birds including the Socorro dove, Bali starling, Toco toucan and Mindanao bleeding heart dove will roam free in the pavilion which has been designed as part of ZSL London Zoo's plan to bring down the bars and allow visitors to come face to face with the occupants. Source: Telegraph
Friday, March 21, 2008
London Zoo opens tropical bird house
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Cut Out The Sugar
Yes, sugar is delicious and tempting and even comforting. But it's also deadly for your health, your waistline, and your mind.
Not only does it cause the obvious problems like tooth decay, but sugar is also linked to impaired brain function, depression and anxiety, cancer and heart disease.
And it's not just those with a sweet tooth that are at risk of overdoing it on the sugar. If you're filling up on bread, pasta, chips and fries, it means you're simply consuming sugar in another form. Starchy foods are broken down by the body into simple sugars and cause all the same problems that candy does, particularly when over eaten.
The bottom line is, sugar is not your friend so banish it from your diet. Sure, it will mean reading labels, forsaking some of your favorite treats and even making meals from scratch.
But when you start:
• Sleeping Better
• Improve Metabolism
• Improve Immune Function
• Increase Energy
• Watch The Pounds Melt Away
I'm sure you'll agree that it's totally worth it!
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Healthy Tidbits
April 2017


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Many believe that life begins at 40 - and there's plenty worth celebrating!
Some approach their 40th as an opportunity for rebirth and others see it as a bit of a daunting start to a mid-life-crisis laden decade. But really, it's a milestone where you truly begin to understand and appreciate what you have.
At Hip Hip Hooray, we love making those important moments matter; the best way to create a real fizz of anticipation is with some carefully selected invites for the party, get-together or special event you've got planned.
No matter what scale and style of celebration you're putting together, you can rest assured that 'Hip' have a unique design tailor made to your personal taste, theme and sense of humour... So to give you a taste of what we've got to offer, have a look at 7 of our handpicked stationery options to make you say wow!
Gold Calligraphy & Confetti 40th Birthday Party Invitation
Set the tone for your birthday bash with this shimmering gold calligraphy and confetti card that will give your guests that party feeling from the moment the receive it.
Blush Pink & Black Polka Dot 40th Birthday Party Invitation
A gorgeous powder pink and polka dot combination for a more demure and stylish way of letting your guests know about the big up-coming celebration.
Don't just get the ball rolling, get the ice tumbling and the drink flowing with this gorgeous and authentic whiskey themed design that has a likeness to you favourite bottle of Jack Daniel's. Just personalise with all your details and get sending!
Navy Blue Fairy Lights 40th Birthday Party Invitation
Simple yet full of stunning design work, this deep navy blue card comes with glowing fairy lights to create a lovely atmosphere before your birthday kicks off.
Black & Gold Art Deco 1920s 40th Birthday Party Invitation
Nothing quite says timeless and elegant quite like our Art Deco themed birthday card, complete with all the ornate and retro design features to set the scene for a 1920s style party.
'Pop Clink Fizz' Champagne Prosecco Themed 40th Birthday Party Invitation
Your guests will almost hear the corks popping with this evocative champagne prosecco themed party invitation. Comes with an effervescent design and sparkling details to get everyone buzzing for your smart celebration or fancy do.
Gold Balloon Letters 40th Birthday Party Invitation
For a more luxurious take on traditional party invitations, this rose gold balloon design is fit for any milestone birthday. If you're looking for the perfect balance between simplicity and sophistication, you've found your favourite card.
Looking for some more 40th birthday themed invitations? Take a look at our full range here and keep up-to-date with new products, news and blogs on Hip Hip Hooray's Facebook page.


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ADP is No. 17 on the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list
(Originally published on ADP's Spark)
Employee recognition is one of the most effective ways to raise employee morale, according to Harvard Business Review, and it can lead to enhanced productivity, retention and engagement. Employee recognition through generations is a key concern for HR leaders managing teams where four generations are working side by side. HR leaders should strive to develop effective employee recognition programs that resonate with employees across generations.
Employee Recognition and Generational Differences
One of the biggest challenges for developing an enterprise-wide employee recognition program is that different individuals are motivated by different incentives. Generational differences provide a useful lens through which to understand what employees find motivating. Certain factors — such as financial incentives and praise — are universally appreciated. But how much they matter may change for different age groups.
According to the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), different generations prefer recognition in different ways. Baby boomers want formal recognition in front of teams or groups, Gen Xers wants to receive recognition in private and millennials want fun, less formal and more frequent recognition, according to the IRF.
Organizations that understand how different types of recognition fuel growth and retention stand to attract the best workforce. The 2016 ADP Employee Engagement Study states that 66 percent of millennials and 62 percent of Gen Xers are motivated by financial rewards, whereas 41 percent of baby boomers prefer to be recognized through a formal, periodic bonus.
When applied systematically, employee recognition can help your business achieve its recruiting goals. Here are five employee recognition strategies that should help you connect to your multigenerational employees.
1. Gather Data on Recognition by Generation
Data should be the first step in crafting a plan. Fortunately, you can leverage research tools and software to sort and collate internal data and compare it to benchmarks from various generations, firm sizes and industries in order to get a better understanding of what factors influence engagement.
2. Encourage Management to Account for Generational Differences
One area that greatly influences employee recognition is in day-to-day management styles. While a large-scale, formal program has a role in enterprise management, it's also key to educate your HR team and managers on different needs. Ask your managers to think about how recognition can be modified for interaction with a staff of varying ages.
3. Embrace the Basics
While there may be some variation between generations, certain aspects of successful employee recognition programs transcend age, including market competitive compensation, generous benefits and verbal recognition from managers and colleagues. Engage all your employees through financial incentives and praise for a job well-done.
4. Ask Employees for Feedback
Every business has a different culture and unique needs. Gathering insight about your team, their priorities, current recognition programs and any opportunities for improvement can help you shape a customized road map to improve your organization's employee recognition strategies.
5. Invest in Enterprise-Wide Programs
Ultimately, employee recognition must be a core element of your organization's culture. From periodic salary increases to annual performance awards, enterprise-wide programs make it possible for large businesses to recognize their team's contributions at scale. So in conjunction with your generational efforts, you should still work to develop an enterprise-wide approach that embeds itself into your culture and is a constant source of connection to employees of all ages.
Managing employee recognition through generations is a challenge facing today's busy organizations. HR leaders can create effective strategies to handle key questions by focusing on what motivates different employee segments, how data can improve recognition delivery and what steps can be taken to instill employee recognition into your organization's DNA.


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West Chester-based Hoopla Software closes $2.8 million Series A; Salesforce.com is an investor
Tom Paine
West Chester-based Hoopla Software, which I wrote about early this year, announced today the closing of a $2.8 million Series A Financing, This is the completion of the round announced late last year, which at the time totaled $2.3 million including $1.3 million from Safeguard Scientifics.
Today's announcement also identified two other investors: California-based VC firm Illuminate Ventures and Salesforce.com., which frequently invests in startups operating within its ecosystem.
Founded by CEO and veteran Philly area technology executive Michael Smalls in 2009, Hoopla provides digital scoreboards and gamification techniques to enhance the performance of employees in sales, call centers, and support organizations. Hoopla leverages integration with the Salesforce platform and Salesforce's Chatter social networking tool.
The company says that "proceeds from this financing are being used to further build out Hoopla Software's gamified performance platform and to expand marketing initiatives". Hoopla also says it has added more than 25 new customers to its platform over the past two months, including Box, Marketo, and Zillow.


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Sun-dappled streets under an overhang of old oak trees dribbling with greenery prompt the tired inlet, where a croc slips noiselessly into the quiet water, undulating its surface. Before the war estate homes with tall, white sections and wide wrap-around patios remain as sentries to the historical backdrop of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Situated on the Mississippi River, Baton Rouge is Cajun cuisine, Mardi Gras, and down-home Southern appeal.
Established in 1719, Baton Rouge is the capital and the second-biggest city in Louisiana. However, being a government center point, Baton Rouge is home to the Port of Baton Rouge, the ninth biggest port in the US. It is likewise home to a few different organizations and enterprises.
Established in 1719, Baton Rouge is the capital and the second-biggest city in Louisiana. However, being a government center point, Baton Rouge is home to the Port of Baton Rouge, the ninth biggest port in the US. It is likewise home to a few different organizations and enterprises.
And keeping in mind that Baton Rouge might be well known for Mardi Gras and crayfish bubbles, it is likewise home to a dynamic downtown loaded with bars, dance club, eateries, shops, and craftsmanship displays. It is home to energizing occasions, for example, Live After Five and Sunday in the Park, two prominent music occasions that highlight neighborhood artists. It is the capital of Louisiana, however, it is likewise a fun and crazy school town – both LSU and Southern University are situated here. LSU, alongside Southern University and Baton Rouge Community College, adds an energetic viewpoint to the city – understudies make up around 20 percent of the populace. With a solid occupation market and bounty to see and do, this waterway town pearl really shimmers. Need to find out about existence on the straight? This is what you have to think about Apartment Rentals Baton Rouge LA.
When searching for a Baton Rouge condos, you'll find various neighborhoods, a number of which are noteworthy. Beauregard Town is a US Historic District going back to 1806. This beguiling neighborhood is the second-most seasoned in Baton Rouge and is home to the Old Louisiana Governor's Mansion.
The Garden District is another noteworthy neighborhood worked around 1911, and almost 88 percent of the structures are unique. It is home to about 300 cabins and is one of the best-protected neighborhoods of the mid-twentieth century in the state. The most seasoned neighborhood in Baton Rouge is Spanish Town. Recorded on the National Register of Historic Places, this area was charged in 1805. This fantastic neighborhood has the biggest Mardi Gras parade in the state. The most established home in Spanish Town is the Pino House, which was inherent 1823. Consolidated with marvelous food, lively nightlife, and tremendous celebrations and parades, Baton Rouge Apartments are certainly hot!


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In my teenage years I had an all consuming interest in aviation. Anything with man made wings and an engine or two would attract my attention.
It wasnt just the aircraft themselves, it was also how they were operated. Navigation, routes, procedures all fascinated me.
I eventually obtained a Private Pilots Licence and although competent enough, I was never a natural.
I can say, with all due modesty, that my landings were usually pretty good. However some stretched the definition of landing beyond its elastic limit.
I think that they could be better described as arrivals.
Of the bone crunchingly firm sort.
Eventually, I rather lost interest but a year or two ago it was rekindled to casual observer status.
Most of the aircraft I see here on a daily basis tend to be fairly unremarkable.
Theres the early morning rush of arrivals from the US and Canada and the corresponding conveyor belt of departures in the afternoon.
A number of Air New Zealands extended range Boeing 777s used on the Auckland-Los Angeles-London route, are truly eye catching in their special livery and Ive shown a couple of the best here..
These two represent the Hobbit films which were made in New Zealand and help promote the country as a tourist destination.
And here's how it was done...
Their planes are purty, and their safety videos are.. epic. These are some with a Hobbit theme, then several with a different flavor. All are awesome.
Betty White, Old Skool.
Nakey people
They've taken this opportunity to grab an identity other than "Near Australia", and run with it. Not just businesses, like the airline, but the government has worked it into some legislation, trade agreements. I heard making disparaging remarks about Tolkien's work is treason. I've read, but can't verify, much of the population has embraced this fever.
I so wish you could come here, Carr.
Despite simply the pleasure of your company.
Dad's interest in aeroplanes has waned in line with the ascension of his dementia, but even he was like a little boy again watching the planes from Leeds/ Bradford airport appear and disappear over the Chevin. They are far lower than you ever see them in Aylesbury and its environs.
If he'd been here five years ago I know we'd have taken the 33a up close to the airport.
And ten years ago he'd have been driving and we'd have gone to the Yorkshire Air Museum (probably dropping Mum off for a Spa Day somewhere!)
Another of Air New Zealand's special liveries.
Unlike the other two, the aircraft was delivered from Boeing in this colour scheme which honours the NZ Rugby Team aka the 'All Blacks'.
All Black 777-300ER Unveiling (Behind The Scenes)
I don't think I've ever heard an aircraft, and not looked up to marvel at it. Not as a child, and not as an alleged adult. Still do it today. Every time. I'll even get up and go outside when I hear a helicopter, or low-flying plane.
Too much air traffic around here for me to leave the house and look up, but if I'm outside or near a window I will always look.
anytime, every time I see or hear a plane or chopper I have to look. It's second nature to me
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I once jumped one of these contraptions, the French Puma. Rescue and firefighting versions were made with a small trap door in the floor. Enclosed by the aircraft, it felt like stepping into an elevator - going down!
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The last airworthy Vulcan bomber flies in formation with the Red Arrows RAF aerobatic team at Southport Air Show earlier this month.
The Vulcan was one of the RAF's three Cold War nuclear 'V bombers', the others being the Victor and the Valiant .
The aircraft has long been of some fascination to me, not just because of its unique design, but because on three occasions Vulcans landed at a rather small grass airfield at nearby RAF Halton.
Halton was the home to the RAF's No 1 School of Technical Training where most of the ground trades associated with keeping aircraft flying, were taught.
Although the station, measured by numbers of personnel, was large, the airfield was only suited to smaller aircraft.
When instructional airframes were needed they were flown in, if of suitable size, or dismantled and brought in by road..
In the late 1960s a considerable number of Vulcans were in service and engineering trainees needed 'hands on' instruction.
In the space of a few years three examples were flown into the station and landed on a grass runway about 1250yds long.
Landings were planned for a time of the year when the ground would be at its driest, and into as strong a head wind as possible.
The aircraft also had a minimum fuel load to keep landing weight down. All three landed safely and were used for ground instruction over several years.
This aerial photo was taken in 1971. Two of the aircraft, in all white colour scheme, can be seen on the grass south of the hangars.
They were of earlier marks and had been superseded by the camouflaged version which is visible at the northern end of the concrete apron.
The display aircraft is appearing at air shows around the country before retirement this year as the companies which inherited the design no longer which to provide support for it.
Here's the display routine at this year's Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford.
The full power, almost vertical climb, is executed at 6.40, 9.10 and 10.20.
The final climb is the most impressive.
Vulcan to the Sky.
So long Li'l Buckeye, we hardly knew ye.
U.S. Navy retires the last 3 T-2 Buckeye trainer jets.
Scads of pilots learned their way around carriers by training in the T-2. Generations, really, as the Buckeye was in service for 56 years.
Loving the Vulcan, btw. It shares one spectacular facet with the SR-71...They both look absolutely sinister.
That's FREEDOM you're seeing.
Funny how freedom looks sinister so often, to so many. :rolleyes:
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I've always felt that Brian Dennehy was a tremendously underrated actor, so when I saw that Kino Lorber was releasing a movie of his that I've never seen before - 1990's The Last of the Finest - I jumped at the opportunity to take a look. Dennehy has played the villain, the hero, and everything in between over his long career, and here he's giving one of his more noble performances: a police officer putting his life on the line to fight corruption by both local politicians and those within the department he works for.
Dennehy stars as Frank Daly, a married cop with a pair of kids who works for the LAPD. His partners on the force are also played by some very recognizable actors (although they were less recognizable at the time of this movie's release): Bill Paxton (as Howard "HoJo" Jones), Joe Pantoliano (as Wayne Gross), and Jeff Fahey (as Ricky Rodriguez). The four men go to make a crime bust at a downtown meat-packing plant, but when Daly calls in for back up, his boss on the force, Captain Torres (Henry Darrow), orders him to wait for the DEA to arrive. Daly doesn't, and a big shootout ensues, with the drug dealers burning all the money they have stored in the plant (as well as most of the plant itself) and then escaping.
Daly and his team are suspended, but that doesn't stop the foursome from continuing to investigate. However, things go awry when a member of the team (I won't tell you which one, but it's given away in the movie's trailer - also part of this release, lest you be tempted to watch it first) gets killed by one of the bad guys. Daly is now the target of a major investigation about violating his suspension, but he decides to resign instead. Not long afterwards, his two surviving partners also decide to leave the LAPD. You don't get any bonus points for guessing that these three former officers continue their investigation - now wanting justice for their fallen colleague and friend.
Although The Last of the Finest was released in 1990, it still feels very much like an 80's action film, but sadly that's to the movie's detriment. The scenes that work best in the film are when it deals with the drama involved between the characters. When it switches to elaborate (or not-so-elaborate, even by 1990 standards) action pieces, the movie feels like a rehash of a rehash. There's a lot of shooting, fisticuffs, and broken glass, but nothing really creative or original. This is a title where less definitely would have been a whole lot more.
So despite the great cast assembled, The Last of the Finest turns out to be pretty dismissible. It's worth a look if you're a fan of one or more of the actors involved, but it's unlikely to be something you want to re-visit down the road.
The Blu-ray Packaging
The Last of the Finest shoots its way onto Blu-ray in a standard Elite keepcase from Kino Lorber. The single-layer 25GB disc is packaged with a 22-page full color booklet that simply features box covers (four to a page) of other "Studio Classics" releases from Kino Lorber. There are no front-loaded trailers on the Blu-ray, whose main menu features a still shot (taken from the movie) of the four main characters, with menus selections at the bottom center of the screen.
The Blu-ray is Region A locked.
The Video
The Last of the Finest was shot on 35mm film and is presented on Blu-ray in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Like a lot of transfers from Kino Lorber, this one is pretty middling. There's a healthy amount of grain visible in most shots, which - depending on the lighting of the scene in question - can at times be quite obtrusive. Detail is decent, but sometimes it appears as if a little too much DNR has been applied to faces - which often look smoothed over when they should show more lines and wrinkles. Dirt and defects on the print are kept to a minimum, but viewers will notice a fleck here and there throughout the presentation.
With all of the above in mind, frequent buyers/viewers of Kino titles should know what to expect here, particularly if you have other catalog releases of titles that were originally released by Orion. The transfer doesn't contain a whole lot of 1080p "oomph", but it's still the best this movie has looked on home video and any major glitches are non-existent.
The Audio
The only audio track (other than the commentary track) on this release is an English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track, and it sounds pretty good, given its stereo limitations. Dialogue is crisp and understandable throughout, and there's some noticeable separation during some action sequences, particularly where gunshots are involved. The biggest issue for me was the mix, as both the soundtrack and the ambient noises (which sometimes come off as a bit "tinny") are often louder than the spoken word. So viewers may be cranking up their volume a few notches for the quieter moments, only to crank it back down again for the action bits.
I detected no other major problems or glitches with the audio, so it's a pleasant enough listen - nothing more, but nothing less.
The Extras
Final Thoughts
Even a cast of talented character actors can't save The Last of the Finest from rising above anything beyond standard crime-drama fare. The movie can't seem to decide whether it wants to be a straight drama or an action flick, and the story suffers as a result. Worth a look if you like this cast, but it's unlikely you'll want to add this one to your home library. Rent It..


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When the big day arrives, surprises are not welcome. From the moment a customer enters the tattoo shop to the moment he or she leaves, there is a typical process that is virtually scripted in the minds of many tattoo artists, and it helps a prospective tattooee to know in advance what that script involves.
Several steps of preparation involving the workstation, equipment, and pigments take place and may mean some waiting time spent idly gazing at flash or watching somebody else get tattooed. The design is prepared with either a transfer or a stencil.
The skin, no matter the part of the body involved, is shaved and given an alcohol wipe. A temporary ink outline of the design is placed on the surface of the skin and checked in a mirror. And all of these steps take place before a single part of actual tattooing begins.
This article is designed to relieve the natural anxiety that any new experience brings, by demystifying it and laying it bare. Knowing exactly what to expect, in the order it will likely happen, and the amount of time it will likely last, can mean the difference between a nerve-racking experience and an enriching one.
This article advises tattooees of some of the potential regulations involved, their responsibilities, the responsibilities of the tattoo shop or artist, and the requirements of payment up front and signing contracts. In addition, the prospective tattooee will learn that tattoo artists also have their own expectations, and that fulfilling these can make for an even better experience and better tattoo.
Before You Get There
You've done all your research, made all your decisions, and have your appointment ... what, no appointment? Part of the decision-making process was picking your tattooist someone in whose technical and artistic skill you have confidence, with whom you have some rapport—someone that you trust. Will he or she be at the shop that day or not? Assuming so, will he or she he busy when you arrive? If that is the case, are you going to wait? How long? But why leave any of this to chance? The first thing, then, that you need to do before you actually arrive for your tattoo is to have made an appointment beforehand. (It's not as spur-of-the-moment as some tattoos, hut the perfect tattoo rarely is.) The second thing to do is to take a bath or shower. Whether you've had your bath for the week already or not, be clean and presentable. Don't come directly from the gym in your workout clothes or after you've been digging trenches in the hot sun. Your tattoo artist is going to sit close to you and work with your skin. Don't give him or her a reason to hurry.
On your checklist of things not to do before your tattoo appointment is taking any aspirin or drinking alcohol. In both cases, the blood is thinned, which makes for more bleeding and possibly impaired healing. In the second case, though, it's simply poor form to show up faced. You are entering a tattoo artist's place of work and creativity. Is that how you'd wad somebody to come to your place of work? Save the drinking for later, when your friends take you out. Besides, you wouldn't want to miss out on a single part of your tattoo experience. When you look back on it, you'll know that you earned your tattoo the way millions of people have for thousands of years.
Dress appropriately for the placement of your tattoo, which you have already discussed with the tattoo artist. If you know you're getting a tattoo on your upper arm, then wear something sleeveless or with sleeves that can be rolled up high enough. If you're getting something on your lower leg, then wear shorts. If you're getting something on your lower back, then wear a shirt that you can lift and pants that are low enough or which can be lowered enough. If you're getting something on your back, girls, consider wearing a button-up shirt which you can then wear backwards and leave open in the hack. All tattoo shops will have at least a bathroom where you can change your clothes. Tattoo shops also have areas with more and less privacy. The front of the shop will almost always have a chair or two but also, usually there will be an area that is screened off from the view people in the front and the general public who are looking at flash. If you have questions about what would be good to wear, ask your tattoo artist. You don't want to wear clothing (like briefs or a bra) that will leave an impression in your skin in the exact place where you're planning on having a tattoo.
With all of that in mind, do your best to dress comfortably. There's no point in complicating matters by wearing something in which you can't breathe. Keep in mind the possibility that some stray ink might get on your clothes. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen. Some people who are in the process of getting a very large tattoo, over the course of several sessions, may even have a certain set of clothes that they wear for tattooing and may even bring their own towel or pillow for extra comfort. For most people getting their first tattoo, though, this would probably be completely unnecessary. Don't even think about bringing your teddy hear.
What to Bring
Make sure that you bring some form of identification with you, no matter your age. Depending on local regulations, many tattoo shops will have a contract for you to sign. As with any contract, you should read it. Unlike most, it'll probably be pretty brief. You can expect issues of responsibility to come up (for example, allergic reactions to inks aren't the responsibility of the tattoo artist) or the legal age limit for tattooing (different in different areas).
In essence, the tattoo shop and tattoo artist are going to limit the amount of responsibility that they are willing to accept to things that they can control: a sterile environment, satisfaction with the work, and the like. They are not going to take responsibility for things that they can't control: your allergic reactions, the particulars and peculiarities of how your skin heals. In order to sign a contract with you, they have to know who you are. The identification that you bring will be used to that end, and to verify your age if you look close to the legal limit.
Bring your money. You've already discussed your design in detail with the tattoo artist. Once the artist has seen the design, and knows how big it will be and where on your body it will go, he or she can give you a price. Body location will change the price since some parts of the body simply mean more work and time for the artist than others. You know what forms of money they'll take: cash, maybe checks (but you should ask), and credit cards. Make sure to bring enough with you for the tattoo and your tip, if you're thinking of giving one after being pleased with the final product. You may he asked for the fee up front, so that they can be sure you've got the money.
Be on time for your appointment. Not only is it courteous and good business practice—it also helps to have as much time as possible for your tattoo. There may be more appointments after you. Even if you're on time, though, prepare yourself to wait anyway. Tattooing is a people business and people can be unpredictable. Some tattoo clients may need more breaks during their tattoo process than others or may simply need to take the whole thing a little more slowly. Others simply sit down, sit like a rock, and get up when it's done. Of course, even if everything is on time, waiting during preparations is part of the normal process.
The following scenario can only be a general guideline since it will most definitely vary from place to place and artist to artist. But in its broad outlines, this is pretty much what you can expect.
When you arrive and are greeted by your tattoo artist, he or she will confirm the tattoo with you (design, placement, colors), see your ID, have you sign the contract, take your money, and then make the preparations. You can watch, you can look at Rash, or you can probably watch somebody else getting tattooed. You might have seen all of this before when you made your grand tour of local tattoo shops or when you looked at your artist's portfolio. Your artist will now create the artwork for the outline of your tattoo design, if it hasn't already been done. A simple, clean, black-and-white version of the outline of your tattoo will be drawn or traced. This paper version might be held up against your body for position and placement, helping with that final visualization process of how your finished tattoo will look. Don't have any ink or temporary tattoos at all in the area where you'll be getting your tattoo. Once the outline is finalized, the tattoo artist will make a transfer, essentially xeroxing the outline onto special transfer paper.
At this point, tattoo artists prepare the work area by wiping the chair or table down with a disinfectant. They may also use Saran wrap to cover these same areas. Then they'll do the same for the surface on which their equipment rests, again wiping it down with a disinfectant and putting down Saran wrap, especially over anything in the area that might be particularly sensitive (like the power supply for the tattoo machine, for example, if it happens to be located on the worktable—you wouldn't want to get any liquid on that sucker). At some point your artist will don sterile latex gloves. These are worn at all times when touching your skin or anything that will be touching your skin. If your artist has to answer the phone or fetch more ink or whatever, he or she will need to put on new gloves each time before sitting down to tattoo you.
Next, the equipment is brought out to the work area. The tattoo machine itself, unopened packages of sterilized tubes and needles, and a disposable razor are placed on the disinfected worktable. You'll be invited to assume the position—take a seat or lie down, whichever is appropriate for your tattoo placement. Before the transfer can go On, your skin will be cleaned with alcohol, using new tissues or cotton balls, and then it will be shaved. No matter if you're a guy or a girl or what part of the body we're talking about (since there is body hair everywhere, even though it's hard to see), your skin will be prepared by removing as much body hair as possible with a single gentle shave. The artist will wipe (town the area with alcohol and place the outline of your tattoo, now on the special transfer paper into contact with your wet skin. When the transfer paper is removed, it leaves behind a purple outline on the skin that your artist will use as a guide to create the outline of the tattoo. You should check this in a mirror, using a handheld mirror along with the ones on the wall if it's on your back. What you're seeing is a very close approximation of how your finished tattoo will appear in the context of the rest of your body—although it's a far cry from the black outline and shading that will obliterate the transfer ink. Also, don't worry if the transfer seems messy. It's not permanent ink and it only serves as a guideline. If, at this point, you want something changed about location, size, or design, now is the time to say so.
If the transfer looks good to you both, you'll be asked to resume your position. The artist will then set up a palette of inks. Generally a new paper plate or a sterile tray serves to hold the inks that will be used for your tattoo. Inks are stored in sterile plastic bottles with conical tips. The inks for your tattoo will be dispensed from these bottles into new and disposable plastic caps. A mound of Vaseline can be placed on the plate with a sterile wooden tongue depressor and the caps may be dabbed in it so that they stick to the palette. The cap of an ink bottle is removed and wiped with a tissue, and then ink is squeezed directly into the small cup on the palette. Although this process might be repeated later, generally an artist will put down enough cups to hold enough ink for the entire tattoo if it's a small one. Then the tip is wiped again and the cap and bottle replaced. The palette with Vaseline and inks will be placed close at hand at the worktable.
Once the palette is in place, it's time to load the needles into the tattoo machine. While you may not see the inks dispensed the most important part of the sterilization procedure should he done in front of you: opening the autoclave bags. The tubes are first removed from their autoclave bags and fitted into the opening in the tattoo machine. Many artists have particular favorites among tube styles and they likely own their tubes, matched to their machines, and they may purchase and manufacture their own needles as well (soldering needles to the bars). The needles are removed from the autoclave bag and inspected by the artist with a loupe. They are inserted into the tubes and attached to the machine.
Finally, the machine is hooked up to the power cord, which generally has a foot switch in it for the artist to turn the tattoo machine on and off, hands free. Once the machine is turned on, the artist may fiddle with it or the power supply, and you'll hear it make a distinct buzzing sound—not so loud that a normal conversation voice is easily heard above it. though. When the machine is running to the artist's satisfaction, he or she will dip the running machine into the first ink cup (generally black to create the outline) and let you know that things are about to start and that you'll be feeling a brisk sensation.
The style of different tattoo artists when interacting with customer varies greasily, but this is why you spent some amount of time considering them in the first place. In addition, many tattoo artists will modify their approach or style and tailor it to their clients' needs (a first-time customer may need much more time than a repeat "offender"). They may offer you a moment to reconsider the tattoo before they begin ... or not. They may ask you if you're ready to begin ... or not. At this point, or at any time really, if you feel nervous or anxious, that's perfectly natural. Just let your artist know. Artists help hundreds if not thousands of people through the process of getting their first tattoo. Because you're embarking on something that will permanently be displayed on your skin for the rest of your life, it's not uncommon for that realization to come to you in that moment. Rather than worrying about pain, you're worrying about your decision. However, the point of this book is to make sure that you've done everything that you can to be prepared for this moment. Anxiety and nervousness are just a part of the tattoo process, part of the ritual in a sense, and part of every important ritual in the most universal sense. If, however, you're having serious second thoughts, say so. If your gut instinct is that you're making a mistake, then stop. Tattoo artists have seen that happen as well. You need to feel good about what you're doing in the big picture, even if you're nervous at the time. If you need to cancel, then do it, before the outline begins. There's always another day.
Let's assume that all systems are go. Your tattooist may begin with a small line, just a little bit of the outline, and then check on you. Do your best riot to move, but don't hold your breath either. At this point, after that first bit of outline, you've felt and now have experience with the pain level. This is the pain, whether you experience it as a stinging sensation or a rubber band snapping against your skin, that you will likely be experiencing for the rest of the tattoo process depending on the size and complexity of your design. It is a pain that the majority of tattoo clients would describe as manageable or moderate. Many first-time tattoo clients are actually relieved at this point to know that this whole tattoo thing is definitely doable. A smaller percentage grit their teeth and start a breathing exercise. If, however, you decide that the pain is manageable, then your tattoo artist will proceed, taking the tattoo machine away only briefly for more ink. Longer breaks will come as the needles need to be changed (different needle configurations are used for different parts of the design) and also to change ink colors (generally achieved by rinsing the needles in clean water in a small disposable cup set aside for that purpose).
Your job now is to sit like a rock, without flinching or squirming. Go ahead and talk if you like, but don't whine. Most tattoo artists are quite used to chatting with their clients during the process. If they need you to be quiet, like when they're doing the eyes on your pinup cutie, they'll let you know. Generally your tattoo artist will also let you know when the outline is done. Most people find the outlining more painful than the shading which follows. As the tattoo process proceeds, however, you may find that you need to take a break, maybe because of the discomfort, maybe to switch positions, or just to have a cigarette. Perhaps your tattooist will need a break as well, to take a phone call or see a client who has stopped by the shop. If you want a break, then ask for one. It's part of the routine. Your artist will wipe off the excess ink and body fluids, smooth on some Vaseline, and you can get up and check out the work in progress and have some water or your smoke. The position in which you sit or lie for your tattoo may not be the most comfortable. But your tattooist needs to get the right angle on your skin to do the tattoo well. Be as understanding as possible when it conies to being in an uncomfortable position. Tattooists battle repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome like everybody else.
The Party's Over
Well, despite how much you'd like the hot needle massage to continue, eventually your tattooist announces that your tattoo is finished, just when you were getting into the Zen of the whole thing. Finally you get up and look at your finished tattoo in the mirror. Don't be surprised if your skin is red and a little puffy. Lymph fluid and blood may bead up, ever so slightly. The colors often look darker and have more contrast at this early stage than when the tattoo is completely healed. The reddish swelling of the skin is one contributor to that darker effect. Also, the epidermis is full of ink as well, but we know that eventually the epidermis layer will be replaced with a new clear one, just as before. As you look in the mirror, though, what you see is pretty much your new tattoo and how it will look for many years to come. If you've done your homework and you've picked your design, body location, and artist well, then you're likely not looking at just any tattoo, but the perfect one—for you. No matter the size of your tattoo, you have joined the tribe as fully as it can be joined. Welcome and well done.
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Carl A. Stracka, age 93, of Appleton and Green Lake, passed away at home, May 21, 2018 in Green Lake surrounded by his family. Carl was born on July 15, 1924 in Hartford, WI the son of Anton and Katherine (Bauer) Stracka.
Carl graduated from Hartford High School, Class of 1942, as Vice-president of his class. In his Junior and Senior year, he played half-back on the Little Ten Conference Champs football team and lettered in Track and Field. He was united in marriage to "the love of his life", Barbara Friday on December 30, 1954 in Fond du Lac, WI.
During WWII, Carl joined the U.S. Army Air Corp at the age of 18 and received his Silver Wings as a Pilot in June of 1944. He elected to go to Cherignola, Italy and serve as a Co-Pilot on the B-24 Liberator in the 15thAir Force. He was on the Isle of Capri when VE Day was announced and returned home in the Spring of 1945 to start college.
Carl graduated from UW-Madison in 1949 receiving his BS in Electrical Engineering. He was a member of Theda Delta Chi and sang in the UW Men's Chorus. He became a Sales Engineer for the General Electric Company and called on paper mills, iron mines, shipyards and electrical contractors in WI and the Upper Peninsula of MI. During the 33 years Carl worked for GE, he was honored with the Phillippe Award by the Milwaukee GE Elfun Society. He sold electrical equipment for the first American made Koepe Mine Hoist, the first container ship crane, electrical motors and controls for pumping water on the Wisconsin Golden Sands Project, and the electrical system and the propulsion turbine for an iron ore carrier built by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company. After GE, he became a Manufacturer's Representative and retired at the age of 70.
During his time in Appleton, Carl was Camping Chairman for the Boy Scouts' Gardner Dam Camp for 4 years; Chairman and Life Member of the Northeast Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers; Peabody Manor Director for 2 years; St. Thomas Moore Church member; Fox Valley Symphony Director for 2 years; Kiwanis Club of Appleton member, 1975 Club President; Special Olympics, 1986 Chairman; Junior Achievement Chairman and Director; SCORE, President for 3 years; mentored young men in Outagamie County jail and was Delegate to the Republican Party State Convention for over 20 years. Later in life, Carl volunteered as a docent at the EAA Museum in Oshkosh. While at the EAA, he made an oral history recording as part of the EAA's "Timeless Voices of Aviation" and flew from there on the Honor Flight.
Carl spent his summers in Green Lake at the family cottage. He was a longtime member of the Green Lake Yacht Club and enjoyed the Yacht Club parties and social events. He raced his Star Class boat in the weekend club races for many years with his family.
Carl is survived by his wife Barbara; three children: Jeffrey (Linda Klein) Stracka of Boston, MA; Julie (Michael) Jankowski of Green Lake, WI; and Jeanne (Michael) Shohoney of Ripon, WI; 8 grandchildren: Lauren (Greg) Fulton of San Francisco, CA; Nikki Stracka of New York, NY; Ava (Mark) Sommerhauser of Stoughton, WI; Stefan (Kara) Jankowski of Green Lake, WI; Anna (Dr. Neel Patel) Jankowski of Portland, OR; Ryan Shohoney of Madison, WI; Ross Shohoney of Chicago, IL and Reed Shohoney of Ripon, WI; great granddaughter, Eloise Sommerhauser; sister, Rosemarie Niedermann of Rockford, IL; brother, Jim(Karen) Stracka of Pasadena, CA; sister-in-law, Marge Stracka of Madison, WI; other relatives and many dear friends. He is preceded in death by his parents; two brothers: Bob (Diane) Stracka and Tony Stracka and daughter-in-law Nancy Stracka.
A Visitation will begin at 11:00AM, for Carl, at All Saints Episcopal Church in Appleton on Saturday, June 9, 2018 with a service starting at 11:30AM, Father Jim Harrison officiating. A church luncheon will follow. Inurnment will be held at Dartford Cemetery in Green Lake at 4:00PM with full military honors.
Memorials are appreciated to the Oshkosh EAA Young Eagles Program, Appleton-Fox Cities Kiwanis, Green Lake American Legion Post 306, or Thrasher Opera House of Green Lake, in Carl's name. Divine Passage Funeral Home in Ripon is proudly serving the family. divinepassagefunerals.com


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Raúl and his wife, Rebecca, are the proud parents of five children – Michael, Katerina, Joshua, Diego and Rafael. They live in Eagle, ID, where all five of their children enrolled in the local public schools.
Raúl knows the vital importance of family. He was born in Puerto Rico and was raised in a single parent-household. His mother struggled to help him earn a brighter future and inspire hope in him. Through a solid belief in the value of education, Raúl's mother moved their small family to the mainland and Raúl completed high school, and he later earned a degree from Brigham Young University and an advanced degree at the University of Washington.
Raúl built a successful small business and was the owner and managing partner of a law firm with offices in Boise and Nampa.Raúl and Rebecca are active members of their church and involved in community life. Raúl, who is an Eagle Scout, has previously volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America and served on several state and local Republican committees