text:
-1lb. It could have been so much better but I'll take any loss. If you put on 1lb or 2lb you really notice it. I've come to learn over these months that a loss is worth a smile and it should give you some pleasure. If it doesn't then you need to give yourself a slap. Its all good.
|When biscuits go bad
Then I did some extreme baking for the summer fair. I got a bit carried away and when it came to digging out my crown biscuit cutters I lost the will to decorate them. Hence the state of them. I was also reporting Bannergate on the phone to the police (see previous post). So I did have 2 x cupcakes in the course of that day and tested a biscuit. Other than that my food intake was fine - nice and healthy and portions were a slimmers size.
Enter children. My son who seems to have seasonal asthma (first discovered this when he was 6 on sports day) had a cough and cold all week. On Thursday he had been coughing in the early hours so we both didn't get much sleep. I gave him cough medicine and his inhaler. I should have kept him off but I sent him in and told the teacher (the same teacher I have complained about as she makes my daughter cry every Thursday) that he was to miss PE and to phone me if he wasn't well. So when I pick him up on Friday she says "oh I let him sleep for 20 minutes". Another teacher came out too and seemed to be cross about it all - she said "he was lying on the floor when I looked at him". I knew immediately that this was him struggling to breath (he's shy my son so he didn't say I need to go home etc despite my briefing him). I took him to the doctors and thankfully didn't have to go to A&E. There is a point with asthma of no return. He was prescribed antibiotics and steroids.
|Extreme baking - DO NOT try this at home
That night we had a Chinese take-away. I had lemon chicken but also had some ribs, prawn crackers, special fried rice and prawn toast washed down with some wine. Good job my week had been good as there's no way I would have lost anything.
Early hours of Monday morning my daughter is coughing and the dent (I don't know the technical name) of her collar bone is going in and out like mad. The doctor said on Thursday that this is a dangerous sign as it means the child is struggling to breath. So I kept her and my son off school yesterday. All 3 were home and I managed to get the housework done but not much else.
So I went to bed a 5pm yesterday hence the no blog post. I also took my daughter to the doctors today (missing her sports day) and she now has an inhaler but it may just be cold induced. This poxy 'summer' weather is to blame - one minute cold, next sunny.
Oh a pair of black stretch jeans from M&S arrived and they fit lovely! So today I am working out for the first time since Thursday and lets hope everything runs smoothly from today onwards.
Until next week...


text:
Meeting Wednesday 19th March
Post meeting ponderings ...
Invited guests
We welcomed 4 guests to our breakfast today, the first at our new venue in the Eastbury Hotel:
- Lorna Harvey, a clinical and analytical hypnotherapist
- Richard James, from Solicitor's Title
- Lizzie Neyland, from Neyland's Tonic Marketing Solutions
- Dean Wooldridge, from DPW Plumbing and Heating Engineers
We hope that they enjoyed their visit and will consider joining EBBX in the future. Who will you invite as a guest to our next meeting?
New members
We also welcomed two new members who have recently joined our group:
- Emma Purcell, from Octopus Personnel
- Dan Williams, from Flooring Force, Sherborne Ltd
In a change from our usual format, we dispensed with the 10-minute presentations today and instead had what might be termed 'partner-presenting'. The idea was to spend 20 minutes with another member, each person taking 10 minutes to brief the other on their respective companies, the services provided, USPs and the sort of leads they would like to get plus any other interesting information that could be elicited (though some of this was decidedly suspect!). Then each member presented their partner to the group in a 1-minute presentation.
This was a fun (and seemingly popular) way of telling the group what everyone does and will hopefully be repeated at some stage in the future.
Nick advised that the committee had met and clarified procedures for joining the group, pointing out that decisions are made jointly by the 6 committee members and not by any one member individually.
Nick also asked that members e-mail him with any feedback regarding the new venue.
Martyn has emailed out a list of speakers and a door rota please contact him if you have to change a date. Please also contact Jimmy if you need the projector for your presentation.
The social side
Alan advised of 3 socials he was looking at organising:
- 14th May Tour of Moor Brewery, Somerton, followed by a meal at the Queen's Arms, Corton Denham
- 9th September a golfing evening and dinner at Sherborne Golf Club
- 13th November 10-pin bowling in Yeovil followed by a curry at the Signature Viceroy restaurant
Costs will be dependent on numbers and partners are invited to all three events. Alan will email details in due course.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A RESTful Core for Web-like Application Flexibility - Part 1
It may seem strange to start a series of articles about REST systems and the RESTful design approach with such a low level issue as binding. After all, REST is a "high level" idea that originated from a post hoc analysis of why the World Wide Web works so well [1]. However, if you'll allow us to ground the discussion at this level, I think you'll see that binding is an essential aspect of RESTful systems.
It may seem strange to start a series of articles about REST systems and the RESTful design approach with such a low level issue as binding. After all, REST is a "high level" idea that originated from a post hoc analysis of why the World Wide Web works so well [1]. However, if you'll allow us to ground the discussion at this level, I think you'll see that binding is an essential aspect of RESTful systems.
What is binding? Wikipedia [2] defines it as "the association of values with identifiers" and continues "Binding is intimately connected with scoping, as scope determines when binding occurs". In other words, binding is the association of a logical "name" with something physical in code, such as the memory location for a variable or the entry point of a method.
As developers, we are so accustomed to the idea of binding that we probably don't think about it very much. We write code such as
for (i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) {...}
without thinking about the physical memory location used for the for-loop's increment value. Who cares if it's at address B65A435 or CD55D43D, as long as the programming language abstraction is preserved and we can always refer to that location by the name "i"?
In this article, we will briefly explore some of the ways in which bindings are done and the impact that the choice of binding method has on system flexibility and performance.
Binding in Java
One of the main functions of a Java Virtual Machine is to find and load only those classes which are actually used by a running program. The JVM does this at runtime in a process known as dynamic linking. When you compile Java source files, the Java compiler creates class files that contain symbolic references to each other and to the class files of the Java runtime libraries. During the process of dynamic linking, the JVM must resolve the symbolic references in the class files and replace them with direct references to the data structures in memory which represent the loaded classes.
While there is some flexibility in when it can occur, every JVM classloader uses a Resolution Phase, during which it determines the mapping between each symbolic reference (a logical address) and a direct reference (a physical address). After resolution, the symbolic reference has been replaced with a direct reference, creating a direct and permanent link between the code that uses the reference and a memory location. It is important to note that in Java the resolution of symbolic references occurs only once. Subsequent references to symbols are not re-resolved; they simply use the established direct reference.
For example, in the following code, the instantiation of a new instance of the Date class may cause the classloader to locate the class and load it into memory (if this is the first use of the Date class), create an instance of the class somewhere in the heap, call the class initialization method, and resolve the symbolic reference representing the date variable to the appropriate location in memory:
Date date = new Date();
Subsequent references to date, however, do not initiate another resolution process by the classloader:
long time = date.getTime()
This is all fine until one starts to consider issues of system malleability. One way to think about this code is from the perspective of a client and a service. The program being written assumes the role of the client and the instance of the Date class is the service. This may not seem like a problem until you ask a question such as "How do I replace the Date service with an updated implementation while the system is running?". If you need to do this extrinsically (for example, you are managing a system and you need to replace a portion of the system with updated code) you have a problem. With a traditional Java application this is difficult since, as in our example above, the class has been loaded into memory and all symbolic references have been replaced with direct references. Adding this flexibility is possible, but comes at the cost of adding complexity (such as class-loading and management code) to the program.
Binding in the World Wide Web
For contrast, let's look at binding in an incredibly flexible system; the largest and most robust information system yet created: the World Wide Web.
The Web has succeed in part because of a fundamental economic property - one can add value at a low "marginal cost" [3]. Whole web sites are added everyday, existing web sites change their content and web sites disappear - all without disrupting the Web as a whole and at a very low cost per unit. This is a fundamentally different computing proposition than is found in Java applications; where a change in a class can result in extensive work (propagating API changes across the code base, integration testing, deployment, restarting the application, etc.)
For example, if the Web worked the way Java does, one could add new web sites at any time (just as Java programs cause the loading of new classes on demand). Any changes or updates to a web site, however, would require the Web to be restarted. Yes, this is a slight exaggeration - but hopefully it raises the question "Why can't software applications have the same desirable characteristics as the Web?".
From another perspective, the World Wide Web can be thought of as continuously responding to requirements which are constantly changing. Like the Web, most modern software systems also need to respond to frequently changing requirements. So, what is needed to make software applications that are as flexible as the Web in this respect?
Web-like Binding in Applications
Since the Web has interesting economic properties and great flexibility, one might wonder if we can incorporate these same properties within our applications by making our applications more "web-like". Is it possible to use web-like binding inside of application software? If so, what technology can do this?
From the user's perspective, they have entered an address that is available within a global context. The user does not know that a temporary binding occurred between their browser and the web server. In fact, the user does not know, and need not care, where the resource representation physically comes from.
Technologically, what occurs is the following:
- The browser submits a query to the Domain Name Service (DNS) for "www.theserverside.com" and gets back the IP address of a server registered as the endpoint for the domain address.
- The browser uses this information to make a TCP/IP connection to the IP address at port 80.
- The browser uses the connection to send an HTTP protocol request to "GET" the resource with the address "/" relative to "www.theserverside.com".
- The server endpoint receives the HTTP request and does whatever processing it deems necessary to obtain or create and then return a resource representation for the given logical address ("/").
- The browser receives the representation, processes it and creates a visual display for the user.
- The browser drops the TCP/IP connection and "un-binds" from the endpoint [5].
Getting back to our question, how can we incorporate the desirable properties of this proven architecture within a software application? When examining the architecture of the Web, we note several key ideas:
- Client code is separate from server endpoints.
- An address resolution mechanism locates endpoints for a given logical resource address.
- Endpoints return resource representations.
- The binding between clients and endpoints is transient; only valid for the duration of the request.
- Endpoints have knowledge of the address they are processing.
One way to implement these characteristics in application software is to introduce the idea of an Intermediary. Client code can then send requests to the Intermediary which can resolve the logical address to an endpoint, send the request to the endpoint, accept the returned resource representation and pass that back to the client code. At the end of this cycle, the binding between the client and the endpoint can be dropped.
We also need logical addresses that clients can use to request resources. Universal Resource Identifiers (URIs) [6] work well for the Web and they can serve us too. The URI specification supports the creation of new schemes. Because existing schemes, such as http:, ftp:, etc., all have associated protocols and are used outside of and between applications, we should define our own scheme. Let's pick a somewhat arbitrary scheme, such as "resource:". With this URI scheme, if a client wants a representation of all customers, it can create and send a request to the Intermediary for
It is then the responsibility of the Intermediary to:
- Resolve the logical address to an endpoint.
- Send the request to the endpoint.
- Accept the representation returned by the service endpoint and send it back to the requesting client.
- Drop any connection it establishes between the client and the endpoint.
If the clients and services were written in Java, what might they look like? The client will need access to the Intermediary so, for now, let's say it is available by reference in a variable named "context". The client code might then look like this:
Request req; Representation rep; req = context.createRequest("resource:/customers/"); rep = context.issueRequest(req);
and the service endpoint code might look like this:
public void processRequest(Context context) throws Exception { Request request = context.getRequest(); ... Representation rep = // some code to create the representation context.setResponse(rep); }
Interesting, but does this really work like the Web? It seems to:
- Clients make a logical request for a resource and don't know the location of the service endpoint that will process their request.
- The binding between the client and the resolved endpoint exists only for the duration of the request processing.
- Service endpoints return a resource representation to the client.
- Additional services can be added at any time - for example an endpoint for the address "resource:/accounts/...". Service endpoints can be updated at any time, as long as the Intermediary can suspend the forwarding of requests to a service endpoint while the update is handled.
This is a good start...but Web requests also include a "verb" that specifies the type of operation which is being requested of the service endpoint. The HTTP protocol, for instance, defines a well-known set of "methods" (aka verbs) such as GET, POST, PUT, and so on. For our system, let's introduce a slightly modified set of verbs: SOURCE, SINK, NEW, EXISTS, and DELETE.
The key idea is that the client and the service endpoint will not need to agree on the type of the returned representation. If the client does not specify a return type, then the endpoint is free to return any type it chooses. If the client does specify a return type but the endpoint is not able to return that type, it will still return some representation. In this case, the Intermediary is free to determine if it can transform the representation from the type provided to the type requested (for example, transforming an XML fragment to a JSON representation). Finally, we allow the result of a request to be a failure return if the requested type is not available or cannot be created from the returned representation.
Let's see how these additional factors play out in the client and service endpoint code:
Request req; Representation rep; req = context.createRequest("resource:/customers/"); req.setVerb(Request.SOURCE); req.setType(List.class); rep = context.issueRequest(req);
and the service endpoint code might look like this:
public void processRequest(Context context) throws Exception { Request request = context.getRequest(); ... List customers = new LinkedList(); // add customers to the list context.setResponse(customers); }
While this may look like traditional linking between a consumer and a provider in a Java application, the ability of the Intermediary to transform resource representations enables a much looser notion of binding between the client and server. For example, if the client code in the last example was the following:
req = context.createRequest("resource:/customers/"); req.setVerb(Request.SOURCE); req.setType(DOM.class); rep = context.issueRequest(req);
The List type returned by the service would not match the requested DOM XML format. The Intermediary in this case would search for a service that could transform the List representation into a DOM representation and request this transformation automatically and transparently to both the client and the service. This transformation of a representation or "transrepresentation" gives our system increased decoupling between clients and services and increases the ease with which applications can be composed.
Note, also, that the Intermediary provides complete physical isolation between clients and services - the client never has access to the physical location of the service; something that is not present in a typical, physically-bound Java application. This isolation, achieved through logical binding, is one of the ways that we can provide Web-like characteristics in application software.
Future Directions
Even though our Intermediary provides great power to our architecture it has, so far, been fairly simple. As you may have guessed, the Intermediary itself can be enhanced to provide additional capabilities; such as controlling threads of execution, transforming representation types, loading and managing Java classes, supporting other programming languages, and managing the specification and mapping of logical address namespaces in which addresses are resolved. In future articles, we will discuss some of these enhancements and the additional power that they provide.
We have started to show how one can build a system for developing application software that captures the economic benefits of the World Wide Web. We began at a low level - with binding. We discussed an approach that uses URI logical addresses and an Intermediary that resolves the addresses to service endpoints. We then explored prototypical Java code for clients and services in such an approach. Finally, we discussed the issue of matching the representation types returned by a service to those requested by clients.
As interest in REST and RESTful design increases, we will see creative technologies aimed at supporting this approach. Some will be RESTful only at the edges and will miss the full benefits found by taking REST to the core of new applications. In subsequent articles we will explore an approach to pushing REST all the way to the core of new applications and how the sought-after economic benefits are, in fact, realized.
[1] Roy Fielding, Dissertation for PhD at UC, Irvine, http://www.ics.uci.edu/~fielding/pubs/dissertation/top.htm
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_binding
[3] In economics the term "marginal cost" refers to the cost of adding a unit of production, which in the case of the Web is a new page on a web site or even a whole new web site.
[4] The browser will get an immutable copy of the information located at the requested address.
[5] Optionally the browser may keep the connection open to efficiently request other resources from the same endpoint. This is just a performance enhancement and does not change the logical model. (It is as if the browser "caches" the resolution to the endpoint for a short period of time)
[6] http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2396.txt
About the Authors
Tom Hicks is a software consultant at Tohono Consulting in Tucson, Arizona. He specializes in enterprise architectures and technologies which make the "plumbing" of the Internet more capable and easier to use. Tom holds graduate degrees in Computer Science and Cognitive Science and is interested in the confluence of these fields with Linguistics.
Randy Kahle is a director of 1060 Research, Ltd a company dedicated to researching and realizing the benefits of RESTful systems. Previously he worked for Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, MageLang Institute and Variantia. He holds a BA from Rice University in CS and EE and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth.


text:
Forest River RV Forester LE 3251DSLE Ford Motor Home Class C For Sale
Forest River Forester LE Class C gas motorhome 2351DSLE Ford highlights:
- Sofa Foot Rests
- Two Slides
- Flip-Down Bunk
- Sleeps Nine
Double the fun with this Forester LE Class C gas motorhome! You will have a sofa with foot rests in the living area, a three-burner range top in the kitchen, and two slides to add living space. The fun doesn't stop there, though, because there is also a private bedroom with plenty of storage space for your things and a queen-size bed for your tired body. The bunk over the cab and booth dinette add to this coach's ability to sleep nine people each night.
The Forest River Forester LE Class C gas motorhome is what you should be looking at when it comes to tasteful style and design. The split-level design allows you to have a spacious living area with a 7' ceiling to accommodate all guests, and the color backup camera will come in handy when parking your RV into your campsite. The interior portion of these motorhomes will have you excited to spend your free time indoors with the well-appointed decor and surround sound. Plus, all of the Forester LE models have been "Certified Green" by TRA Certification.Have a question about this floorplan?Contact Us
Sleeps 9 Slides 2 Length 32 ft 3 in Ext Width 8 ft 5 in Ext Height 11 ft 3 in Int Height 7 ft Hitch Weight 7500 lbs Gross Weight 14500 lbs Fresh Water Capacity 44 gals Grey Water Capacity 39 gals Black Water Capacity 39 gals Furnace BTU 30000 btu Generator 4.0 KW Onan Microquiet Fuel Type Gas Chassis Ford Fuel Capacity 55 gals Wheelbase 220 in Number Of Bunks 2 Available Beds Queen Refrigerator Type Double Door Refrigerator Size 6 cu ft Cooktop Burners 3 Shower Size 24" x 36" Number of Awnings 1 Axle Weight Front 5000 lbs Axle Weight Rear 9600 lbs Water Heater Capacity 6 gal Water Heater Type DSI Gas/Electric AC BTU 13500 btu Awning Info 11' Electric with LED Lights Gross Combined Weight 22000 lbs Shower Type Tub/Shower Combo Electrical Service 30 amp
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text:
Question, I'm trying to contract as a 25 yr old. My recruiter says I'm going to need top tier godlike times in order to contract at my age. Is the still true or do I have a fighting chance with optimal times? Currently 1 month into full training and preparing. Last time I started recruitment (pulled out prior to contracting became a father) I had a 82 asvab and 3 on c-sort. Attempting to better both.
No announcement yet.
Old man trying to contract.
new posts
Nah bro you're good. Good ASVAB. Don't worry about that. Hit those competitive times and you're solid. You're age is not an issue until you're 28 almost 29.
Swim: 9:30
Push: 75
Sit: 75
Pull: 15
Run: 9:30
Hit these numbers and you have a good shot. Of course higher scores are always welcome
- Oct 2010
- 951
Call it motivation. God-like scores are required when you're looking for an age policy waiver.Navy SEAL & SWCC Scout Team
"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission."
John F. Kennedy
35th President of U.S. 1961-1963 (1917 - 1963)
I would assume you should ultimately shoot for officer optimum:
Swim - 8:25
Push - 98
Sit - 91
Pull - 21
Run - 8:59
Source: https://apps.sealswcc.com/pst/officercalc
On the other hand, according to a book called Breaking BUD/S, highly competitive officer scores would be
Swim - 7:00
Push - 120
Sit - 120
Pull - 30
Run - 8:00
I would assume "God-like" would fall under the category of the latter, but I would not set unrealistic goals if I were you. Work on getting autoquals, then worry about officer optimum and beyond. Better yet, just work to do better than you did previously every time you take a PST.
I have been totally honest with every navy recruiter I have ever spoken with and I have never been told anything like about how I need "god-like" PST scores to get a SEAL contract. Hmm. 15 pull ups to just get through the door? I don't think that is a realistic expectation of anybody that wants to get a SEAL contract who is no prior service. If the magic number is a Max of 17 pull-ups (it basically is) there have been guys that have their Trident YEARS BEHIND THEM that have had to do significant work to get to a maximum of 17 pull-ups or more. I would love to watch somebody do a 1.5 Mi run in 8:00! That is almost like a world record. Well if you can do that in 8 minutes maybe you should be trying to break the 1 Mile world record.


text:
Katherine Henry – 4 Year Old Class
My name is Katherine Henry and I am the director of TAI Preschool and I am the lead teacher in the four year old class. I have been a teacher here since 2007 and I became director in April of 2009. I am a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in Elementary Education. I received my Masters degree from Georgetown College In Elementary Education. I taught sixth grade students for two years in Ohio and then I moved back to Kentucky and taught fifth grade for five years. I have always enjoyed working with children and teaching is definitely what I love to do. I did take some time off to stay at home with my twins, but as soon as they started kindergarten I went back to work. I taught for two years at Cassidy Elementary school as an ESS teacher. I worked with small groups of children that needed extra help in math. I then heard about the four year old position at TAI being open and I applied immediately. I was fortunate to be hired and I have loved all my years of teaching and directing at TAI.
My husband, David, and I have twins that attended TAI Preschool. They had a wonderful experience when they were here and I am certain that it helped prepare them for kindergarten and beyond. We first heard about TAI from a cousin that attended here. She made lots of friends and she was also well prepared for elementary school. We told a younger cousin about our positive experience and then he attended here as well. It has been a wonderful school for our family! It is a real joy to be a teacher here now and help instill a love for learning for our current students. It is rewarding to watch them learn and grow.
Alice Logsdon – 2/3 Year Old Classes
My name is Alice Logsdon and I am the lead teacher in the two and three year old classes at TAI Preschool. I have been a teacher here since 2003. I am a graduate of Western Kentucky University with degrees in English, German and Education. I was honored to be a recipient of a Fulbright award, and spent a year as an English language assistant at Gymnasium Wermelskirchen, near Cologne, Germany. I later moved to Colorado where I spent several years as a buyer/manager specializing in children's books and educational toys at The Boulder Bookstore.
My husband, Doug, and I have two children. My son is a 2017 graduate of the University of Virginia and is currently employed at Microsoft in Mt. View, CA as a software developer. My daughter is a 2017 graduate of SCAPA Lafayette and is attending the University of Georgia, majoring in dance. I became involved at TAI first as a parent, when my youngest began her school experience as a two year old. When she entered kindergarten at our local elementary school, she was very well prepared to read, write, and learn. It is a pleasure to be a teacher here now, helping to prepare a new generation of students for a lifetime of learning.
Sharon Murphy – 2/3 Year Old Class Assistant and TAI Toddlers
My name is Sharon Murphy and I am the lead teacher for the TAI Toddlers as well as the assistant in the 2 /3 year old class. After helping as a volunteer for a couple of years, I was offered a teaching position which I happily accepted. I have been on staff at TAI since 2015. I originally studied at the University of Toronto after which I took a break from school. I went back to BCTC and graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in History.
My husband, Paul, and I have one child who currently attends Lansdowne Elementary. He spent a year in Mrs. Logsdon's class and ended up spending two years in Mrs. Henry's class due to the fact that his birthday missed the Kindergarten cutoff date for Fayette County. He learned an enormous amount from both his teachers and was completely prepared for the move to elementary school. I look forward to helping give other children the wonderful preschool experience my son was so lucky to have.
Elissa Weinstein – Transitional Kindergarten
My name is Elissa Weinstein and I am the lead teacher in the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class at TAI Preschool. I began teaching at TAI in 2001. At that time I was the lead teacher in the 2 and 3 year old classes. I taught until 2009 when I took some time off to stay at home with my own children. I began volunteering at TAI in 2011 after my first daughter was born. I have been teaching Hebrew at TAI since then. I am a graduate of Indiana University with degrees in Anthropology and Jewish Studies.
My husband, Alan, and I have two children. Our daughters attend Athens Chilesburg Elementary and are graduates of TAI Preschool. They were extremely well prepared for Kindergarten upon entering public school and both my husband and I credit that to the wonderful start that they received at TAI Preschool.
***The TK Class is not offered in the 2018-19 school year. Mrs. Weinstein will be here from time to time as a substitute teacher, however.***


text:
A dentist in midtown Toronto is trying to lure new patients with an attractive come-on: professional teeth whitening for $39.99, "a $400 value." One in Vancouver goes a step further, providing whitening for free as an introductory offer.
It is the kind of salesmanship more common in retailing than health care, but some analysts predict it will become increasingly prevalent among dentists, as one of Canada's most financially secure professions appears headed for a new era of tough competition.
Stalled demand and a growing supply of practitioners — at least in large cities — mean many dentists will have to fight to maintain their incomes, argues a recent, "doom and gloom" report to the profession.
Some analysts predict that heightened jostling for business will usher in better prices, easier payment plans and more customer-oriented service; others worry that the dentists who are best at marketing, and not necessarily the most adept at fixing teeth, will prosper.
The growing per-capita pool of dentists has already sparked price wars and discount offers in "hyper-competitive" markets like Toronto, said Michael Carabash, a lawyer who works with the profession.
"Dentists, 20, 30, 40 years ago probably thought of themselves as professionals and not business people. They could have hung out their shingle … and through word-of-mouth referrals would have built up good practices," said Mr. Carabash. "That is not the case any more."
The new reality means patients will have "more purchasing power than ever," he said.
The average income for Canadian dentists after overhead is estimated at $140,000 to $170,000.
The tightening market for dentistry is detailed in a recent report by the consultants R.K. House and Associates to the Ontario Dental Association (ODA). The data it cites suggest the trend is similar across the country, though some experts said the saturation problem exists primarily in larger cities, with smaller communities still actually under-serviced.
The report indicates the number of dentists in Ontario climbed faster than the population each year between 2002 and 2011, increasing from one professional for every 2,277 residents to one per 1,992. Nationally, there were 1,709 people per dentist by 2009, according to the report.
'Compared to virtually every other country, Canada has a very generous sprinkling of dentists and hygienists'
That contrasts with the situation outside Canada, where many similar jurisdictions have considerably fewer of the professionals per capita, claims R.K. House.
"Compared to virtually every other country, Canada has a very generous sprinkling of dentists and hygienists," says the report. "Over the next few years, these numbers will grow. This means that competition within the profession will become more intense and individual dentists are going to try to find ways to attract and retain patients."
The trend will not stop until dental schools cut back on how many students they admit, the report says, arguing they are "graduating more dentists than required to maintain a constant population/dentist ratio."
The consultant also argues that demand for services is likely to decline. While increasing debt load and higher interest rates in coming years will curb Canadians' discretionary income, workplace benefit plans are becoming less generous, the report says.
Ron Weintraub, a Toronto dentist and consultant, said he believes such pressures on patient demand will be countered by a growing recognition among younger Canadians that good dental care is essential. The expanding supply of dentists, though, is making the market more constricted, he agreed.
He recommends dentists respond by running their practices more efficiently, ideally by joining forces with colleagues in group offices to share the hefty cost of equipment.
'The practice of dentistry has changed. I'm not sure that has been pressured by angst or competition or worry'
There is pressure, however, to "look around and view others as competition," Dr. Weintraub said.
"I don't think that's a good thing. It encourages marketing initiatives whereby patients will be drawn to the best marketers, rather than the best skills."
Other observers, meanwhile, say the problem is not the number of dentists, but their concentration. While some cities might have a glut, smaller communities and rural areas continue to be under-serviced, said Dr. Robert Sutherland, president of the Canadian Dental Association.
He also acknowledged that dentists have become more consumer-oriented, shifting from operating nine-to-five out of non-descript, low-key premises, to more visible, people-friendly clinics with extended hours. But he called that a natural evolution.
"The practice of dentistry has changed," said Dr. Sutherland. "I'm not sure that has been pressured by angst or competition or worry, but just by an evolving profession."
An aging population and growing awareness of the importance of dental care will likely keep demand buoyant, but there is definitely an "over-concentration" of dentists in larger urban areas, said Timothy Brown, CEO of ROI Corp., a broker that handles sales of dental practices.
One result of that concentration is a trend toward bidding wars for successful dental practices when they come on the market, he said.
With the cost of opening a new practice starting at about $600,000, many young and foreign-trained professionals, aided by credit from co-operative banks, would rather buy an office that already has a full patient load, said Mr. Brown.
National Post


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So much of the news about the Nippon Ham Fighters this year has centered around Shohei Otani, whether he's hitting or pitching or both. But on Sunday, the Fighters matched Nippon Professional Baseball's longest win streak since Nippon Ham won 14 straight under current Astros bench coach Trey Hillman. And the 14th win came despite a poor outing from Otani.
Otani had won his previous seven starts, in which he batted in six of them — despite pitching in a DH league — and moonlighting on weekdays as the Fighters' designated hitter. But on Sunday, out of the batting order for the first time since May, Otani allowed three runs in 6-1/3 innings, while giving up five hits, walking two, hitting one and striking out eight.
The Fighters came back from a five-run deficit to tie it in the ninth on a Kensuke Tanaka solo homer off Lotte Marines closer Yuji Nishino, and Brandon Laird hit his 25th home run of the Pacific League season in the 12th inning, without which the game would have ended in a 5-5 tie at Sapporo Dome.
Otani left the mound in the seventh with a ruptured blister on the middle finger of his right hand, and the Fighters are saying it is unlikely he'll pitch in this weekend's all-star games.
"I don't know how it will turn out. I'll try to recover to be able to pitch, but I fear it's probably not possible. It's looking bleak," said Otani according to Kyodo News.
A Fighters trainer said there are no issues with him batting at the all-star games scheduled on Friday and Saturday — Otani is likely to be voted into one of the pregame home run derbies.
Manager Hideki Kuriyama said, "We'll do our utmost for him to be able to pitch."
If so, he'll need to take things one step at a time. Famous for his batting as for his speed off the mound, umpire Yoshiharu Yamaguchi and Fighters catcher Shota Ono tested Otani's reflexes with a different kind of challenge on Sunday:


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TORONTO, October 19 - The 2017-18 Woodbine Standardbred Fall-Winter meet got underway Thursday evening with an exciting 10-race harness racing card. The meet got off to an intriguing start, as two-year-old pacing filly Quite A Sight scored a 12-1 upset in the opening race for driver Randy Waples and breeder/owner/trainer Bob McIntosh. The daughter of Camluck stopped the timer in 1:54.4 to improve to two for three to start her career. Quite A Sight was not the only rookie to grab the opening night spotlight, as Wind Blast and You Said It brought the heat on Thursday. Mach Three gelding Wind Blast blew the doors off his rivals with a front-end score in 1:53 for Waples at 3-1. The Jack Darling trained rookie was able to knock almost a full-second off his previous mark of 1:53.4, which was established in his most recent outing on October 2 at Mohawk. Wind Blast, who competed earlier this season in Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots action, is now two for five and has banked $25,087 for Jack Darling Stables Ltd. The evening's seventh-race saw Well Said colt You Said It overcome an interference break early to rally and win in impressive fashion. The Ben Wallace trained rookie was knocked off-stride by a breaking rival an eighth of a mile into the race and had to reset for driver Doug McNair in eighth. You Said It would move to the outside nearing the half and ended up fourth-over and eighth in the field turning for home. You Said It unleashed a :27 final-quarter to zoom late and score a victory by a neck in 1:55.2. It was the first win in 11 outings for the son of Well Said, who was purchased privately in August by Brad Grant. Driver Sylvain Filion led the way Thursday by each picking up three victories, including a 29-1 upset with five-year-old claiming pacer Er Quinn in the finale. Leading trainer Richard Moreau wasted no time adding to his strong numbers, as he sent out two winners on Thursday. Horseplayers were ready to jump in and play on opening night at Woodbine. The Pick-5 pool attracted $66,088 and paid $1,345.50 for a $0.20 winning ticket, while the Early Pick-4 had a pool of $56,660 and returned $138.65 for a $1 ticket. Live racing continues Friday night at Woodbine. Post time is 7:30 p.m. Quite A Sight Wind Blast You Said It Er Quinn Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, October 18 - Live harness racing returns to Woodbine Racetrack on Thursday, October 17 for the 2017-18 Woodbine Fall-Winter meet. The Fall-Winter meet will feature live racing every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. The lone exception is a special matinee card on Boxing Day (December 26) at 1 p.m. The final number of race dates for the meet is pending regulatory approval. The upcoming meet will be the last for harness racing at Woodbine, as Mohawk Racetrack will become the home of year-round Woodbine harness racing beginning in April of 2018. Doug McNair captured the driving title last season at Woodbine and while he carried that momentum over to post leading numbers during the Mohawk meet, the Guelph, Ontario reinsman feels he is a perfect match for racing at Woodbine. "It's good for my style, I like to be aggressive and it's more of a front end track," noted McNair. "They're going such big speed now a days, especially back-halves, you can come a half in :53 and not get a cheque, so you got to be up in the hunt especially going back to Woodbine. "The front end is a real good spot to be and first-over is not that bad either if you have the right horse." As always, Horseplayers can expect competitive racing and strong pool sizes throughout the Woodbine Fall-Winter meet. The wagering menu for Woodbine Standardbreds remains the same and continues to feature the popular multi-leg wagers, including the $50,000 guaranteed Pick-5 and $50,000 guaranteed Early Pick-4. The popularity of the Pick-5 wager reached new heights during the recently concluded Mohawk meet. The average Pick-5 pool for the Mohawk meet was $73,437 and horseplayers can expect much of the same this season at Woodbine. Thursday's opening card features 10-races. A free program can be downloaded by clicking here. Mark McKelvie
CAMPBELLVILLE, October 16 - The Mohawk Harness Racing Office would like to remind horsepeople of the draw schedule for the upcoming Woodbine Racetrack meet. Effective immediately, draws for Saturday cards will take place on Wednesday mornings. The entry box closes at 10:30 a.m. The draw schedule for the other nights of racing remains the same as the Mohawk meet. Here is the full draw schedule: Enter Monday for Thursday Enter Tuesday for Friday Enter Wednesday for Saturday Enter Thursday for Monday Beginning Thursday, October 26, qualifiers will take place each Thursday at Woodbine starting at 4 p.m. The entry box for qualifiers closes Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. Mark McKelvie
CAMPBELLVILLE, October 10 - Live harness racing will be shifting from Mohawk to Woodbine Racetrack next week and details regarding training hours and qualifiers have been released. The final day for qualifiers and training at Mohawk will be next Tuesday (October 17). The Mohawk racing surface and paddock will then be closed until next spring. Qualifiers will resume on Thursday, October 26 at Woodbine and will be held every Thursday beginning at 4 p.m. Starting October 24, the Woodbine racing surface and paddock will be available each Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for training. The 2017-18 Woodbine Fall-Winter meet begins Thursday, October 19. Mark McKelvie
CAMPBELLVILLE, April 15 - Driver Doug McNair and trainer Richard Moreau were recognized Saturday evening at Mohawk Racetrack for their outstanding performances during the 2016-17 Woodbine harness racing winter meet. The Woodbine winter meet, which concluded on Monday, was contested from November 10 to April 10. Doug McNair, 27, led all drivers in victories and earnings. The Guelph, Ontario resident won 126 races during the five-month meet and drove the winners of over $1.7 million. The Woodbine driving title is McNair's first driving title on the Woodbine Entertainment circuit. While McNair took home his first title, Richard Moreau, 52, added another Woodbine training title to his long list of accomplishments. Moreau, who is the four-time reigning Trainer of the Year in Canada, led all conditioners with 62 wins and earnings of over $1.2 million. Moreau's barn has been led this year by older pacer American Virgin, who's won the Preferred at WEG seven-times and banked $140,080 this season. McNair has been the driver behind the Preferred star all-season. McNair and Moreau also teamed up on Friday night to win the $30,000 Mares Preferred with Sandbetweenurtoes. The 2017 Mohawk meet is now in full swing and McNair and Moreau are both off to solid starts. Live racing is held at the Campbellville oval every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, April 8 - Richard Moreau's barn put together a fantastic evening to highlight the final Saturday night harness racing card of the Woodbine Racetrack meet. Canada's reigning Trainer of the Year sent out five winners on Saturday's 10-race card. Leading the way for Moreau's barn was American Virgin, who scored his fifth consecutive victory in the $34,000 Preferred. Driven by Doug McNair, American Virgin made a third to first move in the second-quarter and never looked back to defeat four rivals in 1:50.4. The five-year-old gelded son of Always A Virgin is now 7 for 11 this season and has earned a nation leading $140,080 in 2017. Brad Grant of Milton, Ontario owns American Virgin. Driver Louis Philippe Roy piloted Moreau's four other winners on Saturday evening's card. The young reinsman from Quebec steered overnight pacers Rockin Wizard, Traceur Hanover, Twomacsonemach and Carracci Hanover to victory. Since the start of 2017, Moreau's barn has recorded 44 victories at Woodbine. American Virgin Also on Saturday, five-year-old pacer Luke And Duke and driver Steve Bryon scored a 41-1 upset victory in the Jackpot Hi-5 race. The longshot winner helped wipe all but one of the Hi-5 tickets to allow a horseplayer to hit the Jackpot. The single-winning $0.20 ticket scored a return of $141,059.11. The Jackpot Hi-5 carryover, which sat at $118,631 heading into Saturday's card, had been growing since March 13. The 2016-17 Woodbine fall-winter meet comes to a close on Monday (April 10). Moreau will look to finish off the meet in style when he sends out three-starters on the 10-race card. Post time Monday is 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, March 30 - Driver Louis Philippe Roy dominated Thursday evening's harness racing card at Woodbine Racetrack by winning five of his seven drives. Roy, who has been cleaning up since joining the WEG Circuit this winter, teamed up with his pal Rene Allard for four of his five wins on Thursday's 10-race card. The dynamic duo captured the evening's first-race with trotter Win The Day, the fourth-race with pacer Now What Hanover, the sixth-race with pacer Julerica and the evening's final-race with pacing mare Olivias Way. Roy's other victory on the card came with Victor McMurren trainee Calgary Seelster in a Claiming Event. Entering Thursday's card, Roy sat second in the driver's standings with 61 victories. His five-win performance boosts him to 66 wins in 313 drives at Woodbine this season. Doug McNair currently leads all WEG drivers with 75 wins this season. As for Allard, his Thursday grand-slam gives him 47 wins this season at Woodbine, which is good enough for an 11-win lead over Richard Moreau in the WEG trainer's standings. Roy and Allard will team up again four-times on Friday evening's program. Post time Friday is 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, March 23 - It doesn't happen regularly, so fans and horseplayers are in for a treat when a double dose of harness racing 'Preferred' action highlights Saturday night's card at Woodbine Racetrack. The $34,000 Preferred pace (Race 6) and $30,000 Mares Preferred pace (Race 2) will give everyone a chance to see many of the top pacers on the Woodbine Entertainment circuit on the same night. American Virgin, a five-year-old gelded son of Always A Virgin, will attempt to extend his current win streak to three in the Preferred. The Richard Moreau trainee has won the top class at Woodbine five-times this season. American Virgin has banked $106,080 this season to lead all Canadian-based horses in earnings. Doug McNair, the leading driver at Woodbine, will steer the 9/5 morning line choice from post-three. One of the newer faces on the WEG Circuit is New Zealand bred pacer Brilliant Strike N. The Tony O'Sullivan trained six-year-old will take his first crack at the top class from post-six. A son of Shadow Play, Brilliant Strike N scored his first win in the Northern Hemisphere last week by winning the class below the Preferred in 1:51.4. The O'Sullivan trainee will be making his fifth start on Canadian soil Saturday and will have the driving services of Sylvain Filion. Brilliant Strike N last start in New Zealand took place in late-November. Of the eight horses in Saturday's Preferred, six of them (Alexas Jackpot, American Virgin, Andreios Kardia, Jins Shark, Company Man and Nickle Bag) have won an edition of the Preferred in the last four-months. The $30,000 Mares Preferred will feature a field of seven leading ladies. Ron Adams trainee Bernadette has been arguably one of the hottest pacers this season at Woodbine and the four-year-old will look for her second consecutive Mares Preferred score. The Adams trainee made a backstretch move to the lead in last week's feature event and never looked back en route to a 1:52 victory. Bernadette has won four of nine starts this season, with last week's triumph her first in the Mares Preferred. Top driver McNair will once again drive Bernadette on Saturday, but the red-hot mare will have to fight off some classy veterans. Nine-year-old Waasmula has been a mainstay in this class for years and will be looking for her 32nd career victory Saturday. The Brent Vincent homebred surpassed $1 million in career earnings earlier this season and won an edition of the Mares Preferred last month. Trained by Bruce Goit and driven by regular reinsman Trevor Henry, Waasmula will start in the middle of the seven-horse field from post-four. The seven mares in Saturday's $30,000 event have combined for 15 wins this season. Saturday's card will mark the end of the 11th week of racing this year at Woodbine. Below is the list of Preferred and Mares Preferred winners from this season. 2017 Preferred Pace (Italics indicates racing on Saturday) January 7: Alexas Jackpot January 14: Modern Legend January 21: American Virgin January 28: Fine Diamond February 4: Jins Shark February 11: American Virgin February 18: Nickle Bag February 25: American Virgin March 4: American Virgin March 11: Company Man March 18: American Virgin 2017 Mares Preferred Pace (Bold indicates racing on Saturday) January 13: Ms Mac N Cheese January 21: Sandbetweenurtoes January 27: Sandbetweenurtoes February 3: Sandbetweenurtoes February 24: Waasmula March 3: Wrangler Magic March 10: Wrangler Magic March 17: Bernadette Here are the fields for Saturday's feature races. Race 2: Mares Preferred - $30,000 1. Bernadette (Doug McNair - Ron Adams) 5/2 2. Victoria Semalu (Sylvain Filion - Richard Moreau) 6/1 3. P L Hurricane (Rick Zeron - Dave Brown) 7/2 4. Waasmula (Trevor Henry - Bruce Goit) 3/1 5. Exhilarated (Jonathan Drury - Carmen Auciello) 8/1 6. Rock N Roll Xample (Louis Philippe Roy - Rene Allard) 5/1 7. Request For Parole (Ed Hensley - Ashleigh Hensley) 10/1 Race 6: Preferred - $34,000 1. Alexas Jackpot (Louis Philippe Roy - Marty Fine) 7/2 2. J Js Delivery (James MacDonald - Robert McMillan) 10/1 3. American Virgin (Doug McNair - Richard Moreau) 9/5 4. Andreios Kardia (Jody Jamieson - Jeff Byron) 6/1 5. Jins Shark (Ed Hensley - Dave Menary) 15/1 6. Brilliant Strike N (Sylvain Filion - Tony O'Sullivan) 5/1 7. Company Man (Travis Cullen - Richard Moreau) 10/1 8. Nickle Bag (Trevor Henry - Bill Robinson) 9/2 Post time Saturday is 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, March 12 - Machal Jordan and harness racing driver Roger Mayotte pulled off a 20/1 upset to win a thrilling Jackpot Hi-5 mandatory payout race Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack. A field of 12 older pacers battled in a $25,000 overnight event with horseplayers from all over taking a crack at scoring a piece of the massive Jackpot Hi-5 pool. Horseplayers wagered $1,406,112 of new money into the Jackpot Hi-5 pool, which was then combined with the carryover amount of $578,231 to make up the total pool for the mandatory payout. Machal Jordan capitalized off a perfect second-over steer from Mayotte to win in 1:52.3 at 20-1. A wild finish saw the top-five finishers only separated by three-quarters of a length. Erle Dale N, the 8/5 favourite, finished eighth, which combined with longshots mixed throughout the top-five finishers led to a massive payoff of $38,179.28 for a $0.20 winning ticket. The $1 winning ticket returned $190,896.40. Here are the top five finishers from Saturday's Jackpot Hi-5 race. 1st: #1 Machal Jordan (Roger Mayotte) - 20/1 2nd: #6 Dialamara (James MacDonald) - 4/1 3rd: #7 Half A Billion (Jody Jamieson) - 22/1 4th: #2 Casimir Overdrive (Jonathan Drury) - 18/1 5th: #4 Single White Sock (Sylvain Filion) - 18/1 The Jackpot Hi-5 wager requires horseplayers to correctly select the top-five finishers in order. The minimum wager is $0.20 and the takeout is 15 per cent. Live racing resumes Monday evening at Woodbine Racetrack. Post time is 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, March 8 - Harness racing horseplayers can start studying immediately, as the draw is out for this Saturday's (March 11) Jackpot Hi-5 mandatory payout race at Woodbine Racetrack. A carryover of $578,231.58 is being brought into the Jackpot Hi-5 mandatory payout, which is offered on Race 10 this Saturday. A 12 horse field has been put together for the Jackpot Hi-5 race. Overnight pacers meeting the conditions of Non-Winners of $10,500 last five or $18,000 last 10 will battle for an increased purse of $25,000. All starters in Saturday's Jackpot Hi-5 race will receive money. The winner of the race will receive 50 per cent of the purse, while horses finishing sixth through 12th will receive one per cent. The remainder of the purse will be split up as usual to the horses finishing second through fifth. The current Jackpot Hi-5 carryover has been growing since the last mandatory payout on December 23rd. On that evening, a carryover of $548,396 was brought into the mandatory payout and horseplayers wagered $2,081,441 of new money into the Jackpot Hi-5 pool. Gregg McNair trainee The Rev won the Jackpot Hi-5 race on December 23rd and once again will be competing in Saturday's mandatory payout race, starting from post position nine. Dialamara (PP6) and Half A Billion (PP7) join The Rev as the only three horses from the most recent mandatory payout race to compete in Saturday's event. A $0.20 winning ticket on the December 23rd mandatory payout returned $4,842.70. If previous mandatory payouts are any indication, a total pool well over $2 million is very likely on Saturday's mandatory payout. This Saturday will be the seventh major mandatory payout on WEG Standardbred racing since the Jackpot Hi-5 was introduced to the wagering menu in the fall of 2013. An average of $1.7 million in new money has been wagered on each of the previous six major mandatory payouts. The Jackpot Hi-5 requires horseplayers to select the top-five finishers in order. The minimum wager is $0.20, while the takeout is 15 per cent. To view early program pages for Saturday's card, click here. Post time for Saturday's card at Woodbine is 7:30 p.m. Below is the field for Saturday's Jackpot Hi-5 mandatory payout race. Race 10 - Saturday, March 11 - Purse: $25,000 PP/Horse/Driver/Trainer 1. Machal Jordan (Roger Mayotte - Kenneth Switzer) 2. Casimir Overdrive (Doug McNair - Carmen Auciello) 3. Panedictine (Colin Kelly - Laurie Bako) 4. Single White Sock (James MacDonald - Ted MacDonnell) 5. Erle Dale N (Doug McNair - Ron Adams) 6. Dialamara (James MacDonald - Pat Fletcher) 7. Half A Billion (Louis Philippe Roy - Corey Giles) 8. Champagne Phil (Paul MacDonell - Dean Nixon) 9. The Rev (Doug McNair - Gregg McNair) 10. Mach On The Beach (Louis Philippe Roy - Richard Moreau) 11. Darcee N (Travis Cullen - Travis Cullen) 12. Bank Shot Hanover (Trevor Henry - Victor Puddy) Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, February - The classy pacing mare Waasmula found the winner's circle for the first time in 2017 and the 30th time of her harness racing career Friday night at Woodbine Racetrack. The nine-year-old daughter of Million Dollar Cam converted off a second-over trip from driver Trevor Henry to win this week's top class for pacing mares in 1:51.3. Friday's victory was extra special for Waasmula, as it was the Bruce Goit trainee's first win since surpassing $1 million in career earnings on January 27th at Woodbine. Bred and owned by Brent Vincent of Allenford, Ontario, Waasmula was making the 131st start of her career Friday and fourth of her nine-year-old season. Last year, she won seven of 28 starts while banking over $293,000. Waasmula has been competing regularly in the top classes for pacing mares on the Woodbine Entertainment circuit since 13 days after capturing the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final for three-year-old pacing fillies back in November of 2011. The Vincent homebred's career totals now sit at 30 wins, $1,016,038 earned and a mark of 1:49.2. She paid $7.30 to win. In recognition of recently surpassing $1 million in career earnings, Waasmula and her connections were presented with a sign from the Woodbine Entertainment Group following her victory Friday. While Waasmula won the $25,000 feature race Friday, leading driver Doug McNair continued to add to his impressive early-season totals. The Guelph, Ontario resident picked up three more victories Friday to give him 47 this season at Woodbine. McNair now has a 26-win lead over nearest rival Louis Philippe Roy, who won two-races Friday. McNair will look to grow his lead on Saturday, as he is scheduled to drive in all 10-races. Post time is 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, February 3 - A pair of Winter Series finals for three and four-year-old pacers headlined Friday evening's 10-race harness racing card at chilly Woodbine Racetrack. The $39,400 Snowshoe Series final featured a field of seven, while a group of ten fillies and mares competed in the $37,600 Blizzard Series final. Awesomeness lived up to his name by completing a dominant sweep of the Snowshoe Series Friday. The Ryan Maxwell trainee was fired off the wings of the gate by driver Doug McNair, but had to take a step back and sit second rounding the first turn, as Lyons Sands, who was also going for a sweep of the series, sprinted to the lead. Lyons Sands posted an opening-quarter of :27.2, but was quickly knocked back to second when McNair circled around to the lead with Awesomeness entering the backstretch. Awesomeness, who went off at odds of 1/9, posted middle-half fractions of :56.3 and 1:25. A stretch duel between the two red-hot pacers seemed likely, but Awesomeness quickly put those dreams to bed by pulling away from Lyons Sands at the top of the lane. Awesomeness powered home in :28 to win by five-lengths in 1:53. Lyons Sands held on for second, while Big Yellow was third and Clouseau Hanover was fourth. A four-year-old gelding, Awesomeness has quickly gained notoriety this winter by turning in stunning efforts regularly. The son of Mach Three made the first start of his career on October 4th at Mohawk, for then-trainer Dave Keyes, and finished seventh. Since his debut, Awesomeness has won eight of 13 starts and has never finished worse than second. Purchased privately in November by Martin Scharf, Awesomeness has banked $41,700 this season to bring his career earnings total to $104,300. A $2 win ticket on Awesomeness Friday returned $2.30. Awesomeness The Blizzard Series final was the opposite of the Snowshoe, as the pace-setter couldn't hold on late and a longshot stole the spotlight. Xelene Bayama held her own in preliminary round action, but picked the perfect time to step up and strike in Friday's $37,600 Blizzard final. Driven by Rick Zeron, Xelene Bayama got away seventh, as Jimbelina paced out to the lead and posted hot opening fractions of :26.4 and :55.2. An outer-flow was established early by the favourite I Deal In Kisses heading down the backstretch and this allowed Zeron to jump into a third-over spot heading towards the far turn. Jimbelina, who was 2-1, kept motoring around the far turn and reached the three-quarter pole in 1:24.3. The outer-flow stopped advancing on the final bend and Zeron was forced to go three-wide to stay within striking range of the leader. In the stretch, Jimbelina attempted to muscle out the victory, but Xelene Bayama was full of pace and charged by the leader in the final-sixteenth to win by a length and three-quarters in 1:54.3. Jimbelina just held on for second over Senseless Beauty, while Collective Wisdom was fourth. A four-year-old daughter of Bettor's Delight, Xelene Bayama entered Friday's series finale off a fourth and third-place effort in the preliminary legs. The Stephane Larocque trainee had just a single victory in eight career starts before Friday. Owned by Bayama Farms Inc. and Zoom And Fish Stable Inc., Xelene Bayama earned $18,880 for her Blizzard Series victory, which brings her career earnings total to $31,235. Xelene Bayama paid $47.50 to win. Xelene Bayama Three and four-year-old pacers, who were non-winners of two-races or $30,000 lifetime as of October 31, 2016, were eligible for nomination to the Snowshoe and Blizzard Series. Also on Friday, Sandbetweenurtoes stretched her current win streak to three with a front-end score in the $30,000 Mares Preferred. The Richard Moreau trainee was sent to the front by driver Doug McNair and the duo never looked back en route to a 1:52.3 score. Sandbetweenurtoes has now won the last three editions of the top-level event for pacing mares. Owned by Brad Grant, Sandbetweenurtoes has three wins in four starts this season for earnings of $52,500. Her career totals now sit at 24 victories and $832,722 earned after Friday's triumph. Sandbetweenurtoes Live racing continues Saturday evening at Woodbine Racetrack with a 10-race card on deck. Post time is 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, January 27 - Awesomeness and Lyons Sands were able to repeat in round two of the Snowshoe Series, while Waasmula became harness racing's newest millionaire with a fifth-place finish to a repeat-winning Sandbetweenurtoes in the $30,000 Mares Preferred Friday night at Woodbine. The second leg of the Snowshoe Series got things rolling on Friday's 11-race card. Awesomeness, who won his first leg division by more than seven-lengths, delivered another impressive gate-to-wire performance to take Friday's first $17,000 Snowshoe division by 5¼ lengths in 1:54.1. The Ryan Maxwell trainee was put on the front by driver Doug McNair and was never challenged, posting fractions of :28.2, :57.2 and 1:25.4, before pacing home in :28.2 for his second win of the season. Big Yellow finished second, while East End was third. A four-year-old gelded son of Mach Three, Awesomneness, who made his career debut in October, has been cleaning up this winter at Woodbine and now has seven wins in 13 starts. Owned by Martin Scharf, Awesomeness has banked $22,000 in three starts this season to bring his career earnings total to $84,600. The Maxwell trainee paid $2.20 to win. Awesomeness The second division was almost identical to last week's, as Lyons Sands went gate-to-wire with Senior K having to settle for second after a two-hole triple. Driven by J Harris, Lyons Sands blasted off the wings of the gate to grab command ahead of Senior K. The Bruce Goit trainee posted fractions of :27.1, :57 and 1:25.3 to lead the field into the lane. In the stretch, Senior K was angled off the pylons and took another crack at Lyons Sands, but just like last week, the leader did not surrender and crossed the wire first in 1:55. Senior K came up three-quarters of a length short, while Ohio Larry was third. A four-year-old gelding, Lyons Sands is now two for two in 2017 after winning nine of 13 last season. The son of Somebeachsomewhere is now an 11-time winner with career earnings of $61,090 for owner Geoffrey Lyons Mound. Lyons Sands paid $5.90 to win. Lyons Sands Three and four-year-old pacers, who were non-winners of two races or $30,000 lifetime as of October 31, 2016, were eligible for nomination to the Snowshoe Series. The $39,400 Snowshoe Final will take place next Friday (February 3) and both Awesomeness and Lyons Sands will have an opportunity to complete a sweep of the series. Also on Friday, Sandbetweenurtoes captured the $30,000 Mares Preferred for the second-consecutive week, while Waasmula became harness racing's newest millionaire by picking up a fifth-place cheque. Richard Moreau trainee Sandbetweenurtoes had to fight off Sayitall BB in the stretch to secure a 1:52.3 front-end victory. The six-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere was driven to her 23rd career victory Friday by Doug McNair. Owned by Brad Grant, Sandbetweenurtoes has quickly banked $37,500 this season to bring her career earnings to $817,722. Sandbetweenurtoes Despite not visiting the winner's circle, Waasmula's connections can celebrate after her fifth-place finish in the top-level event for pacing mares. The nine-year-old daughter of Million Dollar Cam earned $1,500 Friday to push her over $1 million in career earnings. Waasmula is owned and bred by Brent Vincent and trained by Bruce Goit. Her regular driver Trevor Henry was in the sulky to reach the milestone. Waasmula is a 29-time winner during her career with a mark of 1:49.2 taken at Mohawk. Live racing continues Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack. Post time is 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, January 20 - Winter Series harness racing action continued on Friday's 11-race card at Woodbine Racetrack and once again Doug McNair was the first star of the night. McNair, who swept round one of the Blizzard Series Thursday, made four visits to the winner's circle on Friday's card, including in one of two divisions of the Snowshoe Series for three and four-year-old pacers. Awesomeness was sent straight to the front by McNair in the first $17,000 Snowshoe split and never looked back en route to an impressive 1:52 victory. The Ryan Maxwell trainee posted a snappy opening-quarter of :26.1 and after a middle-half of :58.4, fired home in :27 to win by 7½ lengths. Clouseau Hanover finished second, while Emptythetill was third. A gelded son of Mach Three, Awesomeness has been making some serious noise at Woodbine over the last couple months. The four-year-old didn't make his career debut until October and now has six wins in 12 starts, while only finishing outside the top-two once. Awesomeness, who was making his second start of the New Year Friday, was purchased privately by Martin Scharf in November and has won three of six starts since joining the Maxwell stable. His career earnings now sit at $76,100. The Maxwell trainee paid $3.60 to win. Awesomeness The second Snowshoe division saw McNair almost make it back-to-back series sweeping nights, but he and four-year-old gelding Senior K had to settle for a second-place finish. Lyons Sands went gate-to-wire to win the second split in 1:53.2. The Bruce Goit trainee was making his first start of 2017 and was guided to victory by driver J Harris. Lyons Sands posted fractions of :27.1, :57.1 and 1:25.3, before pacing home in :27.4 and fighting off Senior K to win by a neck. Ohio Larry finished third. A gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere, Lyons Sands won 9 of 13 starts last season as a three-year-old and now has 10 career victories to his name. His career bankroll increased to $52,590 for owner Geoffrey Lyons Mound with Friday's victory. Lyons Sands paid $13 to win. Lyons Sands Three and four-year-old pacers, who were non-winners of two-races or $30,000 lifetime as of October 31, 2016, were eligible for nomination to the Snowshoe Series. The second-round of the Snowshoe will take place next Friday (January 27). Following Friday's driving Grand Slam, McNair now has 15 wins, 11 runner-up finishes and seven third-place finishes in 57 starts to lead all drivers this season at Woodbine. McNair will look to continue his torrid start to 2017 on Saturday evening, as he is listed to drive in nine of the 11 scheduled races. Post time is 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, January 19 - Harness racing driver Doug McNair has been off to a flying start in 2017 and Thursday night he continued his hot streak by sweeping round one of the Blizzard Series at Woodbine Racetrack. McNair guided Stonebridge Pearl and Senseless Beauty to victories to take both $17,000 first leg divisions of the Blizzard for three and four-year-old pacing fillies and mares. The first division of the evening saw all the attention go towards Niagara Series winner Jimbelina, but the heavy-favourite just couldn't go all the way over the "off-track". Sent to the front from post-ten by driver Sylvain Filion, Jimbelina cut out fractions of :27.1, :57 and 1:25.2. However, Stonebridge Pearl and McNair stalked the leader's every move from the pocket and were able to pounce in the lane. Stonebridge Pearl powered by Jimbelina in deep stretch to win by half a length in a career-best 1:55. Sparkle finished third, while Franschoek was fourth. A four-year-old daughter of Mach Three, Stonebridge Pearl made her first start of the New Year a winning effort Thursday after winning just once in 21 appearances in 2016. Owned by Mark Ford and trained locally by Gregg McNair, Stonebridge Pearl banked $26,100 last season and her Blizzard opening leg victory now gives her three career wins and a bankroll of $69,880. She paid $22 to win. Stonebridge Pearl The second division saw McNair once again crossing the wire first, but this time he did it with the public's choice. Senseless Beauty was pointed directly to the front right from the beginning by McNair and was able to clear Collective Wisdom for the lead just after the opening-quarter of :28. After posting middle-fractions of :57.1 and 1:27, Senseless Beauty was tested in the lane by Collective Wisdom from the two-hole, but the favourite was able to turn aside the challenger and score a two-length victory in 1:55.4. Kloof Street turned in a strong final-quarter to come all the way from ninth and last to finish second just ahead of Collective Wisdom. Xelene Bayama finished fourth. A four-year-old daughter of Vintage Master, Senseless Beauty was making just the fourth start of her career Thursday. The Tony O'Sullivan trainee raced twice as a rookie in August of 2015, but didn't make another start until last month. Owned by Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Dana Parham, Senseless Beauty has now won back to back starts at Woodbine and is on a three-race win streak after finishing second in her career debut. Thursday's victory increases her career earnings to $24,500. She paid $4.40 to win. Senseless Beauty Round two of the Blizzard Series will take place next Friday (January 26). Three and four-year-old pacing fillies and mares, who were non-winners of two-races or $30,000 lifetime as of October 31, 2016, were eligible to the Blizzard. Live racing continues Friday night at Woodbine with round one of the Snowshoe Series for three and four-year-old pacers headlining the 11-race card. Post time is 7:30 p.m. Mark McKelvie
TORONTO, January 14 - Modern Legend became harness racing's newest millionaire with a 1:50.4 victory in Saturday's $34,000 Preferred at Woodbine Racetrack. The Dave Drew trainee was able to reach the career milestone by capitalizing off a second-over steer from driver James MacDonald. Modern Legend was able to power by American Virgin, who had led the field from the start, in the stretch to get the job done by a neck. Company Man finished third, while Nickle Bag was fourth. A nine-year-old son of Modern Art, Modern Legend has been a top performer for several years on the WEG Circuit and scored his biggest victory to date in the 2014 Canadian Pacing Derby at Mohawk Racetrack. Modern Legend recently returned from an 18-month layoff in December and the Drew trainee appears on the right path to returning to competition against the older pacing heavyweights. Saturday's victory gives Modern Legend, who has a career mark of 1:47.2, 23 wins from 71 career starts. He paid $5.80 to win. Mark McKelvie


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- Home
- Hawaiian Sea Salts
- `Alaea Kane Red Hawaiian Sea Salt (Coarse) 4.76 oz. Stand Up Pouch
Product Description
This salt gets its rich color from `Alaea clay that is harvested from remote and pristine areas of Molokai. A Hawaiian staple for curing meats, kalua pork, poke and lomi salmon, this salt is a perfect addition to any pantry or kitchen.
Flavor Profile: Salty.
Ingredients: Hawaiian Sea Salt (Sea Salt & `Alaea Hawaiian Red Clay).


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The Washington University Summer Writers Institute is an intensive, two-week program featuring workshops in genres such as fiction, culture essay writing, micro fiction, modern humor, personal narrative, playwriting, and poetry. Adult writers of all levels of experience work together with published authors and exceptional teachers in a supportive, non-competitive format that allows for personalized attention and constructive feedback.
Institutes are held evenings and weekends to accommodate the busy work schedules of participants in the St. Louis area. Out-of-town participants may choose to reside on campus and make use of our many libraries and quiet, outdoor areas for writing and reflection.
Each institute is worth 3 units of credit; an application is not required.


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Virtual Executive Assistant
Magic, Inc.
- Taguig, PhilippinesThe Fort, Taguig, Metro Manila, PhilippinesTaguigMetro ManilaPhilippines
- 20,000.00 - 25,000.00 PHP / monthPHP20,000.0025,000.0020,000.00MONTH
- Full time
Job Description
About Us
Magic is a 24/7 personal assistant on demand in your pocket- text Magic any request, any time, from anywhere in the world and we'll get to work. From managing calendars of busy entrepreneurs, exclusive restaurant reservations for celebrities, to booking last minute private jets for executives, our groundbreaking service can do it all. Come join our radically innovative venture-backed startup founded in 2015 and be a part of our amazing team of go-getters in our offices in San Francisco and Manila.
We're looking for hardworking and creative specialists, or as we like to call them, "Magicians," to help us build the future.
What you will be doing
Tasks include, but are not limited to:
- Clear, professional, and friendly communications with the client
- Providing professional, high-end online service and out-of-the-box solutions
- Work with a team, brainstorming and communicating strategies
- Effectively working with 3rd parties and vendors necessary to fulfill requests
- Prevent significant problems from occurring (e.g. service escalation, fraud, loss of company money, service mistakes, etc.) by following standard operating procedures
- Manage tasks assigned to you with utmost diligence
- Wear different hats! The assigned tasks may require you to take on the role of an executive assistant, events coordinator, sales representative, travel agent and more.
We offer a full training program for new team members to help guide them on the Magic way of providing the best in customer service, including communication, task management and execution. Fresh graduates are welcome to apply. Top performers will have room for growth.
We are looking for full-time employees and will pay competitively. We're looking forward to meeting you!
Minimum Qualifications
- Perfect English communication skills (verbal & written)
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Excellent multi-tasking and coordination skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Strong research skills
- High attention-to-detail and goal-oriented
- Team-player
Perks and Benefits
- Paid Holidays
- Paid Vacation Leave
- Paid Sick Leave
- Paid Bereavement/Family Leave
- Maternity & Paternity Leave
- Medical / Health Insurance
- Work alongside the founders of Magic.
- Annual appraisals (performance-based)
- Dependent coverage
- Discounted Gym membership
- No dress-code
We offer work-from-home as a benefit to our team, provided they pass training and they meet the following requirements:
- Internet speed of 5mbps (for solo usage) and 8mbps (if there are more people using the internet in the household) or more (please go to www.speedtest.net to verify).
- Modern computer, powerful enough to run several different programs in parallel (i5 core processor and 8gb RAM).
- Working headset with mic.
- Webcam.
Jobs Summary
- Job level
- Fresh Grad / Entry Level
- Job category
- Customer Service
- Educational requirement
- Bachelor's degree graduate
- Recruiter response to application
- Always
- Office Address
- The Fort
- Industry
- Concierge Service
- Vacancy
- 10 openings
- Website
- https://www.getmagic.com
Feel secure when applying: look for the verified icon and always do your research on a company. Avoid and report situations when employers require payment or work without compensation as part of their application process.


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Local Information: O'Connell Street Area, Co. Dublin
Set in Dublin, Premier City Apartments is 900 metres from Croke Park Stadium. Temple Bar is 1 km from the property. Free WiFi is provided throughout the property. The accommodation is fitted with a seating area.
Note: Map is an approximate indication ONLY. Please contact Premier City Apartments for directions and precise location prior to your visit.


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Iraq won't allow Blackwater security firm to stay in country
BAGHDAD — Iraq told the United States this week that it won't renew the license of Blackwater Worldwide, a North Carolina-based security firm that's provided protection for U.S. diplomats in Iraq but has been widely criticized as using force excessively.
"We have been informed that Blackwater's private-security company operating license will not be granted," a U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to talk on the record. "We don't have specifics about dates. We are working with the government of Iraq and our contractors to address the implications of this decision."
A new U.S.-Iraq security agreement that took effect Jan. 1 lifts immunity from prosecution for contractors, including Blackwater.
Blackwater was accused of an improper use of force in a series of fatal incidents in Iraq, among them the killing of a bodyguard of Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi in 2006 in the heavily fortified Green Zone by an employee who was drunk and off duty.
The most infamous incident occurred in September 2007 at al Nisoor square in Baghdad, where Blackwater guards opened fire in a crowded street of traffic and pedestrians, killing 17 civilians.
Last month, five of the men were charged with voluntary manslaughter and using a machine gun to commit a violent act. A sixth agreed to a plea bargain.
It's unclear when Blackwater will need to leave Iraq. Iraqi officials couldn't be reached for comment.
The State Department renewed Blackwater's contract last year for one year, but said Thursday that it was due to expire later this year and could be terminated at any time.
Blackwater indictment details chaos at busy Baghdad circle
Contractors in Iraq could face charges in earlier incidents
Blackwater likely to be fined millions in Iraq weapons case
ATF agents seize weapons from Blackwater's N.C> facility


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The instructor:
Petra Dierkes-Thrun is a Lecturer in the Comparative Literature Department at Stanford University and the author of Salome's Modernity: Oscar Wilde and the Aesthetics of Transgression. She also edits The Latchkey: Journal of New Woman Studies (together with Sharon Bickle, University of Queensland), an international academic open-access journal affiliated with The Oscholars and published by The Rivendale Press (UK).
The pedagogy of this course:
Petra Dierkes-Thrun recently participated in and helped lead a workshop on the humanities and MOOCs at Duke University, where she talked about her experiences preparing and teaching the course (then in its second week). The workshop video recording can be found here.
Another talk, also at Duke University, is online on youtube as well: "Oscar Wilde's Afterimages: Oscar Wilde and the Commodification of Queer Culture."


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On August 9, Dave Deporis passed away. His death was sudden and unexpected, and it happened three days after the completion of Splendor's Gas Cap Tour, which Dave was a big part of planning and performing in.
In part, this post is to publicize the Memorial and Music Fund for Dave -- a fund to get Dave's unfinished album produced. Splendor All Around is participating in a benefit show for the fund on Friday, September 8th. Pancho and Mikayla will be playing, as well as Dave's friends Ruben Diaz, Zachary Seth Greer, and the beautiful Diane Cluck. (Tickets)
This is Rosie writing, and it also just seemed right to me to put something up here about what happened and about Dave. A member of the Splendor family has died. Sharing a project like this is a hell of a way to know someone, and losing him was gut-wrenchingly sad, and more than a little surreal. Writing this post, now, is a strange echo of trying to introduce Dave before his set. I never really knew what to say, then, and I sure don't now.
Dave, you were an inspiration as a musician, and a kind man, and radically weird, and you looked great in stage light, and your songs and performances were beautiful, bizarre, otherworldly, electrifying. If an audience was drifting, you pulled them back in and took them places they'd never been before, places some of them were afraid to go. I honestly came to rely on you for it, and you never let me down. You, undeniably, had powers. It's some comfort to know that in the last few weeks of your life, you were making music. It's an enormous honor to have been a part of that. And it's very, very hard to believe I'll never see you play a song again.
Thank you for playing and thank you for listening, and thank you for leaving us with so much music.


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- lovemygsp
- 5 years ago
- Wedding: January 2012
So ill start at the beginning… Until 36w I had a text book pregnancy in regards to my health. Baby was always measuring small but we were watched for IGUR and my dr wasn't concerned after numerous ultrasounds since I'm a small person anyways. I was still comfortable and exercising daily. I was only up about 20lbs and doing ok. The next week I started feeling weaker, nothing I could pinpoint, but just "off" and started swelling. To the point where even my nose was swollen and making it harder to breathe. I gained ~6lb in one week(and continued on this path for the next several) even though I wasn't eating anymore. Darling Husband and I walk the dogs every night and I went from ~3m comfortably to barely doing 1m. At my 37w appt I had protein in my urine but a normal Bridal Party. The dr I saw that day ran pre-e blood work which came back "normal limits" and wrote off my symptoms as "end of pregnancy". Since I also had gained a bit slow they thought the weight was just now catching up.
Next week came, the swelling was worse. I had gained another 6-8lbs (it honestly bothered me and I stopped paying close attention the the scale) but my vitals were normal and the dr again wrote it off as end of pregnancy stuff. Between this appt and the next the swelling wasn't decreasing at night and I started to get a strange headache. It wasn't pain but it was like this weird pressure feeling. I also was getting really depressed because I felt so bad but couldn't say why. That Sunday night I actually had contractions all night to the point where when Darling Husband got up I told him to stay home from work, convinced baby was coming. It wasn't an hour later after telling Darling Husband and my mom that they completely stopped again and never came back. This really upped my depression because I was sure I was going to feel awful and be pregnant forever which I know was irrational but again, not thinking straight while feeling sick. (I later found out anxiety can actually be induced from pre-e and I'm sure that's what happened to me).
So my next appt comes on 4/10 which put me at 39.5d. The nurse takes my Bridal Party and then asks me if I feel ok. Surprise, my blood pressure was through the roof high and I had high protein in my urine. It was a moment of slight relief because I finally knew I wasn't crazy and being a baby about feeling awful but it then hit me how serious this was. I can't remember the initial numbers but after they told me I had to be induced that day it was up to ~200/110. So the nurse rushed me into the room and had me lay on my side and try to relax. Before the dr even came in I could hear the nurse calling the hospital to tell them I needed to be admitted and getting the paper work started. So my dr comes in and breaks the news of induction which I already knew from hearing the nurse. Then she tells me I have to be on magnesium and it's not going to be fun since I was in serious seizure risk territory. Finally she does a quick check and luckily I had already started dilating and was at 3cm. (I think those contractions from earlier that week really did do something).
They also wanted to do a NST on baby before sending me to the hospital to make sure she was ok. She was fantastic (and a side note, she continued to be fantastic for the whole 26hr labor. Never once did her hr drop. Go baby!) After monitoring her I was sent right over to the hospital. Darling Husband was at work and the night before I asked him to bring my hospital bag back inside from the car because the weather had gotten warmer and I only had one pair of shorts that fit; they were in my bag….so he had to go home and get them. Luckily it took so long for the NST and for me to get to the hospital that Darling Husband got there just as I did. They started magnesium as soon as they got me into a room. Iv was first and they actually put something on my hand to numb it before putting it in. I wasn't looking and was waiting for it to hurt and then the nurse was saying she was done.
Once the first bag of mag was through(which was a huge "load dose") they started pitocin. For the first few hours I was handling it ok and the dr said I could avoid the catheter and try and labor on my own. The nurse actually said she was surprised I was handing it so well. I think a bit of it was from the shock of it all keeping me going. Anywho as the hours went on and the pitocin was increased it got harder. Unfortunately because of the mag I had to have my oxygen level monitored and it meant I couldn't leave the small space around the bed. The day nurse wasn't my favorite but once the night nurse came on she offered to find a yoga ball for me so I was able to at least sit up though the contractions. I'm convinced that if it wasn't for her i would have ended up with a csection because she was trying everything to help me later that night. By 9pm contractions were coming every 2.5min apart for 1m each but when the dr checked me I was only at 4cm. She also wanted me back in bed because of how high my Bridal Party was getting during the contractions and strongly suggested an epidural. This was the point where I consented to have my water broken too. Baby was so low already that it didn't work well(and when she came out she actually had a cut from where the doctor was jamming the hook).
I tried to push it for another hour or so but they had upped the pitocin to 16units and were going to increase it again and I couldn't deal with the pain anymore. The nurse actually came in to say she had to increase it and that was when I gave in and asked for the epi. Honestly the epidural was one of the most painful things for me in the whole experience. I thought maybe I was imagining things but Darling Husband confirmed, it took them a good 10-15min to get it in. The nurse was the only reason I was able to get through it; she talked me though and helped me deal with the contractions. Once they got it in my left side was much number then my right but I at least couldn't feel pain so they decided to leave it for a bit and have me lay on my right to see if we could get the medicine evened out. It must have worked or I was starting to get so out of it from the mag that I didn't notice it other then I had more strength on my right side so it was easier to turn myself that way.
Worst part was I had 7 different things attached to me from that point on, epi line, blood pressure cuff, o2 monitor, IV line, 2different monitors on my stomach, and a catheter. I was miserable just from this. After several hours my pitocin was up to 20units but I was only at 6cm. The on call dr was ready to go for a csection but gave me a few hours and this is where my nurse was amazing. They had a peanut yoga ball and she kept turning me and trying to help me dilate. They also upped my pitocin to 30units and it was clear the nurse was concerned because standard care is 20max. But the magnesium counteracted the pitocin and the doctor said it would be ok. I really appreciated her speaking up for me though. I tried to sleep but I needed to hit the epidural button every 15-30m so didn't get much sleep. Thankful I went from 6-8cm in only a few hours and the doctors changed and I got lucky as one of my practice's favorite doctors was on call.
Around 9amish I had the urge to push. The day nurse I didn't like was back on and she didn't believe me but called the dr who decided to push some kind of heavy duty narcotic through my epidural to remove some pain and allow me to labor down more. The first dose didn't work but the nurse insisted I couldn't actually have to push yet as I was checked only an hour ago and at 8cm. The anastheologist had to yell at the nurse to get her to check me and I was really thankful she did because I proved the nurse wrong as I had made it to 9.5 cm( I had a lip that needed to go away). The new drugs they put in started making me really shaky and hazy and it's all even blurrier from that point. My doctor was in another labor so I had to wait until 1 to start pushing.
Finally we could start and until the end it was just the nurse and Darling Husband. It was at least nice because it was quiet and calm. Once I got to a certain point, about 8ish sets of 3 pushes, the nurse went to get my dr and it was only a few more pushes and she was out. I only pushed for about 45m total. The doctor had me go really slow at the end which really helped me and I only ended up with three tiny 1 degree tears. I'm sure it wouldn't have been so easy without the epi and for the first time since all this begin I was glad I had the epidural. Anyhow. I remember reaching down to grab baby and vaguely meeting her. She was perfect with both apgar scores at 9. The one funny thing I remember is she screamed just when the nurse tried to take her temp. Those darn thermometers sure hurt guys! She weighed 6lbs, 12oz and was 20 1/4 in long.
After a bit of time it seemed like something was going on down south. At the time I thought I had a bad tear and even asked "how bad is it?". But apparently that wasn't the problem. Darling Husband later told me they couldn't get me to stop bleeding but he didn't want to say anything and scare me. I made the mistake of glancing that way and saw a needle and thread in my DRs hand and almost passed out. (Im a biologist who chops up various animal brains for a living so I'm not squimish but there was something about knowing that was being used on my lady bits that gave me a doozy.) Darling Husband said the dr finally pushed really hard on my stomach and "a bunch of stuff came out" and the bleeding slowed. I'm guessing I had a piece of placenta retained which pre-e can cause it to deteriorate and this to be more likely. At this point we were able to sloppily breastfeed. I think she bit wrong at one point but I was too drugged up to notice and I ended up with a horrible blister on the edge of my nipple. I ended up with a scar from it.
Then I started getting really dizzy and shaky and handed Darling Husband the baby. I started vomiting after and had to be given several different drugs to get it to finally stop. Our hospital participates in the magic hour where no one bothers new moms and babies but Darling Husband had to hold her the whole time as I was getting sick and trying to not pass out. My mom showed up right when they were moving us to the recovery room and she later confessed she thought I wasn't going to make it by how bad I looked. Darling Husband said I looked like a ghost I was so so pale from all the blood loss. He didn't know people could actually look that pale. I had to be on the magnesium for the next day too. Which meant I still had 5 things attached to me and I couldn't leave the bed. Every time baby cried I had to have someone bring her to me. At night Darling Husband stayed but he was exhausted too and at one point didn't wake from baby crying. It broke my heart that I couldn't get to her and it was here where I had a total break down. Everything that had happened just got me plus not being able to take care of myself which I'll spare details but bleeding a ton and not able to wear anything down there is horrible. This made my Bridal Party spike and made me more upset because I was sure I wasn't going to be allowed to get off the mag the next day. When the dr came in that morning I couldn't even talk I was so close to hyperventilating from crying. She allowed me to stop the mag early as long as I agreed to take an oral Bridal Party med.
Finally I was able to get unhooked from everything but the Bridal Party cuff and allowed to shower. It wasn't until the next day that I was allowed to leave with the promise of coming in to the office the next day to check me. This lead me to having to go in several times for the next few weeks. This was really hard because baby also developed severe jaundice and we had to go to the pediatrician every day that first week. It took 3 weeks for my Bridal Party to go down enough that I could stop meds. 6w out and it was still higher then normal but in acceptable limits.
As for the physical recovery… I had such bad swelling after birth from the IV fluids and pre-e that I'm pretty sure my normally ~140lb self walked out of the hospital at at least 200lbs. I actually ended up with stretch marks on my legs after birth from getting so big. I was miserable. I felt and looked like the Michelin man. The lady bits were even extra swollen which was super fun. Trying to sit down was horrible. I was also so weak for the next several weeks that I could barely take care of myself and was afraid to carry the baby too far the first week. I had to have Darling Husband do most diaper changes and carry her around. My stitches didn't even come out until 5ws and so the tugging feeling down there sucked.
My favorite thing no one tells you about is how awful the postpartum period can me. I woke up for several weeks straight drenched in my own sweat. Like soaking sheets and clothes bad. I suppose it helped shed pounds though as I'm only about 8lbs above my pre pregnancy weight. I don't think Im going to lose it until i stop breastfeeding though as nothing seems to work. They lie when they say breastfeeding sheds lbs. my dr actually said it makes your retain more fat stores. I've also developed a horrifically itchy scalp.
They also lie and try and make breastfeeding out to be sunshine and rainbows. It sucked until 8ish weeks. We never had problems with latch but in the hospital she did some major damage since I was barely conscious and then it was weeks for that to heal. Darling Husband said "your poor poor nipples" when he saw them at one point. But oh, it's not just pain from baby. It's also pain from having bowling balls attached to your chest that hurt something horribly. I had several clogged ducts and finally realized it was from my sleep nursing bras. Here's an added bonus: you wake up in puddles of milk. So not only are you miserably sweaty, you are drenched in milk. Now try sleeping without a bra though all this because everything hurts to touch the girls. I started wearing stickable nursing pads in my shirt to try and help some of the grossness. It finally seems to have gotten better at 8w but there were several times when it was all I could do to just make it to the next day. My boobs are now in a very sad state because the only bra that doesn't cause issues is really not supportive.
Through all this I absolutely would not change a thing (well other then being more pushy about my doctor and not feeling well but being brushed off). I'm not sure I can be talked into doing it again for a second one, but my little girl was soo. worth everything. From the infertility problems to leaky boobs. I know this is long but I wish I had seen more detailed" when things don't go as planned "stories and the subsequent recoveries. Hopefully this prepares someone else if they have to face the same thing. Summary, it sucks but will eventually get better.


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Gasp - Drome Triler of Puzzle Zoo People (1998)
Drome Triler of Puzzle Zoo People is perhaps one of the more unique albums released under the hardcore domain. The music here is an oddball mix of sludge influenced grindcore (an odd combination in and of itself) and ambient interludes; the caveat is that the two rarely intermix à la Iron Lung's White Glove Test, that artist's recent, perhaps contrived, mix of noise and hardcore. Regardless, this psych-tinged Californian hardcore is worth sharing. If you enjoy this one, here's Gasp's 2005 compilation, which contains tracks from numerous splits (Noothgrush, Deerhoof, Suffering Luna, Volume 11), along with unreleased and demo-sourced material.