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Have you been considering moving into an assisted living facility? Many seniors find that as they age, living on their own and keeping up with the day-to-day becomes difficult. Moving into an assisted living community is not a small decision. Many people wonder if they can afford assisted living at all. So what is the cost of assisted living, and is it affordable?
Cost of Assisted Living
There are thousands of assisted living communities throughout the United States. Each one has a unique price range. The cost of assisted living will depend on a number of factors, including:
- Location. Property values of a location impact the price of an assisted living community in the area. Facilities in expensive neighborhoods will cost more than those in more affordable areas.
- Housing type. A small apartment will not cost the same amount as an individual cottage. Assisted living facilities provide many different types of housing. The cost will depend on the type of home you move into. Briarwood offers three different types of assisted living apartments as well as different sizes of independent living apartments and cottages. Each of these options has a different cost, so make sure you inquire about price with one of our staff members.
- Amenities. Are you only looking for an assisted living facility for home upkeep? Or are you looking for other services as well? A community that provides options for meals, cleaning services, and weekly activities will be more expensive than those that don't.
- Your needs. People move into assisted living communities for a variety of reasons. For some seniors, assisted living provides much-needed support. A facility that provides support such as dressing or help with medication typically costs more than an independent living facility.
All these factors combined make it difficult to estimate the cost of assisted living. In Massachusetts, the average cost of assisted living is about $5,500 per month, although this can vary. In Worcester, the cost ranges from $3,239 to $6,678 per month. Medicaid provides financial help for low-income residents, but keep in mind that not all assisted living communities accept Medicaid for the cost of living expenses.
Getting the Most Value
Assisted living can be expensive, but it's important to realize that this is not the same as paying rent. Assisted living costs cover a wide range of expenses, often including food and transportation. At Briarwood, assisted living residents receive two or three meals a day depending on their preference, transportation to stores and events in the city, weekly housekeeping services, and events and entertainment throughout our campus. Instead of paying for rent (or house upkeep), food, transportation, and entertainment separately, it is all included in one price.
When considering the cost of assisted living, it all comes down to finding the right balance. An assisted living community that appears more expensive on the surface may actually save you money in the long run. Not to mention that a large number of facilities in Massachusetts provide the services, entertainment, and sense of community that many seniors need and want.
At Briarwood, we pride ourselves on creating an affordable place that seniors can– and do– call home. Don't take it from us, take it from our residents. Come in for a tour, get to know the members of our community, and enjoy a meal in one of our dining facilities. We're confident that you'll feel at home right away, which will help make the decision to register for our priority list a simple one. Don't miss your chance to become the next member of our family– claim your spot on our priority list today.


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Jeff Beer Photography offers a Full Service Professional Photo Studio in the Village Mall. We're located right next to Eagle Bank, facing the Fairfield Bay Conference and Visitor Center. Call today for your photography needs. We also offer business printing and faxing, ID and Passport photos, professional photo editing and printing, and much more. The studio is available for rentals to professional photographers, and to amateurs and enthusiasts with supervision.
Professional Headshots
For your resume, Facebook page, Linked-In profile, Corporate Biography or any other use. I also do Passport Photos.
Beauty and Senior Photographs
Photo Studio Layout
Here are a few quick photos of the studio. If you've never been in a full-service photo studio, take a look.
This first shot is to show the size of the studio. The actual dimensions of the main shooting zone are 27′ feet deep, by 22′ wide – plenty of room to get any angles you need. It's deep enough to shoot at 200mm for 3/4 shots! The second area, which is simply moving your subjects to the left wall (as seen in these photos) give you about 25′ of width, and 32′ of depth!
In the photo above, please notice the medium grey back wall, perfect for shooting head shots. You can change that wall from grey to black just by keeping the studio lights away (click the thumbnail below to see this in action). You can also see the Paul C. Buff Strip Light (with grid) in the back right corner. The right foreground shows part of the mobile tethered shooting station, equipped with an Asus PA248Q 6:10 format IPS monitor. This monitor is color-calibrated, and shooting tethered with Adobe Lightroom really cuts down on your post-processing time.
The Victorian sofa is just a prop for formal portraits, as is the black and gold Damask area rug. They can easily be moved, so we can make full use of the gorgeous flooring (see the first image for an example).
A photo showing the grey background turned nearly black. This is me; I'm the most non-photogenic person you'll ever meet. An analogy would be the barber with really poorly cut hair! All the other barbers look neat and stylish 🙂
This next photo shows virtually the same scene, lit by the Paul C. Buff Einstein studio strobes modeling lights. In this scene, I'm sitting on the sofa shooting with a wireless remote, so the focus isn't perfectly on me. The lights in use are the 22″ Beauty Dish on the right, and one of the two 43″ Soft White PLM Umbrella. The beauty dish makes a great main light, able to cast very soft light close up, and strong, harsh light from a distance. The PLM umbrellas give a lot of very soft light, perfect for fill light, for lighting large groups, or adding background lighting. This shot also shows the 107″ grey seamless background paper on the heavy duty backdrop stand. You can see the 64″ Soft Silver PLM in the back left – it looks like it's turned on, but that's just reflecting the light from the beauty dish. The 64″ Soft Silver PLM gives you very soft light, just like a large softbox or an octabox. It's seen here with the white diffusion material and black back cover in place:
These next two shots are taken from the same image. The first shows the scene lit up with the strobes' modeling lights, with the seamless paper backdrop in place. The second is a very tight crop, taken from the first, shot at 70mm.
In addition to the grey seamless paper, and the medium gray back wall, the studio has light grey wall areas for shooting, as well as 6 different muslin backdrops in various colors, as well as white seamless for high-key and product photography.
Lastly, not shown here, the studio has southern facing double doors with windows at the back end of the main shooting zone. This area can be setup with a desk, table, or vanity, for example, to create photos using natural light.
Here is the general layout of the entire studio. This document needs to be updated a little, but in general the main areas still apply:
This studio is perfect for professional portraits of your family whether formal, for holiday cards, anniversaries, engagements, maternity, newborns or family reunions.
Studio Features
The studio features a full-service strobe shooting area, equipped with Paul C. Buff "Einstein" strobes and CyberSync wireless triggers. If you haven't seen the CyberSync system, take a moment to read about it. We'll have a continuous lighting area for video production and product photography, and a large light table for shooting small items, like jewelry, miniatures (think Hummel figurines), handcrafted works, and other smaller items. We'll also be set up for tethered shooting, if that trips your trigger (Sorry, bad pun)!
On-location Printing
I realize that not everyone wants to wait to receive their prints, especially for visitors to the Bay, who simply might not have the time. I've installed a lab quality professional Canon printer that can print from 4″ x 6″ to 13″ x 19″ high resolution prints. I also have a portable 4″ x 6″ dye sublimation printer for use at events and parties.
Photographic Lab Printing
I've partnered with several photographic labs to provide a wide range of high-quality products. These lab offers the highest quality prints and other services available, while keeping costs low. They provide a full range of products, from 4″ x 6″ prints to massive canvas gallery wraps. Importantly, they also offer project management services as it relates to photography. One of these features is online proofing and ordering. You'll have a private web site that allows you to review your photos, select prints, and create all kinds of high-quality products. This is fantastic for marketing materials, gifts, and home decoration. See your wedding photos in a beautiful album or coffee table book, create a calendar for marketing or fund-raising, or make custom coffee mugs and a whole host of other products with your photos. The systems allows for predefined packages, as well as custom packages on demand, or single reprints of your favorite photos.
Instruction and Studio Rentals
Lastly, the space will also be used for photographic instruction and demonstrations, and the studio is available for rental! Need to create marketing videos? Check! Are you a professional photographer and need a studio now and then? Check! Want to just have fun and take your own photos of your family in a studio setting? Check! Early on, you will need your own camera. As soon as I have the proper insurance coverage, my camera gear will be available for rent at an additional cost.

subset: commoncrawl


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The x-ray revealed nothing else horrible or serious, so they were fortunately able to rule out a blockage of any sort. Here is the bad, slightly puzzling news. The bloodwork did not reveal anything wrong with my liver or ... anything else. Including pancreatitis. As I was explained 20 years ago when I had surgery to correct the root cause of my pancreatitis (pancreas divisum, which caused stones to clog my pancreas and thus cause problems), they told me that amylase and lipase blood tests might not properly reveal increased levels, even if I actually do have pancreatitis. So yesterday, the blood results seemed to have confirmed that. I have every other possible symptom of pancreatitis, even it's signature stabbing from the front-to-back pain (not seen in many, if any, other abdominal type of pain), but didn't have the diagnostic test to match. So we're hoping that simply treating it anyway with only drinking fluids for a few days should give it time to let things settle down.
So far my pain today is much, much better, thankfully. I know it seems like all my blogs of late are about pain. I didn't mean to come out of the gates that way... it's just the timing this past month. Despite all appearances, pain is not all I talk about, even though I'm in quite a lot of it with Ehlers Danlos.
On that topic, I discussed my across-the-board increase in joint pain with my doctor yesterday as well, and he thankfully agreed to up the dose of my long-acting pain meds, so I can stop chugging my oral breakthrough pain meds as if I were Dr. House. I think this will make for a much happier, less cranky, and less bitchy Sevenstars. Then I can write about rainbows and butterflies and ... something.


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Monday, January 17, 2011
Selection from the HEALTH CARE LAW & POLICY eJOURNAL
"Physician-Assisted Suicide or Death with Dignity? Music Lessons from Symphony Halls and Opera Houses"
Western Political Science Association 2010 Annual Meeting Paper
ARTHUR G. SVENSON, University of Redlands
ADAM SOLINGER, affiliation not provided to SSRN
In 2008, the State of Washington legalized the choice 'of certain terminally ill, competent adults . . . to request and self-administer lethal medication prescribed by a physician.' This initiative, modeled after Oregon's in 1997, speaks not of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), but death with dignity (DWD) since terminal patients hasten death despite a will to live. In leading legal and medical journals, and courts of law, however, the term suicide is ubiquitous. For many critics, PAS is not about dying at all but killing, a distinction, according to Giles Scofield, captured in the music by two giants of 20th Century: dying in Mahler appears in the resolution of his 9th Symphony, and killing in Schoenberg, in his A Survivor from Warsaw. In musical terms, then, the slippery slope attached to the legalization of PAS ends in Schoenberg's compositional nightmare. This paper, inspired by Scofield, examines portrayals of dying in classical music and opera. Without denying the terror in Schoenberg's Survivor, one wonders whether alternative conceptions of end-of-life events presented in concert halls and the opera houses credibly support the conclusion that DWD is not about Schoenberg's killing but Mahler's dying. While understandings of dying are surely informed by a number of powerful sources - e.g., history, philosophy, and religion, perhaps the ubiquitous reach of death with dignity qua suicide is not the cue that Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, or Britten have given.
January 17, 2011 | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Monday, January 10, 2011
Charles Hillel Baron, Boston College - Law School
Thomas Alured Faunce, Australian National University, Australian Research Council
Alexandra McEwan, Australian National University (ANU) - College of Law
Physician-Assisted Suicide or Death with Dignity? Music Lessons from Symphony Halls and Opera Houses
Arthur G. Svenson, University of Redlands
Adam Solinger, affiliation not provided to SSRN
David Orentlicher, University of Iowa College of Law, Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis
Anup Malani, University of Chicago - Law School, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Resources for the Future, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Julian Reif, affiliation not provided to SSRN
January 10, 2011 | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Monday, January 3, 2011
December Issue of Bifocal
Attached is the December 2010 issue of Bifocal, Journal of the ABA Commission on Law and Aging. Link to: http://new.abanet.org/aging/PublicDocuments/Dec_10_ABA_Bifocal_J.pdf
- What Is Quality in Elder Care Mediation and Why Should Elder Law Advocates Care? (by Ellie Crosby Lanier) 15
- Why a Client's Status As a Veteran Should Be an Important Component of Your Planning (by Felicia Pasculli) 21
- CLE Webinar: A Closer Look at the Veterans Administration Schedule for Rating Disabilities 21
- Military Service and the Law (CLE DVD/book review by David Godfrey) 23
- Start Planning Now for Law Day 2011!
- Updated Resources on the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act (by Erica Wood) 25
- Highlights of 9th Annual National Aging and Law Conference (by Jamie Philpotts) 26
- CLE Webinar: What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About Medicare in 2011
- Tues., Jan. 18, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST (12:00 p.m. Central; 11:00 a.m. Mountain; and 10:00 a.m. Pacific)
- Register Today! Online at: http://www.abanet.org/cle/programs/t11enk1.html
- Special Discount Rate of $75 for Legal Aid and Gov't Lawyers!
The ABA Commission on Law and Aging distributes Bifocal six times a year to elder bar section and committee officers and members, legal services providers, elder law and other private practitioners, judges, court staff, advocates, policymakers, law schools and elder law clinics, law libraries, and other professionals in the law and aging networks.
To subscribe or to submit news or a manuscript for consideration, e-mail Jamie Philpotts at firstname.lastname@example.com. Include the word "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject heading.
January 3, 2011 | Permalink | TrackBack (0)


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The purpose of the Service to the Community Grant program is to provide a fair and consistent method of establishing grant funding for community groups or organizations who have the ideas and skills necessary to execute creative community projects that benefit and engage citizen in the City of Montgomery.
Service to the community is defined as providing a beneficial service, project or event that engages or improves the quality of life of Montgomery residents.
The grant is an opportunity for local service organizations to partner with the City of Montgomery for the benefit of the community. Click on the link below to learn more about the grant.
Service to the Community Grant Guidelines 2018-2019
Pre-application meeting on Thursday, February 22, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. at the Montgomery City Hall Council Chambers.
Applications are due by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 2, 2018.
Funding Decisions Made: 90 Days following the application due date
Project Completion: The date of completion will be made one (1) year to the date after receiving the grant funds.


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COVID-19 Update: As an essential service, we continue to operate and serve our customers. In order to limit our team's exposure, we have reduced call center hours. As you can understand in this turbulent time, some products may take up to an additional 2-3 days. Thank you for your continued support and stay safe!
WD-DA29-00020B Replacement Refrigerator Filter
WD-DA29-00020B-AC505 by Aquaclear
List Price:
Our Price: $15.56
Savings: $5.39 (26%)
Weight: 1 lb
The WD-DA29-00020B replacement refrigerator filter is an ideal replacement filter for your LG refrigerator and ice maker. This carbon block filter removes impurities including chlorine taste and odor from your drinking water. The WD-DA29-00020B gives you the great tasting water and clear ice cubes that you want, straight from your refrigerator.
LG WD-DA29-00020B Specifications
- 0.5 GPM Flow Rate
- 20-120 psi
- Replace Every 6 months/ 300 Gallons
- Fits part #4396508
- Made in the U.S.A.
Order your WD-DA29-00020B replacement refrigerator filter today and get the cleaner, clearer, better tasting water and ice you want.


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Click on the route point and move it while holding the left mouse button on the map. You can delete route points by clicking on a point.
If you want to delete more than one route point at a time, click on the X, then in the map and drag to mark a certain area. All points within it will be deleted.


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Languages through Lenses
Call for Proposals for new audiovisual productions promoting multilingualism in Europe
European student competition
Deadline: 25 March 2011
ELIA - European League of Institutes of the Arts - in cooperation with CILECT- International Association of Film and Television Schools - is organising this competition on behalf of European Commission and in partnership with PRIX EUROPA.
Linguistic diversity and intercultural exchanges enrich as well as complicate our societies. Through this competition they invite students to give a contribution to the awareness of the benefits of language learning, the value of speaking several languages and the richness of intercultural exchanges, by using the language of the arts.
They are looking for proposals for new audiovisual productions that are innovative, witty, creative, unexpected, motivating and that explore the potential of multilingualism and the challenges it creates. The proposals should deliver a clear message, be self-explanatory and easily understandable to a broad public with different backgrounds and mother tongues.
Applications will be accepted from students in their third, fourth or fifth year of study / the final year of bachelor degree or who are part of a Master's degree programme at ELIA and CILECT member institutions in the 27 European Union Member States and in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Turkey.
Successful applicants will receive a production grant of 5000 €, will be invited to a 2 day workshop in Amsterdam and to the PRIX EUROPA Festival in Berlin where the finalised audiovisual productions will be presented. A DVD will be produced and distributed to television stations and festivals.
For more informaiton: www.languages-lenses.eu


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Confidence (review)
As slick and sharp as an Armani suit, this scam of a flick is so in love with the art of the con that it forgets to make us care about the con artists. Still, there's a certain joy to be had in watching fine artists at work. Wiseass grifter Jake Vig (cool, assured Edward Burns: Sidewalks of New York) unwittingly swindles mobster the King (skittery, scary Dustin Hoffman: Moonlight Mile), and to make amends, agrees to pull off a major con on a rival gangster. Nothing's what it seems, of course, except the game cast, including Rachel Weisz (About a Boy) and Andy Garcia (Ocean's Eleven), all having a ball.
When you purchase or rent almost anything from Amazon US, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, and iTunes (globally), you help support my work at Flick Filosopher. Please use my links when you're shopping at either service. Thank you!
MPAA: rated R for language, violence and sexuality/nudity
viewed at a private screening with an audience of critics
official site | IMDb


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History 清除
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Justin Bieber "All That Matters" Music Video
So This Is What Justin Bieber Was Doing on the Great Wall of China
Remember when Justin Bieber made headlines earlier this month after he was spotted being carried up the Great Wall of China by a group of his bodyguards? Well, now we know why Justin was at the Great Wall and, possibly, why he was being carried — he was filming a guerrilla music video for his latest single, "All That Matters," which was released yesterday. The video, above, is very different from the slick clips that Justin is mostly known for and features shots of Justin attempting to lip-dub over his song (give him some credit if he messes up; he was doing this in the middle of a giant tourist attraction), and he even gets awkwardly caught in a turnstile at one point.
What do you think about Justin's latest music video — is it bizarrely awesome or just plain bizarre?


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The Wachowskis are being sued over 'The Matrix' sequels.
The 'Cloud Atlas' filmmakers have been hit by a $300 million lawsuit by Thomas Althouse, who claims they stole ideas from his own script, 'The Immortals', to make 2003's big budget blockbusters 'The Matrix Reloaded' and 'The Matrix Revolutions'.
According to TMZ, Thomas sent his screenplay to Warner Bros in 1993 but it was ignored. He says it has taken him so long to take legal action against siblings Lana and Andy Wachowski, Warner Bros and producer Joel Silver for alleged copyright infringement because he only watched the Keanu Reeves-fronted movies in 2010.
'The Matrix' franchise - worth a reported $2 billion - features futuristic ideas Thomas claims were lifted from his script, including the plugs in the back of characters' necks, 'agents' in suits and people trapped at a train station.
The sci-fi mad Wachowski siblings have yet to respond to the claims.
'The Matrix' sequels polarised audiences at the time because they never lived up to the thrill of the first ground-breaking film.
Lana previously explained: "The first movie is sort of classical in its approach, the second movie is deconstructionist and an assault on all the things you thought to be true in the first movie... and the third movie is the most ambiguous, because it asks you to actually participate in the construction of meaning."
Tagged in Keanu Reeves


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Simple Gifts
I'm not crazy about the fact that I've spawned a bunch of posts about what we haven't read, or wish we hadn't, or wish you wouldn't, or what-have-you, but one good thing is that attacks will prompt defenses – some of which will be interesting enough to force a rethinking. John Schwenkler certainly has prompted such by besmirching the good name of The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. And I'm vain enough to turn my own thoughts on same into a post in its own right rather than bury them in the comments to his.
A lot of people seem to be concerned with the message of the book – does it teach a good or a bad lesson to children? It's interesting; that's not usually the first question we ask about books for grownups. Does Danny, Champion of the World teach a good or a bad lesson to children? What about the Nicolas books? And of course, Where the Wild Things Are is absolutely notorious for its moral corruption.
The first questions we usually ask about books relate to their truth and their beauty. The Giving Tree is both true and beautiful.
Now, not everything true is appropriate for children. Some truths require a certain maturity before they can be confronted; some will simply be incomprehensible to children. (There are even true and beautiful children's stories that I don't think are, in fact, appropriate for children. The movie, "Babe: Pig in the City" – which I love – comes to mind.) I don't think The Giving Tree runs into that problem, though I do note that I know far more adults who love the book than I do children who do (or adults who loved it as children). I think the book works for kids on a very simple level – children imagine themselves as the boy, not the tree, and from the boy's perspective it's a story of unconditional love, something that every child needs. I don't think there's a little girl in the world who reads that book and says to herself, "when I grow up to be a woman, I want to be like that tree," which seems to be the big worry; I think all kids simply note that the tree is always there, and that simple fact is what is reassuring to any child.
For grownups, the book reads differently. For us, this is a much more terrible story, because it is a story precisely about the lack of mutuality in the parent-child bond. A longer-form version of the same story is the movie, Toy Story II. This is the story of Woody's crisis, when he realizes that his inevitable fate is to be cast aside by the boy who is the center of his universe. And that fate is inevitable – it can be delayed, but it cannot be avoided. At the end, Woody is reconciled to spending eternity in a dumpster next to the broken and similarly-discarded body of his friend, Buzz Lightyear. But he hasn't found a way to escape that promised end.
It would be really weird to suggest that the moral of "Toy Story II" should be that Andy needs to cherish Woody more, and not throw him out. Do we want Andy to become some kind of bizarre pack rat? Similarly, it's weird to think that the boy in The Giving Tree should apologize to the tree for making use of her. Should he apologize to the grass he walk on? The bread he eats? The air he breathes? He's living his life. So, he cuts down a tree. That's one of the things we do with trees: we cut them down, and build things out of them.
But even if we fully enter into the anthropomorphism, and identify more with the tree than with the boy (as many parents do), do we really want our children to apologize to us for all they cost us? For the amount of our lives we gave to them? For the chances we felt we couldn't seize, the compromises we made, the full flourishing that was denied us because we put them, our children, at the center? Really?
I think it's best for a parent to read the book in a different way, though, continuing to identify with the boy, and not the tree. In this reading, the tree and the boy's childhood merge with one another. When he is a child, the boy lives on, about, and with the tree; the tree is fully alive for him then, and he is the one who imagines it into an almost-human character. But as he ages, that life – that kind of life – diminishes in him. The tree is still there, but it is no longer a living, breathing thing for him, no longer a companion. And so, inevitably, he makes use of the raw material of his childhood in his adulthood – sells it, builds with it, chops it up.
Why does the boy, in his late middle age, chop down the tree to build a boat to go away in? If the tree is, on one reading, his childhood self, what does is the significance of the cutting down, or the fashioning into a boat to escape from the life that he is actually living? Why is the tree not "really" happy with this particular course of action? We all know adults, if we have not been them ourselves, who have built dugouts of their childhood's hearts and launched themselves upon the water, in search of something they are sure they were promised once, or think they once had, and cannot any longer live without. (Am I only going down this road because I recently saw 'Up"? Maybe. So sue me.)
This is still not a happy story for adults, but read this way (identifying with the boy in his older years) it is at least a story that says something to adults that they may need to hear, whereas identification with the tree is not (to me) an obviously productive identification.
P.S.: if you want a kids' book about a truly disfunctional mother-son relationship, try The Runaway Bunny. (Just kidding – have a carrot!)


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Japan PM Announces $11 Billion Stimulus Plan, Asian Markets Rise
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is revving up efforts to boost growth in Japan's flagging economy, and today announced a new $11 billion stimulus plan designed to promote job creation, coax shoppers back into stores, and stem the surge in the value of the yen. The government will lay out cash to provide consumer incentives for the purchase of environmentally friendly home appliances and home renovations. Funds will go to supporting low-carbon businesses and spurring job creation, including employment for recent graduates. The unveiling of this package is strategically timed, coming just days before Prime Minister Kan's faceoff with democratic challenger Ichiro Ozawa in the Nov. 14 election.
Japanese shares were also bolstered by a fall in the value of the yen. This was welcome news for exporters, which gained today. Sharp surged 3.5%, Sony climbed 1.7% and Pioneer rose 1.6%. Canon rocketed up 5.6% after the company announced a share buyback scheme.
Fast Retailing, the operator of the chic Uniqlo shops and Japan's number one clothing retailer, soared 5.6% after news broke that China will allow foreign companies to begin selling online if they already have stores in the People's Republic.
In China, a rise in healthcare stocks outweighed losses in other sectors. Investors plowed money into pharmaceutical companies after the government raised the warning flag over the increase in cases of drug-resistant bacterial infections in hospitals. In 2003 the Chinese government was exposed after covering up SARS cases, in what was then thought to be the next pandemic. Another current health scare over an increase in a deadly tick-borne disease has also increased interest in drug companies. Shandong Lukang Pharmaceutical hit the 10% daily limit, China National Medicines and North China Pharmaceutical both gained 3%.
New data has been released indicating that China's property prices rose another 9.3% in August as compared to the same period last year, reports Bloomberg, stoking fears that the government could implement further measures to cool the market and hamper the activities of speculators, who have served to artificially prop up the market. China Vanke sank 2.9%, Gemdale tumbled 2.2% and Poly Real Estate fell 1.8%
In Hong Kong, better-than-expected U.S. jobs figures led to a gain among exporters. Li & Fung, supplier to the likes of Wal-Mart and Target, got a 2.9% boost while China Resources, a maker and distributor of food products and retail items, surged 2.7%. Esprit, which counts both Europe and the U.S among its customer base, inched up 0.3%.
Some property shares were also a good buy today in Hong Kong where Hang Lung Property advanced 2.2%, and Henderson Land added 0.6%. But some developers slid lower: New World Development slumped 1.4% and Wharf Holdings lost 0.6%. Among car companies Geely, the new owner of the Volvo brand, leaped 5.7% on increased sales. According to Bloomberg, Geely has high hopes for the future and is forecasting the sale of 50,000 of its new V60 sporty station wagons, which will be marketed in Europe.


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Zambian online media under attack from the Goverment
Zambia's First Lady, Dr Christine Kaseba, has added her voice to those slamming local online media.
The Zambian Watchdog and the country's other online media have recently come under heavy attack from President Michael Sata and other ministers, who have ordered government agencies to establish means of closing them.
This time however, the attack came from an unlikely source, Sata's wife Kaseba, who has Zambians not to read the Zambian Watchdog, because she says it is not a serious publication.
Zambia's mainstream media has allegedly been compromised and has been accused of abetting corruption, while local online media says it exposes some of the dark side of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) government.
The Zambian Watchdog has allowed people to express their views by writing and posting comments most of which is said to be in bad taste to the government.
Addressing Zambians in Namibia this week, Kaseba said: "stop addressing your concerns through the Zambian Watchdog but write to the president directly for your problems to be solved."
The Zambian Watchdog and other online media in the country have continuously reminded Sata of the failed 90-day PF policies. During his string of campaigns last year before the elections that brought him into office, Sata made a number of promises which he said would be fulfilled in 90 days if he was elected as president. So far, they say, he has failed to fulfil them.
Sata has already ordered the Zambian police to investigate journalists behind the Zambian Watchdog in a bid to arrest them and crack down on opposing views.
Former Evelyn Hone College head of media studies Clayson Hamasaka, his wife Pamela and some other journalists in state institutions have lost jobs for – among other reasons – being suspected of leaking information to online media.
Kaseba joins a long list of attackers of the country's online media.
Sata himself, Foreign Affairs Minister Given Lubinda, Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba, Tourism and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo, Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba and Information Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga have all openly come out strongly against the Zambian Watchdog and other online media.
Sata and Masebo have both directed the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) to closedown particularly the Zambian Watchdog but ZICTA has failed to do so because the Zambian Watchdog is said to be hosted outside the country.


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You hear about fiber-optic cables whenever people talk about the telephone system, the cable TV system or the Internet. Fiber-optic lines are strands of optically pure glass as thin as a human hair that carry digital information over long distances. They are also used in medical imaging and mechanical engineering inspection.
In this article, we will show you how these tiny strands of glass transmit light and the fascinating way that these strands are made.
What are Fiber Optics?
Fiber optics (optical fibers) are long, thin strands of very pure glass about the diameter of a human hair. They are arranged in bundles called optical cables and used to transmit light signals over long distances.
If you look closely at a single optical fiber, you will see that it has the following parts:
- Core - Thin glass center of the fiber where the light travels
- Cladding - Outer optical material surrounding the core that reflects the light back into the core
- Buffer coating - Plastic coating that protects the fiber from damage and moisture
Hundreds or thousands of these optical fibers are arranged in bundles in optical cables. The bundles are protected by the cable's outer covering, called a jacket.
Optical fibers come in two types:
- Single-mode fibers
- Multi-mode fibers
See Tpub.com: Mode Theory for a good explanation.
Single-mode fibers have small cores (about 3.5 x 10-4 inches or 9 microns in diameter) and transmit infrared laser light (wavelength = 1,300 to 1,550 nanometers). Multi-mode fibers have larger cores (about 2.5 x 10-3 inches or 62.5 microns in diameter) and transmit infrared light (wavelength = 850 to 1,300 nm) from light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Some optical fibers can be made from plastic. These fibers have a large core (0.04 inches or 1 mm diameter) and transmit visible red light (wavelength = 650 nm) from LEDs.
Let's look at how an optical fiber works.
How Does an Optical Fiber Transmit Light?
Suppose you want to shine a flashlight beam down a long, straight hallway. Just point the beam straight down the hallway -- light travels in straight lines, so it is no problem. What if the hallway has a bend in it? You could place a mirror at the bend to reflect the light beam around the corner. What if the hallway is very winding with multiple bends? You might line the walls with mirrors and angle the beam so that it bounces from side-to-side all along the hallway. This is exactly what happens in an optical fiber.
The light in a fiber-optic cable travels through the core (hallway) by constantly bouncing from the cladding (mirror-lined walls), a principle called total internal reflection. Because the cladding does not absorb any light from the core, the light wave can travel great distances.
However, some of the light signal degrades within the fiber, mostly due to impurities in the glass. The extent that the signal degrades depends on the purity of the glass and the wavelength of the transmitted light (for example, 850 nm = 60 to 75 percent/km; 1,300 nm = 50 to 60 percent/km; 1,550 nm is greater than 50 percent/km). Some premium optical fibers show much less signal degradation -- less than 10 percent/km at 1,550 nm.
A Fiber-Optic Relay System
To understand how optical fibers are used in communications systems, let's look at an example from a World War II movie or documentary where two naval ships in a fleet need to communicate with each other while maintaining radio silence or on stormy seas. One ship pulls up alongside the other. The captain of one ship sends a message to a sailor on deck. The sailor translates the message into Morse code (dots and dashes) and uses a signal light (floodlight with a venetian blind type shutter on it) to send the message to the other ship. A sailor on the deck of the other ship sees the Morse code message, decodes it into English and sends the message up to the captain.
Now, imagine doing this when the ships are on either side of the ocean separated by thousands of miles and you have a fiber-optic communication system in place between the two ships. Fiber-optic relay systems consist of the following:
- Transmitter - Produces and encodes the light signals
- Optical fiber - Conducts the light signals over a distance
- Optical regenerator - May be necessary to boost the light signal (for long distances)
- Optical receiver - Receives and decodes the light signals
The transmitter is like the sailor on the deck of the sending ship. It receives and directs the optical device to turn the light "on" and "off" in the correct sequence, thereby generating a light signal.
The transmitter is physically close to the optical fiber and may even have a lens to focus the light into the fiber. Lasers have more power than LEDs, but vary more with changes in temperature and are more expensive. The most common wavelengths of light signals are 850 nm, 1,300 nm, and 1,550 nm (infrared, non-visible portions of the spectrum).
Optical Regenerator
As mentioned above, some signal loss occurs when the light is transmitted through the fiber, especially over long distances (more than a half mile, or about 1 km) such as with undersea cables. Therefore, one or more optical regenerators is spliced along the cable to boost the degraded light signals.
An optical regenerator consists of optical fibers with a special coating (doping). The doped portion is "pumped" with a laser. When the degraded signal comes into the doped coating, the energy from the laser allows the doped molecules to become lasers themselves. The doped molecules then emit a new, stronger light signal with the same characteristics as the incoming weak light signal. Basically, the regenerator is a laser amplifier for the incoming signal.
Optical Receiver
The optical receiver is like the sailor on the deck of the receiving ship. It takes the incoming digital light signals, decodes them and sends the electrical signal to the other user's computer, TV or telephone (receiving ship's captain). The receiver uses a photocell or photodiode to detect the light.
Advantages of Fiber Optics
Why are fiber-optic systems revolutionizing telecommunications? Compared to conventional metal wire (copper wire), optical fibers are:
Less expensive - Several miles of optical cable can be made cheaper than equivalent lengths of copper wire. This saves your provider (cable TV, Internet) and you money. Thinner - Optical fibers can be drawn to smaller diameters than copper wire. Higher carrying capacity - Because optical fibers are thinner than copper wires, more fibers can be bundled into a given-diameter cable than copper wires. This allows more phone lines to go over the same cable or more channels to come through the cable into your cable TV box. Less signal degradation - The loss of signal in optical fiber is less than in copper wire. Light signals - Unlike electrical signals in copper wires, light signals from one fiber do not interfere with those of other fibers in the same cable. This means clearer phone conversations or TV reception. Low power - Because signals in optical fibers degrade less, lower-power transmitters can be used instead of the high-voltage electrical transmitters needed for copper wires. Again, this saves your provider and you money. Digital signals - Optical fibers are ideally suited for carrying digital information, which is especially useful in computer networks. Non-flammable - Because no electricity is passed through optical fibers, there is no fire hazard. Lightweight - An optical cable weighs less than a comparable copper wire cable. Fiber-optic cables take up less space in the ground. Flexible - Because fiber optics are so flexible and can transmit and receive light, they are used in many flexible digital cameras for the following purposes:
- Medical imaging - in bronchoscopes, endoscopes, laparoscopes
- Mechanical imaging - inspecting mechanical welds in pipes and engines (in airplanes, rockets, space shuttles, cars)
- Plumbing - to inspect sewer lines
Because of these advantages, you see fiber optics in many industries, most notably telecommunications and computer networks. For example, if you telephone Europe from the United States (or vice versa) and the signal is bounced off a communications satellite, you often hear an echo on the line. But with transatlantic fiber-optic cables, you have a direct connection with no echoes.
How Are Optical Fibers Made?
Now that we know how fiber-optic systems work and why they are useful -- how do they make them? Optical fibers are made of extremely pure optical glass. We think of a glass window as transparent, but the thicker the glass gets, the less transparent it becomes due to impurities in the glass. However, the glass in an optical fiber has far fewer impurities than window-pane glass. One company's description of the quality of glass is as follows: If you were on top of an ocean that is miles of solid core optical fiber glass, you could see the bottom clearly.
Making optical fibers requires the following steps:
- Making a preform glass cylinder
- Drawing the fibers from the preform
- Testing the fibers
Making the Preform Blank
The glass for the preform is made by a process called modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD).
In MCVD, oxygen is bubbled through solutions of silicon chloride (SiCl4), germanium chloride (GeCl4) and/or other chemicals. The precise mixture governs the various physical and optical properties (index of refraction, coefficient of expansion, melting point, etc.). The gas vapors are then conducted to the inside of a synthetic silica or quartz tube (cladding) in a special lathe. As the lathe turns, a torch is moved up and down the outside of the tube. The extreme heat from the torch causes two things to happen:
- The silicon and germanium react with oxygen, forming silicon dioxide (SiO2) and germanium dioxide (GeO2).
- The silicon dioxide and germanium dioxide deposit on the inside of the tube and fuse together to form glass.
The lathe turns continuously to make an even coating and consistent blank. The purity of the glass is maintained by using corrosion-resistant plastic in the gas delivery system (valve blocks, pipes, seals) and by precisely controlling the flow and composition of the mixture. The process of making the preform blank is highly automated and takes several hours. After the preform blank cools, it is tested for quality control (index of refraction).
Drawing Fibers from the Preform Blank
Once the preform blank has been tested, it gets loaded into a fiber drawing tower.
The blank gets lowered into a graphite furnace (3,452 to 3,992 degrees Fahrenheit or 1,900 to 2,200 degrees Celsius) and the tip gets melted until a molten glob falls down by gravity. As it drops, it cools and forms a thread.
The operator threads the strand through a series of coating cups (buffer coatings) and ultraviolet light curing ovens onto a tractor-controlled spool. The tractor mechanism slowly pulls the fiber from the heated preform blank and is precisely controlled by using a laser micrometer to measure the diameter of the fiber and feed the information back to the tractor mechanism. Fibers are pulled from the blank at a rate of 33 to 66 ft/s (10 to 20 m/s) and the finished product is wound onto the spool. It is not uncommon for spools to contain more than 1.4 miles (2.2 km) of optical fiber.
Testing the Finished Optical Fiber
The finished optical fiber is tested for the following:
- Tensile strength - Must withstand 100,000 lb/in2 or more
- Refractive index profile - Determine numerical aperture as well as screen for optical defects
- Fiber geometry - Core diameter, cladding dimensions and coating diameter are uniform
- Attenuation - Determine the extent that light signals of various wavelengths degrade over distance
- Information carrying capacity (bandwidth) - Number of signals that can be carried at one time (multi-mode fibers)
- Chromatic dispersion - Spread of various wavelengths of light through the core (important for bandwidth)
- Operating temperature/humidity range
- Temperature dependence of attenuation
- Ability to conduct light underwater - Important for undersea cables
Once the fibers have passed the quality control, they are sold to telephone companies, cable companies and network providers. Many companies are currently replacing their old copper-wire-based systems with new fiber-optic-based systems to improve speed, capacity and clarity.
Physics of Total Internal Reflection
When light passes from a medium with one index of refraction (m1) to another medium with a lower index of refraction (m2), it bends or refracts away from an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface (normal line). As the angle of the beam through m1 becomes greater with respect to the normal line, the refracted light through m2 bends further away from the line.
At one particular angle (critical angle), the refracted light will not go into m2, but instead will travel along the surface between the two media (sine [critical angle] = n2/n1 where n1 and n2 are the indices of refraction [n1 is greater than n2]). If the beam through m1 is greater than the critical angle, then the refracted beam will be reflected entirely back into m1 (total internal reflection), even though m2 may be transparent!
In physics, the critical angle is described with respect to the normal line. In fiber optics, the critical angle is described with respect to the parallel axis running down the middle of the fiber. Therefore, the fiber-optic critical angle = (90 degrees - physics critical angle).
In an optical fiber, the light travels through the core (m1, high index of refraction) by constantly reflecting from the cladding (m2, lower index of refraction) because the angle of the light is always greater than the critical angle. Light reflects from the cladding no matter what angle the fiber itself gets bent at, even if it's a full circle!
Because the cladding does not absorb any light from the core, the light wave can travel great distances. However, some of the light signal degrades within the fiber, mostly due to impurities in the glass. The extent that the signal degrades depends upon the purity of the glass and the wavelength of the transmitted light (for example, 850 nm = 60 to 75 percent/km; 1,300 nm = 50 to 60 percent/km; 1,550 nm is greater than 50 percent/km). Some premium optical fibers show much less signal degradation -- less than 10 percent/km at 1,550 nm.
For more information on fiber optics and related topics, check out the links on the next page.
Related HowStuffWorks Articles
- How Light Works
- How Lasers Work
- How Cable Television Works
- How DSL Works
- How LAN Switches Work
- How FireWire Works
- How Ethernet Works
- How Routers Work
- How Telephones Work
- How Web Servers Work
- How Cable Modems Work
- How Digital Clocks Work
- How does a long distance call work?
- How does a T1 line work?
- What do the little boxes that the phone company has around our neighborhood do?


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Digital entrepreneurship offers freedom and flexibility but is not without legal limits. The offering of goods and services in the digital marketplace is regulated by a number of laws in order to ensure consumer protection, and the Swedish Consumer Agency (Sw. Konsumentverket) is eager to secure and enforce such rights as it recently found certain online traders non-compliant with fundamental e-commerce rules. What are the most important provisions that digital businesses have to comply with in order to avoid fines and consumer badwill? In this blogpost, Synch guides you through 5 areas of e-commerce law that are vital for companies engaged in e-commerce.
- Information is the key
You have to provide your customers with certain information on your website. Among others, you have to indicate your company name and the corporate registration number together with the address and e-mail address of your business. You are required to provide your customers with description of the goods or services you offer together with clear information with respect to the prices, including delivery costs, other additional costs and taxes. Also – never forget to inform your customers about the methods of payment that you accept for the purchase!
- The right of withdrawal is a must
The right of withdrawal (Sw. ångerrätt) constitutes as the absolute centre of safeguarding consumers' rights in relation to distance contracts. The 14-day cancellation right is not only existent in the offline world (ever bought something over the phone?), but – more importantly – it applies to online purchases. Again, information is the key throughout the purchase process, thus you are required to give clear and sufficient information to your customers about how to cancel the purchase, both prior to the placement of the order and within the confirmation. The information has to enable the customer to exercise his or her right of withdrawal, and shall include guidance for cancellation. If there is non-compliance with the information requirements regarding cancellation, the 14 days at the disposal of the customer to cancel will extend to a 1-year period (!).
- User-friendly order process
You should apply a "user-friendly" approach when setting up your order process, offering your customers an overview of the steps leading to a binding agreement. Beware that you are obliged to enable the customers to correct the order form before purchasing. A confirmation email is required to be sent immediately following the order, otherwise the customer is not bound by the contract, i.e. there is no deal. Make sure that the terms and conditions are always accessible for the consumers and always indicate clearly that pressing the purchase button will generate an obligation to pay. Save and store carefully all steps and confirmations made by the customer as you are obliged to prove the circumstances of the contract in a dispute. And keep track of the different versions of your T&C!
- Be smart with user-generated content
In order to lawfully use content generated by your users, you will have to include an assignment or license (according to the required scope, extent and purposes of your intended use) in your terms and conditions – keep in mind that they are (or at least should be) the right holders of the copyright in the content. Secure your position (if it shows that they did in fact not hold the necessary rights) by stipulating indemnification for infringements – that is compensation if you are being sued for copyright infringement. Finally – in order to avoid liability for uploaded content; implement a notice and takedown mechanism since you are responsible for supervising the posts and removing illegal content.
- Take data protection seriously – be integrity friendly
Today's digital economy is built on personal data and the legal landscape is changing. The new GDPR, in force from 25 May 2018, will impose heavy burdens on companies secured by extremely high fines (check out our previous blogpost on the most important rules of the GDPR here).You must inform your customers in a very clear manner about the data collected and the intended purposes of processing. For purposes that are outside the scope of the agreement, you will probably need to collect a consent and that has to be given in an explicit manner (opt-in). On the bright side – handled correctly your data may be one of your greatest assets as you build your business!
For further information, please contact Anna Forsebäck.


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I would like to renew an email hosting plan for a plan which is not appearing on my account. I believe that the plans expired quite recently and would like to renew them and get them back. I would appreciate your assistance.
You need to contact GoDaddy support for assistance with your account and any products that expired.
None of us have access to your account. 😉


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She was also a monster.
THE LAST CLOSET: The Dark Side of Avalon is a brutal tale of a harrowing childhood. It is the true story of predatory adults preying on the innocence of children without shame, guilt, or remorse. It is an eyewitness account of how high-minded utopian intellectuals, unchecked by law, tradition, religion, or morality, can create a literal Hell on Earth.
THE LAST CLOSET is also an inspiring story of survival. It is a powerful testimony to courage, to hope, and to faith. It is the story of Moira Greyland, the only daughter of Marion Zimmer Bradley and convicted child molester Walter Breen, told in her own words.
In case you've been wondering why I haven't been doing Darkstreams, finishing the extended edition of A Sea of Skulls, or wrapping up the first Voxiversity, well, this is why. To paraphrase the author, this is a difficult book to read, it was almost impossible to write, and it wasn't exactly easy to edit or proofread either, which is why I am very grateful to the assistant editor and the two proofreaders for their invaluable assistance in this regard.
Moira asked me to write the foreword to The Last Closet. I will have more to add later, but for now, it will suffice as my public comment on the subject.
I read four or five of Marion Zimmer Bradley's books in high school. I started with The Heritage of Hastur, then read two or three more Darkover novels that caught my eye in the Arden Hills library. While I didn't find them sufficiently entertaining to continue with the series, they were just interesting enough to inspire me to pick up a trade paperback of The Mists of Avalon not long after it was published by Del Rey in 1984. As it happens, I still have that much-ballyhooed monstrosity, its long-untouched pages now yellowing on a dusty bookshelf in the attic.
The Mists of Avalon was a massive 876-page bestseller heavily marketed as a feminist take on Camelot and the legends of King Arthur, and was critically hailed for being very different than the usual retellings of the classic tale. It was different, and in some ways, with its grim darkness and overt sexuality, The Mists of Avalon might even be considered a predecessor of sorts to George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. I found it to be too much of a soap opera myself, and certainly not a patch on Chrétien de Troyes, Thomas Malory, or even T.H. White, although there were a few salacious sections that did serve to liven up the book considerably.
But even as a red-blooded young man, some of those sections struck me as perhaps a little too salacious. While I can't say that I had any inkling of what the author's habits or home life were at the time, I did detect a slight sense of what I can only describe as a wrongness from the book. Arthur didn't love Guinevere, but was pining away for his half-sister? Sir Lancelot was not only Galahad, but also Arthur's bisexual cousin? Instead of being a tragic love triangle, Arthur, Launcelot, and Guinevere were a swinging threesome? And Mordred was not only Arthur's son, but the product of incest knowingly orchestrated by Merlin for pagan purposes to boot?
Yeah, that's not hot. That's just weird and more than a little grotesque.
I don't recall if I ever actually finished the novel or not, but I know I didn't bother reading any of its many sequels. I felt that I had given this vaunted feminist author a fair shake and delved as deeply into Ms. Bradley's strange psyche as I wished to go, little knowing that what I dismissed as freakish feminist literary antics were merely scratching the surface on what was actually an intergenerational psychosexual horror show.
Three decades later, despite being a science fiction author and editor myself, I found myself increasingly at odds with the creepy little community known as SF fandom, which can best be described as the cantina crowd from Star Wars, only depressed, overweight, and sexually confused. At the same time, I was also becoming increasingly aware of a wrongness that emanated from that community like a faint, but unmistakably foul odor.
There were rumors about the real reason behind science fiction grandmaster Arthur C. Clarke's bizarre relocation from southern California to Sri Lanka. There was the arrest of David Asimov, son of science fiction legend Isaac Asimov, for the possession of the largest stash of child pornography the police had ever seen. There were the public defenses offered by many science fiction authors on behalf of the SFWA member and convicted child molester Ed Kramer. There was the naming of NAMBLA enthusiast and homo-horrorporn author Samuel Delaney as SFWA's 2013 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master.
And then, of course, there was the historical Breendoggle, a fifty-year-old debate among science-fiction fandom concerning whether a child molester, Walter Breen, should have been permitted to attend the science-fiction convention known as Pacificon II or not. Believe it or not, the greater part of fandom at the time was outraged by the committee's sensible decision to deny Breen permission to attend the 1964 convention; science-fiction fandom continued to cover for the notorious pedophile even after his death in 1993. In "Conspiracy of silence: fandom and Marion Zimmer Bradley", Martin Wisse wrote:
Why indeed did it take until MZB was dead for her covering for convicted abuser Walter Breen to become public knowledge and not just whispered amongst in the know fans. Why in fact was Breen allowed to remain in fandom, being able to groom new victims? Breen after all was first convicted in 1954, yet could carry out his grooming almost unhindered at sf cons until the late nineties. And when the 1964 Worldcon did ban him, a large part of fandom got very upset at them for doing so.
The fact that fandom had been covering for pedophiles for decades was deeply troubling. And yet, we would soon learn that this wrongness in science fiction ran even deeper than the most cynical critics suspected.
On June 3, 2014, a writer named Deirdre Saorse Moen put up a post protesting the decision of Tor Books to posthumously honor Tor author and World Fantasy Award-winner Marion Zimmer Bradley, on the basis of Bradley's 1998 testimony given in a legal deposition about her late husband. When Moen was called out by Bradley fans for supposedly misrepresenting Bradley, she reached out to someone she correctly felt would know the truth about the feminist icon: Moira Greyland, the daughter of Marion Zimmer Bradley and Walter Breen.
Little did Moen know how dark the truth about the famous award-winning feminist was. For when Moira responded a few days later, she confirmed Moen's statement about Marion Zimmer Bradley knowing all about her pedophile husband's behavior. However, Moira also added that her famous mother had been a child molester as well, and that in fact, Bradley had been far more violently abusive to both her and her brother than Breen!
I will not say more about the harrowing subject of this book because it is the author's story to tell, not mine. But I will take this opportunity to say something about the author, whom I have come to admire for her courage, for her faith, and most of all, for her ability to survive an unthinkably brutal upbringing with both her sanity and her sense of humor intact.
Moira does not wallow in her victimhood. Nor does she paint her victimizers as soulless devils, indeed, her empathy for those who wronged her so deeply is more than astonishing, it is humbling. Her strength of character, her integrity, and her faith in a God she was raised to believe did not exist are almost inexplicable, particularly in an age where adult college students cannot face unintended microaggressions without the support of their university administrations, the campus police, and physician-prescribed pharmaceuticals.
Her story is more than a triumph of the human spirit, more than a tale of survival, and more than a devastating indictment of a seriously depraved community. It is an inspiration to everyone, particularly for anyone who has ever been subjected to abuse or ill-treatment as a child.
Moira's message is clear: they can hurt you, they can harm you, and they can leave you with scars that last a lifetime, but they cannot touch your soul. Their sins are not your sins and their shame is not your shame. And there is a light that is always waiting to heal those who summon the strength to walk out of the last closet and turn their back on the darkness inside it.
UPDATE: Thank you for your strong support for the author.
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392 Paid in Kindle Store
#1 in Books > Self-Help > Abuse
#1 in Kindle Store > Counseling & Psychology > Mental Health > Sexual Abuse
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Women
Labels: books, Castalia House


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The UK's NHS spends somewhere in the region of £16m per year on bath products (as much as 70p per bath) for the treatment of allergic eczema but researchers believe this may well be 'a waste of money'. Allergic eczema is a condition which most commonly affects children.
Aloe Vera is considered a natural skin treatment for various skin disorders but notably for dry skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. While aloe vera may not succeed in curing psoriasis or eczema, aloe vera is one of a number of natural skin care products that work to alleviate dry skin conditions. The benefits of aloe vera taken internally and/or the use of topical aloe vera lotion may provide a natural psoriasis treatment or relief of eczema symptoms.


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IKEA is working to change all plastic used in its products to plastic based on recycled or renewable materials by 2030.
Initiated in 2016, IKEA has collaborated with Neste in an ongoing project to eliminate virgin fossil-based raw materials in its plastic products.
This collaboration has allowed IKEA and Neste to turn waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and sustainable vegetable oils into polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) plastic.
The production of bio-based plastics will be based on Neste's 100 percent renewable hydrocarbons and the pilot at commercial scale of PP and PE plastic, which will start during fall 2018, has chosen to contain 20 percent renewable content.
IKEA will use the new plastic in products that are part of the current product range, such as plastic storage boxes, starting with a limited number of products and as capacities improve, more products will follow.
Erik Ljungblad, Category Manager Plastic Products at IKEA of Sweden, said: "This new material represents a significant step towards a fossil free future. No one has ever before been able to produce PP plastic from a fossil-free raw material other than on a laboratory scale. Together with Neste, we are ensuring that there is an opportunity to scale up the production of this material."


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More than likely, our lives have or will turn out differently than we plan. Even so, we can know the satisfaction of a life well-lived. The deciding factors have less to do with mountain-top moments and more with our everyday habits.
Last month, I had the opportunity to share with Alpha Omega Academy's graduating class some habits that will help them live meaningfully, and I don't think these practices are just for teens. They're ones I have to work on intentionally every day. Maybe they'll help you, too.
Habit #1: Guard Your Priorities.
We might be able to multi-task, but we can't do everything. Or, if we try, we'll do less well. Guarding our priorities means saying "no" to good things so we can "yes" to better ones.
By "better," I don't mean in terms of importance but in terms of our calling. Is this task or responsibility part of our God-given assignment? Is it something we should do or just something we could do?
The truth is that guarding our priorities sometimes means letting go in order to respect our commitments. But in the end, honoring our calling is more important than pleasing everyone.
To read about the other habits, click over to DailyPS.com. I look forward to your comments.
Have you implemented these habits into your life, or what habits would you add to this list?
~ Kristen
3 Habits of Satisfied People – @kjhogrefe (Click to Tweet)
Honoring our calling is more important than pleasing everyone. – @kjhogrefe (Click to Tweet)


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Toronto. Bob Lansdale, editor of our journal, Photographic Canadiana, just sent me this delightful issue of Ken Metcalf's excellent publication, Graflex Journal covering the Graflex cameras.
The first two stories "Shooting the Big Bertha" by Geoffrey Berliner and "Mine is Bigger than Yours" by Ken Metcalf cover the famous Graflex popular with news and sports photographers in the pre/post WW2 era.
I first saw one at the 2006 PHSC Spring Fair. Renaud Therrien of Montreal had the one shown here for sale (both the camera and Renaud are shown).
The balance of the 12 page Graflex Journal 2 2016 covers other cameras of interest to the Graflex collector and user.


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CoreMedia has a pretty funny series of videos of people like me (horrible German speakers) attempting to pronounce ridiculously long German words and then try to figure out what that word means. I actually did about 5 of these things and they pick the one that means "demo", how fitting. 🙂 NRF is so fun, thanks guys! Make sure you check out CoreMedia and their awesome CMS solution that integrates with Watson Commerce and the Watson API's.
Online retail is complicated. But your CMS doesn't have to be. CoreMedia helps #ecommerce brands simplify complexity. Come see us at #NRF2018 – booth 2433 – to learn more. Thx to @bobbalfe for participating! pic.twitter.com/MKwaxFseJW
— CoreMedia (@CoreMedia_News) January 15, 2018
In case you don't remember, I did a Partner Connect video with CoreMedia where we showed off their Watson API integrations:


text: For over 20 years and counting, McWhorter & Anderson has remained the one of the most respected Land Surveying and Engineering companies in the industry. We have more than 40 years of combined experience the in the Land Surveying and Civil Engineering Industry. Founded in the 1990′s we have made our business all about our clients. We proudly serve our clients in an on-going basis.


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How To Close A Specific Application On Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a flexible operating system, which is pre-loaded with Apple's computer, including Mac mini, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. You can also download this operating system from the Apple's website and install on your own PC if you have right drivers.
But do you know how to use Mac OS X, especially when a particular application is being unresponsive? On Mac OS X, when an application becomes unresponsive, the whole computer will freeze and in most cases, you can't do anything else.
To get your Mac computer back to normal, you need to eliminate that application. In order to do that, you can use Activity Monitor, or also known as Task Manager for Mac, a built-in feature to track all running processes and kill them anytime you want.
The simplest way to open the Activity Monitor application is using Finder. In the left side of Finder, click on Application, and then click on the "Utilities" folder. You will see the Activity Monitor icon show up. Just click on it to launch the application.
When the Activity Monitor is opened, it will show you the list of running applications as well as system processes. Simply right-click on the app or process you want to close and force it to quit. This is the simplest way to force quit Mac apps when it doesn't respond to any command.
There is another way to help you eliminate Mac apps, by using Terminal application. All you need to do is open it and type a simple command. However, with Terminal, you only can kill apps that you know and remember the name of it. You can't just kill a process that you don't know its name.
For example, if the Google Chrome browser is being unresponsive, only open Terminal and type "killall Chrome". The Google Chrome browser will immediately be closed. But, you can't just kill an application that you don't sure what name is it. It will not work! So if you want to use Terminal to force any application to quit, make sure you know and remember the name of it.
To avoid an app being unresponsive, you should disable unnecessary startup items, close unwanted apps that running in the background, or add more RAM to your Mac computer to speed it up. Sometimes, out of resources like RAM could make a Mac application not respond to your command.
We hope this simple guide and the following methods can help you to learn more how to close an unresponsive Mac apps. Of course, these methods only use when an application being unresponsive. If the app still respond to your command, simply press Command + Q keys on your keyboard and it will close immediately.
If you have any question about this step by step article or need further assistant, leave your comment below.


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Shandong Wintech Technology Co.,Ltd is located in China, we are one of the largest manufacturers of all welded plate heat exchanger and plate and shell heat exchanger. Our products have been export to many countries such as Mexico, Russia, Malaysia, Uruguay, Pakistan, Paraguay etc.
Shandong Wintech Technology Co. Ltd. is located in Zichuan economic and technology development zone,Zibo city,Shandong Province,China. It's founded in 2012 year, and iti is a research and development manufacture to produce high efficient all welded plate heat exchanger. As the leading high-tech enterprises,our products have independent intellectual property rights, 4 pcs invention patents, 12 pcs utility model patents. The company registered capital is 50 million 100 thousand RMB, covers an area more than 46,700 square meters, with total construction area 31,822 square meters.
The company has made one market development strategy to provide users with high efficient energy-saving heat transfer products and one complete set of heat transfer solutions, the main business is high-end heat exchange products, including four categories of products:plate heat exchanger, air preheater, air cooler, evaporator
Wintech relys on its own technology accumulation, with professional knowledge of Shandong university, Xi'an jiaotong University, Qingdao science and technology university and other cooperation institutions, and through field survey and simulation technology provides tailored technical solutions for customers, to meet the different working conditions of different enterprises, to achieve seamless abutting joint for products and working conditions, solve the user's problem, fully meet customer's demand.
The company has total 200 employees, and 105 persons are engineering technical staff and licensed workers, 15 persons are senior technical engineers, and 30 persons are mid-level technical engineers.
The company always adheres to the production concept of "quality - based, safety first", and the production process strictly follows the relevant standards of the state and industry. Through unremitting efforts, products from design, manufacturing, inspection form one perfect quality assurance system, obtained ISO9001 quality management system certification, ISO140001 environmental management system certification and OHSAS 18001 occupational health and safety system certification, and laid a solid foundation for improving the stability and reliability of the product, win the user unanimous praise.


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FDIC Law, Regulations, Related Acts
[Table of Contents] [Previous Page] [Next Page] [Search]
4000 - Advisory Opinions
Bank's Three-Part Recordkeeping System for Deposit Accounts Satisfies Signature Card Requirements for Joint Ownership Accounts Under 12 C.F.R. § 330.7
July 20, 1992
Claude A. Rollin, Counsel
This is in response to your letter, dated July 8, 1992, inquiring about the information which is necessary for a bank to include on a signature card to ensure that an account will be considered a joint account for the purposes of federal deposit insurance.
In your letter you outline the following fact situation:
The bank makes use of the following three part record keeping system with respect to deposit accounts:
(1) a card which is signed by each depositor but does not indicate in any way how the account is held;
(2) a terms and conditions document which is incorporated by reference into the signed card and which defines what is meant by a joint account, a payable on death account, and other forms of ownership; and
(3) a computer record of how the account is held. This record is prepared through information collected by the customer service representative who opens the account, and it is this record only which identified the relative interests of each of the depositors who signed the "signature card."
You ask whether these three records in combination are sufficient to constitute a "signature card" for the purposes of 12 C.F.R. § 330.7, "Joint ownership accounts.''
The regulations do not define "signature card," although banks routinely include information regarding depositors' ownership interest on the signature card itself. In addition, 12 C.F.R. § 330.7(b) seems to suggest that the signature card include such ownership information, although it does not require it. We believe that a signature card which provides evidence of a depositor's ability to withdraw funds is sufficient to satisfy the requirement of § 330.7(c)(2). In my opinion, a signature card for a particular account which merely includes each depositor's signature but does not indicate in any way how the account is held, as is utilized in the first part of the bank's recordkeeping system, meets this standard. Nonetheless, we highly recommend that the bank include information concerning depositors' ownership interests on the card itself, as this will facilitate the FDIC's ascertainment of the depositors' relative ownership interests should the bank ever be placed in receivership. The absence of any indication on the signature card of the manner in which an account is owned may lead to substantial delays in the payment of deposit insurance in the event that the bank fails.
I trust that this has been responsive to your inquiry. Please contact me at (202) 898-3985 if you have any further questions.


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Thursday, October 6: Bakeries
Crave a cold brew coconut donut? How about an updated Hostess cupcake – a pastel de nata – or fresh baked French bread? Tonight we've put our waistlines at risk to roam Greater Boston in search of bakeries that pump out sweet and savory treats you'll want for your dining table.
Show Resources:
Stoughton Bakery
29 Wyman Street
Stoughton, MA
The Forge Baking Company
626 Somerville Ave
Somerville, MA
Blackbird Donuts
492 Tremont Street
Brass Sisters
Marilynn and Sheila
Dessert Works
302 Boston Province Highway
Westwood, MA
Polka Dog Bakery
256 Shawmut Avenue
South End, Boston 02118
Ph: 617.338.5155
42 South Street?
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130?
map this location
Ph: 617.522.1931
33 Boylston St
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
240 Market Street?
Lynnfield, MA 01940?
Ph: 781.587.2695
Cupcake City
137 Main Street (Route 28), Reading, Massachusetts
Le Foyer Bakery - Mattapan, Massachusetts
Phone, (617) 298-0535 ·
Address. 132 Babson St;
Mattapan, Massachusetts 02126


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My maternal grandfather, William Joseph, left London with his family to work as a mechanic for Short Brothers when the Eastchurch Aerodrome first opened. He was present, with some of his children - including my mother – at the famous 1911 Airshow, which attracted so many people from far and wide. My mother Marjorie, (then aged 6) and her elder sister, Kitty (aged 8) well remembered being present at that event – and their father hoisting them up into the cockpit of one of the Bleriot planes.
Many, many years later, when my brother showed the video "Wings Over Sheppey" to my mother she recognised the plane immediately – and cried "That's it! That's the one! (My brother had purchased the video at the Aviation Centenary held at Muswell Manor to which my mother had been invited).
My mother retained an excellent memory to the very end of her life – was the eldest resident in Sheppey before she died in 2012 (less than a fortnight before her 107th Birthday.
My brother and I always marvelled that when my mother watched those early planes leaving the ground, with just one pilot – how could she ever have imagined that one day she would fly non-stop to South Africa, with some two hundred other passengers and all amenities on board?
What amazing progress aviation has made in little more than a century!
Jill's brother, Roger, added...
Our grandfather was born in 1872 and worked for Merryweather in London. I think he worked on fire engines.
William moved his family to Eastchurch to become an aircraft mechanic. He worked on J.T.C. Moore Brabazon's aircraft.
Roger and Jill lived with their grandparents in Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey and Roger remembers a Sunderland being moored at Harty in the early 1950's. He and a friend, aged about 9 years woud row out to the airccraft and play in it pretending to be 'Biggles'.
The Sunderland was closed up but not locked and there was nobody about!


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Celebrate summer with Raaka S'mores!
It's officially summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and everyone's looking for ways to stay cool and fresh while enjoying the sunshine. Since cacao has a melting point of around 95 F (36 C), and softens in the mid to upper 80s, the summer heat presents some challenges. Why not compromise with the heat and enjoy the unique bliss of melting chocolate in the form of a S'more?
S'more's are a uniquely American tradition, synonymous with summer campfires and weekend getaways. The S'more was discovered in 1927, when it first appeared in the publication of Tramping and Trailing with The Girl Scouts. The genius behind this idea, of melting rich chocolate with gooey marshmallows between the honeyed crusts of two graham crackers, remains unknown.
Like the cacao bean, the other two stars of the S'more have become mass-produced, industrialized food products, divorced from their more natural origins. The ancient Egyptians first conceived of the marshmallow, by extracting the sap from its plant, Althaea officinalis, and mixing it with fruit and nuts. Like cacao, the marshmallow plant was often used for medicinal and nutritional purposes, rather than confectionary; for example, the Egyptians treated sore throats with a concoction of marshmallow root and honey.
The graham cracker, too, was conceived as a health food. Diet guru Sylvester Graham created the cracker as a critical component of his "Graham Diet".
You can return the S'more to its healthy roots by choosing the individual ingredients in their whole forms. Grab some whole grain graham crackers, organic marshmallows and your favorite Raaka bar (we think Coconut Milk or Vanilla Rooibos work best, or the Bourbon bar for bolder flavor!).
If you're a vegan and feeling a little left out, check out iHeartRaw's mouth-watering S'more recipe using our dark Madagascar bar, featured below! Not only does she have wonderful taste in food, she is also a monthly subscriber to our Raaka box! She considers it her "BEST. DECISION. EVER". We agree, but we might be a bit biased.
If you're worried about your Raaka chocolate melting before it even gets to the fire, don't worry, we always ship our summer orders in insulated packets with ice to insure solid delivery!
Your favorite Raaka Bar
Vegan Graham Crackers (she chose the Erewhon brand)
Vegan marshmallows (she used Dandies)
- If you'll be making these around an open flame, combine the ingredients into the sandwich and roast away! If you don't have access to an open flame, turn your oven to broil and lay the bottom graham cracker on a tray, and top with marshmallows.
- Allow the marshmallows to brown to taste, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the cracker from the oven, top with a few squares of your Raaka bar of choice, and close it with the top.
- Eat, and enjoy!
Rochelle is a private plant-based chef and baker living in Brooklyn with her fiancée. She is passionate about animal welfare and delicious food, and writes ThePlantry.wordpress.com.


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Hilton, Tokyo Odaiba
This Trip
British Airways | Airbus A320 | LHR-ARN | Club Europe
Clarion, Stockholm Arlanda
Qatar Airways | Boeing 787 | ARN-DOH | Business
The Airport Hotel, Doha
Qatar Airways | Airbus A350 | DOH-SIN | Business
Crowne Plaza, Singapore Changi
Cathay Pacific | Boeing 777-200 | SIN-HKG | Business
Cathay Pacific | Boeing 747-400 | HKG-HND | First Class
Hilton, Tokyo Odaiba
ANA | Boeing 787 | HND-ITM | Premium Class
Courtyard by Marriott, Osaka
Asiana | Airbus A330 | KIX-ICN | Business
Four Points by Sheraton, Seoul
EVA Air | Airbus A330 | ICN-TPE | Business
Novotel, Taipei Taoyuan Airport
EVA Air | Boeing 777-300ER | TPE-SIN | Business
Conrad Centennial, Singapore
Qatar Airways | Airbus A330 | SIN-DOH | Business
Doubletree by Hilton, Doha Old Town
Qatar Airways | Boeing 787 | DOH-ARN | Business
Radisson Blu, SkyCity, Stockholm Arlanda
SAS | Boeing 737-600 | ARN-GOT | SAS Plus
Sun Air | Dornier 328 Jet | GOT-MAN | Euro Traveller
Hilton, Manchester Airport
British Airways | Airbus A319 | MAN-LHR | UK Domestic
Stayed in: April 2016
For the first time on this trip, I wasn't in need of an airport hotel. But with a 9:35pm scheduled arrival, one not too far from Haneda was preferred. The Hilton Odaiba fit the bill perfectly location wise.
Upon check in, everything was effortless. The wifi codes and breakfast vouchers were handed over without any prompt and my HHonours Gold status was confirmed.
Main Room
The main room was pretty big by Japanese standards, and even included a balcony overlooking Tokyo Bay and the Rainbow bridge. The bed was your standard Hilton bed – comfortable, with soft sheets and pillows.
The bathroom was adequately sized, and featured both a bath and shower in a separate wet room type set up.
The bathroom featured enhanced amenities, with double of the standard goods, plus toothbrushes, a comb, a razor and other bits. There was also a clock present in the bathroom.
The standard tea/coffee making tray was also present, plus a minibar.
One thing of note was that it appeared that only one device could be connected to the WiFi at a time. In my case either my phone or laptop, but not both.
In Conclusion
A great location, around 25 minutes by train from Haneda (plus the not so frequent airport limousine bus) with a shopping complex next door and a small park next to the bay. The rooms were in great condition, especially as this hotel has recently been inherited by the Hilton group.
Follow @mytripreport
Look out for the YouTube video soon!


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Downtown LA - Live Here
Gleaming new apartment towers and landmark lofts attract thousands of new residents to Downtown LA every year. Let us help you make the move to Downtown LA and get to know the neighborhood a little better.
Learn More
Committed to enhancing the quality of life in Downtown LA
Sign up for our newsletter and become a Downtown LA insider


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Your new favorite celestial side-kick!
Our Moon Money Coin Pouches are perfect for keeping your spare change and cash handy. Attach it to your keys or purse with the convenient key ring and tame that spare change!
The hand-stitched circle design folds and buttons down to create a crescent moon made from our hand marbled veg-tan leather. Each pouch is completely unique! Choose from one of the two pouches pictured. We'll post new batches as we sell out, but the colors and patterns will change. So if you see one you can't live without, grab it before it's gone! Check out our one-of-a-kind section to see our other options.
You can also join our mailing list & follow us on Instagram @moonfindershop to be the first to know when new batches of hand marbled products become available!
Each coin pouch comes wrapped in stylish custom packaging, ready to enjoy or gift!
Width: 4.25 in. x Height: 2.75 in. x Thickness: 1/8 in. flat but expandable.
Each piece of leather is different and may have slight variations in color or surface markings.


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Micromanagement make BEST PEOPLE Quit!
5 Damaging Effects of Micromanagement
1.Decreased Productivity – When a manager is constantly looking over their employees' shoulders, it can lead to a lot of second-guessing and paranoia, and ultimately leads to dependent employees. Additionally, such managers spends a lot of time giving input and tweaking employee workflows, which can drastically slow down employee response time.
2. Reduced Innovation – When employees feel like their ideas are invalid or live in constant fear of criticism, it's eventually going to take a toll on creativity. In cultures where risk-taking is punished, employees will not dare to take the initiative. Why think outside the box when your manager is only going to shoot down your ideas and tell you to do it their way?
3. Lower Morale – Employees want the feeling of autonomy. If employees cannot make decisions at all without their managers input, they will feel suffocated. Employees that are constantly made to feel they can't do anything right may try harder for a while, but will eventually stop trying at all. The effects of this will be evident in falling employee engagement levels.
4. High Staff Turnover – Most people don't take well to being micromanaged. When talented employees are micromanaged, they often do one thing; quit. No one likes to come to work every day and feel they are walking into a penitentiary with their every movement being monitored. "Please Micromanage Me" Said No Employee ever. I have never seen a happy staff under micromanagement.
5. Loss of Trust – Micromanagement will eventually lead to a massive breakdown of trust. It demotivates and demoralizes employees. Your staff will no longer see you as a manager, but a oppressor whose only job is to make their working experience miserable.
Micromanaging is the opposite of empowerment and it creates toxic work environments. It chokes the growth of the employee and the organization and fosters mediocrity.
If you want performance at scale: Select the right people, provide them with the proper training, tools and support, and then give them room to get the job done!
more on micromanagement in this IMS blog


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Tandy Bullseye Holster Kit-Automatic-Medium. Bullseye Holster Kit-Automatic-Medium For automatics. Fits 3-1/2" to 4-1/2" barrels. This holster kit is designed for easy assembly for leathercrafters at any level of experience. Decorate it with a fancy design or simply dye the holster and sew. It's that easy! Adjustable strap design makes it a cinch to keep any pistol secure in the holster. Kit comes with pre-cut, pre-punched parts, thread, needles, plastic slide snap, pre-attached snap, instructions and four patterns. For right-handed (left handed available by special order) use and are considered a "medium high ride design". They will fit belts up to 2-1/4" wide by using the secure belt loop that stitches on the backside of the holster. Firearms not included.$39.95
7108 66th St. N.
Pinellas Park, Fl. 33781
Call: 727-544-2606
Toll Free: 1-888-919-WEST (888-919-9378)


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A Kobe Bryant NBA championship ring sold for $176,000 at auction Saturday, the highlight of a highly-contested sale that pitted the player against his parents.
Six items from the basketball superstar's career – including rings and two high school uniforms – netted a combined $433,000.
The sale was held through New Jersey-based Goldin Auctions. Originally, Bryant's mother Pamela intended to part with hundreds of the player's items in order to pay for a house. Kobe argued that the memorabilia was his, and he filed a suit against the auction company trying to halt the sale.
The sides settled in June, and the auction continued with six items of Bryant memorabilia.
As part of the settlement, a portion of the auction proceeds – more than $62,000 – was donated to The Bully Project, a Kobe Bryant supported charity.
Other sales from the auction include a 1949 Jackie Robinson game-used baseball bat, which sold for $159,000, and a 1909-1911 T206 baseball card of Ty Cobb, which fetched $120,000.
With AP