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2013 World Series
Cardinals in 7
If ever a World Series had seven game marathon written all over it is this year's matchup between the Boston Red Sox and the St, Louis Cardinals. Both teams posted records of 97-65 which was the best record in all of baseball. Both teams have had recent success, each winning two of the last nine World Series. The Red Sox ended their 86 year drought against St. Louis in 2004 that series was an anticlimactic sweep. However, two other Fall Classic meetings between the Red Sox and Cardinals were seven game classics with the Cardinals winning in Game 7 in 1946 and 1967.
These two teams could not be more evenly matched, with both teams having solid lineups, strong starting pitching and deep bullpens. Both teams have also enjoyed timely hitting, sharp defense and quality relief. Going position by position no team holds a great edge over the other, and the loss of the Designated Hitter could hurt the Red Sox in the middle three games in St. Louis as David Ortiz still is the most dangerous bat in Boston's lineup. Ortiz could play 1B, but that would sacrifice defense and either way it will give the Cardinals a bigger edge at Busch Stadium than the Red Sox have at Fenway Park.
Each team has had a breakout star at the forefront of their pitching staffs during the postseason, as Koju Ueahara has been Mariano like for the Red Sox, saving three games and winning another as he was named ALCS MVP. Uehaara was an afterthought in the Red Sox bullpen at the start of the season, as he was signed to be a middle reliever. However, after injuries to Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey, the 39 year old Uehara was thrust into the closer role and became unhittable, at one point retiring 37 straight batters as His 2013 WHIP of 0.57 in 74.1 innings set the record for a pitcher with 50 or more innings pitched. The Cardinals breakout star is a name fans will be saying for years to come, Michael Wacha. In a continued example of the Cardinals excellence at finding new young talent, the Cardinals picked Michael Wacha in the 2012 MLB Draft with the 19th overall pick that original belonged to the Los Angeles Angels, but went over to the Cardinals as compensation for Albert Pujols. No pitcher has been more dominant in the last month than Michael Wacha, as he nearly threw a no hitter in his final start of the regular season, and again allowed no hits until the seventh inning of his first postseason in the NLDS. That Game 4 start against the Pittsburgh Pirates came with the Cards facing elimination at PNC Park. In the NLCS, Wacha was even better twice opposing Clayton Kershaw and allowing no runs, as he was named NLCS MVP. Just 22 and with 15 games to his career, the 6'6″ Wacha could be the next ace in St. Louis as he has already showed an amazing tenacity in big postseason games.
With Michael Wacha at the forefront of their staff, the Cardinals have the slight starting pitching edge, while the Red Sox thanks to Koji Uehara have the bullpen edge. Up and down the lineup you can go back and forth at nearly every position, as the Cardinals have clear edges at Catcher with Yadier Molina, LF with Matt Holliday and 3B with David Freese. The Red Sox have edges at 1B with Mike Napoli, 2B Dustin Pedroia and CF with Jacoby Ellsbury, while both teams are even at Shortstop. Right Field is a bit of a toss-up with Carlos Beltran and Shane Victorino each being key to their teams in different ways. However, Carlos Beltran's postseason experience and ability to get the big hit gives another edge to the Cardinals and this could end up being a big edge before the series is over.
The Red Sox in their two recent World Series victories in 2004 and 2007 enjoyed rather easy four game sweeps, while the Cardinals are more battle tested. In their 2011 run to the World Series the Cardinals faced elimination four times, including Game 6 of the World Series when twice they were down to their final out. Overall the Cardinals are 8-1 since 2011 when facing elimination; winning three win or go home games on the road. This includes a 2011 NLDS game in Philadelphia against Roy Halladay, the first ever Wild Card Game in Atlanta and a comeback for the ages in Washington during the 2012 NLDS. The Cardinals already won a do or die game in Pittsburgh this year, and have an almost next man up ability to come up with all sorts of heroes when it is needed most. This is why the Cardinals for the second time in their history will win a World Series Game 7 at Fenway Park, as the Red Sox and Cardinals stage another classic in October.


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Section – Documentation
WHO GMP Training Questions and Answers Section for pharmaceutical manufacturing units :- Documentation
In this post i am giving some questions of which you may know answers or you may like to know answers ,i have given few options for you to think up on , this is a very good tool to gather knowledge these questions are provided with answers at the bottom of every page ,so enjoy solving them, you can use these questions and answer sheet to train your personnel.
1. Which of the following is a GMP requirement for documentation:
(A) To put the pharmacopoeia specifications for raw materials into a company authorized document.
(B) To tell people what to do and when.
(C) To make sure the process operators have something to do while waiting for a manufacturing step to finish.
(D) To provide an audit trail in the case of a justified customer complaint.
2. Master copies of documents should be signed by:
(A) The author alone.
(B) The QC manager.
(C) The technical director.
(D) The author plus appropriate authorization signatories.
3. Approval signatures on electronic documents:
(A) Can be electronic or hard copy as appropriate.
(B) Must always be written by hand.
(C) Are not required at all.
(D) Must always be electronic.
4. Review of master documents:(A) Should take place every 6 months.
(B) Should take place every 12 months.
(C)Is not necessary once they have been approved.
(D) Should take place according to a pre-defined schedule.
5. Mistakes made in filling in documentation:
(A) Should be neatly covered by white correcting fluid.
(B) Should be completely covered over with a dark black pen.
(C) Should be crossed through with a single line and initialed or signed, dated, and if appropriate, the reason recorded.
(D) Should be reported to the supervisor at once.
6. Within a factory, labels are required for:
(A) All material containers.
(B) All equipment used in production.
(C) Processing areas such as packing lines.
(D) All of the above.
7. In order to sell a product, the company must have:
(A) Material specifications.
(B) Specifications, master formula, packaging instructions and batch processing records.
(C) Master formula and packaging instructions.
(D) Batch processing records.
8. Colour coding for labels is useful because:
(A) It reduces the need for writing on the label.
(B) It prevents mistakes being made due to incorrect information on the label.
(C)It provides additional security that the information is correct.
(D) It prevents people from needing to read the label.
9. Which of the following must be found on the company's raw material approved status label:
(A) Company standard name for the raw material.
(B) Unique inwards goods number.
(C) Manufacturer's batch number.
(D) Expiry or review date.
10. A specification will need to be amended:
(A) Every 12 months.
(B) If there is a change in a related national compendium.
(C) Every 24 months.
(D) Never.
11. A specification is required for an intermediate:
(A) If the material is bought in by the company.
(B)If the material is sold on by the company.
(C) If the results are used in the final evaluation of the product.
(D)All of the above.
12. Which of the following is required in a master formula:
(A) Full list of materials with theoretical weights.
(B) Space to record the actual weights used.
(C) Stepwise processing instructions.
(D) Storage requirements and special precautions.
13. Packaging instructions will normally be found:
(A) In the technical director's office.
(B) In the QC laboratory.
(C) In the engineering workshop.
(D) Wherever they are used as reference documents.
14. Document audit of batch processing records is carried out:
(A)Before the next batch is commenced.
(B)Whenever the QC department has time to do it.
(C) Prior to batch release.
(D) Whenever production management has time to do it.
15. Which of the following must be found on a batch processing record:
(A) Expiry date of each raw material used.
(B) Name of product and batch number.
(C) Date and time of key steps.
(D) Reconciliation of final yield.
16. Which of the following must be found on a batch packaging record:
(A) Expiry date of finished product.
(B)Reconciliation of bulk product against finished packs.
(C)List of active ingredients used with reference codes.
(D) Reconciliation of packaging materials used.
17. Which of the following information should SOPs carry on every page not just one of the pages to meet GMP:
(A)Page number and document reference number.
(B)Distribution list.
(C) Review date.
(D) Authorizing signatures.
18. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are written:
(A)To make sure that the inspector is happy.
(B) To give production managers something to do.
(C) Because GMP require it.
(D) To make sure people know what to do and when.
19. Stock control documents are required:
(A) To ensure that the company knows how much material it has.
(B) To make sure the material can be found when it is needed.
(C) To make sure the material is used in the right order.
(D) All of the above.
20. Distribution records are critical for product recalls because:
(A) The company can find the material that must be recalled as quickly as possible.
(B) The company can give the customer the choice of returning material or not.
(C)The company only needs to warn its most important customers.
(D) The recall can be carried out without notifying the authorities.
Test Paper 12 – GMP TrainingSection – Documentation
1. A, B and D. There may be some debate as to whether A really is a requirement.
9. A, B and D (the manufacturer's batch or lot number must be traceable through other company records but does not need to go on the approved label)
12. A, C and D (B is not required on the master but will be required on the process record)
15. B, C and D
16. A, B and D
17. A and D
18. C and D
Following are some of articles which;will be useful for you in further understanding of aspects of sterile dosage form manufacturing
To Find Pharmaceutical jobs and make a Pharmaceutical careers see here pharmaceutical companies

subset: commoncrawl


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Sand in my shoes. That's an old phrase used by (old) Floridians. In a sentence it would sound like this: "I've been gone from Florida for years now, but I guess I still have sand in my shoes." It's a loving way of saying that living in this beautiful, ravished, tacky, diverse, corrupt and surprising state leaves something indelible in one's soul.
I have now lived outside of Florida (39 years) more than I ever lived in the state (30 years). But I grew up here from age nine until age forty-two (interrupted only by three years in Illinois for seminary). I swam and sailed in her ocean, gulf, and lakes; rode horses through her tangled scrub; and feasted on her succulent citrus. I also married my high school sweetheart, graduated from the major state university (the University of Florida!), was called to the priesthood, and served five congregations before being elected Bishop of Iowa and moving to the Midwest.
I don't think I would ever want to move back here to live permanently. I actually fell in love with the state of Iowa and her people, enough so to plead guilty to the charge of insanity by choosing to retire there rather than Florida when I left my post on the staff of our Church Center in New York in 2009.
But it is painful to return to my self-designated "home state" of Florida and see what greed and over-development, environmental insensitivity and (I said it before) corruption have done to this land of my formation. Read Miami Herald columnist Carl Hiaasen for more on this.
Yet, when I drive or fly back into the sunshine state and see her swaying palms and their luscious intermingling with live oaks (complete with Spanish moss) and azaleas, stand beside the pounding surf, and breathe in the moist tropical breezes, I know that — for better or for worse — I am "home." Because, I guess,
I have sand in my shoes.


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Dance Secrets Presents: Salsa BootCamp - Insider Secrets to Salsa Dance (Paperback)
Learn to dance, and skyrocket your partner dance abilities Dance secrets I wish I knew when I first started salsa dancing that will help beginners get started in salsa dance and have more fun, a quicker learning curve, and greater success on the dance floor. What every novice must know (and what I wish I knew) before learning to salsa. Dance Secret's Salsa BootCamp is a clear and concise guide to what you need to know during your first few months of salsa dancing. The concepts presented apply not only to beginner salsa dancers, but also to dancers of all levels, and many styles of partner dancing. You won't find the concepts in this short and direct book anywhere else - and yes, they will help you in any and all partner dances They are proven shortcuts to success in dance and you'll love what they do for your dancing skills. Want to excel in salsa? Want to learn faster, surpassing others in your classes? Do you have questions about learning salsa that no one's been able to answer? This book is for you Check out DanceSecrets.com for more books and articles, and get a FREE Learn to Salsa Dance DVD In this manual, I'll walk you through all of the mysteries of the salsa superstars and show you how to get the most from your lessons and social dancing, and above all, how to totally delight in your new salsa superstar status Having fun is the most important thing (actually, you'll find it hard not to) Salsa begins and ends with this. That's what dancing is all about. Relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy SalsaCrazy.com is one of the world's premier Latin dancing websites. Founded in 1996, SalsaCrazy.com was born of a passion to dance, and a desire to show others how fantastic salsa dance can be. As our first instructor told us, It will change your life. SalsaCrazy has dance instructional videos in numerous styles of dance (all available on Amazon.com). Give salsa dancing a try, and you'll find a vibrant world of fantastic people, exciting nightlife, and perhaps a side of yourself you've always wanted to free. We've created a series of high quality DVD's to showcase how easy and fun salsa dancing can be Find salsa dance videos, merengue videos, Latin dance videos, and all styles of dance instruction with SalsaCrazy on Amazon.com (Search Amazon.com for "SalsaCrazy" or "DanceCrazy" to see all of our dance instructional products). Salsa is a dance that can be enjoyed by everyone, with fantastic music, a rich history, and an unbeatable, intoxicating, rhythm. Take SalsaCrazy home and learn to salsa dance today.


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Sterling and his hurtie
The vet came by yesterday to
stab vaccinate my herd of horses plus I wanted him to do an evaluation of Sterling since he has been off on his right front for about 2 weeks. Rewind a little bit here. Sterling had a small quarter crack on both of his front hooves at the beginning of the year. 2 trims ago my farrier didn't think it was much to worry about. Sterling historically has pretty good feet, especially for a thoroughbred. The quarter crack on his right front was getting decidedly worse so I had the farrier come out a bit sooner than usual and he chopped of Sterling's toe to mitigate the growth of the quarter crack on his right front hoof. When I got home the day he got trimmed I was a little taken aback at just how much hoof was cut off! As a result I really expected Sterling to be sore the next day, but he was still normal and sound even 2 days later.
Fast forward to day 4 and he was CLEARLY off on his right front.
I sent this video to my vet. He advised bute (a horsey NSAID) for a few days and see how he is. At day 3 he was not as noticeably lame, but definitely still slightly off. I made an appointment for the vet to come over to look at him and do annual vaccinations. It worked out to be exactly 2 weeks after he exhibited lameness. I haven't been riding him at all in the meantime.
We lunged Sterling in both directions and the vet confirmed that he is still off on his right front. The vet blocked his right front foot, which means he gave him a shot in his foot to make it completely "dead" for a short period of time. This allows the vet to see if the pain goes away with the numbness and confirm that is where the pain is located. We do this since horses can't tell us where they hurt. We again lunged Sterling in both directions and the vet saw definite improvement, but noticed that he is still ever so slightly off and that it happens with both front feet depending on which direction he is going. In all likelihood this just means that Sterling is starting to show age in his front coffins, which I'm advised by my vet isn't a big deal. It just means we may need to start injecting his coffins to provide comfort as he ages and gets some aches and pains. The injection provides him pain relief and only needs to be administered about once per year. It is more or less the same as giving him a horse version of aspirin or ibuprofen every day.
Before we got that route we will adjust his hoof care and will have the farrier put on these crazy named shoes.
If this solves his problem then we will put off the injections for at least a little while. In the meantime, Coco is getting ALL the rides and is thus showing tremendous improvement in her education. Have any of my horsey friends used Kerckhaert shoes? Thoughts, opinions, feedback with similar issues?


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"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."
Robert Frost (1874-1963). American poet extraordinaire, provides today's Life Quotes:
"Forgive me my nonsense, as I also forgive the nonsense of those that think they talk sense."
"A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age."
"The best way out is always through."
"Nothing can make injustice just but mercy."
"Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up."
"A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain."
"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."
"Freedom lies in being bold."
"Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it."
"Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length."
"I'm not confused. I'm just well mixed."
"Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me."
"There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate."


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The weapons that weren't
How the Americans and British got it all so wrong
ON THE evening of July 11th, George Tenet lit a fat cigar and loitered in the compound of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. His last hours as America's spy chief were passing painfully. According to the Senate Intelligence Committee, in a report released two days earlier, America invaded Iraq on the strength of intelligence that was out-of-date, inaccurate, badly analysed and, in short, did not justify the nub of George Bush's case for war.
America did not, as Mr Bush had claimed, have conclusive evidence that Iraq had retained and replenished its chemical and biological weapons, or that it was reactivating its nuclear programme. Nor, from any angle, could the agency find an alliance between Saddam and al-Qaeda. Mr Tenet was seen to pause by a garden feature: a hefty slab of the Berlin Wall. Perhaps the CIA's failure to predict the Soviet Union's collapse seemed suddenly less burdensome. On that, the agency was merely short-sighted. On Iraq, it appears to have been hallucinating.
Mr Tenet's decision to resign "for personal reasons" last month now looks wise. His farewell party was held on the eve of the report's release. But for John Scarlett, the best known British spy, the price of failure seems to be promotion. On July 14th, a British inquiry into intelligence on Iraq's putative weapons of mass destruction (WMD), headed by Lord Butler, a former top civil servant, delivered a broadly similar verdict to the Senate committee's, but in a kindlier tone. Where the senators' report barely contained their dismay at the CIA's ineptitude, his lordship's criticism was more of a finger-wagging, with much talk of collective responsibility.
Mr Scarlett, the newly appointed head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (known as MI6) and former head of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), was one of the few officials named in the report. In his old role, Mr Scarlett was responsible for the government's "dossier" on Iraq's WMD, published in September 2002, which has proved to be misleading and substantially false. There have been calls for Mr Scarlett's head, which Lord Butler urged the government to ignore.
The British agency's record on Iraq does withstand scrutiny a bit better than that of its American counterparts. The Senate found that the flotilla of intelligence agencies under Mr Tenet, the director of central intelligence, were gullible and incompetent, reflecting a "broken corporate culture and poor management". They had no agents in Iraq since 1998, and even before then relied heavily on information supplied by UN weapons inspectors (some of whom were moonlighting as spies). By September 2002, when the agencies were told to draft a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, which were a key exhibit in Mr Bush's case for war, most of what they "knew" about weapons programmes pre-dated the first Gulf war in 1991.
MI6 did have five agents inside Iraq, but they seem hardly to have improved its intelligence. According to Lord Butler, only two of those agents were wholly reliable; their assessments of Iraq's WMD capabilities were "less worrying than the rest". Intriguingly, Lord Butler notes that intelligence obtained from another agency on Iraq's biological weapons was withdrawn after it was found to be seriously flawed, owing to "misunderstandings".
Making the most of a hard case
In the autumn of 2002, British and American intelligence services found themselves in a similar fix. For years, they, like every other western intelligence service, had advised their governments that Iraq's WMD programmes were a persistent menace. Now, they were being instructed to make that case fully and publicly, and suddenly it didn't look quite such a "slam-dunk," as Mr Tenet is said to have described it.
This was for two reasons. First, spies rarely produce the sort of clinching evidence beloved of investigative journalists and fictional detectives. Intelligence tends to be fragmentary and accretive. It does not lend itself to Powerpoint presentations. Second, due to the difficulties of operating in Iraq and their own deficiencies, both services were pitifully wanting in good current intelligence. In addition, the CIA's job was made especially difficult by Mr Bush and his more warlike followers. They were already making fiery claims about Saddam Hussein and his alleged alliance with al-Qaeda which the agency was unable to substantiate.
Nonetheless, the CIA tried not to disappoint. Into the NIE, according to the Senate report, went a shower of dodgily-sourced and overstretched intelligence. In the estimate's declassified version, possibles became probables, and caveats were cut, as scraps of potentially alarming intelligence emerged as terrifying facts.
They were being instructed to make that case fully and publicly, and suddenly it didn't look quite such a "slam-dunk"
Numerous qualifiers—"we judge that", "most analysts believe that"—were excised. Thus were reasonable, though wrong, intelligence suppositions reborn as erroneous facts. To the (now discredited) claim that Iraq was developing its ability to deliver biological weapons was attached the dread phrase, "including potentially against the US homeland."
Much of the intelligence used in the British dossier was also denuded of important qualifiers. This was "a serious weakness", according to Lord Butler, which put more weight "on the intelligence than it could bear". In a perverse example of this, an original statement that the JIC had little information about Iraq's WMD programmes since 1998, was rewritten to suggest that the resulting uncertainty was itself a cause for suspicion. Lord Butler found that the dossier's judgments "went to (although not beyond) the outer limits of the intelligence available."
Mr Powell's smoking guns
In February 2003, Colin Powell, the secretary of state, delivered a presentation to the UN Security Council that has been credited with convincing many sceptics of the case for war. Mr Powell outlined "many smoking guns" in Iraq, including a fleet of mobile biological weapons laboratories. All of these, he said, had been identified with the use of solid intelligence, corroborated by multiple sources. But the Senate committee found otherwise.
Shortly before Mr Powell delivered his speech, a CIA agent read a draft version of it, and reacted with horror. According to e-mails provided to the committee, the agent identified himself as being the only American agent to have interviewed the main source behind the mobile-lab intelligence. He considered the source, codenamed Curve Ball, an unreliable drunkard whose identity was not yet established. Three additional sources who were supposed to have corroborated Curve Ball's claims were either known "fabricators" or had not, in fact, corroborated the claims at all. In reply to these concerns, the agent was told by a senior CIA official: "Let's keep in mind the fact that this war's going to happen regardless of what Curve Ball said or didn't say, and that the Powers That Be probably aren't terribly interested in whether Curve Ball knows what he's talking about."
Similarly slapdash, the British dossier contained the hair-raising claim that Iraq could deploy WMD in a mere 45 minutes. This triggered apocalyptic newspaper headlines across the country. "Brits 45 mins from Doom," screamed the Sun, a popular British tabloid.
The dubiousness of the 45-minute claim (which, it later emerged, applied only to battlefield weapons) has dominated several earlier inquiries into Britain's pre-war intelligence. Hours before Lord Butler's report was released, Iraq's new prime minister, Ayad Allawi, sheepishly told the BBC that his émigré group was behind the claim. Speculation lingers that Mr Allawi's supporters lifted it from the user-guide for a Soviet missile. Lord Butler said that it should not have appeared in the form it did in the dossier.
Both the American and British reports put the agencies' mistakes down to incompetence, not intent. Though consistently wrong on almost every count where Iraq's WMD were concerned, the spies apparently thought they were right. Lord Butler attributes this partly to the fact that Mr Hussein had made fools of the spies often before. There was, he said, "a tendency for assessments to be coloured by over-reaction to previous errors," ensuring that the worst-case scenario ruled.
Faith-based intelligence
The Senate committee explained this phenomenon in a colder light. It diagnosed a severe case of "group-think": that is, that the spies were failing to test the general assumption that Iraq had a growing WMD programme. To have done so would have been considered heresy; which may be why Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, accused America of positing "faith-based intelligence."
Thus programmed, America's spies tended to reject any intelligence that didn't support the thesis. Whatever did corroborate it, they embraced, with little regard to the credibility of the source. Accordingly, defectors who claimed that Iraq had abandoned its pursuit of nuclear weapons by the mid-1990s, were dismissed as untrustworthy. Exiled opposition politicians and their relatives—including the dubious Ahmed Chalabi who had not visited Iraq in decades—were considered more reliable. And egged on by men with a keen interest in demonising Saddam, the CIA (and to a lesser degree the British agencies) were compromised at every stage of their intelligence collection and analysis.
When, in 2002, Iraq was found to be importing aluminium tubes that could theoretically be used to make uranium centrifuges, both the CIA and the JIC decided that this was probably the case. Investigators from the International Atomic Energy Agency then pointed out that the tubes could not be used in centrifuges without modification, and that they were in fact being used to make artillery rockets. The CIA dismissed them as naive.
In the face of such conviction, any evasiveness from Iraq—one of the world's most corrupt and incompetent regimes—was taken as an indication of guilt. In particular, where Iraq tried to hide deliveries of dual-purpose material, western spooks always assumed the worst. In fact, Iraqis typically used front companies to evade UN sanctions, and maximise the potential for corruption, on even their most harmless imports.
In response to the report's criticisms, both Mr Bush and Mr Blair reiterated their opinions that the war remained right. They would hardly have said otherwise. But both had argued a case for war based on the threat of Iraq's WMD. Mr Blair persuaded the British parliament to vote for war on the basis of Iraq's weapons—which the prime minister termed a "serious and current" threat—and the connected argument that Saddam had consistently breached United Nations resolutions. Had MI6's intelligence been a little more accurate, he could not have claimed that Britain was under threat.
By the time the Senate judges Mr Bush in the next phase, the verdict will be in from a bigger jury, America's voters. Mr Blair, too, is preparing to face voters next year.
Mr Bush did not make quite such a specific argument for war. In the slipstream of the outrages on September 11th 2001, he also suggested that Saddam was too bad a man, and too full of hate for America, to be left in power. But, contrary to what some Bushites now claim, the weapons remained the cornerstone of his case.
This was why he ordered Mr Tenet hurriedly to prepare the NIE in time for Congress to read before voting on whether to authorise the war. Similarly, when the CIA failed to find a link between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, the administration relied on the threat of WMD to keep fears of such a link alive. Saddam "could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us...it would take just one vial, one canister, one crate to bring a day of horror to our nation," said the vice-president, Dick Cheney, a few weeks before the invasion of Iraq began.
Bruised, not mauled
On the face of it, neither Mr Blair nor Mr Bush was mauled by the inquiries. Lord Butler found no evidence that the prime minister's staff "sexed up" the dossier, though he does show that the intelligence was hardened for public consumption as it went through the system. He blames no individual and does not find any sign that Mr Blair doubted the intelligence he was being fed by the JIC.
In signing off, Lord Butler recommended that greater care be taken to maintain the distinction between intelligence and political persuasion. He also pondered the thought that WMD could still be found in Iraq, a good-sized country, with "lots of sand".
For Mr Bush's supporters, the Senate report's best sentence was the one that appeared to absolve his administration of the charge that it coerced and co-opted the nation's spies. The Republican-led committee found no evidence that the "mischaracterisation or exaggeration of the intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities was the result of political pressure." But the president is not off the hook yet.
The report is bad news for Mr Bush because it has given Americans yet another reason to regret supporting him over Iraq. The committee's lead Republican and lead Democrat both said that they would not have voted for the war knowing what they know now. However Senator Pat Roberts, the committee's chairman, nuanced this, saying that he would have considered voting for a conflict more "like Bosnia and Kosovo", which did not involve American ground troops.
Small wonder that an Economist/YouGov poll released this week suggests that 61% of Americans believe they were given false information about WMD in Iraq; 70% blame the CIA for misleading them; and 59% blame the White House. Short of the under-the-sand miracle that Lord Butler mooted, Mr Bush's distrust rating seems destined to rise.
For the Senate committee will now embark on the "second phase" of its inquiry, to consider how the administration used the intelligence agencies and their information to make its case for war. It will not complete this task until after Americans have voted in November. But there is already a good deal to suggest that the administration employed strategies to mould the intelligence to its purpose.
Certain statements, by Mr Cheney in particular, tempt the thought that sometimes the administration could not even be bothered with this formality. And Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of defence, had little use for qualifying evidence when he announced in September 2002 "We know they have WMD. We know they have active programmes. There isn't any debate about it."
The report contains comments by the CIA's ombudsman, a figure appointed to investigate allegations of political interference in the agency. After interviewing intelligence analysts involved in the drafting of a June 2002 agency paper, which examined possible links between Iraq and al-Qaeda, the ombudsman found that about half a dozen spooks complained of coming under intense pressure from officials. Mostly, this involved being asked the same questions again and again. After conducting a July 2003 investigation into the pre-war intelligence processes, a former deputy chief of the CIA concluded that such "repetitive tasking" was partly aimed at eliciting the desired response.
A more insidious example of the administration's whip-cracking ways was the intelligence-scanning cell established by Douglas Feith, an under-secretary of defence. In mid-2002, Mr Feith detailed two researchers to double-check the CIA's files for links between Iraq and al-Qaeda. Mr Feith has denied that his men had any influence over the gathering or analysis of intelligence. But, in an appendix to the report, John Rockefeller, the committee's vice-chairman, claims that the Pentagon team offered a hawkish alternative to the CIA's analysis, firmly linking al-Qaeda to Iraq. When Mr Tenet rejected the team's presentation, they took it, says Mr Rockefeller, directly to the White House.
Chasing after fragments
Perhaps most tellingly, Mr Rockefeller accuses the administration of putting pressure on its spies to conform to the certainty contained in its own strident pronouncements. The CIA was faced with the risk of failing to support its government, or of failing to anchor its conclusions in the evidence to hand. In the absence of any substantial intelligence linking Iraq and al-Qaeda, for example, the CIA's agents declined to parrot Mr Bush's characterisation of Saddam in October 2002 as a man "who would like to use al-Qaeda as a forward army." But the president would not have thanked them for their restraint.
By the time the Senate judges Mr Bush in the next phase, the verdict will be in from a bigger jury, America's voters. Mr Blair, too, is preparing to face voters next year. The Senate report concludes thus: "While analysts cannot dismiss a threat because at first glance it seems unreasonable or it cannot be corroborated by other credible reporting, policymakers have the ultimate responsibility for making decisions based on this same fragmentary, inconclusive reporting."
This article appeared in the Special report section of the print edition under the headline "The weapons that weren't"
From the July 17th 2004 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the edition


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As the IRS vs. Tea Party scandal unfolds, we remember that in 2006 All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena, California was threatened by the IRS under a previous administration.
Ken Lane at Gawker writes:
Only 25% of the 300 scrutinized groups seeking non-profit status were reportedly affiliated with right-wing causes….
…IRS examinations of politically vocal non-profits is not new—the most recent outrage to make the national news was in 2006, when tax officials threatened and persecuted liberal churches during the presidency of George W. Bush.
The experience of both liberal and conservative churches in 2004 and 2006 show that bureaucrats have difficulty interpreting tax code prohibitions especially when the language is vague on what constitutes political engagement by charitable groups.
The IRS has yet to reveal the non-Tea Party non-profits investigated in 2012, but at least one other politically motivated wave of harassment was revealed in 2006, when tax officials went after a liberal church in Pasadena.
All Saints Episcopal Church was threatened with the loss of the church's tax-exempt status because the congregation allegedly heard political speech from the pulpit. The church's then-rector, the Reverend George F. Regas was accused of being anti-war in his sermons.
These sermons took place during the 2004 presidential campaign between George W. Bush and John Kerry. During the Bush Administration and many presidencies before it, actively agitating against one of Washington's wars will get the IRS sniffing into your business—even when your stated business is not for profit.
The witch hunt of liberal churches happened under the leadership of IRS commissioner Mark Whitty Everson, a Republican appointed by George W. Bush in 2003. Another Bush appointee, Douglas Schulman, headed the IRS during the scrutiny of Tea Party groups seeking non-profit status in 2012. Schulman's term ended on November 11, after the 2012 election.
So, in the midst of the current crisis, the question is "Where was the outrage then?"
During the 2006 scrutiny of liberal churches, it was a Democrat congressman who demanded investigations into the IRS practice of targeting non-profits with Democratic leanings:
Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), who unsuccessfully tried to launch a Government Accountability Office investigation into the IRS' probes of churches nationwide last year, called the summons "a very disturbing escalation" of the agency's scrutiny of All Saints.
"I don't want religious organizations to become arms of campaigns," he said. "But they should be able to talk about issues of war and peace without fear of losing tax-exempt status. If they can't, they'll have little to say from the pulpit."


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Personal Trainer Seah has more than 20 years of training experience. He started body building in his early 20s and developed a passion for strength and conditioning since then.
Seah is a very well respected senior trainer that never fails to deliver results for his clients. Through the years, he has built a strong client base, with clients that follow him for more than 10 years. His clients loves him for his "old school" training methods.
Don't be fooled by his stern looks. Seah is a very approachable and friendly trainer that never fails to give good fitness advices and tips. He believes that consistency, discipline and hard training are the keys to success in transforming your body.
His dedication and passion is to improve clients quality of life through muscle building. To him, giving up is not an option.
His best quote:
"It's not how fast you reach your goal, its how far you can go."
His training philosophy:
"You don't have to be fast, you just have to keep going."
His specialisations:
- 1-1 Personal Training
- Strength and Conditioning
- Muscle gaining program
- Olympic lifting
- Fitness goal setting and sports motivation
- Customised meal plans
Education and Certifications
- Fitness Instructor Course certified by Singapore Sports Council
- Basic Exercise Course certified by Singapore Sports Council
- Basic Sports Science Course by Republic Polytechnic Singapore
- NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning)
- Certified CPR and AED provider (Accredited by National Resuscitation Council, Singapore)


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The function for a retailer has to go beyond purely selling goods. Providing retail value for others should not just be concentrated on customers but also on staff as well.
Businesses have to care beyond collecting money. This is about understanding the role and function a retailer portrays to others.
In our previous articles we have looked at the role of technology for retailers and also the data aspect to curate a closer connection to a customer. A key element that links these articles together is that no matter how technology and data is evolving, a vital role is the value provided. Not just for the end user but also for employees.
Taking part in our latest conversation is Pippa Saunders (Marketing Manager), Claire Aldersley (Head Of Design) and Chris Glenister (Technical Designer).
According to 2015 research from TimeTrade and a survey of 1,000 consumers, 85% preferred the in-store experience based on interaction and seeing products prior to purchase. The opportunity is there to build a connection.
When a brand provides value to those who interact within a company, this can put a company in a stronger position and present competitive advantage.
A recent report on Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Retail, conducted by UK Green Building Council, highlighted that the retail sector was someway behind the property sector on how the physical environment can affect staff and customers, this has an impact on overall business performance.
Understanding the physical environment from the perspective of multiple users is an aspect which Resolution Interiors sees as critically important in the success of a project. Claire highlighted, "Working with Farrow & Ball on their new showroom, they had spent considerable time collating feedback from their store managers."
"This played a crucial part in creating the brief. They had spent time considering those people who use the space on a daily basis."
"The store managers were recognized as playing a key role in shaping what we finally produced. It was our objective to say, 'we listened to you."
This approach of working collaboratively supports Mike Langley's (Resolution Interiors, Sales & Marketing Director) belief from our previous data article, click here to read.
Mike claimed, "A brand cannot place a champion within the lap of a particular department and then expect it to be successful without the participation of other people."
Claire continued, "Value is created when others have a voice that believes in a brand ethos. Collaboration with companies (such as Resolution Interiors) helps drive a good brief as it provides insight. It means that you have been through a journey with someone who understands."
This notion of retailers providing value and interaction with its staff is echoed by Mark Price, soon to be former boss of Waitrose (April 2016), at the Telegraph Festival of Business. He stated, "Smart societies cannot be created without fairness, equality and enfranchisement and business has a crucial role to play here."
Pippa highlighted, "When emphasis is put on staff as key stakeholders with a voice, that is an important acknowledgement. The London and Manchester rollout of the new O2 concept stores are promoting creative spaces that are staffed by experts. This is in a completely different space from a person selling a mobile phone."
"Samsung are also taking this approach with their new non transactional showroom for staff and consumers where the whole focus becomes a "living lab and playground" with café, auditorium and a broadcast studio."
"Value is created when a brand has the attention of its employees. From staff who can explain with enthusiasm the technical side within 02, to the likes of John Lewis closed on Boxing Day so staff can enjoy a full Christmas all goes a long way in the hearts and minds of others."
"Multiple users within a space present a wider responsibility." Mentioned Chris, with reference to working on the Tenovus Charity store design.
"A store should not just be about transactions but encouraging people to spend more time."
"Tenovus presented a community of users. The space is encouraged to educate with demonstrations on up-cycling products, people popping in for impulse buying, a meeting space for the charity choir and the beacon to share the charity story to others. Advocates were generated from within the store and the local areas."
Shopping is so much more than a necessity.
According to UK retail consultancy, 'Customer Champions' one of their predictions for this year is the full recognition of employee engagement on customer engagement.
It is fair to say that the role of technology and data is helping to share a retail landscape, but it's people who use the spaces and interact with one another.
Value is provided when people participate. From engaging the views of store staff on the style and function of a new retail interior, through to providing expertise beyond product benefits to consumers, a retailer has a role to play that adds value to a community who interact with a brand, and one another.


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A Zimbabwean, Nicolle Ndiweni, who won in the recent British general elections, has been nominated for the Female Youth Leader of The Year Award in the 2015 Black Entertainment, Film, Fashion, Television and Arts Awards (BEFFTA).
She told VOA that "it came as a surprise I guess I have done a lot of things but it's good to be acknowledged … It's really good for people to appreciate the things you do for the community."
She said, "I am also not the only Zimbabwean so it's great to see other Zimbabweans doing really well in the community."
Ndiweni said she is grateful for the support from the black community, local people and the whole world.
"I am really grateful for a lot of Zimbabwean support and African support," she said noting that it will be wonderful to win the award.
Voting for the nominees ends Monday. Nominees for the Female Youth Leader of The Year Award category are Ndiweni; Sherica D Spence; Stella Fasusi-Olomu; Rex Idaminabo; Jamal Edwards MBE; Natasha Benjamin; James Woods; Warren W Ryan; Cynthia Masiyiwa; Joshua Robertson; Jerome Harvey-Agyei; Bianca Miller; Prophet Taku;. Vivian Liz Onano; Jerome Cowans; Caroline Namugabi and Darren Robinson. If you wish to vote for your favourite nominee visit: www.beffta.com/voting.
BEFFTA Awards is a distinctly special awards ceremony honouring the best showbiz and entertainment personalities in the black and ethnic communities in the UK, USA, Africa, Caribbean, Canada and globally. BEFFTA Awards is the first of its kind rewarding under one roof outstanding achievements and contributions from Africans, Caribbeans and Asians in entertainment, film, fashion, television and arts.
This international prestigious ceremony celebrates an all round accomplishments of a hard working community within entertainment and showbiz especially the unknown talent that need exposure. The awards ceremony founded by Pauline Long also aims to inspire black and ethnic personalities worldwide to achieve at the highest levels. It provides a networking platform for industry personalities.
Ndiweni, who contested the elections under the Labour Party and is now Hucknall councilor in Ashfield District Council, speaks to Studio 7 about her nomination.
Ndiweni, who was almost an underdog in the elections, was born in Zimbabwe's Karoi town, Mashonaland West province, where her father, Douglas Ndiweni, was once the boss of the local authority.
The councilor says she ventured into politics after she was driven by her desire to help less privileged members of society.
Ndiweni joined the Labour Party after realizing the party's values and principles dovetailed with her Christian beliefs.
The single lady is proud of her father, mother, sister and brother and local people who gave her a lot of support in the run up to the general election widely won by the Conservative Party.


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Presently the college is being operated by a Governing Body (GB) which is presided by Honourable Member of parliament and freedom fighter A.K.M. Selim Osman. His exceptional leading is directing the college toward a glorious and prosperous future.
It offers Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) course for Science, Business studies, Humanities group under the authority of Secondary and Higher Secondary education department (SHED). It also offers graduation degree (Honours and Pass course) under the authority of National University. It has eight departments for honours. They are:
- Department of Accounting
- Department of Marketing,
- Department of Management,
- Department of Bangla,
- Department of English,
- Department of Social work,
- Department of Political Science, and
- Department of Economics.
For pass course it offers Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS), Bachelor of arts (BA), and Bachelor of Social Science (BSS). Total number of current students is around 12,000. Opening Professional Courses (BBA, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Computer Science) and Masters Courses in all the above departments is on under process.


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When Destruction Arises, Can Life Prevail? Fans Of All Ages Can Discover Exciting New Adventures In The Official DVD And Manga Editions For The Newest POKÉMON Feature Film
San Francisco, CA, January 27, 2015 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, announces new releases in support of POKÉMON THE MOVIE: DIANCIE AND THE COCOON OF DESTRUCTION, the first feature film of the new POKÉMON XY property.
Set for publication under the company's Perfect Square imprint, the official manga adaptation of POKÉMON THE MOVIE: DIANCIE AND THE COCOON OF DESTRUCTION is set to debut in-print on February 3rd. VIZ Media also launches the official home media release of POKÉMON THE MOVIE: DIANCIE AND THE COCOON OF DESTRUCTION on DVD on February 17th.
The DVD edition of POKÉMON THE MOVIE: DIANCIE AND THE COCOON OF DESTRUCTION is rated 'TV-Y7,' for viewers ages 7 and older, and will carry an MSRP of $19.97 U.S. / $24.98 CAN. The official manga edition is rated 'A' for All Ages and will carry a print MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.
In the underground Diamond Domain, where many Carbink live, the Mythical Pokémon Diancie serves as Princess. The Heart Diamond that sustains the land is beginning to fall apart, and Diancie is not yet strong enough to create a new one. Can Ash and his friends help Diancie discover its true power and save the Diamond Domain?!
"POKÉMON THE MOVIE: DIANCIE AND THE COCOON OF DESTRUCTION is inspired by the newest generation of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y video games and is the 17th and newest feature film in the venerable POKÉMON franchise," says Charlene Ingram, Senior Marketing Manager of Animation. "Everyone's favorite heroes, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu, as well as favorite villains, Team Rocket, return for a thrilling adventure introducing an exciting cast of new characters, including Xerneas, the fabled Life Pokémon and the Pokémon of Destruction, Yveltal.
POKÉMON is one of the most successful international entertainment franchises of all time. To-date more than 260 million POKÉMON video game titles and over 21.5 billion Pokémon Trading Cards have been sold in more than 73 countries in addition to substantial publishing and merchandise sales. Pokémon the Series: XY is the 17th season of the POKÉMON animated series and airs in the U.S. on Cartoon Network. VIZ Media and its Perfect Square imprint are the official North American publishers for POKÉMON manga graphic novel series including POKÉMON ADVENTURES X & Y, POKÉMON ADVENTURES, POKÉMON ADVENTURES: DIAMOND & PEARL, POKÉMON ADVENTURES: HEART/GOLD SOUL/SILVER, POKÉMON ADVENTURES: BLACK & WHITE as well as a variety of POKÉMON animated feature films.
VIZ Media's Perfect Square imprint focuses on delivering original comics, manga (graphic novels) and other children's books with an emphasis on strong storytelling, eye-popping graphics, empowering themes, and a dash of irreverence, that captures the imagination of a whole new generation.
Additional information on titles published by Perfect Square is available at www.PerfectSquare.com.
For more information on other manga and anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.
About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.


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Online collaboration tools are disrupting the workplace. While some bleeding-edge organizations jumped out in front and embraced this technology early, others are now finding that it's necessary to adopt new collaboration tools or get left behind.
Some big companies use collaboration tools to create digital workplaces that bring together multinational teams from offices around the world, while many smaller organizations just use them to help people work more efficiently. But most digital workplaces have a common purpose: to enable knowledge workers to work with colleagues and partners anywhere, with any device.
Many collaboration software tools are designed to enable in-time collaboration and provide contextual reference to the files and artifacts knowledge workers create daily. It has become easier for people to collaborate and innovate now that they are using tools that link communication, events and data with the content and decisions their teams produce.
Today's Collaboration Tools: Better, Faster, Lighter
The content management systems available from 2000 to 2010 or so tended to be heavyweight, hard to use and hard to develop. Moreover, the content management processes they supported were intentionally rigid.
Where rigidity was the norm in the 2000s, democratization and ease of use in collaboration and content management have become the norm today. The concepts of productivity and in-time communication are now embedded in the very design of many collaboration tools. New approaches to the design of content management tools have led to a generation of technology that is better, faster and lighter.
Today, collaboration tools for the digital workplace are easier and cheaper to deploy, and they are accessible to both large global corporations and small companies alike. While these tools are indeed easy to deploy from a technical standpoint, they often are not truly rolled out and embraced throughout the entire organization. Many collaboration tools were designed to be industry-agnostic, and companies are left to create the "why" and the "how" for their user groups — to connect the dots that lead to practical application. They disrupt the workplace because rolling them out involves finding a way to align the new tool to the user journey by defining the actual process by which employees will use the new tool to collaborate.
Related Article: How to Apply Governance to Your Collaboration Tools
Microsoft Teams: Changing the Face of Collaboration
Microsoft Teams is one collaboration tool that is disrupting organizations around the world. It supports in-time communication through persistent chat, as well as file and content management and storage, and the ability to align third-party business applications and data into one common interface.
Learning Opportunities
Microsoft Teams is not hard to deploy, but connecting the dots and defining the user journey that supports improved productivity can be challenging. A customer profile on Microsoft's website discusses how auto racing teams at Hendricks Motorsports use Microsoft Teams to bring together shared data and conversations to build and execute on race strategies in real time with the pit crews that service vehicles during a race. The ability to refer to and collaborate on real time-data and message one another regardless of location enables Hendricks Motorsports teams to come up with winning strategies.
Microsoft Teams is not the only collaboration tool on the market that is disrupting the way teams collaborate. A plethora of collaboration tools all perform relatively similar functions, but it's important to evaluate how these tools differ to ensure that you select the best fit for your organization. You will notice differences with regard to the way tools handle persistent chat, the organization of teams and categories, security and sharing functionality, file storage, and integration with data and other business applications.
Related Article: What if We Used Collaboration Tools to Rethink How We Work?
Choosing Collaboration Tools: Define the User Journey
Pilot groups and trials are the best way to help users define the journey and articulate what their needs are. Feedback and lessons learned from pilot tests can be invaluable when making decisions about how to roll out a collaboration tool to a larger user audience. Because today's collaboration tools are lightweight and generally faster to launch, it should be easier for organizations to quickly gather requirements through usage and make minor alterations of configuration settings to get user groups moving forward.
Early adopters can act as visionaries who offer suggestions about how to configure a collaboration tool so that it reflects the user journey they participate in. Take their insights into account when you define what a rollout of a collaboration tool can look like in your organization.
New Tools, Old Problems
This is an exciting time in the collaboration technology market. The speed of development cycles is bringing new and innovative approaches that make it easier to work virtually with colleagues. However, despite those advances, user adoption is still the biggest challenge organizations face in rolling out collaboration tools in the digital workplace. Ensuring that rollouts of collaboration technology are well organized and making an effort to align the new technology to the user journey are good steps that will help minimize disruption.
Learn how you can join our contributor community.


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Dec 062009
By admin
Gerald Frank, DC – A Tribute
It's the week after Thanksgiving and I'm taking a much needed break to rest and rejuvenate. I've been extremely busy for several months now. So, I'm spending time in the sun preparing physically and emotionally for the upcoming holiday season. December is usually a painful and difficult time for my patients, with their often less-than-ideal memories and experiences of family togetherness.
This week, I've dipped into my article archive to pay tribute to a real giant in my life – Dr. Gerald Frank, DC, my therapist, mentor, doctoral advisor, and friend. Gerry passed away almost 20 years ago. What he gave me was invaluable and I miss him still.
My Giant – Dr. Gerald Frank
Everyone needs "giants" in their life, people they can look up to and who embody the character and values to which they aspire. There have been several giants in my life, but the greatest of them all was Dr. Gerry Frank, a Reichian psychotherapist, chiropractor, and my doctoral studies supervisor.
Gerry saw that I needed to be redirected and healed from old emotional wounds. He took me under his wing and helped me understand the value of going through pain and suffering. He kept me going when I wanted to quit.
He also showed me something else that I didn't understand yet, the value of authority. Because of my past, I always thought that authority was terrible, abusive, and oppressive. I had a real chip on my shoulder about it. The irony of it was that I was becoming an authority myself. And it was very hard to be a good one with my attitude.
Gerry Frank was a very strong man and I needed him to be. He had a lot of opinions, a lot of skills and abilities, and a lot of character, which he encouraged in me. He helped my take my aggressiveness, anger, and, unfortunately, belligerence, and turn them into something positive and useful for helping other people.
He taught me how to help by coming alongside others. He also taught me that real strength wasn't walking around as though I was wearing a suit of armor, acting like a tough guy, which was only part of an image.
Gerry showed me that real strength was having the ability to cry and the ability to be soft, tender, and compassionate as well, to not be ashamed of that side of myself and to trust myself.
I learned from him that there will be times for power, strength, and aggressiveness, which I had plenty of, and times for compassion, vulnerability, softness, and tears. He taught me to really understand my fellow man and myself.
He had, and continues to have, an enormous effect on my life. Thank you, Gerry, for everything you did for me and my family.


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Perspective, Persuasion, and Saying No
Here is a great story from one of our recent graduates. She wrote this towards the end of her program when reflecting on a very impactful time in her life, one in which a simple choice based on persuasion led her back to a path of destruction:
Have you ever persuaded someone to drink after they initially said no? What was their reason for saying no? Did you even ask? Unfortunately, most of us have found ourselves on both sides of this persuasion. Our reasons for saying no could have been as simple as having to get up for work in the morning, or just not wanting to experience a hangover. Our reasons for persuading others could be simple too; "it's my birthday," or "we are celebrating!" But what happens when our reasoning becomes not-so-simple? What happens when the person saying no has too much at stake to say yes, and only the power to say no once?
I was one of these people, one with too much at stake and too little power, but no one knew it. I am not sure I even knew it. I was not proud of how far my dependence had gone. I did not talk about it much, and when I did, I did not go into detail. I was 8 months sober for the first time in two years. Two, long, grueling, years of heavy, habitual, binge drinking in Florida. I was 23 years old. For those of you who have never woken up day after day sick, shaking, and waiting hours for the liquor stores to open with your heart beating way too fast, 8 months may not sound like much. For me, it was everything. I felt strong again. I exercised and cooked every day. I could once again lay in the sun uninhibited by the sickness of withdrawal. I could sleep through the night and feel good in the morning. I felt normal. I'm 28 now, and those 8 months are the longest I have ever stayed sober, and the most normal I have felt in the better half of a decade.
"What happened to end that period of sobriety I had when I was 23 years old? In the summertime I went home to visit my family and friends in New Jersey. At this point in time my addiction was not as known as it is today. I was reunited with two of my favorite people in the world on my first night home, my brothers…"
What happened to end that period of sobriety I had when I was 23 years old? In the summertime, I went home to visit my family and friends in New Jersey. At this point in time, my addiction was not as known as it is today. I was reunited with two of my favorite people in the world on my first night home, my brothers. My brothers are fun, rowdy, and can be hard to say no to. I have always enjoyed my time with them and had been looking forward to being with them again for a year. I remember the anxiety that hit me when they started talking about pouring shots. I remember saying no to their offer, but also being unsure and half-wishing I had said yes. I remember looking down to see a shot in front of me as if I had not said no, even though I was sure I did. Now suddenly, I was panicked. "Don't do it," I told myself, but as they raised their glasses to my homecoming in cheers, my stomach clenched, and I felt hollow like I did through withdrawal. No one there knew the panic I felt inside, the inner conflict, or the that I was suddenly sweating. I felt an urge for the nerves to go away. I wanted to go back to the way I felt before the shot was poured. But I also wanted to pretend I did not have a problem and to drink normally with my brothers. I wanted to believe that I could, and I did not want anyone, including myself, to think otherwise.
I picked up the shot, cheered with them, and drank it. I immediately felt guilt, followed by the warm resolve of the alcohol rushing over my nerves. It felt terrible, calming, and familiar all at once, and in seconds we toasted another round. We drank together all night, and I alone drank as much as if I had never taken those 8 months off from my addiction. When I woke up the next day my body ached in pain and my stomach rejected anything I attempted to ingest. I cared less about my sobriety than ever before. I was desperate to escape my hangover, my guilt, and my disappointment in myself. I did not realize it then, but those feeling I had were also coupled and amplified by fear. I did not want that sickness to be my life again. I did not want to confront what I had done to myself or why. I ran from my emotions as quickly as I could, and the way I did that was through the outlet I had more experience with than sobriety.
I drank. I drank to kill my hangover, to escape my guilt, and to quiet my fears. No one knew all the reasons I needed to escape my hangover. It was not so much the physical pain of the hangover I was easing; it was the pain I had caused in my mind that I refused to let myself feel. No one knew. They had heard me say "no," but I let my own shame hide my reasons and fears. This event started my next battle with alcohol, which I have been barely surviving through for the last 5 years. I wonder sometimes why I did not keep saying "no" that night, and why I did not tell myself "no" the next morning. As I write this in the last stage of my program at Narconon Suncoast, I wonder how my life would be different today if my first initial "no" would have been enough. I do not blame my brothers; they did not know. So rarely are we ever aware of someone's reasons for saying "no."
Now, I start a new chapter of my life. Soon I will be leaving the facility that has given me my "normal" back and returning to my daily life. I have learned more than I can put into words here, and once again I feel that strength inside that I have been chasing after for years. There is strength in my words now and that power is backed by positive determination. I am not afraid to be put in this situation again because I know that what Narconon has given me, among many other things, is my voice back. I will say "no" this time, again and again, before I ever think about saying "yes". However, I will not forget the time my voice was lost and my hope is that anyone reading this will recognize those people that have not yet found their own, and listen to them when they say "no."
R.G.—Narconon Suncoast Graduate


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This is a continuation of my series of posts discussing the ordinance of the sacrament within the LDS faith. The first post, Remembering Him, is here.
In my last post, Our Modern Altars, I talked about the table upon which the bread and water of the sacrament is placed. A table which serves as a modern altar for us. Today I'm going to discuss the cloth covering the same bread and water.
I started preparing this post thinking that one would be enough to talk about the significance and symbolism of the sacrament cloth, but it has developed so much I'll need to take two. So this is part 1.
Indeed, there is so much to ponder when considering the sacrament cloth it's difficult to know where to start. So perhaps it's best to start with the Church handbook.
"Sacrament tablecloths should be white, nontransparent, clean, and pressed." (Handbook 2, Administering the Church, 20.4.2)
It would be easy to read this sentence and think that only the colour of the cloth is symbolic, white being the symbolic colour of purity; the other requirements being primarily signs of respect. And while having a clean and pressed cloth certainly does show respect, there is more to it than that.
I was once visiting another Ward while I was serving on the High Council. The sacrament table had a beautiful lace cloth lying atop it. No doubt it had been a work of great effort and sacrifice for someone to produce. Unfortunately, the delicate lines of the lace left holes across the surface, the sacrament trays completely visible underneath, and I had to remind the Bishop of the requirements for the Sacrament.
The ordinance of the sacrament begins when the Priests remove the cloth from the bread and break it while the congregation sings a hymn. The bread is then blessed and passed throughout the congregation, and anything left is finally covered once again when the trays are returned to the table. Then the Priests uncover the water and bless it before it, too, is passed across the congregation. When the ordinance is finished, the remaining cups of water are also covered once again.
This complete covering of the sacrament emblems, interspersed with very specific un-coverings, is important.
First, let's note that these emblems of Christ's sacrifice start out completely hidden to us. Oh, we can see that there is something underneath that cloth on the table, but if we were attending church for the first time, we wouldn't have any idea what it was. Because many of us have attended sacrament meetings countless times over the years, we know what's there.
We can't see it, of course. But because we've experienced the sacrament ordinance so many times before we trust that what lies upon that altar of wood are small cups of water, and bread waiting to be broken. Theoretically, this time could be different. But because of our previous experience, we know it won't be.*
What a beautiful parallel to our experience of the blessings of the atonement! They remain hidden, but because of our previous experience feeling His love and His grace, we know they are real. Someone who has never knowingly had such experiences may wonder what all the fuss is about and maybe even think we're a bit odd. But because we've tasted, we know!
It reminds me of Alma's parable of the seed and faith. It begins with no knowledge of what will happen to the seed – of what the outcome will be. But beginning with even only a "desire to believe" is like planting that seed. Nurture it and soon you'll start to see small sprouts coming from the earth. As it grows your belief gradually strengthens, until it eventually becomes a tree. And not just any tree: the tree of life. And it's only then that we can partake of the fruit, "which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure." (see Alma 32:27-43)
What's more, the emblems of the Lord's sacrifice are uncovered only at the time we need them. The bread remains fully hidden until it is time to break and bless it. Likewise, the water remains hidden until it is time to bless and pass it. And so it is that the Lord's grace may sometimes remain hidden to us until we truly need it.
S.Michael Wilcox called this "The Fourth Watch" principle, and described it beautifully in his book, Walking on Water. There he spoke of the New Testament disciples as they toiled on the sea. As they did so, Jesus was watching them from the hill, seeing and knowing of their struggle. He continued watching them for many hours it seems, only coming to them and stilling the seas when they truly could give no more. He came in their hour of need – not when they thought they needed Him, when He knew they needed Him.
Likewise for us, "At the very moment" we are about to fall – when we have given everything and have nothing left in our reserves – that's when He comes. (S Michael Wilcox, Walking on Water, 2011)
Just as those emblems of His sacrifice lie hidden under a cloth until the moment we need them, so too He often remains hidden until our moment of greatest danger. He is always there, always watching. We just don't always see it.
I am witness to this truth. So many times in my life I have come to the point where I could go no further. I have felt the heavens silent against my cries. Felt that of all of His children, I alone was left un-consoled and unaided. But always – ALWAYS – His grace has arrived at the very moment I so desperately needed it.
He lives. He cares. And He watches over you.
In the next post, I'll talk more about the symbolism of the sacrament cloth, and what the scriptures themselves can teach us about it.
* This leads me to an anecdote. I was serving as a counsellor on a Bishopric many years ago. Sacrament meeting was about to start, when one of the men approached us and said we didn't have any bread for the sacrament. Whoever had the responsibility for bringing it that week had forgotten it. We very quickly surveyed the members who lived close the chapel building but surprisingly none had sufficient bread at home to use.
That was when one person offered a packet of biscuits if we wanted to use them. We quickly turned to the Doctrine and Covenants, where the Lord says, "…it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory–remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of sins." (D&C 27:2)
And so we used some plain biscuits in place of bread that day. It was… interesting, and still famously remembered by some members of the Ward 20 years later.
© Copyright 2017, Jeffrey Collyer


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Providers typically charge more than their Medicare reimbursement for services, but the excess charge varies by specialty and location, according to a research letter published Tuesday in JAMA.
Research letter details
Researchers reviewed CMS data submitted in 2014 by 429,273 providers across 54 medical specialties. The researchers sought to determine variation between Medicare reimbursement and provider charges for uninsured patients and insured patients using out-of-network providers. To do so, the researchers calculated an "excess charges ratio."
The researchers found that the median excess charge was 2.5 times the Medicare amount and that the excess charges ranged from 1.0 to 101.1 among the providers examined. In total, the researchers identified 10,730 providers as having high excess charges—meaning those in the top 2.5 percent of all physicians.
According to the researchers, anesthesiologists had the highest excess charge, charging 5.8 times the amount Medicare pays. Other specialists with high excess charges included:
- Diagnostic radiologists, who charge 3.8 times the Medicare amount;
- Emergency physicians, neurosurgeons, and pathologists, who each charge four times the Medicare amount; and
- Interventional radiologists, who charge 4.5 times the Medicare amount.
In comparison, specialists with the lowest excess charges included:
- Allergy and immunology specialists and psychiatrists, who each charge 1.7 times the Medicare amount; and
- Family practice doctors and dermatologists, who each charge 1.8 times the Medicare amount.
Among the 10,730 providers whom the researchers identified had high median excess charges, 55 percent were anesthesiologists, while 3 percent were family practice physicians, general practitioners, or internists.
Providers: CMS should do more to protect consumers from surprise medical bills
According to Medscape, excess charges were higher among specialties in which patients have little choice of physician or little opportunity to determine a provider's network status. Ge Bai of Johns Hopkins University, the research letter's lead author, said, "Patients often have the option to choose their primary care doctor, but usually don't have the option to choose their anesthesiologist, pathologist, [emergency department] doctor, or radiologist." He added, "This distinction, whether patients have options or not to choose doctors, can explain why some specialists have much higher charge ratios than others."
In addition, the researchers found that about one-third of the high-billing providers were located in 10 of the country's 306 referral regions:
- Atlanta;
- Camden, New Jersey;
- Newark, New Jersey;
- Charlotte, North Carolina;
- Dallas;
- East Long Island, New York;
- Houston;
- Los Angeles;
- Manhattan; and
- Milwaukee.
According to the researchers, those 10 regions include 16 percent of all physicians in the United States.
Bai said regional variation in excess charges "might be due to regional differences in practice norms and consolidation." He added that further study is needed to prove that hypothesis.
The researchers said the median excess charges represent the upper limit of a provider's excess charges and might not truly show what a patient ends up paying. However, they said their findings still highlight a need for measures to protect patients against excess charges. "As the health insurance market shifts toward more restrictive physician networks and high-deductible plans, protecting uninsured and out-of-network patients from high medical bills should be a policy priority," they wrote.
Patients are angry about 'surprise' bills. Here's how some hospitals are responding.
Separately, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) said policymakers should focus on insurance companies' role in surprise medical bills that can occur when patients are treated by physicians not included in their health plans' provider networks.
ACEP President Rebecca Parker in a statement said the research letter "focused on all physicians, but insurance companies need to shoulder the blame for the out-of-network situation in emergency medicine, because they are narrowing their networks of medical providers, making it more likely that patients will be in out-of-network situations, and they continue to pay less" (Swift, Medscape, 1/18; Bai/Anderson, JAMA, 1/17; Gooch, Becker's Hospital CFO, 1/18; Lapook, CBS News, 1/17).
How to talk to patients about price
As the number of patients on high-deductible health plans rises, medical groups face increasing pressure to provide out of pocket prices to patients. However, providing accurate estimates is challenging.
Join us to hear key imperatives for competing on price, including how to find out if your market is highly price-sensitive, how service trumps accuracy when it comes to price, and how to attract patients on price without alienating hospital partners.


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RAWSTREAM | Episode 2 ft. SNT JMS, Skrillaphornia, Lisah Monah, & Prime Minister
Nov 2021
Raw Stream Digital Artist Showcase is back!! Same platform. New hip-hop artist lineup. Discover the talents of SNT JMS, Lisah Monah, Skrillaphornia, & Prime Minister as they grace the stage all from the comfort of your desired location. Presented by Traklife & Incubation Box Studios Tune in at 6pm PST // 9pm EST with your hosts none other than Mark W. and DJ Swivll of The Kickback Show. Kick back, relax, and enjoy the show!


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Just thought of a great way of making money. Charge my own kids €65 euro each for entertaining them at my Halloween (boot) camp this week. The camp my daughter wanted to go to gave them a free t-shirt. I'll give her a free t-shirt (from the laundry) and show her how to iron it.
Course schedule:
Bed making: how to get those corners right! Tricky duvet covers, put them on, without being tempted to climb in!
Breakfast: Learn how to eat a healthy first meal and clean your bowl afterwards
Exercise: Star Jumps and More!
Master the Art of the Washing Machine: Those fancy dials, find out how they work, watch your favourite t-shirt circle the machine
Cleaning Floors: have fun with mops
Cooking: how to make a fun lunch
Baking: Hallowween Pinwheel biscuits and apple pie
Under bed expedition: Like pot holing – squeeze into spaces and find old treasures once forgotten, avoid rotten apples and socks!
Hoovering: Suck up the dreadful dust mites in this game of skill, endurance and dexterity. Gain points for avoiding the Lego!
Washing up the old fashioned way: Ever wondered what we did before dishwashers? Have fun with suds and cutlery Jenga!
Televisions of yore: Press your nose against the front window waiting for something to happen, race raindrop traces with your finger before they reach the bottom.
Bouncy leaf piles: Rake up all the leaves in your parent's garden and the surrounding neighbourhood to make a massive pile of leaves to leap about in and throw over your siblings
Conker wars: Smash your opponents conker in this time-honoured game of seasonal produce and string
Make a fancy 1970s dinner: Learn to make spag bol with pineapple and sausage on sticks for starter.
Go to bed: Yes it's only 4pm but be like the Cavemen and sleep
when it gets dark.
This course is sure to occupy you in novel ways and is a great value alternative to a week of Minecraft or an overpriced t-shirt painting camp.


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Uraltrubprom, JSC is the exclusive enterprise in Russia, that can produce steel pipes with outer diameter of up to 630 mm and wall thickness
of up to 22 mm from coiled steel.
Products of such size are necessary for extraordinary project of Yamal LNG – plant for production and storing of liquefied natural gas located beyond the Arctic Circle (Yamal, Arctic).
Large diameter pipes produced according to this technology far cheaper than equal counterparts. For the Yamal LNG project Uraltrubprom specialists have improved
the Japanese technology within 2,5 months. After modernization the maximum length of pipe is increased from 18 to 24 meters, that make it possible to avoid welding
process of shorter pipes, to shrink duration of works and to increase reliability of pile structures. Besides, technical specialists of Uraltrubprom, JSC have developed
a new welding mode for such thick wall pipes.
At the moment, Uraltrubprom, JSC is the only pipe works in Russia and CIS that can produce ERW pipes with length of 24 meters.
During the period from 2012 to 2015 the works have supplied more than 150 000 metric tons of pipe products for the Yamal LNG project. Uraltrubprom, JSC have manufactured round pipes 530 x 14 mm, 530 x 20 mm with non-standard length of 24 m, 22 m and 20 m without transverse joint as well as standard length pipes of 12, 14 and 18 meters.


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All your digital service needs in a complete package, only with Mediacom Xtream. The best deals in Pelham Georgia for digital HD TV, the fastest high-speed Internet and unlimited national calls in a great package. With Mediacom Xtream Bundles you get Video On Demand and TiVo DVR, up to 6,000 GB of monthly data and more than a dozen easy-to-use phone features. Conveniently group all your Mediacom Xtream digital services into a monthly invoice for easy administration and lower prices. With Mediacom, you get the best digital services at the most accessible rates.
With Mediacom Xtream you will get the best deals on digital TV, high speed Internet and digital phone in your area. In Pelham Georgia alone you will find the largest selection of high-definition TV channels, high-speed Internet and a crystal-clear telephone service in a single package with Mediacom. Combine with Mediacom Xtream and get HD On Demand and TiVo DVR, up to 6,000 GB of monthly data and more than a dozen popular residential phone features. With Mediacom Xtream Bundle Deals you will save more money on outstanding digital services, while easily managing a convenient monthly bill. Take advantage of excellent Xtream package deals, great savings and excellent service with Mediacom Xtream!
Create the perfect TV package in Pelham Georgia, whether family, sports, musical or for children, Mediacom Xtream has it. Enjoy FREE HD and local programming plus hundreds of movie and music channels, sports and information, kids and variety, and more. On Demand offers you the largest selection of cable and broadcast programs, movies, sports and more every month. Never miss your favorite show, manage your TV with TiVo® DVR. Or watch it anywhere on your mobile device with TV Everywhere? With Mediacom Xtream, you will not only find the largest selection of TV packages, but also the lowest prices.
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The Paternoster, City Of London - pub details
TfL Journey Planner:
Address: 2/4 Queens Head Passage, Paternoster Square, London, EC4M 7DZ [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 11676) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
St. Pauls (0.1 miles), Blackfriars (0.3 miles), Mansion House (0.3 miles)
City Thameslink (0.2 miles), Blackfriars (0.3 miles), London Barbican (0.4 miles)
Brewery: Young's
Pub facilities/features:
- Fruit machines, Quiz machines (itbox)
- Food served, Real ale
- Smoking area, Wireless internet access, Disabled access, Disabled toilet
Are you the Licensee? Click here. ** SPECIAL Royal Summer Sizzler offer! **
> Post a comment > Mail a friend
other pubs nearby:
Corney and Barrow, City of London (0.0 miles), All Bar One, Ludgate Hill (0.1 miles), Jamies Bar, St Pauls (0.1 miles), Ye Olde London, St Pauls (0.1 miles), McGoverns, City Of London (0.1 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of the Paternoster, City Of London
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
5 most recent reviews of 16 shown - see all reviews
|ok service, and pleasent enough. But has that strange interior that reminded me of a Berni Inn (anyone remember those!?)
outrageous prices: Shandy Ł3.65, coke Ł2.30.... doubt I'll bother going back, as it's not the best pub in the area, yet seems to cost a lot more. I was just being lazy in not being bothered to walk to them from my office :)
Harvor - 5 Mar 2010 14:01
|Excellent pub - was here last night, staff were friendly, food was great and the range of draught ales to die for.
Highly recommend this one!
londonpubgoer - 13 Jan 2010 09:42
|I've been in about six times over the last two years. Jaw-droppingly pricey. Ł3.60 for a pint of Strongbow! My mate got his bag nicked in here last night.
Glasgowboy - 9 Sep 2008 13:23
|Must confirm that the beers are well kept in here. Had a nice pint there last week. Pub's decor is a bit weird though as its trying to be classic inside, but in view of the newness of the Paternoster Square area it probably would have been better woth a modern interior.
CaptainJamesTPint - 14 Jul 2008 14:17
|The price of drinks in here is now bordering on the ridiculous. It is an amiable place, and sufficiently well staffed to cope with the busiest of periods so there's not too much waiting around at the bar, but why would you bother anymore when you can go to some of the off-piste boozers in the area like the White Horse or Lord Raglan and not walk away thinking you have just been robbed.
buzzard1 - 9 Jul 2008 11:14
see more reviews


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At some training recently, we had finished the serious business of the day and were cruising into the home straight with a quick round of my Countries Quiz. As I was asking people to match capital cities to countries, one of the delegates harrumphed a bit and put down her pen. "I can't see why we're doing any of this," she said, "as it's nothing to do with money laundering". I had in fact explained to the group that the purpose of the quiz was to revise those countries that are known for good AML controls (we call them "equivalent jurisdictions" here in the UK) and those that have inadequate AML regimes ("high risk jurisdictions"), as the appearance of either in your client relationship will have an effect on the amount of due diligence that you have to do on the client and/or their transaction. I was happy to explain that again, and she seemed mollified, but I did wonder whether I have lost sight of what I am supposed to be doing – i.e. alerting staff to their AML obligations.
Time permitting, I always like to include a "game" in my training. I spend hours – literally hours – reading books about training games and thinking of ways that they can be adapted to AML purposes. And I am quite fierce with myself: there does have to be that AML purpose. Often it is simply revision – an excuse (as when I play AML bingo) to go back over material we have covered in the training. ("Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you've told them.") Sometimes it is a sneaky way – as in the Countries Quiz – to make a dull topic (lists of jurisdictions) more palatable.
But I will be honest and say that I have another, more dastardly purpose. People like games. People like prizes. And if I can end a training session on a high note, with people laughing at the end of a game and enjoying the little prizes, then they will be happier to attend AML training the next time.


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Luoyang, China
October 23 - 27, 2014
The 2nd CALYPSO workshop is jointly organized by State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials of Jilin University and Luoyang Normal University, and will be held in Luoyang from October 23th to 27th, 2014.
CALYPSO is one of the widely used structure prediction methods. Currently, CALYPSO users are beyond 600 and distribute world-widely over 40 countries. The goal of this workshop is to bring together the experts in the field of structure prediction and CALYPSO users to discuss the recent progress of CALYPSO method, and its future development and applications.
We believe that this is a unique opportunity for the CALYPSO users to learn in more details on how to perform structure searching on clusters, two-dimensional (2D) layers, surfaces, 3D crystals and design of novel functional materials (e.g., superhard or optical materials).
Our workshop program will consist of theory lectures and hands-on tutorial sessions. Presentations will be focused on the basic principle of the main architecture of the method, the technical details of the most recent implementations and the latest applications of the CALYPSO code to material science.
Particular emphasis will be placed on a tutorial session about the installation of the code and the calculation of a few basic examples. Practice will be carried out in dedicated computers. Our ultimate goal is to train the workshop participants to become experts in CALYPSO.
This workshop is particularly purposed to train Chinese scientists, and therefore the workshop language is in Chinese.
The second CALYPSO Workshop was held successfully in Luoyang Normal University during October 23 to 27, 2014. This workshop is jointly organized by State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials of Jilin University and Luoyang Normal University, and attracted more than 260 experts and scholars from all over the world.


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Today's Star Strip captures the career of Francis Lee as of the spring of 1968, an exciting time at Manchester City with the forward looking every inch 'the final piece of the jigsaw' City manager Joe Mercer promised he would be following his arrival from Bolton. Lee's goals inspired a fine run of form in the second half of the 67-68 season that would take City to the title, the first of a number of trophy wins Lee would play a pivotal role in. A second championship medal arrived late in his career with Derby County.
As fine an illustrator as Bob Bond is, to BTLM's mind he never accurately captures the striker's distinct look. We think his representations of Lee actually bear closer resemblance to the Italian international striker Roberto Boninsegna.


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Here comes Phil with a second Dia de los Muertos print in collaboration with Ernesto Yerena. This is an elegant one color print, hand deckled and printed here at Modern Multiples. Be sure to check out both of their websites. You can purchase the prints at Philip's website here.
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Hi everyone! I hope you're all well and healthy, and that reading a blog post or two will help distract from the current world situation.
I have quite a few sheet masks lined up to try out lately. I just love how easy it is to pop into a store and buy a bit of whats's on sale. I display minimal self-control in these situations and came home with a lil bunch multiple times so I'd better start using them. Luckily, I'm at home more these days due to online classes, so I have plenty of time!
I popped into the Innisfree Cafe in Myeongdong back in January with a friend. It's a gorgeous, very green space – a large wall of fake leaves, but also a good amount of real plants! Their cafe features food and drinks made from Jeju fruits just like their skincare. I would say it's a nice pit stop while shopping in the area and don't have much time in Seoul.
We ordered some drinks and the souffle pancakes to share. It was delicious, and I remember it was a little pricey, but we expected that. I'd still go back for some reason. I think I just liked how calm it was and the vibes, plus this was my first souffle pancake experience! But there are better places for drinks and pancakes. I find it funny that the souffle pancakes are trendy now, but for good reason! They're awesome!
Okay, back to the sheet masks.
Innisfree's most popular sheet masks are their Real Squeeze line, which is also their cheapest mask line (at W1100, or about 80p each). However, I've heard mixed things about them and so opted for the Skin Clinic line which is a little more expensive (at W1800, or £1.20 each), hoping I wouldn't be disappointed. In the past, I have liked some of Innisfree's makeup and other skincare.
Price: W1800 or £1.20 per mask.
Availability: I can't seem to find these anywhere online at my usual stores for some reason, but in Korea you should be able to find them at any Innisfree store.
My skin information: Oily, prone to dehydration and acne. Not usually very reactive to specific ingredients, which is why I review the user experience of a mask rather than its effect on my skin as it'll usually not have any effect beyond adding moisture. Plus I tend to try each mask just once, and that's not scientific at all. If I'd buy a ton of the masks again, that's how you know I love it.
The Skin Clinic masks focus on having more medical-sounding ingredients as their main pull, with varieties such as Collagen, Betaine, and Madecassoside rather than the fruit varieties of the Real Squeeze line.
Out of the mask, the masks feel very saturated and have a standard thickness. There was also a mild scent, not so strong compared to other Innisfree products, and Innisfree are known for having pretty strong scents in their products.
There is also a thin mesh on one side of the mask although I fail to see the point of it – normally very thin masks will plastic backing to make unfolding and applying the mask easier. I don't think the mesh backing helped with those things – it was even flimsier than the actual mask!
The fit is alright as far as most masks go – The chin is a common problem area but otherwise it's decent. However, the mask adhered pretty well – or so I thought. As I wore it to do some work, it became obvious that it was sliding off my face the longer I wore it. So that was a lot of minus points because who wants to be stuck in bed, facing upwards to keep a sheet mask on?
After lying down, the mask stayed on my face for about half an hour. Like most other sheet masks, this does the pretty bare minimum of giving my skin a boost of moisture before I apply the rest of my skincare routine. It doesn't dry tacky or pill with my current skincare routine or even my light makeup, thankfully. I think the watery texture helps with this, so you could wear it in the morning and not have to worry about it messing with makeup later on.
I am not so sure I'll repurchase these just because I like my masks to stay on my face, otherwise I quite like them!
Let me know if you've tried these!
Until next time,