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Personal Stories
By: Susan G. Komen
Kathryn Becker, Miami, FL – Survivor
"If high-dose chemotherapy back in 1997 was an Uzi, mowing down everything in its path, TDM-1 is like a sharpshooter, targeting only the cancer cells."
"I feel that it is through Komen's commitment to research that I am still here today, that treatments are becoming more tolerable and that we now know that not all breast cancer cells are alike."
Imagine my shock: I was 32 years old, a professional woman and competitive sailor, I had just moved to a new state – and I had just received a breast cancer diagnosis.
That was 1997. In March of 1998, I was recovering from my initial breast cancer diagnosis when I saw a commercial for the Komen Race for the Cure®. I called my local Affiliate and said, "I want to volunteer." I joined a support group and was inspired by the women I met who were five years, 10 years, and even further from diagnosis. I made it my personal mission to finish the Race thinking, "If they can do this, I can do it, too. If I can do this Race, I can beat cancer." One week from my final chemo treatment, I completed my first Race in Miami and I haven't looked back since.
I always chuckle when I hear people say, "Poor Kathryn." They can't be talking about me! I've had some great opportunities in my life. Today, 16 years later, I'm doing fine. I'm ready for my next adventure.
But it was a journey. Back in 1997, I chose to have a single mastectomy of my left breast in the hopes of breast feeding with my right breast in the future. After surgery, I endured high-dose chemotherapy which involved first removing red blood cells and platelets, receiving the chemo and then reintroducing the red blood cells and platelets so I could regain my strength. I also had radiation.
After my initial diagnosis and treatment, I was cancer-free until 2004, when I had my first recurrence. The cancer then spread to several areas including my sternum, ribs, lungs and liver. Then in 2010 I was diagnosed with brain tumors; I was treated twice with cyber knife radiation for the tumors, which are now dormant. I have also taken many combinations of cancer-fighting drugs which my cancer initially responded to, but then returned.
At a young survivor event, I heard Komen Co-chief Scientific Advisor, Dr. Eric Winer, discuss a new drug called TDM-1. I felt really excited about the possibility of TDM-1, which delivers toxic levels of chemotherapy directly to the cancer cells while sparing healthy cells, resulting in far fewer side effects. If high-dose chemotherapy back in 1997 was an Uzi, mowing down everything in its path, TDM-1 is like a sharpshooter, targeting only the cancer cells.
In 2010, TDM-1 was not available for me to try because it was still being studied through clinical trials. I pushed for the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial and was treated with TDM-1 from October 2010 through February 2012. Many women on the trial were going into remission, and the treatment worked very well for me, too. It gave me hope to meet all of the women on the trial with me and watch them go into remission – it was so exciting! It felt like we were really making breakthroughs in research and treatment!!
After many years of research from scientists like Dr. Kimberly Blackwell, a Komen Scholar and professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center, and the participation of people like me, TDM-1 was approved by the FDA in February, 2013 under the trade name of Kadcyla and is now available to available to other people with HER2-positive (HER2+), metastatic breast cancer (MBC).
In January 2012, I volunteered to participate in the Susan G. Komen Metastatic Roundtable. I continue serving on this committee, volunteering at my local Affiliate and sharing my story, which was featured in the American Association of Cancer Research's Annual Progress Report in 2012.
Despite years of treatments and strange side effects, including losing my peripheral vision and the insertion of glass tubes into my tear ducts to prevent them from closing up, I enthusiastically count my blessings. I am thankful for the employer who supported me through my initial treatment, for the treatments that have kept my cancer at bay and for the continued ability to work and play. I am also thankful for the individuals who have touched me along the journey. From the doctor who made sure his staff scheduled my mammogram, to the radiology tech who gave me the name of her surgeon, it is amazing the support you receive from those that you least expect. When I was in the hospital, the CEO of my company and his wife came to visit every day. So many co-workers and church friends descended on the hospital that the nurses put up signs on my door limiting the number of visitors who could enter. And of course, my family flew in from Arizona and Kansas to be by my side.
I feel so thankful that Komen has the vision and mission to eradicate breast cancer. I feel that it is through Komen's commitment to research that I am still here today, that treatments are becoming more tolerable and that we now know that not all breast cancer cells are alike.
Learn more about HER2+ breast cancer
Find a local Affiliate
Read Kathryn's Chronicle of Hope
Return to Blog Home


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Need A New Saturday Go-To? Broadside Terrace Is The Answer
Say goodbye to parking struggles and second-rate food
Last Saturday was a rare treat day for me. I spent the day on a friend's boat - girls only - and the evening out for dinner at Corinthia's Broadside Terrace with the man. What was cool for a compartmentalization freak like myself is that Broadside has a nautical vibe to it which made my whole day feel very continuous. Seeing as I was still swaying from an afternoon at sea where the weather did not cooperate at all, I was very much in the boat zone.
For any history buffs out there, broadside – in nautical jargon – means when all the guns on one side of a warship are fired simultaneously. The restaurant is situated at the end of the lido of Corinthia San Gorg and you walk through the lido to get to it. As I weaved my way through sunbeds with the sea to my right, stars above and casino lights ahead I immediately felt in full chill out mode. The restaurant specialises in Lebanese BBQ and the pit is located just under the stairs which lead to the terrace, so even before I sat down the bbq smells wafting upwards had my mouth watering. Assault on the senses is probably why they called it Broadside.
"Even before I sat down the BBQ smells wafting upwards had my mouth watering"
The terrace is very large with a decked bar area in the centre. Sofas and armchairs with coffee tables surround the bar area and to the right of the restaurant is a lawn with hammocks which I would have happily swung in if my current state didn't mean that once I sat in one, I would have had to be flipped off face first in order to get out. So we made our way to the table instead. Tables are extremely well spaced out which is a welcome change and ours was right in front with great views.
We started off with a spicy Bloody Mary for the man and a mocktail for me, which Darren – our server – kindly organised according to the current whim which was a craving for fresh and tangy, and sipped these while we decided on our mains. The menu is simple and straightforward with meze dips and tandoori bread to start and a variety of BBQed meat, fish and a vegetarian option for main. We decided on gamberoni and lamb chops and while these are cooking, the mezes are brought to the table complimentary. There is also the option of having mezes only which is a great choice for anyone who wants to chill out in those awesome surroundings, while having a bite to eat with their cocktail or one of the Belgian craft beers they have on offer. Five very generous bowls of dip and warm tandoori bread cost about 15.00 euro.
The dips were delicious. The hummus perfectly creamy with plenty of tahini, tzatziki with just the right kick of vinegar to balance the richness of the yoghurt, mutabal which is roasted aubergine and yoghurt was new to me and could possibly have been my favourite, but I couldn't decide on a winner even though I tried hard to pick one by digging in further and further. There was a bean dip like a subtle bigilla and a roasted tomato and aubergine mix which was a textural break from all the smoothness and extremely enjoyable. Of course we wolfed down the tandoori bread and ordered more which I knew would cost me later on in the meal but what the hack! Carpe diem and all that.
The mains are served quickly with sides of couscous, potatoes and vegetables in cast iron pots and thankfully the tables are designed to hold all the food so we sat comfortably with our feast. My prawns came cleaned with the head intact so no fiddling required and were firm and juicy and cooked to perfection. The lamb chops had that delicious BBQ char on the outside and were pink in the middle. More warm flat bread is served, a roasted tomato, a caper and tomato salsa with the prawns, and both dishes are served with an onion and parsley salad, a traditional accompaniment to Middle Eastern food. The food is plentiful, a feast as it should be and even the man, who is a notorious bottomless pit, struggled to get to the end - Ok I helped him a bit I admit it!
"The food is plentiful, a feast as it should be"
As predicted, due to the meze face stuffing, the altruism of sharing the lamb and tasting everything in the name of research, dessert was a tough call. The options move away from the middle east and offer Mediterranean flavours like tirami su, cassata siciliana, apple crumble, fresh fruit (as if) and a chocolate mousse which was my first choice but contained raw egg so we took an apple crumble to share instead. It was served with some whipped cream and was cold but I am sure you could ask for it to be heated up if you prefer.
We ended our evening plotting and scheming with Darren, who entertained us with his wicked sense of humour. He took care of us throughout the evening and was attentive without being intrusive, knowledgeable about the food and drink on offer and even knocked five years off my age (thanks dude!). On that high I was ready to leave and waddle my way back to the car. You get three hours complimentary parking when dining at the Broadside Terrace which let's face it, makes the prospect of going anywhere on this rock more appealing knowing you don't have to factor in 30 minutes of parking time and stress on a Saturday night in Paceville.
The Broadside experience is a perfect summer evening - al fresco dining right by the sea, cocktails, beers, BBQ and good music. What more could you want? Next visit I might even brave a swing in the hammock.

subset: commoncrawl


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ARROGANT DESTRUKTOR - Amidst the Blackest Void (WOLFSPELL - CD 2014)
Now I have a pleasure to write few words on my favourite of all Wolfspell Records releases so far. It's an album from a British band called Arrogant Destruktor – what a fuckin nice band name haha! But it describes the music, general feeling and aura of the music perfectly. It is arrogant, violent, dirty and crushing. Just as any metal basically should be, right? "Amidst the Blackest Void" is Arrogant Destruktor's first album (it was preceded by two demos from 2013 and 2014). And I honestly didn't know what should I expect from it; there's a flyer from record label that compares them to bands like Satyricon and Emperor… and well, I don't know, maybe I'm deaf, but I completely disagree and can't find anything comparable to these two bands, except maybe one or two riffs here and there. The entire album, with its harsh and aggressive aura, is just different and I would rather describe it as black / thrash album, with some slight melodic traces. And as comparisons, I guess I would use such bands as Ares Kingdom, D666, Desaster, Bathory, Celtic Frost and maybe a bit of Darkthrone or Immortal! How's that?
The whole music of Arrogant Destruktor has that nice old school feeling, which I like a lot. I love how they set up the atmosphere in their music and I must also admit that this album crushed me from the very first listen. As I mentioned Ares Kingdom, I feel like both bands have a lot in common, except maybe the fact that the Brits are more blackish. They do have quite strong Scandinavian BM influence, in songs like "Black War Machine", which surely belongs to the best songs here. Maybe one of the reasons why I like this song so much is that I just prefer when Arrogant Destruktor plays their music in slower tempos rather than the fast, blasting black metal. They just have more interesting stuff to "tell" when playing slower pieces and the music is clearly better arranged and more exciting. And luckily they do everything to keep the balance between both fast and slower stuff, so the music never gets one dimensional or boring. "Black War Machine" with its slow Darkthrone / old Gorgoroth riffing is just bloody good. I love also such "The Rule of Xerxes" – and I don't know if it's just my imagination or do this song really capture a bit of that old Greek black metal essence as well?
It's cool also that Arrogant Destruktor doesn't avoid being melodic here and there. They may come up with a melodic guitar lead or riffs, and there's even flute in one short fragment of "Gold is the Flesh of the Sun God". This song has great Bathory feeling and is damn epic and surely belongs to my favourite tracks on the album. Listen to also "Frozen in Time", which is a killer song, filled with fast stuff, but also with that epic pieces and some melodic bits as well, so through its seven minutes it's like a perfect anthem!
I must say also that this album is basically a collection of three different recordings; two new 2014 songs plus both previous demos, so in one release we get everything what Arrogant Destroyer did. It's interesting that the material, even if taken from three different sessions, is compact and there's no big sound or style difference between all of them. The production is very good here, by the way, it's harsh, but powerful, so it only makes the music stronger! Great release then!
Standout tracks: "Frozen in Time", "The Rule of Xerxes", "Gold is the Flesh of the Sun God"
Final rate: 75/100


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A brain tumor is the presence of cancer cells in the brain.
There are 2 main types of brain tumors:
- Primary—A tumor that arises in the brain. It can be either malignant or benign. A small benign tumor in a bad location can cause significant problems.
- Secondary—A tumor that spreads to the brain from another cancerous site in the body. All secondary tumors are malignant and metastatic.
Brain Tumor
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
Cancer occurs when cells in the body divide without control or order. If cells divide uncontrollably, they form a mass of tissue. The mass is called a growth or tumor. The term cancer usually refers to malignant tumors. These can invade nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor does not spread. But, it can continue to grow and press structures near it, causing symptoms.
The cause of most primary brain tumors is unknown, but it is probably a combination of genetics and environment.
Secondary brain tumors are caused by cancer that spreads to the brain from another site in the body.
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
Factors that increase your chance of a brain tumor include:
- Radiation
- A condition that affects the immune system
- Family history of certain types of cancer
Any cancer in the body can spread to the brain. The most common tumors that may spread to the brain include:
- Lung cancer
- Breast cancer
- Melanoma
- Gastrointestinal tract cancer
- Kidney cancer
Symptoms depend on the tumor's size and location. A growing tumor will often have fluid build-up around it. This is called edema. Edema puts pressure on the brain. Symptoms may develop gradually or rapidly.
Symptoms may include:
Headache—Most headaches are not caused by brain tumors. Headaches due to brain tumors may have the following features:
- Worsens over a period of weeks to months
- Worse in the morning or causes you to wake during the night
- Different than a normal headache
- Worsens with change of posture, straining, or coughing
- Seizures
- Nausea or vomiting, especially early morning vomiting
- Weakness in arms and/or legs
- Loss of sensation in arms and/or legs
- Difficulty walking
- Hearing loss or vision loss, including double vision
- Speech problems
- Drowsiness
- Memory problems
- Personality changes
You will be asked your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. You will have a neurological exam. It will test muscle strength, coordination, reflexes, response to external actions, and alertness. The doctor may also look into your eyes to check for signs of brain swelling.
Images of your bodily structures may need to be taken. This can be done with:
- MRI scan
- CT scan
- PET scan
- SPECT scan
- PET/CT scan
- Arteriography
A sample of brain tissue may need to be removed for testing. This can be done with:
- Biopsy
- Stereotaxis
There are many different types of brain tumors. The doctor will classify the type. The type of brain tumor is important to determine the treatment approach.
Treatment depends on the type, size, location of the cancer, and your overall health. Treatments may leave you with physical or mental limitations.
Before beginning treatment, you may take medications, including:
- Steroids to decrease swelling and fluid buildup
- Anticonvulsants to prevent seizures
Surgical procedures include:
- Craniotomy—opening the skull to remove the tumor or as much of the tumor as possible
- Shunt—implanting a long thin tube in the brain to direct fluid build up to another part of the body
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. This is a common treatment for brain tumors. Radiation may be:
- External—Radiation is directed at the tumor from a source outside the body. If you have a metastatic brain tumor, you will receive whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT). If you have a primary brain tumor, you will receive more focused radiation therapy. WRBT may also be used in people who have cancer in other areas of the body. The treatment is used to prevent brain tumors.
- Internal—Radioactive materials are placed into the body near the cancer cells. This is used less often.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery—Higher doses of radiation can be delivered to the affected areas of the brain. Nearby normal tissue can be spared. Special equipment, including MRI and CT scans, help to focus the radiation. This is most often used in metastatic brain tumors or in benign brain tumors, such as meningiomas.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. It may be given in many forms, including pill, injection, or through a tube called a catheter. The drugs enter the bloodstream and travel through the body killing mostly cancer cells, but also some healthy cells. It may also be delivered directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, which bathes the brain tissue. This form of chemotherapy is called intrathecal. This is most often used when cancer has spread from elsewhere in the body to the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Rehabilitation Therapy
Rehabilitation therapy includes:
- Physical therapy to help with walking, balance, and building strength
- Occupational therapy to help with mastering life skills, such as dressing, eating, and using the toilet
- Speech therapy to help express thoughts and overcome swallowing difficulties
There are no current guidelines to prevent a brain tumor because the cause is unclear.
American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org
Cancer Care Ontario http://www.cancercare.on.ca
Updated June 9, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
Brain cancer—for patients. National Cancer Institute website. Available at:
Accessed September 5, 2014.
Brain tumors. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Available at:
Updated June 2012. Accessed September 5, 2014.
5/28/2008 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance
Tremont-Lukats IW, Ratilal BO, Armstrong T, Gilbert MR. Antiepileptic drugs for preventing seizures in people with brain tumors. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;(2):CD004424
Last Updated: 9/5/2014


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Little Boy G continues to add a lot of happiness and laughter to our house. I'm probably just easily amused, but that boy cracks me up. It's a non-stop laugh riot when he's around. The cutest things are the simplest ones. His interpretations of words and things around him keep me smiling the whole day through. Here's a taste of what I mean:
- Lollypop: Ice Pickle
- Watermelon: Waterlemon
- Yellow: Lello
- Secret: Speakrette (kind of clever, actually)
- Yogurt: Logert
- Optimus Prime: Opta Mister Prime
- Scuba Diver: Scooper Diver
In a word? He's Awesome.
This weekend was kind of chilly. Perfect timing for a family who just got new windows in the house. We love love love the windows. My cute little husband walks around announcing that he's going to go open a window. Since we moved in five years ago (!), we have never opened the windows (well, a couple in the sun room), but generally, because they were either painted shut or due to the high lead content, we never opened them now. At the moment, we have several open an it is sublime. Windows. They rock.


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143 comments
I want those shoes – they are the perfect transitional pieces from summer to fall. Her look is so quietly elegant.
Hand drawn:
My Closet in Sketches
WHAT A SHOES! perfection. I love your blog!
So pretty. I love her bag and shoes.
Just lovely!
The Styleseer
casual + elegant +high heels-great combination.
So simple. Love the bag + shoes.
not a fan of that skirt..
So inspirational, elegant and fine. Lovable outfit!
from http://www.katarina-wannabeontop.com
Gorgeous color story. Love the simple bracelet.
Aaah, she makes stylish look so very easy…and comfy too- most unusal… xxx
I love everything about this photo. Her outfit is beautiful I wish I had those clothes!!!!
Very nyc chic…simple, effective and footwear to die for
I love it!
Her outfit is so lovely, especially the skirt!
Love it!
I like everything that she's wearing and that look over her shoulder is a killer, she looks a bit like a younger Uma Thurman
nice look:)
I want to thank you for your blog. I am an Art therapist and work with people who have suffered trauma and abuse. During the day I love taking a break and looking at the variety of fabrics, colors, shapes and lines in your photos. For me it is taking a creative breathing space.
Thanks, Karen
I like her shoes>
Hi , I like her shoes but I 'd match them in a different way. Frances http://www.theafternoontea.it
Very classy without appearing to work hard …
Nice look. Those shoes and purse are wonderful.
Fantastic capture.
Check out the people in the background.
Her elegance is so utterly effortless, second nature.
Such a feminine beuaty. Love the skirt she's wearing. Very elegant and classy.
Love from Norway
Hi. I like her shoes, but I'd match them differently. Frances http://www.theafternoontea.it
Hello, gorgeous! LOVE that skirt and her shoes.
She looks beautiful and elegant and sexy without showing all her assets. A rare and precious thing to come by in NYC where the girls all seem to think that looking great means exposing one's entire body. You'll never see a French girl with a skirt up to her tush and an enormous decollete all at once. This girl has it figured out…discreet and sexy. Thanks for this one sartorialist
Love the shoes! and the whole "sophisticated yet care-free" style. beautiful color combo.
Loved the skirt! …She looks great.
Now that's what I'm talking about.
Hi I like her shoes but I'd match in different way. Frances http://www.theafternoontea.it
This look for me is all about the shapes created by loose fitting clothes – love how the sleeves drape. The orange and black colour of that bag really brings the outfit to life – not sure how stylish she would appear without this accessory!
this has to be THE best outfit I've seen in a while…..it's perfection….she looks sexy, comfy, chic and it's not too much of everything piled on
i really love her bag. and her expression.
http:// http://www.indigopeacock.com
Ummm! I love those shoes and on brown they don't look so aggressives as if they were on black.
OMG! Perfection. Excellent look for this time of year. Wickedly cool use of different color leathers on shoes and bag.
She presents herself in harmonious tones of hair, skin, clothes, shoes and shoulder bag.
But her quietly fierce facial expression breaks up the monotony to
a stunning effect.
She is so gorgeous, beautiful natural
love, selina
Now THAT'S an attractive woman!!! Elegant, but casual. Alluring, with a 'come hither' look. Fantastic all around.
She's beautiful but I don't like how dresses match
For me, this look is about the muted tones, the draping and the texture. Plus, she looks so comfortable. What nice inspiration for the weekend.
what a beautiful sense of style, soft and classic yet so very modern – absolutely stunning x
Love the layered look.
I like her whole look, I particularly like her skirt.
linda e completamente trendy
i need the bag!
Great look and a very nice picture.
isn't she just lovely? the back, the shoes, the skirt…don't know which i love most!
great skirt! i love it!
I'm so in love with those shoes. Want!
Ah…casual innocence. Just looking at this photo takes me to another time when I too had that look upon my face (although not those stylish clothes!). I love how relaxed she looks, but at the same time, you know she took some time putting this ensemble together. Well done, as always!
Amazing look! And the girl is soo beautiful and charismatic! :)
love the mix between sporty jacquet, crochet skirt and these great shoes !!
So effortlessly chic! What elegance!
I love this.
I want to see the girl in the background with the black shoes also.
Beautiful and simple – the perfect recipe for the perfect sophisticated outfit.
Ashley – The I on Fashion
Casual but very chic, I love her skirt!
mmmm….I think she's looking at me!
I'm Brasil and like your blog… is beautiful anda clean.
Very goood!
My blog is: http://www.jussanporai.blogspot.com/
and twitter is: @jussan06
a useful fashion for women daily
There are times I just have to comment, and this is one of them. What a beautiful model. And that outfit goes so perfectly with her skin tone (esp. the footwear). Beautiful picture, wonderful clothes, beautiful model!
- David
Top 10 Aloe Vera Juice Benefits
Holistic Nutrition and Health
She is stunning! Looks like an elf! Thank You once again for this amazing photo!
Great skirt! Flattering cut and beautiful fabric.
Love the way she balances the sweetness of the skirt with the strength of the shoes, the casual drapiness of the jacket, and the fierceness of her expression.
those shoes + that bag <3
very cool style_!
follow my blog, i'm following u :***
Casual, comfortable and elegant all at ounce.
She looks so chic, I love it.
she's stunning with a very simple, chic and inspiring look!!! I definitively love!!!
Love her bag!
Yes…I'm right behind you. Urban delicate.
So effortless and lovely…
LOVE the shoes, I wonder if she's my size? Maybe we can be shoe-gals? lol :)
Great look and this is a brilliant way to wear a hippy skirt without looking a mess! I love anything that looks remotely like a mexican wedding dress – in any incarnation!
On a scale of 1 to 10. I'd give her overall look a 165.
Bella figura (x100).
She is so killing the style game.
Chic! Would never think to pair those shoes with that dress.
She is very attractive, but the ensemble is boring….a pop of color somewhere would not go amiss.
She has a lovely complexion. I like her shoes.
Great shot.
ok, the shoes are absolutely incredible! the bag isn't bad too.
I love her whole outfit.
Well hello there…! Love her skirt. And the shoes are intriguing.
great skirt. great shoes
Love the shoes and the handbag. Great look!
Loveee this easy, casual and chic outfit. Perfection.
Nice. I love the color of the shirt/jacket.
Interesting shoes…and very casual look!
I love the way she dresses. She isn't screaming for attention and is so chic.
Its Zuzanna, right? love her style
Stylish appearance is an imperative part of human life. Accurate choice of apparel for right season, give your taste a gorgeous profile and force people to have a high respect for your unique beauty all the time. In today's fashionable world, what you dress plays a key part in inducing up your image. Getting outfitted in suitable apparel is of great importance to show a fit to be seen appearance
just to be romantic in alternative way!
Cute sandals!
Love the bag and the photo!
I love layered shoes with different brown tones!
good shoes
Very casual yet so fab!!! Love it. Great for summer.
She's gorgeous!
You are an inspiration.
Elegant but I would swop the skirt for skinnies.
The shoes pull the whole thing together; when you look at her from head-to-toe, it goes from conservative, to sexy, to all out HOT!
love the skirt
I love her face – so model-y! And the bag is incredible!
i love her look! so effortless!
yep, it's Zuzanna! Zuzanna Krzatala, polish model. She's so pretty…and I remember her from other photo from thesartorialist. From Paris, as far as I remember…in blue checkered skirt…
Beautiful on so many levels – the colours, the textures, the shapes – but for me the her skin and her hair are what make it all work.
i want her bag! does anyone know what that is?
Those shoes… ooh arhh… stunning picture. I love the casual hair
I love hre relaxed, but still very fashionable style.
Wonderful, she looks from another planet!
I very much love the overall image of the outfit plus the light brown leather bag.
To achieve looks like The Sartorialist photographs, where are the best places to shop in New York?
Very chic
I love her look.. so smooth and easy!
Well, I only have one word for this: Amazing!
i love this look… something i'd like to replicate.
anyone know where the shoes are from?
Can ANYONE please advise where I can buy those gorgeous shoes? MUST have.
Oh my God those shoes!!! Who makes them? Who makes them?????
the shoes are wicked, love the lace skirt/dress as well.
She looks like a dream. Understated chic at its best
just stepped off the runway and kept walking ?? … gorgeous. drooling for her shoes..
The bag is fantastic!
Simple and elegant. Beautiful style !
Simple and chic!
So fresh and natural. Love this. It's in such contrast to some of your fashion week shots!
Sure, her outfit is great – but her cheekbones! To die for!
So smart! There's the spirit of Carolyn Bessete-Kennedy spinning round this lady…
For those who asked, the bag is from the Celine s/s 2010 collection.
Would love to see this outfit in motion. It looks 'on hold' in the pic.
Love the natural colors and the perfect jacket, so bohemian cool!
Dlight from la rue a du style, paris.
does anyone know who makes THAT BAG?…..it's gorgeous!!!!!
The bag is Celine and the shoes are Chloe from last year's summer collection. The crochet skirt and silk jacket are polish vintage from my Mum's closet;)
Effortlessly lovely.
she is absolutely beautiful.
As I recognize correctly, she's a polish model :) You can see her at Wittchen FW 2011/2012 photo session (lookbook, imagine and perfume session :) http://static1.blip.pl/user_generated/update_pictures/2155769.jpg
@Zet – Thank you for telling us what you were wearing. You look lovely!
Lovely lace skirt
For Elyse Clothing Online
beautiful super
bogner handtaschen http://bognerhandtaschen.adopteunemere.com/


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Lime Crime Kitty Bundles Cosmetics Launches Lipsticks That Give Back
Lime Crime is partnering with Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats to release lipsticks with fun names that give back to saving feral cats.
Help Your Cat Reach a New Level: Stylish Climbing Shelves
These wall-mounted perches make your home look good and help your cat's climbing instinct.
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Your Cat Owns the Bathroom Already; This Makes It Official
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My Favorite Feline Finds From Phoenix Comicon 2016
The four-day convention of art, film, fashion, and comic books had a massive cat component.
Have You Longed for Pants That Attract Cats? The Wait Is Over
Japanese retailer Felissimo introduces jeans with a scratching pad, a tail, and a cat face on the butt.
Make Your Cat House Macabre With Help From Charlotte Clark
If you love Edward Gorey, the Addams Family, and cats, these housewares are for you.
These 8 Cat-Themed Items Get Me the Most Compliments
I don't have a ton of cat-themed decor, but people notice items like the cat-litter sippy cup.
5 Cat Products That Will Protect You From the Robot Takeover
The Hot Robot Overlords are coming, and these Items scream, "Bond with me! And my cat!"


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What began at Binghamton University as a dream of basketball success and culminated in its first trip to the N.C.A.A. men's tournament last March came crashing down on Thursday. A four-month investigation detailed just how far administrators were willing to go in pursuit of athletic glory.
The investigation's 99-page report showed how a lack of oversight from the university's president and athletic director allowed the basketball program to spin out of control.
One player who transferred to Binghamton received credit for courses like Bowling I and Theories of Softball, according to the report. An assistant coach and a player discussed cash payments and having the assistant write part of a paper for him.
And at a meeting with admissions officials, the report said, an athletic official asked, "Why do you care if we take six players who don't attend classes?"
It was a drastic change for a university that over the years has built an academic reputation as the crown jewel of the State University of New York system.Continue reading the main story
"I am disappointed that a great institution like Binghamton University would, in any way, because of its athletic program, compromise its terrific academic reputation," Nancy L. Zimpher, who is the SUNY chancellor and ordered the investigation four months ago, said in a conference call with reporters Thursday.
Nobody pushed the vision of athletic success more than Lois B. DeFleur, the university's president since 1990, and Joel Thirer, the athletic director. They shepherded a move to Division I, college basketball's highest level, over the concerns of many faculty members in 2001 and spearheaded the construction of a $33 million arena. They dismissed the team's longtime coach, Al Walker, in 2007 in favor of Kevin Broadus, an assistant at Georgetown, who brought an aggressive edge to recruiting players.
Since that galvanizing moment in March, when the team clinched its N.C.A.A. tournament bid and students flooded the court, the fall has been swift and steep.
In September, the star guard Emanuel Mayben was arrested on charges of possession and sale of crack cocaine. Mr. Thirer refers to that arrest in the report as "the tipping point." Soon after, six players were dismissed for a variety of offenses that ranged from drug possession to buying goods with a stolen debit card. Thirer also resigned as athletic director.
Mr. Broadus, whose quick turnaround of the team's fortunes led to a contract extension in the spring, was placed on paid administrative leave, where he remains as the university figures out what to do next.
Mr. Broadus, the report said, could not have worked without the administration's blessing. Ms. DeFleur fostered an environment of lax academic and ethical standards, the report said; at one point Ms. DeFleur's zeal to admit a basketball player with a questionable academic background was so strong that the provost said she had a "blind spot for athletics."
As problems arose in the program, Ms. DeFleur and Mr. Thirer failed to have "sufficient objectivity" and "self inquiry," the report said.
"The president took no corrective action in her role as the supervisor of the athletic department and the person charged with ultimate responsibility for B.U.'s intercollegiate athletic program," the report concluded.
Binghamton admitted one player with an arrest record and others from academically suspect high schools. Some transfer students brought coursework that had "limited, if any, academic content," the report said.
When objections were raised, Ms. DeFleur reasoned that Binghamton was undergoing an "experiment," the report said, and she cast the lower admission standards as part of the university's effort for more diversity.
Investigators questioned that reasoning. "Those opportunities become illusory if the institution does not have a sufficient support network already in place to help these individuals succeed," the report said.
The report also showed Binghamton to be unprepared for so many high-risk academic athletes. For example, two players' failing grades were turned into passing grades after late work was handed in, the report said. Another failing grade was turned into an incomplete after Mr. Broadus lobbied the professor.
In addition, the university channeled its academically at-risk students into the Human Development Department, which had lower admissions standards and whose chairman, Leo Wilton, was seen as friendly to the team.
One e-mail message between Mr. Wilton and Mr. Broadus illustrated how the players were steered into courses with sympathetic instructors. "It is not often that I teach this required course," Mr. Wilton wrote in the spring of 2009. "I would recommend that the athletes take it with me if possible."
In multiple instances, basketball players dropped other classes for independent study courses to remain eligible, the report said. The independent study grade was usually a B or a B-plus, on a team whose average grade was a C.
In a statement, SUNY's board said it accepted the audit's findings and would follow its recommendations to improve oversight and accountability. Binghamton said in a statement that Ms. DeFleur, 73, would work with Ms. Zimpher on any changes until Ms. DeFleur's retirement in July.
The investigation cost $913,381 and was led by Judith S. Kaye, the former chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, along with other lawyers from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Her team conducted more than 80 interviews and examined thousands of e-mail messages, text messages and documents.
When the SUNY executive committee next meets March 23, Ms. Zimpher plans to make recommendations on what to do with the program. The situation is tenuous, with the president leaving, no athletic director and the likelihood of having to hire a coach.
The audit is also expected to be forwarded to the N.C.A.A., which will determine, among other things, if the university showed a lack of institutional control and if any penalties are warranted.
"I think that's really up to folks in charge of doing that," said Patrick Nero, the commissioner of America East, Binghamton's conference. "That's for the N.C.A.A. to look at and the chancellor to decide on."
The most damning information may be a series of text-message exchanges in which the assistant coach Marc Hsu discussed providing Malik Alvin, a star player, with money for gas and later a court fine after his arrest on charges of stealing condoms from a Wal-Mart. N.C.A.A. rules prohibit coaches from providing cash to players.
Mr. Alvin's exchanges were casual, asking, "Yo, you got money on you?" At a later date, the report said, he asked Mr. Hsu if he was "going to give me the money in the morning so I can pay my fine."
In a later exchange in which Mr. Alvin complained that he had no gas, Mr. Hsu responded that he had not gone to the bank and wrote, "Ask coach for a couple of dollars." The report said that Mr. Hsu had denied giving money or other benefits to Mr. Alvin and that the text messages were meant to "silent Mr. Alvin's requests."
Mr. Alvin, who had left Texas-El Paso, in part because of academic difficulties, asked Mr. Hsu to reword part of a paper because he "got that from the Internet." Mr. Alvin then wrote, "Add a conclusion on violence."
In a later text-message exchange, Mr. Alvin asked Mr. Hsu to manipulate part of an assignment to "change it up" so it would not be "the same exact paper."
Mr. Hsu denied helping Mr. Alvin in an inappropriate manner.
Mr. Broadus did not return a telephone call seeking comment. He would comment only through his lawyer, Don Jackson, who said Mr. Broadus committed no major N.C.A.A. violations and was prepared to return to his job as head coach.
"He has considered it to be his responsibility to assist them through their misdeeds, discipline them when necessary, nurture them when needed and assist them in their sometimes awkward progression into manhood," Mr. Jackson said. "He makes no apologies for that. That is his responsibility as a coach and an African-American man."
While Mr. Broadus awaits his fate, some in the Binghamton community would like to see a balance restored to athletics. "I hope that this university as well as others can use the report to remind us what can happen when a university puts winning athletic events over the well-being of the institution," said Dennis Lasser, Binghamton's former faculty athletic representative and an associate professor of finance.
Because of an editing error, an article on Friday about a critical audit of the men's basketball program at Binghamton University misstated the year the team moved up to Division I. And the Sports of The Times column on Friday, also about the report, gave another incorrect year for the move. Binghamton became a Division I school in 2001 not in 1991 or in 2006.


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Sunday, 15 April 2018 08:37 PM
A Trump administration plan to ask people if they are U.S. citizens during the 2020 census has prompted a legal uproar from Democratic state attorneys general, who argue it could drive down participation and lead to an inaccurate count.
Yet not a single Republican attorney general has sued — not even from states with large immigrant populations that stand to lose if a census undercount of immigrants affects the allotment of U.S. House seats and federal funding for states.
In fact, many GOP attorneys general had urged Trump's census team to add a citizenship question.
"We always are better off having a more accurate count of citizens versus non-citizens. I see no downside in this," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, vice chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association.
The diverging views of top Republican and Democratic state attorneys highlight how even the most basic data collection decisions can quickly split along partisan lines amid the intense debate about immigration policies.
Concerns among immigrants have risen as President Donald Trump's administration has cracked down on so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, increased arrests by federal immigration officers, called the National Guard to the border with Mexico and sought to limit travel to the U.S. from certain predominantly Muslim countries.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced last month that the 2020 census distributed to every U.S. household will include a citizenship question for the first time since 1950. He said the question was needed in part to help the government enforce the Voting Rights Act, the 1965 law that was intended to protect the political representation of minority groups.
He said it will provide a more accurate tally of voting-eligible residents than is currently available from a smaller sampling survey that includes the citizenship question.
In a letter explaining his decision, Ross said the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that as many as 630,000 additional households might not respond if a citizenship question is included. Yet he acknowledged the administration did not know what the actual consequences might be because it hasn't tested the change.
The nation's only dress rehearsal for the 2020 census, currently taking place in Providence, Rhode Island, does not include the citizenship question on the survey forwarded to residents. Nevertheless, Ross determined the benefits of including the question outweigh any concerns.
The census, undertaken every 10 years, also is used to determine how much money to distribute to local communities through various federal programs.
Estimates of those living in the U.S. illegally range from 11 million to a little over 12 million people.
Census data is not shared with immigration enforcement authorities. Yet immigrant advocates believe a citizenship question could discourage even some who are lawfully present from responding, partly because of fears the government could track down illegal aliens living in the U.s.


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Another Indication OK'd for Afinitor
"Everolimus (Afinitor) is now approved for treating inoperable, locally advanced or metastatic neuroendocrine tumors of gastrointestinal or lung origin, the FDA said Friday.
"The agency further specified that the tumors should be 'progressive, well-differentiated [and] non-functional.'
"Approval was based primarily on a 302-patient trial comparing everolimus with placebo, both in combination with best supportive care. Median progression-free survival was 11 months in the active-drug arm compared with 3.9 months for placebo. However, in an interim analysis, there was no difference in overall survival, and response rates (i.e., achieving significant tumor shrinkage) were 2% with everolimus and 1% with placebo."


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Red Christmas Star with Dove
© 2014
available for sale in my Artfire on-line store HERE
I made a bunch of holiday card designs this year. This is one I made that is for sale on-line as well as selected brick and mortar stores.
The next is one I made is available at some brick and mortar shops this year as small 3 x 5 cards, but I ran out of them for my on-line store. I may have them available (fingers crossed) for on-line purchase sometime in December, so check back in my Artfire Christmas Card Category HERE if you are crazy about them and want a pack.
Angel Lisa and her Thoughts
© 2014
available for sale in some selected brick and mortar shops
contact me at sales(att)LiseWinne.com if interested
The original, a mini drawing, is for sale on-line, however, but is slightly different in coloring (more blues) with a different title:
Lisa, the Healing Angel
© 2014
size: 3,5" x 4.25" mini drawing
available for sale in my Artfire on-line store HERE
This was all part of a series. Lisa, the Healing Angel was the largest.
Some of the rest of the series follow. These are all super-minis with the tiniest being Angel Denise at 1.75" x 2.5" and the largest being Angel Sally at 2.5" x 4.25":
two healing angels and one heart angel
© 2014
Eliza, the Heart Angel is available for sale as an original already matted at Valley Artisans Market (a gallery/gift shop in upstate, NY)
This next piece can either be a Christmas or NewYear's design (people are now buying them for both occasions in the holiday art shops I am in). I have them in all sizes of greeting cards, from minis to 5 x 7s. In my on-line store, for the moment, I've listed 5 x 7s in a pack. However, if you want more or less than that, contact me through my Artfire on-line store.
Bird Eating Stars
© 2014
available for sale in a pack of five cards HERE
© 2014
available for sale in a pack of five cards HERE


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Svenskt Tenn's child apron is just as beautiful hanging on a hook in the kitchen as it is on the little chef. The aprons are made in high quality linen, with prints designed by Josef Frank or Estrid Ericson.
Josef Frank lived and worked in Manhattan, New York from 1941-1946. He found Manhattan's city plan so interesting in its simplicity, that he created the Manhattan print, which shows a map of the island.
The placement of the pattern may vary from the one in the picture.


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If God had a facebook I think a lot of people would add Him as a friend, just because it's almost socially un-accepted if they didn't [even if they weren't being honest with themselves].
I think a lot of people would use His wall to promote their CD's, bands, books, blogs, twitters, and anything else because they know that people are more likely to support them if they seem to have ties with the same God [even if they didn't know Him personally or even want to].
I think a lot of people would make their best conversations with Him in public, lengthy and also attempt to appear very close to Him [Luke 20:47}.
I am not sure how many of us would really send Him any personal messages. Because not many others would get to see that we are friends with Him.
I am not sure how many of us would accept a chat invitation from Him, because we would be afraid that He will rebuke us and condemn us, instead of ask us about our day [maybe sometimes we would even pretend that He isn't even requesting a chat].
We might be fine with writing on HIs wall because our mutual friends would see, but we may get embarrassed if He posted on our wall because our non-mutual friends might see.
We could assume that He isn't interested in our relationship status [even though He is].
We would have to tag Him in every photo. [Psalm 139:7-8]
I think we may rather assume His political views to be aligned with our own, instead of finding out the truth about His political views.
A lot of us might want to scan through His info but not really bother to get to know Him past that.
I think if God had a facebook, He would be the only one on facebook that wouldn't get annoyed if you 'poked' Him.
I don't think all of these apply to everyone, but some of these may apply to us. It's something to think about at least. I know for sure that I view God this way sometimes. I always have to make sure I'm don't have only a distant friendship with Him. Sometimes we treat Him like a real dad, we get embarrassed by Him around our friends and we hope He doesn't get a facebook. Sometimes we truly do avoid talking to Him after screwing up because we think He will just rebuke us and hate us. So we like to add Him as a friend, we may even use Him to promote ourselves, but I think if we truly get to know Him we will realize how wrong we are, we will realize how much He really loves us and wants our friendship, regardless of what you have on your profile and your interests.
"I have come to call not the self-righteous, but the sinners" -God
It's so good to know that whatever I have done, wherever I am in my lack of understanding, He is waiting for me to accept His friend request and chat invitation.
your friend,


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Analyzing The Signatures Of Politicians To Get A Better Look At Their Personality
Posted on: 30 July 2016
During an election year, power has the potential to change hands and you get to decide who is going to represent you. This can be a difficult decision, especially if you don't agree with any candidate entirely. One thing that you can do to get to know the candidates a little bit better is analyze their signatures. This will allow you to get to know the candidates' personality. Here are some tips for your analysis.
[Read More]


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Being an Apprentice with Umbrella Training has huge benefits, not only do you get expert training and an Apprenticeship, but we have some great deals and offers you can access by being an apprentice.
Craft Guild of Chefs
We are very excited to announce an new partnership with the Craft Guild of Chefs – a partnership that will support apprentices with learning, networks and competitions.
Watch this space for more details coming soon!
Visit their facebook page
Hospitality Clothing and Equipment
Umbrella Apprentices get a student discount on items from Russums.
Look at the online shop and email email@example.com for a quote.
Apprentice Oyster Photocard
You can save 30% off adult-rate Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass season tickets.
To be eligible for an Apprentice Oyster photocard you must:
Be aged 18 or over
Live in a London borough
Be enrolled on an apprenticeship* with a further education college or training organisation for a minimum of 12 months
Be in the first 12 months of your apprenticeship
Contact us to get the following before you apply:
Your Unique Learner Number (ULN)
A UK Provider Reference Number (UKPRN)
Student Discounts with NUS Extra
NUS Extra has evolved into TOTUM – and the student offers are amazing!
Powered by NUS Extra, TOTUM makes students' money go further, so they're fully loaded with essentials and ready to get ahead.
Culinary Club
When you become an Umbrella Apprentice then you can join our Culinary Club and benefit from our events.
Visit the Culinary Club Page
Institute of Hospitality Student Membership
The professional membership body for managers and aspiring managers who work and study in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries. Benefit from student membership whilst on an apprenticeship.
Visit instituteofhospitality.org
Adventure Gourmet
Adventure Gourmet offers rare master classes where, within a relaxed, intimate teaching environment, chefs at the top of their game share their secrets on a range of relevant topics, from how to create time-honoured recipes to honing complex cooking techniques.
Watch as world-class chefs, some household names, turn their expertise and experience to a number of themes, including world cuisine, making the most out of seasonal produce, cooking with spices and the heights and delights of pastry.
These monthly, half-day sessions followed by a 2-course lunch take place at Café Spice Namaste's Pradhan Room.
Adventure Gourmet is perfect for professional chefs and would-be chefs or any food lover who wishes to cook and learn from some of the best talents in the industry, including Michelin-starred chef-restaurateurs and executive chefs. Our confirmed chef line up includes Cyrus Todiwala OBE, Brian Turner CBE, Ben Tisch, Simon Hulstone, John Feeney, Francesco Mazzei, and John Williams MBE.
Discounts available to Umbrella Apprentices.
Latest News
Events and news from Umbrella and all things Hospitality.
Learner Journeys
Find out about the experiences of some of our other apprentices
Need HELP?
Want advice on jobs, courses or your next step? Speak to one of our experts…
Join US!
Is it time for you to progress your career with us? Join our team and #ComeUnderOurUmbrella…


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People change and why shouldn't your clothing change with you? It's hard to find a good tailor for your alterations and thanks to Classic Touch Dry Cleaners, your search is over. Whether your favorite pants have a loose hem or that new shirt doesn't fit just right, our tailor will repair your items so they look the same as they did when you purchased them.
Fred Halef of Fred's Tailors has handled all of our Alterations and repairs at Classic Touch Dry Cleaners since day one. He is a European trained master tailor who delivers perfect results every time.
All of the Supplies On Hand to Match Anything You Bring In
There is nothing worse than getting an alteration back and discovering that the tailor did a pretty good job on the work, but the thread or zipper that was used is not even close to the original color. Professional alterations are supposed to go unnoticed. To ensure that happens we stock an impressive supply of threads and zippers to match all garments.
Shorten Your Jeans and Keep the Original Hem
Don't you hate trying on a pair of jeans in the store and falling in love with them only to realize that they are 2 inches too long? No one wants to cut off that distressed original hem and replace it with a regular hem that sticks out like a sore thumb. One of our most popular services; alterations that still use the original hem that your pants came with. The original hem is removed, the pants are shortened to your specifications and the original hem is sewn back on to make those new pants look like they were made especially for you.
Let our team prove to you the difference our expert alterations will make. You pay a lot for your wardrobe, so why would you send them just anywhere for alterations?


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On 1 Aug 2011, at 01:57, email@example.com wrote: > The attached document was submitted by a student of mine. It includes paragraph tags that are terminated as empty elements, and as such, I don't think it should be considered valid under the strict DTD. <!ELEMENT p %Inline;> <!ATTLIST p %attrs; > <!ENTITY % Inline "(#PCDATA | %inline; | %misc.inline;)*"> Paragraphs contain zero or more (various things). It is valid. (Nonsense, but still valid) > Nevertheless, the w3c validator reports it as valid. Validator.nu does > report the improperly terminated paragraph tags as errors. That looks like Appendix C checking. http://qa-dev.w3.org/~bjoern/appendix-c/validator/ -- David Dorward http://dorward.me.ukReceived on Tuesday, 2 August 2011 09:26:11 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 1 March 2016 14:18:04 UTC


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USA Today is reporting that Pierce Brosnan will soon be returning to reprise his role in a Thomas Crown Affair sequel to the 1999 remake. The sequel will be partly based on 1964's Topkapi: "We are just using a sliver of that," Brosnan says. This time, the billionaire thief will be after a rare diamond instead of paintings. Rene Russo will not be returning, and Angelina Jolie is considered in the running for a new female co-star. "This is a different affair, " Brosnan says.
Paul Verhoeven is returning to direct and the movie should arrive by next year.
Source: USA Today


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By Michelle Lentz on May 15, 2019
Marketing communications manager/office manager, Michelle, is really our office extraordinaire. She keeps the team on track and manages office operations with ease and efficiency. As if keeping the team in line wasn't enough, she also takes on our marketing efforts. Michelle is mother of two adorable girls, Elliott Sage and Harper Willow. In addition to her office and mom duties, Michelle is our peace-loving hippie with an affinity for sustainable practices, vegetarianism, and organic living.
Enter your email address to subscribe to the BizStream Newsletter and receive updates by email.


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Bon Jovi joins New Orleans Jazz Fest roster May 21 comments Posted by René O'Deay at 5:01 PM
"New Orleans, meet New Jersey: Bon Jovi is coming to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell.
The veteran Jersey rock band that lorded over MTV in the 1980s and continues to fill arenas worldwide performs at the Fair Grounds on May 2. That is the biggest surprise on the day-to-day Jazz Fest schedule released today.
After Hurricane Katrina, Bon Jovi donated $1 million to build 28 homes in Houma in conjunction with Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network and Habitat for Humanity. A street was renamed Bon Jovi Boulevard.
Bon Jovi joins New Orleans Jazz Fest roster as daily schedule is announced - Keith Spera - Times-Picayune - NOLA.com
Labels: Bon Jovi, Hurricane Katrina, JazzFest, New Orleans
Krewe du Vieux Plots Sex-Based Stimulus French Quarter Mardi Gras1 comments Posted by René O'Deay at 7:25 PM
Covert Carnival double-secret agent, checks out Krewe du Vieux - Angus Lind - Times-Picayune - NOLA.com: "'Timing is everything and what's happening in the news -- the passage of Obama's $819 billion stimulus package -- could not have played into their hands any better,' said the unmistakable raspy voice.
'Speaking of time, the clock's running and we haven't much time. Quick, look at this, scribe.'
|Mardi Gras Parade Krewe du Vieux
The legendary but oft-bungling covert Carnival double secret agent -- dormant since Carnival past -- handed me a stack of papers indicating that these always ribald, risque and roguish revelers had conjured up their own version of what's in the news: "Krewe du Vieux Releases Its 'Stimulus Package,'" based on sex-based initiatives.
That provocative package will be released Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in a 12,000-step recovery program and parade through the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny, as the krewe declares moral bankruptcy. Parental discretion is not only advised, it is mandatory -- a kiddie parade this ain't.
"Parade-goers are advised to watch their assets -- it says so right here on this page," Float said. "You can look for them to show their Bare Stearns."
Reigning over the 23rd procession of mule-drawn floats, brass bands and 17 sub-krewes drinking lots of booze is Crooner, Cruise Director and King Frankie Ford, he of "Sea Cruise" fame and Gretna's only Grammy winner.
"These papers we now have in our hands show that the parade is a veritable sea of sexual innuendoes, Scribe, and it's ingenious," Float told me. "Based on what we're seeing, I think on Saturday night you'll see Endowed Jones Averages, the S&M 500 and lots of mutual fun. Here's the skinny on the sub-krewe Mama Roux: They say to invest in stocks and bondage, tie up good investments."
"Float," I replied, "the sub-krewe Drips & Discharges, it appears, has become a newly formed investment spanking firm. They claim to have gotten a jump on the market by creating a binge fund, hoping that people will use it to cover their assets during these troubling times."
"Here's the Krewe of Underwear's plan, Scribe," Float said. "They say the entire country will go into foreclosure and the People's Republic of China will take over the Capitol, coating all the monuments with red lead-based paint. Stimulus checks will thereafter be drawn from China's official state-run bank, WonTon Savings and Loin. On Great Wall Street, the foreclosure news will cause the Mao Jones Industrial Average to fall 669 points.
"Look," he continued, "there's Underwear's float. It looks like Uncle Sam is going down a toilet. You know, this is our second worst economy in history, but there ain't nothing so bad that you can't make fun of it. This krewe just wants to, uh, stimulate people into having fun at Mardi Gras, that's all.""Float, see these caveman costumes?" I asked. "It appears the Krewe of C.R.U.D.E. is going back in time and giving in to their sub-primal urges. And they're scrapping mules in favor of their float being pulled by unemployed bankers."
"No fluff in this naughty parade, Scribe. The stars always seem to align for them. They picked this stimulus package theme a long time ago. And, like one of their members said, 'Even the president is talking about us. It's strange how we get this publicity.'¤"
Rumors that the president is in the parade could not be confirmed or denied.Columnist Angus Lind can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com "
More of their Stimulus plans are revealed on the Krewe du Vieux website:
Reflecting national trends, Krewe du Vieux is wheeling and dealing with its own brand of economic incompetence. On February 7th, KdV will roll out its own STIMULUS PACKAGE that includes substantial "Investments in Stocks & Bondage" and a bailout plan for "D&D Cock Market Investment Spankers." In a "Salute to Trickle Down Economics" Krewe du Vieux's crack economic team, advised by the investment firm of "Schmeckel and Shekel's Foreskins and Foreclosures," promises to "Extend the Guard" and "Go Down With Uncle Sam."


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Some questions on Dr Patrick Tan's NS stint
By now, most people have already heard about Dr Patrick Tan's NS stint which recently raised eyebrows all over cyberspace given that he served in a special capacity. So let me add on to that. Some of what will be discussed here has already been raised in an email sent to Mohd Nizam who would be meeting Dr Patrick Tan on Friday. Here's some background and intro to who Mohd Nizam is. I didn't expect Mr Nizam to publicise the email, which he did after informing me and somehow it ended up on TR with the contributor identified as Curious here.
Here are some preliminary background information on which this post is based. Dr Patrick Tan's CV is found here and his press release is archived here. I'm not including the press statement by Dr Tony Tan himself because he says nothing apart from that he's "deeply disappointed" with rumours.
Warning: This will be a long post. It's hard to keep it short when there are so many questions.
Let's begin with the original reply by Dr Tony Tan's office which started it all.
On medical school choice
Dr Tony Tan's office, in his original reply says that Patrick Tan's disruption is no different from other medical students who also got to disrupt. But of course this is a highly misleading reply. Firstly, in the 1980s not everyone got to disrupt even if they made it to study medicine. MINDEF had tightened the disruption policy two years earlier, in 1986 as shown here. Pursuant to this, it should be noted that MINDEF does indeed selectively disrupt NSFs (after serving for 6 months only) to study medicine abroad prior to 1991 when policy finally changed. So Dr Patrick Tan belonged to a highly exclusive group of Singaporeans who were selectively allowed to disrupt for overseas medical studies. Dr Patrick Tan seems to be aware of this exclusivity given that he says he had to make his case to MINDEF:
I made my case to the Ministry of Defence and was granted permission to pursue this course of study.
However, Dr Patrick Tan did not appear to have studied in a medical school which was recognised by the Singapore Government then. As pointed out by an SBF forumer (Doctor Evil) here, Dr Patrick Tan studied in Stanford medical school. Stanford was formally recognised as an approved overseas medical training college only in 2003, after Dr Patrick Tan had left service. Why was Dr Patrick Tan allowed to take up medical studies as a student in a yet un-recognised school when his disruption was granted on grounds that he would be studying medicine abroad? The fact that Stanford remained unrecognised until Dr Patrick Tan left service effectively meant he could not undergo the Medical Officer Cadet Course (MOCC) to become a medical officer (MO) when he returned from Stanford in 2000 to do his NS. However since Stanford was recognised in 2003, it's entirely possible for him to undergo MOCC for his reservist in-camp training (ICT). In fact some medical student graduates I know who did not get to disrupt to study medicine in NUS, but only finished medical school after NS had to go for MOCC so they could serve their reservist as an MO. Yet there's no indication in Dr Patrick Tan's reply that he had actually done so, since he remained as a 3rd Sargeant and never got promoted to Captain for his NS ICTs. Why is this so?
Update: I've struck out the above because a commenter, Criticalist, pointed out that Dr Patrick Tan's alma mater where he got his MD qualifications has long been recognised (since 1971) as a approved overseas medical training school. The question now becomes: Why didn't Dr Patrick Tan do his MOCC when he returned from Stanford to finish his national service? Why was he allowed to remain a non-MO? How is Dr Patrick Tan able to choose the medical research path before he completes his NS and not be forced into compulsory clinical practice for the duration of his NS like every other doctors? Anyone here would like to clarify this?
On the NS disruption and scholarships
Some people argued that disruption is usually granted for outstanding individuals, even if it means a 12-year stint for overseas Bachelors and MD-PhD. I'm well aware that medical schools in the US are graduate schools who take in graduates only, so a basic degree is necessary before admission, and that Dr Patrick Tan's 8-year term spent doing his MD PhD is not unusual since it's the norm. Those shouldn't be issues. This was something I myself was mistaken on until others had clarified.
The question that should be asked was when exactly the disruption was granted. As explained in two previous posts, an ST article from 20th Aug 1988 here clearly states that Dr Patrick Tan could not make it for the photo-op where the four other President Scholars gathered the previous day. He was already in Harvard when that happened. So the crucial question to ask is this: When exactly was the young Patrick Tan awarded the President Scholarship? Was he disrupted before he was notified on the President Scholarship? Did his application for disruption take his President Scholarship award into account? Or was it based solely on the other scholarship (Loke Cheng Kim)? When was Patrick Tan awarded the Loke Cheng Kim scholarship?
Furthermore while many commenters elsewhere have said they knew individuals who were allowed to disrupt NS to do their Masters or PhD. But it seems progressively harder to disrupt when you are aiming higher up (harder for PhD than for BSc/BA) and treatment was not granted uniformly. For example, some people say they know of PSC scholars who did PhD after they disrupted NS successfully to do their Bachelors. But unlike all PSC scholars, Dr Patrick Tan was not bonded and hence was not a PSC scholar. It seems that PSC scholars who disrupted were bonded since almost all (if not all) PSC scholarships are bonded. By contrast, the Loke Cheng Kim scholarship is one of the very few scholarships which carry no bond at all:
The Foundation's Scholarship is one of the few in Singapore which carry no bonding requirement.
So if it's not accurate to say that he disrupted to study medicine overseas since he didn't attend a recognised medical institution, it must be due entirely to his exceptional achievements, since one can't use the fact that such scholars are bonded because Dr Patrick himself was not bonded by any of his scholarships, including President's Scholar.
Other less fortunate exceptional individuals
However, it seems the policy for exceptional individuals have not been applied uniformly. Consider this other exceptional individual who wrote in to ST Forum in 2001, someone who represented Singapore at age 17 for the International Maths Olympiad. While he was granted an NS deferment for his bachelors at Carnegie Mellon, he was made to agree in writing that no further deferment would be granted for PhD at MIT. The result? This outstanding individual gave up his Singapore PR and took up American citizenship so he could do his PhD at MIT. The only difference between Dr Patrick Tan and himself is that there's no indication he was a scholar. Why wasn't this individual, unlike Dr Patrick Tan, granted a further deferment for his PhD?
Other outstanding and talented individuals, such as this violinist prodigy Ike See in 2006, was forced to change his course from a three-year to a two-year diploma so that he could defer NS. In other words, they didn't always get what they wanted and had to compromise their own demands to accommodate MINDEF, who may later allow them to disrupt on less favourable terms than they might have liked. Was there any indication Dr Patrick Tan had to compromise on what he had sought in order to get disrupted?
And the most ironic thing about Ike See's application for disruption? Curtis music school, the article notes, is the music world's equivalent of Oxford or Stanford, the latter of which was attended by Dr Patrick Tan:
Curtis is like the Oxbridge or Stanford of the music world. You have to compete with people from around the world for a place there.
Some other puzzling things and questions
Now, in Dr Patrick Tan's CV, it states that he was granted the Loke Cheng Kim scholarship and President's Scholar in 1987. Now that's a curious thing. 'A' Level results are typically released only in the year after the candidate has sat for them. So how could he have been awarded the two scholarships in 1987 especially when news reports say he was awarded in 1988?
Another puzzling thing is that Dr Patrick Tan says that he was attached to DMERI for his NS:
I was attached to what is now the Defence Medical and Environmental Research Institute (DMERI, then called DMRI) to research Burkholderia pseudomallei, the bacterium that causes melioidosis.
Now there's a big difference between being posted to DMERI and being attached there. If he was attached, what was his parent unit? In other words, what was he supposed to be doing if he wasn't attached out?
Some closing thoughts. Some people might say that this is a personal attack on Dr Tony Tan and his family. Let me emphasise here that it is not. It's a separate issue. Accordingly I have avoided mentioning Dr Tony Tan for much of the discussion above. This issue has taken a life of its own independent of Dr Tony Tan's presidential campaign. In fact it has even inspired a letter to the ST Forum which called for MINDEF to explicitly spell out and clarify the NS deferment/disruption criteria. It's unfortunate, though, that this surfaced only when Dr Tony Tan decided to run for president.
PAP apologists and Dr Tony Tan's defenders have been quick to argue that being close to the PAP and the establishment's inner circle for many years should not automatically disqualify Tony Tan as a presidential candidate. Professional qualifications and attitudes, they say should be the only criteria considered rather than political independence.
Likewise the same people should not be so quick to dismiss questions about Dr Patrick Tan's NS stint just because his father happens to be the target of politically motivated criticism. Let the issue be judged on its own merits, just as the PE candidates should be.
21 Responses
Great, balanced article on this issue (as opposed to some I've read thus far).
There are some points I'd like to raise in response to yours. With regards to the medical school choice, I found a document on the SMC website entitled "List of Registrable Basic Medical Qualifications" found here http://www.smc.gov.sg/html/1258947022911.html which listed "Harvard Medical School" for MD, and "Stanford University School of Medicine" for MD, as added to the Schedule in 1971. If that link is not available, try the google docs version. This would seem to indicate that Stanford and Harvard were both valid schools at the point when Patrick Tan applied for it.
Also, note that Patrick attended his pre-med at Stanford, although his MD-PhD program was at Harvard. In the news article you cited, he was "already in Harvard" when the photo op occurred. Note Harvard and not Stanford where he obtained his BA. It may well be, then, that the scholarships he obtained apply to Harvard as the primary school where he obtains his MD, as opposed to Stanford. Finally, whether the school is listed in the medical registration list, I suspect, is independent on whether he obtained a scholarship for that school. Should he choose, for example, NOT to practice medicine in Singapore (ie as a General Practitioner or specialist etc), he need not register with the SMC for the Provisional or Conditional registration. In other words, because he has decided to pursure a research path rather than practitioner path, the school he attended need not be in the SMC Schedule. It just means he can't practice medicine, but he can still do medical research. Indeed a search through the SMC's Register of medical practitioners for Patrick Tan or Tan Boon Ooi shows that he is NOT registered.
If this is the case, that whether the school is recognised or not has no bearing on his scholarship (which is for a research degree) or his disruption, would that raise questions about your second point about his disruption?
Having said that, I know, of a PSC scholar who went to Oxford and is bonded upon his completion of his Bachelors studies. He turned out to be the top student of his cohort and was highly praised in the dept, and he wanted to pursue a PhD there with the university's blessings. He applied for a deferment of his bond in order to pursue a PhD but was rejected. He returned to complete his bond and I have to wonder, how his career path would be very different if he had been deferred to do his PhD and returned to SG to do leading research. While this example is different, I can only hazard a guess that because Patrick Tan was given a scholarship for an MD-PhD programme, the scholarship was for the full duration of the programme and hence to disrupt him at any time before that programme was completed would not have made sense. Think of it as a through-train programme which may not allow for a disruption on the school side.
What might be asked, however, was why was he not given a scholarship purely for an MD degree, and thereafter to return to complete his NS, and should he wish to pursue a PhD afterwards, to apply for a separate scholarship which I have no doubt he'd be able to obtain easily given his abilities. Sure, the MD-PhD is highly selective (Harvard lists 150 per cohort) but it is also twice the duration of a standard scholarship.
I should also add that while Patrick's case might have surfaced possible preferential treatment of the children of ministers, we need to ask the broader question rather than dwell on a single case. And that question is of the many ministers that have children around Patrick's age (plus/minus 10 years), how many received preferential treatment in terms of their national service? Unless this is systemic (note, after all, hardly any mention of Tony Tan's other son), we are pursuing this matter as a form of character assassination of his father, much like the Vincent Wijeysingha's character assassination attempt during the GE.
Let's be clear what the clarification of Patrick's case hope to achieve, which should really be about possible preferential treatment of elite children.
Patrick Tan went to Harvard for his BA, not Stanford. His MD/PhD was from Stanford.
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Dr Patrick Tan couldn't serve as an MO because he did not complete the 1-year residency requirement. HE got his MD in 2000. Had he taken done his residency and USMLE, he would have needed another year before coming back.Since he was not a licensed doctor in the US, he could not qualify for conditional registration with the SMC.
I forgot to add, according to http://www.smc.gov.sg/PRSCPDS/scripts/profSearch/profframe.jsp, Patrick Tan Boon Ooi is not a registered medical doctor.
Beats me. I am also curious why he did not attempt the one-year residency. My suspicions are that he simply presented a fait accompli to Mindef and they had to lan-lan accept him as a non-MO given that you-know-who was at the top of the Mindef food chain. I know of people who dropped out of the medical course in NUS and went back to serve in combat units as officers/specs.
Viewed against the backdrop of today's ST front page news of a young NS man who has died in training, Dr Tan and his son (and those like him, and those in Mindef) ought to take a good look at themselves in good conscience and repent, and desist from perpetuating Animal Farm's "some-pigs-have-two-legs" kind of social injustice; and stop defending the indefensible.
As someone who has served 3 years of full time NS, and 13 years in Reserve, who risked life and limb in training, who has seen young men coming home from overseas training in "boxes", visited young men in blood-drenched army fatigues in hospital, Dr Tony Tan, Dr Patrick Tan and MINDEF's self indulgent letters sickens me to the bone. Makes me want to vomit…
First Batch National Serviceman.
At the end of the day, is it still doubtful that
officialdom had ipso facto bent over backwards to accommodate PT?
If it is the truth, even an UGLY truth, it is most NOT character assassination.
Let the truth come out.
We can all handle it.
1: Patrick Tan's Bachelor degree in Harvard is not a medical degree, in his own word, it is a pre-medical study.
So the question is, does Mindef based on the medical need (soil disease) to grant him the deferment?
His study in Harvard:
1992 Graduated summa cum laude (Highest Honors), Harvard University
And all Harvard Medical School's degrees are here:
2: Patrick Tan study for Ph.D is from 1992-2000 in his CV, however, in the same CV, his graduate thesis is completed in 1998. Is there a two-year gap?
1998 Charles Yanofsky Award for Most Outstanding Graduate Thesis, Stanford University
Patrick Tan's online CV
We know this is his graduate thesis because this is his own statement in media:
"I graduated with the Charles Yanofsky Award for most outstanding graduate thesis in biology or chemistry.
'After graduating from Stanford, I returned to Singapore in 2000 ready to complete my national service in whatever post I was assigned.
In the same statement, he did clearly clarify that in 1992 there is no time gap, then why he ignored the gap in 1998-2000?
"I attended Harvard University (late 1988-1992) for pre-medical studies and moved on directly without interruption to Stanford University"
I just read PT's CV on your link. It says that he obtained the President's Scholarship in 1988 (instead of 1987 as you alluded to above). That said, there was no mention of the Loke Cheng Kim scholarship in his CV (under the section "Honors and Awards"), which is puzzling. One would naturally want to highlight every single award/honour in one's CV.
You may want to revised your article.
Re the 'missing years' of 1998-2000, if you look at the training sequence for the current Harvard MD-PhD (link here: http://www.hms.harvard.edu/md_phd/program/training_sequence.html) 2 additional years are required for the course, after the thesis was successfully defended and passed.The 2 years included clerkship, electives, 'match residency', further research. A similar structure exists in the Stanford MD-PhD program where post-thesis, clerkship and additional research continues for 2 more years.
I think MINDEF should clarify on the specifics of disruption for medical studies, particularly if the disruption is permitted ONLY if the outcome is that one returns as a registered practitioner (of which Patrick was not), or if disruption is permitted in a broader sense – so long as the nature of the degree(s) is for medical studies/research. This is unclear in this particular context.
Finally, the public CV that Patrick has might not be the complete CV. That is common practice. A local scholarship received post-A-levels rapidly pale in comparison to international research standing vis-a-vis his publications.
Pre-med, even if it is at Harvard, is NOT medical school. It's just another undergraduate degree. Sure, one can apply to medical school following completion of pre-med, but there is no compulsion to do so, nor is there a guarantee that one would be admitted to medical school thereafter.
A local analogy would be for a NSF to be disrupted simply because he intends/hopes to enroll in the Duke-NUS medical programme or NUS MBBS-PhD programme AFTER completing his undergraduate degree (which may be non-medical). Similarly, there is neither the compulsion nor the guarantee that the latter will happen. If this were the case, anyone who has an offer of an undergraduate place in any university would qualify for disruption…
Furthermore, as alluded to earlier, 12 years is a mighty long time for disruption of NS liability… I'm just wondering if anyone else has managed to top that number?
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the whole point of allowing deferment for medical studies is for the person to serve as MO during active nsf. his research on meloidosis can be done concurrently with his being a MO or someone else can do it all together. it is obviously unfair to allow deferment and then not serve as MO. surely during reservist patrick should be made to serve as MO as there was a shortage that drs not allowed to defer during nsf had to convert to MO during reservist? his CV did not list any housemanship so is he a registered medical dr or not??how can he be allowed to defer so long without being fully registered ?? this is blatantly unfair.his nsf was 3 months bmt 3 months of ocs junior term then 2years of "serving " in a civilian company ie civilian life.other drs have to go out field training while he is in air con comfort. there are plenty of drs in singpaore more qualified to do research on meloidosis than him.
I was initially upset with long disruption of Dr. Patrick Tan but after mulling through it, I think perhaps there may be issues surrounding his disruption and research that cannot be openly discussed because of various security or national/ regional sensitivities. Meliodosis is a bio-terrorism agent and was used in the two world wars and most recently in Afghanistan. I read up more about it in the following article:http://www.bordeninstitute.army.mil/published_volumes/biological_warfare/BW-ch07.pdf (reference to singapore and the use of meliodosis for bio-terrorism on pg 149-150)
In fact, if you google meliodosis AND bioterrorism AND singapore, you will find lots of interesting articles to read. Hope this is relevant to the discussion.
One angle that has not been looked at here is that National Service does not stop after two or two-and-a-half years: that is just the full-time (NSF) part of National Service.
How about the NSMan part? I am interested to know whether he was called up after he finally completed his NSF stint: was he served SAF100, whether he had to do IPPT every year, whether he was subject to mobilization manning, etc.?
Did he get his MR letter?
The Straits Times on page A7 today ( friday 26th August) states that prior to 1992, Mindef allowed disruption for NSFs to obtain their medical degrees before serving out their NS liabiility. Their records show that 86 NSFs were allowed disruption for overseas medical studies.
What I would like to know is the number of years these 86 NSFs were disrupted for their medical studies and how many of these 86 NSFs were allowed a 2nd disruption for them to pursue their post graduate degrees or specialist qualifications. If some or most of the 86 NSFs were disrupted for 12 years or so to complete their postgraduate or specialist qualifications, then clearly, Dr Tony Tan would be vindicated because " they are all lies".
It is clear that Mindef's disruption policy should not favor white horses. If the facts show that only one of these 86 NSFs was disrupted for 12 years and the rest for 8 years or less, then I would like to hear some explanations for preferential treatment of white horses.
The Straits Times said that Dr Tony Tan was defence minister "between 1995 and 2003" during which Dr Patrick Tan returned to serve out the remainder of his NS. I have difficult in faulting Mindef's deployment policy when Dr Patrick Tan returned in 2000. He could not be deployed as medical officer because he did not commence his houseman training ( ?) despite being disrupted for 12 years. I suppose he could be deployed as a medical support staff in the SAF but it would be a waste of his training. Who knows, he could achieve a medical breakthrough during the year of so left of his NS. As long as the officer in charge of deployment had no interference from his boss and did not receive any benefits, I think the research posting is reasonable.
Lastly, does anyone know why Mindef's disruption policy for overseas medical studies was changed after 1992?