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Ipratropium helps keep the tubes in the
lungs (bronchial tubes) from narrowing.
Anticholinergics begin to
work within 15 minutes. They work best after 1 to 2 hours, usually last 3 to 4
hours, and sometimes last up to 6 hours. Anticholinergic medicines can be taken
by using an
inhaler or a
Anticholinergics are sometimes used
along with bronchodilators to improve breathing when inflammation or lots of
mucus in the lungs makes it hard to breathe.
Anticholinergics do not work for
all people who have
cystic fibrosis. More research is needed to know just
how well they work for people who have cystic fibrosis.
All medicines have side effects. But many people don't feel the side effects, or they are able to deal with them. Ask your pharmacist about the side effects of each medicine you take. Side effects are also listed in the information that comes with your medicine.
Here are some important things to think about:
Call 911 or other emergency services right away if you have:
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Side effects are rare with inhaled
ipratropium but can include:
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug
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If you have the eye disease
glaucoma, talk with an eye doctor before you start
taking anticholinergics. People who have glaucoma may need to be watched more
closely while they are taking these medicines.
Medicine is one of the many tools your doctor has to treat a health problem. Taking medicine as your doctor suggests will improve your health and may prevent future problems. If you don't take your medicines properly, you may be putting your health (and perhaps your life) at risk.
There are many reasons why people have trouble taking their medicine. But in most cases, there is something you can do. For suggestions on how to work around common problems, see the topic Taking Medicines as Prescribed.
If you are pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning to get pregnant, do not use any medicines unless your doctor tells you to. Some medicines can harm your baby. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbs, and supplements. And make sure that all your doctors know that you are pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning to get pregnant.
Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take.
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HQ entry-level kites are noted primarily for their sturdy design. They are sewn from light and strong ripstop nylon and the rods are made of almost unbreakable fibre glass. The setup is simple and the flying properties are gentle. They can be flown reliably even by beginners in a wide wind range. The pull moderate but solid, the flying speed doesn't overpower the flyer. Comes Ready to fly with lines. We have upgrade the lines on this quality Beginner kite!
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Tonight VH1 Classic will air Black Oak Arkansas: 40 Years of Heaven, Hell N' High Water, a documentary about the wild antics and unlikely return of the high-energy boogie rockers. Led by long-haired and bare-chested frontman Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, the group were among the top concert draws of the mid-1970s before label and management troubles derailed them.
The band was part of the Southern rock explosion, kicked off by The Allman Brothers Band, taken to full fruition by Lynyrd Skynyrd and carried on to this present day in the music of The Black Crowes and the Tedeschi Trucks Band. It takes a hard-man to sing a sweet song and though the music had a melodic edge, influenced by the region's soul and country music roots, these hirsute he-man were often just as handy with their fists as with their instruments. These were tough working class rockers and had the physiques to prove it so take a look at 10 of Southern rock's most foremost dudes.
[Photo Credits: Getty Images]


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The "changing of the guards" at J&B Foods will take place in late December with, from left, Dan Zimmerman named store director and founders Jeff Hensel and Bob Hensel assuring "a seamless transition." Hugo's chief executive officer is Kristi Magnuson-Nelson, chief operating officer is Curtis Zahrt and Scott Van Camp is the senior director of perishables. Hugo's stores are located in Grand Forks (four), Jamestown and Grafton, N.D. Minnesota sites are Crookston, East Grand Forks, Thief River Falls and – now – Park Rapids. (Jean Ruzicka / Enterprise)
Read the article: Hello, Hugo's; farewell, Jeff and Bob


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A different angle on understanding body acceptance, human sexuality and bisexual men.
Suppose you start with a clean slate. Suppose our many religions never got into the anti-sex business. Suppose it wouldn't occur to us to tell young boys their penises are naughty and should always be covered. Wash away all the lifelong indoctrinations, the prejudices and the nurtured guilt. You would have a society where men could feel good about their own thoughts and see the world through a natural prism.
Such societies do exist, though they exist in the world's remotest jungles. These people haven't been taught to be ashamed of their bodies. They live their lives without clothes. I wonder how they perceive same-sex attractions. Not that I see these primitive worlds as dreamy Utopias. Who would want to give up electric lights and the Internet? I'm saying if we're not taught that certain things come naturally, such as body acceptance and diversity in human sexuality, we could live our lives naturally. We could take off all our clothes at public beaches, play in the surf naked, enjoy our bodies with all their unique nuances, and the bodies of others without guilt or shame.
Men would not be frowned upon, mocked or threatened for thoughts that come to them naturally. The inherent desire for an intimate relationship with other men found in the majority of us would not be suppressed, or denied, or condemned. No, I don't believe most men would be out pursuing intimacy with other men. Most would still be pursuing women. They would still have a desire to spend their lives with a woman, make a home and have children. But since their minds have been cleansed of the ancient and tiresome dogmas, certain circumstances bring on thoughts and ideas.
Two guys, coworkers, plan a camping weekend together, for example. They end up finding a spot in a seclude cove. They've been fishing all morning. It's gotten hot so they decide to go for a swim. Off comes their clothes and they dive into the water, splash around and engage in a little horseplay. Neither has ever had a same-sex experience, nor have they sought one; yet the nudity, the close proximity, the inadvertent touching where they've never touched or been touched before becomes the catalyst for two erections. Certain curiosities evolve in their minds. Camaraderie and laughter turns into thoughtful gazes. Each realizes that he finds the other attractive, for a man that is. "Have you ever …" one asks the other, which opens the door for a little mutual exploring. Before day's end, a friendship has reached a new level.
To carry the example a little further: as the weekend draws to a close, both men go home to their wives. Typically, based on testimonial I've read, these men returned to home with a heightened appreciation for their wives, a rekindled awareness of how much they love the women they married, yet they feel somewhat different about themselves, more rounded, more connected to life. It was a weekend a new memory was born, a weekend that brought Continue readingPin It


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I fear a "nano" gremlin has interfered with your reported spending on nanotech risk-related research (11 February, p 7). Recent estimates of government-funded nanotechnology risk research lie between $15 million and $40 million per year worldwide - a far cry from the reported $800 million.
Is this enough? I guess it depends on how serious we are about developing safe nanotechnologies. It is perhaps more useful to ask, "Is the right research being funded?" Sadly, there isn't much evidence that it is.
From Paul Reeve
Nanotechnology promises huge steps forward in materials, computing, energy and medicine - but we have seen wonder materials before, such as CFCs and asbestos, that fell because the basic hazards were too great. Even some investment companies are issuing warnings to the effect that stakeholders are trying to run before they have tied their shoelaces.
Of course, nanotechnology may be benign, but we should not ...
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The comfort of a Louis XV armchair, the integrated sound stylings of your iPod. the Amadeus Sound System is a black lacquer/ upholstered Louis 15th chair with integrated speakers, amplifier and a pocket for your iPod. Found on MocoLoco#2218
Great ad from Philips: Shaven John Doe explains the benefits of "shaving everywhere." Reminds me of Ms. Dewey a bit.#2213
The Dish Up ceramic dinnerware creates partitions for your food, and their unique flat edge allows them to be stored vertically.#2209
Stainless Steel Credit card subway map for NY! Pretty handy. Where's the one for SF..?#2204


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Mr Scargill had gone to court over expenses he claimed were owed to him by a trust fund set up by the National Union of Miners
A BRAVE member of the public stands up to hoodies looting a shop – but is sprayed in the face with a fire extinguisher.
This is the shocking moment a Seattle police officer punches a 17-year-old girl in the face as he tries to arrest people for jaywalking.
Connections of Sandbar are hoping the decision to supplement the filly will be rewarded in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) at Chantilly tomorrow.
Golfer Mary Tattersall is believed to be the oldest woman in Britain to score a hole-in-one - at the age of 90.
SINGING legend Gene Pitney was found dead in his hotel bed yesterday hours after receiving a standing ovation at the latest show on his British tour.
THE launch of the space shuttle Discovery was scrapped yesterday just two hours before lift-off.
CHRIS SENIOR scored a late winner to earn relegation-threatened Scarborough a precious 2-1 victory at Aldershot.
MORECAMBE recovered from their Gravesend horror show by recording a dramatic 2-1 victory.
Last-gasp strike a blow for Boro Scarborough 2 2 Woking


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Stone: "I'm the aggrieved party" in attack ad campaign
March 30, 2011
50th Ward Alderman Bernard Stone testified under oath Wednesday that he had no idea his reelection campaign was paying an outside committee to attack his opponent. Stone testified in a public hearing at the Illinois State Board of Elections as part of an investigation into Concerned Citizens of the 50th Ward, a political action committee that originally filed as independent of any candidate. But Stone's campaign manager, Abrar "Adam" Quader, admitted he directed about $13,000 from the Bernard L. Stone Campaign Committee to pay for mailers, robocalls, and other communications that explicitly attacked Debra Silverstein, Stone's opponent in this year's city council race. Quader said he was responsible for the content of those materials and for the funding of the PAC, even though its papers were filed under the name of a 22-year old student at Truman College.
The Board investigation was prompted by a complaint by David Lifsics, a volunteer with the Silverstein campaign. Debra Silverstein has complained in several interviews about the shadowy organization that blitzed ward residents one week before the February 22 election. Prior to Lifisics's complaint, the shadowy organization had not filed any financial disclosure forms, as required by the State Board of Elections. It also did not establish a bank account to accept contributions until after the complaint was filed. Its chairman, political science student Erik Avila, said all its funds came from the Bernard L Stone Campaign Committee. Avila said Concerned Citizens of the 50th Ward still has between $15,000 and $16,000 debt.
But under oath Wednesday, Stone said he was the victim in this matter. "What I'm saying here is that I'm the aggrieved party. Money was misdirected, my instructions were not followed." Stone blamed Quader, saying Quader had led him to believe that the checks were being used to pay for mailings directly from his campaign.
Stone also told reporters that he was hurt by the signs produced by Concerned Citizens of the 50th Ward, because they showed his name alongside that of Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel.
This race, which has gone to a run-off, has become a tight one. Stone has held the seat for almost 38 years, and argues his experience is more critical than ever because the city's budget troubles are mounting and Chicago will see new leadership under Emanuel and a slate of new city council members. But many in the ward point to its physical appearance and say it has deteriorated under Stone, and that they're ready for someone new. Silverstein, a certified public accountant, has latched onto that sentiment in her campaign. A political newcomer herself, Silverstein still brings significant political power to her bid from her husband, Ira Silverstein. Ira Silverstein is the area's state senator, as well as the 50th ward's Democratic committeeman. That has concerned some ward residents, who worry too much power would be concentrated in one family.
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Nehru family always maintained relationship with Gujjar community: Vakil
Filed Under: Politics, World | Posted: 01/05/2013 at 5:58AM
Comments | Region: India
Mr. Vakil expressed concern over neglecting the Gujjar areas of the State on the development sector and appealed Chief Minister to take personal interest in the development of the areas where the Gujjars and Bakerwals live. He said money is not problem as the centre is providing liberal funding in every sector with the aim to improve the socio-economic condition of the poor people of the State and especially the people living in far flung areas, added Vakil.
Addressing the convention Ex. MP and Sr. Congress leader Janak Raj Gupta said that Congress has always advocated for equitable development of all the three regions of the State as it will strengthen the bond of unity and integrity. He expressed concern over the revelations made by Ex. PSC Member and demanded immediate enquiry into the matter.
Besides others who addressed the gathering include Sr. Congress Leader and MLC Haji Ali Mohammad Bhat, Jugal Kishore Sharma MLC, Balwinder Singh Sambyal President J&K Sevadal Congress, Jugal Kishore Sharma Sr. Vice President INTUC, Vipin Nischal Jammu Chief Congress Sevadal Urban, Sr. Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Patel, Nissar Ahmad Khan, Youth Congress Leader Chibber and Gujjar Student Front leaders.


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2013 Women's Cross Country Season in Review
Dec. 26, 2013
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Fighting Illini women's cross country team saw some big changes between the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Four seniors graduated from last year's squad, including All-Region honoree Courtney Yaeger, and after the departure of sixth-year head coach Jeremy Rasmussen, the team was without a head coach with just weeks remaining until the start of the season.
Then, on Aug. 19, 11 days before the first meet of the season, Illinois chose Scott Jones to lead the program. Jones, who served as an assistant track coach at Illinois from 1994-96, returned to Illinois after spending 17 seasons at The University of Akron, including five as the head women's cross country coach. The two-time MAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year inherited an experienced squad, including 2012 All-Region honoree Alyssa Schneider. The Illini also returned Amanda Fox, Katie Porada, Rachel Irion, Chloe Schmidt and Lindsey Rakosnik, who all have postseason experience.
The Orange and Blue started off strong, opening the season with their first Illini Challenge title since 2006. Four of the top five finishers were wearing Orange and Blue, led by Schneider. The Bartlett, Ill., native finished first overall with a time of 14:24, while Porada ran unattached and finished close behind, setting a new personal best 4K time of 14:36. Amanda Fox placed third, while Schmidt (15:00) and Natalie Wynn (15:05) also set personal bests to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
Illinois returned to action at the Boilermaker Invitational, a 6K race held at the site of the 2013 Big Ten Championships, and finished fourth. Schneider led the squad for the second meet in a row, finishing fifth overall with a time of 21:34.9. Fox, Wynn, newcomers Audrey Blazek and Hanna Winter, and Britten Petrey all scored points for the Illini.
Next, the Illini traveled to South Bend, Ind. for the Notre Dame Invitational. The Illini faced their toughest competition yet, as the 5K race featured eight nationally ranked teams among the 24-team field. Illinois placed 15th while Schneider continued her streak, finishing first for the Illini and placing 17th with a time of 17:30. Following Schneider were Porada, Fox, and Stephanie Morgan, who scored points for the Illini in her first meet of the season.
After a brief break, the Fighting Illini were back at it for a pair of meets Oct. 18-19. Seven runners traveled to Terre Haute, Ind. for the Pre-National Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 19, while a group of eight traveled to Peoria, Ill. on Oct. 18 for the Bradley Classic. The team competed in the White Race of the Pre-National Invitational and finished in fourth place. The 6K race was held at the site of the 2013 NCAA Championships and featured a 35-team field. Individually, Schneider led the Illini for the fourth consecutive meet, finishing eighth with a time of 21:09. Porada crossed the finish line next for the Illini with a time of 21:43 to place 20th, while Fox finished right behind to place 21st and Winter and Blazek each set new personal-bests. The Illini also had runners compete at the Bradley Classic the same weekend. Rachel Irion led the squad, and was among six Illini to set a personal-best on the day.
The Orange and Blue hosted the Illini Open on Oct. 25 at the UI Arboretum to close out the regular season, and finished with 84 points for the 5K race. Porada won the individual title, and was named the Big Ten Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Week for her efforts, the first of her career. The Clarendon Hills, Ill. native finished 47 seconds ahead of the next Big Ten competitor.
The Illini opened the championship portion of the season on Nov. 3 when they traveled to West Lafayette, Ind. for the Big Ten Championships. Illinois finished in ninth place, with Schneider continuing to lead the way for the Illini, placing 28th overall. Porada, Fox, Winter, and Petrey all scored points for the squad.
After the Big Ten Championships, seven Illini made the trip to Ames, Iowa to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Illini finished in eighth place, with Schneider, Fox, Porada, Winter, and Morgan scoring points for the squad. Schneider ran the fourth-fastest 6K time in school history to earn All-Region honors and qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career. Her fifth place finish was the highest for an Illini since Angela Bizzarri won the individual crown in 2009.
Schneider closed out the season for the Illini at the NCAA National Championships. She ran against 253 other competitors and finished 93rd with a 6K time of 21:16.3. It was Schneider's first time competing in the national meet, and the first time an individual on Illinois has qualified for the championships since 2009.
With only two seniors graduating from this year's squad, the Illini will return eight runners with postseason experience. Alyssa Schneider, Amanda Fox, Hanna Winter, Rachel Irion, and Audrey Blazek all competed at regionals this season, while Lindsey Rakosnik and Chloe Schmidt competed at the 2012 NCAA Midwest Regionals.


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Concussions reaching epidemic levels
According to the Sports Concussion Institute, 10% of high school athletes suffer a concussion each season. Concussion rates have nearly doubled in the last decade and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared the millions of sports-related concussions that happen each year an epidemic.
Saint Michael's Foundation and staff at Ministry Sport Medicine Center are raising awareness surrounding concussions through the work of ImPACT. With the financial support of the Foundation through a grant, baseline testing is offered free to those athletes attending schools covered by Ministry Sports Medicine. An estimated 1500 local high school and junior high school aged athletes could reap the positive health benefits from ImPACT if they all participated. Pictured from L-R: Dan Kraeger, DO, Angie Heuck, Foundation Director, Jodi Waltenberg, ATC and Dennis Kaster, PT accepting a donation from the foundation to fund baseline ImPACT testing.
ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is a computer program used to measure aspects of brain function sensitive to concussion. It used by high schools across the nation as well as professional sports such as the NFL, NBA, and NASCAR.
Since 2009, over 127 student athletes went to Ministry Point Sports Medicine for concussion follow-up.
"Although we began using ImPACT in 2009, we have been doing cognitive testing for close to 10 years," stated Dr. Dan Kraeger, Credentialed ImPACT Consultant and sports medicine specialist at Ministry Sport Medicine. "We are in our second year with ImPACT and this year we doubled the number of athletes that came to us for follow up care. It's making a difference."
The consequences of returning to play too soon and sustaining additional damage to the brain can be life-long and very debilitating. ImPACT testing can be done ahead of time and used as a comparison reference after an injury to determine if the brain is still impaired.
ImPACT testing service is also provided at Ministry Rehabilitation in Rhinelander and Tomahawk through the Sports Medicine program.
Follow-up evaluations are conducted at Ministry Medical Group in Tomahawk by Russell Sudbury, MD. Please call for an appointment at 715.453.7200.
Ministry Door County Medical Center also provides ImPACT testing service through their Sports Medicine Program. Please call Tina Koyen at 920.746.0410.
ImPACT testing is the most widely used computerized program in the world and is even used at the professional level. ImPACT testing is an assessment that tests player's cognitive abilities after a concussion, and helps determine if an athlete is ready for play again. The test takes about 20 minutes to complete and focuses on attention span, working memory, sustained and selective attention time, response variability, non-verbal problem solving, and reaction time. It is important for athletes to get the test done to ensure proper recovery to avoid the long term effect of a concussion or from getting a second concussion. Testing should take place 24-72 hour after the injury, and then in weekly intervals until the player is asymptomatic.
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THE Swapo Party refused a request by the Public Servants Committee (PSC) to discuss the missing millions of the Government Institutions Pension Fund at its weekend congress because the agenda was already decided three months ago.
In its petition the Public Servants Committee wanted the missing public pension money amounting to more than N$660 million to be discussed at the congress, and for the congress to bar any Swapo member implicated in the scandal from standing for any position.
They also wanted Swapo to take a position on those implicated to be denied any government contracts.
Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, who until the weekend was still secretary general of the party, yesterday called on the PSC and the public to exercise patience and to allow the law to take its course.
Iivula-Ithana also said the request to put the GIPF issue on the congress agenda could not be entertained as it was made too late and did not follow the correct procedure.
"As a rule-based organisation, Swapo Party congress is organised in conformity with Article V (11) of the party's constitution, which requires that a notice and agenda of the congress is made known three months prior to congress," Iivula-Ithana said.
The PSC in its petition also wanted the party to put more pressure on the government to speed up the investigation of the GIPF missing millions and to charge those who failed to execute their duties in this regard.
"The GIPF-DCP funds issue is in the hands of the judiciary and as the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia provides for the separation of powers, neither Swapo Party, nor the Executive arm of government can interfere in this matter," said Iivula-Ithana.
Meanwhile, the PSC has registered a vote of no confidence in Prosecutor General Martha Imalwa for not seeing to the speedy conclusion of the matter, and demanded that the Judicial Service Commission approach President Hifikepunye Pohamba to immediately suspend all members of the judiciary implicated in or linked to the missing funds for personal enrichment.
The PSC, which is chaired by Adeline Black, questioned how prominent businesses and Swapo members had been able to access GIPF funds without any accountability, saying that the lack of attention and slow investigation into the disappearance of the GIPF funds should compel Swapo members to express themselves on the matter at the congress.
"This matter shall eventually be resolved," Iivula-Ithana said.


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It was back in the early 1990s (which, for my younger readers, was just after the Biblical Flood and just before the Italian Renaissance) when I had an epiphanic encounter with three obese people in a lift.
It was back in the early 1990s (which, for my younger readers, was just after the Biblical Flood and just before the Italian Renaissance) when I had an epiphanic encounter with three obese people in a lift.
Cannes, I believe, is in the wrong place.
Cannes shouldn't be in Cannes.
The ad festival is held hostage by the resort in terms of exorbitant and insultingly high prices and should really re-locate to somewhere else.
Well, the man-cold became man-flu. Forget bird flu or swine flu, what I had could knock an elephant off its feet.
Maybe it was tiger flu.
I had to cancel some lovely fee-paying gigs and duck out of an MTV party. Doing that in the same week I had to pay my taxes and take a faulty computer back to PC-world made me as cheerful as a client who's spent two million quid and got Turkey of the Week.
Or somebody who's just been described by Richard Keys as having Jamie Redknapp "hanging out the back" of them.
What could be worse than that ?
Harry Redknapp, I suppose.
But enough of that. What cheered me up was thinking back to a phone call with Adam Morgan the week before.
He was telling me about some new terminology heŌĆÖs got for various types of commercial messages. Including the delightful-soundingĀ "tools", "burps", and "jolts".
I think for a lot of us, the world of advertising can summed up using the very similar terminology ofĀ "tools", "berks", and "dolts".
But AdamŌĆÖs theory also involves the terms "worlds", "rides" and "gum". AndĀ I can't think of any amusing assonances for them.
It all made brilliant sense, but I won't give it all away now, because Adam has probably got another best-selling book brewing.
However, I do want to look at one thing he said which I thought was extremely provocative.
A few years ago, he read that Google was Britain's best-loved brand and so he decided to talk to them about marketing.
However, the answer came back: "we're kind of allergic to marketing".
Adam described this as an epiphany moment for him. A time when he realised that the worldŌĆÖs plates had realigned.
To a lesser man it might have seemed like "hang on a minute, has my entire career been a waste of space", but Adam is made of sterner stuff. He post-rationalised it into a theoryĀĀ – about how challenger brands have always used non-conventional marketing.
He's not one of the top 3 planners in the world for nothing.
Again, the theory will be available in a bookstore near you (or from me, for the price of a soya latte).
But what I loved was this idea of an epiphany.Ā A time when you suddenly realise that you have to change direction.
And then he asked me – what was your epiphany moment ?
In this particular context, my epiphany moment was interviewing the founder of Mumsnet and realising that you really, really didn't need paid-for media any more.
That you could have tons of fun co-creating brands with the very people you wanted to buy your brand.
But I'd like to throw in an earlier epiphany I've had which relates to all this.
(Honestly, some days it's one epiphany after another with me).
It was a conversation with Adam Lury in the first year of HHCL when he told me: "Don't think 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Fix it regardless – it's going to get broken soon anyway."
It was his way of saying – keep embracing change, for its own sake, all the time.
The brilliant Oliver Burkeman was writing about this topic in Saturday's Guardian.
He referred to the latest jargon in business coachingĀ – the hideous-sounding ŌĆśvuja deŌĆÖ. What that means is – keep seeing things with new eyes, as if you've never seen them before.
Read more on What happens when you mix Nurofen, Benylin and Sudafed ?…


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As I mentioned in today's Best Sex Links, today is Veteran's Day.
We've already observed a moment of silence to commemorate the sacrifices men and women have made from around the world for this country. But since this Sex.com, the best damn free porn site you'll ever visit, we'd also like to commemorate the sexiness of a woman in uniform with a Top 10.
We did a similar Top 10 last year with the Top 10 Sexy Military Women much to the approval of our friend NudesForTroops.com. Since it worked last year, why not do it again?
Another top 10 of sexy military women? Yeah, I didn't think you'd mind. Enjoy our 2nd annual Veteran's Day Top 10 featuring 10 very sexy military women (aka hot chicks with guns or hot chicks undressing out of their uniforms)!
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Happy Veterans Day everyone. And remember…


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« Petshealth Care Plan Pet Insurance Review | 18 Cat Pumpkin Carving Stencils for a Howling Good Time This Halloween »
Here are some more Funny Cat pictures of funny cats and kittens. This collection of funny pictures is a real laugh with kittens and cats doing all kinds of wacky, cute things that will certainly put a smile on your face. This is the first of what we hope to be many fun, and entertaining Funny Cat Picture Shows for Cat lovers and anyone who needs to break away from their busy lives for a while and have a laugh.
So without any further delay, sit back, roll up the curtains, cue the laugh track operator and let the show begin!
That's all folks! Hope you enjoyed the show. Share your thoughts in the comments and be sure to share any funny cats or kittens you see with us!
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Happy Father's Day, Cam Gigandet
I've been meaning to use this photo of Cam Gigandet and Dominique Geisendorff for some time now, so it's a bit dated, but it's still worth sharing because a) there's celebrity parenting happening here, and b) Cam Gigandet.
That last part was for the Twilight fans, of which there are many.
Happy first Father's Day, Cam.


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press release
My legal team has received notification today that the Constitutional Court has agreed to hear my application on the ANC's attempts to delay the debate on the motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma, as well as the Speaker's failure to break the political deadlock and schedule the debate. The application will be heard on 28 March 2013.
The Constitutional Court has also ordered that the Speaker of the National Assembly file a report by 14 March 2013 "...on the progress achieved in the process of ensuring that motions of no confidence are appropriately provided for in the rules of the National Assembly".
While we are disappointed that the application cannot be heard before the end of this year, the fact that the Constitutional Court has agreed to hear the case, despite the Speaker and the ANC Chief Whip's arguments to the contrary, is a great victory for our continued efforts to uphold the constitutional principle that a majority party cannot block a debate on a motion of no confidence.
The hearing will provide the Constitutional Court with an opportunity, in terms of our application, to consider whether the rules of the National Assembly, in failing, effectively, to provide for a deadlock-breaking mechanism, are unconstitutional, as suggested by the Western Cape High Court in its judgment.
Both the Speaker of the National Assembly and the ANC Chief Whip will have to explain to the Constitutional Court and to South Africa why they did not take urgent steps to schedule the debate when I tabled the motion on 8 November 2012.
This intervention by the Constitutional Court, together with the judgment of the Western Cape High Court, will be remembered as a positive turning point in our constitutional democracy.
Lindiwe Mazibuko, Parliamentary Leader of the Democratic Alliance


text: The Football League Show Facebook Twitter Google Tumblr Pinterest Blogger Reddit VKontakt Print Email About this programme Manish Bhasin presents highlights and all the goals from today's fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two, including Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield Wednesday at Molineux. Wolves are aiming for an immediate return to the top flight, but faced a tough test of their credentials against the impressive Owls. Plus, action from Brighton & Hove Albion v Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic v Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough v Leicester City. Cast and crew Cast Presenter Manish Bhasin Crew Editor Charles Balchin Producer Chris Downham Categories Sport Like this? Share it. Facebook Twitter Google Tumblr Pinterest Blogger Reddit VKontakt Print Email


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Of course, this was a real memory, but he has now been "trained" to believe only those thoughts that align with the Party's goals and pronouncements, which means forgetting all that made Winston unique.
After a bulletin announces a grand victory in Africa, Winston silently rejoices in the victory of the Party and soon slips back into a "blissful dream":
He is back in the Ministry of Love, with everything forgiven, his soul white as snow. He was in the public dock, confessing everything, implicating everybody. He was walking down the white-tiled corridor, with the feeling of walking in sunlight, and an armed guard at his back. The long-hoped-for bullet was entering his brain.
Of course, no one at the Ministry of Love murdered Winston, even though O'Brien threatened (or promised?) that Winston would eventually be shot. But O'Brien and the Ministry of Love did murder Winston's self. At the end of the novel, Winston no longer exists as a thinking individual. He exists only as a puppet of the Party, forever selfless, forever loving Big Brother.
Winston's self is the part that makes him human and unique — it essentially is Winston. And now that it is dead, he waits only for his soulless shell of a body to die as well.
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Dual Careers
We're here to help you both succeed.
Marshall University Career Services has partnered with MU-Advance to assist spouses and partners of Marshall University faculty and staff with personalized employment opportunities.
To be eligible for these services, candidates must be a spouse or partner of an applicant interviewing for a Marshall University open position or a newly hired faculty member.
For more information about, visit Dual Careers or contact Career Services at 304.696.2370.


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IT is gratifying to note that efforts are being made to strengthen railway transportation in the country. The Ministry of Transport is preparing a circular to establish a Railway Infrastructure Fund for that purpose.
The Reli Assets Holding Company (RAHCO) has been mandated to establish and run the fund. This move raises hopes that the ailing railway transportation sector will be revived. Once upon a time, to quote the famous story telling opening cliché, Tanzania used to have a fully-operational railway network, with two main lines, the central line and the Tanga Line.
The former ran across the country from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma, branching off to Mwanza at Tabora. The latter covered the Moshi-Tanga route. Of the two lines, only the central one operates to this day though on an on- and-off basis. The Tanga one has come to a complete standstill.
It is a really pathetic situation much as it is an economic setback. In their heydays, the two lines played a vital role in the transportation of both goods and passengers, facilitating movement of the major cash crops like sisal, cotton and coffee to the seaports of Dar es Salam and Tanga.
The absence or poor performance of what remained of the railway network and the initial poor state of the country's roads made transportation of goods to and from the country's major seaport of Dar es Salaam and to the market places across the country was an economic setback.
In a commendable move, the government, in all its four phases so far, has gone an extra mile by investing in the construction of better roads as an alternative to the ailing railway network. Yet there should be an alternative goods and passenger transportation mode to supplement the road one. In this case, railway transport stands out, which points out to the urgent need to revamp it.
Serious efforts must be made to rehabilitate and possibly modernize the only operational central railway line to enhance its operations. The government must also do all that it can to revive the defunct Tanga Line. It also has a role to play.
Dependence on a mono surface transportation mode is certainly a setback in our quest for faster development and economic construction. Let's get over it.


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We are still celebrating the color green this week after the St. Patrick's Day holiday. With green trending it brought the beautiful Versailles garden to mind. We are inspired to create wedding stationery with the same royal elegance this classic color and intricate pattern evoke!
Hope you have an inspiring weekend!


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An ancient arachnid that was among the first predators to tread on land can now crawl again – at least on your computer screen (see video, above).
To create the reconstruction, Russell Garwood from the University of Manchester, UK, and his colleagues analysed pristinely preserved fossils from Scotland of the 410-million-year-old spider-like species, called a trigonotarbid. When viewed under a microscope, details like internal muscle structure were visible, allowing the team to calculate the range of movement of the limbs. The walking style was determined by comparing the leg structure with that of living arachnids.
An open source graphics program called Blender was used to recreate the animals' probable gait. "Scientists themselves can make these animations now, without needing the technical wizardry – and immense costs – of a Jurassic Park-style film", says co-author Jason Dunlop of the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, Germany.
The work is part of a special issue of the Journal of Paleontology, out today, dedicated to the 3D visualisation of fossils.
Journal reference: Journal of Paleontology, DOI: 10.1666/13-088
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Over the last several years we have supported an Adobe AIR desktop application for accessing StockTwits called StockTwits Desktop. While a small group of users use this product, most StockTwits users do not. In order to be able to deliver the best experience on our other products, we are discontinuing support for StockTwits Desktop on July 31, 2012.
As part of the redesign of our web experience last month, we introduced features that use the latest browser based technology to replicate many of the experiences we had initially built StockTwits Desktop to deliver. While we know that change is always difficult, we hope that the members of our community that use StockTwits Desktop will take advantage of these features and continue to be valued contributors to our platform.
To aid with the transition we will have been producing content and tutorials on the new functionality that are designed to help get any user get comfortable with the new design and get the most out of the new features we introduced
You can access general articles on how to use the StockTwits website here.
To view multiple streams on your screen via the web site you can use the Pop Out Stream feature or resize your browser window and access the complete web functionality.
Our support team is here to help you with the transition. As always, if you need need any help or support please contact us at email@example.com or at 1-888-785-8948.
StockTwits® is an open, community-powered idea and information service for investments. Users can eavesdrop on traders and investors, or contribute to the conversation and build their reputation as savvy market wizards. The service takes financial related data and structures it by stock, user, reputation, etc. More »


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Spurred on by the vision of a Cincinnati tennis aficionado called Andrew Brown, a group of scientists and engineers drawn from six American research institutions have strung together a new design for a tennis racket that could allow even novices to get a better grip on the game.
The racket's face can be rotated around the handle, to allow players to adjust its alignment to their anatomy.
Conventional tennis rackets only suit about 15 per cent of the population, which is why aspiring tennis players have to spend many hours learning how to hit balls in the right direction, says Brown, who conceived the new racket, known as the Index Handle.
The optimal alignment of the tennis racket's face is determined by the arrangement of bones in the player's wrist and arm, says Brown. In the general population, natural differences in those arrangements produce a 43 degrees range of different ...
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The provincial government, in conjunction with the Premier's Council on the Status of Disabled Persons, will hold a Premier's Forum on Employment for Persons with a Disability today (May 12) in advance of the provincial jobs summit People, Skills, Jobs: Putting our resources to work.
"Helping people with disabilities access the supports and services they need to reach their full potential is an objective that is near and dear to me," said Premier David Alward. "As a government, we believe that valuing all citizens to ensure that they are able to live to their fullest potential, being committed to being a truly inclusive society is and should be of the utmost importance for every New Brunswicker as we work together to put our resources to work."
The Disability Action Plan - The time for action is now was released in May, 2012. In addition to this plan, government introduced the Employment Action Plan for Persons with a Disability in New Brunswick, which is targeted at improving opportunities for persons with disabilities.
The forum comes as a result of a recommendation in the Employment Action Plan for Persons with a Disability in New Brunswick, which states: "Hold a Premier's Forum on Employment for Persons with a disability with a particular focus on engaging employer in order to generate interest in hiring people and to promote awareness of and interest in the Employment Action Plan."
"Many people with disabilities are very interested and capable of working," said Jeff Sparks, chairperson of the Premier's Council on the Status of Disabled Persons. "With new technologies and limited added cost of accommodation, people with disabilities are very capable of doing work that many employers would have never imagined. Full inclusion of all citizens should be our shared objectives."
"It's important for all of us to remember that the Disability Action Plan and the Employment Action Plan are not mutually exclusive," said Alward. "By ensuring access to employment and education, we are making great progress in ensuring the full participation of all of our citizens. We will continue to focus on efforts on all fronts to raise the bar as we strive towards an inclusive society for all."
A full progress report on the action plan will be released in June, during Disability Awareness Week.
As part of the forum Mark Wafer, owner of several Tim Horton's franchises in Ontario, will speak about his experience and nationally recognized commitment to employing persons with a disability.
The province is also holding a job and career fair on May 14 at the Delta Fredericton, which is open to the public. In addition, the provincial government supported a job and career fair in Moncton earlier this spring. A labour market forum was held earlier this week in Bathurst and a job fair specifically for persons with disabilities is scheduled for June 4 at the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick campus in Campbellton.
● An Employment Action Plan for Persons with a Disability in New Brunswick
● New Brunswick Job and Career Fair


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Against the Odds: Melissa Hamilton's late start should have prevented a ballet career. Instead, it pushed her to unthinkable heights.
Dance by the Numbers: How do judges manage the role of subjectivity in their scores?
Beyond Viral: How husband-and-wife team Keone and Mari Madrid found choreographic fame via YouTube
Choreography Knocks: Opportunities for choreographers at all levels
A Growing List of Living Female Choreographers
We want your feedback!
By Wendy Perron
Ratmansky's Shostakovich Trilogy turned out to be that rare thing: a new full-evening ballet not tied to a story, but with enough emotional weight for the audience to feel stimulated and satisfied. It's a thought-provoking work of art, and it was great to see the audience at the premiere respond to it as warmly as they did to the more obviously entertaining Don Quixote the week before.
Ratmansky made some very interesting casting choices:
The first section: Craig Salstein as a leader or instigator—strong, joyful, bristling with a kind of electricity.
Second section: David Hallberg, with a fashionable black jacket over his bare chest, brooding to the most somber part of Shostakovich's music. (Hey, what is a rock star doing at the siege of Leningrad?)
Final section: Diana Vishneva and Natalia Osipova as two girls in identical red leotards, stripped of their megastar status, huddling together like Clara and her prince during the snow blizzard in Ratmansky's Nutcracker.
Much of the group work was reminiscent of Soviet-era monuments that you can still see all over Russia. These statues celebrate the heroic element of Soviet life. Often they show people working collectively, connected to each other through striving and strife. It is this kind of connection we see in the Shostakovich Trilogy.
A statue where the Fontanka River meets Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg.
There were also more literal references to Soviet times, with red flags and stars in George Tsypin's first backdrop, and a hammer and sickle among the many suspended shapes in his third one. The backdrop in between was the most fascinating, with abstract shapes transforming into sculpted heads of forbidding-looking men (none of them identifiable as Lenin or Stalin). This connection with Soviet life, through both Shostakovich and Tsypin, adds a sense of groundedness that's not often seen in ballet.
If this piece were done a few decades ago, most Americans wouldn't take to it at all. Maybe, after bringing us The Bright Stream and On the Dnieper, Ratmansky has made it OK for the American ballet world to look back on Soviet times with something like curiosity rather than dread or boredom.
Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev in Ratmansky's Piano Concerto #1. Photo by Gene Schiavone, Courtesy ABT.


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Column: The 'coach's coach' finally gets his shot
ATLANTA As coaches go, Michigan's John Beilein is easy to miss.
He isn't a flashy dresser. He doesn't do commercials. He won't prance up and down the sideline, even late in close games, when everybody else in the arena is up on their feet. His pedigree won't knock you out, either.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim helped Beilein get several of the seven jobs he had before landing at Michigan, and he returned the favor by losing every time they met - nine straight, right up until Saturday night's national semifinal.
Somehow, sitting on a stage little more than 24 hours before his young Wolverines faced Louisville for the national championship, Beilein found a way to make even that last result sound like an accident.
"When I came out last night, I gave the speech - 10-foot baskets, 94-foot court. You don't need to look up in the stands and see what's there," he recalled. "Then I gave in, took a little peek. I might have said something I shouldn't say on TV, like `Holy Cow.'"
The interview sessions on the day before the biggest game of the college basketball season resemble nothing so much as a mutual admiration society. This time, there was no need to fake it.
Beilein and Louisville's Rick Pitino got into coaching around the same time, though only one of them rocketed straight to the top. Both are regarded inside the business as virtuosos with differing philosophies of the game - offensive and defensive, respectively - but only one of them shelled out his own money to watch the other work.
"Bought his tapes back in the day," Beilein said, without a hint of embarrassment, "back when he was first putting out all those great tapes."
Pitino won't have to pay to watch Beilein's schemes, but he'll spend a lot of time studying them.
"Probably the toughest prep day we'll ever have," he said, "with how many things they run."
That's the funny thing about Beilein, a coach's coach if there ever was one. He's got one of the youngest squads in the game - ranked 342nd in terms of experience, among the 347 teams in Division I - but he'd already had plenty of experience facing Boeheim and Syracuse's vaunted 2-3 zone during his previous stops. So in the week between tournament games, he installed a dozen or more new plays for his offense to deal with it.
Yet if you watched the game, especially the final few minutes - or any Michigan game, for that matter - you'd come away with the impression that the Wolverines make every important decision on the fly. And in an odd way, you'd be right.
"He tells you, `Play within the system, but don't be mechanical, or robotic. Be a player,'" said point guard Trey Burke, who learned to balance those demands well enough to win AP player of the year honors. "That's important for this team, because we have the type of guys that can make plays. But at the same time, we run an offense that definitely gets us good looks."


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La Salle de Depart written by Melissa Tandiwe Myambo is another story on the shortlist of this year's Caine Prize for African Writing.
It is the story of Fatima and Ibou her brother. Ibou lives in America with his Egyptian lover (she's a fine woman who accidentally happens to come from a rich and enlightened home). Ibou loves this woman who seems to understand his fears and longings. She is also extremely intelligent and apparently has good taste. Her family was everything his family would never be.
Fatima, a divorcee, lives at home and takes care of their half-blind father, she has one male child. She hoped her brother will take the boy with him to America, but he refused point blank, the problem was not financial but a lack of space. According to him "... we have no space for him in our lives."
Fatima of course was bitter and words burnt at the tip of her tongue, but years of conditioning made her not to spit the words out. She remembered how her father had sacrificed her own education at the altar of furthering Ibou's because he was supposed to 'save' the family and bring good fortune for them. She remembered how an uncle had taken Ibou to America with him, no questions asked. Now he looks down on them. Their way of life was not 'classy' enough for him. They leave globules of shit floating in the toilet (is there something about toilets and the Caine Prize this year?)
It was very difficult getting a profile on the writer of this short story, I spent about two days and God knows how many hours trying to discover who Melissa Tandiwe Myambo is. I still don't know much except that she read comparative literature at New York University and she lives in America. She has also published a collection of short stories Jacaranda Journals published by Macmillan(South Africa).
This is a typical story of another marginalized African woman. A woman who was denied an education because she was the wrong sex. She had been kicked out of her home because her husband wants more children (what's one child when you can have 20?). Victimhood suits Fatima to her dainty little toes.
In spite of the fact that the writer tried to give an insight into what made Ibou, Fatima's brother, behave the way he did, you came away with the feeling that he is just selfish and suffers from a severe case of inferiority complex. His sister like I said in the previous paragraph suffers the same affliction, both characters are as dull as dishwater.
I must be frank I struggled with this story, it was precise,with hardly any editorial flaws and the language was great but man the story was boring. I took the longest, most long-winded taxi ride, I've ever had when I climbed in the backseat with Fatima and her brother Ibou on their way to the airport. I was rather hoping that something really exciting would happen at the airport (a terrorist attack, maybe? That would have stirred things up a bit, but then Africa is the hunger capital not the terrorism capital of the world).
There was too much thinking in the story and too little talking. Resentment simmered underneath the conversations but neither side had the guts to actually speak their minds. Sometimes you can't help but wonder on whose side the author really is because her impartiality did not shine through.
Who is the villain of the piece? Is it the family that waits on their son to bring them trashy, touristy gifts from 'abroad' and give them money which never amounts to much at the end of the day? Or is it the son who gets suckered into the 'great' American way of life and does not look back? Or maybe it is even our hardworking victim, Fatima, who expects too much of her brother.
One thing though, if the brother is not broke why then is his father half-blinded by cataract? Does that mean the boy doesn't even send money home? I'm just wondering out loud.
I tire of writers who make African women appear to be washed out and gutless. The part that really got my goat was after Ibou told Fatima that he cannot take her son to America with him(and in a very snide and hurtful manner) I thought that for once she was going to show some spirit or in the least blackmail him with good old 'you owe the family' diatribe, all she could say was "I am the one who waits always and watches others come and go. I am the one who always remains behind so that you can go."
I wanted to slap her upside her head and afterwards ask her who has stopped her from going? After all she's a divorcee and has only one son. A woman who is strong enough to make a life for herself after a divorce and creates a business out of nothing should be strong enough to tell her brother to take a leap off the closest cliff.
The African women I know are strong resourceful women. They always find a way round things. They do not sit down and wring their hands when things don't work out for them, they find alternatives.
I'll be the first to admit that women, generally don't find life easy and this not only applies to Africa, it cuts across the whole world. Yes, women who live in Africa struggle twice as hard as women from other parts of the world, but they do not see themselves as victims. Up till the 19th Century European and American women faced almost the same challenges so why are we making out like all human problems originates from and ends in Africa?
Why do some writers portray 'African' women as victims? And since we are fond of generalizations may I ask Ms Melissa Tandiwe Myambo 'Who is an African woman'?
Fun, real, Nigerian and female. This blog addresses real life issues that affects all of us in a quirky way. You will leave the posts smiling and thinking over what you have read
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Who's on Trial?
It is no longer news that the shortlist of this year's Caine Prize for African Literature is out. On the shortlist are Bombay's Republic by Rotimi Babatunde; Billy Kahora's Urban Zoning; Love on Trial by Stanley Kenani; Melissa Tandiwe Myambo's La Salle de Depart and Constance Myburgh's Hunter Emmanuel.
This is a review of Love on Trial by SO Kenani, hopefully I will be reviewing the other stories on the shortlist over the next few weeks. The stories shall be reviewed in no particular order.
Love on Trial is from a collection of short stories written in 2011 titled For Honour and other stories published for Random House by EKhaya.
The story is set in present day Malawi. It is about the African and homosexuality, international politics, foreign aid (aka charity) and religion. Ultimately, it is about the powerful West and powerless Africa.
The writer, SO Kenani weaves the tale around a young man, Charles Chikangwe, who was caught in a primary school toilet having sex with another man. This discovery was made by no other person than the illustrious Kachingwe, the village drunk. And like any lush who is worth his salt, he was able to milk the juicy scandal for every drop of local gin he could get by entertaining tourists with the story and taking them to the very place where the 'crime' had been 'committed'.
The scandal, through word of mouth and then the press, eventually got to the authorities who promptly arrested the accused (without any other evidence than the word of a drunk), arraigned him and threw him in prison.
Surprisingly his father was supportive but, as expected, the Malawian government and religious bodies came out in arms insisting that homosexuality was 'unnatural', 'un-African', 'devilish' and that the young man only needed to 'give his life to Christ' and then do a 'deliverance' and all his troubles will simply melt away. A female friend of his even suggested that his 'unnatural' desires will melt away once he tasted the love of a woman.
The accused eventually went on trial, which was quickly wrapped up within one day and he was sentenced to 12years imprisonment. Of course there was only one witness, the infamous Mr. Kanchigwe who was suffering from a case of DT at that point in time, while the accused stood alone.
It is interesting to note at this point that Charles Chikangwe did not waste his breath denying the accusation he only wanted to prove that he had the right to love anybody, it was his choice.
While the Malawian government and most of its people were the villains of the piece, the international community were heroes. They breathed down the neck of the Malawian government and withdrew aid when they stubbornly refused to toe the line and release the incarcerated young man. It was a sad period in the lives of the citizens of Malawi.
At the end of the day the economy fell apart and this affected everybody, including the man that started it all, Kachingwe, who was unable to obtain his anti-retroviral drug supplied by one of the super-powers. A case of what goes around comes around I suppose.
Homosexuality in Africa is a very touchy subject. Recently, in Nigeria, the government passed an anti-gay marriage bill which led to public discourse and nearly split the Nigerian writing community into two halves, one side accusing the other of being homophobic, while the other side retaliated by calling the lot homosexuals.
A lot of writers ended up calling one another all sorts of other unsavoury names and some even went to the extent of 'unfriending' and removing people from their Facebook pages and groups.
This story is therefore relevant to the current situation in Africa. With a lot of African leaders coming out to state that homosexuality is an 'abomination' or something to that effect.
Ironically a few days ago, Joyce Banda Malawi's new president declared that she was going to repeal the anti-gay law.
It is rather unfortunate that the story was not as tightly woven together as it should be. It dragged on a bit especially in all the parts that Kachingwe, the village drunk, appeared. There were too many repetitions and a lot of inconsistencies, which were especially glaring due to the fact that it is a short story.
For example when Charles was interviewed on live television it was as if the author zoomed into that part with a camera, the careful way every word and expression was documented contrasted sharply with the way other scenes in the story were described. Even the court scene went by so fast it made your head spin.
One major thing that baffled me about the story is the point SO Kenani was trying to prove by choosing to have the two men caught in a toilet, a primary school toilet for that matter. Are primary school toilets in Malawi that clean? Because I know for a fact that if anybody tried to have sex in a primary school toilet in Nigeria they would have gotten more than they bargained for.
Another thing that makes his toilet story unbelievable is the fact that the two men have been lovers for many years, does that mean all this while the two men have been having sex in public toilets? Or was it that they were so desperate to have sex that they threw caution to the winds?
The tale got fatalistic towards the end, the way the Malawian government watched helplessly as their economy fell apart beggared belief. As bad as African leadership is I doubt if a government will simply fold their arms and announce to their people that they are losing grip and have no intention of rectifying the situation.
Every character, from Charles Chikangwe to Mr. Kachinga, was flat and one-dimensional. They behaved predictably and we did not even get a glimpse into what made them behave the way they did. Everybody was a caricature. I would have loved to know why Mr. Kachinga decided to tell Charles story to the whole world (aside from the obvious of course), since both of them are from the same village, I'll expect that there's a level of familiarity between the two men.
Why did Charles stubbornly refuse to reveal who his lover is? Why was he so hell-bent on being the poster boy for 'Ten reasons why coming out of the closet in Malawi is a really bad idea'? He had every opportunity to refute the allegations because his accuser is a well-known lush.
The fact that all through his tribulations the man Charles claimed to love so much he was willing to go to jail for did not even turn up once does not correlate with what we know of human nature. The absolute absence of the lover is totally unbelievable. Why was the man not even around to watch Charles go on air to put the noose round his own neck?
It was as if the story was designed specifically to reinforce the African 'single story' syndrome. Usually writers who engage in this kind of writing portrays her in a single light. Africa is a great mass of land full of hungry children with kwashiorkor impregnated bellies, tse-tse flies, tyrannical leaders, abused women, misogynists and more recently, homophobes and religious fanatics.
The superpowers came out smelling like roses while another African country has been put firmly in its place ... in Africa.
Monday, May 7, 2012
It was all
in my head
Just a part
of my dreams
Ramson Nouah
his wifey
It was all
my fault
For it happened
On my watch
But not Aso Rock
When blood
Just like the sea
That straddled
My dreams
good luck was
Everything but...
rue ben
his story
Die zenie
the djinnie
Full of
It was all
in my head
Out of it
Deep inside
When Iwe – Ala
Banked the world
Paupers R Us
Pee eitch See Hen
The light
It was all
about you
Not ever
about me
got married
To Paw paw
his pretty
both of
My closet
the yoots
lay the blame
on me
for it happened
while I dreamed
it was all
about you
it was
me ...
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text:
The Swift Current Broncos defeated the last-place Lethbridge Hurricanes in the midst of a heated playoff race
© Steven Mah
Graham Black
The Swift Current Broncos got the job done against the last-place Lethbridge Hurricanes Saturday. There were some missteps along the way but the Broncos emerged with a 7-4 win to hand the Hurricanes their ninth consecutive loss.
The Broncos scored three goals over the opening 12:53 to chase Jonny Hogue from the Lethbridge goal after making just seven saves on 10 shots. Defenseman Julius Honka scored twice and Graham Black added his 30th of the season over a 5:50 stretch for the Broncos.
The Hurricanes answered admirably though with a goal from Lenny Hackman, a shorthanded marker from Jamal Watson, and the tying goal from Carter Folk to even it up 3-3 after one period.
The Broncos regained the lead with a goal from Andrew Johnston and a power play goal from Dillon Heatherington to lead 5-3 after two periods.
Jake DeBrusk netted his 14th of the season for the Broncos early in the third period before Michal Holub replied for the Hurricanes to make it 6-4. Captain Colby Cave sealed the win with a shorthanded empty net goal with eight seconds left on the clock.
Black finished with three points, while Brycen Martin and Jay Merkley also had two-assist games.
Landon Bow made 26 saves to improve to 11-5-2-1 for the Broncos. Teagan Sacher made 28 saves on 31 shots to drop to 4-13-0-1 in his relief appearance.
The Broncos remain sixth in the Eastern Conference as they improved to 32-24-3-6, while Lethbridge fell to 12-50-2-3.
The Broncos are back at home Sunday for their third game in as many nights when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Bronco Bits: DeBrusk, 17, now has goals in three straight games with five points during that stretch. Merkley extended his point streak to four games. Black now has a goal and nine assists during a four-game point streak. A crowd of 2,270 were on hand for a chance to win a new car. 10-year-old Rylan Hildebrandt won the 2013 Ford Mustang from Cypress Motors.


text:
Tech Talk 1 by Ken Baker
Untapped Power
GroupWise 8 Backend Enhancements
GroupWise 8 will be here in a matter of weeks (See novell.com/beta), giving you the ability to deliver a highly connected collaborative workspace that leverages Web resources and next-generation technology. While past articles have told you what your users can expect in GroupWise 8, (See Personal Overdrive), this article is written specifically with administrators in mind, giving you insights into some of its key server-side improvements that you'll be able to take advantage of.
Calendar Publishing
Calendar publishing is somewhat similar to the calendar sharing capability in GroupWise 7, but while sharing is aimed at internal users, calendar publishing is primarily targeted at external users. The calendar publishing agent or host in GroupWise 8 enables your users to collaborate more effectively with their contacts, regardless of where they are and what e-mail system they're using. Whether they're using the Windows or WebAccess client, the calendar publishing host can dynamically generate HTML versions of their personal calendars—including free/busy information—and then publish them as a Web service. (See Figure 1.)
In addition to allowing you and your users to publish any of your personal calendars, it allows groups or organizations to publish more general-use calendars such as conference room schedules, class schedules, company holiday schedules, team project calendars and more. Once a calendar is published, it's exposed as an iCal standard calendar, giving others the ability to access or subscribe to it from any iCal-supported system, including GroupWise, Exchange and Notes.
When calendar publishing is combined with the subscribe capabilities in GroupWise 8, it enables your users to enjoy one of the most dramatic time management improvements to GroupWise: free/busy searching of people on a different e-mail system. The publishing host in GroupWise allows your users to easily publish their free/busy information in a calendar and then provide the URL for that calendar to their external contacts (e.g., partners, suppliers and clients), or even internal contacts that might be on a different system as a result of a merger or acquisition. Users from different organizations or systems can then subscribe to each other's free/busy calendars and busy search them to schedule appointments with each other.
To allow your users to take advantage of the ability to publish their free/busy data, as well as publish their personal calendars, you can install the calendar publishing host to a Web server on either NetWare, Linux or Windows. Each publishing host is identified by a unique name. The name might include the location of the publishing host, as well as the users it serves.
To allow external users to access published calendars, the host uses the DNS host name of the Web server as part of its URL. So, the base URL might be abc_company.com/gwcal, and this URL location would host a list of published calendars that users can browse to find the calendar they want to view.
In order to provide unique and easily identifiable URLs for each users' calendars, the host's base URL is simply extended. In the example above, the extended URL would include a calendar ID like the following:
- abc_company.com/gwcal/calendar/Q2VsaW5lQHJ0c2U1LnByb3ZvLm5vdmVsbC5jb20/Y2lkPTkwMQ.
Once you have installed the calendar publishing host, you can configure it in ConsoleOne with the following settings (all of which are disabled by default):
- Enable Calendar Publishing lets users publish their personal GroupWise calendars by simply right clicking a personal calendar, clicking Publish, and then selecting their desired options.
- Enable Rules to Move Items to a Published Calendar gives users the option to create rules to automatically post certain types of calendar items to specific published calendars.
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- Enable Publish Free/Busy Search allows users to publish their appointment information so external users can perform free/busy searches on their GroupWise calendars.
- Enable Subscribe to Calendar allows users to subscribe to Internet calendars that are updated on a regular basis, such as calendars for sporting events.
When a user publishes a calendar, the GroupWise Post Office Agent (POA) creates calendar data in a standard ICS-formatted file and free/busy data in a standard-IFB formatted file, and then delivers them to the calendar publishing host. Depending on how a client requests a published calendar, the publishing host has the ability to render the files in HTML or deliver them in their original ICS or IFB formats.
The calendar and free/busy information published at the Publishing Host are kept up-to-date by any event changes in the user's calendar. As a GroupWise administrator, you can control whether users can publish or subscribe to calendars, and whether they can publish their free/busy information. You also have the ability to deploy multiple calendar servers in different geographic locations to improve performance and scalability, especially for locations with limited Internet bandwidth.
Attachment Indexing
Another backend enhancement found in GroupWise 8 deals with its document indexer. In the past, the document indexer didn't always recognize new file types and file formats released by application vendors. This meant that when users performed searches in their data store, attachments of those file types might not be included in the search results.
To address this problem, Novell has re-architected the GroupWise document indexer so it inherits the capabilities of the Stellent document viewer used in the Windows and WebAccess clients. This gives users a broader array of file types that GroupWise will index for attachment searching purposes, including OpenOffice files, the latest PDF versions and Office 2007 files. This new indexing feature basically means that any attachments your users can see, they can find.
While this redesign delivers immediate support for a broader base of current file types, its biggest impact is that it gives GroupWise a greater ability to keep up with new file types as they're released and then supported by the Stellent viewer.


text:
Florentine flogging
Florentine flogging is a two-handed style of flagellation used in BDSM which involves the rhythmic use of a pair of matching floggers, one in each hand of the person administering the flogging.
The technique can be used to intensify the sensation of the strikes by repeating them in a manner which has a higher rhythm and strike rate than other methods.
Although it may be believed that the intensity of this technique should only be done after the person receiving the flogging has been warmed-up (meaning to slowly, gradually bringing the blood up to the surface of the skin as to not cause injury), a slower rhythm with gentle impact can be used to great warm-up effect. The skin will become pink and very warm to the touch when this has happened. One must always be careful to check when it is safe to intensify the strike impact of this specialized technique.
The strikes of the floggers come on the downward stroke or the 'top' of each figure-eight flail and are thrown to avoid striking the kidney or spinal area of the subject's back as well as avoiding any areas near joints or bone. This type of flagellation should only be done on the muscular regions of the body as to prevent serious injury.
This is best done with a set of matching (identical, identically weighted or similar) floggers so that strike pressures can be most easily controlled.
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text:
KABUL, Afghanistan — Fifty people were killed and 200 injured when a strong earthquake shook Kabul and an area west of the city, Taliban radio reported Friday.
The radio said it had no reports from other areas.
The magnitude-5.5 quake caused several mud-walled dwellings in the capital to collapse. Some residents panicked, thinking they were being attacked by U.S. warplanes or missiles in Washington's search for Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, who is based in Afghanistan.
The radio said a medical team had visited three villages in the affected region and people were "in urgent need of help."
"We could not count how many houses were damaged," the radio broadcaster said. "I request [the United Nations] and Islamic governments to take part in helping the needy people."


text: I bought these a few months ago from Roush Racing, to adapt to my 1968 Mustang. I've switched directions on that car (or, just come to admit that my Granada discs are adequate and I won't really be doing any track days). The calipers and discs are still in the original (unopened) Roush boxes. Roush said they took these off of a 2012 GT with 0 miles - I assume they were prepping it for their own equipment. $180. I'm in Portland, Oregon. Ideally if you're in the NW we could just meet up. I would prefer local pickup. I'm driving to Seattle next week and could potentially deliver or meet up on the I5 corridor if it worked out. These things are kinda heavy, so shipping would be a pain. But I'd consider it if buyer paid for it. Text me at 5o3 953 2170 for pictures.


text:
hiccup in a sentence
Example sentences for hiccup
The music continues without a hiccup for three hours.
There's a logical hiccup here that may conceal a prejudice.
We descendants of these animals were left with vestiges of their history, including the hiccup.
Their conclusion is that the oscillations ought to be visible with today's solar observatories as a kind of solar hiccup.
Pandora streaming worked without a hiccup and showed all our previously set channel selections.
There was one hiccup, as the contest came to a close.
So rotten, in fact, that a mere seismic hiccup is all it would take to unleash an avalanche of mud on the homes below.
It did not, however, take steps to offset the impact of the financial hiccup on growth expectations.
He thinks the current hiccup is largely due to temporary factors.
Rather, it gives warning of an awkward hiccup in the public finances for a few years after the debt is paid off.
Knight was talked to several times on the sidelines and we're going to call it a rookie hiccup.
In general, this strategy worked well, with one hiccup.
Famous quotes containing the word hiccup
The system was breaking down. The one who had wandered alone past so many happenings and events began to feel, backing u... more
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Nearby Words


text:
analysisBy Ostine Arinaitwe Gashugi
Although Rwanda's relations with the DRC has been rocky in the last few years, 2013 nearly saw the two countries go to war after the Congolese army on several occasions fired bombs into Rwanda which claimed the lives of people of Rubavu.
While Kinshasa claimed that it was "collateral damage because the bombs were intended for the M23 rebels," the Rwanda Defense Forces sent out several statements protesting the provocations. When that still did not stop the shelling, reinforcements were sent to the border, although the RDF stayed calm and never fired back.
Martin Kobler, the Head of the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC, is said to have rushed to Kigali to reassure the government that such attacks wouldn't happen again. After that, no more bombs were fired.
Meanwhile, the conflict in the Eastern DRC also saw several Congolese armed soldiers stray into Rwandan territory without any justification. Once again, the government played down the incidents and released every soldier that was caught on its territory.
At the other side of the border, in Goma, the situation was less rosy for Rwandans who live and do business there; several of them were reportedly harassed by DRC security operatives who accused them of providing support to the M23.
When the Congolese army finally managed to defeat the M23 rebels with the support of the United Nations Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco), the latter vowed to track down the FDLR rebels, many of whom actively participate in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis.
Although the mission had sent out its clearest signal of intent, months later the vigor with which they fought the M23 has not been shown against the FDLR.
Tanzania-Rwanda Spat
In June, Tazanian President Jakaya Kikwete suggested on the sidelines of African Union summit in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia that Rwanda should negotiate with these same FDLR. This declaration outraged the nation with Genocide survivors accusing Kikwete of siding with a group that has never hidden its desire of finishing what they started in 1994.
The relationship between the two countries deteriorated as the Presidents disagreed on the subject but tensions were eased when Presidents Kagame and Kikwete held a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the ICGLR summit in Kampala in September.
Tanzania expels Rwandan Refugees
Earlier in the year, though, relations between Tanzania and Rwanda, as well as other EAC member states, soured further when Dar decided to expel non-nationals who did not have legal papers permitting them to stay in Tanzania. The majority were Rwandans, many of whom had lived in the country for decades, had intermarried and had to leave their families. Many other lost all their belongings.
Although many expected some kind of counter-measure from Rwanda, Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo instead reassured Tanzanians in the country to feel safe and go about their business.
'Coalition of the Willing' (COW)
Another event that some in the EAC saw as a threat to the regional blocks were the meetings held by Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya in August, September and October to decide on several joint infrastructure projects as well as on tripartite agreements to fast-track some aspects of EAC protocols, such as the single customs territory, the single tourist visa and the use of national ID cards as travel documents.
The move drew strong criticism from Tanzanian government officials who accused the three countries of undermining the protocols, even though they explicitly allow bi- or trilateral agreements to implement certain aspects of the EAC integration roadmap.
Others, especially several media outlets, called the meetings the 'Coalition of the Willing,' referring to the fact that Tanzania has often been accused of dragging its feet on the implementation of the protocols.
Yet the EAC Heads of State meeting in Kampala in November, during which all five Presidents signed the Monetary Union protocol, apparently laid the fears of a rift or even a break-up to rest.
Rwanda hands over Bosco Ntaganda
In March, Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda who had been indicted by the International Criminal Court sneaked into Rwanda and went to the US embassy where he requested to be sent to The Hague to face justice.
While many international news organizations doubted that Rwanda would respond positively, the government did so and facilitated Ntaganda's passage to the Netherlands, where he is on trial at the ICC.
Peacekeeping forces to CAR
Rwanda's peacekeeping forces have been lauded for their work in Darfur and Haiti, and this is the major reason why the African Union (AU) asked the government to send troops to help with efforts to stabilize the Central African Republic (CAR).
At the same time, Rwanda Maj-Gen John Bosco Kazura was appointed by the UN Secretary General to be the Force Commander for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (Minusma).
Successful Eurobond
Rwanda's first Eurobond of $400 million was highly over-subscribed, something that showed Rwanda's economic maturity and its attractiveness to investors on the international bond market. The funds will among others be used for major infrastructure works such as the Kigali Convention Center and the new international airport.


text:
Customers will receive free "song of the day" cards to download music chosen by Starbucks. Interestingly, the artists and record labels are providing the music for the promotion for free, according to Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard. The deal is expected to drive traffic to Starbucks and Apple's iTunes store, where customers can buy additional tracks after sampling various artists.
Also on October 2, the coffee specialist will roll out its free wireless connection through its Seattle and New York-based stores that will allow customers to purchase iTunes music through the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, or a notebook, and will also start selling iTunes digital release cards that allow a full album of music and bonus material to be downloaded online.