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Bella Pass
Poor customer service and horrible user rules.
Do not join this site. Webmaster has ridiculous rules about download limits and kicks people off the site. I was kicked off after being billed for my second month, two emails and a week later I still do not know why. I tried to follow the strict guidelines to using the site, but was still kicked out - after they took my second month membership fee of course. If I did something wrong why not notify me up front and give me a warning? I feel I was just ripped off.
Bella Pass
Current Member
less than 1 month
(at the time of review).
- Excellent balance of photos, videos and bonus content
- Consistent quality of content throughout the sites
- Membership to 7 solo sites, 5 of which are regularly updated
- Updates are dated (including recent updates in Preview area)
- Good mix of girls huge, buxom babes and more petite girls too
- Easy navigation, whether across whole network or by site
- You seem to stay logged in without username/password prompts
- CCBill with no pre-checked cross-sells
- Outstanding softcore content, and
now does hardcore
- Webmaster is very hands on and keen to listen to feedback
Mostly minor. Points marked with * don't personally bother me:
- Video previews are a bit limited
- Regional pricing
- No ZIP files for photo galleries
- Most updates biased towards
, Katie and Talia
- Automatically generated username/password*
- Download limit of 20gb per 24 hour hour period*
- Some might find content a bit samey as mostly softcore*
- 6 of the 7 models appear to have fake boobs*
- Very strict piracy policy that might catch out innocent members
Bottom Line:
This is a huge network of high quality solo websites. You can either join via the girls individual website, or direct via
Bella Pass
either way you get instant access to every site in the network.
Content is all dated and downloadable. The network takes a hard line against piracy theres a download limit of 20gb per 24 hour, and theyre clear and transparent about their policies with warnings before and after you join, and in the confirmation email you receive.
Browsing the network, you have the following categories across the top:
Photos, Candids, Videos, Behind the Scenes, Archives, Babechat, Vlogs, Our Sites, Our Models, Wallpapers and Bella Webcams.
There is also a very well designed search function where you can also search by category (eg, masturbation, hardcore etc) and by site. You can also view just a single site using a drop-down menu.
Bella Pass
currently has 52,006 photos, and 941 videos, of which:
: 18,700 photos, 340 videos
Katie Banks
: 13,935 photos, 289 videos
Talia Shepard
: 8,636 photos, 207 videos
- Lexi Mason: 2,913 photos, 20 videos
Hunter Leigh
: 1,610 photos, 2 videos
- Monroe Lee: 5,722 photos, 43 videos (not updating)
Ava Dawn
: 2,454 photos, 51 videos (not updating)
All sites have categories for photos and videos. In addition to this:
, Katie, Talia, Monroe and Ava also have webcam archives
, Katie, Talia and Ava have behind the scenes content
, Katie and Talia have regularly updated blogs
and Katie have in-depth bios and also wallpapers
Video content is downloadable in the following formats:
- 3GP (352x288)
- Flash (900x506)
- MP4 (1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x320 for iPad)
- WMV (1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x320)*
(WMV doesnt appear to be available for
s newer hardcore content)
Photos are normally 4000px on their widest side, although 1500px on candid galleries.
is the most popular girl on the network on the basis of content alone. She is absolutely stunning and has an incredible body. Her boobs are fake but despite being gigantic dont appear disproportionately large.
Her site is mainly stripteasing and softcore such as masturbation/toys, but she is making her first moves into hardcore with two videos already posted within the last week. Both have been artistically shot, but its the perfect tease as they introduce us to hardcore
, and future videos will show everything, including POV.
In addition to this, there is lots and lots of behind the scenes footage, candids and a regularly updated blog.
s site on its own is one of the finest solo sites out there.
is a curvy but slim big-boobed babe with bags of confidence. Her site is the second-largest on the network with a great mix of videos, photos and bonus content. You can read more about
Katie Banks
in my review.
is cast from the same mould as Katie and
. Her site is packed with photos, videos but also candids and behind the scenes footage. Like Katie and
, she has substantial fake boobs, but unlike those two, she got hers mid-way through the site. Approximately 70% of the galleries include her fake boobs, the rest feature her more natural (and rather lovely!) cleavage.
LEXI MASON is, unlike the other models here, petite and all natural. She is an absolute stunner with a gorgeous complexion, perky boobs and is a refreshing change from her less natural colleagues. Unfortunately her site shows up one of the weaknesses with
Bella Pass
in that it seems a bit overlooked compared to the big three her site is relatively new, and regularly updated (once a week), but not quite with the regularity of the others.
is also a relatively new model to the network. The content is softer (no toys/masturbation/spreading), but she's stunning,. Her website doesn't have much content yet, and lacks the bonus features from the other sites. You can read more about
Hunter Leigh
in my review.
MONROE LEE is a pretty blonde with a massively curvy body and fake boobs. Although her site includes pictures and videos, it is no longer being updated and quality isnt up to the standard of other sites in the network. Its not bad, but it feels a lot more amateur, and although this is a great bonus site, its hard to be too enthusiastic about a model when the site is no longer updating.
is another big-breasted babe. Her site is no longer updating but there is a good amount of great quality content available, including webcam archives and behind the scenes footage. Like Monroes site, this is a great bonus site on top of five that are regularly being updated.
Bella Pass
Current Member
less than 1 month
(at the time of review).
- Fairly large network of 6 solo model sites and 1 multi-model site.
- High quality on nearly all sites.
- Network is an even better value if you like the models that have a high amount of content. I will list amounts of content for each site in the BL.
- Seems to be quite a bit of interaction with the models.
- Download speeds will vary from site to site, but never drops to a bad level.
- Navigation is excellent for a network, it includes and easy to use drop-down box that allows you to move from site to site without the hassle of signing in on each.
- I personally find all of the models attractive.
- No cross-sales on registration and ads are non-existent in members area as well. It's one of those sites that should get some bonus points for clean site design without annoyances.
- There is some, though not a lot, more hardcore scenes on the sites. So it's not all just softcore or just masturbation.
- The webmaster explained in replies of my
review. There are no photo zips. If nothing else, I feel like it should be mentioned since photo collectors will see that as a dealbreaker.
- Download limit has been raised to 12 GB per day and I really don't see it as that bad unless you download the 1920x1080 files. I've somehow found moderation in my downloading over the years and am having no trouble with the download limit.
Bottom Line:
I did a separate review for the
site which is included in this network. I felt like it was quite a bit better than the other sites and deserved it's own standalone review. First thing I'm going to do is list the numbers for each site. I will count these numbers by using a manual method of X amount of scenes per page multiplied by number of pages. I will use this method of describing them (standard video = masturbation/tease. BTS = Behind the Scenes. Webcam = webcam archive)
Ava Dawn
- 32 standard videos, 15 BTS, 4 Webcam, 42 photo sets.
Bella Girlfriends - 7 standard videos, 61 photo sets
- See my separate review. This is by far the largest site in the network. The numbers are for combined types of videos (329) and photo sets (280) candid photo sets (62)
Hunter Leigh
- 24 photo sets, 0 videos.
Katie Banks
- standard videos (112), Webcam (127), photo sets (172), candid photo sets (131)
Lexi Mason - standard videos (16), photo sets (28)
Monroe Lee - standard videos (18), webcam (25), photo sets (111). candid photo sets (5)
Talia Shepard
- standard videos (49), BTS (19), Webcam (112), Photo sets (118), candid photo sets (38).
If you notice one model missing, Renna Ryan, the content was up the first few days I was a member, now the site is giving me a "content not available" message when I sign in. She also is no longer listed in the BellaGirls, so I guess that was just bad timing since it was there just a few days ago.
I bring this up because Renna was an extra selling point for me since I have always liked her. On the other hand, the site was relatively small and the last 6-8 videos were during her pregnancy. Overall, her site was a disappointment so I don't think you're going to miss it much.
If you will also notice, several of the models have more webcam archived videos than anything else. I do like these, but there's no way, short of watching everyone of them to say what percentage is just talking or teasing or masturbation.
I was not familiar with any of these models except the aforementioned Renna Ryan and
Talia Shepard
. Talia's site is above average, so if you like her it's worth noting that it's one of the bigger sites on the network. I even found a new one I'll be watching for more content of,
Ava Dawn
, who I wasn't the least bit familiar with.
I went to the oldest videos on each site and it looks like all standard videos have the full selection of video options. I'll list them again:
MP4 - 1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x360
WMV - 1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x360
Flash - 900x506
3GP - 352x288
As I mentioned in the
review, I prefer the Flash ones for the combination of good quality and the files are not overly large. If anyone has trouble playing Flash videos, I use either VLC or Windows Media Classic Home Cinema.
The content mostly follows the same path from site to site. It's mostly softcore teasing and masturbation. I'm not for sure if the hardcore number is high since several of the hardcore scenes I had seen on here were on the Renna Ryan site.
Picture sets have a viewing option of 1500x933 or vice versa and 4000x26xx or vice versa. These pictures are very good, look to be professional shot so without zips, you're going to need to be ready to right click, save as on the ones you like.
The webcam videos are decent quality, look to be in the 360-480p range and are entertaining.
It's worth noting that several of these models,
, Talia especially, have very good personalities and can pull off these 40ish minute webcam shows without a hitch. I still haven't seen a live webcam show, but it's more based on me never having a chance to sit down and watch one, so these archived ones are a nice addition.
As a whole, the network averages over 1 update per day. In the most recent months, there are these numbers.
January 1-28: 39 updates.
December 2012: 47 updates.
November 2012: 39 updates.
So it's an active network as you can see. I will touch on the no zips one last time since I think the
Hunter Leigh
site shows the downside of no zips. It has no videos, 24 photo sets and no zip downloads. She's a very pretty/cute model, but without anything to download, I probably won't visit it for more than a few views of pictures with nothing left to show for the membership to it.
I do think this network as a whole is good though. It helps that I really like
Talia Shepard
. Having their videos in a high number like the network has offsets the cons. I don't think Renna's site would have helped or hurt the score any since it did look to be relatively small. If memory serves me right it only had 2 pages of videos, 2 of photos and maybe with her pregnancy she didn't want the content posted anymore.
I'm going a bit high on the score based on liking the
site so much. The network is worth a join if you like solo models and especially if you prefer videos.
Great Website
I did originally have some issues with logging into the website, but after reaching out to the webmaster, we finally got it resolved.
Bryci.com has great content, and is frequently updated. The additional bonus of having access to other models (ie
Katie Banks
) is a definite plus, and the pricing is quite fair given the quality of the content you get.
Update to my review
As the webmaster, James, has said, there is no longer regional billing which is great news.
Bryci has amassed many HC videos since I've been a member - there's now over 30 with her having sex or giving blowjobs. Really great work. The majority of updates are now hardcore, but there's still a lot of solo stuff.
The only cons are the lack of zips, and the download speeds seem pretty slow, too.
Amazing Deal At The Moment At This Site
$19.99 per month - for the whole network of sites. Their webmaster said at another forum:
"I don't know how long we'll run this - a week? a month? all summer? All comes down to how much people like it I guess!"
I say, encourage them! If you like great solo-girl material mixed with some hard-core stuff, don't sleep on a fabulous deal like this one - they're getting rarer, not more common, in my experience.
Warning to Non US Members Regional Pricing!!!!
Advertised price $16.62 = £10.79
CCBill Join up page £23.72 = $36.54
I don't think I need say any more!
Cap'n. :0E
Current Member
over 1 month
(at the time of review).
- Perfect balance of video and gallery content
- Well-known, established model with regular updates since 2012
s now doing hardcore, with plenty of updates already
- Extremely pretty with exceptional body and large (if fake) boobs
- Immediate access to
Bella Pass
network including 6 bonus sites
- Consistent, high quality of content throughout the site
- Content is downloadable, videos have lots of download options
- Regular, dated updates (including recent ones in preview area)
- Tons of bonus content like bio, blog, candids, behind the scenes
- Easy navigation either via
Bella Pass
or her own site
- You seem to stay logged in without username/password prompts
- CCBill with no pre-checked cross-sells good value for money
See my
Bella Pass
review for in-depth thoughts on the network as a whole.
Points marked with * don't bother me personally:
- No ZIP files for photo galleries
- Video previews are a bit limited
- Regional pricing
- If you want hardcore, might be worth waiting a few months*
- Automatically generated username/password*
- Download limit of 20gb per 24 hour period*
has fake boobs*
See my
Bella Pass
review for in-depth thoughts on the network as a whole.
A note on Bella Network's piracy policy: Bella Network has a very strict piracy policy. They are extremely clear with this when you join. Sometimes legitimate members MIGHT get blocked - Bella have have made improvements to their customer service so that this can easily be investigated and rectified.
Bottom Line:
Ill cut to the chase and say this is one of the best amateur solo model websites I have ever joined.
It has all the benefits of a solo model website (personality, insight into the model etc) while being part of a slick, regularly updated network.
Membership includes access to the following bonus sites:
Katie Banks
- very similar to
, with content being softcore
Talia Shepard
- youll probably like Talia if you like
- softcore
Hunter Leigh
- beautiful model, relatively new. Nudity but no toys
Lexi Mason - extremely petite, relatively new to Bella
Ava Dawn
- site no longer updating but has over 50 videos
Monroe Lee - super-curvy but site no longer updating
If you like
Talia Shepard
Katie Banks
are from the same mould.
s site is currently the only one with hardcore content, but both Talia and Katies sites are comparable size-wise to
You can browse content from the whole network, or just
s site using a drop down in the top right. You also have a very good search function where you can search by niche or by site.
has the usual sections for photos and video content, but in addition to this:
BIO: A hugely comprehensive biography. Features her essential statistics but also a very, very in-depth profile with information about her and her site.
CANDIDS: 71 candid galleries featuring
. Some are her out and about or on holiday, many are self-shot pics featuring her in various states of undress.
BLOG: Regularly updated and from what I can tell, actually written by
. Includes personal updates, previews of forthcoming galleries etc, and various candid photos.
BABECHAT: Video web chat featuring models from Bella Network.
doesnt seem to be on the schedule, but
Talia Shepard
Katie Banks
make frequent appearances. She might be just taking a few weeks off, though, as there are plenty of videos of her in the archive.
WALLS: Lots and lots of stylised wallpapers.
Currently 308 galleries, approximately 80 photos each. If you hover over the gallery thumbnails they animate to show a sample of images inside. You can sort galleries by most recent or by name.
All images are downloadable, feature a small, translucent watermark and can either be viewed at 1500px or 4000px. Zips are not available, and batch download programmes are prohibited, which is a big mark against the site as its hugely time-consuming to download images. You cant right-click thumbnails and download link because the high-res images are placed onto a web page, so youd download this, not the image. It makes the concept of even downloading a sample of images quite a bewildering prospect. The majority of the points deducted from giving the site a perfect score are because of this, and Im not even a huge photo collector.
Currently there are no hardcore galleries. Most galleries feature
enjoying her own company in the form of strip-tease and/or masturbation with or without toys. Shes extremely charismatic in front of the camera and oozes confidence. Most updates are shot in and around the house in the bedroom, bathroom etc, but any updates outside are well-lit and still very polished.
Currently 341 videos including webchat archives and behind-the-scenes. The video pages again feature animating thumbnails, but the animation generally only shows the first part of the video. Webchat archives and BTS are mixed in with the standard videos which is a minor niggle. You can either stream a Flash video (skipping to any part as it loads) or download the video in a number of sizes/formats:
- 3GP (352x288)
- Flash (900x506)
- MP4 (1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x360 for iPad)
- WMV (1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x360)*
* As of March 2013, WMV is no longer being added, but it is still available on older updates
Videos are excellently shot. The majority are softcore with
stripping and playing with toys or masturbating, recent videos feature hardcore. Currently there are six hardcore videos (since March) so although theres not too much at the moment, its being added frequently so will build up quickly.
The first two were artistically shot (in the dark or behind shower curtain), and although and the next was poorly lit, the others are well shot. Most hardcore has so far been POV, but the most recent had a version shot POV, and one from a second camera.
s foray into hardcore is confident and assertive, and although already impressive, Im sure technically the videos will improve in terms of lighting, angles etc as more and more content is added.
Most videos are in the region of 10-15 minutes long. Webcam videos are also mixed in with video updates and are around an hour long.
is wonderful, and her site does her justice. Theres a lot of bonus content on her site, and plenty of relevant bonus sites youll like if you like
. The difficulty of saving images is a big mark against the site, while most other criticisms are minor at best.
Current Member
less than 1 month
(at the time of review).
is a sensual, brunette model who excels at posing, teasing and may be the best solo masturbation model I've seen in a few years.
- The site itself is pretty big, but not all scenes are masturbation, quite a few BTS, non-nude talking, will list the numbers in BL.
- Archive has webcam archived videos.
- From what I can see, all videos on the site are available in 1980x1080. Multiple video download options on all videos except webcam archives.
- Download speed is relatively good, but you will occasionally run into a slower moving file. I can max out at 3.8 MB/s, most will download around 3.0 MB/s, but a few were in the 1.6-1.9 MB/s range.
- Pictures are nice, but I had a few problems with them which will be in cons.
- Comes with 7 other similarly themed sites, the size of each greatly varies and I will do a review of the overall network separately to get all the numbers in.
- Price isn't too bad for the quality and especially if you like the models.
- Pictures aren't zipped. This could be a major con to picture lovers since they have very high quality pictures 2662x4000.
- Download limit. Normally this would annoy the hell out of me, but I don't download near as much as I used to. It's listed as 9 GB per day, Webmaster says 10 GB, the most I've downloaded in a day is 5 GB, so I've had no problems with it. And since the terms say no scripts are allowed, I'm guessing you can't use a bulk image downloader for the pictures. It isn't being a problem for me though I thought it should be mentioned. One workaround without breaking the rules is to download the smaller quality videos, which I will get to in the BL.
Bottom Line:
has to be considered a serious contender for top solo model. The one negative some will find is she has implants, but I've never minded those either unless they are badly out of proportion. Hers aren't. The site is full of high quality content as well. I'm going to focus this next part on the numbers and qualities available since there is a download limit.
I'm counting 329 video scenes as of 1/27/13. There are 5 types of video scenes. Standard masturbation, Behind the Scenes, teasing, talking, webcam archive. The BTS and talking ones aren't something I'm going to download since there is a download limit, so those can be taken out of the equation. Her teasing scenes are short in length, 4-6 minutes usually, but if the attire she has on it is your thing, these are worth downloading. She has one scene in a white thin dress, in the shower, that is great as well as a workout tease scene that I loved.
The scenes I downloaded were masturbation, some teasing and the webcam archive. There's roughly 110 masturbation and/or tease scenes, it's hard to put a number on the webcam scenes that involve masturbation or nudity without watching them all, but several I've watched do have masturbation in them. It almost looks like
may have started out as a tease type model. The videos date back to January 2009, so that's 4 years of content and plenty of time for her to have evolved from tease to masturbation. Most of the first year of updates are of the tease and BTS variety.
I know there are people who like the talking videos, but I'm sticking with my standard on those, I don't want to pay for a video of a woman answering questions. It seems to be a whole section of "Ask
" videos. There also is an Amazon button so you can buy presents for
, which I've laughed at dating back to Raven Riley. One more time, I pay to see your porn, not to have an option to pay for your gifts.
The video download options do vary since 1/5, maybe 1/4 are webcam, these are in Flash only, but you can download them.
The other videos have:
MP4 1920x1080, 1280x720 and 640x360.
WMV 1920x1080, 1280x720 and 640x360.
Flash 900x506
3GP 352x288
As you can see, the downloading options are very good and I personally download the Flash ones since it limits the size of the file, while giving me still good quality. From what I see in the members area you have all these options on all videos except the webcam archives.
The pictures are overall a disappointment. I've always removed points for no zip files and have removed 5 points from this review for it since I think the pictures add a lot to a solo site. I guess it's okay to download one at a time if you want to make you own set, but I would much prefer a zip option to download the whole set. It seems to go into a hollow debate of why have 4000 high end pictures if the members can't download the whole set. While I'm sure there are some who wouldn't want to download an entire set of photos at that high of quality since it would be a fairly big file. I like the option of having the option to download if I want them though.
Navigation is very easy, site design is nice and clean. There also are webcam shows, but I haven't watched any. Each thing you would need from navigation is in a toolbar towards the top of the screen, the only thing I would add is an option to filter out BTS scenes and separate webcam archive, but those are minor complaints since the title of each video says, "BTS" or "Webcam" so you don't have to guess at them.
earns the high score is in her performances. She's quite confident, seems to love teasing and works the camera as well as dare I say, a young
Eve Angel
. The eye contact with the camera, the "I know you're watching" expressions, is the best I've seen since 2006
Eve Angel
. That alone keeps me interested in her content. She also seems to be pretty natural in her poses unlike a lot of Euro glam models. She shows a fun and playful side as well.
You do get access to
Bella Pass
Network which includes 6 other solo models and one other site that is a multi-model site. I won't go into those since I want to review the network as a whole, separately, but
does seem to be the star of the network.
's site itself seems to update with video or photos 10 times a month. There also is a blog if you're interested in that and it is very active from what I saw of it. In January alone, there were 11 new entries in the blog.
One last part on the download limit. Downloading Flash files, I downloaded 12 videos earlier for a total of 2 GB. So considering I don't want the BTS or talking videos, I should be able to get most of the scenes I want without breaking the download limit.
Overall, download limits and no picture zips, notwithstanding, I would highly recommend it to solo fans.
A question
I hadn't ever seen this model or site until the review recently posted. Since I like, even usually prefer, solo models, it made me take notice.
On the TBP review in the notes over to the side it says, "Owner verifies that there are no restrictions on Europeans joining these sites." My question is, is this talking about with the download limit? It's not that I mind since I don't know if Europeans have slower internet connections or if the sites servers are maybe in Europe and that makes less/more stress on the servers. I'm mainly just trying to clarify that the restriction the note is talking about is on the download limit and there isn't some other restriction. I can work with 9 GB/day limit, so it doesn't bother me much and would give this network a try as long as I know there isn't other restrictions.
Was a member approx.
6 months
prior to this review.
is simply gorgeous! She poses in many different ways and looks great in them all!
As other have already indicated, the webmaster is terrible. If you exceed the down limit, (which is not really that high (9GB per 24 hour), with some on the videos at over 1GB you can hit 9.0GB pretty fast), you will be banned from the site. It indicates for 1 week, but you may not get back on at all. The best thing to do is just request a refund from the subscription company (cc bill).
The worst part is the webmaster will not respond (even if you are trying resolve the issue). The subscription company (like ccbill) will try to correct the problem, but you will never hear from the webmaster.
I rating the site a 70 (all because of
). The other models in the site are attractive, but not to the level of
. The grade would have been considerably higher if the webmaster was not so bad!
Bottom Line:
As I mentioned,
is a natuarl beauty. It is just such a shame that the webmaster is so bad. I can see the setting of a limit, but not responding to inquires, especially when you try to resolve the problem is not excusable!
There are so many other sites that offer great looking models. Stay away from this one, and if you join, be really careful (read all the terms, I know like anyone ever does that?)!
warning! download limit 1,5gb if not they close your account
they closed my account after i have downloaded only 1,5gb, it's insane! in the term of their service, they declare" we have a 9 gigs per day limit" they talk nonsense. The webmaster did not never answer to my message!
Was a member approx.
4 months
prior to this review.
is incredible hot with a great body
- Lots of content, good balance of pics and vids
- Good value with lots of other girls too
Awful webmaster. I had problems with my ADSL and my IP number was blocked. No problem I thought, and emailed the webmaster. He basically called me a liar and a thief and wouldn't humour me at all. I understand the need to protect content, but the way it was dealt with was totally over the top. I explained what happened, even listed the 10-or-so videos I had downloaded to prove only I had been a member but he wouldn't even listen. A huge shame as it's a great site
Bottom Line:
An incredible website but let down by an incredibly arrogant webmaster. It was a huge shame because it was definitely the kind of website I could see myself joining and rejoining constantly.
Bella Pass For Those Who Want Multiple..
An interesting development in the Solo-Girl Model world is the marketing of groups of models in package deals
Bryci.com is the center of a group of sites being marketing as Bella Pass - all are busty models:
(Talia's a former Twisty's Treat and the only natural-boobed model in the group - for now anyway)
MonroeLee.com (still in development)
Are the sites available for one price with the Bella Pass - $34.95/month for the group or $79.95/3 months
I don't know if Ava's site is still active, frankly. Monroe's site is "in development", which means there really isn't any content there. Talia's site was recently stripped of 3/4 of the content when the current webmaster found that the old photo sets were messing with his servers somehow and the old vids & cam show archives were in violation of a new Bella Pass rule against sex toys or masturbation. So expect these sites to be fairly mild.
Current Member
over 6 months
(at the time of review).
As a long time member of
.com, I felt I should make my first review of her website. It's amazing! They really put the customer first in all that they do.
The site updates five times per week and the images are top notch, 4000 pixel wide is the largest size. Their videos are also huge, 1080p in size.
is in her forums daily talking and she blogs almost every day as well so she is very, very active. She has a great sense of humor it seems. She cares about her member base and remembers them in cam shows and what not, which is appreciated. Always good to not just be a dollar sign in the eyes of a model.
I signed up the first week this site went live and while it was slow in content because it was brand new but on their one year anniversary, they had 129 photo galleries, 157 videos in place. That's 5.5 updates per week, or 22 updates per month. I don't know of any solo model sites that come even close to
.com to be honest.
I wish they offered the sets in zip format for download, but as they reasoned, when they do, there are always those that download the zip and post in trader forums. That hurts them of course so I understand them not supporting zips.
A lot of sites don't support zips for the same reason.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line, I wish all sites were as good as
.com. She doesn't play with toys or do things some other girls do, but there is this level of class about her.. you just can't imagine her going further.
They created a new benchmark with their website, once that I wish others would try and beat. Until then,
.com remains the best solo model website I personally have ever joined. I was a member of seven sites at the time I joined
.com. I am now a member of two,
.com and
. The other sites just don't cut it in comparison.
Was a member approx.
2 months
prior to this review.
is definitely a VERY hot girl. A total knockout, like the cute girl next door who went away to live in the city and came back home for Christmas with tighter clothes and a huge fantasy boob job.
- Images are high resolution (approx. 2000 pixels).
- Videos are available in multiple formats (WMV, XVid, iPhone, PSP, etc.) at resolutions up to 1920x1080, with no DRM or apparent download limits.
- All content is exclusive and original.
- Content added frequently (5 times per week).
- Limited content as of March 2009 - it was a fairly new site. I would guess (from memory 6 weeks on) that there were approx. 30-40 photo sets and about 12-15 videos at the time.
- Everything is very much softcore - pretty much boobs only. Which is fine - they are mesmerizing boobs. But you can't help but long to see more of her body. Very rare tantalizing glimpses of her waxed kitty only make it frustrating for the viewer.
- The videos are a little amateurishly shot, their action tends to be a bit tame, and they are a little short in duration.
- Image galleries aren't available as zip files: you have to download each image separately. I gave up after three or four galleries, and cancelled my account soon thereafter.
Bottom Line:
is absolutely gorgeous - no doubt about it. To my mind, one of the hottest girls I've seen in years. They're adding more content to the site at a reasonable pace, so after a few months I would consider re-joining IF (and ONLY if) they were to provide downloadable zip archives of the photoshoots. And if
was to reveal just a little more, that would sweeten the deal even further.
Hunter Leigh
Current Member
over 1 month
(at the time of review).
- Hunter is stunning with a great figure and beautiful complexion
- Immediate access to
Bella Pass
including six solo sites
- Decent quality content, consistent throughout the site
- Regular, reliable updates with previews of forthcoming updates
- Updates are dated (including recent updates in Preview area)
- Easy navigation either via
Bella Pass
or her own site
- You seem to stay logged in without username/password prompts
- CCBill with no pre-checked cross-sells
See my
Bella Pass
review for in-depth thoughts on the network as a whole.
Points marked with * don't bother me personally:
- Not much content at the moment, particularly videos
- Updates not as frequent as other
Bella Pass
- Regional pricing
- Content not as high quality as other
Bella Pass
- Misses features such as candids, blog, behind the scenes etc
- No ZIP files for photo galleries
- Movies are currently just videos of photo sessions
- Automatically generated username/password*
- Download limit of 20gb per 24 hour hour period*
- Hunter has fake boobs*
See my
Bella Pass
review for in-depth thoughts on the network as a whole.
Bottom Line:
Katie Banks
Talia Shepard
Hunter Leigh
s website might come as bit of a disappointment. Her site is a bit cast in the shadows of the holy trinity of those three and although her site has regular updates, the lions share of updates across the network are for
Katie Banks
Talia Shepard
, so the gulf of difference looks to increase over time rather than decrease.
Navigation-wise it is identical to all the other
Bella Pass
sites, which is to say its excellent and very refined. With your membership you get access to the whole
Bella Pass
which includes:
- biggest site on the network, now featuring HC content
Katie Banks
- looks fairly similar to
, 2nd largest in network
Talia Shepard
- similar to Katie again, frequent updates
Lexi Mason - extremely petite, relatively new to Bella
Ava Dawn
- site no longer updating but has over 50 videos
Monroe Lee - super-curvy but site no longer updating
I think Hunter is actually one of the most beautiful on
Bella Pass
. She is slim, and although she has fake boobs, they're pretty natural looking.
Currently there are 1,683 photos across 28 galleries, and 3 videos. Out of all the
Bella Pass
websites (updating and not), her site is the smallest. Updates are approximately weekly.
When you log in, you land on the
Bella Pass
members homepage which displays updates from across all sites. At the top theres a drop-down you can select to go directly to
Hunter Leigh
s membership area, or any of the other models/sites in the network.
You can view updates by type (photos, videos, etc), or search by category and/or site. The navigation is incredibly refined, particularly when you factor in the amount of content across the entire network.
Currently theres three videos. The run time ranges from around 2- to 4-minutes which, again, doesn't compare favourably to other sites in the network (normally around 10-minutes). From the video homepage, you can hover over the thumbnails and theyll show a slideshow of frames from the video by means of a preview.
Movies are basically videos of photo sessions, with her moving from pose-to-pose with the camera flash going off. Hopefully now that Hunter has made the move to
Bella Pass
, the video content will improve. Quality is decent, all videos are downloadable and there is a Flash video embedded onto the site which you can skip to any point in while it loads.
Downloadable formats include:
- 3GP (352x288)
- Flash (900x506)
- MP4 (1280x720 and 640x360)
- WMV* (1280x720 and 640x360)
* WMV videos are likely not to be added to future updates in line with other
Bella Pass
Gallery-wise, theres currently 28 galleries. From the gallery homepage, like the videos, you can hover over the thumbnail and it'll animate to show a general gist of what's inside.
Galleries are around 80 to 100 pictures large, but zips aren't available. Most galleries have the option to view/save images as 1500px and 4000px on their longest side, but a few (presumably older ones) only have the 1500px option they're in the minority, though.
Photos are definitely this sites strength with the galleries being fantastically well shot, and Hunter looking effortlessly beautiful in front of the camera. Sets are shot in a variety of locations ranging from bedrooms to bathrooms, and also venturing outside, but not in public. All are well lit and great quality, with images watermarked in colour with the site logo (approximately 350-400px wide, but non-intrusively placed). Her site is a lot softer than
or Katie's sites and focuses on strip-tease (no toys/masturbation/spreading) but she is fully nude and shows everything.
Beyond photos and videos, theres currently not much else in the way of content. If you are joining Hunters site as a solo site, you will miss features like behind the scenes, candids and webcam archives as features like this to me make an amateur site an amateur site as you get to know the model currently theres not much opportunity to do this on Hunters site.
Although Hunter herself can more than hold her own against the other models in the network, currently her site cant. My review probably sounds a bit negative, but as shes new to the network, my score and opinion will go up as the amount of content does. I just hope her site isn't overlooked in favour of other
Bella Pass
Currently, theres not as much content, fewer updates and less features.
I think in a few months her site will become more self-sufficient in terms of updates because it is regularly being updated. I think once this happens, the score will climb by at least 5.
Add some personality to the site by means of more natural videos, candids (if shes comfortable with this) or behind-the-scenes footage, and the score will probably climb by another 5.
At the moment Hunters site is a great bonus site, but if youre joining for just Hunter, her site will probably leave you wanting more
Katie Banks
Current Member
less than 1 month
(at the time of review).
- Perfect balance of picture and video content
- Immediate access to Bella Network including six solo sites
- Consistent quality of content throughout the site
- Updates are dated (including recent updates in Preview area)
- Additional content including blog, candids, behind the scenes
- Katie has an phenominal body, and seems to love modelling
- Easy navigation either via Bella Network or her own site
- You seem to stay logged in without username/password prompts
- CCBill with no pre-checked cross-sells
Points marked with * don't bother me personally:
- Video previews are a bit limited
- Regional pricing
- No ZIP files for photo galleries
- Automatically generated username/password*
- Download limit of 12gb per 24 hour hour period*
- Katie has fake boobs*
- Photoshopping of her moles in photo updates
A note on Bella Network's piracy policy: Bella Network has a very strict piracy policy. They are extremely clear with this and spell it out in black and white prior to joining, in the confirmation email, and on the site. Occasionally legitimate members MIGHT get blocked - Bella have listened to member feedback and have made improvements to their customer service so that this can easily be investigated and rectified.
Bottom Line:
Katie has an incredible body, lots of enthusiasm and her site, like all in the Bella Network, is slick, high quality but still has the character of a amateur solo model site.
Once you're in the member's area, you see content and updates across the whole Network. You can filter by photos, videos, behind the scenes and archives, and sort by date or name.
You can also choose to view updates from a single site (ie, just Katie's) and there's also a search function where you can filter by category, or search by site. It's the same navigation style as Tia Ling's website, but it has been set up properly with content correctly categorised.
Currently the site advertises 13,738 photos, and 287 videos (51,445 photos and 935 videos across the network). On average, there's at least an update a day across the whole network, a consistent history of updates, and probably on average an update every 2-3 days on Katie's site alone including bonus content.
Bella Network is the best network of solo websites I have ever been a member of.
Katie is a softcore model. Most content is shot in and around the Bella Network house, so often in the bedroom, bathroom etc. Content includes masturbation, extreme close-ups of her tits, between her legs etc. Often sets will be a strip tease and masturbation from normal outfits or lingerie, but there's also themed sets such as Wonderwoman, Mistress etc.
Across the top are the following options:
VIDEOS: Currently 117 videos. When you click into 'videos', there are 20 updates per page with a short description, running time, date added, member's rating and an animated thumbnail when you hover over it. Click into the update, and there is a very short and rather generic description with the option to add to favourites or view comments.
You can watch the video as a Flash video (which you can skip to any point in, even when loading), or can download in many, many different formats, including:
3GP (352x288)
Flash (900x506)
MP4 (1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x320 for iPad)
WMV (1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x320)
Video size ranges from around 100-500mb - a superb range of options. Most follow the usual striptease then play formula, but there's a lot of more specialised videos such as focusing on her (ample!) boobs.
The most annoying aspect of the animated thumbnails is that they only reflect the first few minutes, so don't really show you much about the video. The best way to preview the video is with the Flash video, but of course that involves extra clicks which all add up when you consider the amount of content.
The video section also includes behind the scenes videos.
ARCHIVE: Currently 138 webcam videos. Most a decent, if slightly grainy quality and have approximately an hour's running time. Videos are downloadable in Flash format (approximately 250mb).
PHOTOS: Currently 179 galleries, averaging around 100 photos. Galleries are arranged as 20 per page with a thumbnail, description and date. The thumbnail animates when you hover over it so you can get a gist of the gallery.
Click into a gallery, and pictures are arranged as thumbnails with 20 per page, a short description and the option to view photos as 1500px- or 4000px-wide when you click on thumbnails.
Zips aren't available due to piracy concerns, and you can't right-click thumbnails and 'save target as' because the full-size photo is on a webpage, not just a JPG on its own. There is a medium-sized translucent watermark on full size images.
This might seem an unusual complaint, but Katie has a large mole under on her left boob. From what I can tell this is photoshopped out of all photos, but obviously appears in vids.
BIO: Vital stats and a very impressive and in-depth, 800-word biography - not the usual banal "I like sex" (although of course this is touched upon).
BLOG: Frequently updated, and as far as I can tell, by Katie herself. This is also very in-depth, features previews and personal thoughts.
CANDIDS: Currently 139 galleries of varying sizes. Features trips to zoos etc, flashing in public and self-shoot topless/nude pics. Very impressive.
BABECHAT: Chatroom for Bella models.
Katie Banks
both take part in chats every couple of days, normally at either 7pm or 9pm EST.
Also included is WALLPAPERS/FAN ART and BELLA WEBCAMS (live sex chat webcams).
BELLA NETWORK: If you like Katie, you'll love the other sites:
- biggest site on the network, comparable to Katie
Hunter Leigh
- beautiful model, relatively new to Bella
Lexi Mason - extremely petite, relatively new to Bella
Talia Shephard - similar to Katie again, frequent updates
Ava Dawn
- site no longer updating but has over 50 videos
Monroe Lee - super-curvy but site no longer updating
This is a fantastic site, part of a fantastic network. Some might find some of the content network-wide a bit samey, but this is a high quality network with high quality models and a great mix of content, including great peeks into the model's lives via candids/BTS.
Talia Shepard
Current Member
over 1 month
(at the time of review).
- Very good balance of photo and video content
- Talia has a great figure and gigantic (if fake) breasts
- Immediate access to Bella Network including six solo sites
- Consistent, high quality of content throughout the site
- Regular, dated updates (incl. recent updates in preview area)
- Bonus content like blogs, video blogs and behind the scenes
- Easy navigation either via Bella Network or her own site
- You seem to stay logged in without username/password prompts
- CCBill with no pre-checked cross-sells good value for money
See my
Bella Pass
review for in-depth thoughts on the network as a whole.
Points marked with * don't bother me personally:
- Video previews are a bit limited
- Regional pricing
- No ZIP files for photo galleries
- Automatically generated username/password*
- Download limit of 20gb per 24 hour hour period*
- Talia has large, fake boobs*
See my
Bella Pass
review for in-depth thoughts on the network as a whole.
Bella Pass
sites have a very clear but strict download policy. Be careful not to exceed their download limits. Improvements have been made to the network's customer service to deal with legitimate members who might accidentally get blocked (it hasn't happened to me yet on this membership term).
Bottom Line:
Talia Shepard
is a curvy 28GG model, part of the massively impressive
Bella Pass
network to which you get immediate access. Her site is the third largest in the network and has 8,808 photos, and 208 videos (of which 45 are HD, 114 are webcam archive videos and 19 are behind the scenes footage).
Talia is a confident performer who does strip tease, masturbation with toys and soft lesbian action. She has also had a boob job with her site offering content both pre- and post-boob job with about 70% of the content being since the enlargement. I have to say I definitely preferred her before and she had good size boobs even before the enlargement. Obviously this is just personal preference, and the preview is clear enough for people to make their own decisions.
The site is extremely easy to navigate. Once you log in, the members homepage shows updates from across the entire network. You can go to just Talias member area by using a drop-down top right, or search and/or filter updates by site/update type at the top.
The content is divided into various categories in addition to the usual photo and video sections.
She has a blog which is constantly updated by Talia herself. Lots of candid snaps from her phone, updates from her life (whether shes ill, going on a trip etc), and also personal blog posts (eg her favourite tweets from fans over the last week). Its always good to see a blog on a solo site, but even more impressive to see its actually updated.
BTS has behind the scenes footage from video and photo shoots. This is an impressive feature and shows Talia and the girls who often join her enjoying sessions.
Talia also takes part in video blogs. Theres not a separate section for these, so youll have to search for videos tagged with Video Blog, but theyre well worth watching, and, in addition to the blog, candids, behind the scenes footage and her Twitter feed, all give a great insight into the life of Talia. For me, this is a huge plus and surely helps build the model a huge following as Im not alone in liking models beyond their physical attributes.
There are many thousands of photos on Talias website. All are downloadable, but you cant use batch downloaders and zip files are not available. Even for someone like me who doesnt download everything, the prospect of so many photos to download is quite bewildering (to the point Ive only downloaded video content).
The gallery homepage has 20 galleries per page with thumbnails that animate on mouse-over to show a slideshow of photos inside. Inside, photos are arranged 20 to a page, and you have the option to toggle between showing photos at 4000px on their longest side, or low-fi 1500px.
You have the option to rate, add to favourites and comment. The date the gallery was added is shown along with a short description and the categories that apply to the gallery.
Pictures are well shot, include a small, unobtrusive watermark and often show excellent close-ups of various parts of Talia in various stages of undress or enjoying her own company.
Video content is similar. Again, videos are arranged 20 to a page and thumbnails animate to show a vague idea of what the video is about. You can watch a Flash version online, or can download an impressive number of formats and file sizes, including:
- 3GP (352x288)
- Flash (900x506)
- MP4 (1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x360 for iPad)
- WMV (1920x1080, 1280x720, 640x360)*
* As of March 2013, WMV is no longer being added as its becoming a redundant file format, but it is still available on older updates
The videos are a good mix of striptease, masturbation with toys and soft lesbian-style action with
Katie Banks
who, it has to be said, are all fairly similar looks-wise. Theres nothing groundbreaking, but its all very impressive and obviously car wash, whipped cream and mock BJs with dildo videos are popular for a reason and Talia ticks all of these boxes.
For photos and videos, the locations are varied. Many are bedroom, bathroom or anywhere else around the house. Theres a few updates from the pool and a few vaguely public but nothing too outrageous in this respect.
Talia also takes part in Babe Chat, along with
Katie Banks
. Her shows are typically at 2pm EST which is a good time for European members as thats early evening. Theres a full archive of her shows, which are all downloadable as Flash files, each around an hour long. You can also watch them from an embedded flash file on the site, which you can skip to any point in while it loads.
Overall, this is an impressive, polished website with a lot of content. It comes with access to
Bella Pass
which is a very impressive network including at least two active girls who are very similar to Talia. If you dont care for bonus sites, then Talias website is more than self-sufficient with lots of videos, photos, frequent updates and lots of bonus content which gives you a real insight into Talia herself.
Talia Shepard
Site Now Has Very Little Content
If you've been seeing samples of Talia's site content over the past several months and wanted to join this site to get it, don't bother.
Talia switched webmasters and the new webmaster just stripped the site of the vast majority of the content that had been there - 75% or more of the photo sets, 15 out of 16 of the Ask Talia v-blogs, all but one of the archived web-cams, most of the vids, etc.
I'm sure that the site will develop new content over time, but I wouldn't recommend joining this site for 6 months or so - it's been stripped so thoroughly that it would be hard to develop a good amount of new content before then.
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text:
Sea to Summit
TSIII 1° F Sleeping Bag
Out of Stock Product Number: 31758
At Sea to Summit we have virtually eliminated the negative effects that moisture has on down with the introduction of water-repellent Ultra-Dry Down™. Ultra-Dry Down™ water-repellent treatment protects down from external moisture and internal condensation. Ultra-Dry Down™ is a permanent* Nano-level water repellent polymer treatment applied to our high loft, high quality down. The Nano-thin treatment vastly improves our down's reaction to water without effecting its weight or loft performance. Ultra-Dry Down™ retains over 60% more loft and absorbs 30% less moisture when compared with untreated down. Sea to Summit sleeping bags dry out 60% faster than bags with untreated down. The Nano-level treatment also inhibits bacterial and microbial growth, which makes Sea to Summit sleeping bags more hygienic and improves their lifespan. Sea to Summit sleeping bags, using Ultra-Dry Down™ in combination with our already formidable 2D- and 3D-NanoShell™ system give you the best chance of sleeping warm and dry, day in day out throughout the worst of conditions. With these technologies combined there is simply no reason to choose any other insulation or shell for your sleeping bag.
* This product does not qualify for shipping to all countries.
- Relaxed mummy shape
- Nylon 2D NanoShell™, Ultra-Dry Down™
- Differential cut shell with 3D side walls
- Offset baffles
- 60/40 fill ratio
- Side block baffle
- Anatomically tapered foot
- Zip draft tube with anti-snag
- Neck draft tube with dual elastic adjustment
- Cushioned internal hood drawcord with dual adjustment
- 2 way YKK #5 zipper
- Medium sized internal zip pocket
- Includes lightweight Ultra-Sil® compression bag, mesh storage cell & laundry bag.
- Down: Ultra-Dry Down™ 750+ Loft, 90% Down Cluster, Premium European Duck Down$Shell: 2D NanoShell - MVTR 7500 g/m2/24hr$Water repellency 1,000mm$Fill weight: Short 23 oz | 665 g, Regular 25 oz | 700 g, Long 27 oz | 770 g$Bag weight: Short 2 lb 9 oz | 1150 g, Regular 2 lb 11 oz | 1225 g, Long 3 lb | 1370 g$Length / Short / right zip., zip options: Regular / left or right zip, Long / left zip$Season ratings: Spring/Autumn/Winter$Suggested use: Lightweight trekking, Hiking, Snow camping, Ski touring$Compression bag: Medium - 15L to 5L$Regular | 25 oz / 700 grams +Bag weight: Regular | 2 lb 11 oz / 1225 grams+EN13537 Temp rating: Lower: 1° F (-17° C)
Gender: Unisex
Material: Ultra-Dry Down™ 750+ Loft, 2D NanoShell
Technologies: [Ultra-Dry Down™]
Ultra-Dry Down™
Season: F13
Vendor ProductId: 53
Review ProductId: 31758
Reviewed by 1 customer
- Dri-down
- packable
- Roomy
- Snag Free Zipper
- Could be warmer
Best Uses
- Fallwinter Backpacking
Comments about Sea to Summit TSIII 1° F Sleeping Bag:
Best feature is the Dri-Down. Keeps the down well lofted even when the bag is wet but still packs down really really small for a 1 degree bag. Temperature rating may be a little ambitious. Would probably rate more in the 10 degree area.
- Was this a gift?:
- No

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Athletic Edge Nutrition
Creatine RT
Creatine RT is the worlds first and only clinically supported creatine and Russian Tarragon Extract combination. A recent study, showed the exact Russian Tarragon Extract used in Creatine RT combined with Creapure® creatine (both used in Creatine RT) could increase creatine absorption and bring about 20% greater muscle creatine absorption than creatine alone.*
No sugar, carbs or filler. No bloat. No loading phase necessary.
|Shop quickly using your personal Order History! View prior purchases to re-order the same products!
|$5.99 shipping charge for the entire order within the contiguous 48 United States.
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Ordering Instructions
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If you have a website, blog or facebook page, join


text:
Events Feed
Felix Baumgartner fell faster than first thought, hit Mach 1.25 Feb 5, 2013
The Red Bull Stratos pilot, who live jumped in front of a YouTube audience of 8 million, hit Mach 1.25 on his free fall back to Earth on October 14, 2012.
Google: Felix Baumgartner was no. 6 trending person in 2012 Dec 13, 2012
According to the search engine, "Fearless Felix," who broke the speed of sound in free fall, was one of the most intriguing people in 2012.
The Red Bulletin now available on Flipboard App Nov 18, 2012
The Red Bulletin is now available on Flipboard, the customizable social magazine app for iPad, iPhone and Android. Sign up now for exclusive stories on Red Bull Stratos.
Red Bull Stratos Sonic Boom Heard from Earth Oct 26, 2012
After jumping from 128,100 feet above the Earth for the Red Bull Stratos mission, Felix Baumgartner broke the speed of sound after 34 seconds of free fall, ultimately accelerating to as high as 833.9...
Felix Baumgartner's first TV interview since Red Bull Stratos jump Oct 19, 2012
The Red Bull Stratos media tour began in New York City on Friday with a stop at 'CBS This Morning,' where Felix spoke about the fear he felt 24.5 miles above the Earth.
Felix Baumgartner: 'You can't keep me out of the air!' Oct 17, 2012
For the first time since his dramatic jump from 128,097 above the Earth, Felix reflects on the Red Bull Stratos mission and talks about his future.
Relive the Red Bull Stratos supersonic mission Oct 15, 2012
Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian pilot and skydiver, made history when he lifted himself out of the Red Bull Stratos capsule and jumped from 128,097 feet above the Earth. Baumgartner set three records...
Red Bull Stratos: Dramatic photos from the supersonic mission Oct 15, 2012
Red Bull Stratos: See Felix Baumgartner break the sound barrier Oct 14, 2012
Felix Baumgartner made history Sunday when he jumped from a space capsule 128,097 feet above the Earth and free fell at Mach 1.24 (834 mph). Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound...
Felix Baumgartner breaks speed of sound, jumps from a record 128,097 feet -- UPDATED Oct 14, 2012
With the world watching, Felix Baumgartner jumped from his Red Bull Stratos capsule at 128,097 feet and into the record books, breaking the speed of sound.


text:
Antibiotic Resistance
If you've followed the news recently, you've probably heard about antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" that are making people sick. But before you start to panic, you can learn what causes these diseases, why they're so harmful, and what you can do to protect yourself in this BrainPOP movie on antibiotic resistance. You'll learn about the different sicknesses caused by bacteria, and how these single-celled organisms mutate and reproduce. You'll learn why the development of antibiotics was one of the great scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century, and what the downside of the discovery was. You'll discover why antibiotics have been overused, and how this overuse has led to drug-resistant bacteria. So wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water--and then click on this movie!
Learn More:Can you tell me about bacteria that make us sick?What do antibiotics do?What are antibiotics?
See a Full List of Topics


text:
Hi all, I am trying to hunt a new area this year during archery season. I am planning a week long trip for this hunt the last week of August/1st week of Sept ending on labor day.
This forest is heavily timbered with various types of pine. The area's general peaks are around 8,000-10,000 ft. There is good water throughout the area, plus some natural meadows and a few clearings from old logging operations now suspended.
I have DeLormes 6.0 topo program and have looked at google earth satellite images of the area as well. The timber goes on forever and I'm wondering if I am getting into an area that will take forever to scout since it is so thick. Does anyone have any helpful suggestions with hunting this type of terrain?


text:
Princeton Tec
- 0 Items
- 0 Items
At Princeton Tec, they have been pioneering new technologies and building lights for more than three decades. And yes, you could say it's been quite a ride. In their pursuit to be the world's best, Princeton Tec has travelled the earth by ocean, by air, by bike and by foot. They have consulted great athletes, scaled mountains, traversed the poles, touched the ocean floors and rolled two wheels on every continent. We are constantly inspired by what our ever evolving environments have to offer and the human spirit that challenges us to tackle them. This spirit, our spirit, motivates us to push technology and design, so that we can ensure that you have, not only the best lighting solutions, but solutions where technology is applied and the performance makes sense for how you use them.


text:
On Reading Crowds and Power
Cloven, we are incorporate, our wounds
simple but mysterious. We have
some wherewithal to bide our time on earth.
Endurance is fantastic; ambulances
battling at intersections, the city
intolerably en fête. My reflexes
are words themselves rather than standard
flexures of civil power. In all of this
Cassiopeia's a blessing
as is steady Orion beloved of poets.
Quotidian natures ours for the time being
I do not know
how we should be absolved or what is fate.
Fame is not fastidious about the lips
which spread it. So long as there are mouths
to reiterate the one name it does not
matter whose they are.
The fact that to the seeker after fame
they are indistinguishable from each other
and are all counted as equal shows that this
passion has its origin in the experience
of crowd manipulation. Names collect
their own crowds. They are greedy, live their own
separate lives, hardly at all connected
with the real natures of the men who bear them.
But hear this: that which is difficult
preserves democracy; you pay respect
to the intelligence of the citizen.
Basics are not condescension. Some
tyrants make great patrons. Let us observe
this and pass on. Certain directives
parody at your own risk. Tread lightly
with personal dignity and public image.
Safeguard the image of the common man.
Source: Poetry (March 2007).
Discover this poem's context and related poetry, articles, and media.
Poet Geoffrey Hill b. 1932
POET'S REGION England
Subjects Arts & Sciences, Reading & Books, Cities & Urban Life, Philosophy, Social Commentaries, Popular Culture
Poetic Terms Prose Poem, Mixed
Geoffrey Hill: "On Reading Crowds and Power"
A poet's poet investigates the power of his readers.
Geoffrey Hill's 2007 poem "On Reading Crowds and Power" isn't an easy, one-dimensional poem. It doesn't ask us to pay attention to its aural patterning or unpack a central metaphor—though those elements contribute to its art. It is a poem that points outside itself; it asks the reader to acquaint herself with a whole matrix of ideas. What those ideas are, and why Hill uses them, are important to understanding the poem's content, context, and form.
It might be helpful to start with a literary kerfuffle that made British headlines: on November 29, 2011, Hill gave what would become a controversial lecture at Oxford University. Responding to an interview that the poet laureate of England, Carol Ann Duffy, had given in the Guardian earlier that year, Hill took issue with Duffy's claim that a poem "is a form of texting … it's a way of saying more with less, just as texting is." No, objected Hill: where poetry is condensed, texting is merely "truncated" (abbreviated or curtailed). Moreover, "[w]hat Professor Duffy desires to do I believe—and if so it is a most laudable ambition—is to humanise the linguistic semantic detritus of our particular phase of oligarchical consumerism." But, laudable ambition aside, he concluded that she was wrong, and her views led her to write bad poems such as "Death of a Teacher," whose simple, sentimental language "could easily be mistaken for a first effort by one of the young people whom she wishes to encourage."
The British newspapers got a whiff of Hill's polemic. It seemed like a ready-made controversy, neatly divided between the demotic-democratic poet laureate, charged with raising the profile of poets in the schools by making poetry seem accessible and pleasurable; and the obscurantist Oxford professor, whose job was to pooh-pooh progress and fashion Latinate phrases such as "semantic detritus" or "oligarchical consumerism." Hill already had a reputation for poetic "difficulty." From his first book, For the Unfallen (1959), his poetry had engaged with historical subjects of great moral gravitas, from British kings to Christian martyrs to Holocaust victims, in a high style harking back to T.S. Eliot.
Of course Geoffrey Hill is not the first poet to stake the language of art in opposition to mainstream political and social uses of language—what he calls "oligarchical commodity English." A century earlier, the Symboliste Stéphane Mallarmé remarked: "I become obscure, of course! if one makes a mistake and thinks one is opening a newspaper." The Symbolistes, heirs of Charles Baudelaire (who coined the term modernité, "modernity"), produced in turn the countercultural poetries of surrealism and dadaism—all of which shunned conventional speech in one form or another. Accustomed as we are to celebrating the vernacular in 20th-century poetry, we forget that for some Modernists, the vernacular represented not the language of the street, but the homogenized language of newspapers, government spokesmen, and corporate shills. These entities—who represent a small and powerful elite or, in Hill's word, oligarchy—use a basic (or debased) language to persuade the masses to vote a certain way, to acquiesce to authority, and to buy things. Such language—what we commonly call "propaganda" or "advertising slogans"—is not intended to foster debate, though it may feign objectivity. Elias Canetti (1905–1994), the Nobel Prize–winning author of Crowds and Power, traced the root of the word "slogan" to the Celtic sluagh-ghairm ("the battle-cry of the dead"). Hence, "the expression we use for the battle-cries of our modern crowds derives from the Highland hosts of the dead." The language of slogans turns us all into a disembodied throng of violent impulses.
A disapproval of sluagh-ghairms surely motivated Hill's comments at Oxford, and it haunts "On Reading Crowds and Power." Crowds and Power, the 1960 treatise on crowd symbols and functions, was one of Canetti's best-known works. Though a German-language writer, Canetti was a quintessential European cosmopolite: a descendant of Sephardic Jews exiled from Spain around the Spanish Inquisition, he was born in Bulgaria and later lived in Vienna, Frankfurt, London, and Zurich. Canetti's experiences in World War II profoundly influenced his writing; although Hill, born in 1932, belongs to a generation of writers too young to have grasped the sweep of events that led to World War II, he too has spent his adulthood grappling with its ghosts.
Intellectuals such as Canetti provided important postmortems on the events of the early 20th century—and no one who has seen footage of the Nuremberg rallies can fail to understand why Crowds and Power held such sway when it first appeared. Yet Adolf Hitler figures nowhere in it. It is commonly described as a "poetic" book of sociology. Canetti's refusal to draw stark lines between his study and the topical events of the time provides a model for Hill's refusal to sacrifice poetic resonance for purposeful "clarity," a buzzword for those who speak for and to crowds.
Of course, it depends on what one means by "clarity." Hill's poem "On Reading Crowds and Power" is, sentence by sentence, fairly clear and grammatical. But taken together, the sentences add up to an utterance that sounds like a set of "notes to self"; it is a performance of a person meditating on philosophical questions, not a standard lyric poem as defined by song (with regular meter and other musical qualities) or narrative (with a beginning, middle, and end). Most of all, it is a poem dependent on the context of Hill's abiding obsessions with historical horrors, and within the context of Canetti's theories. It is an allusive poem: it points outside itself and asks the reader to be acquainted with a host of subjects ranging from politics to etymology. The fact that it relies on the frames of reference given to it by a knowledgeable reader is both a weakness and a ploy. Like many other difficult poems, it is designed to leave you dissatisfied; in response you may go rooting around for source texts and commentary. These types of poems raise a philosophical question: what is a poem's power, and does the writer or the reader own it?
Hill's poem begins with an outburst of testimonial language:
Cloven, we are incorporate, our wounds
simple but mysterious.
Strong word, cloven—it conjures the cloven foot of Biblical swine (the Devil is Legion, and Legion is one kind of crowd). It also conjures Shakespeare's The Tempest and its "cloven pine," where Ariel—the purest of spirits—was imprisoned by the mother of her creaturely complement, Caliban. Cloven—a word meaning split or divided in two, as with a cleaver—we are both spirit and body. We are "incorporate," which is also a way of saying we are a body, and a way of bringing the sinister modern "corporation" into the purview of the poem. Hill, an Anglican poet, is deliberately swerving away from the word "incarnate" with its ecclesiastical resonance, yet "incorporate" is also cognate with the Christian corpus christi. (A corpus is also, of course, a poet's body of work.) This deliberate commingling of cloven things marks Hill as a poet beset by ambivalence and conflict; much as "biding" and "endurance" are virtuous, he cannot help but see "ambulances / battling at intersections" and the city's gaiety as intolerable. In fact, "intolerably en fête" expresses an anguish that rhymes with the section's last line, "I do not know / how we should be absolved or what is fate." Again the lexicon alludes to important Christian words ("bide our time on earth"; "absolved"). When he says his "reflexes" are words rather than "standard flexures of civil power," he is contrasting the poet's ghostly power (associated with myth—Cassiopeia, Orion, the starry firmament) with the power of governments to make words into law.
The second strophe of the poem is borrowed word for word from Canetti—indicated by the use of italics—and it serves in Hill's poem as a self-indictment (in keeping with the theme of being "cloven") against the fame-seeking poetess: "Fame is not fastidious about the lips / which spread it," argue the opening lines. Fame here is likened to any old rumor, recalling the idioms "loose-lipped" or "flapping your lips." The word "spread" also recalls rumor—and disease. The implication is clear: one spreads fame the way one spreads a disease. "So long as there are mouths / to reiterate the one name it does not / matter whose they are." Just as fame reduces participants to a pair of any old "lips," it brings glory to the celebrity only by diminishing your own identity. Canetti's language, and Hill's lineation, continues:
Names collect
their own crowds. They are greedy, live their own
separate lives, hardly at all connected
with the real natures of the men who bear them.
This is in fact an idea that goes back to the Greeks: in Euripides's Helen, the real Helen is a prisoner of her eidolon ("image"), which sparks the Trojan War. Euripides would have recognized the cloven truth that Hill highlights: our fame and our selves are not identical. We might recall shades of the sluagh-ghairm here: the spirit-multitude that wreaks violence among the living.
And in fact, the tripartite structure of Hill's poem recalls the classical ode pioneered by Stesichorus, the Greek poet whose most famous poem also revolved around Helen of Troy. His strophe-antistrophe-epode innovation (paralleling the thesis-antithesis-synthesis of classical logic) became the standard for choral poetry. In contrast to lyric poetry, which is sung by a single poet with his cithara, choral poetry is chanted by a crowd for a crowd and was accompanied by lockstep movements east to west, then west to east. Hill was surely heightening the contradictions of his "notes-to-self" poem by invoking the choral ode with and against the lyricism of his lonely voice.
Meanwhile, Hill's third section—signaling, like the epode, an attempt to synthesize the previous two sections—consists of a series of claims and caveats that he seems to be directing at himself and fellow poets; curiously, those claims also seem to rouse and console him as he arrives at fundamental principles. In fact, these principles arrive as if by epiphany, not logic: they are revelations ("that which is difficult preserves democracy"), and they arise from the invocation of poetic history itself. It's as if the classical choral ode itself spoke to Hill through a set of associations with the idea of crowds, fame, and patterns of order. "Some tyrants make great patrons," for instance, reminds us that Stesichorus's poetic heirs in ancient Greek city-states were indeed nurtured well by tyrants, but the poet still represented the enormous poetic authority granted to a common man. What is difficult, like the metrics of the choral ode, "pay[s] respect / to the intelligence of the citizen." Whatever makes high demands of us becomes a kind of practice for mass self-governance and "preserves democracy." In an interview in Paris Review, Hill elaborates: "I would add that genuinely difficult art is truly democratic. And that tyranny requires simplification."
Back to the question: what is a poem's power, and does the writer or the reader own it? Hill's argument with Duffy hangs on differing views of this power: she thinks she is empowering young people to think of themselves as poets, by comparing poems to something they know (texts). But Hill, as "On Reading Crowds and Power" makes clear, believes that being a poet isn't just about becoming empowered to speak, but entails a responsibility to speak with knowledge and understanding. What is the good of any power, even poetic power, if we do not debate its use? And what good is the power of the reader, or a crowd of readers, if they do not want to challenge or be challenged by poems?
"On Reading Crowds and Power" will never be considered a perfect or a spellbinding poem. Its critique of power rests on its refusal of form, of unity, or of the enchantment of lush language. Though we still seek enchantment in most poetry, as most poets still seek fame, Hill asks us to consider what that means, and whether it's good for us.
Source: Poetry (March 2007).
On Reading Crowds and Power
Poems by Geoffrey Hill
Poem Categorization
SUBJECT Arts & Sciences, Reading & Books, Cities & Urban Life, Philosophy, Social Commentaries, Popular Culture
POET'S REGION England
Poetic Terms Prose Poem, Mixed
If you disagree with this poem's categorization, make a suggestion.


text:
Disregarding the concerns of many in his party and many of the citizens who elected him, Idaho Governor Butch Otter (photo) is headed back to China to continue courting the world's largest communist regime and second largest economy.
The Republican Governor's junket scheduled for April 14-21 comes on the heels of a resolution passed by the Idaho Republican Party casting doubt on the true purpose behind Otter's cozying up to the Chinese government.
Schmoozing with communists is nothing new for Governor Otter. In June 2010, he attended meetings in Beijing and Shanghai, extolling the economic virtues of his state and enticing the wealthy Chinese businessmen (agents of the government that owns the majority of those businesses) to invest in his state. He assured his comrades that Idaho stood ready to give them carte blanche to import men and money to the state.
The Governor made the Chinese government an offer it couldn't refuse. A coalition of representatives of the Department of Commerce and influential Idaho businessmen allowed the Chinese to invest $500,000 in a gold mine and another $500,000 in a resort. The payoff? Green cards for the Chinese officials and their families.
Flush from the success of this transaction, 120 Chinese millionaires pooled their money and placed $60 million in an escrow account to be used to create jobs for their families (along with the highly valued immigration documents). As soon as the jobs and green cards are ready, the Chinese will release the money and head to Idaho.
Click here to read the entire article.
Photo of Butch Otter: AP Images


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text:
Shoulder lameness in horses is less common than many lay persons expect. Although cases are often described as having a typical gait (reduced protraction/cranial phase; wearing of the toe; a swinging lameness) they are still difficult to diagnose simply from analysis of the animal's walk or trot. However, almost all cases have atrophy of the proximal limb muscles (especially supraspinatus, infraspinatus, the cranial shoulder muscles, and muscles of the cranial antebrachium) beyond that which would normally be expected for lameness caused by distal limb disease. This is associated not with shoulder pathology per se, but is a feature of proximal limb lameness. Intra-articular anesthesia, medication, and centesis can be accomplished by passing a long (preferably spinal-type) needle between the cranial and caudal parts of the lateral tuberosity of the humerus, angling caudodistally, from above. Radiography is limited to the mediolateral projection, with the limb extended, and in some cases oblique projections (usually caudolateral-craniomedial or proximocranial-proximodistal). Ultrasonography can be useful in certain situations.
Developmental orthopedic disease manifests in the scapulohumeral (shoulder) joint principally as subchondral cyst-like lesions (bone cysts) affecting the glenoid of the scapula or as osteochondritis dissecans of the humeral head. Also, a condition almost exclusive to miniature ponies, caused by dysplasia of the joint and attributable to hypoplasia of the joint surfaces, results in instability and secondary arthritis.
Bone cysts may develop in the glenoid, or socket, of the shoulder joint. They may or may not communicate with the shoulder joint and respond variably to intra-articular anesthesia. Although part of the developmental orthopedic disease complex, signs may not be apparent until the animal is mature. In common with other manifestations of this syndrome, lameness may not become a feature until the animal begins work (typically breaking in or early ridden exercise). Occasionally bone cysts may be a cause of lameness in the older horse, having remained quiescent for most of the animal's life; the reason for these later onset cases is not clear.
Diagnosis is made by localization with intra-articular anesthesia, by exclusion of lower limb disease, or occasionally by gamma scintigraphy. Radiographs should document the lesion, although some cysts are too small to be seen.
Treatment in young horses consists of rest in the hope that the cyst will remodel to become nonpainful; however, this happens only rarely. Intra-articular medication can provide relief from lameness, but usually only transiently. Some newer disease-modifying preparations show promise (eg, autologous conditioned serum) and some clinicians favor the use of systemic glycosaminoglycans. Surgical debridement is very difficult in the majority of cases because of the cyst location and articular cartilage damage that causes secondary osteoathritis. Injection of corticosteroids directly into the cyst via an extra-articular approach could be appropriate, but the lack of 3-dimensional imaging of this region in horses makes the approach hard to plan.
Derangement of cartilage and bone development on the humeral head can result in weakness within the articular cartilage that may lead to erosion or formation of a free flap of cartilage. Typically the caudal part of the head is affected, or at least it is the part most evident on radiographs. In other joints, osteochondritis dissecans often can be treated successfully with arthroscopic debridement. Unfortunately, access to the shoulder joint is severely restricted and in most cases the full extent of the lesion cannot be seen or treated. Clinical resolution in all but the mildest cases in young horses is rare. Rest and various medications have been tried with little documented success.
Seemingly unique to the miniature breeds, this condition arises from a mismatch between the size of the glenoid and humeral head. This causes instability of the joint and secondary arthritis. Although undoubtedly a developmental problem, probably with a significant degree of heritability, many cases do not present until the animal is an adult. The history is often of sudden onset lameness. On physical examination, proximal limb muscle atrophy is often profound and lameness considerable. These factors, along with the breed disposition and the often present sign of resentment of proximal limb manipulation, make localization straightforward. Radiographs reveal the presence of osteoarthritis and variable subluxation of the scapulohumeral articulation. Oblique views may demonstrate deep erosion of the humeral head in severe cases. The generalized destruction of the joint produces a "hot spot" on a bone scan, if performed. There is no simple treatment. Most cases present at such an advanced stage that even palliative care is impossible; euthanasia on humane grounds should be considered in such situations. Surgical arthrodesis has been described but is rarely performed.
Serious trauma can result in fracture to any part of the shoulder region. However, the main sites affected are the supraglenoid tuberosity of the scapula (which serves as the origin of the biceps brachii muscle), the mid to distal scapula, and the proximal humeral metaphysis.
Supraglenoid tuberosity fractures, if complete, invariably displace in a craniodistal direction, due to the pull of the biceps. Large fractures can be surgically repaired. This is not easy, however, as the fragments are often difficult to reduce and the implants are difficult to place and prone to failure during recovery from anesthesia or during convalescence. Smaller fragments can be removed, but the involvement of the biceps tendon of origin has to be resected. Very large fragments can involve the joint surface. Cases usually present with severe lameness and a history of trauma (eg, a fall during jumping or collision with a fixed object). On manipulation, there is often a sense of disarticulation between the lower limb and shoulder as the biceps is disrupted. Crepitus may be felt. In most cases, because the inciting cause is significant trauma, there are other signs such as soft tissue abrasions or swelling that pinpoint the shoulder as the site of pain. Radiographs will reveal the fracture and ultrasonography can be very useful to assess the biceps tendon. Management varies and depends on intended use, age, size of fragment, size of horse, etc. The prognosis for restoration of normal function is guarded. The degree of biceps disruption, along with the severity of lameness and the intended use for the horse, are probably the most important prognostic factors.
Mid to distal scapula fractures occur through trauma or, in racehorses, as stress fractures associated with cumulative cyclical fatigue. Trauma can result in complete or (presumably due to the flexibility of the bone, especially in foals) incomplete fractures. Radiographs rarely help, because of the difficulty in obtaining diagnostic images of the area. Ultrasonography can accurately assess the integrity of the bone surface and is the technique of choice. Scintigraphy can also detect the injuries. Comminuted fractures can occur and the prognosis worsens with increased complexity of the fracture. Simple, nondisplaced or minimally displaced fractures usually heal well with rest alone.
Ultrasonography can be used to monitor healing. Stress fractures are almost always incomplete and heal very well, carrying an excellent prognosis for return to training. Very rarely, scapula fractures manifest as severe, unstable, comminuted injuries necessitating euthanasia on humane grounds. The clinical appearance is the key to making a decision in these circumstances—although painful, scapula fractures with a good prognosis cause no observable limb instability.
Rarely, fractures affect the tuberosities of the proximal humerus and the deltoid tuberosity. The principles described above can be extrapolated to these injuries. The majority heal with conservative therapy and very good outcomes.
Stress fractures affect the proximal humerus also, almost exclusively in the caudal metaphyseal region. They are an uncommon but important cause of lameness in racehorses (the craniodistal metaphysis of the humerus is also affected, see Fractures). The typical history is one of sudden onset, often moderate to marked lameness closely associated with recent exercise, in an animal usually but not always in faster work. Lameness is usually transient, and the horse generally becomes sound within a short time (days to a week). If exercise resumes, lameness recurs. Localization is difficult; many are detected following elimination of the lower limb as the source of pain, or with scintigraphy. Radiographs can identify periosteal and endosteal new bone at the site of injury. Recovery is usually uncomplicated and complete with a few weeks' rest. Prolonged confinement may be counterproductive, and light exercise (walking only) may be introduced surprisingly quickly once the initial painful period has subsided. The injury remains evident on radiographs long after the bone is strong enough to withstand exercise, but a gradual smoothing and resolution of the callus will be seen as remodelling proceeds. Undetected humeral stress fractures can result in failure of the bone during exercise and complete breakdown, necessitating euthanasia.
The tendon of the biceps brachii runs over the cranioproximal humerus, protected by a synovial bursa. Inflammation of this structure can cause lameness and is usually secondary to a more serious inciting cause. Trauma to the proximal humerus, cystic lesions in the underlying bone, and injury to the tendon itself will cause secondary bursitis; it is important to recognize the primary lesion and treat appropriately. Occasionally, idiopathic primary bursitis arises and responds very well to medication of the bursa with corticosteroids. Bacterial contamination and, rarely, fungal infections can cause bicipital bursitis. In most cases, a wound in the vicinity of the bursa alerts the clinician to this possibility but, very rarely, closed sepsis can occur. Treatment for septic bursitis follows the same pattern as for other synovial structures. Radiography and ultrasonography complement each other in the diagnosis and management of primary and secondary bursitis. Repeat examinations may be necessary if a primary lesion cannot be detected, as it may become obvious with time. Scintigraphy is useful in cases in which the primary lesion remains elusive, because small areas of bone damage or cavitation can go undetected radiographically.
Sepsis of the shoulder joint occurs most commonly as a result of penetrating injury. Diagnosis and treatment proceed as for other joints. In foals (and rarely, weanlings or yearlings) infection can spread hemato-genously and become established in the growth plates or ends of the bones (physeal or epiphyseal infection). These infections, provided they are not associated with contamination of the synovial structures, can be treated with high levels of antimicrobials systemically before resorting to surgical intervention. Methods of providing high quantities of antimicrobials at the site of infection exist (eg, intraosseus perfusion).
This syndrome describes the physical appearance of the horse's shoulder. It is not a diagnosis in itself, as there are a number of potential causes. The most common cause is injury to the suprascapular nerve.
All cases have atrophy of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles that cover the scapula. This results in the scapular spine becoming prominent—in severe cases the muscles virtually disappear. The atrophy is unusual in that it is often profound and very localized, which are hallmarks of an injury to a single lower motor nerve. The nerve involved is the suprascapular. Although the site of damage is rarely documented clinically, most cases involve trauma to the cranial shoulder at the point where the nerve is exposed to potential compression as it courses over the cranial aspect of the scapula. The severity of damage determines the degree of atrophy and the chances of recovery. If nerve function is severely compromised, the shoulder joint becomes unstable (it is a synarthrosis relying on the surrounding muscles to support it) and the joint "pops out" sideways as the horse bears weight. This subluxation does not appear overtly painful to the horse but does have significant implications for the longterm health of the joint and the horse's athletic career.
Therapy is aimed at maintaining muscle health during the period of nerve recovery and maximizing neurogenesis. Horses should be restricted to stable rest or a very small paddock. Complete immobilization may negatively impact the nerve and muscles, but activity probably hastens joint degeneration. A surgical procedure for removing part of the scapula over which the nerve courses has been described, aiming to provide optimal conditions for nerve recovery. This should be considered, but its usefulness is open to debate. Muscle stimulation, under the guidance of a trained physiotherapist, will help to limit muscle fibrosis and may encourage nerve regeneration. The vast majority of cases seem to be a result of neuropraxia or axonotmesis (based on clinical observations and rates of recovery) and will recover function with time. However, this process can take many months and frequently some loss of muscle bulk will remain. The prognosis seems most affected by duration of injury before diagnosis, degree of atrophy at diagnosis, and willingness of the owner to perform time-consuming physical treatments for many months.
Other causes of sweeney include disuse atrophy (which does not appear focal and is rarely severe), brachial plexus injury (which usually disrupts a number of nerves, atrophy is not focal but observable in a number of muscle groups), and caudal cervical disease resulting in spinal nerve radiculopathy (in which a number of motor nerves will be affected so that other muscles atrophy). Careful assessment of the muscles involved and radiography of the neck and shoulder will aid differentiation. Scintigraphy is useful for rapid screening of the proximal limb and cervical and thoracic vertebra for damage that may have an adverse effect on prognosis.
Degenerative joint disease affecting the shoulder joint poses the same problems here as it does elsewhere. If no primary cause is identified that is amenable to correction and if radiographic signs (periarticular osteophytes, etc) are established, it is safe to assume that cartilage destruction is well underway. Signs can be ameliorated, but not cured, with the use of anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and disease-modifying therapies.
Last full review/revision March 2012 by Stephen B. Adams, DVM, MS, DACVS; Joerg A. Auer, DrMedVet, Dr h c, MS, DACVS, DECVS; James K. Belknap, DVM, PhD, DACVS; Jane C. Boswell, MA, VetMB, CertVA, CertES (Orth), DECVS, MRCVS; Peter Clegg, MA, Vet MB, PhD, CertEO, DECVS, MRCVS; Andrew L. Crawford, BVetMed, CertES (Orth), MRCVS; Jean-Marie Denoix, DVM, PhD, Agregé; Marcus J. Head, BVetMed, MRCVS; C. Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, PhD, DSc, FRCVS, DACVS, DACVSMR; James Schumacher, DVM, MS, DACVS, MRCVS; John Schumacher, DVM, MS, DACVIM; Roger K. W. Smith, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, DECVS, MRCVS; Chris Whitton, BVSc, FACVSc, PhD
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