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Home › Forums › General Forums › General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion › PCT and AT
Apr 17, 2011 at 11:25 am #1272385
So I'm going to try for a thru hike next year and I wanted to get everyones opinion about a few things.
First, I am going to be doing the AT and the PCT in the same year. Or at least attempting to. I can only afford one flight out and back to the east coast, so I'm trying to figure out the best schedule for it. I was thinking of doing the PCT from Campo in early February to KM skipping San Jacinto and Baden Powell as I'm assuming those will be impassible that early in the year. I'll get to KM sometime early to mid march, then fly out to Georgia and start the AT. Will hopefully be done with that sometime around early-mid June, and will fly back to LA and get to start the Sierras with the pack, or shortly behind. I've done 25 mile days on the PCT without too much of a problem, so that's what I'm figuring for the trail after I get into shape. From what I understand the AT is a little harder, so 20 mile days should be doable over there, plus I'll be in shape when I start.
Option two is to head over to the AT in march, finish about the same time, then start the desert section of the PCT in late June. Doesn't sound like nearly as much fun, but coming from racing bikes, I've done plenty of training in 100+ degree days, so it is possible. What would be a better time as far as water caches/conditions?
Are there any other sections of campo to KM that I need to worry about early season? Is it possible to make it to KM that early? Any other ideas or advice for someone who's never done either before? I'm also still looking for guidebooks/maps for the AT (using halfmile +yogis for the PCT), which ones are the best?Apr 18, 2011 at 1:05 am #1725936
Daniel AllenBPL Member
@dan_quixoteLocale: below the mountains (AK)
have you considered doing the AT nobo and then a sobo PCT? You can check out some of the virtues (and difficulties) of the latter here:
time-wise, it seems to me like this might be a really good fit for you, but I've never done any hiking outside of Alaska, so I don't really know anything but what I've read: no experience here!Apr 18, 2011 at 8:48 am #1726018
I have read that article and that was going to be a backup plan if I take longer than expected on the AT, but I would prefer to hike with "the pack" if possible for the social aspect.
Also, what kinda temps should I be prepared for in the desert sections of the pct?
Trying to plan just two of these gives me a whole lot more respect for the hikers who have triple crowned in a year.Apr 18, 2011 at 8:54 am #1726022
Jerry AdamsBPL Member
@retiredjerryLocale: Oregon and Washington
"Also, what kinda temps should I be prepared for in the desert sections of the pct?"
Did you read the "Hiking through Hyperbole" series of articles? A lot of good info about PCT thru-hikingApr 18, 2011 at 8:58 am #1726023
I have, but unfortunately those are written (like most) for the normal season for a thru hiker. I've been trying to find info of conditions in February.Apr 18, 2011 at 9:46 am #1726050
I started on the AT in late Feb last year, finished in July (I wasn't looking to do "two trails in a year" type of mileage). The south had a lot of snow last year, so lots of blowdowns and a lot of snow in the Smokies, but certainly do-able. If you go too early through the Smokies and no one has gone ahead, you could have occasional route finding issues, and/or be inclined to snowshoes on occasion. I wasn't the first through the Smokies but among the earliest through, and we had a short stretch we had to road walk around (Clingman's Dome to Newfound Gap) and were postholing in part of that anyway.
It's all do-able. Were I you I'd start in mid-Feb or so, keep the pace up through the AT, then fly from Maine to Seattle or Vancouver B.C. and get to Manning Park and walk south. Hmm, except I think it's not legal to cross into the U.S. that way — Yogi's guide probably talks about this, or post on pct-l. I did the PCT NOBO, so a different issue.
Anyway, I think an early start NOBO on the AT followed by a SOBO on the PCT is your best bet. Best wishes!Apr 18, 2011 at 9:50 am #1726052
Hmm, so would starting the PCT in February, then heading over and doing the rest like you mention be a little easier in regards to snow? I would start the AT with the pack in march, skip the snow, do the desert in the winter, skip the heat, then head back to the PCT and go southbound? I feel like I'm still going to be coming back to early to the PCT (middle of june), don't most start middle of July? I'd rather not sit around for a month and lose the fitness from the ATApr 18, 2011 at 9:54 am #1726053
I just noticed this comment:
"I would prefer to hike with "the pack" if possible for the social aspect."
FWIW, I hiked the PCT in 2008 as a standard NOBO starting right with the pack, and as a result I had more of a social life on the PCT than I did with an early start on the AT last year. That said, there are certainly others out early on the AT, and the ones that stay on trail tend to be some pretty fine folks.
In general I just don't see how you can contemplate doing both trails in the same year and have much of a normal trail social life. Those who are pushing the boundaries tend to walk away from any potential companions, unless and until they hook up with someone else who's doing aggressive miles.
The comment makes me wonder in turn whether you've done much long distance hiking before. If you haven't hiked a trail of significant length, I personally don't think it's a great idea to try doing two such trails in the same year. Apart from the social aspects, successful thru-hikers tend to learn from others on trail as they go and get better at it that way. Thus I wouldn't suggest an early start on the AT or a SOBO on the PCT to someone with little trail experience (much less both back-to-back).
No offense intended here; I have no idea what experience you have, these are just general purpose comments.Apr 18, 2011 at 10:07 am #1726057
I'm a little confused about your last post given the earlier comment about wanting just one round trip plane flight. You said most recently:
"I would start the AT with the pack in march, skip the snow, do the desert in the winter, skip the heat, then head back to the PCT and go southbound? I feel like I'm still going to be coming back to early to the PCT (middle of june), don't most start middle of July? I'd rather not sit around for a month and lose the fitness from the AT"
Skipping Fuller Ridge, Baden-Powell etc means what — just skipping them entirely, or coming back to do them later? Given the snow year anticipated, I'm guessing a PCT SOBO will be better started in July this year rather than June (that said, I'm hoping to start a CDT SOBO in early June … TBD).
I don't think you can "skip the snow" on that AT unless you start later, though it will slow you down. I assume you have experience in snow — there's no way you can do two trails in the same year and not deal with a fair bit of it one place or another. The snow on the AT will NOT be your biggest snow challenge.
I don't think you should focus on "skipping the heat" — a PCT SOBO should get you into SoCal late enough in the year that I wouldn't worry about that.
You definitely don't want to sit around for a month. The time it will take you to get from one trail to another, plus whatever time off you allow yourself, will be as much as you want to take off. With a Feb start on the AT, you can potentially finish in June — if you have a hope of doing two trails in the same year — and then with some time loss in between start on the PCT sometime in July.
If you're set on flipping back and forth more, by all means, but I think it will be easier and cheaper to do all of the AT and then the PCT. Just recognize you'll go from nice weather in Maine to potentially a whole lot of snow still in northern Washington — big snow year, best guess is for a late melt out, which makes any PCT SOBO a more difficult challenge this year. That is perhaps the biggest wild card in your plan I think.
You might well end up doing some flipping on the PCT to do large snow-free chunks first. Maybe start north of the Sierras and walk to Canada, then flip down to do the southern ~thousand miles southbound walking from, say, Sonora Pass or something like that. Tough to say for sure at this point.Apr 18, 2011 at 10:15 am #1726062
I realize I'm kinda jumping off the deep end here, as I have no prior experience long distance hiking (though I will be doing the JMT and SHR this summer). In fact, I've only been backpacking for about a year (although camping and hiking my whole life), but I tend to jump into things like this, granted I do have the fitness and can already put down 20+ mile days, so at least part of it is taken care of.
I'm taking next year off of school, and I want to fit as much into it as possible. Number wise I should be able to fit both, but if it doesn't work out, I'm not opposed to slowing down and just finishing one. I just feel like I would be wasting my time for a few months if I only did one.
As far as skipping the sections, I would come back, but I live in the LA area. San Jacinto is an hour or two away as is Baden Powell. Both would be easy to squeeze in at some point afterwords.Apr 18, 2011 at 10:35 am #1726074
Link .BPL Member
pm sentNov 15, 2011 at 11:07 am #1802028
Joshua MBPL Member
I also and planning on doing the AT and PCT in the same year. I'm a little ahead of you on the experience side and have already hiked most of the AT and the whole PCT in 2008. Here is what I'm planning, maybe it will help you and maybe it will not.
I hiked the PCT after college so it was easy to get the time off. This time around I'll be married and in the middle of a move across the country, possible Alaska… so my priorities will be slightly different. The goal is to do this in 2013, I agree with everyone else that the snow will play a major part in how successful my plan actually is.
I plan on starting the AT nobo the first day of March and chasing winter all the way to Maine. My goal is to finish the AT by the end of May, possible the beginning of June. I'll fly to SoCal and hit the PCT early June. Since I've already hiked the PCT and have built up quite a few "real life" responsibilities I'll hike till I can't (finances or marital issues…), hopefully I can finish it in 3 months.
My reasoning? Starting the PCT I was slightly out of shape due to a few to many beers in college. I still managed 25+ in the desert, 25+ in the Sierras and 30-40+ from Yosemite north. All reasonable miles in my opinion. Attacking a much more challenging trail, the AT, first will require me to be in pretty good shape this time around. The plan is to do 25 mile days on the AT, which is more than manageable and cut back on my zeros. Maybe a week or two of zero's depending on my sense of urgency. Zero's will affect your time management more than anything else.
If I don't take a week off in between trails, I'll hit the PCT in early June. When I hiked it in 2008 I started in mid May. In my opinion it will be very attainable to do 30-35 miles a day and hit Kennedy Meadows in 3 weeks. That will put me right at the tail end of the pack. If I remember correctly when Scott Williamson starts his hikes he starts in late June… Keeping that pace and slowing down just a bit in the sierras, possibly slowing down a lot and doing the High Sierra route will put me right on track with finishing the PCT in 3+ months.
I think you have the right idea you just need to be aware what your body can do and how many miles a day you can hike without injuring yourself. If you are interested in being social and putting in the miles I can tell you that the two do not go together. You'll pass lots of folks but not have much time to build up relationships. Some of those relationships I built were the best part of hiking a long distance trail. In the end it's up to you what you chose to do. Hike your own hike, right? Being your're new to hiking you would probably have the best time if you stayed out west and started the PCT at the end of April. Best of luck and if you do manage to do both next year I'm sure you'll hear from me for some advice. =)
Joshua MNov 15, 2011 at 12:11 pm #1802061
Chris MuthigSpectator
@cmuthigLocale: Georgia
I have some questions. You mention you want to do this "next year" and will be taking a year off from school. By "next year" do you mean academic year or calendar year? And which exact year do you mean? Are you thinking you have from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012 or is it more like August 2012 to the end of summer 2013?
I ask for two reasons. First, I plan to do a NOBO hike of the AT starting in either January or February. I graduate in December and will have until fall, when I should start grad school. I have hiked the very Southern end of the AT a lot, but never thru hiked, and would enjoy having a hiking partner if that is when you plan to go as well.
Also, if you are talking academic year, you could always do a SOBO AT hike starting in August and ending in January. This is normally thought of as a slightly more solitary way of hiking the AT, but is very doable. Then have time off and start the PCT with the pack in the spring.Nov 16, 2011 at 11:26 am #1802429
Piper S.BPL Member
@sbhikesLocale: Santa Barbara (Name: Diane)
If you can get the AT done by June you can start the PCT in June. If you are a little late, start at Kennedy Meadows and save the "desert" for autumn.
So Cal can really suck in early spring. It's not the hot desert people believe it is. It's very pleasant in fall. Our weather pattern is winter storms from about November to April.Nov 17, 2011 at 6:54 pm #1802950
Josh: I can put in 20-25 a day out of shape. I did a few back to back 30s through the sierras when I had not been hiking for long and felt ok. I'm going to be starting out doing 15 a day and building to 25 by the time I hit Kennedy meadows, then fly over to the AT, that way by the time I get there, I'll hit the ground running, finish in 90ish days, and then head back to the PCT mid june and pick up with the main pack back at Kennedy Meadows and I can have all the social experience I want for the last few months.
Chris: I will be starting February 1st after I finish a marathon I'm doing at the end of January. Will hit Kennedy Meadows a little before march 13th. Fly out to the AT on the 15th and head northi finishing in mid june, then hitch back to Kennedy meadows. I've got plans for after the trails so this is the only way that would've worked.Nov 18, 2011 at 5:13 am #1803038
Hiking MaltoBPL Member
" I will be starting February 1st after I finish a marathon I'm doing at the end of January. Will hit Kennedy Meadows a little before march 13th. Fly out to the AT on the 15th and head northi finishing in mid june, then hitch back to Kennedy meadows."
You will likely be skipping major sections of SoCal more than just SJ and BP. While every year is different go to Postholer and look at at journal from Spitfire in 2011. He was one of the earlier starters and learned real quick what SoCal "desert" was like in early season. He was hopping all over trying to find snow free sections.
You won't be hiking with "the pack" with your plan. You will have few people on the trail in SoCal then you will zoom through the pack on the AT because you will be in shape AND have a deadline. You may find others that need to do a fast schedule but very few. (Iceaxe did similiar mileage as your plan, he could speak better on this.)
If it were me, I would do early NOBO AT hike looking to finish in late May and then hit the PCT NOBO around June 1st. With the mileage you're planning you will likely find yourself up near the front of the pack somewhere around Sierra City. (I started May 21st and only had 5-6 people in front of me by Sonora Pass.) So, you would the ability to dial back and hike with all but the front runners if you desire.
(Plan B if conditions in Maine delay your AT finish would be a SOBO PCT hike or a flip flop PCT hike starting at KM going north with "the pack" and heading south from KM to Mexico.)
Bottom line, I believe your desire to hike "with the pack" is in direct conflict with the mileage needed to do two trails in a year. The pack doesn't do the high mileage that you will need to do.
Also, assumming I'm still in GA in March, I can help you get to Springer if needed! Enjoy!
MaltoNov 18, 2011 at 7:12 am #1803055
I honestly don't even expect to skip those sections. I'm fully prepared for a winter assault on the trail and have done all of those peaks under full winter conditions many times as I live within about an hour and a half of those mountains. I'll be carrying an ice axe and crampons, and possibly pick up snow shoes for certain sections. I will have the advantage of having a full resupply when I need it as all my gear is only a few cities away so I can adjust gear as needed and make and make day of decisions on what I'll need.
I have one friend doing the start of the PCT with me, so I'll have someone there, I know I won't stay with anyone more or less on the AT, but once I get back to the PCT there's nothing stopping me from just jumping in with the pack for the last few months and having a normal experience. Plane tickets are bought already so I couldn't change things now if I wanted. If the AT takes longer than expected I'm fully prepared to do a SB hike of the PCT, but I don't think that will happen barring some unforeseen injury. My legs can take the miles.
I appreciate all the advice, but after going over everything for the last year I think I have a plan for everything that I can have a plan for. I know it's all probably going to be immediately chucked out the window as soon as I get on the trail, but for now I have a plan :).
I appreciate all the help, and I would love to do some hiking with you next march if things work out though. Good luck on the trails.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Woody, Two ways to do it. You can just talk back and forth in private messages and if you agree Bill can officially propose it. Or through Yahoo... Go to the "Players" column like you want to pick up a free agent. Then switch from "all available players" to "Laimbeer's team" (or whatever they are called). Then when his team shows up go to the arrows next to the player you want. The arrows pointing toward each other. click on them. Then it asks who on your team you want to trade. Then click on who you want to trade. Then hit submit. Once you propose it you can cancel if you want. But once (if) Bill accepts it you cant cancel it. Hope that helps?


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Pulaski Technical College joined organizations from across the country in observing Constitution Day on Wednesday.
The observance commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, and honors and celebrates the privileges and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship.
Activities took place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Campus Center on the Main campus and in the student services areas at Little Rock-West and Little Rock-South.
A voter registration drive was staffed by the Pulaski County Clerk's Office and a booklet, "Voting 101" was provided by the Arkansas Secretary of State's Office. Copies of the U.S. constitution were also distributed. Over 100 people registered to vote.
A multimedia presentation "The Electoral College" presentation prepared by PTC history instructor Andre Robinson, was shown on Campus Center monitors Wednesday. To see it now, click HERE.
More than 350 students, faculty and staff also participated in a mock presidential election. The Obama / Biden ticket won the mock election with 248 votes, or 69.8 percent of the votes cast. The McCain / Palin ticket received 88 votes; 24.7 percent of the ballots cast. Other candidates received 19 votes, or 5.3 percent. 6 votes were declared invalid.
Pulaski Technical College


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Any human waste or biproduct created in or around and found within any body of water, especially those used for swimming, i.e. cement ponds or swimming pools.
The scest in the Olympic-sized swimming pool in the gym is repulsive. There are loogies, logs and hairballs. I refuse to get in.
by Jeb Brooks July 23, 2003


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In "You Know What Hope Is?" and "Upon Further Reflection…," I reacted to the first half of Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter's The Rebel Sell (I read the American edition which has been retitled Nation of Rebels). In that portion of the book, the authors set out their argument for what is wrong with countercultural rebellion in a capitalistic society: it doesn't work. Instead of subverting "the system," it offers new ways for the markets to, well, capitalize on what is "cool." Far from changing the system, countercultural rebellion often ends up providing more fuel for the capitalist fire.Heath and Potter find great irony in this. By creating subcultures that attempt to distinguish themselves from mass society, rebels are asserting that they have a positional good (coolness) that everyone else doesn't have. Everyone else then wants this new coolness. Entrepreneurs take note and devise profitable ways to provide everyone with what they want. Then, when everyone has it, it's no longer unique or wanted. Whether it is a house in the country, a condo in the city, a BMW, and advanced degree (yikes!), once it is accessible to the majority its ability to confer status and serve as a marker of individualism is used up, never to return. "Rebellion is not a threat to the system, it is the system" (175). In the second half of the book, the authors turn toward what they think should be done. People need to come to peace with homogeneity and we need to use the political processes of representative governments to regulate and enforce global solutions to our world's most pressing problems (they spend time talking about environmental problems and solutions at length). Homogeneity, they argue, is not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it the same as the conformity that individuals fear of mass society.
What's wrong with homogenization in the first place? If people voluntarily choose to live in similar houses and participate in similar activities, then who are we to criticize them? As long as it's what they really want to do, the it's very difficult to make the case against it. . . . Homogeneity is only really a problem when it is the product of coercion rather that choice – when people are either penalized for a failure to comply or tricked and cajoled into doing something they don't really want to do. (pp. 226-227)
All of this will involve further restrictions of individual liberty. Yet so long as individuals are willing to give up their own liberty in return for a guarantee that others will do the same, there is nothing wrong with this. In the end, civilization is built upon our willingness to accept rules and to curtail the pursuit of our individual interest out of deference to the needs and interests of others.
Oddly enough, being predictable is the very essence of what it is to have an identity. The philosopher Daniel Dennett calls identities "centers of narrative gravity," and it is a perfect description. just as a center of gravity is an abstraction we use for unifying and predicting the behavior of a certain collection of matter, so an identity is an abstraction we us to organize and predict the behavior of individuals.


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Call for Abstracts
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Organizers of the 2013 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Science Policy
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The conference brings together hundreds of earth and space scientists,
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policy topics from experts in academia, industry, and federal agencies.
Poster abstract submission is now open, and can be completed online at:
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will focus on the science that helps inform policymakers' decisions
related to energy, natural hazards, technology and infrastructure,
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California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Mateo County due to damage caused by heavy rains and flooding in December, his office announced today, March 1.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, March 1, 2013, 6:10 PM
Town Square
State of emergency declared for East Palo Alto levees
Original post made on Mar 1, 2013
Like this commentPosted by Overdue
a resident of College Terrace
on Mar 2, 2013 at 9:05 am
I think this is a case of neglect. When a city pays relatively low property taxes, such as Alviso and EPA, they are neglected by the county and state they are in. All of this that is happening now to EPA happened to Alviso in the 80s.


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Apartment 1 minute from the sea and 5 minutes from the center
Número máximo de hóspedes5
Tamanho100 m2
Andar no.4
- Cozinha
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- Balcão/terraço
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- Toalhas
Resumo da propriedade
|Via Serraino Vulpitta, 91100 Trapani, Itália
|Tipo de propriedade
|ID da Propriedade
It is part of a building and is very quiet on the fourth floor.
It 'also a kitchen and washing machine
It is within walking distance (one minute walk) from the beach and adjacent five minutes from the historic center.
Near the train station and the port.
Regras da casaAnd 'no smoking inside the apartment.
Pets are not allowed
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|$ 24 US por hóspede/noite extra
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Comentários sobre a acomodação
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Alexander & Elena
A great appartment with stunning view.
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Category: Assistive Technology
Teaching Talks and Teaching Tech Talks scheduled for Spring 2013
CEIT has now posted its list of Teaching Talks and Teaching Tech Talks scheduled throughout the Spring 2013 semester. The talks are scheduled on various dates and times to make it possible for faculty to explore some talks whatever their schedule. Some scheduled talks with an emphasis on new technologies include:
Databases for non-majors (Jan. 10)
The top 5 things faculty need to know about Blackboard Learn (Jan. 10)
Read & Write Gold (Feb. 6)
Flipped classroom and Echo360 (Feb. 13)
Collaboration tools in Blackboard Learn (Feb. 20)
iPad applications in the classroom (Feb. 25)
Google Apps in your classroom (Feb. 25)
Increasing instructional interactivity with clickers (Mar. 19)
Virtual student exchanges (Apr. 3)
High-tech cheating (Apr. 3)
How to use ePortfolios (Apr. 5)
Making grading easier and more transparent with rubrics in Blackboard Learn (Apr. 11)
Dimensions of online courses and student perceptions (Apr. 17)
The CEIT site has a complete list of talks. If you're interested, please sign up and reserve a space!
BU Today: Read & Write GOLD for learning disabilities
Today's issue of BU Today features an article highlighting Read & Write GOLD, literacy software that helps students with reading, writing, research, and organization. The software is available to the BU community for free download via TechWeb. It is especially helpful for students with learning disabilities but can be useful for anyone, especially in language-learning classes. See the article for more about how BU got Read & Write GOLD and what it can do for students.


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Victim on 911 tape in court: 'I'm burning all over the place'
Maria Serrano died six weeks later; Donald Williams on trial for murder
READING, Pa. - It was a dramatic and emotional first day of testimony in a murder trial in Reading, where a Philadelphia man could face the death penalty.
Donald Williams stands accused of raping, beating and setting his former girlfriend, Maria Serrano, on fire in Reading four years ago.
Prosecutors presented key evidence Wednesday, including the 911 call made by Serrano while she was in agonizing pain.
"I feel sick. I feel horrible. I'm burning all over the place. Hurry up, I'm bleeding and there's a fire. You have to call the fire department," Serrano was heard saying.
Jessica Serrano, Maria's daughter, broke down in court. Tears rolled down her face when she heard her mother's voice played for the jury.
"It's been extremely difficult. Nobody wants their mother to go through anything like this," said Jessica, who is desperate for justice after a mistrial and delays.
On June 25, 2009, prosecutors said Williams ripped Serrano out of the shower, stabbed her with a screwdriver and raped her. Opening statements revealed she was dragged down into her basement, where she was doused with gasoline and set on fire.
"At that moment, I didn't recognize her. She looked like a monster. She had a lot of blood all over her face," said Juana Marte, who saw Serrano when she collapsed on her living room floor.
"My mom was my best friend. My mom was my world," said Luis Serrano, Maria's son, who took the stand.
At one point, Serrano and Williams loved each other and lived together in her home on Lincoln Street. Serrano broke off the relationship, and Williams became jealous, said Luis.
Williams was arrested the day of the fire at the ADAPPT house in Reading, where he was staying while on parole for a murder in Philadelphia. Officers testified he smelled of smoke.
Serrano was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital near Allentown. Her hair was singed off and her clothes melted onto her skin. Serrano died six weeks later after suffering second and third degree burns to more than half her body.
"I just want this all over with. I want closure for myself and I want closure for my family," said Luis.
Williams sat calmly and quietly in the courtroom. His attorney said Williams will testify and tell jurors what happened four years ago. He said he is confident his client will be acquitted.
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text: Wow everyones quilt is beautiful! Well this weekend I completed steps 3 thru 6 and an ready to start step 7 (Monday) can't wait to get it done. I used the colors Bonnie did as it was a mystery and sometimes do not trust my colors choices combos and since it was my first mystery with Bonnie I followed her choices. When I get my flimsy done will post a picture. Good night everyone


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The Institutional Effectiveness Office, reporting to and operating under the provost, serves the University through performing activities related to assessment, planning, reporting and testing.
To serve university constituencies in a spirit of accountability and transparency, key data and reports are provided for the three most recent years.
Institutional Research and Reporting
Strategic Planning for Student Learning Units
Strategic Planning for Administrative and Non-instructional Units
MVNU Contact:


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Configuration: 100 pages per box.
The BCW Pro 20-Pocket page is an acid free archival quality product that is perfect for storing coins or slides. This product features high clarity and top loading pockets with strong welds. BCW Pro 20-Pocket pages fit most standard 3-ring binders and albums. Use the 20 pocket page to protect store or dispaly your collectible coins or slides.- Holds 20- 2 X 2 Cards- Pogs or Photo Slides- Made of heavy- duty Polypropylene- Strong Welds- No PVC- Made in USADimensions- Page 9 3/8 x 3/8- Pocket 2 1/16 x 2 1/8


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Not too much is known about Benjen Stark in either the books or the HBO series, but there are several theories surrounding him nonetheless. Many believe (or hope) that he did not actually die went he went ranging beyond the wall, but that he is just biding his time, waiting in the wings to save one of his nephews in the way-too-North. Other say that he is Coldhands, a mysterious figure from beyond the wall who helps Samwell and Gilly, who is dressed all in black like one of the NIght's Watch, dead yet still alive. Check out the full post to vote for your favorite fan theory!
(Benjen Stark as Joseph Mawle, courtesy of HBO)
Joffrey Baratheon was poisoned at his wedding — thereafter dubbed the Purple Wedding — in Season 4, Episode 2, "The Lion And The Rose." His uncle, Tyrion Lannister, was accused of and tried for the crime, when it was actually Lady Olenna Tyrell who poisoned him and Lord Petyr Baelish (Littlefinger) who orchestrated it. (Courtesy of HBO)
Lysa Arryn, sister to Catelyn Stark, was thrown through her own Moon Door in her castle, the Eyrie, by her husband, Petyr Baelish, after she threatened to do the same to Sansa Stark, believing her to be seducing Petyr. Before he killed her, Petyr cruelly told her that he had only ever loved one woman — her sister. This happened in Season 4, Episode 7 — "Mockingbird". (Courtesy of HBO)
Ned Stark was the OG Game Of Thrones shocking death for those who hadn't read the books. All the way back in Season 1, Ned discovered that the Baratheon children were bastards of incest with false claims to the throne. He was accused of treason and he was given the option surrender and be sent to the Wall, but Joffrey had him executed regardless in Episode 9, "Baelor". (Courtesy of HBO)
Robb Stark & Talisa Stark were both murdered at Edmure Tully's wedding, apparently setting off a Westerosi trend. Robb broke his vow to Walder Frey promising to marry a Frey girl, and the Freys were none too pleased. However, they pretended to play nice, hosting Robb and Talisa's wedding at their castle, but nearly every Northman was fairly promptly slaughtered during the wedding feast. Grey Wind, Robb's direwolf, was also klled, and his head was sewn onto Robb's decapitated body. Lovely! This was in Season 3, Episode 9 — "The Rains Of Castamere". (Courtesy of HBO)
Catelyn Stark also met her end at the Red Wedding. She took Frey's young wife, Joyeuse, and threatened to slit her throat lest Walder set Robb free. Robb was, of course, stabbed instead, and in her mad grief, Catelyn killed Joyeuse's throat, anyway. Then, her throat was slit by a Frey. (Courtesy of HBO)
For all his glory on the battlefield, Khal Drogo was felled by his own knife when he is challenged by one of his riders, Mago, who doesn't want to listen to Daenerys' orders, calling her a "foreign whore". Drogo's wound festers, and he falls from his horse. He finally dies in Season 1, Episode 10 — "Fire And Blood". R.I.P., you handsome devil. (Courtesy of HBO)
In Season 3, Episode 4 — "And Now His Watch Is Ended" — Lord Commander Mormont was murdered by his own unruly men at Craster's Keep. Rast, specifically, kills him, but it was generally a mutinous group effort. (Courtesy of HBO)
In "You Win Or You Die", Episode 7 of Season 1, Robert Baratheon succumbs to injuries he sustained while away on a hunt after being gored by a boar. After that, Joffrey was named king — Cersei was not too upset about it. (Courtesy of HBO)
In The War Of The Five Kings, Renly Baratheon throws his gilded crown into the ring, calling himself the rightful heir to Robert's recently-vacated throne over Joffrey, whom many believed (correctly) to be a bastard of incest. However, Renly's elder brother, Stannis, and the true successor to the throne, had him killed by a strange shadow creature that was birthed by Melisandra, a priestess of the Lord of Light. Don't think too hard about it. This was in Season 2, Episode 5 — "The Ghost Of Harrenhal". (Courtesy of HBO)
Viserys Targaryen clearly had his death coming to him, and so it wasn't shocking that he was murdered, but more so how it was done. He married off his sister, Daenerys, to Khal Drogo in exchange for an army that would help him take back Westeros. He was a vicious brat during their travels, threatened to kill Daenerys, and Drogo gave him his crown by melting some gold medallions and pouring the molten gold over Viserys' head, killing him dead. This was in Season 1, Episode 6 — "A Golden Crown". (Courtesy of HBO)
In possibly the saddest death of all, Maester Luwin was murdered by Dagmer, an ironborn, after he knocks out Theon. At the time, their twenty men were outnumbered by Ramsay Snow's northern army, and Theon was trying to convince his men to rally and fight. Luewin did not die right away; instead, he dragged himself to the godswood to die. Luwin's was a totally senseless death — he was an old man, no threat, and the de facto parent to Bran and Rickon. This was in Season 2, Episode 10 — "Valar Morghulis". (Courtesy of HBO)
Aging up the characters was a good move on part of the GoT team — Tommen Baratheon and Bran Stark are young enough, and at 8 years and 7 years old respectively at the beginning of the ASoIaF series, it would have been simply insane to watch grade school-aged children participate in the sort of adventures these two have been on at their already young ages. (Courtesy of HBO)
Margaery Tyrell's character has been handled incredibly well in Game Of Thrones — she is much more aloof and mysterious in ASoIaF, and having more insight into the sly wannabe Queen has been a delight to viewers. (Courtesy of HBO)
Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) is captured by one of the Night's Watch mutineers, Karl, at Craster's Keep in Season 4, Episode 4 — "Oathkeeper." This never happened in the series of books, but it adds some much-needed drama to his storyline in the series of books. (Courtesy of HBO)
Arya Stark became Tywin Lannister's cup bearer at Harrenhaal in Season 3, where she was Roose Bolton's cup bearer in the books. (Courtesy of HBO)
In ASoIaF, Shae did not appear to love Tyrion as much as she does in GoT — while her storyline has yet to wrap, it will be surprising and make no sense for her character for it to end as it did in the novels. (Courtesy of HBO)
Robb Stark's wife, Talisa, was a brand new character created for the TV show to replace Jeyne Westerling, who was his wife in the books. Talisa did not go over particularly well for fans of A Song Of Ice And Fire. (Courtesy of HBO)
Jaime Lannister rapes Cersei Lannister in Season 4, Episode 3 — "Breaker of Chains." In Storm of Swords, the third book in the Song Of Ice And Fire series, the scene read more consensual. (Courtesy of HBO)
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The Physical Science Program prepares candidates to teach high school physics and chemistry as well as middle school physical science. The 4 1/2-year program requires a minimum of 146 credit hours, and it is located in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The introductory courses for this program are PHYC 120, MATH 165, and SCI 150. For more information, go to the Department of Physics and Astronomy website. If you still have questions, contact Joel Bryan, CP101G, 765-285-4718.
Copyright © 2017 Ball State University 2000 W. University Ave. Muncie, IN 47306
800-382-8540 and 765-289-1241


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If you're not one who really knows how to get info on what goes on backstage during those wrestling shows, you might be surprised to find out that not one, but two wrestlers have hooked up with this sculpted monument of a woman. One of those was Triple H, who left her for his current wife, Stephanie McMahon. And the other one isn't as successful as the man they call "The Game", but who was pretty popular in his heyday too, and that's Sean Waltman, more popularly known as X-Pac.
When it comes to him and Chyna though, he's a lot more popular than Triple H, because celeb porn fans are still slavering over the sex tape he and Chyna did. Other blogs have also featured this a lot, because it's the only pro-wrestling sextape I've heard of, so far. Hopefully there'll be more to come, but this is one sizzling XXX-rated WWE session, with close-ups of Chyna's pussy and clear POV shots of Chyna sucking X-Pac's cock. That's hard to beat, unless more celeb pro-wrestlers decide to sexually boost their name recognition, like what happened to these two! Still, coming out from the same company that put out Paris Hilton's sextape, you know "1 Night In China" is just so sizzling hot!
Did Chyna's pornographic performance turn you on? Well, there's more from the Ninth Wonder of the World, and you can see it when you check out that site!
Tags: chyna, cocksucking, degeneration x, hardcore, pussy fingering, sean waltman, sex tape, triple h, WWE, x-pac


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By Gerianne Wright
A faculty member in the Center for Earth and Environmental Science never met road kill she didn't like. Or at least want to acknowledge.
For Assistant Professor Danielle Garneau, whose area of expertise is ecology, road kill provides an opportunity to learn about wildlife and pinpoint migratory patterns, invasive species, predatory patterns and more.
But now she's found an opportunity to combine her old interest with a new one — the smart phone she purchased in May.
"I got to thinking as I was playing around with these apps that it would be really neat to have a road-kill app so I could document the sightings and findings," she said.
She searched for just such an app, but couldn't find one.
Then, a conference she attended in June got Garneau "all jazzed up." One session had to do with a collaborative research project involving tracking and marking turtles. Another workshop — through EpiCollect.net — taught her about using a smart phone to collect and share data through EpiCollect's templates and freely hosted project websites, technology developed by educators at Imperial College in London.
"They had had success using apps for mapping the spread of diseases and epidemiology, but I found a use for it for ecology," Garneau said. "It's the ultimate citizen science."
Participants take photos of the road kill, and the app uploads them through EpiCollect, which pinpoints the find on the map. Participants can then update the data to include any descriptors of the animal such as its species; sex; how long the dead animal had been there; if and when it was removed; the weather conditions; and any predators around it.
Garneau hopes to use RoadkillGarneau and other apps for ecological research in the classroom, turning students out into the world to find dead animals, document them and collect the data.
In addition, she hopes others join on their smart phones to upload road-kill data from wherever they are in the state, country and world. She has already received data from across New York, as well as Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida and Colorado, much of which has come from former students.
To view Garneau's road-kill data collection on EpiCollect.net, visit http://bit.ly/RoadKillApp. For more information or to sign up to be a road kill ranger, contact Garneau at (518) 564-4073.
For more information about the SUNY Plattsburgh alumni newsletter, please contact:
Michelle Marasch Ouellette
Director of Public Relations and Publications
Phone: (518) 564-3095
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Alumni can subscribe to Calling Card by joining the Plattsburgh Alumni Community (PAC).


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General cancer organisations
This page gives information about organisations and websites that help and support people with cancer. There is information about
- Using this page
- Cancer Research UK information and support
- Cancer support and information organisations
- Finance and equipment organisations
- Women's cancer organisations
- Young people's cancer information and support
The websites on cancer listed on this page are valuable sources of detailed information on cancer. They may use more technical terms, longer pages and fewer images than this website. We have information about counselling organisations in the counselling section.
Cancer Research UK
Angel Building
407 St John Street
London EC1V 4AD
Admin phone number: 020 7242 0200
Cancer Research UK is the largest cancer research organisation in the world, outside the USA. We are the European leader in the development of new anti-cancer drugs. We fund research on all aspects of the disease from its causes, to treatment and prevention, education and psychological support for patients.
Cancer Research UK is also committed to producing high quality information for people affected by cancer, health professionals and the general public. We do this through our websites CancerHelp UK, News and resources and through our range of health awareness leaflets.
Cancer Chat is Cancer Research UK's free online discussion forum for people affected by cancer. It is a safe space to talk to other people in similar situations, and find information and support. You can find the forum at www.cancerchat.org.uk.
If you have a question about cancer, and you are in the UK or Ireland, you can contact our team of specialist cancer information nurses using this form, or call freephone on 0808 800 40 40.
Action Cancer
1 Marlborough Park
Phone: 028 9080 3344
Website: www.actioncancer.org
Email: email@example.com
Action Cancer is a local charity committed to fighting cancer since 1973. Action Cancer has a full-time clinic and mobile unit for early detection and screening and offers one-to-one counselling. Services are free. Action Cancer also funds a leading research team at Queen's University and the University of Ulster.
Website: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/share-your-experience/cancer-voices
CancerVOICES is a UK wide network of people affected by cancer, supported by Macmillan Cancer Support. It can help you use your experience of cancer to help shape the future of cancer care. This might be through getting involved in local or national groups or taking part in surveys or research.
Macmillan Cancer Support
Head Office
89 Albert Embankment
Macmillan CancerLine: 0808 808 0000 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 8pm; information available in other languages)
Textphone: 0808 808 0121
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.macmillan.org.uk
Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer. They provide practical, medical and financial support and push for better cancer care. They provide booklets on cancer and treatments and run helplines providing cancer information and benefits advice.
Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres
The Gatehouse
10 Dumbarton road
Tel: 0300 123 1801
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.maggiescentres.org
Maggie's Centres have 17 centres alongside NHS cancer hospitals in the UK, they offer care and support to people affected by cancer. Each Centre is run by professional, specialist staff who can discuss any aspect of cancer. You can join a support group, take part in weekly sessions like relaxation and stress management or learn about nutrition and health. Or you can just visit to have a cup of tea, a biscuit and a friendly chat.
Marie Curie Cancer Care
Head Office
89, Albert Embankment
Phone: 0800 716 146
Website: www.mariecurie.org.uk
Runs 9 centres (hospices) throughout the UK, and a nationwide Marie Curie nursing service, providing hands-on care for patients in their own homes throughout the day or night, free of charge.
National Cancer Institute
Website: www.cancer.gov
This is a detailed American site with information for both people with cancer and health professionals.
Penny Brohn UK (formerly the Bristol Cancer Help Centre)
Chapel Pill Lane
Helpline: 0303 0000 118 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm)
Website: www.pennybrohncancercare.org
Provides a programme of complementary care - The Bristol Approach - to people with cancer and their loved ones.
Cancer Support Scotland (formerly Tak Tent)
The Calman centre
75 Shelley Road
Freephone: 0800 652 4531
Website: www.cancersupportscotland.org
Email: email@example.com
Offers information, support, education and care for cancer patients, their relatives and friends, and health professionals. Network of support groups throughout Scotland.
Tenovus, the cancer charity
Gleider house
Ty Glas road
Freephone helpline 0808 808 10 10
Website: www.tenovus.org.uk
Provides an information service on all aspects of cancer, and practical and emotional support for cancer patients and their families. Freephone Cancer Helpline staffed by nurses, social worker and counsellor. Drop-in Tenovus cancer information at Velindre Hospital, Cardiff CF14 2TL. Online community to talk to other people affected by cancer.
Cancer Focus Northern Ireland
40-44 Eglantine Avenue
Phone: 0800 783 3339 (helpline)
Phone: 028 9066 3281 (admin)
Website: cancerfocusni.org
Nurses helpline: firstname.lastname@example.com
Email: email@example.com
Provides a cancer information helpline, information and resource centre, public and professional education. Rehabilitation programmes and support groups for patients and relatives.
Health Talk Online
The cancer section of this website contains video and audio clips of people with the main types of cancer, so that you can share in their stories.
There is
- An adult cancer section at www.healthtalkonline.org/Cancer
- A teenage cancer section at www.youthhealthtalk.org
- A section about taking part in clinical trials at www.healthtalkonline.org/medical_research/clinical_trials
The Cancer Counselling Trust
The Cancer Counselling Trust has now closed but their website gives details of other organisations that provide counselling services. It also has some useful information and links for people affected by cancer.
Website: www.cancercounselling.org.uk
Website: www.gov.uk
This website replaces the Department for Work and Pensions website, and the Directgov website. All the government departments and many other agencies and public bodies have merged into this one website. It has information about all government services including benefits and tax credits. You can also get benefits advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau or Social Services. Both have local offices and you can find contact details in your local phone book or on the internet.
Essential Aids
32 Guilford road
East Sussex
Phone: 01273 719889
Website: www.essentialaids.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
This is an online shop for daily living aids for the disabled community, the elderly or those who look after people with mobility difficulties.
MedicAlert House
327-329 Witan Court
Upper 4th Street
Milton Keynes
Freephone: 01908 951 045
Email: email@example.com
Website: www.medicalert.org.uk
This registered charity provides ID jewellery engraved with your medical condition and a 24 hour telephone number to call in the event of an emergency. The jewellery starts at around £20 per bracelet.
Bowcliffe Hall
West Yorkshire
Phone: 0870 041 0150
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.autonomed.co.uk
This commercial company makes waterproof covers for dressings or casts on arms and legs. This means you can go swimming or take a bath or shower without worrying. The cover can also be used for an arm with a PICC line. Ask your specialist or nurse about getting one on the NHS or you can buy one direct from the company. There are full details and a price list on their website.
DryPro Cast Covers
Downsview House,
91 Marlborough Road,
Lancing Business Park,
West Sussex,
United Kingdom
Tel: 0845 4349 170
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.castcovers.co.uk/products/picc-protection
This commercial company provides waterproof covers for dressings or casts on arms and legs. So you can keep a cast or PICC line dry while swimming or taking a bath or shower. Ask your specialist or nurse about getting one on the NHS or you can buy one direct from the company. There are full details and a price list on their website.
Ellie's Friends
C/O Objective Productions/2LE Media
Riverside Building
County Hall
Westminster Bridge Road
Tel: 07969 600673
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.elliesfriends.org
Ellie's Friends offer free products and services for adults (16+) living with cancer, including theatre tickets, hotel stays, holistic therapies and beauty, CD and book bundles.
Look Good Feel Better
West Hill House
32 West Hill
Tel: 01372 747 500
Fax: 01372 747 502
E-mail: email@example.com
Website : http://www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk
A charity set up by the cosmetics industry. Volunteer beauty therapists provide skincare and make up workshops for women undergoing cancer treatment. All guests are provided with a goodie bag. It has been running for 21 years and workshops are held in over 83 hospitals and specialist cancer support centres across the UK. Find your nearest workshop and read more about the work of the charity on their website.
The Daisy Network
PO Box 183
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.daisynetwork.org.uk
A free and confidential service for women who have had an early menopause.
Women's Health Concern
Spracklen House, East wing
Dukes Place
Website: www.womens-health-concern.org
Email: online enquiry form
Organisation that provides information about many women's health issues. For a minimum donation of £10 to cover costs, they can give personalised email advice about your reproductive, gynaecological or sexual health. Produces booklets on a range of subjects including hormone replacement therapy, menopause, hysterectomy and ovarian cysts.
Teenage Cancer Trust
93 Newman Street
Phone: 020 7612 0370
Email: email@example.com
Website: www.teenagecancertrust.org
A national charity providing specialist units, support, education and information for teenagers with cancer and their families. The TCT also funds research into young people's cancers. It holds annual conferences for teenagers with cancer and the health professionals who look after them.
Macmillan Cancer Support - Cancer Info for teens and young adults with cancer (formerly Teen Info on Cancer - TIC)
Website: www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/teensandyoungadults/Infoforteensandyoungadults.aspx/Home
Macmillan Cancer Support has a separate section on their website for teenagers and young adults with cancer. It offers advice and support on how to cope with cancer, and the chance to share experiences of cancer with other teenagers.
CLIC Sargent
Horatio House
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London W6 8JA
Phone: 0300 330 0803
Website: www.clicsargent.org.uk
Online enquiry form
Sargent Cancer Care and Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood merged in 2005 to become CLIC Sargent, a charity which provides clinical, practical, financial and emotional support for children and young people and their families, affected by cancer, from diagnosis onwards.
Website: www.riprap.org.uk
This site offers support to children between 12 and 16 who have a parent with cancer. There is information about cancer and a forum to share experiences.
The Youth Cancer Trust
Phone: 01202 763591
Email: email@example.com
Website: http://www.youthcancertrust.org
The Youth Cancer Trust provides free holidays to young cancer patients between the ages of 14 to 30 attending any hospital in the UK or Irish Republic, subject to approval from their doctor. Young people are invited to spend a few days with other guests of a similar age and situation at Tracy Anne House in Bournemouth. They can come in groups up to eight and bring a brother, sister or a friend. The emphasis is on a relaxed, carefree and fun holiday, allowing a few days away from hospitals. The groups choose the activities they would like to do, making this their special holiday.
Central Office: Premier House
Carolina Court
Phone: 0300 100 1234
Website: www.relate.org.uk
Email: Online enquiry form
Offers private and confidential counselling, and psychosexual therapy to help with relationship problems.
CORST (College of sexual and relationship therapists)
PO Box 13686
Telephone: 020 8543 2707
Website: www.cosrt.org.uk/index.asp
Provides information about what help and therapy is available for sexual difficulties.
Sexual Advice Association
Suite 301, Emblem House
London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street
Telephone 020 7486 7262
Website www.sda.uk.net
Email: email@example.com
Information on sexual problems that can affect men and women. They provide lists of local specialist practitioners, as well as factsheets on problems such as erectile dysfunction (impotence).
Prostate Cancer UK
4th Floor
The Counting House
53 Tooley Street
Website: www.prostatecanceruk.org
Helpline: 0800 074 8383 (Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri, 9am to 6pm. Wed 10am to 8pm)
This organisation provides a telephone helpline staffed by nurses. They can give you information and advice on all aspects of prostate cancer, including erectile dysfunction (impotence).
London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard
PO Box 7324
Helpline: 0300 330 0630 (Daily 10am to 11pm)
Website: www.llgs.org.uk
Helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities in the UK. Gives advice, information and referrals.
NHS Choices
For general health advice and information, look on the NHS Choices website.
Phone: 111
Website: www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland
NHS 111 gives information if you need fast medical help but its not a 999 emergency.
Phone: 111
Website: www.nhs24.com
Confidential telephone health advice and information service for people in Scotland.
The Medical Advisory Service (MAS)
PO Box 3087
Phone: 020 8994 9874 (Mon to Fri, 6pm to 8pm)
Website: www.medicaladvisoryservice.org.uk
Email: email@example.com
This organisation provides a telephone helpline staffed by nurses. They can give you information and advice on medical problems, including erectile dysfunction (impotence).
Expert Patients Programme
Self Management UK
For general enquiries
Tel: 03333 445840
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.selfmanagementuk.org
Self Management UK is an organisation that works with patients and carers to help them manage day to day when living with long term conditions. One of the programmes is called the Expert Patients Programme. The aim of these courses is to help the people attending them gain confidence in taking responsibility for their conditions alongside the health professionals caring for them. The courses are usually six weekly sessions lasting two and a half hours. All the courses are run by trained tutors who live with a long term medical condition.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists
21 Prescot Street
Phone: 020 7235 2351 / 020 7977 6655
Website: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/
Email: email@example.com
Has a range of highly recommended leaflets covering topics such as 'Depression', 'Anxiety and Phobias', 'Sleeping Well' and 'Bereavement'. You can download these leaflets from their website.
The Compassionate Friends
14 New King Street
Helpline: 0345 123 2304 (Daily 10am to 4pm, and 7pm to 10pm)
Helpline Northern Ireland: 0288 77 88 016 (Daily 10am to 4pm, and 7pm to 9.30pm)
Email (helpline): email@example.com
Website: www.tcf.org.uk
Admin: 0845 120 3785
Email (general enquiries): email@example.com
A nationwide organisation of bereaved parents offering friendship and understanding to other bereaved parents after the death of a son or daughter from any cause whatsoever. Personal and group support. Quarterly newsletter. Postal library and range of leaflets. Support for bereaved siblings and grandparents. Befriending rather than counselling. Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu are spoken.
Child Bereavement UK
Clare Charity Centre
Wycombe Road
Helpline: 0800 0288840
Email: email@example.com
Website: www.childbereavement.org.uk
This organisation has a range of resources to support bereaved families, including booklets, leaflets and books. There is a section on their website with information about dying and bereavement for young people. Also has a forum for people to share experiences.
Daisy's dream
PO Box 4738
Tel: 0118 934 2604
Email: email@example.com
Website: http://www.daisysdream.org.uk
Provides information for families and children when someone close to them has died. There is a useful booklist and information sheets to download, including 'Talking to children about death', 'Talking about funerals' and 'Bereaved teenagers'.
Cruse Bereavement Care
PO Box 800
Administration Tel: 020 8939 9530
Day by Day Helpline 0808 88 16 77
Email: email@example.com
Website: www.cruse.org.uk
Cruse Bereavement Care exists to promote the well-being of bereaved people and to enable anyone bereaved by death to understand their grief and cope with their loss. The organisation provides support and offers information, advice, education and training services.
Cruse's Youth Involvement Project
Freephone helpline: 0808 808 1677 - open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm
Email: email@example.com
Website: www.rd4u.org.uk (stands for 'Road for you').
Cruse Bereavement Care's Youth Involvement Project aims to support young people after the death of someone close. The website has a message board and forum.
People with learning disabilities may gain better understanding from pictures, rather than text. The following organisations provide materials that can help.
Books Beyond Words
178 Garrett Lane
Tel: 020 8874 7279
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.booksbeyondwords.co.uk
This link will take you to the 'Books Beyond Words' website. These books are for people who find it easier to understand pictures than words. There are picture booklets on specific issues such as Getting on with cancer, 'When Mum died', 'When Dad died' and 'When someone died'.
British Institute of Learning Difficulties (BILD)
Birmingham Research Park
97 Vincent Drive
Tel: 0121 415 6960
Email: email@example.com
Website: www.bild.org.uk
This organisation has factsheets on how to communicate with children with learning disabilities.
Rarer Cancers Foundation
Unit 7B Evelyn Court
Grinstead Road
Helpline: 0800 334 5551
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.rarercancers.org
This website has several message boards so people with less common or rarer cancers can get in touch with each other. Friends and families of people with rarer cancers can also use the message boards to share their experiences, give support or get advice from people in similar situations. The website also offers general advice and information.
Jo's Friends - Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) Foundation
The Follies
Bright Walton
Website: www.cupfoundjo.org
A charitable support and information website for people with unknown primary cancer, and their carers. CUP also aims to raise awareness and undertake, promote and support research. There is information about uknown primary cancer, its treatment and research, and a message board where you can talk to others with unknown primary cancer.
Rated 5 out of 5 based on 11 votes
Question about cancer? Contact our information nurse team


text:
Orgasmic meditation teaches women the joys of the B.J.

Minutes after I met Joanna Van Vleck, she was telling me about an instructional video she had made to demonstrate a new approach to the blowjob. "There's a clitoris in your throat," she said. "Once you reach it, you can suck a cock for an hour."
This wasn't just a male fantasy out of Deep Throat, she insisted. It was a completely new approach that focused on the pleasure of women. I was struck by how insistent and cheerful she was about it. She came across as a missionary for the life-transforming potential of progressive oral sex.
She also starred in the video, she added. "So soon you'll see me sucking cock."
Send me that video the instant it's available for review, I told her.
I knew that Van Vleck was president of a group called OneTaste, which was in my vague impression some kind of San Francisco sex cult that practiced group masturbation. This isn't necessarily a bad thing in my universe. From the playroom of Sandstone to the orgies of Rajneesh to the "complex marriages" practiced by the Perfectionist communities at Oneida and Wallingford in the 19th century, the dream of sexual utopia has always fascinated me. It might be crazy, but it's also a formalized and systemic approach to the journey we all go through in the march toward freedom and self-acceptance. And spending an hour or two talking to an attractive woman about sex isn't exactly painful—especially when you say you might want to check out this Orgasmic Meditation thing and a big smile breaks out on her face. "I'll teach you!"
A few weeks later, Van Vleck sent me a link to the video, which was called Oral Sex for Her Pleasure. The blurbs were certainly promising:
Sucking cock for my own pleasure changed the way I related with men. Before I did it out of obligation or to make him feel good. Now the primary reason is because I have a hungry desire and lust for cock.—Yia V.
The first time I sucked a cock for my own pleasure, I took him all the way into my mouth, and I could feel the pulsing of his cock in my pussy. I had no idea it could be that intensely pleasurable.—Lianna
I watched the video with my wife. Van Vleck began with a perky monologue about shifting the blowjob paradigm from a porny, servicing-the-man approach to a more empowered female approach that is sensual and non-goal-oriented. "When I do it for me," the message is, "he gets more of what he wants." The instructional blowjob that followed was shot in a white room with a naturalistic Zen style and lasted about 15 minutes. It didn't feel like porn because it seemed so healthy and female-focused, alternating a meditative peaks-and-valley sensual style with periods of animalistic deep throating that didn't seem to be striving for effect, which was pretty striking in itself. It reminded me of how the pornstar and writer Ashley Blue shoves her hand in her mouth as a way of turning herself on. It's hot because she's doing it for herself. But my wife said she thought this whole "clitoris-like structure in the throat" sounded questionable—if it was a real scientific thing, she would have heard of it.
I talked to Van Vleck a few days later, and she told me the video is the first in a series—the next is about making out—dedicated to the slow sex concept. "The whole idea is when you practice Orgasmic Meditation your sex becomes different."
So what is Orgasmic Meditation? It's a sexual practice—bear with me, it sounds ridiculous—where a woman spreads her legs and the person sitting next to her gently caresses the upper-left quadrant of her clitoris for exactly 15 minutes. You can hear the founder's pitch in this TED talk or get a vivid participation-journalism take on it in this article from Gawker, but it might be enough to know that the classes are expensive and involve confessions and confrontations of the encounter-group-therapy type—not, to my mind, promising signs. It's also a little weird that when OneTasters say "orgasm" they don't actually mean "orgasm" but a kind of generalized arousal or hypersensuality, which is the approach they're trying to promote with this new instructional video sideline.
On the other hand, Van Vleck is so nice and attractive, and her blowjob skills are certainly intriguing testimony to whatever she learned from OneTaste. The instructional materials that accompany the video give a good impression of the high points:
In the back of your throat is a sensitized, soft spot which when touched produces pleasurable convulsions throughout your body. Take your time to find it. Slowly tap his cock on the back of your throat. Use his cock to stroke this sensitive spot yourself and take your full pleasure. Allow the saliva and snot and tears to flow. Allow every part of you to drip onto him. When we release into the involuntary, things get wet. Enjoy the slickness, the full release.
And how does one achieve these admirable skills? It's all about "goallessness," Van Vleck tells me. Most women think of blowjobs as something they do for the guy, so it becomes all about getting him off and they forget to focus on their own pleasure. It's difficult to break this dynamic because as soon as you focus on yourself, you worry that you're neglecting your partner or being selfish. Van Vleck calls this "one of the larger sexual misconceptions," and men are certainly subject to it as well—they worry about getting their partners off, distracting them from the moment, or watch their marriages go stale when they learn how to push the little triggers that get the fastest results. It's difficult to accept that doing whatever feels good to you is going to be good for your partner, too.
As a member of a gender that has been pilloried for about 50 years for being selfish in sex, I can think of a few immediate objections. But I also know that there's nothing more common than responding to sexual weirdness with "a few immediate objections." So let's just listen for now.
"One of the things Orgasmic Meditation gave me is permission for a lot of these rules to be in place," Van Vleck explains. "For example, in the video, that was an hour-long cock-suck, it was edited for length, and the only reason you're able to go for an hour is because it's goalless—you go up and you go down, and his cock gets limp and it gets hard. And that's what you learn in Orgasmic Meditation—I mean, it's nice to say, 'Yeah, let's be goalless in sex.' But then you get to the bed with somebody and you think, 'Are they going to think I'm a bad lover if they don't come?'"
So the pussy stroking is actually…?
"A container where you can practice all these different potentials in sex."
One potential she mentions is the opportunity to focus on one thing like a tennis player practicing her serve. But the real goal seems to be the social euphoria that comes from OMing with strangers—from learning, as Van Vleck puts it, "to share an intimate moment with someone and not be in love with them."
Which brings us to the crux of the matter, the thing that drives groups like OneTaste to reimagine the sexual-social contract. Can we share something intimate and not be in love? Or are intimacy and love aspects of the same thing?
"They're conflated," she concedes. "But one of the the things OM will show you is they're definitely not the same."
I come up with the oldest objection in the book: it doesn't sound very romantic.
"Romance takes time," Van Vleck says. "'Let's go to dinner, let's spend the night, let's talk for hours.' I don't have a lot of time for romance with a lot of people. But that doesn't mean we can't share an intimate moment."
I feel myself wanting to make the case for experiencing a few great loves instead of hundreds of fleeting connections, which is weird—I'm usually the lead pervert in any conversation about sex. It occurs to me that I am possibly coming to this from what my polyamorous friends call "the place of scarcity." After all, I'm older and married and a guy and she's younger and pretty and female, so our ratio of spark-to-fire is much different. Plus, she's in a sex cult where everybody wants to stroke her pussy.
"I don't think it's a sex cult," she says.
"I'm just teasing," I lie.
"But I love the point you bring up," she says. "We walk around as human beings starving for intimacy, and when you're starving, you want to gobble it down."
So if I went to a OneTaste seminar and learned OM, I would experience this intimacy with a variety of different people?
Yes, she tells me. It would take a while, like going to a gym, but one day it would kick in. "You'll be OMing with someone you didn't think you would, whether it's a young hot thing or an older woman, and you'll experience something you never experienced, some reaction between your body and hers, and then you look at this person and say I can't believe I had an intimate feeling with this person. Then you say 'Thank you' and you quietly thank yourself that you were able to have this intimate experience."
It really is starting to sound religious. But I can see how it might work, setting off Jungian echoes of the Bonoboesque grooming rituals that must have once eased our social isolation and communicated goodwill in the primordial darkness. Swingers call it the joy of the pile, the giddy sense that all social rules and restrictions are on holiday. It's that oceanic promise that keeps drawing me to these sexual utopias in the first place. You could even say it's the promise at the heart of marriage, though marriage is so often the place the promise goes to die.
"Someday people will get the message," Van Vleck says. "We don't all have to be malnourished in terms of sex and intimacy, with our stomachs protruding out."
For the last couple of weeks, she and her team have been holding premieres around the country for Oral Sex for Her Pleasure and about 100 people have showed up at each. The video and the instructional e-book sells for $8 online, plus there's a 10-day challenge to any couple that might want to work on it together:
Day 3: Now you're ready to take the head of his cock into your mouth. Go slow enough to feel every millimeter, every nuance. Feel and explore the shape of his corona with your mouth. Feel as his cock slides slowly deeper in, filling your mouth.
Day 8: Today is climax day. Start sucking his cock with long, slow, deep strokes. Be careful not to stroke him with too much overeagerness, otherwise you'll take him over a soft edge before reaching the hard edge. So find the speed and pressure that has ignition but be sure to hold back just slightly. Better to under-stroke just slightly than over-stroke.
"Definitely, it takes practice," she says. "You can't just say, 'Oh, let me throw a cock in the back of my throat.'"
So far the reactions have been mixed. Van Vleck remembers one lady at a screening saying, "I hope that my husband doesn't think I'm going to be doing this to him." But another woman went home and tried so hard, she ended up throwing up.
Van Vleck approved. "I said, 'Well, at least she went all out.'"


text:
Story highlights
- These romantic castles offer fairytale surroundings
- Some are hundreds of years old and come complete with a moat, drawbridge and towers
- Castles with bloody histories are now sumptuous respits for travelers
Not everyone can afford to buy a castle, but that doesn't mean you can't rent one. At least for a night or two.
Across Europe, many castles have been transformed into hotels. Here are 15 of the most romantic, including one that inspired the legend of Sleeping Beauty, and another with its very own whipping pit.
1. Hôtel de la Cité, Carcassonne, France
There are few better places to base yourself while you explore the fairytale city of Carcassonne than Hôtel de la Cité.
It's the only hotel set inside the ramparts of the UNESCO World Heritage site, and when the throngs of day trippers depart you will have the place almost to yourself.
Enjoy an aperitif on the terrace as the sun sets, taking in the spectacular views, before sitting down to a sumptuous dinner in the Michelin-starred restaurant.
Rates: From US$465 a night.
+33 4 6871 9871
2. Swinton Park, Masham, England
Swinton Park is the ancestral home of the Cunliffe-Lister family, and has been transformed into a 30-bedroom luxury castle hotel.
It comes complete with turrets, long echoing corridors and enormous staircases leading up to huge, individually decorated and designed bedrooms.
It's the kind of place where you expect to bump into Jeeves and Wooster in the dining room. English country living at its finest.
Rates: From £160 (US$260) a night.
+44 (0) 1765 680900
Also on CNNGo: 15 unusual places to stay a night
3. Schlosshotel Igls, Austria
Built more than 100 years ago as a summer residence for an eminent German doctor, the Schlosshotel Igls has since served as a base for the German air force during World War II and was then taken over by occupying French and American troops.
Nowadays, the Schloss offers far more luxurious accommodation than was once enjoyed by the military -- it's now Germany's smallest five-star hotel and sits in the heart of the Tyrolean mountains five kilometers from Innsbruck.
Rates: From US$231 a night.
+43 512377 217
4. Ashford Castle, Ireland
Ashford Castle takes its job seriously, with turrets and ramparts, armour and oak panelling, Waterford chandeliers and rococo gilt mirrors.
Its first stones were laid in 1228 by the de Burgo family, and for eight centuries its inhabitants, including the Guinness family of brewing dynasty fame, have gazed out upon the blue waters of Lough Corrib, Ireland's second-largest lake.
Today, the castle has 83 bedrooms, a spa, and 140 hectares of wooded parkland.
Rates: From £300 (US$488) a night
+353 94 9546003
Also on CNNGo: World's most expensive hotel suites
5. Castel Porrona, Tuscany, Italy
Deep in the rolling Tuscan hills in a delightful village dating back to the 11th century and surrounded by vineyards, sunflower fields and olive groves, lies Castel Porrona.
Each of its 22 rooms offers stunning views of the village, the castle grounds and the sweeping landscape.
In the summer, sit on the flower-bedecked terrace and enjoy a glass of Tuscan wine.
Rates: From US$193 a night
+39 0564 993316
6. Burg Wernberg, Germany
Dating back to the 12th century, this castle hotel sits high on a hill, offering panoramic views over the Bavarian countryside. Steeped in history, the castle was converted into a hotel back in 1953.
Since then, guests have been able to enjoy the Gothic charm of the building, along with the more contemporary appeal of the cuisine, much of which is reliant on regional produce, including game from the nearby forests.
Rates: From US$257 a night
+49 (0)9604 9390
Also on CNNGo: World's most exotic wellness retreats
7. Dornröschenschloss Sababurg, Germany
What could be more romantic than a castle that was the setting for the legend of Sleeping Beauty, who is said to have slept here for 100 years before Prince Charming's kiss saved her?
You too can fall into a deep slumber here; the 650-year-old castle, set in the heart of the Reinhardswald Forest, has been converted into a dreamy castle-hotel surrounded by a high wall -- said to be the wall of thorns in the Grimms' fairy tale.
Rates: From US$187 a night
+49 (0) 5671 8080
8. Pousada de Óbidos, Portugal
Within the city walls of Óbidos lies the Pousada di Óbidos, which has been converted into one of the country's finest hotels -- and one of the first to become a pousada, a traditional or historical Portuguese hotel.
With only nine rooms, the hotel is charming and intimate, though it can be difficult securing a booking, particularly in the summer months. The tower room is particularly popular.
Rates: From US$300 a night
+351 262 955 080
Also on CNNGo: 9 places to be a recluse
9. Ruthin Castle, Wales
You can live out your King Arthur fantasies at Ruthin Castle, situated deep within expansive parkland and woods.
The castle in Denbighshire has a gory history, and comes complete with its own dungeon, whipping pit and drowning pool; but those days are long gone, and the castle is now a romantic hotel that holds regular medieval banquets where you can feast like Henry VIII, who once called this castle his own.
Rates: From £65 (US$107) a night
+44 (0)1824 702664
10. Abbaye de la Bussière, Burgundy, France
The monks may have long departed, but there is still an air of tranquility surrounding Abbaye de la Bussière. This former monastery, which dates back to the 12th century, is situated in six hectares of beautiful Burgundian parkland.
The interiors include dramatic vaulted ceilings, six-meter high stained glass windows, stone balustrades and a romantic sweeping staircase.
While the Abbaye is unmistakably ecclesiastical in appearance, there's nothing remotely monastic about the 11 rooms, which are more redolent of an English country house hotel. The food, however, is undoubtedly Gallic.
Rates: From US$250 a night
+33 (0) 3 80 49 02 29
Also on CNNGo: 10 islands for every traveler
11. Amberley Castle, West Sussex, England
Step back in time at Amberley Castle, which has been hidden away for 900 years near the picturesque village of Amberley in the bucolic South Downs countryside.
Step beneath the portcullis past the 18-meter walls and you will discover landscaped gardens, stunning examples of medieval architecture and an unrivaled atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
The Castle may be steeped in history, but there's nothing old-fashioned about the quality of accommodation; with 19 luxurious rooms, many with four-poster beds and all featuring whirlpool bathrooms, you will be cosseted like royalty.
Rates: From £230 (US$375) a night
+44 (0) 1798 831 992
12. Fenton Tower, North Berwick, Scotland
This magnificent fortified 16th-century tower which stands proud above the fertile farmland of East Lothian offers stunning views over the Firth of Forth.
It once provided refuge to King James VI of Scotland on the run from a rebel army; now it's been converted into luxurious accommodation for up to 12 guests.
With its dedicated staff, it offers outstanding service and cuisine in a secluded and secure environment --after all, you are staying in a fortified tower with walls that are two meters thick.
Rates: from £150 (US$244) per person a night
+44 (0) 1620 890089
Also on CNNGo: 10 trips to soothe your soul
13. Château de Bagnols, France
Château de Bagnols is everything a castle should be, complete with a moat, drawbridge and towers with cruciform arrow holes.
But it's also a wildly romantic five-star hotel. Its lavish interiors are about as far removed from the clean contemporary lines of your average modern boutique hotel as you can imagine.
The 21 rooms, including eight apartments, are exquisite, all individually decorated and filled with an array of antiques and works of art.
Rates: From £312 (US$508) a night
+33 (0) 4 74 71 40 00
14. Balfour Castle, Shapinsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland
Dubbed the most northerly castle hotel in the world, this is the perfect bolt-hole to woo your lover.
Log fires crackle, stags' heads adorn the walls, Victorian antiques abound and in the library false bookshelves open onto secret passages -- great for illicit trysts.
The Laird's bedroom features a magnificent four-poster bed carved with the Balfour family's coat of arms. And you can even get married in the castle's tiny chapel, which holds just 20 people.
Rates: From £200 (US$320) a night
+44 1856 711 282
Also on CNNGo: 10 cities, 100 fantastic free attractions
15. Witchery by the Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland
While not strictly a castle, the Witchery is situated in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle's ramparts, and offers the most romantic accommodation in the city.
With its lavishly indulgent, antique-filled suites secreted within dreamy 16th-century building, guests are swept into an opulent, Gothic fantasy. Oak-paneled walls hang with tapestries, mirrors and carvings, and ornately painted and gilded ceilings pile on the atmosphere.
The Inner Sanctum suite boasts an antique four-poster bed, red and gold walls, and a sitting room with views over the historic Royal Mile.
Rates: From £325 (US$529) a night
+44 0131 225 0973


text:
"Some Nights"
Track Review
Along with fellow newcomers Gotye and Carly Rae Jepsen, the lowercase pop trio known as fun. (so named to be differentiated from another band named Fun) is rapidly becoming one of the musical success stories of 2012.
As was the case with the breakthrough No. 1 smash " We Are Young" earlier this year, this title track from fun.'s second album is rousingly anthemic, drenched in lush, soaring vocals and marching to the steady beat of a simple drum throughout—sounding for all the world like an '80s act that stumbled into a time machine.
If the band's sound unabashedly channels buoyant feelings of upbeat yearning, however, this song's words are decidedly murkier. Ambivalence, confusion, cynicism, rebellion and conflict all lurk in equal measures within the opaque lyrics of "Some Nights."
A harmonized, a cappella intro sets the uneasy stage, venting mixed feelings about, it seems, life in general: "Some nights I stay up cashing in my bad luck/Some nights I call it a draw/Some nights I wish that my lips could build a castle/Some nights I wish they'd just fall off."
From there, the song's lyrics wander several divergent paths.
At first it seems as if frontman Nate Ruess might stick to exploring feelings of loss and confusion after someone close has either died or left him: "But I still wake up," he confesses, "I still see your ghost/Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh/What do I stand for? What do I stand for?"
It's a repeated question that the song doesn't really ever answer.
Then, other lyrical clues hint that the tune is, at least in part, about a troubled romance. "I found a martyr in my bed tonight," Ruess confesses. But he's not really interested in her as much as he's interested in how she helps him sort through his confusing identity issues: "She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am/Oh, who am I?" The song's conclusion reiterates the sense that this relationship is over: "I called you up, but we'd both agree/It's for the best you didn't listen/It's for the best we get our distance."
And the lovers' failure has sent the singer's cynicism soaring. He no longer sees beauty and grandeur as sources of romantic inspiration ("When I see the stars, that's all they are/When I hear songs, they sound like this one, so come on/ … Five minutes in, and I'm bored again"). Things get even bleaker when he comments on his sister's successful romance, "My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she calls 'love'." Then he adds darkly, "When I look into my nephew's eyes/Man, you wouldn't believe the most amazing things that can come from/Some terrible lies." The song doesn't spell things out absolutely here, but the lie, just like the con, certainly seems to be love.
That bitterness leaks into other subjects as well. Ruess rebelliously suggests, "This is it, boys, this is war/What are we waiting for?/Why don't we break the rules already?" On the heels of that suggestion, he lashes out against critics and copycats alike, singing, "I try twice as hard, and I'm half as liked/But here they come again to jack my style."
And it all leaves him wondering if the sacrifices he's made (perhaps both in romance and in his career) have been worth it: "So this is it? I sold my soul for this?/ Washed my hands of that for this?" Disillusionment reaches a profane apex with, "This one is not for the folks at home/Sorry to leave, Mom, I had to go/Who the f‑‑‑ wants to die alone all dried up in the desert sun?"
At the end of it all, I'm not sure whether the main subject of "Some Nights" is life, love or career—or all of the above. That said, I'm definitely sure that the singer's toxic sense of alienation comes through loud and clear.
A video for such a song, of course, could go in myriad directions, all of them easily anticipated … except for the one the band actually chose. It finds members smack in the middle of the Civil War, singing their hearts out as soldiers from the North and the South try hard to kill one another with muskets and bayonets.
The tragedy of war is at the fore as the camera focuses on a victim from each side: a gentle, pastoral farmer who loves his horses, and a young man who's seen kissing and caressing his sweetheart. Neither survive, with the farmer getting the bloody business end of a bayonet in a violent conclusion.
It's a compelling narrative and visual backdrop to the angst-ridden song, to be sure. Or, you could say that it only adds another melancholy layer to an already problematic story. What does it all mean? Well, even the guys in fun. may not know, as they sing, "What do I stand for?/Most nights I don't know anymore."
Positive Elements
Spiritual Content
Sexual Content
Violent Content
Crude or Profane Language
Drug and Alcohol Content
Other Negative Elements
Pro-social Content
Objectionable Content
Summary Advisory
Plot Summary
Christian Beliefs
Other Belief Systems
Discussion Topics
Additional Comments/Notes
Episode Reviews
Readability Age Range
Peaked at No. 3.
Record Label
Fueled By Ramen
June 4, 2012