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Reflexology | Massage Therapy | Health Coaching | Crystal & Colour Therapy | Wellbeing Products | Booking | Shop
Disclaimer: Please note I am not a medical practitioner. I am unable to diagnose medical conditions, nor am I able to offer medical advice. Complementary/holistic therapies, such as Massage and Reflexology, are not intended to replace medical advice nor medical treatment, nor do they claim to "cure". If you have an issue of a medical nature that is giving you concern then please contact your G.P./doctor first and foremost.
Please note, under UK law no one may attend a mother unless he or she is a registered midwife or doctor until 10 days after the birth - therefore I prefer to wait until two weeks have passed to ensure no confusion arises.
Please note I am not responsible for the content of external websites or links.
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
Knutsford, Cheshire, England, UK
Please use contact form
Knutsford, Cheshire, England, UK
Covering Knutsford, Mobberley, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire & south Manchester;
I offer in-person and e-consultation appointments
To book or for more information please contact me
Useful links
Preseli Bluestone - beautiful crystal energies
La Leche League
(breastfeeding support)
Myriad Toys
(Steiner Waldorf inspired)
Local Therapists/Practitioners
Maryline's Pregnancy and Restorative Yoga
Osteopath: Helen Wither
Irina Ruseva Happy Meals
West Sussex
Medical Herbalists:
Rosemary Cottage Clinic 01243 868108 -east of Chichester - with Afifah Hamilton
Lisa Sturge - Laughter Coaching: Laughterline Coaching
Local organic food :
Tuppenny Barn, Southbourne - great for leafy greens and seasonal fruit and vegetables
Nova Scotia
Winter Farmers Market - at Waldorf school, Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
Please note I am not responsible for the content of external websites or links.
Elizabeth Plant DipVTCT MIAHC PTTLLS MSAnat (Jing)
Please call on +44 (0)7423 019459
Please ask for Springtime Holistics
Either leave a message with your name, number (no texts please!) and email for me to call you back or fill in the form below or email me
on info @ springtimeholistics.com with preferred times and dates
Certified Massage Therapist, Reflexologist, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach
Massage, Reflexology, Health Coaching, Healthy Eating Advice, Indian Head Massage, Swedish Massage,
Pregnancy Massage, Aromatherapy, Crystal Therapy, Colour Therapy, Ear Candling, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, stretching, clinical massage
Where do you give treatments? (BY APPOINTMENT ONLY)
REFLEXOLOGY - Your Precious Health, Hale Cheshire
Precious Health is located centrally in Hale village in Cheshire,
Progress House, 17 Cecil Road, Hale, Cheshire, WA15 9NZ
The nearest public car park is only 100 yards away on Cecil Road. There is also free on street parking along Cecil Road. Hale train station is only a 3 minute walk away and there are good bus links in central Hale.
Facilities: Toilet - YES | free parking - NO
Health Coaching
Health Coaching for those not living in Cheshire can be via Skype or phone. We will arrange an appointment time and details of how to contact me via Skype. You will be asked to call in at the allocated time. Please let me know if you would like more more details by using my contact information.
Mobile Visits in your home or work premises - CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
Please note for my mobile therapist visits I will need to come to your home or place of work and will need to park very close by as my equipment is heavy (Reflexology/Indian Head Massage only) - please note if I need to pay for parking then this will be charged at cost on top of the treatment price. For a mobile visit I will bring all the necessary equipment with me (it may take a little extra time to unload and reload this). The treatment will be more beneficial for you if you remain fairly quiet and we are not interrupted during the session. It is also easier for me to work as I am able to concentrate on the treatment and thus it will be more effective.
|Massage Therapy
|Pregnancy Massage
|Health Coaching
|Stress Management
|Essential Oils
|Crystal and Colour Therapy
|Workplace Therapies
|Indian Head Massage
|Thermal Auricular Therapy


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You can reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes by eating better
Having a healthy balanced diet can help reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes. If you've found out you're at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, you probably have some questions about food.
The good news is, looking at your food choices can make a big difference and help you take those first few steps to reduce your risk.
It may come as a surprise, but whether you are at risk of diabetes or you have diabetes, the advice about food is the same.
What is most important is a healthy balanced diet.
You might be looking for new meal ideas or tasty treats which are healthier. Eating healthily doesn't mean you have to miss out on taste. We can help you eat better and not miss out on great tasting meals and snacks.

subset: commoncrawl


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Instantly cooling, gentle gel moisturizer for face and body, that hydrates and helps sooth dry sensitive skin. 100% Vegan. Non-greasy.
Within the tough, rubbery exterior of the aloe plant, lies a soft centre that gives our products a naturally soothing power. A natural survivor, the aloe plant manages to thrive in the harshest terrains.
Aqua/Water/Eau, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Trideceth-6.
Apply liberally on face and body. Can be used as a facial night mask: apply a generous layer after cleansing, leave on overnight and wash off remaining product in the morning. Avoid eye and lip area.
The first step in The Body Shop's aim to be the world's most ethical and truly sustainable global business.


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Seagate has been a name synonymous with computer storage since 1979 (they were Shugart Technology in 1978). Throughout their history, they've had a number of "firsts" – they made the first 7200 rpm hard drive, the first hard drive with the Fibre Channel interface, the first 15,000 rpm hard drive; and the list goes on and on. Along with the amount of innovation they've brought to the table, they've also had some of the highest quality drives as well – consistently ranking higher than comparative drives, and constantly winning various awards from different sources. So when the Seagate rep contacted me and asked if I wanted to review their new 4TB GoFlex drive – the first drive to break the capacity barrier – well, how could I possibly resist?
To look at the drive on the outside, you might never guess what it's hiding underneath. There's no loud or flashy (and unnecessary) labeling on it to scream "Hey look at me, I'm bigger than the competition!" They've gone with a beautifully minimalistic design on this drive – you really wouldn't be able to tell it from any other GoFlex drive. Jet black, with one little Seagate company logo on the front, it easily fits next to any PC or laptop. The GoFlex drives I've seen before have always had a manageable footprint, but somehow Seagate was able to shrink it down even further in this model (it measures 6.22 x 4.88 x 1.73 inches).
One feature of this GoFlex drive, is that straight out of the box it can be used on either a PC or a Mac. No messing around with different drivers and what not – it's truly plug and play on both systems (i.e., no need to format). The 4TB GoFlex is USB 3.0, which means the transfer rates are wonderfully fast – however there are a number of adapters out there that will allow you to hook it up to FireWire, eSATA, or even USB 2.0 (if you either don't have any USB 3.0 slots, or don't feel like using them). The included USB 3.0 adapter is pretty cool, as it has four white LEDs on it – each light represents 25% of the storage space on the drive, so you instantly have a rough idea of how much you've used.
Memo Backup (a normal bloatware product) is pre-installed on the drive in order for you to backup your system (Mac users need not fear – it is fully compatible with Time Machine). Honestly, Memo is pretty much junk – there's a LOT of better options out there. Memo Backup lets you do basic things for free, but then wants to charge you for any advanced features. In any case, no matter if you use backup software or not, the drive really is quite zippy. When testing it's write speed, it ran at an average of 88 MBps, and it's reading speed is a nice 100 MBps. It might not be the fastest drive I've used, but it's damn well close.
The only real problem I had with the drive is that it had a tendency to tip over when it was on my desk, but moving it next to my tower solved that issue. The drawback that most consumers will see however, is the price point. With the previous 3TB model being almost half the price, unless you're an early adopter (or really need that extra space), it might just be better for you to wait for the price to come down a bit.
The drive itself is grade A material – I do with the base was a bit wider though in order to handle the tipping issue I mentioned, however it's not a deal breaker. The bottom line is that if you want a 4TB external drive, if you want a great drive you can move from system to system, or if you just want to show off to your friends that "mine is bigger than yours", then the Seagate 4TB GoFlex is most definitely the way to go.
Final score is four and a half stars out of five.
- You can hook it up to a PC or a Mac with no formatting
- It is running 4TB of space – there is nothing bigger that's commercially available right now
- The read and write speed is pretty fast on it
- Oh, did I forget to mention? IT'S 4 TERABYTES!
- The price is absurdly high, as is the price on all new tech
- There's a slight stability issue because of the shrunken footprint
- Only 7200 rpms – not a true negative, but you know faster ones will be coming soon
For now, you can only get the Seagate 4TB GoFlex drive from the Seagate website (but next month it'll be available everywhere) for the price of $249.99


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Origin Entrusted Manufacture
Original Design Manufacturer
Original Brand Manufacturer
Our Server
1.Quick response once get your inquiry and email
2.High quality ,good products and competitive price
3.Solve our customer problems in the first time
4.If you need to ship them by the other way,please feel free to contact us
5.we will send you tracking number via email at first time
Usually 24hours online, our sales can serve you anytime.
We are a direct exporter can try our best to provide you reliable and professional service. Our priority is your complete satisfaction.
10 years experience in exporting. service will be more professional.
Q:What kind of payment you can accept?
We usually use L/C or T/T .We will try our best to meet your needs If you have special requirements.
Q:What is your MOQ?
A: To our old customers, the MOQ can be reduced. If you are a professional purchaser or specialize in toys, we can do very small quantity for you.
Q:What is the delivery time?
A: delivery time is according to you choose shipping terms.different express have different delivery time .
Q:Sample is free?
A: We need to order the material ,and pay for our designers salary. Once you pay the sample fee, it means we have the contract with you, we will take responsibility for your samples, until you say "ok, it is perfect".
Q:Do you offered some discount?
A: The discount is up to your order quantity. Small order will have higher price.Your bulk order can help you get a bigger discount.
From raw material sourcing,Injection,Semifinished products, finished products,
our professional QC Team control our products quality step by step. Our professional
lab insure our products meet international toy safety standards and certificate


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King Carnival
18 hole mini golf course rated in the top 5 courses in Australia. Beautifully located right on the waters edge , with water features and gorgeous native flora , it provides great fun for the whole family and a great challenge for even the most seasoned of golfers.
King Carnival is beautifully situated on Mandurah's western foreshore and has been an entertainment icon in the area for over 60 years. King Carnival offers a unique fairground experience and has something for the whole family to enjoy. There is an 18 hole mini golf course, loads of your favourite rides including the Dodgem cars, Tilt a Whirl, Ferris Wheel, Bungee Trampolines and the Super Skate. Enjoy the State of the Art Amusement Arcade as well as a café stocked with all your favourite goodies.
Phone: 08 9581 3735. 25 Leighton Place, Halls Head
King Carnival is situated on the scenic and lovely Mandurah estuary. The Carnival is one of the oldest, historical amusement sites in the state of Western Australia. Entry to King Carnival is always totally FREE. There is also FREE Wi-Fi internet available at the Carnival.
There is an 18 hole mini golf course rated in the top 5 in Australia which is both great fun for the kids and a real challenge for even the most experienced of golfers!
Mini Golf Opening Times (weather permitting) Monday to Sunday - 10am to 5pm Carnival and Water World (weather permitting) Saturday and Sunday - 10am to 5pm Public and School Holidays - 10am to 5pm
Western Australia Day Long weekend (2nd/3rd/4th March 2019) Special
Purchase $50 or more of ride tickets and get a FREE Family Pass (Max. 4 people) to ride our NEW 7D Simulator ... thats $30 OFF of ride tickets FREE.
Special events
Valentines Day 2019
Any couple playing mini golf between 10am to 10pm on Thursday 14th Feb., Valentines Day you will receive a FREE "I Love You" Bear, valued at $14.95 (one per couple).
Perfectly situated on the western shore of the Mandurah estuary, only a stones throw from the new Mandurah bridge, King Carnival has panoramic views of Mandurah and the Mandurah estuary bordered with beautiful parkland, sporting ovals, volleyball court and swimming facilities. King Carnival is simply the BEST event space in Mandurah!


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Posted at 12:01 am October 10, 1999, in Earlier Press Releases and Polls, Rutgers-Eagleton Poll
In 1989 John Martini kidnapped New Jersey businessman Irving Flax and, after being paid a $25,000 ransom, killed him with three bullets to the head. Martini, who has confessed to two other murders, was scheduLed to be executed September 22 before a new federal appeal gave him a reprieve. He would have been the first person executed in the state since 1963. Seven-in-ten New Jerseyans want him dead.
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You can select to set up or manage your Wedding List or Gift List below. If you are attending a wedding or an event and have the list number you can select to buy a gift.
We have some of the best brands in the World on our site from Versace, Portmeirion, Rosenthal, Thomas and Villeroy & Boch so you are going to be receiving or sending a great gift.
We wish you all the best on your event planning and the day.


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Today would've been my mother's 53rd birthday. It's only been a little over a year since she died but think as the time goes by I miss her more and more. The more things that I go through, the more I want to pick up that phone and call her. I miss her laugh, her rants.....even our fifty-leven phone calls going "girl, did you see that mess?!" during one episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Not having her to lean on saddens me, but I hope she's proud of me and how hard I'm still going.
Gone but never forgotten.....happy birthday, Mama.....
Living in the time of pandemic: COVID-19 (3)
12 hours ago


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Art and Politics, Lived Experience, Legacies of Liberation
November 6-8, 2009, UC Berkeley
|Opening Book Event with Dongping Han speaking on his book, The Unknown Cultural Revolution: Life and Change in a Chinese Village
|Panel on Art and Politics in the Cultural Revolution (with Bai Di, Ban Wang, Lincoln Cushing)
|Panel on The International Impact and Historical Significance of the Cultural Revolution (with Dongping Han, Raymond Lotta, Ann Tompkins, Robert Weil)
FEW EVENTS IN MODERN HISTORY are more deserving of rediscovery than China's Cultural Revolution of 1966-76. Few have so challenged traditional notions of what human society can be. Few have been as distorted and demonized.
Want to know what revolutionary socialism was really like? From people who lived it -- and loved it? Hear from youth who went to the countryside to work and learn from the peasants... artists who set out to create revolutionary art... women who struggled against feudal tradition.... people who look back at this period as some of the best years of their lives. And learn from scholars whose work brings to life a crucial and vital legacy of liberation.
- Article on the symposium from Revolution Newspaper
- China's Cultural Revolution a Human Disaster? Not According to Symposium Participants: Reader Commentary in The Berkeley Daily Planet
- Program Announcement in Chinese
- Slide show of artwork from the Cultural Revolution
- Red Detachment of Women: watch this revolutionary ballet
- Initial call for the symposium
Lincoln Cushing: Historian and archivist of social and political graphics; co-author, Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
Bai Di: Director of Chinese and Asian Studies, Drew University; co-editor of Some of Us: Chinese Women Growing Up During the Mao Era
Interview with Bai Di on KPFK radio
Dongping Han: Professor of History, Warren Wilson College; author, The Unknown Cultural Revolution: Life and Change in a Chinese Village; farmer and manager of a collective village factory during the Cultural Revolution.
Read the new article by Dongping Han in Monthly Review:
Farmers, Mao, and Discontent in China
From the Great Leap Forward to the Present
Raymond Lotta: Set the Record Straight Project; Maoist political economist; writer for Revolution newspaper; editor, Maoist Economics and the Revolutionary Road to Communism
Speech by Raymond Lotta: Socialism Is Much Better than Capitalism, and Communism Will Be a Far Better World
Ann Tompkins: Lived and worked in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution; co-author, Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
Ban Wang: Professor of Chinese Literature and Culture, Stanford University; author, Illuminations from the Past: Trauma, Memory, and History in Modern China (Cultural Memory in the Present)
Robert Weil: Senior Fellow at the Oakland Institute; author, Red Cat, White Cat: China and the Contradictions of "Market Socialism"
Friday, November 6, 2009
5:00 pm -- Poster Art of the Cultural Revolution
Art opening and guided tour [view slideshow]


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Here you find an overview of beer gardens in Um and Neu-Ulm. The listing is in alphabetical order. The listing does not claim to list all restaurants in Ulm.
This website uses cookies to provide you with the very best experience and to analyse the performance of this website, so that we can continuously improve our online presence. Please klick on the button "Accept cookies" to agree to the use of tracking-cookies. You can find further information on this topic in our data privacy statement. To the imprint


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This article explains each icon displayed on the Main Map
- Search - Accepts names on Points of Interests and Trails. To search with coordinates, follow these steps.
- Full Screen Mode / Map Display Options - tap to switch the main map into full-screen mode. Long press to toggle on/off the control bars, stats bar, compass, rotation lock, and lock screen
- Crosshairs - locates you on the map
- Create - record a track, create a waypoint or route, download a map, and more
- Layers - Change the map displayed on the main map and view different overlays of data
- Trip - Shows current stats and you have the option to record a track, take a picture, and check your GPS status
- Discover - Search for Hikes and other places of interest (POIs).
- Saved - Find saved tracks, routes, waypoints, and maps


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Join Scott Hirsch for an in-depth discussion in this video Editing dialogue: Part one, part of Audition: Mixing a Short Film.
At this stage of our project, we've taken the time to break out the original…Premiere sequence clips into all of our template tracks.…As you can see here, we've narrowed our session down to only the necessary clips,…and they're all neatly organized in the timeline,…checkboarding back and forth in the dialogue tracks between scenes.…In this movie, we'll explore some techniques that will help finesse these…newly organized clips into coherent dialogue tracks that play seamlessly through a scene.…First of all, let's look at one editing preference.…In Audition > Preferences > Multitrack, you'll see a checkbox for Automatically…crossfade overlapping clips.…
Let's leave that off for now so we can make some edits without crossfades.…Now, back in the timeline, the second scene in the movie is a pretty standard…dialogue track layout.…On the top track--Dialog 4--I've edited only the boom microphone source.…It's by far the most natural sound.…It does have a bit of room echo in it.…The two tracks below are the two lavalier tracks of the characters.…
This Adobe Audition course is an excellent companion to our video course Documentary Editing with Premiere Pro, which shows how to highlight a cause, express a point of view, and tell a story with Adobe Premiere Pro and some essential documentary editing techniques.
- Setting up your Audition workspace and project
- Exporting audio and video from Premiere Pro
- Editing dialogue
- Reducing hum
- Using background ambience
- Automating plugins
- Printing the final stems


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WhatsApp is probably the most used messenger App on your Android device. As you may know, all your WhatsApp chats messages are saved in an encrypted (*.db.crypt) file on your Android device. But how to decrypt and read chat messages from WhatsApp backup file? Now Backuptrans Android WhatsApp Transfer provides an easy way to extract and import WhatsApp Messages from Whatsapp backup file into Backuptrans local database. Then you can view, export, print or transfer whatsapp messages on computer. Extracting messages from crypt8 file is also supported. The following article shows you how to read chats from whatsapp backup file step by step:
Step 0: Backup WhatsApp Conversations on Android Phone.
1) Go to WhatsApp > [Menu Button] > Settings > Chat Settings
2) Tap [Backup Conversations]
Step 1: Find the WhatsApp backup folder and copy it on your computer
Connect your Android phone to computer via USB and then copy the folder named WhatsApp from Android Phone Storage to computer. You can find your WhatsApp backup folder on:
Step 2: Run Backuptrans Android WhatsApp Transfer
Now run Backuptrans Android WhatsApp Transfer software, right click database icon and then choose "Import Android WhatsApp Backup Data".
Step 3: Select WhatsApp encrypted backup file
Select the WhatsApp backup database file(*.db.crypt*) on computer. Then click "OK" to continue.
Step 4
A): To decrypt *.db.crypt5 file, you need to enter your Android account. Then click "OK" to continue.
You can click "Settings" -> "Google" ->"Accounts" on your Android Phone to find your Android account. See detail photo.
B:) To decrypt *.db.crypt6/*.db.crypt7/*.db.crypt8 file, you need to select your Key file. Then click "OK" to continue.
Please follow this tutorial to extract key file from your Android Phone.
Step 5: Decrypt and Extract successfully.
Now you can read all WhatsApp messages you have backed up on Backuptrans Android WhatsApp Transfer software. Simply click "Export", "Print" or "Restore" buton on tool bar if you want to export WhatsApp Messages to file, print WhatsApp Messages or transfer messages from database to device.
With Backuptrans Android WhatsApp Transfer, you can manage your WhataApp Chat History on your computer easily. If you are using Mac, please download Android WhatsApp Transfer for Mac to use.
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Tagged With: orphans
Marcelino Pan Y Vino
Marcelino Pan y Vino, by Jose Maria Sanchez-Silva. Marcelino is an orphan who was abandoned as a baby at the doorstep of a small Franciscan monastery. He grows up to be a mischievious little boy who has the run of the monastery. He only place he's not allowed to visit is the attic. Of course, … Continue reading
Categories: Reading, Spanish Tags: children's books, Christianity, fiction, miracles, orphans, religion Leave a comment
Cloud Roads
Cloud Roads, by Martha Wells. Continuing my quest for good non-Tolkien, non-Celtic fantasy… I don't remember why I picked up this book — I think I just looked up "2011 Fantasy" in the library catalog — but I'm glad I did. Moon isn't sure what he is. There are many kinds of peoples in the … Continue reading
Categories: Reading Tags: fantasy, fiction, orphans, shape-shifters Leave a comment


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For the last couple of days I have been reading about the sad death of Michael O'Sullivan, the disabled man who killed himself after being found 'fit for work' by ATOS, and the coroner's report which criticised this decision. After all that reading, I have a question I need to ask about the whole situation.
Not why did Mr O'Sullivan feel he had no option but to kill himself. That is something for people who are far more qualified than me to discuss. No, what I want to know is, why was the doctor, the one at ATOS who was assessing Mr O'Sullivan on his fitness to work, actually the person who was assessing him?
Mr O'Sullivan was someone who had been deemed, by his own medical specialists and consultants, as being unfit for work due to the severity of his mental health condition. He had been diagnosed with clinical depression, a panic disorder, anxiety and agoraphobia, all serious mental health conditions. The doctor at ATOS who conducted his Work Capability Assessment, the doctor the that would make the decision that would cause Mr O'Sullivan to believe he had no other option but to kill himself, was an orthopedic surgeon.
To me, that just does not make sense.
What qualifies a surgeon, who specialises in on operating on people who have medical conditions involving bones and muscles, to decide whether a man who has well recognised and diagnosed mental health issues is fit for work? A man who was being treated, by specialists, for mental health issues, not for problems with his skeleton.
Mental health and physical health are two different things. That's why we have specialists.
If you had broken your leg badly in a road traffic accident, and needed to have an operation to insert a metal plate and screws to secure the bones in your leg, would you be happy if you found out that the person performing the required surgery was a psychiatrist? Wouldn't you question why this was happening? Wouldn't you ask for someone who might actually be better qualified to undertake the work, more experienced in what could go wrong, to be the one that wielded the scalpel? If you had been diagnosed with cancer, wouldn't you want someone who had undertaken extra training in that particular disease, a professional who had worked with people who had cancer on a regular basis, to be the person who treated you? As someone who has experienced cancer personally, I know I would.
As far as I am concerned, this is the question that needs answering and the situation that should never happen again. Sick and disabled people nationwide are being signed off as unfit for work by medical specialists that know them and understand their particular conditions. Surely the best people Atos and its successor, Maximus, could use to make a secondary assessment, for welfare benefit purposes, on whether or not someone should be deemed as ready to go back to work, would be a medical professional with some understanding and proven expertise in that particular individual's actual health condition. Surely the best person to say 'yes' or 'no' would be someone who knew what they were talking about.
I would like to see the service provided on behalf the Government and the Department of Work and Pensions, by Atos and Maximus, being re-evaluated and re-assessed. I would like to see doctors who actually have some understanding of particular medical conditions being the ones who make these life changing decisions. I would like 'Fit for Work' assessments to be proper, considered assessments, not merely box-ticking exercises. I would like to see the doctors who are undertaking those assessments being doctors who actually having some expertise in the medical conditions they are assessing.
Maximus needs a 'Fit for Work' assessment of it's own and, until that happens, and changes are made, it should suspend all of its activities for the health and safety of sick and disabled people nationwide. The sooner this happens the better.
What happened to Mr O'Sullivan was frightening and wrong and something needs to be done as quickly, as possible, to ensure that it never happens again.


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No worries, fantasy owners: Alejandro De Aza may not speak Swahili*, but this past month his numbers have been music to fantasy owners' ears. With a .350/.418/.567 line in July, a strikeout rate that has decreased every month of this season, and already reaching a career high in home runs, there are many reasons for optimism. Yes, he struggled early on this season, but he seems to be rounding into form with an approach that attempts to hit for more power. And why not? After all, he plays in a park where Adam Dunn bunted for a home run** last year. I, for one (unless I can speak for more than one?), am embracing the slightly more homer-friendly De Aza. If he continues to steal bases, then he will add to the scarcity of players who steal bases, but don't destroy your OPS (you know who you are). For the rest of the season, I believe that he will be able to maintain his current .278/.336/.444 line, which represents a slight dip in OBP with a nice bump in slugging. Anyway, here are some other guys I'm dreaming about in OPS leagues:
Jonathan Lucroy – He's a beast. Maybe Ryan Braun switched jerseys with him to avoid getting caught? Oh, wait…
Justin Smoak – Sky just went over him as his creeper for this week and he'd be a great pick up in an OPS league. Consider yourself cited, Sky!
Kelly Johnson – Back in early May, I said, "I'll admit that I was skeptical of him this year. Like Dan Uggla, his strikeout and contact issues were causing him major issues the past couple seasons. In 2013, his contact rate has increased, while his strikeout rate has held steady, resulting in a decent .244/.330/.427 line. He's worth trusting as a second baseman or middle infielder, but I'm still going to keep an eye on that strikeout rate to make sure he maintains his current production." Since then, he's been up and down, but now he's hot and worth seeing if he can maintain a good stretch. He could be available in your league after an owner lost patience with him.
Miguel Montero – He's a good waiver wire grab if you need catching help. Once upon a time, he was productive. Maybe the story continues in the second half this year? There's nothing more exciting than a sequel, right? Right?
David Freese – I keep going back to him, and he's getting dropped in leagues despite being passable recently. How's that for an endorsement? Why do I have so many questions in this post?
Brad Miller – Nothing to see here, people… Except a freaking awesome player! He's been sent by the middle infielder gods and should really be owned in more leagues. He's been better than I expected and should continue to be solid, even if his production slows.
Brandon Belt – I don't really have anything else to say about him other than he's hitting and is probably on your waiver wire. Time to fall back into his arms and let him drop us again.
Jedd Gyorko – He's had a miserable start to the second half, but I believe that he'll turn things around soon.
Paul Konerko – Well, he's back, but is his back back? I thought he was finished earlier in the year, but it's possible that his struggles were largely due to his injury. Since he's widely available, I'd take a chance to see if he can turn Republican and summon the powers of David Ortiz's patented Grand Old Party bat.
*He may, in fact, speak Swahili.
**Hawk says a lot of things. I mis-hear a lot of things. Either one of these could apply here.
Tom Jacks is sporadically on Twitter @votetomjacks


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Musical Healing
Music in a healthcare setting can improve quality of life for patients of all ages by helping:
- Promote wellness
- Manage stress
- Alleviate pain
- Express feelings
- Enhance memory
- Improve communication
- Promote physical rehabilitation.
Research shows music can help decrease anxiety, pain, and heart and respiration rates. Harvard Medical School studies show music may cause cells to release substances that suppress pain and help fight sickness.
During your time at Trios Southridge Hospital, you may hear the soothing sounds of music throughout the halls and public areas as volunteers share the healing gift of music. This is one of many ways we strive to provide total patient care, recognizing that your current physical state is just one aspect of your overall well-being.


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Our Team
Susanne was born and raised in Sheridan, Mont., and later attended Montana State University. After a diverse career spanning sales, non-profit management and vocational rehabilitation, Susanne returned to Southwest Montana and became involved in local community journalism. Since 2011, she has enjoyed seeing this expanding family of newspapers—and the communities they serve—evolve and thrive, and she's grateful to be a part of such collaborative, talented and committed teams. Susanne and her husband, Matt, enjoy discovering new people, places and things together, along with Murphy the dog and their three horses, Chickie, Boone and Mattie Mae.
Likes: Loyal friends, horses, fast cars.
Dislikes: Yoga, leftovers, sci-fi movies.
Erin, a sixth generation Montanan, fell into publishing newspapers by chance. A graphic designer by trade, she was asked to work at her local newspaper, The Madisonian, in January of 2012. She fell in love with the business and soon, along with her co-worker Susanne Hill, was lucky enough to purchase The Madisonian by the end of 2012. Since then, she and Susanne have opened a weekly newspaper in West Yellowstone (West Yellowstone Star, est. 2016) and now have had the pleasure of reviving the Lone Peak Lookout. When not obsessing over the papers, Erin obsesses over her two kids Harper and Jack, and wouldn't have it any other way. Erin loves live music, the outdoors, cross-country skiing, avocados, hot dogs and going on adventures with her husband Chris and their little family of four.
Likes: Live music, OUTSIDE, Cross-country skiing, hot dogs, documentaries.
Dislikes: Peer pressure, leftovers, pickles.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Jolene discovered her love of the mountains while travelling during her journalism school days at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She packed up her VW and relocated to Big Sky in 2008, never looking back. After enjoying the "ski bum" lifestyle for a year or so she landed the reporter job at the Lone Peak Lookout where she stayed for five years before trying her hand at a few other jobs around Big Sky, eventually returning as the reporter for the Lookout in December 2017. When not covering Big Sky's latest, you can find her with her husband, Mike, and fur babies Molly the basset hound and Mabel the vizsla.
UPDATE: Sweet baby James Atlas Palmer was born to Jolene and Mike on April 11!
Likes: cheese, traveling, photography. Dislikes: Black licorice, being late, running out of cheese.


text: Print | Newsroom > Newsroom > 2017 2017 DURANAR XL coatings by PPG add brilliance to new Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City Pure white color, inspired by snowdrifts, celebrates passion for winter, ice, snow © Photos: Stéphane Groleau PITTSBURGH, March 9, 2017 – When the design team of Populous and ABCP Architecture chose to celebrate the passion Québécois' have for winter, ice and snow in Quebec City's new arena, they trusted DURANAR® XL coatings by PPG (NYSE: PPG) to bring their vision to life. Fabricated from glass and sculpted metal panels coated in Pure White Duranar XL coatings by local applicator Anacolor, Inc., the curtain wall for Centre Vidéotron draws inspiration from a snowdrift, according to the Populous website. "We aimed to capture the spirit and culture of the city in a truly elegant and sophisticated way by selecting white painted metal panels that are sculptural in form, revealing an organically shaped band of glass in between," the firm explained. "The pure white color reflects light like snow, as well as offers a blank canvas for projection mapping light shows." Duranar XL coatings, based on 70-percent polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resin supplemented by proprietary PPG resin and pigment technologies, have been used for high-end architectural landmarks such as Centre Vidéotron for 50 years because of their ability to retain color and gloss through decades of environmental exposure. Covering more than 160,000 square feet of exterior aluminum panels on the 18,000-seat venue, Duranar XL coatings are available as three- and four-part systems encompassing a patented primer, optional barrier coat, durable color coat and clear protective topcoat. Populous also specified Black Duranar XL coatings for metal accents and surfaces inside the arena. To learn more about Duranar XL coatings, visit www.ppgideascapes.com or call 1-888-PPG-IDEA (774-4332). Duranar and the PPG Logo are registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. PPG Media Contact: Sharon Bird Industrial Coatings 724-274-3845 email@example.com www.ppgideascapes.com Newsroom 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 Publications Media Contacts Facts about PPG Media Coverage Social Media Businesses, Products and Brands Videos


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Cisco Jabber™ for Android is a collaboration application that provides presence, instant messaging (IM), voice, voice messaging, and video calling capabilities on Android phone devices. Escalate your Jabber calls into multi-party conferencing with Cisco WebEx® Meetings. This integrated collaboration experience works with both on premise and cloud-based collaboration architectures.
This application supports the following capabilities:
• Integrated voice
• High-quality video with interoperability to Cisco TelePresence and other video endpoints
• IM, presence
• Visual voicemail
• One-tap escalation to WebEx meetings (cross-launches the Cisco WebEx® Meetings application)


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Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
Broccoli adds colour and crunch to this simple soup.
- 1 whole broccoli
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium red-skinned potato, diced
- 31g plain flour
- 750ml low-sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 100g grated extra-sharp Cheddar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or vegetarian alternative
- 348ml can fat-free evaporated milk
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1. Separate the stems and the florets from the broccoli. Trim and discard the bottom of the broccoli stems and peel the tough outer layers. Finely chop the stems and coarsely chop the florets and set aside separately.
2. Mist a large pot with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the broccoli stems, onions and potatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the reserved florets and 125ml water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and continue to steam until the florets are bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the entire contents of the pot with the florets to the soup along with the nutmeg. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Stir in the Cheddar, Worcestershire and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the spring onions.
Cook's Note: Leftover soup should be reheated in the microwave rather than the stovetop, where the cheese will "break" or separate from the broth.


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Stand Out from the Rest…With our new approach that combines internet technology with solid 'old school' marketing to bring you full-service planning and implementation.
Are you looking for a marketing partner who will speak your language? Who will enhance your brand with your on-line presence? Who can do this within your budget and on your schedule? Congratulations, you found what you need!
- Strategic Planning
- Website Development
- Content Marketing
- Multi-Media Productions
- E-Marketing Programs
- Traditional Marketing Tools


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Tag: chia seeds
Chia Seeds Are a Nutritional Powerhouse
Chia is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, even more so than flax.
The Truth About Superfoods: Do They Live Up to the Hype?
Here's a breakdown of what you're really getting from some of the power foods out there.
Four Delicious Superfoods to Boost Your Health
Now is a good time to add a few superfoods to your diet to give your body that extra boost it needs in the Fall.
Planet Fashion Promotes Green Products at the Dream Hotel
Planet Fashion TV promotes new trend show with its Picks In "Green" Products Shot At The Dream Hotel South Beach.


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Next Level S.R.O.
Provide actionable insights for almost all of the world's leading life science companies
Organisation Description
NextLevel Pharma is a leading, strategic business information provider and opportunity facilitator for the international life sciences industry. We organise events that serve as a platform where senior executives, leading experts and key stakeholders meet together to share ideas, achieve critical insights and discover practical solutions to enhance medical innovation for patient benefit.
CPD Courses and Workshops Available
Life Science R&D Data Intelligence Leaders ForumCPD
Event | Next Level S.R.O.Next Level S.R.O.
The "R&D Data Intelligence Leaders Forum" is the must attend event for those senior decision-makers; researchers and technologists; looking to make the shift towards an integrated R&D and data strategy and for those looking to improve their implementation of data-driven approaches to enhance R&D decision-making and intelligence.
MedAffairs Leaders ForumCPD
Event | Next Level S.R.O.Next Level S.R.O.
This 3-day forum is the "must attend" event for those senior decision makers looking to drive their medical affairs teams and departments and enhance their KOL & stakeholder engagement at all levels.
PharmAccess Leaders ForumCPD
Event | Next Level S.R.O.Next Level S.R.O.
This meeting provides an ideal opportunity for "payers" and other decision makers from both public and private organisations; to benchmark with peers internationally and provide pharma companies an invaluable insight into the decision-making processes and approaches of these vital stakeholders. Attendees are able to understand and develop best practice approaches to such vital and common challenges; with the ultimate goal of encouraging innovation and improving patient access to novel and powerful medications
Pharma & MedTech Nordic Market Access Leaders ForumCPD
Event | Next Level S.R.O.Next Level S.R.O.
This event will discuss the payer and HTA agencies' challenges in budget management and cost-containment; compared to their enthusiasm to reimburse expensive treatments and diagnostics. This is the ideal event for those looking to find out novel methods and ideas for achieving patient access to advanced pharmaceuticals and devices in one of the world's most advanced regions
Market Access in Latin America Leaders ForumCPD
Event | Next Level S.R.O.Next Level S.R.O.
This 2 day event features key decision-makers and industry experts from both Pharma & MedTech sectors (in focused streams) to bring attendees an insight-filled event. With plenty of networking opportunities to meet with the LATAM region's payers & HTAs and experts from industry; this meeting will allow attendees to ensure their market access strategy is optimized for their specific product type.
Medical Affairs Leaders ForumCPD
Event | Next Level S.R.O.Next Level S.R.O.
This 3 day event is the place where medical affairs professionals obtain actionable insights to transform medical affairs into a function that truly adds-value to healthcare systems and especially patients. Attendees will network with experts and thought-leaders to understand issues.
Thank you for you enquiry.
Your CPD request has been sent to the relevant accredited CPD provider. We hope this is of help.
Click here to search for more CPD courses and events.
Kind regards
The CPD Service


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Our Sponsors
The VS presents over 60 dynamic and diverse concerts every year, attracting over 140,000 people of all ages. With its vibrant live performances and growing reputation for innovation, the Victoria Symphony presents a unique opportunity to further your company as a corporate community leader in the arts. When you partner with the Victoria Symphony, you align your brand with a world-class orchestra and gain exposure to a diverse and sophisticated audience.
The VS's corporate partners receive exclusive marketing exposure, hosting opportunities for clients and guests, as well as opportunities to connect with our musicians, patrons, and other corporate leaders. Through a sponsorship of the Victoria Symphony, your company will enhance the quality of life in our community, while achieving a high return on investment.
For more information on sponsorship with the VS please contact Lorraine Tanner, Director of Development, at 250.412.1980 or [email protected]
Thank you to all our current corporate and government sponsors.
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In Kind Sponsors
Fine Floral Designs


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Have you got a cold? Tickly sore throat? This is the drink for you. Less sharp and acidic than the more famous Lemon-and-Honey, this orange drink is comforting and healing.
- Orange juice
- Honey
- Water
1Choose whether you are going to make just a mug, or a whole flask. Fill your chosen vessel with orange juice.
2If your orange juice has pulp bits in it, try sieving them out. However much you may enjoy cold orange with pulp, it is always nicer to be rid of it in a hot drink.
3Pour into a pan. Place on hob/aga/cooker/stove. Turn up the heat to quite high.
4Optional: Add some water. For normal drinking, try this step. However, if you have a singing competition, or a particularly bad throat, you may prefer the more concentrated version.
5When it is pretty hot, add some honey. Stir until dissolved. Taste. Add more if you want it sweeter. Continue until perfect.
6By now you should have very hot orange juice, but don't let it boil. Once it is quite near boiling, probably just hotter than drinkable, pour it into your flask/mug/cup.
Community Q&A
- Put your orange and honey into a flask to take to your room/place of work/school/wherever you're going. That way whenever your throat feels dry you can drink this. It ought to have a longer lasting effect than water.Thanks!
- This drink is particularly good if you have a mouth ulcer. Vitamin C!Thanks!
- You could try adding lemons or ginger for another flavour.Thanks!
- Add more honey.Thanks!
- Orange juice is acidic. Sometimes this can be harmful if your cold is dreadful.Thanks!
Things You'll Need
- Sieve (optional)
- Pan
- Spoon
- Flask/Mug


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Training and resources for workplace safety
We are all on a journey of continuous improvement
At the National Safety Council, we believe world-class safety is a journey, not a destination. The Journey to Safety Excellence is a process of continuous improvement. In NSC, you have a trusted partner on your Journey every step of the way.


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Need help? - Sharing your design
Are you having issues sharing your design to social media, with a colleague or within your team? We've outlined some of the most common scenarios below and included steps on how to resolve your issue so you can get back to sharing your designs with the world.
Canva allows you to share your designs with a colleague or with a team. When designs are shared via email, a mail alert is sent to the recipient. The other party must then click the link in their email before they can see the shared design with their account.
All shared designs are easily found in the Shared with you tab on the homepage.
If someone shares a design with you but the link is missing in your inbox, you may try the following:
This issue affects me
- Check if the design is shared with the right email address.
- Check with the email provider.
- Check the status of the Canva website or report the issue here.
Sharing a design allows others to collaborate with you. When a shared design cannot be edited, there may be several reasons why this happens.
Standard Canva
The design is set only to View instead of Edit.
To fix this:
- Click the Share button in the top right corner of the page.
- Click the box next to Share/email as an editable design.
- Type in the email of the user you'd like to share the design with and click Send.
Canva for work
This issue affects me
- The account is not part of the team/brand where the design is shared.
Double check that you are on the right team or brand by looking at the team name under your account name.
If you need to change accounts:
1. Click on the arrow next to your name on the homepage.
2. A dropdown will reveal all brands associated with your account.
3. Click on the team you'd like to access. This will refresh the page and open to the team.
- The design is created in the personal account or a different team/brand.
Double check that you are on the right account or team by looking at your account name located in the upper left corner of the homepage. You'll also find the team name you're on under your account name.
If you need to change accounts:
1. Click on the arrow next to your name on the homepage.
2. A dropdown will reveal all brands associated with your account.
3. Click on the team you'd like to access. This will refresh the page and open to the team.
- The design shared has custom fonts that users not part of the team cannot view.
There are several ways to fix this:
1. The recipient may opt to upgrade to Canva Pro. You may also add the recipient to the Canva Pro team where the shared design is found.
2. Temporarily change the custom font to a standard Canva font.
3. Transfer the design to the correct team or account.
Currently, designs with premium images shared directly to Facebook have watermarks. Please note that the Facebook and Twitter integration shares a link to the design which pulls in the watermarked preview.
To share a design with paid elements on Facebook without watermarks:
This issue affects me
- Click the Download button to save the design to your computer. A popup will open, asking you to select how you'd like to save the file.
- Select JPG under the File Type option.
- Click Download.
- Choose what type of license you'd like to purchase the premium element under.
- Enter your credit card details.
- Click Purchase and Download.
- Upload manually to Facebook.
Canva is not sharing the latest version of my design on Facebook
When sharing a design to Facebook by clicking the Share button, Facebook keeps the initial version of the design when uploaded. This means when the design is updated Facebook will continue to use the saved cache instead of the new design.
To remedy this, simply clear the browser history including stored caches. The quickest way to do that is to press Command / Control + Shift + Delete to bring up your browser history. From there, delete stored caches.This issue affects me
When a design with hyperlinks is shared to Facebook, the hyperlinks are disabled. This is because embedding hyperlinks only work on PDF files and Facebook only accepts uploads in JPEG or PNG file formats when uploading.This issue affects me
Report an issue - Sharing


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Flash drives could be a memory stick, multimedia card (MMC), secure digital card (SD, SDHC, SDXC), smart media card (SM), Solid-state drive (SSD), USB drive, xD-Picture Card (xD), etc. No matter what type of flash drive you are using, it always provides an easy platform to transfer data from one device to another.
However, at times, you might face connectivity issues with flash drive to a Windows system or another device with a USB port and find that it is not showing up. This problem could be a result of multiple issues, such as logically damaged drive, corrupt file system, dead USB port, driver issues or a dead USB drive etc.
In order to resolve this disappearance issue manually, you need to try different methods and find out which one will be best suited as per your requirement. Here is the list of all the solutions you need to follow to make an unrecognized flash drive visible on a Windows PC:
- Check Disk Management: First, check whether your flash drive is recognized by the disk management or not. If yes then try to format it as at times, improper formatting could also be a reason of a flash drive disappearance in 'Computer'. Or you can also try to assign a new drive letter to the Flash drive under disk management. Occasionally, the connected flash drive use the drive letter that is already in use by a different drive. Make sure, the new drive letter doesn't used by another drive already.
- Check USB Port: If still you are facing the same problem then continue to the next section to determine why your flash drive is not recognized. You can try to connect your Flash drive to another USB port on the same computer. If it works then possibly you may have a dead USB port. If the problem still continues, then connect your drive to other computer and check whether now it is recognized under 'Disk Management' or not.
- Update the Driver: If all of the above solutions doesn't work then possibly your need a driver update. You can check for this using the Device Manager and update the driver if required.
- Format the drive: At the end, if all the above explained processes do not make your drive appear, then drive formatting is the best way to make it accessible. At times, partially formatted drive may become invisible and couldn't be accessed. To resolve this, you need to format it once again and see if you can now access it as you use to.
- Use data Recovery software: Make sure, you have restored all important file from your flash drive before final formatting as this process will remove complete data stored on your flash drive. To do this, use Stellar Phoenix Partition Recovery Software to restore all the inaccessible files from the Flash drive and search for all the lost files on the flash drive.
It is always safe to use a professional tool if you have some really important data on your inaccessible flash drive and manual fixes doesn't help you in making drives accessible or recovering data.


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January 2009
Amy DePaul
Beyond Marriage: An Interview with Nancy Polikoff
As the debate over who should be allowed to marry unfolds across the nation, law professor and author Nancy Polikoff is asking straights and gays alike to consider a broader approach to thinking about what constitutes familial commitment and how it should be legally protected. In her book Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage, Polikoff calls for a revamping of regulations related to family law, including death benefits, medical leave and divorce -- all with the end goal of reducing marriage's privileged status in deciding these matters. To make her case, Polikoff cites numerous examples of legal benefits automatically accorded to marriage that frequently end up hurting children and, for that matter, anyone in nontraditional families, including unmarried couples both gay and straight. As Polikoff puts it bluntly: "People who marry 10 days after they meet get legal consequences, and ones who live together for 20 years don't." If Polikoff had her way, she explains in the interview that follows, marriage would no longer be "the dividing line between who's in and who's out." Instead, the law should value all families, according to Polikoff – an increasingly compelling proposition at a time when more than half of U.S. households are headed by unmarried people and one third of children are raised in homes by unmarried people.
Below are excerpts from a lengthy telephone interview with Polikoff.
What's the basic argument you're making in your book?
That marriage shouldn't be the dividing line between relationships that have legal consequences attached to them and those that don't. People live in all sorts of family constellations and raise children in all sorts of family constellations. What we need to do is look at the many laws now that do draw this division between married people and everyone else and ask, why do we have those laws and what are we trying to accomplish?
Can you give an example?
We have a scheme of workers comp law that says if you go to work and die on the job, benefits will be paid to somebody, and the purpose is to provide some income replacement to someone who was dependent on the worker who died. For the vast majority of these laws, if you're talking about adult relationships, they do require that a couple be married in order for the survivor to recover, so that if you are an unmarried partner or any other kind of intimate relationship that isn't marriage, where one is dependent on the worker who dies, you get nothing. The purpose of the law is to compensate for the loss of an income earner. That says to me that anyone who depends on that income earner should be able to get that compensation [married or not].
What about another example?
Our wrongful death system is very rigid. You're either married or you're not married in most places. That's it. If an unmarried partner dies because a drunk driver hits them, a surviving unmarried partner will get nothing… Instead, those damages could go to a surviving parent or sibling who in no way was dependent on that person for support. An unmarried same-sex partner is not on the list unless they are domestic partners or in a civil union in one of the handful of states that have that status. If you are different- or same-sex partners [but unmarried], you don't get to sue. You get nothing. If you had a kid, the kid could recover. But what if you lived together for 20 years with the child of your unmarried partner? [In the case of your wrongful death], that child and partner will get nothing.
What are some other reforms you're proposing and are there any models of success?
Look at family leave and sick leave…. The Family and Medical Leave Act requires large employers to provide family leave -- in this case, spouse, parent and child. The definition for adults in too narrow but the Act defines child as anybody to whom you stand in loco parentis, that is, you're functioning as a parent. Regulations make clear you don't have to be a biological parent. I like that. Anyone raising children should be able to take leave to take care of that child.
Are there other examples of flexibility in family leave?
The federal government allows its employees to use their own sick leave to take care of anyone with whom they have a close association that is the equivalent of a family relationship. So that's what federal government employees get, and it's part of Sen. Kennedy's Healthy Families Act, a [proposed] law that would require all employers to provide a paid number of sick days.
The federal employee law is ideal because it lets people define their own families. Let me give an example. I have a friend whose mother is widowed and lived with her male partner for 20 years. He got very ill. My friend, who is a federal employee, was able to use her sick leave to help take care of her mother's partner, whom she certainly considered a stepfather and had been a member of her family for almost half of her life. He falls within the definition of being close enough to someone to have it be the equivalent of a family relationship. Yet the narrow definition of family wouldn't include him.
How would you decide if someone is close enough to be a family member that he/she is covered under a broad definition of family for purposes of medical leave?
Well for this one we have many years of federal government experience applying their standard. I admit it is very broad. Abuse is possible with any policy, but I think more research could be done on how it has worked for the feds all these years. As a fallback, "all household members" is better than a narrow definition of family.
You mentioned the prospect of defining one's own family -- is this a new and revolutionary idea?
In 1950, the U.S. Census first defined family as husband, wife and children. It used to be a census of households. Family -- whatever the word comes from in Latin -- used to mean everybody in your household, including your servants. Family hasn't meant one thing over time.
Let me give you a good example. The Miguel Braschi case begins one of the chapters in my book. It was a famous gay rights case at the time. There was a couple in a rent-controlled apartment. One of them died. They had lived together for over 12 years but the one who died was the only name on lease. Landlords in New York want to get these apartments back so they can rent at market rate, so they wanted to evict the surviving partner. The law said if the main tenant died, anyone in the apartment who was family had protection from eviction, and so the landlord argued a conventional definition -- that is, the definition of family if a person dies without a will, which is spouse, parents, child or siblings. The highest court in New York ruled in favor of the surviving partner. The court said you've got to look at the reality of family life and not this fictitious idea.
I don't talk about letting everyone define their family in some sort of global, everything-goes sense, and having the law protect that. I start with the purpose of the law. You see who should be included for some purposes and who should be included for others.
What are some other examples of people who lose out because marriage receives special legal status?
So far, I've been giving examples of people who aren't married who lose unfairly. But here's an example of married people who get windfalls unfairly: Private First Class Hannah McKinney. She marries right before she deploys. She has a two-year-old child from a prior relationship whom she leaves with her parents. After she is killed in Iraq, her $100,000 death benefit goes to her surviving husband. The child gets some survivors benefits, but $100,000 doesn't go to people who are raising her child. I want to ask the Congress: why do we have this benefit? There's a child who needs the money and not the spouse who was married to this woman for five minutes.
Another example: you can disinherit your minor child but you can't disinherit your spouse. There are no laws making you leave anything to your children except Louisiana. Everywhere else, if you die and have written a will and do not leave the statutorily required amount to your spouse, the spouse can still get that amount; the deceased does not have the right to disinherit the spouse. We ought to say you can't disown minor children. We don't do that. That's an example of how we privilege marriage too much.
What about in cases of illness; would you allow someone to appoint a non-family member, say a best friend, to make health decisions?
If the best friend is the one they want to make their health decisions in the hospital, then they have the right to do that. I think we'd all agree the purpose of a medical decision maker is to have a person who would make the decision you would make yourself.
We have a set of default people and they are a very inappropriate fit. Look at Anna Nicole Smith's burial. I think we all agree people should be buried where they want to be buried. The list of priority is designed to effectuate what people would want. If you followed that list her mother would have taken her back to Texas and buried her there when the whole world knew she wanted to be buried in the Bahamas -- to be buried next to her son. Had the Florida court followed Florida law, that would have been the result. But the whole world was watching -- Court TV, the news -- and so with the whole world watching, Florida courts were not going to let a woman who hadn't spoken to her in 10 years [Smith's mother] bury [Smith]…
In a slight of hand they come up with a theory as to why it was fine for Smith's baby's lawyer to bury her in the Bahamas next to her son. If you read this opinion and Florida law, any law student would say they were playing quite fast and loose with the Florida law. There's a statute that says who gets priority: if there's no spouse or living adult child, parents get to bury you. My argument is you shouldn't have to be Anna Nicole Smith to be buried when you want to be buried.
Won't it be complicated to grant legal rights to friendships?
I think we can get it right. It won't be your best friend who gets workers comp benefits when you die. Should your best friend be someone for whom you can use your own sick leave? I would probably say yes to that. There are people who are not married, who don't have children, who are old enough that their parents are dead, who have very strong friendship networks. If you're giving employees six days paid sick leave to take care of family members, and they want to use it on a best friend, I would include those people. But I wouldn't let them get workers comp survivors benefits. It's not a global definition of family; it's more nuanced but it's much more fair to how people live their lives today.
You've being driven off in an ambulance. If you're married, your spouse can ride with you. If it's your best friend, you ride by yourself. Does that make sense? No. That's how I want us to rethink how we deal with families and relationships.
How do you institute the appointment of medical decision-makers outside a marital or blood relationship? Your book mentions a registry.
Lots of states have registries, and some are amazingly user friendly… when people have the opportunity, for example, to designate such a person when they get drivers' licenses, or some other easy and free way, it will be more common. There will always need to be a fallback for the people who don't.
How do you think your ideas would be received among social conservatives who exalt traditional marriage and promote it through a variety of federal policies?
I obviously disagree with people who think marriage is so special that it should get this status. I do address them in my book and wouldn't expect them to like my proposals. But there are some of them that I think even the most hardcore people in that camp actually would support, because they make sense for other reasons.
For example, I don't think there's anybody who's going to say if you're a married person and can't make decisions, for health reasons, that your spouse must be given the right to make those decisions. I think everyone, regardless of political leanings, would agree that you should get to decide [who acts on your behalf]. Two studies show 33 and 50 percent of married people pick people other than spouses to make medical decisions. For some people, they wouldn't want their spouse to make a difficult decision. They know which of their siblings or children would do it. What is the purpose of any surrogate decision-making scheme? To do what the person would want.
But for the most part, social conservatives are not going to agree with changes that add unmarried interdependent partners. They're going to want to force people to get heterosexually married. There are people in the gay rights movement that take a position that is close to the right wing on marriage: they believe marriage deserves special rights. I think that isn't the position of the majority of the people who do marriage-quality work.
And how have gay activists who seek marriage equality responded to your book, which argues for broadening their agenda to include the rights of non-married straights as well as gays?
Certainly there are people who do marriage-equality work for whom this is their priority and they do not want to take on anything else.
More than half the states have constitutional amendments that ban same sex marriage. Another 15 or so have statutes that ban it. Those amendments aren't going away any time soon. I have what may be the only viable strategy in more than half the country to achieve concrete goals for same-sex couples. But I believe very strongly that even in states friendly to same-sex marriage we need to go beyond that and look at these traditional protections. When I do talk to gay people who do a lot of this work, I actually get overwhelmingly positive feedback, though not 100 percent.
The people who do this work full time and do nothing else, which is a small number of people, they are going to say to me, "Don't talk about this now. We want marriage equality, then we'll see." But the people who do gay rights work more generally, a lot of them say to me, "Why haven't I heard this before?" They know gay people are disadvantaged by the current privileging of marriage and that same-sex marriage doesn't fix that for all gay people. I've even had marriage-equality activists say, "Thank you. You have articulated what made me feel uncomfortable about marriage-equality work."
What is the discomfort?
She knew that being married didn't make relationships more important for people who were married. As she was fighting for access to marriage, she was uncomfortable that marriage is the gatekeeper for all these legal consequences. She hadn't figured how to articulate that in a way that made sense as a gay rights supporter.
As a law professor, you are training future generations of attorneys. How do law students respond to your approaches?
Since the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 my law students have grown up with access to marriage to same-sex couples being the huge issue in the news. What they believe is that the only thing wrong with family law is that same-sex couples can't marry, and the only thing we need to do in order to protect gay people is achieve same-sex marriage. They come to law school believing that. Then I start to talk to them about the different forms of family that gay and straight people live in and how privileging marriage hurts these arrangements…
In the '70s the debate was on protecting diverse families. I wanted to reclaim that history for a generation of people who didn't experience it and have never heard of it. They don't know that gay rights movement was at one point one part of a larger movement supporting diverse family structures. When I do talk about this stuff to my students and the people in that demographic age group, I get overwhelmingly positive responses.
As a woman who raised a child with a female partner, do you ever feel conflicted about asking gay activists to look beyond their self-interest, that is, their quest for marriage equality?
It's not that I oppose access to marriage, and if I have to vote up or down on gay marriage I'm going to stand on the side of gay rights at every opportunity that comes my way. But that doesn't mean that I want the issue to be seen in that kind of dichotomy. And my students, who are all supporting same sex marriage, when they see it's not the only thing, when they see it could distract attention from what are actually better family law reforms, they are very enthusiastic.
In Washington state, if you're an unmarried couple and you are living together and split up, the court divides your property up. Washington is the only state that does it. They have extended divorce law to the dissolution of heterosexual and same-sex non-married partners. To me that's the right way to go. In Canada, in 1972 the province of British Columbia ruled if you were unmarried partners who made a life together and split up, one could be ordered to pay spousal support. Not a single state in the U.S. allows that. That's because we have this bright line. You're married and then you can get spousal support. But if you have functioned in the same way with a non-married partner… too bad. You leave with nothing. I think it's wrong. I think that bright line is wrong there. That's a nut that has yet to be cracked in the U.S.
Is this the civil rights issue of the day -- maybe not so much same-sex marriage, but family definition?
I say marriage equality is a good fight, one of many good fights, like ending employment discrimination and the ban on military service -- as long as marriage exists for heterosexual couples. But as a matter of family policy, fighting for marriage is the wrong fight.
Are gay activists in a unique position to lead a broader agenda that includes straight couples and nontraditional families?
The legal definition of family beyond spouse tends to go child, parent, siblings. And gay people as a group I think are more likely to have a different way of thinking about their family. For many of them it's because of estrangement due to sexual orientation. They have moved away from where they were raised to live in a place that's more hospitable to openly gay people. They may have been emotionally disowned by their parents when they come out and yet those people remain their legal next of kin. If you look at the history of the AIDS crisis when everyone was dying and you see who gay men had gathered around them, they had a network of people who had no legal connection to them and some of them learned the hard way what it meant to have an estranged parent get to make all the decisions or exclude the people who had cared for that person. I think many gay people have constructed lives outside the box that I do think make them sensitive to a greater definition of what family is. And I do think because there is not the automatic tracking into marriage, gay people have been more creative.
Also, I've seen that depth, value and longevity of relationships are not dependent on marriage. Having economic and emotional interdependence in an intimate relationship for years or decades, gay people have proven marriage doesn't determine whether one really is a family. Being able to marry shouldn't mean that the people who marry 10 days after they meet get legal consequences and ones who live together for 20 years don't. Because gay people have experience of longevity in relationships… we can see you don't need marriage to have stable family lives.
There's an organization called the Alternatives to Marriage Project. It's small but they have a clear position that looks at these issues and says what's wrong with them. Are gay people uniquely positioned to lead this [fight to end marriage privileging]? I suppose I would say not necessarily. I believe the founders of the Alternative to Marriage Project were heterosexual. I think they founded the organization because they were very clear that you shouldn't have to be married to get fill-in-the-blank.
Why not abolish marriage?
Some people challenge me on this. It turns out among the many things I've learned is that marriage, the ability to marry, does seem to mean a lot to many people, gay and straight. I decided with uncharacteristic humility that it wasn't my place to say that they were wrong to want something so much. If I can retain a legal system where there is marriage but it's not the dividing line between who is in and out, I have accomplished my purpose.
So marriage becomes a ceremony?
It's still a legal status. In the world I've constructed, given how much marriage means to many people, we'd retain marriage, although I say we should change the legal name of marriage to "civil partnership." In California, there is no divorce in the state law. They changed the word to "dissolution of marriage." They changed the law because "divorce" had a bad connotation, and "dissolution" sounded better. Statutes have changed "alimony" to "maintenance"; instead of "custody," "parenting time." And yet I'm sure everyone whose marriage ends says they are divorced. "Marriage" has baggage we should be doing away with: the exclusion of slaves, of interracial relationships, the oppression of women. "Marriage" has a sordid legal history. Make it "civil partnership" and let everyone who wants say they are married. There's very good precedent for taking old family law terms that have outlived their contemporary usefulness and giving them new words, and I would like to do that to marriage. Religious institutions can keep the word and people can be married in their churches and synagogues.


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text: While we miss our old neighborhood and Lonnie misses riding the ferry to work in the morning (he now takes the bus), we are loving the extra space in our new home. Not only did we gain an extra bedroom (which will be used by the new baby) but we also gained a front room/dinning room and a small play room outside of Max and Maya's room. I love that when I put the kids to bed there aren't any toys in their room for them to play with (except for the ones that the kids have secretly stashed under their beds).