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Quitting smoking: Still a challenge, but newer tools show promise
Most smokers want to quit, and many try to, but few succeed. They need support, cognitive-behavioral tools, and drug therapy.
Jason M. Jerry, MD, FAPA
Staff Physician, Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, Cleveland Clinic; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Gregory B. Collins, MD, DFAPA
Section Head, Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, and Holder, Endowed Chair in Alcohol and Drug Recovery, Cleveland Clinic
David Streem, MD
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Cleveland Clinic; Clinical Assistant Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Address: Jason M. Jerry, MD, FAPA, Staff Physician, Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, Lutheran 2A, Cleveland Clinic; 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
ABSTRACTElectronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes)—devices that generate a nicotine vapor that can be inhaled by the user in a fashion that mimics the experience of smoking—are increasing in popularity, and many people seem to view them as reasonable alternatives to nicotine replacement therapy to help them refrain from smoking. Physicians should not encourage such a view. E-cigarettes are unregulated nicotine delivery systems that have never been subjected to any kind of testing of safety or of efficacy as nicotine replacement therapy. Moreover, for young people who have never smoked, these devices could potentially serve as a gateway drug.
Most people assume that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are safer than conventional tobacco products. Nevertheless, we should not encourage addicted smokers to try "vaping" as an alternative to nicotine replacement therapy, and we should discourage never-smokers from taking up vaping as vigorously as we try to discourage them from taking up smoking.
This article examines the prevailing assumptions and the evidence regarding the safety of e-cigarettes and traditional nicotine replacement therapy.
While smoking rates have been declining over the past 50 years, the burden of disease attributable to tobacco use remains high. In the United States, it is estimated that nearly 6 million of those currently under the age of 18 will die of tobacco-related illnesses.1 In the 50 years since the US surgeon general first reported on the health concerns related to tobacco, smoking has claimed the lives of nearly 21 million Americans1 and continues to kill more than 400,000 every year.2
Even though the risks of smoking are well known, smoking remains one of the most difficult habits to quit. Indeed, about half of all smokers attempt to quit each year, but very few succeed.3
Smoking continues to kill more than 400,000 Americans every year
Nicotine replacement therapy was born out of the thought that, though nicotine is responsible for tobacco's addictive quality, most tobacco-related disease is attributable to the 7,000 other substances found in tobacco smoke.4 Nicotine polacrilex gum was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1984, and nicotine transdermal film was approved in 1991.5
Nicotine replacement therapy, in the form of patches and gum, has been shown to improve the odds of successfully quitting smoking by a factor of nearly 1.5 to 2.6 Nicotine patches and gum were initially prescription medications but became available over the counter in 1996.7 They quickly became first-line agents for smoking cessation, and their over-the-counter availability softened any potential concerns about the possible deleterious health consequences of nicotine itself.
E-cigarettes—devices that generate a nicotine vapor that can be inhaled in a fashion that mimics the experience of smoking—were introduced in China in 2004.8 By 2012, sales of these devices in the United States had reached $500 million and in 2013 were expected to top $1 billion.9,10
E-cigarette manufacturers make no therapeutic claims about their products, thus allowing them to escape regulation by the FDA as nicotine replacement therapy. A recent FDA proposal, however, is likely to change their "protected" status.11 Despite the lack of regulation up to this point, patients generally assume that e-cigarettes are just another form of nicotine replacement therapy, even though they contain substances other than nicotine.
E-cigarettes contain nicotine in varying amounts (some cartridges contain none at all). Though nicotine replacement therapy is less harmful than tobacco, nicotine by itself is associated with its own health problems, notably cancer, cardiovascular disease, birth defects (possibly), and poisoning.
Carcinogenesis. Nicotine plays a direct role in carcinogenesis through a variety of mechanisms, including increasing the activity of tumor growth-promoting transcription factors, decreasing apoptosis, and increasing angiogenesis in tumors.12 Additionally, specific types of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors— eg, alpha 7 receptors, which are stimulated by nicotine—are found in many malignant tumors and are thought to play a role in tumor progression.12 Blockade of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors has been shown to decrease the growth of certain cancers.12
However, these findings were from in vitro studies, and the concerns they raised have not been reflected in in vivo studies. Despite having been on the market for 30 years, nicotine replacement therapy has as yet not been associated with any "real world" increase in cancer risk.
Smoking is one of the leading risk factors for cervical cancer, and nicotine itself may play a contributing role. Nicotine has been shown to increase cellular proliferation in cervical cancer.13 Some evidence suggests that it may also play a role in the lymphogenic metastasis of cervical cancer.13
Cardiovascular disease. Nicotine has been linked to cardiovascular disease. It directly affects the heart's rate and rhythm via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the peripheral autonomic nervous system. It impairs endothelial-dependent dilation of blood vessels in response to nitric oxide, and this inhibition in the coronary arteries may contribute to smoking-related heart disease.14,15 Nicotine has also been shown to raise serum cholesterol levels, increase clot formation, and contribute to plaque formation by increasing vascular smooth muscle.14
Possible teratogenic effect. There is some theoretical concern regarding exposure to nicotine in utero, as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors develop before neurons, and nicotine may therefore interfere with the natural influence of acetylcholine on the development of this system.14
Consuming one vial of e-cigarette fluid could be fatal
Direct toxicity. Nicotine is toxic at high levels. The overdose potential associated with nicotine is particularly worrisome with e-cigarettes, as the nicotine solution they use is typically supplied in 5-mL, 10-mL, or 20-mL vials that range in concentration from 8.5 to 22.2 mg of nicotine per mL.16 The fatal single dose range of nicotine has been reported at 30 to 60 mg in adults and 10 mg in children and can be achieved by oral, intravenous, or transdermal absorption,16 so one vial, if consumed orally, could be fatal.
The number of calls to US poison control centers regarding e-cigarettes has increased, closely paralleling their rise in popularity. In 2010, there were only 30 e-cigarette related calls to poison control centers; in 2011 the number increased to 269, and in 2012 it had reached 459 and included one fatality that was deemed a suicide.17–19 Even though such toxic nicotine overdoses are rare, physicians should exercise caution and avoid recommending e-cigarettes to individuals with mental confusion, psychotic disorders, or suicidality, who might consume an entire vial.
Possible positive effects? Smoking is one of the worst things that people can do to their body, but the picture is complicated by a few possible positive effects. In the brain, although smoking increases the risk of Alzheimer disease, it is associated with a lower risk of Parkinson disease. In the bowel, it increases the risk of Crohn disease but may decrease the risk of ulcerative colitis. Gahring and Rogers20 pointed out that neuronal nicotinic receptors are present in nonneuronal cells throughout the body and proposed that expression of these receptors may play a role in mediating the consequences of nicotine use, both good and bad. The lesson may be that nicotine is very active in the body, its effects are complicated and still incompletely understood, and therefore we should not encourage people to inhale nicotine products ad lib.
E-cigarettes typically contain propylene glycol, flavorings, and glycerine. One study that analyzed the additive contents of e-cigarettes found that propylene glycol accounted for 66% of the fluid, glycerine 24%, and flavorings less than 0.1%.21 Propylene glycol is the substance typically used in theater fog machines and is used to generate the vapor in e-cigarettes. Other substances such as tobacco-specific nitrosamines and diethylene glycol have also been found in e-cigarettes in small amounts.22
Propylene glycol has been used in theater fog machines for years—think Phantom of the Opera. It is also widely used as a solvent in many consumer products and pharmaceuticals. The FDA classified it as "generally recognized as safe" on the basis of one study conducted in rats and monkeys over 60 years ago.23 As other authors have noted, however, a major manufacturer of propylene glycol recommends that exposure to propylene glycol mist be avoided.24,25 Potential concern over propylene glycol mist was heightened when it was discovered that of all industries, the entertainment business ranked first in terms of work-related asthma symptoms and had the fifth-highest rate of wheezing.26,27
Studies conducted over the last several decades have raised numerous health concerns about the safety of propylene glycol (Table 1).26,28–36 The studies of propylene glycol fog are particularly important, as they most closely resemble the route of exposure in e-cigarette users.
Wieslander et al28 exposed 27 volunteers to propylene glycol mist for 1 minute in an aircraft simulator under training conditions. Exposures were high, ranging from 176 to 851 mg/m3 (mean = 309 mg/m3). Four volunteers who developed a cough exhibited evidence of airway obstruction as indicated by a 5% decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), while the rest did not exhibit any change in FEV1.
Moline et al29 conducted a non-peer-reviewed study for the Actors Equity Association and the League of American Theaters and Producers of 439 actors exposed to theater fog. They found statistically significant evidence of throat and vocal cord inflammation with prolonged peak exposure to glycols and recommended that actors not be exposed to glycol concentrations exceeding 40 mg/m3.
Varughese et al26 conducted a study in 101 volunteers at 19 sites. The mean concentration of glycol-based fog was much lower than that in the studies by Wieslander et al28 and Moline et al,29 at 0.49 mg/m3 (the maximum was 3.22 mg/m3). The investigators concluded that glycol-based fog was associated with deleterious respiratory effects and that employees' exposure should be limited.
The health issues related to propylene glycol are unique to e-cigarettes compared with nicotine replacement therapy. Unfortunately, the most applicable data available are from studies of persons exposed to theater fog, which involved periodic exposure and likely do not emulate the deep inhalation, multiple times daily, of propylene glycol by e-cigarette smokers. A 2014 review of the chemistry of contaminants in e-cigarettes37 concluded that estimated levels of propylene glycol exposure in e-cigarette users come close to the threshold limit value set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, and should merit concern.
These studies and real-life experience in the theater, while limited in scope, should give physicians pause and should cause increased awareness of the possibility of e-cigarette-induced pulmonary and upper airway complications. If such complications should occur, discontinuation of vaping should be advised.
Most smokers want to quit, and many try to, but few succeed. They need support, cognitive-behavioral tools, and drug therapy.


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Dedola, Sonia (2009) Sviluppo di un nuovo sistema voltammetrico microdialitico per lo studio delle variazioni neurochimiche in coltura. Doctoral Thesis.
A novel dual channel in vitro apparatus, derived from a previously described design, has been coupled with dopamine (DA) microsensors for the flow-through detection of DA secreted from PC12 cells. The device, including two independent microdialysis capillaries, was loaded with a solution containing PC12 cells while a constant medium perfusion (PBS) was carried out using a dual channel miniaturized peristaltic pump. One capillary was perfused with normal PBS, whereas extracellular Ca2+ was removed from extracellular fluid of the second capillary. After a first period of stabilization and DA baseline recording, KCl 75 mM was added to the perfusion fluid of both capillaries. In this manner, a simultaneous treatment–control experimental design was performed to detect K+-evoked Ca2+-dependent DA secretion. For this purpose, self-referencing DA microsensors were developed, and procedures for making, testing, and calibrating them are described in detail. The electronic circuitry was derived from previously published optimized for dual sensor CPA applications. The microdialysis system was tested and validated in vitro, and DA secretion was confirmed by HPLC–EC. PC12 cell viability was quantified before and after each experiment. The proposed apparatus serves as a reliable model for studying the effects of different drugs on DA secretion through the direct comparison of extracellular DA increase in treatment–control experiments performed on the same initial PC12 cell population.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Last year I attended the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA. Golf courses are known for their beauty & pristine conditions but Torrey Pines is a standout on the PGA Tour. The backdrop is the blue Pacific Ocean & in the afternoons the surrounding sky is dotted with hang gliders. Have you ever watched Tiger Woods gaze as the hang gliders come within several hundred feet of the fairways & I can't help but think that he would enjoy strapping himself into the harness & glide through the sky over the place that we get to call home.
But I digress because this blog is about something & someone else.
At the 2012 Open I was disappointed that so many top tier players had chosen to bypass the Farmers Open so they play in Abu Dhabi where large player appearance fees are paid. The PGA doesn't allow appearance fees to be paid and I'm not sure paying a player just to show up is a good policy. Our method avoids the occasional player who might commit to a tournament just for appearance fees & then mail in his performance.
I sent an email to the PGA to voice my concerns over the cost of attending & not getting to see Tiger & Top 20 players in the field. They directed my email to Mr. Peter Ripa, who is the PGA Tour Tournament Director of the Farmers Open who in turn contacted me. We scheduled a call & talked for approx. 30 minutes; he understood & empathized & asked if it would be okay if he sent me passes to this year's event. Of course I accepted his offer but was not anticipating passes for everyday of the tournament. Peter & his staff went way over my expectations.
Please understand that two key events came to pass as a result of my email.
1. The PGA didn't just read my concerns & put my email in the trash file, they sent it to the right person to read.
2. Mr. Ripa, understands that one unhappy fan will tell at least 25 people who will then tell another 25 and so on and the tide begins to shift against all the hard work that goes into promoting an event of this magnitude. There is no stronger voice than word of mouth & I've always found it interesting that most people are eager to tell someone when they're unhappy with something or someone but will very rarely tell others when they're had a great experience.
I'm taking this opportunity to say that Peter Ripa & the rest of his staff and the people at the PGA offices are doing an incredible job. To them I simply say thank you. Thank you for listening to a disgruntled fan with an open mind. You now have a loyal fan that is committed to the Farmers Insurance Open, Torrey Pines Golf Course & the PGA brand(s)
Congratulations to Tiger, the PGA & Peter Ripa on a job well done! See you next year!


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CCS DOT certified vacuum loaders handle hazardous and non-hazardous materials. From waste removal to product recovery, these trucks are capable of moving both wet and dry product from light dust to gravel. Long-distant suction lines allow the vacuum loader to reach remote, contoured or inaccessible locations, even under water. It can easily handle bulk solids, powders, liquids and slurries.
Industrial Cleaning
19 October 2016
Emergency Spill Response, Remediation
19 October 2016
Dry/Wet Vacuum Trucks
DOT certified vacuum loaders handle hazardous and non-hazardous materials.
Examples of uses for our Wet/Dry Vacuum Trucks
- Hi-Rail System for Derailments
- Hi Rail System for RR Yard and Track Maintenance
- Liquids and sludges
- Powders, Dust, Heavy Solids
- Silos
- Bunkers
- Conveyors
- Bucket Elevators
- Tank and Vessel Cleaning
- Precipitators and Baghouses
- Ash Handling Systems
- Ship Cargo Holds
- Bilges
- Oil Water Separators
- Product Salvage and Transfers
- Water Treatment Plants
- Pollution Control Equipment
- Trenches, Pits, and Sumps
- Sedimentation Chambers


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Clive Wilkinson, a 59-year-old architect, has designed attention-getting offices for TBWA\Chiat\Day and Google, and now he has done one for the Barbarian Group, an Internet advertising company in New York. Its centerpiece is the "endless table," a 1,100-foot-long surface that snakes around the 23,000-square-foot office, providing work space for all 125 employees, including the chairman, Benjamin Palmer. The $300,000 table, which was installed last month, forms seven archways leading to conference rooms, a video screening room and restrooms. "In our last office, there were separate offices, and people had to hunt people down," Mr. Palmer said, adding that now he is "seeing more people than I have in years."
Mr. Wilkinson shared additional details from his studio in Culver City, Calif. (This interview has been edited and condensed.)
Q. When did you get the idea for the endless table?
A. I designed an earlier version in 2004. We were working with an advertising agency in London called Mother, which had started with six people around a kitchen table. When we began with them, they had a 75-person table and they wanted a 200-person table. We based it on a racetrack the Fiat company had on their Turin factory rooftop, a big oval. It was 14 feet wide and cast in concrete, which was suitably ridiculous for an advertising company. They're all about ephemera, and three-inch-thick concrete with rebar is as permanent as you can get.
What does the table have to do with how a workplace should function?
The lesson of it was cohesion in the community and about people connecting as well as they could ever connect. It was about flexibility: You could expand or contract your business. Barbarian has a population of about 125, but it can expand to 175. The only thing you have to worry about is adding task chairs. It's about open structure, about making villages in buildings, for taking urban design thinking into large workplaces.
What does urban design have to do with an office?
We've done a number of projects taking ideas of how cities and villages work. In those situations, people occupy neighborhoods, and they have a structure of space that is familiar, so it gives them a strong sense of place. There is a variety of spaces that have distinct character, with main streets that connect you.
What is the table made of?
It's made like a surfboard out of plywood, with a top of medium-density fiberboard. There are multiple joints, so it can be broken into small pieces and go into elevators in New York.
How big is each work space?
The basis of the starting plan is every five feet, and when you add more people, it's down to four feet.
And desks really wouldn't work for Barbarian?
Desks, as they've been traditionally defined, are becoming redundant. They are based on people working with paper, and I think our attitude toward paper is changing because paper no longer has the same meaning. Twenty years ago, we printed out things and found ways to store them. Now you store things electronically. People say you just need a surface to put your laptop on.
But we know that day hasn't really arrived. Where do the Barbarians put paper?
Everyone has a baby file cabinet that slides underneath.


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Additional Resources
In addition to the Coalition to Save NIH Funding, the following organizations continue to be active in pressing for sustained government investment in biomedical research and funding for the National Institutes for Health.
The Coalition for Health Funding
The Coalition for Health Funding is the oldest and largest nonprofit alliance working to protect public health investments. Since 1970, the Coalition has advocated for increased investment in the NIH, CDC, HRSA, FDA and more.
United for Medical Research is a coalition of research institutions, patient/health advocates & private industry, seeking steady increases in long-term funding for the NIH.
Research!America is the nation's largest not-for-profit public education and advocacy alliance committed to supporting research to improve health a higher national priority. Over the years, Research!America has played an important role in energizing and activating people to take a stand for health research.
Act for NIH is national, non-partisan effort to restore funding to the NIH to advance life-saving medical research for patients around the world.
Yes! I'm interested in learning more:


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If Gil didn't know that she knew about him reading her diary, she could write things there to manipulate him. Even hurt him. She thought she would start with a simple test, some irresistible hook. – from Shadow Tag, page 27 –
A soul could be captured through a shadow. It was in the Ojibwe language. Waabaamoojichaagwaan – the word for mirror also can refer to shadow and to the soul: your soul is visible and can be seen. Gil had placed his foot on Irene's shadow when he painted her. And though she tried to pull away, it was impossible to tug that skein of darkness from under his heel. – from Shadow Tag, page 40 –
Gil and Irene are married with three children: thirteen year old Florian (a math genius who learns from his mother to calm his anger with alcohol and drugs), eleven year old Riel (who plots elaborate survival plans to save her family in the event of disaster), and five year old Stoney (who clutches his stuffed animals in order to feel safe in a home which is becoming increasingly unpredictable). Gil is a successful artist who paints only portraits of Irene – portraits which are often humiliating and verge on the pornographic. Irene longs to leave her marriage to a man who is emotionally abusive to her and has begun to strike out at his children. But, their shared history, complicated by a love that requires Irene to submit and Gil to control, holds Irene in the marriage. When she discovers that Gil has been reading her diary, she decides to use this as a means to manipulate him, a way to force him to leave her.
Shadow Tag is a dark, disturbing, and psychologically thrilling novel about the unraveling of a marriage and the consequences for children living in a dysfunctional family. Gil is a highly intellectual man who is obsessively attached to his wife. He believes she is unfaithful to him, and is even jealous of Irene's love for his children.
He was taciturn, depressed, sarcastic, charming. He'd grin when Irene though he was going to yell, turn fond on a dime. And he hadn't always been so angry. The truth was, he needed Irene's full attention. He'd had it before the children came. They took it away and he was jealous from the beginning. – from Shadow Tag, page 56 –
Irene lacks the strength to walk away from Gil – his control over her is nearly complete – so she becomes pathologically passive-aggressive, leaving tantalizing untruths in the diary she knows that Gil is reading. Their relationship becomes a game – like the title of the book, they take turns baiting each other, and all I could think about was the childhood game of tag, where one runs up and slaps another, turns and sprints away yelling "Tag, you're it!"
Gil had a wall. Irene had a wall. Between the two walls there was a neutral, untouched area, a wilderness of all they did not know and could not imagine about the other person. – from Shadow Tag, page 151 –
Louise Erdrich's prose is mesmerizing. She builds the tension between Gil and Irene beautifully. There can be no happy end, and yet the reader continues to read, anxious to see what will happen next, afraid to look away even though tragedy is just around the corner. Woven through the novel are references to Native American lore. Riel, the only daughter in the family, clings to her heritage for the power it represents. Irene examines and seeks understanding in the stories of her tribe and even names her daughter after an Indian poet.
A sure sign of a great book is the number of stickies that cling to its pages when I am finished reading. Shadow Tag had dozens of them. Erdrich's writing has a poetic, yet stark quality to it. Her characters come alive on the page. She deftly controls the plot, teasing out tantalizing morsels of information that keep the reader turning the pages. Shadow Tag is not an enjoyable read – it made my mouth grow dry and my heart ache. There is an element of inevitability which informs the story. How can things possibly be fixed between these two characters? How can the children ultimately be saved from the wreck of their family?
As I turned the final page, I found myself emotionally spent. But, even though I cannot say I enjoyed the novel, I was blown away by it. Louise Erdrich is the consummate story teller. Once the reader is in her capable hands, there is nothing to do but allow her to carry them to the end.
Readers who love literary fiction, psychological thrillers, and beautifully told stories with magnificent language, will want to read this book.
Highly recommended.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher as part of a TLC Book Tour.
Readers may read other reviews of this book by visiting the TLC Tour page for Shadow Tag and following the links.
Louise Erdrich is the author of thirteen novels as well as volumes of poetry, short stories, children's books, and a memoir of early motherhood. Her novel Love Medicine won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse was a finalist for the National Book Award. Most recently, The Plague of Doves won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Louise Erdrich lives in Minnesota and is the owner of Birchbark Books, an independent bookstore.
Because I had bought a hardcover copy of this book when it first came out, I have a trade paperback version of the book which the publisher provided. I am happy to give away my trade paperback to one lucky winner. Here are the details of the giveaway:
- Contest open from February 24th through March 4th, 2011. Comments close for the giveaway on March 4th at 5:00 pm PST.
- Contest is open INTERNATIONALLY.
- To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me you want to be entered. If you don't want to be entered, but want to leave a comment on the review, feel free to do so. If you do NOT say "ENTER ME," you won't be entered!
- I'll pick ONE winner using Random.org sometime after 5:00 pm PST on March 4th and announce their name on my blog. I'll also send the winner an email.
Good luck!!
Readers wishing to purchase this book from an Indie Bookstore may click on the link below to find Indie sellers. I am an Indie Associate and receive a small commission if readers purchase a book through this link on my blog.


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While we were watching M at soccer practice this week, Baby EJ reached a big milestone.
He was relaxing, looking around taking the world in, when he noticed the writing on the side of his car seat. He stretched his little hand up and started scratching at the writing.
The next day, he started hitting at the toys on his floor mat.
I was so excited, I ran to the store that night and bought him a little toy. His favorite form of entertainment right now, however, continues to be his two older siblings who are wildly amusing.


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Ben Wood walked up four steps two weeks ago, the first time he's done so since he jumped from a trampoline into a swimming pool three years ago, damaging his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.
The gains the 17-year-old Cobourg teen has made haven't been easy and they haven't been inexpensive.
But they have been impressive.
Since leaving rehab in a wheelchair a few months after his accident, Ben has received intensive neurological physiotherapy two or three times a week. Today, he can support his full weight on his legs. He can get around with the aid of a walker and parallel bars installed in the family home. Using crutches is his current focus, and his mother, Sandy, believes more improvement is possible.
But to the Woods' dismay, OHIP doesn't cover intensive out-patient physio for youngsters under the age of 18.
In fact, there are no publicly funded services for children with injuries like Ben's.
That means the weekly cost of his therapy — as much as $550 — must be raised entirely through fundraising efforts.
Ben Woods isn't alone.
Five years ago, when Ian McAdam was 13, a mountain-bike accident left him with a spinal-cord injury. His parents, Ingrid and Gary, exhausted their $50,000 lifetime insurance limit and savings to pay for specialized physio three times a week, up to $2,000 a month. They too rely on the generosity of others.
Likewise, Fraser Jansen fell off his bike in 2006 when he was 14. The first year his physio was paid for because he took part in a study. After that, the family turned to donations. Fraser's gains have been remarkable. Today, one has to look closely to detect his slight limp. He's studying engineering at Laurentian University.
In a country that boasts universal health care, the families of young people like Ben, Ian and Fraser are frustrated, and angry, that their children are denied fully supported medical services that could give them mobility, independence and better futures. Each year, hundreds of adults in Ontario suffer spinal-cord injuries, but relatively few young people under 18 do. Even fewer — around six a year — have an "incomplete" injury, meaning that not all the nerves in the spinal cord are severed. They have most to gain from intensive rehabilitation — and they include Ben, Ian and Fraser.
Adults who suffer spinal-cord injuries are well-served, with five rehab centres in Ontario. When an adult with an incomplete injury is discharged, he or she can continue the necessary physiotherapy as an outpatient, paid for by the province, although there are waiting lists.
But why not children? Unlike an adult centre, a children's rehab facility may see one or two incomplete injuries a year, which makes a big difference in services offered.
"One of the things that comes with a big centre is that you have the luxury of a high volume of patients and you can begin to understand some of the nuances of what people need or who's going to improve," says Dr. Cathy Craven, a physiatrist and spinal-cord specialist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. "When you see 250 patients a year you evolve very differently than if you see five or six."
Paradoxically, youngsters may have the best prospects for improvement.
"What's unique about these teenagers is that most of them are cognitively intact (their brain function remains unaffected)," says Craven. "The kids who have the most neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to form new neural pathways following injury) and are most likely to benefit from this high intensity, high volume of rehab intervention are the ones who don't have access to the service. It's criminal."
She makes a good case for intensive rehabilitation: "Returning to walking makes a difference, even if they only walk in their household. It's usually the difference between employment or not, using a public bathroom independently or not, being able to use a bank machine. These are really important outcomes."
Craven is assembling data on 10 youngsters under 18 to present to the rehabilitation panel of the Ministry of Health. Her findings so far mirror U.S. data that suggests that young people with incomplete injuries benefit from a minmum of 120 to 140 appointments.
Diane Talbot-Schoenhoff, an Oakville mother of two, says her family were abandoned by the system after Nick left rehab. "At nine months we were given a prescription for a power chair and told there was nothing else they could do."
Talbot-Schoenhoff wasn't buying it. She set to work learning about incomplete spinal-cord injury, which convinced her that specialized neurological physiotherapy was the way to go. The problem is that it isn't available. "In Ontario, there's no specialized neurological rehab available for patients under the age of 18," she says. "The reality is there is no specialized outpatient rehab for children with spinal-cord injuries once they leave hospital.
After Nick left rehab, the family received a $1,500 grant from the Rick Hansen Foundation's Wheels in Motion Fund. Support also came through Gerald Schoenhoff's workplace insurance benefits.
And Talbot-Schoenhoff had become a knowledgeable parent activist, and soon parents were calling her for advice and information.
That led to the formation of Support in Motion (supportinmotion.ca), headed by Talbot-Schoenhoff, which pays for the physio of Wood, McAdam and Jansen, and will fund any Ontario child with an incomplete spinal-cord injury who shows potential. Craven is on the advisory board. The Canadian Paraplegic Association offered early support before SIM received charitable status. (The association is limited in what it can do because its mandate extends only to adults with spinal-cord injuries.)
Melodie Jansen, Fraser's mother, says SIM has been crucial: "There's nothing for that young adult, when its critical, whether they're going to make it or break it in life. Because of Support In Motion we were able to carry on."
Sandra Wood echoes this: "Going to physio for us can be summed up with the word 'hope.' "


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Director & CEO
Leigh Coleman has spent most of his working life helping people address inequalities and challenges experienced when people embark on starting up and growing micro and small enterprises. Using organizational approaches to assist in growing local markets and strengthening the business sector Leigh has established successful enterprise development and finance organisations in a number of countries including Australia.
Access to contracts, capacity building and capital continues to be an impediment to many businesses. Prior to 1976 Leigh ran a number of micro and small businesses. One motor business he started is still running successfully after 45 years. From 1976-2001 Leigh worked closely with a small team who established Opportunity International. Leigh was their first Program Director. He focused on Asia establishing over 25 local organisations some of which evolved into Development Banks with a strong mandate and focus on assisting micro and small enterprises. Starting with just Leigh and David Bussau, in 1976 Opportunity International had some 5000+ fulltime workers assisting hundreds of thousands of businesses by 2001 when Leigh stepped down as an Executive Director. During this period over $1 Billion was lent out in unsecured micro and small business loans achieving a repayment rate in the high 90% which saw the creation of new and sustainable employment on an exponential level.
After a spell working as the CEO of Hillsong Emerge, Leigh took up the position of founding CEO of Many Rivers Microfinance (Many Rivers) a new local initiative originally trialed by Opportunity International and now run in conjunction with Westpac and Mission Australia. Many Rivers now runs in some 20 Regions across Australia covering half the country and providing finance and business development support to micro and small businesses. In 2014 Leigh vacated the role of CEO and continues as a Director.
Leigh, along with the other founding Directors, established ServeGate as collaborative gateway and facilitator of Small and Medium Enterprises. Leigh has taken up the role of founding CEO.
|Period Employed
|ServeGate Australia
|CEO & Founding Director
|Many Rivers
|CEO & Founding Director
|Hillsong Emerge
|Opportunity International
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March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer diagnosed and the second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States, but it doesn't have to be. Colorectal cancer screening saves lives. The best way to prevent colorectal cancer is to get screened regularly starting at age 50.
Public health efforts such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) campaign Screen for Life and the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) 80% by 2018 campaign encourage screening tests for men and women ages 50 years and older. Data from the NCCRT shows that one in three adults ages 50 to 75 is not getting screened as recommended
Colorectal cancer is significantly higher among minorities, and African Americans have higher mortality rates and higher incidence rates of colorectal cancer than all other racial or ethnic groups, except American Indians and Alaska Natives. Colorectal cancer is also the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among Latinos, and fewer than 40 percent of American Indian and Native Hawaiian adults have ever been screened for colorectal cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute, the number of new colorectal cancer cases and the number of deaths from colorectal cancer are decreasing a little bit each year in adults aged 55 years and older. But in adults younger than 55 years, there has been a small increase in the number of new cases and deaths from colorectal cancer in recent years.
This National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we encourage to share resources and information that will help people at higher risk of colorectal cancer to get screened. Here are a few resources with information on the importance of screening for preventing and/or early detection of colorectal cancer:
Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2017. CA Cancer J Clin 2017. American Cancer Society.


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At Hazelnut Hill, all our products are made in small batches. We pride ourselves on only using fair trade, high-quality chocolate along with local ingredients. We use Oregon hazelnuts which we grow on our very own farm. Always chocolate fans, we at Hazelnut Hill wanted to learn everything there was to know about the process of making chocolate and how to incorporate it with our hazelnut farm. We started off with wanting to make yummy hazelnut spreads which morphed into combining chocolate and hazelnuts in various different ways. It was also very important to us to make high quality, local products, as we live in Oregon which is the largest producer of hazelnuts in the country. Our hazelnut chocolates are absolutely delicious, and we think you'll love them as much as we do.
Hazelnut and Chocolate's Rich Romance
Hazelnuts and chocolate have been around for thousands of years. Chocolate is native to the tropical rainforests of Central America while hazelnuts have been found and grown around the world. Both chocolate and hazelnuts have been sought after for their deliciousness and health benefits as both are packed with antioxidants which helps support your immune system and promote skin and eye health.
Mixing hazelnuts and chocolate together is a relatively recent phenomenon which can be hard to believe based on how wonderful we now know the combination to be. As with many romances, the marriage of hazelnuts and chocolate started in beautiful Italy. In the 1800's, cocoa needed to be imported, so it was very expensive and could only be enjoyed by the wealthy. To combat this, chocolatiers and candy makers started using hazelnuts, which were in abundance, in combination with cocoa to make chocolate products that were more affordable. And what a match it was!
Even though it started as a necessity due to the economic conditions of the time, hazelnut chocolate turned out to be incredibly delectable and delightful. These two foods compliment each other wonderfully and can be used to make a wide range of delicious products from hazelnut chocolate spreads to chocolate covered hazelnuts and hazelnut infused chocolate.


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Are you looking for the best hair shampoo? We are all individuals and just like our other differences our hair is unique and requires certain needs. What is the best shampoo for you?
What do you do if you have oil in your hair and you just can't get it out. You have tried everything from sunlight soap to dish wash, nothing gets that hard sticky oil out the hair.
Well, there is something you can use. What I use is the Redken Hair Cleansing crème shampoo which is generally for all hair types and its clarifies the hair, helps remove mineral deposits and styling product build up.
Fortified with fruit acids which purifies and refreshes the hair.
For excess build up leave on for 5 or 10 minutes and if the oil is still not out the hair repeat the process.
One can also use this if you have naturally oily hair. This will take out your natural oils as well.
Use this shampoo to remove any products like hairspray that forms a thick build up.
I have a few clients that buy a really cheap hairspray from the super market which causes a sticky flakey mudge on the hair. The best way to remove it is to use the appropriate shampoo.
You wont believe that I had a client who even had garlic oil in her hair.
They had their last day at school and I think its was like a crushed garlic that was smudged onto her scalp.
The mother tried anything and everything to remove and my shampoo did the trick although even after thoroughly washing and washing , applying a treatment we could still smell the garlic .
Anyways, she left with this terrible garlic smell but no oil. I also once had a client as I have mentioned before on our site that had that thick black car oil which she tried all sort of things to remove, it was stuck in her hair (she had a bad car accident) and her hair landed up in the thickest of thickest dark black oil.
The nice thing about the cleansing cream is it emulsifies the oil and brakes down the particles. She was a very happy lady when she left the salon as it removed all the oil.
Another reason why the cleansing cream shampoo has become so popular is because now Redken have brought out a new product called Cromatics which is an ammonia free product but does contain oil in the actual coloring process which is for permanent color.
The shampooist at the basin can only remove the color that was applied with the special cleansing crème shampoo. The other problem is at home people love to do either an olive oil treatment or a baby oil treatment.
The only great difficulty from this is that one does more damage trying to remove the oil than by the actual oil treatment itself, so my advice is to stay away from putting oil in your hair.
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Pay a visit to BALI next June
Published: 12 August, 2010
COVENTRY: The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) has joined forces with professional event organisers Brintex, to launch a major landscaping event for architects and designers, contractors, specifiers and procurement professionals.
BALI 2011 - the Landscaping Show - takes place on a three-acre open space in front of the association's headquarters at Stoneleigh Park on 21-22 June 2011. This new annual event will feature three key elements: an exhibition for suppliers to showcase their products and services to an exclusively professional audience; demonstration areas for machinery, product installations and landscaping skills; and a two-day seminar programme with CPD-accredited sessions delivered by key industry speakers in the adjacent Warwick Conference Centre.
The decision to launch the event was taken following consultation with BALI supplier members.
A major objective of the event is to provide opportunities to increase visitors' skills and knowledge base. An additional highlight of the event will be the finals of the WorldSkills UK Landscape Gardening Competition where teams of trainee landscapers will construct identical gardens to be judged by a team of industry specialists.
The opportunity to exhibit will be available to BALI members and, space permitting, to established, reputable suppliers who are not currently members. The event is free to attend for all landscape industry professionals.
For further information contact Ray Baxter at Brintex on 020 7973 4695 or email email@example.com, www.brintex.com


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Liquor Amendment (Reviews) Bill 2017
23rd May 2017
Mr GREG PIPER ( Lake Macquarie ) ( 18:41 :17 ): The bill is relatively modest in size and scale and its merits have been well covered by other members. I will be supporting the bill. This is an area that is fraught and I recognise the Minister and his staff are trying to get this right and satisfy the competing interests. The public wants to have places of entertainment and the people who have invested in these significantly expensive establishments want to ensure their viability. I appreciate the Liquor Amendment (Reviews) Bill 2017 sets out to ensure an appropriate balance and a review at a later stage. I raise with the Minister—and I believe that there is an attempt to deal with it in the bill—the three strikes disciplinary scheme revisions. The present system places the onus on the actual bricks and mortar, the establishment itself. The strikes stay on that property and that can be a huge financial impost, particularly if the next strike is the third. That would have a significant impact.
That could bring about unintended consequences because new owners may wish to come into the business and take on that premises, but if it is carrying the burden of three strikes, or looking at three strikes, then it may not be an inviting proposition. That is a sensible reform. There is also some concern about transferring the strike system onto the licensee which does not allow it to be gamed in some way. There is so much at stake with the possible reduced value of a premises. The member for Seven Hills referred to a discounting of the property value by 20 per cent. It seems there would be good incentives for some people to look at perhaps paying out a licensee in a nod-and-a-wink deal, to move them on and look after them in some other way. There is provision in the bill under remedial action for three strikes as follows:
(c)impose a condition on the licence, or any subsequent licence issued in respect of the subject premises, that a person who is disqualified under paragraph (b) must not be employed or otherwise engaged as an employee or agent of the licensee or manager of those premises,
I have not seen in the bill how that can be detected if it is going to be, to use the term, gamed. If a licensee's employment is to be terminated at the point of say, two strikes, I would like to see an automatic referral to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority for a review of that circumstance. It would be noted and a flag raised to ensure that people who have very significant holdings and vested interests in protecting the licence for that site do not come to arrangements to sacrifice the employees of licensees to protect their interests. I recognise that this bill seeks to make improvements and amend the situation that has been brought about by some unintended consequences. We need a strong pubs and registered clubs industry and there is tension in the competition from the different sides of the debate as to the operation of those premises. The reality is they are part and parcel of our culture and we need to get this right. We know that a lot of the problems came about because of unintended consequences of legislation that was brought forward more hastily than might have otherwise been wise at the time. This is all I wanted to raise with the Minister and in good faith I ask him to answer my question as to whether or not it has been well and truly considered. If he cannot provide that detail perhaps it could be taken on board for consideration at some stage. I commend the bill to the House.
Website: Read full Parliamentary debate


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The oldest porcelain discovered to date is a wine jar, unearthed during excavations in the Honan Province of China. Archaeologists believe it dates from the sixteenth or seventeenth century B.C. This yellow-glazed vessel, decorated with an ornamental relief, shows that the Chinese knew how to shape and fire delicate porcelain over 3000 years ago.
The art of making porcelain first came into its own during the Sung-Dynasty - between 1000 and 1250 A.D. During the Crusades, porcelain was brought to the Middle East and Europe via the "Silk-Route".
In 1300, when Marco Polo returned from China to his native Venice and reported all the wonders of the Far East, he used the word "porcella", meaning shell to describe the magnificent ceramic ware of China, thus giving porcelain its name.
In the late fifteenth century European explorers set out to discover the world. Very soon the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and the English, returned to Europe, bringing with them whole shiploads of elaborately painted Chinese porcelain.
Porcelain became the obsession of European royalty; it was every noblemans desire to possess suchpriceless treasures. Some nobles´even employed alchemists and chemists to unravel the secret of this "white gold".
In 1709 the Dresden alchemist Johann Friedrich Boettger and the Chemist Walter von Tschirnhaus finally succeeded in discovering the composition of hard paste porcelain: kaolin, feldspar and quartz.
Augustus the Strong of Saxony installed Boettger and his porcelain makers in the Albrechtsburg, a castle in Meissen. But not even the strictest security measures could keep the secret within the castle walls. In Germany alone, as many as eight major factories were manufacturing porcelain by the end of the 18th century, including such well known names as Nymphenburg, Berlin, Fuerstenberg and Frankenthal.
Elaborate porcelain tableware soon became the fashion among nobility, especially cups which enhanced the fine aroma of the new fashionable beverages: coffee, tea and chocolate.
Political turbulences at the end of the eighteenth century brought difficult times to the manufacturers under royal or noble patronage.
With the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century, the middle classes began to enjoy more wealth and new respectability. State owned factories became privately owned and new porcelain works were established. Porcelain rapidly found its way into countless households in all strata of society and became an object of everyday use.
At the same time shapes and decorations of bygone ages inspired copies in porcelain as well as influencing many other areas.
Even in our mechanized age, the making of fine porcelain demands high standards of craftsmanship, just as it did some 3000 years ago. From the design and modelling stage through to final production, no machine can replace the skilled hands of a craftsman without forfeiting the quality and variety of forms which we associate with elegant porcelain tableware.
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It's Joelmas today. I didn't make a video, because in the interest of self-care, it seemed to be pushing myself too far this week. My day job has been particularly busy, and therefore I've had a much smaller mana pool as of late to create magic and mayhem from.
Self-Care, while celebrated in particular today, is something that's an on-going process.
This past year I've been redefining what that means to me.
In 2017 I started doing the following:
- Reclaiming my own space and boundaries.
- Letting myself set the pace of how I create
- Addressing my anxiety
- Analyzing the source of my depression
- Vetting therapists
- Trying to care less about the proverbial small stuff
- Giving myself the freedom to explore again who I am as an artist
- Speaking how I feel rather than how I think I SHOULD feel.
That last one is more recent… it's one I probably struggle with the hardest. I think most empathetic people do.
I want to be a good person. I want to always be kind. And sometimes that comes at the expense of my own emotional needs, feelings, and energy. I have often neglected my own emotional health in favor of those around me. It's not an uncommon trend, especially in those recovering from abusive relationships.
Add on top of all that this idea that we have to let go of things in order to heal. And we do, I don't disagree with it, but we have to do it on our own time table. And that means letting ourselves be angry.
Sometimes self-care is just letting yourself still be angry.
You can know in the long run it will matter less. You can know that logically you will feel better once you let it go.
But it's not really a conscious choice. And time, and actively acknowledging that is really the only way to go about it.
And of course, we all know this.
But we still, often without realizing it, set some sort of 'deadline' to when we need to be 'over' something.
And that's not how it works. Healing, I've come to realize, is far from linear–especially when you're trying to heal on a deadline.
It's been five years since Joel died. I'm still angry about it. I'm still angry about how some people reacted to it.
And that's okay. And it's not a constant feeling. But it does still crop up, and because I feel like I shouldn't be anymore, I try to swallow it and push it all away again. And the repression cycle continues. And maybe if I hadn't pushed it away, I'd be further along. I don't actually know. Because you can't put your heart on a deadline.
It doesn't work that way.
Today I have to work, and I don't really get to relax until later in the week. And I'm a little angry about that too.
And rather than trying to swallow it and pretend like I'm okay… I'm just going to let myself be angry. Because I've noticed the less I press down on it, and just accept it, the easier it is to work through.
It's not a festering anger, but rather a strange meditative one. Acknowledging it, feeling it, but not feeding it. Mulling over the aspects of fury.
I'm angry at my brother for leaving. I love him, but I'm angry. I understand why it happened, I understand he thought he was doing what was best. But I'm angry. And sad. I don't think I'll ever not be sad. I miss him. Some days more acutely than others. Also I have so many questions. Some that need answers, some that are just pure fluff and I want to hear what he'd say.
I'm angry at a few friends who did not handle my mourning with a lot of empathy. I love them, and I know they love me… but I'm still dealing with feelings of actions that I will have to address with them individually. It's a belated communication, but so much never said has a tendency of bubbling up. We never talked.
I'm particularly angry at a person I haven't spoken to since, who had no right speaking of my brother due to our personal history. We will never talk, and I know that's best. But I never fully dealt with why we weren't speaking in the first place, nor have I dealt with my anger about them presuming they had a right to speak about my brother to me.
Anger can be destructive when coddled. But it can't be ignored. You get angry for a reason. And rather than shut it down, you should take time to really study why. Stop telling yourself how you SHOULD or SHOULDN'T feel. First, feelings don't work with normal logic. Emotional logic is non-linear and has a sense-memory far more in-tune than our own conscious minds can recall. The lizard brain takes so much longer to heal.
I'll be treating myself later this week. But today? Today I'm meditating on my anger. There is a lot of it. And setting a deadline for when it should be gone isn't helping anyone.
Least of all me.
Self-Care has many forms. And it's an on-going process.


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What next? Privacy or Profit?
Have we turned a corner in terms of our attitude towards personal data and privacy, or will it be back to business as usual once the current Facebook furor has died down? Digital technologies have enabled both governments and corporations to build up a comprehensive picture of every aspect of our daily lives. While some might argue that recent events show that the end goal is to "own us," I would argue that there are always those who would seek to maintain the delicate balance between privacy and profit.
Regulatory protections have been in place for over 20 years. The European Data Protection Directive came into force in 1995, regulating the processing of personal data within the EU. It forms an important part of the EU's privacy and human rights law, which exist under the auspices of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). It provides a right to respect for one's "private and family life, his home and his correspondence." The data protection directive touches upon consent, disclosure, accountability and several other basic guidelines. However, this law was developed approximately a decade before the world's major social media platforms.
The adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2016 and which comes into force on 25 May 2018, indicates that society is rising to the challenge of slamming on the brakes. This regulation specifically addresses the export of personal data outside of the EU. This creates a physical, geographical and geopolitical border for the intangible world of electronic data for the first time in history. This new law is directly binding and applicable. The regulations also include the right to be forgotten and authorized data removal, enabling private citizens to control their online presence.
At Avaya, we are already well ahead of the curve. We are one of only 90 companies in the world to attain approval of Binding Corporate Rules (BCR), which allow us to transfer personal data internationally within the corporate group even in countries that do not themselves provide adequate levels of protection. Requirements include transparency, data quality, security, auditing, training, complaint handling and evidence that the rules are binding. The EU only authorizes the use of BCRs to companies proven to have very strong data handling practices, wherever the data is handled.
Adherence to these rules is crucial for the safety and security of our own, and our customer's businesses. Avaya is investing heavily in exciting new artificial intelligence and blockchain solutions that are utterly transformative. They do however rely on big data. For this reason, a huge burden of responsibility rests on our shoulders. Avaya is already rolling out elements of GDPR ahead of time, including agreements that govern legal security measures for people responsible for data processing. Our technology ensures privacy by default and has privacy built in by design—these include, for example, the default setting not to record voice calls.
It is incumbent upon those of us who are developing technologies that use vast quantities of personal and business data, to lead the way. It is our responsibility to not only respect the privacy of the private individual, but to do everything in our power to ensure that we leave nothing but a positive, lasting footprint on the history of mankind.


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An apparently ketogenic diet consisting of ~70g of carbohydrates/day and 49g protein/day reversed type 2 diabetes in 11 patients. During the 8 week course of the study, the patients' metabolic energy was derived primarily from fat, that is: 13.4g/day of dietary fat plus an average of 227g of body fat consumed in a day. (They lost an average of 12.7kg of body fat per person, over 8 weeks!)
Here is the study Diabetologia DOI 10.1007/s00125-011-2204-7
Title: "Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol", E. L. Lim, K. G. Hollingsworth, B. S. Aribisala, M. J. Chen, J. C. Mathers, R. Taylor
(Thanks Dav0 for alerting me to this study!)
A Country Built By Floods -
3 hours ago


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Try this raw food dinner to lower your morning glucose!
I had an unsatisfying reading this morning and would like to have good one tomorrow. I am going to try a nutritious and colorful dinner and judge the results.
1 medium raw tomato, sliced. 1 cup of broccoli florets. 1 medium tomato. Icewater to drink. For "dessert" I am going to have 2 teaspoons of cinnamon mixed with 1 teaspoon of raw honey.
Total Calories 111 Fat 0 grams
Carbohydrates 27 grams Protein 5 grams
I'll check my morning glucose tomorrow and report back....
NOT TOO BAD - 106. I have since learned that honey is a no no when trying to reverse diabetes. So going forward I am going to have desserts if they are sweetened only with stevia. I have been having normal glucose readings (70-110) for quite some time. Below you can see DeWayne McCulley in an interview. DeWayne has reversed his diabetes through exercise and nutrition. He has an amazing must watch story!
REVERSE YOUR DIABETES NOW! is an excellent and concise protocol to follow. This is a fantastic ebook you can download instantly by Joe Barton. I follow the advice in this book and my fasting blood glucose is consistently in the mid-90s and trending lower! Please note that this program is not 100% raw or vegan. It does however follow much of the advice of DeWayne McCulley (in video above) and there is much emphasis on eating lots of green vegetables. It is very thorough and well laid out.
Raw Honey
From Raw Food Dinner To Raw Food Diabetes
Raw Food Repair Home Page


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This isn't click-bait, it's true…some birds can be a problem at the nesting boxes. So, here we go, this post is about problem birds.
House Sparrows
In addition to EABL, TRES, and HOWR, House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) use nesting boxes that are not meant for them. HOSP are not a protected species and steps to manage HOSP eggs must be taken. HOSP are the only species that can have their eggs and nests removed.
The reason that this must be done is because HOSP kill EABL and TRES. They are successful breeders and are considered an invasive species.
In order to remove HOSP eggs, and/or HOSP nests, you must be 100% certain that the nest and the eggs do in fact belong to HOSP. If you are unsure, do not touch the nest or eggs. Visit NestWatch for guidance on how to deal with live young.
Brown-headed Cowbirds
Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) lay eggs in nesting boxes. BHCO are called brood parasites because they lay eggs in a different species' nest (called the host species) and the host parent of that species raises the BHCO offspring. BHCO are a protected species and their eggs are NOT to be removed.
Learn more about amazing lives of the BHCO from the post, "Brown-headed Cowbirds Shake Bad Reputation – Sort of…" — they are truly fascinating. Don't hate!
House Wrens
House Wrens are very successful breeders. HOWR kill other species that nest in their territory. They do this by either engaging in aggressive killing behavior, poking holes in eggs of other species, removing eggs of other species, removing nesting materials of other species, or by simply building nests on top of live nestlings. House Wrens undoubtedly have a negative impact on other species.
The best way to manage HOWRs from building nests on top of live nestlings of other species is to remove sticks that you notice on top of an active nest. HOWR are a protected species, therefore removing eggs, or nests is illegal. However, removing nesting material before a cup is formed is OK, especially if these materials are being put on top of existing nestlings. If you're not sure, don't touch!
The most important point to make here is that the law must not be broken and wildlife must be respected.
Good luck and stay tuned!
Don't forget to follow Animal Perspectives on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!
Also read…
It's a Sin to Kill a Mockingbird, but not for Hawks
Nesting Season Part III: The Right Box for You
Wordless Wednesday: Red-Winged Blackbird
5 Birds to Know in the Northeast this Spring
Sign up for The Animal Perspectives Monthly.
Is there a particular species of bird that you would like to see featured on our website?
Are you a nature writer/blogger and would like to write a guest blog for AnimalPerspectives.Com, or do a blog exchange?
Maybe you snapped a great photo and have a story you'd like to share with it?
Either way, drop us a line here! We'd love to hear from you!


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I bought these labels off ebay to put on Hersey kisses.
I was so happy to find the Duncan-Hines cake mix and frosting are dairy free. I made the regular cupcakes, whipped the frosting, piped it on with a 1M swirl, added sprinkles, and stuck in these ladybugs. Cute, dairy free, and yummy! In fact I froze the left over cupcakes to eat later!
I made my own cupcake stand using cardboard cake circle and cups. Easy and cheap!
Ladybug crackers
Some drinks. I bought these ladybug cut outs and used them on everything.
I glued some wooden ladybugs to paperweights to keep the plates and napkins from blowing away.
I also glued black pom poms to many things to make it look like ladybug spots.
I attempted to make these mini pies. They were a pain so I only made a few.
I also made ladybug antennas out of pipe cleans for everyone to wear.
I tried to stick with the ladybug/picnic theme, so ants on a log!
French fry cookies to go with the hamburger cookies (picture further down.)
Grace all ready for her party!
So excited to be turning one!
Testing out her Zebra.
The banner I made. It's hard to see but it has the little ladybug cut outs on it.
I made her hat and painted her water bottle. I ordered her bib online, but the woman is no longer taking orders.
Diving into the ball pit.
Sleepy ladybug.
First cupcake!
Family picture.
Grace shared her cupcake with lots of people!
The mini hamburger and ladybug cookies my sister made.
Opening presents! Giving the baby a kiss.
So excited about a new baby.Giving the baby a hug through the box.
Another hug out of the box.
Jacob checking out the baby. Grace loving her new books.
All worn out after her party!
Where I got her number 1 iron on patch.
Seller I got her tutu from.
Seller I got her headband from.
Seller I got the cupcake liners from.
Seller I got her ladybug shoes from.
Other recipes worth sharing:


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After Beijing and Shanghai, Xi'an is the top destination for travelers in China. No trip to the countryside would be complete without a few days in China's former capital. Far from a shell of its former glory, Xi'an draws thousands of travelers every year to get a glimpse of its amazing historical and archaeological attractions. Xi'an served as the home for several dynasties in the past millennia, including the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and T'ang Dynasties. So it's no surprise that the vibe there is more authentic and culturally vibrant than the bustling metropolises of the coast.
Visitors should spend a few days in the city and check out ancient architecture like the Bell Tower and Wild Goose Pagoda. A short bus ride will take you to natural wonders like impressive Mt. Hua and Huaqing Hot Springs. Here are our top four recommendations for Xi'an and beyond:
– Terra Cotta Warriors
No stop in Xi'an would be complete without a visit to the Terracotta Army. Buried for nearly 2,000 years, the army is a collection of 8,000+ of life-sized clay figures. The army of chariots, warriors, horses, acrobats and more were built and buried to safeguard Qin Emperor Shihuang (260-210 b.c.e.) on his journey in the afterlife. It was rediscovered in 1974 and has since been dubbed a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.
– Beiyuanmen Muslim Street
The Beiyuanmen Muslim market is an impressive expanse of 500 meters of succulent snacks and souvenirs. The street, located in the muslim district, has a long history as one of the main starting points of the Silk Road. Here Arab and Persian merchants settled and married local girls. Their descendants, the Hui people, still sell their wares along this street. But the best investment by far is the hot and fried treats sold on the street by Hui vendors. Stroll down the long promenade and try local favorites like lamb skewers, gravy dumplings and mutton-soaked flat bread.
– The Song of Unending Sorrow
If you're lucky enough to be in Xi'an from April to October, be sure to catch a performance of the Song of Everlasting Sorrow. You can buy tickets at the Xi'an railway station and ride a free shuttle bus from there to Mt. Lishan. The historical drama is performed twice in the evening at Huaqing Hot Springs, just below the mountain. Marvel as the performers erupt in an impressive presentation of song, dance, music, lights and and costume, all set against the background of freshwater ponds, willow trees and pavilions. The poem tells the tragic love story between T'ang Emperor Xuanzong (c.e. 685-782) and his beloved concubine Yang Yuhuan (which, like most such stories, ends horribly for our protagonists).
– Day Trip to Mt. Hua
Return to the beautiful trees and dramatic cliffs of rural China by hopping on a train to Mt. Hua. The mountain stands about 75 miles east of Xi'an and 2 kilometers high! One of Taoism's Five Sacred Mountains, Mt. Hua has five stunning peaks and one of the most dangerous hiking trails in the world—thanks to its steep pathways and narrow passes. The risk is doubled in the summertime due to the sheer amount of tourists trying to ascend the mountain all at the same time. But never fear! Proceed with caution, take a lot of water and good shoes—the view is, to understate, worth it.
WIT Agents Barb and Pam have recently been to China with Alexander & Roberts and Viking River Cruises. Read more about their trips on our Destinations: China page. Call us up for some firsthand feedback and other travel tips to China, 503-224-0180 or email email@example.com.


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Linky Party at The Stafish Blog, Amber hosts the weekly summer in snapshots party.
She also has beautiful custom jewelry you can buy on Etsy.
Week 6:
My book this week is the audio of The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry.
Every gift has a price . . . every piece of lace has a secret.
Towner Whitney, the self-confessed unreliable narrator, hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in the patterns in lace, and who have guarded a history of secrets going back generations. Now the disappearance of two women is bringing Towner back home to Salem—and is bringing to light the shocking truth about the death of her twin sister.
Wednesday: The hot spell continues, the heat is taking its toll on my hosta's and hydrangeas. This bird bath is from my Nana's yard, it has a crack on the side so I applied a mosaic to it a few years ago. Some of my edge pieces have popped off, but overall it is holding up.
Thursday: Went to Woofies for a wiener run at lunch. I've never seen so many police and U.S. Marshall's frequenting an eating establishment; they were driving through, carrying out and dining in. The owner has a sense of humor too, note the "we serve a rightous wiener" below the picture of Congressman Wiener. Ha!
Friday: It's continues to be hot and Bessie agrees. You can friend Bessie, The Mid Rivers Mall Drive cow on Facebook. The owners of Bessie change her outfit and props for the seasons and holidays, kind of like the yard geese people had in the 90s, on a much larger scale. Mooove over yard geese, Bessie is in the house (yard).
Saturday: On the hunt for a summer fresh tomato I visited Wiese Nursery for the first time, you pay by the honor system here. Isn't that nice? No hidden camera's, no one to check your receipt at the door...why these people TRUST you. I'll be back.
Sunday: A visit to the dog park and Gidget. The dogs had such cabin fever from being stuck inside in the airconditioning, so I took them to a nearby dog park that has a pond. Our Malamute discovered he likes to swim!
After I brought the smelly happy dogs home, gave them a shampoo and dried them, I was ready for some down time. I don't remember the movie--though I'm sure I watched it as a kid. Sandra Dee plays the ever wholesome Gidget, it is worth watching just to see how times have changed since its 1959 debut. Don't judge me, but now I realize that Sandra Dee was an actual person Rizzo was singing about:
Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee, lousy with virginity
Won't go to bed till I'm legally wed, I can't, I'm Sandra Dee
Watch it, hey, I'm Doris Day, I was not brought up that way
Won't come across, even Rock
Hudson lost his heart to Doris Day
I don't drink or swear, I won't rat my hair,
I get ill from one cigarette
Keep your filthy paws off my silky drawers.
Would you pull that crap with Annette?
As for you, Troy Donahue, I know what you wanna do
You got your crust, I'm no object of lust,
I'm just plain Sandra Dee Elvis,
Elvis, let me be, keep that pelvis far from me
Just keep your cool, now you're starting to drool
Hey, fungu, I'm Sandra Dee
|I watched Gidget (1959)
Tuesday: My guys did the cooking, here they are chatting it up while they watch over the brats and burgers. Did you notice how healthy my meal was compared to theirs.
Week 6. Check.
Come visit me at http://subjectschosenatrandom.blogspot.com/


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Kilrush Drama Group 2008 Production
The Cripple of Inis Maan
The members of Kilrush Drama Group present "The Cripple of Inis Maan". This outrageous comedy was set on the Island of Inis Maan in 1934 during the making of the film, "The Man of Aran". Milking the play for every ounce of comedy is Director Mick Byrne backed up by a talented cast. Aunts Eileen and Kate are being played by Anne Sheridan and Cathy Tighe, while Maurice Ruth plays the role of Johnnypateenmike. Young performers, Evan May, Alan O'Neill and Ellie Condren, take on the roles of Cripple Billy, Bartlay and Slippy Helen respectively, while Joe Sinnott and Owen Doyle play Babbybobby and Dr. McSharry, and Josephine Byrne plays "Mammy".
Davy Donohoe takes on the onerous task of Stage Manager for this year's production.
The first performances of this production can be seen in "St. Brigid's Hall" Carnew, on Friday the 15th of February and Sunday the 17th. The group will then travel North and South with their production to Festivals on the Drama Circuit.
|Film Editor
|Tom Byrne
|Kevin McEvoy & Thomas Cahill
|Paddy Byrne & Dougie Doyle
|Props / Set Painting
|Maeve Hunter
|Lorna Doran
|Hair Stylist
|Phil O'Loughlin
|Jacinta Kavanagh
|Stage Crew
|Tommy Kavanagh, Roy Douglas, Ger Byrne, Brendan Hayden, Billy Molloy


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FLASH SALE! Take 20% with code WOW20 (discount applied at checkout, exclusions apply)
Founded in Northern California, Coyuchi is a natural & organic home textile company with the greater good in mind. Mission-driven, the company is committed to creating thoughtfully designed, quality bedding, bath and loungewear that are friendly to both people and planet. Inspired by nature and the raw beauty of the California coastline, Coyuchi designs reflect the simple, relaxed elegance found wherever water meets the land. Minimally processed fibers and responsible production practices are used to ensure everything created reflects the Company's core ideals: sustainability, organic & natural fibers and a truly human commitment to the hands that touch each product.


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- ITV Report
- ITV Report
Tips on how to reduce your food waste
Live updates
NHS food 'needs more money and investment'
NHS food "needs more money and investment" if it is going to adequately help a patient through recovery, said a health charity.
Michelle Mitchell from AGE UK was also keen to push for higher standards in nursing as the public "had heard story after story" about neglected patients who needed the support of a nurse or carer to eat.
Govt: Patients are 'best placed' to rate NHS food
Patients were "best placed" to decide what hospital food was good and what left a bad taste in their mouths, a Department of Health spokesman said.
He was speaking amidst claims hospital chiefs were awarding their hospital's food five stars while patients were dissatisfied with food.
However, the Department of Health also defended decisions made on hospital food "taken locally" by kitchen staff and ruled out legislating mandatory standards.
There are many fantastic examples of really good food across the NHS thanks to forward-thinking and innovative staff.
But we recognise that there is too much variation across the country - that is why we have implemented a tough new inspection programme...
We support the principle of food standards but do not think that legislation is the right way to proceed.
We believe that the best decisions on hospital food are those taken locally by chefs and catering managers.
Patients are the ones who consume hospital food and they are best placed to decide what is good and what is not.
Health chiefs contradict patients and give food 5 stars
Hospital chiefs think their patients are fed incredibly well and gave themselves the highest possible rating for their food, figures show.
Out of 156 hospitals in England, three out of five gave themselves full marks for the food served to patients.
However, this deliberately contradicts figures put forward by an independent Care Quality Commission survey which showed half of patients were dissatisfied with hospital food, said the Campaign for Better Hospital Food.
Alex Jackson, co-ordinator of the Campaign for Better Hospital Food, said: "It is time for the Government to come clean about the sorry state of hospital food in England and set mandatory standards for patient meals.
"This would only involve extending an existing policy which has seen it set mandatory standards for prison food and food served in Government departments, to go alongside those that already exist for school food."
Salmonella outbreak: update
The team investigating reports of illness following the Street Spice festival in Newcastle in February have confirmed the same strain of salmonella which caused illness in hundreds of people has also been identified in samples of food ingredients used at the festival.
Letters are being sent to everyone who reported sickness following the event on behalf of Newcastle City Council. Director of Public Services and Public Protection Stephen Savage said:
"We know the same organism found in one of the food ingredients is likely to be responsible for the illness reported by people who attended the event. The investigating team are now looking at ways in which the food could have become contaminated with salmonella and whether there were any breaches of food safety legislation at any stage in the food chain where further formal action may be necessary."
Online questionnaire for Street Spice festival visitors
People who visited the Street Spice food festival in Newcastle are being asked to fill out an online questionnaire after hundreds of people reported symptoms of food poisoning.
Environmental Health Officers are continuing to investigate and are talking to businesses and suppliers to try to identify the source of the outbreak, with results expected to be released this week.
12,000 people are thought to have visited the food festival while it was in the city.
Anyone who attended the event, whether they have been ill or not, are being advised to complete a confidential online questionnaire, available at http://tinyurl.com/streetspice.
Nearly 400 cases of food poisoning confirmed after Newcastle food festival
Newcastle City Council says the number of people who contracted food poisoning from a spice festival in the city now stands at more than 380.
The number of those who have salmonella rose from 8 to 14, as more people called in to report experiencing the symptoms.
The council has stressed that these are not new cases, but rather that it is still collating the final figure of people affected by the incident.
Food poisoning: suspected cases reach 300
The number of people reporting symptoms of food poisoning following the Street Spice festival in Newcastle has reached 300.
Eight cases of salmonella have been confirmed and tests are still being carried out by environmental health officers. They're working with 13 businesses which ran stalls in Times Square to identify the source.
The outbreak began between February 28th and March 2nd.
250 people report symptoms following salmonella outbreak
Around 250 people have reported symptoms such as diarrhoea and stomach cramps, after attending a food festival in Newcastle.
Eight cases of salmonella have been confirmed following the Street Spice event. It took place between 28 February and 2 March.
Investigations are continuing and the results of more tests are expected next week.
One of the event organisers told Helen Ford he is heartbroken and says hygiene was a top priority. Bob Arora believes his team had 'ticked all the boxes'.
Watch Helen's full report here:
Suspected cases of food poisoning rise
Around 250 people are suspected to have contracted salmonella, following a food festival in Newcastle.
Eight cases have been confirmed. The outbreak began after the Street Spice event which took place in the city between 28 February and 2 March.
The authorities are working with the businesses which ran thirteen separate stalls to try to identify the source.
Those suspected of picking up the bacteria have reported flu-like symptoms and stomach pain.
Health Protection Agency release statement following Street Spice sickness outbreak
The Health Protection Agency have released a statement after nearly 200 cases of sickness were reported following a food festival held in Newcastle.
The Street Spice festival visited Newcastle last week and is thought to have been attended by 12,000 people over the course of its visit.
"Initial investigations have not yet identified a definite source of infection, however, we are working closely with the organisers of the event to determine the source of infection.
"Anyone who is concerned about symptoms suggesting salmonella infection should contact their GP or out-of-hours service in the first instance.
"Those affected should not return to their place of work until their symptoms have ceased for 48 hours."


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BEST Melawat Kuching Tour 3D2N
BEST Melawat Kuching Tour 3D2N
If you travel to Malaysia, Sarawak is a place that you should not miss.
Come to our capital city called Kuching, or Cat city.
Kuching Cat Statue
Semenggoh Orang Utan
Sarawak Sampan River Cruise
Serikin Weekend Market
With its beautiful blue skies and tropical breezes you can bathe in the sandy beaches and palm-fringed state of Sarawak. Tropical showers cool the land with heavier rainfalls during the monsoon months from November to March.
We hope you enjoy your stay in our vast wild home.
Day 1: Airport / Kuching City Tour / TopSpot Seafood Restaurant (D)
Pick up from Airport and then proceed for city tour. Places of interest include:
Chinese Temple, Astana, Sarawak Administrative Building, City Tower, Sarawak Museum, Cat Museum, Kuching City South Council Building, Kuching North City Hall Building, Kuching Monument, Kuching Waterfront, Main Bazaar, Old Mosque and others.
Then, the guide will take you to enjoy your dinner before sending you to your hotel for check-in. (includes dinner)
**Free Dinner at famous Seafood Restaurant in Kuching
Day 2: Serikin (or Bau Wind & Fairy Cave if tour on weekdays) / Semenggoh Orang Utan / Sarawak Pottery Factory / Sampan River Cruise (B & L)
Option 1 (Weekend): After breakfasts, we proceed to Pasar Tamu at Kubah Ria Centre and see the local jungle produce. Then we move on for MEGA SHOPPING and BARGAINING at SERIKIN. Travel along to Serikin will take 1 Hour and 30 Minutes. At Serikin you can see various kinds of handicrafts, souvenirs made by the local residents there and are sold at a reasonable price.We will have lunch along the way.
Option 2 (Weekday): After breakfast, we proceed to go to Bau Town. The journey will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes. We will visit Wind Cave & Fairy Cave with lunch along the way.
In afternoon, we will visit Semenggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in time to see the orang utans being fed. Orang utans live freely in the center and you may even meet the star of the centre, the ALPHA MALE RITCHIE orang utan. Then you will be taken Sarawak pottery factory tour to see for yourself on how the pots are made there.
Then, at 5:30pm, we will go for 1.5 hrs of sunset Sarawak Sampan River Cruise. We then return to hotel to rest and end of tour. There are many restaurants nearby for food on your own for dinner. (breakfast, lunch)
Day 3: Check out / Airport Transfer (B)
Free and easy till departure for airport. (Breakfasts)
Package includes: 2 nights stay at Grand Supreme Hotel with breakfasts, city tour, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner, Kubah Ria Market , Serikin, Semenggoh Orang Utan visit, sunset sampan river cruise, and meals as stated. airport transfer
Excludes: Flight to Kuching, personal items and guide/driver tipping at rm5 per pax per day.
Validity Date :1/1/2017 ~ 3/31/2020
Minimum Person :4
Adult Price: MYR 670.00
Child Price: MYR 470.00
Duration: 3 Days 2 Nights
* All amount quoted above will be charged in Ringgit Malaysia (MYR)


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Hi, I'm Linda and I'd like to share my sewing adventures with you.
I started sewing in July 2016 after watching The Great British Sewing Bee. Since then I've discovered a whole new world of sewing bloggers and have picked up so many tips and inspiration from them. I've been really pleased with my progress so far and hope I can inspire someone too.
I'll start with a bit of a retrospective look at the things I've made so far and what I've learnt along the way. Then I hope that this will be regularly updated with whatever I'm currently up to.
I''m new to blogging so I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of my posts,
Ciao, Linda x