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1 other person are subscribed to back-in-stock and price-drop alert for this product
The formula for Blair's Beyond Death Hot Sauce has actually changed over the years, evolving to the point that it actually became Blair's Sudden Death Sauce! So in 2007, Blair re-released his Beyond Death Sauce in its original version that was born in 1992. Like most Blair's sauces, it contains pure pepper extract to up the heat, but it doesn't have that bitter extract flavor. It's also made with red and orange Habanero peppers, Cayenne peppers, Chipotle, and a unique blend of fresh herbs and spices, which add up to produce a VERY HOT sauce with just a slight Chipotle smokiness.
Heat Rating: Extremely Hot
Estimated Scoville Unit Rating: About 100,000 SHU
Ingredients: Red and Orange Habaneros, Vinegar, Fresh Cayenne, Smashed Garlic, Chipotle, Lime Juice, Cilantro, Fresh Herbs, Spices and Pepper Extract.
© 2006 - 2020 Hot Sauce Depot. All rights reserved.


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"A dream motorcycle is something that is beyond just transportation , it is a connection with life" . Riding the BMW NineT is by itself a time reliever , as the time spend is pure pleasure! Well, BWM Motorrad is celebrating its 90th birthday and this reminds us of its 90 years of passion, 90 years of innovation and 90 years of unstoppable performance that has eventually given birth to this iconic naked roadster the BMW R Nine T! This motorcycle has a one of the kind aggressive and brawny looks ( and is by inspired from all those race bikes and roadster bikes of the good old days ). This roaster has such sharp looks that it makes you wonder if it came out of Tony Stark's or Bruce Wayne's garage 🙂 For those BWM fans who love the classic and original roadsters, BMW has managed to forge the best machine for you.This motorbike is all about pure passion , pure driving pleasure and pure design that makes it an obsession for those classic enthusiasts.
Riding a motorcycle is all about feeling free .The BMW R NineT balances this feeling with an equal proportion of a casual cool look and a phenomenal performance on the scale . Even putting behind all these details, this motorcycle is unmistakably part of a legacy, it is a member of the BMW family! The BMW NineT leaves you with complete satisfaction with regards to variety. The whole idea behind the Nine T was to design your own NineT ,design your life .One name .One purist lifestyle .
Engine And Performance
When you look at a super bike in this scale and with the BMW tag, you can expect real big specs .It is forged with a breathtaking 1170cc four stroke petrol mill that manages to churn out 110bhp, which will work out to produce a maximum of 119Nm at 6000 RPM. The 1170cc powerhouse is eventually air cooled which is a acclaimed twin-boxer engine . Throttle all the way and you can achieve a highest speed of 200kmph on the NineT .The rear suspension mechanism utilizes the BMW's one of the kind Paralever shaft-drive system, and up front has a conventional inverted telescopic forks.Then there is the six-speed gear mechanism that transfers the power to the rear wheels via a shaft drive system, giving a seamless driving experience . The motor cycle has a 22-liter tank capacity that needs to be filled only with unleaded fuel. Standards are maintained with out a hiss , the front wheel has a 320 mm base and back wheel has 265mm disc brakes with ABS.
The BMW NineT has a four-section body frame with one front frame and three rear frame sections . The best part is that the rear section can be completely modified to enjoy a single person ride. The deep humming sound matches well with the looks, performance and is definitely very satisfactory.
Design and Accessories
The BMW NineT is a symbol for freedom , it is exclusively designed for further modifications by the costumer himself . The side lines and contours add special attraction to the bike , especially the lines which continue from the fuel tank . The tank is perfectly hand crafted from brushed aluminum, clear lacquered in sides and glossy black in the middle . At the tail is an aluminum storage box which has replaced the pillon seat . The seats have premium quality surface with different optional textures .On the tank is this beautiful black and white combination of a ornamental seam with an embedded gold logo that reads : NineT. A new and contemporary feature is the rubber pads that are fixed to the sides of the tanks to prevent scratches and to give a better ergonomic look. NineT has an attractive anti theft feature with acoustic and visual alarms when dealt with vibrations .
Ride and Handling
This motorcycle can be described as a super bike that has the looks of a ferocious roadster. Riding it is pure pleasure the throttle response is utterly amazing . It is not only good at throttling on a straight but also pretty amazing when zooming through steep corners , bends and turnings. What sets it apart is the unique deep humming sound that is produced, which is well matched with the pure roadster look and feel. Zooming through the city roads or having a happy long drive on the country side? You will sure get the best experience with the twin megaphone silencers. Thanks to the SRR1000 forks which give you a nice front-end look and you just cannot resist yourself from pressing the throttle a little bit more at the corners to travel faster . Not to mention the NineT has a very good ground clearance. It moves and performs like a true beast and the best roadsters out there.
Technical Data
|Air/oil-cooled flat twin ('Boxer') 4-stroke engine, two camshafts and four radially aligned valves per cylinder, central balancer shaft
|Bore x stroke
|101 mm x 73 mm
|1,170 ccm
|Rated output
|81 kW (110 hp) at 7,550 rpm
|Max. torque
|119 Nm at 6.000 rpm
|Compression ratio
|12.0 : 1
|Mixture control / engine management
|Electronic intake pipe injection
|Emission control
|Closed-loop 3-way catalytic converter, emission standard EU-3
|Performance / fuel consumption
|Maximum speed
|over 200 km/h
|Fuel consumption per 100 km at constant 90 km/h
|4,5 l
|Fuel consumption per 100 km at constant 120 km/h
|5,8 l
|Fuel type
|Unleaded fuel, octane number 95-98 RON (rated output at 98 RON)
Specs source : http://www.bmw-motorrad.com
BMW R NineT:
Bottom Line:
The only disappointing factor with these big bikes is that they come with real BIG price tag. It is going to cost you 23.5 lakhs ( ex-Mumbai showroom price ) , and is available in all three BMW Motorrad outlets in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi.

subset: commoncrawl


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Beyond Dredd and Watchmen
The Retrospective exhibition at the VG&M in Liverpool my home town, is on from March and beyond October 2017, a good length of time to run. Time is a great SF trope, you could say 40 years in preparation (as a freelance comic artist) and 4 years since I was first approached to have the exhibition. The root of the exhibition is Science Fiction, comics and illustration, of which I am very proud, but more than that this it is about Liverpool, about my roots, family, friends, support net work and all the creative hands behind the presentation of this exhibition that features my art.
This whole event would not have happened with out Mike Edwards who had pushed for me to have an exhibition in Liverpool for many years, and with his team of talented designers at Kaleidoscope – designed and produced most of the presentation of my work you see on the walls.
Matthew Clough who first listened to Mike banging on about me having an exhibition and made it happen. One of the pleasures of this retrospective is working with the talented team from the VG&M, Leonie Sedman the curator who along with Kirsty Hall had the hands on job of making this all come together in such an impeccable way.
The art is presented is one of the most imaginative use of wall space and combinations of art I have ever seen in an exhibition. Leonie saw threads and connections to the art that, even I as the artist did not see until it was pointed out, the back room people from Moira, fine art expert and the technician's had done such an impressive job relating the work to each other in groupings and along with artists such as JMW Turner, Lucien Freud and others in my inspiration corridor, to hanging it, that show it all off to its best advantage and how sequential art connects from panel to page to complete story, I am blown away by it all.


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Millions of people around the world were touched by A Liter of Light's goal to illuminate one million homes with simple plastic bottles converted into affordable light bulbs. Now that same group has partnered for a second time with Stephen Lamb from South Africa to produce the Solar Revolution Pavilion. Unveiled in time for Earth Day in Manila, the solar-powered pavilion was constructed out of 1,600 vegetable crates made from recycled plastic bottles.
Stephen Lamb from Touching the Earth Lightly and Ilac Diaz from My Shelter Foundation teamed up for the first time at last year's Shanghai Biennale. They share a vision to provide environmentally-friendly energy, food, and housing solutions that just about anyone can afford. And the idea that people can be empowered to be self-sufficient has garnered significant support from celebrities like David de Rothschild of Plastiki fame, who attended the opening at Luneta Park, according to The Guardian.
"This is a living example of how you can take food, shelter, water and energy using existing resources that people often disregard as wasteful and actually turn them into something that is useful, and beneficial and can create a quality of life," he said.
In addition to showcasing food growing solutions that require no soil and other low tech innovations, the solar-powered pavilion also acts as a launching pad for Liter of Light's latest nighttime light bulb made with LED lights. So far they have distributed them to 150 locations throughout the Philippines.
Via The Guardian
Images courtesy of Ilac Diaz


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Bibble (software)
|Bibble Labs
|Final release
5.2.3 / December 23, 2011
|Operating system
|Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
|Photo Post-Production
Bibble is a digital imaging program for multiple platforms by Bibble Labs, designed to assist photographers in post-production work and efficient optimization of images created in raw image formats. After Bibble was acquired by Corel it was rebranded as Corel AfterShot Pro.
Bibble 5[edit]
Bibble 5 is an upgrade to Bibble 4 with the intent of cleaning up and rewriting some of the codebase, updating the GUI, and adding features to the platform.
Bibble 5.0 was released December 29, 2009 and the development was announced on September 22, 2006,[1] and a preview version was released January 31. 2009.[2]
The software exists in a Pro and a Lite package.
Added features in version 5[edit]
- Image editing tools include selective editing and layers
- Asset management tools
- Metadata tools
- Faster processing and better support of multi-processor systems
Third-party plugins for Bibble 5[edit]
- Harry - Black & White Converter Using a Color Equalizer
- Sally - Color Enhancer Tool Using a Color Equalizer
- iNDA - Simple Black/White Film Simulator
- Lay - Layer transparency editor
- SplitToni - Split toning for highlights and shadows
- Sean Puckett Plugins - Coming soon, most of the best Sean Puckett Bibble 4 plugins for Bibble 5
- Ghost Writer - Text or logo overlays
- Grid - Overlay a grid pattern over an image
Added features in version 5.1[edit]
Bibble 5.0 shipped with some functionality missing which Bibble 4 supported, but Bibble 5.1 adds the following features (and more).[3] Additionally, a lite version is available.
- Heal & Clone brush
- Perfectly Clear
- Web Gallery output
- Auto-Contrast feature
- Ability to install third-party plugins
- Additional support and features to Bibble's plugin SDK
- Added support for additional cameras
- Added lens calibration parameters for various lenses.
- Numerous issues resolved.
Built-in plugins for Bibble 5.1[edit]
- Black And White - Black & White with Spot Color
Bibble 4[edit]
Bibble 4 was supported from October 2004 with their initial release of Bibble 4.0 up until May 2008 when the last version, 4.10, was released. After which no more bug fixes or cameras were added to it and the project was basically closed while Bibble 5 development was ongoing. Bibble 4 is considered deprecated at this point and is no longer supported or sold.
Features from version 4[edit]
- RAW conversion.
- Post-processing of RAW and JPEG images; e.g. white balance setting, exposure, contrast, fill-light, etc.
- Plug-in architecture.[4]
- Color management, courtesy of ColorFlow.[5]
- Noise reduction, courtesy of Picturecode Noise Ninja.[6]
- Shadow and highlight enhancement, courtesy of Athentech Perfectly Clear.[7][8]
See also[edit]
- Adobe Bridge
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
- Apple Aperture
- Corel AfterShot Pro (Bibble successor)
- Darktable
- LightZone
- RawTherapee
- ^ "Bibble Labs Releases Version 4.9 Upgrade, Including Clone & Healing Tool, Sensor Correction and 5-Star Ratings". 22 September 2006. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
- ^ "B5 Preview and new forums section". 1 February 2009. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2010-06-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "Bibble Labs: Plug-ins". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
- ^ "Kodak and Bibble Announce Technology Agreement". Orlando. 2006-02-24. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
- ^ "Bibble Pro to include Noise Ninja NR: Digital Photography Review". 2002-02-17. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
- ^ "Athentech licenses Perfectly Clear to Bibble" (PDF). 2006-04-07. Retrieved 2008-05-10.[dead link]
- ^ "Bibble Labs: Perfectly Clear". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2008.


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Are you looking out of your January window on to a snow covered parish ? More likely, if you enjoy a walk along our footpaths, you are cleaning your very muddy boots or even muddier dog, at the end of a walk because of this wet and mild mid- winter. As well as looking ahead as you walk, looking skywards, weather conditions permitting, there is a new feature.
In the countryside above us, gone are the "whining and weaving" American A10 "whart hogs" and instead the "chunter" of an Army Air Corps Gazelle or Puma helicopter catches your eye and ear. One touched down close by a wood recently and I half expected to be asked "which way to Wattisham please?"
As attractive to the eye as many of our old houses are, a watchful eye must be kept on them for deterioration. A neglected slipped tile or damaged thatch is best attended to before a small problem becomes a big headache! Such was the intention, I am certain, when a local farmer noticed a small hole in the outer wall of his 15th century farm house. A more thorough investigation was called for. Although only a small hole the correct technique for repair was necessary. Probing into the gap further came the surprise. To discover crumbling mortar or wattle was one thing but a substantial horde of hazel nuts was quite another! Several hundred nuts, perfectly stored must have represented many hours of industry by a pair of grey squirrels. These were often seen in the vicinity but never actually caught, storing away the nuts in the wall. Often squirrels will bury nuts in differing locations, and then forget where they have placed them. Some oak trees probably had such a start in their long life this way. Squirrels have a "bad press" for their egg stealing but even rogues can have an appealing side to their characters, and this I felt, was theirs.
Roger Sykes
Home > Village History > The Countryside Remembered >


text:
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By popular demand I've decided to release all the drums from the "Prayer Hands Emoji" beat tape. More unique percussions loop, more ignorant kicks and more ear piercing snares. Pretty much everything you've come to expect from Snare Jordan.
Copyright © 2020 Snare Jordan. Website builder by Shopify.


text: On 1/13/07, Mars Agliullin <griph at mail.ru> wrote: > > glyph at divmod.com пишет: > > By "responsiveness" I meant responding to people who report bugs, and > > being clear on what we are vs. are not working on. The problem I am > > trying to address is best described here: > > > > http://www.jwz.org/doc/cadt.html > Yes! But there is another problem. Say, one wants some feature to be > supported in twisted. He/she sends a patch, but it is dropped by the > core team, since they think it should be implemented another way. > It is OK, but if the implementation had been discussed before, there > would be less time lost. Correct me, if I miss something, but more > detailed roadmaps by the core team would be helpful for everyone who > wants to participate. If there _are_ roadmaps, give me an URL, please. > > For example, I'd be happy to implement SCGI authentication (ticket > #1300). But it is better to know in advance, how core team want this > feature to be implemented. Otherwise it is just a lost time for me to > code and for the core team to view it. I don't think this is a systemic problem. If you want to work on SCGI authentication, and you want to know how the developers think it ought to be implemented, then you 1. look in the ticket for implementing SCGI authentication to see if any discussion has happened (or make one, if it doesn't exist), and 2. ASK the developers how they think it ought to be implemented. If nobody responds, then there is not much interest and you can probably feel free to do it however you want. It's as simple as that. As for a roadmap: sure, roadmaps are nice, and it'd be good if our project had more direction, but this wouldn't solve your problem. It's impossible to make a roadmap that would lay out designs for every possible feature anyone would ever want in Twisted. -- Christopher Armstrong International Man of Twistery http://radix.twistedmatrix.com/ http://twistedmatrix.com/ http://canonical.com/


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Housing and Dining
Home » New ResidentsMenu
New Residents
Whether you are a First-year student arriving to attend college directly after your high school graduation or a student who transfers into Western and chooses to live on campus, we welcome you! We applaud and support your decision to continue your education!
First-year students who attend Western Oregon University within one year of high school graduation are required to live on campus. As a result, WOU provides up to four residence halls specifically designed for a first-year living experience. For all other students, though we encourage you to live on-campus, the choice to live on or off campus is yours to make. For more information on Western's First-Year Live-In Requirement please use the link below:
Western Oregon University's First-Year Live-In Requirement
Heritage Hall and Landers Hall feature community living options which include double rooms, shared community bathrooms, and public areas for group activities.
In addition, if needed, the suite style rooms of Barnum Hall will complement accommodations for both First-Year and upperclass residents in our newest residence hall, Ackerman Hall. Ackerman Hall is a Leed Platinum certified green building opened in the Fall of 2010.
TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR of rooms and apartments within the residential complex.
Use the link below to see what it is like living in the halls at Western Oregon University. See and hear what residents have to say about their experience living on campus.
Room Tours
For a quick overview of all of the facilities available to undergraduate (non-married) students, the experience of living on campus and some detailed information about housing, please use the links below:
- The Residential Complex at WOU
- On-Campus Living at Western – What is it like? Check it out – see what it has to offer you!
- Important Housing Information!
Are you looking for Housing and Dining Information?
We have developed a webpage with references and information JUST for you! Take a look at the Family Resource page!


text: How to Prep Your Home for Cooler Fall Temperatures Posted September 8, 2017 Now is the time to say goodbye to the hot weather. Some of you may begrudgingly dig your sweatshirts out of storage, while others have spent days trying to figure out which hoodie will go best with your first pumpkin spice latte of the season. Regardless of how you feel about fall, it's coming—and winter is on its heels. Gordon Air Conditioning has some tips for you that let you enjoy the fall and keep your space cozy until next spring. Along with scheduling your regular air conditioner service from Gordon Air Conditioning, use this checklist to get ready for the change in season. Take Care of Your Air Filter. Your AC worked hard for you through the hot Crestview summer. Before you give your AC a vacation for the colder months, check your air filter and replace it if it's dirty. This will help your air conditioner operate more efficiently and keep dust and pollutants from moving through your home as the seasons change. Let Some Fresh Air In. Now that the temps are decreasing, open up your windows and enhance your indoor air quality. The air within your house can be several times more polluted than outdoor air, so take this chance to let in some fresh air before winter's chill begins. Be Sure Vents and Registers are Clear. Sometimes furniture gets moved around as you move from outdoor living in the summer to being inside more as the days get cooler and shorter. Be sure that none of your vents or registers are blocked as you rearrange. This will make it harder for your HVAC system to do what it needs to do and could cause an unwelcomed hike in your utility bills. Check for Air Leaks. The heat of summer can take a toll on weather-stripping. Check around your windows and doors for leaks that could let heated air out of your home this winter. Air leaks are responsible for reducing heating efficiency and increasing your heating bills. Prevent leaks by replacing caulking and weather-stripping where needed. Schedule a Furnace Checkup. Once your AC is ready to take a rest, it's time to switch focus to your winter workhorse: your furnace. Call Gordon Air Conditioning to do a preventive maintenance checkup. We'll be sure your furnace is clean and working smoothly before winter rolls in. During your preventive maintenance, we'll also identify and let you know what needs to be done to fix any potential problems that may come up when your furnace is working full-time. Test Your Carbon Monoxide Detector. Before heating season starts, test your carbon monoxide detector. It pays to be sure your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are operating properly and have a brand new set of batteries installed. Once this simple checklist is done, you can rest and take in all the beauty and fun that fall brings. Contact Gordon Air Conditioning and we'll tackle some of this checklist for you. Together, we'll ensure you head into winter confident about staying warm and cozy. You can reach us at 850-682-5509. Back To Blog


text:
Author: Mira Bai
(refrain) ar koto kal, giridhari lal
(refrain) After how long will I see You, O darling Giridhari Lal? Until then, I will simply remain here, waiting and waiting!
1) Tears are flowing incessantly from my eyes. O when will I attain Your vision? Until then waiting.
2) O Lord, I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet. In Your worship, I offer my body and mind as flowers. My heart is fervent with these aspirations. Will they go unfulfilled? Until then waiting.
3) If You will not give me a glimpse of Yourself out of limitless mercy, then why have You given me this desire that completely fills my heart? O life and soul of Mira! My desire is only for You! O
Ar Koto Kal – Sung by HH Vedavyasa Priya Swami
Ar Koto Kal – Sung by Vaishnava (01)
Ar Koto Kal – Sung by Vaishnavas (02)


text: 06 Mar How to.. The A-Z of Resume Writing The average employer spends just six seconds scanning a CV before deciding if a candidate is the right fit for a role. So what can you do to make your CV stand out from the crowd? In this two minute video... 02:57 / News & Industry Trends 0 Likes Share


text: Contact Please fully complete the form below and we'll get to you as soon as we can. Name* First Last Email* Event Date* What are you interested in?*WeddingEngagementMaternity, Portrait or FamilyOtherWedding Date* PhoneWe'll be giving you a call during business hoursYour better half's name First Last VenueTell us more I'm thinking about an engagement session too! Referred by Joshua Dwain Photography | email@example.com | 718.218.5674


text:
By Dr. Karen Shaw Becker
Certain diseases that affect dogs are the result of factors such as lifestyle (for example, obesity and diabetes) and genetics (e.g., brachycephalic airway syndrome in breeds with pushed-in faces such as Pugs), and there is a wealth of information here at Mercola Healthy Pets on how lifestyle and genetics influence your pet's health.
But the topic today is contagious diseases your canine companion can acquire from other dogs, and specifically the life-threatening diseases every puppy should be vaccinated against: parvovirus, distemper, infectious hepatitis and rabies.
1. Parvovirus
Canine parvovirus type 2, or CPV-2, is a virus that attacks the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of both domesticated and wild puppies and adult dogs. In addition to the gastrointestinal effects of parvo, in very young and unborn puppies, it can damage the heart muscle as well.
Parvo is extremely contagious and is passed by direct dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces, environments and people. The virus can contaminate everything your dog touches, food and water bowls, collars and leashes, and the people who handle your dog and their clothing.
Parvo is a hardy virus that can survive extremes in temperature and humidity levels. It lives in the environment for long periods of time. Even tiny amounts of parvo-infected stool can contaminate an area and transmit the disease to other dogs entering the area. Parvo can be easily spread from one location to another on a dog's hair or feet, on a contaminated pet carrier and on shoes and other objects.
2. Distemper
Canine distemper, which is also known as Carre's disease and was once called hard pad disease, is a highly contagious virus that primarily affects young dogs, both domesticated and wild, between the ages of 2 and 6 months. The disease can be fatal, especially in puppies and wildlife.
Non-immunized dogs that come in contact with an infected animal carry a high risk of contracting distemper, as do puppies born to an infected mother, and young dogs under extreme stress or who are immunocompromised. Dogs exposed to wildlife may also have a heightened risk of contracting the disease.
Bacterial infections, especially of the respiratory or GI tract may also make dogs more susceptible to the virus. On rare occasions, improperly attenuated (formulated) CDV vaccines have also been implicated as a cause.
However, most dogs are exposed to the virus that when they inhale the respiratory secretions of an infected animal, or come in direct contact with infected feces, urine or saliva. CDV can also be spread through direct or indirect contact with the bedding, bowls or other items belonging to an infected dog.
In susceptible dogs, the virus first reproduces in the respiratory tract and then moves on to the lymph nodes and the lymph and blood circulatory systems throughout the body. CDV can also infect a dog's skin, GI and urogenital tracts, central nervous system and other areas of the body. Infected dogs can shed the virus for several months after infection, even when they are not showing clinical signs of illness.
3. Infectious Hepatitis
Infectious canine hepatitis, or ICH, is caused by the canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1). The infection can cause damage to cells throughout a dog's body, especially those located in the liver, kidneys and eyes. At one time, there was a vaccine available to protect dogs from type 1 adenovirus, but it was discontinued because it caused a condition called blue eye, which is a protein deposit that resulted in a bluish tint to one or both eyes of vaccinated dogs.
These days, we vaccinate against canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), which is a kennel cough virus, and the same core vaccine provides cross-protection against canine adenovirus type 1 as well.
ICH is found all over the world, and is spread by bodily fluids, including nasal discharge and urine. The most common method of transmission is direct contact with an infected dog, especially the dog's urine. Contaminated kennels or living quarters, bowls and other supplies, and human hands and shoes can also transmit the virus.
Dogs that recover from infectious canine hepatitis can shed the virus for up to a year in urine, which makes it very difficult to determine exactly what locations might be contaminated.
The infectious particles enter a dog's body through the nose or mouth and invade the tonsils, where the virus replicates and then infects nearby lymph nodes. The cytotoxic particles spread from the lymphatic system to the bloodstream in about a week. Once travelling through the blood, the virus infects other target organs, including the liver, kidneys and eyes, with the liver almost always being the most severely affected organ.
4. Rabies
The rabies virus, also called acute viral encephalomyelitis, is an extremely serious, usually fatal inflammatory infection that affects the brain and central nervous system (CNS). In dogs (and cats) in the U.S., the rabies virus is most often transmitted when an infected fox, raccoon, skunk, coyote or bat bites a pet. Infectious virus particles are present in the saliva of these animals to more efficiently transmit the disease.
It's extremely rare, but transmission has also been documented to occur through exposure to the escaping gases of an infected decomposing animal. This form of transmission usually occurs in caves where there are large populations of infected bats. It's something to think about if you have a hunting dog or you like to explore caves with your dog.
Rabies is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can also be transmitted to humans by infected animals. Once the rabies virus enters a pet's body, it multiplies in muscle cells, and then spreads to nearby peripheral sensory and motor nerves, which move it to the brain and central nervous system (CNS).
During the incubation period before the virus enters the CNS, the infected animal doesn't exhibit symptoms and can't transmit the disease. The virus moves relatively slowly, with the average time between exposure to brain involvement being three to eight weeks in dogs. However, incubation periods as long as six months have been reported in dogs.
I realize many pet parents are against all veterinary vaccines. And many vaccines conventional veterinarians recommend do provide more risk than benefit, in particular bacterin-based vaccines and non-core vaccines. But in some situations, leaving your puppy unvaccinated poses a much greater risk than benefit (those of you working in shelters and rescues know exactly what I'm talking about).
It's important to understand that not vaccinating your pet against the four diseases I discussed above means he's unprotected from infection. He'll be safe if you never let him outdoors or socialize him, which is obviously unthinkable. Your dog is a social creature — you can't isolate him and expect a good outcome.
Dogs deserve to go outside, run, breathe fresh air, move their bodies through the woods, sniff things and interact with other dogs. However, all these behaviors pose a risk to their health if they aren't protected against highly contagious, potentially deadly diseases. Over-vaccination is a terrible problem in the veterinary community, but in my professional opinion, providing baseline protection against these four diseases provides your pet with lifetime immunity — and you with peace of mind.
My vaccine protocol for puppies is to administer a first round of distemper, parvo and adenovirus before 12 weeks of age, usually around 9 to 10 weeks. I give the second round between 15 and 16 weeks. Two weeks after the second round, I titer to insure the dog has been immunized and not just vaccinated.
When it comes to rabies, I prefer to give the first vaccine at 6 months, and then as required by law, a booster one year later and every three years thereafter. Until immunity is established through titering at the two- to four-week mark after your pup's second round of shots, use extreme care if you take her to places where other dogs congregate, including:
Also, don't let your dog of any age come in contact with the poop of other dogs or wild animals, and properly dispose of your own pet's poop as well. If your dog is vomiting or has diarrhea or has been exposed to an ill dog, keep him away from any area where he might come in contact with other dogs or wild animals.
Unvaccinated dogs should not be exposed to ill dogs or those with questionable health or immunization histories. And if you are in contact with a sick dog, avoid contact with other dogs until you've washed your hands thoroughly and changed clothes, if necessary.
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HEALTHY PETS DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your own veterinarian or doctor. Dr. Karen Becker cannot answer specific questions about your pet's medical issues or make medical recommendations for your pet without first establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Your pet's medical protocol should be given by your holistic veterinarian.
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The Great North Run's pursuit of becoming the first race to have runners from all 193 United Nations is gathering pace with less than 48 countries remaining. Launched in February, the response to the initiative has been extremely positive and is the latest stage in the development of what is the world's largest half marathon.
In what will be its 35th year on Sunday 11 September, the Great North Run sees 57,000 enter the north east classic. Starting in Newcastle, the course takes in the iconic Tyne Bridge, goes through Gateshead passing the famous international athletics stadium and finishes in the coastal town of South Shields.
After succeeding in becoming the first ever competitive race to record one million finishers two years ago, the Great North Run has set its sights on this ambitious new project.
Great Run chief executive, Mark Hollinshead said: "Last year we had runners from every single postcode in the UK, which makes it Britain's biggest and favourite run. By inviting participants from every single country on the planet, it will reassert its credentials as the world's favourite run.
"We're inviting the people of the United Kingdom to help us find those runners which will make it a spectacular event. This year, we'll hopefully celebrate the fact that there's someone born in every country on the planet in one place, on one day, in the same event which will make it a world first."
To find out more about the campaign, visit the event website here.


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What a great weekend! Orgone and The Motet were amazing at State Bridge. Weather, friends, bike rides, the river....everything was perfect. As we sat at Rancho waiting for game time to roll around the moon stuck its head out to see what was going on.
Monday, July 22, 2013
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James Foster joins Wolfgang Goerlich on the podcast to discuss trust relationships. How does pass-the-hash actually work? James: "Before I did security assessments and pen testing, I knew about some of these problems. I think a lot of Windows admins and defenders do. But I did not fully understand their implications and I did not fully understand their impact. And that is the reason I want to do this talk." Listen to learn more.
Abstract: What's a trust relationship? Explicit ones are easy — these you setup explicitly and on purpose, like when you want Domain A to trust Domain B for authentication. It's the implicit ones that will get you, the ones you didn't setup on purpose. Like when you have the same local administrator password on a bunch of systems (own one, own them all!). Or when a domain admin leaves an access token behind on some user's workstation (user owns the domain!). If you support or defend Windows systems, you should know about the different kinds of implicit trusts in Windows (accounts, cached credentials and access tokens) and how to reduce your risks from them. Oh, and you know the phase of an APT-style attack after the end user's workstation is compromised but before they own your domain? The one that is sometimes glossed over with the phrases "lateral movement" and "privilege escalation"? Oftentimes, this happens by exploiting trust relationships.
For more information about BSides Detroit 13, please see:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download


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Recent Blog Entries
Why You Should Give Your Spouse Power Of Attorney
Six "Must Haves" for Nursing Home Contracts
What is the Medicaid Lookback Period?
Monday, June 4, 2018
The Veterans' Administration's non-service connected pension program can help supplement the income of elderly or disabled veterans. The VA deems any veteran age 65 or older to be permanently and totally disabled. This "disabled" classification entitles senior citizens who are veterans, or their widows, to tax-free pension payments regardless of their actual physical condition, provided they meet the needs-based criteria.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
As the population grows older, many elders must face the difficult challenges of aging, such as declining health, long-term care planning, asset protection and other financial concerns. The practice of elder law is designed to assist seniors with meeting these challenges and give them peace of mind knowing that they will age with dignity.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
While advances in medicine allow people to live longer, questions are often raised about life-sustaining treatment terminally ill patients may or may not want to receive. Those who fail to formally declare these wishes in writing to family members and medical professionals run the risk of having the courts make these decisions.
Sunday, April 1, 2018
By: Joseph T. "Chip" Buxton III, Certified Elder Law Attorney
A question we often hear from our estate planning clients," If I end up in a nursing home how do I pay for it? There are only three ways to pay for long-term care, and Medicare is not one of them. First, you can pay out of your own pocket. Second, you can purchase long-term care insurance, if you're healthy enough and can afford the premiums. Third, you can qualify for Medicaid.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Many veterans are unaware of the Aid and Attendance benefit, a component of the Veteran's Administration Improved Pension that was designed to provide much-needed financial help to elderly veterans and their spouses. Even veterans who know about this pension benefit, however, are frequently targeted by scam artists attempting to take advantage of elderly or infirm veterans and their families.
By educating yourself about the Aid and Attendance benefit and learning how to recognize a scam, you can ensure your family gets the help it deserves without falling prey to veteran's pension fraud.
What is the Aid and Attendance benefit?
The Aid and Attendance benefit provides additional financial benefits to veterans and their surviving spouses, over and above any other veteran's pension they receive. The benefit is available if the veteran or spouse requires a regular attendant to accomplish daily living tasks such as eating, bathing, undressing, taking medications, and toileting. The benefit is also available to veterans and their surviving spouses who are blind, who are patients in a nursing home due to physical or mental incapacity, or who are living in an assisted care facility.
The Aid and Attendance benefit is not limited to veterans with service-related injuries. Furthermore, it provides assistance to a veteran who is independent but has a sick spouse. In these situations, the pension benefit provides financial assistance to compensate for the income depletion caused by the care needs of the sick spouse.
How to avoid Aid and Attendance benefit scams
The most common scams target veterans through seminars and other types of outreach programs about the Aid and Attendance benefit. Usually, they promise to file a claim with the Veteran's Administration on behalf of the veteran, for a fee, but the claim is never filed or is filed incorrectly. Not only does this type of scam harm the veteran financially, an incorrectly filed claim could damage the veteran's ability to get approval of a correctly filed application.
Another type of scam targets homeless veterans. The scam artist promises to file an Aid and Attendance benefit application for the veteran, in exchange for a monthly fee taken out of the veteran's benefit check. The veteran agrees to have the check mailed to the scam artist's home or business address, and the scam artist takes the entire check or continues to take a monthly fee without performing any work for the vet.
If you or a family member has questions about the Aid and Attendance benefit or any other aspect of veteran's pensions, find a qualified veteran's pensions attorney or accredited service officer to give you the answers you and your family deserve.
Monday, June 29, 2015
There are many factors to consider when deciding whether or not to implement Medicaid planning. If you're in good health, now would be the prime time to do this planning. The main reason is that any Medicaid planning may entail using an irrevocable trust, or perhaps gifts to your children, which would incur a five-year look back for Medicaid qualification purposes. The use of an irrevocable trust to receive these gifts would provide more protection and in some cases more control for you.
As an example, if you were to gift assets directly to a child, that child could be sued or could go through a divorce, and those assets could be lost to a creditor or a divorcing spouse even though the child had intended to hold those assets intact in case they needed to be returned to you. If instead, you had used an irrevocable trust to receive the gifted assets, those assets would not have been considered the child's and therefore would not have been lost to the child's creditor or a divorcing spouse. You need to understand that doing this type of planning, and using the irrevocable trust, may mean that those assets are not available to you and therefore you need to be comfortable with that structure.
Depending upon the size of your estate, and your sources of income, perhaps you have sufficient assets to pay for your own care for quite some time. You should work closely with an attorney knowledgeable about Medicaid planning as well as a financial planner that can help identify your sources of income should you need long-term care. Also, you should look into whether or not you could qualify for long-term care insurance, and how much the premiums would be on that type of insurance.
Monday, March 9, 2015
The irrevocable Medicaid Asset Protection Trust has proven to be a highly effective estate planning tool for many older Americans. There are many factors to consider when deciding whether a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is right for you and your family. This brief overview is designed to give you a starting point for discussions with your loved ones and legal counsel.
A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust enables an individual or a married couple to transfer some of their assets into a trust, to hold and manage the assets throughout their lifetime. Upon their deaths, the remainder of the assets will be transferred to the heirs in accordance with the provisions of the trust.
This process is best explained by an example. Let's say Mr. and Mrs. Smith, both retired, own stocks and savings accounts valued at $300,000. Their current living expenses are covered by income from these investments, plus Social Security and their retirement benefits. Should either one of them ever be admitted to a skilled nursing facility, the Smiths likely will not have enough money left over to cover living and medical expenses for the rest of their lives.
Continuing the above example, the Smiths can opt to transfer all or a portion of their investments into a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust. Under the terms of the trust, all investment income will continue to be paid to the Smiths during their lifetimes. Should one of them ever need Medicaid coverage for nursing home care, the income would then be paid to the other spouse. Upon the deaths of both spouses, the trust is terminated and the remaining assets are distributed to the Smiths' children or other heirs as designated in the trust. As long as the Smiths are alive, their assets are protected and they enjoy a continued income stream throughout their lives.
However, the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is not without its pitfalls. Creation of such a trust can result in a period of ineligibility for benefits under the Medicaid program. The length of time varies, according to the value of the assets transferred and the date of the transfer. Following expiration of the ineligibility period, the assets held within the trust are generally protected and will not be factored in when calculating assets for purposes of qualification for Medicaid benefits. Furthermore, transferring assets into an irrevocable Medicaid Asset Protection Trust keeps them out of both spouses' reach for the duration of their lives.
Deciding whether a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is right for you is a complex process that must take into consideration many factors regarding your assets, income, family structure, overall health, life expectancy, and your wishes regarding how property should be handled after your death. An experienced elder law or Medicaid attorney can help guide you through the decision making process.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Many people purchase a life insurance policy as a way to ensure that their dependents are protected upon their passing. Generally speaking, there are two basic types of life insurance policies: term life and whole life insurance. With a term policy, the holder pays a monthly, or yearly, premium for the policy which will pay out a death benefit to the beneficiaries upon the holder's death so long as the policy was in effect. A whole life policy is similar to a term, but also has an investment component which builds cash value over time. This cash value can benefit either the policy holder during his or her lifetime or the beneficiaries.
During the Medicaid planning process, many people are surprised to learn that the cash value of life insurance is a countable asset. In most cases, if you have a policy with a cash value, you are able to go to the insurance company and request to withdraw that cash value. Thus, for Medicaid purposes, that cash value will be treated just like a bank account in your name. There may be certain exceptions under your state law where Medicaid will not count the cash value. For example, if the face value (which is normally the death benefit) of the policy is a fairly small amount (such as $10,000 or less) and if your "estate" is named as a beneficiary, or if a "funeral home" is named as a beneficiary, the cash value may not be counted. However, if your estate is the beneficiary then Medicaid likely would have the ability to collect the death proceeds from your estate to reimburse Medicaid for the amounts they have paid out on your behalf while you are living (this is known as estate recovery). Generally, the face value ($10,000 in the example) is an aggregate amount of all life insurance policies you have. It is not a per policy amount.
Each state has different Medicaid laws so it's absolutely essential that you seek out a good elder law or Medicaid planning attorney in determining whether your life insurance policy is a countable asset.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
If a person becomes mentally or physically handicapped to a point where they can no longer make rational decisions about their person or their finances, their loved ones may consider a guardianship or a conservatorship whereby a guardian would make decisions concerning the physical person of the disabled individual, and conservators make decisions about the finances.
Typically, a loved one who is seeking a guardianship or a conservatorship will petition the appropriate court to be appointed guardian and/or conservator. The court will most likely require a medical doctor to make an examination of the disabled individual, also referred to as the ward, and appoint an attorney to represent the ward's interests. The court will then typically hold a hearing to determine whether a guardianship and/or conservatorship should be established. If so, the ward would no longer have the ability to make his or her own medical or financial decisions. The guardian and/or conservator usually must file annual reports on the status of the ward and his finances.
Guardianships and conservatorships can be an expensive legal process, and in many cases they are not necessary or could be avoided with a little advance planning. One way is with a financial power of attorney, and advance directives for healthcare such as living wills and durable powers of attorney for healthcare. With those documents, a mentally competent adult can appoint one or more individuals to handle his or her finances and healthcare decisions in the event that he or she can no longer take care of those things. A living trust is also a good way to allow someone to handle your financial affairs – you can create the trust while you are alive, and if you become incompetent someone else can manage your property on your behalf.
In addition to establishing durable powers of attorney and advanced healthcare directives, it is often beneficial to apply for representative payee status for government benefits. If a person gets VA benefits, Social Security or Supplemental Security Income, the Social Security Administration or the Veterans' Administration can appoint a representative payee for the benefits without requiring a conservatorship. This can be especially helpful in situations in which the ward owns no assets and the only income is from Social Security or the VA.
When a loved one becomes mentally or physically handicapped to the point of no longer being able to take care of his or her own affairs, it can be tough for loved ones to know what to do. Fortunately, the law provides many options for people in this situation.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Families with significant net worth who have a tradition of philanthropy often consider establishing a charitable foundation as part of their estate plans. While there are a number of advantages to using family foundations as a philanthropic vehicle, families need to seek guidance from estate planning and tax professionals to ensure it is the best option for achieving their objectives.
According to The Foundation Center, there are over 35,000 family foundations in the US, responsible for more than $20 billion in gifts per year. While some foundations have tens of millions in assets, more than half report holdings totaling less than $1 million.
Minimizing various tax burdens is one benefit of creating a family foundation. However, if tax issues are your primary concern, then a different asset management and distribution vehicle will probably better suit your needs. While it is true that family foundations offer certain tax advantages—both in terms of current income tax obligations and future estate tax burdens—family foundations are also under many legal and regulatory obligations. These ongoing obligations mean that your family should choose to build a family foundation only if ongoing philanthropic giving is an enduring family goal.
Non-tax-related benefits of a family foundation include the following:
Types of Family Foundations
There are many different types of family foundations, each with certain advantages, disadvantages, and tax and regulatory obligations. The main types of family foundations include:
Issues to Consider when Establishing a Family Foundation
Once you and your family have carefully thought through these considerations, you should consult with an estate planning attorney and other tax advisors to determine which type of family foundation most effectively meets your family's giving objectives.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
When you are a child, your parents serve as your decision makers. They have ultimate say in where you go to school, what extracurricular activities you partake in and where, and how, you should be treated in the event of a medical emergency. While most parents continue to play a huge role in their children's lives long after they reach adulthood, they lose legal decision-making authority on that 18th birthday. Most young adults don't contemplate who can act on their behalf once this transfer of power occurs, and consequently they fail to prepare advance directives.
In the event of a medical emergency, if a young adult is conscious and competent to make decisions, the doctors will ask the patient about his or her preferred course of treatment. Even if the individual is unable to speak, he or she may still be able to communicate by using hand signals or even blinking one's eyes in response to questions.
But what happens in instances where the young adult is incapacitated and unable to make decisions? Who will decide on the best course of treatment? Without advance directives, the answer to this question can be unclear, often causing the family of the incapacitated person emotional stress and financial hardship.
In instances of life threatening injury or an illness that requires immediate care, the doctors will likely do all they can to treat the patient as aggressively as possible, relying on the standards of care to decide on the best course of treatment. However, if there is no "urgent" need to treat they will look to someone else who has authority to make those decisions on behalf of the young individual. Most states have specific statutes that list who has priority to make decisions on behalf of an incapacitated individual, when there are no advance directives in place. Many states favor a spouse, adult children, and parents in a list of priority. Doctors will generally try to get in touch with the patient's "next of kin" to provide the direction necessary for treatment.
A number of recent high-profile court cases remind us of the dangers of relying on state statues to determine who has the authority to make healthcare decisions on behalf of the ill. What happens if the parents of the incapacitated disagree on the best course of treatment? Or what happens if the patient is estranged from her spouse but technically still married- will he have ultimate say? For most, the thought is unsettling.
To avoid the unknown, it's highly recommended that all adults, regardless of age, work with an estate planning attorney to prepare advance directives including a health care power of attorney (or health care proxy) as well as a living will which outline their wishes and ensure compliance with all applicable state statutes.
Previous Posts
The Effects of Gifts on Medicaid Planning
Reverse Mortgages and Older Americans
Preventing Falls in the Home
Legal Issues of Caring for Parents with Dementia
A Brief Introduction to End of Life Legal Planning
What is the Older Americans Act?
4 Reasons Everyone Needs an Estate Plan
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Since 2006 the NC Tobacco-Free Colleges movement has been working to empower college campuses to protect students, employees, and visitors from the harms of secondhand smoke. The focus is to work collaboratively with campuses to promote policy adoption, reduce tobacco-related health disparities, and promote access to tobacco cessation services among college students.
North Carolina law allows both private colleges and community colleges to prohibit all tobacco use on campus (G.S. 143-599) and become 100% tobacco-free. The law also prohibits smoking in UNC system dormitories beginning in the 2008-2009 academic year. G.S. 143-596 allows UNC system schools to prohibit smoking within 100 linear feet of a campus building. The law also allows the medical facilities of UNC-Chapel Hill and East Carolina University to completely prohibit smoking on the grounds and walkways of these facilities. There is still work to be done to pass legislation so that the UNC system schools can pass comprehensive tobacco use prevention policies.
College students deserve safe, clean air as well as anyone else. Tobacco-free policies on campuses contribute to changing the tobacco-free social norm in the same way smoke-free restaurants and K-12 schools have for North Carolina. Young adults (age 18-24) smoke at the highest rates and quitting smoking before age 30 can drastically reduce risk of tobacco-related diseases. Most smokers have tried to quit, and we want to make quitting easier on campus. In addition, the American College Health Association recommends 100% tobacco-free buildings and grounds to support students in their development of healthy lifestyles and to protect students, faculty, and staff from the known harms of secondhand smoke. Join others throughout NC in adopting these policies.
By clicking on this link you can look up individual college campus policies throughout North Carolina. You will find UNC system, private colleges, and community college policies. If you click on our "Get Involved & Get Resources" tab above you will find numerous fact sheets on tobacco use, policy examples, and how-to documents.


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Are these cute or what? Ken's got peach Converse-style sneakers. No, I didn't get them today, but they are on my list. Is peach an "in" color for men's footwear this summer? I haven't noticed the trend, but perhaps it is. I have seen pastel men's suede shoes and low boots, but never have I seen peach sneakers. For guys, I mean. Not that I know all about men's footwear.
What do you think? Go, Ken? Or oh, no, Ken!
And why 1981 on the pullover?


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by w4l3XzY3
by w4l3XzY3
by w4l3XzY3
On Friday, July 22, 2016 Get Smart B4 U Get Sexy partnered with UCLA to facilitate a sexual health and healthy relationship workshop entitled All Da Game: Tools to See Through Smooth Talking for twenty-six eleventh graders. During the workshop we discussed sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptive methods and the ingredients of healthy and unhealthy relationships.
(A few of the characteristics of un/healthy relationships we brainstormed together)
The goal of this workshop was to dispel myths around sexual health and contraception and to empower the students to be able to tell the difference between smooth talking and the truth. We made the workshop fun and lively by using current memes as a guiding force in our presentation
The text in each meme was a common bedroom "line". For example, hasty partners might say "condoms don't expire" when they only have an old condom left in their wallet. Or another partner might claim that 'lambskin condoms feel better and are just like real condoms'. In the heat of the moment it might be hard to distinguish a myth like this from fact without Google's help.
The goal of this workshop was to dispel myths around sexual health and contraception and to empower the students to be able to tell the difference between smooth talking and the truth. We made the workshop fun and lively by using current memes as a guiding force in our presentation. The text in each meme was a common bedroom "line". For example, hasty partners might say "condoms don't expire" when they only have an old condom left in their wallet. Or another partner might claim that 'lambskin condoms feel better and are just like real condoms'. In the heat of the moment it might be hard to distinguish a myth like this from fact without Google's help.
To learn more about our workshop or how we can come to your school contact our Outreach Coordinator at firstname.lastname@example.com.
I don't know about you but i've felt sad, overwhelmed and anxious these past few days. This could be because there are videos of innocent Black men being executed on my Facebook newsfeed or it could be the ominous feeling that I always have…waiting for the next hashtag… waiting to hear that another Black man or woman has been executed by an officer and nothing will be done about it. This type of grief can be short term or chronic. Nonetheless, we must find ways to process it. There are seven stages of grief: 1. Shock/Disbelief 2. Denial 3. Anger 4. Bargaining 5. Guilt 6. Depression 7. Acceptance/Hope.
This week at Sisters of the Yam we focused on grief and identified the places in our lives where we are grieving, and the places inside us where there is perpetual grief. We identified the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that let us know we are in a particular stage of grief. For instance, some women stated that they knew that they were in stage 2: denial when they started to distract themselves or tune out/disassociate.
In many ways our grief becomes an unconscious habit. This exercise asked participants to become more conscious of the way we move through sadness, as it shows the way we move toward healing.
We ended up seeing that our ways of moving through grief didn't always make us feel amazing or nourished. We also identified the stages of grief we often get stuck in. Some of us stay angry. Some of us stay depressed. It is important to know that these are all steps to healing. All coming closer to acceptance and hope.
Afterwards, we all made custom designed grieving plans. We asked ourselves, in ideal circumstances how would we move through our sadness, restlessness and anger? For instance, if we have the urge to lay in bed all day long because we feel depressed, how else might we honor that lack of energy. Could we take a long bath, instead of sleeping all day, as an act of self care and soak till the water gets cold. After brainstorming for a while we each shared our plans for grieving consciously.
Look on the site to see our 7 stages of grieving chart and check out our "conscious grieving plans" here:
Valuing ourselves is a key ingredient in any relationship.
When we value ourselves, we believe we deserve respect, kindness and honesty. We must know this when entering a relationship. If we don't know this when we enter a relationship, it is easy to believe we just got "lucky," or that we hit the jackpot by finding a person to love us. But that is not the truth, you are valuable with or without a date, partner or boo. And when you do find someone, their love and affection is a response to who You are…not what you can give sexually, financially or emotionally.
We must learn to balance the love we have for ourselves with the love we have for our partners.
Yvonne Wynter
I crawled into his embrace as I tried to think of us as something normal.
But in fact we weren't even an "us" – a couple, partners or some form of a unit. We only lived in the moment together; casual friends who also happened to move together in similar and different ways through breathing, friction and moans. We didn't have sex all the time but when we did either one of us would leave afterwards to return home, or depending on how tired we were, we would make room for the other in the bed that we had just fooled around in. On this particular night I felt more and wanted there to be more between us but knew that this fantasy could not be a reality because there was nothing more at hand. I had already been objectified, rejected for someone else by this person, but somehow every 3 months there was a text, an invitation or a social media conversation that had us right back at square one – hanging out again as new friends, getting to know each other and maybe eventually we would find ourselves in a passionate "friends with benefits" kiss.
He had told me "Damn, I have been messing around with white girls for too long; Black girls are the real deal." I felt flattered by his compliment and it was great to have an attractive brotha-who-should-be-dating-the-sistahs acknowledge that he wasn't giving us any love, but in the end he was only using me and my body for an exchange – for him to feel pleasure without any real commitment to me or my feelings. I thought that after this comment he would choose me, but his idea of love and relationships was only reserved for someone or something else and I was left in the shadows. After a night of hooking up and me initiating a conversation about relationships and him addressing that he wasn't ready for one, I laid back in bed thinking that he needed space and that I was being respectful by accepting and acknowledging his needs. However, when I invited him to hang out the next day, he texted back saying the idea of hanging out was tempting but he couldn't. Tempting? I was confused. We had acknowledged that we were friends last night,friends that may enjoy conversations and hanging out even after having sex…why would it be tempting to hang out? I thought about it with no reason as to why he would use this language except for trying to be playful. I responded, "Tempting?" His response: "I just can't justify hanging out with other women." "What?" Was this some riddle I needed to find the answer to? "Explain," I shot back. To my astonishment he responded that he couldn't justify hanging out with other women because he was in a relationship with someone else. I was flabbergasted. Had we not just spoken the night before about relationships and had he not stated he wasn't ready? What had I misread or misheard from the previous night? I was confused, shocked and felt used. How could someone lie blatantly to someone else? We had acknowledged our relationship as friends who sometimes hook up, so why was it hard for him to say there was someone else in the picture, especially if that other person didn't want him seeing other women. At that moment I was thankful we had always used condoms. I know that even by using condoms during penetrative sex there is still a risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) but that was a low risk we were both open to since we had previously talked about our STI testing history and current situation.
I was hurt– no lie- because I felt I had put more energy into our friendly exchanges than he had. I felt stupid and kept thinking that I should have known better, that I could have avoided this. Yes, I could have had more hindsight, but I didn't. What did I learn? That you can't control other people's emotions, nor their actions. That at the end of the day we can't put ourselves down if someone doesn't give us the respect that we know we deserve. We can only state what we want and be prepared for the affirmation of yes, or no, and move accordingly. And that begins by not being afraid to ask for what we want.
I am worthy of love, respect and enjoying my sexuality.
How do I get smart b4 I get sexy?
By acknowledging my needs at the moment and asking myself questions to make me more aware of how I will and want to be involved with someone. Am I open to casual sex? Do I want an open relationship? Do I know their relationship or STI status? Do I prefer a committed relationship at the moment? Asking myself some of these questions prepares me before I get sexy, so that I know I am always making the right decision based on my needs and wants.
Have a narrative or writing piece to share with Get Smart B4U Get Sexy?
Send writing submission or call 323.290.5955 to learn more about the Get Smart Get Sexy Writers team within Black Women for Wellness' Get Smart B4U Get Sexy campaign.
Get Smart B4U Get Sexy is a movement that wants to know how can we support one another in being smart and sexy, and to make sure that we are creating a sexual and reproductive health culture that is safe, consensual, affirming, nonjudgmental, pleasurable and addresses all our diverse needs, as we are the ones in charge of our reproductive, sexual health and well-being.
By Monica Groves
A major personality trait of many women is the "want" to be liked by everyone.
It stems from not wanting to disappoint or let down their friends and loved ones. This "want" to be accepted leads to us compromising and stretching ourselves too thin. This causes a lack of self-preservation that throws us off our center.
Wanting to be liked comes at a price; the price of your peace of mind and freedom to just BE. As I transition into this new phase in my life, I am learning to say NO. Not only am I saying NO; I am saying No without Explaining.
1. If you are called on to do favors for people repeatedly and it has begun to stress you out, say NO. Love yourself enough to distance yourself from people and circumstances that do not bring you peace.
2. If you are invited out to events at the last minute and would rather stay home or do something else, say NO. It's inconsiderate for someone to habitually invite you to things at the last minute. It does not allow you time to prepare. Maybe your hair isn't done or you haven't de-haired. Now you have to run through the house like Taz trying to get ready for something that isn't necessary to your peace. It's ok to decline and if they ask why…don't even dignify them with a response. You do not have to explain yourself.
3. A major thing that women do is appease; especially in sexual relationships. There are conscious and subconscious undercurrents of sexism when it comes to gender roles. In an effort to be liked and please their man, women will concede to sexual encounters that they don't want to have. She becomes a body with no voice.
• A voluntary, sober, imaginative, enthusiastic, creative, wanted, informed, mutual, honest, and verbal agreement
• An active agreement: Consent cannot be coerced
• A process, which must be asked for every step of the way; if you want to move to the next level of sexual intimacy, just ask
• Never implied and cannot be assumed, even in the context of a relationship. Just because you are in a relationship does not mean that you have permission to have sex with your partner
• An important part of healthy sexuality
To start a change in perception, reality and action take inventory. Write down the things about yourself that you value and like and defend them. Stand tall and firm in who you are. Once you value who you are and what you are, you are less like to let others storm the citadel of your temple. The valuing of your temple is how you empower yourself. You are making yourself stronger from the inside out so that when you are asked to do something you don't want to do you have the confidence to say no. And with confidence comes peace and that freedom from disturbance by outside influences brings happiness.
So say NO if it brings you happiness because in the end you are solely responsible for it. Don't feel that you have to explain because you don't need to justify your happiness.
Have a narrative or article to share with Get Smart B4U Get Sexy?
Send writing submissions to firstname.lastname@example.com or call 323.290.5955 to learn more about the Get Smart Get Sexy Writers team within Black Women for Wellness' Get Smart B4U Get Sexy campaign.
Get Smart B4U Get Sexy is a movement that aims to end sexual and reproductive health disparities through creating a community of smart and sexy women who are creating a sexual and reproductive health culture that is safe, affirming, nonjudgmental, pleasurable and addresses all our diverse needs in order to maintain autonomy over our own reproductive, sexual health and well-being.
We cannot love ourselves if we do not know ourselves.
The Vagina is very special and a central part to our womanly selves and being so lets start taking more than a peak, exploring ourselves and knowing our power.
Females Know Your Power / Know your V Power: 7 Fun Facts
1. Clitoris = Greek for "divine and goddess like" The clitoris is only in female mammals. The clitoris is the most sensitive part of the female genitals and the only organ in the body that exists solely for sexual pleasure. The clitoris has more nerve endings than anywhere else on the body and more nerve endings than the penis. The clitoris can become erect oftentimes looking bigger and feeling hard.
2. Your vagina actually expands during sex a.k.a vaginal tenting. Vaginal tenting is when the inner two-thirds of your vagina increase in length and width when you're aroused.
3. The Vagina is the queen of self-sufficiency and takes good care to clean itself. Your vagina does not need any special vaginal products nor washes and in fact those washes can actually do more harm than good often times causing yeast and/or bacterial infections. Let your vagina breathe and just use water. No douching is necessary! Also choose tampons without deodorant since these too can affect your vagina's climate.
"Like the eye, the vagina is a self-cleaning organ. During a normal menstrual cycle, a woman's vagina will spew forth a total of two to six tablespoons of blood. During ovulation, her punani will burp up one or two teaspoons of liquid discharge in order to clear the cervix of dead cells. The rest of the month, her cooter will spit forth only a half-teaspoon of fluid per day."
– Thought Catalog, Fun Facts About the Vagina
4. The vagina is not an opening to the abdominal cavity. The cervix located at the top of the vagina lies between the vagina and uterus. If you feel for your cervix it feels like the tip of your nose. In the middle of the cervix is a small round opening called the os which leads to the uterus. The opening of the cervix is tiny and opens more during the menstrual cycle but don't worry it is so small that only microscopic sperm can travel through. Both tampons and condoms can not fit through your os, so it is impossible to lose anything in your vagina!
5. Vaginal discharge is normal; there are changes to our discharge that occur before and after both the ovulation and menstruation cycles. Discharge can be clear and sticky like egg whites during ovulation and thicker and whiter later on in your cycle.
6. The back ⅔ of the vagina has essentially no sensitivity, which is why sometimes someone can put a tampon in and hours later, realize they completely forgot about it. The lower ⅓ of the vagina and the vaginal opening are quite sensitive, though: the outer one-third of the vagina contains nearly 90 percent of the vaginal nerve endings. – Scareleteen, With Pleasure: A View of Whole Sexual Anatomy for Every Body
7. Orgasms relieve stress and cramping. During orgasms the brain releases oxytocin which produces feelings of warmth and relaxation.
J. Cole's latest album continues to receive deserved attention for his honest and critical analysis of the music industry's effects on society and his storytelling ability, which asks the questions: what is success really worth and at what expense?
What stands out to Get Smart B4U Get Sexy is how J. Cole uses his music to be a point for health education; promoting condom use in his latest song Wet Dreamz with the lyrics "practice putting condoms on, how it go right?" J. Cole talks about more than condom use and shows how there is still pressure and shame involved in sexual, intimate relationships.
Males still feel shame when admitting that they are virgins/inexperienced. His lyrics show how it is uncool to speak the truth and the pressure that exists for young people to be honest about their sexual experiences. There is an idea that we already need to be pros at sex even when just thinking about it or before we have actually engaged in any sexual acts with another person. Women feel this same pressure as well especially in regards to the need to always please their partner or expressing to their partner that they are in an orgasmic stage when they may not be close to reaching it but don't want to hurt their partner's feelings. Sex should not be a direct transaction where it needs to be perfect every time; one person reaching orgasm and then the other or both having an orgasm at the same time. In reality, sex is another journey that involves exploration and recognizing what you enjoy and don't enjoy and speaking out on it to acknowledge needs and to respect consent throughout sex. Only through communication can sex become better and more pleasurable for everyone involved. It is the lack of communication during sex that is affecting our pleasure and increasing our exposure to STDs especially if condom negotiation doesn't happen. We still have work to do on our communication, honesty and removing the shame and judgment from sex especially when looking to have safe, pleasurable experiences.
In J. Cole's song Wet Dreamz not only did he take time to explore how to put on a condom properly but he also explored his body and the woman's body when looking at porn and his other pre-sex practices. Knowledge of your body and your partner's is important especially when expressing what feels good and expressing what doesn't. Also practicing talking about condoms and putting them on is helpful to ensure that you will actually pull one out before / during sex.
Thank you J.Cole for adding to the conversation. Listen to his track here:
The holidays are a time to gather together; to spend with friends, family, your partner of ___ months/years or that new boo that you are kinda feelin' hella tough. The holidays are a reason to celebrate and even share gifts of appreciation and love. Some of those gifts may be the latest cool gadgets to socks or even something special to share after a sweet kiss under the mistletoe. At the end of the day if you are thinking of buying something sexy to either give to your partner, boo or whatever sweet name you may have for someone you share intimate relationships with don't be shy about it. Remember that pleasure is a right and it's always good to share the gift of pleasure even if that gift is intended for you. Self-care is vital and exploring your pleasure points or someone else's is a self-care practice that can help relax and even stimulate all your senses.
Before you start exploring and purchasing let's review some of the basics…
Introducing a sex toy to the bedroom can add some variety to some people's sexual practices. When using toys it is always important to talk to your partner and know what you are comfortable with, how much penetration does someone want, pace, texture, width of ridges…because toys don't have feelings so talking to your partner ensures that no one gets hurt. Sanitation is always key when introducing sex toys as well and lube is always a good friend to have to accompany the sex toys.
Sex toys are made of various materials from latex to silicone to glass or metal. Often times some people explore with non-traditional sex toys like fruits or vegetables, hair brush handles… something important to know about the material of your sex toy before play time is porous or nonporous.
|Materials: jelly rubber, latex, vinyl, wood, fruits, vegetables.
|Materials: silicone, hard plastic, acryic, glass, metal.
|Pros: usually less expensive, less firm texture which some people consider to be more "flesh-like"
|Pros: Smaller in size, Easy to clean and sanitized with hot boiling water. Firmer texture is sometimes preferred by some people.
|Cons: cannot be completely cleaned. Some jelly rubbers contain phthalates, a plasticizer that has shown to have health concerns for some people. Jelly rubber items are also sometimes colored or scented in ways that may be irritating or allergic-reactive for some people.
|Cons: The firmer texture may be less preferred by some who prefer the less firm "fleshy texture" of more porous materials.Cannot use silicon lube with silicone toys.
Butt plugs are meant to be put in the rectum and can stay in place on their own. It again is very important that all anal toys have flared ends to ensure that the toy does not get stuck / "lost" inside the anus. Some people enjoy movement with the butt plugs once they are put inside the rectum – this movement can vary in speed and angle. Other people simply enjoy the fullness that butt plugs create once the butt plug is inserted and may just enjoy the butt plugs being kept in place.
Anal beads classically are a series of small balls connected by string. These are inserted into the rectum and pulled out (many people prefer they be pulled out slowly, to enjoy the sensation). Many of these are very poorly-made, with sharp edges on the plastic balls and with porous, impossible to clean string. Some companies manufacture plastic or silicone anal beads that have a stem, rather than a string, connecting the balls. These may be much easier to clean.
Cock Rings can be used for extra decoration and also to increase the strength of an erection. Cock rings help to keep blood in the penis leading to a longer erection. Cock rings come in a variety of materials: stretchy rubber, silicone, leather or metal. For beginner cock ring users it is advised to experiment first with cock rings that can be stretched on or off or cock rings that can be snapped or unsnapped to remove before jumping into solid rings.
Dildos are meant to be inserted in vaginas but can be used anally as well. Although most people use dildos for internal play they can be used for external stimulation as well. There are both "representational dildos" – those that look like penises – and "nonrepresentational dildos," which come in a variety of shapes such as fists, dolphins, etc.
You may see two-headed dildos which sometimes can be viewed and used as the "strapless dildo." Two-headed dildos are often used without a harness in porn films adding to their pleasurable allure. However, many people find that the "strapless dildo" is often too much work and leaves many individuals feeling unsatisfied because the strapless double dildo can be hard to control and maneuver without it falling out. Using a harness alleviates the problems of having the dildo move out of place at inopportune times and gives partners more control when experimenting with different thrusts, strokes or movements at various speeds and depths. If both partners enjoy penetration the two-headed dildo is a toy for the dual penetrative experience.
Dildos – can be used for individual pleasure and / with partners. Dildos often times have flat bases that are meant to be held or worn in a harness, or they can have a second head so that penetration can occur for both partners simultaneously. Harness dildos can be worn around the hips, as well as a harness that can attach to legs or arms.
Vibrators – come in many different shapes, sizes, and can be used for either internal vaginal penetration or external stimulation of the vulva or clitoris. The vulva and clitoris often respond to vibration so external stimulation with vibrators can be a great gift especially when there are fun small discreet external vibrators on the market like those that look like lipstick cases. The vibrators can hit a variety of speeds and oftentimes the plug-in external vibrators can lead to more powerful sensations.
G Spot Stimulators – To locate the G-Spot insert a finger an inch or two into the vagina and press up towards the belly button – this area is the g spot and for some people can be a pleasurable area for stimulation. For some people the G Spot responds to more fullness and pressure on the area and g spot stimulators which are curved dildos or vibrators are meant to hit this area inside of the vagina and incite warm wonderful sensations.
Anal Toys – As mentioned before dildos can be used for anal play however most dildos can over-stimulate or be uncomfortable for most people during anal play so looking for dildos that are smaller, smooth and slightly curved is advised. However, if dildos do not work for you there are other great toys for anal play. With all anal toys it is important that all sex toys have a flared base to prevent the toy from being "lost" within the anus. This is crucial since the anus does not have an ending point like the vagina does with the cervix.
Want the Naked Truth About Sex Toys? Check out Sex Toy Reviews at Visit Autostraddle.com
Fun Gift Guides to Explore
1. Holiday Gift Guide: The Perfect Sex Toys for You and Your Partner
2. 21 Lustworthy Gifts for a Sexy Holiday Season
3. The 13 Best Sex Toys for Your Most Adventurous Friends (Or Yourself)
4. Sexy Holiday Gift Guide from Good Vibes
In Los Angeles and looking for a store to explore? Check out The Pleasure Chest on Santa Monica Blvd – where staff members are always willing to give non-judgmental, unbiased information to customers.
The Pleasure Chest
7733 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90046
Open to 12 am daily


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New: Caribou, "Our Love"
Since Canadian electronic music producer and mathematics expert Dan Snaith a.k.a. Caribou announced the follow-up to 2010's Swim back in June, new singles from the project have been scarce, containing only a blissful number called "Can't Do Without You" and also, an extended version of the song. But Caribou fans the world over were able to rejoice today when Snaith released a new single, the title track from his forthcoming Our Love, which hits hard. It's far more of a dance-worthy gem than its predecessor, with menacing electronic riffs and a relentless beat that, somehow, merges quite fluidly with the soft spoken vocals. Well, really, it's just the same two words repeated. Hear it below; Our Love drops on October 7th in the US via Merge, and a day before in Europe and the UK via City Slang.


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Paleo Pumpkin-Walnut Muffins|This Is Why I'm Full
Here's another recipe I trot out around the first of the year. I always say I'm going to eat healthier, I'm going to exercise, I'm going to really take care of myself. These muffins were always the kick off for the new year (and then bacon cravings kick in…) Anyway, these muffins are delicious and curb my pumpkin cravings I get around the holidays. Not only that my fiancee loves them too, now if only we could stick to our diets.
Let us know what you think of these Paleo Pumpkin-Walnut Muffins and comment below with any questions/suggestions! Be sure and sign up for our Newsletter where we will be posting and sending out recipes we are going to make and giving you the opportunity to give us suggestions for what we should make next! Enjoy!
Print Recipe
|Prep Time
|8 minutes
|Cook Time
|35 minutes
Paleo Pumpkin-Walnut Muffins
- 1 cup almond flour/meal
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 large Eggs
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and blend well.
- Coat muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray (or use paper liners) and divide batter among six cups.
- Bake for 32-35 minutes or until muffins are cooked all the way through.
- Allow to cool before serving.


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See images from Himawari-8 in the new satellite viewer
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with fast internet connection and high data allowance.
Low-definition satellite images
Satellite View Selection
18:30 AEST on Monday 6 April 2020 | Cloud/surface composite, Australia
Images from Japan Meteorological Agency satellite Himawari 8 via Bureau of Meteorology.
IDY28000 Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology Bureau National Operations Centre Satellite Notes for the 1800UTC Chart Issued at 5:00 am EST Tuesday on 07 April 2020 Broad areas of low cloud lie over the southeast coast of Australia from northern NSW, through to eastern SA including VIC and TAS. This is due to an onshore flow directed both by the passage of a cold front and the building of a high pressure ridge across southeast Australia. Extensive convective clouds, including thunderstorms, are present over northern WA. They are being generated due to the interaction between a surface trough and a moist unstable airmass. An extensive area of mid to high level cloud is also present over the interior of the continent extending through SA and western VIC. This is due to an upper level disturbance.


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At White Oaks West, we strive to provide the best in veterinary care for our patients. We are also proponets of client education, as we believe that by offering our knowledge and resources to you, you will have a greater ability to contribute to your companion's good health. While we take great care to educate our clients about all of the healthcare opportunities that are available to them, we find that each family is unique in their philosophies and abilities and we try to cater to the individual needs of each pet and family. The compassionate, individualized care the we extend to each patient and the high standards we maintain in our services and client relations are sure to please you and your pet!
Since Smidgie was 7 weeks old--White Oaks West was our choice. Wouldn't go any where else! Pleasant checkin/out. Very helpful assistance in the exam room. All veterinarians show care when dealing with pet parents that aren't the best at brushing teeth and giving people food nibbles.
White Oaks West is the most impressive animal clinic we have ever used. The staff are wonderful, friendly, and caring, and so are the doctors. Most importantly they saved my little buddy when my local vet and all others had thrown in the towel. He was very close to death and now you would never know he'd been ill. Dr. Britney is a miracle worker!
Everyone was so cordial and we all shared anecdotes . Funny names for pets was the topic. Pets sure get those funny names . She mentioned that she went to school with Kiki Jones so my cat really does have nine lives and that must have been one of the others . Kiki was on rat patrol so I had to leave and as I mentioned that I cringed because a person was in their waiting with a ferret to be checked although a ferret is not a rat ,would Kiki know ? Thanks again !
This is our second dog, and we would never consider taking him to another vet. Dr. McLaughlin and her staff are so thoughtful, kind and caring to all animals. From the reception staff through all of the vets you will simply not find a better animal clinic for your pets.
What can I say, but thank you thank you to the front desk staff, the Doctor, and the behind the scenes staff for putting up with "the Cat", Liliana Snagglefur, she's a definite challenger to all, Once I manage to finally get her into the crate, she's in your hands and well taken care of. I've been going to Dr. Hurst's Vet office for ? 25 years, now on the 2nd cat and have nothing but praise.
White Oaks West Animal Hospital has three AVMA-affiliated veterinarians trained at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and a large professional support staff of veterinary technicians dedicated to making sure that your pet receives the attention and individual care you deserve. Our hospital's state of the art technology allows us to offer a variety of services sure to address all of your pet's needs, including preventative care programs, therapeutic services, advanced imaging and surgical procedures, dentistry, boarding, and more.
We invite you to allow White Oaks West Animal Hospital to become your partners in providing outstanding health care for your pet.


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Inner Vision for the Weekend of September 2, 2016
Inner Vision is a weekly digest connecting the dots between great everyday objects and the cultures and techniques behind living well with them. Here, we move beyond recommendations and ratings, because just as important as knowing what to buy is knowing what's possible using the products you've purchased.
Blown Away: Blowing onto a camera lens before wiping away dust may seem convenient, but it isn't advisable. Same goes for using canned-air cleaner or air expelled from a compressor. The habit can make a small problem into a bigger one. The proper way to clean photography gear requires just a few implements, minimizing contact and probably requiring only a few puffs from a blower.
His Wrap Game Is Strong: The Roadie Wrap is one of those time-tested techniques perfected by professionals whose livelihoods depend on efficiency and reliability. "Overworked and underpaid" isn't just their mantra—it happens to also be the best way to remember how to keep cords and cables stowed without damaging them.
Method Acting: The Ivy Lee Method system reputedly convinced Charles Schwab, then CEO of Bethlehem Steel, of its merits after boosting the company's productivity by 20 percent. True or not, the system's six-item checklist is ridiculously simple, and thus easy to use and stick with compared with most productivity tips.
What a Sweet Idea: Caramel sauce is traditionally the amalgamation of sugar, cream, butter, and salt. The application of heat to sugar is key, setting off a thermochemical reaction resulting in caramel's characteristically nutty-charred flavor and scent. But keep in mind that you can caramelize any sugar at the right temperature—even the sugar from a watermelon. Yes, there's such thing as watermelon-juice caramel!
Just Do It: Unlike Elliot Alderson, you'd probably do well listening to the voice inside your head, the one telling you to put down that second donut, to call your mom, or in my case this weekend, to finally paint the bedroom walls. So go ahead, be impulsive.
I Love Spooning: Jimmy DiResta's video documenting the making of a spoon beginning from a "100-plus-year-old piece of yellow pine found in a dumpster in New York City" isn't just satisfying in its conclusion, but also for the strangely hypnotizing symphony of tools shaping the wood along the way.
Our Lives As One Giant Junk Drawer: "There are 300,000 items in the average American home ... The average American throws away 65 pounds of clothing per year ... Over the course of our lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for misplaced items." We're living with an affluenza of abundance.
Model Behavior: In the hands of a child, a set of Legos empower a playful and physical extension of their imagination. Offered to a group of professional architects? A serious challenge to realize Mies van der Rohe's declaration, "Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins."
The Luxury of Silence: I love traveling, but I've always hated airports because of the relentless cacophony that intrudes and invades (even with headphones affixed) before reaching cruising altitude. Unfortunately, the option for silence is only offered at an upgrade price. "In the process, we've sacrificed silence — the condition of not being addressed. And just as clean air makes it possible to breathe, silence makes it possible to think."
Wild at Heart: Auteur David Lynch is the perfect embodiment of the creative mind exploring the unconscious with conscious intent. His interview about fishing for good ideas may inspire a few good ideas of your own: "Happiness in the doing is so important, and I always say it's our life going by. And then this creativity flowing ... ideas are easier to catch ... ideas that could take you out of drudgery work and lead you to some place, some fantastic things."
Got an interesting story, link, resource, or how-to you think we should check out for consideration for our next issue of Inner Vision? Drop us a line with the subject "Inner Vision," and we'll take a look!