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The emerging role of cocoa solids in disease prevention.
Cocoa Good; Chocolate Bad
Doctor's Note
A few of the latest videos on the many health benefits of different flavonoids:
- Dark Chocolate and Artery Function
- A Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Fat Burning Via Flavonoids
- Anti-Angiogenesis: Cutting Off Tumor Supply Lines
- Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic & Flavonoids
More on HDL Cholesterol:
And check out the other videos on cocoa.
For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Stool Size and Breast Cancer Risk, Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli, Soymilk: shake it up!
If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.
86 responses to "Cocoa Good; Chocolate Bad"
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For some context, please also check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer Stem Cells vs. Broccoli!
To anyone who sees this, I wanted to share my healthy "brownie" recipe. After seeing the videos about cocoa, dates, and nuts, I knew I had to give it a try, and they turned out great. You will not miss the old brownies after this! And, the best part is, you can eat as many as you want because every single ingredient is healthy!
1 c dates
1 c walnuts (I'm sure any nuts will work though)
1/4 c cocoa (or to taste – everyone likes different amounts)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Put all of this in a high-powered blender (like Vitamix) and blend to desired consistency. We like ours with chunks of walnut still intact, but you could also blend them perfectly smooth.
Yum–sounds delicious! Thanks so much for posting. Anyone else have any healthy dessert ideas to share?
Two frozen sliced bananas, a tablespoon of cocoa, and about a 1/2 cup of non-dairy milk in the blender: easily the best chocolate 'ice cream' I've ever had!
I've made smoothies (recovery drinks) from frozen bananas and cocoa, add water if necessary. Extraordinarily simple and exponentially good.
Chocolate Chia Pudding
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 tablespoon cocoa
1/4 cup water
1/2 tablespoon sweetener to taste (agave, maple syrup, erythritol, etc)
Directions: Mix chia, water, and milk together and stir for about a minute or two. Next add in the cocoa and sweetener to taste. Stir for another minute and then pop it into the fridge for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from fridge and stir for another 20-30 seconds.
Vegan milkshake:
A picher of nutmilk. – use your favourite nuts(we usually use
Hazelnut) when I say pitcher we usually fill a Vitamix 4/5 and use 4 handfuls of nuts. — the strained nuts goes in the freezer and gets re-used later for "raw-food" bread
4 spoons of cacao powder
4 – 5 medjool dates
1 tsp vanilla
4 – 5 frozen bananas (unpeel them and put them in the freezer)
Chocolate Mousse
12 oz firm silken tofu
1/4 cup cocoa
1T flaxseed meal
1T chia seeds
1/2 cup or so of milk (I use homemade almond)
7 medjool dates (a little over 4 oz)
blend seeds and meal with milk and let sit for a minute or two. Then blend everything in blender until completely mixed. Chill in 1/2 cup dishes. 4 Servings
I use raw cacao , but i ser that you suggested cocoa. What is the difference and which one it's better.
Plain unsweetened Yoghurt drink from grass fed cow/dairy for its Vitamin K2 benefits with pure cocoa powder. Totally yum!
I like to mix organic unsweetened cocoa powder into hot unsweetened organic soy milk and add stevia. It needs to be mixed vigorously–either shaken in a tightly closed jar or whisked with some sort of immersion tool. Delicious. Add spices, or almond or vanilla essence. What do you think, Doc?
Sounds delish!
Sounds like what I did here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-beverage-2/
Just don't overdo it on the stevia: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/
I use erythritol: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/erythritol-may-be-a-sweet-antioxidant/.
I have read from multiple sources that despite the high saturated fat content of coconut oil, it raises HDL levels while generally not impacting LDL levels? I know people that have personally tracked cholesterol levels with and without coconut oil in their diet that have been amazed at the HDL levels when it is added, but without a controlled study there could be confounding variables omitted, intentionally or not, from the testimony.
I know you have said in the past that coconut oil should be avoided, but considering it is a plant source of saturated fat (and extra virgin probably containing healthful phytonutrients by association) wouldn't it be preferable to butter in cooking, for example?
The cholesterol/saturated fat myth crowd is growing by the day. It's easy to see why the bias is so prevalent. I mean, who doesn't love fatty foods? I loved meat back when I was last omnivorous. Just after graduating high school I switched because of various strange health issues — one of which landed me in the ER with fears of heart problems and/or severe lung problems (never smoked in my life), which is strange having just entered adulthood, but thankfully turned out to be extremely bad acid reflux mixed with the flu — and I got all these strange illnesses and severe sharp stomach pains (which I was terrified could be appendicitis developing, as the location was always that area) despite being in great physical shape my whole life and generally avoiding junk food. I particularly loved beef jerky (still haven't found a worthy alternative…) and slim jims in my omnivorous days, though (yeah… I know. Slim Jims certainly qualify as junk of the highest order by any standards, but was more of an exception than a rule in my diet. I plan to try primal sticks soon, as an occasional snack, but they are so hard to find!). Either right before or right after I switched, I found a series of yours someone illegally uploaded to youtube, and I have been a big fan ever since. But as a final example, it's practically impossible to dislike the taste of bacon (although I have found some fantastic meatless alternatives), a common low-carb favorite.
**Anyway, back to the POINT!**
Perhaps coconut oil would be a good way to compromise with their extremely controversial position that saturated fat is so important in the diet? Coconut oil has an extremely high level of saturated fat, after all, but that also makes it excellent for high temperature cooking. They vigorously argue that most poly and monounsaturated vegetable oils generate free radicals and carcinogens when heated in cooking, but neglect to admit that coconut oil (the most saturated cooking oil to my knowledge) happens to be a vegan oil.
I would love to hear thoughts from Dr. Greger on the whole fat fad as well as the coconut oil compromise, or anyone willing to put their 2 cents in. Particularly views on the claims of HDL benefits with no considerable LDL detriments from coconut oil consumption, as well as the infinite health benefits frequently associated with (extra virgin!!) coconut oil that are all over the web.
You can view the video on coconut oil and the posts including an excellent one from Toxins at.. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-coconut-oil-good-for-you/. I would stay away from it due to high caloric density and high saturated fat content. You don't need to use oil to fry foods with as water sauteing is an acceptable alternative. If you do use oil to cook with it should be minimized. Of course occasional treats are usually tolerated well by the body. To help the absorption of phytonutrients in salads whole plant foods such as nuts, seeds, and avocados can be used in lieu of vegetable oils.
Looking at specifics, coconut oil has only 3 studies that supposedly support its use, but when the studies are examined in detail, we see that the evidence for its use is actually quite weak. Here is a summary on the 3 studies.
Only 1 study on weight loss:
Forty obese women cut their food intake by 200 calories a day and exercised four days a week. Half of them used two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 240 calories' worth) every day in their cooking and the other half used soybean oil.
After three months, both groups had lost the same amount of weight, about two pounds. To me this is not at all significant, and it could very well be attributed to the loss of calories as well as the exercise, not the oil.
Only 1 poorly concluded study with very mixed results on Alzheimers:
Placebo and coconut fat takers scored no different on a cognitive impairment test when the subjects were randomized. If they weren't randomized (which could represent stacking up the placebo group with very sick patients) then the coconut fat consumers scored slightly better after 45 days. After 90 days though everyone pretty much evened out. This is not something I would use as evidence either, yet it is.
Only 1 old study done to supposedly support heart disease:
In the only study done in people in the last 17 years, Malaysian researchers last year found that when they fed young men and women 20 percent of their calories from coconut oil for five weeks, LDL cholesterol was 8 percent higher and HDL cholesterol was 7 percent higher than when the participants were fed 20 percent of their calories from olive oil.
Just because Both bad cholesterol and good cholesterol went up does not mean that coconut oil is protective against heart disease and it does not at all mean its healthy. This doesn't make good sense.
above 3 studies are the only studies to date that support coconut oil use, and as you can see, they are quite insufficient.
In addition, coconut oil manufacturers constantly point a finger to the medium chain saturated fatty acids being used for energy expenditure and therefore not being disposed of as fat in adipose tissue. Coconut oil does indeed contain medium chain fatty acids and this may be metabolized differently but there are very few studies to make the conclusion that coconut oil is "ok" or that medium chain saturated fats are negligible. A tablespoon of coconut oil has about 12 grams of total saturated fat. about 8 grams of this is medium chain saturated fat and about 3.7 grams of this is long chain saturated fat. We have an abundance of evidence concluding that long chain saturated fats are harmful so we cannot consider this oil a healthy option based on that alone. Coconut oil is also absent of omega 3 so we would be consuming a product that is 91% saturated fat.
High temperature cooking of anything in any kind of oil renders it inedible according to all the health sites. Dr Essilstyn and others, say No oil. They are experts in preventing and reversing heart disease, diabetes, cancers, obesity and many other maladies of todays food intake. Might as well start young. Getting on an all plant, low or no fat diet will extend life and make it much more lovely to live it. Funny how we have come to equate oil and fat with pleasure. It might take some getting used to, but when you do, you will recoil at the taste of a fatty food. There is no use need for it. I put some avocado in my evening salad most of the time and even that is not really necessary. Check out some internet sites for the amount of fat necessary by the human body and then check how much is naturally in plant foods. I think there is plenty.
The problem with trying to duplicate old favorite foods from the SAD diet is just this. We try to find substitutes for ingredients that might be a little bit better for us, but really do no earthly good. Happy travels through this, but better sooner than later. Just jump in.
I think you want to check up on your magnesium and vitamin d levels. Deficiencies in this create weird symptoms.
I make Hot Cocoa with organic cocoa powder almond milk and stevia or truvia sometimes I might raw sugar, what do you think?
Experiment with a bit of blackstrap molasses! Dr. Greger explains why here: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/.
I know there has been some research into the heavy metal content of cocoa powder, namely lead. I'm curious if there is any consensus on the health risk of this.
so is dark chocolate reaaaally bad?
not as bad as milk chocolate, but is packed with sugar and satfats.
I'm paying Mars a buck a day for Cocoa Via which has 250 mg of cocoa flavanols. Am I an idiot? How much cocoa powder would I have to consume to get an equvalent amount?
John — my source shows you get 5 grams of cocoa powder in a single tablespoon. A Dutch study showed that just 4 grams of pure cocoa powder daily significantly reduced BP numbers. I don't know about the amount of flavanols in pure cocoa powder, however. I buy a good quality organic product with no fillers (100% cocoa) so I'm hoping that will do the trick. I know the Cocoa Via product claims more flavanols but I haven't seen an independent review of their product vs. others.
Hi doctor. Love this nutrition database. Wanted to ask, what's the latest research onto foods and raising your HDL levels?
Hi Doc G., what causes peripheral neuropathy & how to treat it??
My mother can hardly walk now.
Hello DR. Michael
Can you tell me about Cocoa and TheoBromine Neuro-Toxin that is find in Cocoa?
Thank You in advance.
Cocoa powder's flavenol content is effected by processing. Alkalization/Dutching dramatically lowers the flavenol content.
Raw cacao is better than most cocoa powders but even so is not as high as a high flavenol cocoa which has 9-10 times the flavenol per gram.
The EU has permitted a health claim for cocoa but note the required amount of flavenol is 200mg.
Would a daily spoonful of cocoa powder be OK to take ?
Of course, cocoa is a healthful food, as long as you are not eating a daily chocolate bar. Cocoa powder has the benefits without the added fat and sugar.
Hello, it's been a while since this post, but I hope you answer me! In the organic shop there is cocoa powder and there are cocoa beans (which I afterwards powder with a grinder)…which one is healthier?
They are both going to be about equal practically speaking, although the cocoa powder will have less fat which is a plus in my opinion. Look for non dutch processed cocoa for maximum antioxidants.
That was quick!!! Thank you :)
"Cocoa powder has no sugar or fat "
I don't understand this quote from the "cocoa-good-chocolate-bad" video?
Peter: Sometimes you can buy "cocoa" from stores that is specifically made for making hot chocolate – just add water or (nondairy) milk. But most of the time when people refer to cocoa, they are referring to the powdered substance left over when we take a cocao bean and remove the fat – and fail to add sugar.
I found a site for you that I think does a good job of explaining what cocoa powder is as well as some other chocolate related terms:
As an aside: I don't think most people are aware that the vast majority of chocolate products, like cocoa powder, comes from child slave labor. If those things matter to you, you can buy cocoa powder that is "free trade".
The theobromine found in cacao is very controversial. Raw food guru David Wolfe says the alkaloid is a cardiovascular stimulant whereas people in the fruitarian community(Durianrider) says it is classified botanically as a neurotoxin. What to think ?
I recently read that cacao powder is very high in cadmium. Is this high level going to effect our health (lungs/kidney/cancer) ?
Blend up:
– 300ml of almond or coconut milk
– 2 tbsp of cocoa powder
– 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
– 4-6 drops of stevia
HEAVEN! That's like more antioxidants in 1 serving than most people get in a week. :-)
Will adding hot water to cocoa powder destroy some of its nutrients?
What about this new information on the amount of cadmium and other heavy metals in cocoa? There apparently are significant concerns in some recent posts:
My question is in regards to the best, or least bad, solid-at-room-temperature fat to use in occasional treats. I am making birthday vegan "cheesecakes" for my husband's birthday tomorrow. The recipe found here: http://minimalistbaker.com/7-ingredient-vegan-cheesecakes/#comment-646402 suggests using coconut milk and coconut oil. I read in a comment that cacao butter could be substituted. When I compared cacao to coconut oils I found that cacao has nearly 5x as much monounsaturated fat as coconut, slightly more polyunsaturated and thus a lower amount of saturated fat. Am I wrong in assuming that cacao's fat composition is superior to coconut's? And, commenters, please keep in mind that this is for occasional treats (like 1x a month or less). For our everyday cooking we don't use much oil at all.
Jennifer: My personal philosophy is: For that occasional treat/special dessert, don't worry about it. The differences are not great enough to be relevant in the big picture and anyways, it's an occasional treat. So, enjoy the one that tastes and works best. But for what it's worth, I agree with your logic about the nutrients you are looking at. Given that focus and data, one might say that cacao comes out better than coconut oil. But again, for once a month, I would make the perfect dessert, knowing full well it isn't healthy. And just enjoy.
In the book "The Acid/Alkaline Food Guide," Cocoa is listed as acid-forming. In my personal experience, Eating cocoa for a week seems to age me faster, and the effects diminish when I stop eating cocoa.
I wonder to what degree the health benefits of cocoa are cancelled out by the oxidation it causes in the body, if the book is correct?
Thank you.
BTW, I do not eat it with sugar; only with stevia; but then I eat stevia with other things, too, that do not have this effect.
I love cocoa and chocolate. However recently I came across this article: http://vegetarian.lovetoknow.com/Raw_Cacao_Side_Effects and what made me worried were following statements:
1. Frequent consumption may cause a toxic buildup in the liver and in the blood over time.
2.Some believe regular, long-term consumption of raw cacao may lead to a variety of health conditions such as depression, mood swings, nightmares, and paranoia.
Especially # 1! So my question is how reliable are these information? And should I stop taking cocoa in my diet?
Thank you!
i would like to ask Dr Greger whether cacao nibs (which are crushed cacao beans) are healthy and good for us to add to our daily diet.
I have a question about the saturated fat in cacao / cocoa. In "How not to die" dr. Greger says that refining cocoa beans is actually a good thing, because it removes the saturated fat. But in one of his videos here he says that processed cacao is not so good and he recommends raw cacao.
So I bought a pack of raw, unskimmed cacao, and I checked the nutritional information, and it does say that it contains saturated fats, about 30% to be exact. So my question is: what kind of cacao / cocoa product should I be using to get all the good stuff from it but not the saturated fat?
Thank you.
Hi Dr. Greger and team,
ConsumerLab.com does not recommend any of the cocoa/cacao powders they tested because of high cadmium content that exceeds the WHO requirements. You can get the report on their website. They say they found the lowest content of cadmium — 0.61mcg per g — in Aduna Super Cacao, incidentally one of the cacaos with the highest flavanol content. Apparently, the raw/organic cocoa/cacao fared even worse than the non-organic one. I watched your video that says that cadmium from plant sources is not as well absorbed as cadmium from animal foods. So should we not worry about cadmium in cocoa either? I was surprised to find out that the cadmium concentrations in many cocoa powders tested by ConsumerLab were 10 to 20 times higher than those in cadmium-rich foods such as sunflower seeds and peanuts. So what say you? Do you have any studies about absorption of cadmium from cocoa powders? Or should we go back to baker's chocolate for our baking needs?
Could it be that soy blocks the benefits of cocoa, as soy milk has the same benefit blocking effect as cow's milk in tea? (I know soy is generally good for you, just wondering whether to use a different milk for chocolate smoothies etc!)
How is osteoporosis affected by cocoa powder? Bone-weakening, bone-strengthening or negligible effect?
Hi can I please ask what the healthiest one to buy is then- organic raw cacao powder or organic unsweetened 100% cocoa powder? Many thanks
I Hi- can I please ask what the healthiest one to buy is then- organic raw cacao powder or organic unsweetened 100% cocoa powder? Many thanks
same question here… what about the cadmium in cocoa? i understand that this video is a few years old now – so it might be time to update it?
I understand that saturated fat is bad, and to enjoy chocolate it makes sense to have cacao powder instead… But wouldn't cacao powder not be a "whole food"? There is so much emphasis on whole foods. I'm wondering… is there any downside of having cacao powder since it's technically a processed foods that is not "whole"?
We need to be aware when we're considering processed or whole foods, that there are graduations in processing, with simple steps like chopping and cooking which can be viewed as processing. These aren't necessarily harmful. That is the case with cacao powder Yes it's been ground, but that doesn't indicate it's unhealthy. You might say it's been processed, but since it didn't have anything added or taken away we could say it's minimally processed and many would lump it in the whole food category. That of course is a world of difference from the ultra processed foods that we know are unhealthy. This article gives a good perspective on food processing https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/processed-food-definition-2074.html
For Dr. Greger's comments about cacao powder beyond the video you watched, you can check out the answer he made 11/12/2012 to this question:
Hope that puts some perspective on the issue. Good health and keep enjoying your cacao!
Chocolate industry-funded studies touting the benefits of chocolate, seemed to have left out some cardiovascular effects:
theophylline in chocolate also stimulates the central nervous system – lightheadedness – extrasystoles (arrhythmia) – bears structural and pharmacological similarity to theobromine and caffeine, and is readily found in nature, being present in tea (Camellia sinensis) and cocoa (Theobroma cacao) – Can be toxic (if too much is ingested), and can interact with drugs.
Can cause dizziness and lightheadedness-Theophylline toxicity can be treated with beta blockers. In addition to seizures, tachyarrhythmias are a major concern. The arrhythmia can cause fatigue.
caffeine -vasoconstrictor – extrasystoles (arrhythmia)
cerebral vasoconstriction
tyramine -Tyramine can powerfully induce the release of adrenaline, increase blood pressure and heart rate
theobromine – arrhythmia – Can interfere with vasodilation. Theobromine and caffeine are similar in that they are related alkaloids. Theobromine can inhibit cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases and be an antagonist of adenosine receptors.[2The activity of A2A adenosine receptor, a G-protein coupled receptor family member, is mediated by G proteins that activate adenylyl cyclase. It is abundant in basal ganglia, vasculature and platelets and it is a major target of caffeine.[18]
The A2A receptor is responsible for regulating myocardial blood flow by vasodilating the coronary arteries, which increases blood flow to the myocardium, but may lead to hypotension. Just as in A1 receptors, this normally serves as a protective mechanism, but may be destructive in altered cardiac function.
Caffeine, theophylline and theobromine are the three elements in chocolate that cause arrhythmia. In addition to altering normal heart rhythm, they can also lead to tremors, insomnia, agitation, anxiety, headaches etc.
These phytochemicals also stimulate release of adrenaline, which in turn causes contraction of the smooth muscle that lines most arterioles (raising blood pressure) Arteriole diameters decrease with age and with exposure to air pollution.[ A number of hormones influence arteriole tone such as angiotensin II (vasoconstrictive), endothelin (vasoconstrictive), bradykinin (vasodilation), atrial natriuretic peptide (vasodilation), and prostacyclin (vasodilation).

subset: commoncrawl


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Select Super Foods
What are super foods?
Super foods are certain vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, fishes, and dairy products recognized for being rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are essential for health. Although research on super foods is relatively recent, data show benefits of super foods when they are included in a balanced diet with an active, healthy lifestyle.
Try these super foods to help you weather the winter:
- Salmon
High in omega-3 fatty acids and low in saturated fat, salmon is a super food shown to help prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and arthritis.1,2,3 In addition to its disease-prevention benefits, salmon is a good source of vitamin D, iron, and protein.4
Enjoy grilled or baked salmon with your favorite herbs and spices, a squeeze of lemon, and a drizzle of olive oil twice a week. Although salmon is reported to have lower mercury levels than certain other fishes, young children as well as pregnant and nursing women should have no more than 12 ounces of fish, including tuna, salmon, and shellfish per week to keep mercury consumption at a minimum.5
- Oatmeal
Heart healthy, low in calories, and filling, oatmeal is a high-fiber, low-cholesterol super food that is recognized for helping lower cholesterol levels and risk of cardiovascular disease.6
Enjoy hot oatmeal sprinkled with almonds, fresh or dried fruit, and a dollop of fat-free plain yogurt for a delicious warming winter breakfast. Add pumpkin butter and pumpkin pie spices to your oatmeal for a happy holiday breakfast. For a special treat to satisfy your sweet tooth, try oatmeal mixed with almond milk, fat-free yogurt, fresh or dried fruit, and a drizzle of honey.
- Spinach
Recognized for being comprised of vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium, and iron, spinach is a super food associated with preventing arthritis and certain tumors.7,8
Add fresh, leafy-green spinach to an omelet with feta cheese, enjoy freshly washed spinach as a salad, or toss fresh or frozen spinach into soup to boost its flavor and nutrients.
- Pistachio Nuts
High in fiber, protein, potassium, and antioxidants, pistachio nuts make a healthy super-food snack.9 Pistachios have no cholesterol and they are recognized for helping lower large-density lipoprotein (LDL) (bad) cholesterol levels in some people.10
Grab a handful of pistachios for a protein-packed snack, sprinkle them on salads, or add them to fat-free yogurt with fruit for a tasty treat. Approximately 25 dry-roasted pistachio kernels (1/2 ounce) is 100 calories and makes a perfect snack for adults. Active kids can enjoy a 200-calorie pistachio nut snack.
- Pumpkin and Pumpkin Seeds
Low in calories and high in vitamin A and fiber, pumpkin is recognized as an eye-healthy super food.11 Pumpkin seeds can provide magnesium, potassium, zinc, and protein to help reduce your risk of heart disease, kidney stones, and an enlarged prostate.12,13,14
Enjoy baked pumpkin sprinkled with cinnamon as a side dish, chop pumpkin into squares and roast them with dried herbs for a complement to chicken, fish, and beef, or have an ounce of roasted pumpkin seeds as a healthy snack. Kids can have fun roasting pumpkin seed and sharing them with friends.
- Blueberries
Rich in vitamin C and fiber and low in calories, blueberries are recognized as a super food that can help lower LDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure.15,16 Some research also shows that blueberries might have a role in preventing breast cancer.17
Enjoy fresh blueberries as a snack, add them to fat-free plain yogurt for a delicious breakfast, include them with your hot oatmeal to boost flavor, or blend them in a fat-free plain yogurt smoothie for a quick, delicious snack.
- Kiwi
A super food loaded with vitamin C and vitamin K, kiwis are a high-fiber, folate-rich, potassium-packed fruit.18 They also contain important minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium.19 Research shows that kiwis can help reduce triglyceride levels in some people. They also can help prevent constipation.20
Enjoy freshly sliced plain kiwi as a snack or dessert. Kiwis make a fun, kid-pleasing snack when they are sliced in half and scooped out with a spoon.
- Lentils
Also known as legumes, lentils are a super food high in fiber, protein, iron, folate, potassium, and antioxidants.21 When they are included in a low-fat diet, lentils can help reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels in some people.22,23 Lentils also are associated with lower rates of inflammation, which can help decrease risk of heart disease and certain cancers.24,25 Lentils are an excellent source of iron for helping protect against anemia.26
Enjoy lentil and kale soup or add cooked lentils to your salad to boost fiber.
1.Connor WE, Connor SL. The importance of N-3 fatty acids in health and disease. Amer J Clin Nutr. 2000; 71(1):171S-175S.
2. Adler AI, Boyko EJ, Schraer CD, Murphy NJ. Lower prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes associated with daily seal oil or salmon consumption among Alaska natives. Diab Care. 1994;17(12):1498-1501.
3. Harvard School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source. Ask the Expert: Omega-3 fatty acids. Dr. Frank Sacks. (n.d.) http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/omega-3/. Accessed November 24, 2014.
4. USDA Agricultural Research Service. Basic Report: 15076, Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, raw. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4531?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=salmon. Accessed November 24, 2014.
5. US FDA. Fish: What pregnant women and parents should know. http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm393070.html.2014. Accessed November 24, 2014.
6. Jenkins DJ et al. Direct comparison of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods with a statin in hypercholesterolemic participants. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005; 81(2):380-387.
7. Stuart AS Craig. Betaine in human nutrition. Amer Soc Clin Nutr. 2004; 80(3):539-549.
8. Slattery ML, Benson J, Curtin K, Ma K, Schaeffer D, Potter JD. Carotenoids and colon cancer. Amer J Clin Nutr. 2000;71(2):575-582.
9. Dreher ML. Pistachio nuts: composition and potential health benefits. Nutr Rev. 2012;70(4):234-240.
10. Gebauer SK, West SG, Kay CD, Alaupovic P, Bagshaw D, Kris-Etherton PM. Effects of pistachios on cardiovascular disease risk factors and potential mechanisms of action: a dose-response study. Amer J Clin Nutr. 2008;88(3):651-659.
11. Berson EL. Nutrition and retinal degenerations. International Ophthalmology Clinics. Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA. 2000; 40(4):93-111.
12. Tavani A, La Vecchia C. Beta-carotene and risk of coronary heart disease. A review of observational and intervention studies. Biomed Pharmacother.1999;53(9):409-416.
13. Suphakarn VS, Yarnnon C, Ngunboonsri P. The effect of pumpkin seeds on oxalcrystalluria and urinary compositions of children in hyperendemic area. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987;45(1):115-121.
14. Tsai YS, Tong YC, Cheng JT, Lee CH, Yang FS, Lee HY. Pumpkin seed oil and phytosterol-F can block testosterone/prazos in induced prostate growth in rats. Urol Int. 2006;77(3):269-274.
15. Cassidy A et al. Habitual intake of flavonoid subclasses and incident hypertension in adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011; 93(2):338-347.
16. Erlund I et al. Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure, and HDL cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87(2):323-331.
17. Roy S et al. Anti-angiogenic property of edible berries. Free Radic Res. 2002;36:1023-1031.
18.USDA Agricultural Research Service. Basic Report: 09148, Kiwifruit, green, raw.
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2300. Accessed November 24, 2014.
19.USDA Agricultural Research Service. Basic Report: 09148, Kiwifruit, green, raw. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2300. Accessed November 24, 2014.
20. Chan AO, Leung G, Tong T, Wong NY. Increasing dietary fiber intake in terms of kiwifruit improves constipation in Chinese patients. World J Gastroenterol. 2007;13(35):4771-4775.
21. USDA Agricultural Research Service. Basic Report: 16069, Lentils
raw. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4782?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=lentil. Accessed November 24, 2014.
22.Ha V et al. Effect of dietary pulse intake on established therapeutic lipid targets for cardiovascular risk reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. CMAJ. 2014;186(8):E252-E262.
23. Villegas R et al. Legume and soy food intake and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87(1):162-167.
24. Esmaillzadeh A, Azadbakht L. Legume consumption is inversely associated with serum concentrations of adhesion molecules and inflammatory biomarkers among Iranian women. J Nutr. 2012;142(2):334-339.
25. Messina MJ. Legumes and soybeans: overview of their nutritional profiles and health effects. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;70:439S–450S.
26.Pub Med Health. Iron Deficiency Anemia. Reviewed February 24, 2014. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001610/. Accessed November 24, 2014.


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Book your tailor-made holiday today
A Visa to enter Zimbabwe is required by several nationalities, please read the full details listed below.
There are 3 categories:
Victoria Falls – One of the Seven Wonders of the World
The Victoria Falls are the most visited attraction in Zimbabwe, thousands of tourists go there every year, to walk in the beautiful rain forest and look at the scenic view points of the falls, during the months of November to April (rainy season), you will get particularly wet and the sound of the falls will be almost deafening.
Emirates has announced that its Dubai-Lusaka-Harare route will become a daily service from October 1st.
The linked service, which currently operates five times a week, has performed strongly since its launch on February 1 and has to date carried over 43,000 passengers.
AT least two more national airlines will soon land at the Harare International Airport, says the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Tourism Association (ZTA), Marah Hativagone.
Hativagone, who is also Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA), said: "Air Namibia is talking to us to re-engage with us again after many years of absence.
Please join our mailing list to receive our latest Zimbabwe news, updates & special itineraries.


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On Saturday, May 10, 2014, the Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg held its annual scholarship auditions at the Eva Clare Hall, at the University of Manitoba. The day was filled with many commendable performances from young Manitoba artists! The WMC congratulates the following winners:
- WMC Scholarship $3,000 – ZANDER HOWARD-SCOTT – Cello
- WMC Scholarship $2,500 – MEGAN DUFRAT – Piano
- Madeline Gauvin Scholarship $2,000 – LAURELLE FROESE – Mezzo-Soprano
- Holtby Scholarship – $1,500 – EDVANNY SILVA – Cello
- Berythe Birse Scholarship – $1000 – THOMAS ROBERTS – Violin
The WMC scholarship program has been a feature of the Women's Musical Club mandate since 1915. Hundreds of young musicians have won these scholarships over the years, and many have gone on to achieve international acclaim. The names of the winners and the amounts of the awards are listed in a brochure which is updated yearly.
The five winners will perform and receive their scholarship cheques at the annual WMC Scholarship Winners' Recital that will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, December 28th, 2014, at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The public is invited to attend and be treated to an afternoon of amazing music from these talented Manitoban performers! Tickets are available through McNally Robinson Booksellers in December, through a subscription, or at the door (by cheque or cash only). Students $5 at the door only.
|Zander Howard-Scott, Cellist, is halfway through the Bachelor of Music program in Cello Performance at McGill University, where he holds a full scholarship. A former student of Yuri Hooker, Zander now studies with world-renowned soloist Matt Haimovitz. Zander is very grateful for the WMC's generous support of aspiring young artists.
|Megan Dufrat, Pianist, is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at the University of Manitoba, Desautels Faculty of Music under the tutelage of David Moroz. In August 2014, Megan will be a featured Young Artist at the Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival.
|Laurelle Froese, Mezzo-Soprano, has completed her Masters in Vocal and Operatic Performance at the University of Toronto. She begins her professional debut the spring of 2014 in Saskatoon Opera's Die Zauberflöte as Second Lady, and will join Vancouver Opera's Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program for the 2014-2015 season. She has been named a 2013 & 2014 Jeune Ambassadeurs Lyrique Laureate.
|Edvanny Silva, Cellist, has completed her Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance at the University of Manitoba, Desautels Faculty of Music in 2014, under Dr. Minna Rose Chung. She has received many bursaries and awards throughout her undergraduate studies and was invited to play with the YOA – the Orchestra of the Americas.
|Thomas Roberts, Violinist, completed his Bachelors of Music (Performance) program at the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba in 2014 under the private tutelage of Dr. Oleg Pokhanovski and chamber music coaching of Dr. Minna Rose Chung. He will be auditioning for several post-graduate programs in Australia in the fall of 2014.


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What's the most inventive and fun way you could come up with for mashing potatoes?
For nine-year-old Faith Joiner of Twin Peaks, the answer was: Hippos!
Faith's imagination garnered her the grand prize — $5,000 in cash — in the national Ore-Ida Steam n' Mash "Mash Destruction" contest.
The contest was used to promote Ore-Ida's new Steam n' Mash frozen, pre-scrubbed, pre-peeled, diced potatoes, which are ready to microwave and mash in minutes.
Her winning entry, titled "The Hippo Smash", shows hippos lining up to hop on a palm tree to catapult onto a pile of Steam n' Mash potatoes to create mashed potatoes.
The five chosen first place entrants came up with other interesting methods of "Mash Destruction":
- Emeryl Logan (Age 12) of Cameron Park:
Came up with putting a bag of Steam n' Mash potatoes on the tracks of
your favorite amusement park's roller coaster, ride it and enjoy the
mashed potatoes.
- Nicholas Schneider (Age 10) of Lake Villa, Ill.: Thought of using the seats of a teeter totter to mash the potatoes.
- Jason Weis (Age 7) of Winter Springs, Fla.: Decided that putting an elephant on a motorbike and having him run over the potatoes was the most fun way to mash them.
- Alec Leschner (Age 7) of Denver, Pa:
Wants to put a bag of Steam n' Mash potatoes on train tracks and have
the Mash Destruction Locomotive come through and mash them.
- Amiera Ford (Age 6) of Fernandina Beach, Fla.: Depicted an elephant sitting on a bag of Steam n' Mash potatoes.
The five each won $1000.
enter the contest, parents submitted a drawing of their child's fun
masher idea along with a description of 50 words or less. Online voters
picked the top 20 and a panel of Ore-Ida judges chose from the top 20
finalists and awarded the grand prize winner and five first place
Entries were judged on overall presentation and creativity, originality, and ability to capture the spirit of the contest.
Congratulations, Faith, and all the other winners!
Click here to see all the winners and their entries. For all entries, click here. For more information on Steam n' Mash, click here.


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Rodgers, Packers dominate CowboysNov 8, 2010 - 6:59 AM Green Bay, WI (Sports Network) - Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns while Brandon Jackson scored once on the ground and once through the air, as the Green Bay Packers routed the struggling Dallas Cowboys, 45-7.
Rodgers was 27-of-34 passing for 289 yards while James Jones finished with eight catches for 123 yards and a score for the Packers (6-3), who have won three straight to move into first place in the NFC North heading into their bye week.
"We had a good plan and got into a flow out there," said Rodgers. "It was a combination of a number things, but I felt like I got into a rhythm early and we had some good runs that helped set things up."
Greg Jennings caught seven passes for 80 yards and a score for Green Bay, which got a touchdown from Nick Collins on a fumble return and an interception return for a score from Clay Matthews.
"You always strive to play a complete game and we accomplished that tonight," said Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy. "I'm very pleased with the special team, the defense swarmed all over and the offense got into a good rhythm. We played a complete football game tonight and that's how you want to go into the bye week.
Jon Kitna, making his second straight start in place of an injured Tony Romo, was 19-for-30 with 183 yards, one score and two interceptions for the Cowboys (1-7), who have dropped five in a row -- including the last two by double- digits. Dez Bryant caught the lone touchdown, the sixth of his rookie campaign, which leads all freshmen in the NFL.
This was the most lopsided loss for the Cowboys since the last week of the 2008 season, when they were handed a 44-6 defeat by the Philadelphia Eagles.
"They ripped us about every way you can rip somebody," said Dallas head coach Wade Phillips. "They're a good football team and they play hard. They played well and we didn't play well at all. It looked like we were fighting early, but once it caved-in we didn't respond."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not directly discuss Phillips' job security after the game, but said he has a lot of decisions to make, adding that "a lot" of people are going to suffer the consequences of the team's poor start.
After a scoreless first quarter -- in which the Cowboys blocked a 54-yard Mason Crosby field goal attempt -- the Packers dominated in the second.
The first of four consecutive scores came early in the second on a drive that began in the opening quarter, as Rodgers found Jackson over the middle for a nine-yard score.
After a three-and-out from Dallas, the Packers moved 80 yards in seven plays. Jackson leaned over the goal line on a two-yard score, which withstood a Dallas challenge, for a 14-0 lead with 8:26 left in the half.
The Cowboys again punted after one series and appeared to have the Packers contained near midfield, but Rodgers and Jennings connected for 33 yards on third down. Two plays later, Jennings caught an eight-yard score in the back of the end zone for a 21-0 lead with 2:13 left in the half.
On the ensuing kickoff, Bryan McCann was stripped of the ball and Collins took it into the end zone on a 26-yard score. It appeared that McCann's knee hit the ground before he lost control, but Dallas didn't have any timeouts remaining and was unable to call for a replay.
The Cowboys were finally able to stanch the bleeding on their next touch as Bryant made a leaping catch over a defender in the left corner of the end zone with 16 seconds left in the half, making it a 28-7 game at the break.
After an exchange of punts to start the second half, the Packers made it a 35-7 game when Rodgers threw a screen pass out to the left side and Jones took it in from 10 yards out. The play finished the eight-play, 63-yard drive with 8:38 to play in the third.
Green Bay got a 26-yard field goal from Crosby and a 62-yard interception return from Matthews in the fourth to complete the blowout.
Game Notes
The Packers play in Minnesota after their week off...The Cowboys play in New York against the Giants next Sunday...Dallas came into the game having won 11 of the last 14 against Green Bay, but the Packers have taken the past two contests...Bryant finished the game with nine catches for 86 yards...Over the past three games, the Cowboys have given up 121 points...The Packers have held the opposition to just seven points over the past two games...Dallas managed just 39 yards on the ground...Green Bay controlled the ball for almost 38 minutes and ran 71 plays, compared to just 48 for the Cowboys. Also, the Packers outgained the Cowboys, 415-205.
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Cowboys 7, Packers 45 FinalNov 8 12:10 PM
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Cowboys 7, Packers 45 4th - 8:51Nov 7 11:08 PM
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Cowboys 0, Packers 28 2nd - 2:00Nov 7 9:44 PM
- Confuzed The Pack been playing pretty good lately....this could be a rout
Cowboys 0, Packers 14 2nd - 8:26Nov 7 9:21 PM
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Feasting with the Forest . 9th Feb 2019 . ADULT TICKET
per item
Discover the incredible stories of trees, learn how to nurture new saplings. Plant and label your very own little tree in our Forest for the future as part of the 'Trees on the Land' national tree planting day 2019.Bake fresh crusty bread to dip in cups of steaming soup, sip on wild teas, all around a camp fire in the woods.
Terrific Tree Talk, Tour & guide to tree planting with Head Gardener Adam Carveth
Planting your own tree with slate label in the woods.
Lunch feast around the fire.
Date: Saturday 9th Feb
Time: 11-2pm
Location: The Garden of Re-Imagination, Glengarriff (Directions to this secret location revealed on booking)
Please note this ticket is for adults only, childs tickets booked separately.


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MICHAEL Douglas has spoken for the first time about his mistakes following the
temporary split from wife Catherine Zeta Jones.
The Hollywood heart-throb admitted that in the past he may have taken those
closest to him "for granted".
Wall Street and Fatal Attraction star Michael, 69, bedded some of the world's
most beautiful women and had a string of box office hits before marrying
actress Catherine in 2000.
The couple had the perfect family with son Dylan, 13, and 11-year-old daughter
Carys — and shared multi-million pound mansions and five-star holidays
But four years ago Michael was struck down with tongue cancer, forcing him to
undergo several operations and chemotherapy.
Shortly after he got the all-clear, Catherine was diagnosed with bipolar
disorder and checked into rehab.
The years of stress eventually took their toll and the pair split last year.
But, after taking time out to work on their marriage, they decided to give it
another try a few months ago.
Now Michael has revealed that he has had to grow up in his attitude towards
his relationship — and how cancer forced him to look at his life in a
different way.
He said: "When you are younger you care what other people think.
"And you take the person closest to you for granted.
"You waste a lot of energy on strangers to make a good impression.
"When you're older you focus that energy on the people closest to you, on your
"And you're courteous."
In March, Michael's stepdad Donald Webster told The Sun that the couple had
worked hard to save their relationship — taking several long holidays
together in order to rekindle their romance.
Now Michael, born into a Hollywood dynasty, has admitted that he has learnt
from previous mistakes.
He said: "First you have to admit that you made a mistake, then dealing with
it is easy. Of course it's important to make mistakes, as long as you grow
from them."
Michael revealed he is now better than ever between the sheets.
Asked if he is in the prime of his life, he said: "Sexually? I am more
comfortable in my own skin now."
But while he and 44-year-old Catherine might be enjoying harmony in the
bedroom, things aren't so happy on the putting green.
Both keen golfers, the couple have toured the world competing in tournaments
But now the actor is trailing behind his Welsh wife. He said: "Catherine's
beating me now in golf. She's getting a lot better. I am not."
Michael's new outlook has also affected the way he behaves with his children.
He first became a parent in 1978 after first wife Diandra Douglas gave birth
to their son Cameron.
Cameron, now 35, has since been jailed in the US after being convicted of
heroin possession and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Michael has accepted some responsibility for his son's problems with drug
dependency — blaming his own absence as a father.
But he was given a second chance as a dad after he wed Catherine. And the star
claims he is a much better parent this time.
He said: "I have more time today than when I was a dad the first time around.
Back then everything was about my career. That always came first.
"Today that's different, it's reserved. And I think I have a lot more patience
But while Michael credits a lot of his new outlook to age, he believes his
whole attitude to life changed after his brush with cancer.
The star battled the disease for a year, with the world watching on as he
appeared to waste away under chemotherapy sessions. And despite his merciful
all-clear, he revealed it took a toll on his body.
Michael said: "When you have cancer and when they don't succeed with the chemo
and the radiation, you're pretty much done.
"That part of getting older is really something I could forfeit. It's very
scary. They almost took my jaw away."
But after coming out the other side, he has been given a new lease of life.
He said: "I feel very good, as long as I get my exercises. When you come out
the other side, you feel better, you feel really alive. You have all this
new energy — you make up for lost time."
The new attitude has also affected Michael's work, with him landing some of
his best roles in recent years.
He said: "All of the sudden I had all these wonderful parts.
"I got The Candelabra. I feel like a Renaissance man. And then I did Last
Vegas and then And So It Goes. I never anticipated being this active after
the cancer."
Michael's latest success is a far cry from his earliest days when even his own
father, big screen star Kirk Douglas, criticised some of his early work.
"He said I was terrible," Michael said. "But he was just being honest.
"He later came back and told me that I had gotten much better!"
The family is still incredibly close, despite each having a successful career
in their own right.
During the chat, Michael revealed that he was even organising a 60th wedding
anniversary party for his dad and stepmother this summer.
Now Michael is hoping to use his fame to improve the world.
He said: "I am very involved in nuclear disarmament. That's been my big issue.
I work with the UN a lot.
"I was born in 1944. Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened in 1945. I hope that
during my lifetime we will be able to eliminate nuclear weapons."
Week long sex scene with Sharon
was the f*** of century
MICHAEL revealed his infamous four-minute sex scene with Sharon Stone in Basic
Instinct took ONE WEEK to film.
The actor declared: "It was the f*** of the century. It took us a week to
shoot that. One week! We got to know each other pretty well."
But the ageing lothario appears to have lost some of skills since his antics
in the 1992 erotic thriller.
Diane Keaton, who co-stars with him in his latest flick And So It Goes,
claimed he kissed like a pitbull.
Laughing, he responded: "I've been going around telling everybody what a great
kisser she is.
"And then she compares my kiss to that of a pitbull.
"A lapdog maybe, but a pitbull?"


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In the most closely-watched death penalty case in years, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled 5-4 (pdf) that Oklahoma can use the controversial and experimental execution drug midazolam that was behind the last year's horrific killing of 38-year-old man Clayton Lockett—who writhed and groaned for 43 minutes before ultimately succumbing to a heart attack.
The decision not only gives the approval for states to use a killing method that many regard as torture, but it also amounts to an ideological defense of the death penalty itself—however cruel. Writing for the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito stated:
Our decisions in this area have been animated in part by the recognition that because it is settled that capital punishment is constitutional, "[i]t necessarily follows that there must be a [constitutional] means of carrying it out." And because some risk of pain is inherent in any method of execution, we have held that the Constitution does not require the avoidance of all risk of pain. After all, while most humans wish to die a painless death, many do not have that good fortune. Holding that the Eighth Amendment demands the elimination of essentially all risk of pain would effectively outlaw the death penalty altogether.
The ruling was slammed by dissenting justices as deeply inhumane.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor—joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan—wrote that the majority decision "leaves petitioners exposed to what may well be the chemical equivalent of being burned at the stake."
"[U]nder the Court's new rule, it would not matter whether the State intended to use midazolam, or instead to have petitioners drawn and quartered, slowly tortured to death, or actually burned at the stake: because petitioners failed to prove the availability of sodium thiopental or pentobarbital, the State could execute them using whatever means it designated," the dissent states.
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In a separate dissent authored by Breyer and joined by Ginsburg, the justices question the lawfulness of state executions overall, writing it is "highly likely that the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment."
Four people incarcerated on death row—one of whom has since been executed—brought the case Glossip v. Gross, arguing that the state's use of midazolam in lethal injections violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The drug has been used in executions across the country due to a shortage of other lethal injection drugs—driven by a European boycott of the death penalty.
For its lethal injection procedure, Oklahoma uses three drugs: to anesthetize, paralyze, and stop the person's heart. The plaintiffs argued that use of midazolam as an anesthetic does not adequately protect them against pain, as it is a sedative used to treat anxiety and does not have the ability to make individuals unconscious.
Sixteen pharmacology professors agreed with this argument in an amicus brief: "Midazolam is incapable of rendering an inmate unconscious prior to the injection of the second and third drugs in the State of Oklahoma's lethal injection protocol."
Meanwhile, the credibility of Oklahoma's key witness, Dr. Roswell Lee Evans, was called into question by numerous factors, including his use of 150 pages of printouts from drugs.com, a website whose disclaimer indicates its contents are "not intended for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment."
Critics charged that the Supreme Court's decision flies in the face of evidence and underscores the cruelty of the death penalty overall.
"Today's 5-4 decision ignores the evidence and endorses a state's right to torture people to death absent any other alternative," said Cassandra Stubbs, director of the Capital Punishment Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, in a press statement released Monday.
"As powerfully set forth in the dissent, capital punishment in the United States is unreliable and arbitrary, racially biased and geographically skewed," Stubbs continued. "Much of America has turned away from the death penalty, leaving only a handful of counties insisting on putting people to death. The time has come to end this nation's disastrous experiment with capital punishment."


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Commercial data aggregations: New social features at Netflix
We're regular, but not heavy Netflix users. For the most part, Dina and I have our own entente cordiale regarding our movie selections, meaning that we can each watch the other's "dumb movies". What is still difficult is the handling of whose movies will come by post next. (Netflix is a DVD rental subscription service where the DVDs are sent and returned by mail.)
Netflix has added two features; one of which they call "Profiles", where multiple queues can be established, and each allocated some share of the account's total number of loaned DVDs. We'll still have a problem with splitting three discs two ways, but I hope this feature will address queue juggling, where we each reshuffle the next 10 titles based on our distinct preferences: "Why did we get recent romantic comedy? I was expecting three years' ago's spy movie!" (Warning: transferring movies from a shared queue to individual queues has to be done by hand. Ick.)
Since I have a few friends who are also Netflix users, I'm interested in the "Friends" feature, too, where I can see their ratings of movies, and not just the Netflix customer average rating. The extra information can help, but it's the aspect of an asynchronous shared experience that I find interesting. I'll issue the invitations soon.
Since these are social usage features, I suspect we're seeing Netflix execute on its strategy for competing with Wal-Mart and Blockbuster: as a pure Internet firm, they must maintain focus on creating an data aggregation that involves their customers enriching the aggregation, as opposed to purchased content. Given financial resources, anybody can build a (500 000 DVD) library, and even an infrastructure to rent and bill that library's contents; the innovation has to come on the experience side: pricing is one approach, but innovating to make the richest aggregation is the right network-based company strategy.


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Why Some Developing Countries Will Take a Long Time, or Never, to Become Developed
Defining their own development and their power to attain it decide how long developing countries will take to develop
One point that must be agreed upon is the meaning of "developed countries." What are the indicators or measures? Should it be presence of car manufacturing owned by its citizens not multinationals? Presence of pharmaceutical industry but not a multinational? Other indicators can be: Level of income. Balance of trade. Foreign exchange rate. Morbidity. Land reform. Literacy rate. Distribution of wealth. Employment rate. Life expectancy. Power in relation with other countries. Competitiveness. Satisfaction (income level might be higher in the U.S. than in China, but the Chinese might feel more satisfied with their life).
Gross national product hides unequal distribution of wealth and social injustice.Ten percent of the population might be too wealthy and the rest might be too poor.
How long?
There are several factors that contribute to the attainment of development. Most developing countries had been colonies of so-called developed countries. It takes time for former colonies to recover from exploitation of their resources like gold, diamond, silver, lumber by former colonizers. The Philippines had been exploited for its gold that at one time inflation in Europe was triggered by the abundance of gold from the Philippines. The timber of the Philippines had been made into merchant ships and warships which the Spaniards used in their naval battle with the English navy that resulted in the demise of the Spanish Armada.
[The Philippines was colonized by Spain from 1521 to 1898; was independent in 1898 to 1901 after a revolution against Spain; was annexed forcibly by the Americans since 1901. She was to gain independence in 1945 but was delayed by the Japanese occupation in 1941 to 1945 (World War II). She gained independence from America in July 1946.]
Another factor is the colonial and neocolonial policies of the former masters. For the Philippines, it has been the policy of the United States to continue colonial policies since it gained independence in July 1946, just after WWII.
"...Early in 1945 Washington drafted the pending Philippine independence treaty to provide total free trade between the two countries for twenty years, save for traditional quotas -- a measure the State Department immediately acknowledged would create a special and dominating economic relationship. Despite this, and a parallel effort to obtain exclusive United States base rights that seriously compromised Philippine sovereignty, on May 5,1945, Truman publicly acknowledged that the essentially colonial 'special relationship' with the Philippines would continue after independence, greatly embarrassing the trade reformers in the State Department" (Kolko, J. and G. Kolko. The Limits of Power. 1972:80).
Another factor is the model of development available and allowed by the neocolonizers for adoption. A feudal country whose feudal lords serve as the best means of controlling it will get all the support to maintain feudalism. The United States supported the dictatorship of Marcos in the Philippines. Feudalism is eliminated in a country whose feudal lords are also the warlords who had challenged the U.S., like Japan.
Another factor is its status as a market. Is it better that a developing country remains as a market of manufactured products, semi-processed goods than for it to manufacture its products and process its goods and become a competitor?
Power in relation with other countries is still another factor. Former colonies are no match to the power of the former masters who have designed it to be so. Look at the World Trade Organization. Filipino farmers suffer because the price of beet sugar is lower that than that of cane sugar, beet growing being subsidized. But subsidy is not allowed for sugar cane.
An extreme example of the power of developed countries was shown by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Marshall Joseph Stalin of USSR who were leaders of the Allied Powers in WWII. They decided the fate of the world in the Tehran Conference, in Iran, in 1943 when Hitler's Germany was on the verge of defeat (Taylor, D. Franklin D. Roosevelt.2002:42). Other countries were made to amend their constitutions to allow superpowers to exploit their natural resources. They decided how Germany would be governed. USSR got three votes as a nation in the United Nations while the U.S. and U.K. got one vote each. Would France, or Switzerland, or China, or Canada, or Australia agree that USSR has three votes in the United Nations while each of them has one vote? That's how it is.The three votes could be a form of reward to USSR for having suffered the brunt of Hitler's assaults when the Allies were preparing the cross-channel invasion that landed in Normandy then on to the heart of Germany to exact unconditional surrender. Stalin grumbled at the delay of the invasion.
World War II resulted in the weakening of European countries and other countries economically and politically. WWII saw the emergence of the United States as an economic and political power. In June 1947, Washington wanted "to permanently influence and shape Western Europe's internal economic policies." Then Secretary of State George C. Marshall "called upon the governments of Europe to take the initiative in formulating a program for a coordinated reconstruction, promising that the United States would provide 'support' and 'friendly aid' for their effort" (Kolko, J. and G. Kolko. The Limits of Power. 1972:360). The United States launched the Marshall plan around 1948 to provide credit to countries all over the world for use in reconstruction from the rubble of the war. The Marshall plan was a vehicle to direct the economy of countries given loans and to infringe upon their sovereignty.
In 1947, the Philippines amended its constitution in accordance with the demands of the United States, to wit:
"...the disposition, exploitation, development, and utilization of all agricultural, timber, and mineral lands of the public domain, waters, minerals, coal, petroleum, and other natural resources of the Philippines, and the operation of public utilities, shall, if open to any person, be open to citizens of the United States and to all forms of business enterprises owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by citizens of the United States...." (qtd. in Agoncillo, T. A. History of the Filipino People.1990:438).
Some members of Philippine Congress opposed this amendment. With them in Congress, the above amendment would not pass. They were ousted from Congress through a resolution accusing and convicting them of "alleged electoral frauds and terrorism" committed during the Japanese occupation.
Developing countries are victims of global warming that has been brought on by developed countries. Their peoples suffer from diseases, floods, crop failures, destruction of homes owing to global warming. Until now developed countries hesitate to fund programs to mitigate global warming and to cease from engaging in activities that exacerbate global warming.
(I have a Hub "Framework Useful for Developing Countries To Become Developed.")
History as inspiration
History may help accelerate development as an oasis of moral courage and inspiration. For example, China. For a long time it had been independent (as told by Marco Polo) until Westerners and Japan came. It took years, effectively since 1948, for China to assert its independence, adopt its own political system and adopt its economic system. Recently, it recovered Hong Kong from the United Kingdom and Macao from Portugal. It has yet to recover Formosa, now called Taiwan, to which Chiang Kai Shek and his followers fled when Mao's regime took over China. When Bertrand Russell, a British, was in China (where he was "asleep" for one month because of tetanus infection) as a visiting professor he opined that China can have the political system of her liking and adopt a capitalist system. After several years of humiliation, China now reigns over its political system and economy.
The Philippines had fought against two superpowers. It rose in revolution against Spain and gained independence only to be snapped by the United States. It fought the United States that was on its way to expansion. The Philippines was the first country in its empire. The Filipinos through diplomacy and show of political maturity that they could govern themselves gained independence through peaceful means. However, the willingness of the Filipino elite and landlords to collaborate with America contributed a lot to the decision of America to grant independence to the Philippines. For example, the elite of Negros Island had organized themselves to make a presentation of collaboration to the Americans while some leaders of the Philippine Republic, like Gen. Macario Sakay and Gen. Miguel Malvar, were still fighting the Americans. The same elite benefited from their treachery when the American regime gave a preferential treatment for their export of sugar to America.
Several developing countries do not have the courage to assert themselves, adopt their political system and set up their own economy. Countries under the umbrella of the IMF and the World Bank are lame, although there are some room to avoid being so supine as China has shown. They do not have the power and resources to set up counterparts.
Some countries like the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) may have their economic clout but are dependent politically and for their security on developed countries especially the superpowers.Vietnam is worth watching for having fought for its freedom from a superpower.
Some developing countries can only have some latitudes like the ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) but are severally and separately under the influence of developed countries in major areas of nationhood like security, industry, economy and climate change.
Others may never achieve some level of development on their own but tugged along by developed countries. Developed countries need them as buyers of their products, sources of their raw materials, assemblers and providers of low-cost labor.
Dynamics of power
The dynamics of power in a developing country play a big part in development. The ruling class will manipulate resources and power to remain in power. The ruling class can drain resources through corruption or legislation to the disadvantage of the poor and less powerful.
In the Philippines, one ordinary government employee when issued government money to buy a pair of scissors must get an official receipt for the purchase. If he cannot show a receipt he will pay for the pair of scissors out of his pocket. Or he can be punished for it, like suspension from work, or dismissal.
How about the ruling class that has members voted to Congress? About 10 years ago the Philippine Congress passed a bill that was signed into law by the president giving pork barrel to congressmen and senators to set up development projects in their sectors. (They are not supposed to do that; their mandate is to make laws). A congressman is entitled to 170 million pesos per year; a senator is entitled to 200 million pesos per year. A provision of this pork barrel law is that a congressman or a senator is not required to show any receipt or accounting of how that amount of money is spent! Now, the poor and the constituents barely, if at all, understand the ruse. Any objection was a minority and was defeated. That was how a whooping pork barrel has become a law because of the rule of majority that come from the ruling class. This whooping unaccounted for pork barrel is a travesty of morality.
Some congressmen give free token medicines (an electioneering stunt) to their constituents who, unawares, are profusely grateful. Senator Francis Escudero said in a television interview that when he was a congressman (and enjoying that pork barrel) he made a report of where the money was spent, but not as an accounting report. However, he does not say that he objects to such a legislation. As a senator, he is enjoying that whooping pork barrel and has kept quiet about it.
I cannot see in the future how this legislation can be abrogated for as long as this kind of ruling class is in power.
Now a senator is filing a bill that, if signed into law, prohibits government officials from claiming with posters or billboards that s/he is sponsoring this project, say, the building of a health center or an auditorium or a classroom. That's trivial; all quiet about the whooping pork barrel.
Swallowing this deception, the less powerful people are funding the reelection bid of those who are now in Congress because the incumbents can use their pork barrel for election campaign.
To repeat, an incumbent member of Congress can use his pork barrel to campaign for his reelection, or to run for another elected position. A senator or a congressmen can only have three terms in a row. After that, a senator can run for a position as congressman; a congressman can run for a seat as senator. Or a member of the clan can run for an elected position to perpetuate power. All the time he has in his pocket this whooping unaccounted for pork barrel.
Leadership from their own rank
The poor, 70% of the population, that has the power by virtue of number of votes, lacks leadership to break up the ruling class and to break out of the stranglehold priestly power has over them.
Rivalries in power forestall or advance development in a developing country.
The Philippines will never become developed for as long as the present political, economic and social structures remain and foreign powers intervene.
Leadership from the elite has not served the poor. The poor must nurture their own leaders on their way to development.
New Entries as of Feb. 13,2012
Let us add some technical nitty gritty.
Assuming development had been defined, let us go into factors needed to attain it.
The overall factors are resources, economic formula and will or power.
The approach is to apply resources (land, capital, human capital, labor), economic formula, and power toward higher standards of living (a level in which an individual citizen has the income and means to provide for needs and some amenities to enjoy life).
Power means to have discipline, capability to work with others (individuals and nations) and the courage to resist intervention. Power involves naked power (brute force), persuasive power (to persuade), executive (power accruing to position, president, manager), and economic power. The other component of power is priestly power that belongs to the religious or priests.
Let's apply an economic formula called neoclassical theory of growth (Dornbusch, R. et al. Macroeconomics, 10th edition), one subformula is as follows:
Output growth equals labor share times labor growth plus capital share times capital growth. In the form of a formula:
∆Y/Y = [(1 - θ) X ∆N/N] + ( θ X ∆K/K)
Where Y means output, N means labor and K means capital. θ means the value is not zero. The value is empirical data, meaning we get it from our records of performance or harvests.
To increase our output, the factors that we should watch out for and manipulate with vigor and courage are labor, and capital (including resources).
Our efforts should result for each of our citizen (of course computed as per capita) in:
One: constant income for each of our citizen,
Two: constant capital, and
Three: saving is equal to investment needed to provide capital for new workers and to replace worn out machines.
Once these had been attained we must add one more element, technology. Of course, some technology had been employed in bringing about the three above conditions. However, there must be a spurt of added technology, either adopted from other countries or developed domestically.
If we had attained the above three conditions we will come to a steady state. How could we make our output grow?. We should increase inputs and enhance our productivity with improved technology and capability of our work force. So, let us add technology to the formula, as follows:
∆Y/Y = [(1 - θ) X ∆N/N] + ( θ X ∆K/K) + ∆A/A
Where A stands for technology. . Output growth equals labor share times labor growth plus capital share times capital growth plus technological progress.
With added new technologies, our economy will grow and reach another plateau, a new higher steady state.
During the intervening years, the income of each citizen increased that each could save more.
However, the "growth rate of output per head" will remain the same.
How else could we propel our economic growth from this new higher steady state?
There should be an increase in the capital-labor ratio. This can be attained by the infusion of capital stock such that capital stock grows faster than the labor force and depreciation.
Let's take a foreign loan or make a loan four ourselves by means of an entry in the treasury account.
(I have a Hub "How Extra Oxygen Policy of Development Works for Developing Countries").
There will be barriers to overcome and adjustments to make. If we fail on these, we will never attain development. If we succeed, having included contentment and happiness, we will attain development. End of new entries.
I am an Indian and were the victim of cold war in the 60s. We were the founders of Non-Aligned -Movement , reason we remained aloof from the rivalry of USSR and USA. We saved ourselves and chose independent path of progress.
Africa and Central Asia will become battle ground in this century because of natural resources there and super powers need it , kind of a new colonization.
In Africa lack of civilian society is the real problem and their treasuries may bulge by selling oil or minerals but for systematic development, they need to learn and design their own model of development.
To achieve all this they need to be democratic and permits freedom of expression.
thank you for the topic.
pramod gokhale
Wow, I agree completely with many points you made. It seems simple human nature (greed, power stc) can be blamed for many of the problems. Interesting history I wasn't aware of, as well. Good Hub, rated up =)
Each country should have its own opportunity to define "development" itself...to set its own priorities outside of, sovereign of the demands of multinationals and quasi-colonizers. Nigeria might not have been comparable to the United States in terms of "modernity", but prior to its surrender of national sovereignty to the Oil conglomerates, it was a nation that was able to feed its large, diverse population. They were able to export agricultural products to other nations, especially within the African continent. Now Nigeria is decimated, its government run by corrupt gangsters who, along with their own greedy passions, do the wicked bidding of the likes of Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron.


text:
Xeos. is an innovative startup that operates in the field of information technology. The company, recently founded by the divestment of a business branch (Xeos.it), operates in the field of research and development, with the aim of creating systems that can improve the quality of life through the use of remote monitoring strategies.
The areas of application of the Xeos system range from health care to sports, from retail to service to large companies.
These systems are based on the detection of vital parameters through the use of non-invasive wearable technology, and systems for managing and analyzing huge amounts of data related to a person's biometrics.
For more information about XEOS visit their website.


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Title: Unexpected help
Fandom: TheFaculty
Character: Zeke, Sister Harper
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2023
Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own The Faculty nor the character :( - I'm just borrowing them for some fun
Very old prompt: In sickness (#12.05)
Zeke could feel cold sweat on his forehead though there was a cold wind blowing since days, then there was the stabbing pain in his stomach again, worse than before. He groaned slightly and looked for a hold at the iron stair rail of the bleachers. He already felt sick since some hours, usually a good reason to go home and stay there for some days. But no way that he would skip school today.
It had been at the boy's washroom this morning that he had overheard a talk between Meat and two other jocks from the football team, only fragments, but enough to know that they had something nasty in mind. Actually not a big surprise, they always enjoyed it to bully Casey, but the way they had laughed and patted each other on the back as if they were celebration a crushing win had aroused all of Zeke's instincts.
Of course, this actually wasn't his business. Maybe it was just about time that Casey learned better to keep his mouth shut and to stay out of their way; this stubborn dumbhead did his best to enraged them every day anew with contemptuous glances and verbal abuse. Pretty stupid. But on the other hand, Zeke had always secretly enjoyed this spectacle. To stand up against the jocks when you were all alone and, at least, two heads smaller than them, that really deserved some approval.
This time, though, Zeke had a very bad feeling, this was more than the usual shit and it could end badly for Casey. So, despite his usual attitude, to stand out of other people's problems, he had decided to keep an eye on Casey when he left school today. Only when things got out of control he would step in.
He cursed, when the pain, mixed up with a strange feeling of dizziness this time, hit him again.
When he opened his eyes next time he wasn't longer at the bleachers, but ... fuck, where the hell was he? Confused, he stared at the white wall in front of him, and the great poster that warned against smoking. He was lying on a small, uncomfortable bed, the head lower than his legs. Groaning, he tried to turn around, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him immediately.
"Fine, you are awake."
He blinked, wondering where he had heard this voice before. None of the teachers, and for sure, no student. Slowly, the memories came back. Sister Harper, the school's nurse. But what was she doing here? Or, what was he doing here?
A cold hand touched his forehead, then grabbed for his wrist to feel the pulse.
"Don't worry, the ambulance will be here soon."
Zeke almost jumped. What? That was ridiculous. He didn't need an ambulance, he never ... Feeling annoyed, he pushed her hand away and tried to sit up. The pain rushed through his body with full force and let him cry.
"Fuck," he groaned and sank back weakly.
Sister Harper eyed him thoughtfully. A strange guy, she didn't know much about him, apart from his rep, which was not the best. He was rebellious, didn't give much about rules, skipped classes; never enough though to get suspended from school. The girls liked him, not a big surprise, he was good-looking and when he smiled it was special. But he did only rarely, usually he preferred to put on an unapproachable behavior.
He was at Herrington High for ... what ... three years now? And he had never ended at the schools ward before, not even with the dislocated hand he had gotten during gym last year. He had preferred to hide the pain and to deal with it alone.
This time, though, it was more serious. A junior did show up at the ward some time ago to ask her to come to the bleachers quickly. She had been pretty alarmed the moment she reached him. Zeke had lost his conscious, was lying on a wooden bank in the first row, pale, sweat on his forehead. Obviously high fever and his abdomen was hard and sensitive. Appendicitis, for sure, and she could only guess how long Zeke already was in this state. Probably for long, stubborn as he was, and it was most likely that the appendix was already ruptured.
While the coach and one of the players, who thankfully were still around for some extra training, had taken him back into school, Sister Harper had called the ambulance. There was not much more, she could do for him, only to calm him down.
"Take it easy," she told him when she noticed the pain in his eyes.
"I know you don't like it to ask for help. But this time, you don't have much of a choice. You need a surgery. Don't worry, an appendix isn't life-threatening."
At least, she hoped so, a ruptured appendicitis was not to be taken so lightly.
Zeke stared at her. What she was talking about? Appendix? Surgery? Hospital? He glanced at the big clock at the wall. Almost 3.00 clock. Casey's art course would end soon. Shit. Not the right time to go to a hospital.
Again he tried to sit up, this time, prepared for the stinging pain. He somehow managed it to put his feet onto the ground and to stand up, even if a bit wobbly. Sister Harper shook his head slightly and sighed.
"No, Zeke," she said rigorous.
"Stop that! This is not the time for acting obstinately. You won't go anywhere in your state but in the hospital. I'm responsible for your healthiness and I will make sure that you get the treatment you need."
Zeke's eyes sparkled annoyed.
"No one ever told me what to do."
His voice was slightly rough but determined. Although the nurse wasn't easily to impress, she had to admit that this desperate stubbornness somehow touched her. What happened to this boy that he was so afraid to accept help, despite high fever and for sure a lot of pain? Suddenly an idea crossed her mind.
"Look, there is nothing you need to worry about," she said.
"Maybe you will have to stay at the hospital for some days, but if you don't have the money for it, we will find a way. For the moment, it's only important that you get the help you needs."
Zeke stared at her and almost felt the urge to laugh. Not the money for it? The only thing he could always count on were the monthly checks his parents did send him. It was the easiest way to get rid of the responsibility they had for their only child. Slowly he shook the head.
"You don't get it. I can't stay because I have got some business to take care off."
"Business, huh."
Sister Harper smiled mildly, yes, she had heard about these rumors, too, Zeke was known as a dealer who could supply everything that was needed.
"Well, this will have to wait until you are out and about again. I think, I already hear the ambulance in front of the main entrance. So better accept it."
Zeke's look darkened, he huffed slightly. Why today, why the hell today? He never got seriously sick, never ever, nothing that couldn't be cured by some Advil or Demerol. Suddenly he wished he would have warned Casey to be careful today. Now it was too late. And whatever would happen to him, it was his fault. Suddenly he felt really lousy, the pain was overwhelming and his world started to spin around again. He groaned at the futile try to ignore it.
Sister Harper threw a warning glance at him.
"You will play nice now, Zeke, and won't do anything stupid. I will be back in an instant."
Then she turned to the door to go to meet the ambulance.
With a weak voice, he held her back.
Zeke licked his lips, dry and hot.
Sister Harper turned back and looked at him questioning.
"Casey Connor?"
Zeke nodded.
"Gabe and the others ... I guess, they will hurt him."
The nurse looked at him thoughtfully. Considering all the injuries the boy had shown up with at the school's ward during the last two years it was for sure not the first time that they planned something like that. She had suspected it but there had never been enough proof to accuse the player of the team. Casey was a nice boy, who never did complain. He was a bit different than most of the others with his love for art and photography, he was not interested in the usual party- girls- and football stuff. Which made him an easy target. No one wanted to stand up against the star players of the team for an outsider like him.
"What do you know, Zeke," she asked.
"Not enough. Nothing concrete. It will happen today, after school."
Zeke closed his eyes when another wave of pain was rushing through his body.
"Art course. It ends ... soon."
Suddenly all the pieces started to fall together.
"You planned to help him. This is where you want to go?"
Zeke shrugged, feeling somehow embarrassed.
"Someone needs to stop this," he murmured.
"Or one day it will come to a bad end."
The nurse grabbed for his hand and squeezed it slightly. If the pain wouldn't be so violent in the meantime that he could barely breathe without crying he would probably have jumped out of the bed and run.
"You are a good guy, Zeke," Sister Harper said.
Holy crap, no one had ever called him a good guy. What a shitty day. He wished that he would have stayed in bed this morning. Nothing of all this would have happened and his life would still be what it was supposed to be. Without Casey, without pain, without hospital and surgery and for sure without a stupid, caring nurse. It was all her fault. Without her he would wait for Casey at the parking lot and ...
The knock at the door tore him out of his thoughts. Two medics with a stretcher between them entered the room. Without further ado, they shared some words with Sister Harper, then one of them turned to Zeke for a quick check-up. Finally, he nodded.
"Yes, this looks like an acute appendix. A surgery is needed as quick as possible."
In the meantime, Zeke felt much too worn out to protest, when they helped him from the bed onto the stretcher and fixed him with two straps.
"Just a moment," Sister Harper stopped the medics last minute. She turned to Zeke again who was looking up to her with blurred eyes.
"Don't worry, everything will be okay. You will get the treatment you need. And I will take care for Casey. I guess, I could give him a ride today, make sure that he comes home safely. And I will have a talk with Mrs. Drake, you are right, it's about time, that someone steps in."
For a moment, Zeke wasn't sure if this was still real. Then he felt relief rushing through his body and he pulled the face to a smile.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"But ... please, don't tell ..."
"Tell what?"
"Casey. Don't tell him, that I ... "
He paused and shook his head haltingly.
"I just don't want him to know ..."
"Oh ... yeah, I get it."
Sister Harper smiled reassuring.
"You know, Zeke, I'm not just taking care for bruises and sprained arms. Sometimes I'm also a kind of shrink. And nothing I get to hear will ever leave this room. So, no, I won't tell him that you care. Though, I think, it's kinda stupid, because it's nothing wrong with it to care for others."
She watched the medics lifting the stretcher into the ambulance, only a second later they were gone. And she wondered if there was more she could do for Zeke without alienating him. He was a good boy, he had a lot more to give than he was aware of. And it was really a shame that no one cared about him.
the end


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Add a Hanging Sleeve Before Binding the Quilt
A quilt hanging sleeve can be permanent or temporary and it can be sewn on after or at the same time you apply binding. A hanging sleeve allows a quilt to hang evenly, preventing the stretch that nearly always occurs when you secure the project to a wall with a series of pins or other fasteners.
Sew a Hanging Sleeve to the Quilt When You Sew the Binding
The photograph illustrates a hanging sleeve on the back of the TARDIS quilt. It includes media photos from Matt Smith's run as Doctor Who. The sleeve was sewn to the quilt when the binding was applied.
- Sandwich the quilt top, batting, and backing.
- Baste the layers together and then quilt or tie.
- Trim batting and backing carefully, squaring up corners as necessary.
- Cut or piece together fabric to make a strip 9" tall and the same width as the quilt.
- Fold under short edges 1/4", wrong sides together. Fold under again. Press. Sew a straight or zigzag seam to hem the folds.
- Fold the strip lengthwise, wrong sides together, aligning raw edges.
- Center the folded strip along the top edge of the quilt, against the backing, aligning its matched raw edges with the edge of the quilt.
- Sew the sleeve to the quilt with an approximate 1/8" seam allowance.
- Bind the quilt as you normally would. If you plan to use the tucked method to end double-fold binding, start binding on a side without the sleeve to help avoid bulk from extra layers of fabric.
- Finish the sleeve using Steps 6 through 8.
Quilt Sleeve Options
- You can use any fabric for the quilt sleeve, from plain muslin to something that enhances the reverse side of your quilt.
- Quilt shows usually require a 4" minimum sleeve. Read show rules before assembling the sleeve for your quilt.
- Use wide backing fabric to make a long sleeve without piecing strips of fabric. Use the same fabric you back the quilt with to make the sleeve blend with the backing.
Sew a Hanging Sleeve After the Quilt Is Finished
Refer to the illustrations as you make the quilt sleeve.
- Cut or piece together fabric to make a strip 9" tall and the same width as the quilt.
- Fold under both short edges about 1/4", wrong sides together. Fold under again to double the fabric. Press. Sew a straight or zigzag seam to hem the folds.
- Now fold the strip lengthwise, wrong sides together, aligning its raw edges. Sew together with a 1/2" seam allowance. Press the seam allowance open.
- Place the open seam against the quilt's back. Center and pin the top edge of the tube to the back of the quilt, about 1/2" below the binding.
- Use a whipstitch to sew the top edge of the tube to the quilt backing. Stitch into the quilt batting occasionally to help strengthen the seam but do not allow the stitches to show on the front of the quilt.
- Smooth the sleeve downward along the quilt backing and then make a 1/2" fold along its length to create a pleat. Leaving the pleat intact, pin the sleeve bottom to the quilt.
- Whipstitch the lower edge of the sleeve to the quilt. Remove pins. The sleeve will pooch out a bit to allow space for a hanging rod.
- Whipstitch the (short) back sides of the sleeve to the quilt. Leave the front sides unsewn to allow for rod insertion.


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A320 Seatmap
4 types of seats, to each its comfort
The A320 has 146 seats on board divided between Economy class and Hibiscus class.
Find out all the information on the aircraft configuration and the cabin plan below.
Economy Class
Business Hibiscus Class
Nb of seats
|138 seats
|8 seats
Space between seats
The distance between the seats is 32 to 32" (79 to 81cm)
The distance between the seats is 40'' (102 cm) allowing the seats to tilt horizontally.
Seat titling
|Seat tilt of 5 inches (about 12°)
|Seat tilt of 8 inches (18.5°)
Our Business Hibiscus Seats
- Configuration 1-2-1
- 112 cm d'espace entre les sièges
- Longueur de lit de 1m99 à 2m08
- Écran tactile HD 39.62 cm (Haute Définition)
- Alimentation et ports USB
- Lit parfaitement plat, couette et oreillers.
- Liseuse
- Nécessaire de voyage
- Casque anti-bruit
- Services haut de gamme
- Accès à internet
Our seats comfort plus
- Offering more space for your legs
- Located at the emergency exits
- For security reasons, they are not accessible to :
- babies and children under 15 traveling alone or accompanied,
- pregnant women,
- people who can not understand security instructions given in English or French,
- passengers traveling with an animal,
- people who can not justify a sufficient physical condition to open the doors if necessary (people with reduced mobility, elderly people as well as passengers whose stature would be likely to hinder access to emergency exits)
- Paying - Starting from 4,000 XPF
Our Preferential seats
- Located at the front of the Economy cab
- Fast disembarkation
- Saving time for your formalities on arrival
- Paid - Starting at 3,000 XPF
Our Standard seats
- HD Touch Screen 29.5 cm (High Definition)
- 78.7 cm of space between the seats
- Tilt of 37.6 °
- Power and USB ports
- Adjustable headrest
- Footrest
- Travel kit
- Internet access