text:
Effectiveness of Armodafinil for Treating Fatigue in Adults With HIV/AIDS
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00737204
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : August 18, 2008
Results First Posted : June 12, 2014
Last Update Posted : June 12, 2014
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|HIV Infections Fatigue
|Drug: Armodafinil Drug: Placebo
|Phase 4
Fatigue is a common problem for many people with HIV/AIDS, interfering with daily activities and serving as a significant barrier to working among those whose health is otherwise stable or restored by antiretroviral (ARV) medication. Fatigue in HIV is associated with disability and diminished quality of life. It may be caused by ARVs or by the virus itself. A related study tested whether modafinil, of which armodafinil is an r-isomer, could reduce fatigue in HIV/AIDS patients. Armodafinil, believed to have a longer duration and greater effect than modafinil, will be tested on the same criteria.
Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either armodafinil or a placebo daily for 4 weeks. Participants randomized to active medication and who show improvements in symptoms will be offered armodafinil for an additional 12 weeks. For them, the study duration is 16 weeks. Participants who did not receive armodafinil will be offered armodafinil for 16 weeks. For these participants, the study duration is 20 weeks. Participants who did not benefit from armodafinil will receive alternate treatment options. All participants will have weekly study visits for the first 4 weeks of the study and biweekly visits for the remainder of the study. At each visit, participants will complete various tasks to determine cognitive function, and self-report scales will be used to determine symptoms of depression and fatigue. After completion of 16 weeks, participants responding to armodafinil will be transitioned to the publicly available modafinil over the course of 2 weeks.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|70 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Triple (Participant, Care Provider, Outcomes Assessor)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Armodafinil Treatment for Fatigue in HIV+ Patients
|Study Start Date :
|June 2008
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|April 2010
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|September 2010
Experimental: Armodafinil
Participants will take armodafinil for 4 weeks. The dose will be titrated up from 50mg to 250mg per day as clinically indicated, using 50mg tablets. If responsive, participants will be offered 12 additional weeks of armodafinil.
Drug: Armodafinil
Participants will receive 50 mg of armodafinil per day, increasing to 250 mg per day as clinically indicated.
Other Name: Nuvigil
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Participants will receive placebo pills for 4 weeks. Placebo tablets that match the 50mg active medication tablets will given following the same dosing strategy as Arm 1. The dose will be titrated from 1 placebo tablet daily to 5 tablets daily as clinically indicated. Non-responders to placebo will then be offered 16 weeks of active medication.
Drug: Placebo
Participants will receive placebo pills matched to the active armodafinil and according to the same dosing strategy
Other Name: Sugar pill
- Fatigue Severity Scale(FSS) Outcome [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline and Weeks 4 ]The FSS is a 9-item self-report scale that measures the impact of fatigue on everyday functioning. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 to 7. Total scores range from 9-63, with a higher score indicating greater impairment due to fatigue.
- Role Function Scale [ Time Frame: Measured at Baseline and Week 4 ]The Role Function Scale includes 10 items drawn from the Short Form 36-item Survey (SF-36) and other SF versions. It is intended to assess the extent to which fatigue has a behavioral impact on daily activities. Scores of frequency in the past week, on a 5-point scale, are summed with higher scores signifying greater role impairment. Scores range from 10-50.
- CD4 Cell Count [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline and Week 4 ]Cd4 cell count is a laboratory marker providing an indication of immune system functioning. Blood samples were drawn for this measure at baseline and week 4. The reference range for CD4 cell count is 490-1740, and a clinically significant change is defined as a change of >=100 cells. A higher number is associated with better immune functioning.
- HIV Viral Load [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline and Week 4 ]HIV RNA viral load assay is a laboratory measure indicating viral activity. Because of the large range of possible values (50 - 100,000 copies), this measure is transformed to log10 values. We entered the log10 value of 1.69 when the laboratory result stated "under 50 copies," which was the assay's lowest limit of detectability during the study.
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 75 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Ages 18-75
- Clinically significant fatigue (score of 4.5+ on Fatigue Severity Scale, plus impairment on 1+ categories of Role Function Scale)
- Fatigue duration for 3+ months
- English-speaking
- Able to give informed consent
- Fecund women uses barrier method of contraception
Exclusion Criteria:
- Primary care doctor does not approve of study participation
- Unstable medical condition (e.g. liver failure; cirrhosis, new onset opportunistic infection in past month)
- Untreated hypogonadism, except for men for whom testosterone replacement is medically contraindicated (serum testosterone below the reference range)
- Untreated hypothyroidism (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone over 5 IUI/mL)
- Untreated and uncontrolled hypertension
- Clinically significant anemia (hematocrit <30%)
- Started testosterone or nandrolone in past 6 weeks
- Started or changed an antiretroviral regimen in past 4 weeks if fatigue predated the change; otherwise, started or changed regimen in past 2 months
- Untreated or under-treated major depressive disorder
- Started antidepressant medication within past 6 weeks
- Substance abuse/dependence (past 4 months)
- Regular and frequent cannabis use (> twice/week regularly)
- Currently clinically significant suicidal ideation or Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) score >24
- History or current psychosis or bipolar disorder
- Pregnant or breastfeeding
- Significant untreated insomnia (score >3 on HAM-D insomnia items)
- Currently taking psychostimulant medication or past nonresponse to modafinil
- Has no alternative viable antiretroviral regimen after the current one
- Left ventricular hypertrophy; mitral valve prolapse
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00737204
|United States, New York
|New York State Psychiatric Institute
|New York, New York, United States, 10032
|Principal Investigator:
|Judith G. Rabkin, Phd, MPH
|Columbia University
Other Publications:
|Responsible Party:
|New York State Psychiatric Institute
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
R01MH072383-02 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract )
|First Posted:
|August 18, 2008 Key Record Dates
|Results First Posted:
|June 12, 2014
|Last Update Posted:
|June 12, 2014
|Last Verified:
|March 2013
Central Nervous System Stimulants
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Wakefulness-Promoting Agents
Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A Inducers
Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inducers
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Operation Finale. Directed by Chris Weitz. Produced by Automatik Entertainment, 2018.
It is a rare occasion when I truly enjoy a movie. Considering the cost associated with having a complete movie experience (buying a ticket, popcorn, and a drink), the reward generally falls short of the investment. Even more so for films based on historical events. Frequently, historically based films require a creative license to produce a story that can understood in a limited time frame and that is commercially viable. However. creative license often challenges historical accuracy. Operation Finale proved to be a movie I enjoyed. Creative license was taken, and the film is not accurate to history, but I enjoyed it because it delivered a few things I rarely experience with modern movies.


text:
You're in business, you need friendsMarch 8th, 2010
www.businessfriends.com Business networking site joins the growing Living Being Media series of sites and blogs.
See our links for great sites
www.cashforest.com where money trees grow Info, tips, reviews, about making money online
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www.livingpictures.org/aviation join the dialog about aviation articles, pilot training, flight simulators
www.beststufftobuy.com "no fluff, no gruff, just good stuff" exclusive product reviews. "We find good stuff to buy and do, and let you know about it too."


text:
Celebrate a life saving event!
I just finished this card and I am really excited about how it turned out. Adopting a cat from a shelter is a life saving event, why not celebrate it ?!
I used plain recycled card stock to get this card started. I stained the base card stock with an Antique Bronze Distress Stain and then painted it (dry brushed) with a blue acrylic paint. It gives the paper the look of something completely unique and handmade (you can see it in the last picture below that shows the inside of the card). I used some sweet paper I had in my studio with "Happily Ever After" all over it that I stained and distressed on the edge.
I drew a simple cat sillouhette and painted it with a super heavy gesso to get the textured look (let this dry overnight) and then painted it with bronze acyrilic paint and dry brushed with blue acrylic.
I added some simple embellishments (that I painted to match my color theme); ribbon, flower and heart.
The inside of the card is a cream card stock that I distressed and slightly stained (on the edges). It reads; "Some of the world's greatest LOVE stories began at the local shelter".
The card was inspired by my own rescue cats who I couldn't love more; Taco, Jasmine and Catzilla.
If you don't like making cards I do have some of these available on my ETSY shop: http://www.ETSY.com/shop/TheRescueMama
Rescue On!


text:
On 20 April, our member city of Malmö (Sweden) was announced by Director-General for DG MOVE, Mr. Henrik Hololei, as the winner of the 4th Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning Award.
The SUMP award ceremony 2016 (Copyright European Mobility Week)
The jury particulary appreciated how the city is committed in an integrated planning process that focuses on creating an efficient multimodal network, as well as on social and economic factors. Thus, accessibility for different social groups or a clear and consistent urban freight policy go hand in hand with the development of a new tram and hybrid busses system.
With a strong ambition, Malmö is an outstanding example of a city which has developed, years after years, a holistic and realistic vision for its mobility policy.
Video presentation of the 4th SUMP Award Finalists by European Mobility Week
As a signatory of the Covenant of Mayors since 2008, Malmö is committed to reduce its CO2 emissions of 40% by 2020. And according to its baseline emission inventory, it appeared in 2009 that transportation was responsible for almost half of the total amount of the greenhouse gases produced in Malmö !
Definitely worth the efforts !
Each year, the Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) Award highlights a different aspect of mobility planning. The 2013 award recognised successful territorial and policy integration, while the 2014 edition looked at monitoring implementation with an eye to making improvements. The 2015 edition focused on multimodality and intermodality in sustainable urban mobility planning.
The other finalists for the SUMP Award, our member city of Utrecht (The Netherlands) and Vienna (Austria), were complimented for their own work in integrating different transport modes. Mr Hololei affirmed that "Europe can and should be a world leader in sustainable mobility solutions"..
To go further :
Visit the official website of the European Mobility Week
"One tramway, three cities and eight financial experts", a case study by Energy Cities on the joint development of tramway networks in Malmö, Helsingborg and Lund, using the ELENA-EIB facility
See Energy Cities' proposals for the energy transition of cities and towns, also in the field of planning and transportation
May 17, 2016


text:
Akzo Nobel Announces Management Changes
PRESS RELEASE: Akzo Nobel has announced that Jo Lennartz (57) will become the company's new Director of Technology. Two further management changes resulting from his appointment have also been confirmed.
Formerly General Manager of the company's Functional Chemicals business, Dutch-born Lennartz will officially take up his new position on September 1. He will be succeeded by Bob Margevich (50), currently General Manager of Akzo Nobel Polymer Chemicals. Alan Kwek (50)—presently Manager of the Powder Coatings activities in Asia Pacific—will in turn take over at Polymer Chemicals.
"Jo Lennartz has been instrumental in successfully reshaping the Functional Chemicals business and he will bring to his new role a wealth of business and technology experience gained while working for a number of different Akzo Nobel businesses," said Akzo Nobel Board member Leif Darner.
new role will include establishing links and interacting with relevant external technology and science communities, as well as leading the development of the technology community within Akzo Nobel.
based in Chicago in the United States, Bob Margevich has almost 30 years of experience in the international chemicals business and has been General Manager of Akzo Nobel Polymer Chemicals since 2003. An American citizen, Margevich will move to Amersfoort in the Netherlands.
Kwek joined Akzo Nobel after the acquisition of Courtaulds in 1998, where he held a regional role for Marine and Protective Coatings in Asia. He will move from his native Singapore to the United States and will be based in Chicago.


text:
Shipping & Returns
Currently we only ship within United Kingdom.
We offer FREE standard delivery and returns within the UK (2-3 working days).
Next Day UK delivery for orders placed by 1pm costs £5.
European/International Express delivery serviced by DHL costs £10.
*Local duties & taxes may apply outside of the EU. Please contact DHL for payment to clear customs when the parcel arrives in your country. Follow your email link to track your order.
Deliveries are Monday to Friday and all require a signature.
If no one is available at the delivery address to sign for the goods a card will be left with details for re-delivery or collection. Organising a re-delivery with the courier is the responsibility of the customer.
We hope you like our dressing gowns. If for any reason you'd like to return them, you may do so for a refund within 30 days of purchase, provided they are unworn in their original condition. There are a few simple steps to follow below.
UK returns.
- Submit your return request here
- Then, print a returns label from this Royal Mail link (you will need your order number)
- Send your order back to us in its original packaging with the tags attached
* We offer FREE returns within the UK
International Returns.
- Submit your return request here
- Then, pack your parcel in its original packaging with the tags attached
- Label the parcel with the below address and post by dropping it at your national service post office (often best rates) or your chosen courier.
Autumn AfternoonC/o FulfilmentcrowdUnit 20 Matrix WayBuckshaw Village, ChorleyLancashire, PR7 7NDUnited Kingdom
* European returns shipping costs are at the customers' expense and paid to the courier.


text: Our old boiler had been condemned by Corgi Home Plan and Rob was the sub-contractor appointed by Corgi to fit our new boiler. Having done an impeccable job of this installation, after a couple of weeks it became apparent that there was an unrelated problem with our radiators, namely that different radiators were heating up, some partially, some not at all- at different times. Given that Rob had done the installation, the issue was initially put back to him, but an Ideal engineer confirmed that there was indeed no issue with Rob's installation and the problem lay with our existing central heating system. Having been mucked about by Corgi, who gave the distinct impression that they would fall over themselves before paying for any further repairs for us (despite us having been their customers for over 5 years), I had no option but to cancel the DD to Corgi and seek a solution elsewhere. So, the logical solution was to approach Rob, who would now be working directly for me. He quickly diagnosed the fault and prescribed a power flush. He has, to date, conducted power flushes of my system on 2 separate days while sticking to the original price he quoted me. The problem is now 100% fixed- thanks to Rob's tenacity and expertise. I cannot speak highly enough of Rob's commitment to his customers and sticking to what he says he will do. This is a rare commodity in 2018 Britain. Well done Rob- we'll be in touch for any future plumbing requirements. Thank you.


text: The Paychex API is built using Representational State Transfer (REST) architecture. This RESTful style will communicate over Hypertext Transfer Protocol using HTTP verbs for performing actions. Security will be a combination of authorization framework using OAuth 2.0 and Paychex client access. Request and response payloads will be formatted using JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) to represent a resource (additional formats will be available in future releases). Resources will provide context specific Hypermedia Controls that provides you a way to manipulate additional resources.


text:
What is it like to play 'live' for a circus theatrical like this?
Adam: It helps to have a background in improvisation. Circus acts are very precise art forms and the music needs to move with the act, especially the drums – it handles much of the subtle accenting that makes the movements come to life. It was a challenge to pull together a complex show with this mix of 'live' orchestra and multi-track sequence arrangements. We had to be creative with the multi-track sequence so that we keep the wonderful details and textures created by composer Jonathan Lim. Even today, we still find ways to make the music better. It is – and likely will always be – a work in progress.
How 'common' is this style of music playing?
Erik: It's very common – just look at Broadway and Cirque du Soleil.
Peter: I've done this for 20 years now.
Norbert: I've played for theatrical shows for 10 years but only as a sub. So playing for the same show for 7 days a week, for nearly a year is quite a new experience for me.
Bill: I've been doing it since high school – 7 to 12 shows a week since college. It is fun, I get to travel and so here I am!
How has the journey of life changed you in the past one year?
Adam: I've learnt a lot – though trial and error – about technique, software, music and management. Being a Musical Director for a show this complex is a first for me. We're all very much like family – and like any families, some squabbles are bound to happen. I believe we are all very happy with where we are at now as a band and as 'family'. Talking about families, the biggest change is parenthood! Both Peter and I had children one month apart – Peter's second, my first. Norbert is expecting his first child in October.
Erik: I now know to trust only God and my heart.
Norbert: This country is very different from where I came from – that means a lot of changes.
Billy: I feel more like a citizen of the world. I've never lived outside USA previously so it's very different for me. I'm more aware of the goings-on in SEA and see places I've only dreamed of visiting.
What are noticeable changes in the troupe over the past year?
Billy: New directors, new technical directors, new cast members, some acts that we opened with have been cut – overall, there were quite some changes. The music however, has changed very little.
If you can change one thing, what will it be?
Norbert: I've never seen the show as the audience. Perhaps whatever changes are required to make the show better for the audience?
Billy: Have the show tour (eventually). It would be cool to bring the show to some other cities – and to experience these cities myself as well!
Any hopes for the upcoming year?
Adam: For the show to keep growing, sharing it with even more people. I would love to see the show extended or to begin a new production here in RWS. I think we have grown quite fond of all the great things Singapore has to offer. I come to work in shorts every day – I LOVE it!
Erik: To continue to help this show improve to a highly professional level.
Peter: Good health.
Billy: To grow as a musician. Outside the show, to play lots of tennis! Love the warm weather all year round – where I grew up in Upstate New York, we can't play tennis outside during Christmas.
More about the band…
Norbert Elek – Keyboards / Accordian
– played the piano since 5 years old
– performed with many leading Hungarian pop bands
– created pop music albums, including one for the winner of the Hungarian Idol TV show
– orchestrated for the Hungarian Military Big Band and several other symphonic orchestras
Bill Leary – Saxes / Ethnic Flutes / Clarinet / EWI
– played with jazz greats in college
– toured with Broadway musical "Annie"
– travelled with a 3-ring circus – complete with elephant, lions, horses and clowns!
– sailed around the world while performing on a cruise ship
Adam Kimont – Musical Director / Keyboards
– travelled 5 years with America's (most famous) Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (RBBBC)
– met and played alongside Bill and Erik there
Peter Csaszar – Bass / Guitar / Cello
– a bassist in the Hungarian State Opera for 6 years
– has performed in orchestras, concerts and musicals with notable names, like Yehudi Menuhin and Diana Ross
Erik Hargrove– Drums
– performed for kings and dignitaries on every continent except Antarctica
– toured and recorded with James Brown for 7 years, Bootsy Collins for 2 years and Sister Hazel for 3 years and Thomas McClary of "The Commodores"
– has performed with names such as Michael Jackson (at the 2004 BET Awards), Sting, Pavarotti and Red Hot Chili Peppers while on tour with James Brown
Check out our websitetoo for more info on Voyage de la Vie.


text:
Data processing is a task to harmonize the information from various data sources. This process helps companies in producing only relevant organized information which is effortlessly easy to understand. Couple of years ago, processing was done manually but that was very time consuming. Nowadays, there is lack of time so companies don't incline toward manual processing. Electronic data processing is used by most organizations to reduce the time of synchronization. Companies can increase productivity and enhance the quality of work through electronic information processing.
Generally, the majority of organizations are having separate team for processing. This team takes care about various activities, for example, data collection and analysis. Automatic data processing is used to make the task easier. There kind of service is utilized at various business divisions, for example, banks, insurance companies, and many established government organizations. It is also utilized by small commercial units like distributors, suppliers, etc. Electronic information processing is regularly utilized as a part of up to date computing era. It is in huge demand on a daily basis to manage and maintain the information. Electronic data processing is vital for your business because:
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text:
What Is The Difference Between Info Expertise And Computer Science?
The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Computer Technology program is designed to provide data
The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Computer Technology program is designed to provide data and training on the use, software and technological developments of computers in a changing digital surroundings. These MSCS programs give attention to constructing an even more extensive and robust set of expertise, as compared to a scholar's undergraduate program. A server is a pc that handles requests for knowledge, e-mail, file transfers, and other network companies from different computer systems. These mixed expertise put together college students for speedy entry into the pc know-how field in numerous areas together with community administration, finish-consumer help, normal hardware maintenance, and purposes improvement.
One of many first commercially produced computers, the company´s first buyer was the US Navy. The 1101, designed by PERIOD but built by Remington-Rand, was intended for top-speed computing and stored 1 million bits on its magnetic drum, one of many earliest magnetic storage units and a technology which ERA had completed much to seo ohio excellent in its own laboratories. Lots of the 1101's basic architectural particulars were used once more in later Remington-Rand computers until the Nineteen Sixties.
The identical mannequin will be applied to rather more than simply smartphones. Chips have already made their means into issues not normally considered computer systems, from vehicles to medical implants to televisions and kettles, and the method is accelerating. Dubbed the internet of issues †(IoT), the idea is to embed computing into nearly every conceivable object.
The BCIT scholar outcomes studies present abstract findings from the annual survey of former students administered by BC Stats one to two years after commencement. These stories mix the last three years of available outcomes for the 2015-2017 BCIT Outcomes Surveys of 2014-2016 graduates and for Degree 2013-2015 graduates. The experiences are organized into three-page summaries containing info on graduates' labour market experiences and opinions relating to their education. More detailed information might be accessed on the BC Student Outcomes website.
Acorn's ARM RISC microprocessor is first used in the firm's Archimedes computer system. Certainly one of Britain's leading computer corporations, Acorn continued the Archimedes line, which grew to nearly twenty completely different fashions, into the Nineties. Acorn spun off ARM as its own firm to license microprocessor designs, which in flip has transformed cell computing with ARM's low power, excessive-efficiency processors and methods-on-chip (SoC).


text:
Modern Gifts For Young Girls30.11.15
27 comments
I love that Miffy lamp, it's so cool! I need to get one of those Lego storage boxes for my boysReplyDeleteReplies
isn't it! I really want one but they're pretty expensive! The lego storage boxes are so handy and keep things tidy, would definitely recommend them xDelete
Ahh these are beautiful picks.ReplyDelete
We've just bought my girl her first doll for Christmas so I really love the little wooden doll's crib. I bet my LO would love that!
Jenna at Tinyfootsteps xxReplies
Thanks Jenna. I think I want everything for Amelia ha!Delete
Oohh she'd love a dolls crib for it, my little girl is always playing with hers although its broken so looking at buying the one mentioned above xx
What a lovely gift guide. Obviously the panda cup is the best thing EVER!! Lol. Will santa be bringing anything for Amelia from here? XxReplyDeleteReplies
Haha, thought of you when I saw it :) He sure will :) xxDelete
You have great taste Kerry, I absolutely love your picks! That wooden dolls crib is beautiful, I might have to get it for Sophie's birthday next year xReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Emma, its gorgeous isn't it! I really want to buy it for Amelia but we bought a bike as her main present. Might wait for her bday next year but not sure if she'll be too old :/ xxDelete
I love these, I had no idea monochrome was in, I'd love it for my girls' room when I get around to doing it up.xxReplyDelete
I love literally all of these!!!! I love monochrome so much. I really want that little piano! It's so adorable. xx #love2blogReplyDelete
I love your selection Kerry! The Miffy Lamp & tent are so cute! I'm going to look into getting the lamp for Ava xxReplyDelete
This is fantastic, I love all of them! I'm really into monochrome and we're about to re-decorate my daughter's bedroom so this has given me inspiration. The Heart storage bag is fabulous and I'm going to get her the Miffy lamp. Just brilliant! xReplyDelete
Great gift ideas! I do love your monochrome style but my kids love anything purple or blue!! I love the pink guitar myself.ReplyDelete
Such a great collection of gifts. I saw this on Pinterest before the post! I love the pink car and the Lego storage cube! I love the pops of colour amongst the monochrome!ReplyDelete
Love your ideas, the easting dolls are my fave I have a little obsession with them! xxReplyDelete
I love the Miffy lamp.ReplyDelete
Eeek I just love all the monochrome goodness!!! We have the miffy lamp but I have to say the mini piano has been on my wish list ages!!ReplyDelete
Love everything on this list! I'm so unorganised and well, a little messy, that I could never have a minimalist house! If we ever move into a bigger place I'll definitely go for a minimal look xxReplyDelete
Such cute items u always find such lovely bits for kddiesReplyDelete
I pretty much want all of these items now! :) Great choices! xxReplyDelete
Totally in love with the panda mug - I want one for me! xxxReplyDelete
Some great picks. I love monochrome but Jack loves colourful things :)ReplyDelete
oh my goodness, those russian dolls are the cutest! they remind me of a set i had when i was littleReplyDelete
How fantastic! So nice to see something different.ReplyDelete
How fantastic! So nice to see something different.ReplyDelete
The lego box is exactly what I'm looking for. Thank you!ReplyDelete
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Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I love reading them all and will try my best to answer all of your questions. If you would like to contact me for a quicker response please feel free to tweet me at (@ohsoamelia_blog) or email me. Kerry


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May 9 – 16, 2010 was a whirlwind. No sooner than I take an awesome day-time job, things in my personal career and life take off! Go figure. Take the leap of faith to do what is best for my family and my career takes off. Am I complaining? No way.
This week I have finished off a contract with one clients and launched another contract, which looks to be promising. I was interviewed by Aric Mitchell a freelancer who also writes for The City Wire about River Valley Business Networkers, fondly called Team RVBN, which I have been managing the social media extensions and public relations for.
Those alone made for a great week, but add in the fact that my Twitter account has gone nuts, Michelle Stockman recommended me calling me a Social Media Guru on LinkedIn and Susan Davis asked me to contribute to her newest mission and invited me on as a contributing writer to www.rivervalleyspotlight.com, only to turn around and call me a social media rock star that she knew she could count on!
What makes me happiest is knowing that I am helping a least a handful of small business owners in my community.


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April 22, once associated with the optimism of revolutionary Marxism (as the birthday of Lenin) and then with the pessimism of modern Malthusianism (as the environmentalist's Earth Day since 1970), merits redemption.
A new label, Resourceful Earth Day, is appropriate as we enter the 21st century, a title selected to honor mankind's increasing ability to solve environmental as well as economic problems.
This title, of course, is inspired by the late Julian Simon, author of "The Resourceful Earth," who combated with passion and power those who viewed man as the cancer of this planet and his future as bleak and austere.
Resourceful Earth Day also signals a hope more appropriate to spring, marking a return to a positive view of man's role on this planet. Indeed the old Marxists, convinced that they would dominate the future, optimistically favored economic and technological change. The forces of change, they believed, would move man toward heaven here on Earth.
That optimistic element has disappeared. The environmental establishment has grown increasingly gloomy, convinced that the Earth is suffering from the "Terrible Toos" — too many people, too much consumption, too great a reliance on technology which is understood too little. Earth Day has become a day of atonement for man's criminal assault on our planet. That pessimism reflects, in part, their realization that history is no longer on their side; thus, change is no longer in their interest. Stasis must be the order of the day.
With attacks on things like biotechnology, automobiles, suburban opportunity and trade, they now seek only, as Aaron Wildaysky noted, "an egalitarian society based on rejection of economic growth in favor of a smaller population eating lower on the food chain, consuming a lot less, and sharing a much lower level of resources much more equally."
Had God not expelled man from the Garden of Eden, so the story goes, the "greens" certainly would have. And, indeed, their ideal land use is "wilderness," defined as an area from which man is excluded.
Simon was a wonderful critic of all this foolishness. He investigated and refuted the gloomy projections that Western Civilization was a failure, that our civilization was non-sustainable and doomed to inevitable decline as the planet's finite resources were depleted.
But the finite nature of the Earth's material resources pose no great problem, he argued, because the Earth's most precious resource is infinite and organic. It is its people, contributing to the ever-growing stock of useful human knowledge. When people have been free to apply their intellect, they have always found ways to meet needs and answer crises, and always will.
Simon pointed out that, while people are born with stomachs, they are born with brains and hands as well. The latter allow them to create far more than they consume. People, after all, are not ciphers, which helps explain how the growth in the world's food supply has outstripped the growth in the world's population.
The problems of famine, overpopulation, poverty and disease are resolvable. In fact, they have been resolved in the United States and other places where human ingenuity is free to solve them. The calamity criers of the green movement predicted great disasters afflicting the planet by the year 2000. The Carter administration's Global 2000 Report forecast global calamity, and Paul
Ehrlich claimed on the "Johnny Carson Show," "If I were a gambler, I would bet even money that England will not exist in the year 2000."
Unfortunately for the eco-catastrophists, as we approach their due date for disaster, the planet is in increasingly good shape. This point was recently conceded byAmerica's arch-druid. "Not only do we have the healthiest economy in a generation," said Vice President Al Gore, "we also have the cleanest environment."
On this Resourceful Earth Day, we may hope that Gore and his fellow foot soldiers in the environmental brigades will ponder these points and rethink the wisdom of the current policy of placing all one's faith in federal political solutions. The greens' constant calls for massive government controls, forced population limits, harsh curbs on economic activity, and a curtailing of technology threaten to produce exactly the results that such actions seek to avoid —a world of ecological and economic disaster. On this April 22, let us commit to both a freer and a cleaner world; they go together after all.


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Let this historic goldmining town enchant and enrich your regional experience. Known for its fascinating museums, iconic events and festivals this little treasure is steeped in steeped in history and gorgeousness – where local passion runs deep.
We invite you to step back in time and potter around the original and narrow bent streets with high footpaths in our historic town. Gulgong was founded in the gold rush era when an estimated 20,000 people flocked to the area.
Whilst the streetscape and heritage buildings haven't changed much since the late 1800's, you'll find a progressive and passionate community eager to welcome visitors and share their stories. It's a real and rare treat. Tom Saunders found gold on Red Hill in 1870 and so began the Gulgong gold rush. Visitors can now visit this area and look down an original mine shaft located below a towering wooden Poppet Head and visit the Gulgong Gold Experience.
The heritage listed town buildings, many complete with original verandahs and iron-lace balconies, include such gems as The Prince of Wales Opera House, in which Dame Nellie Melba once performed. It is the oldest performing arts venue still being used for its original intention in Australia. Henry Lawson, although born in Grenfell, went to school in Eurunderee, between Gulgong and Mudgee. The old Eurunderee School still stands today and is being preserved by a group of volunteers for visitors to explore. The town embraces Henry Lawson with the famous Henry Lawson Festival held every June long weekend and in the Henry Lawson Centre Museum.
There is an astonishing collection of Australian memorabilia at the Pioneer's Museum, along with an impressive range of photographs taken in the height of the gold rush in 1872 known as the Holtermann collection. The Gulgong district is also world-famous for its clays, and both the town and its surroundings are a haven for potters, artists, tapestry workers, artisans and craftspeople. Clay festivals are held in Gulgong every two years attracting ceramicists from all over the world. The next festival will take place in 2021.
There's more to Gulgong than its heritage. We invite you to taste modern local produce across a range of delectable coffee shops and dining experiences. Our iconic events include the Henry Lawson Festival every June long weekend, Gulgong Gold & Mining Festival in October, Gulgong Folk Festival in December and Gulgong Show in February. You can also find hidden treasures and local produce at the monthly Gulgong Markets, 4th Saturday of the month. Choose from a selection of quaint B+B's to centrally located motels and pubs to rest your feet before your next day of exploring.
Did you know?
- Gulgong was the town on the original $10 note!
- Gulgong is now recognised as an RV (recreational vehicle) friendly region. Learn more
Locals Guide to Gulgong
- Settle in at a cozy country pub, meet the locals and share stories
- Find hidden gems and local produce at the Gulgong Markets, held the 4th Saturday of every month
- Explore the town's heritage and museums
- Take photos of the historic (and beautiful) streetscape
- Attend one of Gulgong's festivals; Henry Lawson, Gulgong Gold & Mining, Gulgong Folk, Gulgong Show + more
Why Visit the Mudgee Region?
Just a three and half hour road trip, or 50 minute flight, from Sydney you'll find an ideal escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Whether you're looking for the romance of a country escape, a place to celebrate with friends or a desire to explore our region's heritage you will find a great range of lodging options, making Mudgee Region the obvious choice for your next getaway. There's such diversity in the region: a great mix of restaurants, pubs, clubs all with different offerings. Art has grown over the last few years with galleries, museums, sculptures in the parks; attracting artists from all over the world. Our world-class wines and wineries offer so many different varieties to suit every palate with the winemaker themselves, in most cases, on-hand to enhance the experience.


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By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS
The rate of hospitalizations due to heart failure has decreased overall in the United States, but black Americans are admitted at a higher rate than other ethnic and racial groups, according to a new study.
In general, the findings are good news because they show fewer people are being diagnosed with heart failure — which means prevention strategies are working — and medications and other treatments are working well for people with cardiovascular disease, said cardiologist and the study's lead researcher Boback Ziaeian, M.D., Ph.D., of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The study, published Tuesday in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, is the first to report on age-adjusted racial and ethnic differences in nationwide heart failure hospitalization rates.
In looking at data from tens of millions of hospital discharges between 2002 and 2013, researchers found the hospitalization rate dropped about 30 percent.
But what surprised Ziaeian was that blacks were admitted for heart failure at more than twice the rate of whites — a difference that has remained relatively unchanged for over 10 years.
"I think it's underappreciated how the disparity becomes larger when we account for how much younger the African-American population is compared with whites," said Ziaeian, a clinical instructor in the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.
The researchers also found that U.S. Hispanics and Latinos of any race with heart failure were much less likely to be hospitalized in 2013 than they were in 2002. In addition, their rate of heart failure hospitalization is edging closer to that of their white peers: In 2013, the rate was just 4 percent higher among Hispanic men and 8 percent higher among Hispanic women.
But differences in rates among men and women are troublesome, the authors said. According to the data, the rate of heart failure hospitalizations in 2013 was 39 percent higher in men.


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Sexing The Cherry
Stock information
General Fields
Special Fields
Sexing the Cherry celebrates the power of the imagination as it playfully juggles with our perception of history and reality. It is a story about love and sex; lies and truths; and twelve dancing princesses who lived happily ever after, but not with their husbands. With a new introduction by the author
Promotion info
'Entrancing...fabulous... Its language retains the clear music of poetry' Sunday Telegraph
Author description
Jeanette Winterson OBE was born in Manchester. Adopted by Pentecostal parents she was raised to be a missionary. This did and didn't work out. Discovering early the power of books she left home at 16 to live in a Mini and get on with her education. After graduating from Oxford University she worked for a while in the theatre and published her first novel at 25. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit is based on her own upbringing but using herself as a fictional character. She scripted the novel into a BAFTA-winning BBC drama. 27 years later she re-visited that material in the bestselling memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? She has written 10 novels for adults, as well as children's books, non-fiction and screenplays. She writes regularly for the Guardian. She lives in the Cotswolds in a wood and in Spitalfields, London. She believes that art is for everyone and it is her mission to prove it.


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Product safety standards and recalled products
The law sets mandatory standards for safety and information of some products. The standards:
- give customers important information
- stop unsafe products being sold.
Safety standards
All products must be safe for their intended purpose. Some high-risk products cannot be sold unless they meet certain standards. It is illegal for you to sel any product that doesn't meet a safety standard.
Mandatory standards are about:
- how the product is made or processed
- what it contains
- how it works
- what warnings or instructions must come with it.
The standards make sure products:
- are safe for their intended use
- help prevent injuries from unsafe goods.
Information standards
Consumers need clear and visible information to make an informed choice about what they buy. This information is usually via a label or warning.
List of standards
You can visit Product Safety Australia for all safety and information standards.
- Aquatic toys
- Baby bath aids
- Baby dummies
- Baby walk
- Balloon blowing kits
- Basketball rings and backboards
- Bean bags
- Bicycles
- Bicycle helmets
- Blinds, curtains and window fittings
- Bunk beds
- Child restraints for motor vehicles
- Children's portable folding cots
- Children's toys (for 36 months or younger)
- Children's toys containing magnets
- Clothing and textiles
- Cots (household)
- Cots (portable)
- Cosmetics and toiletries
- Disposable cigarette lighters
- Elastic luggage straps
- Exercise cycles
- Hot water bottles
- Lead and other elements in toys and finger paints
- Motor vehicle recovery straps
- Motorcycle helmets
- Moveable soccer goals
- Nightwear for children
- Portable aerosol fire extinguishers
- Portable non-aerosol fire extinguishers
- Portable ramps for motor vehicles
- Portable swimming pools
- Prams and strollers
- Projectile toys
- Quad bikes
- Reduced fire risk cigarettes
- Smokeles tobacco products
- Sunglasses
- Swimming and flotation aids
- Treadmills
- Trolley jacks
- Vehicle jacks
- Vehicle support stands
You can get a copy of the standards from Standards Australia.


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Creator of Yoon-Suin and other materials. Propounding my half-baked ideas on role playing games. Jotting down and elaborating on ideas for campaigns, missions and adventures. Talking about general industry-related matters. Putting a new twist on gaming.
Monday, 7 September 2015
Paradigmatic D&D, Or: A Verbeeg, Grell, Ankheg and Orog walk into a bar...
And yet. And yet. I feel a deep and abiding longing when I flick through the AD&D 2nd edition DMG, Monstrous Manual, or BECMI Rules Cyclopedia, for the many worlds - all unique and yet all so very alike - which DMs have created and run for their groups down the decades and which all drew from that same soup of basic ingredients: elves in the forests, dwarves in the mountains, storm giants and golden dragons, grell and illithids, gnolls and ettercaps, ankhegs, thri-kreen, githyanki and mimics. We are free from the tyranny of generic D&D world building nowadays, but like an old Bulgarian man who looks back at his youth and feels a sense of unjustified nostalgia for how things were under the Communists, so I can't help but sometimes think there is an eternal charm in the implied settings of the 1980s. Running a game in a simulacrum of Mystara, as so many people did, is to be free from the pressure or need to be interesting. The melange of cultural influences which together comprised "D&D-land circa 1987-1994" are like a comfortable, warm blanket to swathe yourself in; a big, bland, cottage pie to eat; a pint of John Smith's at the pub; a song by The Beatles. It isn't particularly interesting because you already know it intimately, but it is wholesome and enjoyable for all that.
Like most RPG bloggers, I am guilty of overcomplicating things at times. I am on an apparently unending quest to try to do something new. That has its virtues, but I can't help but feel overwhelmed by a yearning for the simplicity of yesteryear sometimes. Or, to put it another way, the enduring naff-ness of the Keith Parkinson image below calls to me in a way that is more than a little embarrassing but cannot be denied.
19 comments:
I've often felt the same about the Ultima Online "cover" painting.ReplyDelete
It's from '97, but I think it just captured the last moments of the zeitgeist.
I call it the fun vs. interesting paradox....and totally empathize. I've recently forced myself to focus on the "fun" part over the "interesting" part as a way of combating a bit of burnout....basically aiming for "stuff my players will love even if I don't feel like I'm at my creative peak doing it" and just enjoying the ride.ReplyDelete
@ Noisms:ReplyDelete
True, true, true.
Ok. I'll have to take your word for it.ReplyDelete
With the exception of Carcossa, and Zak Smith's Red and Pleasant Land, I'm amazed by the overwhelming sameness of it all.
Unless I am misunderstanding the meaning of the post. I am looking at that Parkinson piece and thinking, great artist but that's just D&D fantasy. It's all just D&D fantasy. I've not seem much OSR stuff that doesn't look like that artwork by Parkinson would fit right in.Replies
Oddly enough, I remember 1987-1994 as being a period of extensive D&D book collecting, but relatively little actual play. If you did try to play, there was always someone around to make you feel inferior about choosing such a retrograde system, when there were better and more innovative games available. The result was that I spent a lot of time looking at the high-end production values of new TSR releases (which today look as silly as you noted above!) and wishing there were games of this stuff occurring, without ever actually getting use out of the investment.ReplyDelete
Today, sure, I know there are plenty of snobs writing blogs on the internet, but it seems rather easier to put together a bog-standard fantasy campaign and have everyone enjoy it -- without the constant nagging guilt that we're supposed to be trying something more artsy and avant garde. I ran a campaign all summer for a dozen players, and none of them tried to convince any of the other players that they shouldn't be having fun because it was trope-laden derivative fantasy. They just seemed to be having fun by abusing the NPCs in a bunch of my old modules, like it was 1980 all over again and no one had ever seen a gnoll before. Virtually no edition warring, either. It was amazingly low-stress and unpretentious.
I suppose there's someone out there on the internet reading our session reports and wrinkling a sophisticated nose in disgust, but I've gotten too old to care very much.
- Anonymous7 September 2015 at 08:56
Recapturing the zeitgeist of those two pictures is what the OSR is all about! (I don't see anything wrong with or cheesy about them, btw. )ReplyDelete
",,,but I can't help but feel overwhelmed by a yearning for the simplicity of yesteryear sometimes."ReplyDelete
I get this warm, comfy glow when I work on AD&D 2e material while listening to Soudgarden. Gaming made a lot of sense to me then and I feel a bit of that when I combine the games and music of that time.
I like the approach of Gygaxian naturalism - taking those elements, but then elaborating on a hidden logic behind them.ReplyDelete
The thing is if you take all of that era`s implied setting and shove it all together in one place and really really think about how it all fits together and what effect each bit has on the other instead of compartamentalizing everything you get something as weird and horrifying as anything out of the edgier bits of the OSR. Its like tasting bland mass market cider and making apple jack out of it.ReplyDeleteReplies
Yeah, I absolutely agree with that and think the potentials for interesting ideas there are pretty much endless.Delete
Exactly. Just like in your 2ed MM read-through, there's so much interesting stuff there if you put some thought into it and especially knock two pieces of canon together and see what sparks fly out.Delete
The problem with a lot of D&D settings is you get the pretty mundane big picture (human kingdom here, elves in the forest, dwarves in the mountains, monsters in the swamps, blah blah blah) and then all kinds of great weirdness on the microscale (all kinds of weird monsters and stuff) but all of the micro-scale weirdness never seems to have much effect on the overall picture of the setting, they're just weird aberrations. But if you build stuff from the bottom up instead of top down and think about how all of those weird little things interact you get a really bizarre setting even if all you've built it out of is bog standard D&D.
- Sean Robert Meaney18 September 2015 at 07:51
Prefered communism to pretend democracy. Also loved soviet national anthem. Big hunt for red oktober fan. So you are not entirely alone in your disapointment at the abandonment of mystara.ReplyDelete
- Josh W2 November 2015 at 23:56
What I find is that that kind of thing lulls me into a false sense of security; I remember doing a game of dungeon world, all ready and set up to play out classic tropey fantasy, nothing clever, and then before we know it wizards are secretly stealing their powers from sleeping gods, elves worship reindeer, and it's all gone weird again.ReplyDelete
I think it helps that you don't have to be clever or original, because then it's actually easier to do it whenever you feel like it.
I read this article recently... maybe it'll be of interest to you, as your blog post reminded me of it. Working with familiar things, and not striving for originality, could increase creativity. I would say it's applicable to working with the familiar aspects of D&D.ReplyDelete


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Nearly 25 000 km2 of invaluable natural expanse have been added to the Natura 2000 network. This network of protected sites is the EU's primary tool in the fight to conserve Europe's rich biodiversity. The Commission has now formally approved the inclusion in the network of a further 235 sites, proposed by Member States for recognition as "Sites of Community Importance". Member States will have six years to put the necessary measures in place to protect these sites. The latest update concerns 20 Member States and covers all nine of the network's bio-geographical regions – the Alpine, Atlantic, Black Sea, Boreal, Continental, Macaronesian, Mediterranean, Pannonian and Steppic regions. Natura 2000 now covers 768 000 km2 (17.9 %) of the EU landmass and more than 217 000 km2 (approx. 4 %) of its seas.
Commissioner Potočnik said: "I congratulate these Member States for another significant contribution to the protection of Europe's natural capital. The Natura 2000 network forms the backbone of our efforts to protect the natural world, and is vital for biodiversity. In addition, it also offers attractive spaces to explore and relax, and it provides ample opportunities to develop new economic activities based on these valuable natural assets. The expansion is good news for nature, and good news for us."
The main countries involved in the expansion are the United Kingdom, Romania, Latvia, Italy, Sweden, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Slovakia, Estonia and Malta.
The most significant addition this year is the UK's designation of Dogger Bank (12 330 km2), a shallow sea area featuring submerged sandbanks in the central part of the North Sea. Together with adjacent sites from Germany and the Netherlands, this creates a vast trans-boundary Natura 2000 site covering over 18 000 km2. Dogger Bank was primarily designated for its highly productive sandbank habitats, which are important spawning and nursery grounds for many commercial fisheries. The designation will facilitate the coordinated management of the area, including joint efforts by the Member States concerned to develop appropriate fisheries measures.
The major additions in the Baltic were Sweden's and Latvia's designations of 10 new marine areas. These sites host species-rich sandbank and reef habitats and offer vital feeding grounds for seals and migratory fish. The 10 sites cover a marine surface of almost 4 000 km2.
Relative to its size, the country with the largest contribution was Malta, with 183 km2 of marine areas now designated, creating the basis for a solid marine network in the surrounding waters. The new Maltese marine sites will help the conservation of Posidonia sea grass beds and submerged reefs, and offer a vital habitat for the endemic Maltese Topshell Gibbula nivosa, a brightly coloured sea snail.
The largest expansion of the network on land took place in Romania. 109 sites were added and many existing sites enlarged, so that the total area of sites now covers almost 42 000 km2. The additions comprise a vast array of species-rich meadow and forest habitats, and vital habitats for many rare and endangered species, including many bat and amphibian species. Together with additional sites proposed by Bulgaria and the Slovak Republic, the new Romanian Natura 2000 sites also provide improved protection for the rich endemic fish fauna of the Danube River Basin.


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Home/ Historical Writings / Church & Denominational History / James Aitken Wylie / The History of Protestantism
The History of Protestantism
by 'James Aitken Wylie'
Book 18 History of Protestantism in the Netherlands
Chapter 13 The Council of Blood
Resource Toolbox
Orange's Penetration of Philip's Mind Conference at Dendermonde Resolution of Egmont William Retires to Nassau in Germany Persecution Increased The Gallows Full Two Sisters Philip resolves to send an Army to the Netherlands Its Command given to the Duke of Alva His Character His Person His Fanaticism and Bloodthirstiness Character of the Soldiers An Army of Alvas Its March Its Morale Its Entrance Unopposed Margaret Retires from the Netherlands Alva Arrests Egmont and Horn Refugees Death of Berghen and Montigny The Council of Blood Sentence of Death upon all the Inhabitants of the Netherlands Constitution of the Blood Council Its Terrible Work Shrove-tide A proposed Holocaust Sentence of Spanish Inquisition upon the Netherlands.
"Whirlwinds from the terrible land of the South" in literal terms, edicts and soldiers from Spain -were what might now be looked for. The land had been subjugated, but it had yet to be chastised. On every side the priests lifted up the head, the burghers hung theirs in shame. The psalm pealed forth at the field-preaching rose no longer on the breeze, the orison of monk came loud and clear instead; the gibbets were filled, the piles were re-lighted, and thousands were fleeing from a country which seemed only now to be opening the dark page of its history. The future in reserve for the Low Countries was not so closely locked up in the breast of the tyrant but that the Prince of Orange could read it. He saw into the heart and soul of Philip. He had studied him in his daily life; he had studied him in the statesmen and councillors who served him; he had studied him in his public policy; and he had studied him in those secret pages in which Philip had put on record, in the depth of his own closet, the projects that he was revolving, and which, opened and read while Philip slept, by the spies which William had placed around him, were communicated to this watchful friend of his country's liberties; and all these several lines of observation had led him to one and the same conclusion, that it was Philip's settled purpose, to be pursued through a thousand windings, chicaneries, falsehoods, and solemn hypocrisies, to drag the leading nobles to the scaffold, to hang, burn, or bury alive every Protestant in the Low Countries, to put to death every one who should hesitate to yield absolute compliance with his will, and above the grave of a murdered nation to plant the twin fabrics of Spanish and Romish despotism. That these were the purposes which the tyrant harboured, and the events which the future would bring forth, unless means were found to prevent them, William was as sure as that the revolution of the hours brings at length the night.
Accordingly he invited Horn, Egmont, Hoogstraaten, and Count Louis to all interview at Dendermonde, in order to concert the measures which it might be advisable to take when the storm, with which the air was already thick, should burst. The sight of Egmont and the other nobles unhappily was not so clear as that of William, and they refused to believe that the danger was so great as the prince represented. Count Egmont, who was not yet disenthralled from the spell of the court, nor fated ever to be till he should arrive at the scaffold, said that "far from taking part in any measure offensive to the king, he looked upon every such measure as equally imprudent and undutiful." This was decisive. These three seigniors must act in concert or not at all. Combined, they might have hoped to make head against Philip; singly, they could accomplish nothing -nay, in all likelihood would be crushed. The Prince of Orange resigned all his offices into the hands of the regent, and retired with his family to his ancestral estate of Nassau in Germany, there to await events. Before leaving, however, he warned Count Egmont of the fate that awaited him should he remain in Flanders. "You are the bridge," said he, "by which the Spanish army will pass into the Netherlands, and no sooner shall they have passed it than they will break it down." [1] The warning was unheeded. The two friends tenderly embraced, and parted to meet no more on earth.
No sooner was William gone (April, 1567) than a cloud of woes descended upon the Netherlands. The disciples of the Reformation fled as best they could from Amsterdam, and a garrison entered it. At Horn, Clement Martin preached his farewell sermon a month after the departure of William, and next day he and his colleague were expelled the town. About the same time the Protestants of Enkhuizen heard their last sermon in the open air. Assemblies were held over-night in the houses of certain of the burghers, but these too were discontinued in no long time. A deep silence "a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord" -fell upon the land. The ministers were chased from many of the cities. The meetings held in out-of- the-way places were surprised by the soldiers; of those present at them some were cut in pieces or shot down on the spot, and others were seized and carried off to the gallows. It was the special delight of the persecutors to apprehend and hang or behead the members of the consistories. "Thus," says Brandt, "the gallows were filled with carcases, and Germany with exiles." The minister of Cambray first had his hand cut off, and was then hanged. At Oudenard and other towns the same fate was inflicted on the pastors. Monks, who had ceased to count beads and become heralds of the glorious Gospel rather than return to the cloister, were content to rot in dungeons or die on
scaffolds. Some villages furnished as many as a hundred, and others three hundred victims. [2] A citizen of Bommel, Hubert Selkart by name, had the courage to take a Bible to the market-place, and disprove the errors of Popery in presence of the people assembled there. A night or two thereafter he was put into a sack and thrown into the river Wael. There were no more Scripture expositions in the marketplace of Bommel. All the Protestant churches in course of erection were demolished, and their timbers taken for gallows to hang their builders. Two young gentlewomen of the Province of Over-Issel were sentenced to the fire. One of the sisters was induced to abjure on a promise of mercy. She thought she had saved her life by her abjuration, whereas the mercy of the placards meant only an easier death. When the day of execution arrived, the two sisters, who had not seen each other since they received their sentence, were brought forth together upon the scaffold. For the one who remained steadfast a stake had been prepared; the other saw with horror a coffin, half filled with sand, waiting to receive her corpse as soon as the axe should have severed her head from her body. "This," said the strong sister to the weak one, "this is all you have gained by denying Him before whom you are within an hour to appear." Conscience-stricken she fell upon her knees, and with strong cries besought pardon for her great sin. Then rising up a sudden calm succeeding the sudden tempest she boldly declared herself a Protestant. The executioner, fearing the effect of her words upon the spectators, instantly stopped her by putting a gag into her mouth, and then he bound her to the same stake with her sister. A moment before, it seemed as if the two were to be parted for ever; but now death, which divides others, had united them in the bonds of an eternal fellowship: [3] they were sisters evermore.
As regarded the Netherlands, one would have thought that their cup of suffering was already full; but not so thought Philip. New and more terrible severities were in course of preparation at Madrid for the unhappy Provinces.
The King of Spain, after repeated deliberations in his council, resolved to send a powerful army under the command of the Duke of Alva, to chastise those turbulent citizens whom he had too long treated with gentleness, and exact a full measure of vengeance for that outbreak in which they had discovered an equal contempt for the true religion and the royal authority.
The Duke of Alva, setting sail from Carthagena (May 10th, 1567), landed in the north of Italy, and repairing to Asti, there assembled under his standard about 10,000 picked soldiers from the army in Italy, consisting of 8,700 foot and 1,200 cavalry. [4] He now set out at the head of this host to avenge the insulted majesty of Rome and Spain, by drowning Netherland heresy in the blood of its professors. It was a holy war: those against whom it was to be waged were more execrable than Jews or Saracens: they were also greatly richer. The wealth of the world was treasured up in the cities of the Netherlands, and their gates once forced, a stream of gold would be poured into the coffers of Spain, now beginning to be partially deplenished by the many costly enterprises of Philip.
A fitter instrument for the dreadful work which Philip had now in hand than the Duke of Alva, it would have been impossible to find in all Europe. A daring and able soldier, Alva was a very great favourite with the Emperor Charles V., under whom he had served in both Europe and Africa, and some of the more brilliant of the victories that were gained by the armies of Charles were owing to his unquestionable ability, but somewhat headlong courage. He had warred against both the Turks and Lutherans, and of the two it is likely that the latter were the objects of his greatest aversion and deepest hatred. He was now sixty, but his years had neither impaired the rigour of his body nor quenched the fire of his spirit.
In person he was thin and tall, with small head, leathern face, twinkling eyes, and silvery beard. [5] He was cool, patient, cruel, selfish, vindictive, and though not greedy of wine and the pleasures to which it often incites, was inflamed with a most insatiable greed of gold.
Haughty and over-bearing, he could not tolerate a rival, and the zeal he afterwards showed in dragging Count Egmont to the scaffold is thought to have been inspired, in part at least, by the renown Egmont had acquired over the first generals of France, and which had thrown Alva somewhat into the shade, being compelled to occupy an inglorious position in the north of Italy, while his rival was distinguishing himself on a far more conspicuous theater. But the master-passion of this man's soul was a ferocious fanaticism. Cruel by nature, he had become yet more cruel by bigotry. This overbearing passion had heated his instincts, and crazed his judgment, till in stealthy bloodthirstiness he had ceased to be the man, and become the tiger.
As was the general, so were the soldiers. The Duke of Alva was, in fact, leading an army of Alvas across the Alps. Their courage had been hardened and their skill perfected in various climes, and in numerous campaigns and battles; they were haughty, stern, and cruel beyond the ordinary measure of Spanish soldiers. Deeming themselves Champions of the Cross, the holy war in which they were fighting not only warranted, but even sanctified in their eyes, the indulgence of the most vindictive and sanguinary passions against those men whom they were marching to attack, and whom they held to be worthy of death in the most terrible form in which they
could possibly inflict it.
Climbing the steep sides of Mont Cenis, the duke himself leading the van, this invading host gained the summit of the pass. From this point, where nothing is visible save the little circular lake that fills the crater of a now exhausted volcano, and the naked peaks that environ it, the Spaniards descended through the narrow and sublime gorges of the mountains to Savoy. Continuing. their march, they passed on through Burgundy and Lorraine, [6] attended by two armies of observation, the French on this side and the Swiss on that, to see that they kept the straight road. Their march resembled the progress of the boa-constrictor, which, resting its successive coils upon the same spot, moves its glittering but deadly body forwards.
Where the van-guard had encamped this night, the main body of the army was to halt the next, and the rear the night following. Thus this Apollyon host went onward.
It was the middle of August when the Spaniards arrived at the frontier of the Low Countries. They found the gates open, and their entrance unopposed. Those who would have suffered the invaders to enter only over their dead bodies were in their graves; the nobles were divided or indifferent; the cities were paralysed by the triumph of the royal arms at Valenciennes; thousands, at the first rising of the tempest, had retreated into the Church of Rome as into a harbour of safety; tameness and terror reigned throughout the country, and thus the powerful Netherlands permitted Philip to put his chain upon its neck without striking a blow. The only principle which could have averted the humiliation of the present hour, and the miseries of the long years to come, had meanwhile been smitten down.
Cantoning his soldiers in the chief cities, the Duke of Alva in the end of August took up his residence in Brussels, Count Egmont riding by his side as he entered the gates of the Belgian capital. He soon showed that he had arrived with a plenitude of power; that, in fact, he was king. Margaret felt her authority over-topped by the higher authority of the duke, and resigned her office as regent. She accompanied her retirement with a piece of advice to her brother, which was to the effect that if the measures that she feared were in contemplation should be carried out, the result would be the ruin of the Netherlands. Although Philip had been as sure of the issue as Margaret was, he would have gone forward all the same. Meanwhile his representative, without a moment's delay, opened his career of tyranny and blood. His first act was to arrest the Counts Egmont and Horn, and in manner as crafty as the deed was cruel, he invited them to his house on pretense of consulting with them respecting a citadel which he meant to erect at Antwerp. When the invitation reached these noblemen, they were seated at a banquet given by the Prior of the Knights of St. John. "Take the fleetest horse in your stable," whispered the prior in the ear of Egmont, "and flee from this place." The infatuated nobleman, instead of making his escape, went straight to the palace of the duke. After the business of the citadel had been discussed, the two counts were conducted into separate rooms. "Count Egmont," said the captain of the duke's guard, "deliver your sword; it is the will of the king." Egmont made a motion as if he would flee. A door was thrown open, and he was shown the next apartment filled with Spanish musketeers. Resistance was vain.
The count gave up his sword, saying, "By this sword the cause of the king has been oftener than once successfully defended." [7] He was conducted up-stairs to a temporary prison; the windows were closed; the walls were hung in black, and lights were burned in it night and day a sad presage of the yet gloomier fate that awaited him. Count Horn was treated in a precisely similar way. At the end of fourteen days the two noblemen were conducted, under a strong guard, to the Castle of Ghent. At the same time two other important arrests were made -Bakkerzeel, the secretary of Egmont; and Straalen, the wealthy Burgomaster of Antwerp. [8]
These arrests spread terror over the whole country. They convinced Romanists equally with Protestants that the policy to be pursued was one of indiscriminate oppression and violence. Count Egmont had of late been, to say the least, no lukewarm friend of the Government; his secretary, Bakkerzeel, had signalised his zeal against Protestantism by spilling Protestant blood, yet now both of these men were on the road to the scaffold. The very terror of Alva's name, before he came, had driven from the Low Countries 100,000 of their inhabitants. The dread inspired by the arrests now made compelled 20,000 more to flee. The weavers of Bruges and Ghent carried to England their art of cloth-making, and those of Antwerp that of the silk manufacture. Nor was it the disciples of the Reformation only that sought asylum beyond seas. Thomas Tillius forsook his rich Abbey of St. Bernard, in the neighbourhood of Antwerp, and repaired to the Duchy of Cleves. There he threw off his frock, married, and afterwards became pastor, first at Haarlem, and next at Delft. [9]
Every day a deeper gulf opened to the Netherlands. The death of the two Flemish envoys, the Marquis of Berghen and the Baron de Montigny, was immediately consequent on the departure of the duke for the Low Countries. The precise means and manner of their destruction can now never be known, but occurring at this moment, it combined with the imprisonment of Egmont and Horn in prognosticating times of more than usual calamity. The next measure of Alva was to erect a new tribunal, to which he gave the name of the "Council of Tumults," but which came to
be known, and ever will be known in history, by the more dreadful appellative of the "Council of Blood." Its erection meant the overthrow of every other institution. It proscribed all the ancient charters of the Netherlands, with the rights and liberties in which they vested the citizens.
The Council of Tumults assumed absolute and sole jurisdiction in all matters growing out of the late troubles, in opposition to all other law, jurisdiction, and authority whatsoever. Its work was to search after and punish all heretics and traitors. It set about its work by first defining what that treason was which it was to punish. This tribunal declared that "it was treason against the Divine and human Majesties to subscribe and present any petition against the new bishops, the Inquisition, or the placards; as also to suffer or allow the exercise of the new religion, let the occasion or necessity be what it would." [10] Further, it was treason not to have opposed the image-breaking; it was treason not to have opposed the field-preachings; it was treason not to have opposed the presenting of the petition of the Confederate nobles; in fine, it was treason to have said or thought that the Tribunal of Tumults was obliged to conform itself to the ancient charters and privileges, or "to have asserted or insinuated that the king had no right to take away all the privileges of these Provinces if he thought fit, or that he was not discharged from all his oaths and promises of pardon, seeing all the inhabitants had been guilty of a crime, either of omission or of commission." In short, the King of Spain, in this fulmination, declared that all the inhabitants of the Low Countries were guilty of treason, and had incurred the penalty of death. Or as one of the judges of this tremendous tribunal, with memorable simplicity and pithiness, put it, "the heretical inhabitants broke into the churches, and the orthodox inhabitants did nothing to hinder it, therefore they ought all of them to be hanged together." [11]
The Council of Blood consisted of twelve judges; the majority were Spaniards, and the rest fast friends of the Spanish interest. The duke himself was president. Under the duke, and occupying his place in his absence, was Vargas, a Spanish lawyer. Vargas was renowned among his countrymen as a man of insatiable greed and measureless cruelty. He it was who proposed the compendious settlement of the Netherlands question to which we have just referred, namely, that of hanging all the inhabitants on one gallows. "The gangrene of the Netherlands," said the Spaniards, "has need of a sharp knife, and such is Vargas." [12] This man was well mated with another Spaniard nearly as cruel and altogether as unscrupulous, Del Rio. This council pronounced what sentences it pleased, and it permitted no appeal.
It would be both wearisome and disgusting to follow these men, step by step, in their path of blood. Their council-chamber resembled nothing so much as the lair of a wild beast, with its precincts covered with the remains of victims. It was simply a den of murder; and one could see in imagination all its approaches and avenues soaked in gore and strewn with the mangled carcases of men, women, and children. The subject is a horrible one, upon which it is not at all pleasant to dwell.
All was now ready; Alva had erected his Council of Blood, he had distributed his soldiers over the country in such formidable bodies as to overawe the inhabitants, he was erecting a citadel at Antwerp, forts in other places, and compelling the citizens to defray the cost of the instruments of their oppression; and now the Low Countries, renowned in former days for the mildness of their government and the happiness of their people, became literally an Aceldama. We shall permit the historian Brandt to summarise the horrors with which the land was now overspread.
"There was nothing now," says he, "but imprisoning and racking of all ages, sexes, and conditions of people, and oftentimes too without any previous accusation against them. Infinite numbers (and they not of the Religion neither) that had been but once or twice to hear a sermon among the Reformed, were put to death for it. The gallows, says the Heer Hooft in his history, the wheels, stakes, and trees in the highways were loaden with carcases or limbs of such as had been hanged, beheaded, or roasted, so that the air which God had made for the respiration of the living, was now become the common grave or habitation of the dead. Every day produced fresh objects of pity and mourning, and the noise of the bloody passing-bell was continually heard, which by the martyrdom of this man's cousin, or t' other's friend or brother, rung dismal peals in the hearts of the survivors. Of banishment of persons and confiscations of goods there was no end; it was no matter whether they had real or personal estates, free or entailed, all was seized upon without regarding the claims of creditors or others, to the unspeakable prejudice both of rich and poor, of convents, hospitals, widows and orphans, who were by knavish evasions deprived of their incomes for many years." [13]
Bales of denunciations were sent in. These were too voluminous to be read by Alva or Vargas, and were remitted to the other councils, that still retained a nominal existence, to be read and reported on. They knew the sort of report that was expected from them, and took care not to disappoint the expectations of the men of the Blood Council. With sharp reiterated knell came the words, "Guilty: the gallows." If by a rare chance the accused was said to be innocent, the report was sent back to be amended: the recommendation to death was always carried out within forty-eight hours. This bloody harvest was gathered all over the country, every town, village,
and hamlet furnishing its group of victims. To-day it is Valenciennes that yields a batch of eighty-four for the stake and the gallows; a few days thereafter, a miscellaneous crowd, amounting to ninety-five, are brought in from different places in Flanders, and handed over by the Blood Council to the scaffold; next day, forty-six of the inhabitants of Malines are condemned to die; no sooner are they disposed of than another crowd of thirty-five, collected from various localities by the sleuth-hounds of the Blood Council, are ready for the fire. Thus the horrible work of atrocity went on, prosecuted with unceasing rigour and a zeal that was truly awful.
Shrovetide (1568) was approaching. The inhabitants of the Netherlands, like those of all Popish countries, were wont to pass this night in rejoicings. Alva resolved that its songs should be turned into howlings. While the citizens should be making merry, he would throw his net over all who were known to have ever been at a field-preaching, and prepare a holocaust of some thousand heads fittingly to celebrate the close of "Holy Week." At midnight his myrmidons were sent forth; they burst open the doors of all suspected persons, and dragging them from their beds, hauled them to prison. The number of arrests, however, did not answer Alva's expectations; some had got timely warning and had made their escape; those who remained, having but little heart to rejoice, were not so much off their guard, nor so easy a prey, as the officers expected to find them. Alva had enclosed only 500 disciples or favourers of the Gospel in his net too many, alas! for such a fate, but too few for the vast desires of the persecuter. They were, of course, ordered to the scaffold. [14]
Terror was chasing away the inhabitants in thousands. An edict was issued threatening severe penalties against all carriers and ship-masters who should aid any subject of the Netherlands to escape, but it was quite ineffectual in checking the emigration; the cities were becoming empty, and the land comparatively depopulated. Nevertheless, the persecution went on with unrelenting fury. Even Viglius counselled a little lenity; the Pope, it is said, alarmed at the issue to which matters were tending, was not indisposed to moderation. Such advisers ought to have had weight with the King of Spain, but Philip refused to listen even to them. Vargas, whom he consulted, declared, of course, for a continuance of the persecution, telling his sovereign that in the Netherlands he had found a second Indies, where the gold was to be had without even the trouble of digging for it, so numerous were the confiscations. Thus avarice came to the aid of bigotry.
Philip next submitted a "Memorial and Representation" of the state of the Low Countries to the Spanish Inquisition, craving the judgment of the Fathers upon it. After deliberating, the inquisitors pronounced their decision on the 16th of February, 1568. It was to the effect that, "with the exception of a select list of names which had been handed to them, all the inhabitants of the Netherlands were heretics or abettors of heresy, and so had been guilty of the crime of high treason." On the 26th of the same month, Philip confirmed this sentence by a royal proclamation, in which he commanded the decree to be carried into immediate execution, without favor or respect of persons. The King of Spain actually passed sentence of death upon a whole nation. We behold him erecting a common scaffold for its execution, and digging one vast grave for all the men, and women, and children of the Low Countries. "Since the beginning of the world," says Brandt," men have not seen or heard any parallel to this horrible sentence." [15]
Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, October 31st, 2020
the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Phyllis Perlstone, 'The equation'
The equation
Mass and energy cannot be created or destroyed. But each can be
converted into the other. What I had can disappear into something
that has nothing to do with me.
So not to fear to love
should be easy. To love a plant that might die, a child that I might
hurt, a child that could hate me, a bright day that could turn into
an empty dull one, should not be so hard.
A human being in time can't see yesterday, can't see light
on the dark side of the moon. Venus could create a cloud of mist
to cover her child from his enemies. When in their midst. But
mystifying him could make her son call out to her to throw off her
disguises. Could make him criticise her.
I can see it's the light on things outside
that pins this green winged insect to rest here – this spoon shaped
small body with panniers of see-through ovals, the wings that have
stopped swinging. I help it to flutter from point to point over the
glass until it's on the wooden frame and then outside. Or is it? Is it
free? The disappearance is so sudden. I can't see if it's safe or if the
rush of air when I open the door has blown it back inside.
Out there an orchid is blooming – a
triangle within a circle of triangles. The circle radiates veins to the
inner triangle. I bring the orchid indoors. The veins are quieter.
The triangle they lead to should be struck into music – it's pink on
paler pink. But now it is losing definition. It is too delicate to stretch
a tone
If I lose the love of, feel the hurt of – what is it
– the thing that hurts? Nothing comes back quickly enough not
to be missed. Is it something on time, or in time? I don't know the
conversion for time.


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New animation video to help new parents
A new animation film - believed to be the first and only of its kind in the country – has been launched by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) to maximise support for new parents who will be having a planned caesarean birth. You can access the animation video here.
There are over 10,000 births at NUH (Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital Maternity Units) a year, making the Trust the fourth largest maternity service in the country. 11% of ladies who give birth at our hospitals have a planned caesarean birth.
The video – made possible thanks to a unique collaboration between NUH and Nottingham Trent University – was produced by animation students with input and feedback from maternity patients and clinicians.
The animation includes accessible information in an easy to follow format on the following:
- Preparing parents-to-be for their planned caesarean birth - including advice on eating and drinking the day before surgery
- When you're in hospital - including information and what to expect on arrival at hospital, who's who in the team and birthing partners
- The operation - including what to expect, including caesarean birth anesthesia
- Recovery and aftercare advice - including information parents will receive before leaving hospital and support available from community midwives
Dr Amelia Banks, Lead Obstetric Anesthetist at Nottingham City Hospital, said: "We want the experience of giving birth to be the most positive it can be and as personal as women wish it to be based on their individualised care wishes.
"We are incredibly grateful to the students at Nottingham Trent University for working with the Trust to produce such a fantastic and unique resource that we hope will be helpful to new parents and put their minds at ease ahead of their planned caesarean birth."
Andy Love, Course Leader in BA Hons Animation at Nottingham Trent University, said: "Digital animation can help improve people's lives and give people a sense of perspective which they otherwise may never have had. This video will help reduce the uncertainty many people feel when approaching their first ever planned caesarean section operation and help them realise how magical this form of childbirth can be. It's a fantastic real-life project which has allowed our students to create something unique and meaningful which will make a difference to the lives of many parents to be."


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Bareket Observatory Live webcast -
An optical window that absorbs certain colors of light while allowing others to pass through. Astronomers use filters to observe how celestial objects appear in certain colors (wavelength) of light.
Our shows feature narration by numerous astronomy experts, delighted to offer their knowledge along to way
Watch a selection os our previous astronomical webcasts from your home or classroom
Book Telescope time for your students, take images, create survys and conduct real astronomy research


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What to Get Him For the Holidays
We're in full fledge holiday season and holiday shopping is still on the top of almost everyone's list. There are a few over achievers that probably finished their holiday shopping sometime in September, but for most of us the time is now! It's time to shop for all the special people in your life, the people who made it to your gift list; because at the end of the day if we invest in a gift, we want the receiver to be thrilled with what we've picked out. Here are a few recommendations for the men in your life, whether you're shopping for your husband, boyfriend, dad, brother, friend, or co-worker, these gifts will surely top the list of what to get him for the holidays. Find something that sparks your fancy? Just click on the pictures or links to shop the post.
1. Courvoisier XO Cognac – This is the ultimate cognac connoisseurs dream. This is the crème de la crème of cognac's and if he's an enthusiast, this may make him leap in bounds of joy!
2. Philosophy Renewed Hope For Men – The men's line of Philosophy skincare is perfect to gift a man. First off, it's specially formulated for men, secondly these are products that men need but many times don't want to buy for themselves. Gift the face and body scrub together with the mattifying moisturizer to give his masculine features a kick in the right direction. He'll love it, use it, and probably follow up with "so where can I buy more of these products" when he's done using them. It's perfect skin luxury for men.
3. Creative Recreation – This is a hot men's shoe line. Pick a pair to dress up or a more casual option for sporty errands. Creative recreation blends various styles to accommodate numerous looks. From high tops, to low tops, boots and tennies, there's something for every man at Creative Recreation.
4. Mission Belts – This belt is a perfect gift that every man will be able to appreciate. Why is it so great? For many reasons, for one it's versatile enough to be worn to work, on the weekend and casually out with jeans. Secondly, the belt has no holes and is made to contour to the mans body; for example if dinner was a little heavier than usual, all one would have to do is just quickly adjust the strap. It's functional, clean, and is an ideal gift for the gift giving season. Also, you don't have to worry about any embarrassing moments that occur with gifting a waist size that is otherwise to large or too small.
5. OXO Good Grips Chef's Mandoline Slicer 2.0 – Have you been in a room full of men where they start talking about kitchen gadgets and toys that they've been wanting? If you have, chances are pretty high that they've brought up the Chef's mandolin slicer. Guys who love the kitchen love to slice and dice and feel like they're in control when it comes to food. What better way to feed their desire to create precise slices that are professionally rated then with the Mandoline slicer. This gift is guaranteed to please the guy who loves the kitchen!
6. Brisk Beard Oil and Beard Shampoo – If the guy you're shopping for is scruffy guy who has a knack for taking care of his beard, you may just surprise him with some beard shampoo this season. Brisk has a tea tree and cedarwood beard shampoo that is designed to leave a guys beard clean and under control. This paraben and sulphate free shampoo is perfect for the man that wants to tame his man beard. Once it's shampooed, follow with a dab of the beard oil for the best feeling beard yet. The guy your thinking about with the facial hair will have a keen appreciation to your thoughtful gift this season.
7. Big R Audio Head Phones – These headphones are the ultimate in sound quality and luxury for the holiday season. The music enthusiast in your life will love these for many reasons; and you'll love it because it already comes in what looks like a wooden gift box. They are light weight, blue tooth adaptable, and versatile; allowing you to listen to music or use them to talk on the phone. Gifting this hands free headphones will definitely give the receiver a reason to dance the beat away.
8. Lulu Lemon Mens Sojourn Jacket – This jacket is the epitome of men's cool. It's ideal for the man who likes to look stylish, stay comfortable and wear a jacket that can be layered with almost any occasion. I'm not talking black tie here, but this is the ultimate jacket for a casual day or night out.
9. Casa Noble Tequila – Is this guy a aficionado of Mexican food? Does he like to go out and order shots of tequila or a tasty margarita. Casa Noble Tequila is the perfect gift for the guy that likes to entertain, or appreciates a good tequila.
10. Bradford Watch Company – This sleek rose gold design with a black leather band is for the man that loves a great watch. Its minimal meets classic design works well with men's style. It seamlessly blends into daily looks, while standing out as an elegant men's watch.
Image Provided by Bradford Watch Companys


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2 section telescopic poles with standard nylon cone, available in 3 sizes to achieve maximum length of 13 feet.
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