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My point of view is that when we talk about the this new wave and the new decade, we can talk about a few bands that are really different from the rest. Aeon Sable is one of these bands that sound fresh, unique and really different. With only 2 albums released, their name is spreading like powder. Some people call them alternative gothic rock, some others call them gothic rock of the new millennium. I will say: they are just Aeon Sable.
Oskar Terramortis
Hi Nino and Din how are you? My first question is: I would like to know about the moment when you decided to create "Aeon Sable".
Aeon Sable: Hello Oskar, first of all we want to thank you for considering "Aeon Sable" good enough to make part of your fabulous book. About "Aeon Sable" – well it wasn't that spectacular. While we where mixing a "melanculia" album, Din proposed to make a cover version of one of the tracks. I agreed and that's when "Aeon Sable" was born. With a cover of "Darkriders". (Per Aspera Ad Astra). Based on that track we continued composing tracks and very soon we got a few tracks together.
I must ask why you only released 50 copies of Per Aspera Ad Astra?
Aeon Sable: We only released 50 physical copies of "Per Aspera Ad Astra" because we didn't had the money for a bigger cd production. We also thought that most of the people would be interested in a digital copy.
How is it possible that a band who releases only 50 copies has a, let's say, medium budget video clip?
Aeon Sable: Haha – yeah – that's a good question. You must be talking about "Agnosia". That was such a lucky coincidence, right at the time we where finishing the Album, I met a video director from Indonesia (Upie Guava) and together we worked out a nice music video. "Agnosia" looks like a medium budget video but it was definitely a no budged video – we did the video with nearly no money in our pockets but with the help of all our friends.
One thing that is very present at "Aeon Sable" is the sound. Your sound is very particular and personal. I would like to know which bands have had a direct influence on your music?
Aeon Sable: Since we do the recording, mixing and mastering in our own little studio, instead of hiring an huge professional recording studio, our sound is not this high-polished, over-compressed and high-cut mainstream sound, but our own vision of tone and spirit. I think an distinctive part of this is the keen use of chorus, delay and reverb effects, those which were popular in the 80's and 90's. To Call some Names: "Fields of the Nephilim", "David Bowie", "Nick Cave" and the likes
In December your second album "Saturn Return" was released as a digital album, and once again you presented a new video clip. Some people asked me how is it possible to have a video but no physical album?
Aeon Sable: Here is where you notice that we are different – our goal is that we have a music label that fully supports us. We first released the video and also two tracks for free download ("Algorithm of None – Dying Motion" and "Dancefloor Satellite – Russian edit.") before releasing the whole album as a digital version.
The official physical version of "Saturn Return" will be released in a few weeks, including a vinyl edition. You are making this through – pledgemusic – How is it going?
Aeon Sable: Using a crowdfunding service to realize the CD production was definitive a wise decision. Firstly we wanted to release the album only as a limited vinyl and so we put all our money in the vinyl production. But then, little by little, a lot of fans asked us about a CD version and about the lyrics and others told us that they don't have the possibility to play vinyls… So, as we were broke, PledgeMusic appeared to be the best solution. We reached 75% in 3 days. I believe that very soon we will produce the long-awaited six panel digipak including all the lyrics.
I will have my version on vinyl, of course. I think a quality album like "Saturn Return" must be immortalized in this format. Where did the idea come from? You are more popular in digital format.
Aeon Sable: We believe that a lot of old-school goth rockers still have a phonograph at home that's just waiting to play a nice vinyl again and even the youngsters would love to try a good old-school vinyl. The vinyl edition of "Saturn Return" is a completely different product. You'll easily find it out if you pay attention. The mastering is different and even the composition. If you want to enjoy the album in perfection, you have to listen to it on vinyl.
Making a comparison between "Per Aspera Ad Astra" and "Saturn Return" I can say the big difference is that "Saturn Return" is a deeper album. What do you think?
Aeon Sable: As we started "Per Aspera Ad Astra" we didn't yet knew where Aeon Sable where going, and we were experimenting much to get the sound we wanted. On "Saturn Return" we were developing our style further, without changing the subtext of our music. So in one word, we would suggest "experimental" to "indigenous".
I would like to ask about your side projects. Because you will release a new album with "Melanculia". "Saturn Return" includes a cover version of "Melanculia".
Aeon Sable: Yes "Fabulous Land" is a Melanculia cover (The Dazed Prophet) and also "Per Aspera Ad Astra" included two "Melanculia" tracks and one from our sidekick "deied". Right now Melanculia's new set called "paths" is in the box and "babsologie" is making the artwork for the album. I believe that in a few months the new album is going to be online.
On your video clip "Agnosia" you say some words in Portuguese. Am I right?
Aeon Sable: Yes, Portuguese is right. As I (Nino) lived in Portugal for many years – there is always a part of me thinking in portuguese. We also love to go there on holidays.
I read a long time ago on your Facebook page that you were shooting a video for the track Praying Mantis, how is it going?
Aeon Sable: We are working on some visuals, but not necessarily on an released Track. Maybe we will use the resources for something else, something new…
This is not yet laid down.
"Saturn Return" is 100% goth rock of the new millennium, but sometimes it has some kind of flirting with gothic metal. Is this part of the "Aeon Sable" evolution?
Aeon Sable: Din and me are part-time metalheads. On the one hand we love to listen to old-school black- & death metal acts from the nineties until now, on the other hand we were passionate goth-rockers with a fable for low-fi electronics and ambient music. Aeon Sable won't grow into an metal act, sometimes it just swaps together.
Do you have plans to make "Aeon Sable" a live band?
Aeon Sable: Well we are not making plans in becoming a touring band but right now we are preparing everything to have our first concert on 1st of march. After that we are going to Austria where we are going to make part of the wonderful "emergency exit" festival on 30th of March.
Do you consider "Aeon Sable" an occvlt Gothic rock band?
Aeon Sable: Yes and no. None of us is a member of an religious organisation, believes in any form of god or is an esoteric nuthead. With our works we like to touch the hidden parts of existence, which are not integrated in the daily grind. We think the term "psychonaut" fits the bill well.


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On November 2nd, 2015, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 was passed into law. In addition to extending the debt limit through 2017, it also included very important changes to Social Security and its legislature. If you have filed for… Read More
Archive for November, 2015
I was injured at Work—Do I Qualify for Workers Compensation?Thursday, November 12th, 2015
Injuries and illnesses are never any fun. But when they happen at work, they can be a nightmare. Unfortunately, in the state of Maryland, not all injuries and illnesses are covered by the Workers' Compensation Law. For instance, contracting a… Read More
What to do if You Have a Slip and Fall Accident this WinterFriday, November 6th, 2015
Baltimore winters are known for being wet. And as we all know, it's extremely easy to have a slip and fall accident on wet surfaces. However, businesses like malls and grocery stores are responsible for providing protection against slips and… Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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About 20% of sexually active adults have at some stage had anal sex, but far fewer have regular anal sex. Even amongst male homosexuals, oral sex is far more common than anal sex.
Anal sex is defined as inserting a penis, finger or other object into the anus for the purpose of sexual stimulation.
Anal sex may cause pain and bleeding, but repeated activity usually results in these problems disappearing. The main risk is that oversize dildos may be used and cause anal damage, or that objects may be pass beyond the anal sphincter, enter the rectum, and cannot be retrieved without medical help.
A wide range of sexually transmitted diseases (including AIDS, syphilis and genital herpes) may be caught from anal sex, by both the penetrator and recipient. Other problems may include pruritus ani (itchy anus), proctalgia fugax (anal pain) and dermatitis.
It is very important that anything that has been in the anus should not go into the vagina or mouth unless it has been thoroughly cleaned.


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Gaining Perspective on How We See in 3-D
Interview with Bruce Cumming, M.D., Ph.D.
By Allyson T. Collins, M.S.
NEI Science Writer/Editor
Bruce Cumming, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research
National Eye Institute
The recent blockbuster movie "Avatar" may be best experienced with 3-D glasses, but in reality, our own two eyes help us see everything in three dimensions. Bruce Cumming, M.D., Ph.D., came to the NEI Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research in 2000 to study that innate process.
In a recent interview in an office stocked with a thousand pairs of 3-D paper glasses (bought in bulk for research purposes) and five computer screens, Cumming talked about using a combination of laboratory experiments and high-level math to identify the features of the brain that help us see depth in everything around us.
Why did you choose a career in science?
I had always been interested in how the body works. Quite early on in my life, I had decided that I wanted to go to medical school. When I was a medical student, I remember reading papers about how our visual system adapts if we put on goggles that magnify objects. It was just amazing to me--both that our bodies are able to do this, and at how far researchers had come in understanding the process in the brain. At that point, researchers could almost write equations describing what the brain is doing to adjust to the goggles. I thought, 'This is the future.' From that moment on, I wanted to do research on how the brain works.
Why did you decide to stick with basic research instead of clinical medicine?
I believe that basic research gives us everything we have--medical knowledge and treatments. I thought that the biggest contribution I could make to humanity is to discover something through basic research that could be applied to clinical medicine. In science, we need everyone, but I think that if you want to shoot high, basic research is where you can really make the biggest impact on human health in the long run.
How does your research, which involves the brain, relate to vision?
This video demonstrates one of the visual stimuli that Cumming uses in experiments.
Seeing doesn't happen in the eye. The eye, from my perspective, is a necessary first step in vision because it provides electrical signals that the brain uses to see. But if you were to take away the eyeball and replace it with an appropriate piece of electronics, we would still see just fine. The process of seeing is very complicated. We don't just look at a picture with the retina and see; all seeing is done in the brain.
So what aspects of vision are you studying in the brain?
I work on three-dimensional vision because it's a good model for understanding part of how the brain allows us to see. For 3-D vision, the brain processes different visual information from each of our eyes to give us a sense of depth. My ultimate objective is to write down an equation to explain how these 3-D visual signals are generated. I'm also trying to figure out the relationship between these signals and our internal sensation of depth to prove that signals in a particular part of our brain actually make us feel that one object is in front of another.
Is it really possible that how we see could be described with a math equation?
The math behind this is called quantitative modeling. About 20 years ago, a relatively simple equation was developed to explain a lot about how we see, in terms of the connections between brain cells. You could imagine that any equation would be a bit simple compared to the process of seeing, but we use this equation as a springboard for testing different hypotheses about vision. Each time we devise an experiment based on the equation, we realize that either the brain can do something more sophisticated than what the equation says, or the equation doesn't explain in enough detail how we see. Through this type of modeling, we have learned that cells signal depth in the early part of visual processing, in the visual cortex area of the brain. These brain cells are more clever than we thought, but they don't do enough to completely explain depth perception. So the equation has captured something very important, but we have to modify it and test another hypothesis because there is still information missing. You might think that we're going around in circles, but if we show that part of the equation is either wrong or right, we're getting a step closer to understanding vision.
What's your ultimate career goal?
I'm looking at 3-D vision as a model system to answer a major question: how is it that the firing of millions of neurons in the brain can help us perceive visual information? I could get a computer to give me information about depth and tell me whether one object is in front of or behind another. In fact, much of the background information we have about 3-D vision comes from studies of computer vision and robots. But I wouldn't say for a minute that the computer is seeing anything. I'm trying to understand what it is to actually see something--to have a conscious sensation and perceive a scene--rather than just have an image on the retina.
Read previous Visionary articles


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Getting in Touch
Contact Us
Ask your Questions
If you are looking to advertise on the Smoking Cabin or to have a Smoking Cabin placed at your premises, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com or use this form below..
Wish There Was A Smoking Cabin Installed Where You Live Or Work?
Tell us more about just ONE building you wish was free from secondhand smoke – and we'll reach out to them on your behalf to make it a reality. (It could be your condo, your office building, your favourite mall, or even an existing smoking room that could use our filtration system!)


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Cyber Monday 2016: Let's make this the last holiday shopping season using passwords (FoxNews.com)
If you're like most Americans, you'll be doing even more of your holiday shopping online this year. And if you're a Millennial, chances are even greater you'll be buying your Christmas and Chanukah presents on your mobile phone.
In fact, forecasts show Cyber Monday will match or beat Black Friday this season. And consumer research firm, Fluent, reports Americans are growing more comfortable with phone shopping. Yet the frustrating truth is that countless online and mobile shopping carts will be abandoned at checkout.
Why? Because we forget our passwords and give up. Only Ebenezer Scrooge could love a password that requires more letters, numbers and symbols – yet that's becoming standard practice!
Passwords were first invented when the Beatles were topping the pop music charts. It is difficult to fathom why we continue to force consumers to use 50-year-old technology to authenticate their identities when we now have the ability to actually use their real identity – their face, voice or fingerprints – to prove it's them making the purchase. Not only is it infinitely more convenient, it's more secure, too.
Fifteen years ago, Smartphones, tablet computers and social media were not in our lexicon. Facebook was still three years away and Steve Jobs wouldn't launch the iPhone for another six.
Today, of course, those Smartphones, with their powerful apps, are glued to our hands; Twitter and YouTube are ubiquitous; and tech giants such as Google and Amazon continue to surge, making our world much smaller and more connected.
Of course, that connectedness poses great challenges for governments, business and individuals. Cyber crimes and identity theft are soaring as hackers and thieves constantly search for new ways to fraudulently impersonate us.
In the wake of the 9/11 attacks 15 years ago, a new Department of Homeland Security turned to nascent technology called biometrics to secure our borders. Biometrics uses human factors that are uniquely you to electronically authenticate identification. The US-VISIT program was launched at more than 100 airports and seaports, collecting the fingerprints and digital photographs of those crossing our boarders.
At the same time, democracies around the world were looking to secure their own borders and also turned to biometrics as a solution. My company was proud to be a part of that effort.
Fifteen years after 9/11 innovative companies such as Mastercard and the financial institution serving military families, USAA are turning to biometrics, bringing the security and convenience to their customers. They are paying attention to what we know to be true: 53 percent of shoppers forget passwords, and one-third abandon their on-line shopping carts altogether. What's more, nine out of ten consumers overwhelmingly prefer biometrics over passwords when given a choice.
When Apple launched its Touch ID technology several years ago – which allows users to unlock iPhones and authorize purchases using their fingerprint – millions of Smartphone users were immediately introduced to the power of biometrics.
Today that same feature can be found on most advanced Smartphones, which has sped up the learning curve for novice tech users who perhaps were unfamiliar with biometrics. And all Smartphones have cameras and microphones, providing the opportunity to give consumers the freedom of choice in how they authenticate through their unique face or voice.
In 2012, tech companies PayPal and Lenovo were among those who formed the FIDO Alliance to advance the vision of simple and secure authentication designed to move the world beyond passwords. Tremendous advancements have since been made. Unlike passwords, each year biometric software becomes more reliable and more secure. And it's not just Millennials who are taking advantage of biometrics. USAA wanted to be inclusive to all its members who have now done tens of millions of biometric authentications across all demographics, including those over 90 years old!
We are witnessing this technology sweep across all digital channels. Think of our early encounter with the Internet. First we "browsed" and used Netscape. Then we "searched" and turned to Google. And next we "shared" with Facebook. The next big problem that needs to be solved is "trust". Biometric authentication establishes trust between two parties. One doesn't need to compromise convenience for security.
Hopefully more payment companies, banks and retailers are watching the trend lines. Companies with modern digital applications still using old password-based systems are going to look ridiculous.
Let's do away with Scrooge once and for all, and make this the last holiday shopping season we have to remember our forgettable passwords.
Tom Grissen is the CEO of Daon in Reston, VA. Daon is a board member of the FIDO Alliance, a national organization seeking to remove the world's dependency on passwords through open standards for strong authentication.
The above Op-Ed was published by FoxNews.com (Fox News Opinion) on November 28, 2016. To read the Op-Ed as originally published by Fox News Opinion, please click here.


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Contact us
Please think before you email
Like nearly all cricket clubs, emails to the address below are answered by parents of kids playing at the club who volunteer their time and are busy people like yourself with day jobs. Please browse or search this website for the information that you're looking for before emailing us. This website contains answers to nearly every question asked by parents and is updated regularly to ensure information is correct (if you do find a mistake or something missing, please let us know and we'll update it).
FAQs (please read before emailing)
- Do we have space for your child? See the information here: How to join and pay
- When is training? This varies depending on the time of year. For 2018 summer term times, see: Summer season
- Where is the club? See Location
- Are you running summer camps in the 2018 summer holidays? Yes, see: Summer holiday cricket camps
- What equipment does my child need and where can I buy it? See the section on Equipment
Contact us (please read the above first)
Email: email@example.com (please click the link or copy & paste to avoid typos)
This address is checked by several people and we normally respond within a few hours, but please bear in mind the club is run by volunteers, so there may be times when it takes a little longer.
How is best to refer a friend?
Please refer them initially to this website to read through the information rather than giving them our email address or the phone numbers of club officers. This will help reduce the workload on these volunteers.
What if I have a complaint or suggestion?
Please contact David Cook or Sally Keith, using email@example.com or in person at the club.


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About Our Work
Unlimited control over your website content - when you want it, how you want it. You shouldn't have to hire a web design company every time you need to update your website. We like hearing from you, but we also know that getting the information you need to your customers at the right time is an integral part of you running a successful business. With our easy online Content Management System (CMS) you will be able to add, edit, and delete your website content. Simply login, make your changes, preview how your new information will look on your site and post it instantly!
What exactly is a CMS? Most CMS look very much like word-processing software or your social network's profile update page. A CMS enables you to create, publish, organize and manage your online content. If you can update your Facebook, then you can update your website. Depending on the client's needs and staffing, the CMS can be designed for use by a highly technical webmaster or can be so simple and intuitive that even the most technologically challenged editors can use it effectively.
Want to know more? Contact us at your convenience for a test drive of our Content Management System.
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Marche de catherine
An e commerce site, where different payment methods are added like pay-pal, visa and Master card. Shipping is done via GLS. Different searching techniques like showing the items by popularity, average rating, low to high price and high to low price are added to the system. After selecting the item, add quantity as much as you wish, remove the item form basket fully flexible system is prepared.
No more practice
User investment site, NO MORE PRACTICE is designed with multiple features where visitor can view TV Shows, lessons, wealth stories and net wealth. It has a registration system in which the fields are completely validated and sanitized to match various security standards. The site look becomes more attractive when clicking on the menu. All the contents are managed in a way so that it is easy to understand.
lacite medicale
To serve the humanity our team has made brilliant site with nice clean look and responsive design. It has some cool and nice animation effects. The functionality of making an appointment on-line is added to the system. Various details about appointment, doctors are shown in a unique way.
Futurist brunet flower
An e-commerce site, Brunet Florist is developed by our team with a functionality that a user can filter their own results by selecting various color combinations. Also one can search for flowers by bestselling, lowest price and highest price. It is designed as neatly as flowers are. Different pricing methods like pay-pal etc are used in this site for on-line ordering.
A booking site, 10 MONTKIARA, has got the completion stage in a very limited time under the supervision of our professional team. It is fully responsive, user friendly and have high security standards. Only registered can view available booking slots and confirm their booking details by selecting the number of items in a drop down menu.
Ignite is specially designed for the top class researchers , managers and technicians with a nice and clean look. There are two types of users, employee and employers. Employers apply for the top class leading jobs by searching it and apply for the job by uploading their CV. Employer can get the list of all employees.
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Michigan State Police have asked for authorization to use an aerial drone to photograph vehicle crash scenes and give a bird's-eye view of other emergency situations across the state.
The agency hopes to get permission next month from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly a small, $158,000 remote-controlled helicopter that state police pilots have been training to use for more than a year, The Detroit News reported (http://bit.ly/1yY0GIW ).
The drone, for example, would reduce the time required to survey and reconstruct major crash scenes, such as this month's 193-vehicle pileup that killed one man and closed a stretch of Interstate 94 between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek for two days.
"That would have been so useful," said Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the Michigan State Police.
The time it took to reopen the freeway was dictated in part by the needs of crash investigators, who had to take detailed measurements and photos of the scene before they could begin clearing passenger vehicles and semi-trucks, Etue said.
The Aeryon SkyRanger unmanned aerial vehicle takes hundreds of overlapping photos that a computer program stitches together to create a three-dimensional map of a crash, helping investigators reconstruct how vehicle pileups occur, 1st Lt. Chris Bush said.
"The quicker we can get accidents cleared, to me that's a game changer for how we do law enforcement," said Bush, commander of field support and aviation.
The FAA has granted licenses to fly unmanned aerial vehicles to a handful of municipal police agencies across the country, the newspaper reported. FAA officials plan to be in Lansing next month to make a final review of the state police's training and drone use policies, Bush said.
The drone, which fits inside a backpack, is limited to a maximum altitude of 400 feet, and operators must be able to see the device, Bush said.
Plans call for one drone based out of the state police's aviation unit at the Lansing airport, Bush said. More could be added later in other locations. State police also asked the American Civil Liberties Union's Michigan chapter review its policies for operating its drone.
"We have no qualms really with the state police," said Shelli Weisberg, legislative affairs director for the ACLU of Michigan. "We understand it's a good tool for them to use for accident reconstruction."
Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/27/michigan-state-police-seek-ok-to-use-aerial-drone-/


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Spaniel has not received any gifts yet
Posted on November 5, 2014 at 9:51am 0 Comments 0 Likes
Good read here: http://cfn.scout.com/2/1477022.html
The gist for the B1G:
It was just a few short weeks ago when everyone was wonder what was wrong with the Big Ten after it suffered loss after loss after loss after loss in the first month of the season. Michigan State currently has one win – Nebraska – over a team that's going to end up going to a bowl game. However, its lone loss came to No. 4 Oregon, so, in…Continue
Posted on November 4, 2014 at 8:41am 0 Comments 0 Likes
I would like to apologize to Crawford and anyone else I might have insulted on the blog yesterday. Even though I don't agree with many posters on many things, I didnt have to be insulting. I am sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me. It doesnt appear people on here want to discuss what is happening with other teams and want to focus on NU, so I will drop it, unless asked.
Spaniel welcome to Huskerspot. I think you will find a good group Husker fans on here. Ha Ha Hilarious
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2 August 2017
2017 Hungary Test, Day Two
Renault Sport Formula One Team concluded the Hungary in-season test with Robert Kubica making a return to his first official Formula 1 test session in over six years. To a backdrop of enthusiastic chanting from his loyal fans, Robert completed 142 laps – equivalent to over two Grands Prix - following a programme of various aero and tyre assessments. Robert's best lap today, a 1min 18.572secs, was his fastest-ever time around the Hungaroring, the same circuit where he made his Formula 1 Grand Prix debut almost eleven years ago.
Fast Facts:
Track: Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary, 4.4km
Chassis: R.S.17 – 04
Weather: Hot, sunny. Ambient 29°C - 36°C Track 36°C - 54°C
Programme: Aero testing around front and rear wheels. Driver evaluation with different tyre compounds. Long and short runs. Front wing aero mapping.
Laps Completed: 142
Classification: P4, 1:18.572
Interruptions: Various red flags
What's Next?
Renault Sport Formula One Team will next be in action at the Pirelli Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps on August 25-27.
Robert Kubica:
"It was a fantastic feeling for me to be here today in the R.S.17 and also it was amazing to see so many fans come to see me out on track, so thank you to all of them. It has been an incredible journey to this point, where I have answered many questions to myself. I learnt a lot about the latest generation car, as there are a reasonable amount of differences between it and the Formula 1 cars I have driven in the past. The car is certainly wider than before. I was able to work through the team's programme methodically and I think we made good progress. Certainly my understanding of the R.S.17 and the 2017 tyres came on a lot. After today, it's too early to say what the next step might be. For now, I owe a big thanks to everyone at Renault Sport Formula One Team for making this test happen."
Alan Permane, Sporting Director:
"It's been a full and productive day with over two Grands Prix worth of laps completed. We worked through a comprehensive programme and Robert was able to give us great feedback. The R.S.17 ran faultlessly, even with the extreme temperatures we faced out on track. We have accumulated a lot of data over the past two days to add to the lessons learnt in the Grand Prix here, so we have scope to further optimise the car looking to the next Grands Prix after the summer shutdown."


text: It's FRIDAY! Tonight I'll be road-tripping it up to Ottumwa for some freshman football, and then the weekend will be mine. It's been a long week of testing, so the weekend couldn't have come soon enough (although the weather was absolutely gorgeous all week!). Here are some of the projects I've been working on that will be covered in full detail later. Happy Friday!


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bridge cafe
From 273 W 38th St to 279 Water St in Manhattan is a bit of a hike. The way I walked was about 5.4 miles. Yes, I walked. If I'd known better how to get there, I could have done it in 4.2 miles. But I didn't, so I walked the long way.
The only reason I wanted to go to the Bridge Cafe was because I had seen it on a Food Network special a couple weeks back, where they had highlighted the fact that it has been in continual operation as a business since 1794, making it (most likely) the oldest bar/restaurant in New York City.
When I got there, though, I saw a sign on the door indicating that food was unavailable because of a kitchen fire. "Great," I thought, "I walked all this way and can't even have a sandwich." Well, I had walked all that way, and figured I should at least go in, since I was there. I walked in just as a couple other folks were leaving the bar, and asked the bar tender for a drink: after a walk that long, I needed one.
The bar tender drew me a Sam Adams Summer, and I sat down to enjoy a little break before heading out to find "real" food. That was at about 8pm. At the end of the bar, a couple seats down from myself, there was a woman sitting who asked how I'd gotten there because she hadn't heard a cab door close. I told her I had walked. From 38th & 8th. From midtown – all the way down to below the Brooklyn Bridge. On foot. Just then, the bar tender wandered back over, since there were no other customers, and he and Lisa were in shock over how far I walked. Then he asked me why I had come, because, after all, it was one heck of a hike: and I told him I'd seen the place showcased on the Food Network, and wanted to give it a shot.
New York, especially Manhattan, is an eminently walkable city – it's just that "normal" people take the subway, bus, or a cab if they have to go more than 8 or 10 blocks, apparently. Guess I'm not normal.
Adam, the bar tender, who also turned out to be the owner, started chatting with myself and Lisa, who had arrived only a few minutes before I had (but by bus and a short walk). Turns out that Lisa is a pharmaceutical editor who lives mere blocks from where I ate Monday, Virage. Don't quite know what that means, but that's what she does. Lisa's also a hobbyist filmmaker. Adam's an eclectic music aficionado. For five and a half hours I sat at the bar chatting with Adam and Lisa, and the couple other folks who wandered in later.
I mentioned, in passing, that I nearly stopped at a place on 2d, but the waitress whom I'd had Monday wasn't there, so I kept walking. When pressed for details on the name of the place, I told them it was Virage, and Lisa then launched into a lengthy discourse on all the food places within a couple blocks of where I had been Monday, down to a place that only serves macaroni and cheese, called S'Mac.
Topics ranged from funky music (including Tom Waits) to film festivals. Discussions of Scotch, cake, bourbon, beer, Korean chefs, and the list goes on and on. As a side note, it turns out I know more about whiskeys, scotches, and beer than any of Adam's bar tenders – he even told me (half-jokingly, I think, but maybe not) I should come work there if I have free time when I'm in New York.
Having been told about S'Mac, my grand plan was to finish my drink, get a cab or bus back uptown a ways, and go try some of this off-the-wall mac & cheese. That plan gradually faded through the evening. At 00:24 I checked my cell phone for the time, and realized I had long since missed the opportunity to get food. At least, to get food and still get back to the hotel for at least a solid nap before my last day at my customer's site.
Fortunately, though, when I sat down I sat at the Scotch end of the bar. I am a huge fan of Scotch, and I think I went into some form of intermittent nirvana when looking-over the choices. I had a Laphroaig 15. I've had the 10 before, but the 15 was so much smoother I was amazed – I hadn't yet met a Scotch that outdid my favorite Laphroaig 10, and now I have. A little later, Adam poured a pony of Bruichladdich Infinity to try. The smoky depth was palate-sparking.
Having enjoyed the Laphroaig, and sampled the Bruichladdich, I slid back to something less heavy, and tried the Six Points Ale on tap. Six Points is in Brooklyn, and smacks the pants of Brooklyn Brewery any day of the week.
At 1:24 I finally had to call it a night so that I could get a couple hours' sleep before work today. As I was standing to leave, though, Lisa announced that she needed to find an ATM so she could get a ride home. Her apartment is literally a half block out of the way for the ride I was going to need, so we did a very un-New Yorker thing to do, and split the ride back uptown.
I don't quite know when I finally hit the sack this morning, but I know it was after 2. The next time I'm in Manhattan for more than a few hours, I'm definitely going back to the Bridge Cafe, and see what kind of food they do have.
Thanks, Adam (and Lisa) for an entertaining, enjoyable, enlightening evening. It was the best night I've had out "by myself" in years.


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About Us
At Stratus, we seek purpose-driven people who want to support causes with a similar sense of purpose and direction. Together, we support government and commercial entities with security, infrastructure, and technology that enables them to fulfill their purpose.
Founded in
Headquartered in
Fulton, MD
Full-Time Staff
Why Stratus?
Stratus Solutions is a technology company disrupting traditional IT infrastructure. There are so many reasons to join the Stratus team, but some of the highlights are:
- Enjoyable and meaningful work
- Hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies such as AWS and Azure
- Collaboration with smart, like-minded teammates
- Generous compensation and benefits
- Strong technical leadership
- Direct mission impact


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Commemorate a Baby's First Christmas in 2006 with this colorful photo holder ornament. Personalize the ornament by adding your own photo. The photo holder turns freely within the center of the ornament.
A zoo of animals form the photo frame. There is a panda bear, a leopard, a crocodile, a toucan, a giraffe, I believe that might be a koala and an elephant. The elephant wears a blanket that reads "Baby's 1st Christmas and the crocodile's blanket reads "2006."
Size: 4½" HDated: Yes, Dated 2006Artist: Tammy Haddix


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#FOWC — Modern Tyranny for Modern Times
Today is the press' day to publish editorials supporting freedom of the press, but not every newspaper is doing it. Their reasons are varied. Some simply don't have the financial structure to take on a major issue anymore.
Those papers have already lost the war. Like New York's Daily News, taken over by the Trump mouthpiece of Sinclair to be the "nothing much" somewhere on the internet.
As editorials show up in my inbox, I'll reblog or post them, as I can. Some of them are "Pay to Read" and this is one of those days when that policy is downright foolish, so modern or not, I think press editorials need to be seen and read by as many people as possible, whether or not they are subscribers.
If trampling truth and publishing only what "our leader" (not my leader, but maybe yours) wants to hear is "the modern way," then heaven help us all.
That is tyranny and our freedom will be, as they say, toast.


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Cuddle a baby? Visit a neighbor? Learn something new? Mentor a student? Share your artistic or creative talent?
Volunteers are asked to commit to a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly schedule. Adult community members, college students, high school and vocational education students are welcome to apply throughout the year. Minimum age 16 years old.Interested candidates must submit an application by calling Stephanie Garafalo, Manager of Volunteer Services at (805) 988-2627 or email firstname.lastname@example.com. Upon receipt of a completed application, candidates will be invited to a personal interview. Interviews are by appointment only and applicants applications are brought to first appt. Adult applicants must provide a social security number in order to obtain a mandatory background screening. All candidates must complete a health screening. Screenings are provided free of charge. For more information and to Download the forms listed below please visit our Volunteer Website:
College & vocational education students, regardless of age, must submit:
Other Adults must submit:
"We believe that all people in our community deserve high quality healthcare services that enhance their well being in body, mind and spirit. We believe that the Sisters of Mercy, through their mission at St. John's Regional Medical Center and St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital, provide the most effective delivery of healthcare services. The Foundation supports St. John's mission by raising funds for the hospitals' benefit and by promoting the values of Dignity Health and the Sisters of Mercy in the community."
© 2016 St. John's Healthcare Foundation. All Rights Reserved.


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By Augusto F. Villalon/Philippine Daily Inquirer – Year 2012 is a banner year for the Philippines in conservation and management of World Heritage properties.
Last month, the Unesco World Heritage Center announced in Paris that the Historic City of Vigan won the highest award for the Best Conservation Management of World Heritage Properties.
Last June, the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordillera was removed from the World Heritage in Danger List, with high recognition being given to the Ifugao community by the members of the World Heritage Committee during its 36th Annual Session in St Petersburg, Russian Federation.
The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordillera, a World Heritage property composed of five terrace-clusters in Ifugao province, had been placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of the site's deterioration over the years due to overlapping factors, including weak management systems; conflict between traditional and 20th-century agricultural and cultural practices, which resulted in neglected irrigation and the degradation of the terraces.
The criteria for the decision to remove the property from the In Danger List included successful site restoration and conservation, as well as planning and proper management.
Most significantly, members of the World Heritage Committee warmly applauded the Ifugao community which worked closely to save their terraces with the local government, the private sector, and with some assistance from the international community.
The rice terraces were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1995 as an "extraordinary example of an evolved, living cultural landscape," terraces carved by Ifugaos following steep mountain contours, a tradition still retained today after centuries of use.
The terraces today are "the fruit of knowledge handed down from one generation to the next, and the expression of sacred traditions and a delicate social balance."
Outstanding is the role of the Ifugao people in the conservation process of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordillera that was done mostly through local, community-based effort and stakeholder participation.
Find more like this: Lifestyle


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Image credit: Shutterstock We're searching for top company cultures to be featured on our annual list. Think your company has what it takes? Apply Now » Lifeguards know a little secret that saves lives. When a rip current is pulling you out to sea, stop fighting it and just swim ...Read More »
Home / Crisis Management


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LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Adam Sandler is returning to his home state to serve as the special 25th anniversary grand marshal for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 19.
The actor, a native of Manchester, will participate in driver introductions on the Magic Mile frontstretch and attend the NASCAR Cup series drivers meeting before telling drivers to start their engines.
Sandler said that when he was growing up in New Hampshire, he used to watch NASCAR with his dad and brother. He said his dad, who died in 2003, "would be baffled" that he's getting the honor.


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Those of us who are native Washingtonians remember the days when people like cabbies and security guards had two topics of conversation: Politics and Redskins. The old school guys had the scoop on everything, and chatting with them was always a learning experience.
In my office building we had a legendary security guard named Bill, who was respected and adored by everyone. He was in his 80s when I started working there in 2007, and we became fast friends. Not only did he share with me insightful accounts of DC before, during and after the civil rights movement, he also knew everything about everyone in the building. Every morning I could look forward to 5 or 10 minutes with Bill, discussing politics, history, football, and who in our building had a boob job. He never failed to make me laugh. Mitch Albom had Tuesdays with Morrie; I had Weekdays with Bill. Sadly, we lost him a couple of years ago, but his stories and perspective on world events large and small will live with me forever.
I went to a meeting the other night and was a few minutes early so I hung out in the lobby. In typical fashion I bonded with the evening guard in the building. He had a Redskins hat prominently displayed on his desk and I knew right away he was a DC lifer kind of guy. He got a real kick out of it when I told him the first song I ever learned as a child was Hail to the Redskins (which is 100% true). We lamented the demise of the Redskins at the hands of Dan Snyder; talked about the good old days at RFK.
Right on the heels of bonding with the security guard, I landed a classic, much beloved DC cabby. When I got in the cab it was absolutely festooned with Obama gear, and my new friend was dressed in Obama-wear from head to toe. He greeted me with "Praise the lord! Obama has another 4 years!" I said I thought things had turned out really well. I realized I needed to be a little more enthusiastic so I said "I love Obama; he's doing amazing things for our country!" He was satisfied that I was a good fare.
He started running down a list of every election result in the country; Governors, Senators, Representatives, Fire Marshalls, Sheriffs, Chief Dog Catcher…you name it. He knew it all and had an opinion on each race, who was right and who was wrong, and the moral character of each candidate. He laid out what Obama needed to accomplish in the next 4 years.
We had a pleasant conversation about our shared disbelief that women and people of color actually vote republican. We waxed philosophical about the Clinton years and cursed the 8 years of W we were forced to endure. We discussed the embodiment of evil that is Karl Rove.
I say the hell with CNN and MSNBC and The Washington Post. If I close my eyes and click my heels together 3 times, I may have a chance to chat with someone who has been there, done that, and knows a lot more than any pundit. Only in Washington.


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from The Century Dictionary.
- Not pliable.
Sorry, no etymologies found.
She had no notion of a joke, sir; had come late into life, and had a mighty unpliable understanding.
The half-inch-thick sheet looked totally unpliable.
The half-inch-thick sheet looked totally unpliable.
All our failures here proceed from bad education, want of capacity, or a perverse and unpliable disposition.
Ephorus, that it was Phlogidas, who declared they ought not to receive any gold or silver into the city; but to use their own country coin which was iron, and was first of all dipped in vinegar when it was red hot, that it might not be worked up anew, but because of the dipping might be hard and unpliable.
In the evening costume of a lady, with her bosom uncovered, with her figure armed, rather than dressed, in unpliable silk, the admiral might have passed her by without notice in his own drawing-room.
Churchmen, like the ungrateful Pole, for whose education he had generously subscribed, were often unpliable to his views of the
Water-glass soaps do not dissolve readily in water, they make but little suds, and render the skin hard and unpliable.
He stared forward, across his littered table, beyond his bookcases, through his thick-lensed glasses, as if confronting the stiffening legend of a husband too old, too dry, too unpliable; the victim, finally, of a sudden turn that was peculiarly malapropos and disrelishing, the head of a household tricked rather ridiculously before the world.
'She had come late into life, and had a mighty unpliable understanding,' v. 296.


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H.BSc - University of Toronto (2018)
Graduate Student - University of Toronto, Department of Immunology (2018 – Present)
My project focuses on characterizing the immune landscape of the human liver in the context of hepatitis induced hepatocellular carcinoma. In particular, we are studying the interplay between macrophages and T cells and how they shape the tumor microenvironment to control tumor fate. Using single-cell sequencing, we hope to generate a transcriptional map of immune populations for the healthy and diseased state. By doing so, we can look at the cellular differences between these two states and target these differences with nanoparticle therapy.
We are using the pre-clinical woodchuck hepatitis model as a method to assess the efficacy of our nanoparticle therapy. Woodchucks are naturally infected by the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) and develop HCC on an intact immunological background. This allows us to study the interplay between the virus, cancer and immune response in the presence of therapy.


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The Haven Comic
37 responses to "The Haven Herald." Join in!
Oh yay! Another Haven Herald! Wow, the major changes in this one really make it better. I liked the is your character a mary sue test thingy. Hmm… the comics won't show, but I think thats my computer's problem. Anyhoo, Congrats to everyone who won. 🙂
Great job everyone who worked on this edition of the Haven Herald! It was once again, totally awesome!
Awesome issue! But I can't see the comic… Congratulations to HollyShort9 for being member of the month! Congratulations to holly_s for being newbie of the Month! Congratulations to PhoenixRSA for winning the contest! And congratulations to everyone who won an award!
Brilliant job guys!!!!!Congratulations to all the winners!You guys deserve it!Brilliant articles,great pics!!!Loved it!
I loved the intro to the HH! Keep it up!
I can't see the comics! TT
Hey guys! Great issue. Love the changes! Sorry I haven't been on in forever. Very busy. Too busy to write full sentences.
EXTREME CONGRATS EVERYONE WHO WON THE FANFICTION CONTEST! I ran out of time to write mine. I wouldn't have won anything anyway. Those are way better than mine ever would be!
Shoot, Opal, you made my Trance character sound like a total Mary Sue! 44 points, at least. Made me completely abandon my Life of Lies story, too. *rushes to the Word Processor and makes major changes to character.* Damn you! Joking, joking. Thanks for pointing out the flaws.
WOW! I relly liked this month's issue! It was brilliant! And congratulations to all the winners! 😀
Congrat to all who won!!!!!! *claps*
i love this issue, and the idea of having comic is brillant! i'll go to fill the servey after this.
Oh, i want to see SPIDERWICK (movie),i like Freedie Highmore's movie, he acts so good. My Dad is going to bring me to cinima this Sunday!
And…. can't want for The Time Paradox!!!!!
Great Issue guys! Keep working at it!!! Amazing job!!!
And lol!!! I LOVED the intro exceedingly creativa and original!!!
And the grapics are amazing!!!
Nice! I really liked the "Mary-Sue" character guide; man I catch myself doing that. -hand/forehead- Also, the comic… well that was just hilarious. Poor Arty…
Hey there,Thank you for mentioning Rosy and me on your brilliant blog. Fanfiction is a great way to start writing. I'm guessing some of your readers are younger than me (my daughter is 20) and for writers of all ages, fanfiction is an excellent way to learn writing skills and to share your work with a (hopefully) willing audience.I used to write stories when I was at junior school but stopped until I was 42 – when North & South came on TV and inspired me and a lot of other people. My one piece of writing advice? DON'T wait until you are that old to start writing! Forget about what other people might say and just do it. You never know where it might lead and if you enjoy writing, don't let anyone stop you.By the way, my first book, Decent Exposure, has been optioned for a TV movie by Fox. I don't know if it will be made – but it all stems fom writing fanfic. I'm sure Rosy will come here and tell you her view on fanfic too.Phillipa Ashley
[…] is so cool. I got mentioned (with Rosy Thornton) on the Fowl Fanfiction. I am so proud to have begun my novel career as a fanfiction author. Fanfiction mus be the biggest […]
Great article! Like Phillipa, I'm another oldie, who didn't discover fanfic – and through it, fiction writing generally – until I was a mum. But fanfic is certainly a great training ground for writers – limbering up using someone else's characters and settings is such an easy way to begin, and the support, friendship and feedback available on sites like this are brilliant. Then you can go on from there to develop your own original stories if you want – or just carry on sharing the characters you love with others who love them, too. Neither Phillipa nor I had written any fiction before we tried out hand at fanfic in 2005 – and now we each have our third novel ready for publication later in the year and are working on our fourth…
Absolutely LOVE the Cartoon Artemis!AS an artist I can really say Well Done.Keep it up!
That comic was HILARIOUS!!!!!!
OH NOOO!!! I entered the wrong story! Editors! Just so you know, that contest entry was the wrong one! Untimely meeting was the one that should have been entered! I REALLY should have deleted a fatal mistake! That was my worst story ever! Please remove my entry! I forfeit my title! Just PLEASE don't let people see that one! Untimely meeting should have gotten credit!
Oh…well, I guess it wasn't TOO bad…OMG! That Haven Herald banner is just beautiful! The comic was hilarious! I hope to see more in the future!
Yeah! NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FANFICTION, ARTEMIS!!! Y'all should do more of these themed newsletters!
I got best fanfic…
And I haven't even been visiting this site for the past two months…
I love you guys.
I was a smidge disappointed my story wasn't qualified, and my brother agrees non-cannon sequals should have been accepted, but I'm glad Pheonix won. She is an acceptional writer.
Another great issue, guys! 🙂
The link to the fan art of the month is incorrect, I think. Or at least, I'm not being directed to the picture described.
No, it's correct. That's the picture I described.
Oh- it's right for me now too. Either it got fixed, or my computer was just being weird that day (it does that).
It's not your computer; I fixed it. XD Sorry for not letting you know by commenting.
dude i love the have hearld. if u read fowl fan fiction read artemis fowl the last lockdown. it my first fan fic
DANG! 2 of my characters are Mary-Sue! gosh that test seemed impossible I mean add nine points add five points add 3 points no wonder I came up with 47! oh well… It can't all be true! can it?
Wow, You know I didnt like the alternative ending, whole war thing. I thought It was Overdone. Tell why I'm so blind but why was that good. And what is wrong with the weirdo, hjzsryj ?
great issue!!!
i like reading some fanfics but i can't write any…i just never know how to end a story XD
the comic was really funny!!!! poor artemis… his being controlled 😛
I love the intro and the comic
*first comment dance that's not on fanfiction* I ♥ the comic! My fav part! I also liked the Mary Sue and Gary Stu test thingamigig. That helps a lot! Comic rocks. ' with fanfiction, we basicly own your soul, Artemis.' Hee-Hee! PS: How do you become one of the Haven Herald team? It sounds like a great job! Excellent everybody who helped make this! It's awesome.
ah. wha?
It was dark when I woke. This is a ray of susnhine.
That saves me. Thanks for being so snsebile!
Help: How do I get an avatar?


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VICTORIA — Premier Christy Clark says her government isn't considering a hike in the carbon tax when a previously-promised rate freeze expires in 2018.
Instead, she said, she'll launch a public discussion on the broader issue of how government can tackle climate change.
"I'm sure whether or not we take the freeze off will be something people talk about, but we're not considering that at the moment," Clark said Friday.
The premier said she considers the tax a success, in that it has reduced pollution while still allowing the economy to grow.
The carbon tax was introduced in 2008 as a way to discourage polluters by charging them for their carbon emissions by weight.
The tax rose to $30 a ton in July 2012 but Clark promised during her 2013 election campaign to freeze it for five years, saying the unstable world economy had made it difficult to afford to live in B.C. The carbon tax adds 6.67 cents a litre to the price of gasoline at the pump.
No other province or U.S. state has followed B.C. in bringing in a broad system of carbon pricing. But there appears to be renewed interest.
Clark was invited to brief the finance ministers of the world's largest economies on the B.C. carbon tax in Washington, D.C., on Friday, becoming the first Canadian premier to directly address the G20 finance ministers in such a manner.
"Nobody has done what we've done, which is create one of the broadest-based carbon taxes in the world and used 100 per cent of those taxes to reduce corporate and small business and individual income taxes and that's resulted in robust economic growth compared to the rest of the country," she said in a telephone interview.
"Nobody else has figured out how to do that, so people were really interested in how we've married this really progressive environmental policy to an economic policy that stimulates growth."
B.C. promised the tax would be revenue neutral, because it would be offset by new tax breaks and credits to encourage environmental conservation. Over time, the carbon tax has become revenue negative for the province, with the government budgeting for $1.6 billion in environmental tax credits this year, compared to $1.2 billion in carbon tax revenue.
"We have made more tax cuts than the carbon tax has brought in, that's true, and I'm not ashamed to admit that," said Clark. "The reason we've been able to do that is because we've cut taxes as we've applied the carbon tax to lower personal and business income taxes, it has grown our economy."
She also said she prefers a carbon tax to the cap-and-trade system — most recently announced by Ontario and Quebec — where governments set the maximum level a company can pollute and then charge them for overages or allow them to sell unused credits to other companies.
The carbon tax is a price signal that's well understood by the market, compared to a cap-and-trade model that can have unpredictable effects on an economy, Clark said.


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We are the proud producers of motorcycle clothing, developed specifically for you. Our knowledge of the trade and expertise in this field enable us to produce superior tailor-made clothing, in which biking enthusiasts can ride comfortably, safely and confidently. For more than fifty years, Damen has produced bespoke motorcycle clothing, made with passion, with safety in mind. Damen produces clothing to enjoy.
Gageldonkseweg 27
4815 PD Breda
E: email@example.com
opening hours
The entire assortment hangs in the store in Breda; motorcycle jackets, pants, gloves, racing leathers. The fitting of motorcycle clothing is also possible here for both tour and race suits.
De Haar 9
9405 TE Assen
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
The entire RACE range is represented in our store in Assen; one piece and two-piece leathers, but also sports gloves, clothing accessories and merchandise. You can go here for made-to-measure clothing as well as confection sizes.
Steenbokstraat 27
7324 AZ Apeldoorn
E: email@example.com
Premium Motors in Apeldoorn sells our premium products. Namely the Titano and Delano suit together with the Olympus jacket and the Four Seasons pants. Also three types of gloves; Expedition, Retro and Urban Summer.


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Hello My Name Is...
My name is Bernard Blackburn. Since 2014, I've been the Truant Officer/School Social Worker here at The Howard School. I am a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. It's my job to ensure that they are attending school to secure their chance for future success by succeeding in the classroom on a daily basis. I contact parents and students by phone, mail, and home-visits. It's my goal to do everything I can to support families.
You can contact me at:


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In this episode, Kane, Frank and Luke discuss the new anime of the Summer season and the noticeable lack of penguins within Tokyo ESP.
As the episode progresses, talk turns Kane and the multiple anime characters who bear a resemblance to him…before devolving into a brief bout of snaps, quips and references. Hitman Reborn! also gets a mention, so there's that to. Plus, for those looking for a slightly more intelligent conversation (very slightly mind you), the guys also chat about the impact "camera work" can have in a series.


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Curiosity and inquisitiveness are the two elements of human nature that has led him to conquer the peaks of the mountains. His "want to change" attitude is visualized by the various developments that we come across in our lives. From the primitive Stone Age to the modern computerized era, every step of men has proved to be the milestone in the history of civilization. Accommodated with science and technology, men proved his distinction over all the creatures of the world.
We cannot imagine a life without technology. With every wink of an eye, a new innovation comes into existence. Science and technology is overriding all human activities. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we carry the torch of science in our hands to enlighten our path. It won't be wrong to say that science has become the religion of modern world.
Technology is the practical application of science for industrial or commercial purposes. It is used to enhance human beings physically and intellectually. It is the practical application of knowledge, which has slowly developed over the years. Technology has confirmed immense boons on mankind. It draws a line between the old era of darkness and the present era of brightness, between the life of miseries and superstitions and the epoch of happiness and knowledge. Nevertheless the modern world has placed too much reliance on technology; a breakdown in technology will bring a standstill in the societies and in the economy of the world. Technology is a queer thing. On one hand it presents you with blissful gifts, on the other hand it stabs you in the back. As we look over the brighter side of the development of technology it cannot be denied that technology has made life much easier and decorous for most of the people. The biggest advantage of modern technology is the uplifting of medical science. The threatening clouds of death no longer haunt the patients who were otherwise filled with despair. Expectancy of life has increased due to the advancement in technology and proper treatment and machineries.
In the realm of communication modern technology has helped a lot. The nations are no more like closed boxes. The whole world has become like a big open box where there is no limit of incoming and outgoing information. Radio, Television, Cell phones, and Internet have made this world a global village. Distances have lost their meanings and thousands of miles are covered in splits of seconds with the help of latest technology.
The dark shadows of technology cannot be overlooked. Man is selfish by nature. In order to fulfill his jingoistic designs he stands in need of destructive weapons, which could bring about annihilation of his rivals. This weaponry advancement brings about differences and instability in the society. Another drawback is the human's excessive dependence on machines. Man has become lethargic and relies completely on machine.
The replacement of human labor with machines has brought about unemployment which has resulted in increased crimes rate. Another pitfall is the deadly effect of nuclear waste and environmental pollution on our mother earth. The means of entertainment has increased but these glory and glitter are ruining the moral personality of young children. They are more interested in "Facebook" rather than their literature books.
In conclusion, technology by itself is neither good nor bad. It is the intention and will of man, which makes it constructive or destructive. Knowledge without morals is always disparaging. Advent of technology without moral standards would create devils in the society. Therefore religion and humanities are as vital as science and technology for education of good members of society.


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By: C. W. Stratton "Self-deception is the surest way to self-destruction. Reality has a way of catching up with us."~Sam Erwin How Am I Deceiving Myself? I'm Doing So Good! Active addiction is filled with so many feelings and emotions; guilt, shame, low self-esteem, low self-worth, feelings of inadequacy and feelings of being […]Read More
Author: Craig Stratton
It's A Feeling; It Will Pass
But why do people use? In each of the three categories there's a common denominator – feelings and emotions. You know, those things that we do our best to guard and to avoid discussing. The way we deal with them often dictates how our day will be and how we respond or react to different situations.Read More
The Master Juggler
A true Master Juggler knows how many objects they can effectively keep in the air, and then catch. We have to have the same awareness in our recovery. What can we reasonably accomplish on any given day?Read More
Powerless or Effortless?
By: C. W. Stratton "Feeling powerless and not acting is like being hungry and not choosing to eat." ~Naoshad Pochkhanawala Step 1 or Stalled? The recovery process is full of concepts, phrases, simple quotes, and words that we either take for granted or use them to our advantage in many ways. When we […]Read More
The Script We Carry With Us
The "script" is the story we choose to say to those around us. Many times, it's the same story. . . word for word. This is because it's comfortable and familiar. Better yet, it feels safe. The script contains information that we know won't be too shameful, hurtful or embarrassing.Read More
What's Your True Level of Acceptance?
When we entered that first self-help meeting, many of us were uncertain, confused and even a bit fearful. Right from the beginning, we were worried about what people would think of us. Would they accept us?Read More
Destroy The Autopilot Button
By: C. W. Stratton Relapse is the return of an illness after a period of improvement. As we are aware, alcoholism and drug addiction are a disease. Recovery is the improvement. A relapse is returning to active use of substances. Also, relapse is a return to bad behavior that you had stopped doing. Through my years as […]Read More
Recovery Options: One Size Does Not Fit All
" An apple tree is just like a person. In order to thrive, it needs companionship that's similar to it in some ways, but quite different than others." ~ Jeffrey Stepakoff, The OrchardRead More
Under the Surface: The Untold Stories
We don't know their stories. We always have to be aware that for some, their childhood experiences before active addiction, have had negative impacts on their recovery. These experiences can range from trauma, mental disorders, and even negative messages conveyed by loved ones and family members.Read More
Replacing Old Routines With The New: People, Places and Things
The process of recovery consists of making significant adjustments in our lives. Upon entering the process, we come with plenty of baggage that has weighed us down for years. This baggage has dictated how we move about in this world, and since it's been so heavy, it's restricted us from entering places in the world that many of us have yearned to be a part of.Read More
Risky Situations: People, Places and Things
Change: people, places, and things. Some may be tired of hearing this constantly repeated in meetings, but many of us need to continue hearing the message as a reminder of how our addictions have impacted us on so many levels, and that returning to the familiar, and risky hangouts or communicating with our using buddies often sets us up for a relapse.Read More
Addict in My Family, What To Do Now?
While we would like an immediate end to the struggles, fights, and heartache of addiction, healing for the individual and the family is a process. Part of the process of healing for the family is finding support from people in a similar situation. Joining any family components offered at a treatment facility, or attending family support groups affiliated with 12 Step programs, faith-based groups, or codependency groups will help a family member healRead More
Family Responses to Addiction: Can Anyone Fix the Problem?
Family roles become confusing, and the members seem to stumble over one another trying to figure out how to fix the problem. Making attempts at fixing the problem creates even more dysfunction within the family dynamic.Read More
Just When You Thought You Were Unique
By: C.W. Stratton MS, CASAC "Just remember that you are absolutely unique, just like everybody else." ~Margaret Mead The Beginning of the End of Unique Thinking Reflecting on the recovery process and my interactions with hundreds of people over the years has allowed me to come to some simple conclusions. We come into the process […]Read More


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"Awesome experience, fantastic midwives!"
First Baby, October 2014 workshops Nina Marie Pritchard was born at 27.11.14 at 18.44pm at St Thomas' Hospital in the "Home away from Home" Ward- 7th floor. I had lots of Pregnancy Yoga classes before my due date with Sue Stockwell & also did a Natal Hypnotherapy weekend for couples with Ruth Sabrosa. All this mental preparation & knowledge definitely had a very positive outcome. I had a fantastic Pool birth with no tearing or stitches. Woke up early morning with my 1st Contractions. Yes- had to do the Camel walk (Yoga) for hours. Up & down the stairs. Started with my controlled yoga breathing then I did a few "Figures of Eight" at various points. When I arrived (after being assessed) in my Hospital room at 2pm, I was 4cm dilated. I had regular contractions and had to keep moving. Couldn't sit still at all. I used the Camel walk to walk through the contractions & used the Humming Bird sounds throughout. I sometimes leaned on tables & kept "smiling with my hips" or various other ways to breathe through the contractions. I didn't even consider asking for pain killers. Just needed back massages & chocolates from the husband. It was all monitored by the yoga breaths & Humming Bird sound. That's all that I used. Tried the ball, but wasn't comfortable for me. Before I went in the pool, the midwife suggested taking Gas & Air. I didn't feel it was necessary, but my husband says it will take the "edge off". So I took gas I air when I went to the pool at 5pm & combined it with my Humming bird breath with each contraction. I was 7 dilated when I entered the pool. With the Gas & Air, it accentuated the sound of the Humming and made me totally concentrated on my breathing. My waters never broke until I got in the pool, but it was in such a diluted state that only the midwives noted it. There must have been some leaking before as I didn't notice anything. Just had to wee a lot before going into pool. I just listened to my body and kept pushing when my body said I should. When I heard "Stop stop stop"!!!!, I was so much in my zone that I couldn't understand what I did wrong. I just kept thinking that "each contraction will bring me closer to meeting my baby". The midwife said the baby's head is out and I should rest till the next contraction. I felt my Nina's fine hair on her head and couldn't believe that she was almost out. The last push was easy. No gas & air needed at this point. Just focused deep yoga breaths. She was wrapped all around her body & neck with the umbilical cord, so they rushed to get her out of the pool and give her a run down. Skin to skin followed imminently after.She started searching for my breast immediately. The contractions started again and I pushed the (in tact) Placenta out. It was an awesome experience! Midwives at St Thomas's were fantastic! Good luck to other mothers on their journey! Regards, Helene Pritchard


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A quick note before this article starts. If there anything I want you all to read from this week, it's the Centaur no Nayami episode review, for certain reasons that anyone who watched the show this week will surely understand.
Week #9 has arrived with this Summer anime season. What's in store this week?!
Just like every week, I'll be watching my selected shows for the season and giving my brief feelings on the episode, along with things I liked and things I didn't like. So let's get a'watchin'!
…That sure was something. Extremely uncomfortable to watch, an over-the-top anime'd look into the darker side of the entertainment business, especially the Japanese idol business. Look it up, folks, there's some really fucked up shit that goes on there, especially when it comes to "pure" idols. The entertainment business is always ugly, especially with young woman, loaded with unwanted advances, sexual assault, all that fun stuff, y'know? This episode took that reality and ran with it and boy oh boy did it do its job with how it was shown. My only question is what happened before the dream sequence started? Was the stabbing real? Was she in a coma the entire time and healing up? We don't know, seems like a major detail to miss.
- Very real look into idols and the entertainment business for young female stars
- Does a fantastic job at providing a very uncomfortable and sometimes disturbing atmosphere
- Doesn't explain the stabbing incident at the beginning of the episode
Episode Score: 4/5
I'm starting to wonder if it's finally at the point where the hyperactive nature of the show's comedy is starting to wear off on me. The episode wasn't bad, but I certainly wasn't left with the same level of laughter afterwards. Sure, the Iinchou part was funny, the Sayaka getting "drunk" part was funny, but I didn't come off this episode with as big a grin as I normally do. Maybe it really is starting to wear think and isn't as funny as it was the first half.
- Iinchou once again with the best part of the episode
- Sayaka's "drunkenness" was pretty funny too
- I'm not having the same level of comedy as I used to in earlier episodes
Episode Score: 3.5/5
What. The fucking. Fuck?! Look, I get the message this show is trying to put forth, but holy fucking hell, this was not the way to do it. The first half was completely fine, but then the second half was devoted to what ended up being the past of a character we saw in the first. The frog stuff with Jean was cool, some very thoughtful stuff, but then the business man he shook hands with turned out to be a Holocaust survivor and we got a 10-minute showing of what a monster racial Auschwitz would look like. Horrifying shit, stuff I did not want to see in a show that was as cheerful and light-hearted as this one. I really, REALLY want to drop this show on that principle. But…
Here's the thing and this is an episode that's caused me to go somewhere I don't ever want to go on this page, but I have to: politics. To those familiar with the Charlottesville event, we all know from various news reports that the Neo-Nazi, KKK, white supremacist, alt-right, Conservative, Republican, whatever you want to name them, they all showed up in numbers to protest the removal of a Confederate statue of Robert G. Lee. My thoughts on Charlottesville are something entirely and I won't bring it up here, but I do have a simple thought on the statue that was to be removed. No matter what the statue represents, no matter when it was actually erected, no matter how you feel about it, it does not matter. It is history and it must remain visible as history, no matter how negative that history is to our society. If you want to deny that history, too bad, it is history nonetheless and must remain visible to serve as a reminder of our dark past and how we all must learn from it.
I want to drop this show for using the Holocaust as a way to provide a message to its viewers about race and violence, this show was not the way to do it. But here's the thing, I'd be an absolute hypocrite for dropping the show solely because of it using history I don't like seeing. Regardless of how I feel about the Holocaust, I cannot deny it (which is disgusting that anyone in this world denies it ever happening), nor can I deny being shown memories, photographs, video and various interpretations and representations of one of the most horrific events in our human history. We must put up with showings like this, remember the darkness that we as human beings created in our history and we must learn to never repeat the same mistakes again.
So yeah, as much as I'd love to drop the show right now, I won't. The show itself is not bad, the real human history it shows is. I cannot drop an anime for that reason when my political and societal views don't match. But I will tell you that I did not like this second half of the episode one fucking bit.
- Interesting character in Jean Rousseau
- Didn't like the whole "frogs must be French" thing, you know it's just because of frog legs being a delicacy in France
- The entire episode is destroyed due to a horrifying choice to use the Holocaust as a way to get a message about racism and violence to its viewers
Episode Score: 1/5 on principle, but as an emotional episode and one that challenged me as a viewer, it's a 5/5.
So I won't even get into it, you know the drill by now, two half-episodes featuring new characters, new dishes and nothing special at all to talk about. So right after it had a really good episode, I'm sending the show back on notice, permanently. I will be forever hard on this show, so for the final 3 episodes, if 10 or 11 fall into the same trap, the show will not make it to it's 12th and final episode.
- Kuro, for the few seconds she's there
- The usual stuff that bores me, uninteresting characters, nothing funny or interesting to take from
Episode Score: 2/5 ***ON NOTICE***
Solely for the reason that Touya in one second ended the biggest threat of the series thus far, I freaking adore this show. It's actually getting more interesting with the advent that Eashen is very reminiscent of feudal Japan as well. But most importantly, this was a lovely episode where OP main character does the most damage we've seen yet and it cost him nothing. Once again I cannot stress how funny I think this show is, because it's literally a shitty harem where the male lead is capable of anything and everything, except dealing with a bunch of girls who want his love?
- The moment he beats the villain of the episode, pure fucking gold!
- The newly learned fact that Leen is a giant pervert makes for even more hijinks
- I'm kind of sad Tsubaki isn't sticking around
Episode Score: 4.5/5
Wow, they really spent a whole episode not actually explaining anything. Last week, I mentioned how the episode in question hadn't done anything of note, it just set up the next big thing. This episode has done the exact same thing, it's just carried on the soon-to-be explanation for what I would hope is next week. The entire episode was Victo trying to change a past that isn't real and the other three discovering a wall surrounding the town, as if we all didn't figure that out. It was a waste of an episode with forced emotions that really didn't translate, easily the worst episode they've done thus far.
- Nothing really of note that was good, other than Blaze being a retard as usual
- Victo has gone from an interesting, fun character to a blithering idiot these past two episodes
- The entire episode doesn't explain a thing about the mystery of the town
- Forced emotional sequences that didn't generate a thing from me
Episode Score: 2/5
This was a pretty solid episode, I really liked then first half with Hajime and Yun, getting a look into their past and really opening up, I think I really like Hajime so much more now all of a sudden. After that, we see now Tsubame is now being a bit of a bitch too with Nene, though I give her a little more room for understanding than I do when it comes to Momiji's pointless hatred towards Aoba. Speaking of those two, they really tried to get you to like them in the same manner of the rest of the cast this week, with them both being in rather ecchi situations, but I still can't attach to either of them, there's just nothing drawing me in.
- Hajime really stood out this week
- Some character development with Hajime, Yun and Nene
- Momiji and Tsubame are still difficult to latch onto in the same way I have with the rest of the cast
Episode Score: 4/5


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Volunteering at Festival is Fun!
Our dedicated volunteers return year after year to create our premier holiday extravaganza. More than 900 volunteers transform Eugene's Valley River Inn into Festival of Trees. The fun and entertainment are second to none, thanks to our volunteers' efforts.
You can volunteer as an individual or as a group – please let us know if you are a part of a group so we can do our best to place you together. All of our volunteers receive a complimentary ticket to attend. If you have never volunteered at Festival before, don't worry! We will provide you with all the information you will need to volunteer.
CLICK HERE to download our 2019 volunteer brochure
CLICK HERE for the 2019 volunteer application.
If you would like to volunteer or if you have any questions, please contact Kathryn, our volunteer coordinator, at (541) 228-3007.


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Napa's Mad Fritz brewery stakes out new terroir
Nile Zacherle thinks craft beer isn't craft enough.
To make his point, he says, imagine this scenario: There are hundreds of winemakers in Napa, but only four grape suppliers. What would distinguish one wine from another? Marketing, certainly (a pretty label would go a very long way), and recipe — yeast strain, maceration length, barrel type. What wouldn't differentiate a wine is the raw material, the grape: the vineyard's location, soil and climate.
Yet that's the case with beer, says Zacherle, who owns Mad Fritz brewery in St. Helena. "In beer, everyone is using the same supply chains. So focused on process. I'm more interested in the raw materials."
It's little surprise that Zacherle's attitude has more in common with contemporary winemaking than brewing. He's not just a brewer, but also a winemaker, currently at David Arthur Vineyards on Napa's Pritchard Hill. While plenty of winemakers home-brew — "harvest beer" is a thing, and the oft-repeated adage in cellars is, "It takes a lot of beer to make good wine" — Zacherle is the rare figure who has his feet planted equally in both spheres.
And by bringing his winemaker's perspective, Zacherle wants to revolutionize how we think about beer: not simply as a product of a sterile microbiology, but as something that comes from the land and is capable of expressing a sense of place. In other words, beer with terroir.
As a fermentation science major at UC Davis, Zacherle learned both winemaking and brewing. After graduating in 1997, he got a job at Anderson Valley Brewing Co. in Boonville, one of California's few craft breweries at the time.
The job paid peanuts, and the brewing was pretty low tech. "We were out there in the middle of nowhere, and all we had was a microscope," Zacherle laughs. He introduced new lab equipment to the brewery, but he also began to appreciate that, whether on purpose or not, the Anderson Valley operation was truly "craft." "Like brew houses in the past," he says, "there was a real human element to it."
But "beer in the nineties wasn't growing," Zacherle recalls. "There were no jobs." He left Anderson Valley Brewing for a more viable path in wine, first at nearby Navarro Vineyards, then at a series of wineries here and abroad, including Chateau Montelena. In 2008, he came on as head winemaker at David Arthur. He married another winemaker, Whitney Fisher of Fisher Vineyards.
Zacherle always knew he wanted to brew again, but on his own terms. Then one day, he realized: "I've got tanks. I've got barrels. I could do this myself."
In 2014, Mad Fritz — named for Zacherle and Fisher's children, Madeline and Fritz — was born, housed in a very small space in the industrial park just off Highway 29 in St. Helena. Neighbor Wayne Burgstahler repurposed small wine tanks as fermenters for Zacherle; he scrounged together a series of used wine barrels and puncheons. He asked himself how, as a business, Mad Fritz would differentiate itself, and the answer was clear: Prioritize ingredients over process.
When Zacherle talks about focusing on raw materials, he's not talking about hops. "People say that hops are the grapes of beer," he says, exacerbated. "Nuh-uh! What gives you the extract, the protein?"
It's the malt.
Malt refers to germinated barley, which gets cooked post-germination in a kiln, milled into a powder and then mashed into fermentable sugars. Brewing also needs water, hops and yeast, but malt is beer's central ingredient, in terms of its contribution to the ultimate flavors and mouthfeel. So why, Zacherle wondered, was everyone so caught up in different types of hops, and no one was talking about the provenance of their barley? Why weren't we thinking about barley varieties the way we think about grape varieties?
He went in search of craft maltsters, and the closest he could find was Rebel Malting in Reno, which sold him malt from the Copeland barley variety. He has since worked with seven different varieties from eight barley farmers. Each variety wants a different beer style. "We don't make what the customer is demanding," he says. "We make what's coming out of the garden." Full Pint malt demands darker, thicker beer styles, like stouts and porters; Scarlet prefers lighter ales and lagers.
The goal is to bring all of Mad Fritz's ingredient sourcing under tighter control and closer proximity. To that end, he's growing 4 acres of Hockett and Copeland barley on the Fisher property in Calistoga; Rebel, which has closed, is selling Zacherle its kiln, at which point he'll do his own malting. He won't be the first California brewer to do so: Humboldt Regeneration grows and malts its own barley, and San Francisco's ThirstyBear is poised to open its own malt house soon too.
But Zacherle's unique contribution is to redirect the conversation, with a vocabulary that's proven successful already with wine. He shares his recipe on the back of each bottle, noting the source of the water (sometimes down to the specific well), the yeast and hops strains, and the producer and variety of the malt. And he experiments relentlessly, often brewing different batches with barley variety the only variable, attempting to isolate what precisely different malts contribute.
All of the Mad Fritz beers see some time in barrels, yet few are the types typically associated with barrel aging, like sours. Zacherle loves used Chardonnay barrels, and sometimes even adds Chardonnay lees (though that once led to a rapid malolactic conversion in the beer that he'd rather not replicate). A true Napa winemaker, he maintains a reductive (minimal oxygen) environment in the barrels, pressurizing with carbon dioxide. His solera-style saison is made with brettanomyces not simply because he likes the flavors — very in vogue right now — but also because brett eats up oxygen, in effect acting as a preservative for a style of beer that requires longer aging. All undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle or keg, for carbonation.
The resulting beers are not destined to please the Lagunitas IPA crowd. Overall, these beers are quiet, with pure fruit flavors, a subtle, integrated bead of carbonation, a hit of bitter grip, never "hoppy," always dry. Even Zacherle's barleywine is nearly bone-dry.
And to the dismay of the Lagunitas IPA lovers, the Mad Fritz beers are likely to be different with every batch — the equivalent of vintage variation in wine. "Replication is easy," Zacherle says. It's leaving it up to the elements that's hard.
Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicle's wine, beer and spirits writer. E-mail: email@example.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
Tasting notes
The Mad Fritz beers are named for Aesop's fables. Why? "The fables reflect how hard it is to start a business," Zacherle says. The moral takeaway is noted on the back label. Most beers are $27, tax inclusive, for 1 liter, and can be purchased at the brewery in St. Helena or at madfritz.com; they're available in a few restaurants around Napa, but not in stores.
The Larks in the Corn (6.6%): This pale ale, brewed with blue corn from New Mexico, is Zacherle's only beer from popular Cascade hops. It's full of stone fruits like peaches and nectarines, with a steely, bitter bite. Moral: "Those that want something accomplished in a timely manner must do it themselves."
The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs (7%): Perhaps Zacherle's most process-driven beer, this is a farmhouse-style saison aged in a solera system with brettanomyces. It's funky and rustic, lifted by bright lemon and pear at its edges, finishing pithy. Its moral is especially fitting for the fast-evaporating solera: "Those that seek quick fortunes often lose what little they have."
The Viper and File (6.9%): A Belgian brown ale aged in French chestnut barrels, this showcases red fruits and macerated berries — think Swedish Fish candy. A dark-toned nose leads into a bright palate. Moral: "Don't bite off more than you can chew."
The Wind and Sun (8.5%): A little bit golden strong ale, a little bit saison, this one is aged in third-use Chardonnay barrels, and shows it: There's an impression of sweetness here, with lemon curd, yuzu and Maui onion, mingling with fresh grass. Moral: "Gentle persuasion is more effective than brute force."


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Two years ago, Irene Davies was devastated to learn she had Parkinson's. As a week devoted to raising awareness of the condition comes to an end, the 71-year-old talks to Sam Wonfor about coming to terms with her diagnosis and a newfound appreciation for walking poles.
"I was absolutely shattered when I was diagnosed. It really knocked me sideways. But I knew that something was wrong and had known for some time.
Over four or five years I'd had a series of different things wrong with me.
I suddenly started getting panic attacks. I'd never had anything like it before and if you haven't had one, it's truly the most terrifying thing you can have. I went for CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) where they give you the tools to help you deal with them.
Then the depression kicked in, so I sought help with that. I'm a great believer in if there's help available, you should use it.
I began to lose my balance which worried me and then my husband watched me walk down the garden. I was walking normally, but my right arm was still. He commented on that.
I fell over a few times and when I went to see my GP about that, they watched me walk down the corridor and said they thought it was Parkinson's and I needed to see a specialist as soon as possible. That was how it was diagnosed.
It seems all of the things I'd had wrong and been treated for individually, were all related to the Parkinson's, which comes on very slowly and gets worse very slowly. It creeps up on you.
I still struggle to accept it. It came in stages. It doesn't all happen at once.
I would say two years down the line, I'm probably worse than I was two years ago, but at least I know what's causing it.
I'm OK, I'm still able to live a normal life. There are aspects of it I don't really like. I'm still able to do all the things that I would have usually done, but I'm much slower. That's frustrating.
Parkinson's affects people in different ways. For me, it's the balance problems. I lose my balance or fall forward and that makes moving around quite difficult.
It affects my energy levels and where I used to be very quick thinking and a good multi-tasker, now I have to think things through twice over.
"I'm OK, I'm still able to live a normal life. There are aspects of it I don't really like. I'm still able to do all the things that I would have usually done, but I'm much slower. That's frustrating."
If I'm around and about the house, I don't need walking sticks, but if I'm on a proper walk, I have two walking poles which make me feel much more secure.
On Sunday, we took part in the walk for Parkinson's UK. It was only two miles, so quite a short one, but the alternative was nine, so I opted for two.
My husband and I belong to a couple of walking groups and we enjoy walking a lot, so the chance to do something you enjoy while raising money for the charity is a win-win situation.
A lot of people I know say, 'What's that?' when I tell them I have Parkinson's. I was the same, I didn't know anything about it before I was diagnosed. That was one of the worst things about being diagnosed. Not knowing much about it at all.
At the same time, I find that learning more about Parkinson's and how it can effect you can be quite distressing. I know I have it, but I don't want to know how it ends.
There was a women who came to talk at a support group – Wendy Chandler from Parkinson's UK – and she was great. She told it as it is – what to expect, what causes certain things – but without making it sound terrifying.
Thanks to Parkinson's UK for the video
My husband struggled with my diagnosis. He's the mountain goat and I'm the snail. He's eager to leap forward and get on, but since the Parkinson's, I do everything more slowly. It drives me up the wall as well.
We're both in our seventies and to suddenly find that one of you is not as able as you used to be, is quite a shock and quite difficult. We each think that we're going to be fine forever, as we all do… so it's not an easy thing to cope with.
He looks after me wonderfully well. I couldn't manage without him.
I have two children and one granddaughter. I don't think either of my children realise to what extent it affects me. At the same time, they do know about it and ask me how I am… and if they can help, they will. I hope it hasn't affected them. I don't want to be an invalid.
"I find that learning more about Parkinson's and how it can effect you can be quite distressing. I know I have it, but I don't want to know how it ends."
The treatment for Parkinson's is just medication really. There are several different sorts which try and put back the dopamine, which the brain is missing. The first one they tried didn't suit me and actually made me worse. I'm on a different sort now and they seem to be helping, as much as they can.
Before I retired I was a car fleet administrator. I looked after a fleet of 500 cars – I bought them, sold them and all the complications that went with it. They all wanted something a little more than they were entitled to. That's the way of the world isn't it?
I retired when I was about 58. I had a young granddaughter, so I looked after her for a while and very much enjoyed the retirement – and still do. I think I had 12 years before this hit me.
After I was diagnosed there was an NHS course I went on which I found really useful. They give you lots of tools and ideas to deal with the anxiety and keep you mobile. I think it's important to learn how to help yourself.
If you're having a particularly dark day, it's very helpful if you've got something you can turn to try and make tomorrow a different day. Then you can push through."
Every hour, someone in the UK is told they have Parkinson's.
It affects 127,000 people in the UK – which is around one in 500 of the population.
Parkinson's is a degenerative neurological condition, for which there currently is no cure. The main symptoms of the condition are tremor, slowness of movement and rigidity.
Parkinson's UK is the UK's leading charity supporting those with the condition. Its mission is to find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by Parkinson's through cutting edge research, information, support and campaigning.
For advice, information and support, visit www.parkinsons.org.uk or call the charity's free, confidential helpline on 0808 800 0303.
On October 19, the Parkinson's UK is holding another of its successful fundraising comedy nights: Shake With Laughter at the Comedy Store in London. Get your tickets here.
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Journalist and mother-of-two who gets lightbulb invention moments while breastfeeding. Well, she had one. Loves dogs and the thought of exercise. Currently receiving treatment for a deep addiction to Malteaster [email protected]
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The Secretary of Maryland Department of Natural Resources, pursuant to Code of Maryland Regulation 08.02.05.12F, announces the season, catch limit, and minimum size for the recreational summer flounder fishery for 2014.
The season will open at 12:01 a.m. January 1, 2014. The fishery will remain open through 11:59 pm December 31, 2014. Recreational anglers may keep up to 4 summer flounder per person per day. The recreational minimum size for summer flounder is 16 inches in all Maryland state waters. The commercial hook and line minimum size is also 16 inches in all Maryland state waters. The commercial minimum size for summer flounder caught by gear other than hook and line is 14 inches.
The Department may close the recreational season early if projections indicate the recreational harvest target will be caught before December 31, 2014, or may change the minimum size, season, or creel limit in a later Notice.