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Northern Rockies Skies for January
A monthly look at the night skies of the northern Rocky Mountains, written by astronomers Ron Canterna, University of Wyoming; Jay Norris, Challis, Idaho Observatory; and Daryl Macomb, Boise State University.
After sunset, our cold January evenings provide a transparent and crystal-clear window to our Rocky Mountain skies. We find Venus on the eastern horizon, Jupiter near the meridian, and the most intriguing constellations of all, the winter constellations.
You see the Milky Way arching over the sky from the southeast horizon, through the zenith and landing on the northwestern horizon. Directly overhead is queen Cassiopeia and to its south is Pegasus, the winged horse.
Rising brilliantly on the east are the constellations Taurus the bull; Orion the hunter; the seven sisters, the Pleiades; the Gemini twins, Castor and Pollux; followed by Sirius, the Dog Star and the most luminous star in the sky after the sun.
It may be cold outside but a quick look in the early evening skies brings a warm wonderment from the heavens.
January, 2012 Interest: Stellar Death II -- White Dwarfs.
Best URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_dwarf
The vast majority of stars, about 97 percent, "die" a particularly well-defined death ending up in the state called white dwarf (WD). These are stars with masses ranging from 0.07 to 1.4 times the mass of the sun. In this end state they no longer fuse light elements into heavier ones.
Pressure necessary to support the WD against gravitational collapse is provided by "electron degeneracy." The Pauli Exclusion Principle -- fundamental to the periodic table of the elements -- requires that no two electrons may share the same energy state. As gravity attempts to compress the WD, the electrons effectively push back, preventing further collapse.
WD radii are 0.008 to 0.02 times the sun's radius. (Earth's radius, about 4,000 miles, is comparable to that of some WDs.) Thus WDs are very compact with densities on the order one million times that of the sun -- about one million grams per cubic centimeter. The famous Indian astrophysicist, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, received the Nobel Prize for developing stellar theory related to WDs.
WDs for more than 200 years have been known to be somehow different from ordinary stars undergoing fusion. The original clue to their nature came from WD colors and luminosities. Spectral color (temperature) is related to luminosity for ordinary stars, but WD luminosities are far too low compared to their colors.
WD luminosity arises from residual thermal energy that is not replenished for lack of fusion in the WD's core. As a WD cools over trillions of years, its color passes from the blue to the red part of the spectrum (so not all WDs actually appear white in color) and will eventually fade out completely, as the WD becomes a "black dwarf."
Mostly hidden in the luminosity of the brightest star in the sky, Sirius A, is its orbiting companion, the WD Sirius B -- one of the first WDs discovered. Sirius B's existence was previously suspected due to its gravitational effect on Sirius A.
As a sufficiently massive WD evolves, it passes through giant phases while fusing helium to carbon and oxygen and on to heavier nuclei. In these later phases the system may appear as a planetary nebula as the star puffs off its outer layers, eventually leaving behind the dead, nonfusing core of heavier nuclei (up to magnesium) -- the WD itself. Some WDs destruct as type Ia supernovae, to be discussed next month.
To view this month's sky chart, click here.


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C/LTC Smith
The Battalion Commander is responsible for everything the battalion does. Some specific duties of the Battalion Commander are to supervise all cadets at all times and acts as a representative to the program for the school. The Battalion Commander works closely with the Executive Officer (XO), Deputy Commanding Officer (DCO), and the Command Sergeant Major (CSM) as well as the rest of the staff.
C/CPT Russo
The Executive Officer (XO) supervises, directs, and coordinates the Cadet Battalion Staff to prevent overlapping efforts and to ensure that the Commander's desires are understood and achieved. The Cadet Battalion XO keeps the staff informed of the Commander's policies and keeps the Cadet Battalion Commander informed of the status of projects assigned to the staff. The Cadet Battalion XO assumes command of the cadet battalion in the absence of the Cadet Battalion Commander.
Deputy Commanding Officer
C/MAJ Roy
The Deputy Commanding Officer (DCO) expands the Battalion Commander's control in designated areas and function. The DCO's specific duties vary depending on the needs and desires of the Battalion Commander. Typical duties may include Recruiting Operations, coordinating battalion social events and activities, assisting the Commander and S3 in supervising major training events, and conducting after action reviews.
Special Projects Officer
C/CPL Randall
The SPO coordinates and maintains records on special projects as outlined by the cadet Battalion Commander, Battalion Executive Officer, and Instructor Staff.
Command Sergeant Major
C/CSM Wolowski
The Battalion Command Sergeant Major is the enlisted adviser to the Battalion Commander. As the senior enlisted member of the Cadet Corps, the Command Sergeant Major supervises the other non-commissioned officers (NCOs) of the battalion by managing class leaders and their responsibilities. The Command Sergeant Major also ensures the safety and well being of cadets while on class trips and JROTC functions.
S-1) Administrative Officer
C/CPT Wyman
The S-1 is the administrative assistant to the Battalion Commander. The Mission of the battalion S-1 keeps an up-to-date and well organized documentation of all of the battalion activities both on JUMS and on the events tracking sheet. The S-1 handles all of the paperwork for the battalion from promotion orders to attendance of all events. Therefore, knowledge of Excel as well as the online database, JUMS, is highly important for this staff position.
S-2) Security Officer
C/SGT Raymond
The S-2 assists the Battalion Commander, and is responsible for all unit security inventory. They enforce the provision of security requirements for the cadet battalion.
S-3) Plans and Operations Officer
C/CPT Rose
The S-3 assists the Battalion Commander in preparation, conduct, and all training activities within the cadet battalion. Additionally, they keep the Battalion Commander advised of training within the battalion. The S-3 is also responsible for the Operations Orders associated with all JROTC trips.
S-4) Supply and Logistics Officer
C/1LT Mackillop
S-4 is responsible for the maintenance, security, record keeping, and the issue and return of all Spartan Battalion property. The S-4 works with the S-2 to secure and inventory all equipment as well as half of the completion of JUMS (Uniforms, ect).
S-5) Public Affairs Officer
C/MSG Womble
The S-5 is the Public Affairs Officer. Their responsibility is to keep the public up-to-date on the events taking place within the unit. They're also responsible for the contact between the corps and the representatives of the student bodies, faculty, and local news media.
S-6) Automation Officer
C/PV2 Spanos
The S-6 is responsible for maintaining the Spartan Battalion website as well as maintaining electronics and several other communication related tasks.
S-7) Historian Officer
C/SGT Gould
The S-7 is the Historian for the JROTC Spartan Battalion. Their job is to keep track of current JROTC events and to produce a scrapbook containing pictures from the current school years activities.
S-8) Fundraising Officer
C/SFC Vashaw
The S-8 is responsible for keeping track of the fundraising each individual does in the corps over the course of the school year(s).

subset: commoncrawl


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Scenes from the Anthropocene: Polar Paradox Pt. 2
I was lucky enough this past January to witness an event that happens only once a year in the Arctic: the return of the Sun after a long winter absence. And as the picture above suggests, it was stunningly beautiful.
I took the picture on January 20 from the top of┬ĀTroms├Ėya island, on which most of the city of┬ĀTroms├Ė, Norway sits. The sun appeared in a gap between distant jagged mountains for what seemed like less than a minute, and then vanished once again.
But the sunrise and sunset light lasted for many hours.
Two days earlier, when I landed at 1:30 p.m. under an almost night-dark sky, it was raining.
I was in┬ĀTroms├Ė to attend a conference on quickening efforts to open the so-called Arctic frontier. Mind you, rain is not unheard of in winter in this city above the Arctic Circle. Thanks to a tongue of the Gulf Stream that flows just offshore, Troms├ĖŌĆÖs climate during the cold season is more akin to Boston than, say, Barrow, Alaska, which is roughly at the same latitude.
Even so, rain in winter above the Arctic Circle somehow seemed appropriate, given the subject of the Arctic Frontiers conference I was attending: The world is warming, and thatŌĆÖs bad overall. But it is opening new opportunities to exploit resources in the high north, most especially fossil fuels. Which, of course, will only make the warming worse.
Welcome to the polar paradox.
I discussed the warming, and resulting shrinkage of Arctic sea ice, as well as the huge oil and gas resources in the Arctic, in Part 1 of this two-part series. In that piece, I described how the Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth. And I detailed the enormous reserves of oil and gas believed to be awaiting discovery there ŌĆö perhaps as much as 22 percent of the undiscovered, technically recoverable resources in the world,┬Āaccording to the USGS.
Today, I want to focus on the idea of a new Arctic frontier, and how it played out at the conference, by the same name, in Troms├Ė.
With the towering construction crane and the sturdy boat in dry dock, the photo above symbolizes whatŌĆÖs happening in the city ŌĆö and parts of the Arctic more generally.
Troms├Ė┬Āis positioning itself as an emerging support hub for the new Arctic frontier, with research institutes, a university, and impressive infrastructure.
The Norwegian government also seems to want to showcase the city's role in the opening of the Arctic region to increasing exploitation of resources. So much so, in fact, that it covered journalistsŌĆÖ travel expenses to attend the Arctic Frontiers conference.
I received an invitation to participate in late fall. I was torn. Journalists are supposed to maintain independence from sources. On the other hand, journalistic organizations have cut back so much that there is very little money available to pay for reporters to cover issues like the polar paradox.
Here was the dilemma that I and other journalists faced: Decline the invitation to have travel expenses paid, in which case the plans now being made to exploit resources in a warming Arctic would receive less attention than they deserved.
Or accept the invitation, be transparent about it, and do our best to air out the serious issues surrounding the polar paradox honestly and fairly ŌĆö but leave ourselves open to criticism that we had lost our independence.
Welcome to another paradox of the emerging Anthropocene epoch: The folks who are eager to develop their Arctic oil reserves ŌĆö which will add to global warming ŌĆö were more than willing to help us cover the issue with travel support. There were no strings attached. (Other than my own loss of sleep while wrestling with the issue.)
In the end, I chose to accept the support and cover the issues. I hope what follows will speak for itself.
A few weeks before the Arctic Frontiers meeting, Jane Lubchenco, Administrator of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,┬Āspoke┬Āabout climate change at the American Geophysical Union conference.
ŌĆ£Conditions in the Arctic are changing in both expected and sometimes surprising ways,ŌĆØ she said┬Āas part of a preview by her agency of its latest┬ĀArctic Report Card. ŌĆ£What happens in the Arctic doesnŌĆÖt always stay in the Arctic,ŌĆØ she noted. ŌĆ£WeŌĆÖre seeing Arctic changes that affect weather patterns in the U.S.ŌĆØ
Quoted by Richard Monastersky in the journal Nature, Donald Perovich, a researcher at Dartmouth College, adopted a somewhat darker tone: ŌĆ£The Arctic is one of EarthŌĆÖs mirrors, and that mirror is breaking.ŌĆØ
Flash forward a few weeks to the Arctic Frontiers conference in Troms├Ė.
ŌĆ£ThereŌĆÖs always a lot of pessimistic comments about the climate change,ŌĆØ said Harald Loeng, Research Director of the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway, and leader of European Polar Board.
The idea that the Arctic mirror is breaking is ŌĆ£maybe a bit too pessimistic,ŌĆØ he said. ŌĆ£It depends on how you look at it. People can focus too much on the negative impacts of climate change.ŌĆØ
To be sure, Loeng is no Pollyanna. He is, of course, quite aware of the large stretches of open water opening in the Arctic Ocean in summer, the feedbacks this can have on weather elsewhere, and the tradeoffs inherent in climate change. Even so,┬Āhis comments about the possible positive impacts of climate change neatly summed up the gestalt of the conference.
Over the course of five days, diplomats and government officials talked about cooperation in opening the Arctic. (A point that former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton emphasized┬Āduring her own visit to Tromso┬Ālast June.)
Military brass discussed arrangements that needed to be made for responding to emergencies, such as a major oil spill in the hazardous, icy waters of the Arctic.
A host of scientists discussed everything from shrinking Arctic sea ice to changes to fisheries in the Arctic region.
And there was at least one activist who tried to temper the enthusiasm for the positive side of the polar paradox with a little sober reality. We'll get to her in a minute.
But first, let's turn to Espen Barth Eide, the Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs.
ŌĆ£Climate change is bad news,ŌĆØ he said. ŌĆ£Every conference should begin by making it clear that we are not rejoicing the fact that ice is retracting.ŌĆØ
That was one of his only references to the bad news, if not the only one. Almost all of the rest of his talk focused on the opening Arctic frontier.
ŌĆ£There are enormous opportunities all around the Arctic region,ŌĆØ Eide said. ŌĆ£More areas are becoming accessible to economic opportunities.ŌĆØ┬Ā And Norway should definitely ŌĆ£exploitŌĆØ them.
To paraphrase George Washington Plunkitt, one of the old-time Tammany Hall bosses of New York City, what nation wouldnŌĆÖt see its opportunities and take them?
I thought I might hear a somewhat different perspective from Egil Olli, president of Norwegian Sami Parliament. The Sami are the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia. Mining and other industrial activities in the far north pose a threat to their traditional way of life, centered on reindeer herding.
I was wrong.
ŌĆ£Make us all winners,ŌĆØ Olli said, adding that governments and businesses should ŌĆ£promote the rights of indigenous people.ŌĆØ
Karl Bildt, SwedenŌĆÖs Minister of Foreign Affairs, and chair of the Arctic Council, picked up on the polar paradox:
ŌĆ£Global warming is a fact. We have to fear that it will go on. Every week we see . . . new coal-fired plants come online in China and India. We see the consequences here.ŌĆØ
At the same time, ŌĆ£economic opportunities are booming and will continue to boom in the Arctic region,ŌĆØ he said.
The take-away? China and India are now the up-and-coming climate-changing nations. So we might as well take advantage of the opportunities this provides up here in the warming north.
As IŌĆÖm sure George Washington Plunkitt would agree, it all makes perfect sense. What nation would find it easy to resist opportunities for economic development?
Even so, I expected some acknowledgement of the cognitive dissonance induced by the ŌĆ£global warming is bad/but it will be goodŌĆØ meme.
Although he didn't do that explicitly,Paul Wassmann, an expert in marine ecology at University of┬ĀTroms├Ė, grappled forthrightly with the negative impacts of climate change.
"What I care about is the marine resources and the significant wealth they create for the high north," he said. "We are talking about some of the most productive ecosystems found in the waters adjacent to the Arctic Ocean." Those ecosystems, he pointed out, are home to cod, capelin,Greenland halibut, Kamchatka king crab, whales, seals and other marine mammals.
Arctic air temperatures are expected to warm 6 to 10 degrees more than the global average by 2100, he pointed out. How will ecosystems change as this occurs? Moreover, which Arctic nations might benefit from increases in fish stocks? Which ones might lose out as a result of decreases? And will the result be, on balance, positive or negative? The answers are not known with any clarity.
And that brings me finally to one of the very few activists at the conference, Maren Esmark, General Secretary for the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature.
She showed a map of decreasing sea ice and said, ŌĆ£Do you see opportunity or documentation of climate change? Are you excited? Or are you scared about the future? I am scared.ŌĆØ
She noted that Norway had built its great economic wealth based in large measure on developing its oil and gas resources. As a warming Arctic lures Norway and other nations even farther north in pursuit of fossil fuels, it will be ŌĆ£people to the south who will feel the worst effects of climate change.ŌĆØ Nations like Bangladesh, which already is grappling with rising sea level.
Esmark advocates strongly for an international agreement to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. ŌĆ£If we now invest big money in developing an oil and gas industry in the north, will these countries then be willing to commit to an international agreement in 2015?ŌĆØ
And what of the polar paradox?
ŌĆ£It is a moral paradox that I just do not understand.ŌĆØ


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Quantitating cell number is more accurate using the Quantos cell proliferation assay kit
Leslie S. Arrington
Genetic Applications LLC
The Quantos cell proliferation assay kit provides a simple, reproducible method to assess the number of cells present in various tissue culture dish formats. In this study, we compared how well the kit performed compared to another commercial fluorescence-based cell proliferation assay product. The data demonstrated that the kit more accurately assessed cell number in the range of cell number frequently found in commonly used culture dish formats.
Researchers are frequently interested in determining the effects of various drugs, toxins, or experimental conditions on cell proliferation. With Stratagenes new Quantos cell proliferation assay kit, it is easy to detect cell number directly in the tissue culture well: After aspirating cell culture media, add the Quantos dye reagent, and measure fluorescence in each well using a fluorometer. Since the Quantos dye fluoresces only when bound to DNA, the assay is insensitive to changes in cellular RNA concentrations or proteins. Relative fluorescence units from the sample wells are compared to a standard curve prepared beforehand. In this way, the number of cells in each well of a tissue culture plate can be quickly and accurately determined.
We set out to determine how well the Quantos cell proliferation assay kit compares to another widely available cell proliferation assay product that uses a proprietary green fluorescent dye. Standard curves were made using adherent and suspension cells at various cell densities ranging from 0 to 80,000 cells/well in a 96-well format. The results were plotted, and trendlines for each assay were calculated.
Figure 1
Results for an adherent cell line are plotted in Figure 1. COS-1 cells were counted using a hemocytometer, then plated at the densities shown in the graph. Cells were allowed to attach over four hours, then quantitated according to the manufacturers instructions for each kit. The resulting graphs showed that the Quantos cell proliferation assay kit provides a linear relationship of cell number versus fluorescence units (r2= 0.980). However, the other assay demonstrated a less linear relationship (r2= 0.897).
Figure 2
Results for a suspension cell culture are plotted in Figure 2. BJAB cells were counted using a hemocytometer, then plated at the densities shown in the graph. Cells were then quantitated according to the manufacturers instructions for each kit. Once again, the graph indicated that using the Quantos cell proliferation assay kit elicits a better linear relationship of cell number versus fluorescence units (r2= 0.974), compared to the other assay (r2= 0.938).
In both the adherent and suspension cell lines, the other assay demonstrated a plateau over 50,000 cells. In fact, the manufacturers product information sheet states the following: The linear range of the assay under these conditions is from 50 to 50,000 cells per 200 l sample. Since the number of cells in each tissue culture is determined by extrapolation from a standard curve, this nonlinearity makes calculating the cell number above 50,000 cells difficult and inaccurate.
To determine whether the observed competitors plateau of 50,000 cells could cause errors in quantitating cell number in a typical cell sample, we plated CHO cells at 100% confluency in 96-well culture dishes. Since CHO cells are adherent cells and typically form a monolayer, this test demonstrates the minimum number of cells that will cover the well floor in a 96-well culture dish. As Table 1 shows, even these cells will exceed 50,000 in cell culture dish formats larger than 96-well. Many other common cell lines, such as COS-1, form multiple layers of cells and grow to over 100,000 cells per well in 96-well culture dishes (data not shown). Additionally, suspension cell types typically grow to densities of 1,000,000 cells/ml, resulting in 200,000 cells per 200 l sample.
Table 1
Monolayer Adherent Cells at Approximate 100% Confluency
Number of Cells in Various Dish Formats
96 well
48 well
24 well
The number of CHO cells required for 100% confluency in 96-well format culture dishes were determined by adding serial dilutions, allowing cells to attach over four hours, then rinsing and quantifying cell number. The number of attached cells plateau at 50,000 cells, regardless of how many additional cells are added; this indicates the approximate maximum number of monolayer cells that can attach on a 96-well format. The number of cells required for approximate 100% confluency in 48-well and 24-well formats were estimated using a relative well-floor surface area.
Therefore, suspension cell cultures can significantly exceed the 50,000 cells per well in 96-well culture dishes. These findings suggest that the number of cells per well can easily exceed 50,000 in many cell lines, even in 96-well culture dishes.
To quickly and accurately measure cells at numbers that can exceed 50,000 cells per well, the Quantos cell proliferation assay kit is superior to other commercially available products. The kit accurately quantitates cell number by providing a linear relationship of cell number versus fluorescence units, in the cell range typically found in common tissue culture well formats; thus, counting cell number is more accurate.


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William Butler Yeats Quotes About PleasureQuotes about: Pleasure
Age Aging Anarchy Angels Animals Art Balance Beauty Beer Belief Birds Birth Blake Bones Books Chaos Character Children Christ Country Dance Dancing Death Desire Discipline Dogs Dreads Dreams Drinking Dying Earth Enemies Eternity Evil Eyes Faith Fashion Fate Fathers Fear Fighting Flight Flowers Friendship Gardens Genius Giving Glory God Gold Happiness Hate Hatred Heart Heaven Hell Hills Horses House Imagination Impulse Innocence Inspirational Ireland Joy Judging Kindness Kissing Labor Laughter Learning Life Literature Logic Loneliness Losing Loss Love Luck Lying Mankind Mask Memories Moon Morning Mothers Mountain Nature Old Age Opinions Overcoming Pain Passion Past Peace Philosophy Pleasure Poetry Praise Pride Rage Reality Responsibility Rings Running Sadness Sailing School Silence Silver Sleep Solitude Songs Sorrow Soul Spring Style Summer Terror Time Tradition Tragedy Truth Twilight Unity Violence Virtue Vision War Water Wine Winter Wisdom Work Writing Youth
Labor is blossoming or dancing where The body is not bruised to pleasure soul, Nor beauty born out of its own despair, Nor blear-eyed wisdom out of midnight oil. O chestnut tree, great-rooted blossomer, Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole? O body swayed to music, O brightening glance How can we know the dancer from the dance?
You May Also Like:
William Butler Yeats
- Born: June 13, 1865
- Died: January 28, 1939
- Occupation: Poet
- Cite this Page: Citation


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click and drag thumbnails to the left to view more images
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Our client wanted to remove the wall between their dining room to create a contemporary kitchen in this stunning modern open kitchen design. New double door pantry space creates enhanced functionality in this new space. The modern, open kitchen design also features hidden storage for appliances, use of contrasting neutral colors and clean lines and a functional kitchen island.


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No splinters, no painting, no problem. This video clearly demonstrates how easy it is to install a Royal polymer fence and reinforces the many advantages of vinyl over wood in construction, quality and maintenance. A lifetime of beauty and durability is just a weekend away for the do-it-yourselfer who wants to add property value and privacy with a Royal fence. It's all in the kit and in the video.
© 2019 Blair Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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One of the many talents of Will Smith is basketball, which he showed off while portraying Will on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air', wearing that memorable, yellow #14 Bel-Air Academy Jersey. More →
As 2017 is about to come to an end, we thought it would be a good opportunity to look back at our favorite sexy ladies this year. The list includes … More →


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You have finally make the decision to switch from incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs. It is a great decision for saving both energy and money, but it is not something you should dive into without a little research. The following tips can help you choose the right LED lights for your home.
Use The Right Light Fixtures: LED bulbs release their heat into the air to stay cool. Placing an LED bulb inside an enclosed fixture may cause it to blow because the heat is sent right back to the bulb. The best thing you can do is use an open fixture or look for LED bulbs designed for enclosed fixtures.
Consider Your Dimmer: There is a good chance your dimming switch is only compatible incandescent bulbs. It is best to find out what type of dimming switch you have before purchasing your LED bulbs. You may need to update your dimmer or invest in an LED bulb that is compatible with your current dimming switch.
Choose Your Glow: LED bulbs come in a variety of colors to give off different glows. The bright white LED bulb allows you to create a glow similar to daylight, and the warm white and soft white bulbs create the traditional incandescent glow. You can also find LED bulbs in fun colors such as blue, purple and red.
Gooee produces LED, IoT and smart lighting systems that give you control of your energy bills. You can use the gateway to figure out how much lighting you need for a room, or you can use the motion sensor to turn off the lights when a room is empty.
It is important to take your time and make sure you are choosing the right LED lights for your home.


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Until I moved into The House of Brass. Every opportunity they had, these people threw up a shiny brass fixture. It was blinding. So...I went to the local home improvement store and looked for a reasonably priced (under $50), reasonable stylish light fixture. What I found was this:
Ok. I do truly love this one, even though it appears a bit exteriorish. And a bit pricey, as its from the Pottery Barn. Maybe on sale?
Downton Abbey-ish for our little brown ranch-in-the-woods, but what can I say...I'm a sucker for sparkle. And, oddly enough, I don't mind the brass. It doesn't appear too 1986-shiny in this picture. I still have the visible bulb issue, though.
This is similar to what we have now. Functional, no lady parts, no visible bulbs. Utilitarian. Boring. Ugh.
sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7


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Scientology -The Apollo series
Thursday, 29 October 2015
From the McClaughry's blog...
The Connection Between Synanon and Scientology – Part 7: When God Plots
The McClaughry's Blog
6 hours ago
. There is a saying that goes something like this – "When a god plans harm against a man, he first damages the mind of the man he is plotting against." . This quote, it's idea, first appeared under slavemaster Pope Nicholas V, the man responsible for approving wholesale slavery and for instituting burning […]
Virginia has excelled herself on this one, a damned good read, with incredible paralels to Scientology.
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Brown Mucus Plug – Bloody Show or Yeast Infection?
One less often discussed part of the labor and delivery progression is the mucus plug. The breaking of the water is commonly associated with the onset of baby time, but the passing of the mucus plug is one of the hallmark symbols of the start of the delivery process. Essentially, the plug serves as a protective barrier within the cervix, shielding the sensitive reproductive system and growing baby inside. When delivery is near, the mucus plug is shed, and it often serves a signal that delivery fast approaching.
This plug passing is often referred to as the bloody show. Normally, it's characterized by the passing of blood in small amounts, a bloody mucus plug, or mucus that is laced with blood, according to Wikipedia. But, sometimes the bloody show is a little less "bloody" and a little less "showy" than the name implies, and passage instead involves a brown mucus plug. This can lead some people to wonder if this is really the pre-delivery signal they've been waiting for, or another issue entirely different in nature such as a yeast infection.
While cervical mucus can certainly vary from person to person, a brown mucus plug simply isn't a characteristic of a yeast infection. Typically during a vaginal yeast infection, cervical mucus that is normally clear to white in color changes and becomes thicker and completely white and can resemble cottage cheese, as explained by Wikipedia.
In fact, even brown mucus discharge itself is not associated with the common vaginal infection. WebMD explains that menstrual cycle irregularities as well as certain types of cancer such as endometrial or cervical can be responsible for brown mucus discharge. But, one of the most common causes is simply old blood that has combined with clear cervical mucus to create a dingy and dull brown looking discharge.
No, it's much more likely that a brown mucus plug is evidence of impending baby time. Mayo Clinic explains that once the thinning of the cervix begins in preparation for delivery that the plug (which is often brown) passes and falls out. It's often accompanied by thick discharge, brown mucus or stringy discharge as well. While it signals the tail end of pregnancy, it's a relatively poor indicator of time. Labor can begin within a few hours of passing the brown mucus plug or weeks later.
Watch this video to find out how typical mucus plug might look like:
Identifying the difference between the loss of mucus plug and other common causes of brown discharge is easier if the occurrence is close to the 40 week mark of gestation. When this happens within a few weeks of potential delivery, it's rather simple to see that the brown mucus plug is related to the end stages of pregnancy. However, when it occurs earlier or discharge that can seem like it's a result of the loss of the brown mucus plug appears earlier than expected; it may simply be a false alarm that can result from intercourse or a vaginal examination.
It is however important that although variances in vaginal discharge are normal with everything from a clear mucus plug to a loss of none at all not being unheard of, that there are some symptoms associated with cervical mucus that can require a visit to the doctor. The loss of the brown mucus plug can result in some minimal bleeding, but if this is heavy or persists, then it is important to receive prompt medical attention. In fact, any heavy or abnormal bleeding that occurs during pregnancy should be evaluated by a health care provider. Other symptoms related to vaginal discharge, such as those that can be indicative of infection, should also be brought to the attention of a doctor as soon as possible. Pregnancy complications and other health concerns can cause a change in mucus color or abnormal bleeding, and these should be discussed with a medical provider swiftly to determine the source.


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An Overview of the Soft Bipolar Spectrum
By Arnold L. Lieber, MD
The purpose of this communication is to offer an overview of the soft bipolar spectrum, with its varied clinical presentations and diagnostic challenges. It is intended primarily for mental health professionals. However, I have included parenthetical explanations of medical terms and trade names for drugs so that patients and their families might find the material easy to understand. References are made to other publications offering greater details and clinical examples of the material we will touch upon here.
Bipolar I Disorder (manic depressive illness with or without psychosis), bipolar II disorder (episodes of major depression alternating with episodes of hypomania which are not severe enough to result in impairment of function) and cyclothymic disorder (brief and attenuated episodes of depression and hypomania sometimes known as minor cyclic mood disorder) are defined by explicit criteria sets in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM- IV ). Together, these three conditions are thought to have a lifetime prevalence of 3% to 4% of the general population. In recent years, clinical research has begun to validate the observations reported by experienced practitioners of clinical psychopharmacology – that a much larger group of patients demonstrate milder and/or atypical forms of episodic mood disturbances ( sub threshold bipolar disorder ). These patients are frequently resistant to standard antidepressant therapies, and sometimes their conditions are worsened by drug treatment with antidepressants. Efforts at clinical subtyping of the so-called soft bipolar spectrum are ongoing; up to this time such patients have fallen into the DSM-IV diagnostic category of Bipolar Disorder, NOS (not otherwise specified). If we include these patients with the three DSM-IV bipolar subtypes, the lifetime prevalence approaches 5% to 8 % of the general population. This is a far cry from the 1 % prevalence for manic depressive illness postulated by several large scale epidemiological surveys conducted by academic consortiums.
The great German neuropsychiatrist, Emil Kraepelin, described what he termed manic-depressive insanity at the end of the nineteenth century. He conceptualized a continuum that included today's DSM-IV subtypes, mixed and rapid cycling states, many of the soft bipolar variations and also episodic depressions. This view prevailed until the 1960's, at which time the creators of the first DSM edition ( DSM-I ) proposed a differentiation between major depression and manic-depressive illness. In later DSM editions, this evolved to the unipolar – bipolar dichotomy. In the 1970's Fieve and Dunner discriminated bipolar I from bipolar II disorder, a seminal event in the evolution of the soft bipolar spectrum. Gerald Klerman was the first to postulate a further subtyping of bipolar disorders in 1981. Klerman's Classification of Primary Bipolar Subtypes is summarized as follows:
Klerman's Primary Bipolar Subtypes
(Psychiatric Annals #17: January 1987)
Bipolar I: Mania and depression
Bipolar II: Hypomania and depression
Bipolar III: Cyclothymic disorder
Bipolar IV: Hypomania or mania precipitated by antidepressant drugs
Bipolar V: Depressed patients with a family history of bipolar illness
Bipolar VI: Mania without depression [unipolar mania]
Today's leading conceptual thinker in the area of bipolar subtyping is Hagop Akiskal. A fastidious researcher and an astute clinical observer, Akiskal is a devotee of Kraepelin. He believes that the nosologic (classification) pendulum is gradually swinging back towards the master's original unitary concept of the bipolar spectrum of mood disorders. Akiskal's description of the bipolar subtypes differs from that of Klerman. He proposes six subtypes, some of which are further subdivided according to their unique clinical features. A summary of his proposed subtype schema is as follows:
Akiskal's Schema of Bipolar Subtypes
(Psychiatric Clinics of North America 22:3, September 1999; Medscape Family Medicine, 2005;7[1])Bipolar I: full-blown mania
Bipolar I ½: depression with protracted hypomania
Bipolar II: depression with hypomanic episodes
Bipolar II ½: cyclothymic disorder
Bipolar III: hypomania due to antidepressant drugs
Bipolar III ½: hypomania and/or depression associated with substance use
Bipolar IV: depression associated with hyperthymic temperament
Bipolar V: recurrent depressions that are admixed with dysphoric hypomania
Bipolar VI: late onset depression with mixed mood features, progressing to a dementia-like syndrome
* Episodic mood instability – these patients manifest lifelong episodes of mood swings starting around adolescence. The mood shifts unpredictably among several distinct mood poles: brief depressions lasting hours to one or two days, brief euphorias, brief dysphoric or irritable episodes, brief paranoid episodes, episodes of rage or intense uncontrollable anger, episodic anxiety equivalents (panic attacks, phobias or obsessive ruminations ). This multiplicity of mood options begs the very issue of bipolarity. It appears that multipolar mood disorder might be a more accurate designation for the soft bipolar spectrum.
* Episodic atypical depression – bipolar depressions can manifest the entire gamut of endogenous, nonendogenous and/or atypical depressive symptomatology, and they are always recurrent over time . Soft bipolar depressions usually show atypical depressive features. Patients are mood responsive, which means that they respond to favorable circumstances with a temporary lifting of the mood that can last hours to a day or two before returning to the depressed state. Other symptoms may include eating too much, sleeping too much, feeling worse towards evening and intense tiredness or lethargy. Anxiety and its subtypes (phobias, panic attacks, OCD ) frequently co-exist with atypical depression , as does episodic mood instability. There are a number of atypical depressive subtypes that are distinguished by special features. Since they are often episodic and associated with mood instability, they should be viewed as part of the soft bipolar spectrum. Included are the following: seasonal affective disorder – winter-onset atypical depressions; premenstrual dysphoric disorder – atypical depression associated with irritability, mood swings and dysphoria which occurs a week to ten days on either side of the menstrual period; hysteroid dysphoria – atypical depression mainly in women with histrionic personality features, whose episodes are precipitated by romantic rejection; abulic depression – atypical depression with a deficit syndrome ( apathy, amotivation, lack of will power, lack of energy, lack of pleasure in life, emotional blunting ).
* Hypomania – hypomania is of two types, euphoric and dysphoric or irritable. It is also of two durations, episodic and protracted or characterologic. Bipolar spectrum patients usually show episodic dysphoric hypomania. Euphoric hypomania feels good and is sometimes productive, but dysphoric hypomania produces irritability, emotional discomfiture, impulsiveness, temper dyscontrol and impaired judgment. It tends to interfere with interpersonal relationships and to limit productivity at work. There is a sense of inner speeding combined with restless over activity and racing thoughts, which can lead to a state of desperation. The hypomania frequently alternates with episodes of depression, and mood instability is almost always present. Sometimes brief euphoric episodes are added to the mix. The triad of irritable episodes alternating with rage episodes and paranoid episodes is characteristic of dysphoric hypomania.
* Mixed states – mixed bipolar disorder [ the simultaneous occurrence of both depressive symptoms and mania/ hypomania ] and rapid cycling bipolar disorder [ the patient experiences frequent switches from depression to mania/ hypomania and back ] often produce diagnostic confusion for treaters and treatment resistance for patients. These mixed states are found in bipolar I, bipolar II and bipolar spectrum disorders. They are more common in women and are often associated with thyroid abnormalities, lack of response to lithium (the standard treatment for bipolar I disorder) and antidepressant-induced worsening of symptoms. Outpatient diagnosis of these conditions is difficult at best, even after a detailed history is obtained. Diagnosis of mixed states is most likely to be made by a skilled diagnostician after a patient fails to respond to outpatient treatment or becomes worse on antidepressant medications and is subsequently admitted to the hospital for closer observation. Misdiagnosis of these conditions is all too common, leading to delays in effective treatment and a higher risk of suicide.
Comorbidity means the simultaneous existence of two or more medical conditions in the same patient at the same time. A high percentage of bipolar mood disorders, perhaps more than 50 %, are comorbid with other medical and/or psychiatric conditions. This can complicate both diagnosis and treatment. Significant comorbid conditions and how they may impact bipolar spectrum disorders are presented :
* Thyroid disorders – any thyroid disease that results in either a hyperthyroid or a hypothyroid clinical state can interact adversely with bipolar mood disorders. Hyperthyroidism can resemble hypomania/ mania and it can worsen pre-existing mania/ hypomania. Hypothyroidism can resemble clinical depression and it can cause pre-existing depression to be unresponsive to antidepressant medications. Treatment with lithium can produce hypothyroidism, which then interferes with the effectiveness of psychotropic medications. Subtle or subclinical hypothyroidism is often associated with the development of mixed and rapid cycling bipolar disorders. If present, it must be compensated for in order to successfully treat the mixed state. In general, the co-existence of a thyroid disorder, unless recognized and adequately treated, will interfere with effective treatment of bipolar disorder and also of major and minor depressions.
* Substance abuse – approximately 50% of all patients with bipolar disorder will experience significant alcohol and/or drug abuse at some point during the lifetime course of their bipolar illness. This is a serious problem since the use of any intoxicating substance has psychoactive effects on the brain and can worsen the bipolar condition. Additionally, substances (including excessive caffeine and nicotine use ) interfere with effective treatment of the mood disorder. Alcohol and drugs can mimic both depression and hypomanic states, but they do not cause bipolar illness. Substance use may, however, unmask a pre- existing depression or bipolar disorder. Bipolar mood disorders can and frequently do give rise to secondary alcohol and substance abuse. It is quite common that adolescents and adults who have not yet been diagnosed, attempt to self-medicate their unpredictable and uncontrollable mood swings with whatever is readily available – alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine, opiates. By the time they reach evaluation, these patients are manifesting two separate and related conditions that feed upon one another, vastly complicating the treatment of both. I will not undertake the treatment of co-morbid bipolar/ substance abuse patients until they have undergone detoxification and have been able to remain substance-free for thirty days. The bipolar illness will not yield to treatment until the body is thoroughly cleansed of all intoxicating substances. The saving grace here is that once the underlying bipolar disorder is adequately controlled, the desire and craving to use substances is often dramatically reduced and sometime eliminated entirely.
* Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) – this condition is most frequently associated with hyperactive children, who have great difficulty sitting still and paying attention in school. It is now known to often persist into adulthood and its symptoms may overlap with those of adults diagnosed with bipolar spectrum disorder. Overlapping symptoms may include restlessness, motor hyperactivity, easy distractibility, impulsiveness, inability to concentrate or focus attention and temper dyscontrol. ADHD tends to be present continuously, whereas bipolar conditions are almost always episodic. The two conditions can co-exist in the same patient, although the incidence of their co morbidity is unknown. Stimulants such as methphenindate (Ritalin), which are the treatment of choice for ADHD, tend to worsen the symptoms of bipolar spectrum disorder. Antidepressants, especially the older tricyclic drugs s uch as desipramine and nortriptyline, may be effective for both disorders, frequently in combination with a mood stabilizing medication.
* Borderline personality disorder – these patients have elements of any or all of the DSM- IV personality disorder categories combined, leading to a stormy and unstable lifestyle. They tend to be overly dramatic, to have intense but unstable relationships, to be acutely sensitive to abandonment, to place unrealistic demands upon their families and their treaters and to exhibit self-defeating and often self-destructive behaviors. Substance abuse, self- mutilation and suicidal behaviors are frequently present. At one time they were considered to be the most difficult and demanding of all patients, and many books have been written detailing special technics of psychotherapeutic treatment. In recent years it has become apparent that a high percentage of these patients have co morbid bipolar spectrum disorders. This has proved to be a very important development for these patients. Those who are able to comply with psychopharmacologic management, and achieve mood stabilization, have been found to become amenable to standard psychodynamic psychotherapy. I have found that about 75 % of these patients will respond to combination pharmacotherapy using a serotonin reuptake inhibiting ( SSRI ) antidepressant, a mood stabilizer and an atypical antipsychotic medication such as olanzapine or risperidone. Once the mood has become stable, they can then benefit from competent psychotherapy to deal with their emotional backwash. The prognosis (future outlook ) for patients who are accepting of this treatment approach is much better than it was a few years ago. Today they are often able to get better and to lead normal lives.
* Personality disorders – many patients with bipolar illness will demonstrate some features of the various personality disorders described in DSM-IV during episodes of mood disturbance. I have encountered bipolar patients showing excessive dependency, passive aggressiveness, histrionic traits, paranoid features, narcissism or extreme self-centeredness, hypochondriasis and manipulative antisocial traits. Usually, when they are effectively treated for their bipolar conditions, these characterological features become insignificant or may disappear entirely. However, when major character pathology co-exists with bipolar disorder, treatment is often problematic. Patients with fixed personality disorders tend to be demanding, defiant, manipulative and self-defeating, often undermining the efforts of their treaters. They often abuse alcohol and drugs and they tend to be noncompliant with efforts to treat them, both pharmacologically and psychotherapeutically. They understand why they might need and benefit from treatment, but most crystallized personality disorders present an insurmountable obstacle to effective treatment. Bipolar conditions have a high prevalence in prison populations.
Bipolar I and II disorders are not difficult to diagnose, given an acquaintance with DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and the clinical presence of clear cut mania or hypomania. When bipolar disorder presents initially with depression, the diagnosis is often not made unless and until a later episode of mania or hypomania appears. The clinician should have a high index of suspicion for bipolarity when the depression is episodic and there is a family history of bipolar illness or its concomitants. These include alcoholism, drug abuse, uncontrolled episodes of rage and/or violence, suicide attempts, postpartum depression, psychiatric hospitalizations for depression or psychotic states. The diagnosis of bipolar spectrum disorder is more difficult. This is not surprising when one considers the above noted comorbidities, the nuances of the various clinical subtypes and their differing symptom sets, the rapidly fluctuating mood poles and the presence of mixed states. The basic mood disorders evaluation consists of the following elements: detailed history of the presenting symptoms, history of previous episodes and their response to treatment, family psychiatric history, medical history including results of a recent physical examination, a listing of all medications taken presently and during the past month, a listing of any psychotropic medications used now or previously including the patient's response or non-response to these drugs and a current mental status examination. It is advisable to administer a structured clinical interview designed to detect and diagnose mood disorders. Several are now available and some are structured to detect subtypes based on certain symptom clusters. Some laboratory tests may also be helpful. The TRH Stimulation Test will assess for the presence of clinical or subclinical hypothyroidism; it has also proved helpful in the discrimination of unipolar from bipolar depressions. All the brain imaging technologies have been used to examine groups of depressives. They have shown promise in the delineation of brain changes specific to certain depressive states, including bipolar depressions. Included here are CAT scans, MRI scans, PET scans, SPECT scans and quantitative EEG with auditory average evoked potentials (brain mapping). These tests are expensive, they are not always available to psychiatrists and their findings are considered by many to belong in the realm of research. They hold promise for the emerging objectification of psychiatric diagnoses.
For a comprehensive review of the treatment of bipolar disorders, the reader may wish to access an excellent website maintained by Peter M. Brigham titled The Psychopharmacology of Bipolar Disorders.
I will present a personalized approach to the assessment and treatment of bipolar spectrum disorders. It may differ from that of other practitioners, but we psychopharmacologists tend to become intuitive and sometimes creative alchemists in our search for effective treatments. As a specialist in treatment refractory mood and anxiety disorders, most of the patients I see have failed to adequately respond to one or more trials of antidepressant and/or anxiolytic medications. They undertake an assessment that includes a specially designed clinical interview for mood and anxiety disorders, a structured symptom inventory administered and scored by computer, depression and anxiety symptom severity rating scales, quantitative EEG with averaged auditory evoked potential ( P-300 ) testing and , when indicated, a TRH Stimulation Test. Around 75% of my patients turn out to have bipolar spectrum disorder. If they have been taking benzodiazepines I inform them that they will be tapered off these drugs concomitant with their treatment. If they have recently abused drugs or alcohol , I defer treatment until they have been substance-free for thirty days. If they have complicating medical illnesses or mixed states, or if they are on very high doses of benzodiazepines (Ativan, Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Tranxene, etc.), I usually insist on inpatient stabilization in a hospital setting that is designed for rapid detoxification and psychopharmacological stabilization. All patients are counseled regarding the importance of strict compliance with medication instructions and the need for long term follow-up monitoring. Some will require individual or group psychotherapy, but that determination is generally made after pharmacological stabilization has been achieved. The treating physician should be easy to reach by telephone. Patients may need reassurance during the early stages of treatment when they are more likely to experience transient medication-related side effects.
Patients who have been diagnosed with bipolar spectrum disorder and present with predominantly anxiety or depression symptoms are started initially on an SSRI antidepressant (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, lexapro). I have found these drugs to have excellent anti-anxiety and antidepressant efficacy and also to be reasonably good mood stabilizers. I monitor the patients every one or two weeks until they are stabilized. If symptoms of hypomania occur during the course of treatment, I add a mood stabilizer such as Depakote, Tegretol, Lamictal or Topamax, all of which are also anti-epileptic medications. If the patient fails to respond to the SSRI within four weeks or is unable to tolerate it due to side effects, I will switch to a dual neurotransmitter antidepressant (Effexor, Welbutrin, Remeron, Serzone, Cymbalta). Once the patient is mood stable and without symptoms, I monitor at one to three-month intervals. I advise every patient with this diagnosis to remain permanently on the medication at the same doses that relieved the symptoms, at the risk of symptom recurrence if they choose to discontinue their treatment.
Patients who present with clear cut symptoms of either euphoric or dysphoric hypomania, or who have a history of uncontrollable rage or violent outbursts are started on a mood stabilizer. If necessary, an antidepressant drug can be added later after the mood has been stabilized.
As previously mentioned, patients with mixed or rapid cycling states, as well as those requiring detoxification from addictive anti-anxiety drugs are treated in a hospital setting. They usually respond to combination therapy with mood stabilizers and antidepressants.
Patients with co morbid borderline personality disorder require combination therapy with a mood stabilizer, an antidepressant and an atypical anti-psychotic drug (Risperdal, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Geodon). Once they have achieved mood stability, psychotherapy, which is usually necessary, has a good chance of being effective. The outcome is good with long-term psychotherapy and permanent maintenance medication monitoring.
Patients with co morbid ADHD are treated with a mood stabilizer and an older tricyclic antidepressant such as desipramine or nortriptyline. If this combination proves unsuccessful, they may be tried on a mood stabilizer combined with a stimulant such as Ritalin, Dexidrene, Adderall, Provigil, or Concerta.
Patients with co morbid alcohol or substance abuse, who are able to remain substance-free long enough to enable adequate mood stabilization, often find their craving for substances disappears or diminishes considerably. More than 50% of these patients are able to remain off drugs or alcohol. This compares to the 10% of true recoveries reported by Alcoholics Anonymous for primary alcoholism.
Patients with co morbid personality disorders do well initially so long as they are motivated to please the treater (authority figure). When they become defiant and act rebellious, they usually undermine their treatment. Long term prognosis for this group of patients is generally poor.
Patients with co morbid medical conditions tend to remain well stabilized as long as their medical conditions are under good control. Any metabolic disruption such as fever, infection, uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled thyroid states, pain syndromes requiring narcotic pain killers, etc. can interfere with adequate mood stabilizing medication, resulting in recurrence of mood disorder symptoms.
Finally, a word about an old standby class of medications, that are sometimes effective for patients who have failed on or cannot tolerate any of the newer antidepressant drug classes. The monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants (MAOI's) were the first drugs discovered to be effective as antidepressants in the late 1950's. They went into eclipse because of dangerous hypertensive reactions that occurred in patients taking these drugs who ate certain common foods (cheese reaction ) or used certain medications. It was later found that patients with atypical depression were uniquely responsive to this class of drugs if one avoided the foods and medications known to cause adverse reactions. These drugs remain a useful emergency backup for patients unable to benefit from the newer drug classes. They can be used safely if patients are educated about what foods and medications they need to avoid. MAOI drugs like Nardil, Marplan and Parnate have been very effective in controlling anxiety and depression in patients with bipolar spectrum disorder.
Psychosocial Dilemma: Suicidal Behavior Among Youngsters Treated with Antidepressants
A great deal of media attention during the past decade has centered on the occurrence of suicidal behavior among children and adolescents who have been treated with antidepressant drugs, especially the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Black Box warnings now appear on the packaging inserts of most of these drugs and many physicians have become wary of treating depressed youngsters with antidepressants. In addition, several of the perpetrators in the rash of school shootings that have rocked our nation had been or were being treated with one or another of these drugs at the time of their violent crimes. These unfortunate events focused the glare of publicity on treatment issues in child and adolescent psychiatry. Where the problem really lies, I suspect, is with issues of diagnosis. However, this aspect has received scant if any public attention.
Ever since the advent of the SSRI's , treaters have encountered an occasional patient who developed intense suicidal pre-occupation shortly after starting an SSRI. This usually resolved quickly after stopping or changing the medication. Patients who experienced this phenomenon rarely went on to actual suicidal behavior. What appeared to be happening here was that the drug induced sudden and intense obsessional ideation – a clue that we might have unmasked a bipolar spectrum disorder. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are starting to recognize that a significant number of their depressed patients, especially those demonstrating symptoms of anger / agitation / irritability, may actually fit into the soft bipolar spectrum. Multi-site research studies carried out by collaborating members of The Spectrum Project, an international consortium of academic researchers, suggest that more than half of all patients diagnosed with unipolar depression will eventually develop bipolar symtoms. Treatment with antidepressants may fail with these patients, or it may precipitate the rapid onset of bipolar symptoms. The occurrence of the latter could account for the suicidal behavior and/or the murderous rage evidenced by the troubled youngsters mentioned earlier.
Clearly, we must continuously strive to refine our diagnostic skills, to search for objective diagnostic parameters and to educate our trainees to recognize the nuances of clinical diagnoses that lie outside the confines of the official psychiatric nomenclature. At the time of my retirement from active practice in early 2005, only a few academic psychiatry training programs in the United States were teaching their residents about the soft bipolar spectrum. Since effective pharmacotherapy is contingent upon accurate diagnosis, prior educational deficiencies must be targeted and corrected by informed continuing education programs for physicians.
About the author
Dr. Arnold L. Lieber is currently retired, after practicing psychiatry for 32 years in Miami and Miami Beach. During his career as a clinician and researcher, he held the following positions: Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, St. Francis Hospital, Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Miami Heart Institute, both in Miami Beach; Medical Director of the Clinical Neuroscience Unit of Miami Heart Institute; Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Miami School of Medicine; President, American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists. He has authored or co-authored thirty scientific publications, including two books. His email address is firstname.lastname@example.com


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Crazy pieced blocks are generally foundation pieced. The technique I will explain step by step below is done starting from the center adding pieces circling around the center piece.
Start by cutting the foundation to the size you want your block to be. My block measures 12 x 12 inches. Choose the fabrics to use for your crazy block. This project is a good way to use your leftovers and scraps.
I am using a sturdy cotton as foundation and a range of bluish scraps I have left over from other projects. My foundation is cut from a printed fabric which is not a problem as my other fabrics are darker and the print can not be seen through. If you should use light fabrics make sure you have a light background.
You start by putting down the center piece onto the foundation with the right side of the piece facing up. I chose this light blue fabric with the fly print and I want the green fly to be the center of the block.
The following pieces will be added in a circular fashion around the center piece. You can start your circle anywhere, I will start on top of the center piece.
Add the second piece putting it right side down onto the center piece. Arrange it over the center piece in the desired fashion, but keep in mind that the seam will run at the distance of the seam allowance form the border of the piece which will then be ironed open.
Put the foundation with the two pieces of fabric on your sewing machine to sew the pieces in place. You will need to sew through 3 layers: the foundation, the first piece (right side facing upwards) and the second piece (right side facing downwards). I use a quilting 1/4 inch foot and thus all I have to do is align the outside of my foot with the edge of the fabric in order to achieve a perfect 1/4 inch seam allowance.
After sewing flip the fabric over to see whether you achieved the desired effect, if not open the seam and reposition the fabrics. If you are satisfied flip the block turning the foundation back onto itself along the seam you have just sewn exposing the seam allowance of the two fabrics and trim away excess fabric.
Turn the block over, flip the second piece of fabric open and iron in place.
Add the third piece of fabric following the same steps you used to add the second one. Choose your fabric and add it in a circle around the center piece. Remember to put it right side down with it's outer edge marking the edge of the seam.
Sew through the 3 layers of foundation, fabrics already sewn down and the newly added piece.
Check the position, trim away excess fabric of the seam allowance and iron the piece into place.
Then add the next piece keeping on creating a circle of pieces around the center: position the piece, sew in place, trim away excess fabric, flip open and iron in place.
After you close the first circle around the center, keep on moving in the same direction, increasing the diameter and covering more and more of the foundation. Keep in mind that you always need to cover the already sewn down pieces in order not to have any open edges showing.
Depending on the pieces' size you will cover one part of the block faster than others. When you reach the edge of the block like I did on top of the block below, just skip that side and keep on circling covering the remaining areas of the foundation.
In this case I found the dark blue piece on top too big and imposing and therefore decided to cover part of it with another piece of lighter blue colouring.
Continue until the whole foundation is covered and your block looks somewhat like this:
The pieces protrude from the foundation as you can see when you turn the block over:
Now you need to cut the block to size. It is best to use a square ruler of the desired size as you can position it on the block and try different angles in order to see what looks best.
When you find the perfect position cut the block to the desired measurements.
This is what my finished block looks like:
As you see options are infinite, you can play with colours, angles and shapes. Blocks can look more controlled like the blue one above when you don't change too many angles, keep lines parallel and use similar colours, or they can look more crazy when you start playing with colours, angles and shapes like I did in the red, blue and white block at the beginning of the article.
It's up to you.
In order to achieve the stained glass effect you see below just create the block in the same way that is explained above, adding stained glass piping to every seam. For the piping choose the fabric of your liking and cut 1 inch strips. Fold the strips in half lengthwise right side out and iron the fold. All you have to do is to insert the folded strip between the fabric already sewn in place and the new piece of fabric to be added, aligning the outer edge of the strip with the outer edge of the newly added piece. That way half of the strip goes into seam allowance while the other half featuring the fold will protrude underneath the newly added piece (the seam allowance is 1/4 inch, given that the 1 inch string has been folded over, it now measures 1/2 inch; 1/4 will go into the seam allowance while the other 1/4 will create this beautiful effect).
You can simply leave the stained glass piping as it is or embellish it with all the fancy stitches your sewing machine has to offer.
And now play and have fun, or better GO CRAZY!!!
Have you made a project following this tutorial? Let me know what you think. Did you like it? Was it easy to understand and to follow? Do you have any suggestions?
Write a comment or send me an email using the contact form at the bottom of the page.


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Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'New Member Introductions - Site Assistance' started by coc, Aug 6, 2011.
I'm (we) making the transision to Apple.
Hi there and welcome.
There is lots of good advice and info on here plus plenty of members all too willing to help with any problems.
Remember, search is your friend.......and please don't forget to read the rules http://www.ipadforums.net/forum-rules-help-info/2119-forum-rules-everybody-please-read.html
The Archangel
Thx GAB.1


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Kids, teens, young adults - those of the age of a very little person looking up with wide eyed attention, or the age of body language that says, whatever! right up to the age of self importance, seem to have trouble with respect.
After twenty six years working in a P-12 school the biggest change I've seen, is this progression from girls standing back shyly while boys hold the door open, to being physically pushed out of the way so a young person, or even an adult male, can go through the door first. They push from behind, the side or the front. It can be boys and girls and at school, even ..... teachers! This has nothing to do with the fact that I am no longer 30 something because I see it happening to younger adults - who don't notice, because they think it's normal! In the car park, in the supermarket, in a lift, someone will assume they are entitled to go before everyone else.
The last person to do this to me was a man of about 40 who - walked toward me from the outside of an automatic door, while I was inside, closer to the door and on my way out - did not slow his pace at all but pushed through the doorway first, knocking me into the side frame. He kept walking at the same pace, as did his two teenage children who were following. No sign of good manners, no humility, no grace and no respect for others. What happened?
Sister Mary Benedita would be turning in her grave. When I was at school we never gave cheeky responses to adults, never answered back, never pushed them aside, we gave up our seat on the crowded bus or train for women of our mother's age and older men and we didn't feel repressed ... we felt respectful.
Yes, I know ... boring story. I had those from my father too - how he rode a horse to school and lived on bread and dripping .... that was his life BUT if he was here now he'd agree with what I'm saying because he was a gentleman. When I was young I was aware that men opened doors for women, pulled back and held their chair in a restaurant, helped them on with their coats, all as a sign of respect. Yes, there were a lot of things wrong in those days and all this attention and respect was not always genuine but it gave us a sense of security, of safety, we felt we knew where we were on the ladder of life and could clearly see where we would be as we got older.
But the plan changed and now I feel cheated - and I'm not alone - even Clint Eastwood said, 'When I was young there was no respect for the young and now that I am old there is no respect for the old'.
Have we taught them to value power and control more than anything else? Have we let them down so horribly that they don't value us? It would be nice if kids today had examples to follow .. from sports stars, politicians, celebrities but the daily news is full of disappointing examples. Just ask someone under the age of 25 who they respect. The answers are interesting.
Adults are no longer respected for being older, for having lived longer, they are not respected for years of study and experience, for war service, for doing dangerous jobs, for having positions of authority, they are not protected or revered by younger adults and children. We don't get respect from our own children, grandchildren, friends children - their sense of entitlement over rides anything we do. Who gets the respect? In today's culture respect is not deserved or earned ... it is bestowed AND it is bestowed on people like David Beckham, Madonna or Bear Grylls, or whoever is in fashion at the time.
There is always false respect, don't fall for that. Not actually bowing and scraping, but polite nodding and agreement can mean they want something and they think you can help them get it - favour with their parents, the job they want or maybe to sign you up with a new telephone service or sell you a car. There can be exceptions - kids who are naturally agreeable, but then you worry about that. Some adults receive a type of respect for being 'one of the group' but usually you get little or no respect from teens - they are too busy complaining that their parents don't respect them!!! What? Is this a generation XYZ thing?
"You disrespected me" said the thug on TV, holding a knife to the throat of a terrified gang member.
Do they even know what respect means - or has the meaning of the word changed? They need to understand the words that go with respect - regard, esteem, reverence, deference, consideration, honour, veneration.
Definition of respect - To admire someone or something deeply, as a result of their abilities, qualities or achievements - well yes, that could refer to David Beckham but also to Albert Einstein and also to hard working teachers and parents. I would add authorities such as policemen and solicitors and doctors but I hesitate. That's interesting.
Speaking of Albert Einstein (1879-1955), he once said, 'Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolised." Whoops.
This is a huge subject and I'm not attempting to go into it in a broad sense, just offering my personal experience and conclusions - there have been times when I've remembered Kathy Bates in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, rear ending the car of the young girls who had taken her parking spot, "Face it, girls, I'm older and I have more insurance". But that is demanding respect, really disguised fear, and it can't come that way.
Sadly, we can't change the world. Some things we just have to get used to and until today's kids grow up and discover that something is missing we need to work around their lack of respect. They will look back one day and discover new feelings for that teacher or friend from their childhood and respect could be reborn.
Choose your battles. It's good advice. The next time you are cut off in a doorway by a 14 year old, or the 18 year old brings friends home and does not introduce them to his parents, or the sweet 16 snaps answers back at her boss, or the kid in the back of the room mutters 'whatever' when the teacher asks him to open his book (or ipad or laptop) - just take a deep breath. Maybe we have to ignore the ignorance, because that's what it is, and find another way to get through to the young people. Lets be gentle with the little ones and hope they follow the example.
What is it we all crave? Love. We want to be loved and appreciated and listened to. We want successful relationships, we want to be liked, to work together and laugh together and feel respect flowing from us and toward us. Respect takes time to grow, time and common experience. It's just a little harder than it used to be. When the right situations come along, don't miss out.
1/ A sudden storm, a man and his son rush outside with shovels to dig a drain and divert water rushing toward the house. They come back changed men, a bond formed, respect growing.
2/ Exams in two days, a girl in tears. Big sister puts her work aside to show her how to study and is delighted when little sister passes the exam. The relationship is now stronger than just sisters, it includes respect.
3/ A woman falls when getting off the bus. An acquaintance rushes to her side, calms her, calls for help, rides in the ambulance and sits by the bed until family arrive. She appears the next day with flowers and is greeted as a friend. A friendship grows from respect.
Back in 1971 someone heard Bruce Willis sing ... (yes, sing!)
Respect yourself
Respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
ain't nobody gonna give a good
Ca-hoot na na na oh oh
Respect yourself
Respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
ain't nobody gonna give a good
Ca-hoot na na na oh oh
Respect yourself


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Thursday, October 1, 2015
Criss-Cross Christmas ~ CCMC375
8 comments:
Oh my goodness, LOVE this Jenny! It looks like I'm peeping through the window to a beautiful winter scene! The gold gives it just the right amount of sparkle! Gorgeous!!ReplyDelete
What a beautiful wintry scene and beautiful Christmas card you've created with this sketch!! I love how you used the Sleigh Ride Edgelits in the "window" and that black sky gives you scene so much depth and dimension!! Beautiful!ReplyDelete
This is just gorgeous Jenny! A great interpretation of the sketch (I love those Sleigh Ride Edgelits!) and the black glossy paper and gold glitter add a real touch of luxe and glamour to your card!ReplyDelete
This is beautiful! I love how you interpreted the sketch and pulled it into a wintery festive landscape scene. Gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Great idea to make a rolling landscape out of this sketch, and so beautifully done! Very elegant in black, white and gold!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous! Love the single house on the hill. You really created a serene landscape.ReplyDelete
Beautiful! Love your take on the sketch! Great winter card!ReplyDelete
I LOVE the banks of snow in your snow scene...such a clever way to interpret that sketch! Great job with the sketch this week!ReplyDelete


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@DaveEast freestyles over "Free Smoke" n kills it
Dave East addresses the nosey people about his "baby mama" situation and how he is feeling about how he has benign feeling as of late. Dude has been slaying other rappers beats before and after the release of his debut album Kairi Chanel. The latest victim is Drake's "Free Smoke". Take a listen as Dave East lets a couple things off his mental.


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Posted by Susan Sidwell, Jul 12 2007 8:24AM
Please do not use forums to advertise courses.
What do I do now?
Hi anyone/therapists
I live in South Norwood/Croydon and have just taken my Reflexology/A&P ITEC exams. I know I have passed my Reflexology Practical but have to wait a few weeks to get the results of the theory exams (I think I've done OK though).
Can anyone offer me any advice about getting started on my client base. I've got to overcome the fear of actually asking for money - also how much to ask?
|Terie Hopkins
Jul 12 2007 12:12PM
|Your tutor should have covered this whilst learning, have you studied ITEC Business and Professional Conduct ... this is part of the practitioners "Diploma" ?
When costing treatments there are various aspects you will need to take into consideration.
*your time
*how much various materials cost
*how much overheads cost (lighting, heating, rent, rates)
*how many treatments you will be doing each week/month
*how much other therapists are charging in your area
*how much profit you would like to make .... the mark-up on each treatment
Good pricing is all about balancing .... mark up to cover your over-heads and to enjoy a profit.
Word of mouth is your best advertisment .... round up friends and family to advertise for you initially. Get your face/name known (Business Card/Leaflets needed !!) at a few Pamper Eves, schools, clubs and retirement premises hold these occasionally. Once you are known to frequent Pamper Evenings you should begin to build slowly. Also try voluntary work (hospitals/elderly) ... hard I know but fantastic practice and networking.
Though it takes much hard work and dedication ... normally a year or two to build as a Therapist. I always tell my students get qualified in 2 or 3 therapies you cannot earn on a living in just one alone.
Hope this helps.
Terie Hopkins
|Susan Sidwell
Oct 31 2007 12:48PM
|Thanks for your reply ... only just seen it I'm afraid! I happy to say I passed all my exams with credit and am in the process of getting things organised. I've joined the Int. Fed. of Reflexologists (the chair is Renee Tanner, whose books we studied with) and have sorted out my insurance.
Thanks for your suggestions I will certainly take your advice. The business course did cover these things, although it was only 2 morning sessions! I think doing some voluntary work would be a good start to keep my hand in whilst I get more paying clients!
Thanks again
Susan Sidwell


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The Origin of the Names of the US States
Well, after researching them for a month, I finally uploaded a first pass at an authoritative etymological glossary of the names of the US States. I call it a first pass because I am still finding books on the subject and former colleagues who specialize in the languages involved. However, I found some rather surprising sources for the first pass that are at odds with the informationi floating around the web in such resources as Answers.com, Infoplease, and Wikipedia.
The subject came up when someone within earshot expounded on knowing the meaning of the word Mississippi "The Father of Waters". Could be but the meaning somehow struck me as odd. So, I googled "origin state names" and came up with a formidable list of lists containing the definitions or other origins of all the states in the US. I was horrified at the mistakes I could spot even though I am not a specialist in native languages. The most appalling aspect of these lists (there must be at least 50 out there) is that they are all practically identical! The ease brought by the Web to plagiarism had taken its toll.
My introduction of the list includes this: "The names of the places where we live reveal that, as the Europeans took over the lands of the native populations living in North America, they retained much of their beauty, beauty from their languages, many now long dead. Read below to see how the names of our states are memorials to lost native populations and a few European monarchs who "granted" Native American lands to European settlers."
I have always cringed at the fact that, although I never see a native American, I bath every day in their languages. We must have absorbed every word in every native language into the nomenclature of this country. Since a major intent of our daily Good Word is to use words to pry into our history, loosen bits that enhance our understanding of ourselves, I thought that understanding how lexically dependent we are on native American words would contribute to that intent.
There are many interesting discoveries: the name Idaho seems to have been a nonsense word, Oklahoma means "red man" (can't rid that state of all traces of its original owners), and Massachusetts, which everyone seems to think means "(people of) the big hill" more probably means "arrowhead hill", according to the head linguists of the Smithsonian, a specialist in the now extinct Massachuset language. Anyway, take a look and let me know what you think.


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Tourism Destinatons
Watu Ondo Waterfall
Watu Ondo is located in Ngancar village, Plaosan District. This Watu Ondo Waterfall as part of Waterfall tourism object area that developed by Magetan regency government.
Watu Ondo Waterfall is located in very under part from the third waterfall that reside in one-river streams in Ngancar village, that is Watu Ondo, Jarakan and Pundak Kiwo waterfall. This waterfall is located about 600 metres from the entered gateway.
Watu Ondo waterfall is very beautiful waterfall, because it is passing rocks which arranged properly like stairs. That's why this waterfall called Watu Ondo, Watu in english means rock and Ondo means stairs.
The Crowd In Ledug Suro Ceremony
Ledug Suro Ledug suro is one of annual ceremonial that being held in some regencies in each province in Indonesia. Each provinces are having different names but have the same purpose. This Ledug Suro is particularly known for Magetan Regency. … Continue reading
Sarangan Lake
Sarangan Lake Telaga Sarangan is also known as sand lake, is a natural lake that lies at the foot of Mount Lawu, Plaosan district , Magetan regency, East Java. Located about 16 kilometers west of the city Magetan, Sarangan is … Continue reading
Ledhug Suro Ceremony, Magetan
Ledhug Suro There are so many ways that being held by the local government to celebrate the new year of Hijriah. At Jogjakarta there is Sekaten, at Solo (Central Java) there is Grebeg Syuro because it coincidently come with the … Continue reading
Sadon Temple
Sadon Temple Sadon temple or Reog temple is located in Sadon hamlet, Cepoko village, Panekan sub-district, Magetan. The local inhabitants are familiar with Reog temple than Sadon temple. It precisely located on 3 km from Magetan city. This temple was … Continue reading


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The future of the phone joins the IIA
Welcome today as well to Blueface who offer business and residential Voice over IP services. Using Blueface VOIP allows much more flexibility and includes call conferencing and call management. Their site allows you to purchase packages based on your talk requirements and they also sell VOIP phones. Currently they are running a very tempting introductory offer which includes a Siemens phone. They also have a busy discussion forum, the grandaddy of social networking tools so they are there to help anyone who would like to more about the future of the phone.
(Don't forget that another of our newer members, Argilon, is offering a special discount to IIA members on a VoIP workshop next week.)
Yes I am aware of the fact that I could have used any of a selection of pop music related titles on this post too. Hanging on the telephone. Call me. etc. Please feel free to add your own suggestions. I'm running out of steam.


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Turkey Call - Turkey Track - Roasted Maple, Aluminum/Glass
$ 59.99
Roasted Maple call with an anodized Aluminum striking surface over a Glass soundboard. Striker included.
For more information on our Maple and the roasting process, click here.
This call can be personalized to make it the perfect gift for yourself or someone else. Click here for details.
*Derby City aluminum striking surfaces are preconditioned & ready to use. DO NOT use any type of conditioning pad on a preconditioned aluminum surface.


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St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay are coming together this morning for a media event to "make a joint announcement that will impact future economic development efforts in the region."
It's mayoral election season and the ongoing debates about a potential city-county merger are alive and well. In the meantime, politicians are allegedly working together -- and with civic and business leaders -- on something that will be good for the city and the county.
What could it be? What should it be? Our top guesses/suggestions below.
4. Zip Line from City to County
When discussing economic development in the region, transportation is very important. And since we already have a very lively debate about zip lines in St. Louis County, why not take it to the next level? Let's, you know, literally connect the city and county in a fun, affordable, convenient way. As long as they avoid killing a bunch of birds, a handy zip line is sure to be a hit with county and city residents alike. And tourists, too!
3. Dog Park Straddling City-County Lines
Everyone loves dogs and parks -- why not unite the two and break down city-county borders at the same time? Wouldn't it be cool if your dog could run back and forth between the city and the county in one beautiful park that could bring people together? And running around with dogs can make people hungry and thus would support surrounding businesses. Bam, economic development.
Continue for more of our city-county ideas.
Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.


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There have been a lot of financial losers in recent years -- underwater homeowners, debt-strapped municipalities, and even actively managed mutual funds. Investors who expected their managers to protect them during the financial crisis were sorely surprised, as the majority of active managers were caught flatfooted by the market decline. As equity funds dropped in value, many investors headed for the exits.
This disappointing experience with actively managed funds has helped contribute to the rising popularity of index-based products, including exchange-traded funds. This month, total assets held in ETFs reached the $1 trillion mark, according to investment firm BlackRock. But even as these investment products reach new heights of popularity among investors, it appears that a sizable number of Americans are missing out on the ETF revolution, and more surprisingly, they don't even understand exactly what they are.
In the dark
A recent study by research firm Mintel Comperemedia found that 64% of investors simply don't understand exchange-traded funds. According to the survey, nearly two-thirds of respondents either don't know anything about ETFs or don't understand how they work. But that's not all. An additional 15% of investors said that they don't own ETFs because they are "too complicated." If the results of this survey are even halfway representative of the larger investing public's attitude toward exchange-traded funds, clearly there is a huge knowledge gap.
A spokesperson at Mintel Comperemedia speculated that perhaps investors are less familiar with ETFs because they are typically not available in company-sponsored retirement plans and because financial advisors are not as well-acquainted with these investments. The study revealed that those investors who do own ETFs typically look to their advisors for ETF ideas more often than for other investment ideas. I think these are both pretty plausible ideas and probably are a large part of the problem here.
Finding the easy button
It's pretty shocking that 15% of surveyed investors view exchange-traded funds as too complicated. Put simply, ETFs are funds that track a certain market index and are designed to offer roughly the same return as that index. They are pretty much the same as your run-of-the-mill index fund, with the exception being that they can trade throughout the day just like stocks can, whereas mutual funds only trade at the end of the day based on their net asset value (NAV). They can also be sold short like shares of a stock. In my opinion, the best feature of ETFs is that they are almost universally cheaper than actively managed mutual funds, so you can invest without forking over oodles of your hard-earned cash to fund management.
The fact that more financial advisors aren't aware of or aren't recommending ETFs to their clients perhaps isn't that surprising. Given that the traditional advisor model relies on recommending load-carrying mutual funds that provide the advisor with a commission for directing clients into the fund, it's easy to see why ETFs are less popular. There's no direct financial incentive for the advisor to recommend ETFs. That's why I recommend that anyone thinking about engaging the services of a financial advisor should stick to fee-only professionals. That way, you can be certain that you are getting unbiased advice that isn't influenced by how much an advisor is being paid by a fund shop.
The right mix
If you're looking for an easy and inexpensive way to get exposure to wide swaths of the market, there simply is no better way to accomplish that than with exchange-traded funds. You can set up a nearly completely diversified portfolio with just a few ETFs. Here's a simplified sample asset allocation scheme for an investor with more than 10 years left to retirement:
Exchange-Traded Fund
Expense Ratio
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF
iShares Russell 2000 Index ETF
iShares MSCI EAFE Index
Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock ETF
Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF
The two key things to remember when it comes to ETF investing are to buy cheap and buy broad. Buy the cheapest fund that will get the job done. You're not paying for any manager expertise here, so it doesn't make sense to pay more for ETFs. Also, try to stay away from narrowly focused funds that invest in a single country or sector. Most investors who buy funds like these don't have a strategic reason for owning them but are simply drawn to the strong returns these funds can post from time to time. Broader funds that invest across sectors and market areas are a better bet for most investors. And finally, remember that ETFs should be used as long-term investments. Just because you can trade them throughout the day doesn't mean you need to burn up your brokerage account with frequent trades.
If you have already discovered how ETFs can work in your portfolio, congratulations -- you're one step ahead of the majority of investors out there. If you haven't, consider taking a few minutes to learn more about what is likely the most influential and popular investment of the past decade.
For more winning mutual fund recommendations and time-tested personal financial planning advice, check out the Fool's Rule Your Retirement service. You can start your free 30-day trial today.
Amanda Kish is the Fool's resident fund advisor for the Rule Your Retirement investment newsletter. At the time of publication, she did not own any of the funds or companies mentioned herein. BlackRock is a Motley Fool Inside Value recommendation. Motley Fool Alpha has opened a short position on iShares Russell 2000 Index. The Fool owns shares of Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock ETF. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.
We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Product code: 221180778Product description
Parents don`t vibrate like bouncy seats or swing like swings. They bounce and sway, and that`s what the mamaRoo does: it moves like you do. Our team used motion sensors to measure the movements of real moms and dads as they soothed their babies and replicated those motions in the mamaRoo. It`s the only infant seat with five different motions; all modeled after the natural movements parents make to comfort their babies. It isn`t just another infant seat. It`s our baby, and we made it for yours. The mamaRoo plush is the same great mamaRoo with a softer, plush seat fabric that`s even more comfortable for your baby. Just like the classic, the plush seat is machine washable and easy to zip in and out of your mamaRoo. Features: Five unique motions based on real parental movements, Five speeds (now faster!), Built-in nature sounds and an MP3 hookup, Three reversible toy balls, Fabric (both plush and classic) is easy to remove and machine washable, Seat reclines to any position, Detects obstructions, Suitable from birth to 11kg. Discontinue use once child can sit up unassisted, No batteries - just plug it in
- Baby bouncers
- Delivered flat packed, self assembly required
- Grey
- Polyester mix
- Suitable from birth
- Machine wash delicate
- 1 year guarantee
- Unisex
- Unisex
- Polyester mix
- Depth : 21.8 cm
- Height : 56.6 cm
- Width : 67.3 cm
|Standard -£3 or free over £50 (Monday - Friday)
|Delivery in 3 - 5 working days; the delivery company will contact you by text and email to confirm a 1 hour delivery slot.
|Exclusions: Delivery is only available to mainland England, Scotland and Wales, and does not include delivery to Northern Ireland, Southern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, the Scilly Isles, and the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
If for any reason you are not happy with your purchase, you may return products within 14 days of the purchase date with the delivery note or other proof of purchase. To do this, you must request a returns number by emailing us at email@example.com.
All products must be unused and in the original packaging suitable for resale. Products that have been tampered with and unsuitable for resale will not be refunded. Orders without a returns number will not be refunded. We will refund your delivery charge when a product is faulty or damaged, but we will not do this if an item is not wanted. Should you have any questions regarding our policy please email us: firstname.lastname@example.com. The return address will be present at the bottom of your delivery note and we would request that you email the above address prior to sending back a product for refund.


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Like most people, I love the tranquility and mystery of the sea, but I think what I love most about the sea is absolute joy it brings to people, most especially children. As we grow older our child-like fascination with the great mystery that is the sea disappears, and we don't fully acknowledge our awe and appreciation of its great unknown. That is the true tragedy of adulthood.
Tag Archives: Play
The essence of life
Today I had the opportunity to take some pictures of some children. I found it was difficult for me to get down to the right angle to photograph them nicely. However, when I looked at the resulting photos I realised that the freedom that a child has oozes out of them in leaps and bounds and no matter what angle you photograph them from they still look so free and so alive and so happy.
And so, the name of this post, The essence of life, is in truth everything that a child embodies. As a child everything is fascinating, and even the smallest things can put a smile on your face. Why do so many of us lose this freedom in adulthood? I challenge you today to feel like a kid again. Be free. Be happy. And feel the joy of life radiate through your soul!


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Name: Joseph Handler Pfalz Riesling
Type: White
Origin: Germany
Year: 2013
Price: $6.99
I was in Trader Joe's the other day in Nashua, NH and they were sampling this riesling from Germany. I don't know how they can import a wine from Germany that doesn't taste like crap for $6.99 but here it is. I sampled it and the guy there described it as having a pleasant acidity and not at all sweet. I'll give him the former but not the latter.
Most people wouldn't describe this as a sweet wine, per se. But it is described right on the bottle as semi-sweet and I think that's on target. Many people don't know this but rieslings can run from very dry to very sweet even though most people assume they are sweet. I once had a minor argument about this because someone didn't believe that riesling could be dry at all. I'm pretty sure they still didn't believe me at the end, but it's true.
This wine is a very pale yellow color and the aroma is very subdued. The flavors are not though. It has piercing citrus flavors, a jolt of acidity and a medium finish that contains the zest of all that citrus fruit. Very crisp and clean, low (10%) alcohol and overall pretty refreshing at this price point. This style of wine isn't necessarily my thing but it has its place for sure. In my opinion that place would be beside the pool on a hot summer day.


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User talk:JerriahD
From Conservapedia
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