text:
- Research article
- Open Access
- Open Peer Review
Local treatment of a bone graft by soaking in zoledronic acid inhibits bone resorption and bone formation. A bone chamber study in rats
- Ola Belfrage1Email author,
- Hanna Isaksson1, 2 and
- Magnus Tägil1
© Belfrage et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012
- Received: 27 December 2011
- Accepted: 26 November 2012
- Published: 5 December 2012
Bone grafts are frequently used in orthopaedic surgery. Graft remodelling is advantageous but can occur too quickly, and premature bone resorption might lead to decreased mechanical integrity of the graft. Bisphosphonates delay osteoclastic bone resorption but may also impair formation of new bone. We hypothesize that these effects are dose dependent. In the present study we evaluate different ways of applying bisphosphonates locally to the graft in a bone chamber model, and compare that with systemic treatment.
Cancellous bone grafts were placed in titanium chambers and implanted in the tibia of 50 male rats, randomly divided into five groups. The first group served as negative control and the grafts were rinsed in saline before implantation. In the second and third groups, the grafts were soaked in a zoledronic acid solution (0.5 mg/ml) for 5 seconds and 10 minutes respectively before being rinsed in saline. In the fourth group, 8 μL of zoledronic acid solution (0.5 mg/ml) was pipetted onto the freeze-dried grafts without rinsing. The fifth group served as positive control and the rats were given zoledronic acid (0.1 mg/kg) systemically as a single injection two weeks after surgery. The grafts were harvested at 6 weeks and analysed with histomorphometry, evaluating the ingrowth distance of new bone into the graft as an equivalent to the anabolic osteoblast effect and the amount (bone volume/total volume; BV/TV) of remaining bone in the remodelled graft as equivalent to the catabolic osteoclast effect.
In all chambers, almost the entire graft had been revascularized but only partly remodelled at harvest. The ingrowth distance of new bone into the graft was lower in grafts soaked in zoledronic acid for 10 minutes compared to control (p = 0.007). In all groups receiving zoledronic acid, the BV/TV was higher compared to control.
This study found a strong inhibitory effect on bone resorption by bisphosphonates but also a limited inhibition of the ingrowth of new bone. Local treatment at surgery resulted in stronger inhibition of both resorption and bone formation compared to systemic treatment.
- Zoledronic acid
- Bisphosphonates
- Allograft
- Local treatment
- Bone remodelling
Morsellised bone grafts can be used in orthopaedic surgery both as autografts for biological support, to stimulate healing in fractures and non-unions, and as allografts for structural support in for example joint prosthesis revisions with osteolysis[1]. Regardless of origin and purpose, the bone graft is gradually revascularized and more or less remodelled into new bone to be incorporated in a new load-bearing bony structure[2]. Both the formation of new bone and resorption of bone are needed in bone graft remodelling and bone healing. Ideally, there is a balance between bone formation and bone resorption but sometimes the balance is skewed. The anabolic drive may fail due to absence of circulation, chemical signals like Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) or cells to react to these signals[3]. Sometimes, a catabolic hyperactivity, due to instability or stress-shielding, might lead to graft resorption before new bone has replaced the allograft around a hip prosthesis[4]. Systemic bisphosphonates have been used successfully to balance an increased bone resorption both experimentally[5, 6] as well as clinically[7].
Local administration of a bisphosphonate, directly to the graft is feasible and results in a rather strong chemical binding between the phosphate groups of the bisphosphonate and the hydroxyapatite crystals of bone[8]. In experimental studies, local intraoperative bisphosphonate have decreased the bone resorption after treatment at a fracture site[9] or in bone grafting[10]. However, in other studies using local treatment, a decrease was found also regarding the formation of new bone[11, 12] and the authors speculated that a toxic effect of a too high dose of bisphosphonate would block bone metabolism, osseointegration and implant fixation.
Local graft treatment with bisphosphonate
Soaking time
Agholme 2009[13]
10 min
3x3 min/no
Aspenberg 2002[10]
1 mg/ml
10 min
3x3 min
Baas 2008[11]
3 min
Belfrage 2011[6]
0.5 mg/ml
Jakobsen 2007[14]
2 mg/ml
3 min
Jakobsen 2010[12]
0.005/0.05/0.5 mg/ml
3 min
3 min
Jeppsson 2003[15]
60 mg/ml
10 min
3x3 min
Kesteris 2006[7]
60 mg/ml 10 ml
3 min
Washed 500 ml NaCl
Seo 2010[16]
30 μM, 10 ml
5 min
Tägil 2004[5]
1 mg/ml
10 min
3x3 min
Tägil 2006[17]
0.7 mg sc
Relevant studies of local treatment of bone graft with bisphosphonates listed by first author, bisphosphonate used, concentration of the drug, soaking time and rinsing procedure.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate how different doses and modes of administration, adopted from the clinical practise, influence both bone resorption and ingrowth of new bone into an allograft. We hypothesized that both local and systemic bisphosphonate treatment would lead to an increase in bone density but also that the bone ingrowth distance might be decreased by local but not systemic treatment. We also hypothesized that a longer soaking time would lead to denser bone and that topical administration without rinsing would have the strongest effect on both bone density and bone ingrowth.
Treatment groups in the present study
Rinse in saline
Saline control
3 x 3 min
Zoledronic acid 0.5 mg/mL, short soaking time, 5 seconds
3 x 3 min
Zoledronic acid 0.5 mg/mL, long soaking time, 10 minutes
3 x 3 min
Topical zoledronic acid 4 μg, no rinse
Zoledronic acid systemic injection, 0.1 mg/kg
3 x 3 min
The chamber
Grafts and drug administration
Structurally intact cancellous bone grafts were obtained from female Sprague–Dawley rats (200 g; Taconic M&B A/S, Ry, Denmark). A cylindrical bone rod with a diameter of 2 mm was harvested in the axial direction from the knee joint with a hole cutter and the epiphysis was discarded. The rods were approximately 4–5 mm long. The grafts were kept sterile, freeze-dried for 24 h and frozen at -80°C.
Zoledronic acid was delivered as a powder and was diluted in saline to a concentration of 0.5 mg/ml, to correspond to previous experiment[6]. At surgery, the thawed grafts were placed in 3 ml of zoledronic acid solution for 5 seconds (group 2) or 10 minutes (group 3), and then rinsed 3 times for 3 minutes in 3 ml 0.9% NaCl (saline) to remove unbound zoledronic acid. The grafts belonging to the negative and positive controls (group 1 and 5) were placed in a saline solution and rinsed as described above. The procedure was blinded to the surgeon. After rinsing, the grafts were placed in the chambers. The chambers were inserted in the right tibia of the recipient animals. In group 4 (topical), the thawed freeze-dried grafts were placed in the chamber and 8 μL (4 μg zoledronic acid) of experimental solution was pipetted to the graft just before closing the chamber with the screw cap. These grafts were not rinsed. All grafts were placed with the denser, proximal end, towards the ingrowth openings of the chamber. Surgery was performed in random order. Systemic treatment in group 5 was administered as a single subcutaneous injection (0.1 mg/kg) with zoledronic acid at two weeks after surgery.
Surgical procedure and animals
50 male Sprague–Dawley rats (315–405 g; Taconic M&B A/S, Ry, Denmark) were anesthetized with diazepam and pentobarbitalnatrium. Antibiotic prophylaxis was given as 12.5 mg dihydrostreptomycin and 10 mg procaine benzylpenicillin. Under aseptic conditions, a longitudinal incision was made over the anteromedial aspect of the right proximal tibial metaphysis. A hole was made with a drill and the chamber was screwed into position with the ingrowth holes situated subcortically. The wound was closed, leaving the entire chamber subcutaneous. Postoperatively, analgesic was given as 4.5 μg buprenorphine subcutaneously. All animal handling was approved by the regional animal research ethics committee (M70-06). Institutional guidelines for the care and treatment of experimental animals were followed. There were two rats in each cage and they had free access to water and feed.
Normal distribution could not be assumed. Statistical analyses were performed using non-parametrical Mann Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test. The results were presented as medians and range. The data were analysed using SPSS software version 17.0 for Windows. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Bone ingrowth distance
Median ingrowth distance (mm)
Range (mm)
1. Saline control, n = 10
2. Short soaking time, n = 10
3. Long soaking time, n = 9
4. Topical zoledronic acid, no rinse, n = 10
5. Zoledronic acid systemic injection, n = 10
Bone ingrowth distance
1. Saline control
2. Short soaking time
3. Long soaking time
4. Topical zoledronic acid, no rinse
5. Zoledronic acid systemic injection
1. Saline control
2. Short soaking time
3. Long soaking time
4. Topical zoledronic acid, no rinse
5. Zoledronic acid systemic injection
Bone Volume/Total Volume (BV/TV)
Median BV/TV (%)
Range (%)
Ratio graft bone/total bone (%)
1. Saline control, n = 10
2. Short soaking time, n = 10
3. Long soaking time, n = 9
4. Topical zoledronic acid, no rinse, n = 10
5. Zoledronic acid systemic injection, n = 10
Bone Volume/Total Volume (BV/TV)
1. Saline control
2. Short soaking time
3. Long soaking time
4. Topical zoledronic acid, no rinse
5. Zoledronic acid systemic injection
1. Saline control
2. Short soaking time
3. Long soaking time
4. Topical zoledronic acid, no rinse
5. Zoledronic acid systemic injection
Bone formation
In designing the present experiment, one of the hypotheses was that unbound excessive bisphosphonate would interfere with bone formation and would therefore result in a decreased ingrowth distance, especially in the topical group that was not rinsed from excessive unbound bisphosphonate. A limited inhibition of the ingrowth of new bone was seen in all groups with the locally applied bisphosphonate, compared to both the saline and systemic bisphosphonate control groups. However, it was the rinsed group with the long soaking time that had a significantly decreased ingrowth distance and not the topical group as hypothesized. A decreased ingrowth caused by local treatment has not been shown in previous studies using the bisphosphonate alendronate in this model[10, 13]. Alendronate is a potent bisphosphonate with a slightly lower affinity to bone and a lower antiresorptive effect compared to zoledronic acid[8]. In the above mentioned study by Agholme, where the alendronate concentration was higher, there was a weak trend for the bone ingrowth to be reduced in the overdose group, and although the difference was non-significant this could simply represent a power problem related to the fact that the animals were harvested at four weeks compared to six weeks in our study. Little is known about the effect of bisphosphonates on bone formation. In vitro, bisphosphonates decrease the viability of cultured osteoblasts in a dose dependent way[19–21]. Apoptosis is induced in a wide range of cells, and not only in osteoclasts[22, 23]. Local tissue concentrations in vivo after systemic treatment are probably never as high as in the experimental conditions of the in vitro experiments[24], but might be when the graft is soaked in bisphosphonate solution. It has been speculated that the reduced bone formation using local treatment is caused by unbound bisphosphonate being released, reaching high tissue concentrations also in vivo. Therefore rinsing the allograft after soaking has been proposed to decrease this effect on bone formation[11]. In a canine study[12], morsellised allografts were soaked in zoledronic acid at three different concentrations (0.005, 0.05 or 0.5 mg/mL). The grafts were rinsed in saline, and packed around a titanium implant. The amount of new bone around the implants was dose-dependent; greatest in the low-dose group but with no new bone formation observed in the high dose group. In our study the amount of bisphosphonate bound to the bone mineral seemed to be more important than unbound. Similar findings have been reported in another bone chamber study, comparing saline treated grafts with grafts soaked in alendronate, with or without subsequent rinsing[13]. In that study, the amount of alendronate implanted was estimated to be nearly 150 times higher in the unrinsed overdose group compared to the rinsed regular dose but rinsing the graft did not affect bone ingrowth distance. Histology was performed after one week to identify signs of any toxic effect, such as inflammatory cells and necrosis but the groups were similar. In both studies thus rinsing the allograft after bisphosphonate treatment seems to be of minor importance regarding the effects on bone formation, probably, due to a fast dilution of unbound bisphosphonate into the surrounding tissue. Instead, the amount of bound bisphosphonate, determined by the affinity to bone mineral of the bisphosphonate used, the concentration of the bisphosphonate solution and the soaking time, seems to be more important. Allograft bone have osteoconductive properties but also osteoinductive. BMP-7 is present and is released with increasing strain[25] together with other BMPs that are present in the bone matrix. When allograft bone is resorbed during remodelling, the matrix will be broken down and release growth factors inducing bone formation. If the resorption is restricted by bisphosphonates the release of growth factors will also be reduced and this could explain the decreased bone ingrowth distance.
Regarding resorption, we found a strong effect of the bisphosphonate compared to the saline controls, regardless of application mode. In this unloaded model, almost all of the graft as well as the newly formed bone had been resorbed in the saline controls and replaced by fat cell rich marrow in the remodelled part of the graft (Figure2). All groups with bisphosphonate treatment had a large amount of retained bone, more marked in the locally treated groups compared to the systemic single dose bisphosphonate, indicating a larger inhibitory effect by the local application over systemic. In the present, as well as in previous studies[13], rinsing allografts before implantation seems to be of minor importance also regarding the anti-resorptive effects of the bisphosphonates. The group with the densest bone in our study was local treatment with a long soaking time of 10 minutes, equivalent to the high concentration group in the Jakobsen study[12]. The marked clinical effect of a soaking time of only 5 seconds is noteworthy, which could probably be due to the fact that the allografts used were small, cancellous and freeze-dried which facilitated absorption. Further research is needed to evaluate the effects of bisphosphonates on bone grafts in humans and in a mechanically loaded situation. The in vivo effect on osteoblasts in bone remodelling is also a topic of further research.
In this study we found a strong effect on bone density by bisphosphonates but also inhibition of the ingrowth of new bone in grafts soaked for long time. Local treatment at surgery resulted in both denser bone and a reduced bone ingrowth distance compared to systemic treatment.
The project was supported by the Maggie Stephens foundation, the Swedish Research Council (project 2031), Greta and Johan Kock foundation, Alfred Österlund foundation, Stiftelsen för vanföra i Skåne, the Medical Faculty of Lund, and the European Commission (FRACQUAL-293434), the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems, Vinnova.
Authors' Affiliations
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- Aspenberg P, Astrand J: Bone allografts pretreated with a bisphosphonate are not resorbed. Acta Orthop Scand. 2002, 73: 20-23.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
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- Jeppsson C, Astrand J, Tagil M, Aspenberg P: A combination of bisphosphonate and BMP additives in impacted bone allografts. Acta Orthop Scand. 2003, 74: 483-489. 10.1080/00016470310017839.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
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- Tagil M, Aspenberg P, Astrand J: Systemic zoledronate precoating of a bone graft reduces bone resorption during remodeling. Acta Orthop. 2006, 77: 23-26. 10.1080/17453670610045650.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
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- Greiner S, Kadow-Romacker A, Lubberstedt M, Schmidmaier G, Wildemann B: The effect of zoledronic acid incorporated in a poly(D, L-lactide) implant coating on osteoblasts in vitro. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2007, 80: 769-775.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
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- The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2474/13/240/prepub
Pre-publication history
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


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ATA carnet procedures: un-resourced or partially resourced export/import stations
A number of ports and airports no longer have a permanent customs presence.
Recognising that ATA carnets are largely used by holders carrying merchandise in baggage, local arrangements should be in place accordingly so that carnet holders can, during normal office hours at least attend either the port/airport or local office, by appointment if necessary, to allow completion of the formalities relating to the offices of export/exit detailed below.
Regions should advise the Unit of Expertise (UoE) of arrangements so that queries from the Chamber of Commerce can be readily answered.

subset: commoncrawl


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Today, we're going to break down the "Top 7" split tests you should perform on your website first. Hopefully, this guide will give you a concrete, actionable strategy for getting started with split testing on your site.
Test #1 – Headings & Sub-headings
There's an often-cited statistic that claims that the average website visitor spends no more than seven seconds on your website before deciding whether to stay and look through your content or hit the back button and look for a different option (although recent research shows that this "window of opportunity" may be even smaller).
Because of these short attention spans, one of the first split tests you should carry out involves the specific wording of any headings and sub-headings you use on your site, as changes made to these elements can make a big difference in terms of getting visitors over this seven-second hump. Consider testing your current headline against one of the many headline formulas out there to see how effective and engaging you can make it.
Test #2 – Images
Although most graphics are added as an afterthought based on what "looks best", the truth is that images can have a dramatic impact on the effectiveness of various areas on your site.
To see how much of a difference images can make, consider the following case study, carried out by Jason Thompson of EmptyMind.org. Jason was interested in finding out whether a generic icon or a personal photo would lead more people to click through to his "Contact Me" page, and the results of his A/B split test were astonishing. Swapping out his plain old telephone icon for a closely cropped personal image led to a 48% increase in his clickthrough rate (CTR):
To test how effective the images on your website are, consider split testing images in any of the following places:
- In your graphic header
- Embedded in your page background
- In your "About Me" featured section
- In any buttons or icons that lead to personal connection opportunities
Test #3 – Calls to Action
In addition to the subject and placement of your images, consider split testing your calls to action. A call to action occurs any time you ask people to complete some behavior, whether that's clicking through to read your "About Me" page or purchasing a specific product from within your store.
Website readers are surprisingly responsive to different wording in these areas, so you might be surprised to find that changing your opt-in subscription button from reading "Click Now to Subscribe" to "Claim Your Free Reward Today" could result in a significant improvement in the number of opt-ins you receive. Remember, any time you're able to increase the percentage of visitors who take action on your promotions or offers, you'll likely see a corresponding increase in your overall profits!
Test #4 – Offers
Similarly, the way you word and structure your offers can play a big role in how effective these items are – but you won't know for sure until you split test them!
As an example, consider a case study of mobile phone retailer, Mobal, carried out by the staff at Visual Website Optimizer. The company wanted to determine whether offering three or four phones on their international cell phone sales page would lead to more sales. After carrying out the appropriate A/B split testing, the company was able to achieve a 27% increase in sales by including four phones in their product offerings:
Test #5 – Your Opt-in Form
If you aren't selling products but are instead trying to encourage as many of your website visitors as possible to sign up for your email newsletter, be aware that there are plenty of different elements surrounding your opt-in form that benefit from split testing.
Consider experimenting with any of the following options in order to maximize your opt-in rate:
- The location of your opt-in form on your website
- The style of opt-in form you use (pop-up versus lightbox versus embedded)
- The pages on which you place your opt-in form
- The colors and text you use in your form
- The number of fields required to subscribe to your list
Most email subscription programs operating today include split-testing features built-in to their programs, so consult with the customer service department of your email provider to see what opportunities are available to you.
Test #6 – Linked Text
Any time you use the text within your website to link out to another page (whether within your own website or on another page entirely), you're inviting your readers to click through and explore this new content. So why not make these invitations as appealing as possible by split testing the specific anchor text you use within your links?
As an example, suppose you want to filter visitors from your blog posts to your current "Specials" page to increase their likelihood of making purchases. Obviously, you'll want the text within your "Click here to view our specials" link to be as effective as possible, making it a good idea to test different variations of your linked text against each other to see which option offers the best results.
Test #7 – Colors
Colors play a powerful role in creating the "mood" of a website, but this effect goes beyond controlling the way visitors feel – it can actually influence how likely they are to buy from you!
As you likely incorporate different colors into a variety of different places on your website, the potential number of split tests you could run on your site's colors alone is quite high. Consider any of the following as possible staring places for this type of split test:
- Your background color
- The text in your header and headings
- Different colored structural elements throughout your site
- Your opt-in boxes or checkout buttons
- Call out text colors throughout your website
Remember to focus on a single element at a time when you're first getting started with split testing. As you build more experience and become more advanced with your split testing skills, you can begin to experiment with multivariate split testing, which will allow you to compare multiple elements at the same time while still understanding the statistical significance of your results.


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And the M train is orange and goes to Queens... Craaaazy!!!
But here's what's weird... the MTA has no night map.
What if you're a tourist. Or a native New Yorker and want to get home at midnight. You look at the map. You pick a route. You transfer to the R. And then you wait for an hour before realizing your train is never going to come because it doesn't run at night.
Now we're blessed to be one of the two subway systems in the world (can you name the other?) to run 24/7. Seriously. There are only two subways in the world that don't close down.
But the New York Subway ain't great at night. It runs less frequently than the other (every 20 minutes compared to every 15). And some lines don't run at all. That wouldn't be a big deal except the map doesn't tell you!
"See signs above platform or look online" is their advice. Not too useful if you're on the damn train!
Why do we have no "owl service" map? Can't I make one.
That was my offer I proposed to the MTA in an email.
Customer (Astoria Bike) - 06/21/2010 03:45 AM Is there an MTA subway map for night service? If so, could you please send it to me? If not, could I make one with photoshop and send it to you? Please send me a jpg (or similar) file of the map if possible.
This is their annoying response.
Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.
night map
Discussion Thread
Response (Andrea Popp) - 06/21/2010 02:43 PM This is in response to your recent e-mail to New York City Transit requesting a night map for the subway.
We appreciate your interest in New York City Transit. Please note, we do not offer a night map for the subway or buses. For scheduling information, we recommend you view the individual line maps, available on our website: http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/index.html
We hope this information is helpful and thank you for having taken the time to contact us.
Andrea Popp
Staff Analyst II
Question Reference #100621-000008
Product Level 1: NYC Transit Subway
Category Level 1: Information Request
Date Created: 06/21/2010 03:45 AM
Last Updated: 06/21/2010 02:43 PM
Status: Closed
So I want to make a night map. There should be one. (There would still a limbo between 10 and midnight or so.) But why is it too much to ask for a simple map of what runs between midnight at 6 AM? Or at least why won't they let some nerd like me make one for them?


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"Edgefield County as it Happens"
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God's Money and You: Part Four - Rules For Spending
By Pastor Philip Howle
web posted September 5, 2012
RELIGION –Warning: the following article, if taken seriously, has the potential to seriously ruin your current use of money. Changing the way we use money would be a good thing for the vast majority of us, since we are stewards, entrusted to use money that ultimately belongs to God. Last week we saw how angry we would be if our stock broker took money that we gave him to make us money and instead blew it all on himself. So we are going to keep looking at the implication of how we manage and handle God's money He has entrusted to us.
We begin this week by looking at some wisdom of an amazing man of faith, John Wesley. It is written that a distraught man frantically rode his horse up to John Wesley one day and was shouting, "Mr. Wesley, Mr. Wesley, something terrible has happened! Your house has burned to the ground!" The total loss of a home to fire is so hard for me to even imagine, and I know some of you have endured this. But is said that that Wesley slowly weighed the news for the moment, and then replied, "No. The Lord's house burned to the ground. That means one less responsibility for me."
Now before I tell you to have the same attitude, let me be honest and say that when I read that my first thought was "come on now let's get real!" But in reading more of Wesley, his reaction didn't stem from a denial of reality or some pie in the sky by and by theology, it was solidly grounded in the truth that all of his resources are God's.
It was this reality that also lead him to do another noteworthy act that we would do well to emulate. John Wesley refused to grow his spending as his income increased. He records that one year his income was 30 pounds and his living expenses 28 pounds, so he had 2 pounds to give away. The next year his income doubled, but he still managed to live on 28 pounds, so he had 32 pounds to give to the poor. In the third year, his income jumped to 90 pounds. Instead of letting his expenses rise with his income, he kept them to 28 pounds and gave away 62 pounds. In the fourth year, he received 120 pounds. As before, his expenses were 28 pounds, so his giving rose to 92 pounds. This practice continued throughout his life. Even when his income rose into the thousands of pounds sterling, he lived simply and he quickly gave away his surplus money. One year his income was a little over 1400 pounds. He lived on 30 pounds and gave away nearly 1400 pounds this is the equivalent of earning 1.2 million dollars from his preaching and giving 98% of it away.
Now it needs to be noted that he had no family to care for. God may lead you to such a lifestyle, but being prepared and saving money is not wrong at all. I commend to you the attitude behind the actions. He found his joy in Christ. More or less money in no way affected this. We said early on in our studies that money can easily become of the strongest pulls in our lives away from God.
Paul expressed this frighteningly 1 Timothy 6:6-10 "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, (7) for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. (8) But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (9) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (10) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs."
Wesley, coming from a heart satisfied in Christ, came up with following four rules in regards to spending. Warning, these are rough and if you follow them, you will buy a lot less, but prayerfully also find deeper satisfaction in Christ.
The first rule he gives us is "In spending this money, am I acting as if I owned it, or am I acting as the Lord's trustee?" In order to answer this question the purchase has to be evaluated and asked will Jesus like and approve of what I am buying? This will make you think about everything from a gluttonous buffet to a new DVD.
The second rule is the one that really gets me the most "What Scripture passage requires me to spend this money in this way?"Understand that my temptation to spend money is on expensive goatskin Bibles (notice plural, I have too many!), so I can easily say that Jesus likes Bibles and nail the first one. But, I can't find anywhere in Scripture that can commend me to own multiple expensive copies of God's word? I can't, if you can great please share it with me!
The third rule is "Can I offer up this purchase as a sacrifice to the Lord?" How tightly do you cling to what you buy? Do you refuse to share it or let it define you as a person? If God called you to give it away could you do so joyfully?
The fourth rule is "Will God reward me for this expenditure at the resurrection of the just?" In other words, is what I am going to buy going to merit me the approval of Jesus when I stand before Him? This is a rough one as well, I see Jesus slapping me in the back of head and saying "Really, you actually bought 35 dollar titanium collapsible travel chopsticks!" In my defense, I was going on a mission trip to China and needed to be prepared!
The point is, is the way you are handling God's money pleasing Him? Furthermore, is the way you are handling your money working out for you? If we really believe God is the owner of all that has been entrusted to us, shouldn't we be regularly asking him, "What do you want me to do with your money and your possessions?" And shouldn't we be open to the possibility that he may want us to share large portions of his assets with those whose needs are greater than ours? (Wesley information collected from Randy Alcorn, Money)
Seeking to find greater joy in Jesus than the sweet aroma of a new highland goatskin Bible from Scotland!
Pastor Phillip
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Holding residencies at both Disco Volante (OneSixOne) and Cantina Sundays (Acland Street Cantina), Jules H is quickly finding his comfort zones behind the decks. With a wide range of music from the latest in techno and deep house to the classics of the house world there doesn't seem to be a scene that Jules isn't willing to tackle.
Being a relative newcomer to the Melbourne music scene, Jules has progressively increased his abilities as a DJ with both his residencies and a monthly spot on the lineup at Penny Blue, rubbing shoulders with some of Melbourne's elite deep and tech house DJs including Ben Monaghan, Lyndal Spencer, Hoops and Jack Love.
With many countless nights spent in and around some of Chapel Streets premiere night spots, his love of music quickly grew, as did his intrigue of playing himself. Being influenced by Melbourne's best DJs such as Greg Sara, Luke Vecchio, Hoops, Boogs and JMCEE.
No doubt Jules is definitely one to watch out for in the near future as he continues to learn and grow as a DJ. Although Jules has only been playing for 3 months, he strives to constantly do bigger and better things with the Decks. We cant wait to see what Jules can accomplish in the upcoming months.


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James Brunton Stephens
James Brunton Stephens Poems
Comments about James Brunton Stephens
Hark how the tremulous night-wind is passing in joy-laden sighs;
Soft through my window it comes, like the fanning of pinions angelic,
Whispering to cease from myself, and look out on the infinite skies.
Out on the orb-studded night, and the crescent effulgence of Dian;
Out on the far-gleaming star-dust that marks where the angels have trod;
Out on the gem-pointed Cross, and the glittering pomp of Orion,
Flaming in measureless azure, the coronal jewels of God;
Luminous streams of delight in the silent ...
The Dark Companion
There is an orb that mocked the lore of sages
Long time with mystery of strange unrest;
The steadfast law that rounds the starry ages
Gave doubtful token of supreme behest.
But they who knew the ways of God unchanging,
Concluded some far influence unseen --
Some kindred sphere through viewless ethers ranging,
Whose strong persuasions spanned the void between.


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Papa's Italian Sausage
Ah, behold the subtle interplay of light and shadow. I haven't seen a sausage photographed this tastefully since I uninstalled Snapchat.
First Time At The 'Garden?
Spaghetti and alfredo sauce is and always will be an artless combination, something a rookie pasta eater might ignorantly order at random off the main menu. When it arrives, he has to pretend that this is what he wanted, and eat the whole thing to save face. It's really quite sad. I had a good seven minute conversation with my waitress as to how this was not the case with me, that I am actually a very important food blogger. She seemed convinced, but would not inform the chef as I instructed.
The Classic - 2016 Edition
I'm going to say it here and now - grilled chicken is a phenomenal topping, the best Olive Garden has ever offered, bar none. I know that this may scandalize the old guard, but the meatball has been dethroned. Grilled chicken for life. Gaze upon the new classic. Hail to the king.
The Seven Best and Worst of 2014-2015
The pasta pass is back for 2016! As a little appetizer to this year's blog, let's have some fun. In honor of my favorite seven weeks, here's a look back at my seven favorite - and least favorite - pastas from the past two years.
Really looking forward to 2016's Never Ending Pasta Bowl! Watch this space. :)
If you're new to the world of All of Garden, please click here.
Thank you all for reading through my blog! It was a labor of love, and while I looked forward to each date and each bowl of pasta, I am very glad to be done. If you're wondering what I'm eating these days, it's mostly homemade food, supplemented with regular trips to my local Del Taco. I have not yet gotten a craving for pasta.
A very special thanks to all 50 of my dates, as well as two dates that didn't make it onto the blog proper due to poor photography on my part. Isai and Zoo, I hope that the free food was compensation enough for your time. I enjoyed my meal with each of you.
This will be my final post for 2015. If the Neverending Pasta Bowl returns next year, I may as well. Not sure what sort of blog it'll be then. I'm thinking something travel-related; going to new cities and exploring the regional cuisine was a fun part of this year's outing.
Until then - stay hungry, my friends.
(one last bad selfie for the road)
Day Fifty-One: Analysis Part Two: Budget
The question I am asked second-most (after the first) is if I'm getting my "money's worth out of that pass, haha!!"
Yes and no.
I received the Pasta Pass Family edition, which covered my meal and the meal of up to three additional guests. Dinners were always a one-on-one affair, but for lunches I'd usually treat three (sometimes fewer) friends or coworkers. On average, I'd estimate the number of Neverending Pasta Bowls procured per day at around five.
Average Olive Garden Meal:
Entree: $9.99
Drink: $2.80*
Topping: $3.00
Ravioli: $0.40**
Pre-Tax Total: $16.19
Grand Total: $17.49
*Coca Cola products are $2.99, and are comped by the pass. Almost everyone got one, but not everybody
**Ravioli is an additional $2.99. Most people didn't get it - I'm averaging
That $9.99 NEPB you saw advertised added up quick, eh?
So! With 49 days and roughly 5 of these meals comped per day, the total amount of money saved was $4,285.05. The Pasta Pass Family edition retailed this year for $300, so I definitely did get my money's worth! But that's not the whole story...
While I did get an enormous amount of free food, the pass doesn't cover everything. Sometimes, my date would order something that wasn't a Never Ending Pasta Bowl (I know, I know, that should've been a red flag). Dipping sauces, desserts, alcoholic beverages, flavored teas, other entrees - none of these are covered by the pass. Being a gentleman, I'd usually pay for them out of pocket with only the slightest of passive-aggressive remarks. I'd estimate these incidentals cost me around $75 over the course of the seven weeks.
Far more significant were the tips. I tipped $5, per person, per meal. I occasionally paid for the tips of my lunchtime friends/coworkers, and always paid for my dates. Here are some numbers!
$75 of assorted incidentals
49 lunches at $7.50 tip each (average based off tipping for myself and occasionally friends) : $367.50
53 dinners at $10 tip each : $530
Total: $972.50
It's true what they say: there ain't no free lunch!
Day Fifty - Analysis Part One: Nutrition
For those of you who like facts and figures, here are some rough calculations I did about my pasta adventure this year. I'll be splitting this over a few days, because it's a lot of info, and I need to be gently weaned off my blogging habit lest I go cold turkey and get "blogger's shakes".
Today, I'll present some stats about my nutrition! What happens when a (physically) normal 27-year-old eats nothing but Olive Garden food for 49 days in a row?
One of the most frequent things people asked me on my dates was how much weight I gained. The answer is: some, but probably not as much as you'd think. Let's do the numbers!
Weight on October 5, 2015: 56.0 kg (~123 pounds)
Weight on November 23, 2015: 57.2 kg (~126 pounds)
Gaining three pounds over two months isn't exactly something to strive for, but if you're on a reverse-Atkins diet, I think you're doing alright.
The Never Ending Pasta Bowl Diet
Over the 49 days, I ate 102 meals at Olive Garden - 49 lunches, and 53 dinners. Occasionally I'd double-book an evening to work with my dates' schedules, or just because I was particularly hungry. The numbers following are all averages, and not exact.
My lunches were with coworkers, friends, acquaintances, etc, and were not blogged about. Consequently, I typically ate the same thing every time:
|Two breadsticks
|Three salads with croutons, no dressing
|Four Coke Zeroes
|Entree: Penee, Marinara, Chicken Meatball
|One breadstick
|Four Coke Zeroes
|Three salads with croutons, no dressing
|Entree: Random pasta, Random Sauce, Random Topping
Dinners are trickier to calculate, because each entree was different. The only significant change from a calorie perspective was removal of one breadstick (-140 calories) and the replacement of the Marinara sauce with alfredo-based sauces (2/3 of the time) and Chicken Pomodoro (1/3 of the time). This simple change averages out to be an increase of about 340 calories a day (!) and I suspect is the cause of my weight gain.
Total Calories Consumed
So, using those numbers, we'll do some quick math.
49 lunches at 1,400 calories each: 68,600 lunch calories
53 dinners at 1,600 calories each: 84,800 dinner calories
no snacks, desserts, breakfasts, or non-OG food of any sort
153,400 calories (~3,130 per day)
That might seem like a lot, since the nutrition guidelines on the back of most food advise you to stick to around 2000 calories a day. It seems like much less when you realize this would actually be a restrictive diet for most of us Americans.
I want to stress this point: I never exercised solely for the purpose of exercising. I find exercise extremely boring and avoid it whenever possible, as is evident by my puny girl arms. However, I have a fairly active job and I biked to and from the Olive Garden regularly, so it balanced out, mostly.
Let's wrap this up. Why didn't I get gross and super fat like that asshole from Super Size Me?
Calories In, Calories Out
"Health" as a general category is really complicated! I definitely don't fully understand it, and don't claim to. But weight gain and loss is simple physics - matter/energy can't be created or destroyed. Fat doesn't magically appear on your body, and if you do work (in a physics sense, that is; exerting force on other objects) the energy that you expend likewise must come from somewhere.
Simply put, if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. The reverse is, of course, also true. It really is that simple: the laws of physics do not allow any other way. It doesn't matter if you eat big macs, neverending pasta bowls, boiled broccoli and lean chicken, or cabbage soup. Calories in and calories out is the only thing that matters in the context of simple weight change.
Thanks for reading this long as heck post! Tomorrow I'll write about the financial side of the Pasta Pass.
Day Forty-Nine: Miranda
Demeanor -- Chardonnay-like: extremely white; an acquired taste, but rewarding
Feelings about the Olive Garden -- "It's strange that you'd ask me that, given that we are best friends and have been for thirteen years (and counting). Anyway, it's pretty good."
Response to my threat to quote the ridiculous things she said in her blog entry -- "Don't count my quotes before they're hatched. From my brain."
Snapshot --
On our walk to the OG, we passed a peaceful creek where some ducks were happily nibbling on the fresh algae. I reflected on the beauty and tranquility of nature even here, in the midst of the world's brightest and noisiest city. As I was about to share these feelings, Miranda, completely unprovoked, screamed gibberish at the ducks and they flew away.
She looked at me smugly. "Yeh. I scared those birds what good."
True to her bizarrely-phrased response to my contractually obligated question, Miranda is, indeed, my best friend of thirteen years (and counting). She flew all the way from Austin, Texas, our hometown, to be the final date for my blog! She's funny and complicated and is responsible for my being the man I am today more than any single person I could name, save for my immediate family. Thanks for dining with me, bro - I love you very much.
No homo.
0 more dates to go. I'm...I'm free...
Today's pasta was
The End
The End
Since the invention of pasta, there have been five dishes that were rated the most scrumptious, the most pure. This one left them all behind.
Pictured here is The End - fin.
Day Forty-Eight: Sarah
Demeanor -- Champagne-like: sparkling
Feelings about the Olive Garden -- "This is my first time here. Actually," she adds, fruitlessly attempting to wrap the linguine around her fork, "this is my first time eating any long pasta at all. Harder than it looks."
Lifetime average of bachelor's degree accrual -- 1.0 every four years
Snapshot --
"Yes, I am a sexist. I would never have a female doctor."
I'm taken aback, but also impressed that she can say something so controversial with such candor. "Why?"
She shrugs. "Women are too emotional."
I am sure that I'm not the first person in Sarah's life to describe her as a renaissance woman. While it's easy to be wowed by her education or penchant for riding a motorcycle in four-inch heels, to leave a picture of her at that is selling her criminally short. Smart, ambitious, witty, and fiercely honest, she was a fascinating conversationalist no matter the topic. Whether we discussed the biological basis of the different ethnicities in aliens, private World of Warcraft servers we've hosted, laboratory work dress code, or children's fiction, Sarah never missed a beat and was simultaneously very polite to our waitress, which I always take as a sign of good breeding.
1 more date to go.
Today's pasta was
Two Legs Bad, Four Legs Delicious
Two Legs Bad, Four Legs Delicious
This dish combines cow, pig, and chicken into an entire farm on a plate. I'm a vegetarian when I'm not doing this blog, but this sort of thing really reminds you why people eat meat in the first place. Animals are tasty as heck!!
Pictured here is Two Legs Bad, Four Legs Delicious - all pastas are equal, but some are more equal than others.


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First of all, thanks Ian for your comment on the previous post. I can't really recommend a good place to start with Thomas Merton, since The Seven Storey Mountain is the first thing I have read by him. It is, my comments from the other day notwithstanding, very readable and interesting.
I've had a really busy couple of days in the parishes, so did not see twitter at all for 48 hours or so. Lots of interesting things to read. Here are a few of them.
It seems there was a Panorama programme about chocolate, more specifically about child labour within the cocoa trade. The fairtrade chocolate people have been responding (here and here and probably elsewhere as well), pointing out that the part of the programme showing a fairtrade producer was dealing with how the fairtrade organisation stops child labour when they find it happening. Good. I shall continue to eat Dark Divine.
An incredible knitting project has finished. Most people knit one sock at a time. Some knit two at a time on one long needle. This guy knitted 14 at a time on one humongous needle. One pair for each day of the week – makes sense when you think about it. His knitting bag is even bigger than mine.
I don't often blog about maths but, given I studied it first time round at uni, I feel the need to reassure Joe Taxpayer that their contributions were not in vain and I am still interested in the subject. A famous mathematician (yes, there are others) has apparently refused or is about to refuse another big prize for his work solving the Poincare Conjecture. He is Russian, and some Russian charities are asking him not to refuse the prize, but to accept it and donate the cash to good causes in Russia. Interesting. Should charities hold people to ransom like this? I don't think so. Should people turn down legitimately earned money because they have enough? Maybe if the money would then automatically go to support another mathematician and further the course of human knowledge. Maybe not, if they can see a better use for it that they can influence. I'm in danger of siding with the charities here, and I've not even started in on the relative merits of academic work and child poverty.
Finally, I'm very excited about this software. Openshot: A non-linear video editor for Linux. I've looked at video editing stuff for the Mac and rather liked the look of it – this seems to be a start for Linux. I'll install it after my next Ubuntu upgrade. Why do I always seem to have a hankering for upgrading a month before the next release? The end of March/beginning of April seems to send me into software envy every year. It is worse this time – I didn't upgrade to Ubuntu 9.10 since I was too busy when it came out. I've since tried it on a live cd and found that the touchscreen on my laptop works! I cannot overstate how cool I find this to be. My laptop has a turny-roundy screen that folds down so you can use it like a piece of paper. I've never actually used it because it only worked in Windows up to now and I only use windows once in a blue moon and have no data on that partition at all.
In other news, I've nearly finished the book my book group started reading in December. Villette by Charlotte Bronte. I read it 10 years ago and loved it, but could remember nothing about it. Loving it even more this time. I suggested a Jasper Fforde book for this month, on the grounds that I have read it and so get a month off! I hear it is being quite well-received.


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Come join us aboard the Miss Daisy pontoon boat for a two hour scenic tour along the Pithlaschascotee River (Cotee) in beautiful New Port Richey!
Your tour will then go out to the Gulf of Mexico where you will see famous mansions including the home of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, the unique stilt homes along the coast -and even spy on dolphins frolicking along with the other native sea life and shorebirds galore!
Captain Ray Kelly shares the legend and lore of the area including the story of how New Port Richey was poised to be the "Hollywood of the East," with Thomas Meighan and silent film stars creating a mecca back in the 1920s.
Enjoy a meal before or after your tour at Gill Dawg's or at any number of restaurants in downtown New Port Richey. You may also bring your own snacks, refreshments, or libations in your own coolers on board. There is a private toilet on the Miss Daisy II.
Contact Us to Schedule your tour. Call 727.819.1754


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At the Michigan Art Education Association conference entitled "The Industry of Art" I was privledged to hear visionary artist Tyree Guyton speak and to view his work at the Heidelberg Project in Detroit, MI. (See more information here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy9nLV9ytKM). Tyree Guyton is an inspiration to me as both an artist and an art educator.
Guyton was born in 1955 in Detroit, MI, and he lived in an East Side neighborhood and watched the neighborhood change and deteriorate. As people left the Heidelberg neighborhood, they left trash and debris. Also, people from surrounding neighborhoods dumped their trash on the empty and abandoned lots in the Heidelberg neighborhood. Statistically 60% of the men from this area of Detroit were either dead or in prison by the age of 28. Rather than fleeing the neighborhood or allowing discouragement to lead to inactivity, Tyree Guyton decided to use his artistic talents to wage against the urban blight surrounding him. In 1986 Tyree Guyton and his grandfather began painting colorful dots on the side of their home, and this became the start of the internationally recognized "Heidelberg Project." Guyton is described as an "urban environmenal artist" because he gathers the debris left in the neighborhood and he creates a continually changing outdoor art gallary. Guyton's work challenges the boundary between art and life, and he has faced opposition to the Heidelberg project in the past. His work raises the imperative questions pertaining to the definition, function, and purpose of art.
Tyree Guyton inspires me as an artist because he is incredibly resilient, resourceful, and hard working. Tyree uses the materials available to him in order to communicate a powerful messege and to revitalize his community. When I visited the Heidelberg Project, Guyton was hard at work raking leaves, caring for the community he lives within.
Tyree Guyton inspires me as an art educator, because he is an unconventional and incredible art educator within his neighborhood. He involves the children in creating art, and he has mentored several children who have literally been "raised up" within the Heidelberg project.
This is Tyree Guyton's childhood home. Currently his mother still lives in this home. When she passes away the home will be turned into a museum. The colored dots on the building symbolize each individual person and the interconnectedness of humanity.
Some of Tyree Guyton's work is less political and more playful. Guyton simply likes taxis, so he paints them.
Although this painted tire with long grasses growing inside of it is a small change in the neighborhood, I found this detail to be very compelling. What can I do to improve my immediate surroundings, both physically and socially?
This sculpture serves as a recent memorial to the oil spill in the south.
Like this sculpture, Guyton's work seems to communicate the tension between hope and despair.
Cultural Landscapes, 4th Grade
1 day ago


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I'm curious about the invalidation model for caches in HTTP. Section 13.10 specifies invalidation based upon PUT, POST, DELETE and unrecognised methods, based upon the Request-URI, as well as the Location and the Content-Location headers. That's sensible and fairly straightforward, but the end of section 13.6 gives us this; > If a cache receives a successful response whose Content-Location > field matches that of an existing cache entry for the same Request- > URI, whose entity-tag differs from that of the existing entry, and > whose Date is more recent than that of the existing entry, the > existing entry SHOULD NOT be returned in response to future > requests and SHOULD be deleted from the cache. This seems to re-specify 13.6, but for all methods (including GET) and just Content-Location, and without the security model. Am I reading this correctly ("the same" is a little confusing)? If so, it might be more clear if this text were moved to 13.0 in errata. Also shouldn't the security model be applied to this type of invalidation as well? Cheers, -- Mark Nottingham email@example.com on Monday, 3 April 2006 21:27:32 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 1 March 2016 11:10:39 UTC


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Tagged: Aaron Bonus
Westland: Styling my first music video
Last weekend I had the privileged to work with the band Westland on their upcoming music video. They needed a cohesive look and I was brought onto the production team as stylist. Thankfully three great companies were willing to let me use clothing for the shoot. Last week I ran around to their various showrooms to grab looks. At my stop with 611 Lifestyle I was able to get some great flannels, dyed long sleeve tees, and a few slogan tees. Metro Mens Clothing had more "preppy" looks including this great Penguin brand jacket (fourth picture seen below). RAGs & Thread provided me with a handful of super soft crew and v-neck graphic tees that the boys of Westland loved! The day of the shoot while choosing outfit options, I snapped a few shots of the guys. The lighting was off so apologies for the quality. You'll have to wait until the video releases to see what they actually ended up wearing!
Tee: 611 Lifestyle
Tee and flannel: 611 Lifestyle
Long and short sleeve tees: 611 Lifestyle
Tee: RAGs & Thread – Sweater: Original Penguin compliments of Metro Mens Clothing
Dyed tee: 611 Lifestyle – Jacket: vintage Versace
Tee: RAGs & Thread – Jacket: compliments of Metro Mens Clothing
Shirt: 611 Lifestyle – Tie: Rooster
Tee: RAGs & Thread – Jacket: Andrew Marc – Sunglasses: Porsche Design – Scarf: vintage
A dark scene of what's to come!
So happy to have my friend Meghan with me. She worked her hair and make-up skills.
Check out her beauty page, MCX Expert Hair and Make Up!
I'll upload the video and official band shots once they are finished!


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POT TV – Cannabis commentator 'Radical' Russ Belville is on the air – and now on Pot TV – with The Russ Belville Show. In this episode: Press conference from the American Chemical Society on the use of hemp to replace graphene in supercapacitors.
ALSO: Jamie Lowell from Planet Green Trees Radio in Michigan.
Watch more episodes of The Russ Belville Show on Pot TV.


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Google+ introduced Communities a short while ago, and it changed everything. Before, as a G+ user, I roamed in a white void of nothingness. There was no "friends" to share stuff with, because heck, no one but real geeks paid any attention to G+ after the initial "invite-only" fad. I knew there're people out there, but without an initiative, I had no reason to reach out to any of them. Communities changed all this. I was able to search on topics that interest me, from the uninspiring tech topics such as Android to actual interests such as coffee and primal diet. I was able to post on each communities different threads, and I would be getting constructive responses because the people reading them would have the same interest as me.
Here's an example, I posted a photo of a box of disposable drip coffee on both Facebook and G+'s Coffee community. On Facebook, I got the usual "cool", "what's this?" from friends and maybe friends of friends. On G+, I invoked fellow coffee lovers who provided me with actual useful insights as to how to best use this box of coffee.
Another example, I joined this Vibram Five Fingers community, which was very new and got all but 6 members. Even with very limited action in this community, I was able to discover an online store that was doing some big discounts on VFFs.
I think to sum it up, G+ Communities provided a channel for much deeper discussions whereas Facebook comments are either all too shallow or flame wars.
I spend a lot of time on G+ everyday now that I have joined a good dozen or so communities. I have learned a lot in topics that interests me, and I strongly believe this is a much better use of time than browsing people's pet photos or commenting on their status of how life sucks.
I urge all of you who have given up on Google+ to give it another shot, purely in playing around with Communities. I promise that you'll be pleasantly surprised in how much an addition of one simple feature can help you learn so much more.
(btw I don't work for Google and I get nothing for promoting their service. But I do get great gratification by knowing more people are taking advantage of this and therefore getting to learn more about stuff that they care to learn about.)


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Cyklar! Exhibition at Vandalorum
Have a look at the Cyklar (Swedish for bike) exhibit at the Swedish art and design foundation Vandalorum. This is the first show to take place there too and that's 13 year's after establishing the foundation. The Brooks England Blog has a great write-up and photos to accompany it.


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Three Devon and Cornwall police officers have been charged with manslaughter and misconduct following the death of paranoid schizophrenic Thomas Orchard while in custody in Exeter.
Sergeant Jan Kingshott and Custody Detention Officers Simon Tansley and Michael Marsden will appear at Exeter Magistrates' Court on 29 January, 2015.
The suspended trio were charged by the Crown Prosecution Service following an incident in October 2012 when Orchard was found bound in handcuffs and in leg restraints while in a cell at Heavitree Police Station Custody Unit.
He lost consciousness half an hour later and eventually slipped into a coma. He died at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital on October 10.
Malcolm McHaffie, CPS Deputy Head of Special Crime, said: "Sergeant Jan Kingshott and Custody Detention Officers Simon Tansley and Michael Marsden, all of Devon & Cornwall Constabulary, have been charged with the manslaughter of Thomas Orchard and with misconduct in public office.
"As part of our review of this case we have also decided that there is insufficient evidence to bring charges against three Devon & Cornwall police constables and an on-site custody nurse employed by Serco.
Commenting on the charges, Devon and Cornwall Police chief constable Shaun Sawyer said: "Our thoughts are with the family of Thomas Orchard at this difficult time.
"The two-year long investigation that has followed has been difficult for all of those involved.
"The case was subject to an immediate referral to the IPCC by the Force and has been independently conducted by them since 2012. The Force and all officers and staff involved have fully co-operated with investigators from the IPCC and, latterly, the Health and Safety Executive throughout their investigation."
Mr Sawyer added: "We note the decision announced by the CPS today, regarding the Police Officer and two members of Police Staff to be charged with criminal offences. No further criminal action will be taken against three further officers and a contractor who was working within the custody centre.
"As a result of being charged a decision has been made that the officer and two members of staff have been suspended and this will be continually reviewed.


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As they say in the millinery business, not only is there a hat for every occasion, there's an occasion for every hat. Which is sort of like saying every day can be a hat day. Good thing that the UK milliner Philip Treacy makes tons of hats to choose from every season (plus this one that looks more like a black veil). That's right, in addition to supplying hats for the stage, hats for royal weddings, hats for traveling exhibitions, he'll also make hats for regular customers with regular occasions, even if the occasion is walking down the street. Behold his fall 2014 collection...
The skinny-heel pushback is well underway. The latest evidence comes from Acne Studios, whose plus-size women's Quad shoe for fall takes the best of the traditional oxford and adds an enlarged cube toe, as well as a chunky sole, for beautiful-the-way-I-am appeal. Available in white on white, black on white, and brown camo on black.
$600 at Acne Studios stores and acnestudios.com
The original Dover Street Market in London has reached its first decade — or it will on September 10 — and what a glorious ten years it's been. Judging from the swirl of launches, limited editions, and special events surrounding the tenth anniversary, Rei Kawakubo — and, by extension, her Comme des Garçons label — couldn't be happier.
In fact, on the topic of happy, Pharrell Williams has launched his new scent GIRL to coincide with the festivities, marking the occasion with a special colored box. Additionally, spaces have been constructed for Louis Vuitton's fall collection — the first by its new creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière — and for Nike Lab, including its sneaker collaboration with DSM.
Designers and friends of DSM have also created commemorative pieces, such as Simone Rocha's pointed silver shoes, Stella McCartney's kids items, and Phoebe English's T-shirts. Souvenir items either designed or chosen by Kawakubo — flip flops, mugs, tote bags — have been given their own stalls, while the whole store is clad in a poster installation emblazoned with quotes from Kawakubo herself.
But, in typically contrarian Comme style, the house would now like to divert your attention from its first ten years and focus on the next ten years. To that end, Kawakubo has compiled a list of future-oriented books and films for you to consume as you adopt DSM not only as a retail destination, but a life philosophy. In other words, it's pretty much mandatory.
Rick Owens doesn't do anything by dribs and drabs. So his Selfridges takeover isn't schlocky window dressing, but a storewide installation anchored by a massive, imposing monument to himself — a 25-foot, 1.5-ton sculpture of his toned torso. Created by artist and house collaborator Doug Jennings, the fiberglass statue — which took 20 members of Hot House construction crew 12 weeks to build — holds up a torch that will glow 12 hours a day and burst with flame each quarter hour. A takeover celebrating 20 years since his first collection demands nothing less than Selfridges' most exhaustive designer focus to date.
Additionally, Owens has created a series of conceptual exhibits in four key windows. Three of the four windows are inspired by Owens' favorite opera, Salomé, with music by Richard Strauss and words by Oscar Wilde. "[Salomé] is a ridiculously lurid biblical story about obsession with beautiful purity and the drive to destroy it," says Owens. "Depravity and elegance is one of my favorite combos." The fourth window features an 'impossible' staircase made of black wood appearing to descend to Selfridges' Concept Store, where an immersive curation of items — furniture, tableware, books, albums (Jayne County's autobiography!) — shed light on Owens' creative universe.
Finally, Owens has designed a limited-edition, 20-piece collection under his DRKSHDW label. The collection includes trans-seasonal, mostly unisex styles emblematic of his aesthetic, including the crinkled leather jacket, tunics, and do-rags. The collection will be available in various Selfridges locations.
Hedi Slimane's unlikely love affair with Los Angeles shows no signs of cooling off. Not only did he relocate Saint Laurent's atelier to Tinseltown — a major move, to say the least — upon becoming creative director of the French house last year, now he's opening the brand's largest women's store on Rodeo Drive, smack in the middle of Beverly Hills. This effectively snatches the title of global flagship from Paris.
The three-level, 10,000-square-foot space will launch in September, according to WSJ magazine, with the top floor dedicated to VIPs and, perhaps more importantly, their stylish progeny — this is Hollywood, after all. There's going to be a secret back entrance and everything. The news comes on the heels of financial reports suggesting Saint Laurent has become very profitable for parent company Kering (formerly PPR), perhaps its most profitable label. It would seem Slimane's reboot has found traction.
Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy — who told Hint a while back he aspires to make clothes for those born after 1991, the year the USSR formally ended — does not fit neatly into a box. His design sensibility is challenging not for the usual reasons (deconstruction, asymmetry, tech fabrics), but because it plays with notions of dated, obsolete, tacky glamour often associated with oligarch wives — in the way Prada refers to Germany's Stasi style.
Take these jackets, for example, the clear standouts in a collection otherwise full of skater prints and street influences. Their nubby faux-fur fadedness is undeniable, owing to the fact they're made of 100% polyester, an intentionally down-market decision. They look faux for other reasons, too. Although they're unisex, they're sized in US men's designations and made in Romania, not exactly a style hotbed or important manufacturing center.
$570 - $730 at Opening Ceremony
Except for a short gap between 2011 and 2013, Raf Simons has been going at it for Fred Perry, tweaking the sporty label's signatures to his own off-kilter ends. Fall 2014 is their 10th collection, a study in artful patch and pocket placement, Haçienda-inspired diagonal stripes (made famous by Peter Saville), and color-blocked knits.
One of the more statement pieces is the diamond-quilted Raf bomber in green, applied with patches of diagonal striped fabric. Other key pieces include the optical-stripe Raf shirt, the two-button Raf sweat, and the lace-knit Raf sweater — in autumnal shades of royal purple, burgundy, pine green, navy, and Halloween orange.
$160 - $495 in Fred Perry Laurel Wreath shops and Fred Perry
You know a new season is here, or almost here, when Proenza Schouler's new stock arrives in its e-store. A ton of new fall arrivals just went up on the site, in all their building insulation glory. So while it may sound icky and prickly now, in the summer heat, just wait until the colder months — by October, you'll be begging for some thermal foam on your body. And remember, the boys make their fabrics from scratch, so while it looks like insulation, it is not technically insulation. Concept over trends.
Also on the site, you can catch up with all the cute street posters the duo have made to promote their stores, which, with the addition of the brand-new Soho location, totals two.
Shop Proenza Schouler or select from below...
In the great tradition of the namesake designer, Sarah Burton continues to pay homage to society's damned and discarded in her Alexander McQueen collections. For men's fall 2014, she looked to the British photographer John Deakin for historical inspiration. Before dying broke and all but forgotten in 1972, Deakin regularly took photos of Lucian Freud's strange coterie, which the modern master often used to paint his lumpy, languid nudes.
As gold outlines, these works of modern art live on in the house's fall 14 offerings, as do a striking portrait of the poet Oliver Bernard on the front of a white shirt — pictured with the same collar as the shirt itself — and a self-portrait of Deakin splashed across the entirety of a tux-topcoat hybrid.
Shop Alexander McQueen men's pre-fall or select from below...


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Welcome to the Parasite C.O.W.
Every Monday I will post a new case, as well as the answer to the previous (you'll find it below the corresponding case). Please feel free to leave a comment or your thoughts regarding the diagnosis. Click on the images to enlarge. Enjoy!
Case 4
This microscopic arthropod is just a larva but is capable of spreading disease.
Name a disease it spreads.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Parasite Case of the Week 4
Posted by Bobbi Pritt at 4:35 AM
3 comments:
Is this a trombiculid mite? if so, it could spread scrub typhus.
- January 15, 2008 at 2:11 PM
Sorry for the unrelated posting here, but I cannot figure out where else to place the question. Anyone know of an anti-helmith agent with a trade name Zentax?
Thanks -- will have to give more thought to the arthropod . . .
- January 17, 2008 at 10:14 AM
- Parasite Gal said...
Could it be Zentel? That's a trade name for Albendazole.
- January 17, 2008 at 1:40 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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This week, women around the world used the hashtag #metoo to talk openly about their experiences of sexual harassment following the allegations made against Harvey Weinstein
I host a topical comedy show on BBC Radio 4 Extra called Newsjack. I open the show with a monologue about the week's news. This week, in my monologue, I talked about Harvey Weinstein and #metoo. i wanted to because I was angry, and am lucky enough to have a platform to say what I want, not a big one, but a bigger one than many.
Now, obviously because of editing and time restrictions in the show, not everything I wrote could go in. I usually write a 7 page monologue. This week it was 13 pages! So I thought I would post that bit of my script here, in case anyone heard the edited version and fancied hearing the full thing. And also to clarify some of the points that might be raised from the edited version:
So this is the full version that I recorded pre-edit.
"Over the past couple of weeks, allegations of sexual harassment and assault continue to be made against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Weinstein released a response to the allegations, in which he said he was seeking therapy to address his issues.
A line that famous people tend to wheel out when they are in trouble; one always suspects they seek self preservation rather than self improvement. If a film star gets caught drunk driving they've told the world they are in rehab before their hangover kicks in.
Many female stars have since come forward with an alarming number of their own stories regarding Weinstein's behaviour.
The response from men in Hollywood has ranged from shocked and supportive to "wait a minute, what did you just say Ben Affleck?"
Far too many of these responses have used a variation of the phrase "As a father of daughters"
Your status as a father of a daughter should be irrelevant. Surely you have mothers, sisters, partners and female friends? Do you not care about them?
I've started pre-fixing my arguments with similar pointless statements. "Why have I blocked your car in? Well, speaking as a Sagittarian…"
If being a father to a daughter made you treat women better, how the hell do you explain, Henry VIII?
But for the record, I find the whole concept of parenthood making you somehow more compassionate infuriating. Compassion doesn't just belong to parents and nobody else. It doesn't arrive in amniotic fluid.
Some compassionate people have children. Some don't. Some not very compassionate people have children, some don't. Piers Morgan has children.
End of argument
People are also asking why these women didn't speak out sooner. Really?
Speaking out against people in power is frightening. Especially if the people in power are you route to complaint. It's a lot to do with self preservation. If you are a prisoner in Shawshank, you are unlikely to be too honest about what you write on the prisoner feedback and complaints forms
Also, as we've learned, the problem is ubiquitous. It's ingrained in the experience of being a woman. We grew up surrounded by euphemistic terms for sexual harassment. I hate the term casting couch. Such an innocuous term for such a violent abuse of power. You wouldn't call the electric chair 'the buzzy sofa'. Casting couch makes it sound harmless, almost fun, like water boarding
We have grown up with this acceptance of sexual harassment as part of our lives. How many times have we heard things like "he's a nice guy, just don't be alone in a room with him", or "he doesn't mean anything by it, he's just a bit handsy", and we don't even bat an eyelid. I can't count the number of times that, when I was a single woman, only managed to stop a man making unwanted advances by saying "sorry, I've got a boyfriend or "sorry, my husband will be here soon". I said sorry, to a man who has less concern for what I want and whether I feel safe, than for the potential disrespect of a man that doesn't even bloody exist
Then on Monday, something happened. We had enough.
Using the hashtag #metoo, woman across the world began to talk about the many situations they have found themselves in. Catcalling,sexual harassment, receiving lewd pictures and messages, groping, sexual assault and rape.
Now, I am a woman who hosts a topical comedy show. I feel I have to talk about this. But I am angry.. Some things are easier to do when you're angry, like the washing up or masturbating.
But being funny when you are angry, that's hard. I mean, I'm assuming that's also James Corden's excuse.
An article I read said that that "people were shocked at the scale" – at first that seemed unremarkable, then I thought "hang on", but we aren't shocked. What they mean is "men, MEN were shocked at the scale". And therein lies what's at the heart of the problem. "People" can be casually used to mean men. Just men.
Women ARE people. Sure, first thing in the morning without my makeup on, you might question that, but I assure you we are people. And if you want to get sciency about it – women are quantitatively more people than men are.
To help understanding let me tell you what the metoo hashtag was NOT about.
It was not about suggesting that all men are perpetrators.
So when we tell you our experience as women, you don't need to shout "not all men" or "it wasn't me".
You're not Shaggy, you're a knobhead
Nobody is suggesting it is your fault that other men behave this way – but this isn't about what you are NOT doing, it is about what they ARE doing.
We are just asking you to listen and to accept our experiences and to try to understand.
We have no way of knowing which of you might hurt us, so please excuse us if we're a little cautious. If you shout at us in the street, you might not mean any harm, but we have no way of knowing you're not the one who is going to follow us home.
When you meet a scary dog in the park. The owner might tell you "it's ok Tyson wouldn't hurt a fly." But you're still apprehensive because everybody has been bitten before.
Maybe he wouldn't hurt a fly' but he's still a Rottweiler. He still has the teeth and the ability to bite.
My relationships with men are a lot like my relationships with dogs. They can be lots of fun and I enjoy sending them to fetch things, but I'm still wary because quite a lot of them are bloody dangerous.
We are not suggesting this is fair on the good guys.
Look, Edward scissorhands was a good guy, right. But if I met him in the street, and I hadn't seen the film, I would be wary. I mean he's a man who literally has scissors for hands.
And underneath him is Johnny Depp. Even worse.
All we are asking is that you understand that.
And with regards to those who still want to willfully misunderstand and shout "hashtag not all men", in my experience, the kid who cries "It wasn't me" the loudest is often the one stood next to the scribbles on the wall with crayon under their fingernails. In the song Shaggy DID do it. It WAS him.
Another thing hashtag metoo is NOT suggesting is that men don't suffer harassment or abuse. Of course they do. It is horrific. And those men need as much love and support and as much of a voice as any woman. Nobody is suggesting that isn't the case.
#Metoo is about how some degree of sexual harassment has happened to pretty much EVERY woman. The news isn't that women get assaulted and men don't. That is patently not true. The news is the scale in which women get assaulted. That it IS systemic.
It's compartmentalising different issues. If you see a campaign about how the rhinos are dying out, you don't need to shout, it's tough for penguins too Angela. It's an equally important but different campaign.
This kind of inequality is taught from a young age. I mean it's not in the syllabus. But socially, it's ingrained. Girls are always told they're "sweet" or "lovely" rather than "clever" or "brave". I've started turning the tables now. If I'm in a meeting with a man, I like to tell him his ideas are "pretty".
Finally, let's be clear, hashtag metoo is NOT telling men they are not allowed to flirt with women.
Woody Allen said he hoped that this wouldn't lead to a witch hunt and any guy 'winking at a woman in the office would have to call a lawyer to protect himself.
If it were, Columbo would be shitting himself.
And I really don't want Woody Allen to be the guy who gets to decide what sexual harassment is any more than I want Gary Barlow to do my tax return.
Look, I get it, flirting can be difficult, I mean I am terrible at it. My friend once told me watching me flirt was like watching me put down a heckler. Apparently I either go in too soft or too hard. Apparently it's not flirting if you start with "I'm sorry" and end with "fuck you"
But the point is, whoever you're flirting with, it is a 2 way conversation.
Initiating flirting can be a risk, sure. You don't know if that person will reciprocate. But here's the key. If they don't you just stop. Otherwise you are harassing them. It's really simple. If you jumped out of a plane and the parachute didn't open, would you try it again with the same parachute?"


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Marilyn Friedman: Making America Modern: Interior Design in the 1930s
Lecture Hall, 3rd floor Palm Springs Art Museum
$25 per person, seating is limited
To purchase tickets click HERE.
In this illustrated talk, design historian Marilyn F. Friedman will preview her forthcoming book Making America Modern: Interior Design in the 1930s, which chronicles the evolution of modern interior design in the United States during the 1930s. Ms. Friedman will discuss interiors by such design luminaries as Donald Deskey, Paul T. Frankl, Cedric Gibbons, William Lescaze, Raymond Loewy, Tommi Parzinger, Gilbert Rohde, Eugene Schoen, Walter Dorwin Teague, Kem Weber, Joseph Urban, and Russel Wright.
The A+D 2018 Lecture Series is generously sponsored by Linda Usher and Malcolm Lambe, Mark A. Brooks, Nancy and Thomas R. Cunningham, Geoffrey De Sousa and José Manuel Alorda, and The Ahmanson Foundation.


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The Heretical Environmentalist
New Zealand Herald, February 20, 2003
Denis Dutton
It's often said that religion is in decline in New Zealand, as in Britain and Europe. Perhaps, but evidence such as low church attendance does not mean that a deep-seated human religious sensibility is dying. It's just finding new outlets.
In Godzone, it appears the environmental movement is set to supplant Anglicanism as the major religion. Green ideology gives believers what they need in religion:
* A misty, sentimental sense of the spiritual oneness of all creation (Gaia-worshipping pantheism).
* The certainty of faith and an easy disregard for reason and evidence when it does not take the believer toward cherished emotional goals.
* Original sin (pollution and the despoliation of nature caused by civilised human life - just to be breathing, eating, defecating homo sapiens is sin enough for Green fanatics).
* Saints and visionaries, authors of the sacred scripture (sermonising broadcaster the Rev David Suzuki or Saint Rachel Carson, author of The Silent Spring).
* Dietary restrictions (requiring we avoid unclean, artificial or genetically modified foods).
* Prophets of doom (environmental fanatic Paul Ehrlich predicted hundreds of millions would starve by the 1990s, with half of all species extinct by 2000; Kyoto doomsayers prophesy that after being fried alive, we will be swallowed by the seas).
* Promise of salvation in a new political millennium (Green Party rule).
But religions often have one more feature: heretics, along with inquisitions and witch trials to suppress them. Green religion has its first important heretic, the Danish environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg.
Lomborg, a former Greenpeace member, is now a smart, rigorous, number-crunching statistician at the University of Aarhus. In 1997, he read an article by economist Julian Simon claiming that the litany of doom promulgated by the Greens was false: species were not going extinct by the minute, overpopulation was not leading to environmental disaster, the world was not running out of oil, metals, or other natural resources and the quality of life over the globe was steadily improving, with more food and increased longevity everywhere, including the Third World.
Lomborg thought Simon's conclusions must be simple American right-wing propaganda, and decided to do the background research that would prove Simon wrong.
What Lomborg discovered was that on every point Simon's analysis was accurate.
Lomborg eventually drew his findings together in a book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, which was published in 2001 by the Cambridge University Press. (See my Washington Post review.)
The effect was electrifying. In more than 500 pages, including nearly 300 footnotes and 182 tables and diagrams which rely on the Greens' own sources, such as United Nations studies, Lomborg revealed the distortions, exaggerations, and prevarication that support persistently gloomy Green ideology. It turns out that the world is not sliding toward a polluted hell, but getting better. Pesticides and chemicals are not killing us, but improving the quality of life and extending its length worldwide.
Some of the urban legends of the Greens, such as the oft-repeated fairy tale that 40,000 species go extinct every year, are guesses that have morphed into established fact.
Caloric intake in the Third World has increased by 38 per cent since 1961, and infant mortality is declining. Raw materials for manufacture and housing, rather than decreasing in availability, are increasing.
Lomborg also analysed trade-offs that have to be faced in dealing with environmental problems. Suppose, for example, that pesticides hypothetically cause a handful of cancers in countries the size of the United States or Britain every year. If, as many Greens advocate, we ban pesticides, we will inevitably drive up the price of the fruits and vegetables that have the property of warding off cancer.
This, in turn, will cause a decrease in consumption, especially among the less well-off, and hence force a corresponding rise in cancer incidence. In fact, banning pesticides may end up causing perhaps a thousand times more cancer than it cures.
Since Lomborg's book was published, the Greens have been doing a slow burn, and just last month were, so they hoped, able to destroy Bjorn Lomborg.
The Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty, mostly non-scientists headed by a judge, evaluated complaints by Greens against Lomborg and concluded he was, indeed, guilty of the logically odd crime of being dishonest in his book without intending to be.
The committee assessed no factual charges against Lomborg, rightly viewing itself as incompetent to do so. Instead, it relied on year-old Scientific American articles, refusing to consider Lomborg's detailed and effective refutation of them.
One small example of a charge levelled against him: Lomborg, says the committee, overlooks the fact it is large-scale subsidies to farmers, particularly in the developed countries, that keep prices artificially low. But, of course, as every New Zealand exporting farmer knows, European and American farm price supports are designed precisely to keep prices high and to keep local, inefficient farmers in business. So much for Lomborg's "dishonesty".
The Danish committee's incoherent judgment has been ridiculed by such sources as The Australian, The Economist, New Scientist, and the International Herald Tribune (the committee's whole decision, along with press and magazine reactions, can be read on the Arts & Letters Daily website. A letter defending Lomborg has been signed by a large number of Danish academics.
The Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty has by now made a world-wide laughing stock of itself, and, incidentally, caused the already huge sales of The Skeptical Environmentalist to spurt again.
If Lomborg thought debate over environmental policy was about the reasoned use of scientific fact, he has learned better. Unable to refute him, the Greens declared him anathema and brought him before an inquisition on trumped-up charges. If they could, they would burn him at the stake.
Were Lomborg a spokesman for the oil industry or farming interests, the Greens could ignore him. But he is a former believer turned apostate - the kind of heretic Green religion does not want. But The Skeptical Environmentalist is exactly the book the rest of the world needs.