Stop thinking and acting like a small business because you will run and get paid like a small business.
I love the idea of small businesses. However, lately I have heard so many radio commercials by small business owners who sound like they are begging for business: "Thank the good Lord we've been in business for so many years. We are just grateful to be opening our doors. We are going to treat you like family." Sound familiar? I understand having gratitude for your business and having your business confidence in a faith-based background, but I don't ever want to sound pathetic or like I am lucky to open my doors every day. What ends up happening is that you run your business to survive. This is the biggest problem with small businesses and why you need to stop thinking like a small business. If you want to have a profitable company that you are excited about running and growing, you have to start thinking like a big business. Here are seven problems that result from thinking like a small business.
When I go to my family reunions, I don't see a huge talent pool that I want running my businesses or working in my businesses. That is the reality. I want high achievers or the one in ten staff members. It is difficult to believe that all of a small business owner's family members just happen to have key positions within their company. They typically hire them because they don't hire anyone else and they are in default positions. In many of the businesses I have worked with, I have seen the daughter answering the phone or the wife doing the books. When I ask the owners how they are doing with retention or finances they have no idea. They are running an average business with their family as their staff and are just trying to get by.
The biggest issue with hiring friends and family is that you have a LOT problem or a Lack Of Talent. To be a great business you need to have many talented people on your staff. I'm not criticizing my family members, but if I had to hire ten sharp people from my last family reunion I would not have the companies that I have now because I need people with certain skill sets and certain industry understandings. You need to hire the best people, not just people you can hire because they are available such as friends and family members.
The problem with treating customers like family is that you tend to be paid like family and you know what that is like; you get little or nothing. If you have that kind of mindset, people will unfortunately take you for granted. They are never going to pay you like a big business or a reputable high-end business. Customers will think of you like this: "I know this good old boy down the road. He is grateful for the business and his prices are really low." I think we should treat people the way we would like to be treated. However, if you treat your customers like family you will be paid like family. Every time I tried to get paid by my family I never got as much as I did from a regular client.
Many small businesses are just glad to open their doors. At the end of every closing they say, "Another year. We did it again." You want to have a competitive mentality, not a survival mentality. When he took over the CEO position at General Electric, Jack Welch said that, "If we can't be number one or two in each industry we are in then we don't want to be in it." That is a competitive mentality. Small businesses need to start setting some high goals and have a competitive mentality.
This practice does not lend itself to good fiduciary responsibility. You need to have reserve accounts, an account to pay down debt, and an account to grow the company. It is not a good idea to be treating your business's finances like a general household fund. I have often seen small businesses that have one checking account with an overdraft. This one number controls the entire outlook of the company. I encourage multiple accounts in businesses for many reasons.
This problem is a result of having a lack of talent. Because you have friends and family running key departments you don't know how they are running them. Because you don't want to step on anyone's toes you let them continue to run their departments the way they are. The problem with this is that unless you are going to sell your business to one of your family members or friends you can't sell your business to anyone else. There are no systems in place or processes by which you operate. I encourage you to run your business in such a way that if you had to leave for 90 days your business could run without you. In order to do that you need to have both talent and systems. Try to cultivate the franchise mentality (think Mcdonald's or Domino's). You need to have systems in place which can not happen if you have a lack of talent or you have staff members that you can't confront or challenge to do more.
You will not survive if you are purely a word of mouth business. Word of mouth customers account for a third of your business. I have been tracking this statistic for twenty years over all the companies I have ever owned. We have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and we have won every award within our area. That being said, one-third of our customers come from repeat, one third come from referrals and 40% of new business we have to attract. This must be accurate because Microsoft, who have the only office systems that people actually use, advertise like crazy every time they launch a new windows application. Apple still advertises everytime they launch a new phone and Budweiser advertises their beer. Even your largest companies still advertise. They still want to attract new customers, protect their market share and introduce new products.
Many small businesses don't set goals or have a vision for the company. They have a survival mentality instead of forward thinking. Stop thinking about only making it through the week and start thinking quarterly, yearly and five years down the road. The reason why small businesses do this is because they have a lack of talent and they can't even achieve these long-term goals.


Catherine Soanes, writing in the Oxford Dictionaries blog, slams 'corporatese' which is 'used to obfuscate or to provide a positive spin on disagreeable matters'.
And on the American Prospect website, Peter Dreier talks about conning a university by talking absolute nonsense. 'I tried,' he says, 'as best I could within the limits of my own vocabulary, to write something that had many big words but which made no sense whatsoever.' Depressingly, the results lead to him being invited to give a talk, presumably on nonsense.
All the above articles say the same thing. Jargon is not only bad and often deceptive language, it's often proof of a lack of expertise rather than confirmation of it. Those relying on jargon probably don't know what they're talking about, or are dressing up very little as a very big deal.
While there's more jargon now than ever, there are more articles criticising the use of it then ever. We'll periodically bring the best of those articles to your attention, here and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.


text:
package hu.szte.prf.taskmanager.entity;

import java.util.Date;

import javax.persistence.Entity;
import javax.persistence.EnumType;
import javax.persistence.Enumerated;
import javax.persistence.GeneratedValue;
import javax.persistence.GenerationType;
import javax.persistence.Id;
import javax.persistence.JoinColumn;
import javax.persistence.ManyToOne;
import javax.persistence.Temporal;
import javax.persistence.TemporalType;

import org.hibernate.Hibernate;

@Entity
public class Task {

	@Id
	@GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.TABLE)
	private Long id;

	private String name;

	private String desctiption;

	@Enumerated(EnumType.STRING)
	private TaskStatus status;

	@ManyToOne
	@JoinColumn(name = "assignee_id")
	private User assignee;

	@ManyToOne
	@JoinColumn(name = "task_type_id")
	private TaskType type;

	@Temporal(TemporalType.TIMESTAMP)
	private Date deadline;

	@ManyToOne
	@JoinColumn(name = "project_id")
	private Project project;

	@Temporal(TemporalType.TIMESTAMP)
	private Date creationDate;

	@Temporal(TemporalType.TIMESTAMP)
	private Date modificationDate;

	private int progress;

	public Long getId() {
		return id;
	}

	public void setId(Long id) {
		this.id = id;
	}

	public String getName() {
		return name;
	}

	public void setName(String name) {
		this.name = name;
	}

	public String getDesctiption() {
		return desctiption;
	}

	public void setDesctiption(String desctiption) {
		this.desctiption = desctiption;
	}

	public TaskStatus getStatus() {
		return status;
	}

	public void setStatus(TaskStatus status) {
		this.status = status;
	}

	public User getAssignee() {
		return assignee;
	}

	public void setAssignee(User assignee) {
		this.assignee = assignee;
	}

	public TaskType getType() {
		return type;
	}

	public void setType(TaskType type) {
		this.type = type;
	}

	public Date getDeadline() {
		return deadline;
	}

	public void setDeadline(Date deadline) {
		this.deadline = deadline;
	}

	public Project getProject() {
		return project;
	}

	public void setProject(Project project) {
		this.project = project;
	}

	public Date getCreationDate() {
		return creationDate;
	}

	public void setCreationDate(Date creationDate) {
		this.creationDate = creationDate;
	}

	public Date getModificationDate() {
		return modificationDate;
	}

	public void setModificationDate(Date modificationDate) {
		this.modificationDate = modificationDate;
	}

	public int getProgress() {
		return progress;
	}

	public void setProgress(int progress) {
		this.progress = progress;
	}

	@Override
	public int hashCode() {
		final int prime = 31;
		int result = 1;
		result = prime * result + ((getName() == null) ? 0 : getName().hashCode());
		result = prime * result + ((getProject() == null) ? 0 : getProject().hashCode());
		return result;
	}

	@Override
	public boolean equals(Object obj) {
		if (this == obj)
			return true;
		if (obj == null)
			return false;
		if (Hibernate.getClass(this) != Hibernate.getClass(obj))
			return false;
		Task other = (Task) obj;
		if (getName() == null) {
			if (other.getName() != null)
				return false;
		} else if (!getName().equals(other.getName()))
			return false;
		if (getProject() == null) {
			if (other.getProject() != null)
				return false;
		} else if (!getProject().equals(other.getProject()))
			return false;
		return true;
	}

	@Override
	public String toString() {
		return "Task [id=" + getId() + ", name=" + getName() + ", desctiption=" + getDesctiption() + ", status=" + getStatus()
				+ ", assignee=" + getAssignee() + ", type=" + getType() + ", deadline=" + getDeadline() + ", project=" + getProject()
				+ ", creationDate=" + getCreationDate() + ", modificationDate=" + getModificationDate() + ", progress=" + getProgress()
				+ "]";
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Ark project puts forward a fast, safe and decentralized ecosystem of interconnected blockchains. Whether it's users are individuals, developers or enterprises, the Ark platform makes it easy for them to create their own blockchain. All newly created blockchains would be fresh clones of Ark and all would be knit together in one "spider web" of blockchains by using Ark's custom SmartBridge technology. The Ark platform promises an user friendly experience for developers by offering wide range of tools and available programming languages. The Ark coin (ARK) is the networks transactional currency. It plays a role in the blockchains consensus mechanism - modified DPoS (delegated proof of stake) that features 51 delegates. The holders of Ark coin can use them to vote for their prefered delegates. Votes on Ark are stake weighted. The Ark coin can be used to induct actions (smart contracts, transactions, dapps) on other blockchains connected to the Ark via SmartBridges.


Cancer patients could be putting themselves in even greater danger by taking calcium supplement doses higher than 1,000 milligrams per day.
New research claims people who take too much calcium in supplement form could be increasing their chances of dying from cancer.
However eating more natural foods that contain calcium is said to be safe, according to scientists writing in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
The research also found that cancer patients could be putting themselves in greater danger by taking calcium supplement doses higher than 1,000 milligrams per day.


A step by step guide to helping your dog conquer his fears by one of the world's best-loved and most prolific authors of dog books, Nicole Wilde.
Is your dog afraid of strangers? Would he rather hide than play with other dogs? Does he take cover at the sound of thunder, or cringe when you pick up a brush or nail clippers?
Cutting-edge complementary therapies and remedies that can really make a difference!
Paperback with illustrations and black and white photos.
Nicole Wilde is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer who works with wolves/wolfdogs, pet dogs and shelter dogs. She has written six books, hosts a radio show and presents seminars internationally. Nicole trains dogs in Southern California and has a special place in her heart for fearful dogs.


Choose your coffee table style and color scheme. Getting a design style is very important when purchasing new chunky rustic coffee tables so you can develop your desired decoration. You might also desire to think about varying the decoration of current interior to fit your styles.
See how your chunky rustic coffee tables will be put to use. This will allow you to choose what items to purchase and additionally what color scheme to pick. Figure out the total number of individuals is likely to be utilizing the room on a regular basis to ensure that you should buy the suitable sized.
Desire to know about design or color scheme you have chosen, you should have the important furniture to enrich your chunky rustic coffee tables. Once you have achieved the essentials, you will have to insert smaller ornamental items. Find art and candles for the interior is nice ideas. You can also require one or more lights to provide stunning atmosphere in your room.
Before ordering any chunky rustic coffee tables, you have to calculate width and length of the interior. Determine the place you need to put every single furniture of coffee table and the correct proportions for that room. Scale down your items and coffee table if your space is narrow, pick chunky rustic coffee tables that matches.
When you are out buying chunky rustic coffee tables, however it could be easy to be convince by a salesperson to purchase anything aside of your current style. Therefore, go searching with a specific look in mind. You'll be able to simply straighten out what suitable and what does not, and make thinning your alternatives less difficult.
Complete the space in with extra furniture as room help add a lot to a large interior, but too many of these furniture can crowd out a tiny room. When you check out the chunky rustic coffee tables and begin buying large piece, make note of several important things to consider. Buying new coffee table is an exciting possibility that can absolutely transform the look of the room.
See the model and style that you prefer. When you have a concept for the coffee table, such as modern or traditional, stick with parts that suit together with your theme. You can find several methods to separate up interior to quite a few styles, but the key is usually include modern, contemporary, old-fashioned or classic.
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Related Post "Chunky Rustic Coffee Tables"


Photography workshop Collaroy, Sydney - learn how to use your DSLR camera with the manual settings. Become confident in a day!
If you are interested in coming, please phone Bernadette on 0432 731 488 and I'd love to chat with you about your ideas and answer any questions you may have.


text:
=====
Tags
=====

django-tags-app is a simple app to add tags to your existing models.
It features special TagMeta class derived from django.models.base.ModelBase,
which adds 'tags' ManyToMany field method to chosen model.

Quick start
-----------

1. Add "tags_app" to your INSTALLED_APPS setting like this::

    INSTALLED_APPS = (
        ...
        'tags_app',
    )

Usage
-----

1. Set TagMeta as metaclass of your tagged model::

    from tags_app import models as tag_models
    ...
    class TaggedItem(models.Model):
        __metaclass__ = tag_models.TagMeta

2. To fetch model objects' tags as dictionary set model manager to tag_models.TaggedObjectManager subclass
and use its get_tags method::

    Model.objects.get_tags((model_object_1, model_object_2...))

3. To use special tag input in your model forms::

	from tags_app import forms as tag_forms
	...
	TaggedItemTagForm = tag_forms.tag_form_class_factory(TaggedItem, bases=())
	...
	tagged_item_form = TaggedItemTagForm(instance=tagged_item)


text:
Dating August 5, 2020
Sorry, your browser doesn't support frames…
Online Dating Is Increasing Interracial Marriage
Three Couples (and One Therapist) Open Up About Interracial Marriage
For Interracial Couples, Growing Acceptance, With Some Exceptions
U.S. Attitudes Toward Interracial Dating Are Liberalizing
Key facts about race and marriage, 50 years after Loving v. Virginia
Challenges of an Interracial Marriage From Society
5 Common Myths About People in Interracial Relationships
Interracial Dating and Marriage Interview
Allison Skinner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. According to the most recent U. More interracial relationships are also appearing in the media — on television , in film and in advertising. These trends suggest that great strides have been made in the roughly 50 years since the Supreme Court struck down anti-miscegenation laws. But as a psychologist who studies racial attitudes , I suspected that attitudes toward interracial couples may not be as positive as they seem. My previous work had provided some evidence of bias against interracial couples. But I wanted to know how widespread that bias really is.
Interracial marriage is a form of marriage involving spouses who belong to different races or racialized ethnicities. It became legal throughout the United States in , following the decision of the U. Virginia , which ruled that race-based restrictions on marriages, such as the anti-miscegenation law in the state of Virginia , violated the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. Many jurisdictions have had regulations banning or restricting not just interracial marriage but also interracial sexual relations, including Germany during the Nazi period , South Africa under apartheid , and many states in the United States prior to a Supreme Court decision.
According to studies by Jenifer L. Bratter and Rosalind B.
Cheryl Judice, the author of the new book "Interracial Relationships I became interested in the dating and marriage prospects of young black.
For their study, economics professors Josue Ortega at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom and Philipp Hergovich at the University of Vienna in Austria examined how online dating has changed the racial diversity of society. The authors hypothesized that internet dating services may be a driving force behind stronger marriages, interracial partnerships and a primary way for people to connect with those outside their social circles.
They created a simulated model network of men and women of different racial backgrounds in which everyone wants to marry a person of the opposite sex, but can only marry someone with whom they have a connection. According to the professors, most people are connected to close friends and family and some others with about nodes. And changing the network, like building new highways, can completely change how the network functions, they said.
They then compared the model results with the rates of interracial marriage in the U. Since the Loving v Virginia U. In , Pew found that one-in-six American newlyweds 17 percent married a person of a different race or ethnicity. In , only 3 percent did. Overall, according to Pew research, more and more American adults approximately 39 percent in say interracial marriage is generally good for American society.
Especially in the early days of online dating , the match-making mechanism took a lot of flak for being cold and impersonal. People were just so used to meeting potential mates at social events or through friends and family that the idea of turning a virtual stranger into lifelong love was far-fetched, to say the least. As it turns out, the inherent objectivity of online dating is dramatically influencing interracial relationships and marriage.
Data suggest that interracial dating occurs more frequently than interracial marriage. This article focuses on interracial marriage trends in the United States.
CBN is a global ministry committed to preparing the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ through mass media. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our hour prayer line at In the Old Testament, God told the people of Israel not to intermarry with the nations that surrounded them.
The reason for this was not the color of the skin; it was the condition of the heart. These people were idol worshipers who engaged in all manner of filthy practices, sexual and otherwise, that would have corrupted Israel. This prohibition against the godly marrying the godless is still in effect today. God's children should not marry Satan's children. But this has nothing to do with the color of skin or country of origin.
However, young people need to be aware of the unfortunate truth that prejudice still exists. There are people who take offense at a racially mixed couple. Children from such a marriage are often scorned by both racial communities.
A pair of researchers suggests dating apps and websites could be contributing to the recent spike in interracial marriages. The authors, Josue Ortega and Philipp Hergovich, noted the findings are consistent with the sharp increase in interracial marriages in the U. In , the Supreme Court invalidated laws that prohibited interracial marriage in the ruling of Loving vs.
Married 43 years or procreation. Miscegenation is this a binary cultural dating a taller girl than you Jump to describe marriages are on interracial relationships.
The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to provide readers with a quick reference for questions about cross-race relationships. In terms of this bibliography, "cross-race relationships" and "interracial relationships" refer only to close interracial relationships, such as friendships and romantic relationships, rather than cross-race contact with no attendant feelings of closeness.
A list of questions regarding cross-race relationships has been compiled below to increase ease of navigation throughout this document. Simply click on a question to go to the related section. The bibliography has also been organized by topic, so you can also click on one of the topics listed below for a review of the literature on that subject.
Click on the questions below to learn more about cross-race relationships:.
What do tennis star Serena Williams, U. Kamala Harris and businesswoman Mellody Hobson have in common? But despite these real-world examples of interracial relationships, a Pew Research Center report found that black women are the least likely group of women to marry, especially outside of their own race.
The authors surveyed interracial married couples to examine exchange of affection and respect in interracial marriages. The interracial couples.
When you marry someone, you marry everything that made them who they are, including their culture and race. While marrying someone of a different race can have added challenges, if you go in with your eyes and heart wide open, you can face those challenges together and come out stronger. Here are a few things I've learned:. Your relationship needs to be tight enough not to let naysayers, societal pressure and family opinions wedge you apart, explained Stuart Fensterheim, a couples counselor based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and host of The Couples Expert podcast.
Luckily, my husband and I haven't had to face many issues from the outside world. We're so "old" according to our cultures, that our families were just thankful someone of the human race agreed to marry either of us, and we currently live in a diverse section of New York City where no one bats an eye at interracial couples. But having a strong relationship without trust issues helps us give each other the benefit of the doubt when one of us says something culturally insensitive.
We can talk about it, learn from it and move on without building up resentment or wondering about motivations. One way to begin, in the process of getting to know a new partner, is to maybe include some questions like, was the school you went to diverse, do you have diverse friends? Have you dated interracially before and if so, how did your family react? My husband and I were friends before we started dating, and we just organically ended up having these conversations.
At times, I was shocked at how little he ever thought about race before me, and that was something that worried me when I first started falling for him. But his ability to be open and honest about the things he didn't know and his willingness to learn, rather than be defensive, eventually won me over. For my part, I had to face the stereotypes I had about white Southerners.
Loving vs. Virginia was barely 53 years ago and interracial relationships have since been on the rise. One in seven U. We caught up with Marisa Peer , world-renowned therapist who specializes in relationships and interviewed three interracial couples who all have varying opinions on what it means to be in a interracial marriage in
It happens. There is a relatively high prevalence of interracial marriages and dating when compared to other countries, and this is partially down to a.
On July 11, , newlyweds Richard and Mildred Loving were asleep in bed when three armed police officers burst into the room. The couple were hauled from their house and thrown into jail, where Mildred remained for several days, all for the crime of getting married. At that time, 24 states across the country had laws strictly prohibiting marriage between people of different races. Five weeks earlier, the longtime couple had learned Mildred was pregnant and decided to wed in defiance of the law.
In , they approached the American Civil Liberties Union to fight their case in court. After an extensive legal battle, the Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional in June of The last law officially prohibiting interracial marriage was repealed in Alabama in Under his leadership, the country underwent significant economic and social progress, while Ruth was a politically active and influential First Lady. But first they had to overcome the wave of bigotry brought about by their controversial marriage.
By Gretchen Livingston and Anna Brown. Since then, intermarriage rates have steadily climbed. All told, more than , newlyweds in had recently entered into a marriage with someone of a different race or ethnicity. By comparison, in , the first year for which detailed data are available, about , newlyweds had done so.
Attitudes, migration patterns, availability of partners and education are all factors of interracial and interethnic marriages.
As I pushed him around the neighborhood, I thought of him as the perfect brown baby, soft-skinned and tulip-lipped, with a full head of black hair, even if it was the opposite of my blond waves and fair skin. What nationality is his mother? Virginia struck down laws banning such unions. In , 12 percent of all new marriages were interracial, the Pew Research Center reported. According to a Pew report on intermarriage , 37 percent of Americans agreed that having more people marrying different races was a good thing for society, up from 24 percent only four years earlier; 9 percent thought it was a bad thing.
Interracial marriages are just like any others, with the couples joining for mutual support and looking for ways of making their personal interactions and parenting skills work in harmony. Yet, some interracial couples say that intermarrying, which in the past was often the cause of angry stares and sometimes worse, can still bring on unexpected and sometimes disturbing lessons in racial intolerance.
Christine Cannata, a year-old retiree, and her longtime African-American partner, Rico Higgs, 68, recently moved from Atlanta — where their relationship sometimes attracted unwanted attention — to Venice, Fla. Both are enormously grateful for the acceptance their families have shown them, and talked about how Ms. Higgs as if he is a blood relative. Higgs is always the life of the party, Ms. Cannata says. Looking back at their time in Atlanta, however, the pair recalled how they sometimes drew stares in the airport, and how Mr.
Higgs had been stopped by the police of that city for what Ms.
Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Cultural relationships: A qualitative inquiry into the experience of Asian-Indian White interracial couples. Family Process. Lichter DT, Qian Z. Boundary Blurring?
Children from such a marriage are often scorned by both racial communities. From a sociological standpoint, couples who enter into interracial marriages will.
June As the United States population becomes ever more diverse, are more people dating across race lines? But that taboo might be slowly fading. The percentage of all U. Neither the Roper Report nor the General Social Survey specifically queried respondents on their attitudes or practices concerning interracial dating. But a study by George Yancey, a sociologist at the University of North Texas, found that interdating today is far from unusual and certainly more common than intermarriage.
Yancey collected a sample of 2, adults age 18 and older from the Lilly Survey of Attitudes and Friendships, a telephone survey of English- and Spanish-speaking adults conducted from October to April He found that Men and those who attended racially or ethnically integrated schools were significantly more likely to interdate.
In the United States , religious boundaries are breaking down and interfaith marriages have become more common over recent generations. Marriages crossing racial boundaries, on the other hand, still lag behind. This is not negative because American society has a intercultural relationship of racial inequality in socioeconomic status as a result of racial dating and discrimination.
In this review, I discuss the existing research on race, dating, and marriage.
It is very rewarding to love someone who is different from you in terms of race, culture, identity, religion, and more. When we are open with each other, we can broaden each other's perspectives, approach the world in different ways, and even find that there is a connection in our differences. Unfortunately, interracial couples can still experience difficulties at times by virtue of the fact that racism exists in our society on a deep level.
Ideally, love should have no bounds in this regard. However, in reality, other people may harbor negativity or judgment about an interracial couple. Partners in an interracial marriage must take on these issues together while maintaining empathy and support for each other's experiences. Interracial couples may also reach conflicts when asserting their values if they differ from each other's, based on racial or cultural identity.
There are strategies to help you better handle what comes your way when you are in an interracial marriage.
Interracial Dating in the UK: Meet Singles Today!
Interracial Dating Site @
Colorblind: interracial love in South Africa
Indian Singles Meetups in Toronto
Lift of Dating Ban Stunned Campus
中文(简体)Eesti keelالعربيةMagyarNorskDeutschČeštinaTürkçePortuguêsSuomiItalianoNederlandsLëtzebuergeschPolskiDanskFrançaisEspañol日本語SvenskaΕλληνικάEnglish

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
DEMOCRACY SLIPPING AWAY.
Author Conniff, Ruth
Position MIDDLE AMERICA
Half of the people in the United States are now officially second-class citizens, after the highest court in the land rolled back our right to control our own bodies.
The powerful feeling of alienation from our country that many of us are experiencing right now has been in the works for a long time. Rightwing forces have been playing a long game to take over--and very nearly to overthrow--the institutions of our democracy. Those of us who do not fit into their vision of a white, Christian, patriarchal society have been left far behind.
"Face it, you got your butts out-organized," an exasperated activist told pro-choice Republican women back in 1996, when I was reporting on Pat Buchanan's break-away rally outside of the Republican National Convention in San Diego. Establishment Republican women were gathered on a yacht to express their dismay that a working-class, Christian-right rabble had managed to get an anti-abortion plank into the party platform.
The Christian Coalition, founded by Pat Robertson, had been hard at work taking over school boards and pushing its anti-LGBTQ+, anti-feminist agenda. The group, along with Buchanans angry, displaced workers, who were mad about global trade deals and ready to blame immigrants for stealing jobs, had created an energized, grassroots movement and accumulated new power, through Buchanan's "culture wars."
Now those same "peasants with pitchforks," as Buchanan called his followers, have taken over the entire party and changed society in ways they couldn't even have imagined back then, long before the rise of former President Donald Trump.
Who would have thought that, two and a half decades later, a mob of armed rebels would storm the U.S. Capitol and attempt to overturn the results of a democratic election, egged on by the President himself? Thanks to the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack, we now know that Trump demanded that the mob be allowed to carry their weapons past the gun-detecting magnetometers, or "mags," at the Ellipse, near the White House. "They're not here to hurt me!" he fumed, according to testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. "Take the effing mags away!"
Some establishment Republicans have been upset by Trump's criminal behavior, just as the GOP establishment was wrong-footed by the rise of the Christian right in the 1990s. And some--even former Trump allies and members of his administration--stood up to...


A DRO normally runs for 12 months after which the debts are written off and between 2009 and 2017**, while 64% of DROs were granted to women, both genders experienced similar levels of average debt – £9,200 for women compared to £9,100 for men.
Reaching the 10-year anniversary since the first DRO was approved is a significant milestone and we are immensely proud of the role we have played in helping a substantial number of people out of debt.
DROs are a good solution for people with minimal assets and low income who can't afford to repay their debts.
While it's important that people get proper debt advice, as different circumstances lend themselves to different debt solutions, those people who are eligible for DROs definitely benefit from the relative speed, simplicity and low cost of setting up the solution, as well as usually becoming debt-free a year later.
We have arranged DROs for a significant number of clients since they were introduced a decade ago and always fully assess clients before recommending debt solutions. So if a DRO is not suitable, we will work with them to help them regain control of their finances as part of a plan which is most suited to their individual circumstances.
*In October 2015, the upper limit for qualifying debt was raised from £15,000 to £20,000, and the asset limit was raised from £300 to £1,000.
**Figures for age, location and gender are based on figures produced annually with the last set published in July 2018. The next set of figures are set to be published in July 2019.
For more information on PayPlan and media opportunities contact Chloe Butterick: chloe.butterick@payplan.com; 01476 518653.


EIA offers internships for students and others interested in living and working in Latin America for three to twelve months or longer. Internships are non-salaried, so you will have to raise your own support. EIA can assist you in your fundraising efforts, and we will help you find room and board during your stay.
Depending on which projects you work on, you could be high in the Andes Mountains or low in the Amazon River Basin. You will travel some by public buses between cities. You will spend some time with work teams at the sites, in sleeping bags and sleeping on the ground. The work often requires very long hours, but there will also be time for recreation and sight-seeing.
Click here to apply for an internship position.


text:
March On, Comrade / Our Peacful Atoms
Local Spin
By John Hubner
March On, Comrade began as a completely different band called Ordinary Van. But when singer and main songwriter Paul Bates quit to move to California, the guys decided they wanted to continue. So Ryan Holquist, Charlie Davis and Chris Leonard got together with John Ptak and Ben Robinson and began March On, Comrade.	Intentions were the same as before – to make great music – but they went down a different sonic road to get there. The pop inflections of Ordinary Van were still there knocking around in Comrade's songs, but there were loftier ambitions for these five Fort Wayne guys. Longer songs, varied instrumentation and post-rock vastness emerged from the band's rehearsals and writing process. Last year saw the release of their first, self-titled EP, and 2017 saw those lofty ambitions come to fruition with the band's Sums & Differences show where the guys played live at the Arts Lab accompanied by a 12-piece chamber orchestra. The results were stunning.
We now have the band's first full-length, the masterful, Our Peaceful Atoms. The self-produced, six-track album showcases all that came before it with a newfound tightness and attention to detail. With more instrumentation, brighter hooks and an airiness that gives the album a timeless quality, this could be one of the best releases to come out of the Fort in years.
I know that a lot of bands that fall under the post-rock moniker tend to cringe when put into that category, but if it fits it fits. I don't see it as a knock in any sense. When you say post-rock, it evokes a big sky openness; vast spaces filled with shimmering guitars, tasteful keys, ethereal vocals; and orchestral-like drums that build to dramatic, crashing conclusions. The music evokes bigger questions, existential pondering and symphonic aspirations within the rock n' roll world. March On, Comrade hit all the above while adding their own Midwest magic into the mix. That magic is pop hooks, ear worms that grab you and linger in your brain.
Our Peaceful Atoms revisits a few of the tracks the band debuted at their Sums & Differences show, but their studio curiosity has turned them into something newer and grander. "Terra" has the spatial beauty of Sigur Ros, while "Rodina" wavers on some ethereal plane like a sonic mashing of Explosions in the Sky and Auburn Lull. There's a mechanical feel to this track as well, a meshing of both the organic and the man-made. "Path" continues those human vs. electronic elements to stunning effects. "Westlake" uses those pop hooks beautifully with Ptak creating near perfect melodic diversions in his vocals. The accompaniment of synths and strings only adds to the loftiness. "Lost" adds accordion courtesy of The Snarks' Bart Helms, while last track, "Golden," ends the album on a melancholy note with lilting strings and strummed acoustic.
March On, Comrade wanted to expand their sonic palate this time around, and I believe they succeeded. Tasteful orchestral accompaniments fit in perfectly with the chiming guitars, Ptak's vocals and big rock drums which all go to make one of the best local releases of the year.
March On, Comrade will release Our Peaceful Atoms at their December 8 CD release show at the Brass Rail. Grab a copy at the show or head to marchoncomrade.bandcamp.com to grab a digital copy. (John Hubner)


#whatgiveswednesday | young (non)donors week one | let's paint a picture | What Gives???
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Balloon. ehehehe....heres the three of my made up powerpuffs(FFGZ)Balloon(fuusen)yellow,bonnet orange,briz purple. HD Wallpaper and background images in the powerpuff girls Z club tagged: powerpuff girls z power.
Lol. It maked me giggle a little seeing bronnet orange says that!
But it is really cute how you draw them!


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The value of collectible bottles of Scotch whisky traded within a half year period has surpassed $6.6 (£5) million for the first time since records began in 2008, according to figures published this week by Rare Whisky 101, a firm launched in 2014 by Andy Simpson and David Robertson with the aim of offering a whisky valuation service, brokerage and consultancy for whisky connoisseurs, collectors and investors.
During the first six months of 2016, the value of collectible bottles sold in the UK on the open market rose more than 25 per cent to £5.771M compared to the same period last year. The volume of collectible bottles experienced an ever bigger rise of 28.5 per cent to 26,527 bottles.
Based on current trends, Rare Whisky 101 is predicting the UK auction market for rare Scotch to reach 55,000 bottles for the full year, ten times the volumes sold in 2010 and to exceed a total value of £12M.
Whisky investment analyst and co-founder of Rare Whisky 101, Andy Simpson commented: "For some in the broader Scotch category, export and sales figures still appear challenging. However, the secondary market for rarities shows little of this stress and 2016 is shaping up to be yet another record year for rare whisky".
The availability of Japanese whisky at auction continues to increase led by the highly sought-after Karuizawa, the iconic Japanese silent distillery. These low volume but high value bottles impact the market significantly with many bottles fetching in excess of £2,000.
The top 100 performing bottles of Investment Grade Scotch (Rare Whisky 101 Apex 100 Index) increased by 19.87% in the half year and have delivered a 24.05% increase over the last 12 months.
This positive trend is reflected across all of the key composite indices for Scotch single malts. In contrast the negative indices for the worst performing 100, 250 and 1000 bottles have continued to soften. The star performers over the first half of the year have been the Macallan 18 and 25 YO indices, experiencing rises of 29 per cent and 27 per cent respectively.
Little change in collectors rankings but investors rankings highlight star performers.
Leading rare whisky brands, Brora and The Dalmore, retain their positions as the top two ranked investor distilleries, while Macallan and Ardbeg occupy the same positions in the collectors' rankings.
The investors' rankings continue to show the greatest movement with the biggest risers in the market including Balvenie (up 8), Lagavulin (up 10), Pittyvaich (up 16) and Highland Park (up 9). Conversely, the biggest fallers are the silent stills (closed distilleries) Ben Wyvis, Millburn, Lochside and Coleburn with the iconic Skye based Talisker being the biggest faller for an open distillery.


Were you injured while riding your bike? Far too often, driver inattention and other avoidable factors result in serious injuries to bicyclists. Stern Law Group is a Houston law firm that has represented more than 40,000 clients and won over $700 million in verdicts and settlements. With our experience, our injury attorneys can help you if you were wrongfully injured in a bicycle accident.
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Driver: Failure to Yield – When drivers of motor vehicles fail to yield the right of way to bicyclists.
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Failure to Share the Road – Bicyclists and motorists can safely share the road, but far too many accidents are caused by motorists who drive carelessly and with no regard to bicyclists.
If you were involved in a bicycle accident because of a careless/negligent driver, the Houston legal team at Stern Law Group are here for you. We fight for accident victims so that they receive a full financial recovery to compensate for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other financial losses.
Jeffrey M. Stern is the founding attorney at Stern Law Group. With over 30 years of legal experience and more than 40,000 clients represented, Jeff says he is more passionate than ever about helping accident victims. He has handled nearly every type of injury case, from serious motor vehicle accidents to bicycle accidents, construction accidents, and many more. Whether it is you or your loved one that has been injured, Jeff is not only an experienced attorney who can get the job done, but an attorney who considers himself his clients' friend in their time of greatest need. To learn more about Mr. Stern and the other attorneys at Stern Law Group, view our attorney profiles.
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Stern Law Group has a record of success representing accident victims. Our firm brings a combined 150 years of collective experience to the table. Experience coupled with an overwhelming sense of compassion for our clients, Stern Law Group has been able to recover over $700 million in verdicts and settlements. Our legal team also has the added benefit of helping our clients with day-to-day expenses.
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Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a cellular-level particle radiation therapy that combines the selective delivery of boron compounds to tumour tissue with neutron irradiation. L-p-Boronophenylalanine (L-BPA) is a boron compound now widely used in clinical situations. Determination of the boron distribution is required for successful BNCT prior to neutron irradiation. Thus, positron emission tomography with [18F]-L-FBPA, an 18F-labelled radiopharmaceutical analogue of L-BPA, was developed. However, several differences between L-BPA and [18F]-L-FBPA have been highlighted, including the different injection doses and administration protocols. The purpose of this study was to clarify the equivalence between L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA as alternatives to [18F]-L-FBPA.
SCC-VII was subcutaneously inoculated into the legs of C3H/He mice. The same dose of L-BPA or [19F]-L-FBPA was subcutaneously injected. The time courses of the boron concentrations in blood, tumour tissue, and normal tissue were compared between the groups. Next, we administered the therapeutic dose of L-BPA or the same dose of [19F]-L-FBPA by continuous infusion and compared the effects of the administration protocol on boron accumulation in tissues.
There were no differences between L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA in the transition of boron concentrations in blood, tumour tissue, and normal tissue using the same administration protocol. However, the normal tissue to blood ratio of the boron concentrations in the continuous-infusion group was lower than that in the subcutaneous injection group.
No difference was noted in the time course of the boron concentrations in tumour tissue and normal tissues between L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA. However, the administration protocol had effects on the normal tissue to blood ratio of the boron concentration. In estimating the BNCT dose in normal tissue by positron emission tomography (PET), we should consider the possible overestimation of the normal tissue to blood ratio of the boron concentrations derived from the values measured by PET on dose calculation.
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is based on the nuclear reaction of the 10B nucleus, which absorbs low-energy neutrons to produce two high-linear-energy transfer particles (4He, 163 keV/μm and 7Li, 210 keV/μm) from the 10B(n, α)7Li reaction. The track ranges of these particles (5–9 μm) are limited to the diameter of a single cell. Theoretically, therefore, if 10B atoms are selectively accumulated in each tumour cell, and then the volume including the tumour is exposed to a sufficiently high fluence of thermal neutrons, targeting single tumour cells with less normal tissue damage than conventional therapy is possible . Two boron compounds, disodium mercaptoundecahydrododecaborate (Na2B12H11SH; BSH)  and L-p-boronophenylalanine (L-BPA) , have been clinically utilized for the treatment of patients with various types of X-ray-refractory cancers such as malignant melanoma , malignant brain tumours [5–9], recurrent head and neck cancer [10, 11], and malignant mesothelioma . In contrast to other types of radiotherapy, the cytocidal effect of BNCT on tumour tissue depends on the selective accumulation of boron compounds in the tumour. Thus, imaging methods that can illuminate the distribution of boron compounds noninvasively are important to forecast the efficacy of BNCT.
o-[18F]-Fluoro-L-p-boronophenylalanine ([18F]-L-FBPA) is an 18F-labelled radiopharmaceutical analogue of L-BPA used as a positron emission tomography (PET) probe to estimate the L-BPA distribution in BNCT using L-BPA prior to treatment . This "theranostic approach", which combines diagnostic modalities such as PET imaging and a therapeutic procedure such as neutron irradiation with boron compounds, is useful to confirm the irradiation dose from the boron neutron capture reaction and calculate the estimated tumour dose beforehand to assure safety and efficacy. However, the method used to evaluate the boron concentrations predicted by [18F]-L-FBPA PET for L-BPA accumulation in both tumour tissue and normal tissue has not been fully established because of several uncertain differences between [18F]-L-FBPA and L-BPA. First, the chemical structure and resulting physicochemical properties of [18F]-L-FBPA are not completely the same as L-BPA (Fig. 1). Actually, the degree of solubility in water and affinity to L-BPA antibodies were different between L-BPA for BNCT and [18F]-L-FBPA in a PET study. The lipophilic feature of fluorine can affect the distribution in tissues in the biological viewpoint. Lipid solubility of [18F]-L-FBPA is higher than that of L-BPA due to the fluorine atom of [18F]-L-FBPA. Second, the administered dose, solubilized form of compounds with water, and measurement methods for the boron concentrations are different between L-BPA and [18F]-L-FBPA. A high dose of L-BPA (250–900 mg/kg body weight) is administered as the L-BPA-fructose complex to increase the solubility in clinical situations , while a tracer dose of [18F]-L-FBPA is used in [18F]-L-FBPA PET without the formulation of the sugar complex. Continuous therapeutic dose of infusion has the possibility to make pharmacokinetic equilibrium saturate and alter the distribution of boron compounds in tissues compared to single shot tracer dose of injection. The amount of accumulated [18F]-L-FBPA is mainly measured by PET imaging because no other modality can detect tracer doses of the compound, while L-BPA concentrations are measured by other methods such as prompt gamma ray spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Third, L-BPA is administered by continuous drip infusion over a period of more than 3 h; in contrast, [18F]-L-FBPA is administered as a single injection.
Some of these issues regarding the differences between L-BPA and [18F]-L-FBPA have already been examined. Regarding tumour tissue, Imahori showed that the boron level in the tumour tissue estimated with [18F]-L-FBPA PET method was closed to that of surgical specimens directly measured after a single injection of L-BPA with the prompt gamma method . Regarding normal tissue, Hanaoka and colleagues demonstrated that each PET parameter of normal tissue after a tracer-dose single injection of [18F]-L-FBPA showed good correlation with the boron concentrations of normal tissue measured by ICP-AES after a single injection of L-BPA . However, there are no previous reports that compare the difference of boron accumulation in tissues between [18F]-L-FBPA and L-BPA under the same injection dose, the same administration protocol, and the same boron measurement protocol. To show the validity of [18F]-L-FBPA PET as an accurate prediction tool to estimate the efficacy of BNCT with L-BPA before treatment, the remaining clinical questions should be addressed. First, what is the effect of the different injected doses of L-BPA and [18F]-L-FBPA? Do the different solubilized boron compounds (sugar-complex or not) affect the boron concentrations in tumour and normal tissues? Is there any other difference in the boron concentration in hollow viscus, in which the accumulation of the PET tracer is usually underestimated by PET imaging, and what is the difference in the normal tissue to blood ratio (N/B ratio), tumour to blood ratio (T/B ratio), or tumour to normal tissue ratio (T/N ratio) of boron concentrations between the continuous-infusion protocol used clinically and the single-injection protocol with PET analysis?
To answer these questions, we synthesized the cold stable isotope of [18F]-L-FBPA, [19F]-L-FBPA, using a procedure for the large-scale synthesis of L-FBPA that we previously developed because the chemical properties of [19F]-L-FBPA and [18F]-L-FBPA are identical and 18F is not necessary if the amount of L-FBPA in tissues is measured by ICP-AES. In this study, we examined the differences in the boron concentrations of the tumour tissue and normal tissues between L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA instead of [18F]-L-FBPA using the same dose, the same boron measuring methods (ICP-AES), and the same administration protocol as that for a subcutaneous tumour mouse model. Next, we evaluated the difference in the administration protocols between the single-injection mouse model and the continuous-infusion mouse model to clarify the remaining questions concerning the validation of the [18F]-L-FBPA PET study for BNCT treatment.
Optically pure [19F]-L-FBPA was synthesised by a hybrid process using L-aminoacylase from commercially available 2-fluoro-4-dihydroxyborylbenzaldehyde (Additional file 1: Figure S1). The water solubility of L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA were measured from supernatant of saturated solution by UV absorption method. SCC-VII, a squamous cell carcinoma cell line derived from C3H/He mice (Department of Radiology, Kyoto University), was maintained in Eagle's minimum essential medium supplemented with 12.5 % foetal bovine serum and penicillin/streptomycin (100 U/mL). The cells were cultured at 37 °C with 5 % CO2.
Four-week-old female C3H/He mice were purchased from CLEA Japan (Tokyo, Japan). SCC-VII cells (3.0 × 105) were subcutaneously inoculated into the left hind legs of C3H/He mice. Experiments were carried out 2 weeks after the inoculation, when each tumour had reached approximately 1 cm in diameter. All of the animal experiments were approved by the Animal Research Committee of Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute and were performed in accordance with the institutional laboratory animal handling guidelines and the guidelines governing animal care in Japan. The mice were handled according to the recommendations for the Handling of Laboratory Animals for Biomedical Research, compiled by the Committee on Ethical Handling Regulations for Laboratory Animal Experiments, Kyoto University.
L-BPA or [19F]-L-FBPA and fructose were dissolved in distilled water at a molar ratio of 1:1.5, and then a 1.15 M ratio of 1 N NaOH was added. Here, L-BPA or [19F]-L-FBPA was mixed with fructose to increase the solubility . The mixture was stirred until L-BPA or [19F]-L-FBPA had completely dissolved, and the pH value was titrated to 7.6 with 1 N HCl. The solution was filtered through a 0.22-μm syringe filter for sterilization (Merck Millipore, Massachusetts, USA). The final concentration was set to 30 mg/ml.
L-BPA-fructose or [19F]-L-FBPA-fructose solution (500 mg/kg body weight) was subcutaneously injected into mice into the nuchal sites after a 3-h fast . At each time point (30 min, 1, 2, 3, and 4 h), the boron concentrations in the blood, normal tissue, and tumour tissue were evaluated. Five mice were used for each time point. Totally 25 mice were used in this experiment. The 20 % trimmed mean, which was defined as the mean after discarding samples at the high and low end, was used to evaluate the difference between L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA in order to improve non-normality and skew in population distribution in this study. Time courses of the boron compounds in blood and tissues were defined as bioequivalent if the 90 % confidence intervals for the ratios of the average values of parameters fall within the acceptance limits of 0.80–1.25 for the maximum concentration and areas under the blood boron concentration curve (AUC) .
L-BPA-fructose or [19F]-L-FBPA-fructose solution (500 mg/kg body weight) was continuously and subcutaneously injected at a constant rate of drip infusion into the nuchal sites after a 3-h fast using a syringe pump (KDS100; Muromachi Kikai Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) without anaesthesia. Totally seven mice (four mice of L-BPA group and three mice of [19F]-L-FBPA group) were used in this experiment. First, each fructose solution of boron compound was continuously infused at a rate of 200 mg/kg body weight/h for 2 h. Next, the infusion rate was reduced to 100 mg/kg body weight/h for 1 h as in the clinical protocol for human patients previously reported . After 3 h from the onset of drip infusion, tissue samples were excised immediately, and the boron concentrations in the blood, normal tissue, and tumour tissue were measured.
Blood and tissue samples were digested with perchloric acid (60 %) and hydrogen peroxide (30 %) for 24 h at 75 °C. The boron concentration in each sample was determined by ICP-AES (iCAP 6000; Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Massachusetts, USA) and was normalized as μg/g. The N/B, T/B, and T/N ratios were calculated, and the 20 % trimmed mean values of each ratio were used for statistical analysis.
The data are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. The differences between the L-BPA group and [19F]-L-FBPA group and the subcutaneous injection group and continuous injection group were analysed by Welch's t-test. The differences of N/B, T/B, and T/N ratio between the values 3 h after a single injection in Experiment 1 and the values after continuous drip infusion in Experiment 2 were analysed by a non-parametric ANOVA. P values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. All of the statistical analyses were performed using JMP Pro 11 software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA).
The properties of L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA are shown in Table 1. The melting point and solubility in water of L-BPA were different from those of [19F]-L-FBPA. The acid dissociation constant of the amino group (pKb1) was also different between L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA.
The results of the pharmacokinetics of L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA by subcutaneous injection are shown in Fig. 2. The maximum values of the blood boron concentration of L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA were 24.6 and 23.7 μg/g, respectively. The AUC calculated using the linear trapezoidal rule of L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA were 57.4 μg ∙ hour/g (standard error 2.11) and 49.5 μg ∙ hour/g (standard error 2.32), respectively. Figures 3 and 4 show the transition of the N/B, T/B, and T/N ratios of each normal tissue and tumour tissue. There were no differences in the transition of the N/B, T/B and T/N ratios between the L-BPA group and [19F]-L-FBPA group. The 90 % confidence intervals of the maximum concentrations of boron in blood, intestine, liver, lung, tongue, skin, muscle, brain, and tumour were 1.19, 1.47, 1.15, 1.42, 1.30, 1.31, 1.58, 1.10, and 1.24, respectively. The 90 % confidence intervals of AUC in blood, intestine, liver, lung, tongue, skin, muscle, brain, and tumour were 1.33, 1.08, 1.05, 1.08, 1.22, 1.29, 1.13, 1.08, and 1.07, respectively. The 90 % confidence intervals of the maximum concentration of boron in blood were within ranges of 0.80–1.25, while that of AUC in blood were out of the ranges. That of the maximum concentrations and AUC in liver and tumour were within the ranges. However, that of the maximum concentrations in intestine, tongue, and muscle were out of the ranges, while that of AUC in these organs were within the ranges.
The boron concentrations of the blood, normal tissue, and tumour tissue after the continuous infusion of L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA are shown in Table 2. There were no significant differences in the boron concentrations between the L-BPA group and [19F]-L-FBPA group. Table 3, Fig. 3 (black circles at the time point of 3 h) show the N/B ratio and T/B ratio of the L-BPA group and [19F]-L-FBPA group under the continuous-infusion protocol. No significant difference was observed in the N/B and T/B ratios of the intestine, liver, kidney, tongue, skin, and brain between the L-BPA group and [19F]-L-FBPA group. The trend between the L-BPA group and [19F]-L-FBPA group was also the same regarding the T/N ratio under the continuous-infusion protocol (Table 4 and Fig. 4).
Comparing the single-injection protocol and continuous-infusion protocol, the N/B and T/N ratios of the continuous-infusion group were different from those of the single-injection group (Fig. 3). The N/B ratio of the continuous-infusion protocol was lower than that of the single-injection protocol, while the T/N ratio of the continuous-infusion protocol was higher than that of the single-injection protocol. In contrast, the T/B ratio of the continuous-infusion protocol corresponded with that of the single-injection protocol at 1, 2, and 3 h after L-BPA or [19F]-L-FBPA injection (Fig. 3). N/B, T/B, and T/N ratio of liver and tumour tissue had no statistical difference between administration protocols both in L-BPA group and L-FBPA group. On the other hand, N/B and T/N ratio of tongue, muscle, and brain had significant difference between administration protocols both in L-BPA group and L-FBPA group (Figs. 3 and 4).
This study is the first examination comparing the pharmacokinetics of L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA under the condition of the same dose and protocol (ICP-AES) as that of a mouse model using the cold isotope of [18F]-L-FBPA. Previous studies have compared the radioactivity accumulation of [18F]-L-FBPA in tumour and normal tissues by PET as well as the boron concentrations of L-BPA in tumour and normal tissues by ICP-AES [16, 20, 21]. Ishiwata and colleagues examined the effect of L-BPA loading on the uptake of [18F]-L-FBPA by measuring the radioactivity of 18F in B16 melanoma-bearing mice . These authors found that the uptake of [18F]-L-FBPA was competitively inhibited by L-BPA loading both in the tumour tissue and muscle. Thus, the uptake mechanism of [18F]-L-FBPA is thought to be similar to that of L-BPA. However, the similarities in the the time courses of the N/B and T/N ratios between L-BPA and [18F]-L-FBPA remain controversial. Wang et al. examined the difference in the time course after injection of the L-BPA fructose complex and the [18F]-L-FBPA fructose complex in a glioma-bearing rat model . These authors found that the T/N ratios of [18F]-L-FBPA were higher than those of L-BPA at any time point, although the uptake characteristics of the L-BPA fructose complex and [18F]-L-FBPA fructose complex in the tumour tissue were similar, with a maximum observed at 1 h after administration. Hanaoka and colleagues demonstrated a significant correlation between the amount of boron accumulation estimated by PET after injection of the tracer dose of [18F]-L-FBPA and that measured by ICP-AES after the injection of 40 mg of the L-BPA fructose complex (r = 0.92, p < 0.05). However, the experimental conditions of these studies were different regarding the dosage of L-BPA and [18F]-L-FBPA (therapeutic dose vs. tracer dose), the method used to measure the boron concentration (ICP-AES vs. PET), and the use of the fructose complex. Additionally, no previous study has compared the single-injection method of L-BPA or [18F]-L-FBPA and the continuous-infusion method of these boron compounds, which is the clinical protocol for L-BPA administration used widely in cancer patients. The results of this study showed no apparent difference between L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA in pharmacokinetics or boron accumulation in tissues. However, certain tendencies were observed between the single-injection protocol and continuous-infusion protocol regarding the N/B, T/B, and T/N ratios between L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA.
Two aspects in the present study are particularly different from the data of previous studies. First, organs that include air such as the intestine and lung could be evaluated without underestimation by the same protocol in both the L-BPA group and [19F]-L-FBPA group in this study. In particular, [18F]-L-FBPA accumulation in hollow organs or the lung is significantly underestimated by PET based on the maximum or average counts . In this study, the boron concentrations of the intestine and lung showed no significant difference between the L-BPA group and [19F]-L-FBPA group. Second, we compared the pharmacokinetics of two administration protocols: single injection and continuous infusion. L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA showed the same boron accumulation characteristics in normal and tumour tissues. However, the N/B, T/B and T/N ratios of the continuous-infusion protocol showed different tendencies from those of the single-injection protocol in some organs.
Comparing the single-injection protocol with the continuous-infusion protocol, the T/N ratio by the continuous-infusion protocol was higher than that by the single-injection protocol in many normal tissues such as the brain, tongue, lung, intestine, skin, and muscle (Fig. 3). The N/B ratio in those normal tissues with the continuous-infusion protocol was lower than that by the single-injection protocol measured 1 h after injection. However, the N/B and T/N ratios of the liver and the T/B ratio were almost the same between the continuous-infusion protocol and single-injection protocol (Fig. 3). In this study, we used continuous subcutaneous injection protocol instead of continuous intravenous injection protocol. This is because we concerned the possible effects of anesthesia during continuous intravenous injection to circulation dynamics, blood flow, and tissue distribution of boron compounds. The biological effectiveness of neutron capture therapy depends on the administration dose of L-BPA [17, 22] and the N/B ratio [22, 23]. In this study, we found a difference in the N/B and T/B ratios between the single-injection protocol and continuous-infusion protocol. In applying the N/B or T/N ratios measured by the [18F]-L-FBPA PET study to dosimetry in the clinical setting, we should consider the possibility of the difference between administration protocols. Further studies, including pharmacokinetic studies with various animal species, treatment studies using neutron irradiation with different administration protocols, and examinations regarding the difference in the biological effectiveness using the infusion protocol, are needed to presisely estimate the pharmacokinetics in humans and to define both offset values between the values measured by PET and tumour dosimetry in clinical situations and appropriate time points of PET values after the single injection of [18F]-L-FBPA.
There are some limitations to this study. First, our measurement methods by ICP-AES could not evaluate the microdistribution of boron atoms in tissue components. GM Morris and colleagues showed the different microdistribution patterns of boron atoms in murine tongue mucosa following the administration of L-BPA or BSH . BNCT is based on the neutron capture reaction resulting in two particles (4He and 7Li) whose range is limited to the diameter of a single cell (5–9 μm). Therefore, microdistribution impacts both tumour targeting and normal tissue damage. In this study, we did not evaluate microdistribution because we focused on the equivalence of [19F]-L-FBPA over L-BPA and because [18F]-L-FBPA PET values in clinical settings represent the "macro" distribution similar to the boron concentrations measured by ICP-AES. However, microdistribution should be examined in evaluating treatment results or the equivalence of biological effects rather than the pharmacokinetics of boron compounds .
The second limitation is the identicalness of [18F]-L-FBPA and [19F]-L-FBPA. The change of chemical structure of [18F]-L-FBPA may happen by nuclear reaction of 18F. This would cause the difference of the pharmacokinetics between [18F]-L-FBPA and [19F]-L-FBPA. Previous report that studied the metabolism of [18F]-L-FBPA in vivo mouse model showed that [18F]-L-FBPA was stable to metabolic alteration in plasma and tumour tissue . Thus, we assumed the pharmacokinetics of [18F]-L-FBPA and [19F]-L-FBPA were identical in this study. The third limitation of our study was the possibility of [18F]-L-FBPA metabolization. The cleavage of fluorine from [18F]-L-FBPA leads to the underestimation of [18F]-L-FBPA accumulation in normal and tumour tissues as measured by PET . In this study, we evaluated the accumulation of [19F]-L-FBPA using the same methods as those for the evaluation of L-BPA accumulation. Thus, the metabolization of [19F]-L-FBPA did not affect the results of our study. However, we must consider the stability of [18F]-L-FBPA and impact of [18F]-L-FBPA metabolites in boron accumulation in normal and tumour tissues when the long-term dynamic study of [18F]-L-FBPA is scheduled. For instance, a previous study showed the stability of the tracer dose of [18F]-L-FBPA for metabolic alterations over 6 h . In addition, if 18F is separated from [18F]-L-FBPA in other organs such as liver and intestine by some enzymatic metabolism, free 18F would be released to blood flow and the deposition of 18F to bone should be observed in dynamic PET imaging study in clinical situations as observed in [18F]-NaF PET imaging. However, no such image is obtained in dynamic PET study of [18F]-L-FBPA in clinical situations. Thus, we believe that an [18F]-L-FBPA PET dynamic study with a maximum duration of 6 h can be applicable for the evaluation of L-BPA accumulation in clinical settings.
We showed the equivalence of the pharmacokinetics of L-BPA and [19F]-L-FBPA under the condition of the same fructose complex and dose using the same protocol as that for a subcutaneous tumour mouse model. Next, we evaluated the effects of the administration protocol on the boron distribution in normal and tumour tissues. Some differences were observed between the single-injection protocol and continuous-infusion protocol. In applying the measured values in the F-BPA PET study for dosimetry in BNCT, the possible difference in the N/B and T/N ratios between [18F]-L-FBPA single injection and L-BPA continuous infusion should be carefully considered. This study provides useful information for the future clinical application of [18F]-L-FBPA PET in clinical dose calculation for BNCT in cancer therapy.
This study was supported in part by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows and by the Project for Cancer Research And Therapeutic Evolution (P-CREATE) from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, AMED.
The datasets supporting the conclusion of this article are included within the article and its additional file (Additional file 2).
TW, MK, and KO wrote the manuscript. TW, YH, YO, MK, YN, YS, SM, MH, and MS participated in the design of the study. TW, YH, YO, MI, and SF performed ICP-AES analysis. YH, YO, MI, and MK synthesized [19F]-L-FBPA. TW, YN, YS, SM, and MS performed animal experiments. TW and HT performed the statistical analysis. MK and YH conceived of the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Ono K. An analysis of the structure of the compound biological effectiveness factor. J Radiat Res. 2016. doi: 10.1093/jrr/rrw022.


If you're pregnant, quitting smoking is one of the most important changes you can make to improve the health of both you and your unborn baby.
Giving up smoking at any time before – or during – pregnancy is extremely beneficial, but studies show quitting before week 15 of pregnancy will offer the biggest health benefits to you both.
The first 15 weeks of pregnancy is an excellent time to quit smoking!
Stopping smoking at any point in pregnancy will hugely benefit the health of both mother and baby; reducing the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and other pregnancy complications. But did you know that quitting in the first 15 weeks of pregnancy is particularly beneficial? Evidence suggests that if you quit smoking completely by the 15th week of pregnancy, the risk of your baby being born early or being a low birth weight is the same as that of a non-smoker.
Every time you have a cigarette, you are exposing yourself (and your unborn baby) to over 4,000 chemicals. As soon as 8 hours after quitting, your body begins to really feel the benefits.
By smoking during pregnancy you also increase the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage, as well as putting yourself at risk of other health problems such as heart and lung diseases. Don't forget – smoking tobacco is still the leading cause of early preventable death.
Giving up smoking during pregnancy will not only help your baby's development, but will also improve your baby's health right into adulthood. Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are more likely to be smaller, or born early, which can cause longer term health problems for them.
If you carry on smoking after the baby is born, they will be at continued risk of second-hand smoke, and at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Giving up smoking before conception can improve fertility and will give your baby the very best start in life. However, you may not have been ready to give up (or perhaps you didn't realise you were pregnant). Now is still a great time to stop.
Giving up smoking at any point during pregnancy will help both you and to your baby, but giving up during the first 15 weeks is a key time to prevent the risks getting any higher. Don't forget – if you quit smoking completely by the 15th week of pregnancy, the risk of your baby being born early or being a low birth weight is the same as that of a non-smoker. But even after 15 weeks you can still make huge benefits to the long term health of your baby.
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Tag: collections
Button, Button, Who's Got My Button?
by Taffy Cannon
My "Sluts for Obama" button arrived on Friday.
It's not my first political button, of course. That would be the gold elephant wearing black plastic Goldwater glasses that a friend of my father's gave me in 1964. I wore that pin proudly and was always prepared to discuss A Choice Not an Echo, though I can't remember anybody wanting to. Decades later when we were both very different people, I realized that Hillary Rodham had probably been wearing the same pin on her winter coat that year, in a different suburban neighborhood of our native Chicago.
By the time the next presidential election rolled around in 1968, I was a junior Poli Sci major at Duke and all hell was breaking loose in the political world.
I'd worked the first part of that summer in a loose Congressional internship and had some equally loose connections to the Democratic National Convention, being held in August in the town where my family just happened to live. A Duke grad working as a Humphrey campaign speechwriter was my entrée to an inside view of a lot of stuff that my contemporaries protesting across Michigan Avenue in Grant Park never got to see. Although I loved being quietly embedded, a part of me yearned to be over there in the park with them, and when they wandered into the lobby of the Essex Inn where I sat at a Humphrey literature table in a Humphrey dress, I always provided plenty of balloons to fill with water.
About that Humphrey dress. It rendered me invisible everywhere, and inside the Conrad Hilton gave me sufficient access that at one point I wandered into an upstairs room which held nothing but a gargantuan ABC TV camera aimed out the window. When I left a few minutes later, nobody ever knew I'd been there.
In fact, I had two different Humphrey dresses, a fact I have never before revealed in public.
The first was an honest-to-God paper dress in the style of Carnaby Street, and I wore it with the equally ridiculous Hubie Baby psychedelic campaign button. When the dress began to disintegrate like a paper towel in the torpid heat of Chicago in August, I replaced it with the more permanent version. So permanent, in fact, that it is probably still sitting in a landfill, crisp as the moment it poured out of the test tube—ready to spring back to life and jump into the fashion fray. That blue-and-green minidress was constructed of the kind of double knit polyester which would shortly have a good run in turquoise leisure suits for middle-aged men. It was as impenetrable as contemporary body armor and equally attractive.
I scooped up a whole lot of political buttons that week in Chicago, and I was hooked. That autumn back in North Carolina, the boyfriend who would become my husband picked up a George Wallace button the size of a demitasse saucer in a downtown Durham storefront. We'd already been wearing issue-related buttons for a while: the Poor People's Campaign, a peace sign with one black finger and one white, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem."
Since then, I've become a somewhat random collector, and have acquired a goodly amount of political memorabilia. We pick up stuff at yard sales and every four years my husband renews some contacts in New Hampshire, where candidacies bloom and wither. Once I had a windfall when a friend of a friend visiting from Philadelphia turned out to own a novelty business that had been pumping out independent buttons since at least 1964. He sent me one of everything he had in the warehouse, starting with "I Hate Barry."
I've got bumper stickers, posters, $3 bills, t-shirts, books by well-heeled independents like Steve Forbes and Ross Perot, and t-shirts from Clinton and Buchanan. There's a VHS produced for the 1992 Clinton campaign in New Hampshire and a Dennis Kucinich DVD from 2004. To light the pack of cigarettes—yes, genuine cigarettes, and apparently this used to happen all the time—promoting Mike Dukakis for President in 1988, you can use matchbooks announcing "Hello Democrats! Welcome to Chicago" from 1968. I have a Hillary doormat.
I know that a nail file saying "Romney for Governor" is genuine because it features a grinning elephant head, and today's Republican elephant never smiles. I even have a life-sized blow-up bust of Ronald Reagan. He's of limited current utility, though he would probably work as a second passenger for the sort of scofflaw who cheats in HVOC lanes at night.
But what I really love are the buttons.
They hang in shadow boxes in my family room, with themes like Winners, Losers, Causes I've Believed In, Women, 1968 Democratic Convention, and Nixon. Yep, the Trickster has a whole shadow box of his own, and in fact he's outgrown it. It's not big enough to include the business envelope printed top-to-bottom along the right with jail bars and a body to complete the 32-cent Richard Nixon cent postage stamp. Southern California being Nixon Country, good stuff pops up now and again around here. I even have a pin that spells his name out in rhinestones.
The current campaign is so relentlessly negative that I need to regularly reassure myself that it wasn't always so bad. Indeed, my personal collection includes only a handful of negative pieces predating the late 80s. One is a ribbed plastic button with two different views depending on how you hold it: a young Bobby Kennedy and "Lower the Voting Age to 10." Another is the 1000% Promissory Note with Tom Eagleton's picture and the tagline: "McGovern says he's behind me 1000%."
More recently there's much greater variety in buttons, which in the dull old days used to announce the candidate's name in red, white and blue. This represents a sea change, actually, coming as a direct result of how political buttons are currently made and distributed. It used to be that a national campaign would order hundreds of thousands, then give them all away, often through local offices. People wore them, and it was of critical importance that they carry a union bud.
No more. In 2012, political buttons are both irrelevant and obsolete.
The official campaign money once spent on buttons now all goes into direct-mail and TV/radio ads, though there are usually a few officially sanctioned ones. The interesting buttons of today are all made by individual entrepreneurs, folks who don't have to answer to anybody's campaign chair. I have plenty of those from the past quarter-century, many with a rude or downright antagonistic tone. In one shadow box of these, Hanoi Jane's Urinal Sticker (the iconic pose from the cover of her first exercise book, purchased from a vendor vet at the Vietnam Memorial) is right beside one of my personal favorites: a colorful three-inch button of "Hillary RODMAN Clinton—still as bad as she wants to be." Hillary wears her hair is in a close-cut chartreuse Afro and she looks terrific.
Though the nice ladies at the Republican booth down at the Farmer's Market gave me a Romney-Ryan button, I knew that if I wanted any kind of selection, I'd have to buy this year's crop direct from the campaigns. The websites seemed to make that easy, each featuring a store allowing you to purchase all the stuff that used to be free.
To make any purchase, I had to provide all manner of personal information, just like Sheldon Adelson or George Soros. My purchases, it seemed, were considered donations. And the very moment that I placed my orders with each campaign, I began to receive a blizzard of email solicitations to donate more. The content of these messages clearly came from parallel universes, sometimes half a dozen in a single day. Every single one of them asked for money, with a suggested donation based on what I'd paid for the buttons.
The buttons that never came.
I placed my order with the Obama campaign on September 3, lucking into a sale, then waited for a sale on the Romney website on September 15. On October 5, I sent emails to both campaign stores asking where my buttons were and got no response from either. I wrote again on October 13, and was about to try for a third time when I heard from the Obama people. Part of what I wanted had been on back order, but was being shipped even as Siena in Customer Service wrote on October 19 to apologize.
No response at all from the Romney campaign.
As my frustration grew about this, a writer friend mentioned a guy she knew in St. Louis, Button Bob, whose big seller this season was "Sluts for Obama." Bob sounded like my kind of man, so I found his website and placed my order, which also included "Obama – Born in the USA."
That was last Monday, and the buttons arrived on Friday. Viva the private sector, and bravo to Button Bob, whose buttons are also mostly cheaper than the big boys. Though I do wish I could figure out a way to justify spending fifty bucks for the Etch-a-Mitt with its tiny attached working Etch-a-Sketch.
I need to get to my Sluts for Obama meeting, but you can check out Button Bob at http://www.buttonbob.com/
Author Taffy CannonPosted on October 22, 2012 October 22, 2012 Categories Cannon, TPAC NewsTags 1968 Democratic Convention, Button Bob, collections, Political buttons, political memorabilia, Sluts for Obama, Taffy Cannon2 Comments on Button, Button, Who's Got My Button?


When judging the mountains they've visited, many travelers rely on one yardstick: the quality of the views from the top.
By this measurement, lush Emeishan (峨眉山) in southern Sichuan falls flat. Not for lack of vistas, but rather because they are hidden by near-perpetual clouds and fog. Few visitors enjoy a clear day there, and during a recent day's hike there, we were no exception.
But judging a mountain by what one can see from it doesn't seem very fair to the mountain itself. We found a lot to like about Emeishan: diverse flora, dilapidated monasteries, occasional monkeys and a killer workout.
Emeishan is blanketed by a rich diversity of vegetation. One out of every 10 plant species from across all of China—more than 3,200 different kinds—exists on the slopes of this one mountain.
Emeishan also occupies an important position in Chinese Buddhism. It is one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, along with Wutaishan in Shanxi, Putuoshan in Zhejiang, and Jiuhuashan in Anhui.
Emeishan's mythical roots go back the year CE 63 during the Eastern Han dynasty when a man named Pu is said to have followed a deer to the top of the mountain.
At the peak the deer vanished without a trace and Pu met a monk who told him that the deer must have been an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. This revelation inspired Pu to move out of his house and begin living as a monk on Emeishan, launching its transformation into a Buddhist holy site.
A monastery on the mountain.
This longstanding and prominent place in Chinese Buddhism has endowed Emeishan with large numbers of moldering alpine monasteries and a network of scores of kilometers of stone staircases running from the base to its several peaks.
Today Emeishan is among the best known tourist sites in China and large crowds descend on it daily, experiencing it mostly by bus and cable car. But it is easy to leave the crowds behind for the solace of nature while hiking on the staircases.
The classic Emeishan experience is to see the abundance of plant life—along with occasional mischievous Tibetan macaques—during a multi-day hike to the top with overnight stays at the spartan accommodation offered by most of the monasteries.
The mist and clouds are less heavy on the lower slopes.
Emeishan the mountain is accessed from Eshan Village ((峨山镇) located about 5 kilometers southwest of the city of Emeishan (峨眉山市) in Leshan prefecture. The area in Eshan Village near the entrance to the mountain scenic area is also sometimes called Baoguo Si (报国寺), in reference to the nearby monastery at the foot of the mountain just inside the scenic area.
Travelers coming by bus from Chengdu or Leshan may be lucky enough to end up at the Mt. Emei Tourist Transportation Center located in Eshan Village. Others will arrive at the main bus or train stations in Emeishan City. They are across the street from each other, about a 15 to 20 yuan taxi ride from Eshan Village.
Eshan Village has two hostels that primarily target the foreign backpacker market: Teddy Bear Hotel and Emeishan Youth Hostel. Both offer food, drinks and accommodation ranging from 30 yuan for a dormitory bed to more than 200 yuan for well-appointed private rooms.
Teddy Bear is the older and more well-known of the two, but the novelty of being helpful seems to have worn off for the owners. The main selling point of both hostels is an English-speaking staff, and for visitors with Chinese or miming skills there are a multitude of other establishments along Eshan Village's main road that offer better value for food and lodging.
It's a good idea to bring sufficient cash to get in and out of Emeishan. If you find yourself short on funds, there are two ATMs in the village, but the China Construction Bank ATM located next to the entrance to the Mt. Emei Tourist Transportation Center is the only one of the two that is compatible with foreign bank cards. If this machine fails, there are a Bank of China and an ICBC inside the nearby campus of Southwest Jiaotong University.
Entry to the Emeishan scenic area costs 150 yuan. The park can be accessed from the base of the mountain near Baoguo Si or by taking buses for 20 to 40 yuan from the Tourist Transportation Center to three stations located at different heights on the mountain.
Nobody seems certain about the length of the hike from Eshan Village to the peaks of Emeishan. One local that we asked said that it was an improbable 60 kilometers. What is certain is that the more southern route past Celestial Peak Monastery (Xianfeng Si, 仙峰寺) is longer, but more picturesque.
A day spent walking Emeishan's stairs is more punishing than one might expect.
The hike from bottom to top typically takes two or three days. Most monasteries along the way offer bare-bones lodging for about 20 to 30 yuan along with no-frills vegetarian food.
Watch out for the stairs, which can be slippery and somehow seem much more tiring to climb than normal dirt trails. Expect some muscles you didn't know you had to be aching after a day on them.
There is a pricey hotel on the top of the mountain for those who want to catch the famed Emeishan sunrise from one of the three main peaks and don't want to make the pre-dawn hike from a monastery further down the mountain.
Golden Summit (金顶), one of the more touristy parts of the mountain.
Finally, while we didn't encounter many during our visit, no account of Emeishan is complete without a mention of the Tibetan macaques that inhabit its slopes. While cute and shaggy, they are also known to occasionally become aggressive, attacking visitors and stealing bags and cameras.
Walk briskly and don't let a group of them collect. A big stick isn't a bad idea, either.
It's almost 16 hours by train from Kunming to Emeishan. Hop on any Chengdu-bound train, such as the K146 departing at 8:21pm and stopping at the Emei station at 11:56am the next morning.
The trip from Chengdu to Emei is a little over two hours by train or bus from the Xinnanmen bus station (成都旅游汽车客运中心) on Linjiang Lu. It is only about 30 minutes by bus from Leshan, home of the famous Leshan Giant Buddha.
E'mei shan is indeed beautiful, but the macaques are more than mischievous. We, a group of 3, were walking up E'mei Shan when we were approached by a group of monkeys, away from those in the controlled monkey area. I was badly bitten on both legs, with deep gashes on my calves, and pulled to the ground by the monkeys. Some of the monkeys were about as heavy as me. At one stage there were 6 monkeys on me, or threatening me. The monkeys left after ripping open my bag and taking some things from it. After the attack we made our way to the first aid post near the monkey area. The doctor working there treated my bites, gave me a rabies injection and antibiotics. He said that people are bitten on the mountain every day. We had been careful to follow all the instructions given about the monkeys. These monkeys need to be approached with a great deal of caution.
I like the "Getting Away" section of GoKunming, but I'd much prefer to read about lesser known Yunnan places a long-distance bus journey away than large cities which I'd need to fly to. Most of us have job/study commitments, you know!
still there are holidays coming up from time to time.
went to emeishan one day after national holidays-because we didnt have enough time to do the whole hike up (or were we just to lazy?;-)), we took a bus to almost till the cablecar, checked in a hotel and went to the peak to see the sunrise the next morning/night.
seems that we ve been very lucky-it was absolutly amazing-probably one of the most amazing things ive seen my whole life!


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Bassotto – membro della Banda Bassotti, personaggi dei fumetti e cartoni Disney
 Bassotto – singolo della Dark Polo Gang del 2019
 Bassotto – cognome italiano
 Bassotto tedesco – cane caratterizzato dall'altezza proporzionalmente inferiore alla lunghezza
 Semovente 105/25 Bassotto – semovente italiano della seconda guerra mondiale
 Johnny Bassotto – canzone italiana scritta da Bruno Lauzi e interpretata da Lino Toffolo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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All Cape Times
Arts Portal
Escape Times
cape times
Three Mossel Bay pupils to appear over alleged murder at school
News / 9 October 2019, 06:35am / Nicola Daniels
File photo: Pexels
Cape Town – Three Mossel Bay high school pupils are expected to be charged with murder when they appear in court on Wednesday following the fatal stabbing of Hillcrest Secondary School Grade 9 pupil Khuselo Ndanda, 16, on Monday.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said the three arrested pupils were between the ages of 16 and 18, in grades 8 and 12.
They will appear at the Mossel Bay Magistrate's court on Monday.
The incident occurred during the first break, when the group of boys allegedly attacked the deceased several times with sharp objects, Pojie said. On his way to the principal's office, Ndanda had collapsed.
He was rushed to hospital and died as a result of his injuries.
Pojie said following the incident, authorities had beefed up security at the school to observe and monitor the situation.
Western Cape Education Department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said: "The learners and educators who witnessed the event are understandably traumatised and have received counselling support.
''We will continue to provide support today and are working with the authorities in terms of their investigation.
"This incident came after learners were informed of the death of another Grade 8 learner who had attended the school in the first half of the year.
''She was allegedly murdered in a house robbery. Counselling was also provided that morning to learners."
School governing body chairperson Russell Claassen said the institution was reeling after the deaths.
"When crime like this happens in a school setting, the last thing the school community needs is vicious attacks and panic-laden solutions roaming the public or social media paths.
''This is the call of many individuals every time such a thing strikes a community. And we understand that.
''This was a very unfortunate development and happened unexpectedly and without warning.
''No educator at the school foresaw this," he said.
Claasen said they rejected and condemned violence at schools.
"The school is currently experiencing a lot of trauma and we have to manage it with internal sources. We ask the community to carry us in their prayers.
''Police are in charge of the investigation and it is already well advanced. Our condolences go out to the families of both the deceased learners," Claasen said.
A memorial service will be held in the school hall at 2pm on Thursday.
Crime and CourtsSchools
Mossel Bay pupils receiving counselling after duo's violent deaths