The trip is Songlines' second option to the Balkan States, on the edge of eastern Europe, having operated groups to the famous Guca Brass Band Festival in Serbia for a number of years.
'At Home with the Gypsies' provides a rare chance to experience the traditional sounds of Romania 'in situ' – which only Songlines is able to provide thanks to their wide network of world music contacts.
The itinerary includes visits to two legendary villages – Clejani, the home of Taraf de Haidouks, and Zece Prajini, the home of Fanfare Ciocarlia, plus a chance to taste the urban lautari music of Bucharest and the string band music of Transylvania in the town of Medias, which was fortified by German settlers in the 13th century and boasts some stunning fortified churches.
The group will also visit the Wallachian village of Clejani, where virtuoso cimbalom (hammer dulcimer) playing is a distinctive part of the sound. The trip ends back in Bucharest with a chance to explore the wide boulevards and narrow alleys of the city and, in the evening, enjoy the urban Gypsy music that is so much part of the city's soundscape.
The holiday costs from £1500 pp which includes all land transportation, eight nights' accommodation, most meals, musical events and sightseeing activities as per itinerary and an expert Songlines Music Travel tour leader (flights not included).
The annual brass festival in Guca has been going since 1961 and is one of the biggest and wildest festivals in Europe when around 300,000 people descend on the village of Guca, which is home to just 3,000 inhabitants.
For four days, there's feasting on spit-roasted lamb and pork, alcohol a plenty and some 40 brass bands playing the local dances – the kolo and the cocek. Some of the brass bands – which are big in the Balkans – feature Serbian musicians, whilst others feature Gypsies.
The festival features many well-known musicians including Goran Bregovic and Serbia's most celebrated trumpeter, Boban Markovic, who has frequently won the Golden Trumpet prize.
Aside from the concerts and competitions, much of the fun is to be had in the streets – eating, drinking and dancing around the tables till the small hours.
The holiday costs from £615 pp which includes five nights' B&B, festival entry and the services of an expert Songlines Music Travel tour leader (flights not included).
All trips are based on two people sharing a room and flights are also bookable through Songlines Music Travel.
Travel packs include an information sheet about the local music, plus recommended recordings and DVDs.
For further information on these and other Songlines Music Travel holidays, visit songlinesmusictravel.com.


Are that many of us still playing it?
I really enjoyed the first few days, but....outside of that I haven't touched it.
Knowing it's a demo and all progress will be wiped does remove some of the appeal of trying it out again, in my opinion at least.
There is a wow class demo going on?
It's packed every time I log in Horde-side. People are hanging out in Crossroads, dueling, and chatting. It's basically the Barrens Social Network.
Server 01 is packed. Server 02 and 03 are decently packed.
I picked server 18 and it is really dead. Often I am the only one playing, lol. I actually gave a nice weapon to someone when they signed in, just because it was nice to see someone else in the zone.
As for Server 01 in particular, it's probably busy in Crossroads at least because Asmongold is there.
You are out of your mind if you think Asmongold or Maccuck have any power in this.
I respect WoW Classic, but really I could not handle it. I tried it back in the day and the amount of hours you would need to experience the game, would almost be like a full time job. It was irritating as I would not experience what I would have liked to see, unless I quit my education, my social life and just concentrated full time on the game.
I don't care what people say about WoW nowadays. But I LOVE it dearly. I experience the game. Yes, not as fast as raiding guilds, but I can still work, have a social life, progress in life, while enjoying the magic of WoW.
It's a beautiful game, and may it live on for a long long time!
what do you do for gaming after you clear LFR/normal in 2 hours, for the rest of the week?
Awesome, I haven't been able to play as much as I thought I would so now I can spend a few hours on Saturday evening on horde side.
Server 01 is the first server listed, so people tended to congregate there to begin with. Then add in streamers and etc. Leveling in vanilla with a lot of other people around is torture due to tagging rules.
I hope they learn from the demo and just have a handful of servers on release. I don't want a dead server one month into the game.
I absolutely loved going back and being blown away by all the nostalgia from the things I haven't experienced in so many years. I would've played the demo more if 1.) we weren't confined to only Westfall and Barrens and 2.) I wasn't dragged to Destiny 2 by a friend (actually a surprisingly good game btw).
Why do you need to fill your entire week with WoW?
It was amazing back when I quit WoW in WoD. I had all this time, all of a sudden.


I recently got by far the best face/ski mask Ive ever gotten. Its 12.95 with a lifetime warranty. I own a Duluth Trading Company mask tbats 4x as much and the mesh continually freezes with condensation etc. This thing not only makes you look like sub zero from Mortal Kombat or Bane from Batman (thoufh much lower key its just flat bendy rubber) but its not cosmetic - its the warmest I ever have had a mask around my mouth and nose, be easy to breathe, and not show condensation from breathing or capture liquid.
I have nothing to do with the company and I dont get incentives... Im not going ti post direct links. Im really not trying to insult yoy guys at BFC - but its really cold out there and as someone whoze been working outside in Boston daily this winter this week has been a lifesaver with this mask. PM me if anyone needs help?
Well I spend most of my time in deserts, but you never know when I may have to be in arctic conditions, so sure... PM me. Curiosity is engaged.
Anything I put on my face causes my glasses to fog up even when I treat them with anti-fogging solution. So yes, I am interested. Don't even need a link, just send me the name of the company (but make sure you spell it correctly) and I can do the search.


Over the past decade, the Weiser Centers have curated a wide range of activities benefitting University of Michigan students and faculty, scholars and practitioners, and the community at large. As we enter our second decade, the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia (WCEE) and Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies (WCED) will solidify their respective missions, while remaining the two pillars that together constitute the Weiser Centers. WCEE and its constituent centers promote contextual expertise on states and societies in Europe and Eurasia while WCED is committed to supporting scholarship on the critical challenges and barriers to democracy worldwide.


At Active Recovery Solutions, we understand how benzodiazepine addiction can take over your life. We will tailor an innovative treatment program that will address your needs— body, mind, and spirit—so you can get your life back on track. Your individualized drug rehab program might include outpatient detox, individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy and a wide array of other treatment services designed to ensure you receive world-class addiction treatment and achieve sustained recovery.
Benzodiazepines are considered the biggest selling and most frequently prescribed drugs in history. Approximately 20% of the world's population—and at least 4 million people in the U.S. alone— uses tranquilizers or sleeping pills on a regular basis. They are quickly becoming the most heavily abused prescription substances in the country.
Benzodiazepines are readily available. Not only are they frequently prescribed by physicians, they can also be purchased online without a prescription. Derivatives of benzodiazepine can also be found in popular over-the-counter sleep aids.
Benzodiazepine is a psychoactive/psychotropic drug used for treating anxiety, panic disorders, insomnia and abnormal sleep patterns, seizures, muscle spasms, and alcohol addiction. It is also frequently used for dental procedures and pre-surgery sedation. By slowing down the activity of the brain's neurotransmitters, the drug induces a sense of calmness, providing relief from various forms of anxiety.
Like all addictive substances, with repeated use the body develops a tolerance to the drug, thereby triggering the physical and psychological dependency cycle of addiction.
Benzodiazepine (or "Benzos" or "Bennies," as they are called on the street) changes the brain chemistry to induce a sense of fearlessness, which can cause the user to take more risks or engage in more dangerous activities than they normally would. This behavior can result in serious accidents, lead to financial complications, and damage relationships. It is estimated that 40% of impaired drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents show traces of tranquilizers or sedatives in their bloodstream.
Other adverse personality changes that a user may exhibit include a complete lack of interest in daily activities, rage, increased anxiety, depression or feelings of worthlessness, and in the most serious instances, suicidal thoughts.
In the short-term, using benzodiazepines can result in drowsiness, morning fogginess or not feeling rested after sleep, lack of coordination, slurred speech, and loss of appetite.
Long-term use, or the use of a higher dosage, may result in fainting, memory loss, cognitive impairment, diarrhea, muscle cramping and twitching, seizures, jaundice, blurred vision, and urinary tract problems. Use of these drugs by a pregnant woman can also cause floppy baby syndrome, which is similar to fetal alcohol syndrome.
One of the most serious dangers of these drugs is cross-addiction, either with alcohol or other drugs, such as anti-depressants.
The withdrawal from benzodiazepine can be very difficult. It may last for weeks or months and can include violent mood swings, insomnia, paranoia, disassociation, agoraphobia and hallucinations. One should never discountine the use of these drugs without medical supervision.


Get Lit with 5 LED Strip Lights Ideas!
There are countless uses for multicolored LED strip lights. You can use them in residential, office, retail, and commercial installations. Whether for aesthetic or functional purposes, there are countless LED multicolor uses that turn rooms into a colorful new dimension.
The great news is that LED strip lights provide a cost efficient alternative compared to traditional light bulbs. Get lit with these ideas we put together to make your rooms a little brighter!
Depending on what kind of installation you want to do, you have to get an idea of how much LED strip lights you'll have to use. The process is also easier when you know how to mount and set them up. For some strips, it's easy as just exposing the adhesive backing and sticking them unto a clean surface. For other installations, it can be a longer process of mounting, cutting and wiring LED strips together.
Know the length of strip needed.
Know strip's power and voltage requirements.
Understand flexibility of LED strips.
Choose color and brightness desired.
Decide how you'll dim, control, or program the strips.
Always use the recommended voltage.
There are so many places that can be benefited with some extra lighting for example: underneath kitchen cabinets, in front of reception desks, in entertainment rooms, underneath bar counters, and night clubs. Check out some of the different possibilities and get inspired to create your own lighting adventure!
These strip lights will prevent you and your guests from tripping over an unexpected step up or down.
LED strip lights provide a modern look to kitchen areas.
Transform entertainment rooms into lighting experiences.
Commercial applications can be illuminated with LED strip lights – providing energy savings and a multicolor night life experience.
Even on-the-go, vehicles can also dazzle with LED strip lights.
LED strip lights deliver a beautiful lighting experience that turns traditional rooms into brilliant works of modern lighting. LED strip lights are fairly easy to install and the end result will help you save energy.
Tell us in the comments below about your experience installing LED strip lights.


MARIANO MARQUEZ and MARIA MARQUEZ.. Will you now tell us who the defendant is in this case..WITH THE KIND PERMISSION OF THE HONORABLE COURT: 1. A: 3. sir. Will you tell me how you are related to the plaintiff in this case. and our house helper NELLY BASCO. Q: A: 5.. Incorporated. mister witness. sir.. Good morning. the fastfood where the Buttered Chicken that caused the food poisoning of my family was bought from. 2016 up to the next day January 02. Q: A. 2016. 2 . Q: A: Will you tell me why your family suffered food poisoning and you did not? My family suffered from food poisioning and I did not because I did not eat any of the Butteredchicken that was bought from Goodtaste that evening of January 02.. my two children. 8. 2016. Q: A: 4.. 2. Q: When you tell me that your family suffered from food 9. is that correct? Yes. Q: You mentioned that you are DAVIEDALE BANATAO MARQUEZ. sir. The plaintiff ALDRIN MARQUEZ is my husband. The defendant is Goodtaste Baguio. Q: A: Good morning mister witness. sir. Q: A: 6. 7. Q: A: Did you yourself suffer food poisioning as well? No sir. sir. if you know. sir. Can you now tell me when did your family suffer from food poisoning caused by the Buttered chicken bought from Goodtaste.. mister witness? My family suffered from food poisoning after eating the Buttered Chicken in the evening of January 01. Will you tell us who are the members of your family who suffered from food poisoning caused by the Buttered Chicken bought from the Good taste? The members of my family who suffered from food poisoning after eating the Buttered Chicken that was bought from Goodtaste are my husband.
if you know? It was the Butteredchicken on Goodtaste they ate. If you did not eat the Chicken what then did you eat in the evening of January 02. Q: A: How about your son MARIANO? My son ate dinner out and had a piece of the Buttered Chicken he brought home. Q: A: How about your daughter MARIA? My daughter ate hototay. 17. Will you tell me what was the cause of the poisoning of your family. what were the symptoms of this food poisoning you observed your family suffered from. and diarrhea. 18. 16. How did you feel during that time you were taking care of your family mister witness? At that time I was so preoccupied in taking care of family I did not have any time to feel anything sir. and these are the symptoms of food poisoning. siomay. Q: A: What did your husband Aldrin Marquez eat? He ate the Buttered Chicken and nothing else. Q: A: 12. So what did you do when you saw your family suffering from food poisoning. sir. all I wanted is for my family to overcome and survive the condition they were suffering from. sir. and I was well because I did not eat the Chicken. 2016? I ate rice and the siomai and hototay soup that was cooked at home sir.. Q: A: Poisoning. sir. vomiting. Q: A: 13. mister witness? I did my best to take care of all of them sir. Q: How about your house helper NELLY? 3 . 15.. mister witness? After my family ate the cake my family suffered from a combination. Q: A: 11. What makes you say that it was the Buttered Chicken from Goodtaste that caused the poisoning of your family? It was the Buttered Chicken Goodtaste that caused the poisoning of my family because they ate the cake and suffered food poisoning.A: 10. sir. sir.. rice and the Buttered Chicken . Q: A: 14. succession and/or series of nausea.
21. Philippines. No _____ Page No._____ Book No. sir. mister witness? None. Session Road. 1-9-12/Baguio City Roll of Attorney No. Q: A: Will you voluntarily sign this Judicial Affidavit? Yes I will. A: 20. even if my family had gotten through the painful experience we still do not know the long term effects of the poisoning caused by the Brazo De Mercedes cake they sold my family. A: What do you want Goodtaste to do to repair the damage caused to your family? My family's life was put in the balance because of the negligence of the defendant._____ Series of 2016 Notary Public Until December 31. 2016. by the affiant DAVIELANE BANATAO-MARQUEZ in the City of Baguio.. affiant is personally known to me.. 101114. Q: What would you like to tell Goodtaste regarding the incident of food poisoning your family suffered from? I would like to tell Goodtaste to be very careful with the products they sell out to the public. 1-9-12/ IBP Lifetime Membership No 082456. 2018 Unit 3C. DAVIELANE BANATAO-MARQUEZ Affiant SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me. Baguio City (074) 422-3287/ 09158481792 PTR No. 22-NC-11 (R) TIN: 922-596-439 4 . I want no less than a public apology from Goodtaste. Commission Serial No. A: Our house help ate hototay. RD 23 Q: IN WITNESS WHEREOF. siomay. 108083. this 23rd day of April 2016. I have hereunto affixed my signature this day of April. Doc. rice and the Buttered Chicken. 22.. Porta Vaga Building. sir.19. sir. 3rd Floor. sir. Q: A: Is there anything you would like to add. Philippines. in the City of Baguio.
I faithfully recorded or caused to be recorded in his judicial affidavit the questions asked of her and the corresponding answers he gave thereto. and sent to the Counsel for the Defendant by mail considering the time constraints and the distance involved. KEVIN GUMPAD. 3. IN WITNESS WHEREOF. JEREMIAH JEROME R. of legal age. Philippines. NOTARY PUBLIC Doc. Upper Session Road. 654-000-245 Copy furnished: Atty. Philippines by the affiant who exhibited to me IBP Identification Card with roll number 742784. 3RD Floor Laperal Building. ATTY. CRUZ SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 23RD day of April. CHRISTINE JOY D. Baguio City (074) 442-9302 / 09939589201 TIN No._____ Series of 2016. Philippines. neither I nor any other persons present or assisting me in the examination coached her regarding her answers. under oath attest that: 1. 4th Floor.LAWYER'S ATTESTATION I. 2. Filipino citizen and with office address at Room 3. 38492 / 1-4-16 / Baguio City Roll of Attorney No. KEVIN GUMPAD Counsel for the Defendant. No. 3b Laperal Building. I am the lawyer who propounded the questions on direct examination of the witness DAVIELANE BANATAOMARQUEZ. JEREMIAH JEROME CRUZ. Session Road Baguio City EXPLANATION The foregoing Judicial Affidavit was filed in court. PRESTOZA PTR No. I have hereunto set my hand this 23 RD day of April. III-006 / 1-10-16 Room 201. _____ Book No. Session Road. 2016 in the City of Baguio. ( An advanced copy of the foregoing pleading was sent to Atty. In the course of asking her questions. Baguio City. 2016 in the City of Baguio. _____ Page No. 68352 / 1-4-16 / Baguio City IBP Lifetime Membership No. POA Building. 03923 / Baguio-Benguet MCLE Compliance No. counsel for the defendant by the LBC next day door to door delivery service) 5 .


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Adults in the United States who are providing long-term care for aging relatives and friends have little training for their stressful roles, but plenty of commitment, according to a poll.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds that caregivers don't just give rides to the doctor and go shopping. Nearly half provide some kind of medical care, from changing bandages (30 percent) to inserting catheters or feeding tubes (6 percent).
Only 47 percent of those say they got most or all of the training needed for their often delicate tasks.
Despite all the challenges, more than 9 in 10 call their care-giving experience worthwhile, even if they also find it stressful (77 percent), and overwhelming (52 percent).
"It's a labor of love, but it can be stressful," said Cheryl Johnson, a factory supervisor from Bay Minette, Alabama, who along with other family members is caring for her elderly mother and stepfather. "Nobody can ever be prepared for that." Her mother has liver disease.
The poll of people age 40 and over who have either provided or received long-term care offers a glimpse into homes where aging and disabled people are being cared for by an ad hoc army of relatives, neighbors and friends.
It highlights how long-term care remains a major unmet need for government programs and private health insurance.
The lack of training for caregivers is a shortcoming in the health system, said Judy Feder, a professor at Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy.
According to the poll, most caregivers are also trying to hold down jobs.
Johnson said her employer has been very supportive. "There have been times when they said, 'Cheryl's got to go home,'" she said.
Nearly half of caregivers say it's moderately or very difficult to balance work and caregiving. Men are more likely to report that their employers are not at all supportive.
In Hastings, Nebraska, a small city where the Kool-Aid powdered soft drink was invented, Anthony Wollen says self-employment allows him to balance caregiving with work. A landscaper in his late 40s, Wollen is helping an older friend who's recovering from knee surgery.
He's had to wrap and unwrap his friend's leg and change her dressings, Wollen said. Caregivers also help with medications, doing blood-pressure checks and giving injections.
Just one-third of all caregivers and fewer than half of those who provide at least one type of medical care say they have any formal training, including from a medical professional, a class on senior care, or their own professional experience.
Wollen said he learned first aid years ago in the military, and that's about it.
"I've actually improved as a human being with her, which I like," said Wollen. "I thought I knew everything, and then she starts talking, and she knows a lot," he said of his friend, who once worked in the mental health field.
Alzheimer's and other conditions that affect mental status are more stressful for caregivers, according to the poll. Seventy percent of those helping someone with a loss of mental abilities say caregiving made them feel sad, as opposed to 52 percent of those helping someone with no such loss.
Cognitive symptoms and confusion can result from heart disease, or even temporary causes such as a urinary tract infection or a medication mix-up.
Johnson, the small-town Alabama caregiver, said cognitive changes that affect her mother now and then can be extremely unsettling.
"She'll be fine, and all of a sudden she won't be fine," said Johnson.
Experts said the poll has practical implications.
Congress is unlikely to consider a government program for long-term care any time soon, said Gail Wilensky, a former Medicare administrator. But that doesn't stop state and local governments, and private groups from helping caregivers.
The long-term care poll was conducted June 27-July 31 by AP-NORC, with funding from the SCAN Foundation.
It involved interviews in English and Spanish with 1,004 people age 40 and older nationwide who have experience either giving or receiving long term care, including 772 long-term care providers. Interviews were conducted online or by phone among members of NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population.
The margin of error for caregivers is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.


The past two weeks have opened my eyes to some really important facts about life. It started with a friend recommending me to a Naturopath for a food allergy/sensitivity test. I was curious what foods I could be eating that could possibly make me gain weight and feel completely unhealthy. To my surprise the doctor gave me a two-week meal plan. As I left the office and paid a hefty bill, I was dismayed, thinking I just paid a ton of money for a piece of paper. Little did I know how drastically that meal plan would change my life. It is a structured system that tells me what to eat, when to eat it, and how to cook it. It lists all the groceries I have to purchase but I was a tad frustrated by the amount of work I had to put in to make my shop a success. The plan consists of no dairy, no wheat and no artificial sugars, but the grocery list is very plentiful! I began to get excited and I forced myself to cook for the first time in years as the recipes are very easy. I got into a groove within the next few days and began making meals such as quinoa and bean salad to butternut squash soup. I threw the scale in the closet as I was done with weighing myself every day. I also began to change my personal perspective of myself as I was receiving a lot of spiritual counsel over the past month too.
I began to realize that I was not my weight, and I am beautiful the way I am. I did not concentrate on things like losing weight, and forcing myself to exercise like a fiend. I take long hikes here and there with a friend and enjoy the outdoors like never before. I feel so much clearer and less foggy in my own mind. Although I was done with weighing myself, I was instructed to jump on the scale twelve days after my first meeting with the Naturopath. I actually lost 8 pounds in 12 days and was pretty happy about my body shedding unwanted fat that I just don't need. I have realized that nutrition is at the core of our being and everything stems from that core. I am also only allergic to Brewer's Yeast, red grapes and corn. Good thing I don't drink alcohol!


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Have you ever had a conversation with someone from an Amish community? How about with a non-Amish professor who is their public representative? Or perhaps with the pregnant 16 year-old cashier who works down the road from the Amish farms? I haven't. And even though I consider myself a very understanding person, I have a hard time imagining what we'd talk about. My life as a technology-loving (non-pregnant) musician is far removed from any of these people and therefore far from my mind. I've never really considered an Amish person's experience: I find their community interesting and even have a deep respect for it but I usually think of it as a concept, not as a group of real humans each of whom is just as unique and complex as I. At least, I hadn't until Friday night when The Orchard Theater Collective ripped my heart open with their production of The Amish Project.
This one-woman show presents seven different characters who each elicit a sincere connection from the audience. Performing this seemingly impossible task, Anna Leverett single-handedly created a hugely diverse ensemble that challenged and encouraged the viewer. Seeing this show made me realize how much I have in common with people wildly different from myself; some of whom I'd like to spend time and some of whom I absolutely wouldn't. The unpleasant detail that I've thus left out thus far is that the arc of The Amish Project doesn't take place around a barn-raising but around the real-life school shooting that took place on October 2, 2006 in an Amish school in Lancaster, PA.
On paper, I'd say this show cannot be done. The seven characters portrayed are; a non-Amish judgmental townie, a non-Amish professor who speaks on their behalf, a 16 year-old Puerto Rican girl, a 6 year-old victim of the shooting along with her 14 year-old sister, the wife of the school shooter, and lastly the school shooter himself. It feels good to empathize with honest, hard-working characters from the Amish community. It doesn't feel good to empathize with the shooter and feel like any of us have anything in common with him. It's a much cleaner feeling to empathize with only the victims of a tragedy. In lesser hands this show would quickly feel offensive, insulting, or wildly uncomfortable. In this production, with Anna Leverett at the helm, it felt merciful.
I'm struggling for other adjectives to describe the experience…the act of feeling empathy for someone who doesn't usually warrant empathy is shocking. Being asked to view a murderer as a victim of his own demons isn't easy but it's 100% the crux of this play. In 2006, the real Amish community was quick to forgive the shooter and offer condolences to his widow and children. The surviving community members brought the shooter's widow food. They parked their horses in her driveway, they stepped out of their own comfort zone to console her, and offer forgiveness to everyone; the shooter included.
That level of compassion is profound and absolutely worth a treatment for the stage. Further, it was worth every bit of care afforded to it by this up-and-coming theater company and every bit of ambition poured out by Miss Leverett. Her presentation of these seven characters was staggeringly sincere, heavy-hearted, and right in our faces. Anna was openly crying for more than half of the play. It felt like a challenge to not break, even from the safety of the audience. But quickly after the challenge of intensity, it felt reassuring.
The run of this production has ended, I'm sorry to report. But this company is ambitious and producing better and better work all the time. Stay tuned for their Spring production of Twelfth Night.


Want to know more about the artists? Just click on their picture.
Sunshine Coast Ukulele Masters Inc. is presenting the 6th annual Sunshine Coast Ukulele Festival for 2019 and we are so happy to be holding it again in the beautiful town of Kenilworth.
We have another full and exciting program this year with Ukebox from the UK, Victoria Vox from USA and lots of fabulous artists from all around Australia. Friday night will be the big dance party night with the fabulous Lazy Leis. Jam sessions will be run every day by Pineapple Crush in the Festival Village, open mic session every day at the Kenilworth Pub, heaps of workshops for all standards of ukulele playing, singing workshops, a dance workshop, drumming workshop and our annual songwriting comp. We have planned 4 days and nights of ukulele playing, singing, drumming, dance and fun, catching up with your friends and having a spectacular experience at SUNSHINE COAST UKULELE FESTIVAL 2019.
And we can't do without our incredible volunteers, so if you are coming to the festival we would love you to volunteer to help. Vollie App now open for you to sign up.
Festival tickets now on sale.


Michael Connelly's new legal thriller starring Mikey Haller, The Fifth Witness, hits bookstores today. Here, Connelly discusses the perils of writing about a defense attorney, the source of his courtroom knowledge and the connection between Mikey and Matthew McConaughey.
Question: Michael, in The Fifth Witness, we learn that times have been tough for criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller causing him to expand his law practice into foreclosure defense. One of his foreclosure clients gets accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take her home. Why did you decide to tackle the tricky subject of foreclosure in this book?
Michael Connelly: Two reasons. First, I am always looking for a story that reflects a little bit of what is happening in society at the moment. And this, of course, is happening. Millions of homes have been foreclosed on in the last couple years and probably millions more to come. The second reason is that I sort of fell into it. One of the attorney's I research the Haller books with has done the same thing. Because the economic downturn has resulted in fewer clients being able to hire private defense counsel, he moved into foreclosure defense. He told me some stories about this side of the legal trade and I knew there was a story there.
Q: Here is a Mickey quote from the book: "When you come from the criminal defense bar, you are used to being despised." Do you find it hard to create and maintain a series character who works in a profession that some people just don't understand and often find sleazy?
MC: Absolutely. But it's a two-sided coin. On one side there are readers who love watching a guy who is good at gaming the system. On the other, there are readers looking for a hero. So the difficulty is finding stories and situations where Mickey sort of speaks to both of these constituencies. Reading to me is about creating an empathic connection with a character. The challenge in accomplishing this as a writer is more difficult when that character, as you say, is often misunderstood and generalized as sleazy. It is so much easier to build a connection between the reader and a detective like Harry Bosch.
Q: In The Fifth Witness, Mickey says: "It doesn't matter if our clients are guilty or innocent. They all get the same bang for their buck." In the book, Mickey's new young associate questions this philosophy and Mickey has to educate her about the reality of criminal defense. Was this your way of explaining and supporting Mickey's work with your readers?
MC: I definitely set up the character of Jennifer Aronson as the conscience of the story. She is young and idealistic. Mickey has been down the road a long way and his idealism has been eroded with cynicism. Jennifer is there to remind him of the way things should be. In a way she is a device I use for Mickey to explain himself and his world.
Q: You really seem to nail not only the courtroom scenes but the demanding work that goes into preparing for a murder trial. Since you don't have a law background, how do you pull this off? And what kind of feedback do you get from lawyers about these books?
MC: I ask a lot of questions. I used to be a newspaper reporter and covered courts for a while. It gave me a basic understanding of procedure. But I spend a lot of time with lawyers and cops and I try to get it as right as possible. Overall, the reaction is very good from people in the law trade. But not everything is exacting in the law. I frequently hear from lawyers who say they would go different ways or employ other means. It doesn't mean I got it wrong. There are just different ways within the law to get from A to B.
Q: When we first met Mickey Haller in The Lincoln Lawyer, he was working alone on small time cases out of the back seat of his car. In the most recent book, The Reversal, Mickey temporarily switched sides and acted as a special prosecutor. In The Fifth Witness, he is back to defense work but he has hired an associate fresh out of law school and gets a temporary office. It would seem that things are always changing for Mickey. Why do you prefer to evolve your characters book-to-book?
MC: It's the only way to keep him alive. Characters can't be static from book to book. I always want to change things up. In fact, at the end of The Fifth Witness there is another change and Mickey's off in a new direction I hope to explore the next time I write about him.
Q: Did the experience of seeing your Mickey Haller character brought to life on film by Matthew McConaughey change the experience of writing him?
MC: Not really. I think McConaughey is excellent as Mickey Haller but I think his character is embedded pretty deeply in my imagination so I can still write him without distraction.
Q: So, what is coming next, after The Fifth Witness?
MC: I'm having a busy year and I am currently writing a book called The Drop, which is a Harry Bosch novel. Harry is handling two cases at once, a cold case that turns hot, and the politically charged investigation into the death of a city councilman's son. The city councilman happens to be Harry's old nemesis, Irvin Irving. I hope to get the book finished in time to be published this fall.
Michael Connelly is a former journalist and the author of the #1 bestsellers The Scarecrow, The Brass Verdict and The Lincoln Lawyer the bestselling series of Harry Bosch novels, and the bestselling novels Chasing the Dime, Void Moon, Blood Work, and The Poet. Crime Beat, a collection of his journalism, was also a New York Times bestseller. He spends his time in California and Florida. Learn more at www.michaelconnelly.com, follow him on Facebook and read the first six chapters of THE FIFTH WITNESS online at Scribd.com.


text:
package de.longri.cachebox3.gui.activities;

import com.badlogic.gdx.scenes.scene2d.utils.Drawable;
import com.badlogic.gdx.utils.ArrayMap;
import de.longri.cachebox3.CB;
import de.longri.cachebox3.apis.GCVote;
import de.longri.cachebox3.apis.GroundspeakAPI;
import de.longri.cachebox3.gui.Activity;
import de.longri.cachebox3.gui.dialogs.InfoBox;
import de.longri.cachebox3.gui.widgets.CB_CheckBox;
import de.longri.cachebox3.settings.Config;
import de.longri.cachebox3.sqlite.Database;
import de.longri.cachebox3.translation.Translation;
import de.longri.cachebox3.types.AbstractCache;
import de.longri.cachebox3.utils.NamedRunnable;

public class SelectableImport extends Activity {
    final InfoBox infoBox;
    private final CB_CheckBox cbPocketQuery, cbGPX, cbGCVotes, cbLogs, cbImages, cbSpoiler, cbDeleteLogs, cbCompressDB, cbServer;

    private SelectableImport(String title, Drawable icon) {
        super(title, icon);
        cbPocketQuery = new CB_CheckBox(Translation.get("PQfromGC"));
        cbGPX = new CB_CheckBox(Translation.get("GPX"));
        cbGCVotes = new CB_CheckBox(Translation.get("GCVoteRatings"));
        cbLogs = new CB_CheckBox(Translation.get("LoadLogs"));
        cbImages = new CB_CheckBox(Translation.get("PreloadImages"));
        cbSpoiler = new CB_CheckBox(Translation.get("PreloadSpoiler"));
        cbDeleteLogs = new CB_CheckBox(Translation.get("DeleteLogs"));
        cbCompressDB = new CB_CheckBox(Translation.get("CompactDB"));
        cbServer = new CB_CheckBox(Translation.get("FromCBServer"));
        cbServer.setDisabled(true);
        infoBox = new InfoBox(InfoBox.Infotype.PROGRESS, Translation.get(title).toString());
    }

    public static SelectableImport getInstance(String title, Drawable icon) {
        if (activity == null) {
            activity = new SelectableImport(title, icon);
            activity.top();
        }
        return (SelectableImport) activity;
    }

    @Override
    protected void createMainContent() {
        if (GroundspeakAPI.getInstance().isPremiumMember()) mainContent.addLast(cbPocketQuery);
        mainContent.addLast(cbGPX);
        if (Config.GcVotePassword.getValue().length() > 0) mainContent.addLast(cbGCVotes);
        mainContent.addLast(cbLogs);
        mainContent.addLast(cbImages);
        mainContent.addLast(cbSpoiler);
        mainContent.addLast(cbDeleteLogs);
        mainContent.addLast(cbCompressDB);
        mainContent.addLast(cbServer);
    }

    @Override
    protected void runAtOk() {
        infoBox.open();
        CB.postAsync(new NamedRunnable("SelectableImport") {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                if (cbPocketQuery.isChecked() && !infoBox.isCanceled()) {

                }
                if (cbGPX.isChecked() && !infoBox.isCanceled()) {

                }
                if (cbGCVotes.isChecked() && !infoBox.isCanceled()) {
                    importGCVote();
                }
                if (cbLogs.isChecked() && !infoBox.isCanceled()) {

                }
                if (cbImages.isChecked() && !infoBox.isCanceled()) {

                }
                if (cbSpoiler.isChecked() && !infoBox.isCanceled()) {

                }
                if (cbDeleteLogs.isChecked() && !infoBox.isCanceled()) {

                }
                if (cbCompressDB.isChecked() && !infoBox.isCanceled()) {

                }
                if (cbServer.isChecked() && !infoBox.isCanceled()) {

                }
                // todo make changes visible (without reload ?)
                infoBox.close();
                finish();
            }
        });
    }

    public void importGCVote() {

        boolean mustCloseInfoBox = false;
        if (!infoBox.isRunning()) {
            infoBox.open();
            mustCloseInfoBox = true;
        }
        infoBox.setTitle(Translation.get("GCVoteRatings").toString());

        int take = 50;
        ArrayMap<String, AbstractCache> waypoints = new ArrayMap<>();
        GCVote gcVote = new GCVote(Database.Data, Config.GcLogin.getValue(), Config.GcVotePassword.getValue());
        if (gcVote.isPossible()) {
            for (int skip = 0; skip < Database.Data.cacheList.size; skip = skip + take) {
                int limit = Math.min(skip + take, Database.Data.cacheList.size);
                for (int i = skip; i < limit; i++) {
                    waypoints.put(Database.Data.cacheList.get(i).getGeoCacheCode().toString(), Database.Data.cacheList.get(i));
                }
                infoBox.setProgress(100 * skip / Database.Data.cacheList.size, Translation.get("GCVoteRatings").toString());
                gcVote.getVotes(waypoints);
            }
        }
        if (mustCloseInfoBox) infoBox.close();
    }
}


text:
The right to die: How issues divide us
By Maxwell Matson, Columnist | Sep 19, 2017 | Opinion, Opinion Columns
Maxwell Matson, columnist
While this column is nowhere near thorough enough to do justice to the long and complex history of the right to die in the United States, it is meant to serve as a brief introduction to the issue and is therefore intentionally concise.
Amongst the political right and left there is constant debate over the rights that U.S. citizens, usually women, have to their bodies. While such issues are certainly of extreme relevance given the current political climate, one issue that tends to ebb and flow in political relevance is the right to die. Right to die has been both controversial and completely ignored here in the United States, and while it is one of only a few issues that could potentially affect the lives of every and anyone, it has somehow managed to gain only limited notoriety amidst a sea of general ambivalence.
Right to die is defined as a conscious decision, usually on the part of a medical professional, to either forgo medical intervention necessary to extend the life expectancy of a patient who is terminally ill or, more controversially, to take deliberate action to end the life of the patient (upon the patient's request in either case). While this is usually what is referred to when the term "right to die" is used, it has various meanings to different people/groups across the U.S. and essentially boils down to the right to choose suicide of one form or another at one's own discretion given the presence of physical or mental anguish which cannot foreseeably be alleviated in one's own natural lifetime.
So why doesn't right to die receive the same attention in the political arena as other hot-button issues regarding the rights of citizens to their bodies? The simple answer is that the issue is too complex to take a stand on. By the nature of our bipartisan political system, an issue like right to die, while certainly controversial, crosses partisan lines in a manner which does not allow for it to be neatly packaged and sold as a two-sided issue. Unlike the issue of abortion, where the members of one group brand themselves "pro-choice," and the other use the equally divisive "pro-life," there is no convenient rhetoric that can be used to sway the massive majority of people who are still on the fence about the issue without oversimplifying it beyond recognition.
The closest that we got to a straight answer regarding right to die from the major political parties in the 2016 election was Hillary Clinton's statement on new "Death with Dignity" laws in Oregon. These laws allow for a patient to receive a physician-assisted death with the caveat that they are of sound mind and are terminally ill with less than six months to live. While certainly not the first state to implement such laws, which only satisfy the least controversial definition of right to die, the new legislature was still repackaged as a dilemma of state's rights by Hillary Clinton: "I believe it's within the province of the states to make that decision. I commend Oregon on this count, as well, because whether I agree with it or not or think it's a good idea or not, the fact that Oregon is breaking new ground and providing valuable information as to what does and doesn't work when it comes to end-of-life questions, I think, is very beneficial…" In possibly the most divisive and contentious election in recent American history, such a wishy-washy answer on any topic is almost unheard of. What's even more unheard of? Silence from the Trump camp on almost any issue. But that's exactly what we got. A weak "yes" (if one can call it that) from the Democrats, and total silence from the Republicans.
While I am aware that it is atypical of an "opinion" piece not to contain a stated opinion regarding the issue of concern, I like most other Americans simply can't decide how I feel about right to die. In today's world it has become all too easy to let other people speak for you, to allow "him" to dictate your stance on every issue because you don't like "her" stance on just one of them. As a country we're so absorbed in our red and blue bubbles that we fail to see the shades of purple all around us. Right to die serves as a reminder that when the people we elect to office can't manufacture two sides to every argument, they simply disregard the issue entirely. Although it is difficult to distance ourselves from political issues which we feel personally connected to, it is imperative to realize that somewhere beyond all the rhetoric is a complex problem which requires more than partisan loyalty to be solved.
matsonrm@miamioh.edu
PreviousPearson's secret garden is out of season
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Letter to the Editor | Continuing the feminist fight: Gender inequality is still around and we need to face it
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Alcohol issues demand attention even after major incidents
Libraries offer resources, give students a chance to revive love for reading

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Εlectric gyros maker with incandescent resistances and firebricks for optimum use of power. Like all SER GAS devices, are manufactured of stainless steel and supplied with a spit, a tray and a stainless steel shovel. They are extremely simple to use and maintain, and their high-quality motor allows use under heavy conditions. They are CE approved.


Can creatures who can appear soft and cherubic be capable of evil? Those who say they travel with angels are loath to admit it. "Reports of evil angels are legion," acknowledges Eileen Freeman, publisher of the newsletter AngelWatch, but she says, "I refuse to give them any free publicity." Only last week in Binghamton, New York, court, a man pleading "not responsible" claimed that an angel had told him to molest the five-year-old boy he was babysitting. No less an authority than St. Paul warned the faithful, in his second letter to the Corinthians, that Satan could be "transformed into an angel of light." [I looked it up; It's II Corinthians 11:14] For Satan was once an angel--- indeed, one of the most exalted as well as the most complex and the most human.
The celestial being who would become Satan had many names in heaven. Most of the Western tradition identifies him as Lucifer, the Morning Star, the most brilliant of all the denizens of the empyrean. He is Sammael, according to the rabbinical literature of the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., highest of those who flit around the throne of God, created above the seraphim and distinguished from the others by the fact that he possessed twice the maximum allotment of wings: 12. To Muslims, he is Iblis, a word perhaps derived from the Greek diabolos, the proudest of all God's creatures. And it was pride that would lead to Satan's rebellion and eventual expulsion from heaven. But even in the depths of hell, he retained an awe-inspiring dignity. In the words of Milton's Paradise Lost, "With grave aspect he rose, and in his rising seemed a pillar of state... princely counsel in his face yet shone, majestic through in ruin."
It is that irrepressible pride that has given the chief of the fallen angels such power to tempt humankind. If humankind was created just a little lower than the angels, what are we to make of an angel who has failed? Is he then not just like us- yet immortally so? For poets like Milton, Satan was the archetypal antihero, the rebel waging eternal guerrilla warfare against his Creator. "To reign is worth ambition though in hell: Better to reign in hell than serve in heav'n." Indeed, to som, Satan even provides lessons in piety. The Sufis, the mystics of Islam, imagined that the pride of Iblis may have been blind ideological purity, a supremely flawed political correctness. According to one account, when he was asked to bow before Adam, God's newest and best-beloved creation, Iblis refused. "There is only one God," he declared, "and I will make obeisance only to Him." More of a monotheist than God himself, Iblis was banished from Heaven.
Christian legends are different. Lucifer vaingloriously sought to overturn the regime in heaven and waged war against God's loyalists. Defeated by the Archangel Michael, the angel who would be God was cast into his inferno, to brood in darkness, "hatching vain empires." With him went about a third of the heavenly host, a horde of fallen angels.
As late as the sixth century A.D., in a mosaic in Ravenna depicting the Last Judgement, the devil was still portrayed as a haloed, winged being, standing at the left hand of Christ. Satan is dressed in blue, not red, robes. (Red was the color of the upper ether, closest to God, from which Satan was expelled; blue, the color of the closest heaven humankind could see.) By the Middle Ages, however, Satan had become a beast. His horns and hooves came from his commingling with beliefs banished by a victorious Christianity. The devil's appurtenances derive from the great Greek god Pan- half-man, half-goat- and from association with the cult of the forest deity Cernunnos of northern Europe. Relegated to the shadows, the pagan gods were absorbed by the master of darkness, the demigod on the margins.
There is no possibility of redemption for Satan and his minions. Unlike Adam and Eve, the fallen angels were not tempted to sin but chose it out of untrammeled free will. They have no excuse for disobedience. And as the ages roll, heaven grows further away. "Which way I fly is hell; I myself am hell," Satan moans in Paradise Lost. Even in majestic ruin, Satan is certain only of the dark path he is doomed to pursue with seraphic fortitude. "Farewell remorse," says the angel who can no longer look homeward to heaven. "All good to me is lost; Evil, be thou my good." --- by Howard G. Chua-Eoan. Reported by Sam Allis/Boston.
Do you believe in the existence of angels?
Do you believe you have your own guardian angel?
Which best describes what you believe angels to be?
Have you personally felt an angelic presence in your life?
Do you believe in the existance of fallen angels, or devils?
Pan was the chief. He was Hermes' son; a noisy, merry god, the Homeric Hymn in his honor calls him; but he was part animal too, with a goat's horns, and goat's hoofs instead of feet. He was the goatherd's god, and the shepherds' god, and also the gay companion of the woodland nymphs when they danced. All wild places were his home, thickets and forests and mountains, but best of all he loved Arcady, where he was born. He was a wonderful musician. Upon his pipes of reed he played melodies as sweet as the nightingale's song. He was always in love with one nymph or another, but always rejected because of his uglyness.


Bef. 1128, Owain born in Wales, s/o §Gruffudd ap Maredudd.
1128, Owain's father died; his uncle Madog ap Maredudd succeeding.
~1145, Gwenlian born in Wales, d/o 79958920. King Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd & 486788003. Christina verch Goronwy.
1149, Madog ap Maredudd gave Cyfeiliog to his nephews Owain Cyfeiliog and Meurig. [Near the end of the year.] Owain's share of his inheritiance formed the principality of southern Powys, later called Powys Wenwynwyn.
1153, owain attacked by Rhys ap Gruffydd.
1160, On the death of Madog ap Maredudd, Owain, holding Cyfeiliog, became the ruler of most of southern Powys.
1162, Howel ab Leuaf of Arwystli invaded the cantref of Cyfeiliog and captured Tafalwern castle.
1162, Owain invaded Arwystli, defeated Hywel, and rebuilt Talfolwern Castle. (S) Domen Fawr, Tafolwern.
1163, Owain joined with Owain Fychan [his cousin, s/o Madog ap Maredudd] to capture and destroy the royal castle of Carreghofa.
1165, Owain allied with other Welsh princes under Owain Gwynedd against the expedition into Wales by the English in the Berwyn area.
1166, Owain joined with Owain Fychan to drive Iorwerth Coch from Mochnant, which they divided between them.
1167, Owain was again a supporter of English rule.
1170, Owain established the Cistercian monastery of Strata Marcella. (S) Sheriffs of Montomeryshire, Lloyd, 1876, P362.
1177, Owain attended King Henry of England's council at Oxford.
1195, Owan gave up rule to his son Gwenwynwyn and retired to the abbey of Strata Marcella.
1197, Owain-Cyfeiliog ap Gruffydd, Prince of Powys died; buried at Strata Marcella.
(S) Medieval Wales, Walker, 1990, P91. (S) History of Wales, V2, Lloyd, 1912. (S) Welsh Biography Online.
· Gruffudd ap Maredudd, s/o Maredudd ap Bleddyn ap Cynfyn & Hunydd verch Eunydd.
· Owain married 2nd a d/o Rhys ap Gruffydd.
i. Gwenwynwyn ap Owain-Cyfeiliog (121697000), born ~1160 in Wales.


In general, I like Iris. For some reason, I find this diminutive species irresistible. I think because it has the beauty of the tall bearded and standard dwarf bearded iris, without being in your face. It's a quiet beauty that is always a pleasing sight in the spring.
Iris lutescens campellii is a neat dwarf iris found in dry areas ranging from Italy to southern Spain. It has small lavender flowers with a darker purple signal and beards that are white with some yellow. Foliage is typical blue-green iris foliage that is slightly curved. Because of its small size (4-6" in my garden), it makes an excellent addition to the rock garden or trough garden.
It can also be used in a mixed perennial border as long as care is taken to make sure it isn't over crowded by other plants. Make sure it has well drained soil, as like most bearded iris it doesn't like excess water. While drought tolerant, it doesn't want to be too dry either, and will perform best with some irrigation and fertilizer in the summer months.


generate new leads – more customers!
retention – lose less customers & make them come back!
A manic maven in every sense. Subsists on a steady diet of social media, streamed music, memes, fake news and pop culture. Considers Emoji her third language and the Spice Girls her first feminist icons. City mouse born in Seoul, grown in LA and NYC. Lived through the death of CD's, cable tv, radio and witnessed the rise of the internet, reality TV, streaming and podcasting. Unapologetically millenial.


text:
Watch a Baby Go from Babbling to Baby Talk to Words in ASL
Children acquiring sign languages go through the same linguistic stages that those acquiring spoken languages do.... READ ON
10 Onomatopoeia for World Travelers
English is full of words whose sounds suggest their meaning. But other languages have their own ways of representing the noises we hear.... READ ON
8 Fun Facts About the Valyrian Language of 'Game of Thrones'
Why Is English Spelling So Weird?
English spelling might seem crazy and unfair, but there are reasons for how it got to be that way.... READ ON
How Do You Say "Pecan"?
There may be as many ways to say it as there are pecans in a pie. What makes this word so hard to pin down?... READ ON
Your Words Can Be Recovered From a Video of a Chip Bag Next to You
Vote on a Message to Send to Space About What Earthlings Think of the World
What American Sign Language Looked Like 100 Years Ago
Top Dictionary Words Searched at Colleges Across the Country
Listen and Compare: 15 Different Irish Accents
Everybody loves an Irish accent, but there isn't just one Irish accent.... READ ON
How to Memorize Pi if You're a Word Person
Pi Day offers something for the math-lover and baked-goods lover. What about the word lover?... READ ON
8 Fun Facts About the Irish Language
You may hear an "Erin go bragh" or two, but even on the most Irish of holidays, we don't hear much of the Irish language—which is a shame!... READ ON
Hear What Rapping Sounds Like in 14 Different Languages
Explore the World's Languages with this Cool Interactive Map
You know about French, Spanish, and Russian, but what about Tohono Oodham, Karaim, and Iu Mien?... READ ON
11 Best Uses of Bad Grammar from The Simpsons
When it comes to comedy, sometimes a little grammatical wrongnity is exactly what's called for.... READ ON
Should Research Animals Get Names?
How Deaf People Come Up With Signs for Slang Terms Like "Photobomb"
All the Colors in That Dress Go Back to the Same Etymological Source
'The Imitation Game' Codebreakers Also Created Brilliant Palindromes
Why Is It "Woe Is Me" Instead Of "I Am Woe"?
Watch a Time-Lapse of an $8 Million Dollhouse Being Put Back Together
8 Beautiful Snow Scenes from Literature
Whether you're settling in for a few days of snowed-in coziness at home or a few days of airport purgatory, you can probably use something to read. Here are some beautiful descriptions of snow from literature.... READ ON
15 Pairs of Words That Seem Etymologically Related, But Aren't
Words suggest one thing, but their histories tell us another.... READ ON
6 Places Where Lexicographers Find Old Slang
See This Adorable Baby Acquire Sign Language Through Rhythm And Rhyme
Designer Chocolates That Let You Taste the Meaning of Japanese Words
Why Do People in Interviews Say "That's a Good Question" So Much?
The U.S. words of the year for 2014 included vape, culture, and #blacklivesmatter. But what about the rest of the world? Here are the word of the year winners from 13 other countries.... READ ON
The American Dialect Society's Word of the Year
2015: The Last Binary Palindrome Year We'll Have Until 2047
Why Your Family Name Did Not Come From a Mistake at Ellis Island
Your Family Name Did Not Come From a Mistake at Ellis Island... READ ON
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year is 'Culture'
There were a number of attention-getting words this year, from bae, to normcore, to vape. But a word need not be shiny and new to get special attention.... READ ON
15 Harsh Things Critics Said About 'The Nutcracker' After Its 1892 Premiere
The road from its Saint Petersburg premiere in 1892 to annual must-see was neither direct nor easy.... READ ON
This Little Girl's ASL Version of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' Will Make Your Heart Grow 3 Sizes
The 11 Best New Words Added to Oxford Dictionaries
The editors at OxfordDictionaries.com just added 1,000 new words to their online dictionary.... READ ON
The Unusual Syntax of "Sexiest Man Alive"
In the wake of People magazine's announcement of its choice for this year's "Sexiest Man Alive," our thoughts, naturally, turn to the unusual syntax of this phrase.... READ ON
17 Old Proverbs We Should Use More Often
The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is Vape
How a Deaf Couple Had Their Baby Officially Registered with a Sign Name
Experiments in Ngram Art
Countries as Named in Their Own Languages
A map of the world's endonyms.... READ ON
15 Tricky Words and How to Pronounce Them Hilariously Wrong
The Sign Language Interpreter for De Blasio's Press Conference Was Deaf. How Does That Work?
How Well Does Mark Zuckerberg Speak Chinese?
Feast Your Eyes on This Beautiful Linguistic Family Tree
20 Italian Hand Gestures, Demonstrated by Male Models
5 Baffling Foreign Language Versions of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' Theme
Most of the time, when an American TV show is sold to other language markets, the opening theme song stays as is. But sometimes, especially if the theme song contains crucial background details, the song will be translated and re-recorded.... READ ON
How an Awesomesauce New Suffix Came to Be
Sauce has come a long way from its original noun meaning, passing through idiom, to adjective, to adjective-forming suffix. Still, it has kept in touch with its roots.... READ ON
The Secret Emotional Lives of 5 Punctuation Marks
Punctuation marks accept their utilitarian roles, but they too carry feelings, and they express them in subtle ways that are sometimes easy to miss.... READ ON


text:
'UNLOCKED' is the creative lovechild of Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats
Modern hip-hop icons team up and record album in 24 hours
Courtesy of Loma Vista Records
"UNLOCKED" by Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats
NICK MASTRO
Artists: Denzel Curry, Kenny Beats
Released: Feb. 7, 2020
Label: Loma Vista Recordings
It finally happened.
Hip-hop star Denzel Curry had the Kenny Beats treatment on his latest album, "UNLOCKED." Like most of Curry's recent ventures, "UNLOCKED" came out of nowhere. Teasing the project with some staged beef on Twitter, Curry and Beats have released something special with the 18-minute playground of an album.
Supposedly recorded in 24 hours, "UNLOCKED" is a highlight in both artist's discographies.
The album opens with "Track 01," which sets the cartoonish and playful tone of the rest of the project. With some clear inspirations from MF DOOM, samples of announcers swirl around the establishing beat. The song quickly cuts and Curry delivers the scratchy introduction that simultaneously prepares the listener for what's to come and leaves them needing more.
As the album continues, Beats and Curry throw a three-pointer on the appropriately named highlight "Lay_Up.m4a." Curry brings the heat in a head-bopping, two-verse hype-train with a nasty (in a good way) chorus in between. Beats' production on the cut ranges from slowed-down boom bap on the verses to an almost haunted-house vibe on the chorus.
The pair released the album alongside a 24-minute visualizer featuring stunning animation from a variety of animators. Curry and Beats put on a show as the two travel through worlds to recover their music from the depths of the internet. It pairs with the sonic palette of the album immaculately.
As the album progresses, it continues to deliver some heavy hitters. Tribal-sounding percussions back the track "DIET_" and lay the tone in a way that's both relaxing and exciting all at once. Curry calmly picks up the pace throughout his first verse, before calling out Logic for his lazy lyricism on his recent projects.
"DIET_" ends abruptly and throws the listener into highlight "So.Incredible.pkg." Beats and Curry outdo themselves on the track, almost traveling back in time to the birth of hip-hop. The Notorious B.I.G. would be proud, as clear inspiration from him and Tupac can be heard in this track.
Beats shows off his prowess in "Track07" as he artfully lays drum over cosmic beats with echoes of Curry's rapping from the previous song interwoven with more MF DOOM-esque old movie samples. Beats paves a clear path into the Jazz/R&B genre as this song is as smooth as syrup on pancakes. The track, unofficially labeled the interlude of the album, should be a must-add to chillout playlists.
The album comes to a close with "'Cosmic'.m4a" which is a perfect representation of the album as a whole. Curry delivers a classic verse over Beats' distinctive production, which is all it takes to make an incredible track.
Leading listeners through shades of nostalgia they didn't know existed, "UNLOCKED" is a showcase of talent for Curry and Beats. The entire album is a must-have in every hip-hop fan's weekly rotation and should not be missed.
The arts desk can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com.
By JUSTIN WEISS
By HUNTER SKOCZYLAS
By ANTHONY DECICCO
MF DOOM lived up to every expectation of a true supervillain


text:
Q: Oracle check constraint with subquerys [exercise] I want to solve this exercise (should be solvable).
You have the following table. The table includes seat reservation, all seats between a start-/enddate are reserved.
CREATE TABLE reservation (
    owner CHAR(10) NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
    start INTEGER  NOT NULL,
    end   INTEGER  NOT NULL
)

Extend this table definition with an constraint what checks, that no place will be reserved twice.
As far as I know it isn't possible to use a subquery in a check constraint. So what kind of constraint can I use?

A: This cannot be done with a single CHECK constraint because essentially it is a constraint that relies on more than one rows of the table.
It's similar to a UNIQUE constraint in a way. In a unique constraint, no two rows can have the same values. In this, no two rows can have overlapping ranges. So, if we could replace equality condition (=) with a condition that check for overlapping ranges, it would be just right.
In another DBMS (Postgres), it is actually possible to enforce exactly this and similar constraints using the proprietary EXCLUDE constraint.

In Oracle now and other DBMS that have the common FOREIGN KEY, UNIQUE and CHECK constraints, it is actually possible but complicated, if you are allowed to change the table design by adding another column:
CREATE TABLE reservation (
    owner CHAR(10) NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
    start INTEGER  NOT NULL,
    end   INTEGER  NOT NULL,
    previous_end INTEGER NULL,

    CONSTRAINT valid_range
        CHECK (start <= end),
    CONSTRAINT unique_end
        UNIQUE (end),
    CONSTRAINT previous_range_fk
        FOREIGN KEY (previous_end)
        REFERENCES reservation (end),
    CONSTRAINT valid_previous
        CHECK (previous_end < start)
) ;

and we are good to go. You just have to provide the previous_end value correctly, essentially making the table a linked list. All the constraints work together to ensure that ranges do not overlap.

A: You can solve this using a materialized view:
CREATE TABLE reservation (
    owner   CHAR(10) NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
    "start" INTEGER  NOT NULL,
    "end"   INTEGER  NOT NULL
);

CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW LOG ON reservation
   WITH SEQUENCE, ROWID("start","end")
   INCLUDING NEW VALUES;

CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW reservation_MV
   BUILD IMMEDIATE
   REFRESH FAST ON COMMIT
   AS SELECT "start" + LEVEL - 1 AS table_number
      FROM   reservation
      CONNECT BY "start" + LEVEL - 1 <= "end";

ALTER TABLE reservation_MV ADD CONSTRAINT reservation__mv__pk
  PRIMARY KEY ( table_number );

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees visits Sudan as new refugee arrivals cross 43,000
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, is visiting Khartoum as the country receives a growing number of refugees from Ethiopia.
Since the start of fighting in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region in early November, more than 43,000 refugees have crossed into Sudan seeking protection and shelter. Even before this influx the country was hosting nearly one million refugees, mainly from South Sudan.
Grandi will review UNHCR operations in support of the government-led response to the latest influx. He is also scheduled to meet with refugees.
In eastern Sudan, UNHCR continues to ramp up its relief effort together with Sudan's Commission on Refugees and local authorities amidst complex logistical challenges.
Aid is being mobilized to help refugees almost half of whom are children. Humanitarian agencies continue to provide shelter and other facilities to help refugees but more resources are required and Sudan needs international support urgently.
UNHCR has helped relocate nearly 10,000 refugees to the Um Rakuba site, 70 km further from the border inside Sudan, as work continues to put up shelters and improve services.
Family tracing services have been established and these have already reunited many separated refugees.
This morning, a plane carrying 32 tons of UNHCR emergency aid from our global stockpile in Dubai landed in Khartoum. Another airlift is scheduled to leave Dubai on Monday with 100 tons of additional relief items. UNHCR's global stockpile is hosted by the International Humanitarian City in Dubai (IHC). In total, we plan to send four airlifts.
Today's cargo included 5,000 blankets, 4,500 solar lamps, 2,900 mosquito nets, 200 plastic sheets and 200 plastic rolls. A second airlift will carry 1,275 family tents and 10 prefabricated warehouses. This aid will meet the immediate shelter needs of more than 16,000 people. The transportation costs of both flights were generously covered by the Government of United Arab Emirates.
Inside Tigray region concerns are growing for the safety of civilians in the conflict, particularly in its capital of Mekele, home to more than 500,000 people.
UNHCR remains concerned as the humanitarian situation continues to worsen in Tigray, including for those displaced and for some 96,000 Eritrean refugees who will run out of food as soon as Monday if supplies cannot reach them. We join other humanitarian agencies to reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and immediate humanitarian access in order to resume the delivery of life sustaining assistance.
In Sudan, Dana Hughes, hughes@unhcr.org, +249 96 701 9105
In Sudan, Sophia Jessen, jessen@unhcr.org, +249 900 921 267
In Geneva, Babar Baloch, baloch@unhcr.org, +41 79 513 9549
In New York, Kathryn Mahoney, mahoney@unhcr.org, +1 347 443 764
In UK, Juliette Stevenson, stevenso@unhcr.org, +447958958492
UNHCR Regional Update #9: Ethiopia Situation (Tigray Region), 24 December 2020 - 12 January 2021


QuickBooks is #1 online accounting solution worldwide. Synchronizing your store with QuickBooks Online is the best way to simplify your bookkeeping.
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Reduce errors - automatic synchronization ensures accurate data exchange.
Save time - you are free of tedious manual work.
If you have a registered QuickBooks Online account and an online store on CS-Cart or Multi-Vendor platforms, just contact us to discuss the details of the synchronization process.
In case the QuickBooks account has not been registered yet, we can consult you on what account to choose.
The cost of the integration will depend on the volume of work. For example, the synchronization can be restricted to the selected items (e.g. orders, products). That's why we are waiting for the description of the required functionality.
Start now to have up-to-date accounting information!
Does this work with Quickbooks India ? We are looking for an option where we can raise an invoice for the commission charged for orders served by our vendors through our platform.
We need to discuss the details with you. Please contact us at sales@simtechdev.com.


Versus: The Way to Shadow – Movie Release!
A few days ago, Versus: The Way to shadow was released!
The movie is near to hit the 100K views on Dailymotion, and we had the opportunity to get a little reportage on a French TV news show. I'll come back soon with a making of covering different VFX aspect about that long production project.
Versus: The Way to Shadow a enfin été mis en ligne ll y a quelques jours!
Le film va bientôt atteindre les 100.000 vues sur Dailymotion et nous avons aussi eu droit à un petit reportage dans le journal de M6. Je reviendrais bientôt avec un making of sur les effets spéciaux du film.


With Christmas on its way fast I am typically late in getting organised. Mind you as I type I am half way through a new kitchen install which isn't helping much especially as I work from home. I think a couple of late night shopping trips will be in order soon. But I really struggling with gifts for my mum. There is always her favourite perfume but as this costs less than a £10, its the old cheap stuff, I always feel this isn't enough. It if was the same price as my favourite pefume (Alien) then I'd feel job done, add a box of chocs and sorted.
Another reason why I have been in a flap about Christmas is because I have been very busy with my little ceramic sculpture business. For those that dont know I am in the process of developing my art and have been making ceramic flower people for about a year now. I have been doing a few fairs and sales have picked up with Christmas coming. I have learn t so much over the past year and will be far more prepared for next year. The dream is to do it as my one and only job. Currently I have 3 jobs and that is without counting the numerous jobs I do look after my kids and keep the home in check. I have no manor or servants downstairs unfortunately.


text:
Media /
Mixed feelings from nat'l papers on Obama's inauguration speech
Eddie Scarry
What the national papers are saying about President Obama's inauguration speech...
USA Today saw a campaign in the works: "The 18-minute speech was less an appeal for unity than a campaign-style call to the base, an eloquent if predictable recitation of core Democratic values such as women's rights, gay rights, the virtue of programs for the retired and the disabled, and the importance of tackling global warming and immigration reform.
"That sent a reassuring signal to the Democrats and independents who helped re-elect the president, but reciting priorities and delivering solutions are two different things."
Wall Street Journal picked up on a divisive message: "Inaugurals usually include calls for national unity and appeals to our founding principles, which is part of their charm. With the election long over, swearing in a President is a moment for celebrating larger national purposes. But Mr. Obama's speech was notable for invoking the founding principles less to unify than to justify what he called 'collective action.' The President borrowed the Constitution's opening words of 'we the people' numerous times, but his main theme was that the people are fundamentally defined through government action, and his government is here to help you. ...
"[T]his suggests a second-term President less interested in bipartisan accommodation than in aggressively pursuing the progressive goals on behalf of what he views as a new center-left majority."
New York Times liked it...: "[Obama] spoke only obliquely of the persistent gridlock in Congress, where he will face right-wing Republicans whose bleak agenda would weaken civil rights, shred the social safety net and block important programs that could help put millions of jobless Americans back to work. 'We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect,' he said.
"Instead, he took the fight to the people, laying out his principles and priorities ...
"It's natural for a second-term president to be thinking about his place in history. There is no doubt that Mr. Obama has the ambition and intellect to place himself in the first rank of presidents. With this speech, he has made a forceful argument for a progressive agenda that meets the nation's needs."
Washington Post calls out the "wishful thinking": "Mr. Obama recommitted himself, as he has uncounted times, to making 'hard choices' to reduce the deficit. But he again offered no clue as to what those might entail.
"If that absence suggested a bit of wishful thinking, another sentence suggested a barrelful: 'A decade of war is now ending,' Mr. Obama pronounced. That would come as news to the Afghan soldiers still dying at Taliban hands; to the families of more than 60,000 people killed in Syria in the past two years; to French soldiers who have taken on, in Mali, al-Qaeda affiliates who are as much enemies of the United States as of France; to the families of American hostages just slain in a terrorist attack in Algeria. America's adversaries are not in retreat; they will be watching Mr. Obama in his second term to see if the same can be said of the United States."


Planning an international convention can be stressful. Mark Wade has planned so many, he has it down to an art. In this episode Mark shares a unique look into a niche market convention. Attendees from around the globe converge on Hebron, Kentucky for a week every year. And they return, year after year.
A fascinating look at the common denominators and differences of niche event planning.
The 40 year history of a unique niche convention.
Frustrations caused by revolving chairmen and event planners.
The downside of long term venue contracts.
Dealing with disruptive or publicity seeking attendees.
An overview of a new venue tour.
Why letters of invitation are required by some countries.
Considerations of feeding an international audience.
One convention's mixture of education vs entertainment.
The importance of focusing on the international aspect.
The art of making "newbies" feel like part of the family.
Importance of selecting the right department heads.
Why holding pre and post convention meetings are important.
Concepts for handling the unexpected.
Inside view of moving people safely from venue to location and back.
The importance of knowing what your attendees expect.
Right click and save-as to download the Episode 20 transcript.
Mark & I hope this look into a niche convention inspires your events.


Hi Paige! The Deluxe Plan includes 3 table services a day, which for our family, is a LOT of food. On the other hand, the Quick Service plan includes 2 counter service meals, and no table service. If you feel you will be wanting to eat some sit-down meals, then I would recommend the Plus (Basic) Dining Plan. I always recommend that guests plan on taking the time to enjoy one table service meal a day. It allows a chance to relax together in a beautiful setting with fantastic food and recap the day. We always end up giggling over funny memories from the day, and to me...that is priceless.
Hope this helps and enjoy your vacation!


text:
Q: Word 2013 - footnote custom balance? I searched a lot and couldn't find anything about customizing the balance in footnote of the Microsoft word. It is actually quite useful since it's really common for affiliations in scientific papers. This is the footnote affiliation section in the word file of the IEEE conference template:

However, this template, which is in old .doc format, is not compatible with the insert->Equation of the MS-word and the document should be converted to a newer version (.docx). After conversion the footnote goes like this

What I found in microsoft web page is that:

By default, Word 2013 positions footnotes in columns when a document has multiple columns. Additionally, footnotes begin in the first
  column on the page regardless of where the footnote reference appears
  in the body text. Word 2013 balances the footnotes across the footnote
  columns.

So, is it possible to customize the balance in the footnote ?!

A: I noticed that after converting the .doc file to newer formats the footnote which is somehow hidden cannot be deleted. So the workaround is to use the script which I found here and can be run in VBS editor of the MS-Word (alt+F11):
Sub DeleteFootnotes()

Dim c As Object
For Each c In ThisDocument.Footnotes
    c.Delete
Next

End Sub

So the hidden footnote will be deleted and then I put a text-box with no-filled outline which resembles the exact same thing.


Marlboro Pest Control also offers a tick control program. Treatments for preventing and eliminating ticks should be done several times per year; in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Our tick control treatments are effective and comprehensive, and cover a large area of your property.
If you are active outdoors, in your garden, entertaining with cookouts, or have children and animals that romp around your yard, you want to give some serious thought to having tick control treatments. Tick bites cause Lyme disease, and lyme disease needs to be treated seriously and with prescription medications. BUT, lyme disease is totally preventable!
What areas are treated around your property during the tick applications?
This is going to be a very bad year for Ticks! Contact us today at 508-485-3721 to schedule your tick prevention treatment today!


She is a perfect model for Alberta Ferretti!
Amanda is an amazing model, actress and girl (I think!) ..I remember her when she worked in Mean Girls.. she looked just a stupid girl.. But on her carrier she's showed that she is very good at her job. she isn't?
Anyways.. you should see some of her film.. like "Letters to Juliet" or "Mamma mia!"
She's absolutely stunning and still remember her on Mean Girls. She's gorgeous.
I like her as an actress. She has that romantic comedy kind of aura. And yes, she is a perfect Alberta Ferretti girl!
She is such a natural beauty! Love her eyes!


For anyone who might be interested, I'm sharing my current audio setup for those who like to follow such things.
I have 8 of them set up as stereo pairs and 2 of them connected to my DefTech SuperCube II sub.
The Sub channel is run off of one the earphone jacks on the RME (it sets within a couple of feet of the RME and the un-shielded cable run does not to seem to effect it).
On theory that IM is the worst enemy of amplified organ sound, I have routed all Pedal stops, the bottom 2 octaves of all manual 16's and the bottom octave of all manual 8's to my Sub channel.
16' and 8' stops are going to be putting harmonics (especially the third sounding ones) into the tenor and middle octave of the keyboard range anytime you are playing in the bottom octave of the pedal board and putting them into the middle and upper octaves when playing above the bottom octave.
I send all the stops of an organ to all channels to get the most separation of notes in a scale. I have used various cycling methods with this setup, and found all of them sound much cleaner with the pedal ranks removed and lower octaves of the manual stops removed. Although the lower octave of the manuals is not played that much compared to the middle of the keyboard, they do get played if manual to pedal couplers are used. I especially like the sound sound of Tone Matching Mode I (the one that separates all the thirds). It provides an extremely clean sound much freeer of IM, although it does send every pitch note of the same name to the same pair.
I have yet to separate the organs by division to separate pairs that I know some people say sounds very nice as well. The next time I have free time to set up another routing scheme I will set one of my Alternate loadings to that setup and see what I think.
I'm very interested to note that you have a "sub channel" which includes a set of "full range" speakers and the sub and that you use this for the pedal division, manual doubles and the bottom octave of the manual 8 stops. I would imagine that you have to take care in getting the levels set appropriately so the "join" between the sub channel and the "main" output is smooth for the 8 ranks split between the two groups.
It is an interesting approach which I might try out over the Christmas holiday.
I was doing the same as you, but everything I read (especially the Colin Pykett articles) recommends avoiding that clash between pure tuned thirds of the harmonic series and the very out of tune thirds of equal temp. So I decided to try what I'm doing now.
The 2031's go down to about 50khz, I set the Sub to roll off around 60khz and it hasn't presented a significant challenge. I always do a lot of note regulation anyway, as I don't use any of room compensation programs.
I think you'll find an improvement in sound with less IM in the middle octaves. Reeds certainly sound much better using the tone matching mode 1 but even using the cyclic within octaves it improves the sound getting those lower harmonics from the pedal stops out of mid-range of the keyboard.
It's interesting reading about all the different ways audio setups are being done and the results they provide.
With all the options available to us with Hauptwerk the possibilities are almost endless if you have the multiple channels, speakers and the time to work with. I also like the fact you can set up different instances with the same instrument, come up with different routing schemes and then make comparisons.
As some know here, I'm one of those that has tried many different audio arrangements and routing schemes. I use exclusively wet sets, and my goal has been to get the most realistic 'listening from the first couple rows of pews' sound I can come up with just like you'd hear if you were there in person listening to the real instrument. Not an easy task for sure! I recently took a number of weeks to test and compare a new arrangement that involves not only some different routing, but new speaker placement as well (which by itself can make a huge difference by the way), and have meant to do the same and give a report here like John has, this way if a person is interested and wants to try it for themselves they can, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.
Thanks, John for sharing what you are doing here. All this gives me more to ponder and yet another scheme (or two) I may try. I'd be interested to hear a bit more about your speaker placement in comparison to where you are seated at the bench.
Two of my alternate configurations use Tone Mode 1. All of my configurations have four separate channels for the bass notes. Tone Mode 1 with the bass split out produces the best clarity to my ears, especially with chords. One configuration has six mono channels in each of four groups. Another configuration has two groups with six stereo pairs. I also have a configuration with 12 groups, each with a stereo pair.


text:
GINSENG STUDIES
GS15-4®
Consumer Inquiries
Doctor Inquiries
Ingredient Inquiries
A Breakthough in Ginseng SciencE
Panax ginseng is considered to be one of the fundamental tonics in traditional Chinese medicine. In fact, it may be the world's best known herb. Panax ginseng has been used medicinally in Asia for more than 5000 years and has been known in Chinese ethnopharmacology for more than 3000 years. Pharmacologically speaking, ginseng is classified as an adaptogen. Ginseng is the world's most powerful adaptogenic herb which assists the body to manage stress and achieve homeostatic balance, optimizing the body's ability to resist fatigue, stress, trauma, and support healthy aging and overall wellness. Ginseng has a remarkable capacity to restore the body's natural balance.
As an adaptogen, Ginseng supports nonspecific resistance to biochemical and physical stressors, thereby improving vitality and well-being. Reviews suggest Panax ginseng has immunomodulating activity by affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Clinical studies have shown that ginseng extract stimulates the immune system, improves mental and physical performance, reduces fatigue, supports healthy glucose regulation, and improves overall quality of life.i,ii,iii,iv
The unique active compounds found only in Panax ginseng are plant saponins called ginsenosides. Other plants that have the common term "ginseng" in their names are not true ginseng since they are from a different genus or family and do not contain these unique compounds. These include Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Prince ginseng (Pseudostellaria paniculate), Indian ginseng/Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), and Brazilian ginseng/Suma (Pfaffia paniculata).
The quality and efficacy of Panax ginseng extracts may also be influenced by harvest time and processing methods. Red ginseng is ginseng root that has been peeled, heated (usually through steaming at standard boiling temperatures of 100 °C) and then dried or sun-dried. White ginseng has been processed without heat and air dried. A study comparing the ginsenoside content of the most common red Ginseng extract versus a uniquely processed white ginseng extract showed that this white ginseng extract has higher level of ginsenosides. (Note: this is not common with most white ginseng extract) In fact, the level of ginsenoside Rg1, the indicator of anti-fatigue activity was found to be three or four times higher in this white ginseng than that of red ginseng.v Growing time also impacts ginsenoside content, with roots from plants older than five years being more potent than roots from one- to two-year-old plants.7 In fact, a study measuring ginsenoside content of ginseng roots every year up for up to 6 years reported that the maximum accumulation of ginsenosides was recorded in the roots at the 5thyear.vi The common practice of harvesting 6 year roots may have other limitations as well comparing to 5 year root processing.
While all this science instructing manufacturers on the best way to process and harvest ginseng is important, another factor is fundamental to making an efficacious ginseng extract. It turns out the availability of intact ginsenosides is extremely low. Orally administered ginsenosides are very hard to breakdown by gastric juices or liver enzymes. They can be, however, metabolized by intestinal bacteria and then these metabolites are absorbed from intestines. Recent studies demonstrated that ginsenoside metabolites had greater biological effects than ginsenosides.vii
The 21st Century Ginseng
Through decades of consistent scientific leadership, the Korean ginseng manufacturer Ilhwa Co. Ltd., has developed the world's most efficacious and balancing ginseng extract, GS15-4®. Ilhwa uses a proprietary process that incorporates all the best current science to produce a "21st Century Ginseng Extract". First, Ilhwa uses white ginseng root that has not been peeled, as peeling removes the minor rootlets and hair rootlets that carry key bioactive compounds. Second, they use a proprietary low heat vacuum extraction of the whole unpeeled root, which maintains the vitamins, amino acid profile and organic germanium lost in the high heat steaming process used in traditional processing. Third, Ilhwa harvests the roots at the optimum time between the 4th and 5th year. In comparison, red ginseng extract available from most companies use the traditional 6 year harvested root. Finally and most importantly, Ilhwa uses a proprietary enzyme fermentation process to improve absorption. High-yield enzyme fermentation mimics the fermentation that occurs in the intestine to transform ginsenosides to an end-stage metabolite called compound K or IH-901. Compound K has been proposed to be the most bioavailable metabolite from colonic fermentation.viii Fermented ginseng extract containing this metabolite have been shown to have many adaptogenic qualities such as strong antioxidant,ix anti-stress,x hepatoprotective,xi anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory xi iactivities as well as support healthy glucose and lipid regulation.xiii In addition, GS15-4® has been clinically proven to provide 15 times increased absorption, 4 times faster absorption and 4 times more consistent absorption (Figures 2-4). In addition, the fermentation process also provides an improved taste profile compared to conventional ginseng extracts. Improved bioavailability means improved adaptogenic support for fatigue and stress.
For a number of reasons, more consumers are seeking caffeine-free energy from supplements and beverages. Whether consumers have a fear-based response to the media reports on highly-caffeinated energy drinks, or are simply looking for a different type of energy than the jittery, addictive energy from caffeine, product developers are more likely to find a receptive audience for caffeine-free energy than ever before. In addition, the energy category is evolving beyond simple "stimulant" energy we get from caffeine and beginning to recognize that "energy" has many profiles that can be offered to fit consumers' lifestyles and interests.
Ginseng extract also has thousands of years of traditional use for energy and vitality. It also has a different energy profile which could be called "adaptogenic" energy. GS15-4®'s proprietary processing leads to better absorption of the active components of ginseng, providing higher accessibility for this adaptogenic energy profile.
1Sachse C. et al. Functional significance of a C-->A polymorphism in intron 1 of the cytochrome P450 CYP1A2 gene tested with caffeine. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1999; 47(4):445-9.
1Cornelis MC, et al. Coffee, CYP1A2 genotype, and risk of myocardial infarction. JAMA. 2006. 295(10):1135-41.
1Heckman MA, et al. Caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine) in foods: a comprehensive review on consumption, functionality, safety, and regulatory matters. J Food Sci. 2010;75(3):R77-87. 1
Smit HJ. Theobromine and the pharmacology of cocoa. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2011;(200):201-34.
1Mumford GK, et al. Absorption rate of methylxanthines following capsules, cola and chocolate. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1996;51:319–25.
1Lakshmi T, et al. Panax Ginseng: A universal panacea in the herbal medicine pharmacological spectrum – A review. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research. 2011;4(S1):14-18.
1Thorne Research. Panax Ginseng Monograph. Alternative Medicine Review. 2009;14(2):172-176.
1Reay JL, et al. Panax ginseng improves aspects of working memory performance and subjective ratings of calmness in healthy young adults. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2010;25(6):462-71.
1Choi KT. Botanical characteristics, pharmacological effects and medicinal components of Korean Panax ginseng C A Meyer. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2008; 29 (9): 1109–1118.
1Ko SK, et al. Analysis of Ginsenosides of White and Red Ginseng Concentrates. Korean Food Science and Technology. 2003;35:536-539.
1Xiang-guo L, et al. Ginsenoside Content in The Leaves and Roots of Panax ginseng at Different Ages. Life Science Journal. 2012;9(4):679-683.
1Leung KW and Wong AST. Pharmacology of ginsenosides: a literature review. Chinese Medicine. 2010; 5(20):1- 7.
1Hasagawa H. Proof of mysterious efficacy of ginseng: basic and clinical trials: Metabolic activation of ginsenoside: Deglycosylation by intestinal bacteria and esterification with fatty acid. Journal of Pharmacological Sciences. 2004;95:153-157.
1Ramesh T, et al. Effect of fermented Panax ginseng extract (GINST) on oxidative stress and antioxidant activities in major organs of aged rats. Exp Gerontol. 2012 . 47(1):77-84.
1Kitaoka K et al. Fermented Ginseng Improves the First-Night Effect in Humans. Sleep. 2009;32(3):413-421.
1Lee HU, et al. Hepatoprotective effect of ginsenoside Rb1 and compound K on tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced liver injury. Liver International. 2005;25: 1069–1073.
1Yang CS, et al. Compound K (CK) Rich Fractions from Korean Red Ginseng Inhibit Toll-like Receptor (TLR) 4- or TLR9-mediated Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases Activation and Pro-inflammatory Responses in Murine Macrophages. Journal of Ginseng Research. 2007; 31( 4): 181-190.
1Yuan HD, et al. Beneficial effects of IH-901 on glucose and lipid metabolisms via activating adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase pathways. Metabolism Clinical and Experimental. 2011;60: 43–51.
iLakshmi T, et al. Panax Ginseng: A universal panacea in the herbal medicine pharmacological spectrum – A review. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research. 2011;4(S1):14-18.
ii Thorne Research. Panax Ginseng Monograph. Alternative Medicine Review. 2009;14(2):172-176.
iii Reay JL, et al. Panax ginseng improves aspects of working memory performance and subjective ratings of calmness in healthy young adults. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2010;25(6):462-71.
iv Choi KT. Botanical characteristics, pharmacological effects and medicinal components of Korean Panax ginseng C A Meyer. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2008; 29 (9): 1109–1118.
vKo SK, et al. Analysis of Ginsenosides of White and Red Ginseng Concentrates. Korean Food Science and Technology. 2003;35:536-539.
vi Xiang-guo L, et al. Ginsenoside Content in The Leaves and Roots of Panax ginseng at Different Ages. Life Science Journal. 2012;9(4):679-683.
vii Leung KW and Wong AST. Pharmacology of ginsenosides: a literature review. Chinese Medicine. 2010; 5(20):1-7.
viii Hasagawa H. Proof of mysterious efficacy of ginseng: basic and clinical trials: Metabolic activation of ginsenoside: Deglycosylation by intestinal bacteria and esterification with fatty acid. Journal of Pharmacological Sciences. 2004;95:153-157.
ixRamesh T, et al. Effect of fermented Panax ginseng extract (GINST) on oxidative stress and antioxidant activities in major organs of aged rats. Exp Gerontol. 2012 . 47(1):77-84.
xKitaoka K et al. Fermented Ginseng Improves the First-Night Effect in Humans. Sleep. 2009;32(3):413-421.
xi Lee HU, et al. Hepatoprotective effect of ginsenoside Rb1 and compound K on tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced liver injury. Liver International. 2005;25: 1069–1073.
xii Yang CS, et al. Compound K (CK) Rich Fractions from Korean Red Ginseng Inhibit Toll-like Receptor (TLR) 4- or TLR9-mediated Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases Activation and Pro-inflammatory Responses in Murine Macrophages. Journal of Ginseng Research. 2007; 31( 4): 181-190.
xiii Yuan HD, et al. Beneficial effects of IH-901 on glucose and lipid metabolisms via activating adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase pathways. Metabolism Clinical and Experimental. 2011;60: 43–51.
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