The Cable Matters USB-A Multiport Data Hub transforms a USB-C port into a multi-function data hub. Transfer files from any USB-A or USB-C drive or smartphone. Backup-files to a SATA 2.5" SSD or a 3.5" HDD. Connect a SATA optical drive to read a CD or DVD. Read and write to an SD or microSD memory card with both UHS-I and high speed UHS-II support.
Manage all your data from the latest gaming computers with a USB-A 3.1 Gen 2 10Gbps port. Migrate data from a computer with a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 port.


Abstract: Over the last century, the number of people living in urban areas has been increasing and the general health and happiness of the public has been decreasing (Emfield & Neider, 2014). As more people move into urban environments, the negative consequences of reduced connection with nature are becoming more apparent. One promising way to reverse this trend is by reconnecting humans with the natural world. Natural environments have been shown to exert beneficial influences on mental health; however, to effectively develop therapeutic interventions, there is a strong need to understand the mechanisms of action by which natural environments support positive mental health outcomes. This thesis investigated potential mechanisms of action for therapeutic nature exposure as well as the preliminary efficacy of nature exposure therapy in virtual reality. Research subjects completed a survey measure assessing previous visits to nature and self-reported mental health symptoms. They subsequently completed an in situ experimental session in which they received one of three treatments (real nature, virtual nature or no nature) and then completed a laboratory stress task. Levels of mindfulness during the stressor and changes in self-reported levels of state positive and negative affect before and after the stressor were assessed. Results showed nature visitation indirectly correlated with psychopathology and emotional responses to nature. Additionally, mindfulness covaried with nature treatment type (real nature or virtual nature) for positive affect. These results elucidate the relationship between nature and mental health and demonstrate the potential for virtual restorative environments to be used in the treatment of mental health disorders.


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Bohemians and Critics American Theatre Criticism in the Nineteenth Century, 1981 by Tice L. Miller assesses the accomplishments of five critics: Henry Clapp, Jr., Edward G. P. Wilkins, William Winter, Stephen Ryder Fiske and Andrew C. Wheeler.
Along with numerous American playwrights, actors and theater managers, history has frequently neglected the theater critics in 19th century America. Tice Miller has provided here an extremely well researched evaluation of that fascinating journalistic social history of America.
One can learn a great deal about a people by understanding the entertainments they enjoyed. And theater critics explored and exploited American entertainments!
An excellent resource for theater lovers.
This hardcover book is in fair condition. Pages are spotted and yellowed with age, and there area a number of marks by a reader but no tears. The binding is strong and firm, and signs of shelf wear are slight.
The book measures 5 1/4 inches by 8 3/4 inches by 3/4 inch and has 190 pages.


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HBOMax
Jurnee Smollett Says It's "Maddening" That The Racism In 'Lovecraft Country' Is Still A Problem Today
Posted August 6th, 2020 by Jax Motes
In addition to being a major star-on-the-rise in Hollywood, Jurnee Smollett has been an activist for Black rights from a young age. As a child in 1992 (around the time she began appearing on 'Full House' as Michelle's friend Denise), she was holding up signs after Rodney King's infamous beating. At 12, she was volunteering at a social justice nonprofit and by 18, she was its youngest board member. She has been actively meeting with members of the Black Lives Matter organization in recent months. And as it happens, her new HBO series, 'Lovecraft Country', set in the American South in the 1950s– the time of Jim Crow– also addresses matters of racism with a healthy dash of the supernatural. While Smollett is excited about the new series, she is understandably furious, that the same issues facing her character 70 years ago are still problems that Black Americans face today.
In a cover story for The Hollywood Reporter, Smollett said:
"We're telling the story of heroes that go on a quest to disrupt white supremacy, and it's maddening that in the year 2020 it's still relevant."
In addition to racism, Smollett is not a fan of sexism, something she has faced often in the entertainment industry and something that has cost her jobs. Until 'Lovecraft Country', she has refused to do nudity on film unless she felt it was necessary to the plot and until now, it wasn't.
"I've sat with directors and they'll say, 'This is what it is,' and you try to listen and understand, but if I don't trust that they truly believe it's essential to the plot, if it's like, 'Dude, you actually don't care for him to get naked too?' then I know what this is, and it's a no for me. I'm very aware of the over-sexualization of the Black female body — this perverted fascination that predates me — and so the notion that I would ever contribute to that weighs very heavily on me."
But on the opposite end of the spectrum, as soon as she read the script for the 'Lovecraft Country' pilot, she was obsessed with playing the female lead, Leti, especially since Misha Green, who had been her showrunner on the two-season slave drama 'Revolution', was going to be the showrunner of 'Lovecraft Country' as well.
"I was so wildly convinced that there was no fucking person who could play Leti Lewis but me that I became obsessed. I was like, 'What the fuck, does she not see that I am Leti Lewis? Does she not think I can stretch and do a different character?' I mean, I was freaking out, literally losing sleep for months."
Green explained:
"I just didn't want to be one of those people who only works with [actors] they've worked with before."
Fortunately, Smollet landed the role. As executive producer Jordan Peele explained:
"Jurnee brings versatility, depth, and nuance to every role."
Viewers will get to check out that "versatility, depth, and nuance" when 'Lovecraft Country' debuts on HBO on August 16. The series will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
Misha Green
'Candyman's Nia DaCosta Set To Direct 'Captain Marvel 2'
HBO Max Reveals A Trailer And Poster For Android Horror 'Raised By Wolves' Directed By Ridley Scott
Saved At The Last Second, 'Timeless' Is Uncancelled
NBC Surprises With A 'Heroes Reborn' Super Bowl Teaser
A New Vigilante Team Assembles In The Season 5 Extended Trailer For 'Arrow'
Tilda Swinton Was Considered To Play Pennywise In 'It'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Donald Trump Controlled By The Mossad – Part I
Above Photo: Donald Trump and Mossad asset Ghislaine Maxwell out on the town in New York City in 1997.
By Timothy Fitzpatrick
October 29, 2016 Anno Domini
Any inquisitive person should be asking themself why a seemingly anti-establishment candidate like Donald Trump has been allowed to get as far as he has in the U.S. presidential race for election November 8.
The simplest answer is that he isn't anti-establishment and is only fronting a very convincing facade for public consumption.
The family-made rich man has been strategically propped up as the all-accommodating GOP extremist opponent of candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, herself part of the very same establishment and even personal friend to Trump—at least prior to the race.
The two candidates come from the same organized criminal syndicate that leads back to Israel, its murderous Mossad terrorist organization, and the Lansky international crime syndicate. Furthermore, as we shall see, Trump is nothing more than a puppet of Mossad and is likely under their control through opportunism and, darker yet, blackmail. What Trump and his cronies all share in common is sexual compromise and their loyalty to the international Judeo-masonic power structure.
Sexual blackmail and Illuminism
Former Mossad case officer Victor Ostrovsky and his second tell-all book about Israel's Mossad.
Perhaps the most powerful form of blackmail is that which involves sexual matters, and so it is that throughout human history, many men of power have been brought down upon revelation of some sexual scandal. It was through this channel that Adam Weishaupt's illuminism (blackmail) was so successful in his time through to today (Weishaupt stole the Catholic sacrament of confession and used it for his own personal gain—so that he could gain knowledge of people's sins in order to use it against them). Since then, it has proven to be the most useful form of blackmail employed, especially in the political world. Every person in a position of power should be suspected of being controlled through this form of blackmail, since the Judeo-masonic cryptocracy controls virtually every aspect of organized government, the press, and the financial system, to name a few. You may have heard of the bizarre sexual initiation of Yale University's Skull and Bones secret society, where the would-be bonesman reveals his sexual secrets to his fellow initiates and initiators.[i] From the very start of their societal ascent, you could say, a bonesman is blackmailed and falls under control of the society.
Former Israeli Mossad case officer Victor Ostrovsky revealed in his first tell-all book about the Mossad:
"… there are three major "hooks" for recruiting people: money; emotion, be it revenge or ideology; and sex."[ii]
This scenario is played out in virtually every sphere of influence at one degree (pun intended) or another. As it happens, both presidential candidates are connected to sexual scandals, the likes of which we shall explore in Trump's life.
Mossad's child-sex ring procurers Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein and alleged child sex procurer Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Maxwell is the daughter of late British parliamentarian and media magnate Robert Maxwell, also a Jewish Mossad super sayan[iii] prior to his assassination on November 5, 1991. Ghislaine Maxwell is not only a personal friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton but, apparently, also of Donald Trump (the two have been spotted together on several occasions). Although never charged, it was revealed in U.S. courts that Ghislaine procured young girls for her Jewish billionaire boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein and his friends and associates[iv]. Maxwell was given immunity in the secret plea-bargain, non-prosecution agreement and Epstein's White House-connected Jewish lawyer Jay Lefkowitz managed to arrange it so that Epstein served only 13 months house arrest for a reduced conviction of soliciting a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution, despite that authorities had evidence that he abused up to 40 young girls[v]. Epstein has made 17 out-of-court settlements. The more one looks into it, the more it looks like Maxwell and Epstein were running an international blackmail operation, extending from North America to Eastern Europe. What's more, testimony from the victims revealed that Ghislaine might have been responsible for setting up the recording of the sexual abuse of the girls, complete with hidden cameras, for blackmail purposes. She is alleged to have even participated in the abuse of young girls herself.[vi]
"Epstein instructed Jane Doe 3 that she was to give the Prince [Andrew] whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe 3 to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse," according to court documents lodged by Epstein sex slave Virginia Roberts late in 2014.
Roberts claims it was Epstein who paid her $15,000 for subjecting herself to the 41-year-old Prince. "Jeffrey always took care of paying me after I 'entertained' his friends."
17-year-old Virignia Roberts in a photo during her forced sexual service of Prince Andrew with alleged child-sex procurer and Mossad asset Ghislaine Maxwell looking on in 2001.
Roberts, now in her 30s, says she first encountered Epstein and Prince Andrew (Duke of York) through Maxwell. She met Maxwell at Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago country club and residence in Florida, where, at only 15 years of age, she worked as a changing room assistant in the club's spa (her father also worked there as a maintenance manager).
"I was wearing my sexy white Mar-A-Lago uniform—a white miniskirt and skin-tight white polo top—and studying an anatomy book when I was approached by this striking woman in her mid-40s with a very proper British accent—Ghislaine," Roberts told the Daily Mail.
We can only assume that Trump crafted Mar-A-Lago's dress code!
Roberts eventually ended up working for Epstein, under the guise of being a masseuse, at Epstein's Palm Beach waterfront, which is minutes away from Trump's Mar-A-Lago club and residence. Epstein and Maxwell would groom Roberts and the other underaged sex slaves on techniques of pleasing Epstein and his friends, often involving kinky sexy toys and orgies.
"A lot of powerful men were part of Jeffrey's scene…," Roberts says. "Epstein and Maxwell also told me that they wanted me to produce things for them in addition to performing sex on the men. They told me to pay attention to the details about what the men wanted, so I could report back."
In her affidavit, Roberts goes on to nail down the political, illuministic role of Epstein's child-sex ring.
"In addition to constantly finding underage girls to satisfy their personal desires, Epstein and Maxwell also got girls for Epstein's friends and acquaintances. Epstein specifically told me that the reason for him doing this was so that they would 'owe him,' they would 'be in his pocket,' and he would 'have something on them.'"
Dershowitz making some kind of Kabbalist-masonic pose.
Why Epstein would want dirt on powerful people, other than for his own personal gain, is a mystery. We can only conclude that he was gathering dirt on behalf of some other party, likely the Mossad and/or for Israel's desk at the CIA. Investigators into the Epstein child-sex scandal turned up a contact book that contained the names and contact information for many prominent people, some of which included New York lawyer Alan Dershowitz, Donald Trump, liquor baron Edgar Bronfman, and former U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton[vii]. Roberts claims she was forced to have sex with Dershowitz six times but denies seeing Clinton having sex with anyone, although he was present at Epstein's mansion as well as having flown on Epstein's personal jet. A former employee at the Epstein Palm Beach estate claimed in a sworn deposition that Epstein and Trump had a much closer relationship than what Trump has admitted to. Juan Alessi claimed that Trump had been for dinner at the Epstein estate at least once, while Epstein's brother Mark stated that he flew with both Jeff and Trump on Epstein's private plane[viii], what some call "Lolita Express". (Epstein's flight manifests)
"They were friends," Mark Epstein went on to say about Jeff Epstein and Donald Trump's relationship[ix].
In 2003, The New Yorker reported that Trump attended dinner with Epstein and guests, including Bill Clinton aide Doug band, at his East Side New York townhouse. British cabinet minister Peter Mandelson was also in attendance, which corroborates the legitimacy of the little black book of Epstein's investigators turned up. Mandelson's name is in there.
According to a Jan. 29, 2016 article on Vice News,
"Epstein and Maxwell were repeat guests at Mar-A-Lago. In 2000, they hung out there with Prince Andrew, who arrived for vacation on Trump's private plane. That same year, the Palm Beach Post reported that Trump, Epstein, Prince Andrew, and Maxwell were all at a tennis tournament/celebrity event at Mar-A-Lago."
Bill Clinton is alleged to have ridden Epstein's plane from 10 to 20 times.[x]
Donald Trump and convicted child prostitute pimp Jeffrey Epstein with model Ingrid Seynhaeve at the Victoria's Secret angels party at the Laura Belle club in New York City, April 1997—around the same time period when young girls are alleged to have been raped by both Trump and Epstein. (Photo by Marina Garnier)
"He's a lot of fun to be with," says Trump of Epstein
At the very least, Donald Trump must have known that one of his miniskirt-clad child workers was 'working' for his friend Jeffrey Epstein's at his mansion a mere 10 minutes away from Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort. At worst, Trump was helping the Epstein-Maxwell procurement of young, disadvantaged girls for the sexual-blackmail factory the pair were operating and/or Trump was one of Epstein's child-sex clients himself.
In 2002, while Epstein was using child-sex slaves at his various homes in New York, Palm Beach, and in the Virgin Islands, Trump told New York Magazine that Epstein, his friend of 15 years, was a "terrific guy".
"He's a lot of fun to be with," Trump continued. "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."
Pervert Trump kisses New York mayor Rudy Giuliani at the mayor's Inner Circle Press Roast in 2000 (video here).
Did Trump just reveal that he views under-aged girls as women? It appears so, as there is little doubt that Trump encountered Epstein while with one of the dozens of child sex slaves with whom he trophied around the world at social gatherings.
Epstein's defense deposition stated the following as to whether Trump was involved in the non-stop Epstein orgy.
Q. "Have you ever socialized with Donald Trump in the presence of females under the age of 18?"
A: "Though I'd like to answer that question, at least today I'm going to have to assert my Fifth, Sixth, and 14th Amendment rights, sir."
This only questioned being in the presence of young girls but Epstein still wouldn't touch it. Clearly, there is something amiss here.
New rape allegations against Trump corroborate Pussygate, Roberts' claims
Trump supporters have all too easily dismissed a series of child rape charges against Trump, saying it's all political and likely orchestrated by the Democratic Party, specifically by Hillary Clinton. But that is unlikely considering Bill Clinton's own ties to Epstein. Why would Hillary want to open that can of worms? Regardless, when one looks at the court filings, the details of the allegations line up with the claims made in Virginia Roberts' affidavit. They also corroborate what is already admitted by Trump (his long-term friendship with Epstein) and a recently leaked audiotape[xi] of Trump boasting of his fame-procured sexual license with females and coveting another man's wife.
"You know I moved on her actually", Trump told Access Hollywood's Billy Bush. "You know she was down on Palm Beach. I moved on her and I failed. I'll admit it. I did try and fuck her. She was married.
You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
Disgusting scene here where young Ivanka, only about 15 years old, sits (or lap dances) on her father Donald's lap at the Mar-A-Lago club in 1996. Shortly after this time, a young Virginia Roberts would be recruited from the club by Ghislaine Maxwell and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to become a sex slave.
This is exactly the kind of predatory behaviour and arrogance described by a 13-year-old who alleges she was raped by Trump. Disgustingly, Trump supporters were quick to dismiss this show of arrogance as simply locker room banter. Coming from a man of power and wealth like Trump, this was no locker-room banter. This was Trump being honest. And it's a little hypocritical of Trump supporters to downplay Trump's disgusting behaviour when they are quick to point out Bill Clinton's objectification of women and series of rape allegations.
On April 26, a "Katie Johnson" filed a rape complaint in a California Court against defendants Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein[xii]. The complaint was dismissed by a judge due to a lack of plaintiff address, not due to any frivolity of the complaint. Trump supporters were quick to dismiss the charge, however, the lack of address on behalf of the plaintiff could have been due to fear for her life.
"On the fourth and final sexual encounter with the Defendant, Donald J. Trump, the Plaintiff, Katie Johnson, was tied to a bed by Defendant Trump who then proceeded to forcibly rape Plaintiff Johnson. During the course of this savage sexual attack, Plaintiff Johnson loudly pleaded with Defendant Trump to 'please wear a condom'. Defendant Trump responded by violently striking Plaintiff Johnson in the face with his open hand and screaming that "he would do whatever he wanted' as he refused to wear protection. After achieving sexual orgasm, the Defendant, Donald J. Trump put his suit back on and when the Plaintiff, Katie Johnson, in tears asked Defendant Trump what would happen if he had impregnated her, Defendant Trump grabbed his wallet and threw some money at her and screamed that she should use the money "to get a fucking abortion'."
Incidentally, Trump has flip-flopped on his abortion stance. Of course, how could Trump ever ban abortion? What would 13-year-old rape victims do then?
New Jersey lawyer Thomas Francis Meagher revised Johnson's case and filed it in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
"Plaintiff was subject to acts of rape, sexual misconduct, criminal sexual acts, sexual abuse, forcible touching, assault, battery, intentional and reckless infliction of emotional distress, duress, false imprisonment, and threats of death and/or serious bodily injury by the Defendants that tool place at several parties during the summer months of 1994. The parties were held by Defendant Epstein at a New York City residence that was being used by Defendant Epstein at 9 E. 71st St. in Manhattan [known as the Wexler Mansion]. During this period, Plaintiff was a minor of age 13…."[xiii]
An alleged witness, Tiffany Doe, to the above rape has come forward. She claims she was paid by Epstein to lure underage girls to Epstein-and-friends parties with the bait of promised modeling opportunities.
"It was at these series of parties that I personally witnesses the Paintiff being forced to perform various sexual acts with Donald J. Trump and Mr. Epstein. Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein were advised that she was 13 years old."[xiv]
Trump with Ivanka again in 1996 at Mar-A-Lago perched above two mating parrots.
Tiffany Doe goes on in her affidavit to identify a 12-year-old victim of Trump and Epstein as well as to witness Epstein making death threats to the girls should they reveal the abuse. A second witness to the original Jane Doe (previous pseudonym Katie Johnson) corroborates the story of both Johnson and her lurer.[xv] The case remains open.
Yet another corroborating detail of Trump's alleged sexual history includes his own wife—at the time, Ivana—accusing him of raping her in 1989. Perhaps convenient for Trump, Ivana somewhat recanted this accusation in July, 2015, just in time for the presidential race[xvi].
Publicly, Trump has made some disturbing, incestuous comments about his own daughters, at one time discussing the potential breast size of his then infant daughter Tiffany[xvii] and also claiming that he would be dating daughter Ivanka had he not been her father[xviii]. Normally when you hear someone talking about legs and breasts, it's not a parent talking about their infant daughter. Trump thinks this way because that is what must always be on his mind, regardless of age and regardless of kin. Almost every time he publicly talks of Ivanka he can't help but compliment her body. One cannot rule out the possibility that Ivanka is the victim of sexual abuse and mind control, although there is nothing directly suggesting this (the CIA's MKUltra program is alleged to have prostituted to children, sometimes with the help of the children's own parents, to politicians and persons of power). Trump's posed photo with then 15-year-old Ivanka where she is wearing a short skirt and slinky top without a bra whilst perched atop copulating birds doesn't help Trump's avoidance of incest suspicion or MKUltra abuse. Interestingly, Ivanka's slinky top is covered with butterflies, symbolic of beta kitten programming. Ivanka's personal contact information was found in Epstein's black book.
MK Ultra, Beta Kitten programming going on here?
A video recently surfaced showing Donald Trump telling a pre-teen girl that he would be dating her in ten years—just one more piece of evidence that Trump is a sexual predator[xix]. In 2003, Trump went on the Howard Stern show and talked about how hot then 12-year-old Paris Hilton was.
"I've known Paris Hilton from the time she's 12, her parents are friends of mine, and the first time I saw her she walked into the room and I said, 'Who the hell is that?' Well, at 12, I wasn't interested," Trump said. "I've never been into that… but she was beautiful."
Trump told Stern in that same interview that he had watched Hilton's sex tape. Big surprise there. What we basically have here is the American version of Jimmy Savile in Donald Trump!
Maxwell at the Chelsea Clinton wedding in 2010. Clinton supposedly cut ties to Epstein following his conviction. Clinton is alleged to have ridden Epstein's private jet at least 10 times.
There are other rape and grope allegations against Trump, some by prominent people. I don't wish to get into all of them here.
In early 2015, a photo emerged showing Ghislaine Maxwell at the wedding of Chelsea Clinton to Jewish investment banker Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010.
Trump and Mossad arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi
Khashoggi with wife Lamia at Donald Trump's wedding to Marla Maples at the Plaza Hotel in New York in 1993.
On November 10, 1988, in the midst of the fallout from the Iran-Contra scandal, of which Adnan Khashoggi is believed to have been involved, Donald Trump appeared on the David Letterman show and revealed that he had purchased a "$200-million" yacht (the Nabila) from the Saudi billionaire and arms dealer, who was recruited by Israel's Mossad for various arms deals and false-flag operations[xx]. Nabila is the daughter of Khashoggi and his then wife Soraya (Sandra Patricia Jarvis-Daly), whom he married when she was 17. Khashoggi is implicated in so many international conspiracies that it would be futile to begin discussing them here. Being tied to so many conspiracies, it's not surprising to learn that he is tied to the Meyer Lanksy organized crime syndicate, which played a leading role in the murder of President John F. Kennedy. Outrageously, Khashoggi has romanced JFK's widow Jackie and contributed to Richard Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign (Trump hatchetman Roger Stone, about whom we shall learn more in Part II, was a Nixon 'dirty trickster'). Khashoggi is tied to the Warren Commission, which was appointed to coverup the conspiracy to murder JFK, through Joseph A. Ball, who represented Khashoggi in his 1980 divorce from Soraya. Khashoggi's penchant for women and high rollers is not unlike Donald Trump's. Khashoggi went on to marry another 17-year-old, Laura Biancolini, who converted to Islam, changed her name to "Lamia" and gave birth to Kahosggi's fifth son, Ali, in Palm Beach, Florida, home of Trump's Mar-A-Lago club. Hopsicker says he has information from a Palm Beach source that Trump gave Khashoggi shelter from INTERPOL at Mar-A-Lago when Khashoggi was under indictment for defrauding Thailand's second largest bank. What's more, Khashoggi attended Trump's wedding to Marla Maples at The Plaza Hotel in New York City, December 20, 1993. Maples was Trump's second wife after the divorce with first wife Ivana in 1992. Interestingly, the Trump-Ivana wedding was ministered by 33rd degree freemason Norman Vincent Peale. The mason Peale also presided over the wedding of Trump's sister Maryanne. There's a strong possibility that Trump himself is a freemason. Trump considered Peale his mentor, perhaps a fraternal mentor in the masonic brotherhood?
Interestingly, Khashoggi may be in cahoots with self-appointed conspiracy king Alex Jones, who just happens to be the biggest media cheerleader for Donald Trump at the moment, despite Jones previously suggesting, through Paul Joseph Watson, that Trump was a "ringer for Hillary". As I documented in my article exposing Jones' deep Israeli connections, Khashoggi appears to be tied to the 9/11 truth movement through John Gray[xxi]. He is also tied to the Bin Laden family. (See more Khashoggi-9/11 connections in my article "The Growing Complexity of Alex Jones' Israeli connections".) As we shall see in Part II of this series, the Trump-Khashoggi-Nixon-Jones-Lansky ties will come full circle, with a couple of more characters stepping onto the stage.
Fayed and Princess Diana.
The death of Princess Diana was believed by many to be an Mi6-Mossad assassination. Some theories suggest that the establishment didn't want the Princess of Wales to be carrying the child of a Muslim, one Dodi Fayed, who became romantically involved with her in July, 1997, only a month before her death on August 31. Fayed is the nephew of Adnan Khashoggi. He died alongside the Princess that night in the Pont de A'lma underpass in Paris, a city rife with Mossad activity. It is certain that the marrying of Diana to a Muslim would not have fit the Mossad's geo-political goals for the UK and the royal family at that time. And Mossad, without a doubt, was at least spying on the couple during their affair, if not masterminding the hit itself.
Donald Trump (left) among some friends, including Ramy El-Batwari (right, in back) at a Hawaiian Tropic bikini competition. Date unknown.
Khashoggi and "lieutenant" Ramy El-Batwari
Investigative journalist Daniel Hopsicker describes Saudi Ramy El-Batrawi as Adnan Khashoggi's "lieutenant"[xxii]. The two were involved in, among many other schemes, a stock manipulation scandal involving their company Genesis Intermedia, which, incidentally, may be tied to Alex Jones's Genesis Communications Network, which broadcasts his Infowars show.
"…Ramy El-Batrawi supplied one of SkyWay's twin DC-9's," explains Hopsicker. "Once I'd obtained the FAA registration records for the two DC-9s…it became obvious that both planes had been sheep-dipped through a number of owners of convenience to hide the identity of their true owners, the CIA."
Hopsicker goes on to detail the Khashoggi-El-Batrawi pyramid of CIA (and Mossad) front companies, with ties to Iran-Contra and 9/11. He also points out that Jewish American businessman, lawyer, and Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling set up a bogus event, supposedly through his Donald T. Sterling Homeless and Medical Center, to honour Ramy El-Batrawi as humanitarian of the year for his support of the homeless in Los Angeles.[xxiii]
"There was no "Donald T. Sterling Homeless and Medical Center", back then, just for starters," writes Hopsicker. "Nor is there one today. No institution. No employees. No Board of Directors to mull over who (sic) to choose for next year's award."
On June 19, 2014, a tweet was sent out from what is believed to be El-Batwari's Twitter account with a photo from the bogus event. In the photograph are, among others, Batrawi, supposed 9/11 truther John Gray, and Ivanka Trump! Ivanka must have been there on her father's behalf. Then, on February 15, 2016, El-Batrwai tweeted another photo, presumably from the same event, of he and Ivanka. Nate Rothschild, slated to become the fifth baron of the infamous Jewish dynasty, has reportedly had flings with both Ivanka Trump and Adnan Khashoggi's step-daughter Petrina. Ivanka has since married Jewish American businessman Jared Kushner and converted to Judaism herself. In fact, almost all of Donald Trump's children are married to Jews.
[i] A Brief History Of The Skull & Bones Society – http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1881172,00.html
[ii] Ostrovsky, Victor, By Way of Deception, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1990, pg. 91
[iii] Ostrovsky, Victor, The Other Side of Deception, Harper Collins, New York, 1994, pg. 203-204, 209-210, 217
[iv] Maxwell's daughter the 'high-class madame': Court papers say she 'facilitated Prince Andrew's acts of sexual abuse', The Daily Mail, January 3, 2015, Online Edition – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2895087/Maxwell-s-daughter-high-class-madame-Court-papers-say-facilitated-Prince-Andrew-s-acts-sexual-abuse.html
[v] Prosecutors suspected billionaire Jeffrey Epstein abused up to 40 underage girls but they failed to charge him and instead offered him a secret plea bargain, court documents reveal, The Daily Mail, July 8, 2015, Online Edition http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3153232/Prosecutors-suspected-billionaire-Jeffrey-Epstein-abused-34-underage-girls-failed-charge-instead-offered-secret-plea-bargain-court-documents-reveal.html
[vi] Affidavit of Virginia Roberts – http://www.scribd.com/document/253413783/Prince-Andrew-Affidavit
[vii] Epstein's little black book – http://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/1508273/jeffrey-epsteins-little-black-book-redacted.pdf
[viii] Mark Epstein deposition – http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1508967-deposition-excerpts.html#document/p73/a263754
[ix] ibid
[x] ibid
[xi] Pussygate audio – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLpvfjP2Oqc
[xii] Katie Johnson court filing, April 26, 2016 – http://radaronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/jeffrey-epstein-lawsuit-docs-signed.pdf
[xiii] Jane Doe affidavit – http://www.scribd.com/document/326057168/Jane-Doe-Declaration-as-Filed
[xiv] Tiffany doe affidavit – http://www.scribd.com/document/326057237/Tiffany-Doe-Declaration
[xv] Woman accusing Trump of rape just refiled her case with a new witness — and a Casey Anthony lawyer – http://www.revelist.com/politics/trump-rape-casey-anthony/5057/default/1
[xvi] Donald Trump's Ex-Wife Ivana Disavows Old 'Rape' Allegation – http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trumps-wife-ivana-disavows-rape-allegation/story?id=32732204
[xvii] Trump's Remarks About Daughter's Legs and Breasts in 1994 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djQApFzMbSM
[xviii] Donald Trump Nearly Casually Remarks About Incest with daughter Ivanka – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP7yf8-Lk80
[xix] Trump makes questionable comments about young girls in 1992 video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZESgWItOXc4
[xx] Ostrovsky, Victor, By Way of Deception, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1990, pg. 258
[xxi] Fitzpatrick, Timothy, The growing complexity of Alex Jones' Israeli Connections, May 31, 2013 – http://fitzinfo.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/the-growing-complexity-of-alex-jones-israeli-connections/
[xxii] Hopsicker, Daniel, The CIA Double-Dip: Drugs, Fraud, & the JFK Assassination, August 19, 2014 – http://www.madcowprod.com/2014/08/19/the-cia-double-dip-drugs-financial-fraud-in-st-petersburg/
[xxiii] Hopsicker, Daniel, Donald Sterling's Secret History, May 22, 2014 – http://www.madcowprod.com/2014/05/22/donald-stirlings-secret-history/
http://fitzinfo.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/trump-controlled-by-mossad/


text:
const logger = require('./log.js');
const EventEmitter = require('events');
const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');
const Raven = require('raven');

class Socket extends EventEmitter {
    constructor(socket, options = {}) {
        super();

        this.socket = socket;
        this.user = socket.request.user;
        this.config = options.config;

        socket.on('error', this.onError.bind(this));
        socket.on('authenticate', this.onAuthenticate.bind(this));
        socket.on('disconnect', this.onDisconnect.bind(this));
    }

    get id() {
        return this.socket.id;
    }

    // Commands
    registerEvent(event, callback) {
        this.socket.on(event, this.onSocketEvent.bind(this, callback));
    }

    joinChannel(channelName) {
        this.socket.join(channelName);
    }

    leaveChannel(channelName) {
        this.socket.leave(channelName);
    }

    send(message, ...args) {
        this.socket.emit(message, ...args);
    }

    disconnect() {
        this.socket.disconnect();
    }

    // Events
    onSocketEvent(callback, ...args) {
        if(!this.user) {
            return;
        }

        try {
            callback(this, ...args);
        } catch(err) {
            logger.info(err);
            Raven.captureException(err, { extra: args });
        }
    }

    onAuthenticate(token) {
        jwt.verify(token, this.config.secret, (err, user) => {
            if(err) {
                logger.info(err);
                return;
            }

            this.socket.request.user = user;
            this.user = user;
            this.emit('authenticate', this, user);
        });
    }

    onDisconnect(reason) {
        this.emit('disconnect', this, reason);
    }

    onError(err) {
        logger.info('Socket.IO error', err, '. Socket ID ', this.socket.id);
    }
}

module.exports = Socket;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Rivers of Justice
Nathan Stanton
I was born by the river, in a little tent
Oh, and just like the river
I've been running ever since
'Change Gonna Come' recorded by Sam Cooke January 30th 1964
The river has been important since the dawn of civilization and has served as a commercial hub and lifeline for countless peoples over many millennia. Yet there has always seemed to be a justice that was out of reach for some. So, shall the struggle always continue and be found in the very soil that we inhabit? In his poem 'Negro Speaks of Rivers', Langston Hughes connected black people to a place and time even older than the earth. The oldest rivers become veins of blood (and life) running through mankind and we stand with him as we witness the unfolding of human history under the tutelage of black skin aglow with regality. Hughes penned this poem at 18, a couple of years after he had gotten assaulted after wandering into a Polish neighborhood his sophomore year in Chicago. Those words in me produce a sort of indescribable pride that emboldens ones resolve to continue to speak in a loud voice and fight for justice.
In April of 2017 me and a couple of pastors I worked with embarked on the journey of a lifetime to the opening of the Lynching Memorial in Montgomery Alabama. Sponsored by the Equal Justice Initiative, an organization committed to fighting for reforms in the justice system. I instructed my two counterparts to give me space to process. I knew I would be connecting to some painful experiences. As soon as I slowly approached the memorial that day it felt like I was stepping onto hallowed ground. Where the casualties of a sinful country had exacted penance from a suffering but strong people. There is a long winding walkway that serves as the entry into the teeth of the memorial. Where hundreds of steel beams rusted with the elements waited to hang overhead mimicking the very scale of the genocide lynching became. I didn't make it too far until I needed to sit on a bench and weep for an hour. I began to imagine the fear that gripped many of my people as they moved through the same woods that surrounded the site. You see Alabama had perfected the human trafficking of Africans like no other place had. They constructed railroads to shuffle these brown bodies from places like Savannah to the state that became the epicenter in the South for the fight for civil rights in the 50s and 60s. After the tears stopped streaming down my cheeks and many had stopped to console me, I made my way to the center of the structure to a small mound that served as a place I would memorialize out loud those dead with that same poem by Langston Hughes that crescendos with the lines :
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to
sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids
above it.
From Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes, 1921
As I shrieked these words from a throat hoarse from crying, I felt as if some sort of chain-mail weight had been lifted off of my heart. In this work there is a connection with the lines from Sam Cooke's haunting track 'Change Gonna Come' recorded the year after the march on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a Dream Speech" was delivered. It is a song many people in the US know the words to and is played still rather frequently. Mainly as an homage to all who have died and those who still hope we will be a healed people after all.
There is a stream I feel connects me to the struggles of the past like a never ending consciousness that bids one on into a dangerous future. Many justice seekers of old would speak with a confidence that communicated an inevitability to their struggle. While I aim to always honor black history with my black present I remain aware of the unrolling of black future. One where we hear the constant echoes of the voices of our ancestors and are moved to create life in freedom unseen by anyone. In these times the lament and the pain can be the most present. But it is the joy and beauty of this never-ending river of time that encourages us on. The struggle is not against its current but through it. I close with one of MLK's favorite biblical passages about justice:
"I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Amos 5:21-24 (MSG)
Racial Equity & Interfaith Alumni Awards 2020-2021
Since Jan. 6 Attacks, Spiritual Leaders Unify to Combat Christian Nationalism
Stanford Student Advocates for Black Lives


Did you attend my teleclass on Best Practices in Mobile Bidding for your Silent Auction?
If so, you already heard one of my issues with some online auction and handheld bidding vendors (a variation is also called mobile bidding or electronic bidding).
It comes down to functionality.
I'm a fan of a feature called "extended bidding" which — as I type this — few vendors seem to offer in online auction or handheld bidding products.
If a bid is placed on an item in the final minutes (for sake of example, let's say five minutes) of the auction, the bidding on that item will be extended for an additional five minutes. Bidding concludes when no new bid has been placed within a five minute time frame.
Other items in the auction will close as advertised, but the most heavily contested items will continue to accept bids, pushing the sale price higher and higher.
In contrast, some nonprofit auction vendors run their bidding platforms similar to online sites like eBay. If an auction is scheduled to end at 8 PM, it ends at 8 PM. Bidders place their bids, hoping to be the last bid accepted by the system before the auction closes at 8 PM.
But that's not really an auction. It's a game about timing, which rewards the last bidder before a specific cut-off time. Even though the runner-up bidder might have bid again, the system doesn't allow extensions.
In contrast, a true auction encourages bidders to bid back-and-forth, increasing the bid until only one is willing to pay the price.
Some items in a nonprofit auction will always draw last minute bids. It might be a reserved parking space on the school's campus, an exceptional wine lot, or a heavenly trip. If you could extend the bidding on those popular items, you could raise a few hundred to a few thousand dollars more.
How do I know? Because we see this often happen in our traditional "manual" silent auction closings.
In short, if you're going to use technology, use the system that ensures you'll raise the most. Find a vendor that includes extended bidding as part of its offering.
P.S. Extended bidding was one of many concepts taught in the Best Practices in Mobile Bidding for Nonprofit Silent Auction teleclass.
Learn of new ones by joining my newsletter list here.
I believe that there is no need to extend the bidding if you have a max bid feature. No matter when the bid ends, the person willing to make the highest bid will win the item! Another issue with online auctions is that for small organizations, it is a hardship to pay money upfront to register and begin the auction. Fortunately, we have an auction site that allows any organization to get their auctions online and run them without any upfront costs.
Robyn, you are right in that a maximum bid feature is useful. It's a useful bidder tool, but not necessarily a useful charity tool. Let me explain why by offering some insight about how live auctions work.
Why do these bidders bid over their planned budget?
Because reason flies out the window in the heat of the moment.
If I offered max bid options in a live auction, it would kill bidding. It would automatically force my bidder to stick to his intended budget.
That's great for him; bad for the charity.
The best scenario is to offer BOTH max bidding (as a convenience to the bidder) AND extended bidding (to help the charity).
Let's assume Bidder #25 puts a max bid of $1000 on an item … maybe a surfboard. Meanwhile, Bidder #43 puts a max bid of $1100 on the surfboard.
If extended bidding is offered, at 8 PM when the auction is scheduled to close, Bidder #25 would receive an alert. He'd be told that his max bid has been reached, he's NOT the high bidder, the high bid is now $1100, and he has 5 more minutes to bid on this item because bidding has been extended to allow him time to reconsider his previous max bid.
In this situation, don't be surprised when Bidder #25 overrides his previous max bid … and bids again.
Think about it … before bidding started, his max bid was $1000. NOW, he's prepared to bid more. It's auction fever!
So although max bid is a nice tool, it doesn't replace extended bidding. They are different tools for different problems.
In the beginning, we had the same point of view as Robyn. If everyone had entered their max bid, there would be no need for extended bidding. However, practice trumps theory. What we have observed is exactly what Sherry describes: people up their "max" at the end when they find themselves outbid. Perhaps its the alcohol or competition that pushes logic out the window; or, perhaps they never put in their max in the first place. Regardless, extended bidding is needed to address the issue. So, we were wrong and added the feature. We write about that experience here in our latest blog post – give it a read!
Thanks for the insight, Jeff! Interesting to watch how bidder psychology plays out, isn't it?
It is interesting, fun, and essential. We are very curious to see how extended bidding plays out in future handbid auctions.


text:
France draws red lines for EU-US free trade negotiations
Frédéric Simon
Hollande Hawkish.JPG
Languages: Français
Food safety, GMO cultivation and France's cherished "cultural exception" for audiovisual services are non-negotiable areas in view of upcoming EU-US free trade talks, the French stressed. The message was apparently well received by the European Commission in Brussels.
Speaking at the conclusion of a two-day European summit on 15 March, French President François Hollande said he was "in favour of opening a negotiation" with the US to lift trade barriers and "promote growth" in Europe.
The EU Council of Ministers, representing the 27 member states, is expected to agree a mandate for the European Commission to start negotiations with the United States on 14 June.
"But there must be safeguards in certain areas," Hollande stressed, citing health and safety standards in food production, which have come under intense scrutiny in Europe over the past weeks amidst the horsemeat scandal.
Another sensitive area is GMOs, which are rejected by a vast majority of consumers in France and in the European Union more widely.
Cultural exception
"But there is another area that I would like to emphasise," Hollande said. "It is the question of the cultural exception, including audiovisual services. This sector, like with other agreements, cannot be part of the [negotiation] mandate."
"I want these areas to be excluded from the negotiation."
The concept of "cultural exception" is particularly dear to the French, who introduced it during the Uruguay round of international trade talks in 1993 to ensure culture is treated differently from other commercial products. It notably allowed France to introduce quotas for local music and film on national TV and radio stations and subsidise its industry.
The United States claims that cultural exception is a form of protectionism that harms global trade.
The European Commission is on the same line as the French, saying it "recognises the concerns and sensitivities of the audiovisual sector in relation to the proposed mandate for trade negotiations with the US."
Cultural industries account for 4.5% of total EU GDP, employing 8.5 million people in sectors as diverse as cinema and the audiovisual media, publishing, the craft industry and music, according to the European Commission.
Speaking in the European Parliament on 12 March, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht made it clear that the EU-US trade agreement "will not force a change of current practices in the member states."
"Member states will continue to be able to support their cultural industries and the audiovisual sector in particular, such as through broadcasting quota or subsidies, as foreseen in the current EU directives," De Gucht said.
John Clancy, spokesperson for De Gucht, added in emailed comments to EURACTIV that the EU even had "a Treaty obligation [Article 167] to protect cultural diversity so this will always be borne in mind in our future trade negotiations and exchanges."
Clancy added that the treaty obligation to protect cultural diversity also applies to emerging technologies linked to the internet, such as connected TV and video on demand.
"In the future, we will and must continue to promote our cultural diversity as technologies develop. That is what the treaty requires," De Gucht said. "So yes, we will be very mindful of these sensitivities".
Within the European Commission, others such as culture commissioner Androulla Vassiliou would have preferred audiovisual services to be excluded outright from the scope of negotiation but this was not possible.
"Commissioner Vassiliou will be very vigilant on this," said Dennis Abbott, her spokesperson.
GMOs, food safety and geographical protection
Food and drink is another area which is particularly sensitive for France, including safety standards, protected geographical indications, and GMOs, according to a French source.
"We are not going to negotiate food safety standards, GMOs, etc. Europe has defined its own model, European consumers are extremely demanding, so we will not negotiate it," said the source who was briefing journalists on condition of anonymity ahead of the EU summit last week.
The French source was particularly adamant on the issue of GMOs, saying it would be "useless to strive to define a negotiating objective that will create a huge problem and will be detrimental to the image of both the United States and the European Union."
"Honestly, it is not the turnover of some US seed companies that determines the value of this agreement for the United States. The political cost would be such that we should be able to find a framework that is in the interest of both parties."
To avoid misunderstandings and an early failure of the negotiation, the source recommended defining a negotiation mandate for the European Commission that clearly excludes some areas form the agreement.
Avoiding 'scare stories'
Sources close to the talks said no other EU member state has so far put any veto and that all favour the principle of negotiating a comprehensive free trade and investment agreement with the US. However, individual countries might make their voice heard once negotiations are started.
Clancy, the EU's trade spokesperson, conceded it might be wise to exclude GMOs and some other sensitive food issues from the scope of the negotiation.
"It is true that we have proactively raised the issue of GMOs – because of this is such an emotive issue to many among the general public and we wanted to avoid scare stories," Clancy said.
Strict EU rules on GMOs are already in place and that will not change because of a free trade agreement, he stressed. The same went for EU legislation on animal health and welfare, the environment and consumer interests, which he said "will not be part of the negotiation".
"We will not negotiate changes that we do not want, be it on hormones in beef or GMOs," Clancy told EURACTIV in emailed comments.
"We have a different understanding on this today and we will have a different understanding on this tomorrow and in the future."
In February, US President Barack Obama and EU negotiators announced they had initiated internal procedures necessary to launch negotiations on a much-awaited free trade agreement.
>> Read: EU, US clear way for game-changing trade deal
The negotiations will be based on the work of the EU-US High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth co-chaired by EU trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk.
Two-way goods trade between the US and the EU now totals more than $600 billion (€447 billion), annually. Services trade, including sales by majority-owned US or EU companies in each other's market, adds about $1.2 billion (€920 million).
American companies have invested around €1.4 trillion in production, distribution and other operations in the EU, far more than in China or anywhere else in the world. EU companies have invested about €1.2 trillion in the US.
Since most tariffs between the US and the EU are already low, reducing regulatory barriers to trade in areas like agriculture and chemicals is expected to be the most challenging aspect of the talks.
14 June: Meeting of the EU's 27 trade ministers. Irish EU Presidency hopes to agree negotiation mandate for the Commission to start free trade talks with the US.
Press release: European Commission Fires Starting Gun for EU-US Trade Talks (12 March 2013)
Speech: Statement by President Barroso on the transatlantic trade negotiation mandate (12 March 2013)
La Tribune: Libre-échange: Hollande veut écarter l'exception culturelle des négociations avec les Etats-Unis
BFM Business: Hollande défend "l'exception culturelle" face aux Etats-Unis
UffingtonPost.fr: Androulla Vassiliou: La culture est encore plus nécessaire face aux défis nés de la crise actuelle
EU-US relations
Karel De Gucht
US-EU trade
0 responses to "France draws red lines for EU-US free trade negotiations"
Products or services sold in US soil coming from socialist and communist monopolies. Are they really better and cheaper in USA? Is it happening the same in the IT businesses?
In Mexico food and medicine do not pay VAT, and because it is produced in Mexico with NAFTA, it would not cost more in USA, but the surprise it is that the prices in USA surpass several times the most expensive price for the same product in a VIP store located in Mexico, and the quality is not even better that the worse store in Mexico. Some of the Mexican brands are not even located in the States; they are not selling directly they are using small intermediaries for their product distribution in the States, most of them located in San Antonio, TX. It is time to produce in the States the Mexican food we use to import because it is so expensive and it is not the same quality and price that you can find in any market in Mexico.
In IT, it seems that we live in India instead of USA. The Indian origin monopolies have closed almost all the doors for Americans, they control the IT industry, we import consultant hours On Site or Offshore, also there is a great need to have more American working hours in IT. We use to surpass in productivity any country in the world and today there is no need to compete because the IT agreements are done at the level of the owners or shareholders instead of expertise IT directors or managers. Also the prices are not lower; they are charging American IT prices per consultant but with long term projects. The true is that USA should apply Made in America is this economic sector as a national strategy.
Europe is more in need of this than the U.S. but the Europeans, especially the French, don't get it. the U.S. is going to become a manufacturing destination with solid growth over the next number of years because of energy independence and thus cheap energy. TTIP is not really going to matter that much for the U.S.


Among the many physiological responses to swimming in cold water that have been suspected of contributing to the high incidence of deaths in the swim portion of triathlon are three unusual entities: two of which are uncommon (less than 2% of the population), and one which is quite rare. Now, take a deep breath: no need to be afraid of either of these, but the medical terminology gets thick here.
The Long QT Syndrome/Torsades de Pointes.
The "LQTS" is an uncommon electrical disturbance of the heart that can be inherited or acquired, that can adversely affect the contractile functions of the heart. It is often referred to as a "channelopathy", as it is characterized by abnormalities of the ion channels that pass ions (such as potassium, sodium, calcium and chloride) across the cell membranes in the process of depolarization and repolarization. When these channels operate abnormally, the repolarization of the cardiac process on an EKG is prolonged (the QRS complex, followed by the T wave), hence the name long QT interval. When the repolarization process is prolonged, the risk of re-entrant ventricular arrhythmias is increased; the most dangerous one is called torsade de pointes, so-called because it looks like twisting up and down spikes, an unstable cardiac rhythm which is usually symptomatic (dizziness, fainting or seizure) and can just as quickly revert back to normal or lead to a fatal arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation. Symptomatic LQTS is more common after age 40, and is somewhat more common in women.
Most people who have the LQTS are unaware that they have this vulnerability, but it is relatively easy to screen for it, with 85% of them appearing on a routine EKG, and simple genetic blood testing can be considered in other suspected cases. If there is any family history of LQTS, of sudden death, or other genetic cardiac abnormality, a cardiac assessment including an EKG and possibly a stress test would be a good first step in most cases.
However, where LQTS gets interesting is when it is realized that the majority of LQTS incidence is acquired. According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 50 medications are known to lengthen the QT interval (many more are suspected): Antihistamines, decongestants, antidepressants, some antibiotics (macrolides and quinolones), cocaine, diuretics, heart medications, cholesterol-lowering medications, some diabetes medications, some antifungals and some antipsychotic drugs make the list. Electrolyte imbalances such as low levels of potassium, magnesium, and calcium are also common triggers of LQTS, and can be the result of poor nutrition, anorexia nervosa, and even a simple diarrheal illness.
Besides a pre-screening EKG, a medication review with a physician or pharmacist is useful to confirm that there is no risk from medication use and a consideration of a stress test to see if the LQTS or any cardiac ischemia develops under conditions of increasingly intense exercise. With both training and racing, be well nourished, and avoid discretionary medication use, especially on the same day of your activity. And if you have been ill, potentially starting your event energy- or nutrient-depleted, dehydrated or exhausted, you should reconsider your participation until you are better.
This cardiac syndrome is a congenital cardiac disorder that is relatively common and usually asymptomatic; it is found in about 2-4 people per 1000 population and is more common in males—and it is suspected that many do not know that they have it. In WPW, there is an extra connecting pathway between the atria and the ventricles in the heart, that can at times "pre-excite" the ventricles to contract prematurely, leading to palpitations, tachycardia, dizziness, weakness, and shortness of breath. These symptoms can first appear at almost any age: The tachycardia can be provoked by exercise, and can provoke various secondary arrhythmias, including supraventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter – these in turn increase the risk of ventricular fibrillation and sudden death. WPW is usually easily detected on a routine EKG, and symptoms can be elucidated further in a cardiac stress test.
Becoming dizzy, short of breath and with low blood pressure while swimming can be disastrous, especially when at race pace, since it not easy to rest, recover, or get help quickly; being at risk of ventricular fibrillation because of an abnormal congenital electrical pathway as in the case of WPW while in open water is potentially lethal.
If you have had previous undiagnosed spells of dizziness, fainting, palpitations, or tachycardia, having a routine EKG is prudent. If you have further suspicions, then seeing a cardiologist for more testing would be useful to confirm the diagnosis. Once familiar with the diagnosis, there are several treatments available, including cardiac medications, or electrical cardioversion; if the WPW is persistent or recurrent, there is a definitive, potentially curative treatment: the destruction of the abnormal electrical pathway by radiofrequency catheter ablation.
This is a Latin term meaning "concussion of the heart", and is a very unusual event caused by direct, blunt, non-penetrating trauma to the chest, perfectly timed to a vulnerable phase of the cardiac cycle (such as when ventricular polarization occurs), causing a spontaneous, sudden, fatal arrhythmia. It is suspected that the blunt force causes a significant transfer of kinetic energy to the heart, enough to disrupt the cardiac rhythm. Resuscitation of this event has been poor, even on land-based occurrences, such as with a baseball, a hockey puck or other blow striking the chest.
Although such a blow has never been witnessed in a mass start swimming event (frankly, it is hard for anything to be observed out in open water), open water swimmers need to be aware that being struck on the chest by another swimmer's heel kick could, at least in theory, have lethal consequences. The solution: steer clear of other swimmers, especially when overtaking someone slower.
The two previous posts outlined the stimulating effects of cold water shock and the fight or flight response, which, when countered with a suppressing effects of the diving reflex, can lead to what is known as an autonomic conflict, causing a higher than normal risk of cardiac arrhythmia, a rare but potentially lethal event in open water swimming. This post reviews some other important physiological responses that open water swimmers may encounter.
When fluid builds up your lungs to a point where it interferes with the ability to absorb oxygen, you will feel short of breath and your breathing rate increases. The diagnosis of SIPE has become more common in recent years, likely due to the popularity of endurance swimming and longer-distance triathlons and is thought to occur in about 1-2% of athletes doing swims longer than 2Km. These swimmers are more often female, in wetsuits, and competing in colder water. Other factors, such as sustained heavy exertion, excessive swim pre-hydration, a lack of a swim warm-up, a history of hypertension, the use of anti-inflammatory medications (such as ASA), and the use of fish oil supplements have also been associated with SIPE. Interestingly, SIPE does not seem to be associated with age, or with lung or heart disease.
SIPE is characterized very simply as a combination of fairly sudden onset of shortness of breath and crackling sounds in the chest, associated with a cough productive of pink, frothy or blood-tinged secretions. It is thought that fluids from the pulmonary capillaries leak into the lungs' air spaces (also known as "alveolar flooding"), in turn causing the shortness of breath, the crackling sounds in the chest, and the cough productive of a frothy pink (or blood-tinged) discharge. The good news is that it is usually self-limited after getting out of the water. Deaths from SIPE are rare.
So what is going on here? Most likely, significant cold water immersion causes blood vessels in the arms and legs to close down to preserve heat ("peripheral vasoconstriction"), redirecting and increasing blood flow ("shunting") blood to the chest and lungs. The peripheral vasoconstriction forces the left ventricle to pump harder which reduces the left ventricular stroke volume, and tends to back blood up into the lungs, increasing the blood back-pressure into the pulmonary circulation. This effect can be enhanced in thinner individuals who are more likely to feel the cold, or in swimmers who have not adequately warmed up, or with the wearing of a snug wetsuit, which causes more compression of the limbs and therefore further increases the shunting of blood flow to the lungs.
On the other side of the heart, the right ventricle has to deal with the increased volume coming into the heart due to this shunting effect, which increases the blood pressure in the small arteries in the lungs. When there is increased blood pressure on either side of the delicate oxygen-absorbing tissues (the alveoli) in the lungs, the alveoli are swamped with blood, creating edema, and progressive shortness of breath, and blood-tinged sputum. SIPE is different than the cold shock response: SIPE only occurs after some significant exertional time in the water, although it seems to come out of nowhere very quickly; the cold shock response occurs within seconds of cold exposure, loading the heart so dramatically as to risk straining the heart with an ischemic event.
SIPE is more likely to occur if there had been significant hydration prior to the event—more fluid on board, more fluid pressure in the lungs. Medicines like ASA-related drugs, which by their platelet inhibition increase bleeding tendencies, can also enhance SIPE by contributing to impairing the "bleeding tendency" in the alveoli. Fish oil supplements also have anti-platelet and vasodilatory effects, which would also enhance the development of SIPE.
Since SIPE can also kill you, there are strategies here that are important to consider. Do not over-hydrate, especially before a cold water event. Warm up well. Do not take fish oil supplements or anti-inflammatory medications prior to the swim. Consider how tight your wetsuit is. Confirm that you do not have untreated hypertension – talk to your doctor about this.
If you do develop a frothy pink productive cough, with shortness of breath, and the feeling of crackling sounds in your chest, get out of the water, and get prompt medical attention. Although many SIPE victims are admitted to hospital for assessment, treatment and observation, often just getting out of your wetsuit, rewarming, and time is all that is necessary.
It appears that the entry of water into the trachea (such as choking on water while swimming) may be another possible potent trigger for dramatic slowing down of the heart rate, a response that can occur within just seconds of aspiration. In rats, the heart rate dropped to under 10 beats per minute, or even stopped, causing a dramatic drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness and a terminal arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation. This sensitivity of the trachea is thought to be increased with fatigue. Cardiac arrest would follow quickly.
In open water conditions, irregular waves, collisions with other swimmers, and lack of experience in open water swimming may increase the risk of aspiration and the triggering of this reflex, which may trigger the above cascade of cardiac events–very quickly.
Experience in open water swimming remains a key element of risk reduction to avoid this pattern of aspiration, as is improved breathing pattern flexibility, the ability to cough while the face is in water, and keeping clear of any unnecessary contact with other swimmers.
A simple definition of Physiological: "the organic processes and phenomena of an organism or any of its parts or of a particular bodily process".
With the growth and immense popularity of open water swimming and triathlon in the last 15 years, a disturbing trend has come to light which is the disproportionate number of deaths in the swim portion of triathlons. The numbers are chilling. In the period 2007-2012 there have been 52 deaths recorded by Triathlon USA, and of those, 44 were in the swim portion of the race, and all of them were in open water, and not one in a pool.
Why at the beginning of a race? No one is exhausted or dehydrated or overheated. Are there any trends to suggest an obvious explanation? Not really. These athletes were a mixture of young and old, male and female, experienced racers and rookies. These people have been in the beginning, the middle, and the end of a swim when they collapsed. The length of race did not seem to matter, whether sprint, Olympic or Ironman distance. They were in fresh and salt water. Some were even able to grasp onto a paddle board before going under, while some were never seen going under. And there are often few witnesses in the water nearby who could accurately describe what happened. The autopsies, when done, do not reliably show lungs full of water, damaged hearts, or significant trauma—since autopsies don't show everything, they are frequently signed off as death by cardiac arrest. So can we learn anything from what is going on here?
To maximize your ability to survive open water swimming, check out the following basic physiological reflexes that may be contributing to risk of sudden death in open water swimming. They are all easy to understand.
The Cold Shock Response. No mystery here: jumping into cold water is a significant strain on your body (even when the lake is a comfortable 22°C, that is still 15°C less than your body temperature). Your heart rate and breathing rate spirals upward dramatically, as does your blood pressure (due to massive vasoconstriction in your limbs and skin), and your demand for oxygen (as your body now very dramatically needs to generate heat with shivering). In susceptible individuals, this cardiac strain can lead to angina, myocardial infarction, and potentially cardiac arrhythmias.
The solution? Don't jump or dive into cold water. Ease into it—walk into cool water if you can. Acclimatizing slowly each time you go. And swim in cool water regularly to get comfortable with cool water swimming. Your body can adjust without a shocking response if you give it a chance to. And of course, do not combine cold water swimming with alcohol or a variety of other drugs that might distort your feeling of the cold, which in turn would distort your perceptions of heat loss, and your risk of hypothermia.
The Mammalian Diving Reflex. All mammals use a fundamental survival reflex when diving to conserve oxygen use—this allows aquatic mammals (e.g., seals, dolphins, whales, walruses) and diving birds like penguins to stay underwater for extended periods of time. This reflex is also evident in humans (especially in infants), and has clear implications when swimming in open water.
How does this work? When the face specifically is submerged and exposed to cold water, nerve receptors in the face relay this information to the brain and the vagus nerve to dramatically slow the heart rate (called bradycardia) and the urge to breathe. Blood supply to the periphery is also constricted, to further reduce oxygen demand. The degree of the effect is proportional to the coldness of the water, and it is increased further with breath-holding. Unlike the cold shock response described above, it is not triggered with the limbs or body contacting cold water.
How cold does the water have to be? Although one source suggests 16C or less, the reflex likely varies with how well you are acclimatized to cold water (one the day, and over time), as well as your overall health and fitness. Chances are if it feels cold to you, it is cold enough to elicit a diving reflex.
To lessen the effect of the diving reflex, two things are important: First, get used to swimming in cool open water, by going out into it regularly. And second, initially splashing water on the face before fully entering the water to swim is important. If the water is particularly cold (16C/61F or less), you might consider a series of short swims of only 15-30 seconds, standing with head out of the water in between, to acclimatize the face to the cold. Check your pulse in your neck before you enter the water, and after you have acclimatized to get a sense of how you are doing.
Open water swimmers transitioning from the pool will have some new equipment variables: primarily this is about a wetsuit, but even goggles and a swim cap have to be reconsidered.
Since most swimming in open water is colder than the average pool, a wetsuit becomes necessary for insulation, especially for longer swims, since the average body temperature of 37°C, is about 15-20° warmer than most Northern hemisphere swims. A wetsuit has other advantages as well: A wetsuit improves floatation, which is an added safety feature for open water swimmers, and it improves the body position. Most open water swimmers have faster swim times in open water due to wearing a wetsuit for this reason.
A wetsuit however 'can' have some potential problems, especially for newbie open water swimmers. There can be a feeling of chest and/or neck constriction to get comfortable with, and this may be worsened if the wetsuit is ill-fitting, which commonly happens when someone borrows a friend's wetsuit. Given that a wetsuit creates a feeling of overall body constriction even before entering the water, it can contribute to swimmers feeling like they can't breathe as easily. This feeling can cause a swimmer to become anxious and it can undermine an open water swim. Once you make a commitment to regular open water swimming, get a wetsuit properly fitted to your body—many sports shops and wetsuit companies will let you try them even in open water before purchase.
Another common area of restriction is in the shoulders, which, for some swimmers, starts to feel like a fight with your wetsuit with every forward reach or your arm. If your wetsuit is otherwise a good fit, two corrections can help: First, make sure your wetsuit is pulled up into your crotch, to allow as much neoprene as possible for the torso to maneuver in; and second, make sure the sleeves are pulled well up, to allow some redundancy in the shoulders. Try moving your shoulders before getting into the water, adjusting parts of the wetsuit as necessary. Once you have made your shoulder, knee area, and crotch adjustments, lean forward in a toe touching motion. This will provide a little more stretch in the critical areas of shoulder, crotch, and knees.
An old or excessively loose wetsuit can be problematic as well. When excessive leaks or rushes of cool (and especially cold) water continue to affect an open water swimmer, the process can drain the swimmer of energy fighting the cold, and cause more breathing difficulties due to the physiological reflex called the cold shock response. Get a wetsuit that fits, and replace it once the number of holes or zipper problems can no longer be repaired.
Although goggles have essentially the same purpose as they do in the pool, there are some considerations here as well. First, consider using tinted goggles to reduce glare, reflections and direct sunshine when in open water. Second, make sure your goggles are good fitting, since a leaky set of goggles are more of a challenge to clear in open water than in a pool, where it is easy to stand, and readjust the goggles. Since all of us have different-shaped faces, a goggle choice that fits your face is personal, but once you find a brand that fits you well, stay with that brand, and always have a relatively new pair in the wings when your old ones are becoming stained, or scratched or easily fogged up. For larger swim events, you need to have reliable goggles. If you do find yourself with a collection of water in your goggles in the middle of an open water swim, roll onto your back, and just pull your goggles off your face to drain the water, and then push them gently back onto your face to reseal them.
There are two considerations in your choice of swim cap in open water for warmth and for visibility. For water temperatures above 20°C, an ordinary latex cap is usually adequate. Between 15-20°C, a silicone cap would provide improved insulation and can be pulled down to cover most of your forehead. Under 15°C, consider double capping with 2 silicone caps. Under 10°C, consider a neoprene cap. Latex caps tend to fit a bit larger so make sure you have a cap that fits your head properly. A sliding cap while you are swimming detracts from your focus and comfort.
Since swimmers are about 80% submerged, are often wearing black neoprene, and can be hard to see in even light swells by watercraft, a brightly-colored swim cap is important to enhance visibility.
In the last 10 years, the International Swim Hall of Fame in Florida has been promoting the use of the safety swim buoy, an inflated, beach ball-sized, dual-chambered, brightly colored marker than swimmers tow behind them to be seen and monitored more easily. Some versions can also carry personal items in a dry inner chamber for point-to-point swims, or to keep personal effects with you. Most swimming events in Asia have long made them mandatory, as has some in England and now in Canada. Although they cannot be sold as a personal floatation device, since they have the theoretical risk of suddenly deflating, they can nonetheless give an anxious swimmer something to hang on to, to rest or calm down. The only company selling these in Canada at this time is at getaswimbuddy.com.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but towing a small inflated open water swim buoy does not actually cause sufficient drag to slow you down. The bow wave that is created by your shoulders and upper body creates an eddy behind you, which actually pushes the buoy forward, virtually eliminating any possibility of drag. And because the short lease attachment allows the safety swim buoy to float over the bend of your knees, it is out of the way of the finish of your hand at the end of your arm stroke; and since it does not reach past the upper calves, your kick is also unaffected.
As safety concerns continue to ramp up in the coming years in the sport of open water swimming, expect to see the personal swim buoy as a fixture in both training and races.
Last week, we explored some of the factors that increase anxiety when swimming in open water, such as the decreased feeling of safety, the uncertainty of the bottom, the expansiveness of open water environments, and the risk of body contact in open water swim events. This week's post will cover several more sources of anxiety.
Pools are generally sterile, chlorinated, clean tasting, clear or turquoise looking in appearance and free of debris. Open water however, such as rivers, lakes and oceans are living milieus of fresh and or salt water. Open water can have a noticeable taste, be it salty or brackish, earthy, muddy, and or silty. There can also be hints of manmade flavours, including oil or gas from watercraft, and other industrial forms of pollution. The bottom can be sandy, rocky, muddy, weedy, or you may not see the bottom at all. Not seeing the bottom can cause new (and even some seasoned) open water swimmers to feel anxious. These worry factors (if you have them) take time and effort to get used to. There are, of course, some waters just not worth swimming in, and it pays to understand what you are getting into before you get into it.
You also have to share an environment with all kinds of aquatic life, from insects to fish, from waterfowl to mammals large and small. Most fish and birds are more afraid of you than you should be of them, and encounters with aquatic mammals would be very unusual (including Ogopogo and Loch Nessie!).
Since swimmers are usually about 80% submerged, swimming in open water makes it more difficult for a swimmer to be easily seen, especially when wearing a black wetsuit and swimming outside of standard enclosed swim areas. Power boats, paddlers, windsurfers, water-skiers, and fishermen may not see you, and may not even be expecting to see you if you are in areas not commonly swum in. Think twice before venturing off the beaten track where watercraft are common, and if you do, consider having boat or paddlers' support to protect you, so that you can concentrate on swimming. Swimming in a group, even if it is a small one, will increase the likelihood of being seen, as well as wearing a brightly coloured swim cap, and/or using an open water swim buoy, such as a "Swim Buddy" or another safety swim buoy.
Floating debris can be particularly anxiety provoking for an open water swimmer. Having something touch you unexpectedly, or something floating that you swim into can cause instant anxiety until it is clear what has touched you. We often, as a self-preservation strategy, fear the worst when this kind of contact happens. Most often it is only a stick, branch, leaves, weeds, or other floating debris. Other things can just be annoying, such as films of pollens or leaves on the water, small oil slicks, or water clouded up by other people's activities. It is only experienced in open water that helps swimmers get used to these variables.
A bright sun-lit morning is a great time to swim but you do need to prepare for looking into the sun and any reflections or glare coming off the water. These factors can really affect your sighting abilities, which may cause you to go off course. Tinted goggles can help, as can surveying the course you intend to swim. Alternately, a rainy day may have an opposite effect, with low-lying cloud obscuring reliable sighting points, the risk of thunder and lightning, changes in water temperature, currents, waves, and the wind, all of which could threaten the safety of your open water swim. Plan your open water swims like a pilot does – start by checking the weather forecast, getting your open water swim buoy and swim gear ready, and completing your open water swim checklist.
Uncertainty generates anxiety. The more uncertainties you have about something, the more overwhelmed you can become. Being anxious while swimming in open water may seem to be primarily the result of worrying about one thing, but just as often it can be a function of several uncertainties added together to make a very uncomfortable feeling. Just like feeling anxious about many unknowns when first out hiking or camping in the wilderness, or when jumping off a zip-line platform for the first time, each of these lesser fears need to be recognized, understood, and put into perspective before open water swimming can become truly enjoyable.
In a pool, you have a strong sense of security and safety: you are never far from a lane rope, the pool's edge, the pool bottom, other swimmers, or a lifeguard; you can usually get immediate attention if needed, you don't have an open water swim buoy. In open water, you do not have these same securities. In the case of open water, once you trust your ability to float easily for extended periods of time, you will recognize you are in no immediate danger, more so when using a safety swim buoy. Be proactive: before the start of every open water swim training session or event, seek to understand what the hazards are in the water you are choosing to swim in, and what safety resources are available (such as currents, rocks, lifeguards, rest areas, etc.), and make sure your open water swim buoy is ready to go. There is no substitute for the open water experience and intimate knowledge of the swim area. Just like any contract you are about to sign, make the effort to know what you are getting yourself into–before you get into it.
In a pool, you can easily see the bottom, and you can easily make out where the shallow and deep ends are. Lakes, rivers, and oceans obviously do not provide these same markers or assurances; instead, open water swimmers will have to come to realize that the depth of the water is actually irrelevant to most swimming, which only occurs at the surface of the water. Some swimmers have a fear that, unless they are constantly moving, kicking, or stroking with their arms, they will sink, and drown. However, a simple drill will settle that for most people: In 3-5 feet of water in a lake or ocean, try going down to sit on the bottom for even a few seconds. You will quickly discover that you will have a tendency to bob up like a cork, which is especially true if you have a wetsuit on or you are in salt water. Open water doesn't want to swallow you, rather it wants to spit you out! The wetsuit, along with the air you have in your chest, makes you buoyant, a natural PFD. Try this until you can fully believe that the water will keep you at the surface without much, if any, effort from you.
In a pool setting, the defined borders of the space are easy to encapsulate in your mind's eye with a quick glance. Open water settings however, can appear expansive, without a clear sense of the distance you must travel to safety or the finish line. This is especially true in a point-to-point swim, and this can be intimidating. Swimming 2000 meters in a pool seems both very safe and very doable, since you are never swimming more than 50 meters at a time before contacting a wall. Such a short distance is easily visualized in a pool, and 40 laps of 50 meters mentally seems easier than 2000 continuous meters in open water, where there are no breaks or wall push-offs. If for whatever reason you cannot finish the distance in a pool, you can just stop and get out of the pool. For the open water newbie, confidence in your training and your abilities are necessary. And, it may be easier to chunk down your swim in bigger pieces, such as going from marker to marker, since there are no walls to turn off of. Or think of an extended open water swim as a meditation, enjoying the journey more than fixating on the destination. Success here is in the perspective. We recommend the use of an safety swim buoy to further reduce your swimming anxiety.
In an open water swim or in triathlon events (where mass starts are common), the first few hundred meters can be chaotic, with random, repeated, and sometimes significant contact by fellow swimmers. Flailing arms and hands and kicking feet of hundreds of swimmers in a small area can feel like swimming in a washing machine. This experience can be very distracting, uncomfortable, and anxiety-provoking even for experienced swimmers. To minimize this contact, you need to stay in control of the sphere around you: position yourself off to one side, and/or delay your start even just a few seconds to let faster swimmers go ahead of you. Start when you are ready and when a path seems clear, and have well-developed sighting skills to swim straight, thereby avoiding the tendency to swim into the side of another swimmer.


Sandy Ferguson-Escott is CEO, CFO, COO, and master of crafts for our business; never afraid to roll up her sleeves and do what it takes to complete a project. Sandy has 25+ years of leadership expertise many at the senior executive management level in competencies such as Customer Satisfaction, Sales, Finance, and Project Management. Born and raised in Guelph, Sandy sits on two local Boards, also volunteers for Hospice and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She was a 2008 nominee for a Guelph YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Business category. Sandy loves to learn.
Wally Escott also has 25+ years of leadership experience at the executive management level. Born and raised in the Hamilton ON area, he attended Wilfred Laurier University and Teachers College at McMaster University. Opting for a career in Lease Financing he was given the opportunity to live in or travel to most of the major business centres in Canada finally settling in Guelph in 1990. With business competencies ranging from Risk Management, Sales, Customer Service, and Project Management, he wants to insure your business looks as good as it is. Wally attends many of the Chamber of Commerce events held in Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener, and Waterloo and will introduce you to the "WOW FACTOR" at your convenience. Wally loves to golf.
Lee Johnson is a graduate of the 3-year Graphic Design Program and the Digital Post Production Program, Fanshawe College London ON; and has been part of the Speedpro team since 2008. Lee has been trained by 3M Canada as an installer for vehicle graphics and wraps. Lee is responsible to complete projects from design to installation and has won numerous awards for his creative designs.
To those customers and friends of Speedpro Imaging TGT we are extremely sad to announce the passing of Maple on November 1, 2015. She is an original employee (Sept 2005) and family pet (June 2002) of Sandy & Wally. Many of you made a point to ask how she was doing, brought her a treat, or just dropped by to see how she was doing. She remains an honourary member of "the Team".
Maple was our customer greeter; greeting you maybe with a wagging tail, maybe with a sniff or two, or maybe with some barking. She loved treats (now the picture makes sense) which she received from all the delivery drivers, that's why she loved people in uniform. She was an original employee with only 1 missed working day. There are numerous occasions where large prints are laid out across the floor to dry, she never walked on one (humans have). Maple loved Timbits and any unattended sandwich within her reach.