Reviewing restaurants is one of my goals this year.
52 restaurants, in 52 weeks.
YES – this fitchick needs to get to writing! I've got several nummy places (and some ramshackle places you need to avoid!) to tell you about.
Get ready for the NOMS!
Today's brunch spot was Meso Maya.
This somewhat pint-sized establishment packs a big punch, when the chef is on his game.
It's not too tiny, an occupancy of nearly 125 – including the adorable open-air atrium.
Truly, not sure how we missed it before.
It's located off the frontage road, right next to El Fenix [a review for another time, avoid all but the original], across from The Perot. This block has 3 restaurants on it – Meso Maya, El Fenix & La Ventana…a trio of Latin fusion.
Meso Maya may be a hidden gem. We've been twice, last week and today, and – both times – the restaurant was considerably empty. There is no lack of service, as there are several waiters and an eager hostess ready to sit you the moment she sees you. Super friendly. Like her bunches!
We sat and placed drink orders all around. The coffee was nothing special, but they do serve the milk/creamer in a super cute mini-milk bottle, about three inches tall. Sadly, that doesn't make up for the average cup o' joe.
Their brunch menu boasts $2 mimosas, bloody marys and sangrias.
We tried all three. The mimosa and bloody mary need some serious help. The orange juice is bitter and so is the champagne, leaving nothing for the palate to enjoy except the tingly sensation. I tried my first BM here last week and was less-than pleased. It's a tinged-blood orange color, much like rusty water – which is exactly what it tastes like.
Now, I'm not new to having alcohol with my brunch, but after trying several drinks at multiple locations, I decided that maybe it isn't for me. I can't be fancy and eat my eggs with wine, beer or champagne. They get lost in the flavor of the alcohol and then I'm pissed-off because my brunch is flavorless. Eww, right?
Well, he may have a point. I'll test his theory another time.
Take my advice, steer clear of the cheap drinks here. You'll thank me for it later.
You can however, proceed to shove copious amounts the their house-made chips and salsa down your eager gullet.
Note to you – if you are at a Mexican restaurant and their chips and salsa are bad…it's highly likely that your dish will be any better. These chips, my friends, are wonderful. They are not greasy, perfectly crispy and "mouth-sized," as they take a tortilla and slice it multiple times.
This salsa is glorious. Tomatoes, salt, pepper, poblanos, onions and just the right salt/pepper ratio.
It's nothing short of addictive – consider yourself warned!
If you eat too many of these, you'll be hating yourself (calorie-wise) and wishing you hadn't when your chosen dish finally makes it to you.
I think these chips are so damn good, because of how insanely long it takes to receive your food.
We ordered an appetizer, to stave off the hunger. It looks wonderful, but was a total flop.
The coagulated cheese received was beyond difficult to cut through and the spinach, though a cute pop of color, was lifeless. No flavor. The chorizo and sauteed mushrooms were an afterthought. The real show-stopper here was the amount of oil in this mozzarella party. So gross. Not even the yummy tortillas could save this queso.
When our food finally came, about 35 minutes later, everything looked scrumptious. Sadly, it was a serious Monet effect.
My dish was the Huevos Borrachos – cubed potatoes, diced poblanos, mozzarella and chorizo scrambled up in fluffy eggs. Its sidekicks? White rice and black beans. Neither of which you could go wrong with here, except that this dish was also leaning more toward cold than warm. Semi-cold eggs are quite disgusting. Don't believe me? Make some, then let them sit for about fifteen minutes. Enjoy the grossness. I warned you.
"Monet" – looks great, tastes average.
Last week I tried this same dish and loved it. Today it was a semi-cold disaster. Maybe the chef was different today? Please bring the other one back, if that's the case.
We also tried Los Benedicts – which are, unfortunately, nothing to write home about. My favorite part of this dish was the perfectly poached egg that sat atop the brisket basket. The brisket was a bit slimey and too stringy. The amount of sauce is negligible, which I prefer, but whatever it was marinated in needs to be tossed out!
This Benedictine tragedy appeared on our table. The chipotle is barely discernible in the hollandaise, considerable masked by the less-than barbeque it underneath it. The biscuit was toasty, which made for a nice texture difference – the only good thing this dish had going for it. Poor guy.
We were terribly full, the chips did their work here. Delectable corn chip treats. YUM!
Planning on leaving, the waiter stepped in and asked if we'd like dessert. Horrible person!
He suggested the chocolate cake, and I went weak at the knees. Of course we ordered it!
What a glorious combination of chocolate torte, delicate strawberries and vanilla-corn ice cream.
Yes, I said vanilla-corn. Try it once – the addition is not nearly as gross as you might think. The corn kernels add a unique crunch and texture to the ice cream, but I could have done without the corn taste.
This cakey goodness was soft and gooey. Just the right amount of thick chocolate sauce, but not too fudgey. There was no overwhelming chocolate taste here. Balanced by the vanilla ice cream, the souffle-like cake practically melts on your tongue. Cheers, to the pastry chef!
Overall, I give Meso Maya a 6 out of 10. Their made tortillas and chips are a gift from chef genius. Just wonderful. However, their dishes are not consistently great – which is quite unfortunate. The service is above average, though the length of time it takes to receive your main course is much too long. especially for a slow Sunday morning.
Their chocolate cake is worth a dessert run, but their dishes need work.
Tell me how your experience goes.
Foodie Christmas – Knock the Pants Off Your Chef!


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Home / India News / Air India inducts 44 new pilots
Air India inducts 44 new pilots
At a time when many of its peers are scouring the world to fly their planes, Air India has inducted 44 new pilots, taking their strength at the state-owned carrier to 1,244.
By Samiran Saha | Hindustan Times, New Delhi
The new pilots were inducted after they cleared tests conducted by the Central Training Establishment, the airline's own
training institute.
The boom in the commercial airline activity in India has left the country with an acute shortage of pilots. To overcome pilot shortage carriers were allowed to hire foreign pilots and medically fit pilots above the age of 60.
According to industry estimates, of the 3,000 pilots in India, 600 are foreign pilots. The country will need as many as 10,000 pilots by 2020 as carrier scale up their capacities. Experts also feel the country would still be short of trained aviators as the "gene-pool of pilots is shrinking faster than it is growing."
Air India spokesman, Jitendra Bhargava on the recent recruitment said, "The induction of these new pilots in the airline will create a new line of co-pilots and these pilots after successfully flying for 2,000 hours would be eligible for commanding an aircraft. Simultaneously we will also train fresh pilots and have a batch of fresh co-pilots ready."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We have over 350 sets of ski and snowboard equipment for all ages. We stock Rossignol & Solomon skis and Burton Snowboards.
Our friendly staff will ensure you have the best equipment to suit your needs.
To help you with your progression, we ensure that all our equipment is precisely tuned, late model gear that will assist in your development as a skier or snowboarder. If you're a beginner, your gear is softer, easier, and specific to your needs.
We also have nutcrackers and harnesses for those wanting to ride the Heritage Express Rope Tow.
If you're looking for another fun option on the snow tobogganing is the answer. We have a purpose built slope away from the ski runs where you and the kids can sled 'til your hearts content!


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Q: Data is not being passed with redirect Bellow is a code of redirect to route. I am trying to get success variable in view using $success but it is giving error "Undefined variable: success". I also tried passing data in array format to with method. How can I correct it?
if ($data->save())

      return redirect('/cases/ppost/notification')->with('success', 'Your case has been posted.')->with('caseNo', $data->id);

A: According to the documentation the redirect()->with() method does not assign any data to your view, but flashes it to the session:
http://laravel.com/docs/5.0/responses#redirects

Returning A Redirect With Flash Data
Redirecting to a new URL and flashing data to the session are
  typically done at the same time. So, for convenience, you may create a
  RedirectResponse instance and flash data to the session in a single
  method chain:
return redirect('user/login')->with('message', 'Login Failed');

This means you will have to access it as such in your view. That would probabaly look something like this:
@if (Session::has('message'))

{{ Session::get('message') }}

@endif

A: wouldn't that be ??
Redirect::route('/cases/ppost/notification')->with( array('success'=>'Your case has been posted.','caseNo'=>$data->id)) ;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Марк Фулвий Нобилиор (Marcus Fulvius Nobilior) може да се отнася за:

 Марк Фулвий Нобилиор (консул 189 пр.н.е.), римски политик
 Марк Фулвий Нобилиор (консул 159 пр.н.е.), римски политик

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
Q: Meaning of "One day you'll lay an egg too many and it'll crack under you." I'm reading a play and I cannot understand the meaning of this expression.
Somebody pulls a trick and laughs to himself. The other says, "One day you'll lay an egg too many and it'll crack under you."
What does he mean? Does he mean that one day the other party fails bad that he gets ashamed or something?


text:
Two soccer players jump to head a ball, a move that can leave players with brain abnormalities and memory loss.
Photograph by Scott Wilson, AP Photo
When Head Meets Soccer Ball, How Does Your Brain Fare?
Brain abnormalities, memory loss found among frequent "head-butters."
ByRoff Smithfor National Geographic
Soccer players who frequently head-butt the ball—a commonly used tactic for passing or scoring in a game—may be risking brain injury, memory loss, and impaired cognitive ability, according to a study published in the journal Radiology.
Brain injury and the lasting effects of concussion in sport have become a major health issue in recent years, especially in such hard-hitting sports as American football. Although the thump of a soccer ball on a forehead seems fairly innocuous, compared with a crashing tackle on the three-yard line, a soccer player may "head" the ball hundreds or even thousands of times during the course of the season. The cumulative effect of many "sub-concussive" blows to the brain has been unknown and unstudied until now.
"We chose to study soccer because it is the world's most popular sport," says the report's lead author Michael Lipton, associate director of the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. "It is widely played by millions of people of all ages, including children, and there is concern that heading the ball, an essential part of the game, might cause damage to the brain."
Lipton and his colleagues examined 37 amateur players, all adults, who had played soccer for an average of 22 years each and had played regularly over the previous year. They filled out questionnaires about their playing style and how frequently they headed the ball on the field and in training drills. Then they were given memory tests and highly sophisticated brain scans, using a type of MRI called diffusion-tensor imaging that looks at microscopic changes in the white matter in the brain. White matter is the tissue that conveys messages from one region of the brain to another.
The researchers found that players had to head the ball a certain number of times in a season before white matter abnormalities started to appear on imaging. The threshold varied from player to player but was generally in the range of 900 to 1,500 headers in a season. Beyond this threshold, the brain abnormalities quickly became more apparent. Those who headed the ball more than 1,800 times in a season scored measurably worse on memory tests than those who had headed the ball less frequently. The difference in scores was in the range of 10 to 20 percent.
"To put this into perspective I should make it clear that all of these players' functions were still within norms," said Lipton. "These are all basically functional young professionals and students."
So, should soccer players—and parents of young soccer players—be worried?
"All we have at this point is some evidence that shows an association between heading and what looks like brain injury. However, we do not yet have the type of data that permits us to prove a causal role for heading or to generalize our findings to other specific individuals. In the meantime, controlling the amount of heading that people do may provide an approach for preventing brain injury as a consequence of heading."
"I should emphasize that we very much see soccer as an excellent source of beneficial physical activity. This should not be curtailed. Our message is to understand the role of heading in the game and look at how we can enhance the safety of soccer play and facilitate its expansion."
Read more from Roff Smith at http://my-bicycle-and-i.co.uk.


Bikes Not Bombs partners with organizations using the bicycle to drive social change in their communities.
We work in solidarity with our international partners, supporting them to lead the change process in their communiti es to address their core social justice and environmental issues. Our partners provide life saving health services, turn bicycles into pedal-powered machines, organize communities rallying to stop climate change, run bike libraries lending bikes to high school students, and distribute thousands of refurbished bikes that provide affordable and sustainable mobility. Although our partnerships are diverse, they are united through the concrete use of bicycles to further social change.
Since 1984, Bikes Not Bombs has shipped over 70,000 bicycles to partners in 14 countries in the Global South. Bicycles are comprehensive development tools that further the self-determined development of peop le by providing access to the goods and services needed to pursue their own development and the development of their families and communities. Bicycles increase a community's access to economic opportunity, education, health care, and civic engagement. Bicycles not only support sustainable livelihoods, they build local economies, reduce carbon emissions and support broader movements for social justice and environmental sustainability.
Each of our international partners are unique, and have developed out of a very specific need in their communities for bicycle-based development, yet all reflect and resonate the greater mission of Bikes Not Bombs through their community-based and locally-owned programming, forming an international network of organizations using bicycles for social change in their communities.
Currently we are accepting letters of inquiry from potential partners. Information about requirements and submitting an application is available.
We believe our model of partnership is unique in a number of ways. We partner with independent organizations run by members of the communities they benefit. Our partners have first hand knowledge about the needs of their communities and we help them to harness local power to provide solutions.
At Bikes Not Bombs we not only ship bikes, we collaborate with partners, share strategies, facilitate capacity building, build our network and connect partners with resources. By investing in the skills and capacity of our international partners, increasing their overall autonomy and independence, Bikes Not Bombs grows the impact made by each donated bicycle, while growing the movement of bicycle organizations changing the world.
Through our partnerships we are building an international network of social justice oriented bicycle organizations. We are able to leverage our connections in this network to help increase the capacity and impact of our partners, while sharing resources and strategies amongst a diverse group of constituents.
The bicycle is simply a vehicle for social change, it is our partners who decide where it will take them.


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Beartown may refer to:

Geography
 Beartown State Forest, a forest located in the towns of Great Barrington, Monterey, Lee, and Tyringham, Massachusetts, in the United States
 Beartown State Park, a state park located in Droop Mountain, in northern Greenbrier County, West Virginia, in the United States
 Beartown Mountain, a mountain located in the Clinch Mountain range, which is in eastern Russell County, Virginia, in the United States
 Balsam Beartown Mountain, a mountain located in Tazewell County, Virginia, in the United States
 Beartown Wilderness, a wilderness area in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, in Tazewell County, Virginia, in the United States
 Beartown Wilderness Addition A, a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia, in the United States
 Beartown Wilderness Addition B, a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia, in the United States

Communities
 Congleton is a town and civil parish in Cheshire, England, in the United Kingdom, nicknamed Beartown
 Beartown, New York, a hamlet located on Beartown Road in the Town of Western in Oneida County, New York, in the United States
 Beartown, West Virginia, an unincorporated community located in McDowell County, West Virginia, in the United States
 Beartown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is an unincorporated community in Caernarvon Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the United States

Surname
Its Norwegian literal translation, Bjørnstad, is a family name

Other
 Beartown (novel), a novel by Swedish writer Fredrik Backman


text:
Mazda MX-6, personbil från Mazda, baserad på Mazda 626 men med coupékaross och kraftigare motoralternativ.

På den amerikanska marknaden introducerades MX-6 redan på 1980-talet, och den enda egentliga skillnaden i kaross mot Mazda 626 var att MX-6 hade två dörrar. På 1990-talet introducerades dock en andra generation MX-6, som trots sitt maskinella släktskap med 626-modellen såg markant annorlunda ut i karossen.

MX-6
Framhjulsdrivna fordon


For clean and healthy kids hair with an extra element of super-fruit goodness, use the Good Bubble sulfate-free Cloudberry Shampoo. Packed with moisturising cloudberry extract and at least 98% natural ingredients to help nourish young hair.
Suitable for newborns and dermatologically tested for scalp-friendly washing. No nasties. With an allergen-free fragrance. Suitable for Vegans. Never tested on animals.


text:
test(function() {
    assert_throws_dom("TypeMismatchError", function() {
        self.crypto.getRandomValues(new Float32Array(6))
    }, "Float32Array")
    assert_throws_dom("TypeMismatchError", function() {
        self.crypto.getRandomValues(new Float64Array(6))
    }, "Float64Array")

    assert_throws_dom("TypeMismatchError", function() {
        self.crypto.getRandomValues(new Float32Array(65537))
    }, "Float32Array (too long)")
    assert_throws_dom("TypeMismatchError", function() {
        self.crypto.getRandomValues(new Float64Array(65537))
    }, "Float64Array (too long)")
}, "Float arrays")

var arrays = {
    'Int8Array': Int8Array,
    'Int16Array': Int16Array,
    'Int32Array': Int32Array,
    'Uint8Array': Uint8Array,
    'Uint8ClampedArray': Uint8ClampedArray,
    'Uint16Array': Uint16Array,
    'Uint32Array': Uint32Array,
};

test(function() {
    for (var array in arrays) {
        assert_equals(self.crypto.getRandomValues(new arrays[array](8)).constructor,
                      arrays[array], "crypto.getRandomValues(new " + array + "(8))")
    }
}, "Integer array")

test(function() {
    for (var array in arrays) {
        var maxlength = 65536 / (arrays[array].BYTES_PER_ELEMENT);
        assert_throws_dom("QuotaExceededError", function() {
            self.crypto.getRandomValues(new arrays[array](maxlength + 1))
        }, "crypto.getRandomValues length over 65536")
    }
}, "Large length")

test(function() {
    for (var array in arrays) {
        assert_true(self.crypto.getRandomValues(new arrays[array](0)).length == 0)
    }
}, "Null arrays")

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Tag Archives: disease mongering
How Big Pharma Controls Health Care
Big Pharma: How the World's Biggest Drug Companies Control Illness
By Jacky Law
Constable and Robinson Ltd (2006)
In the ten years since British journalist Jacky Law published Big Pharma, the only good news is growing public awareness of the drug industry's negative effect on human health. There's no question the wealth and power of the pharmaceutical industry has vastly increased with the enactment of Obamacare in 2010. The latter grants major federal subsidies to both the insurance and drug industry.
Law carefully unpacks the fundamentals that position Big Pharma's profits at the very top of Fortune 500 companies. In 2001, for example, they were number one, earning profits equal to 16-18% of sales. The banking industry was a distance second at 13.5%. While other Fortune 500 companies averaged 3.3%.
She attributes these obscene profits mainly to inflated prices Big Pharma charges Americans (as much as 5-10 times as much as in other countries), their deliberate efforts to bury and/or spin negative research, their bribing of doctors (with gifts, free lunch, training junkets and consultant fees) and medical journals (with glossy high priced ads), the refusal of the FDA to regulate pharmaceuticals (see FDA Now Completely Sold Out to Big Pharma) and direct to consumer ads aimed at convincing healthy people they need medical attention.
She devotes a whole chapter to "disease mongering," Big Pharma's deliberate creation of fictitious illnesses such as menopause, serotonin deficiency, post luteal dysphoric disorder and female sexual desire disorder. This is a topic I blog about frequently. See The Multibillion Dollar Depression Industry, Drug Companies: Killing Kids for Profit, Wyeth and the Multimillion Dollar Menopause Industry and Menopause Made in the USA
She also details studies dating back to 1982 revealing that low fat diets don't decrease cardiovascular disease, as well as studies from 1992 revealing that cholesterol lowering drugs (statins) don't reduce mortality. Thanks to the deliberate harassment and demonization of the researchers responsible for these studies, this information has only come into public view in the last two years. See Why the Low Fat Diet Makes You Fat (and Gives You Heart Disease, Cancer and Tooth Decay
Law is also highly critical of the role the pharmaceutical industry has played in minimizing the importance of poor nutrition and exposure to toxic chemicals in causing illness. She finds it extremely ironic (and immoral) that the federal government is clamping down on health supplements instead of environmental toxins.
Posted in Medical Censorship | Tagged big pharma, cholesterol lowering drugs, disease mongering, drug industry, environmental toxins, health supplements, jacky law, low fat diet, obamacare, pharmaceutical industry, statins, toxic chemicals | 28 Replies
Big Pharma At It Again: Disease Mongering for Profit
Posted on July 17, 2015 by stuartbramhall
As shameless as ever, Big Pharma is aggressively medicalizing the problems of living as they pursue obscene profits. Their latest disease mongering campaign, promoting the drug Flibanserin, is aimed at women. Like cancer causing Premarin, hyped for its ability to slow aging, and Sarafem (recently linked to birth defects), hyped for its effectiveness in industry-created "premenstrual dysphoric disorder".
Originally developed by Boehringer Ingelheim, this new drug has been acquired by Sprout Pharmaceuticals, a company launched in 2011 to develop products for female sexual health (i.e. to cash in on the $1.5 billion Viagra market). It allegedly treats "low sexual arousal disorder" in women.
Taken Everyday, Potentially for Years
Last week the Telegraph reported that two key FDA advisory committees are recommending approval of Flibanserin, also known as "pink Viagra." Despite its nickname, Flibanserin is nothing like Viagra. While a man only takes Viagra when he wants to have sex, Flibanserin is more like an antidepressant and must be taken everyday, potentially for years.
Pink Viagra works by combining a Viagra-like chemical that stimulates blood flow to the genitals with a small dose of testosterone, which stimulates sex drive in women. According to the Guardian, early clinical trials indicate the drug is only slightly more effective than placebo. On average, women taking the drug have 0.8 more "satisfying sexual events" per month. Flibanserin also has some pretty nasty side effects, including dizziness, sleepiness, fainting, nausea, fatigue and insomnia. The other downside is that the drug's concentration (and side effects) increase if the woman drinks alcohol, or takes birth control pills or medications for vaginal infections, migraine or depression.
Sex, Lies and Pharmaceuticals
The Telegraph article quotes journalist Ray Moynihan, author of Sex, Lies and Pharmaceuticals, who describes female sexual dysfunction as a clear example of "corporate-sponsored creation of a disease." And gynecologist Dr Sandy Goldbeck-Wood, who points out that low sexual desire, especially in women, is intricately linked to a person's life and relationships. If a woman is depressed or stressed out from looking after kids and/or aging parents on top of her double role as breadwinner and homemaker, she's very unlikely to be interested in sex – especially if her partner is unsympathetic and unsupportive.
Writing in the Daily Mail, psychologist and sex researcher Dr Petra Boynton complains that the corporate media promotes highly unrealistic expectations of sex (lots of it with mind-blowing multiple orgasms), just as they do about women's appearance (thin, young-looking, with perfect faces and breasts).
My Own Clinical Experience
I totally agree with Boynton and Goldbeck-Wood. When I worked with women in Seattle, low sexual desire nearly always stemmed from unresolved relationship issues. Often when women felt totally dominated and controlled by their partner, saying no in the bedroom was their only opportunity to assert themselves. Other women complained they got nothing out of sex because their partner couldn't or wouldn't address their sexual needs.
Population studies suggest that approximately 50% of women require direct stimulation because they don't climax through vaginal intercourse. The scientific literature is silent on the unwillingness of men to engage in oral sex. However based on what I read in social media, I suspect it remains a significant source of conflict among couples.
Astroturfing* Flibanseerin
Typically Big Pharma has created two Astroturf* groups, Eventhe Score and WomenDeserve. Both have accused the FDA of sexism for their reluctance to approve Flibanserin. According to the Daily Mail, EventheScore is claiming a biological lack of sexual desire negatively impacts 1 in 10 American women. This is pure corporate hype, as there is no biological marker or threshold for abnormally low desire.
My biggest concern is that FDA approval will lead to women being pressured to take a drug with potentially serious side effects – either by their partner or by the same phoney media marketing that induces them to spend millions of dollars on cosmetics, weight loss products and plastic surgery. In contemporary society, full equality and full control over their own bodies is still a long way off for most women.
* Astrotrufing is the creation of apparent public support by corporations who pay people or groups to pretend to be supportive. This false support can take the form of letters to the editor, postings on social media lobbying politicians in support of the cause.
photo credit: Prescription Prices Ver5 via photopin (license)
Posted in Feminism, Medical Censorship | Tagged astroturfing, disease mongering, eventhescore, fda, flibanserin, goldbeck-wood, moynihan, petra boynton, pink viagra, premarin, serafem, sprout pharmaceuticals, viagra, womendeserve | 22 Replies
Medicalizing the Menstrual Cycle
I have blogged previously (see Menopause: Made in the USA) about the negative effects of the "corporatization" of health care in the US. "Disease mongering" is a particularly nasty one. This occurs when pharmaceutical companies "medicalize" common conditions in order to market drugs that supposedly treat them.
Thanks to skillful marketing, Eli Lilly has turned premenstrual syndrome (PMS) into a profit-making commodity nearly as lucrative as menopause and "childhood bipolar disorder" (see Drug Companies: Killing Kids for Profit).
In 1994, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) included premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in their diagnostic manual "as a possible mental disorder requiring more research." They have continued the diagnosis in DSM V. Although DSM IV lists PMDD as a strictly "research" diagnosis, Eli Lilly immediately seized on it as a genuine disorder and devised a marketing strategy to profit from it.
The Difference Between PMS and PMDD
Approximately 80-90% of women worldwide report physical and emotional changes in the 7-10 days prior to the onset of menstruation. For most women, these consist of minor physical changes similar to those of early pregnancy (water retention, breast swelling and tenderness and abdominal bloating).
Approximately 1/3 of women note mental and emotional changes (aka PMS) – depression, anxiety, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, difficulty concentrating – that have a minor impact on their daily functioning.
Although the APA has yet to agree PMDD even exists as a disorder, there are numerous claims in psychiatric and women's health literature that approximately 3-8% of women suffer from it. By definition, a woman can only qualify for a PMDD diagnosis if they experience a "marked" decrease in normal functioning due to premenstrual mood changes. A rigorous Swedish study ascertained that the true percentage of women experiencing a "marked" decrease in functioning before their period closer to 1.3%.
A Golden Marketing Opportunity for Eli Lilly
Once the patent on a drug expires, other manufacturers are free to produce cheaper generic versions, resulting in plummeting sales of the original brand name drug. In 1999 Lilly, facing the expiration of its patent on Prozac, exploited the new "diagnosis" of PMDD by re-branding Prozac as a feminine pink and purple tablet called Sarafem.
In 2001, the FDA approved Sarafem for "PMDD," on the basis of double blind studies involving several hundred women. Lilly reported a 60% response rate in women who took it for five cycles, with greater effectiveness in women who took it continuously throughout the month (as opposed to 7-10 days before their period).
Hopefully psychiatrists aren't quite so gullible as the FDA, given Prozac's limited effectiveness in treating depression. Thirty years of double blind studies reveal that depressed patients who take Prozac have an average response rate of 38-40%. In fact, statistical analysis of all randomized controlled trials reveal that all SSRI's (i.e. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, citalopram, etc) are only slightly more effective than a placebos, which works 33-37% of the time.
Skillful Marketing Adds Billions to US Health Care Bill
Charging three dollars per dose for their pink and purple Sarafem tablets (in contrast to 41 cents per dose for generic fluoxetine), Lilly launched a massive marketing campaign to convince women they suffered from PMDD. In 2001, the year Serafem came out, nearly 100,000 prescriptions were sold, reaping Lilly $85 million in profits.
Given the soaring cost of health care in the US (the main reason millions of Americans go without medical care), it strikes me as unethical and immoral to trick doctors and women into wasting nearly a billion dollars on pink and purple pills with a fancy name, when generic fluoxetine would have been equally effective at 1/9 the cost.
Research Evidence for "Natural" Treatments
What I find really fascinating about the PMS/PMDD controversy is that it's one of the few women's health "conditions" in which there are more double blind placebo trials of "alternative" or "natural" treatments than medication trials. The three "alternative" treatments that have shown clear effectiveness in randomized controlled trials are omega 3 supplements, Vitamin D and the chaste tree berry or chasteberry. In fact, much of this research suggests that PMS-related mood changes may actually represent a nutritional deficiency of omega 3 and/or Vitamin D.
Omega 3 oil is the most studied in PMS-related mood changes, largely owing to its proven efficacy in depression and large cross cultural studies revealing that populations (for example Asians and Norwegians) consuming large amounts of fish (a primary source of omega 3) in their diets have an extremely low incidence of depression.
Vitamin D, has also proved helpful for depression in double blind studies, especially in elderly depressives suffering from documented Vitamin D deficiency. Other studies show that 1,000 – 2,000 international units of Vitamin D is helpful in alleviating premenstrual symptoms.
This finding correlates with an extremely low incidence of PMS in Asian women. The same oily fish that are a rich source of omega 3 are the only natural food source of Vitamin D (the majority of us derive Vitamin D from exposure to sunlight).
Three double blind studies in the British Medical Journal, the Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics and the Journal of Women's Health and Gender-based Medicine reveal that chasteberry helps approximately 52% of women with PMS. Chasteberry is an herbal remedy used by Hippocrates in ancient Greece for pre-menstrual symptoms. It's believed to work by lowering prolactin (a pituitary hormone influencing milk production). High prolactin levels are a recognized, but infrequent, cause of depression.
Take Home Message: Try Natural Remedies First
In light of all the above studies, common sense would dictate that women who suffer from PMS should try a combination of omega 3 and 1,000-2,000 IU of Vitamin D for a minimum of six months before resorting to either Sarafem or generic fluoxetine. Both have potentially serious long term side effects. Owing to their effect on serotonin receptors in the brain, SSRI's can be very difficult to stop. Moreover they are associated with a loss of bone density, which increases the risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life, and possibly linked to breast and ovarian cancer
photo credit: taberandrew via photopin cc
Posted in Medical Censorship | Tagged big pharma, breast cancer, disease mongering, drug companies, eli lilly, fluoxetine, medicalizing, omega 3, ovarian cancer, pharmaceutical companies, pmdd, pms, premenstrual, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, prozac, sarafem, ssri's, vitamin D | 1 Reply
Menopause: Made in the USA
Thanks to massive marketing by Premarin manufacturer Wyeth, the concept of menopause is pretty much limited to English speaking countries.
Historically 80% of Premarin sales have occurred in the US. Even in the US, the cessation of menstruation is a non-event in 75% of women, who experience no symptoms whatsoever. Most languages and cultures have no word for menopause. It's actually quite common for women to experience improvement in their health and well-being when they stop having periods.
Cross Cultural "Menopause" Studies
There are interesting cross cultural studies of the "menopause" phenomenon. Non-western cultures typically view the cessation of monthly cycles asa milestone signaling transition to the role of community elder. The Filipino women Berger and Wenzel studied in Women, Body and Society: Cross-cultural Differences in Menopause were extremely pleased with their freedom from the inconvenience of menstruation. They saw it as an initiation into the joys of old age: better sex (estrogens suppress a woman's sex drive, which is regulated by testosterone and oxytocin) and improved energy and mood. Most of all they appreciated the new love and respect they enjoyed as elders.
As Berger and Wenzel's and other cross cultural studies note, attitudes in the US and other English speaking countries are heavily influenced by a multibillion dollar PR industry that bombards women with messages glorifying youth, thinness and sexual attractiveness – and engendering frank terror of gray hair, facial wrinkles, weight gain and cellulite. Aggressive marketing preys on these insecurities to sell billions of dollars of plastic surgery, botox, wrinkle removing creams and lotions, age concealing make-up, hair coloring and diet products and programs.
Six Decades of False and Misleading Marketing
As revealed in internal documents uncovered in a few of the 5000+ lawsuits filed against Wyeth, the company's culpability goes far beyond neglecting to inform menopausal women of cancer risks. They paint a very ugly picture of an aggressive public relations campaign to convince women and their doctors that estrogen replacement was the secret to eternal youth.
It was a win-win campaign. By 1992, Premarin was the most commonly prescribed drug in the US. Thanks to decades of marketing about the horrors of aging, post menopausal women were terrified of losing their sexual attractiveness without estrogen replacement. And because health "experts" were recommending it in medical journals, doctors were more than happy to overlook growing evidence that it causes cancer.
The NIH Shuts Down the WHI
Seventy percent of American women taking estrogen replacement discontinued it when the National Institute of Health shut down the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002 (see Wyeth and the Multibillion Dollar Menopause Industry). A year later this had resulted in a 7% decrease in new breast cancer cases – a total of 14,000 women spared the agony of a potentially fatal breast cancer diagnosis.
The study findings have also resulted in 5000+ cancer lawsuits against Wyeth for misrepresenting earlier cancer research to doctors – and their failure to inform women of the significant cancer risks associated with HRT.
Wyeth Fights Back
Wyeth's response was to initiate a massive PR campaign discrediting the WHI study. They started with a letter to 500,000 doctors attacking the study, complaining that the women in the Premarin arm had other reasons for developing cancer – they were too old, too menopausal or weren't checked for pre-existing heart disease.* This was followed by articles attacking the study in numerous medical journals. All were ghost written by the company and published under the names of doctors specializing in women's health
Many of these doctors were affiliated with the notorious Council on Hormone Education at University of Wisconsin that Wyeth founded in response to the 2002 WHI study. In 2006 the Council was still offering a continuing medical education course promoting estrogen replacement called "Quality of Life, Menopausal Changes and Hormonal Therapy."
Filing Suit: the Only Consumer Protection Against Big Pharma
Wyeth's massive campaign to discredit the 2002 WHI study, at the expense of tens of thousands of women who would start or continue estrogen replacement, has clearly harmed their defense in the dozens or so of the 5000+ lawsuits that have made it through the courts.
The pharmaceutical company has yet to win a single lawsuit brought by women (or families of deceased women) who developed reproductive cancers as a result of taking Premarin or Prempro. Moreover there are still active information websites for affected women and/or families who have yet to file suit. If you or a loved one has developed breast, uterine or ovarian cancer as a result of taking Premarin or Prempro click here.
photo credit: DES Daughter via photopin cc
Posted in Media censorship and propaganda | Tagged big pharma, breast cancer, corporatization, disease mongering, drug companies, estrogen, estrogen replacement, hrt, Marcia Angell, medicalization, pharmaceutical companies, premarin, prempro, whi, womens health initiative, wyeth | 5 Replies
Wyeth and the Multibillion Menopause Industry
(Part I of a two part series on the dangerous and cancer causing campaign by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals to "medicalize" menopause for profit),
I have written previously (see The Multibillion Dollar Depression Industry and Drug Companies: Killing Kids for profit) about the ingenious – and deadly – strategy by pharmaceutical companies of inventing fictitious illnesses to market highly profitable drugs that allegedly "treat" them. The technical terms for this are "medicalizing" or "disease mongering." In her 2004 The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What To Do About It, Dr Marcia Angell talks about "generalized anxiety disorder," "erectile dysfunction," "premenstrual dysphoric disorder," and "gastro-esophogeal reflux disorder (heartburn)." These are other common complaints that drug companies have reinvented as chronic illnesses requiring lifelong treatment.
Estrogen Deficiency Syndrome
Based on 30 years of research linking it to reproductive cancers, the marketing of so-called "estrogen deficiency syndrome" has been far more lethal. The condition is known as "menopause" in English-speaking countries. Other cultures have no word for it. The number of premature deaths from the so-called treatment – "hormone replacement therapy (HRT)" – is the millions.
In this case the culprit is a single company, Wyeth, which manufactures Premarin (conjugated estrogens extracted from pregnant mare urine) and Prempro, a combination of estrogen and progesterone (a second female hormone).
Estrogen, a hormone regulating the development and function of the female reproductive system, was first discovered in 1925. In the 1930s, the drug company Wyeth developed a process to extract conjugated estrogens from the urine of pregnant mares. They patented their product as the drug Premarin (PREgnantMAresurINe), which first appeared on the market in 1942.
From the beginning Wyeth marketed Premarin, not for temporary relief of menopausal symptoms, but as a lifelong treatment to help all women maintain "healthy" estrogen levels in later life. Obviously this is nonsense. A "healthy" or natural estrogen level in a post-menopausal woman is virtually zero.
Although the medical community (and Wyeth) have been aware of links between estrogen replacement and breast, uterine and ovarian cancer since the 1970s, this research was effectively concealed from the public. Until the frightening results of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study hit the front page in 2002. Between 1993 and 1995, the National Institutes of Health enrolled 161,809 women in the double blind WHI study. In 2002 the NHI shut down the study. Although it was originally scheduled to finish in 2005, it was painfully obvious that the women taking HRT were experiencing a 26% increase in breast cancer (with the risk doubling after five years), a 41% increase in strokes and a 29% increase in heart disease.
1975: the First Study Linking Premarin with Cancer
The first study linking Premarin with uterine cancer appeared in 1975. It was replicated by other researchers in 1977 and 1979. Wyeth responded to these worrisome studies by promoting a small 1980 study that taking progesterone, a second female hormone, reduced the risk of uterine cancer with estrogen replacement.
Sadly, most doctors fell for Wyeth's slick PR campaign. Thanks to all the free pens, watches, clocks, lunches and trips to overseas conferences, they conveniently overlooked the failure of Wyeth's 1980 study to at cancer rates in women who took no hormone replacement or to study the possible role of combined treatment in inducing other hormone sensitive cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancer. Wyeth's success in selling doctors on combined treatment would lead them to launch Prempro, a combination of Premarin and progesterone, in 1995.
The earliest studies linking Premarin with breast cancer appeared in early 1980. According to Nik Ismail in "Hormone Replacement Therapy and Gynaecological Cancers," between 1975 and 1995, there were at least fifty studies linking estrogen replacement (also known as HRT) with breast and uterine cancer. Some were cross cultural studies revealing American women had more than ten times the incidence of breast cancer than Asian women, who don't take estrogen replacement.
The Multibillion Dollar Wyeth Cover-up
Wyeth responded to the breast cancer studies with a new PR blitz. In addition to flooding doctors' offices with literature claiming studies linking Premarin to cancer were "contradictory," they promoted numerous company-funded studies allegedly showing that estrogen replacement prevents osteoporosis and hip fractures, dementia and heart disease. The spin Wyeth gave doctors was that the effect of reducing cardiovascular disease (heart disease and strokes) — the most common cause of death in Americans – outweighed the somewhat lower risk of developing breast cancer.
Ultimately the claim that Premarin and Prempro reduce elderly women's risk of cardiovascular disease proved to be false. This was one of the main reasons the WHI study was stopped: the women in the Premarin/Prempro arm of the study were developing significantly more heart attacks, strokes and dementia.
The WHI points to some role for estrogen replacement in reducing osteoporosis. However no studies have ever controlled for long term fluoride ingestion or epidemic Vitamin D deficiency in elderly Americans – which both have a documented role in high US rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture.
The marketing blitz aimed at doctors was accompanied by an even more powerful PR campaign in Harper's Bazaar, the Ladies Home Journal and other women's magazines. The goal was to appeal to American women's (largely manufactured) terror of aging by emphasizing the value of estrogen replacement in preserving sexual attractiveness by preventing the skin changes and vaginal drying associated with aging.
photo credit: tejamen1947 via photopin cc
Drug Companies: Killing Kids for Profit
(Thanks to the corporatization of health care, Americans pay double what other countries pay for health care but have much worse health. The recent Obamacare roll-out has heightened public awareness about the role of private insurance companies in sucking billions of health dollars out of the health care system. There is far less scrutiny of the role of Big Pharma in driving up health care costs.
This is the second of several posts on "disease mongering" by pharmaceutical companies – i.e. the invention of fictitious diseases to market drugs that supposedly treat them.)
Practicing psychiatry for eight years in New Zealand has given me a unique perspective on childhood bipolar disorder. Also known as pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), this is a condition virtually unknown outside of the US. Australian psychiatrist Dr. Peter Parry has undertaken detailed research into this condition, and a "conspiracy" by Eli Lilly and other drug companies to promote off-label use of antipsychotic drugs to children under 12. Yet another example of "disease mongering" by Big Pharma (see link) to encance their profits.
As well as publishing numerous papers on the PBD controversy, Parry also has a Powerpoint presentation he gives at grand rounds and conferences around the world. It includes internal Lilly and Janssen memos (available from his Healthy Skepticism website) about their innovative campaign to "medicalize" children's misbehavior.
Thanks to their aggressive marketing of PBD to US doctors and parents, American children as young as two are being started on antipsychotics for extreme anger and behavioral problems
Breaking the Law: Good Business Practice
Prescribing "off-label" refers to using medication for an indication that hasn't been approved by the FDA. As yet no antipsychotics have been approved for use in children. Moreover, it violates federal law for drug companies to market medications to doctors or the public for "off-label" uses. Yet because the fines imposed are minuscule, compared to the massive profit potential of off-label marketing, it's considered good business practice to pay the fine and keep on doing it anyway.
Diagnostic Criteria for Bipolar Disorder
Parry's slideshow starts with studies comparing US attitudes about BPD in the UK, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. Most foreign psychiatrists either don't recognize pediatric bipolar disorder as a diagnosis or regard it as extremely rare. According to Parry, the discrepancy revolves mainly around an insistence (outside the US) that both children and adults manifest symptoms of true mania to be diagnosed bipolar. Over the past 10-15 years, an increasing number of industry-funded psychiatric researchers have been claiming that extreme temper outbursts, rages and rapidly changing moods are a "manic" equivalent in children.
They also claim that children with extreme mood swings will go on to develop true bipolar illness in adulthood, making early treatment essential. This despite studies showing that most kids with PBD "outgrow" it as adults. (Although it seems more likely they never had it to begin with.)
What Parry finds particularly horrifying is that American child psychiatrists are diagnosing kids bipolar and starting them on antipsychotics without taking a developmental history to rule out the most common cause of extreme anger and behavioral problems – namely child abuse and attachment difficulties.
Putting Psychiatric Experts on the Payroll
That being said, he puts the blame for the dangerous fad of prescribing unapproved antipsychotic drugs for children squarely where it belongs: on multinational drug companies. In the US, most child psychiatrists are naturally uneasy prescribing dangerous antipsychotic medication for kids. They have to be egged on by esteemed researchers issuing stern warnings about ruining a child's future life by "missing" a the diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Too bad these self-proclaimed PBD experts are so careless about disclosing conflicts of interest, in the form of hundreds of thousands of dollars in of drug company research grants and consultant fees. This has only come out in subsequent lawsuits and ethical investigations.
Death and Other Dangerous Complications
The complications of antipsychotic treatment in children fall into four broad categories: death, severe medical complications, social exclusion and delayed emotional development.
15 years of FDA adverse incident reports (which typically capture only 1% of adverse drug events) directly implicates antipsychotic use in children with scores of deaths:
2000-2004: 45 deaths (source)
2006: 29 deaths (source)
2. Severe Medical Complications
Antipsychotics tend to cause massive weight gain – often as much as 100 pounds – a common cause of diabetes. In addition a disfiguring neurological disorder called tardive dyskinesia that occurs in 6-9% of children who take antipsychotics. The tics and writhing movements associated with tardive dyskinesia often persist permanently, even after the medication is stopped.
3. Social exclusion
Labeling a child with a mental illness, particularly if they are taking a medications that cause sedation, extreme weight gain and/or tics has an extremely detrimental effect on social relationships that are absolutely vital to normal child development.
4. Delayed emotional development
Sedating a child who has difficulty regulating anger and extreme moods only further delays the process of learning to regulate their emotions themselves.
Below a video from a mom whose son died from antipsychotic complications:
photo credit: me and the sysop via photopin cc
Posted in Medical Censorship | Tagged anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, big pharma, childhood bipolar disorder, disease mongering, dr peter parry, drug companies, eli lilly, insurance companies, medicalization, paediatric bipolar disorder | 13 Replies
The Multibillion Dollar Depression Industry
This is the first of several posts on "disease mongering" by pharmaceutic companies – i.e. the invention of fictitious diseases to market drugs that supposedly treat them.)
Marketing Serotonin Deficiency
With the release of Prozac back in 1987, the pharmaceutical industry began systematically indoctrinating doctors with the theory that depression is caused by a genetic deficiency in a brain neurotransmitter called serotonin. Big Pharma then spent the next 25 years reaping billions of dollars from marketing high-priced SSRIs to treat this so-called deficiency.
There are several obvious flaws in the theory that depression is a genetic brain disorder. The first is the skyrocketing increase in depression and suicide triggered by the 2008 meltdown. The prevalence of a genetic illness should follow the same predictable growth curve as population. The second is the total absence of so-called "serotonin deficiency" in lower mammals. The third and most obvious is the extremely low response rate to SSRIs and other antidepressants. Only 50% of patients who take them ever achieve full recovery.
The Learned Helplessness Model of Depression
The absence of "serotonin deficiency" in lower animals means that depression has to be artificially created to research prospective antidepressants. Most of this animal research is based on the "learned helplessness" model. In a common experiment, mice are dropped into a large vat of water and the researcher times how long they keep swimming before they give up. After taking a dose of Prozac, they swim longer before giving up.
There is something incredibly sad about the drug companies' persistence in torturing small animals. If the medical profession is serious about addressing the immense suffering caused by the costly and disabling condition, surely they need to start addressing some of the other known causes – for example, nutritional deficiency, derangements in intestinal bacteria and the total degradation of family and community life.
Depression Caused by Poverty and Malnutrition
Doctors have known for half a century that specific nutritional deficiencies can cause depression. Western countries are particularly known for depression-linked deficiencies in omega 3 and Vitamin D. Cross-cultural research shows that Asian and Scandinavian countries consuming quantities of fish (which contains both omega 3 and Vitamin D) have extremely low rates of depression. The phytonutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables also seem important in preventing depression, though the evidence is less strong.
Owing to recent skyrocketing food costs, I feel a little silly advising low income patients to eat more oily fish and fresh vegetables. I also feel angry and disgusted about a corporate-driven health policy whereby Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare happily pay for a Prozac prescription (to help their friends at Big Pharma) but not to subsidize fresh, organically grown food for low income patients with obvious nutritional deficiencies.
Depression Caused by Unhealthy Gut Bacteria
Pioneering gastroenterology research suggests that the microbiome (the resident bacteria in our intestines) also plays a major role in brain function. The overuse of antibiotics, in medicine and factory farming, has killed off normal bowel flora in a large segment of the industrialized world. This, in turn, has led to a near epidemic levels of irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Surprisingly both conditions have links to arthritis, obesity, autoimmune diseases, and so-called "brain" diseases, such as depression, anxiety, migraines, and even autism.
Recent studies suggest that treating this type of depression can be as simple as taking probiotics or eating fermented foods, such as yoghurt and sauerkraut. Yet because these treatments aren't medication-based, they aren't covered by health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.
Human Misery, Stress and Social Isolation
Obviously the worsening depression, along with epidemic levels of foreclosures, bankruptcies and evictions, is a far bigger culprit than nutritional deficiencies or gut bacteria in the recent exponential increase in depression and suicide. The best way to trigger depression in higher mammals is through massive, unrelenting environmental stress. Surely the pharmaceutical companies know this, or they wouldn't be using learned helplessness in their animal research, would they?
It's also striking that the current economic depression has hit people a lot people harder than the Great Depression of the 1930s. This seems to relate to the overall breakdown of family and community life. Prior to World War II, the family and social networks people belonged to exerted a protective effect during stressful times. Human beings, like other primates, such as apes, monkeys and gorillas, are fundamentally social beings. We are all hard wired to have strong social needs and function very poorly when they go unmet.
Recent neurophysiologic research shows that the human brain produces specific "feel good" neurochemicals (e.g. oxytocin, endorphins, and dopamine) to reward people for social activity. Social isolation appears to produce a deficit in these chemicals.
The Absence of Social Needs Research
Research into non-pharmaceutical treatments for depression is unlikely to occur in the US, where Big Pharma oversees the vast majority of medical research. For obvious reasons, drug companies have no incentive to investigate treatments that don't involve a product they can sell for profit. It hasn't helped that Obama has slashed research budgets for National Institutes of Health and National Institutes of Mental Health.
photo credit: Tidewater Muse via photopin cc
Posted in Medical Censorship, The Global Economic Crisis | Tagged big pharma, civic engagement, clinical depression, disease mongering, drug companies, endorphins, fermented foods, intestinal bacteria, learned helplessness, major depression, neurotransmitter, omega 3, oxytocin, probiotics, prozac, psychiatry, serotonin, ssri's, vitamin D | 5 Replies


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New resource for promoting the HPV vaccine to teenagers
14 November 2018 Cancer Council Victoria | Third party content – view disclaimer
Cancer Council Victoria has updated its video resource for promoting the HPV vaccine to teenagers to reflect the changes in the program.
In 2018, the nine valent HPV vaccine (Gardasil 9) replaced the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil 4) in the National Immunisation Program. The vaccine now covers nine types of HPV instead of four. The additional five types are high-risk, cancer-causing HPV types.
The vaccine is given routinely in two doses at least six months apart to girls and boys in high school at age 12-13 years, with catch-up vaccination up to the age of 19 also now available through GPs and immunisation services. Young people aged 15 or over at the time of the first dose still require three doses for full protection.
This fun and friendly video is just a few minutes long and includes information on the new two-dose vaccine.
The video is designed to help teens understand how the HPV vaccine can prevent cervical cancers and HPV-related cancers. It also takes them through the process of getting each dose and what to do on the day, and encourages teenagers to get the vaccine while it's available and free for their age group.
Key facts about the new two-dose vaccine:
The new two-dose vaccine (brand name Gardasil 9) replaces the three-dose quadrivalent vaccine (brand name Gardasil)
The new vaccine extends protection against cancer causing HPV types – with the addition of five oncogenic HPV types which are the next most frequently detected in cervical cancers
This will increase the level of protection against cervical cancer in Australia from 70% to 90%
The vaccine works well and is very safe
Two doses are now recommended for those aged 12 – 13 years
Three doses are still recommended for older individuals or those with significant immunocompromise
If a teen misses a vaccination at school they can get the vaccination at their GP or local council provider
For more detailed information on the new vaccine, read this article in the RACGP news.
GPs and nurses who wish to use the video when talking to patients about the vaccine can view it on YouTube or download it from the HPV vaccine website.
Disclaimer: This article was provided by Cancer Council Victoria. While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network does not warrant or represent the accuracy, currency and completeness of any information or material included within.


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You name it and we've probably done it….we've been hire in as part of rural events, corporate events, company events, weddings, grand openings, product launches, tenant events, birthday parties, sale events, customer appreciations, labor union events, boat "christening" parties, public park events and on and on.
Please contact us if you would prefer Kettle Corn served in a different manner.


We would like to recommend a new publication from Routledge. The publication is planned for next year but it can be already pre-ordered. This is a new book by acclaimed London analyst Gottfried M. Heuer who is an author of a number of articles and books. This new book is devoted to the original and influential, and yet clearly underestimated Otto Gross.
"Otto Gross was the first analyst to link his work with radical politics, connecting inner, personal transformation with outer, collective change. Since his death in 1920 his work has been suppressed, despite his seminal influence on the developing analytic discipline and on the fields of sociology, philosophy and literature. Here Gottfried M. Heuer introduces Gross' life and ideas, using an innovative, historiographic methodology he terms trans-historical: a psychoanalytic, intersubjective, and trans-temporal approach to the past, aimed at 'healing wounded history' in the present.
Dr. Gottfried M. Heuer is a Jungian training analyst and supervisor, neo-Reichian body psychotherapist and independent scholar based in London, with some 70 papers published in the major analytic journals. He is co-founder of the International Otto Gross Society as well as a published graphic artist, photographer, sculptor and poet. His previous books include Sacral Revolutions. Reflecting on the Work of Andrew Samuels and Sexual Revolutions: Psychoanalysis, History and the Father (both Routledge).


Had a great experience this afternoon buying a couple of longboards from @daddies retail store. Thanks!
Jamison and I have been looking at making or buying longboards. Yesterday we headed to Daddies Board Shop. We found a couple of awesome boards and a really cool store.


This math-happy recipe is sticky, gooey fun.
Kids love to cook. And cooking with your child can be a great way to reinforce early math skills such as measuring and counting. Your child can easily measure out and add all of the ingredients, as well as do all the stirring—a great way to build confidence.
This easy recipe for granola requires only one measuring cup (though you can use a half cup measure too, if you wish). You can halve the recipe if you wish, giving you an opportunity to introduce the concept of fractions (halves of a whole) in a tangible and easy-to-understand way. This granola makes a good snack for school or for a hike and also makes a tasty breakfast cereal.
Chop the nuts, if you wish, and then have your child measure all of the dry ingredients into a bowl.
Have your child stir together the honey, maple syrup and oil. Microwave them for just a few seconds, or heat in a pan until runny.
Have your child pour the honey oil mixture into the dry ingredients and stir.
Help your child spread the mixture onto cookie sheets.
Place sheets in oven for 15 minutes or until browned.
Allow the granola to cool before storing it.
Farmer's market foray Take a fun little field trip to explore how dinner gets to the table.


Which food delivery apps are best in Springfield?
There are quite a few choices when it comes to fast food around campus. But restaurants like Burrito Bowl only stay open until 7:30 p.m. on most weekdays.
This is what makes apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash so popular — you can order from a list of restaurants in town that are still open, and the food is brought straight to your door.
But which apps do people in Springfield actually use?
Lauren Creek, freshman psychology major, said DoorDash works well with their customers, has the most options and has the most accurate service for their customers.
Creek said she uses it for convenience.
Creek also suggests giving specific directions when navigating drivers to campus because they have difficulty finding specific residence halls.
Gaby Farabee, senior cell and molecular biology major, said the main difference in these apps is the restaurant choices — and even some overlap.
Farabee said she has used Uber Eats the most and likes to order food from Bairs about once every couple of weeks.
Megan Craven, senior international business major, said she prefers Uber Eats because she likes being able to see where her driver is in real time.
"I like the options that Uber Eats has and I've had cheaper delivery fees compared to GrubHub," Craven said.
Some people have not had good experiences with these apps altogether.
Peyton Nordin, freshman, said Uber Eats and Postmates tend to mess up her order, GrubHub takes a long time and her food arrives cold from DoorDash.
Nordin said the best one to order from is Uber Eats because they have the best selection.
"I've also had issues with all of them not picking up my order but making me pay for it," Nordin said.
Uber Eats' delivery costs are between $3-$10 and delivery times are estimated at 30-40 minutes, according to their app.
Some restaurants available through Uber Eats include Sonic, McDonald's and Fuddruckers.
DoorDash's delivery costs are between $2 and $5, and delivery times are between 25-40 minutes.
Restaurants available through DoorDash include McAlister's Deli, Moe's Southwest Grill and Springfield Family Restaurant.
Restaurants available through Grubhub include Taco Bell, Bambino's Cafe and Red Lobster.
So, is it worth it to drive for these apps?
Sophia Passantino, senior public relations major, said she enjoys driving for Postmates because she gets to choose when she wants to work.
Passantino also said Postmates offers "bonus" shifts during certain time periods so drivers can earn an additional $3 on top of the standard $4 per delivery.
Overall, there is no "one size fits all" delivery app for Springfield. It's probably best to try these apps and decide which one is worth paying for.
Postmates is launching a new national ad campaign, following in the footsteps of market competitors Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash this year.
The delivery service will enact the first phase of its new marketing strategy this spring by advertising to diners on billboards, bus benches, and via dedicated wall murals around Miami, New York, and Los Angeles. The advertisements will feature messaging tailored to local audiences, "right down to the street they appear on," according to a release.
Postmates also hinted in a prepared statement that its new creative material will be a part of an extended marketing campaign that will involve TV advertising in the coming months. Television is quickly becoming an integral part of how third-party delivery companies raise brand recognition, as they attempt to capture more restaurant partners and market share.
Last month, Uber Eats shelled out nearly $9 million on its first nationwide television campaign in partnership with the NCAA. DoorDash also rolled out initial national TV ads at the beginning of the year, highlighting restaurant chain partnerships with Wendy's, Chipotle, and Chick-fil-A, among others. Meanwhile, Grubhub, Yum Brands official delivery partner has featured on multiple Taco Bell TV spots this year.
The company's initial choice to roll out this campaign in dense, urban markets speaks to the delivery service's city-focused roots, right down to the image of a bicycle rider for a logo. According to data analytics firm Second Measure, Postmates is the most popular delivery service in Los Angeles, taking up 42.6 percent of market share in the area as of December 2018. On a nationwide level, Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats all claim more market share.
Postmates has been gearing up on product launches, including a new shared ordering function called Postmates Party ahead of its expected IPO. The company confidentially filed the initial paperwork to go public earlier this year, according to Bloomberg. Postmates was valued at $1.85 billion in January.
Stephens Investment Management Group Llc, which manages about $3.08B and $4.22 billion US Long portfolio, decreased its stake in Msc Indl Direct Inc (NYSE:MSM) by 10,091 shares to 387,683 shares, valued at $29.82M in 2018Q4, according to the filing. It also reduced its holding in Idexx Labs Inc (NASDAQ:IDXX) by 2,761 shares in the quarter, leaving it with 267,027 shares, and cut its stake in Tyler Technologies Inc (NYSE:TYL).
More notable recent Grubhub Inc. (NYSE:GRUB) news were published by: Investorplace.com which released: "Why Marijuana REITs Are One of the Best Investments Today – Investorplace.com" on March 19, 2019, also Benzinga.com with their article: "Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For April 3, 2019 – Benzinga" published on April 03, 2019, Investorplace.com published: "15 Stocks That May Be Hurt by This Year's Big IPOs – Investorplace.com" on March 14, 2019. More interesting news about Grubhub Inc. (NYSE:GRUB) were released by: Nasdaq.com and their article: "Can Blue Apron's New CEO Execute a Hail Mary Play? – Nasdaq" published on April 04, 2019 as well as 247Wallst.com's news article titled: "Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Alcoa, AMD, Caterpillar, CSX, Intel, Nvidia, Raytheon, Suncor, Square, Walgreens and More – 24/7 Wall St." with publication date: April 03, 2019.
Since January 29, 2019, it had 0 insider purchases, and 7 selling transactions for $42.25 million activity. BURROWS CLIFFORD sold $10.26 million worth of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) on Tuesday, January 29. Another trade for 169,096 shares valued at $11.64 million was made by CULVER JOHN on Thursday, February 7.
More notable recent Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) news were published by: Nasdaq.com which released: "Starbucks (SBUX) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know – Nasdaq" on March 18, 2019, also Nasdaq.com with their article: "3 Big-Business Things a Small Business Must Do – Nasdaq" published on March 21, 2019, Nasdaq.com published: "Dave & Buster's (PLAY) Q4 Earnings: Unit Growth Holds the Key – Nasdaq" on March 29, 2019. More interesting news about Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) were released by: 247Wallst.com and their article: "Starbucks Includes Accelerated Share Buyback in Annual Shareholder Meeting – 24/7 Wall St." published on March 20, 2019 as well as Nasdaq.com's news article titled: "McDonald's Now Is in the Tech Game but It Won't Matter for MCD Stock – Nasdaq" with publication date: March 29, 2019.
He says more promotions from companies like DoorDash, UberEats, and Postmates are driving more customers to their phones for food.
CLEVELAND — Food delivery apps are constantly trying to win your business by offering weekly promotions.
A late-morning lunch rush sends Harold Craig from Dante's Inferno in the Flats all the way to a fresh fish market on the east side, picking up other people's food.
"If you can pay $3.99 to save you an hour of your time, it's worth it," said Craig.
Craig drives for a few different food delivery services and says he's figured out the differences in how each one pays for their service.
"The companies will give promos there because they want to fight over the business that they generate," said Craig.
Craig's eyes in the rear view mirror while he drives to delivers an order during lunch.
One of Craig's deliveries one afternoon was to the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District building, where Ramone Smith works and says those kinds of orders are pretty common.
Customers like Smith can be on the receiving end of an onslaught of deals and offers. One deal for March Madness, another to lure new customers, a third just because it's Friday.
One promo send to DoorDash customers offers discounts just for it being Monday.
The goal is to create loyalty, but it actually results in the opposite.
"You hop from app to app just to see what are the best deals because all the prices vary," said Smith.
An order sits in Craig's DoorDash delivery bag.
None of the companies would answer News 5's questions about how they give out promotions, but restaurants are benefiting, too.
A sign in Crust's Tremont location.
Griffin says she's never had to hire a delivery driver because it's so easy for customers to order food online, and the apps send their own drivers to deliver the meal.
"Especially around Tremont, everyone uses UberEats," said Griffin.
Crust in Tremont has more room for seating compared to it's original location on the east side. Griffin says that's why food delivery apps helped their business from the start.
She says online orders account for about 10 percent of their business between both of Crust's locations. With time, she thinks that will only grow.
"If I can make some money off people being lazy, people are used to making money off me being lazy, so why not," asked Craig.


After extensive training Michael Bartier quickly made a name for himself: first as a maker of white wines, earning two Canadian White Wine of the Year titles within three years, and then as a maker of red wines with several consecutive Lieutenant Governor's awards for his red wines. This was all done while working for some of the Okanagan best known wineries.
Today Michael and his brother Don have opened their own winery. Making them a winery to watch for in 2016.
Its new and it is exciting. The winery is owned by Anthony von Mandl who owns Mission Hills Family Estate Winery. The wines are currently sold only on line there is no tasting room. The winery produces only Chardonnay, five of them. John Schreiner calls the wines "most sophisticated Chardonnays so far from the Okanagan."
Founded in 2002, this family owned and operated winery creates premium quality wines from their own meticulously handpicked and hand sorted grapes.
Expert winemaker, Andrzej Lipinski joined Cornerstone Estate Winery in 2008, as a part-time consultant, and in 2012, he took over the task of winemaking.
They has numerous awards for their wines in 2015.
A small winery on the Golden Mile Bench owned by Bill Eggert. The 10 acre property located adjacent to the first green of the Fairview Mountain Golf Course was purchased by Bill in 1989 Bill produces some of the best wines in the Okanagan.
He produces a $100-plus red appropriately called The Iconoclast.
His wines are not the easiest to find but while worth finding! Visit the winery for full selection.
An organic winery in Niagara-on-the Lake.
The winery has 30 acres planted with Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Gamay Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling Vidal. All grapes are hand-picked and crafted into lively genuine wines using only gentle traditional winemaking techniques.
The winery uses Bullfrog power. Bullfrog sources power exclusively from generators who meet or exceed the federal government's Environmental Choice M Program EcoLogo M standard for renewable electricity.
The power comes from clean, emission-free sources like wind power and low-impact water power instead of carbon-intensive sources.
They captured a good number of awards in 2015 and I expect more in 2016.
Nestled along the Niagara Escarpment in the Twenty Valley, GreenLane Estate Winery has a vineyard-first philosophy.
Dianne Smith has created some amazing award winning wines at the 22 acre Vineland location.
Magnotta is Ontario's third largest winery and the only company of its kind in Ontario licensed to produce and sell wine, beer and distilled products.
The winery contributes greatly to their community. Contributions and donations to organizations supporting those in need including Make a Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Easter Seal Society, Hospice Vaughan, Villa Colombo/Villa Charities, Christmas Wish organizations and more.
On-going contributions and donations to medical research including Canadian Cancer Society, Alzheimer Society, Lung Association, Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation and more.
It is the number of quality wines that Magnotta is producing that places it on our list of wineries to watch for.
Meadow Vista Artisian Farm Winery was born out of the idea that when you combine a passion for farm fresh ingredients, wine & protecting the honey bees, you can create a line up of honey wine + bee-inspired food products for wine lovers + foodies to savour. The farm was founded in 2009 by wellness & wine expert Judie Barta.
The first honey wine producer to win Best Winery of The Year at Wine Fest Edmonton and Wine Fest Calgary and again in 2014 as Ostara was the first honey wine to win a Gold Medal at the BC Wine Awards.
Also a Candidate for Wineries to Visit in 2016 It is their continued ability to produce outstanding wines that puts them on this list.
The winery has gained a strong reputation for its Late Harvest and Icewines. 2013 PR Riesling Icewine 375m - GOLD! 2014 InterVin International Wine Awards. Numerous awards and an amazing 2015 growing season in 2015 makes Rose Estates a winery to watch for.
There should be no surprise that Two sisters won two awards at the 2015 Intervin Awards.
This new winery is been acclaimed world wide. Adam Pearce, a Niagara College Wine and Viticulture graduate, leads the winemaking team with his low interventionist methods.
This Naramata winery has captured so many awards in the last year you need a website just to list them.
A winery been build by the Mission Hills owner Anthony von Mandl . The limited edition, Martin's Lane wines are named for Dr. Martin von Mandl, his late father.
The winemaking team is well established and have a strong reputation.
A family owned winery over looking Okanagan Lake on the Naramata Bench. The winery owners are the husband-wife team of Oleg and Svetlana Aristarkhov. The winery was awarded a Double Gold award for our 2013 Pinot Noir, and a Bronze for our 2012 Pinot Noir at the 2015 International Pinot Competition.
Jacq (Jacqueline) Kemp is a former research nutritional scientist who put aside her lab coat to follow her passion in winemaking.
Co owner and winemaker François Morissette spend a good deal of this training in France. Francois and co-owner Mel Pearl share the same uncompromising vision that values a traditional and non-interventive approach to wine growing in order to deliver premium quality wines.
When aging the winery uses the concrete Egg tank, Oak ,Terracotta and stainless steel creating unique wines.
In 2006, Claude Robert, native businessman of Rougemont, acquires this historic property. which has more than 40,000 Apple trees.
The family planted 3500 vines of Frontenac Gris. In 2008 4 500 plants of grape varieties Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. In 2009, adding the Frontenac Blanc, Crescent, Saint-Pepin and Vidal grape. Today, the Vineyard has near 50,000 vines.
Its facilities are outstanding and offers a wonderful venu for marriage.
A small winery located in east Kelowna producing good wines. Their recent releases including the new Label Silver Lining are quite impressive earning them a spot on our Wineries to Watch in 2016 list.
Watch for Wards Cideries also produced here.
Amazing facilities await you at this award winning cidery. It opened in 2011 with 1500 tress and 12 varieties of Apples.
The Cartier-Potelle Domain was acquired in 2011 by Jean-Pierre and Josee Potelle and David Cartier associates.
Située à Rougemont, l'entreprise a produit ses premiers cidres en décembre 2011. Cet automne, les associés lanceront la deuxième phase de leur projet.
Domaine Cartier-Potelle, producteur de cidres et cidres de glace situé à Rougemont.
The Vernon orchard was established in 1949 by the grandfather of current owner David Dobernigg.
The hard ciders have been gaining numerous good reviews across the country. The Cidery does not add sugar to the product. They tend to sell out!
Kacaba Vineyards Niagara Escarpment Bench in Vineland, Ontario - presented with the award Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in Ontario Wines.
Between the Lines I have a good feeling about this winery.
Coyote's Run Estate Winery I like their passion and team work.
Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery they have gained critical acclaim and garnered a number of prestigious awards.
Monte Creek Ranch putting the Thompson Valley on the wine map.
Yes we may have missed some great wineries, if you wish to tell us about them we would love to hear from you.


How to Combat the BLOOD-SUGAR Blues - Real Food. Real Fitness.
When ground into flours GRAINS act like sugar in the body. This starchy powder (aka white flour) is capable of wreaking havoc on the body including weight gain, inflammation and blood-sugar imbalances. Refined carbohydrates including refined grain products are the single most harmful influence in the American diet today.
Just think, every meal in the American diet is surrounded by these problematic flours. Breakfast is full of toast, bagels, cereal. Lunch is full of sandwich bread, or wraps and dinner is full of pasta, pizza, and a bread basket.
Without even realizing it the average American now eats 10 servings of refined grains each day ,YIKES!!! Children especially fall prey to this flour as most packaged snacks processed foods and "kid" menu's are LOADED with refined flour.
A diet high in flours made from wheat or other grains affects every system in the body including the brain, blood, pancreas, gut, colon and especially the waistline. Over weeks and months the yo-yo effect of rising and falling blood sugar and insulin levels increases the body's fat storage around the abdomen triggering inflammation and hormonal imbalances.
So whats a person to do? It seems impossible to avoid flour.
Guess what? It's not really hard at all!
When you replace refined grains with healthy fats or veggies you are better off and your body and mind will be thanking you in the long run!
Try switching to sprouted grains to slowly wean off of processed breads and crackers. Foods made from sprouted grains are easier to digest and tend to be higher in protein which can help regulate the rate at which the grains sugars are metabolized.
Replace flour with nut or seed meal. Meals made from ground nuts and seeds such as almonds, cashews, coconut and flax can stand in for flour in baking recipes as well as breadings on meats or seafood. Nut and seed meals are higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates.
Don't fall prey to the "GLUTEN FREE" trend. Many gluten free products are made from potato flour, rice flour, and tapioca starch and digest even faster than wheat flour. Most GF goodies lack fiber and are loaded with sugar a recipe for disaster in the digestive system.
Try going flour-free for a week and see how you feel. I personally saw results in my digestion and inflammation when I quit grains. You can read many success stories of people who have quit eating grains and regained their health. It was the missing puzzle piece they needed!
Last but not least consider quitting grains for GOOD! A great start for recipes and ideas is to look into the paleo or primal diet. No matter what you have been led to believe thus far whole grains and wheat are NOT essential in our diets. We can easily survive without them! The promotion of "healthy whole grains" by the USDA, doctors and dietitians is truly outdated information.
We would all be much better off eliminating these foods to make more room in our diets for more nutrient dense whole foods like dark leafy greens, squash, sweet potatoes, nuts, seeds, and legumes, pastured meats and wild fish.
p.s. Heres a DELICIOUS RECIPE for cauliflower "rice" !


The adidas Yung-1 appears to be a franchise product for the three stripes brand, and like most new franchise product (think the Futurecraft 4D), the brand is collaborating with established boutiques to bolster the new shoe. The latest is the END x adidas Yung-1.
END, one of the U.K.'s premiere menswear boutiques, appears to have a collaborative Yung-1 in the works. It is constructed with premium leather and suede (just look at that thick cut) and mesh.
Like many of adidas' recent retro footwear styles, the brand is capitalizing on the "dad shoe" trend that is taking over sneakers in 2018. The adidas Yung-1, Ultra Tech, and Falcon W have all made triumphant returns this summer.
Caught on camera by overseas leaker @sneakerdonwop, there is still no official word yet on when or if this END x adidas Yung-1 will release. Stay tuned to WearTesters.com for updates.
How do you feel about this premium take on the adidas Yung-1? Sound off in the comments below.


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Kalmbach Media acquires Saturn Lounge
Kalmbach Media, a content creator for brands including Astronomy, Discover, Trains, and Model Railroader, announced today that it has acquired the fast-growing digital marketing and creative services agency Saturn Lounge.
The award-winning agency, which is based in Waukesha, US, creates websites, email, social & digital media campaigns, national TV advertising, and marketing videos, as well as photographs and CGI imagery for visual storytelling for a broad range of well-known brands including GE Healthcare, Briggs & Stratton, The American Heart Association, American Orthodontics, Menards, and Werner among others.
"The acquisition of Saturn Lounge continues our goal of delivering exceptional experiences across all platforms to our audiences and customers," says Dan Hickey, Kalmbach CEO. "In addition, it further diversifies our portfolio while expanding our ability to provide our marketing partners with innovative end-to-end solutions to reach and engage with their brand audiences."
Hickey notes that recent research conducted by Kalmbach of their marketing partners reflected an increased demand for digital and video marketing services. "Marketers continue to shift their resources toward media companies that understand how to help them fully leverage their brand story with consumers and customers."
As part of the acquisition, Saturn Lounge President Jim Kohlhardt will continue to oversee the company and become a Senior Vice President at Kalmbach reporting to Hickey. The company will continue to operate from its current offices in Waukesha as an independent division of Kalmbach. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Kohlhardt says, "We are thrilled to join Kalmbach and believe that the addition of Saturn Lounge's amazing team of creative visual and digital storytellers combined with Kalmbach's expertise in content creation, e-commerce, and targeted audience marketing is exactly the kind of powerful solution that brands desire to reach and excite their customer's passions."
dan hickey
kalmbach media
saturn lounge
Jamie Gavin


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Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban Wins Pritzker Prize
Tokyo-born architect Shigeru Ban, 56, the recipient of the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize, in New York, March 20, 2014.
WASHINGTON — For the third year in a row, an Asian architect will receive the prestigious Pritzker Prize. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is the latest recipient of the award, which is considered to be the profession's "Nobel Prize." He will receive the prize at a ceremony at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam on Friday.
"Since I spent three years on the jury, between 2006 and 2009, I didn't expect I would be chosen, so it's a big surprise for me," he said. "Compared to past laureates, I didn't think I reached that level yet."
Born in Tokyo, the 56-year-old Ban is known for his humanitarian structures, as well as his formal architecture. In 1994, he built relief shelters in Rwanda following that country's civil war and genocide. The next year, he helped the Japanese city of Kobe after the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
"For me, there is no difference between the normal architecture project and the humanitarian activities," he said. "It's just a different budget and a different atmosphere, and also there is no design fee but otherwise there's no difference."
Ban believes architecture should embrace all of society and not just the elite.
"After I became an architect I was quite disappointed in my profession because mostly we are working for privileged people who have the power and money," he said. "I'm interested in making monuments, but I thought we can use our experience and knowledge for the general public, even for the people who lost their houses through natural disasters."
Ban's career has been notable also for its use of basic materials such as paper and plastic crates. He began his career in 1986, after studying in the United States at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the Cooper Union School of Architecture. Ban started out in Japan by using paper tubes to construct designs as a way to reduce project costs. His methods were initially questioned by skeptical Japanese officials.
"First I had to get permission from the government to use the material as a structure element," Ban said. "And also at that time, in 1986, nobody was talking about ecology or recycling, so it was quite unusual to use this for building, but now because everyone is interested in environmental issues, it's become much easier to convince people."
The paper used is industrial material and can be waterproofed and fire-protected. Some of Ban's most prominent designs, including the Paper Church built for Kobe, Japan (later moved to Taiwan), and the Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand, are built of paper materials. Both were constructed following devastating earthquakes.
This undated image released by the Pritzker Prize shows a cardboard cathedral in New Zealand designed by Tokyo-born architect Shigeru Ban, 56, the recipient of the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize
The Pritzker jury also cited the Naked House in Saitama, Japan for questioning "the traditional notion of rooms and consequently domestic life." Another Ban trademark is his melding of exterior and interior spaces, as shown in the Curtain Wall House in Tokyo.
Ban is an international architect with buildings in Europe, Asia and the U.S. He has offices in Tokyo, Paris and New York. Two other Asian architects, Wang Shu of China and Toyo Ito of Japan, won the Pritzker Prize in 2012 and 2013.
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PEORIA — Last Friday during batting practice at Kane County, Peoria Chiefs manager Erick Almonte was joking around with Chiefs third baseman Nolan Gorman.
Almonte asked Gorman, the Cardinals' first-round draft choice last year, what his goals were for this season. The 18-year-old Gorman said he'd like to become a more consistent hitter.
"Well, I'm looking forward to still seeing you here in late August," Almonte replied. "He just looked at me and smiled. He said, 'I really like you and there's nothing wrong with Peoria. But I've set a goal and hopefully I can be out of here pretty soon.' "
The way Gorman going after 10 games, he might get his wish sooner rather than later.
Heading into Monday night's game, Gorman was hitting a team-best .395 and led the Midwest League in homers (4), RBI (13), total bases (33) and slugging percentage (.868). For his efforts, he was named the league's first Player of the Week on Monday.
Gorman is happy with his start, but knows much work lies ahead.
The process for Gorman began when he was a toddler playing t-ball in Phoenix. His dad, Brian, was his primary coach then and continues in that role to this day.
That's been a big change in Gorman's at-bats from last season when he played 25 games with the Chiefs to finish his first pro season.
After hitting .350 with 11 homers in 42 games at Rookie League Johnson City, the left-handed swinging Gorman had some struggles at the higher level. Although he hit six homers in 94 at-bats, his batting average was just .202 and he whiffed 39 times.
Almonte wasn't in Peoria last season, but heard the reports on Gorman's time here.
"They were pitching around him, and he was chasing pitches," Almonte said. "The key for him is he's making good contact when he gets a good pitch to hit. He's not chasing pitches, especially in the dirt.
Almonte is also pleased with Gorman's defensive progress at third base.
Such a strong work ethic, plus an even-keeled personality, often are big parts of the formula for baseball success.
Almonte smiled when asked if he'd rather see Gorman move up the minor league chain later rather than sooner.