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WM34I have let a few days pass and recovered the hours of sleep lost on Sunday night/Monday morning. I’ve also been able to revisit certain moments, particularly the Main Event and trust me the bulk of this review will focus on that final match. After a few days of consideration my initial reaction to the show has remained largely unchanged. So, let’s dive right into it.

Duration of the Show

Let’s get this out of the way early. A 7 hour show is absurd. The main card went over 5 hours and with a 2 hour pre-show it was simply too long. As someone watching in the UK this meant staying up past 5AM. Unsurprisingly I dozed off on a few occasions. But as a live experience I’d be surprised if audience fatigue was not a factor as the show took a definite nosedive.

WM34_AndreMatt Hardy wins the Andre the Giant Battle Royal

Kicking off the action were all the male superstars otherwise not appearing on WrestleMania. Dolph Ziggler tried to showoff, skinning the cat over and over again but let’s not forget that he’s no longer a gimmick. The match itself was pretty boring, as Battle Royals can be, and then the conclusion was confusing to say the least. Matt Hardy won but the appearance of Bray Wyatt muddied the waters. Given all the entrants filling the ring I wasn’t 100% that Bray hadn’t been in the match. Wyatt’s emergence from the ‘lake of reincarnation’ clearly only saw him reacquire his lead apron. Odd finish but decent result. Shame it doesn’t matter in the long-term as the oversized trophy has been rendered meaningless in recent years.

The addition of Jim ‘JR’ Ross and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler for this match was an odd choice with Byron Saxton effectively being the lead commentator. It smacked of a meaningless gesture to two Hall of Famers but it was nice to see and hear them once again.

WM34_Cedric_MustafaCedric Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Whilst a perfectly competent match, with some entertaining sequences and high spots, I wasn’t gripped. The cheesy dialogue between the two combatants concerning heart and soul was tedious to say the least.

WM34-Womens-Battle-RoyalNaomi wins the Women’s Battle Royal

This match wasn’t too bad with a small showcase for some NXT competitors, Billie Kay was oddly absent but Peyton Royce stood out. But once again the conclusion of this match was confused with fans initially think that Bayley had won only for Naomi to re-emerge and snatch victory. As predicted it continued the bubbling storyline between Bayley and Sasha Banks which will hopefully be built for a SummerSlam main event spot. As an aside, the look on Paige’s face when she tried to suggest that she might make the Women’s Battle Royal was heartbreaking as you could tell that she didn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. She formally retired from in-ring competition the following night.

Three matches in and the preshow didn’t catch fire but that would all change when the main card began.

WM34_Miz_Finn_SethSeth Rollins defeated The Miz (c) and Finn Balor to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship

As a match to kick off the show who better to deliver than these three top performers. The fast pace and impressive action was the perfect start with Rollins capturing the gold to become a Grand Slam champion. The Miz seems to be moving towards a face turn, sending the Miztourage back to the locker room, and so three baby faces in the same match didn’t really work. But the action was smooth and entertaining, it just wasn’t a match viewers could emotionally invest in because any outcome and victor would’ve been enjoyed and accepted.

WM34_Asuka_CharlotteCharlotte Flair (c) defeated Asuka to retain the SmackDownLive Women’s Championship

Probably the match of the night. Personally I thought Asuka tapped out to the Figure 8 Lock a bit too quickly. She could’ve held on a little longer given she had been undefeated up until that point. Some of the moves were as spectacular as Charlotte’s entrance with the moonsault counter and Spanish fly standing out in particular. The emotional conclusion was also a nice touch and it seemed appropriate that Charlotte Flair, undoubtedly the best female in the company, was the individual to break Asuka’s streak and cementing her legacy. Asuka herself now needs to go on another run of victories but this loss certainly won’t hurt her. What will is the fact that she’s now no longer able to use the armbar submission, presumably neither is Becky Lynch, because of Ronda Rousey’s addition to the roster.

WM34_Jinder_Orton_Roode_RusevJinder Mahal defeated Rusev, Bobby Roode and Randy Orton (c) to win the WWE United States Championship

A Jinder victory was unexpected. His unsuccessful WWE title run would’ve been more suited to the US title but it’s a bit late to try it now. Rusev is over with the audience. The ‘Rusev Day’ chants are everywhere but seeing Jinder pin Rusev was effectively a middle finger to the audience. How dare the WWE Universe support someone the company didn’t intend them too! So Jinder is the champion and I fear more distasteful promos on the blue brand.

WM34_Kurt_Ronda_HHH_StephRonda Rousey and Kurt Angle defeated Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

Talk about the shock of the night! I, like most, feared that this would be a car wreck of a match. With the exception of Stephanie gently placing Kurt’s head into the steel steps in a manner akin to the way she probably rests her children down on a pillow, and Kurt struggling to extend his legs to back body drop Triple H over the rope, the match was largely excellent. Although Steph being able to block a former UFC champion’s armbar was straining the believable, it did make the moment when she inevitably locked it in electric. There was also a great tease that she might force Triple H to tap to the submission. Overall the match was simply great fun and proved to be a highlight of the whole show.

WM34_Usos_NewDay_BludgeonThe Bludgeon Brothers defeated The Usos (c) and The New Day to win the SmackDownLive Tag Team Championships

This is possibly where the show began the decline. A short match that needed a stipulation that could’ve elevated it to the heights of the highlight reel mainstay that was the TLC II match at WrestlemaniaX7. Instead it was a short match that successfully sent the SmackDownLive tag team division in a new direction. Expect the Usos or New Day to move to RAW in the upcoming superstar shakeup.

WM34_taker_cenaThe Undertaker defeated John Cena

So after all the build up fans were treated to a sub 3 minute squash match. Firstly, Cena appeared in the crowd on the Kickoff show. Unfortunately, this meant that the action was regularly interrupted to cut to Cena watching on. Cue an overreaction the moment he realised that he was now on camera. When a referee ran down to ringside after the Charlotte/Asuka match to tell Cena that catering had been stocked up backstage, it triggered his sprinting up the ramp that became a meme creators dream. When Cena came down to the ring and the lights went out, the whole of the Superdome leapt from their seats. Then Elias came down. “Were you expecting someone else?”

That moment was sublime. Unfortunately, Elias’ continued elevation in the thoughts of the WWE Universe was undone by a typical Cena burial. As Cena made his way back up the ramp once again the lights went out again. A spotlight revealed Undertaker’s hat and coat in the ring where it had been left the year before. With a flash of lightning the items disappeared. Then Undertaker emerged. All of this was brilliantly delivered. But then the match began.

Whilst Undertaker looked in great shape, moving smoother than he’d managed in recent outings. The match was completely one sided. All it accomplished is the possibility that The Undertaker could return at any point. After an emotional departure from the ring at WrestleMania XXXIII he deserves to be allowed to retire with dignity. Instead I fear we may continue to get unsatisfactory contests on the biggest show of the year for the foreseeable future. Will we get shorter and shorter matches until ‘Taker’s body finally declares that enough is enough? I hope not. But on this occasion, given the lengthy buildup and teasing, the final match was largely unsatisfying.

WM34_OwensZayn_DanielBryanShaneDaniel Bryan and Shane McMahon defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Viewers watching on the WWE Network can identify the precise moment that the crowd in the Superdome was lost. Seeing Daniel Bryan return to the ring after his retirement was supposed to be a highlight of the show. The ‘Yes’ chants were delivered with rabid passion that was extinguished by the sneak attack from KO and Sami followed by the powerbomb onto the ring apron. The subsequent stretcher spot was designed to prey on people’s worries about Bryan’s physical condition and ultimately see a triumphant hot tag to win the match. In the meantime Shane McMahon had to defy his own poor physical condition after Diverticulitis to get him some laughable punches and his coast to coast drop kick. Even then the momentum in the arena had been lost and the show could not recapture it. Taking Bryan out early poured cold water on the audience’s excitement levels and WrestleMania failed to recover.

WM34_Alexa_NiaNia Jaxx defeated Alexa Bliss (c) to win the RAW Women’s Championship

This was a peculiar story. Whilst positive that the bullied overcame the bully it did help that the former was an immovable object. The way Nia took out Mickie James was impressive, leaving Alexa alone to attempt to retain her title was part of the story. There were nice moments but it couldn’t match the technical heights achieved by Charlotte and Asuka. The match fell a little flat and this trend would only continue.

WM34_AJStyles_NakamuraAJ Styles (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the WWE Championship

Despite the expectations that this match would be an absolute classic these two failed to gel together. I admit that this contest was the first occasion that I drifted off during but awoke before the end. On rewatching it almost felt that Nakamura in particular was holding back. I don’t think this was deliberate but reflective of the fact that both competitors were baby faces. Nakamura’s heel turn at the end of the match sets up some further matches between the two where hopefully the dynamic of a classic heel v face contest will make up for this initial outing that was a little disappointing.

WM34_Bar_BraunBraun Strowman and Nicholas of the WWE Universe defeated The Bar to win the RAW Tag Team Championships

Now this was crazy. There was plenty of speculation about who could possibly be Braun Strowman’s partner for this match with several options. Instead of a returning or debuting superstar Braun wandered round and picked someone from the crowd. As it turned out, it was the son of the referee that was in the ring.

I think that it is a fair enough idea and does create the feeling that anything could happen if you attend a live WWE event. The issue I have is that this was for a major championship. Having two individuals of the talents of Cesaro and Sheamus squashed by a single competitor is bad enough. Yes Braun is a monster among men. But single-handed he has managed to destroy the entire RAW tag team division, including the champions. With Authors of Pain debuting from NXT on RAW the following day, they could’ve immediately been positioned as a dominating team by overcoming Braun. Instead the Tag Titles have been ridiculed. Being won by a 10 year old child is one thing but for them to then be simply handed back because of a scheduling conflict with the fourth grade, although amusing, weakens their value. Win them in the ring and lose them in the ring as Macho Man once said. On the night the moment worked but going forward it was never going to.

WM34_Lesnar_ReignsBrock Lesnar (c) defeated Roman Reigns to retain the Universal Championship

Buckle up. Here we go. The Main Event.

Firstly, the crowd were determined to defecate all over this match. They were determined to tell WWE, and Vince in particular, that they rejected both of these guys. Beachballs were flying. “This is awful” chants rang out. The crowd were not engaged in the match whatsoever. The final outcome surprised everyone because we all expected Roman Reigns to be victorious and Brock to return to UFC. I hold my hands up that I completely got it wrong and perhaps we were being played all along. Whilst I am not a huge fan of the prospect of Reigns with the belt, it was preferable to a part-timer who takes the biggest championship in the company off the show for the majority of the time. But the match itself highlighted why Brock is no longer a performer who people actually want to see in a squared circle.

The lack of variety in Brock’s move-set killed the match for me and Roman’s was no better. It was German suplex after German suplex. Then F5 after F5. When Brock tried something different, namely an overhead belly-to-belly suplex onto an announce table, it was so poorly executed that Roman nearly knocked himself out. Reigns in turn had spears and superman punches but very little else. There was no variety. However the biggest issue is the kick outs from finishers, which frankly is killing the business. Anyone who has followed the story of Brock’s title reign expected Roman to kick out of an F5, the move which has downed Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, the guy who has destroyed the entire RAW tag team division single handed. Only one of those moves was needed to defeat those two behemoths. But Roman is not a normal superstar.

Things got ludicrous after the third kick out. Then Roman gets put through the table and it’s still not enough. When a superstar hits their finisher that should be it. The best sequences in wrestling should be those where the combatants are trying to avoid each other’s finishing manoeuvre. Yes there’s a place for kicking out of a finisher to accentuate drama. But when it is done five times it is insulting the intelligence of the audience and exposing the business as choreographed. I understand trying to portray Roman as a tough guy but a total of SIX F5 finishers being needed to defeat him was absurdity of the highest order. No wonder fans in attendance rejected the match.

Adding to the surprises, Roman got colour. This was seemingly hard-way from a stiff Brock elbow to the head. But there was something odd about it. Perhaps Roman had taken an aspirin before the match, as used to be practice in the old days. Despite this, Reigns still could not overcome the odds and got pinned. Would it have been better for the match to have been called off at this point? The Main Event of WrestleMania stopped due to blood loss would have delivered scorching heel heat on Brock and set up the now scheduled rematch in Saudi Arabia. Instead the conclusion was probably the flattest end to a Wrestlemania of all time.

Overall, the 7 hour spectacle was entertaining but torturous at times, not least because of the running time. The main card started on a high, managed to maintain the momentum and then the show plummeted off a cliff. Yes the result of the Main Event was a surprise to everyone but the quality of the match and the multiple finishers left a sour taste. As a result, the gut reactions as the show ended were of disappointment and fatigue. Days later that still remains the opinion of Wrestlemania 34.

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Archive for the ‘honey house’ Category

Hello there. It’s been a while, yes? I have been doing all my updating on other social media platforms just because I somehow seem to be able to put up a picture and a few lines faster than sitting down at the computer to write out my full thoughts on something. Sorry. But really, if you are on things like Facebook, Twitter, and ESPECIALLY Instagram…you can keep up with all our happenings because I post daily there.

Making hive divides

Tis the busy season now for our bees here in South Texas. Mark has begun his hive dividing in preparation for our nuc customers. We still sell a very limited number of nucs each year, primarily to our beekeeping students but also to a handful of other customers. We are still at about 200 hives and maybe 10 bee yards though we continue to seek ways to consolidate apiaries in order to work them more efficiently. A lot of that has to do with the fact that there’s so much work to keep the bees going while also maintaining and running the shop. Not to mention working all the administrative details of small business. Fun and we love it, but lots of work.

We are loving the shop and being there! So cool to help our customers with what they need.

Assisting customers in the GBR Beekeeping Showroom

The classes are going strong (filled up for spring and fall dates for Introduction to Beekeeping should be up soon on the website) and so are the workshops designed to focus on specific beekeeping topics. This morning’s topic was South Texas Honey Plants with special presenter, Bill Evans. Huge group and lots of great discussion. My favorite thing on Saturdays is peeking into the Showroom between my Honey Store customers to check on the beekeepers. Makes us so happy to see people hanging out and talking bees even after the one hour workshop is over. It’s a great way to network with other beekeepers. Even if you’re not a beekeeper yet, it’s a great way to start learning about things. We love seeing our customers showing other customers something about a product we have in the Showroom! I saw today that our dentist and her husband were in the shop – they’re starting their own beeventures, too! How cool.

If you haven’t noticed, I did just list new dates for upcoming “Drops” in San Antonio – that’s where we take orders into SA and meet up with customers at a designated spot at Pearl. I also listed the fall Introduction class dates but wait a few more days for it to get updated on the website please. If you have any questions, just comment here or you can always email or call us. info@gretchenbeeranch.com or 830-305-7925.

Goodnight, xo

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Agarita at the Lange Road bee yard

Hello friends and beekeepers! Our apologies for being absent for so long but so much has happened in the past six months that it’s hard to know where to begin. First off, I got laid off my IT training job which was full time. It was hard at first but was obviously a blessing also because we experienced the most hectic (in a very good way for a small business) holiday season. I do believe there were a couple of times Mark and I looked at each other and acknowledged feeling overwhelmed by the amount of business and wondered if we could do it all. But we did and we loved it. We were, however, happy for the season to slow down on Christmas Day so we could take a break.

With me home for now and helping out, we have been able to get reorganized a bit and have added a lot more to our Honey Store as well as in the Beekeeping Showroom. We are so enjoying it! How exhilarating to see our dreams of a cool beekeepers paradise take shape finally! If you are in the area, do stop in and look around. We still maintain our Bee Ranch apiary and love to show our visitors the hives when we can.

Meanwhile, in the beekeeping arena, I thought it best for you to hear from Mark. Here’s is an update he sent out to his beekeepers mailing list last week:

“We are a long time away until our first full honey super and until our first divided colony, but we already are seeing some exciting developments early in this beekeeping season. Wildflowers are sprouting up and growing thanks to our winter rains. Agarita, one of our best early bee plants, is about to bloom heavily. And our mite counts are very low. We sampled about 900 bees from three colonies in one bee yard today and found only three mites. That is below the treatment threshold. We will sample bees in every bee yard and treat as needed with oxalic acid. We will also feed as needed. Just about every hive will receive a helping of natural pollen or a pollen supplement as most are light on pollen right now.

We do not have a workshop scheduled for this Saturday, but I am available for one-on-one consulting to help you with whatever beekeeping questions or challenges that you have. And, at about 10 AM Saturday morning I will open up one of my Bee Ranch colonies and give it a late-winter inspection. Bring your protective gear and join me as I look through a colony and assess its condition and needs at this early stage of the beekeeping year. It will be fun!

Keep an eye on you hive’s food level and mite level this time of year, and take action as needed. Our low mite counts were a surprise today, and I will not assume that they will be low tomorrow in the next bee yard. I will take samples in each bee yard and treat accordingly. I urge you to do the same.”

We do, however, have a workshop coming up this Saturday and then into February so check the right side of this entry and you’ll see the workshop listing as well as other class information. Even if you’ve had bees a while, come visit and hang out a bit. We are loving being a meeting area for local beekeepers and we love sharing news and ideas. Thanks and see you soon!

Signing off from the Bee Ranch – Mark & Thien

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Hi there! At the beginning of August, I noted the huge ground cracks at our lovely little Bee Ranch. I was hand watering my garden and thought I’d drop some water into one of the cracks to see if it’d fill up a bit of land and after about 30 seconds, I gave up. No water filling up at all. It was sort of sad to see the land like that again – even though it’s sort of typical for August in South Texas, it’s still hard to see things drying up so badly. Anyway, here we are approaching the end of the month and we have now had about 16 inches of rain (give or take a few inches as I’ve lost track of the rainfall). We keep thinking, “what a weird August we are having!” But we are not complaining. It’s just different.

Mark and his crew continue to harvest and are just about to wrap up the year. Only a little bit left to pull from the yards and extract. It has been a bit of work to make sure everything is dry before storing but Mark is getting through it all to get the moisture levels to where they need to be so the honey doesn’t go bad. Check out this selection of comb honey the bees made this year –

Honeycomb 2016

Sales at the Bee Ranch on the two mornings we are open to the public have been awesome and make us super happy we decided to focus our energies to increasing traffic here instead of out and about. The beekeeper workshops Mark conducts on Saturdays he’s free have been awesome – what a great way for new beekeepers to meet each other and continue learning from one another. Last weekend we covered how to process Ross Rounds and of course we sampled for our guests – super fun! Join us sometime if you can. You can check all our social media for upcoming topics and other developments or you can just call us at 830-305-7925.

Ross Rounds beekeeper workshop

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Spring 2016 beekeeping activities

Well, I know I missed out on April but basically we have been getting April-and-now-into-May-and-a-little-into-June rainfall which means more greenery than usual for south Texas but it appears we are finally hitting our typical hot and or humid temperatures now. It’s okay. You just have to know it’s going to come and you accept it and wait for fall (if you are me haha).

Shoppers and visitors at the Bee Ranch

We have been doing well – having tons of fun fixing up the Honey House, stocking the Honey Store, creating and pouring awesome new products in the Candle Shop, seeing our family more…so much and all right here at the Bee Ranch. The bees are well, making honey and growing stronger. Not all of them but most of them. Being open to the public two days out of the week has been great – so fun to share what we love with folks on those two dedicated mornings. Saturdays have been so busy it’s truly amazed us both. We feel so blessed and so excited about the future. There are sooooo many ideas we want to pursue and we look forward to continuing to learn and do and enjoy.

Beeswax lanterns and sunflowers

Before I forget – free workshops! Most Saturdays when we can and when we don’t have a formal beekeeping class, we have a great group of beekeepers (mostly newbies) coming together to share ideas, problems, knowledge, etc. And so nice for us to see them all getting to know each other. We love this series and hope you can come join us some time, even if you are not a beekeeper. Sometimes the subject matter is interesting whether you have bees or not! Here is a look at topics coming up soon:

June 18 Interpreting the Bee Dance
June 25 Measuring Honey Moisture with a Digital Refractometer
July 2 Mite Testing Using Powdered Sugar Roll Method
July 9 How to Use a Fume Board to Clear Bees from Your Honey Supers
July 16 How to Combine Colonies
July 30 Reducing Mite Levels with Oxalic Acid Vaporization
Aug 6 Open Session Q&A
Aug 13 Late Summer & Fall Honey Plants of South Texas
Aug 20 Processing Round Sections of Comb Honey (Ross Rounds)

April Introduction to Beekeeping class at the Bee Ranch

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February 2016 Agarita blooming

Well it appears spring is pretty much here to stay. That’s Agarita in bloom in the above picture. It’s a great early spring plant for the bees and they are all over it. Very awesome to see this. I was hoping for a little colder weather still as I do miss it even though I’ve been here 20 years and I know what to expect but I still hope for some crazy cold, long lasting winter. HEHE I know that’s not what the beekeeper might want and likely the bees wouldn’t either. Speaking of beekeeper, Mark continues to make his rounds to his bee yards, checking their statuses and feeding whenever necessary. Some hives are doing really well while others need a little help until the flowers really bust out. He’s also continuing his mite treatments as he continues to see mites in the hives. A follower on Instagram asked us if we do that preemptively or if we actually have mites and know it. I told her we have mites; we know it; most beekeepers, if not all, have them; and she’d be wise to start reading up on all the research out there on multiple treatments available. No one yet knows the best answer but it’s a raging topic and a debate at times among beekeepers and sometimes even with bee supporters who don’t know much about bees or this mite issue. I can’t tell you how often people judge beekeepers who opt to use ANYTHING UNNATURAL on the bees. We’ve now gotten to the point where we just tell folks that if we were really sick and had a palm-sized tick sucking the life juice out of us, please give us medicine and help us. We don’t want to die that way nor would we want to let our bees die that way. It’s a terrible issue and we will do what we can to help our girls. Okay, on to more positive news from the Bee Ranch and Seguin.

Overall and especially in Guadalupe County bee yards (this is the county where we reside so most of our bees are here), Mark’s been really pleased with how almost all the hives are looking at this point. Strong hives with lots of bees, brood patterns starting to thicken, more and more pollen coming in and good looking queens. This may be the strongest he’s seen the majority of his hives at the end of winter and rolling into spring. We are very excited about this!

That's a lovely queen we got there

Here are a couple of projects and developments that have us super excited.

Beeswax lotion bars. I’ve been working on this formula for some time now and I think I may have it the way we like it. I’m so excited to get a label for this soon and start offering it! I am so in love with learning how to make these new products with Mark and making it for us, our family, friends, and soon our customers.

Beeswax Lotion Bars at the Bee Ranch

Hive Kits for sale at the Bee Ranch

Our Bee Gear and Equipment retail area continues to grow and Mark is happy he can supply local folks with things they need to get started to get going. These fully equipment hive kits (three levels) have become quite popular now that spring is upon us and busy people just want to pick up the complete hive and not sorry about piecing it together, which they can do if they choose to here. It’s been a good learning experience but also a lot of work for Mark but if you know him, you know it also makes him happy to help people starting out in beekeeping. He’s a great teacher and mentor.

Okay, I am off to do some more body care product development. We both wish we had more hours in a day to do all the fun things we want to try! 🙂

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Elm Creek bee yard winter 2015-16

Hello there and here we are, already moved into February and what looks like a spring weather pattern forecasted through next week (70s and 80s with chances of rain here and there). Mark’s been checking, feeding as needed in hives scattered among our different bee yards, and treating mites all fall and winter. Overall our hives are getting along well this winter and he is very happy with how they look, commenting this is the best winter to date for our apiary. Many hives are heavy with bees and even fall honey still left on the frames – great news for the bees and for us. We are excited about the upcoming season, as always!

We’ve been enjoying focusing our attentions on the Bee Ranch and it is paying off – more and more people are coming to visit the two mornings we are open and classes continue to fill up (as a matter of fact, March and April are booked solid and we’ve moved into May for the Introduction to Beekeeping class). Mark’s Saturday morning workshop series continues to be a fun success and we’ve met some great folks, many of whom are eager to begin their beekeeping adventures. Here’s a list of upcoming topics for planning; hope you can join us some time in the near future!

Free Spring workshops at the Bee Ranch

This was just yesterday when Mark demonstrated how to do an Apivar treatment for their mites to help their bees.

Spring 2016 activities at the Bee Ranch

While you are here, whether it’s Wednesday or Saturday, we hope you take a look around the Honey House – Mark has done a great job filling it up with bee gear and bee equipment. We have a lot of fun learning about new products and suppliers and we enjoy sharing new things with our visitors.

Spring 2016 activities at the Bee Ranch

The Honey Store is also shaping up nicely and we enjoy stocking it regularly with new things we are developing – come visit us!

GBR product prep in the Honey Store

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Free Workshops at the Bee Ranch

Howdy, friends. In case you haven’t seen it elsewhere – here is a listing of free workshops we are hosting at the Bee Ranch every Saturday morning through January 2016! We make a pot of hot coffee and I’ll put on hot cider for non-coffee drinkers and y’all just talk about things with Mark while I tend the shop. Pretty fun and Mark even gave away a free smoker, a $40 value, as part of a raffle for attendees. Nice and lots of fun. We hope to see you a a workshop in the near future.

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Seth Axelrod, PhD

New Haven, CT (United States)

Seth Axelrod, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he leads DBT and DBT for Substance Use Disorder teams for Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital’s Adult Intensive Outpatient Program. He received his doctorate from the University of Kentucky, completed his internship with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and did personality disorders postdoctoral training at the Yale School of Medicine. He co-founded the annual Yale NEA-BPD Conference, founded the Connecticut DBT Network, and is a member of Marsha Linehan’s annual DBT Strategic Planning Meeting. Dr. Axelrod’s research and publications are in the areas of borderline personality disorder and DBT adaptations.


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Transmuted human consciousness marks the evolutionary fruition of homo sapiens. Holistic Consciousness is a work of creation, and as such is God’s gift to humanity through the love and dedication of Phiroz Mehta.

Through a comprehensive historical perspective in both scientific rationalism and the metaphysical world, Holistic Consciousness questions and tries to answer the deep problems of man’s relationship with others and with the environment. Phiroz illustrates his tenets of Love, Harmony and Compassion, giving quotations from the world’s religions and philosophies, illustrating different scientific and religious myths. He places the rational and irrational unconscious element of man’s make-up in perspective, and indicates the danger of man’s position in the twenty-first century, advocating a way for humanity to go.

The author tells us that the root of one’s suffering is one’s own isolative and separative self-consciousness, so most of his teaching has been directed towards showing how to live a “normal” life in such a manner as to transform fragmentary self-consciousness into an all-embracing one.

Truth is not an ego-satisfying reality, but reality unconditioned by our sense of duality; it is a way of life not a school of thought, and can only be understood by being lived. Each human must find his own truth, his own beauty, his own virtue.

Man is the only creature on the globe who has the power to look into his thinking process and re-direct actions which may have a harmful result. Good actions, Phiroz says, are a first step towards the betterment of mankind, our uniqueness will then compel us to find our own way.

In reading Holistic Consciousness, the reader gradually goes through a metamorphosis that enables him to reach for a state that is closer to the truth; from the truth to Truth is man’s destiny.

For all who care to know, Phiroz has performed his duty to the will of God, and shown us a way. He tells us that religious living is in every instant of the day, an action that is total — the whole of the secular life lived virtuously. By virtue we are reminded of the spiritual values of Love, Truth, Wisdom, Beauty and Purity, not the moral humbugs of our society. “The being of the holy one constantly radiates these energies. Many an ordinary man can sense this emanation and experience an unusual, sublime peace; a harmonizing and healing influence.” (Holistic Consciousness, page 88). This is only possible when there is genuine love, that state of mind which transcends all duality, accepts no thing, rejects no thing. Otherwise our discriminative thoughts can only be a barrier to the flow of the light of Transcendence. “Man and God, though existentially separate, are essentially one. Transcendence unceasingly affirms ‘I am God’ through every single atom of its expression.” (Holistic Consciousness, page 5).

Phiroz speaks of Love, not only universal love, but also the privileged relationship between two people, the fire that the celestial hand lights in the soul of man, in which light he who loves finds the loved one. The loveliness and the light of spring eternally recur after winter, so does the charm and beauty of love ever come fresh to consciousness in new forms as the year passes.

Through attunement with the whole of existence we shall then become the polished instrument through which Transcendence will sing the song of eternal life; that song will be utter joy, all-embracing. Only then shall we regain the Garden of Eden.

Phiroz’s work shows compassion for his fellow humans. His message is expressed with urgency.

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Bee-Ginning Gin Festival

Bee-Ginning are excited to be launching the National Speedway Stadium Gin Festival in Manchester this November.

With over 80 craft and premium gins on showcase from some of the North’s leading gin distilleries, plus live music, food and gin related gift stalls and merchandise, this will be a fantastic inclusion to the Manchester social scene.

- The afternoon session will feature a gin master class, where you can learn to taste the unique flavors and characteristics of gin and identify what tonic and garnish makes the perfect accompaniment.

- The evening session will feature a gin cocktail master class with our mixologists serving up some of the finest and unique gin cocktails around.

Whether you’re a gin novice or a complete bee-ginner this festival has something for everyone.

Our late November date makes this a perfect event for Christmas get togethers, so if you are looking for something a bit different for your office party or friends night out – look no further!

This event is strictly over 18’s only and ID may be required.

£15 per ticket per session, which includes;

- Entry to the gin festival
- Bee-Ginning balloon gin glass
- 1 x drinks token that can be exchanged for any single measure gin, garnish and Fever Tree mixer
- LIVE Music
- Gin Masterclass (Afternoon Session)
- Gin Cocktail Masterclass (Evening Session)
- Gin tasting menu
- Bee-Ginning pen
- Bee-Ginning bag

Additional drinks tokens can be purchased on site at a cost of £5 per token, which can be exchanged for a single measure of gin, garnish and Fever Tree mixer.

Bars will be open offering a wide range of drinks, from lager to prosecco to soft drinks.

Click here to purchase tickets

Bee-Ginning was set up by husband and wife team, Dave & Angela Gandy at the beginning of 2018. They both share a love of gin and wanted share their passion by creating a mobile gin experience serving Greater Manchester and beyond.

We cater for any occasion – from house parties to festivals, from sporting events to corporate events and have even appeared on the latest series of The Real Housewives of Cheshire.

We aim to educate and convert bee-ginners, whose idea of a G&T is a Gordon’s & Schweppes to appreciate the craft and higher end gins of the market whilst providing a gin-tastic experience for those who already consider themselves gin novices.


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Starting Photography

I don’t really have a lot of pictures to show about how I lived my life specially during my high school and college years.  If ever I had pictures is its because a relative brought a camera during a certain celebration or a classmate or friend brought a camera to the event. But it was only a few pictures, never really had an album specifically kept for myself for a specific event or trip. I don’t really remember when, but I told myself I’ll get a camera someday.

Photo taken by: Neil Ongchangco

Pass forward towards a couple of years, it has been a year since I started working at a call center here in Baguio City. I was looking for a productive and creative means to vent out stress. My life has became a stand still. I woke up then go to work, after shift we go out for a couple of drinks and then go home, then repeat. The work is draining and it made me think if this was all there to it.

Photo taken by: Petra Lang-ayan

I looked back and try to remember what I was lacking from my college years and decided to purchase a couple of things. The first was a laptop. I always envied people who had one. They can be mobile while doing their stuff. I also like playing computer games, watching movies and surfing the internet. The second was a camera. I had a lot of un-captured memories which I wish I can go back to and I also took inspiration from my dad who then owned a film SLR. I asked around and I ended up talking to Emerson Bimuyag. He was the one who influenced me into buying my first DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex). He was also my first mentor and the one who introduced me to the Baguio Photographers Club and the joys shooting with out killing anyone.

Photo taken by: Tom Acop

When I got my DSLR, I immediately got hooked with my new found hobby. I always brought my camera. I explored the world with this gateway. It presented a different geeky perspective on mapping the horizons. It opened myself to opportunities that I didn’t know existed. Found secrets and learned new things. Met friends and now colleagues in the photography industry.  Doing photography was a great way for me to just walk around and burn some calories.  I also tend to do some stuff I never knew I would be doing for the picture.

Photo taken by: Deirdre Conde
Photo taken by: Neil Ongchangco
Photo taken by: Olga Villanueva
Photo taken by: Neil Ongchangco

Photo taken by: Elicon Consul

I learned from experience and from attending workshops. Before I used to think that a photographer would just just be clicking the camera to got the picture, but as I got exposed more towards shooting weddings, events, and other stuff, you develop an intuition on how to wait for some moments to happen, you read and predict the scenario. In my future blogs I’ll share some tips I learned in capturing photographs. I hope these tips would then help you in capturing better photographs.

Photo taken by: Paul Balolla

As of today Photography for me became a therapy of sorts. It was a way for me to release the pent up stress. It was my escape from the routine of my life in a corporate world. It was a gateway for me to shut off the world and just live in that moment. An expression of things I saw, felt and experienced. My camera became a time machine that froze a piece of reality.  It has now been my way of life.

Photo taken by: Johan Viloria

—Pictures of me here are not mine. I don’t really take self portraits but thanks to people listed on the pictures for taking them.

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Events in a persons life has and will always be important and celebrating it amidst any status should be more or less valued. But the question is what if I can’t afford to celebrate it? What if I don’t have the budget or the man power to cover such an event?

Benderdonedat Supon-8

Benderdonedat Supon-7Benderdonedat Supon-6

Here in the cordillera’s we have a practice wherein family, friends and members of the community share what they can to help anyone who is celebrating that event (i.e. weddings, funerals, thanks giving etc.). You can offer either services (like helping out with the cooking of the food or washing the dishes or setting up the event space and so on), goods(like sacks of rice, a pig, chickens, a cow or water buffalo or just a bag of salt if that’s what you can afford and material stuff that you basically want to give as a gift) and cash. These are little things but when you combine it with the other help and gifts provided it amounts to a lot. At a wedding we covered, the financial gifts given by everyone summed up to more than a million pesos  and that doesn’t include the material gifts and hours of help given by everyone.

But what’s in it for them? I asked a friend once and his answer was. “It’s a way of helping out the couple. To help them start a new life. And when the time comes, if those who have given financial help, no matter how small, will have their own kin or themselves get married, the “supon”, as we call it in Sagada, will be given back to help out in return.”  -Topper Capuyan Ballola from this post.

But how I saw it was much more than that. I think that this is a way for everyone to be involved and act as a community. Sharing the happiness, joy, grief and or sadness of the people celebrating the said event. The celebrating family does take note of it by writing your name on a notebook and also indicating the amount (if it was money) or what you gave during that day of said event.  It kinda sounds off but its a way for them to remember that you helped out and they will help out in return.

Benderdonedat Supon-13

This is one solid example of “Bayanihan” . Loosely translates to “Helping out“.

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“The Cardinal”

The cousin cardinal wears red

Does he not?

The cardinal out the window

Needs nothing of these scattered books

These scraps and scribbling

Not even full of sound or fury.

Yet the cardinal says his matins,

The cardinal salutes a dawn we all share,

Drinks a dew,

Admires the sun’s play among droplets

We don’t even attempt to count,

And the one cardinal says prayers

To a thing we could never see

While the other drinks his praises

To one we can taste.

~ by Benji on May 8, 2014.

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But cutting costs only goes so far. Unless you already make a lot of money and spend like a bon vivant, most people can’t eke out that much more from their budget by decreasing expenses. Plus, the more you retrench, the more your quality of life suffers. (It’s all relative, though — certainly some overspenders could actually improve their lives by tempering their expenditures. Here are 101 ideas for saving money.)
If my piece of content is so unique and valuable around hiking backpack recommendations, that other reputable outdoor websites are willing to link to it and build the page’s authority, then I’d have a very real opportunity to rank high in organic search for these search terms (meaning, my page will come up first when someone searches for hiking backpacks).
Money can be earned and spent, saved and pilfered, invested and wasted. Not time. That's why time is far more valuable than money. The point? When you lack the luxury of time, making money online (or offline) can seem like an impossible task. How are you supposed to do that when you're working at a life-sucking nine-to-five job? While the stability of full-time employment might allow most to sleep well at night, it doesn't empower your creative juices to search for new income-producing strategies.
Sometimes the best side hustle is putting in the time to get a better job. Investing in your career can have profound effects and help your earnings increase exponentially over time. Maybe one day you'll earn so much at your day job, you won't need a side hustle! I recommend browsing job boards like ZipRecruiter or even checking out a company like Pathrise. In their program, you will learn the all secrets from industry experts, armed with proprietary tools and data, to land a higher paying job and make more money.
Do you love getting refunds? How cool would it be to get money back on stuff you’ve already bought? Paribus is a service that lets you find out if stores you’ve shopped at online owe you a refund.  It’s free to sign up. Paribus connects to your email account and checks your receipts.  If they find out a retailer has dropped their price they file a price adjustment claim for you.  Try out Paribus.
Companies like Uber and Lyft offer a great opportunity to make some quick cash. You'll need a clean driving record, a fairly new car and the authorization to work wherever it is that you live. If you have all of those things, you can work when it's feasible for you, whether that's in the middle of the day during rush hour, or in the wee hours of the night on a weekend. The choice is yours.
Cafe Press: This website allows you to create digital designs that can then be sold on the platform. You'll earn a commission for everything that sells and you'll never have to deal with printing, warehousing, customer service and so on. The site has over 2 million independent designers that have created products being sold online here. If you have some graphic design skills, then this is a great potential source for your web-based income.
For sure! I think that’s something Jeff and I have learned rather quickly is to definitely not put all your eggs in one basket. We had 1-2 affiliates that we promoted for the longest time that were by and large our main sources of income. We realized that if we lost even 1 of those affiliates we would be in for a huge world of hurt when it came to our monthly intake.
The prep work before you open up shop is more time-consuming. You need merchandise to sell, photos and descriptions to post, a name for your shop and a business plan to help you succeed. Once that’s done, you’ll still need to find customers. Depending on what you’re selling, that could take weeks, which is why you should expect the overall time for this gig to be slow.
I have 3 VAs. I couldn’t function without them. It doesn’t matter how big or how small a business is, they all need help running their day-to-day administrative tasks. Virtual assistants perform a variety of tasks that a traditional assistant or secretary would normally do, including making travel arrangements, paying bills, or managing expense reimbursements. I use them to upload content, optimize images, brief writers etc.
However, if you're looking for realistic ways you can start earning money online now, then it really truly does boil down to seven paths you can take towards profit. Some will provide you with immediate results, helping you to address your basic monthly necessities such as rent, utilities and groceries, while others have the potential to transform your life by revolutionizing your finances in the long term.
Video is growing like crazy. And more and more people are looking for professional help cutting their raw footage into viral-worthy content. If you have the right software and a bit of skill, you can easily make money online as a video editor. Check out these article of Fstoppers on how to become an online video editor and then look for relevant jobs on Mandy.com, Creative Cow Job Search, or ProductionHub.
Most of us love the idea of earning extra income or quitting our full-time jobs altogether and working from home. If you thought work-from-home companies were just running scams, it turns out there are plenty of authentic and reliable ways to make money by working from home. Christine Durst, cofounder of RatRaceRebellion.com and consultant to the FBI on internet scam issues tells us, "There is currently a 61-to-1 scam ratio among work-at-home job leads on the internet—that is, for every legitimate job, there are 61 scams." But, there are a lot of opportunities for a "real job." The secret is knowing how to separate the scams from what's legit.
Next, you need to set up and build your YouTube channel. Your YouTube channel is your homebase for all your content. If you already have a Google account for Gmail or Google Drive, then you can use that to log-in to YouTube and start setting up your channel. Pick a username that works for you and is memorable (if you’re using an existing Google account you’ll have to edit your username in Google+).

“Donating plasma is similar to giving blood. A trained staff member called a phlebotomist puts a sterile needle in your arm vein to draw blood. The blood is then cycled through special, sterile equipment that separates plasma from the other parts of your blood. Your plasma is then collected in a container, while the other parts are safely returned to your body. This process is called plasmapheresis.”
CashCrate sends out literally thousands of payments a month to users just like you who spend time completing surveys and offers on CashCrate.com. How do they do it? Well, they do surveys and offers regularly. It really adds up! Your initial goal should be to meet minimum payout, which is $20.00. Making $20.00 in free cash is actually quite easy considering there are hundreds of surveys and offers available, but here are a few tips to get you to your goal faster:
While I think that your initial response to Phillip’s suggestion about design was a little too strong, Dasjung, I’ve got to chime in here and observe that Phil, ThunderCock and Dumbass, by resorting to name calling and simplistic reasoning, come across as very lacking in both decorum and sensitivity.  If a guy wants to expect, even demand, high quality in his field of choice, I beleive he has a right, if not a responsibility, to do so!  Also, Dumbass, be careful who you call Dumbass. You just show YOUR true colors by doing so.
Let’s be honest. Those little people grow out of their clothes faster than you can keep up. When it’s time to get rid of the clothes they’ve outgrown, you have a few options. Put them out in your standard yard sale, sell them to a consignment store, or post them on social media. Apps like Kidizen are specially designed for selling your kid’s gently used threads. And of course, you can use other sites like Poshmark, thredUp, Craigslist and eBay to sell children’s clothing too.

The second step is to get your web hosting.  There are a lot of hosting companies out there, and Bluehost seems to be one of the best. Hosting starts at around $2.95 a month. It’ll most likely cost you around $60 a year, which is really good deal! If you pay for more than one year at a time, you also get a free domain through Bluehost if you buy through my link.

Now, if you don’t know people who might want your coaching services, there are a number of online tools and communities that make it incredibly easy to find clients and teach, on just about any topic area you can think of. Community driven platforms like Savvy.is, Clarity.fm, and Coach.me provide you with a network of potential clients to interact with, as well an integrated payment solution.
Every year, hundreds of millions of documents are notarized in the United States: wills, mortgages, citizenship forms, handgun applications. While for decades, this has all been done in person, there is a budding crop of sites that allow notaries to take their services online. If you’re already a notary, you can sell your services online. Or, if you want to get started, check out the National Notary’s checklist for becoming a certified notary.
Focus on the surveys and offers at the top of the list. Here's a tip not many people know. CashCrate has a special algorithm that automatically selects the best surveys and offers and places them at the top of the list. There are several factors that go into determining which are the “best”, including payout, approval rate, and a variety of other factors. But all you need to know is that these surveys and offers are great, so you can do them in confidence!
For sure! I think that’s something Jeff and I have learned rather quickly is to definitely not put all your eggs in one basket. We had 1-2 affiliates that we promoted for the longest time that were by and large our main sources of income. We realized that if we lost even 1 of those affiliates we would be in for a huge world of hurt when it came to our monthly intake.
How's this for meta? In Second Life (secondlife.com), you can start a business and earn virtual Linden dollars, which can be traded for actual U.S. currency. Leo Newball Jr., a 29-year-old who lives in Brooklyn, is a Second Life DJ—he plays music for virtual parties and events. Newball charges $25 to $50 an hour; in a given month, he makes between $200 and $800 while parked in front of his computer (virtual dollars can be exchanged for U.S. currency for a small fee through the LindeX Exchange). Nearly any type of business can fly on Second Life—from selling clothes for avatars to virtual real estate.
You've got two choices: You can look for a gig with any number of organized companies, or go it alone, just you and the dogs. Petaholics (646-723-1282, petaholics.com) is hiring poochophiles who are available between 11am and 3pm, and who have experience with animals (walking them, working at a shelter or vet and owning/caring for a pet of your own all count). Expect to bank $50 to $200 a week. NYC Dog Walkers (917-912-3968, nycdogwalkers.com) is also hiring—it prefers employees who've owned a dog. Those who go the indie route and post flyers in their neighborhood charge $15 to $30 an hour.
If you have an extra room in your house, consider listing it on Airbnb. Airbnb is a new way to travel for many people around the world. Instead of booking through expensive hotels, why not stay at someone's house? As a guest, you can choose high end to low end, choose to stay with other people or opt for privacy. As a host, it's a great way to make side money, utilize unused space, and meet new people! How much you can earn depends on your area so I recommend finding out by becoming an Airbnb host yourself!
 @LauraGesicki I disagree Laura. Technology can only let an individual go so far with design. It all starts with the thought process and possessing the “designer eye.” This “eye” cannot be taught, but is rather a natural talent and ability to recognize good design from bad. Technology is merely a tool to display our ideas. Nothing beats natural talent and creativity.
Do you enjoy fast food or going into retail shops? Many companies hire mystery shoppers to test the customer service of their stores. A common one is Subway, which hires mystery shoppers to ensure that "Sandwich Artists" are following all the franchise guidelines. If you have time and can travel to different places, this could be a good side hustle.

The secret to making money isn't working at a high-paying job, it’s finding creative solutions to people’s problems, and it doesn't take a fancy degree to do that. To get your creative juices flowing, check out these common and not-so-common ways of lining your pockets. Below that, you’ll also find more general financial advice as well as some money-making ideas for kids.

Getting a raise is an excellent move because it doesn’t require you to trade more time for more money. You are putting in the same amount of time, but pulling a bigger paycheck. But, it’s always a bit tricky to ask for a raise when your company already has you at your current salary. You’ve got to make a strong argument you deserve the increase. Here are the top 10 mistakes to avoid when asking for a raise.
Start a blog. Blogging is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I made over $320,000 in 2015 by blogging and nearly $1,000,000 in 2016. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $2.95 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
If your career path is going nowhere, resign gracefully and switch careers. Research occupations to find out how much they pay and what their future outlook is (in the U.S., you can find this information in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook). Find an occupation that pays well, and invest in the education and/or training to get you that job. Look for employers that offer competitive salaries and ample opportunity for advancement.
As well as selling your eBooks, Amazon can also create paperback copies of your book. CreateSpace, an Amazon-owned company, will help you self-publish your book. A relatively straightforward process, you must upload your work to CreateSpace and submit it for review. Your book will then be displayed on Amazon, and printed on demand and shipped by CreateSpace when purchased. And you can collect up to 70% royalties for each book sold.

There are many things that you can do as a virtual assistant. You can manage the social media of a business, website, etc. (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and everything else), handle the newsletter, work on the website, proofread and edit, do market research, handle emails, and so on. The list is really endless. Are you interested in becoming a virtual assistant? Don't forget to also read about what exactly a virtual assistant does.

Cashcrate.com is an excellent way to make money. You complete offers and take surveys and get payed for it. I read an article on it from a guy that has doing it for sometime now and he explained it as voluntarily signing up for spam and gave a whole layout of the best way to do it. and you can actually make decent money. Pretty much make a separate email for spam.
Another option is to take photos locally for homeowners. Many people don't have good home listing photos of the home they're trying to sell. If you notice, many of these pictures, aside from the ones done by professional photographers, have bad lighting, show clutter, etc. If you're good at taking pictures and have a nice camera, you might be able to sell your photo taking services to real estate agents or to people trying to sell their own home.
The MTA's Music Under New York program (341 Madison Ave at 45th St; 212-878-4678, mta.info/mta/aft/muny/) schedules musicians to play each month in city subway stations. Too underground (har) for auditions? You can still legally perform your acoustic rendition of "Circus" in the subway. As long as you're not using an amplification device, selling CDs or positioned near a booth, in a car, or blocking the flow of traffic, you're totally within your rights. Check in with City Lore's Street Performers Advocacy Project (212-529-1955, citylore.org) to learn the rules.
 Thanks for your response Phil.  I see where you’re coming from with regards to sensitivity.  It DOES seem, however, that truth and clarity can be expressed with so much more civility in this world of ours where so little of that seems to exist these days.  Truth and clarity expressed elegantly and with civility will always be better received and, hence, achieve better and longer lasting results, than when expressed brashly or without regard for the experience and perspective of those who may see things a little differently.
 Thanks for your response Phil.  I see where you’re coming from with regards to sensitivity.  It DOES seem, however, that truth and clarity can be expressed with so much more civility in this world of ours where so little of that seems to exist these days.  Truth and clarity expressed elegantly and with civility will always be better received and, hence, achieve better and longer lasting results, than when expressed brashly or without regard for the experience and perspective of those who may see things a little differently.
You can potentially make even more money by offering to handle snow removal in the winter. Shoveling snow is often a homeowner's least favorite job, and there are many homeowners who simply cannot handle their own shoveling because of physical limitations. Typically, snow removal companies charge a flat fee for the winter, no matter how many times it snows. You can offer to remove snow a la carte, or you can copy the standard procedure and charge a flat rate. If you already own a snowblower (or can invest in one), this can help you speed up the snow removal process and allow you to take care of multiple neighbors each time it snows. (A snowblower will also save your back muscles!)
Chase Freedom Unlimited℠ – The Chase Freedom Unlimited℠ is a new Chase card that is taking the rewards world by storm! By signing up, you’ll earn a $150 signup bonus after you spend just $500 within 90 days. Plus, you’ll earn a flat 1.5% back for every dollar you spend on any type of purchase. Best of all, this card doesn’t charge an annual fee, either.
Build your audience on a course community: If you’re just getting started building an audience for yourself and want to leverage communities already actively looking for content you can choose to host and sell your online course on a site like Skillshare or Udemy. These are easy, cost-effective ways to build an audience and test your niche to see if there’s demand for it.
The cash back industry is ruthlessly competitive, isn’t it!? All of these apps want new users, which means you can load up on welcome bonuses. The Ibotta app is another opportunity to get a bonus: they are giving people $10 when they sign up. Unlike the other apps mentioned in this article, Ibotta specializes in getting you cash back at grocery stores.


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OnPage SEO is a sophisticated data area, with very much of unsystematized and unvalidated information from many alternative knowledge segments, like web design, internet development, server administration, linguistic, marketing, psychology.

That may all really feel a bit abstract and overwhelming — nevertheless it needn’t be. Over time and 1000’s of consumer initiatives, we’ve developed and refined a comprehensive method to creating an SEO technique that considers each main element in a means that is easy to observe and execute on.

That is possibly the toughest of all the Ps. Nobody is absolutely affected person, particularly in business – everybody has bills to pay, executives to report back to, investors to fulfill… contemplating that financial planning sometimes works on a quarterly basis, it may often be difficult to justify WEB OPTIMIZATION spend in a single quarter when results may occur the next quarter.

Even if the content was written over 4 years in the past, most of it still applies to days advertising, only not too long ago have i started benefiting from pr sites they usually do work, will slightly change my technique after studying this nice piece.


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Mini swimming pool

Mini swimming pool

Product Code->105

Sold By :

BN-T shop

Price : ৳679.00 /pc ৳699.00 Discount: 20৳
5 pc Available
Add To Cart

01648-174121 or Call us

Nice swimming pool for your kids

Everywhere can be used indoor or outdoor

High quality PVC plastic products

Great Rainbow Color

Ideal for children 3-4 years old

Dimensional 4 "x 8.5"

Swimming pul the pump should be proud. "

Delivery Charge:

inside dhaka

Inside of Dhaka delivery charge  = ৳ 50 Taka

outside dhaka

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text:
Weymouth New Testament

The Epistle to the Hebrews

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1 For every High Priest is chosen from among men, and is appointed to act on behalf of men in matters relating to God, in order to offer both gifts and sin-offerings,
2 and must be one who is able to bear patiently with the ignorant and erring, because he himself also is beset with infirmity.
3 And for this reason he is required to offer sin-offerings not only for the people but also for himself.
4 And no one takes this honourable office upon himself, but only accepts it when called to it by God, as Aaron was.
5 So Christ also did not claim for Himself the honour of being made High Priest, but was appointed to it by Him who said to Him, 'My Son art Thou: I have to-day become Thy Father;'
6 as also in another passage He says, 'Thou art a priest for ever, belonging to the order of Melchizedek.'
7 For Jesus during his earthly life offered up prayers and entreaties, crying aloud and weeping as He pleaded with Him who was able to bring Him in safety out of death, and He was delivered from the terror from which He shrank.
8 Although He was God's Son, yet He learned obedience from the sufferings which He endured;
9 and so, having been made perfect, He became to all who obey Him the source and giver of eternal salvation.
10 For God Himself addresses Him as a High Priest for ever, belonging to the order of Melchizedek.
11 Concerning Him we have much to say, and much that it would be difficult to make clear to you, since you have become so dull of apprehension.
12 For although, considering the long time you have been believers, you ought now to be teachers of others, you really need some one to teach you over again the very rudiments of the truths of God, and you have come to require milk instead of solid food.
13 By people who live on milk I mean those who are imperfectly acquainted with the teaching concerning righteousness.
14 Such persons are mere babes. But solid food is for adults--that is, for those who through constant practice have their spiritual faculties carefully trained to distinguish good from evil.


text:
Deuteronomy 17
NASB + Strong's
Administration of Justice

1"You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish [or] any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the LORD your God.

2"If there is found in your midst, in any of your towns, which the LORD your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, by transgressing His covenant, 3and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, which I have not commanded, 4and if it is told you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. Behold, if it is true and the thing certain that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, 5then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil deed to your gates, [that is], the man or the woman, and you shall stone them to death. 6"On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7"The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

8"If any case is too difficult for you to decide, between one kind of homicide or another, between one kind of lawsuit or another, and between one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your courts, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the LORD your God chooses. 9"So you shall come to the Levitical priest or the judge who is [in office] in those days, and you shall inquire [of them] and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. 10"You shall do according to the terms of the verdict which they declare to you from that place which the LORD chooses; and you shall be careful to observe according to all that they teach you. 11"According to the terms of the law which they teach you, and according to the verdict which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. 12"The man who acts presumptuously by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, nor to the judge, that man shall die; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. 13"Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will not act presumptuously again.

14"When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,' 15you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, [one] from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. 16"Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, 'You shall never again return that way.' 17"He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

18"Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19"It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, 20that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //

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Deuteronomy 16
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text:
Job 34
NET Bible Par ▾

Elihu’s Second Speech

1Elihu answered:

2“Listen to my words, you wise men;

hear me, you learned men.

3For the ear assesses words

as the mouth tastes food.

4Let us evaluate for ourselves what is right;

let us come to know among ourselves what is good.

5For Job says, ‘I am innocent,

but God turns away my right.

6Concerning my right, should I lie?

My wound is incurable,

although I am without transgression.’

7What man is like Job,

who drinks derision like water!

8He goes about in company with evildoers,

he goes along with wicked men.

9For he says, ‘It does not profit a man

when he makes his delight with God.’

God is Not Unjust

10“Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.

Far be it from God to do wickedness,

from the Almighty to do evil.

11For he repays a person for his work,

and according to the conduct of a person,

he causes the consequences to find him.

12Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly,

and the Almighty does not pervert justice.

13Who entrusted to him the earth?

And who put him over the whole world?

14If God were to set his heart on it,

and gather in his spirit and his breath,

15all flesh would perish together

and human beings would return to dust.

God Is Impartial and Omniscient

16“If you have understanding, listen to this,

hear what I have to say.

17Do you really think

that one who hates justice can govern?

And will you declare guilty

the supremely righteous One,

18who says to a king, ‘Worthless man’

and to nobles, ‘Wicked men,’

19who shows no partiality to princes,

and does not take note of the rich more than the poor,

because all of them are the work of his hands?

20In a moment they die, in the middle of the night,

people are shaken and they pass away.

The mighty are removed effortlessly.

21For his eyes are on the ways of an individual,

he observes all a person’s steps.

22There is no darkness, and no deep darkness,

where evildoers can hide themselves.

23For he does not still consider a person,

that he should come before God in judgment.

24He shatters the great without inquiry,

and sets up others in their place.

25Therefore, he knows their deeds,

he overthrows them in the night

and they are crushed.

26He strikes them for their wickedness,

in a place where people can see,

27because they have turned away from following him,

and have not understood any of his ways,

28so that they caused the cry of the poor

to come before him,

so that he hears the cry of the needy.

29But if God is quiet, who can condemn him?

If he hides his face, then who can see him?

Yet he is over the individual and the nation alike,

30so that the godless man should not rule,

and not lay snares for the people.

Job Is Foolish to Rebel

31“Has anyone said to God,

‘I have endured chastisement,

but I will not act wrongly any more.

32Teach me what I cannot see.

If I have done evil, I will do so no more.’

33Is it your opinion that God should recompense it,

because you reject this?

But you must choose, and not I,

so tell us what you know.

34Men of understanding say to me –

any wise man listening to me says –

35that Job speaks without knowledge

and his words are without understanding.

36But Job will be tested to the end,

because his answers are like those of wicked men.

37For he adds transgression to his sin;

in our midst he claps his hands,

and multiplies his words against God.”

Job 33
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text:
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe (YA)

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4.5/5 Pleasure reading: 5/5

Great YA book! This will be on my top YA book list for the year.

Norris Kaplan, a black French Canadian, born to immigrant Haitian (now divorced) parents, is forced to move to Austin, Texas, so that his mother can follow up on a rare opportunity: a tenure track position at UT Austin as a Creole and Patois scholar. He leaves behind a reasonable (to him) climate, his hockey team, and his best friend. He doesn’t like Texas, or the U.S., or cheerleaders, or football jocks. He doesn’t like the heat, or the constant sweating, or the requisite T-shirt changes. It made sense to him that everything in Texas was bigger: “With this much heat, you needed shadows.” He makes a lot of negative assumptions about everyone he meets, even as he is sure they are making negative assumptions about him.

It’s the classic “Outsider in High School” plot line, but executed beautifully, unconventionally, and laugh-out-loud funny. Norris is grumpy and always expects the worst of everyone. Almost against his will, he makes a friend (Liam — the monk — who Norris admits is “an aggressively chill human being”), helps a cheerleader with her work schedule in exchange for dating tips, and even begins to see the jocks (embodied by Patrick aka “Hairy Armpits”) in a new light.

An hysterical, coming-of-age story, where I liked the protagonist a lot at the beginning, but liked him even more by the end.

Great quotes:
“Texas cheerleaders really are just laboratory-engineered little bags of evil, aren’t they?”

“As he suspected, Original Thought had died in the desert on its way to Texas, baked under the sun for a few miles, and been slaughtered for sustenance when provisions had dwindled.”

“It wasn’t that he didn’t know what to do at parties. He just found them viscerally boring: like getting dressed for a big night out and then spending your evening in an intermission lobby, bumping against people you vaguely recognize and fumbling to align conversation topics for brief windows of validation.”

Maddie (the cheerleader) wants to help him with his dating disasters: “We’re talking about dating here. I’m the genius janitor, there’s a complex equation on the chalkboard after hours … Give me some chalk and let me solve it!”

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for an early review copy of The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas, which will publish July 31, 2018.  All thoughts are my own.

A gripping YA whodunit replete with surprising plot twists. Monica Rayburn is still trying to find out the truth about the horrific events that took place 5 years before. This is when Sunnybrook stopped having cheerleaders — because they all died within a month of each other.  One of the cheerleaders was Monica’s beloved older sister, Jen. (As an aside, what is it about towns with “Sunny” in the title — Buffy’s Sunnydale was not a happy place to be either!)

It had just the right amount of suspense — not so much that I couldn’t get to sleep at night, but enough that I could not put the book down. Full of realistic confusion, false leads, and the impact that suspicion — whether warranted or not — can have on relationships.

Great for fans of One of Us Is Lying.


text:
Astronomer To STEM Education Coverage Govt

CareerYou’re going to get very profitable in no matter work you do, if your work is compatible along with your date of delivery. The Test / Interview will be primarily based on tenth level academic topics like English, Math’s and G.K. After completion of the interview the outcome will be announced and the additional process to hitch Merchant navy can be briefed.

Additionally, all counselors are skilled in a career therapy method that uses the ancient liberal arts of listening, pondering, speaking, writing, studying, reflecting, measuring, calculating, estimating, and dreaming as tools of inquiry in facilitating these healing conversations.

You probably have humanities or arts background, you’ll be able to qualify for quite a lot of artistic courses as your career options after 12th. It’s the best apply to think about your future career which motivates an individual to work in direction of attaining it in a present. OBJECTIVE: To secure a responsible position as a Program Officer in Youth Services and apply my expertise and demonstrated Private Model of success in administration and programming. Career Key writer Dr. Jones and Juliet Jones on the 2013 NCDA conference in Boston. Career were represents by wavy shapes such as the waves of an ocean which ideally offered by water.

All our work in Career Providers takes place in our complete career planning and professional development program Fordham Futures. Altering career is rather more acceptable lately, as are career choices reminiscent of having a portfolio career (getting earnings from various part-time jobs or undertaking work), freelancing and setting up by yourself. Her career really took off within the ’70s when she was seen on nearly each common TV collection. Ideally, you need to have a career the place selections come easily so that you simply really feel assured when making them. LaRue hit a deep shot to center area that absolutely would have been enough to be a home run. The ADI Half 2 (Take a look at Of Driving Ability) requires an advanced degree of driving.

While DPI can’t direct you one or one other, it might be finest to proceed together with your present career development software program contract for another 12 months so you don’t derail any ACP implementation processes implemented so far. If you cannot consider anybody in your individual circle, discover a career or life coach who can encourage and inspire you. How nicely you do on an employer’s check is probably probably the most critical thing to getting employed. A person who is the Sensing type will prefer a career the place they can be more hands-on, and take care of laborious facts. Apart from these fantastic resources, the Tufts Career Heart will be another great tool in your career improvement. Even students who know what they need to do may profit from the take a look at, because the quiz offers proof to again up their resolution. Folks and social skills are highly really helpful, if you wish to make a career in this discipline. … Read More

Astronomer To STEM Schooling Policy Executive

CareerThe AAS Committee on the Status of Girls in Astronomy and the AAS Employment Committee have compiled dozens of interviews highlighting the range of career trajectories obtainable to astronomers. McGee spent nearly all of his 18-year career playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, helping the Cardinals win the 1982 World Collection along with his outstanding performance in Recreation 3 of that sequence. The second lower acknowledges two clusters (A and S, with a correlation of zero.31; and E and C, with a correlation of 0.27), and I standing off by itself because its best correlation (zero.20, with A), is as weak because the E-S correlation.

Despite legislation outlawing discrimination on the grounds of age, analysis and follow point out that older workers discover it more difficult to safe appropriate work and career practitioners within the coming a long time ought to be particularly outfitted to support this cohort of potential clients.

Advice on resumes, cowl letters, and career exploration can be obtainable by appointments as well as on our website And day by day drop-in hours begin once more within the fall semester! Not your yes-buddy- Sure a career counselor are usually not there to let you know that you are the best like some people close to you do, to make you’re feeling higher.

One of the crucial fascinating techniques to develop the career is to foretell the picture of future. Career assessments will help individuals determine and better articulate their unique interests, character, values, and skills to find out how well they could match with a certain career. The one factor which I have always completed is to know that I am actually eager about making a career change. Fairly often college students don’t know what career they want to take up and hence they choose a mistaken stream at school. In addition to conventional volunteering opportunities take into account offering your providers to companies or companies in your area.

Before you may start to use any of the knowledge beneath you’ll need to know what your persona kind is. The MBTI persona take a look at is a superb indicator of what careers you might succeed at. Attempt taking this free MBTI Persona Check and are available back to see which careers your persona will work finest in.… Read More


text:
First impressions

[cross-posted at LeaderTalk]

Minnesota and Iowa Highway Signs

These are the signs you see when you enter Minnesota or Iowa along Interstate 35. Guess which one leaves the better impression?

While traveling recently, I had the unfortunate experience of overhearing two male restaurant employees ogling a young female traveler as she walked through the airport. All of the people sitting around the servers' station got to hear all about how 'hot' she was, what they'd like to do to her, etc. They were completely oblivious to their surrounding customers and to the fact that their sexist (and graphically vulgar) behavior reflected poorly on the national chain restaurant for whom they worked.

I have seen a similar phenomen when I visit schools. I can think of many school organizations where receptionists, secretaries, and other front office employees seemed oblivious or indifferent to the fact that their conversations, behaviors, and work environments reflected upon the institution. While waiting in school or district front offices, I have been ignored, overhead confidential conversations about students, been treated to complaints about bosses and the school system, and heard vulgar language. I have seen signs on walls like 'Lack of planning on your part DOES NOT constitute an emergency on mine!' and 'I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.' I have seen students and parents treated poorly, either in person or on the phone. And so on...

I always wonder what parents or community members think when they visit these offices. Like me, do they wonder about the level of professionalism of the office staff? Are they concerned about the level of customer service that they are going to receive? Are they worried that their visit may become fodder for later public conversation or ridicule? Do they wonder why an administrator is ignoring this?

You only get one chance to make a first impression.

'Upstreamism': Your zip code affects your health as much as genetics

Upstreamism advocate Rishi Manchanda calls us to understand health not as a "personal responsibility" but a "common good."

Sponsored by Northwell Health
  • Upstreamism tasks health care professionals to combat unhealthy social and cultural influences that exist outside — or upstream — of medical facilities.
  • Patients from low-income neighborhoods are most at risk of negative health impacts.
  • Thankfully, health care professionals are not alone. Upstreamism is increasingly part of our cultural consciousness.
Keep reading Show less
  • A huge segment of America's population — the Baby Boom generation — is aging and will live longer than any American generation in history.
  • The story we read about in the news? Their drain on social services like Social Security and Medicare.
  • But increased longevity is a cause for celebration, says Ashton Applewhite, not doom and gloom.

After death, you’re aware that you’ve died, say scientists

Some evidence attributes a certain neurological phenomenon to a near death experience.

Credit: Petr Kratochvil.
Surprising Science

Time of death is considered when a person has gone into cardiac arrest. This is the cessation of the electrical impulse that drive the heartbeat. As a result, the heart locks up. The moment the heart stops is considered time of death. But does death overtake our mind immediately afterward or does it slowly creep in?

Keep reading Show less

Yale scientists restore brain function to 32 clinically dead pigs

Researchers hope the technology will further our understanding of the brain, but lawmakers may not be ready for the ethical challenges.

Still from John Stephenson's 1999 rendition of Animal Farm.
Surprising Science
  • Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine successfully restored some functions to pig brains that had been dead for hours.
  • They hope the technology will advance our understanding of the brain, potentially developing new treatments for debilitating diseases and disorders.
  • The research raises many ethical questions and puts to the test our current understanding of death.

The image of an undead brain coming back to live again is the stuff of science fiction. Not just any science fiction, specifically B-grade sci fi. What instantly springs to mind is the black-and-white horrors of films like Fiend Without a Face. Bad acting. Plastic monstrosities. Visible strings. And a spinal cord that, for some reason, is also a tentacle?

But like any good science fiction, it's only a matter of time before some manner of it seeps into our reality. This week's Nature published the findings of researchers who managed to restore function to pigs' brains that were clinically dead. At least, what we once thought of as dead.

What's dead may never die, it seems

The researchers did not hail from House Greyjoy — "What is dead may never die" — but came largely from the Yale School of Medicine. They connected 32 pig brains to a system called BrainEx. BrainEx is an artificial perfusion system — that is, a system that takes over the functions normally regulated by the organ. Think a dialysis machine for the mind. The pigs had been killed four hours earlier at a U.S. Department of Agriculture slaughterhouse; their brains completely removed from the skulls.

BrainEx pumped an experiment solution into the brain that essentially mimic blood flow. It brought oxygen and nutrients to the tissues, giving brain cells the resources to begin many normal functions. The cells began consuming and metabolizing sugars. The brains' immune systems kicked in. Neuron samples could carry an electrical signal. Some brain cells even responded to drugs.

The researchers have managed to keep some brains alive for up to 36 hours, and currently do not know if BrainEx can have sustained the brains longer. "It is conceivable we are just preventing the inevitable, and the brain won't be able to recover," said Nenad Sestan, Yale neuroscientist and the lead researcher.

As a control, other brains received either a fake solution or no solution at all. None revived brain activity and deteriorated as normal.

The researchers hope the technology can enhance our ability to study the brain and its cellular functions. One of the main avenues of such studies would be brain disorders and diseases. This could point the way to developing new of treatments for the likes of brain injuries, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and neurodegenerative conditions.

"This is an extraordinary and very promising breakthrough for neuroscience. It immediately offers a much better model for studying the human brain, which is extraordinarily important, given the vast amount of human suffering from diseases of the mind [and] brain," Nita Farahany, the bioethicists at the Duke University School of Law who wrote the study's commentary, told National Geographic.

An ethical gray matter

Before anyone gets an Island of Dr. Moreau vibe, it's worth noting that the brains did not approach neural activity anywhere near consciousness.

The BrainEx solution contained chemicals that prevented neurons from firing. To be extra cautious, the researchers also monitored the brains for any such activity and were prepared to administer an anesthetic should they have seen signs of consciousness.

Even so, the research signals a massive debate to come regarding medical ethics and our definition of death.

Most countries define death, clinically speaking, as the irreversible loss of brain or circulatory function. This definition was already at odds with some folk- and value-centric understandings, but where do we go if it becomes possible to reverse clinical death with artificial perfusion?

"This is wild," Jonathan Moreno, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania, told the New York Times. "If ever there was an issue that merited big public deliberation on the ethics of science and medicine, this is one."

One possible consequence involves organ donations. Some European countries require emergency responders to use a process that preserves organs when they cannot resuscitate a person. They continue to pump blood throughout the body, but use a "thoracic aortic occlusion balloon" to prevent that blood from reaching the brain.

The system is already controversial because it raises concerns about what caused the patient's death. But what happens when brain death becomes readily reversible? Stuart Younger, a bioethicist at Case Western Reserve University, told Nature that if BrainEx were to become widely available, it could shrink the pool of eligible donors.

"There's a potential conflict here between the interests of potential donors — who might not even be donors — and people who are waiting for organs," he said.

It will be a while before such experiments go anywhere near human subjects. A more immediate ethical question relates to how such experiments harm animal subjects.

Ethical review boards evaluate research protocols and can reject any that causes undue pain, suffering, or distress. Since dead animals feel no pain, suffer no trauma, they are typically approved as subjects. But how do such boards make a judgement regarding the suffering of a "cellularly active" brain? The distress of a partially alive brain?

The dilemma is unprecedented.

Setting new boundaries

Another science fiction story that comes to mind when discussing this story is, of course, Frankenstein. As Farahany told National Geographic: "It is definitely has [sic] a good science-fiction element to it, and it is restoring cellular function where we previously thought impossible. But to have Frankenstein, you need some degree of consciousness, some 'there' there. [The researchers] did not recover any form of consciousness in this study, and it is still unclear if we ever could. But we are one step closer to that possibility."

She's right. The researchers undertook their research for the betterment of humanity, and we may one day reap some unimaginable medical benefits from it. The ethical questions, however, remain as unsettling as the stories they remind us of.